TOUR DIARY: PRAGUE

Ten Shows To See

Prague Fringe is a boutique curated festival of mostly English speaking performance work.

There’s around sixty shows in this year’s festival. On Friday night we went to FRINGE CLUB: SPEED-FRINGING and saw about half the festival’s shows in two minutes each.

Based on that information, reading the program, the word on the street, a raven that comes each night to our hostel window, an octopus who retired from guessing World Cup winners, from an omen that was presented to us by a mysterious crone, and by reading the vomit of bachelor parties in the gutters of Prague old town…

Here are ten shows we are psyched to see.

– Tobias + Tom

TWONKEY’S TEN YEAR TWITCH

MR.TWONKEY TRAVELS (Scotland)

THE GUIDE SAYS:
The story of a grotesque cake decorating shop in the Dordogne that has been secretly making fake weather since 1982.

WE RECKON:
TOM: I don’t trust him at all.
TOBIAS: He’s probably the best house cleaner i’ve never had.
TOM: I wouldn’t let him in my house
TOBIAS : But he’s in there anyway.
TOM: Terrifying.
TOBIAS: Bet he gives good hugs.
TOM: I love a hug.

WHERE ARE YOU REALLY FROM?

ŇUN & VÍ (CZECH REPUBLIC / VIETNAM) (Vietnam, Czech Republic)

THE GUIDE SAYS:
They have Asian features, but Czech passports. Two cultures intertwined in one body. A text-based physical piece on the issue of identity by second-generation Vietnamese immigrants in the Czech Republic.

WE RECKON:
TOBIAS: Besides our trip to Goldfingers this might be our only chance to see Czech performers.
TOM: There’s that jazz band on the walking bridge.
TOBIAS: With all the black and gold statues?
TOM: Yeah, and they’ve had the same washboard player for about- The first time I came here was 20 years ago.
TOBIAS: How old are you?
TOM: It’s where they tossed off John Voight.
TOBIAS: A jazz band threw John Voight in the river?
TOM: Mission impossible… Isn’t your cousin Vietnamese?
TOBIAS: and don’t be too surprised but my Auntie is too and there’s more!
TOM: I didn’t know there was a Vietnamese population in Prague.
TOBIAS:  Maybe your last chance before they make your passport blue.

THE FAMILY BLIMP

KLUMP COMPANY (England)

THE GUIDE SAYS:
Physical theatre and a lick of the absurd come together as the Blimps attempt to navigate through a strange new place and meet the demands of their newfangled community. Let’s play – home sweet home!!! After all – there’s no place like it.

WE RECKON:
TOBIAS: Have you spoken to your son while you’ve been on tour?
TOM: No, and my wife has ignored most of my facebook messages.
TOBIAS: Your daughter.
TOM: I sent her a snapchat of us on stage the other night.
TOBIAS: This would be a good way I think to achieve a sort of catharsis as we watch someone else’s family be dysfunctional.
TOM: You don’t even have a family.
TOBIAS: Maybe the Blimps will adopt me.
TOM: A 34 year old man?
TOBIAS: Fingers crossed

DAVID MCIVER: TELEPORT

DAVID MCIVER (England)

THE GUIDE SAYS:
The cheekiest teen around returns to the Prague Fringe with a character comedy show about the lengths we’ll go to in order to escape reality.

WE RECKON:
TOM: We’re sharing a venue with this guy.
TOBIAS: Riight.
TOM: And… Is he really a teenager? He looks… I want to say forty?
TOBIAS: Yeah forty is the new teenage.
TOM: He tells fortunes I hear.
TOBIAS: He appeared in my dreams last night.
TOM: Me too!
TOBIAS: He told me we were going to see his show.
TOM: That’s a damn lie!
TOBIAS: He is also very tidy backstage.

THE STORY OF FAUST

SKOTTES MUSIKTEATER (Sweden)

THE GUIDE SAYS:
Based on 16th-century material, this new musical comedy by Hans Kellerman features a puppet company struggling with the Faust tale.

WE RECKON:
TOM: This is a children’s show.
TOBIAS: Because children should know about deals with the devil.
TOM: You won a fiddle competition with the devil once didn’t you?
TOBIAS: Violoncello. Have you seen the website of this company? It’s so minimal.
TOM: Pastel colours too?
TOBIAS: You’re going to love this show.

MONKEY MOM

TOOTH N’ FANG (Costa Rica, New Zealand, Canada)

THE GUIDE SAYS:
Welcome to Hell, population: Janet, her monkey, and the Dark Lord himself. An absurd and macabre exploration of domesticity, dominance, and mortal sin.

WE RECKON:
TOBIAS: On websites. These guys have the coolest in the fringe by far.
TOM: I don’t know if that’s the best way to judge what shows to see.
TOBIAS: And nor was their performance at the Fringe Club last night.
TOM: They’re holding their cards close to their chest.
TOBIAS: And their horrifying pop devil masks close to their faces.
TOM: They were wearing masks?!?!
TOBIAS: Lol. This crew looks cool. Also right now we’re writing this as they’re about to run ‘Carnage: A queer creature night’ at the fringe club. And we’re there. In a corner on a laptop.
TOM: Is that why you’re wearing that horrifying pop devil mask?
TOBIAS: I’m not wearing a mask.
TOM: Party!

ALSO: https://www.praguefringe.com/programme/fringe-club-carnage-a-queer-creature-club-night/

ON TOP

OXBO (Ireland)

THE GUIDE SAYS:
Wanna be on top? On Top is a fashion show, a competition, a celebration, and a hot mess.

WE RECKON:
TOBIAS: I’m really into the panda mask in their promo video.
TOM: Are we seeing all the shows with masks?
TOBIAS: And any show that has someone with a pillowcase over their head.
TOM: Did you know female pandas usually mate with several males that fight over her.
TOBIAS: My girlfriend has been seeing other people.
TOM: Maybe she’s a panda.
TOBIAS: I like how OXBO’s promo material says it will become what *we*,  the audience?, maybe, make it.
TOM: It sounds dangerous. I’m in.

RUNNING TO SAINT SEBASTIAN

HARD TIMES (Canada)

THE GUIDE SAYS:
A queer misfit finds himself in charge at a dilapidated church. Preparing for an Easter vigil, he talks about arrows with his name on them, why he’s lighting candles for Saint Sebastian, and what salvation might feel like.

WE RECKON:
TOBIAS: This guy
TOM: Yeah.
TOBIAS: He says he likes Kermit the frog.
TOM: That is relatable.
TOBIAS: I’m more a burn a church down kind of guy than a light a candle kind of guy.
TOM: There’s so many statues of saints in Prague. Which one is Saint Sebastian?
TOBIAS: He was tied to a post and shot with arrows.
TOM: A martyr.
TOBIAS: He survived, Was revived. And the word got out so they clubbed him to death.
TOM: That reminds me of that muppet movie where Kermit is put in an electric chair.+
TOBIAS: O.M.F.G. That is one of the single most horrifying moments of modern cinema.
TOM: Also John Arthur Sweet – the performer of this work – he is very easy to listen to. Like radio live, and a similar sense of the intimate, because radio listening is mostly done solo.
TOBIAS: Yes, we always used have to say ‘listener’ instead of ‘listeners’ when i was on JOY, the queer station in Melbourne.
TOM: Kermit is very relatable.

IN THE WOODS WHERE THE MEN WORK

OOF THEATRE COLLECTIVE (USA)

THE GUIDE SAYS:
A group of businessmen awake in a forest for the trial they never saw coming. Featuring a life-sized ox puppet, animation and dance, an emerging theatre company from NYC brings you an absurd look into ‘business as usual’ amidst global destruction.

WE RECKON:
TOBIAS: Life-sized is a weird phrase, isn’t it? What’s the opposite of that? It’s not dead-sized… What is it?
TOM: Wow this picture is impressive.
TOBIAS: ‘Full-Scale’ is not as emotive though is it?
TOM: That ox is really impressive.
TOBIAS: Who’s that on a laptop in the background of their promo image?|
TOM: Oh, that’s how you know it’s contemporary.
TOBIAS: I love puppets too.
TOM: Oh, I’m in for the puppet.
TOBIAS: Life-sized puppet.
TOM: and animation and dance!
TOBIAS: It’s nice when americans take responsibility for global destruction.
TOM: I don’t know that an emerging theatre company are necessarily required to be responsible for their whole country.
TOBIAS: If not them, then whom?

BONUS PICK:
FRINGE CLUB

PRAGUE FRINGE x EVERY NIGHT OF THE FESTIVAL

THE GUIDE SAYS:
The Fringe CLUB nights include: “SPEED FRINGING” (24 MAY); “CARNAGE: A QUEER CREATURE CLUB NIGHT” (25 MAY); “NINETIES VS NOUGHTIES NITE” (26 MAY) “FESTIVAL ASSISTANT TAKEOVER” (27 MAY); “BAR NIGHT” (28 MAY); “CAT LOUD’S STUDIO 54” (29 MAY) ; “MIDNIGHT CEILIDH” (30 MAY); “FRINGEAROKE” (31 MAY); “THE FRINGEYS (AWARDS)” (1 JUNE). 

WE RECKON:
TOBIAS: Midnight. They start at midnight.
TOM: Are you still only sleeping in the day time?
TOBIAS: It’s a medical condition. I’m allergic to sunlight.
TOM: And you’re supposed to drink blood.
TOBIAS: You find a better way to cure chronic anaemia.
TOM: Sweet dreams.
TOBIAS: Club nightssss!

Seeeee you, Prague

xxx

Doppelgangster’s COLD WAR is on for one more night…

praguefringe.com