“Fotis Canyon” at the 2014 Fringe Festival

In Fotis Canyon, one man sits on the stage. One desk, one light cue, one large and eager audience. “Mike Fotis is a god,” I hear fringe goers whisper as we shuffle into the Rarig Thrust. The show begins. He asks for the houselights up because ‘we’re all a part of this”. He checks his phone for the time, he takes the occasional drink from a water bottle, and he simply sits and begins his storytelling. This show is funny, the audience laughs like high school kids fawning over the queen bee. The writing is well done, hilarious and insightful and covers everything from the challenges of having your mom dress you and your twin brother identically all through middle school, to the challenges of social anxiety in his given industry. My only complaint, the show didn’t seem exactly like live theatre, or the kind of live theatre we’re used to. Its a bit off putting to see he hasn’t even memorized the show. It felt like you were listening to a really interactive audio book. Like sure, we all want to read Bossypants, but wouldn’t you rather hear it from Tina Fey herself? This show is something different to give a try, I promise you’ll have something to say about it.