Living the Dream

A One Human Being, Potentially Comedic Performance of Les Mis—The Rachel Browne Theatre

In this one-person musical meets parody meets comedy, local drama teacher Alli Perlov condenses the nearly 3 hour musical “Les Miserables” into a hilarious 52 minutes.

Perlov plays nearly 30 characters and includes gags, witty commentary & fun audience participation.

A refreshed version of the 2018 sell out show, Perlov hustles harder than ever to make you laugh, whether you’re a fan of Les Mis or not!

Lykos Theatre

The Comaback Kid—Théâtre Cercle Molière

Get your ringside seats to the ultimate battle of Brain vs Body as Mike de Jong tells the harrowing true story of spending his 30th birthday in a diabetic coma. Struck down in his prime, Mike shows just what it takes to pull yourself out of the deepest depths. Don’t miss this sleeper hit that is guaranteed to contain the Best Story you’ll hear at the Fringe this year!

Wind Flower Dance Company

Twenty Four—Tom Hendry Warehouse

Twenty Four is a day in dance. From the most important meal of the day to the end of the workday rush, Wind Flower Dance Co. captures the wonder of the everyday. With 24 dances, each representing an hour, Twenty four is full of a variety of music, styles and moods for everyone. Featuring a local cast of dynamic dancers from the School of Contemporary Dancers in Winnipeg.

“A marvelous breakout performance by Wind Flower Dance Company”

Sapphire Butterfly Blue

MTYP’s Summer Studio—MTYP – Mainstage

This was an EXCELLENT show. This show touched my heart and I shed a tear or two. The Salem Witch Trials started with a group of 13-14 year olds spreading false rumours that ended up in women in the village being hung for being a witch. How the elders of the town fell for this is incomprehensible. One line stuck with me, “I was only a witch when they said that I was.”

For the show being the first one, I can only imagine the performers grow and perform. The performers played each role perfectly with stunning emotions.

You will shed a tear. GO!!

Tracy Hall-Adam

Subscatter Productions

The Murky Place—The Rachel Browne Theatre

“The best parts of an acid trip.”

“Exceptional”

Audiences are raving about The Murky Place at Venue 8. Come watch 3 artists from across Canada do a dive deep into psychological territories through sonic exploration and subconscious unravelling. Kayla performs a wacky-but-poignant solo in a raincoat, Oriah has modified recordings of her grandparents’ voices, and our invited collaborator Alex Elliott shares the dark origins of an Icelandic lullaby.

Bring friends! ASL interpretation at every show.

World’s Fair 1876: The Centennial Exposition

JHG Creative—The Gargoyle Theatre

This musical was BRILLIANT. Set at the first centennial of America, we find ourselves at a conference of sorts, surrounded by notable inventors as they attempt to win the president’s favour in support of their creation. It reminded me a lot of Hamilton in so far as the clever and witty songwriting and storytelling. It is a (mostly) historically accurate story, rich with poignant social commentary. There is something so appealing about history being presented in such a fun and engaging way. I thought the songwriting and the script was so inspired, and I strongly feel like it’s shows like this are the reason I love musical theatre. It offers a perspective of hope about the world felt so many years ago, which serves to show how much has (or hasn’t) changed at all in the time elapsed since. It’s informative, thoroughly entertaining, hilarious, and an absolute delight. Definitely make the time to check this one out!

Calantha Jensen

Lessons They Won’t Let Us Teach in School

Joseph Herd Productions—The Gargoyle Theatre

I was very excited to see what kind of wisdom was about to be divulged in this show from the title alone, and they delivered! Performed by two brothers who both teach in Winnipeg high schools, we are guided through a series of lessons that are truths with a controversial enough nature that it took this particular space for them to be able to talk about them. Cleverly written and extremely funny, we get some valuable insight into the experience of being a teacher and what education is truly about. For anyone who has ever been a student and for any teachers or members of the school system, this show has valuable lessons for us all and is a brilliant piece of theatre. A definite MUST SEE.

Calantha Jensen

Dog Gone

FAR FETCHED PRODUCTIONS—Planetarium

I am a sucker for puns, so when I saw the company name “Far Fetched Productions” in the program, I added it to my list of shows to see. Irene Sankoff plays a woman who is at a low point in her life and is at a crossroads. To top it all off she has lost her dog in an unfamiliar place. While she waits to see if her pooch is at Animal Control we get the back stories of what has been going on in her life, her past failures in caring for things, and the story of how she got her furry friend. It is an emotional journey that works on multiple levels with some comedic moments to lighten the mood. Well done.

Murray Hunter

The Life Henri

Still Your Friend—Planetarium

Adam Bailey is back with another masterfully told story to tickle your fancy. Join Adam as he takes you through the bizarre and larger than life tale of the painter Henri Rousseau. Bailey is like that one friend at a party who starts talking about something they just did a deep dive on Reddit about, but is so entertaining you haven’t realized you finished your drink halfway through the story. Surprisingly insightful and charming this was a great gem at the Fringe.

Kaitlyn Kriss

Sad Girl Songs: A Comedy Show

Gwen Coburn—John Hirsch Mainstage

The songs aren’t sad, the majority are witty and extremely edgy. She opened with a song about how anyone operating a clit should know what it is. It’s the girl that’s sad. As are all aware women who have had to deal with abusive men.

Sad, exhausted, confused and damaged. It takes real finesse to handle tragic subjects with humour and intelligence. While interweaving the story of her sexual and emotional manipulation by a mentor at her workplace, she manages to gift us with an interactive and very worthwhile performance. She makes great use of the huge screen at this enormous venue with her version of Ted Talks- Sad Talks.

This show is not depressing. It’s astute and realistic; showing how far both sexes still have to progress for equality. And that survival and joy after are possible. Thank you Gwendolyn Coburn!

Lisa Campbell