Go Fest Yourself

Dispatches from the festival frontlines.

FRINGE REVIEW: Witness To A Conga

 

The conga link is an extraneous plot tie-in, but the rest of this play is pitch perfect. It's got a dense, interesting and well-paced story, great acting, a charming main character/narrator, and it's at times touching, emotional, funny, goofy, serious and tear-jerking. Yes, and all of this in just over an hour. This play will surely be a highlight at Fringe for its realistic, intelligent and contemporary portrayal of new-adulthood.

Loosely, it's the story of a bookish man about to marry a more outgoing woman, and the issues that emerge from his past when he's asked who he wants to invite to the wedding (his list is three people long) and whether he wants the band to play a conga. Flashbacks and looks into the narrator's mind make up much of the plot, and in this hour the writers and actors explore a complete characterization and a completely engaging story. Jeff Haslam, Andrew MacDonald-Smith and Belinda Cornish are absolute standouts, and the only thing that holds this back from five stars is the distracting line flubs that unfortunately came up throughout the play.

Four out of five stars.

 


more in Fringe Reviews     |     posted Aug 15th, 2010 at 11:45pm     


All Content Copyright © SEE Magazine 2008 About Us Contact Us Privacy Policy Terms of Use Contest Disclaimer