Fringe Review: Potayto Potahto

Dates: Aug 21, 2024 - Sep 1, 2024

Location: VCM Wood Hall (Fringe Venue 2)

Artist: Jimmy Hogg (Toronto, ON)

Duration: 60 mins

Rating: Ages 16+

Genre: Comedy, Storytelling

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Potayto Potahto is a brave and courageous fever dream. Jimmy Hogg takes the audience on a journey from his nana's tits to getting punched in the face, with endless side rants and rabbit-hole anecdotes in between.

Is this show actually "about" anything? Sort of! The one recurring theme is the absurdity of toxic masculinity, but otherwise, Potayto Potahto is more of a loose collection of comedic associations that all connect back to a brief conflict with a smarmy asshole in a Toronto bar.

And holy shit, Jimmy Hogg is funny. We saw him last year for The Potato King, which was also a fantastic show, but for some reason the audience wasn't cracking up nearly as much as we were. Maybe it was the demographic. Maybe just a vibe mismatch. But this year, it all came together. Potayto Potahto was a hilarious ride from beginning to end. Given the audience's energy, it will appeal to the majority of Fringers, young and old.

Come for the potatoes (actually, there aren't any), and stay for Hogg's impersonation of a Canadian accent. This show is comedy gold.

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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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