The Jupiter Rebellion: A Zach Zultana Adventure
Andrew Friesen | CBC News | Posted: July 14, 2016 2:59 AM | Last Updated: July 15, 2016
FOUR STARS | You'd be hard-pressed to find a more enthusiastic performance at this year's Fringe
Rating: ★★★★
Company: Active Salad Productions, Vancouver
Genre: Play — Comedy
Venue: 7 — The Cinematheque
Space may be the final frontier, but that doesn't mean its citizens are immune to the same workaday problems we encounter here on earth.
Zach Zultana is a charming, somewhat disgruntled asteroid miner. Played with boundless energy by Jeff Leard, he's what Han Solo would be if he opted for a life of manual labour and punching the clock.
You'd be hard-pressed to find a more enthusiastic performance than Leard's at this year's Fringe. In this one man show, he gleefully mashes up science fiction tropes with a not-so-subtle anti-capitalist message.
More often than not, this combination of space opera and union comedy results in hilarity. Leard makes up for a lack of special effects and a stirring orchestral score by, essentially, narrating his own big-budget screenplay.
If Spaceballs meets Erin Brockovich sounds good to you, grab your ticket and climb aboard Jupiter Rebellion.