Toronto Fringe 2007 - Wedding Belles; Pentecostal Wisconsin; Jesus in Montana

So, here's an exciting thing about this year's Fringe, it has broken it's all time record with its opening five-day ticket sales. 20,500 tickets were sold in the first five days of the festival from Wednesday, July 4 to Sunday, July 8. Record ticket sales were set five days in a row, showing a 31% increase from 2006. That's 5000 more tickets sold in the first five days than last year!

And really, it's no surprise, because there's a lot of great stuff out there, and a great buzz around the festival. Below are write-ups of Wedding Belles; Pentecostal Wisconsin; Jesus in Montana.

Wedding Belles - Factory Theatre- 125 Bathurst Street
Wedding Belles, is a collision of four bridesmaids and one man (ex-boyfriend of one, fiance of another). They are sharing a living space before the big day and realizing that that they're not quite as chummy as they used to be. The acting and blocking is uneven but sincere. The playwright, Davian den Otter, knows how to write intimate scenes, however, I hope she makes the crowd scenes clearer and leaner before the play is re-mounted.
~ Todd Harrop

Pentecostal Wisconsin - St. Vladimir's Theatre - 620 Spadina Avenue
It's a musical comedy, it's a monologue, it's stand-up, it's wonderful! Go see Pentecostal Wisconson so that when when Ryan Paulson is an incredibly famous actor you can tell your children you saw him at the Toronto Fringe in 2007. He is one talented guy. A great storyteller. The Pentecostal Church's loss is theatre's gain. If you have to, skip something else to see this. Really. It's brilliant.
~ Sam Mooney

Jesus in Montana: Adventures in a Doomsday Cult - Glen Morris Theatre - 4 Glen Morris Street
Jesus in Montana is a 60 minute Power Point presentation - or maybe it's a mixed media monologue that includes a Power Point presentation, home movies, old photos, a short film about Sasquatch in a ski resort, and possibly the worst rap song ever, all telling the story of Barry Smith journey from his southern Baptist childhood to a cult led by a chiropractor in Montana who believed he was Jesus.  It's very funny.  There are still three more performances.  Go see Jesus in Montana.
~ Sam Mooney

Photo of Ryan Paulson of Pentecostal Wisconsin