Fringe Review: Bomb a crisp, polished drama
Stage 4, Walterdale Theatre, 10322 83 Ave.
Article content
This dark, absurdist comedy by Ukrainian playwright Natalia Blok is a clean, crisp production with strong and supple performances by its four characters. The story is, by turns, funny and frightening and requires some knowledge of, and interest in, the plight of Ukraine in the last 30 years.
Article content
At the centre is Dasha (the energetically comical Mariya Khomutova), an activist with PTSD and an anxiety disorder. Fighting for various social justice causes has left her feeling like a ticking time bomb that just might go off at any time. When her devoted husband (a cheerfully manic Geoffrey Simon Brown) suggests a trip to a psychiatrist, Dasha finds herself in the grip of a practitioner (James MacDonald, compellingly wacky) who mixes heliotropic breathwork with the study of auras. His diagnosis? Dasha actually does have a bomb in her belly, one that could change history if she chooses to pull the pin.
Article content
Article content
Helmed by one of the rising stars of directing in Canada, Edmonton's own Lianna Makuch (fresh off a Stratford gig), Bomb moves with speed and precision and the kind of professional polish that's not necessarily common at Fringe shows. Designer Stephanie Bahniuk's spare set, with its overhead projector and vintage hospital room dividers, channels a Soviet-style cinderblock mentality. It's a very confusing place to be, and that's just the point.
Article content
Article content
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Toronto Star
6 hours ago
- Toronto Star
‘Kim's Convenience,' Amaarae, LCD Soundsystem and more: What the Star's culture team is loving this week
Concert: LCD Soundsystem As detailed in Lizzy Goodman's fantastic oral history, 'Meet Me in the Bathroom,' James Murphy burst onto the scene as an essential player in New York's rock 'n' roll rebirth of the early 2000s, merging Euro-style electronica and Talking Heads art funk with his own signature blasé vocals on songs about the party and the morning after. On Friday, Murphy brings his body-moving disco-rock band — who, by the way, positively smoke live — to History (1663 Queen St. E.) for the first of a three-night stand. —Doug Brod
Edmonton Journal
6 hours ago
- Edmonton Journal
Fringe Review: The Underwear Fairy and Other Love Stories
The Underwear Fairy and Other Love Stories Article content Stage 7 — Yardbird Suite (11 Tommy Banks Way) Article content What do we want from an ideal Fringe play? Laughs, for sure — maybe a little familair heartache balanced with something sexy. And if there's a bit of mystery, well, then we're really soaring. Article content Kristi Boulton's one-woman testimonial is all these things, a strange, smartly constructed memoir of teenage romance and losses both earth-shattering and cute with a central question of who exactly was making unsolicited exchanges within the playwright's panty drawer through and disturbingly beyond her childhood? Article content Article content I have theories and so will you, though this is not the point of this charming and energetic portrait of a nervous and nerdy kid in love with Sailor Moon characters and capricious little elementary school jerks leading up to a beautifully lit moonlight lake encounter where she and her friends' 'boobs fit together like Tetris pieces' — tertriminos for the hardcore players. Article content Article content What else can I say? Loved this, even teared up at a couple points, and nodded along to the play's central message, which, ain't this the truth, 'love is weird.' Article content
Vancouver Sun
10 hours ago
- Vancouver Sun
Fringe Review: Flora and Fawna Face Their Fears another Guys in Disguise hit
Flora and Fawna Face Their Fears 4 out of 5 stars Stage 11, Varscona Theatre, 10329 83 Ave. Two little girls (well, one of them is comically massive) find themselves after dark, in a tent, in the wilderness. The nearby howl of slavering canines contributes to their fear of, oh, so many things. Girl Guides. Escapees from mental institutions with giant hooks for hands. As the new play by Guys in Disguise progresses, however, it turns out that the tent is actually in the backyard, and the fears are rooted more in relationships than pets that lunge from the grave. 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. Crafted by the multi-talented team of Trevor Schmidt and Darrin Hagen, Flora and Fawna Face Their Fears is yet another in a long line of hit Fringe comedies, including an assortment of Flora and Fawna adventures, and other crazily popular titles such as Puck Bunnies. (The latter has led to a catch phrase in our home — 'Tina, Oh My God!' — that draws giggles at the mere memory of the show about girls who hang around hockey rinks.) In this iteration, Flora (Trevor Schmidt) and Fawna (Jake Tkaczyk) bring a new recruit into their Natural Girls group for a backyard sleepover party resplendent with unicorns, puffy slippers and tulle skirts. Fern Gumley (Jason Hardwick) comes from the United States, and while she seems to have what it takes to be the group's new secretary, she also sports a bit of an edge. Is that a cheery wave, or an Elon Musk salute? Check out all of our reviews from the 2025 Edmotnon International Fringe Theatre Festival here .
