"Susan
Fischer has the audience roaring in her pitch-perfect performance as
the tipsy, lipstick-smeared gal from the office steno pool, digressing
her way through rants on smoking laws, 'poofter' pals, ungratefull kids
and absent dads."
"The
gawdy and hilarious Evelyn Reese returns for her second Fringe installation
... this fun show has momentum as well as un-PC one-liners that will
make even the most stalwart idealists laugh."
NOW, July 5, 2007
From
The Toronto Star, Tuesday, July 11, 2006
The Evelyn Reese Show
Highly recommended
Glen Morris Theatre, 4 Glen Morris. Next: Tomorrow, 5:30 p.m.
The star of The Evelyn Reese Show is no stranger to the stage –
and neither is her creator, Susan Fischer.
As the marvellous, not so stylish Reese, Fischer has toured the country,
appearing at comedy clubs, cabarets and karaoke places. In this solo
show, her character speaks her mind about tackling trying marriages,
dealing with divorce, befriending giggly gays and discoing at Studio
54 (no, not the famous New York hotspot – a Kitchener location
under a golf and country club). Her idea of a baby shower gift is a
gift certificate from the LCBO because the mother “needed booze
more than bibs and blankets.”
The Evelyn Reese Show compels you to picture Married…With Children’s
Peggy Bundy after packing on a belly and putting down too many fruity
drinks over the years. Reese is a curvaceous, vivacious and boisterous
bitch.
“I am not actually a professional entertainer,” Fischer
confesses, but the self-proclaimed amateur actress is in big demand
as emcee for retirement parties, picnics and office functions. And the
reason why is obvious – with nothing but black chairs and matching
table and a smiley-faced mug on the stage, her Reese is a triumph of
crazy charm and savvy sassiness.
Amanda-Marie Quintino
From
The CBC (Manitoba) Winnepeg Fringe Review, July12, 2006
Reviewed at the 2006 Toronto Fringe (July
5-16, 2006)
Five Sheriff Stars
Everyone
knows an Evelyn Reese. She wears a bit too much lipstick, her
shorts are too tight, and her mink is a tad on the musty side.
She’s NOT aging gracefully. But as far as she’s concerned,
the world revolves around her – and she loves it. In this
one-woman tour-de-force, Evelyn brings us into her world. She’s
hilarious, offensive, and prides herself on her ability to “out”
gay men (“After twenty minutes alone with me, any guy who doesn’t
try to jump my bones is either gay or a paraplegic.”) If
Marg Delahunty wrote a fringe show, this would be it. Totally
fun.
CBC Reviewer: Bertram Schneider
NOW
magazine Online Edition, July 2006
Reviewed by: Kate Pedersen
"NNNN
Evelyn Reese (Susan Fischer) is what results when Liza
Minelli, Joan Collins, and Mary Tyler Moore have a
baby and wean it on rye and ginger. She's the gal
who's made it after all, and she tells you about her
journey through her ex-husbands, "poofter" friends and
trips to Vegas. Fischer delights with every awful
detail."
(A NOW pick)
From
the Times Colonist, Victoria, B.C., June 2, 2006
“* * * *...Evelyn sashays about the stage like
a trailer-park Judy
Garland. She keeps up a constant banter, one side of her mouth dragging
as
though she has suffered a wee stroke. She’s a bit of a train wreck,
yet we
admire Ms. Reese’s tanacity and gritty joie de vivre...
It’s tremendously funny, yet what makes Fischer’s 60-minute
piece more than
just laughs is her obvious affection for Evelyn. Also compelling is
the
careful detail with which she paints the character; the fact her portrait
is
based on realism ensures that mere caricature is avoided.”
Adrain Chamberlain
