   Fringe: The way it's meant to be  By Caroline Skelton The Reefer Man is a studied look at Canada's pot laws - from the other side of the joint. The play follows the tormented life of Charlie Kovacs - all he really wants to do is bring pot to the people, spreading the plant like Johnny Appleseed, but somehow he ends up in the dual life of lawyer with a grow-op in his basement. Written by Russell Bennett and Gillian Stevens-Guille, this one-man play features a hilarious cast of mothers, fathers and pothead friends that colour Kovacs' life. Bennett plays them all, even when head-spinning phone tag scenes have him playing several in one conversation. The Reefer Man's first Victoria performance was made even quirkier by screeching sounds coming from a nearby parking garage and audience members who entered and exited the theatre during the show. But despite a few flustered moments, Bennett persevered, even inserting province-sensitive jabs. And he couldn't have picked a more receptive audience, as crowd-participation questions like "I love pot, is that wrong?" received enthusiastic answers from a nearly-packed theatre. There were some one-line groaners ("I'm going to overgrow the government!") and some scenes - William Lyon Mackenzie King's supposed opium dreams, for instance - seemed to go a little over the top. But this is Fringe the way it's meant to be: raw, passionate and delivered with a sweaty, breathy energy. |
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