Hoi Polloi, I’m falling behind again!  With a week to go until FRINGE?  That’ll never do.  Gotta keep myself in fighting-blogging trim, is what the what it here.   So let’s get right to it with hit number five on the Magnetic North hit parade, KISMET 1 TO 100, a verbatim-based piece from Vancouver gang The Chop Theatre.

I say verbatim based simply because the entire show is NOT just a revoicing of interviewees…although plenty of interviewees there were. Travelling across the country, the Chopsters (Emilia Symington Fedy, Daryl King, Anita Rochon and Hazel Venzon) interviewed one hundred people, one for each age from 1 to 100, about their thoughts on destiny, fate, and all that that entails.  The results are magical, and the show alternates between retellings of some of the choicer segments (occasionally featuring the actual recordings), and tales of the gang’s adventures tracking all of these soundbites down.  Between some live guitar accompaniment and a sticky ball wall that tells stories of its own, the show never lets itself get dull, and the whole production moves sweetly and engagingly towards a terrifically satisfying conclusion.

100 year old interviewee Mary serves as the sort of anchor to the whole show, although I found a personal high point was the simple moments between Emilia and Hazel, reenacting their long drives cross-country.  Film, stills, sound and light are all used to accentuate the stories and keep things relatable.  It’s a pretty beautiful show, really, and the young actors all have plenty of game. Chop’s got chops, yo.  And my apologies to them for not getting this review up sooner, but, well, I kinda sorta took too much advantage of the festival bar last night, and…sorry.  Fringe practice?  Can we call it that?  Sure.  Peace, Love and soul, Chopsters,

The Visitor (and Winston)