I can only really do an unofficial review of Pretending things are a coc* and that’s because I got caught in that epic hail storm and missed the beginning of the play by ten minutes.
I knew it was going to rain, but I didn’t think it would hail. So I was stuck under a tree, then against a garage. Except I was in sandals and was getting pelted by hail. I have welts up my leg. I decided to risk it and crossed 12th street and took cover in a store, after contemplating going up to a car and begging them to let me in. I got into Festival Hall completely soaked and cold. But I decided to create a puddle at my feet in the audience instead of just outside of the theatre.
Jon Bennett is funny. Like laugh out loud – make you forget that you are completely soaked and cold and that when you move your toes there is still water in between your toes – funny. The show IS about Bennett traveling the world, taking pictures pretending that everything is his coc*. But he also tells stories about his brother torturing him growing up, an incident that brought him and his traveling buddy closer together. Don’t let the title or the subject of this play put you off, (as it did originally for me).
Pretending things are a coc* is part of the Calgary Fringe Festival. There are three more chances to see it. More information is available online.