I managed to jam 5 plays in on Saturday and Sunday. I’m not sure why I’m posting reviews, since the Fringe is over now, but there’s still Pick of the Fringe this weekend, and some of the plays we saw are showing again.

Unbreakable Popsicle Gang(**)
I really wasn’t impressed with this play. It was a one-man show about family bonds and dealing with death. There were some funny bits and some sentimental moments, but it lacked punch. I think it was geared at a different audience.

Colossus(****)
We showed up early and managed to snag tickets to this Pick of the Fringe that was sold out when we came on Thursday. It was a pretty impressive performance, that reminded me a lot of the Blue Man Group. A fusion of acting, music, dance, and a healthy dose of reluctant audience participation. Many of the pieces were designed to make you think while entertaining you. My favourite was when they came out dressed in Haz-Mat outfits and grabbed two audience members and conducted an awkward date experiment. My only complaint is some pieces really dragged on.

Sex, Lies, and Nursery Rhymes(****)
Delightfully naughty. A burlesque show with all your favourite nursery rhyme characters, but not how you may have remembered them. It was funny, sexy, and throughly entertaining. There wasn’t much of a plot, and some of the jokes were flat, but they had hot girls dancing and spinning nipple tassels and a really cute Miss Muffit in pigtails being seduced by a spider. What more could you want?

Legoland(*****)
Another Pick of the Fringe and probably the best play overall. We saw 3 of the 4 Pick of the Fringes, and this one stood out amongst the all-stars. Complete with a clever plot, quirky characters, and non-stop action. The jokes were original, witty, and came at such a dizzying pace that I barely stopped laughing for the entire play. If you’re in Vancouver this weekend and you haven’t seen it, then go see it. You’re life will be incomplete if you don’t. I don’t want to say too much to spoil the story, but it focuses on the adventures of two quirky teens who grow up in a hippy community in Saskatchewan, go to boarding school, and then travel through the US.

The Excursionists(***)
Emily really liked this one, but I wasn’t too impressed. The two actors were funny and took us on an underwater journey around the world after Britain sinks. British accents are amusing in themselves, but there wasn’t too much more there for me. Maybe it was because it was way passed my bedtime when we saw it. Or maybe it was because it was immediately following Legoland, and it couldn’t possibly compare.