War and Peace

Rating:

Company:Ryan Gladstone, Vancouver

Genre:Play Comedy

Venue:13 Bandwidth Theatre

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The best thing about War and Peaceother than the source material is Ryan Gladstone's energy level. I would place it several notches higher in pitch than a hummingbird sipping Red Bull.

• Winnipeg Fringe 2016: read our reviews

The best thing about 'War and Peace' [...]is Ryan Gladstone's energy level. I would place it several notches higher in pitch than a hummingbird sippingRed Bull.- John Sadoway

Accompanying his madcap delivery, he also has crafted effective tableau poses that aid an audience in keepingstraight the cascading list of Russian names from Tolstoy's classic.

He renders a passable summary and accentuates the highlights of the novel while delivering interesting and poignant background about Tolstoy's life.

In one way it is good that Gladstone never takes himself too seriously because it allows the audience to laugh along with his many asides, blown lines and self-deprecation.

The small trouble is that the script and performance are good enough to see how great the show would be with more precision and polish. I think I just end up seeing Gladstone's shows too soon after he finishes writing them.