The Trinity Unhinged

Extreme Players—School of Contemporary Dancers

The concept for this show was there: The Holy Trinity is divided and the universe is collapsing for it. The actors were, for the most part, doing the best with what they were given, but unfortunately it wasn’t much. The script was rough and needed serious editing, and the direction felt weak. This was the shows biggest weakness, a solid core concept that needed more proper work shopping before it’s ready to be presented.

Arden Pruden

Palabra Flamenco: Fox Woman

Palabra Flamenco—Asper Centre for Theatre and Film (U of W)

WOW! WOW! WOW!

This show is unlike anything I’ve seen before since I began attending & performing in Fringe 30 years ago. The weaving of storytelling with Flamenco is a perfect marriage.

Don’t miss this one.

Kim Zeglinski

The Open House

Snakeskin Jacket—Tom Hendry Warehouse

Set in a quaint family home, a reunion on the parents’ anniversary eventually rotating through the entire cast due to the titular open house, this comedy manages to engross you in the banter and abuse thrown back and forth between the characters. Very well acted and directed, and with the stellar script pulling everything together.

Josh Fidelak

The DnD Improv Show 12

DnD Improv—The Gas Station Arts Centre

Well it wouldn’t be Fringe without some dice rolling action to end your night and this year is no exception! Of course I am referring to the beloved Fringe classic, the DnD improv show. For those who have no clue what I’m talking about, the DnD improv show takes the retro table top game Dungeons and Dragons and adds live actors into the mix. A story is narrated by a player and game master every night while the audience watches the characters go on an adventure. I loved how they did a great job of going back to the roots of the classic game. It felt more like DnD than in years past. The narrator did a great job of fleshing out the world and piping in details. The talent can also not be stressed enough with this cast. The cast consists of master improvisers who were great at adapting and creating amusing scenes. The only weak spot I noticed in the show was the music. Switching this year to what looked like a beat pad and prerecorded synth tracks, sometimes there were a few dead spots. The musician worked very hard to fix the issues but I found the dead spots did take me out of the show. The music is such an integral part of the show that it was very noticeable. I also found some of the scenes went a tad too long. Sometimes the actors would try to get something going but couldn’t get on the same wave length. Luckily, the narrator did a good job of helping those scenes end. The show was full of fourth wall breaks, but for me it actually added to the show. If you like improv and want a good laugh. It’s worth checking out for sure.

Kaitlyn Kriss

Jellyfish Are Immortal Returns

Peachy Keen Productions—The Rachel Browne Theatre

From the expanded land acknowledgement, to help the audience grapple with the ongoing effects of colonialism in this nation, to the dialog free physical performance, to address the ongoing deterioration of the planet we live on, this show earns the designation “unclassifiable”.

Deeply earnest, as the actor said, sometimes you feel so strongly, without knowing exactly how to solve the problem. But perhaps starting with that feeling, and articulating it as clearly as you can, you can make things better. Thought provoking, this show is definitely worth the time.

Josh Fidelak

Cursed

Patrick Hercamp—Knox United Church

This is not a review of Cursed. Due to an incredible amount of reasons, Patrick Hercamp was not able to make it to Winnipeg Fringe. Instead, he collaborated with the other performers in his venue to bring a bad luck cabaret to life, only to stop when the Fringe tells it to. This is a review of that.

Brad Torres (The King in Yellow) and John Bennett (Fire in the Meth Lab), accompanied by videos of Patrick Hercamp, share their stories of the horrible luck they’ve had in the past through spoken word and poetry. It’s not as formal as it sounds. These men banded together in true Fringe spirit, because if they couldn’t do what was supposed to be done, they were at least going to do something. Go to it. Pay for it. Get well soon Patrick. But shhh, don’t tell the Fringe.

Arden Pruden

Schemas, 1-5

Gearshifting Performance Works—John Hirsch Mainstage

Visually beautiful, physically sprite and aurally bombastic, this troupe once again produces a
feast for the senses. I watched some of Choreographer Bailie’s previously performances leaving and thinking, “huh?” It was visually stunning but I don’t understand what you’re trying to say. Today, I leave with a just a sense of “I love this show.”

Ray Yuen

I Married the King of the Underworld and My Mom Freaked

Acts of Grace—

This is a retelling of the Persephone story from Greek mythology, and is a very impressive show with a couple of technical issues. It is a new musical, with music, lyrics and book by Adi Sara Kreindler, who also serves as producer and music director.

For this production, the music had a live digital piano accompaniment that was well-amplified. Unfortunately, the voices did not appear to be mic’d and I had a hard time making out everything the cast was singing, although I could hear everyone perfectly during the moments of plain dialogue. Still, it was clear that the music had some beautiful melodies and harmonies and was also very pleasantly sung. I wouldn’t mind having a recorded version of this show, as the cast does an excellent job with excellent material. The other, minor, technical issue was that the stage seemed at points to be inadequately lit, especially near the beginning of the show.

The story is clearly told and has several nice moments. Some of these involve the character of Demeter (played by Elizabeth Rotoff), Persephone’s mother, who is portrayed as an expert negotiator, getting what she needs from the powerful gods Zeus and Hades in order to protect her daughter. Also well-written and acted was the main character, Persephone (Erin-Brie Warsick), who seeks to balance her love for Hades with her own personal needs, as she finally poses the question to him, “How can you make me live in a world with no sky?” Watching this version of this story made me realize for the first time that this myth is maybe not so much an explanation of why winter exists, but a model of how to reconcile personal and relationship needs or partner needs with family of origin needs. Powerful stuff.

Konrad Antony

PURGE

Geritheatrics Theatre Productions—Rio – Portage Place

Wow. Just when you think that our society has made good progress towards human rights and equality, you sadly discover that what’s supposedly on paper doesn’t relate to reality. The show starts off a bit
slow but be prepared for a firm punch in the emotional gut.

I’m an Ally, and I learned a lot. Everyone, please see this important show.

Ray Yuen

A Confederate Widow in Hell

Willi Carlisle Productions—John Hirsch Mainstage

Definitely something very different, all the way from Arkansas, that caught my attention in the program right away! Charming set, very interesting premise, perfect costuming, and extremely well done! I know I wasn’t alone in loving the headless cohort, who provided sound effects from the grave, and manned the hilarious overheads, his shirt topped off with a bow tie and nothing else. Too funny! Very creepy! So good! Loved everything about it. Top notch, professional performance that caters to my particularly hard to satisfy love of horror comedy. We all had a hoot! Highly recommend! Thank you and Please come again!

May I add, as great shows get harder to get into, this very comfy venue boasts 290 very comfy seats.

Lisa Campbell