jonno

SOLD-OUT 5 out of 6 shows

Ottawa Sun
This is just about the wackiest, most delightful and unique thing I've witnessed in years. Super-talented and spontaneous Jonno Katz, who hails from Down Under, slips seamlessly between a series of characters and their inner psyches. He even makes forgetting a line funny rather than uncomfortable, and then when he blunders which character he's supposed to be playing, you wonder, is it all part of his plan?

This absurd Mark Chavez-directed show was already packing them in over the weekend on the strength of Katz's appearance at the festival last year in Sex Violence & The Meaning of Life. Whether Katz is treating the audience as a lover and explaining what will happen when he takes his show on tour -- "I'll be seeing other audiences ... I think you should see other performers as well," -- brilliantly creating flashback scenarios or describing how infighting wreaked havoc on his one-man sex cult, this quirky comedy is surely what the Fringe is all about.

****

- Ann Marie McQueen

Ottawa Citizen
Overflow crowds have been sitting on the floor at Jonno Katz's shows. The comedian from Melbourne, Australia, was a popular draw at last year's Fringe and audiences are coming back for more. Katz is an appealing and skilled performer with an impressive ability to handle an audience. There is a lot of laughter in the first few minutes. It feels like it's going to be one of those great evenings. The framework of his story -- three men walking through the desert, discussing life and love -- sounds promising. Katz interrupts himself constantly, which is fine. But while the laughter continues, it never builds. Katz's writing doesn't match his performance skills.

Here's the most suitable analogy. You're in your best dress and most painful high heels. The plan is an intimate dinner at an elegant spot in the Gatineau. Well, you get lost and he won't ask for directions. Driving back into town and feeling famished, you spot a Swiss Chalet and end the evening with a quarter-chicken dinner. He wonders why you're upset. You got fed, didn't you?

Cactus continues at the University of Ottawa's Studio Leonard-Beaulne to June 27. Katz has added one additional performance tonight at 10 p.m. at Arts Court Theatre. Proceeds from this show will benefit the Fringe.

- Catherine Lawson

Ottawa Fringe Festival 04
SOLD-OUT 5 out of 6 shows Ottawa Sun This is just about the wackiest, most delightful and unique thing I've witnessed in years. Super-talented and spontaneous Jonno Katz, who hails from Down Under, slips seamlessly between a series of characters and their inner psyches. He even makes forgetting a line funny rather than uncomfortable, and then when he blunders which character he's supposed to be playing, you wonder, is it all part of his plan? This absurd Mark Chavez-directed show was already packing them in over the weekend on the strength of Katz's appearance at the festival last year in Sex Violence & The Meaning of Life. Whether Katz is treating the audience as a lover and explaining what will happen when he takes his show on tour -- "I'll be seeing other audiences ... I think you should see other performers as well," -- brilliantly creating flashback scenarios or describing how infighting wreaked havoc on his one-man sex cult, this quirky comedy is surely what the Fringe is all about. **** - Ann Marie McQueen Ottawa Citizen Overflow crowds have been sitting on the floor at Jonno Katz's shows. The comedian from Melbourne, Australia, was a popular draw at last year's Fringe and audiences are coming back for more. Katz is an appealing and skilled performer with an impressive ability to handle an audience. There is a lot of laughter in the first few minutes. It feels like it's going to be one of those great evenings. The framework of his story -- three men walking through the desert, discussing life and love -- sounds promising. Katz interrupts himself constantly, which is fine. But while the laughter continues, it never builds. Katz's writing doesn't match his performance skills. Here's the most suitable analogy. You're in your best dress and most painful high heels. The plan is an intimate dinner at an elegant spot in the Gatineau. Well, you get lost and he won't ask for directions. Driving back into town and feeling famished, you spot a Swiss Chalet and end the evening with a quarter-chicken dinner. He wonders why you're upset. You got fed, didn't you? Cactus continues at the University of Ottawa's Studio Leonard-Beaulne to June 27. Katz has added one additional performance tonight at 10 p.m. at Arts Court Theatre. Proceeds from this show will benefit the Fringe. - Catherine Lawson