The Buzz – Reviews – 2015

H.U.N.K.S.

Wasteland Porductions—Alloway Hall

This sketch comedy performance featuring five of Winnipeg’s local comics had me laughing from the intros.

This performance was great fun, with the news report sketch being especially brilliant. The many breaks between sketches are nicely bridged by comedic film clips, so the audience isn’t left in the dark for long.

This show can be enjoyed and appreciated by folks of all ages but especially by those who’ve ever received a phone offer for a free cruise. Kudos to the HUNKS gang!

Joanne Nuys

From Broadway to Obscurity

Winnipeg Studio Theatre—PTE – Mainstage

In this one-man show, Eric Gutman presents his life story as an actor, starting from second grade when he is cast as Toto in The Wizard of Oz, to struggling through constant auditions and rejections in New York and other places.

A more apt title might be From Obscurity to Broadway to Obscurity, as Gutman spends a fair amount of time relating his experiences as one of countless young actors competing to break into the business.

Luckily, he eventually lands a role in Jersey Boys and does over 1200 shows, on tour and on Broadway, before giving it all up.

Gutman ultimately spends less time focusing on the abandonment of his career to raise a family, than he does on his long path to recognition. He sings a variety of songs from well-known musicals, while providing an insider’s perspective on the struggle as well as success in his field.

Anyone well versed in musicals will delight in all the references to them, but even those with less knowledge can still enjoy Gutman’s story and singing.

A highlight of the show is the single time he picks up the acoustic guitar for the romantic ballad Gold (from the musical Once), instead of singing along to pre-recorded musical accompaniment.

Konrad Antony

Hey’90s Kids, You’re Old

Hole Punch Productions—Planetarium

This show is for 20-something’s. plain & simple. That’s the target audience and that’s who enjoys this show almost exclusively.

While anyone who lived through the nineties can take the trip down memory lane with the performers, it’s not with the same exuberance and appreciation as someone who grew up in that time.

The show is clever but baby boomers might want to save the dots on their Frequent-Fringer cards for something a little more diverse.

Joanne Nuys

Baggage

Paul Invented Everything—RRC Roblin Centre

This production’s promo material, featuring a couple, makes it look like a two-person show but it is not. Also, the “baggage” of the title is not what you would expect either.

In this show, Trevor Campbell of Calgary gives a monologue focusing on the birth defects that caused him to spend much time in hospital as a child, and continue to affect his adult life, particularly his love life.

He courageously talks about the insecurities he faced as a man needing to use a colostomy bag, and trying to overcome them. In the end, he bares more than his soul in his show. He can definitely be applauded for his candour. Regrettably, the show lags a little in the middle with his long digressions on pop culture.

Konrad Antony

Mulligan’s Island

sb & me productions—John Hirsch Mainstage

This take-off on Gilligan’s Island centers around a plot twist that finds singer Kay Dee Pairy on the island to film a music video, with the island’s headhunters having other ideas for her.

Unfortunately, this play seems to be put on by a church group, so anything edgy or violent is verboten, rendering the execution of their own narrative so muddy it creates confusion all around, along with a meandering second half. The cast never seems to get in the pocket, either.

Their effort and perkiness, along with some decent writing, some sharp clean jokes and the show’s musical numbers (with some Katy Perry lyrics cleverly rewritten), save the show, however—even if the songs just stop out of nowhere, with no ending after one verse and chorus.

Maybe the cast needed that crated lion that washed ashore in a Gilligan episode to truly scare and inspire them. Kay Dee, too, if all this jungle-ness is what inspired the Roar video.

Beau Hajavitch

From Broadway to Obscurity

Winnipeg Studio Theatre—PTE – Mainstage

Eric Gutman has a voice like an angel and is wickedly funny. I did not expect this one-man show to be a one-man musical, but I loved it!

Eric has a gift for impersonations and that talent was well displayed.

The show was a little heavy on the musical theatre jokes, but there was also humour that someone out of the loop would love.

At times some of the songs seemed to drag and could have been cut down, but every song did have a meaning and a ton of feeling behind it.

The surprise ending was fantastic and left the entire audience no choice but to give a standing O!

Kaitlyn Kriss

The Orchid and the Crow

Button Eye Productions—MTC Mainstage

Daniel Tobias, of Die Roten Punkte fame, turns a true life ordeal with stage 4 cancer into a hilarious, riveting tale.

His performance is smooth, professional and the time flies by, He is an incredible musician, with a lovely voice, and I would go just to hear him sing and play.

Articulate, intelligent, and supremely entertaining, this show won’t disappoint and appeals to a wide audience. This is definitely not to be missed

Lisa Campbell

3…2…1

Speakeasy Theatre—Playhouse Studio

This is a gut wrenching show performed by two fine young actors, Tom Krushkowski and Markian Tarasiuk, who put their hearts and souls into this project.

3…2…1 is not for the faint of heart. The story examines several difficult topics in a very real way that may not be easy for you to accept.

If you are looking for an easy, relaxing, fun 75 minutes of entertainment, this is not the show for you.

If you want intense, exhausting, raw emotion in a fringe show you will enjoy 3…2…1.

I think this is Fringe theatre at its best. Well done

Richard Ball

Subway Stations of the Cross

Ins Choi—Planetarium

This show was written and performed by Ins Choi, the playwright behind RMTC’s 2014 production Kim’s Convenience. Unlike that play, this one lacks a consistent tone or clear, linear structure.

Choi begins with a lengthy introduction to himself, explaining his name, his mother’s expectation of him becoming a preacher, and his path to the arts. There is a fair amount of comedy in this section. Later on he plays a ukulele-like small guitar and sings a humorous song about 1980s sitcoms, after talking about his former consideration of life as a folksinger.

At other times, he undergoes some onstage costume modifications and portrays another character (or are they two or three different characters?) who is a homeless and dead-serious master-rhyming poet with some sort of connection to the divine.

Choi does each of these parts with skill and stage presence, but it was unclear what it all added up to.

Konrad Antony

From Broadway to Obscurity

Winnipeg Studio Theatre—PTE – Mainstage

In this one-man show, Eric Gutman presents his life story as an actor, starting in second grade when he is cast as Toto in The Wizard of Oz, gaining experience in various productions, and struggling through “constant auditions and rejections” in New York and other places.

A more apt title for this show might be “From Obscurity to Broadway to Obscurity”, as Gutman spends a fair amount of time relating his experiences as one of countless young actors competing to break into the business. Luckily, he eventually lands a role in Jersey Boys, the story of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons. He does over 1200 shows, on tour and on Broadway, before giving it all up

Gutman ultimately spends less time focusing on the abandonment of his career to raise a family, than he does on his long path to recognition. As he does, he sings a variety of songs from well-known musicals, while providing an insider’s perspective on the struggle as well as success in his field.

Anyone well-versed in musicals will delight in all the references to them, but even those with less knowledge can still enjoy Gutman’s story and singing. A highlight of the show is the single time he picks up the acoustic guitar, and strums and sings the romantic ballad Gold (from the musical Once) in a folk-rock style, instead of singing along to pre-recorded musical accompaniment.

Konrad Antony