The Buzz – Reviews

BRAIN

Blair Moro—The Rachel Browne Theatre

Personally I am glad this show finally cleared up left and right brain for me. I think that means I’m right brained. Our personified cranial components do their best to teach us swanky new neurons about our role in the brain while disaster is inches away, and as a result I found things fell out of focus. The two performers commit themselves to their characters with gusto from the opening of the doors to curtain call, but despite this BRAIN didn’t seem to quite feel fully fleshed out. What it had in fun, goofball romps it countered with repetitive, grim attempts at foreshadowing. They started strong, but ultimately weighed themselves down in referential humor and an attempt to be everything all at once.

Arden Pruden

Yesterday Reimagined

Phoenix Productions—John Hirsch Mainstage

A show that asks the brave question, what would my life be like if I didn’t marry a right wing, misogynistic caricature. The answer? Better.

The actors do a good job with a script that could have done with more work. Ultimately a minor portion of the plot but something that stuck out pretty badly for me personally was the way liberal bonafides were established for one of the characters, we learn that she cares a lot about The Causes, she likes Social Justice of a completely unspecified persuasion. Oh, and she also wishes she could have been a teacher for the under privileged inner city kids! Lacking depth, there really wasn’t much to dig into, but the audience definitely had fun watching the right winger say increasingly audaciously abusive things.

Josh Fidelak

Action Movie Mad Libs

SensibleChuckleTheatre—The King’s Head Pub

This troupes strength lies in their audience interaction. Their ability to meet the crowd in the middle through the first 15 minutes is impressive, and delightful. That being said, 15 minutes is a long time to set up a show, as the crowd is expected to provide 18 items for them to riff on. The 3 performers play off each other well, nearly every joke lands, and they have mastered action movie tropes, but their heavy opening shot them in the foot, as in the performance I saw they ran 10 minutes long. They understand exactly what makes a fun, blockbuster action movie- something that doesn’t make you think too hard in the best possible way.

Arden Pruden

Iago vs Hamlet

Rod Peter Jr.—MTC Up the Alley

As a Shakespeare geek, this was right up my alley, and coincidentally at Up the Alley as a venue. Though these two characters never meet in the pages of The Bard, their acquaintance is very intimate on this stage. The premise is original and amusing; with these two characters somehow having booked the same venue, at the same day and time.

They also stay true to their original traits, with Iago of Othello sticking to his treachery and manipulation; and Hamlet of that play staying true to his all-consuming desire for revenge.

Bear in mind this is an incredibly comedic performance and very intelligently done. Loved this!

Lisa Campbell

A One Human Being, Potentially Comedic Performance of Beauty and the Beast

Living the Dream—The Gargoyle Theatre

I don’t know whether I would call this a performance, or a deconstruction. For much of this show I couldn’t help but think it very badly wanted to cater to the 18 and up crowd, but was hampered by our One Human Being’s experience as a teacher. The highlight of this show is her crowd work, starting from the moment the audience walks in, and not stopping I would assume until after the audience is gone. Hers is a space of play, plenty engaging to her students- sorry, audience. She knows how to put on a show, but it just seems the show is unsure of what it wants to be.

Arden Pruden

Debbie Loves Bumblebee

Sour Candy Comedy—RRC Polytech

Bob Banks warns that the show only runs 34 minutes and today, it ticked in at 29 minutes. He provides an explanation:

1. He was only offered the spot two months ago because another show dropped out.

2. He just had a baby.

Banks told MTC that he already had a show in development and that he’d be ready to go.

He wasn’t.

Removing the explanation and the prelude, the actual storytelling perhaps ran 15 minutes. That’s not fair. I’m not talking about it not being fair for the patrons paying for a 60-minute show and only getting 29 minutes; I’m talking about the treatment to the story itself.

This is an important story and one that is very close to Banks’s heart. At 15 minutes, he does the story no justice. He cites his father as a bad person often, but there’s no insight into why or what he did. The material about his mother? It needs much more background and development. It felt like using cheat notes instead of reading the actual book. We have an intro but then suddenly jump to the denouement. There’s no body, no real conclusion and no closure. This should be the kind of story that grabs your attention through the entire run, then reaches into your chest and yanks your heart out at the end. There just wasn’t enough time to engage. Done properly, Cody, I would have taken you up on your offer for a hug.

Banks: When The Fringe offered you the slot, I think you should have declined. Take the time to develop your show properly, and take time for your new baby.

Ray Yuen

Jack Goes to Therapy: A (Somewhat) Romantic Comedy

Zac Williams—Théâtre Cercle Molière

When the title promised a romcom it wasn’t kidding. While most shows examine the trepidatious first steps into therapy with gravity, this one takes a more light-hearted approach. Our narrator is delightfully stream of consciousness, taking us smoothly from rebound to work to parties and finally, to therapy. Our therapists appearances are sparse but he is clearly written from a place of experience and appreciation. This show is refreshingly light and comforting, and a reminder that even if you don’t think you need it, therapy might not be the worst thing you can do for yourself.

Arden Pruden

100% Wizard

Picaro Enterprises—The Rachel Browne Theatre

Wow! Just wow! I’ve been following Keith from his first Fringe and have never missed a show. I believe this is his eighth time in the Peg. All you hear throughout the show are gasps of amazement and cries of “How did he do that?”.

This is a perfect show to bring the whole family to for a never to be forgotten event! Just go! He Really is a wizard!

Lisa Campbell

I Hope You Know

Interstellar Theatre Company—Creative Manitoba

Deep tension broken by an awkward chuckle is the perfect sensation to describe this production. Niko, our nonbinary college student, is portrayed with a loving hand, and I found myself instantly charmed. Their fourth wall breaking monologues while attempting to navigate a conversation they really would prefer not to have at times felt unnecessary, but were more often than not endearing. You really do feel for this kiddo trying to make something of themselves. This made it unfortunate that the two performers spent so much of their time seated. The sightlines worked against them at every chance, and this is a performance that deserves to be seen.

Arden Pruden

Small Fish

Small Fish—The Rachel Browne Theatre

I’m starting with the disclaimer that sketch isn’t my genre. I saw one episode of SNL in my life and while all my friends raved about it when we were still in elementary school, it didn’t do anything for me.

That continues today, where the sketches didn’t do anything for me; however the audience was aroar in laughter. I will defer to the audience’s assessment that this was good and funny.

Music? One of the actors isn’t great at singing, but I don’t think that’s the point; it’s more of a backyard and beer entertainment kind of idea. The other has serviceable pipes, in a “sketchy” kind of way. The songs are silly but catchy for the most part.

The storytelling? The camp story was a great tale with numerous humorous parts but I’m sorry, it’s just amateurish when you read the entire story straight out of your phone. Take the time to memorise your story—it’s not a complicated dissertation. At very least, use a few cue cards if you need.

Finally, that last story? I just found it sad, not performance-sad, but emotionally-sad. We got a puppy and before he got to adoption age, we already bonded to him from photos. The breeder (I know, we should rescue—and we already had a rescue that was(is) a huge handful and we could not take two) told us that he had a physical disability and offered a different puppy if we could wait a few weeks longer. There was no way we could reject him because—even though we haven’t physically met yet—he was already family.

It was absolutely heartbreaking to see a little girl reject a pet because of their looks and physical expectations. I know, they eventually bond but then it turns south again. For a comedy show, I didn’t leave with good feelings.

It was a bit of a roller coaster ride, with fun, laughter, then a heart-punch at the end.

Ray Yuen