Reviews for Gibberish
Gibberish is comic genius
By COLIN MACLEAN - Edmonton Sun, August 23, 2002
RATING 3 SUNS out of 5
Hoopal is back. Well, the Chris Gibbs half of the comic duo that has
convulsed us for years at the Fringe is back. The other half is not
here because, well, “he doesn’t like you,” we are
solemnly assured by the remaining Hoopal. Gibbs does a stand-up routine
unlike any other. He spends most of his act apologizing for jokes that
are just not working - except that they are hilarious.
He bounces about the stage looking pained and embarrassed and explaining,
at great length, why he is doing what he’s doing and why he doesn’t
hold out much hope that anything is going to work. He tells us he got
his start on the street creating balloon animals and begins to make
one for us. It is, of course, the wrong kind of balloon and the result
is a big round shape with a dangly thing for blowing it up that looks
like no animal Mother Nature ever designed. Gibbs charges manfully ahead,
mumbling something about “an octopus with only one tentacle.”
He promises he won’t single individuals out of the audience by
singling an individual out of the audience, and says that he won’t
try to pretend that his material was especially written for Edmonton
but still manages to get “the Mall” and other local landmarks
into the monologue. In an effort to be different from other stand-ups,
he reverses the technique and says he will try to improvise a tragedy.
With props. And audience participation. It’s a sad little effort.
But funny.
There is nothing like Hoopal. Even when there is only one of them.
Review By Dean Jenkinson - CBC Website, July 2003
In his program entry of approximately fifty words, Chris Gibbs uses
the word "hilarious" no less than seven times. Funny. And
very accurate.
Gibberish is as sure a bet as you can make. Other comedy shows are as
funny, but few have the universal appeal Gibbs does. There was a unanimity
in the audience's response to Gibbs that I've yet to see elsewhere.
It's a tight, charming, winning hour that doesn't need to be "about
something" to earn my highest recommendation.
In a word, hilarious.
Review By Anna Lazowski - CBC Website, July 2003
Chris Gibbs is likely best known as one-half of the funny and perpetually
sold-out British comedy duo Hoopal. This year his solo act may surpass
expectations as fans come to see exactly what he can do on his own.
For one thing, he's his own warm up act. (Look for feet onstage while
waiting for the show to start). He's also packing some physical comedy,
a great balloon trick and a few distraction plans in case a joke bombs.
Gibbs reveals the comedic devices he uses to build a show and practices
some positive reinforcement techniques on the audience.
Self-effacing jokes abound here as Gibbs elicits sympathy and laughter
simultaneously. He also tests out the Macbeth curse and leads the crowd
in an exploration of the tragic side of improv.
What more could you want in a 55 minute comedy show? Not much actually,
so strap on your heckling shoes (don't worry, he encourages it) and
head for the Planetarium.
Review UPTOWN Magazine, Winnipeg, July 24, 2002 By Jill Wilson
Any fears that Hoopal’s Chris Gibbs wouldn’t be as funny
without his red-headed sidekick Peter Mielniczek were swiftly allayed
in the first 10 seconds of this hilarious exercise in mock self-deprecation.
One part pseudo-stand-up, one par physical comedy (Gibbs’ cocked
eyebrow can elicit a laugh, let alone his acrobatics), one part meta-theatre,
one part absolute absurdity (and not in the egg-headed Theatre of the
Absurd sense, but in the sense of sheer silliness), Gibberish is pure,
plotless comedy. It goes to great lengthsto make the audience excruciatingly
aware that it’s not about anything - and that’s precisely
why it’s so effin’ funny.
Review Winnipeg Free Press, July 24, 2002 By Kevin Prokosh
By all rights Gibberish, featuring only one member of the London
comedy duo Hoopal, should be only half as funny as previous fringe offerings.
Chris Gibbs is on his own this year (Peter Mielniczek is not here because
“he just doesn’t like you,” the audience is told.)
But the entertainment sees no fall-off in hilarity.
Gibbs is in fine form, both comically and physically, as his “spectacular,
impressive opening” will attest. Never one to follow the crowd,
Gibbs is the first on the fringe to break away from the improv comedy
pack and offer improv tragedy. With suggestions from the eager audience
and such props as a vacuum cleaner hose and a handleless rake, he’ll
induce tears of laughter.
Review Edmonton Journal, August 23, 2002 Gibberish a winner with
the grumpy set By Sandra Sperounes
“Turning things inside out and watching them die.”
That’s the theme of Gibberish, according to star Chris Gibbs.
Throughout the 55-minute show, the bumbling Brit explores the opposite
of comic traditions - such as tragic improv, not making fun of audience
members, and attempting iffy routines.
Gibbs has also perfected the art of perverted balloon animals and clomping
around with a bucket. He also offers lessons in the finer points of
tragedy heckling. (Most importantly, don’t yell in unison.) What
a generous performer.
Edmonton was first introduced to Gibbs as a member of Hoopal, featuring
some dude named Peter who apparently doesn’t like us anymore and
decided to stay home in England. Pfffft, I say. We’ll take Gibbs
on his own any day. (Actually we did - he now lives in Canada.) His
nervous, apologetic demeanour - sort of like Hugh Laurie with the DTs
- will win over the grumpiest of crowds.
Reviews for Power of Ignorance
The Edmonton Fringe Festival 2003
BY COLIN MACLEAN, EDMONTON SUN - THE POWER OF IGNORANCE
Fear not, gentle Fringer. Vaguen has arrived to save you from the
pain of knowledge.
Vaguen, who was once Chris Gibbs of the Fringe favourite duo "Hoopal,"
champions, well, the power of ignorance.
The show begins in darkness with a voice rhyming off a list of absolutely
unrelated topics. (He even gets into his shopping list.)
"What do these things have in common?" he asks. Well, they
are all connected by nothing but, of course, the power of ignorance.
Vaguen then delivers his famous seminar on how ignorance can change
your life.
"If you don't know what isn't possible, then nothing isn't possible,"
he tells us.
He even returns to the Bible to quote one Jesus Humphrey Christ who
said, "They know not what they do." The basis of Buddhism,
he points out "is the knowledge of nothing."
Vaguen did not come to his enlightenment overnight. He studied with
the great ig-masters of the world and ignored everything they had to
say.
He even gives us our own power of ignorance ig-mantra: "Duh!"
He tries to help us out by using hypnotism but, alas, keeps putting
himself under before he reaches the end of the procedure.
There are great pearls of ignorance here.
"Ignorance helps when you try to explain why your country went
to war." "What you don't know won't hurt you and so the ignorant
man is invincible."
Gibbs, (who benefits from the directing of uber-Fringe performer TJ
Dawe) has the timing of cosmic clock, a subtle comic personality that
finds humour in the smallest gesture and a fractured logic that can
only come from a brilliant mind.
Brilliant mind? Gee, sorry Chris. I blew your cover.
Duh!
4 SUNS (out of 5)
The Power of Ignorance
Straight up front, I want everyone to know that I know Chris Gibbs
personally. That's not going to stop me from slagging his show, though.
At least, it wouldn't if I could slag it. Which I can't, because it's
such a rich, funny and original show.
Chris arrives on stage in the person of Vaguen, Master of Ignorance,
a sort of a cross between self-help guru Tony Robbins and uber-evangelist
Billy Graham. He is the guide who will lead us to the enlightenment
that is ignorance. According to Vaguen, ignorance is not only bliss,
it's power. He spouts truisms like: "If you don't know who you
are, you can be anyone you want to be" and "Confusion is the
boulevard to ignorance."
As our "seminar" continues, we are treated to more background
of Vaguen's life, including a very telling hypnosis session that goes
badly awry. I don't want to spoil the ending for anyone, but let's just
say it's a smashing conclusion.
Brit performer Chris Gibbs, one half of the physical comedy duo Hoopal,
has co-written with multi-talented Fringe favourite T.J. Dawe an off-kilter,
clever, absurd and howlingly funny script. Gibb's delivery is a combination
of dry wit and barely controlled madness that threatens to go off the
rails at any time. That in itself was enough to send Friday's audience
into gales of laughter, but he combines it with physical comedy, sight
gags and subtle mannerisms that take the whole enterprise to the next
comedic level. This show is a must see.
And remember, according to Vaguen, the only people to use 100 per cent
of the human brain are cannibals.
4 1/2 stars. Russ Hewitt - CBC Edmonton
The Power Of Ignorance - Liz Nicholls - The Edmonton Journal - Rating
5 stars
In a world where we constantly feel inadequate, confused, disoriented
and abandoned on the technological autoroute, there is help and a joyful
message at the Fringe. It is a self-help seminar on how to tap into
the power of ignorance.
Yes, mankind has been barking up the wrong tree all this time, questing
after knowledge, seeking enlightenment. "Are you confused?"
asks the silky-voiced, reassuring man onstage. "If you don't understand,
you're already using your power of ignorance. ... Confusion is the boulevard
to ignorance" (via "the rumpus room of endarkenment").
And perfect ignorance, as you will learn in the course of this exquisitely
constructed, perfectly daffy architecture of logic by Chris Gibbs and
T.J. Dawe, is what you need not only for success and happiness, but
life itself. The assertions are provocative; for example, "without
ignorance, everyone in this room would be dead." Vaguen (Gibbs,
half of Hoopal) provides irreducible proof, numerous syllogisms, useful
analogies, riddles, inspirational aphorisms (ig-mantras like "Duh"
with deep breath) from the great ig-masters of history about how to
rid yourself of unwanted knowledge and how to understand better the
importance of a lack of understanding.
Since only a tiny portion of the human brain is ever used, "isn't
it better to rely on the 90 per cent that does nothing than the 10 per
cent that's already busy?" This makes sense, and the man onstage
has one of those silky, reassuring voices. He is here to help.
There's a hysterical rigour to the process here, and Gibbs as Vaguen
is the funniest performance I've seen at the Fringe. The Power Of Ignorance
is bliss; join the ignorati.
© Copyright 2003 Edmonton Journal
Winnipeg Fringe Festival 2003
The Power of Ignorance - Rating: 5 stars
TJ Dawe, "what, you again?" (he's everywhere at the fringe),
co-wrote this 60 minutes of inspirational lunacy with Chris Gibbs. Fringe
fanatics will recognize him for Hoopal and last years Gibberish, both
top notch comic outbursts.
Now I put it to you that by the age of 25 we come to realize we can't
know everything, some of us know very little. Oh, you have your areas
of expertise, like minature plastic dinosaurs, all of them except the
stegosaurus, damn Kellogg's, and we sent the ten box tops like they
asked, and did they even send so much as a bloody note...as an example
of the kind of lecture that Gibbs gives.
So, why not give ignorance a chance? Plead ignorance. Drift through
life like Manuel in Fawlty Towers, "I know nothing". Travel
down the boulevard of Confusion to the land if Ignorance. Learn to chant
the ig mantra..."duh".
We've all been to a self- actualizing, motivational, invest- now -while-
others- perish seminar, at one time or another in our lives. Gibbs as
Vaguen is an amalgam of them all. And then bit by bit his childhood
comes out as a factor in his search for ignorance. It is painfully funny,
but with a hint of edginess, not to all tastes, I'll grant. The ending
is "striking", that's all I feel I can say, but the laughter
carried on as people were leaving the venue. Another smash hit at the
Fringe.
Ron Robinson - CBC Radio
Power of Ignorance review - Rating : A+
Those attending The Power of Ignorance only to see the physical comedy
that Hoopal's Chris Gibbs was known for may be disappointed. Gibbs plays
his material dry and low-key, espousing, with enlightened smugness,
the benefits of "not knowing". Anything. At all. If this were
most Fringe shows, that would be it. But Gibbs (who co-wrote the show
with TJ Dawe) instead pluges to deeper levels of absurdity, dredging
forth the bizarre as well as the disturbing. As a performer, Gibbs deftly
handles his material, as well as curve ballls from the audience. He
can stop on a dime, fire off a smart remark as though it's a revelation,
and create anticlimax with something as simple as drinking from a glass
of water. Subtlety of writng and perfectly-timed slapstick - The Power
of Ignorance is brilliant comedy.
David Jon Fuller - uptown magazine
The Power of Ignorance - Venue 4 - Planetarium Auditorium
The Power Of Ignorance is co-written by two Fringe favourites, TJ
Dawe and Chris Gibbs (one-half of Hoopal). With this kind of pedigree,
you'd figure that this show couldn't go wrong ... and you'd be absolutely
right. Chris Gibbs brings to the show his usual self-deprecating humour
along with Hoopal's traditional silly props and physical style of humour.
TJ Dawe adds his clever comedic insights to the script and the result
is an hour of fun. Gibbs plays Vaguen, a self-help guru who is preaching
the power of ignorance to the masses, for, after all, if you are ignorant
you are invincible. Vaguen goes on to prove that with a tremendously
original and hilarious ending. I laughed more in this show than at any
other thus far at this year's Fringe. No doubt this will be on my top
ten list. See it before it completely sells out (the Saturday noon show
was a near sellout).
- Jason Olynyk - UMFM
The Power of Ignorance - Venue 4 - Planetarium Auditorium
Chris Gibbs (Hoopal, Gibberish) plays Vaugen, the Master Ignoramous,
in a one-actor show that pays homage to the bliss and potential of total
ignorance in all things. You never knew how much you didn't need to
know, which if you did, means you know too much already and definitely
will benefit from the philosophy and trainings of Ignorance as espoused
by Vaugen. Gibbs does not disappoint with his wonderful comic performance
of a script co-written with TJ Dawe (Labrador, Slipknot) that had me
and the rest of the almost sold out show laughing out loud. The ending
is a head-splitting smash. Definitely go see this show. I expect that
expectations based on previous works as well as word of mouth will have
this show selling out for the rest of the run, so if you wish to see
it, act accordingly.
- Joe Carney - UMFM
THE POWER OF IGNORANCE
The first collaboration between fringe circuit stars T.J. Dawe (Tracks,
Slipknot) and Chris Gibbs, the stone-faced half of Hoopal, is essentially
a seminar by a master ignoramus named Vaguen.
Alone on stage, he extolls the power of ignorance - "Ignorance
was what made our childhood happy." The earnest Vaguen offers further
truth in the little-known fact that the only human beings using 100
per cent of their brains are cannibals. He celebrates total ignorance
- "If you don't know who you are, you can be anyone you want to
be."
Gibbs leads us on a truly offbeat journey to find inner confusion which
he says can be found down the boulevard of ignorance, along the path
of naiveté, towards the corridor of questioning, through the
double doors of ... . Vaguen is unable to complete his lecture but in
doing so proves beyond any doubt that he is a master ignoramus.
Gibbs is his usually eccentric self and makes a compelling case for
the old saw, ignorance is bliss.
- Kevin Prokosh 4 stars - Winnipeg Free Press
The Power of Ignorance , PKF Productions - (Venue 4 - Planetarium
Auditorium)
Chris Gibbs, the star of "Hoopal" and "Gibberish"
is back, and this time he has teamed up with T.J. Dawe to create "The
Power of Ignorance". In this one-man show Gibbs plays Vaguen, Master
of Ignorance, as he guides us through a self-help style seminar in which
he teaches us that "confusion is the boulevard of ignorance."
Unlike Gibbs' previous ventures that relied on a lot of physical humour,
this show relies more on clever word play for its laughs. And a lot
of laughs there are. Gibbs is terrific as the tormented yet persuasive
guru of ignorance. His deadpan delivery and well-timed use of physical
comedy are well balanced as he preaches the virtues of not knowing anything.
I am sure word of mouth will lead to sell outs for this show, unless
Vaguen has done too good a job and taught his audiences to be ignorant
of their responsibilities as Fringers. - 4 stars - Ken Gordon - CBC
The Power of Ignorance
So, what better can I think to say about The Power of Ignorance that
hasn't been said sooner and/or better by someone else? Luckily for me,
Vaguen (Master of Ignorance) just advised me not to strain myself because
"thinking is bad; ignorance is good."
Lampooning the likes of Anthony Robbins awakening the sleeping giant
within and Tom Cruise's magnificently scary character in Magnolia ,
veteran Fringe incontinence-inducers Chris Gibbs and TJ Dawe have teamed
up to "open the door to ignorance, push you through and lock it
behind you." (Incidentally, in my July 16th review of Toothpaste
and Cigars I under-credited the peripatetic Mr. Dawe, who's had a creative
hand in no less than five (count 'em and weep! Does that man ever sleep?)
current Fringe productions, including the witty phone play 20 Random
Questions with a Dead Guy .)
Nobody likes a smartypants. Remember how tasty veal used to be before
you knew where it came from? We all have knowledge we don't want (e.g.
the knowledge that we're complete frauds who won't ever succeed at anything).
Since Vaguen's life-altering encounter with the Ignorati (five of the
world's greatest Ignoramuses), he's been leading happiness seekers down
the Boulevard of Confusion to complete Ignorance. Real estate sales,
origami, military strategy, taking advantaged of the bereaved and dueling
with jars are only a few of the examples of the life pursuits that can
be immeasurably improved through the Power of Ignorance.
From the first "Duh" (the mantra of Ignorance), Gibbs's capacity
audience was primed for this. They were far from disappointed. You don't
know what is not possible in this show.
Linda Harlos - CBC Radio
Montreal Fringe Festival 2003
The Power of Ignorance -
This is the funniest piece I have ever seen at any of the 13 fringes
I have attended. Heck, it's in the top five of the funniest plays I
have seen in nearly half a century of theatre-going.
It is written by Chris Gibbs and TJ Dawe, and performed by Chris Gibbs.
Now why would TJ Dawe collaborate on a funnier piece for someone else
than for himself? The only thing I can think of is that TJ is just too
sweet on stage to show his mean side - and this play has some very black
jokes about childhood abuse and puppies.
Even the program is funny, so read it to put yourself in the mood before
the show starts. I was moaning in pain between bouts of laughter during
the show. Really.
I won't spoil things by telling you any of the jokes. The program notes
tell you everything you need to know. And ignorance is powerful.
This show is heading west to other fringes, so if you missed it, Go
West, young (wo)man! It's worth it. [JC]
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