Fringe Festival gets off to a frenzied, free-for-all start

This year, I decided to cover the Montreal St. Ambroise Fringe Festival, because I have heard so much about the wide variety of comedy, dance and performance arts shows that border on the off beat and the way out. As a Fringe rookie, I was quite overwhelmed at the huge number of shows that were announced as its line-up was unveiled at a press conference (and chili cook-off) that was held last month.

I was still scratching my head about which shows I should catch when I was invited to attend a rather unique event that not only officially launched the 22nd edition of the Fringe Fest, but also doubled as a "sampler" to what kind of shows one could expect during the fest's three weeks. It was called the "Fringe-For-All", and was a frenzied blitz of about 93 of its local-based shows that gave the overflowing crowd at Cafe Campus an idea of what these shows would be like ... and all in two minute snippets per act.

Was I able to survive and withstand this fast and furious blitz of 93 acts in four hours? Stay tuned to this blog later and find out.

This Fringe-ful evening of June 4 began on a rather tranquil note with a 5 a 7 launch reception at the Petit Campus, a small annex of the Cafe Campus facility. The first impression I got as I entered the Petit Campus was that the people who work for the Fringe (volunteers and paid staff) are very friendly, accommodating and do everything and anything to the best of their abilities to make sure everyone is made to feel welcome; overall a good first impression.

Second, these people enjoy their work and like to have fun. Case in point, I noticed the nametags that every festival personnel were sporting had a rather unusual nickname which accompanied their normal name. I asked Alexandrine, a very pretty and charming young lady who greeted the guests at the door and handed out our festival super passes, what these nicknames were all about. She told me that in honor of St. Ambroise brewery, the festival's chief sponsor, all the employees were asked to choose their official nickname, but it had to be the name of a local or international brand of beer (Alexandrine's name was "Bintang" -- which sounded like a rather racy term that came out of the Vietnam War -- but is actually the name of a brew that's made in Indonesia).

While munching on some rolled up cold cuts, crudites and fresh fruit, and admiring the Fringe Fest swag that was given to us (which included the fest's brand new reusable beer cup, a lanyard, a St. Ambroise bottle opener and even a St. Ambroise brand condom), Amy Blackmore, the Fringe Fest's bubbly and very personable director, explained to the gathering the set of values to why The Montreal Fringe Festival has been so successful for over two decades.

“Anyone can apply. Artists that are accepted to perform can do whatever they want. One hundred percent of the money from ticket sales go directly to the artist. Ticket prices are low to keep the festival accessible to everyone. And word of mouth is key,” she said.


I have to give Amy a lot of credit for making the extra effort to personally introduce herself to practically everyone who attended the launch reception, especially those who are Fringe rookies (like myself), so that we were made to feel welcome. She ably proved that she is just as accessible and down-to-earth like the festival she is at the helm of. When Amy spoke with me, she remembered me from the days when I did my "Book Banter" segment on Peter Anthony Holder's show on CJAD for 19 years. In fact, she related to me the time when she won a couple of books from us during our monthly "Fire Sale" broadcasts (one of them was a Christmas book that she reads every year as the holiday season rolls around). Imagine that ... My first encounter with the director of the Fringe Festival and we already have a connection. My inaugural Fringe experience is really getting off to a great start. It can only get better.


Well, 7 p.m. rolls around, and everyone makes their way upstairs to the main Cafe Campus venue, where an overflowing crowd of Fringe Fest fans, artists and personnel eagerly await the highly-anticipated "Fringe-For-All" showcase.


And now, may I present another case in point to how the Fringe Fest people take good care of their sponsors and the media. The first three rows at the venue were reserved for us, which gave us an exclusive vantage point to sample these 93 performance tidbits (and take better pictures for our newspaper columns and articles). And each seat was covered with a pile of promotional flyers, postcards and pocket-sized items (like chocolate loonies and cocktail umbrellas, and in some instances, gift bags and bags of party mix) from many of the highlighted shows that night, in order to help make our choices of what shows to catch. And also, our press kits included a  three-page list of all the acts in order of appearance, with an allotted space beside each entry to mark down our comments (it was almost like a Fringe Fest scorecard).  And I have to give a special mention to the people behind the production of "Maluron Malurette", a French-language musical set in the midst of the Great Depression of the 1930s. In order to promote their show to us media types, they handed out to us their promotional postcard attached to a mini jar of homemade raspberry preserves (how can I not see this show, I ask myself, as I spread a dollop of that tasty homemade jam on my toasted bagel?).


So, after cramming my press kit with all these promotional items/seat covers, and show order list and pen in hand, I was ready for the "Fringe-For-All" to assault my sense and sensibilities.  


What a showcase it was! A wild melange of practically every performing arts discipline was on display for us to consider and choose. There was comedy, dance, drama, fine arts, performance art, song, burlesque and even old time radio and roller derby that had me laughing, amazed, astounded, mystified and at times, scratching my head and wondering to myself "Huh?!?" (but the latter were few and far between).


Alright ... you maybe asking yourself, "did Stuart manage to survive those 93 acts in two-minute snippets each for a total of nearly four hours?" My answer, dear reader, is an unequivocal, undisputed YES. Thanks to the "Fringe-For'All", my choices have been more defined and have been narrowed down to seven shows so far (so I could leave some room to catch several international acts). And here are my top three choices of the local Fringe Fest shows that I will definitely be making my way to catch over the next couple of weeks:

*”Tough!”, a solo musical comedy show with a boxing theme to it, featuring Montreal comic/actress Kirsten Rasmussen.  It’s a face-to-face showdown between a troubled lounge singer and an up-and-coming boxer … all rolled into one person. I was deeply impressed with Ms. Rasmussen and her wide-eyed, kinetic energy not only as a stand-up, but also as one of the emcees of the “Fringe-For-All” (in the guise of her alter ego Kiki Razzle, who will also be assuming co-hosting duties at the late night L’Apres Fringe shows). Her ability to keep the audience entertained between each act (along with her fellow emcees) with a lot of humour and enthusiasm and never show any signs of slowing down was something that really stuck with me that evening. She could be my “discovery” of the festival; and if she carries off this show like she did as an emcee, Kirsten Rasmussen should be one of the brightest up-and-coming talents in the Montreal comedy scene.

*”The Little Prince as told by Machiavelli”. This is what happens when you cross one of the most allegorical, charming works of modern literature with one of the darkest, starkly realistic political books ever written.  Mixing whimsy with brutal pragmatism, Saint-Exupery’s story of the Little Prince is given a literal Machiavellian twist and the end result is a hilarious literary satire that is not to be missed.

*”Let’s Start A Country!”.  Did you ever go to a Fringe show and ended up building your own mythical country? Staged by the That’s Enough Drama company, “Let’s Start A Country!” is a comedic exercise in nation building and participatory democracy, as audience members help the group set up a new country by deciding everything from its laws, to its customs, to its currency. By the way (speaking of currency), if the members of the troupe/new nation citizens decide to throw copies of their new paper currency into the audience, I hope they don't attached lollipops to them. That's what they did at the "Fringe-For-All" and I got beaned by one of those flying candy-laden currency.

There you have it. My initiation to the Montreal St. Ambroise Fringe Festival is complete. Armed with my notebook, pen, camera, Fringe Fest program book and reusable Fringe Fest beer cup, I am ready to experience the offbeat, unconventional, and unusually entertaining shows and spectacles that they have to offer. To indirectly quote the adline that was used for the 1975 film version of The Who's rock opera "Tommy", my senses will never be the same.