President Bear
TWO STARS | There’s lots of potential in this troupe, but 'President Bear' didn't win my vote
Rating: ★★
Company: project pigeon, Winnipeg
Genre: Comedy — Sketch
Venue: 8 — The Rachel Browne Theatre
I've said previously that I think President Bear has the funniest title at this year's Fringe, and I stand by that. The material in this sketch comedy show? Well…
Most sketch shows are a mixed bag, but President Bear is wildly uneven. It offers up a few pretty good chuckles, like a very funny Encyclopedia Brown-meets-C.S.I. sketch, and some entertaining parody commercials.
Most sketch shows are a mixed bag, but 'President Bear' is wildly uneven.- Joff Schmidt
Other sketches, though, just don't sustain, like one about the irrelevance of the bass player in a rock band.
The performances are mixed, too, with the women in the cast (Angie St. Mars and Cathy Herbert) stealing the show from the men (Michael Blomquist and Cory Falvo).
And at 35 minutes, it feels like President Bear simply runs out of material. I left feeling I'd had a few good laughs — but not enough to really satisfy.
There's lots of potential in this troupe, and I'd be curious to see more of them. But as for this outing, President Bear didn't quite win my vote.
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