Arts & CultureCampus & City

Fringe Review: ‘Bribe the Director’

Big Dumb Babies brings a new improv show with enthusiasm and not much else.

The 44th Edmonton International Fringe Festival is well under way, and with it comes a slew of brand new shows and experiences. I attended the opening performance of Bribe the Director, a new show presented by the improv troupe Big Dumb Babies. Big Dumb Babies is a relatively young company, and Bribe the Director is their first show to be featured in the Edmonton Fringe. Unfortunately, this fact was apparent throughout the show. 

The idea surrounding Bribe the Director is pretty self-explanatory. Throughout the performance, the audience has the opportunity to “bribe” the director with fake money and ridiculous requests. The show opens with the director, Paul Welke, explaining his dire financial situation to the audience. Due to some unfortunate investments, he could use some extra cash. Thus enters the bribing. Audience members can bring Welke a form on which they have requested a wrench be thrown into the show. For example: make two characters fall in love, name a character something silly, etc.. 

The concept was novel, but didn’t quite hit its mark. Welke’s introduction felt half-hearted, and didn’t really drive home the point of the bribes. Additionally, audience members could deliver a bribe at any point during the show. This resulted in people consistently getting up and walking to the stage in a pretty distracting manner. The other issue that arose was the timing of the bribes. They were often announced to the improvisers at what felt like arbitrary moments. They could have been placed more strategically throughout the scenes. Although the point of the bribes is to hinder the performers, they could have been hindered in a more comedically and narratively strategic manner. 

The performers themselves demonstrated a charming sense of camaraderie, but struggled to tell a good story. Big Dumb Babies is made up of four performers in addition to Welke: Shawn Miller, Brooke Rose, Tara Seibert, and Ryan Verveda. Their trust for each other as performers was apparent, and they were always having fun on stage. Unfortunately, a willingness to have a good time isn’t the only trait that makes a good improviser. While everyone had some great one-liners and impressions (I witnessed an exceptional Scottish accent from Verveda), the performers often lost track of the narrative thread. They struggled to listen to each other, and random, seemingly unimportant details were conceived of and tossed away in a matter of seconds. The result was a show already struggling being interrupted by random bribes that served to sink it even further. 

Bribe the Director is an admirable first attempt from a new company that is still trying to find its footing. Between their bright enthusiasm and good intentions, hopefully their next crack at the Fringe fares a little better. 

Bribe the Director is running at the Edmonton Fringe Festival until August 24.

Anna Rudge

Anna is the 2024-25 Deputy Arts and Culture Editor for the Gateway. She is in her second year majoring in English. In her free time she can be found reading, skiing, or doing a crossword.

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