Here is the Star Phoenix review of the same performance of Mr. Fox that I saw!

Mr. Fox
Chipped Paint Productions
The BackStage Stage
3 stars out of 5

Greg Landucci had the audience roaring with laughter on Saturday night as he offered a behind-the-scenes look at life as a rock radio station mascot.
In his one-man show, Landucci plays several characters with ease - including a female co-worker. But he's at his best as the main character, a wannabe on-air personality who tries to break into the radio industry by taking a job as CFOX's Mr. Fox (apparently the coolest mascot in Vancouver).

Landucci asks the question, "What do you think about mascots?" To be honest, I hadn't thought about them much, but now I'll empathize with them as they entertain the masses in hot weather and endure insults from members of the crowd. The show continually emphasizes the human being behind the costume, and you can't help but identify with Landucci's pride, angst and disgust at becoming Mr. Fox.

There's laughs to be had throughout the show, including when Mr. Fox goes bungee jumping, visits a bar, feels sick on a fair ride and has a run-in with a chicken. Landucci wants the crowd to like his protagonist, and his earnestness shines through.

Landucci wrote Mr. Fox, which is directed by Fringe legend TJ Dawe. Landucci is an energetic performer, but his rapid-fire dialogue can be a bit tough to follow, and he stumbled over his lines a little on Saturday.

At 65 minutes, Mr. Fox is also a tad too long - 10 or 15 minutes could be shaved from the show and the audience would still walk away satisfied.

Still, if you're looking for an entertaining, light-hearted play, Mr. Fox may be the Fringe show for you.

© The StarPhoenix (Saskatoon) 2008

When I first read this review, I thought that the "run in with a chicken" referred to someone's rooster-crowing cellphone ringtone that went off unexpectedly: it doesn't.

Right after going to see Mr. Fox, the McDonald's commercial began to air where the kids are all talking about what they want to be and the one kid says he wants to be a mascot. I always think of the play when I see it.

I ran into Greg in the audience of Trashcan Duet, and again greeted him by pretending we are friends with a hearty wave and "Hey, Greg!" which I chose to follow up with a somewhat unexpected, "You scared the hell out of me the other day!".

Because 1) Greg does not really know me and 2) I don't get that, he wasn't sure what I was talking about, so I reminded him of his excessive shaking of me the week before. He asked me, "Did I hurt you?" then said, "Thanks for coming" and went to sit down.

However, the way he said it was how you greet people at a funeral. It made me wonder how bad that venue had been for crowds, because I had been expecting:

"Gee whiz! Thanks for coming to my show!"

or even

"Wassup! Great seeing you!"

but it felt more like

"It means a lot to me, and to my mother, that you could make the trip down."

I hope that both he and Barry have better luck in Edmonton and Vancouver with reviews and venues.