Fringe Review: The Peter Pan Cometh
Stage 4 — Walterdale Theatre (10322 83 Ave.)
Article content
Following the truly smart and breathlessly executed pattern of last year's Who's Afraid of Winnie the Pooh, Minneapolis' Clevername Theatre this time walks Disney's Peter Pan off the plank into the gaping jaws of The Ice Man Cometh — Eugene O'Neill's harrowing 1939 stage drama about a dismal crew of flophouse alcoholics dealing with the supposed success of one of their ilk going straight and embracing sobriety.
Article content
Article content
Last year's Pooh is this year's Captain Hook, Thomas Buan once again roaring his hyper-articulate cravings for oblivion alongside a pixie-dust addicted, one-shoed Smee (Alec Berchem) and guilt-wracked, Lost-Boys-dooming Tinkerbell (Isabelle Hopewell), generally called Tinkbird during the play and seemingly forgotten by Peter Pan (Nick Hill) as he glides back into the purgatorial Neverland on his roller-sneakers.
Article content
Article content
Borrowing heavily from O'Neill's highly articulate dialogue and relentless interpersonal friction, I will suggest at least a passing familiarity with the two pools of source material — the words hit harder if you fathom the ultimate tragedy of Peter and Wendy or have a sense of how the return of Hickey makes the flophouse gang take long looks in the tarnished mirror.
Article content
But superimposing Pan onto Hickey, now embracing growing up and forgetting your silly dreams of being a child forever, is just the sort of brilliant inversion it's now safe to say you can expect from the company, a whirling storm of wailing and death — or even worse, life going on — finding this a perfect antidote to the derpy escapism of classic Disney.
Article content
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Edmonton Journal
3 hours ago
- Edmonton Journal
Fringe Review: Lousy Parents gets the fur flying
Article content Article content 4 stars out of 5 Article content Article content Stage 4 — Walterdale Theatre (10322 83 Ave.) Article content Hell is other people, the old saying goes — but that phrase doesn't get quite specific enough sometimes, especially when children are in the mix. Kristen Peters stars as Carly Davenport, who runs Sunshine Daycare Home. 'I've always liked kids, even when I was one,' she explains at the onset, making it clear the tension muscling through this theatrical collision of worldviews isn't going to be the kids, who have sadly come down with the rather common modern affliction of head lice. Enter the parents. Well-off Sharon and Tim Callahan (Jill Gamez and Ed Picard) are an asymmetrical pair of hard workers — she on her yuppie career, he on maintaining the household. Meanwhile, Dan and Fiona Whitmore-Murray (Jeremy Schick and Sara Rossman) are exhausting, outfits-matching helicopter parents who follow every trend for the sake of appearances. And Ricky and Raven Frankenstein (Mark Facundo and Marissa Tordof) are those cool rock and roll parents you see now and then, all in black and pretty good-natured, but certainly with their own defensiveness, judginess and hangups. In a classic speed-dating, 12 Angry Men sort of way, all these diverse voices are smashed together by Davenport via the head lice crisis in hopes of transparency and communication, but of course the fur flies. 'Lice is treated with medicine, combing and patience,' the caregiver explains, immediately bashing up against resistance via the Frankensteins' budget concerns, Fiona's fear of chemicals and Sharon's base-level impatience, things quickly getting out of hand as the inevitable blame game gets going across cultural borders and Fiona accuses the Frankensteins — last names changed to buck the patriarchy — of being Satanists. As heads are butted and fights threatened, necks start to get itchy which leads to a satisfying conclusion where the person who deals with children all the time has to step up. You may see yourself in this play, and that's the point — be brave and grow! Article content Article content
Vancouver Sun
3 hours ago
- Vancouver Sun
Fringe Review: Evie and Alfie the funniest, sweetest show at this year's fest
Evie and Alfie: A Very British Love Story 5 Stars out of 5 Stage 4, Walterdale Theatre, 10322 83 Ave. Evie and Alfie are the funniest and cutest elderly British couple you will ever meet; their story is endearing and a must-see at this year's festival. Evie and Alfie: A Very British Love Story is the tale of two aging lovebirds, from their origin story to bringing a child into the world. They stick together through thick and thin, aging together through the good times and the bad. But it isn't the plot that makes this show so special, but the delivery, a pair of cheeky Brits taking the piss with one another for a full hour. They have a go at one another, but come back together when it matters most. They obviously love one another, and that shines through like a bright star on a moonless night. It's funny, it's heartwarming, it's everything you would want from an hour of theatre. Get top headlines and gossip from the world of celebrity and entertainment. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Sun Spots will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. Alex Dallas and Jimmy Hogg, as the pair of aging lovebirds, are absolute stars, switching back and forth between young star-struck children to aging pensioners with aplomb. They are funny and brilliant in equal measure, an absolute joy to watch on stage. There aren't enough superlatives to describe Evie and Alfie: A Very British Love Story. This is the type of show that makes Fringe so special, a drama that will make you laugh, a comedy that will make you feel and a show that will have you walk away with a giant smile on your face. Check out all of our reviews from the 2025 Edmotnon International Fringe Theatre Festival here .
Calgary Herald
3 hours ago
- Calgary Herald
Fringe Review: Evie and Alfie the funniest, sweetest show at this year's fest
Article content Stage 4, Walterdale Theatre, 10322 83 Ave. Article content Evie and Alfie are the funniest and cutest elderly British couple you will ever meet; their story is endearing and a must-see at this year's festival. Article content Evie and Alfie: A Very British Love Story is the tale of two aging lovebirds, from their origin story to bringing a child into the world. They stick together through thick and thin, aging together through the good times and the bad. Article content Article content But it isn't the plot that makes this show so special, but the delivery, a pair of cheeky Brits taking the piss with one another for a full hour. They have a go at one another, but come back together when it matters most. They obviously love one another, and that shines through like a bright star on a moonless night. It's funny, it's heartwarming, it's everything you would want from an hour of theatre. Article content Article content Alex Dallas and Jimmy Hogg, as the pair of aging lovebirds, are absolute stars, switching back and forth between young star-struck children to aging pensioners with aplomb. They are funny and brilliant in equal measure, an absolute joy to watch on stage. Article content There aren't enough superlatives to describe Evie and Alfie: A Very British Love Story. This is the type of show that makes Fringe so special, a drama that will make you laugh, a comedy that will make you feel and a show that will have you walk away with a giant smile on your face. Article content
