Friday, August 7, 2009

The Calgary Herald Review

Canadian Voices
Fringe Review: The C--kwhisperer--A Love Story
Four stars/5 stars

Written & Performed by Colette Kendall
Review by Stephen Hunt

There are props, and then there are Colette Kendall's props.
I won't say what it is, but let's just say it relates directly to the title of her smart, funny, one-woman show, which explores Kendall's search for love and penises.
Standing at centre stage, dressed in a simple, elegant black cocktail dress, Kendall looks like she could be any old upper-middle class Yuppie corporate woman. Except she's standing there telling 100 perfect strangers the story of the first time she saw a penis other than her brother's.
It belonged to her first real boyfriend, a tall, blonde heartbreaker, and her story of him and his penis is a funny, touching monologue about adolescent sexual angst that ends not only badly, but itchily.
The middle penis of the night belongs to her first husband. That's a little less touching and a little more terrifying.
The final penis belongs to the man she left her husband for, John, who--alas--was her husband's best friend.

In between monologues, Kendall verbally spars with members of the audience in a good-natured way, and regales us with C--k Facts.
Kendall, who has played previous Calgary Fringes doing her one-person shows about Tippy Seagram, is a solid writer and strong performer. With the C--kwhisperer--A Love Story, she has found a wonderful connecting thread with which to tell the story of the main men in her life.

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