Among the hundreds of plays at the Edmonton International Fringe Festival, only a handful are geared toward kids. They’re easy to miss — and even easier for local theatre critics to ignore. To be fair, most critics aren’t paid with mini doughnuts, nor do they have the right perspective for reviewing the small but vital “Theatre for Young Audiences” section of the festival.
We decided it was time to take the category seriously — and age-appropriately — by recruiting soon-to-be-third-grader Noe Delilah, as Edify’s junior theatre critic. Along with her father (me) and little brother tagging along, she spent all day Saturday fringing before reporting back with her critiques.
The following reviews are in her words with supplementary opinions from the editor and little brother.
It was amazing! There’s a clown (ringmaster Gamble Christopolis played by Christopher Gamble) who started acting like a baby having a tantrum because he got a letter that said he was a jerk. Then he got lonely when he found out that we were going to leave after the show. My favourite part was when he did a dancing cartwheel and when he put costumes on people. (Editor’s Note: There’s a lot of audience engagement in this one.) He put grown-up baby clothes on someone’s dad! (Editor’s Note: Mercifully, not me.) It was hilarious. The only thing that would make it better is kitties.
Tickets are available for The Suitcase Circus‘s five remaining shows (August 20–24) at Spotlight Cabaret.
(Editor’s Note: The critic’s rating was highly prejudiced for reasons you’re about to see.)
It was awesome! During the whole play, this guy (writer/director/performer Alex Payne) is trying to pour a cup of tea perfectly — I don’t remember why. (Editor’s Note: He’s descendent of a long line of tea connoisseurs and feels immense pressure not to disappoint his family.) He has a fuzzy red puppet, a creature named Oliver who looks like a giraffe without ears and two legs. Oliver was trying to balance on a beam with fire underneath it but he needed help from someone — so I put up my hand and got to help him. That was my favourite part. My little brother was in it too. (Little Brother’s Note: I spinned a plate on a pointy thing! I give it one trillion out of five!)
Tickets are available for The Perfect Pour‘s final show (August 20, 3 p.m.) at Old Strathcona Public Library.
I remember there’s a girl named Juliet and I think they’re making a play? I didn’t get it. I liked the parts with “Blatman,” who is like Batman. It would have been better with a kitty. I don’t think it was for seven-year-olds. (Editor’s Note: The critic’s opinion was highly influenced by the disappointment of being denied mini doughnuts on the way to the venue due to a lack of time. I, for one, enjoyed The Misadventures as a satirical comedy poking fun at itself as a youth production attempting to stage Shakespeare’s classic with limited competence and resources. However, I’m in agreement with the critic that it’s unsuitable for all but the most precocious seven-year-old.)
Tickets are available for The Misadventures of Romeo and Juliet‘s four remaining shows (August 20–23) at Holy Trinity Anglican Church.
