THROWBACK!

Outside In—The Gas Station Arts Centre

I had a chance to catch opening night of Throwback and it was a real treat. A great combination of comedy and world class circus entertainment with a retro twist and a fabulous soundtrack. And when I mean circus I don’t mean clowns and ring masters… I mean the fancy one from Montreal/Las Vegas. Absolutely would recommend Throwback for a wide variety of audiences, there were people sitting near my ranging from about 7 to 80 and they all seemed to love it too.

Hayley Bessette

One Man Star Wars Trilogy

One Man Star Wars—The King’s Head Pub

Charles Ross, his renditions on Star Wars, and his multitude of one-person shows have been around a long time and you expect his delivery to be smooth and flawless, which it is. However, it goes way
beyond just that—it’s a over-the-top, mocked reincarnation of the original characters.

If you’ve never seen the franchise, you will miss a lot of the plot, and surprisingly, there was one party in the audience who never saw any of Star Wars.

Huh?! What are you doing here?!

Anyway, most people will be moderate to huge fans, and will know every scene he simulates—but it’s not the scene that makes the show, it’s Ross’s impeccable mockery of the characters that emphasises what you’ve always thought about the movies. Yes, Mark Hamill is a bad actor, and Ross blows Hamill’s shortcomings to ghastly proportions!

The Star Wars franchise has always been a cheesy production, with some installments much worse than others. Ross takes those nuggets of cheese and turns them into gargantuan cheese wheels, and does it expertly. If you like Star Wars at all, you should see this. What the heck, even if you’ve never seen any of the movies, come anyway!

Ray Yuen

Dion Arnold: How I Killed My Nan

Dion Arnold—Creative Manitoba

I was so glad I took a chance on this Fringe newcomer! He didn’t actually kill his gran, just held her hand as she finally received the Canadian government sanctioned death, at 94, she had so desperately desired. He handles this delicate subject with much love, humour and skill. The background to this tender tribute of his adored grandmother consists of many photos that portray the almost 10 decades of this plucky, sardonic, very busy, and playful woman’s life; accompanied with witty commentary. He manages to convey just what a special character she was, and his deep love and respect for her, without once being maudlin. No mean feat for such a loaded subject as assisted suicide. A special and wonderful show that you will love.

Lisa Campbell

THROWBACK!

Outside In—The Gas Station Arts Centre

My family of 6 (adults and teenagers) went to see “Throwback!” (Retro Circus) for the opening night of the Winnipeg Fringe tonight! It was an outstanding show – full of high energy, mind-blowing physical feats, fun 80’s/90’s nostalgia, and absolutely hilarious comedy. All of us loved it and had an absolute blast. Definitely check it out if you have an opportunity – you won’t regret it!

Carlson Teakle

Meatball Séance

John Michael—The Rachel Browne Theatre

Seeing props in the theatre always intrigues me, and looking at a tableful of food leaves me wondering what he will do with all this. What ensues is the oddest cooking demonstration I’ve ever seen—and you
don’t get to try any of it in the end, not that you would want to.

Everyone in the audience can be a target for a variety of wacky roles, although John Michael promises that you would not be a victim if you cross your arms (not sure if I believe him!). Being drafted could
either be rewarding or embarrassing, depending on your personality, but it’s mostly fun for the audience.

He tries hard but Michael falls just a bit short of what he tries to present. The show isn’t quite funny enough to be hilarious and emotional enough to be touching. It’s still a good time and a fun way to spend an hour.

Ray Yuen

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