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FASS 2004: The Wizsters' (Will Russell, Terry Gole, Melissa Ho, Krista Barzso, Giovanni Bernardi) protest gets out of control.

FASS 2008 - Imprint review

This review appeared in the February 8, 2008, issue of Imprint.

Ally Gore will save your FASS

Cait Davidson, Staff Reporter

What do Earth, Wind and Fire, Yuko Bono and David Sudoko have in common? Why, FASS of course! In Global Warming: Kiss your FASS Goodbye, solving global warming isn't the real issue; trying to figure out whether to laugh or groan at the one-liners delivered onstage at this year's FASS performance is.

The clever lines aren't the only thing FASS has going for it this year. The music, set to popular tunes with a little artistic licence on the lyrics, is catchy and will be stuck in your head for days. After watching the first official dress rehearsal, it's clear that this year's show will be fun - but these jokes aren't for the whole family.

Nothing is sacred in this FASS, and the show wouldn't be as amusing if anything was. No matter what offends you, be it the casual use of Playboy as a prop or the string of curse words uttered by one actress, you'll find it in Hagey Hall, February 7 to 9. Bill O'Reilly, Bono, George Bush, "Steve-O" Harper and more all take hits this year.

At times the show is an eclectic group of scenes that mostly come together in the end. The three hour show seems a bit long at times, but that's only when you're in between scenes or jokes. While some of the scenes seem unnecessary, they all point toward an end that ties up the show.

While it may not be a lecture by Al (or Ally) Gore, Global Warming: Kiss your FASS Goodbye, does send a message out to its audience. The message it's sending? Global warming is bad. Now that you know that much, I'd seriously recommend this musical. While it wasn't perfectly polished and the actors aren't as prepared as they will be on Thursday, this show has amazing potential. Great vocals, with the exception of one young lady who is adorable on stage, but has lost her voice this week. The choreography was still being perfected; as well, some of the lines and song lyrics were still unsure. If by Wednesday these flaws are fixed (and I'm sure they will be), this will be a FASStastic show.

With a live rock band in the orchestra pit, the music was good. Without mics for the actors, hearing the lines may be an issue for the audience. When the lines are delivered loud and clear and the songs are played perfectly, it's a show to make director Russell Wong and producer Robert Burke very proud.

When asked his opinion of the show, Wong commented that it's one of the best shows FASS has put on in his 10 years of involvement. This is his first year of directing. Wong took a moment to discuss the show with me. He discussed the three things that keep FASS running. First there are the old cast members that form the core of actors and actresses who constantly come back and eventually become directors and producers like himself and Burke. Then the new cast members, who will keep coming back and replacing the members who are graduating or moving on. Then there's the audience. The audience comes and enjoys the show every year; many people watch the show and join FASS in the following year because the cast looked like they were having so much fun on stage. Wong mentioned that around 50 per cent of the cast this year were new, which has presented new opportunities and challenges.

The global warming theme has been suggested before, and this year the FASS committee chose global warming simply for the chance to have dancing bears in the show. As with every FASS show, it's amateur theatre that is meant to bring fun and laughter into the lives of others. While you may not enjoy it for its moderately good quality theatre, if you walk into the show expecting a fun night full of laughter and a few groans, you'll enjoy this year's production.