The Buzz – Reviews

New Wave Your Behaviour

Hamilton 7—CCFM Salle Pauline-Boutal

Returning from 2024 Fringe, the show maintains its high quality that made it a great viewing, but this year with a better physical space for it than mainstage (despite being harder to actually reach due to being at CCFM). The storytelling is extremely polished, as we join him in his therapy sessions and his New Wave listening sessions, both helping him work through his traumas but one significantly more comfortable. The music is fun (and streamed online), with the grand finale sing along/pyrotechnic bonanza being a great capstone for the show.

Josh Fidelak

The Man Who Couldn’t Die

Saucy Gal Productions—Planetarium

A heart-felt and personal blend of story-telling and spoken word poetry, this show kept me invested from the first word to the last and tugged every heartstring. An excellent homage to complicated relationships with parents who nevertheless have made us who we are.

Jordan Phillips

Daredevils

Corael Productions—MTC Up the Alley

I’ve been to Niagara Falls a few times and toured the museums. I read about the feats of crossing the gorge on tightropes but didn’t think much more of it. This show zooms in on the character of Jean François Gravelet, with the anonym “The Great Blondin.”

By today’s standards, Blondin feels like a bully, abusive asshole, but I have to frame the context that this occurred in 1860. It is fascinating what he (and others) did to upstage other performers on the rope.

This performance explores a frail side of Blondin beneath the confident, cocksure exterior of the flamboyant acrobat. Superior acting and exemplary presentation highlight this lovely performance.

Ray Yuen

A Mystery At Murder Manor

Chris Gibbs—Planetarium

It is a brand new adventure from Chris Gibbs in his ‘Not Quite Sherlock’ series, and it is making its debut at the Winnipeg Fringe. For those not familiar with the series they are stories set in the late 1800s which are told from the perspective of Barnaby Gibbs, a rather bumbling and clueless sidekick to detective Antoine Feval. Always a crowd favourite, this mystery contained all the parts that make Chris Gibb’s shows a lot of fun, great word play, plot twists, banter with the audience, and Barnaby’s incredulous reactions.

Murray Hunter

A Lesbian in the Kitchen

Willow Roots Productions—The Output

This was not a polished act, and it didn’t need to be. Rosenberg missed lines, forgot their spot more than once, and seemed nervous at times—but it didn’t take away from the fun blooming from this experience. The demonstration started with a Julia Child feel, but then I felt the accent dissolve, and so did they. I’m not sure if Rosenberg meant to maintain the accent throughout the show and just forgot, or if it was only supposed to be an introduction. Either way, it added to the aura of the show and felt consistent with the vibe they intended.

Entertaining and enlightening throughout, this enjoyable outing is a great way to unwind, relax, and have some fun.

Ray Yuen

Oversharer

Two Bits Productions—Son of Warehouse

One of the easier and more enjoyable methods to get access to an ADHD diagnosis, TikTok notwithstanding. An hour long stand up set by the talented Kristen Einarson, with only a momentary concession to the demands of doing a one hander Fringe storytelling show, with a heartfelt and serious breakdown into the real impact of how her brain functions. The technical aspects of the framing slideshow are prone to stuttering, but the content that she mined from a familiar store of childhood documents were fantastic for setting up jokes (And being funny themselves) Great comedy, my only regret is completely unrelated to the performance, namely that we don’t have Wee Johnny’s as a venue this year.

Josh Fidelak

Hmong Class 101

Jasmine Vang—The Rachel Browne Theatre

Jasmine Vang delivers a surprisingly relatable yet personal tutorial on life as a Hmong-American. Her experience echoes that of many second and third generation North Americans who feel caught between competing identities: disconnected from the traditional expectations, language, and culture of their parents and grandparents; feeling out of place in the country where they were born; and conforming to or confronting the ideals and stereotypes that outsiders might assume of one’s ethnic background.

Vang’s polished celebration of her heritage features excellent physical portrayals of her intergenerational Hmong relations, along with an exploration of her insecurities around identity growing up Hmong in the United States. While audiences will certainly learn something about the ethnic and historical nuances of Hmong culture, the show also offers a broader, resonant insight into the push and pull of competing identities, something many descendants of immigrant diaspora will recognize.

Ashley Frantik

Bob Marley: How Reggae Changed the World

Duane Forrest—John Hirsch Mainstage

First time Winnipeg Fringer Duane Forrest brings us a collection of stories on some of the history of Bob Marley and Jamaica, of the roots of ‘reggay’, and of his own discovery of self and culture all interwoven between a selection of music that is sure to get your toes tapping and heads bopping.

His heartwarming tale of looking past the surface to get a deeper understanding about yourself and others, especially in these uncertain times, is inspiring and will leave you feeling a little more rocksteady.

His passion and positive energy for the material is through the roof! His joy in the sharing the music fills the hall and his smile only grows larger the more the audience sings along. He embodies Marley’s message of Peace, Love and Reggae! You don’t want to miss this talented musician and storyteller!

Tim Hogue

Brain Machine

Andrew Bailey—The Rachel Browne Theatre

Completely unsurprising that this is a remount of an extremely well reviewed show.

Like every great storytelling show, we flip between interesting historical anecdotes and hilarious to gutting personal stories. That this format is formulaic ain’t a shot against the show, as any breaks I’ve seen from this format have been universally negative. Bailey has extremely impressive delivery, a history in standup being evident from his comedic responses to crowd reactions. The writing as well is great, which is only to be expected by a show with at least 7 years for constructive revisions. Absolutely fantastic.

Josh Fidelak

The Singing Psychic Game Show

Glint of Light Ltd—Tom Hendry Warehouse

The titular Singing Psychic kicks off her unique musical psychic readings by showing off local knowledge, linking Winnipeg to hit pop song references from across the 20th century. She carries this bit across the show, which primarily features dance-along and party games, where audience members, both individually and in groups, score points for their teams that she divided the entire audience into.

The games are interspersed with impressive solo numbers and personal storytelling from the host, who also doles out symbolic prizes and gifts with bespoke song-inspired fortunes. The opening show felt disorganized with the final, appropriately Canadian-themed bingo being especially rushed.

Post-show, The Jenny Revue discovered that, like the one their reviewer was given, many audience members received eerily en pointe readings from the host. Unfortunately there was little time to reveal this to the audience during the performance. Hopefully after the opening-show hiccups are ironed out, future performances will dedicate more time to showcase the singer’s psychic abilities in addition to her musical talents.

Ashley Frantik