Tango After Midnight

PointeTango—John Hirsch Mainstage

This isn’t a couple of dancers rehearsing out of a basement or a rented, dingy hall. This is a big production, and a big production company—perhaps much bigger than the Fringe stage. As such, you expect it to be highly polished, highly professional, and perfect in every way—and it is.

As for the show, the movement, the music and the dancers exude sensual, sultry and sexy strides, as they glide effortlessly across the stage. The opening number highlights the ballet aspect of the show (afterwards, I heard rumbles among the audience who were surprised at the prominence of ballet moves; “pointe” refers to the ballet step, specifically going on toe).

As a tip for the audience, this is the ballet (and more); this is not the circus. You do not applaud after every move, as you would at the circus. You applaud at the end of the scene, and at the end of the production. Here, we have a lot of ballet tyros, so yes, you hear clapping at the end of every lift and every pointe. If you put yourself at the Royal Ballet in London, you would be the only one clapping.

The second number features more of a traditional tango sequence. The following songs provide a potpourri of numbers, including a showtune, Latinx folk, contemporary and classical. A fun, whimsical mini-plot on the screen provides some background and a great distraction while the dancers change.

It’s a beautiful performance—and I’ll reiterate—one that’s befitting a much larger stage than just a Fringe venue. You’re getting much more value than your $14 (or $10 ticket).

Ray Yuen

#BLACK EYE : a dark standup comedy special by Stéphanie Morin-Robert

Silver Lining Comedy—King’s Head Pub

As seen on Just for Laughs.

As seen on CBC.

As seen at multiple Fringe festivals gone by…

So why have I never seen Stephanie Morin-Robert before?

Mostly because the creator of BLINDSIDE and The Merkin Sisters has a habit of selling out before this humble reviewer gets a chance.

Working with an energetic, if slightly more reserved, crowd, Morin-Robert delivers a thoroughly entertaining dark stand-up hour, building toward an unexpectedly hilarious payoff featuring an eye socket lip sync, wig, googly eyes, and a saxophone solo.

Don’t believe me?

Go ahead and try to find a ticket to one of the Fringe’s most accommodating venues, where food and drinks are delivered right to your table.

I’ll wait.

Stephanie Adamov

The Big Big Improv Show

The Midnight Society—MTYP – Richardson Studio Theatre

Always a Fringe highlight, and for a reason. With a cast of extremely talented local improv artists, the gimmick of an elimination game style competition of different directors helps give them a ton of inspiration and opportunity to play with each other and chew the scenery. At the head of the show we are shown four different scenes presented by four different directors, each having a different idea fleshed out by audience suggestions, and one by one they are eliminated after each does a scene until only one is left to reach its completion.

The show that made it to the end of my performance was a musical riff on the Nightmare Before Christmas, the performers coming up with songs on the spot to flesh out how Thanksgivingtown and it’s turkey king almost ruined Easter. The artist playing Jesus didn’t have the full cultural context for the resurrection story, but got the gist when the residents tried to crucify the villainous scarecrow for his perfidy. Other highlights include a time travel story animated by teaching an e-bully how they did it physically in the 90s.

Josh Fidelak

ImproVision: K-Tel Demon Hunters

ImproVision—Duke of Kent Legion

Improvision are a Fringe staple that have been providing a great show for over 20 years. It is always a good time in the Duke of Kent Legion, where Alan, George and Ed take the audience suggestions for their various short form improv games. Their chemistry and improv skills always provide laughs and an entertaining experience. It is a small venue, so show up early and enjoy a reasonably priced beverage so you are not disappointed if it sells out.

Murray Hunter

Neat Story

Viento—Tom Hendry Warehouse

From the brilliant minds that brought you the smash hit Musicals are Stupid: A Stupid Musical. The year: 1841. The place: The Olde West. The players: Four outlaws and one majestic horse with a special destiny. Witness the power of (platonic) love and the world’s first basketball-playing horse in Neat Story’s Viento!

2.0 World Peace through Humor: A German 101

Paco Erhard | German Comedy International—Tom Hendry Warehouse

I enjoyed Paco’s first show here years ago and have seen every one since. Yes, he’s still very funny and entertaining. You won’t go wrong taking this in. But with having seen so many of his works, I’m justified in saying this performance was just not on par with his usual standards. I’m used to busting a gut, used to loud screams of audience laughter from start to finish. Lines so clever that they stuck with me for days. I can’t offer an explanation, only he can. This just wasn’t the best he can offer.

Lisa Campbell

A One Human Being, Potentially Comedic Performance of Toy Story…if it was a Musical

Living the Dream—School of Contemporary Dancers

There’s a snake in my boot, and it’s telling me I should have seen one of Perlov’s comedically long-titled Fringe shows years ago.

Beginning with refreshing honesty, Perlov, decked out in a delightfully layered costume, asks the audience for suggestions.

For what? Unsure.

Pretty soon, it doesn’t matter. We all know Toy Story (1995), and we’re all ready to play.

And play we did.

Spin your internal musical theatre wheel, and Perlov’s 15 parodies are pure delight.

That delight isn’t limited to the songs. Every calculated costume change, clever adaptation, and wink of meta-commentary adds to the fun. Sweating through the quick changes and fully committed to every ridiculous premise, Perlov never lets the energy dip.

I won’t be waiting years to buy a ticket again. Perlov proves that a simple premise, wholehearted commitment, and an audience willing to shout suggestions can turn nostalgic source material into an hour of infectious Fringe joy.

To infinity…and next year!

Stephanie Adamov

The Glass Between Us

Shoestring Players—West End Cultural Centre-Ventura Hall

Two women who have never met face to face build a deep connection through the frosted glass divider on their balconies, one working through getting herself back out there in a series of terrible online dates, and the other working through her own grief and sense of mortality.

We jump between the conversations these women hold and the dates, reflecting on how they went and how they made our lead Kate feel. The unfortunate thing is that the dates themselves are cartoonishly bad, from an unemployed ex-jock who peaked in high school to a perfumist regularly flashing the audience to a cartoon villain threatening to destroy Kate’s life through hacking should she fail to submit. There’s humour there, but they’re flat without a lot to grab onto because of how irredeemably bad the men are, the only real outcome being everyone standing up and clapping once Kate gives them their comeuppance.

There’s some interesting notes on age, and the challenge of finding love and connection later in life. But cringing more than I laughed was likely not the intended effect.

Josh Fidelak

The Beanstalk Market Crash

Mind of a Snail Puppet Co.—PTE – Cherry Karpyshin Mainstage

Mind of a Snail (Chloe Ziner and Jessica Gabriel) return to the Winnipeg Fringe after last appearing here in 2018 with a remount of Caws & Effect. They have been known for their amazing visual storytelling using overhead projectors and hand crafted colourful backgrounds and shadow puppets. Technology improvements have allowed them to add live video projection into the mix and they inventively combine the video with their overhead projector visuals, as well as the physical performances to create a real feast for the eyes.

The story is a continuation of the fairy tale of Jack and the Beanstalk, set a couple generations later. The combination of a great story told using the spectacular visuals, live performance and original soundtrack make for a wonderful show. I hope they will return with a few of their other recent shows that they have created since their last visit.

Murray Hunter

Mother’s Secret

Broken Record Productions—CCFM – Salle Pauline-Boutal

I saw a couple of productions from Broken Record in the past and I always found them whacky, cute and silly, but fun. This year’s entry, Mother’s Secret, doesn’t seem as whacky or cute, but somewhat sillier, almost slapstick silly. I would like to see a bit more development in the plot and a tad less cheap-laugh kind of humour. There were giggles through the audience but not gut-busting roars. People enjoyed it—and so did I—but I didn’t come away wiping tears as I have in past.

The secret? It wasn’t a secret for very long, and it would have been fun to keep the audience guessing for at least a little bit. Having a working knowledge of Spanish, the calico came out of the sack very early for me, but it wasn’t far behind for anglophones.

Ray Yuen