Comedy Clownesque

Peacock Place—MTYP Richardson Hall

“Hope” is the thing with feathers

That perches in the soul,

And sings the tune without the words,

And never stops at all…” (Emily Dickinson)

When Penny, a young social worker is tasked with preparing children to testify in court, she almost loses hope. With the help of a whimsical cleaning lady, and a willingness to step out of her comfort zone, she finds the answers she needs.

Hitler’s Li’l Abomination

Annette Roman—MTC Up the Alley

Roman delivers the story well and makes her point convincingly. On the way out, I heard a number of people grumbling about her perspective and her views.

I’m not saying that anyone’s right or wrong, but eliciting discourse as soon as the curtain falls is a sign of a good, evocative material.

Ray Yuen

Hitler’s Li’l Abomination

Annette Roman—MTC Up the Alley

I just saw Hitler’s Li’l Abomination. Wow, what mastery of the voice, the craft, the nuance.

The heavy subject matter was illuminated by such courage, such strength, and such vision and emotion, it felt as if every word was 100% true, with no exaggerations.

This is a world-class show. You don’t want to miss out on this one.

Candassy Cross

Die! Shakespeare! Die!

Saucy Gal Productions—Studio 320

Equal parts mash-up, theory, discussion, and love letter, the play is delivered with all the verve and passion of the very best of geek conversations.

Deftly splicing characters and dialogue with their own fantastic wordplay, the performers re-contextualize several of the Bard’s best-known works in the telling of their own story of players trapped in rehashing the same roles night after night.

The plays within the play serve well in their new roles as vehicles for this new comedic drama, but there’s a sense that a broad knowledge of the original plays is essential to really wringing the most from the show. While the performers clearly love what they’re creating, they are also leaving it to the audience to keep pace.

That seems to be entirely the point, though. Jump into a discussion with a diehard fan of any subject, and it quickly becomes a spirited game of tradeoffs and one-upmanship.

Saucy Gal invites you along for the ride, here. Half the fun is trying to keep up

Ryan Hauff

A Behanding in Spokane

We’ll Do It Live—PTE Studio

Who even comes up with this stuff? What I wouldn’t give to spend a day in the mind of the playwright, this show is so ridiculous, I loved every minute of it. I was immediately engaged, right from minute one all the way to minute ninety. It seems like a tall order but trust me it’s not, this will be 90 minutes well spent. When a show can make you laugh at dismemberment, you know that it does something for you. Maybe not good things, but that’s all in the eye of the beholder isn’t it.

Arden Pruden

A Behanding in Spokane

We’ll Do It Live—PTE Studio

If this one’s not on your must see list, it should be. The story of a man whose untimely separation from his left hand and subsequent 27-year search for it, sets the tone for this comedy.

When a couple try to sell him a hand to cash in on the reward money, comedy abounds. Add a hotel clerk with his own agenda and it’s mayhem.

It takes a lot for me to LOL (literally) at a performance but I sure did at this one! It’s FUN-NEEE!!! With a strong script (albeit ridiculous), and brilliant performances by all cast members, the 90 minutes flew by. Hands down one of your best bets at this year’s Fringe!

Joanne Nuys

Japanese Samurai Don Quixote Challenging…

Hiroshi Shimizu—Cinematheque

I think Hiroshi is the hardest working performer at this Fringe. He can be seen constantly hand-billing and promoting his show at all hours. I didn’t have this one on my radar but it’s my new favorite and I’m very hard to impress after 25 years of heavy Fringing.

This guy delivers! It’s a heartfelt story of how a young Japanese man with barely a grasp of English, ends up at The Edinburgh Fringe. He ignores a request for an interview by the Times, as he thinks it’s a joke, only to find himself having to explain his comedic raison d’être, in hand signals, to a thoroughly puzzled reviewer from that world famous paper.

I loved his explanations of the difference between Japanese and English speakers, and his impression of drunken Scots in a titty bar, one of his first, eye-opening gigs. His stories of his struggles to become a performer and his motivation will move anyone who has faced adversity and won.

His claims to not speak English well are false. He is so eloquent, insightful, and driven and his choice of words shows a deep intelligence and understanding of the human condition.

He’s sure to become a favourite of performers and patrons, alike. Please don’t miss Hiroshi!

Lisa Campbell

Inescapable

RibbitRepublic—The Purple Room

Few people can craft a head-trip of a story as well as Martin Dockery, and Inescapable doesn’t disappoint. The plot continually rewinds and plays out, all conveyed through dialogue that shifts and morphs subtly as it repeats.

Two friends are stuck in a room, gradually becoming aware of what is happening to them, and to their broader lives in general. Tensions build, simmer, relax then come boiling back as they slowly piece together the situation.

Pacing is tight, and pressure builds steadily to a climax that is crushing in the implications for the characters. While the play doesn’t seem to have quite as much room for broad interpretation as some of Dockery’s previous work, theories were still ricocheting around the head of this viewer well into the next day. A Fringe favorite continues to deliver.

Ryan Hauff

Inescapable

RibbitRepublic—The Purple Room

Inescapable is storytelling at its finest.

This original story pushes through at an excellent pace with wonderful performances by Martin Dockery and Jon Patterson.

It’s funny, confrontational, and manic. You can’t escape the endless déjà vu and honestly, you won’t want to.

Annett Kohut

Loon

WONDERHEADS—Warehouse

Over the past few years, the Wonderheads have become money in Winnipeg’s Fringe scene. This is my first foray into Wonderheads territory so I had high expectations. But I was a little disappointed.

The acting was great—don’t get me wrong there. Despite the mask having only one look, the movements (with some help from the music) seemed to elucidate difference facial expressions. The delivery was phenomenal. My gripe comes with the plot—this was an intensely sorrowful situation that left me sad, and I didn’t feel any better when I left. Some stories intend to leave you sad but this one left me with a hole.

Ray Yuen