Surviving the pandemic XVI: more Fringe, Courtyard Comedy, and Lemon does the waterfront

28 - July 2021 -

Once again I had hoped that the last "Surviving the pandemic" was to be the last. We have re-opened but it will be a while before the current restrictions allow for events to be either up and running, or financially feasible. So the end of July and right through August will be a mixture of online, outdoors, or limited capacity. 

If you are reading this as of August 1, feel free to skip down a couple of paragraphs. The last "Surviving the pandemic" skimmed the surface of the 2021 Digital Fringe Festival and since then quite a few shows I should have mentioned have come to my attention. Barb Scheffler (Apprentice to Murder, The Fine Art of Murder!, Once Upon a Murder) is a diva-in-waiting who will undoubtedly cross the great divide of the screen of choice to provide theatrical satisfaction. Her Daphne's Choice may be more serious than her comic and cabaret turns - "A woman looking for her missing husband accidentally stumbles into the portal to the Underworld. Accompanied by Virginia, her sympathetic guide, and tormented by Lucy, the Lord of the Damned, she is forced to relive the worst moments of her life as she literally goes through Hell" - but Hell will be a more intriguing place with Scheffler in the midst of it.

The timely return of Captain Condom in Captain Condom & the Covid-19 Conundrum, features "some horny horny teens who've spent all of lockdown burning for each other." We all can relate to that. The Captain also battles "unprotected Zoom calls" and "STIs: Seriously Terrible Invaders." Sam Roulston finds the comedy in the most horrifically embarrassing moments from his past in CRINGE!, and Christopher Elizabeth is a musician who takes a cocktail of drugs to help combat stage fright in Balance. Hilarity ensues in both cases. Swallow This Skin is audio-only which seems a strange choice for a melodrama set backstage at a seedy strip club, but "the dancers discover themes of identity, sex, religion, sexuality, desire, fetishization, girlhood, what femininity means as a woman of colour, and more" which should be worth tipping a bill. The 2021 Digital Fringe Festival continues until Saturday, July 31. fringetoronto.com

Saturday afternoons throughout August will be filled with laughter when Gay AF Comedy (Gay AF Christmas Spectacular) takes over the grounds of the venerable Campbell House for Courtyard Comedy. Instead of a dark crowded club, there will be socially distanced seating and sunshine. Instead of stale draft and watery shots, the Cottage Spring Beverage Co will be in place with tastings to precede the 3pm shows. It's always 5 o'clock somewhere. We all could use a drink and some laughs after the last 15 months and Courtyard Comedy intends to deliver. The entire roster of queer comics will have been sitting on a year-and-a-half of new material, as well as the relentless itch to get back into the spotlight, in this case sunlight, and shred the rust of their chops. 

Courtyard Comedy host and producer Robert Watson is ecstatic about getting back onstage, comedians thrive on live audiences, and so undoubtedly are the star headliners: Elvira Kurt on August 7, Martha Chaves (In Times of Trouble) on August 14, Tamara Shevon on August 21, and, drum roll please!, the all star The Boys of Summer: Ted Morris, Kyle Brownrigg, Clif Knight, Brendan D'Souza and Gerald Yeung on August 28. There is never too much of a good thing and there is a queer cornucopia of supporting acts. As Watson says, "the perfect alternative to the all-straight all-male all-white line-ups that still dominate the comedy industry - very diverse, with a focus on women, queer and POC voices in stand-up." Those voices include Keesha Brownie, Leonard Chan, Jade Niles Craig, Ryan Dillon, Zabrina Douglas, Dustin George, Courtney Gilmour, Heather MacDonald, Matt Santos, Ben Sosa Wright, Arianne Tong and Hillary Yaas. Courtyard Comedy runs Saturdays in August outside the Campbell House Museum, 160 Queen St W. Tickets at eventbrite.ca

The pandemic ruined the plans of the stars of Canada's Drag Race to profit from their participation in that venerable institution and the heightened profile it brings. Lemon has chosen the nuclear option and is headlining Aquario Presents: Drag Queens at the Beach Club in Pickering. Aquario Beach Club boasts "one of Ontario's largest patios" and queens have a long tradition of working the waterfront so, the venue fits. Along with Lemon, Naomi Leone and Devine Darlin will strut their stuff under the guidance of host Miss Moco, the self-billed "International Wig Snatching Drag Queen." For those hankering for a group road trip or to avoid the need for a designated driver, there will be a shuttle bus leaving from the front steps of Woody's to the wilderness of Pickering and then back to the Village. A camping trip all on its own. For those concerned about venturing so far afield, the Aquario Beach Club website home page (aquariobeach.club) features lots of what appear to be drag queens at play. Aquario Presents Drag Queens at the Beach Club on Thursday, August 5 at Aquario Beach Club, 949 Dillingham Road, Pickering. eventbrite.ca