Fringing! Spiral Dive: Episode Two

Spiral Dive, Episode One (as it is now known) was the heart of the Fringe for me last year. Spiral Dive, Episode Two is a great follow-up.

Both parts are playing at this Fringe, and can be seen in either order, so don't stress if you can't see One before Two.

I'm not going to get into spoilers because both shows have jam-packed plots with a great deal of suspense. But I want to share a couple of thematic notes.

In Episode One, starry-eyed Edmonton flyboy Jack discovers what it really means to be at war. Jack's emotional journey is a reflection of the nation's aspirations as well.

In Episode Two, Jack learns to live with war and its shifting demands. Being a hero isn't enough. It might not even be the point anymore as Jack, and Canada as a whole, must deal with new instruments of subjugation that have been incorporated into the war and its side effects: assembly line economics, tactical engagement, and structural inequities and abstractions.

There are a lot of great lines in the show. Here's the one that stood out most for me:
"There are two kinds of Jews. He's a rich Jew, and I'm... wandering in the desert."

To Ken Brown, cast and crew: thank you for creating an epic show with just four chairs and a lot of imagination!

https://tickets.fringetheatre.ca/DateSelect.aspx?item=460

(cross-posted to Facebook)

Fringing! Pipa

"Pipa" is a beautiful, charming piece of physical theatre.

Pipa is an accident-prone girl. Her mother told that she was born blind -- in the sense that she can't metaphorically see what's in front of her. But she just doesn't see the same relationship between things that the rest of us do. She can't quite seem to negotiate the spaces between objects and herself. On stage, she bumps into, or fails to stand in right relation with, everyday objects: a bench, a stool, a microphone stand.

We don't think we'd have that kind of trouble. But we're trained to go about our physical world in certain patterns; we move as if things aren't there. So really, we're the ones who are blind to our physical environment. As Pipa says, "People say butterflies are blind, but they don't see the same way we do."

(Speaking of butterflies, the very clever projection piece is an all-time Fringe highlight.)

"Pipa" was my Fringe roulette pick: I didn't know anything about the performer or the show. Turns out Minneapolis's Tamara Ober first came to the Edmonton Fringe last year, with a troupe that performed "The Gypsy and the General". She was so inspired by our welcoming theatre community that she biffed up the ginge to create her first solo work and to bring it here. That work is "Pipa". We're glad you came back, Tamara!

https://tickets.fringetheatre.ca/DateSelect.aspx?item=566

(cross-posted to Facebook)