The Toronto Theatre Review: Best of the Fringe’s David Lynch’s Seinfeld
Best of Fringe
It all begins, as one would expect, around a stand-up routine centered around the hole within a donut, like any original episode of “Seinfeld” would, that is, until we notice, like our lead character, Jerry, played to mimic’d perfection by Edward Choi, that there is an uninvited guest in the audience. This alien-like creature with a faceless white head, so very tall, is watching him alongside us all at the Meridian Arts Center for my second TO Live‘s Best of the Toronto Fringe show. Thus begins this absolutely fascinating, deviously delightful fringe show, aptly named, David Lynch’s Seinfeld, where the cast plays the famous television roles to perfection, revolving around a stereotypical storyline of nothingness, before it spirals into territories unknown. It descends, most deliciously, into a Lynchian nightmare. Much like those donuts, the nightmare keeps spinning in and around itself, leaving us only to exclaim, “D’oh!” as we take a dangerous bite into the abstract carb-framing.
Starring a phenomanally gifted cast of current and former members of the Second City, the Sketchersons, and the Bad Dog Theatre Company; Paul Aihoshi, Andy Assaf, Guy Bradford, Edward Choi, Chelsea Larkin, Matthew Nadeau, Nicole Passmore, & Colin Sharpe, the show is a twisted, scrumptious delight that screams its parrallels like a tall man’s nightmare. “Never!” George (Nadeau) cries, as Elaine (Larkin) does that body dance like only Seinfeld’s Elaine can do, matching in perfect harmony to Kramer (Assaf) and his never-ending Kramerisms.
David Lynch’s Seinfeld, after selling out at the Toronto Fringe Festival, delivers the punchlines and the descent into abstractionism fully committed, like the cast, to getting it all exactly right, and as demented as Lynch would have wanted. It never stops finding more to unwind, even as “The Simpsons” find their way onto that well-formed stage, thanks to some pretty perfect directing by writers Paul Aihoshi (who also plays the Tall Man), Guy Bradford (who also plays Mr. Lippman), and Colin Sharpe (who also plays Novak). Adding in a wildly demanding Tikhonov (Passmore) and we have the perfect “Seinfeld” formula, primed and ready for the spectacularly twisted and hilarious Lynchian reframing.
