There’s no two ways about it, after more than twenty years Spirit of the West officially—still—rock. What do you do when your opening act doesn’t show on the last night of a tour? Go on and play your best and hardest for two extended sets and a long energetic encore!
Oh, and despite what the band may have professed to believe, drinking songs are entirely appropriate for the Grand Theatre.
Brian Malow’s Not Available in Stores is aptly titled, but only because it’s really a workshop for a show that isn’t ready for prime time. He’s got a good family reminiscence to tell, some funny observations (belying his standup roots) and a few interesting points to make about politics, consumerism and other topics, but there’s no real thread to tie them together. If you’re expecting the Brian Malow who performs his own brand of intelligent, science-flavored stand up
you’ll be disappointed; you’re going to see a work in progress that’s currently unfocused, changing from night to night as he rewrites and edits on the fly.
This is a cute, funny snack of a show that’s also sort of touching at times. It’s one of the shortest performances in the Fringe, but that’s because it’s just the right length. Jen Frankel is immediately believable and endearing in the title (and only) role. The flashback and fantasy scenes are cleverly written and performed, particularly the job montage and—not a spoiler, given the title—stripping routines. (Kudos on the non-nudity nudity, which is saucy yet tasteful.) The music is well-chosen, and edited better than most of the other productions I’ve seen that use it incidentally. I’ve only two quibbles: