5 stars

So, what better can I think to say about The Power of Ignorance that hasn't been said sooner and/or better by someone else? Luckily for me, Vaguen (Master of Ignorance) just advised me not to strain myself because "thinking is bad; ignorance is good."

Lampooning the likes of Anthony Robbins awakening the sleeping giant within and Tom Cruise's magnificently scary character in Magnolia , veteran Fringe incontinence-inducers Chris Gibbs and TJ Dawe have teamed up to "open the door to ignorance, push you through and lock it behind you." (Incidentally, in my July 16th review of Toothpaste and Cigars I under-credited the peripatetic Mr. Dawe, who's had a creative hand in no less than five (count 'em and weep! Does that man ever sleep?) current Fringe productions, including the witty phone play 20 Random Questions with a Dead Guy .)

Nobody likes a smartypants. Remember how tasty veal used to be before you knew where it came from? We all have knowledge we don't want (e.g. the knowledge that we're complete frauds who won't ever succeed at anything). Since Vaguen's life-altering encounter with the Ignorati (five of the world's greatest Ignoramuses), he's been leading happiness seekers down the Boulevard of Confusion to complete Ignorance. Real estate sales, origami, military strategy, taking advantaged of the bereaved and dueling with jars are only a few of the examples of the life pursuits that can be immeasurably improved through the Power of Ignorance.

From the first "Duh" (the mantra of Ignorance), Gibbs's capacity audience was primed for this. They were far from disappointed. You don't know what is not possible in this show.

Linda Harlos
CBC Radio