I actually went to some of the smaller Fringe shows this year! The first on my to-see list was The Legend of Kaulula’au, written by Keali’iwahine Hokoana and performed by Moses Goods III. However, I know I’m far too biased to give it a proper review, as part of my family lives in Hawai’i (my heart’s home) and it hit my soul with the first blast of the conch shell, which I haven’t heard since my grandfather’s funeral. However, I think I can say without too much nostalgic colouration that it was very well done. It could have gone wrong if the right person hadn’t performed it, but Moses Goods made the legend come alive—and at the same time, made me feel like I was sitting on the shores of Maui listening to a local storyteller.

My next show was the Princess Cabaret. It was, as the review said, well-done, funny, cheeky and sassy. The songs were mostly well-sung and amusing in and of themselves, and the re-characterization of the Disney Princesses was hilarious. My favourite moment, hands-down, was when Aurora (Sleeping Beauty), woken into the 21st century, takes one look around the modern streets, and shrieks, “A darkie! Walking around like he owns the place!” However, I felt a little twinge knowing that there’s still places in the world where such statements would be considered “acceptable speech”—and that is so far away from funny that it makes me feel a little sick. Because of this, it only beat the Segway/segue joke because, well, that’s a little dated. My one wish for the show, however, is that it had some sort of overarching plot to connect the vignettes together, as they grew increasingly random as the show went on, with a skit dropped here and there that seemed to call for something overarching. The ending would have been a lot more satisfying that way, too.

Following this (the same day, even) was a one-and-a-half hour version of Hamlet by Two-Day Productions from St Andrews “in the style of Jules Verne and H.G. Wells”. Let me warn you, first, that my two BIG THINGS when it comes to theatre are costuming and stage combat, having a background in both. I was expecting something far more steampunk than it was, but the costuming was interesting at least. I was a bit distracted by Ophelia’s busk, which looked more like a proper underwear corset, and with the rest of her outfit made her look a little too crazy to begin with. I loved Gertrude’s long skirt, fitted shirt and lady’s-style riding jacket, however, and Laertes’s coat, which was a green frock coat that seemed to have words printed over it. The acting was generally what is to be expected at a young-university level, though Hamlet’s portrayer was excellent (particularly with the almost manic mood changes). Ophelia was also good at the crazy, and Gertrude did quite well with both distress and dying. Conversely, I couldn’t stand it when Polonius was on stage: I was glad when he died simply so I wouldn’t have to watch that actor any more. It seemed like he was phoning it in—though I think he just wasn’t very good. The final fight scene was excellent. Flynning, yes, and the kills weren’t quite convincing (though that may be because I was in the front row), but the choreography was active and well-executed.

“The Magic Flute” by Shadwell Opera from Cambridge was a highlight! I had never seen it before, despite the fact that I grew up with the soundtrack and story. Their costuming choices were interesting and a little cheesy, but every single voice was spectacular. Extra praise goes to the Queen of the Night, who (according to her bio in the bulletin), did not have a major background in opera. Papageno and Papagena were hilarious, Monostatos was the villain you wanted to hate (he got “boos” instead of cheers at the end—that’s how good he was at making us at him), Pamina was sweet and melancholy, Tamino was a love-struck hero. The text was in English, but that made one of the plot points extra delightful: in a rather pared-down set, there was no tree for Papageno to hang himself from, so they wrote the available hatrack into the libretto. The only low point, sadly, came at the end, and left a bit of a foul taste in the mouth. The final celebration scene appeared more like an orgy (though props to the guy in drag!), and Tamino/Pamina’s kiss went on for a little too long. And in a small venue, it was very obvious that there was tongue. It wasn’t appropriate for the work, and mildly disrespectful to the audience as well.

The highest point of my festival, however, was Tao. It was so amazing, in fact, that I saw it once on my own, and went back with some friends. The first time, I left the theatre practically floating from glee. The next, I couldn’t stop smiling. In fact, I bought the DVD, and I think I’ll go watch this, as Tao is the final show in my Fringe list. Don’t take my word on how fun Tao was, though—this entry is over, so check out their website and watch the intro video! And then, of course, tell me what you think.

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