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The Jenny Revue is a publication of The Jenny Revue Inc., a not-for-profit corporation, funded solely by advertising and donations. It is not affiliated with The Winnipeg Fringe Festival, MTC, or any other organization. Privacy Policy The Jenny Revue is published on Treaty 1 territory, the lands and traditional territory of the Anishinaabeg, Cree, Anisininew, Dakota, and Dene Peoples, and on the Homeland of the Red River Métis. | ||||||||||||||||||
Chase Padgett: Heart Attacks & Other Blessings
Chase Padgett—PTE – Mainstage
This show was a little different from Chase’s other two shows “Nashville Hurricane” and “6 Guitars” in that it is his own story. It goes from him being at the lowest and most stressful point in his life and suffering a heart attack to him becoming the best version of himself due to the changes he had to make in order to stay alive. It is filled with some great introspection by way of some very funny songs with very clever lyrics and Padgett’s always amazing guitar playing and singing which keep the mood light. Chase is accompanied by his friend and fellow musician Jay Hopkins, who also provides a few great moments as the voice of the New Orleans voodoo disciple. A great uplifting story that is extremely well done.
Murray Hunter
Paco Erhard: An Honest* History of Bullsh!t
Paco Erhard—Planetarium
I can’t recommend this highly enough! Paco had us all howling with laughter from start to finish! His astute and hilarious observations of life range from the ridiculous concept of Ikea (here-do it yourself!) and the inevitable pile of Allen keys, to the follies of the creation of humankind, to choosing a religion based on the amount of chocolate involved. His unique perspective is so relatable, sharp, but most of all, just plain side-splitting. I can’t imagine any adult this show would not appeal to. I particularly enjoyed his takes on the cultural differences he has encountered in his travels, which all relate back to German characteristics. The story of his year in the financially strapped German army was worth the cost of admission alone. He is so charming and self-effacing, he actually blushes when he refers to anything even vaguely related to sex. He calls himself a “nostalgic agnostic”. I call him one of the best the Fringe has to offer in the comedy genre.
Lisa Campbell
Fire in the Meth Lab
A Mulled Whine—Knox United Church
Part retrospective, part hilarious anecdotes, this show weaves the tale of our narrator’s brother, and his roller-coaster ride through addiction. Liberally sprinkled in the tale are numerous hilarious retellings of awkward, gross puberty moments, harrowing life events, and the constant recurrence of an Australian pop star.
Most commendable, the performer made specific note that, despite his show easily being misconstrued as an attack on addicts, that addiction should be treated as a health issue, not stigmatized as a criminal one. Note of warning – The Venue, while apropos, does get extremely hot. Be prepared with a bottle of water.
Josh Fidelak
Denial Is A Wonderful Thing
EXIT Theatre—MTC Up the Alley
This is a true story capably related by the lovely Christina Augello of San Francisco. She certainly has lead an exciting life thus far; and her adventures held my attention from start to finish. It was rewarding to see a woman of my age, who rejoiced in her sexuality and love of daring and the thrill of diving into the unknown. If you want to be entertained by an talented storyteller for an hour, join her! Keep going strong, Christina! You are an inspiration!
Lisa Campbell
Tymisha Harris: La Baker
Kelly Finnegan Productions—PTE – Mainstage
This new show from Tymisha Harris is like a companion piece to her wildly popular show “Josephine”. It is done in a relaxed cabaret type style where she is joined on stage by one of the other two co-creators of “Josephine”, Tod Kimbro, on the keyboard (taking the place of a Jazz Trio mentioned in the program). This show still gives enough of a background on Josephine Baker for those who haven’t seen the other show, though obviously not in as much detail as “Josephine”.
Overall, it is about a 50/50 split between new songs and the most popular numbers from “Josephine”. This mix of songs allows them to provide an inside look at why they chose to feature certain songs in the other show and why some of the songs they didn’t include were left out. Tymisha’s charisma and talent are on full display and she has a lot of fun with the more audience involved banter of this style of show.
Murray Hunter
Tickling the Dragon’s Tail
Infinite Monkeys—School of Contemporary Dancers
Deep in the desert, a brilliant scientist working on The Bomb to End All Wars meets his long forgotten childhood imaginary friend, and begins to grapple with the moral implications of his research. Taking advantage of vintage footage, music, and photographs displayed on a screen off the side of the stage, they weave together the grinding progress towards the dreaded, but seemingly inevitable conclusion.
The message is there, however the actors seemed a bit unprepared, and certain lines were overreacted to an uncomfortable degree. While the core of a very piercing show is there, the execution was just not.
Josh Fidelak
THROWBACK!
Outside In—The Gas Station Arts Centre
If you are looking for a good Fringe show make sure you check out Throwback: A Retro Circus Experience! A good blast back to the 80’s with amazing strength, talent and humour. Good for all ages.
Melanie Kurjewicz
Pirates of the West Side
Setting Sail—Tom Hendry Warehouse
Join Pip, #1, and Cap as they deal with barmaids, mermaids and a slightly petulant Lord Neptune.
Games of chance, athletic prowess and brain power mix with the rough seas of Who Knows Where.
See who comes out on top and who gets buried beneath the seas…
Hypothetical Projects
(Art)ist—MTC Up the Alley
The stories we put into the world have power – for better and for worse. (Art)ist explores that power through the eyes of a playwright and the two characters who made him (in)famous. One, a beacon of inspiration for abusive young men; the other, his Love Interest, fighting to make sure he can’t empower anyone else ever again.
(Art)ist placed second in the 2019 Winnipeg Fringe New Play Contest, which we think is pretty cool. Come check us out!
TwoSon
GOAT: A Sketch Comedy Revue—Comedy at Wee Johnny’s
GOAT is a 45-minute sketch comedy revue from the Toronto-based duo TwoSon. Heralded as “clever, inventive comedy showcasing some of the best chemistry in the biz,” TwoSon performs sketch with a generous helping of neuroses, absurdities, and pop culture send-ups. GOAT is a compilation of the duo’s favourite material from their last five years of performing together.
TwoSon were nominated for a MyTheatre Award for their 2015 Toronto Fringe play.
