The Buzz – Reviews

Embarrassed Naked Female (this show contains nudity)

Woman’s Move—Asper Centre for Theatre and Film-U of W

“If you’re here to see me [Elsa Couvreur] naked, you’ll be disappointed,” and she gives you an out, but—she does reveal her pussy to the audience at the end!

I’m here because a close friend of mine was a victim of sexual predation, and this is a continuously growing societal problem. When I was young, there was almost no such thing as having intimate images shared. Today, it seems to burst out everywhere, and to way too many people. Fortunately, I’m too old for anyone to want to see me now!

Seriously, this is a deeply personal, troubling, violating and passionate matter for Couvreur, and she shows you what an ugly underbelly that world is, and the kinds of creepos who power that machine. I see “Intimate Image Shared? We can help” posters and advertisements everywhere. After seeing this show, I wonder if you can ever completely erase “one errant click.”

Clearly, English is not Couvreur’s first (or probably second, or third) language, so you’re not going to get the usual, smooth, polished presentation, but she delivers deftly, eloquently and competently. English is my third language, and Spanish is my fourth—and I can’t picture being able to relate anything show-wise en Español. Big claps for her powerful conveyance.

If you go to see Couvreur naked, go back to your computer with the blinds down; you won’t get anything from this. If you or anyone you know shares personal images with someone, you should appreciate this brave show.

And if you’re a victim that needs help:
needhelpnow.ca
projectarachnid.ca
takeitdown.ncmec.org

Ray Yuen

100mls or Less

Darren Millar—Son of Warehouse

The very personable Darren Millar brings the audience along on his journey of figuring out how he identifies himself career-wise, when life works out a little differently than expected. He is a good story teller that makes the most out of tales from his teacher training and his time as as airport security in Victoria. With some thoughtful introspection and funny anecdotes the time just flies by. Definitely a trip worth taking.

Murray Hunter

SHORT KING

Sweet Action Theatre Kids—Kids Venue – MTYP – Mainstage

SHORT KING opens with a touching animation that wordlessly establishes the show’s premise, Pixar-esque in its emotional beats and musical accompaniment; an effective setup for a children’s show billed as an examination of grief and loss.

Unfortunately, the promise of that opening isn’t fully realized, as the rest of the performance did not have the same clarity, and the allegory for overcoming depression was likely lost on the young audience.

Audience participation is a major part of the experience, but the sparse weekday morning crowd proved a challenge. The young audience seemed hesitant about when, and whether, they were expected to join in, and without stronger guidance from the performer, several interactive moments felt awkward. The show also appeared unprepared to adapt when participation was limited, causing some sequences to lose momentum.

The performer claimed a lot of research on grief and bereavement went into the development of the show, but little of that came through in the rough opening performance.There were signs that technical issues may also have contributed to the uneven pacing: story beats occasionally felt disconnected, and the performance ultimately ran over its scheduled time.

The ambition behind SHORT KING is admirable. With tighter storytelling, more confident audience management, and a little more polish, this concept has the potential to become something genuinely moving. As it stands, however, the execution falls short of its considerable promise.

Ashley Frantik

1-MAN NO-SHOW

ZeekTech Productions—The Rachel Browne Theatre

I will say, I was a little disappointed to find out that last year’s cancellation of 1-Man No-Show wasn’t an elaborate bit, but I’m definitely glad I finally got to see it.

Deliciously obscene and gonzo clowning, not for the faint or heart or those scared of being press ganged and manhandled by performers. Like all shows in this genre of heavy audience participation, you run the risk of audience members either being either dull or who think themselves too funny by half, but Isaac Kesslers strong performance showed through even as we fought to help his current victim understand the assignment.

If you like clowning, you’ll love 1-Man No-Show, just be forewarned to sit at the back if being brought up on stage isn’t your idea of a good time. Apparently his Thursday 11am show will provide attendees with pillows for naptime, if that suits your fancy.

Josh Fidelak

A Curated Exit

Shot in the Dark Productions—Asper Centre for Theatre and Film-U of W

I don’t get it. That speaks generally to shows across all media, movies, series, and plays. My partner ‘gets it.’ When we watch ‘twisty’ shows, she gets the theme early on. Me? Even after the thing ends and the revealer exposes everything, I often still question her, “What the hell just happened here?”

Here I am again. Throughout this show, I keep rolling through my mind, “what’s happening? What are we doing here? This is so fragmented; what’s going on?” They bring up the concept of drinking wine straight from the bottle, and I wonder if some bottle-wine would help me out.

Yes, I get it at the end and it all makes sense but it takes a long time to get there. For those who ‘get it,’ super. You would probably follow the show and enjoy the developments throughout. For people like me who don’t get it, it’s a long run before breaking the tape at the finish line.

Ray Yuen

Wisecracks for Weirdos

Stage Time Productions—Son of Warehouse

This stand-up comedy show is split into 3 parts, with host Danielle Kayahara taking the opening set. Focusing on some of her weirdness, you can tell by the laughs that Danielle is a seasoned comic with great timing and delivery. The middle set will be changing throughout the show’s run, with the first early show featuring the musical comedy of The Lady Lumps (Danielle and JL Sheldon). It was a great set featuring some really good musical parody, with great chemistry and harmonies between the duo. Closing out the performance for all the shows is long time Fringe favourite J.D. Renaud. He is also known for his somewhat weird stand-up comedy and story telling that features his distinct and funny animations. He provides a strong finish to the show. So if you are able to embrace the weird and are looking for some good laughs this show should be on your list.

Murray Hunter

Your Boring Story

Tectonic Improv—School of Contemporary Dancers

For a genre based on full unscripted novelty, improv often runs the risk of being samey in form and structure. For this reason and many others, it’s always fun to check in with Tectonic Improv, the performers of last year’s riff on John Hughes.

Featuring a team of four local improv artists, they collect boring stories from the audience to build up an entire host of characters and storylines, diverging and reconnecting in any number of ways, and in the end bringing them all back together on the original boring story itself. Like all improv, every night is different, but a concept like that allows a lot of interesting room to maneuver and play that any fan of improv is sure to appreciate.

Josh Fidelak

Chase Padgett: The Next Guy

Chase Padgett—PTE – Cherry Karpyshin Mainstage

Winnipeg Fringe stalwart Chase Padgett comes back to Winnipeg with a world premiere of a new story of his personal growth. He recounts his successes and failures in trying to recover from one of the lowest points in his life. He is a tremendous story-teller and musician and his very candid and personal story really make an impact. His songs are a mix between very moving and very hilarious. The wryly funny songs combined with his self-deprecating humour provide plenty of levity to temper the serious and sometimes heavy subject matter. A well deserved standing ovation for this brave and amazing performance.

Murray Hunter

Hair Brained

Hughes Cherrywood—Asper Centre for Theatre and Film-U of W

Light-hearted, charming and definitely worth a look. Geoff has created a persona loved by Peggers with his Randy Savage character in last year’s sold out ‘Randy and Elizabeth— a Love Story’, remounted again this year. He carries the muscleman character into this show. Sara’s character is engaging and pert. They make a great combo and the chemistry is wonderful to watch. This show is a short one at 30 minutes. Relax, laugh and enjoy this fun little show. Geoff has my nod for very impressive perspiration. When he hit the floor you could see a wet outline exactly where he was lying after he got up!

Great time!

Lisa Campbell

Eleanor’s Story: Life After War

Ingrid Garner—Planetarium Auditorium

An intimate portrait of trauma, and how people fight to rebuild their lives after world shaking events tears everything to pieces around them. Continuing the story from her grandmother’s memoirs, Ingrid Garner explores what happened after World War 2 ended and her family of American-Germans trapped in Berlin were allowed to return to shores mostly untouched by violence while retaining all the horrors and pain they experienced abroad.

As a follow-up show, it’s hard to recommend in a vacuum. But we’re talking about a show that returned to Fringe over multiple years, seeing rave reviews and sold out shows each time. For any fans of the first show, this is more than recommended, with the message of hope and perseverance in the face of inhuman violence as relevant and timely as ever.

Josh Fidelak