jonno

Jonno Katz’s newest solo show has a terrific narrative about a shy dreamer who idolizes his overbearing brother, and plenty of the exuberant physicality he’s developed as a trademark in past Fringe productions; in this show, he’s particularly good at expressing his character’s inner emotions with short explosive dance sequences. I’ve a sneaking suspicion Katz has been studying capoeria lately… At any rate, the story is both moving and funny, and even at the late night show I saw, Katz had boundless amounts of energy, leaping across the stage in one moment, and using his wonderfully expressive face to show a character’s stomach dropping out from under them in the next. This is my favourite narrative solo piece of this year’s Fringe (which is almost certainly the largest category of shows).
9/10
Steve Fisher, Gracingthestage.ca

Something strange happens when talented Australian native Jonno Katz puts to use a full arsenal of performance techniques — multi-character dialogue, dance and a sort of pantomime — to tell this very funny story of love and rivalry between two brothers. Its storytelling beats become less theatrical and more literary, better able to make jumps in time and to tease out the specificities of eccentric characters like the brother who wants to build a conceptual art piece called The Shit Machine. The result is a shaggy, digressive tale that manages to be both stylized and true to life.
**** Paul Gallant, the Eye Weekly

The Accident: Wonderfully engaging

Australian artist Jonno Katz uses dance, music and storytelling to weave a gently comic tale of two very different brothers whose tight bond is strained by older brother Roy's overbearing nature and younger brother Sebastian's "accidental" encounter with his brother's girlfriend, Emily. Katz is a wonderfully engaging performer, expressing a sort of naiveté in his dance style and his portrayal of different characters. He has a knack for comedy, with a mobile face and a gift for voices that quickly endear him to an audience. Snatches of music are perfectly cued and complement a sweet, funny and joyful journey. Go and savour this happy accident from Down Under.
Highly Recommended

Bruce DeMara, The Toronto Star

The Accident In this new solo show, perennial Fringe import Jonno Katz tells the story of two competitive brothers through interpretive dance, mime and comedy. Unfortunately, his amateurish spins and leaps fail to mesh with the half-baked plot, which for some reason centres around the construction of a mechanical “shit machine.”Katz benefits from his affable stage presence and can score laughs depicting the brothers’ strange domestic situation, but the crude plot and tacked-on dancing fail to resonate. He needs to distill his themes and ideas instead of mashing them together and hoping the result works.
NNN Jordan Bimm, Now Magazine

Toronto Fringe Festival
Jonno Katz’s newest solo show has a terrific narrative about a shy dreamer who idolizes his overbearing brother, and plenty of the exuberant physicality he’s developed as a trademark in past Fringe productions; in this show, he’s particularly good at expressing his character’s inner emotions with short explosive dance sequences. I’ve a sneaking suspicion Katz has been studying capoeria lately… At any rate, the story is both moving and funny, and even at the late night show I saw, Katz had boundless amounts of energy, leaping across the stage in one moment, and using his wonderfully expressive face to show a character’s stomach dropping out from under them in the next. This is my favourite narrative solo piece of this year’s Fringe (which is almost certainly the largest category of shows). 9/10 Steve Fisher, Gracingthestage.ca Something strange happens when talented Australian native Jonno Katz puts to use a full arsenal of performance techniques — multi-character dialogue, dance and a sort of pantomime — to tell this very funny story of love and rivalry between two brothers. Its storytelling beats become less theatrical and more literary, better able to make jumps in time and to tease out the specificities of eccentric characters like the brother who wants to build a conceptual art piece called The Shit Machine. The result is a shaggy, digressive tale that manages to be both stylized and true to life. ** Paul Gallant, the Eye Weekly The Accident: Wonderfully engaging Australian artist Jonno Katz uses dance, music and storytelling to weave a gently comic tale of two very different brothers whose tight bond is strained by older brother Roy's overbearing nature and younger brother Sebastian's "accidental" encounter with his brother's girlfriend, Emily. Katz is a wonderfully engaging performer, expressing a sort of naiveté in his dance style and his portrayal of different characters. He has a knack for comedy, with a mobile face and a gift for voices that quickly endear him to an audience. Snatches of music are perfectly cued and complement a sweet, funny and joyful journey. Go and savour this happy accident from Down Under. Highly Recommended Bruce DeMara, The Toronto Star The Accident In this new solo show, perennial Fringe import Jonno Katz tells the story of two competitive brothers through interpretive dance, mime and comedy. Unfortunately, his amateurish spins and leaps fail to mesh with the half-baked plot, which for some reason centres around the construction of a mechanical “shit machine.”Katz benefits from his affable stage presence and can score laughs depicting the brothers’ strange domestic situation, but the crude plot and tacked-on dancing fail to resonate. He needs to distill his themes and ideas instead of mashing them together and hoping the result works. NNN** Jordan Bimm, Now Magazine