The Buzz – Reviews

The Puppets of Penzance

Backyard Broadway Theater—Creative Manitoba

There were a lot of children in the audience and I wasn’t sure they would be entertained for an hour by opera, despite it being a puppet show. Among all the younger bodies, I only saw one get distracted after the 50-minute mark; the rest were enrapt with the entire show. This is definitely, very kid-friendly.

As an adult, I found this a wonderfully entertaining outing. I’ve seen a lot (A LOT) of opera in my life and this is not the snobby, high-brow kind of thing that everyday laypeople cannot enjoy. Quite the contrary, the silly music and songs of Gilbert and Sullivan juxtaposed beautifully with the outrageousness of the puppets. The coupling resulted in a perfect marriage of fun, entertainment and amusement. Until the tragic part (and it’s not THAT tragic), I found myself with a smile on my face through the entire outing.

For the opera-phobic, most people I know who don’t like opera, specifically do not like the soprano voice. There is only one soprano who performs only two, abbreviated arias. There’s one bass and the rest of the cast comprises of altos and tenors, which are very approachable to all audiences. Most of the operas I see are in either Italian or German with surtitles. This is sung entirely in English, which makes it a bit of a challenge at times to hear what they say without the captioning, but worry not- the plot is simple enough that you do not miss a beat.

Tip for the cast: although I sat closer to the side, there were a couple of instances where the Diva/Uomo faced the target character and turned their back on me (meaning my side of the audience). At most, you should be 90-degrees when talking/singing to the other characters.

Lovely, lovely time—bravo!

Ray Yuen

The DnD Improv Show XVI: The Chosen One

The DnD Improv Show—Gas Station Arts Centre

The wild mashup of tropey fantasy trapping with probably every single person in Winnipeg who have even thought about doing improv at the fringe continues into its 16th iteration. As always, the story continues and builds from performance to performance, encouraging a dedicated audience to return over and over to fill the gas station theatre.

The performance I caught showed the magic and challenge of the format and focus on guests, with performers from An Improvised John Hughes Movie and Wuthering Frights starring in a side plot that rapidly fell off the rails and necessitating strong intervention by the DM to bring back into the meta plot, while also being absolutely hilarious.

If you know you know, and if you want to know, book quick before they sell out.

Josh Fidelak

Randy & Elizabeth: A Savage Love Story

Macho Manitoban—One88

This is one of those shows that you would only see at the Fringe. The Macho Manitoban becomes Randy “Macho Man” Savage as he tells the story of the famed wrestler and his true love Miss Elizabeth. He throws in a few stories of his own life in being a wrestling fan in Winnipeg and his fascination with the Macho Man.

It is like a live version of a wrestling documentary, with an excellent retelling of the key events when the then WWF (now WWE) was just starting to become big with its early Wrestlemania pay-per-views, many of which featured the Macho Man.

I am amazed how he held the Macho Man voice and mannerisms through the whole show. His passion for the subject comes through and the historical details and behind the scenes stories of the wrestling world really are engrossing. Full disclosure, I was a big rasslin’ fan in those early days as well, so some of the stories were familiar. But if you have ever been interested in wrestling (or the entertainment world) you will probably enjoy this as much as I did.

Murray Hunter

1 Small Lie: Martin Dockery

Martin Dockery—RRC Polytech

With Martin, you always know what you’re going to get—superb entertainment. That’s why his shows sell out; so plan accordingly, as you don’t want to miss this. Here, he knows the trick of a good lie—use just enough truth to make your story believable. But the ever more complicated mess he finds himself in piles one lie on top of another as he struggles to remain the hero he sees himself as. He gets challenged at every turn as human nature challenges his morality. This tale combines humour with life threatening danger in a most unusual and rewarding experience. Make sure to treat yourself and make this a must see!

Lisa Campbell

Papa Ubu

Theatre Incarnate—Théâtre Cercle Molière

Take one part absurdism, one part clown, and one part satire, sprinkle in a healthy dose of Shakespeare quotes and references, and you get Papa Ubu! An entertaining (and often nonsensical) take on the “Tyrant King” archetype, it’s the physicality of the performers, and the script’s determination to throw you off every time you think you have it “figured out” that truly make this piece shine. This one was my highlight of my first day of fringing.

Jordan Phillips

The Illusionary Magic of Sitruc James

The Illusionary Magic of Sitruc James—PTE – Colin Jackson Studio

A classic Fringe magic show, combining classic illusions with some light comedy. The repertoire of tricks was impressive, filling the hour long show time, ranging from illusions to (Large) card tricks. Curtis and his assistant have good chemistry and charisma, however the microphone Curtis is working with occasionally caused some issues. Great for families, and a thoroughly enjoyable show.

Josh Fidelak

jem rolls ADVENTURES IN CANADIAN PARKING LOTS

jem rolls / big word—Planetarium

Coming into his 21st Fringe Festival, jem rolls returns to his spoken word poetry roots with a collection of poems and some anecdotes about their creation. He is a master of creating lyrical smart poems that combined with his delivery creates a wonderful experience. His poem about the Canadian Fringe Circuit and stories about the journeys across Canada are worth coming to see on its own, but adding in all the others makes his show a must hear and see.

Murray Hunter

outside, in the laneway, under the stars

Hard Times—Planetarium

If you want to relax in a comfortable, spacious (read-you can actually get tix!) venue and be treated to a warm, engaging story, this is the show for you! I was drawn to the charm of John’s face in the program and charm he delivers! I find it so appropriate that his last name is Sweet, as he’s certainly that and more.

I found myself already looking forward to Part 2, as this is, unusually, a two part show.

Time flew by and I’m sure you too will enjoy this sincere, heartfelt tale of a man’s growing awareness of what it means to find a place in this world as a gay man.

Lisa Campbell

Third Party

Brighter Dark Theatre—MTYP – Mainstage

An emotionally maladjusted himbo boyfriend and his manipulative girl boss girlfriend with skeletons in the closet take on MPI’s homegrown Columbo to disastrous results for all involved. Coming off their hit success, House of Gold, at last year’s Fringe, Thomas McLeod and Brighter Darker Theatre bring their A game again with snappy dark humor and clever dialog. Being MTYP alumni, they take great advantage of the venue in order to stage their tense phone calls that start off the show, which also serves to improve the acoustics for a challenging interaction in most theatres. Opening night saw a fantastic crowd (a timely gasp at a dramatic reveal being a highlight) making a recommendation seems a bit redundant, but for anyone somehow on the fence, Third Party has mine regardless.

Josh Fidelak

Berlin Waltz

Devon More Music—The Asper Centre for Theatre & Film (U of W)

I saw Devon More’s first show a few years back and loved it. She was back the year after and we haven’t seen her again until now—and I’m so happy she’s back. Her first show was looping and overdubbing of simple sounds that ended with super songs. In her second outing, she weaved cosmic imagery into developing more assembled music.

This year, she incorporates a tale to go with the musical development. By no means is this a light theme, but More injects some entertaining and fun elements. There aren’t as many songs as in past since much of the time goes to the story arc. However, the tale adds another dimension to the presentation, and the songs that maturate through the oversampling sound as deliciously polished as they always have. Every time I see it, I marvel at how well More manages to create such great songs with such apparent ease.

Ray Yuen