Because its shows are selected by lottery, the Victoria Fringe Festival is a real hit-and-miss affair where you can come across amazing shows and, well, not-so-amazing shows on your theatre-going travels. Portland-based Wonderheads is a young theatre company with a pretty great reputation in Victoria, due to their two previous hit shows, Grim & Fischer and Loon.
So it came as no surprise that opening night of their new show, The Middle of Everywhere, was jam-packed. Those expecting the action-filled comedy-adventure that was being promised were not disappointed, although in the first 10 minutes of the hour-long play, they may have been wondering what they had gotten themselves into (at least two people were spotted sneaking out under the veil of the Metro Theatre’s opening scenes’ darkness).
Everyone who stuck it out was treated to an amazingly choreographed show featuring Wonderheads’ now-infamous and elaborate masks, this time depicting a middle-aged man, an 11-year-old girl, and a curious monster. Similar to Pixar’s hit film Monsters Inc. in its light-hearted morality tone, The Middle of Everywhere, although repetitive in its pacing, really gets into its groove once a certain furry monster character is introduced.
Without giving away too much, the trio of characters in the story jump in and out of time and space using a strange remote device, arriving at various hilarious locales, and even tyring their hand at being Aussie rockers AC/DC for a concert song (“Thunderstruck,” of course).
Fast-paced, action-packed, funny, touching, and a whack of fun, The Middle of Everywhere is everything it promised to be and more. We’ll be pretty surprised if this doesn’t win some Pick of the Fringe Awards along the way.
The Middle of Everywhere
@ Victoria Fringe Festival, Metro Studio
9:15 pm August 27, 5:30 pm August 29, 8:30 pm August 30, 3:45 pm August 31
$10 per show (plus one-time purchase $6 Fringe button)
wonderheads.com