Looking for love in all the weird places

M.P.M.M Productions—The Output @ Video Pool

This show is a delightful way to spend an hour. Joel Passante is an engaging storyteller, very likeable, and very funny. He weaves a personal tale of a lifelong search for “true love” that I’m certain most people in the world can identify with, but he does so in a manner that relentlessly draws you in and keeps you engaged for the full duration of the show. It’s not that easy to talk for an hour and maintain your attention, but Joel does so effortlessly, so much so that time flies by and leaves you wanting more. Never mind the elusive search for love: you’ll find it by loving this show!

Mike Seccombe

A Pete Seeger Tribute

Woody’s Choice—West End Cultural Centre-Ventura Hall

I loved this show last year so was thrilled to see it back.

If you’re an aging hippy, lover of folk music and enjoy singing as a group- this is the show for you!

They’ve lost a few members but these four musicians share their warmth, enthusiasm for the folk genre and talent with generously! The audience clapped and swayed and belted out these well known standards. I left so satisfied, with a content, joyous mood having taken over my Fringe-fried, exhausted body.

I’m encouraging you to give yourself the gift of this performance!

Lisa Campbell

The Knights of Durathor: A Radio Play

Sidetrack Bandits—The Park Theatre

I’ve always said that you should never remind your audience of a better play. I think I’ll be adding to that the hat trick of making jokes about LLM (AI) rewrites when the script is already not very good.

The humour here heavily relies on wacky and over the top voices, and inappropriate foley that nevertheless doesn’t end up going that far or that over the top. Pair that with a story that can only be described as “well, it was intended to be bad” there’s not a lot to grab onto.

Josh Fidelak

Could Kill But Creates

The Delicates Dealer—CCFM – Salle Pauline-Boutal

Melancholic music, calming voice, transgressing story and a cosmic atmosphere make for an eerie but ethereal journey.

Visually stunning, audibly dazzling and a joy for the senses. I would have liked to have seen more story and plot (and more dancing and music) because I just couldn’t get enough.

Note: only runs about 30 minutes.

Ray Yuen

Brilliantly Awkward

Adam Schwartz—The Output @ Video Pool

I’ve been a huge fan of Adam’s since the first time we all screamed with laughter at one of his shows. I haven’t missed one since!

Adam often produces mixed cabaret style shows that feature neurodivergent performers; but this is your chance to see him unfiltered and solo.

Lisa Campbell

Dan’s Inferno

H.A.N.D. Productions—CCFM – Salle Pauline-Boutal

Dan the man is working through some shit right now, but whom amongst us can say we’re doing any better. Thrust into a quest through all 9 circles of Gender (and sexuality, but we leave that off for marketing reasons) hell, Dan, guided by the spirit of a deceased friend, works to come to terms with what his partners non binary gender means for Dan’s sexuality.

The writing ranges from earnest to heavy camp, with a consistent subplot of batman being cuckolded by Catwoman working itself in and out of the story. The message gets a bit confused, alongside the presentation of asexuality wrapped up in the question of how Dan could reconcile his identity with a partner who doesn’t identity as a woman, but the jokes are a lot of fun and the wacky cast of characters get some good laughs. Original comedies are hard, but the team at H.A.N.D. Productions did a great job despite the challenges.

Josh Fidelak

QUALIA

(in)sight—Théâtre Cercle Molière

Looking to level up your Fringe game?

This is it.

Truly genre-bending, with incredible attention to execution and gloriously historical footwork, Ella Steele takes this visual arts accomplishment to heights that captivate and delight the audience.

Steele (dancing) is joined by David Lafleur (live music) to create a mostly improvised tap-dancing fever dream featuring poetry, layered soundscapes, camcorders and…of course, crowned by “Miss Baby.”

If you were ever unsure where to look when “Miss Baby”, the ageless delight, arrives, you’re likely not alone.

Step up and level up your Fringe game with this one. It will echo in the hallways of your memory for many Fringes to come.

Stephanie Adamov

The (Un)Official (Un)Researched History of Manitoba

VoLto—Asper Centre for Theatre and Film-U of W

A pre-show slide deck of provincial landmarks, famous potholes, and other distinctly Manitoban sights sets the tone for this proudly parochial sketch comedy. What begins as a faux-academic history lecture quickly devolves into a series of ridiculous Heritage Minutes, chronicling everything from the ancient dino karate wars of this land to the epic dance battle of Jean-Guy-Alanis-Morisette-Saint-Boniface against the British.

Packed with local in-jokes ranging from genuinely hilarious to gloriously groan-worthy, the sketches vary in strength but never in silliness. Energetic performances and playful sound design keep the momentum rolling, even when a joke misses its mark.

Locals will delight in discovering how our provincial ancestors invented socialism, tourism, and Pizza Pops. Visitors, on the other hand, may feel many of the references flying well over their heads. For those in on the joke, this is a thoroughly entertaining celebration of Manitoba’s peculiar sense of humour and misplaced pride

Ashley Frantik

A Life In 60 Minutes

Dwayne Morgan—Planetarium Auditorium

Poet and public speaker Dwayne Morgan gives a master class on oration and poetry, weaving together poems, stories from his life, and his insights on politics and social struggles from his position as a black child of immigrants and father to a daughter of his own. From how that blackness is treated within Canadian society, the gender politics of broken men failing to raise the children their emotional issues helped bring into the world, to the struggles of aging and human decline, each topic is met with deep care and wit.

As poetry, the recitations are worth seeing all on their own, award winning talent on full display with flawless rhythm, intonation and diction, and the writing itself being extremely sharp and well suited to his delivery. Structurally, there are some stumbling blocks putting everything together into a 60 minute show, shifts in time and place that didn’t necessarily follow naturally and caused a bit of confusion. But at the end of the day, that’s only comparing this show with other shows focused directly on telling one story instead of weaving together many different poems and anecdotes. For any fans of poetry this hits it out of the park, with only a few quibbles for fans of the more common Fringe storytelling show

Josh Fidelak

Who’s Gonna Push Your Wheelchair?

Karin Fekko—The Rachel Browne Theatre

Returning to the Fringe with more stories from her life is Karin Fekko. Her storytelling prowess debuted last Fringe with “Multiple Neurosis”, and this year’s production shows that her performances are not to be missed. This outing focuses on her trying to maintain her independence, despite challenges from her MS and Bipolar disorder, as well as a self-admitted somewhat poor judgment in picking boyfriends. Her stories are all engaging and she really shows that despite all the setbacks, she has the strength and positive attitude to deal with all the challenges.

Murray Hunter