The Cult of the Comfy Wizard

Inner Worlds Theatre—School of Contemporary Dancers

The Cult of the Comfy Wizard is an immersive homage to elder millennial angst. By participating in his rituals, the audience can appreciate the allure of making sacrifices to feel loved and special and safe.

While the premise is engaging, the show’s ultimate takeaway feels less developed. Some recorded audio is difficult to make out, obscuring parts of the story. Beyond the obvious fact that joining cults is a bad idea, the production never quite arrives at a more compelling insight. Even so, it’s an enjoyable exploration of why escapism is seductive.

Ashley Frantik

Strokes of Genius

Captain Ted: Disabled Astronaut—One88

Captain Ted, the former wheelchair-using pirate, is back. This time, he’s leading his disabled crew on a sci-fi Star Trek spoof as they travel the cosmos in a dodgy Gazebo Class starship. The venue is listed as not accessible; however, there is an elevator available to assist you if you need it (just come early). Just ask Ted…this is his second adventure in Venue #23 (One88), he hasn’t missed a mission, and he is a wheelchair user.

How Bono Saved my Life (Three Times)

Sonya Ballantyne Entertainment—Club 200

The show title alone piqued my interest from the start. Admittedly, I came into Club 200 knowing more about the venue than Bono (other than shouting his name out during trivia night scrambles)… Sonya Ballantyne soars with storytelling in a first performance venture.

Standing on the edge of a TED-ish talk, her tale about her vision quest to meet, see, touch, and explore the world of the man who “I had never met (but) knew the contents of my heart” explores the importance of vulnerable masculinity, consent, and discovering that our heroes can have traits we inherently despise.

Filled to the brim with heart and truth, Sonya radiates quirky confidence as not-so-beautiful days are discussed and uncovered.

Stephanie Adamov

The Ghost of a Flea

Wych Elm Productions—The Gargoyle Theatre

So much fun! I know it’s an over-used term but this Really is a hidden gem that deserves to be seen and enjoyed as much as we did ! Stephen Gatphoh slams it as the caring (and very athletic) caretaker Osric of a bug infested, should be heritage apartment in the not so nice part of Winnipeg. He’s not above breaking the rules to ensure the well-being of his tenants and sate his need to know what’s going on in every inch of His building. This curiosity leads to horrifying and supernatural discoveries that will thrill and gross you out every step of the way. Bravo!!!

Lisa Campbell

The Truth is Out There: An Improvised X-Files

Tolzbad—CCFM – Salle Pauline-Boutal

The 90’s phenomenon that was The X-Files is the basis for this improv show performed by the people of Club Soda Improv. Using a suggestion from the audience about an event they can’t explain, the plot is set in motion as Mulder and Scully (Kevin Ramberran and Kerri Wolozsyn, respectively) investigate an incident of paranormal activity. The usual tropes are there: the assorted oddball characters, mysterious events in a small town, cover-ups, Mulder’s drive to prove the paranormal, Scully’s skepticism, and (of course) the underlying tension between them. Any X-Files wonk will enjoy the homage to the show as the rotating cast will prove that the truth is indeed out there. Science fiction nerds will love it too.

Karl Eckstrand

The Great & Powerful Tim: Magic Bachelor

Great & Powerful Tim—School of Contemporary Dancers

I almost want to say the magic is irrelevant; this show is simply Great & Powerful fun. The framing device elevates the performance beyond a mere series of tricks, turning the performance into a genuinely entertaining (if not completely unhinged) story-driven experience.

Tim Hoffman is a charismatic performer with a super command of the audience. Unlike many magic shows, the audience participation here is more than simply pulling volunteers onstage (although there is also a lot of that). The crowd becomes part of the performance, helping bring Hoffman’s ridiculous world to life.

Between witch curses, were-mailmen, and a most hilariously protracted analysis of the trolley problem, the show constantly finds new ways to delight. Oh yeah, and there is magic in there too.

Ashley Frantik

Dead Chef

JHG Creative—The Gargoyle Theatre

OMG- I Loved this! Wonderful script, packed with clever wordplay, perfect choreography, brilliant vocals and a delight to the eyes! Absolutely hilarious with a deliciously macabre plot. I could go on and on about how fantastic this show was but let’s skip that and just go! You don’t win Harry S. Rintoul awards for nothing and I’m so proud this is a Winnipeg production. They deserve to sell out! Go make a reservation at the Boiling Water restaurant.

Lisa Campbell

52 Stories

Dave Morris—Théâtre Cercle Molière

I’m a non-parent, which means I’m not equipped to handle children, and I do not know how to coexist well with children. This show is almost sold-out, but my row was empty, save me. Then just as the door closes, a group of five (or six) children (approximately six years old) comes and sits beside me.

This bodes to be marginally better than sitting beside children on a cross-Pacific flight.

To my surprise, the children are paragons of theatre neighbours! Perfectly attentive, still, and seemingly genuinely enrapt with the show. Awesome.

Then there are the adults. The person to my left keeps nodding off, in an obvious enough way that I can tell every time it happens. The person diagonal and in front of me? Also, nods offer, BUT! She wakes up during every round of applause and promptly checks her phone status. The person in front of me? Head bobs.

What’s going on here?!

The stories are fun, but they are not intricate, sticky nor gripping, but they’re interesting—and certainly not coma-inducing! C’mon folks! They’re well-spaced out and entertaining enough—definitely not “everyone falls asleep around me boring” yeesh. Morris, the house lighting isn’t completely down—if you could see all this, I apologise for my neighbours.

The card/memorisation is fun; it’s not a trick. It’s a technique that Morris teaches you how to use, and if I ever want to memorise the sequence of a full deck of cards, I now know how to do it. Yes, it’s a parlour trick, but it works, and there are many less useful things you could spend your time learning.

Back to the stories, they’re adequate. However, when almost half the stories, including the finale (which Morris reveals that he uses all the time), end with him saying, “it’s not a good story.” Dave! Doesn’t that evoke you to rethink your show with the question, “should I use these stories?!” I understand. The final story is very emotional for you—and we all witness it. So sure, that needs to stay. The other tales that end with “it’s not a good story.” Maybe fine-tune them to be good stories?

Generally, it’s a good time—and I’m happy to have shared this experience with pre-teen future Fringers.

Ray Yuen

50% Nonverbal

C. Neil Parsons—School of Contemporary Dancers

C. Neil Parsons oscillates between storytelling, physical theatre, music, and dance in a series of impressionistic segments exploring perception and interpretation in thoughts, words, and sound. Rather than building toward a conventional narrative, Parsons guides his audience through a series of vignettes. Some pieces are more abstract than others, and the variety keeps the performance fresh; there is genuine pleasure in watching Parsons transition so confidently from one scene to the next.

Moving fluidly between the whimsical and the introspective, the performance’s greatest strengths lie in its physicality. Parsons’ stage presence is expressive and playful, periodically incorporating choreography alongside some unconventional and delightful bass trombone techniques.

Shifting from goofy to sincere and back, 50% Nonverbal embraces its eclectic mix of artistic disciplines. Audiences willing to follow its dreamlike logic will find a thoughtful and elegantly inventive Fringe experience.

Ashley Frantik

Finding Rem Lezar

Rem Lezar Theatre—Asper Centre for Theatre and Film-U of W

What was going on? There was no parking for blocks! The place was packed! Deliberately not doing research in advance, hoping to be surprised, I found this was a musical with a three piece band and lots of child and young actors; with the exception of the hero Rem Lazar. In my opinion the talent was the strongest from the youngest up. I was very impressed. Let’s hope little Fringe performers grow into big Fringe performers. The house was full of adoring friends and family.

I’m going to call this a learning and growing project. It was obviously extremely well rehearsed with not a flub or misstep. The choreography was perfection . The vocals, not so much in ensemble numbers. I hope the adoration and friends and family don’t run out and make this a rewarding run for this hard working young cast.

Lisa Campbell