Two versions of Bat Brains exist; the show Sam Kruger originally meant for the world to see, and the one that occurred during Bat Brains’ opening. I can only review what transpired rather than what was intended; the show I saw was deeply personal and visceral, a magnetic hour of stylized movement and Brechtian alienation. It was revealed in the show’s conclusion that many of the highlights of the performance had been accidental or “unfinished,” and I found myself wishing we hadn’t been told this, as those moments of freneticism and spontaneity felt absolutely inspired. That being said, as far as I know, Bat Brains has evolved since its opening, and I hope to see it again before Fringe’s closing. …

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Sam Kruger is a gifted creator and performer. In front of a full house for his first performance at this year’s Fringe, Kruger lived up to the hype set by his incredible show last year, Fool Muun Komming. This year’s Bat Brains or Let’s Explore Mental Illness with Vampires proves once again that Kruger is one of the best and most idiosyncratic physical theatre/solo artists out there. He captures everything that Fringe should be about. …

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Dr. Melissa Yuan-Innes is not an actor; Fringe is a new territory for her, one that she has appeared to full-heartedly embrace both in performance and, rather endearingly, in spectatorship . In her hour of storytelling, we as an audience don’t notice or mind an occasional word fumble or lapse in finesse; Yuan-Innes’ honesty and candor make her a captivating presence onstage. Yuan-Innes masterfully connects moments of humor, nostalgia, grief, confusion, and hope into three distinct tales from the Emergency Room, with a winning charisma and infectious sunny disposition.  …

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Darcy Smith’s one-man show, A Modest Attempt is a project very personal in nature. Beginning with taking questions from the audience about the show, a light-hearted atmosphere is immediately established. He then grounds his story in his background from childhood with both the Internet and theatre; the two intersect heavily in this performance, as its main conceit is the tricks Smith does to impress audiences on the World Wide Web. The anecdotes Smith relays of his earlier years, such as dialling up to use the internet in the late 1990s and the resultant convulsions he performs due to the hair-raising sound of the connection loading, are communicated with good humour. …

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Harold Pinter is a veritable master of dramatic text; his plays are specific enough to be captivating, yet general enough to be deeply felt across multiple generations of theatregoers. Third Wall’s Pinter Stew is aptly named, an at-times quite jumbled re-hash of Pinter classics. Pinter junkies will be thrilled, while others will find themselves lost, unfortunately.  …

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In Beyond the Pale, Californian theatre artist Sherri Rose weaves an intriguing tale about three generations of European Jewish immigrants to the US and the experiences, both positive and negative, that they have there. Rose’s show, however, is not an ordinary narrative of migration, for a supernatural entity known as the ‘Evil Eye’ accompanies the family from the old country, the Pale Settlement …

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Ghosts are totally a myth, of course, but demons—well those are 100% real and getting ready to plunge a small Ontario town into the apocalypse. That is, if the EXDEMONators don’t manage to save the day. If only their demon blasters were as powerful as their comedy is funny they’d be able to take on any Level 30 demon no problem.

From Ottawa’s Leaping Mammal Collective, ExDEMONators brings to the stage three demon hunters who might be better off just switching into comedy full-time. Already the laughingstock of the town, the trio have to fight demons and fight for recognition in a town that doesn’t really want them around. …

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Sarah Haley prefaces her solo show exploring her culture through cooking by saying that she’s normally behind the stage and gets pretty nervous on stage. That’s hard to believe in this endearing show that ends with a delicious meal for the audience. Haley understands better than most the intersection between culture, diaspora, and food and has crafted a charming cooking show that explores her background while commenting on international relations. …

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