What I liked
Every single person involved in Lamprey: Weekend of Vengeance is out of their f***ing minds and a blessing to the people of Earth.
Having seen Lamprey since its very earliest forms and through several permutations on its way to this run at the Fringe, I was a fan going in. The comedy has been, and still is, cranked to eleven, the story winds and surprises the audience like a coked-out Jack-in-the-Box driving a semi down Mulholland Drive, and the performances across the board are firmly grounded in the reality of the universe in which Lamprey lives like stalactites growing off an SR-71 stuck in perpetual orbit with a pilot who lost his mind years ago.
There is no way to overstate how hilarious Carrie Keranen’s performance is. Leading the show like a freight train fueled by TNT, Keranen’s turn as The Lamprey is what comedy longs to be. Her scenes with Lamprey writer/actor Peter Fluet are gut-wrenchingly hilarious. And the dynamics created by Pete Caslavka as the harried though homeostatic husband give Keranen a more-than-perfect foil for her stellar antics.
The ensemble cast drives the story along at a breakneck pace, changing characters and costumes so quickly that, at times, they haven’t even the time to leave the stage to do so. Maya Estephanos keeps her cards close to the chest to play them at exactly the optimal moment, slamming the audiences with surprise and hilarity. Glenn Stanton’s and Amanda Blake Davis’s double double-teams are delectable. Derek Mehn oozes with charisma, charm, and sincerity in each of his roles. And Dana DeRuyck’s unflappably and invincibly neurotic roles are delightful.
This is an absolute must-see.
What I didn't like
As is often the case given the inherent challenges of Fringe, the technical elements were, at times, sluggish or off their timing. However, it was not to a distracting degree.
My overall impression
An unbearably hilarious, fast-paced slap in the face of comedy.
