Bad Habits
A NUNsensical show about two sisters of faith struggling to find the light… and stay in it. We pray you’ll join us.
May
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- 7:00 pm
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- 6:30 pm
Location: McManus Stage
In their previous inventive and zany shows—Beau & Arrow and Bella Culpa—Hunter and David Cantor remained silent and relied on their physical comedy to engage and delight the audience. Their decision to add dialogue this time provides them with even more ways to entertain.
The starting point of the show—the application of Hunter’s character to join the Convent of the Good Book, a convent run by the severe Sister Florence (Cantor)—provides only the loosest of structures for the hijinks, bad jokes and acrobatics that fill the hour. At one point, Hunter and Cantor don penguin masks in order to demonstrate the bizarre system of procreation of those strange birds.
The opening night production was plagued by technical problems from wonky hover boards to bad lighting. But rather than allow the problems to ruin the show, Hunter and Cantor almost seamlessly integrated them into the fun. Upon having to deal with one of these unexpected issues, Hunter told us that “this might be obvious but we don’t have a director or anything”. Later on Cantor’s character castigates her for “poking holes in the fourth wall will-nilly”.
I’m not sure if the production will be better or worse without the technical problems given the deftness with which Hunter and Cantor turned them to their advantage. I am sure that this show will continue to delight audiences throughout the festival.
Bad Habits – A Devilishly Funny Show that Doesn’t Religiously Adhere to Structure
Portland-based due Amica Hunter and David Cantor, of A Little bit Off, have quickly become Fringe Favourites, with such hilarious and inventive shows like Beau and Aero, and Bella Culpa. Their shows are wonderfully creative, slightly askew, and always endearing.
Bad Habits is no different — it’s a devillishly funny show that doesn’t religiously adhere to structure.
Cantor plays Sister Florence, a severe, traditional nun who is in charge of bringing new women to the convent. Hunter is Marjorine, a young, quirky woman, who is quick to embrace the faith, but a little slow on understanding the rules. Marjorine joins the convent and causes her fair share of headaches — whether it’s dealing with the temptation of the “bad book,” messing up communion, or dreaming her way through prayer, she’s a hilarious thorn in Sister Florence’s side.
Cantor does double duty as one of the most revealing devils you’ll ever seen — but one that’s not overly effective in bringing terror to the faithful.
The highlight of the show is Cantor and Hunter’s interaction with the audience and each other. They don’t just break the fourth wall — they obliterate and then barely acknowledge that it ever existed in the first place. They deal with technical challenges — either of their own design or actually accidents — with aplomb and hilarity. And the line between what’s intended chaos and what’s accidental chaos is completely blurred.
But honestly? Who cares? The show is so fun, the duo is so personable, and their performance and presentation are so brilliant that whether the mistakes are intentional or not, they become an integral part of the show.
The show may be a work in progress, but embracing its faults has been a stroke of genius, and too much editing would be an error. It’s sense of barely controlled chaos is brilliant and it allows the performers’ personalities to shine through.
Whether you believe or not, Cantor and Hunter’s God-given talent (or talent derived from whatever deity in whom you believe or scientific principle to which you adhere) must be experienced and the free-flowing style of Bad Habits provides for a hilariously religious experience.
Amazing show! I haven’t laughed this hard in years. Thoughtful, provocative and down right whimsical. Highly recommended! I had a wet tiiiiimmmmme.