Fringe Review: Enrichment Hour
- Septimus & Carmunist
- 2 days ago
- 2 min read
Dates: Aug 27 – Aug 31, 2025
Location: Baumann Centre (Fringe Venue 3)
Created by: Marlo Hepburn, Joseph McManus, Ciarán Volke (Three Cheese, Calgary, AB)
Duration: 55 minutes
Rating: Ages 14+
Genre: Comedy, Physical Theatre
Enrichment Hour imagines an open-mic night organized by the Calgary Zoo, where animals take the stage to share jokes, songs, and reflections. The result is a riot of clowning, physical theatre, and unexpected tension, with moments that swing from laughter to discomfort. Performed by the Three Cheese trio (Marlo Hepburn, Ciarán Volke, and Joseph McManus), the show is absurd, inventive, and unafraid to wrestle with heavy themes.
Note: the show is not actually in affiliation with the Calgary Zoo 😹
Highlights
The incel giraffe rap was spectacular
Great costumes
The sexy bird (chicken?) was hilarious
An interesting blend of comedy and discomfort
Loved the exaggerated Australian accents
The arrival of the sloth was timed perfectly
Workshop notes
The body-conscious zebra made for some interesting commentary, but we didn't think this was the best act to lead with.
The elephant with dementia took the audience into a dark place, and while we appreciated the intentional discomfort, this act was longer than necessary. (We did also wonder about the message or intention here, especially given the demographics of a typical Fringe audience.)
The racoon's monologue also felt a bit long, or perhaps could have used some stronger jokes.
Rating
★★★★
The Victoria Fringe Festival, presented by Intrepid Theatre since 1986, has become a cornerstone of the city’s arts scene, known for its unjuried, anything-goes approach to performance. For Carmunist and Septimus, Fringe is the highlight of the year. We’ve been involved as volunteers for more than a decade, and more recently, we’ve opened our home to performers as billets. Reviewing Fringe shows is something we’ve talked about for some time, and now we’re putting our experience as fiction editors and theatre stans to work, offering our thoughts and workshop notes for as many performances as we can attend.
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