This weekend, Keystone Theatre is hosting an event called Put on your Fancy Pants: An Evening of Musical Mayhem and Vaudevillian Shenanigans. I will be in character as Gormless Joe throughout the night, and I plan to have my phone in my pocket (I know, a little anachronistic, but whatevs). If you’re at the event, come and find me and we’ll take a selfie together.
Gormless Joe Rides Again!
This weekend I return to work on Keystone Theatre’s The Last Man on Earth, as we prepare for our April production in Toronto. Its always fun to get back into that character, and this show is one that I have a soft spot for.
The Last Show
In a Fringe Festival as large as Edmonton’s (there were 215 shows!), it’s nice to get noticed. We were happy when all but one of our shows was sold out. We were even happier when we were asked to be held over and do two additional shows. To be one of 7 shows held over is quite an honour, especially on our first ever fringe tour.
But now it’s done. Tonight, we performed for the last time this tour. Tomorrow, we head for home.
It’s been an exciting seven weeks. I’ll take some time to summarize more later. But for now, I will leave you with a picture of the cast getting ready for the last show.
Not yet the end
Last night would have been our last show, both of the Edmonton Fringe, and the summer tour. We would be on the road tomorrow morning, heading back home to Toronto. Except that it wasn’t, and we won’t be… At least not yet.
We were selected to be held over for two additional performances at the big mainstage, so we will be staying in Edmonton a little while longer.
Edmonton Fringe has been quite a ride. It can be overwhelming. There are massive numbers of people, many out for the buskers and the food (and the beer tents). The first few days, I needed to take some time away from the crowds and try to find a quiet corner, which was not an easy feat. Our first show sold out, as did most of our other performances, and the reviews have been amazing.
The holdover allows us to put off the end of the tour, which will be bittersweet. The tour has been so successful, and the cast so close, that the end is more than a little sad. But we are also tired, and ready to go home.
Today, we will move our set to the big theatre, and tonight we will go to the Fringe closing. And then… A day off.
This photo was taken immediately before what was to be our last show:
Fringe buzz round up
Here is a taste of the kind of reviews we have been getting so far. Not bad, if I do say so myself.
CBC Manitoba gave The Last Man on Earth five stars, and named it their Outstanding Physical Comedy of Winnipeg Fringe, while the Winnipeg Free Press gave the show four stars. The Calgary Herald gave The Last Man on Earth four and a half stars and called it “pure speechless delight” while FFWD Weekly called the play “a solidly entertaining hour of theatre, possibly unlike any you’ve seen before”.
