The Fringe Festival will be in full swing by the time you read this, but you have until March 4 to catch some of the 98 productions of dance, music and theatre. Check out www.fringe.org.nz for more info or pick up a Fringe guide around town. My recommendations for theatre this week are…

A man walks into a Bar

Feb 19 – 21 6:30pm
Good Luck Bar, Cuba Mall Full $10, Concessions $10, Addict $8
Tickets – 389 6635

“A man and a woman. A bar. Two bar stools. One bottle of booze. Two old lovers, two best friends”. This show previewed in November last year. I didn’t see it, but John Smythe (of www.theatreview.org.nz) did and he said that it’s defi nitely “a tipple worth sampling”.

Arch Enemies & Other Close Acquaintances

Feb 19 (last night tonight!) 8:00pm
BATS Full $15, Concession $12, Addict $10
Tickets – 802 4175

“She lives in New York with a complete neurotic, works under a psychopathic chef and fancies a mystery man.” Olivia Bryant is an excellent physical performer, so with her at the helm, this play is sure to be surrealistic mayhem.

Camp

Feb 25; Mar 4, 11, 18, 25 7:30pm
Circa 2 Full $18, Concession $15, Addict $13
Tickets – 801 7992

The Improvisors turn their hand to another classic form (after such successes as Whose Ring is it Anyway? and Show Us Your Willy) improvising a soap opera set in a kiwi motor camp. Sure to be hilarious, and be ready to call out your suggestions!

Chit Chat Lounge

Feb 20 – 23, Mar 1 – 3 10:00pm
Paramount Cinema Lounge Free

Heavenly Burlesque took out the top Fringe award last year, so any show by them is bound to be awesome – apparently this one presents “two entirely different, yet haphazardly interwoven live talk shows, celebrity interviews, live satellite video gimmickry, stunts, democracy and a licensed bar”. Heck, I’d pay money to see that.

Vic kids enter the big bad world of theatre

The Fringe has already seen several shows by Victoria theatre students and recent graduates (shout-out to Darling Bud of Maybe and Up the Duff). You can foster some university spirit this week by attending the following:

Volcanoes are Awesome

Feb 19 – 22 9pm
Southern Cross Bar Full $12, Concession $10, Addict $8
Tickets – volcanoesareawesome@gmail.com

The name should really be enough to entice you to see this show. The Welfare Vice-President of VUWSA, Heleyni Pratley is involved, and her cavorting antics onstage as singer of Halva Eve / Cherry’s Gemstones are always amusing. It’s sure to be surreal, abstract and very funny.

Imagining Reality

Feb 19 – 22 9:30pm
BATS Full $15, Concession $12, Addict $10
Tickets – 802 4175 or book@bats.co.nz

Continuing the Victoria theatre student fetish for surrealistic theatre is the Babyshad’s team of Milo Haigh, Jake Preval and Sherilee Kahui. Their debut show Watch This Space sold out at the Dance Your Socks Off Festival in ‘06, and their follow up is sure to be just as intriguing. With a pastiche of performative mediums and on-stage accompaniment by musicians Hummel and Stimulus’s Emile de la Rey, it sounds like dance that even I could like.