The Buzz – Reviews

Dan’s Inferno

H.A.N.D. Productions—CCFM – Salle Pauline-Boutal

Dan the man is working through some shit right now, but whom amongst us can say we’re doing any better. Thrust into a quest through all 9 circles of Gender (and sexuality, but we leave that off for marketing reasons) hell, Dan, guided by the spirit of a deceased friend, works to come to terms with what his partners non binary gender means for Dan’s sexuality.

The writing ranges from earnest to heavy camp, with a consistent subplot of batman being cuckolded by Catwoman working itself in and out of the story. The message gets a bit confused, alongside the presentation of asexuality wrapped up in the question of how Dan could reconcile his identity with a partner who doesn’t identity as a woman, but the jokes are a lot of fun and the wacky cast of characters get some good laughs. Original comedies are hard, but the team at H.A.N.D. Productions did a great job despite the challenges.

Josh Fidelak

QUALIA

(in)sight—Théâtre Cercle Molière

Looking to level up your Fringe game?

This is it.

Truly genre-bending, with incredible attention to execution and gloriously historical footwork, Ella Steele takes this visual arts accomplishment to heights that captivate and delight the audience.

Steele (dancing) is joined by David Lafleur (live music) to create a mostly improvised tap-dancing fever dream featuring poetry, layered soundscapes, camcorders and…of course, crowned by “Miss Baby.”

If you were ever unsure where to look when “Miss Baby”, the ageless delight, arrives, you’re likely not alone.

Step up and level up your Fringe game with this one. It will echo in the hallways of your memory for many Fringes to come.

Stephanie Adamov

The (Un)Official (Un)Researched History of Manitoba

VoLto—Asper Centre for Theatre and Film-U of W

A pre-show slide deck of provincial landmarks, famous potholes, and other distinctly Manitoban sights sets the tone for this proudly parochial sketch comedy. What begins as a faux-academic history lecture quickly devolves into a series of ridiculous Heritage Minutes, chronicling everything from the ancient dino karate wars of this land to the epic dance battle of Jean-Guy-Alanis-Morisette-Saint-Boniface against the British.

Packed with local in-jokes ranging from genuinely hilarious to gloriously groan-worthy, the sketches vary in strength but never in silliness. Energetic performances and playful sound design keep the momentum rolling, even when a joke misses its mark.

Locals will delight in discovering how our provincial ancestors invented socialism, tourism, and Pizza Pops. Visitors, on the other hand, may feel many of the references flying well over their heads. For those in on the joke, this is a thoroughly entertaining celebration of Manitoba’s peculiar sense of humour and misplaced pride

Ashley Frantik

A Life In 60 Minutes

Dwayne Morgan—Planetarium Auditorium

Poet and public speaker Dwayne Morgan gives a master class on oration and poetry, weaving together poems, stories from his life, and his insights on politics and social struggles from his position as a black child of immigrants and father to a daughter of his own. From how that blackness is treated within Canadian society, the gender politics of broken men failing to raise the children their emotional issues helped bring into the world, to the struggles of aging and human decline, each topic is met with deep care and wit.

As poetry, the recitations are worth seeing all on their own, award winning talent on full display with flawless rhythm, intonation and diction, and the writing itself being extremely sharp and well suited to his delivery. Structurally, there are some stumbling blocks putting everything together into a 60 minute show, shifts in time and place that didn’t necessarily follow naturally and caused a bit of confusion. But at the end of the day, that’s only comparing this show with other shows focused directly on telling one story instead of weaving together many different poems and anecdotes. For any fans of poetry this hits it out of the park, with only a few quibbles for fans of the more common Fringe storytelling show

Josh Fidelak

Who’s Gonna Push Your Wheelchair?

Karin Fekko—The Rachel Browne Theatre

Returning to the Fringe with more stories from her life is Karin Fekko. Her storytelling prowess debuted last Fringe with “Multiple Neurosis”, and this year’s production shows that her performances are not to be missed. This outing focuses on her trying to maintain her independence, despite challenges from her MS and Bipolar disorder, as well as a self-admitted somewhat poor judgment in picking boyfriends. Her stories are all engaging and she really shows that despite all the setbacks, she has the strength and positive attitude to deal with all the challenges.

Murray Hunter

CULTS

Blair Moro—RRC Polytech

Taking striking command of an active and captive flock, Reba guides the audience through a few known and unknown secrets, facts and gruesome discoveries of cults from here and yesteryear (one active in Winnipeg) in Blair Moro’s new work.

Flavour-Aid made available for all that bear witness to the myriad of unfortunate escalations when followers (and leaders) lose their way, CULTS is as informative as it is forewarning, especially with Maple Maga catching a following.

Don’t delay. There might not be a (show) tomorrow.

Stephanie Adamov

La Vie Parisienne

Barclay Productions—Son of Warehouse

Join Bremner Fletcher (story and vocals) and Julian Carneiro (piano) on a trip back in time to 1920s Paris and enter The Royal Box nightclub. We are treated with the story of that age and the amazing artist environment that blossomed with creativity in Paris after the First World War. The story is interesting and is tied together with the songs from the era, which are passionately performed. If you are lucky, you may even get a little champagne to help bring you into the mood. Santé!

Murray Hunter

Oversharer

Einarson Productions—Son of Warehouse

Kristen Einarson really Knocks it of the Park as she draws the audience into her charming story of life as a late diagnosed ADHD woman and the powerful impact of obtaining a diagnosis and having all the puzzle pieces of her life fall into place. She shares these pieces with her audience, bringing them along on the journey to where she is now…an incredibly gifted, empathetic, funny, vulnerable, kind woman who makes you laugh with her stories- and then suddenly hits home with a moment that brings tears to your eyes.

Her prolific diary entries and photos shine with elements that combine to become “I am Kristen.” Kristen highlights the impact of the “noise” of ADHD-on her life, how people experience her—and the dramatic push- pull of being too much and not enough somehow at the same time. Her comedic timing and structured approach made me learn something, made me laugh, made my heart ache a bit, and oh hell-made me cry. Oversharer was sold out today, on a Monday afternoon, so buy your tickets now, and see this show while you can! Thanks for sharing your story with us!

Lezlie Brooks

Mennonite Metamorphosis: How to become a secular Mennonite in 500 years or less!

BirdsEye Productions—West End Cultural Centre – ACU Hall

Religion isn’t the easiest topic to tackle, and when you pair that with generations of familial trauma, regret and shame, you end up with a pretty heady mix. Thankfully, Sandra Banman handles her story with enough of both humour and care to stick the landing and explore those topics with the respect, but also the tenderness they deserve.

My experiences with Mennonite culture and religion are second hand, but despite that the show was extremely relatable. Some stumbles are to be expected for one hander storytelling shows, and those that occured didn’t spoil the experience in the slightest. It’s easy enough to get a laugh out of someone, or to bring a few tears to the eye, but the skill at which Banman hit both of those notes is something to behold.

Josh Fidelak

The Shelter

Dark Horse Theatre—School of Contemporary Dancers

Dark Horse and the Fringe are essentially synonymous at this point. Traditionally humorous scripts are what we are used to from them and this is definitely a full turn. Yes there are some laughs but this “dark” tale needs to be told. Stand out performances by the entire cast but especially Dave Pruden and Caroline Schaab as the leads. Dave’s tale is heart wrenching and drives a point that needs to be discussed in this world today. There is so much heart in this script, and keeping this spoiler free you just need to SEE THE SHOW. I was at the jam packed 11am show, so get your tickets early because every single one going forward is going to be like this.

Joel Passante