Author Archives: Jay Menard

London Fringe — The Fever: A Crisis of Conscience; A Condemnation of Self-Limited Caring

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By Jay Menard

The Fever is a compelling story of the lies we tell ourselves — either consciously or unconsciously — to justify the lives we enjoy. Lives that are built upon the foundation of other people’s sorrow. And it’s delivered courtesy of a riveting performance by Pat O’Brien.

The Fever was written by Wallace Shawn and is brought to life in this year’s Fringe by the much-ballyhooed O’Brien, who previously wowed with Underneath the Lintel. From the moment the show starts to the final word spoken, O’Brien holds the crowd in the palm of his hand and commands attention from start to finish. Continue reading →

London Fringe — Lights, Camera… Magic! A Magician Growing into the Spotlight

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By Jay Menard,

With Lights, Camera…. Magic, we have the pleasure of seeing a young magician growing into the spotlight. Thought not 100 per cent there yet, Savio Joseph shows more than enough charisma, talent, and sense of fun to warrant keeping an eye on.

His current Fringe production, Lights, Camera… Magic is an uneven but entertaining ride through magic. Joseph displays an easy-going charm and a self-effacing sense of humour and is adept at slight-of-hand magic and other standard tricks. Continue reading →

London Fringe — Conversations Never Had Shouts Greatness from the Stage

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By Jay Menard,

Conversations Never Had, performed by Breath in Mvmt and choreographed by Melisa Boose, is a testament to the power of dance and the power of visual storytelling through movement. And it accomplishes this through a performance that’s at once soul wrenching and emotionally uplifting.

Permit me to repeat myself a bit, but Breath in Mvmt’s style is the embodiment of “Jolie Laide” — a French concept describing something that is beautiful in its ugliness. I described their 2015 show in similar terms and it is more true than ever before. That’s not to say that the performance is ugly in any way, but it’s raw, it’s visceral, and Boose’s choreography extends beyond the mere crafting of steps, but into pouring the dancer’s soul onto the stage.

The “ugliness” is a style that embraces the conventions of contemporary dance, then twists and turns them into a result that transcends the style. Continue reading →

London Fringe — Thunderfoot: Moving Art, in Every Sense of the Word

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By Jay Menard

Thunderfoot, by Aaron Malkin, is more than just a mere performance — it is moving art, in every sense of the word.

Thunderfoot can best be described as living, breathing, art. Malkin, who is known to Fringe viewers as one half of the James and Jamesy duo (he’s the taller, less hirsute, James), uses his body as a brush — painting imagery with his movements and leaving behind a tableau upon which his story is told.

It’s truly beautiful to watch and the precision and delicacy of his movements leave nothing — and everything — to the imagination. The set is barren, but Malkin, through nothing more than making sounds and using his body to “draw” the environment. He creates images, using the power of our imagination, that are as real and persistent as any wood-and-paint set.

It’s a play based on movement; and it’s a play that moves you to the core.

Continue reading →

London Fringe — Ambitious, Flawed Fish Saw Needs Time to Mature

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By Jay Menard

Any good angler knows that if you catch a fish that’s not mature enough, you need to throw it back and give it time to grow. While Fish Saw ambitiously took a bite at hooking the audience, it still needs more time, better editing, and greater focus before it’s ready to reel in the rave reviews.

There is a tremendous amount of potential in Sachie Mikawa and George Lewis’ play. There are absolutely poetic moments, beautiful imagery, engaging quirkiness, and an endearing lead in Mikawa. However, these positives get obscured by a meandering plot, extraneous non-sequiturs, superfluous characters that take too much of the play’s time, and, of course, technical challenges. Continue reading →