Shirley Gnome

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Spoiler alert: Shirley Gnome is not mature, and she likes it that way.

This feisty musical comedienne from Vancouver makes her second appearance at the Montreal Fringe with a whole new set of songs to make you blush. This show is most definitely not for the prude or faint of heart. Gnome makes that abundantly clear when within the first two minutes of her show she’s singing a song about glitter in her pussy. “I took a peek underneath, what did I find/mystery glitter where the sun don’t shine.”

But don’t let that scare you off from buying a ticket. First off, the lady can sing. Her impressive singing chops are easily worth the price of admission alone. Even if she puts those vocal talents to use singing about dicks and things falling out of her vagina.

As the show progresses you start to realize that in between the ridiculousness are serious issues like the pain of denial, a broken heart, and gender equality. “You don’t need to buy me a meal or a drink to fuck me/no you never need to spend a dime/ to get your sexy vagina time/Instead if you could insist in your daily life/in any way that you can/to work towards a world where a woman gets paid the same as a man.”

It’s then you realize realize writing Gnome off as a frivolous Fringe act would be a mistake. Instead this sexually adventurous lady forces the audience to think about all the raw, emotional pain that comes from sexual relationships and realizes it’s mostly bullshit. Life is so much more fun when we can laugh through it, take a swig from a sparkly flask and move on.

Shirley Gnome: Real Mature plays at Le petit campus until June 21st. Tickets and info available on the Montreal Fringe website

ArtsFestivalsStage

This year the bilingual, multi-disciplinary Montreal Fringe Festival turns 25. Running mostly out of The Plateau, this year’s festival boasts over 700 shows from over 500 artists. As always the offerings range from sweet to naughty, amusing to just plain out there.

So whether you want to take part in a strip spelling bee, watch drag queens race on tricycles, or take in a night of indie music, Fringe has you covered. The tricky part is what lie you’re going tell your boss so you can fit in all the fun!

Here are some of the shows that Forget the Box is excited to see this year:

  1. Trantasy: Stand-up comedienne Tranna Wintor explores her wildest fantasies onstage at The Wiggle Room from June 4th-21st
  2. No More Radio Showcase: Every year the folks from No More Radio put on a free showcase of indie music at Fringe Park. This year’s line-up on June 12th includes Heirloom, Grand Bend’s Stegall, and Sarah Segal-Lazar.
  3. Attention Seeker: British comedian Gerard Harris (Let’s Start a Country) returns for another year at The Fringe with a one-man show that seeks your attention from June 12th-21st at the Studio Multimedia de Conservatoire.
  4. Laureen: Queen of the Tundra Named after the Prime Minister’s wife, this show is whimsical exploration of what it means to be Canadian for a group of drag queens. Playing at Café Cleopatre from June 12th-21st
  5. Shirley Gnome: Real Mature This Vancouver act promises to take the audience on a hilarious 60 minute musical ride at Café Campus From June 12th-21st.

Make sure to visit Forget the Box often for upcoming reviews of all these shows and more! The Montreal Fringe Festival runs until June 21st. For ticket information, visit montrealfringe.ca