Montreal Fringe reviews (Becoming Magic Mike, Crime after Crime (after crime), Al Lafrance. Jon Bennet. That’s It.)

The annual Montreal Fringe Festival is currently in full swing, offering up a bounty of independent productions running the gamut from comedy, theatre, dance, puppetry, and any combination of the above (along with many completely indescribable shows).

Below is our first collection of reviews from the festival, which runs through June 17th at a variety of venues throughout the Plateau. Stay tuned for more reviews and features in the coming days.

For tickets and the complete schedule, visit the Fringe site.

Becoming Magic Mike: An Action Adventure Comedy

Portland’s DK Reinemer manages to combine an 80’s buddy cop action comedy with male stripping in this hilarious one-man show. Playing multiple parts, including a pair of partner cops, Reinemer’s production basically squeezes Bad Boys II and Magic Mike into a one-man production, complete with triggered sound effects and pre-recorded dialogue, full-on action sequences, and a few extended striptease sequences that see Reinemer get pretty “familiar” with the crowd. It’s essentially a Michael Bay blockbuster with 100% more male twerking.

Some of the effects were jumbled up at the show we caught, which actually made the production even more ridiculous, and showed off Reinemer’s quick improv skills. Watching Becoming Magic Mike is like having an ADD-addled pre-teen breathlessly recount the plot of a recent Transformers movie — it doesn’t make much sense, but it’s entertaining as hell.

Remaining shows: June 13 at 9:45 pm, June 16th at 4:15 pm, June 17th at 7:45 pm. Petit Campus, $10.

Al Lafrance. Jon Bennet. That’s It.

This succinctly titled show at least lets you know what you’re in for —  Montreal’s Al Lafrance and Australia’s Jon Bennett team up for a 30-minute, “anything goes” type show that the audience dictates based on a number of increasingly random suggestions from the duo (“Money for Money” was literally a game where Lafrance and an audience member exchanged a hidden amount of cash, each hoping the other would be generous).

This particular show featured Lafrance’s screening of his 7-minute long recut of Se7en (sans spoilers or violence), a massive on-stage selfie with the crowd, an incredibly disturbing personal revelation, and a mini dance sequence (to qualify for the Fringe dance award). It’s all incredibly silly, but the ticking-clock function of the show keeps things moving briskly along. If anything, this show should be longer, in order to allow the duo to really explore some of their nuttier ideas. The pair have a great rapport, and their banter between sequences was by far the most entertaining part of the show — maybe next time they can simply leave the audience prompts out of it.

Remaining shows: June 12 at 9:00 pm, June 13 at 11:45 pm, June 15th at 7:15 pm, June 16th at 4:45 pm, June 17th at 8:15 pm. Mainline Theatre, $10 ($5 for “People Who Like Animals”). 

Crime after Crime (after crime)

Toronto troupe Sex T-Rex are Fringe favourites, and packed it in for their new show, Crime after Crime (after crime), leaving venue staff scrambling to find additional seats for the over-sold crowd. What starts off as a crime noir parody, complete with a Bogey-style narrator, eventually expands into a time-hopping take on a number of blockbuster film genres, including a heist film, a 90’s buddy-cop flick, a space opera, and (somehow) much more.

While that sounds like a lot to pack into an hour-long show, there is a somewhat tenuous thread linking all the stories and eras together, which makes the transitions less abrupt than you may think. With some truly hilarious performances from the troupe, incredibly choreographed fight and dance scenes, and some very clever uses of the minimal stage props (see: hangars for space ships), Crime After Crime (after crime) is a testament to what can be done on a shoestring budget. This is likely the most entertaining hour you can spend at Fringe.

Remaining shows: June 14th at 11:15 pm, June 15th at 10:00 pm, June 17th at 3:30 pm. Mainline Theatre, $10 ($8 students). 

For tickets and the complete schedule, visit the Fringe site.