The Buzz – Reviews – 2015

Life’s Lyrics

sixeightysix productions—The Purple Room

These guys seem more like singers than actors, which makes perfect sense because they are also a band.

As a whole the story was a little weak here and there, and there were many bits and pieces that could have been much more developed. It’s a shame because this play does have potential, but it didn’t live up to it.

The songs suited the play well. They were all very well sung, and very well written. Listening to the music was easily my favourite part of the experience.

Arden Pruden

Channeling Kevin Spacey

Wolf and Williams Prods.—MTC Mainstage

I missed it the first time these two New Yorkers brought this production to the 2008 Winnipeg Fringe. I’m sure glad I caught this high-energy show this time.

David Michaels plays Charlie, a nine-to-five loser who uses the on-screen machismo movie stars of movie stars as a life strategy (Al Pacino mainly, brilliantly done by David), bringing him new kinds of hell!.

The chemistry the two actors have is amazing, and Chokachi —who plays all other characters—was hilarious.

Go see these off-Broadways pros. They fit right into the Fringe. And go see their other brilliant play Becoming Banksy at the Playhouse Studio.

Kevin Campbell

The DnD Improv Show 8

DnD Improv—Gas Station Arts Centre

They’re back for their 8th show, and they do not disappoint.

The improv was so good it was hard to tell that it wasn’t scripted (minus a few technical errors).

These artists are true masters of their craft. I didn’t like the DM (dungeon master) as much this year, and was thrown off by having a new DM, but it’s hard to beat the original, who had the most epic of narrator voices.

I also thought they could have utilized the big dice a little more and thrown in some extra checks. This train is still a-running and the show is as solid as ever. .

Kaitlyn Kriss

Perpetual Wednesday

White Collar Crimes—Asper Centre(UofW)

Walter and Bruce are two hapless magicians with apparently magical powers.

The one-liners and ridiculous historical references flew out of left field every 30 seconds making it tough keeping the story straight, and things became very strange very quickly.

Its best not to question the madness that Is Perpetual Wednesday (lest you should go insane); but if you take it at face value, you get the equivalent of Timon and Pumba flying through history having madcap adventures with a ton of hilarious slapstick comedy thrown in for good measure.

Kaitlyn Kriss

Spotlight

Coffee Guy Productions—Asper Centre (UofW)

Despite a couple volume issues here and there, and the fact that they talked a little too quickly sometimes, this show was quick and cute enough that it was quite enjoyable.

As an actor, I found it pretty relatable, in that I’m always concerned about what part I’m going to get, and who my competition is.

Definitely check it out! It’s only half an hour long and $8 dollars instead of the usual $10.

Arden Pruden

James & Jamesy in the Dark

James & Jamesy—Sch. of Cont. Dancers (Crocus Bldg.)

This is a charming show, and while it was completely different from last year, it had the same feel—just two guys playing with each other, and the audience.

It’s a kind of gentle exploration of creation. The show is heavily dependent on audience participation, and they have a way of just making it work. Basically, they can get the audience to do whatever they want. It’s amazing. Both of them are extremely engaging. it’s definitely worth a look.

Arden Pruden

All I Really Need to Know I Learned…

MTYP Summer Studio—MTYP Richardson Hall

Every transition there could possibly be was clean, and quickly done, that was the first thing I noticed, and they used the entire space extremely effectively.

While there are some volume and pacing issues here and there, the show as a whole was hilarious and very well put together.

I will say, as a performer, things got a little too real sometimes in an oddly exaggerated way, but I could relate very strongly to some of the things that went down. It ran short at 45 minutes rather than the promised 60, but it felt like just the right amount of time.

Arden Pruden

The Birdcage

Crosswalk Productions—Warehouse

This spectacle of a show was an absolute delight. The performances of Mitch Krohn as Albert and Mike Dooley as Agador were absolute stand-outs, as their sense of physical comedy was spot-on.

The show plays very much to the film, as the actors seemed to draw inspiration from their film-counterparts. This made the performance both familiar and new, as each actor also gave the material their own spin.

The costumes and wigs are fabulous, but I would have enjoyed a bit more exaggeration in the lipsyncs.

The ‘Front of House Queens’ were gorgeous and great fun!

Christina Fawcett

Inescapable

RibbitRepublic—The Purple Room

In this 45-minute two-hander written by and starring Martin Dockery, and Jon Peterson, two men who are best friends find themselves in a room that they do not seem to be able to escape.

They cannot help but repeat aspects of their dialogue and interaction over and over again, with some changes, and it slowly dawns on them that this is their predicament.

The two performers display a spirited energy which sometimes approaches verbal sparring, while employing few pauses in speech. Consequently this is a real actor’s play in terms of them giving their all, but unfortunately the content they have to work with is a little thin.

Konrad Antony

340ft up close

Winnipeg Shibari —Eckhardt-Gramatté

Wow, was this show a spectacle! It was more like watching a stunt show than anything else. Don’t go in expecting any plot or story, it’s a demonstration and nothing more.

The rope was worked skillfully and several people were suspended in what looked like really painful positions. The red marks all over the artists bodies were even more proof that these folks don’t mess around.

The MC was very friendly and available to answer any audience questions throughout the show. He even added some humour by dangling scissors to the tied up who clearly could never grab them. While the tricks were cool, the opening act did take quite a long time to set up and I became antsy waiting (which maybe was the point).

The MC also needed a few less “ums” and maybe some more practice with public speaking. This show is definitely not for the squeamish and does feature nudity. It was also very busy and I didn’t quite know where to focus my attention and probably missed a lot.

That said I loved how much consent and trust the artists had in one another. I could feel the love that was between each partnering. I also liked that there were all sorts of combinations of artists. I will go see it again as I’m interested to see if any other positions are tried and I just thought it was plain cool.

Kaitlyn Kriss