The Buzz – Reviews

No Worries If Not

Battlefield Heartbreaker Productions—Son of Warehouse

Katie-Ellen Humphries is a self-described liar. But the main reason for her lying is because she prioritizes the needs of others over her own. She explores the fear of “airing one’s laundry” (both physically and metaphorically) throughout this very personal show. There is enough comedy to lighten the mood, which balances out this poignant reflection of her personal journey. It is a journey worth following.

Murray Hunter

tony wrestles a stranger

tony adams—CCFM – Salle Pauline-Boutal

“tony wrestles a stranger” is a playful parody of masculinity shown through a queer lens. Tony Adams delivers a masterful interplay of comedy, tenderness, and social commentary.

The audience is immediately immersed into the play when the actor, Tony Adams, distinguishes themself from the titular character, Tony. We are then left to interpret which parts of the play are told by the actor and which parts are told by the character. The actor invites their dad to join them on stage. Dad never shows. So instead, select audience members get to play the role of “Dad”, reading from the script at designated times. The fourth wall breaking allows the audience to engage in a way that can only be achieved in theatre. The use of projection supports seamless transitions and supports the tone and setting of the scenes.

From a young person learning to perform masculinity, to a queer adult literally wrestling with it, tony wrestles a stranger is the kind of medicine that is needed in the manosphere, an antidote to the red pill, a much-needed hug for alpha males.

Shane Thevenot

Mr Loopy Pants: The Art of F*cking Up

Mr Loopy Pants—Shannon’s Irish Pub

This show f*cking rips. Like an R-rated Bo Burnham with a bass guitar and loop pedal; if you can handle some black and blue humour, you owe it to yourself to see this criminally undersold show (at time of publication).

A frenetic, self-styled solo-bass-comedy-loop-rock concert/PowerPoint presentation, the performance is absolute chaos in the most positive sense. Equal parts Gen X anthem, existential crisis, and self-aware train wreck, Mr. Williamez barrels from one absurd idea to the next with relentless energy. Crude, rude, hilarious and boppin’, this master of f*cking up is a one-man orgy. Figuratively speaking. Probably.

Mr. Williamez’s outstanding delivery would cover any actual f*ck-ups were it not for his Flag of Honesty to highlight when things are actually going south. Somewhere stuffed into the musical comedic genius is a better sex ed lesson than anyone ever received in the public school system, literal philosophy, and time travel. And the tunes are just plain fun. Authentic AF, immature, and clever all at the same time, if you’re over 18 and reading this and don’t have a ticket, you are f*cking up. But good news: as Williamez highlights at the top of the show, f*cking up can help endear you to others. It clearly worked for him.

Ashley Frantik

Winnipeg is a Lie

Portage and Mayhem Presents—Duke of Kent Legion

He gave me a free beer, and at the end of the day, can you ask for anything more than that?

At minimum six time divorcee Clay Pasdejeune hosts three locals fighting to woo the crowd over to their own personal answer to questions of Winnipeg trivia, one of which is correct and the rest-close enough. With a guest improviser from cross eyed rascals, the answers ranged from absurd to risque, the truth hiding in plain sight. Like with all improv heavy shows, the experience night to night changes and it’s hard to say what to expect. But for fans of local history and improv shows with cheap beer and quick laughs, it’s a great option to cap off a night.

Josh Fidelak

Thor’s A Dick – Viking Legends Not For Kids

Stories Alive—MTYP – Richardson Studio Theatre

From the creation of the world to its end, Eden Ballantyne tells a number of fun and interesting legendary tales from Norse mythology. Always a great story-teller, he keeps the audience engaged with some informational sidebars to provide additional background to the legends. It is not just Thor who is a dick, but a lot of the other Gods from that pantheon also have significant lapses in proper manners and decorum, which lead to some funny, but often gruesome, stories.

Murray Hunter

Rumours: In Motion

hiljames movement—The Rachel Browne Theatre

I’ve seen a lot of Fringe dance shows, including some from this very troupe. Fringe dance shows are popular, but they’re often not “sold-out” popular. Today, at 4:15 pm on Thursday, this is a sold-out show. I’ll guess that it’s the draw-power of Fleetwood Mac’s music that helps fill the remaining seats.

The last outing I saw from this company had a dancer eating rice on the floor and strewing it all over the stage. It was somewhat odd, but this year’s movement more closely resembles what people expect out of dance routines.

Rumours is one of the most iconic English rock albums ever produced, and I expected the majority of the audience to be people my age or older, who appreciated the music when the band first released it in 1977. Surprisingly, the theatre teems with younger people, underscoring the music’s longevity.

The dancers take every advantage of this masterpiece, reproducing the raw emotion and power of each song. They honour the musical work in every way, including the song order on the album. This is absolutely great because the final song, “Gold Dust Woman,” is the best song on this album of great songs, and the momentum builds until it and the climax arrive.

But wait! There’s more!

Like an encore, the dancers deliver their bows and wishes during the bonus track. It’s been a long time but I believe that it may even be the additional track, later added to the original album, “Silver Springs.” [Feel free to correct me if I’m wrong]

I’ll only say it once more: the music is wonderful. The dancing brings a glorious visual element to the songs, but here, 1+1≠ 2; 1+1 = a lot more, and this package of music, plus dance, adds a third dimension that just has to be experienced.

Finally, you get a bit of everything, including arm-wrestling, hair-pulling, bar-fights, and even zombies! You really have to experience this!

As with many of the sold-out shows, you get some of the fringier Fringers in the audience (the people who only see one or two shows a year, and only base it on the number of stars from The Free Press or CBC). Regular Fringers know Fringe etiquette; today, three people close to me couldn’t keep their phones off. I know; you think you are so considerate in only checking between songs. Each song lasts between two and five minutes. Are you missing so much from your Facebook feed that you must check it every few minutes? Get over yourself. Just put your phones away.

Ray Yuen

Lies of a Promiscuous Woman

Darker Bright Theatre—MTYP – Mainstage

No one likes talking about politics, the problem is that politics ends up happening to you whether you like it or not. Back from its controversial 2014 run featuring protests and effigies, lies of a promiscuous woman tells the story of the Virgin Mary, and how she ended up creating a God to spite the God that did so much to fail her. Stories always end up so much bigger than we expect, lies grow out of our control, and it’s always so difficult to keep things pure in the face of a world demanding the worst from us.

The writing is piercingly sharp, the humour well placed to defuse the tension, and the message is as timely as it could get. If you’ve ever asked yourself what went wrong for us to end up like this, this is as good a place to start as any.

Josh Fidelak

The Power of Ignorance

Chris Gibbs—Planetarium Auditorium

Chris Gibbs brings back a classic show from 2003. He is Vaguen, a master in using the Power of Ignorance to make anything in life possible, and he is here to show you how you can benefit from his methods. The performance is wonderfully comic, very well written and had the audience completely engaged. I am in awe of how he manages to turn many common phrases back on themselves to show you how not thinking is the best path to success.

As I wrote back in 2003 when I first saw this comedic gem: Don’t just think about going to see this show, do it, I mean really the decision to see it is a no-brainer.

Murray Hunter

Grimm’s Fairer Tales

Stories Alive—Kids Venue – MTYP – Mainstage

Eden Ballantyne is a practiced and confident storyteller; the littles in his audience are in good hands. His warm, approachable demeanor invites children to become part of the story rather than simply watch it unfold. Using minimalist set and costume pieces, he is able to guide the audience participants through some familiar tales with light updates for a modern audience (TIL there is indeed a Sister Grimm).

The show’s greatest strength is its simplicity. Ballantyne never overcomplicates the material, trusting his own skill and the enthusiasm of his young participants to carry the performance. The result is an accessible, interactive show that celebrates the enduring magic of fairy tales while making room for a few fresh interpretations along the way.

Ashley Frantik

Afeni

A Friendly Co Pro’—Le Studio at Théâtre Cercle Molière

Despite the warning at the top of the show that audience members might be more familiar with the titular Afeni Shakurs son Tupac than the focus of the play, the Black Panthers prominence and cultural legacy run as deep, if not deeper. Exploring the state subterfuge, violent arrest and subsequent grinding trial of 21 black Panthers from the perspective of Afeni’s self representation over multiple grueling years, we get to experience the it all from the legacy of Malcolm X to the conspiratorial realities of Cointel Pro.

Adam Bailey is a master at exploring the intricacies of historical figures and their lives, and Onika Henry performs the script with supreme confidence and skill. The drama itself was real historical fact, but putting it all together into a show was all them.

Josh Fidelak