Even more fringe play reviews

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This article was published 15/07/2022 (895 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

FAMILY DINNER: PART 3

Family Dinner Comedy

Comedy at Wee Johnny’s (Venue 15) to July 23

You know you’re in good hands when a character only has to cough tubercularly and repeatedly to elicit gales of laughter. This 45-minute sketch-comedy show from Winnipeg’s Family Dinner — Spencer Adamus, Jaydin Pommer and Riley Paull — is a brilliant compilation of recognizable situations tweaked into absurdity: a dad needs to sit in his special chair; a murder-mystery dinner gets personal; a What to Expect When You’re Expecting seminar takes the long view (“Your little guy is 321 months now”).

The pièce de resistance of this uniformly solid collection is a short video spoofing the Lifetime reality show I Survived. Playing stereotypical Winnipeggers, Pommer and Adamus really show off their acting chops in the clip — shot by Folk Films in a perfect re-creation of the docu-series style — and the local setting allows for some cutting jabs at potholes and the premier. Delicious and uncomfortable with occasional nudity: just like family dinner. 4.5/5

— Jill Wilson

MOVIE MUSICALS

Move the S Productions

John Hirsch Mainstage (Venue 1) to July 24

This tight little confection from a local team traffics in musical parody, a frequent form in this age of entertainment overload. What distinguishes this show is it imagines adding show tunes to movies that don’t have them. This works best when the mashup is the most incongruous, like a solo from the robot in Terminator or the creature in Alien. Full disclosure: my job for 25 years was watching comedy, so if I laugh out loud several times, you know there are some good jokes being offered up. Some numbers are better than others but nothing lags.

And this is important: the entire cast sings and dances. Like, in a real way. This is local talent with a big T. It is obvious which number is the standout, but you will have to go to find out: no spoilers here. Just a super fun hour, slightly curse-wordy but not the kind of stuff anyone but a real prude would gasp over.

It’s worth mentioning this was one flawless opening. Not one misfire. Impressive! 4/5

— Lara Rae

I’M BATMAN 89-97

Rod Peter Jr.

Tom Hendry Warehouse (Venue 6) to July 23

In this multimedia and (very) high-energy comedy, Rod Peter Jr. recounts his lifelong fascination with Batman, starting when he first heard the immortal line, “I’m Batman” at age four.

“That was the moment!” he exclaims. “I was there — for life.”

Working backwards from 1997 to 1989 “because I don’t want to end with (1997 film) Batman and Robin,” Peter launches into some great impersonations of a deranged Danny DeVito, wooden Christopher Walken and even Prince doing his Batdance video. He also takes some fun shots at the silliness of comic-book supervillains (“This ridiculous weapon shouldn’t work, but it does!”) along the way. The comically sinister opening video, while fun, is overlong, while at other times Peter speaks too quickly to be understood. The segments on his memorabilia collection and his closing speech about supporting the arts may strike some as self-serving, but by this time the audience long since has fallen in love with this guy.

The hour flies by almost as fast as the Batmobile, and you’ll leave the theatre believing You. Have. Met. Batman. 4.5/5

— Janice Sawka

NOT QUITE SHERLOCK, THE FURTHER ADVENTURES OF ANTOINE FEVAL

Chris Gibbs

Planetarium Auditorium (Venue 5) to July 24

Fringe favourite Chris Gibbs returns, reprising his most popular characters from past festivals: Barnaby Gibbs, the dim-witted but devoted sidekick of the brilliant detective (and possible jewel thief) Antoine Feval.

Without a prop, profanity or special effect in sight, Gibbs simply spins his tale. In the course of the story, he plays over a half-dozen characters, clearly delineating the voices, accents and mannerisms of each, and making the most of the running gag involving Barnaby listening to all the facts and always coming to the exact wrong conclusion. As he explains: “I am a man of ample limitations.”

A bit older and greyer now — like many in his audience (although the 20-somethings in attendance on Thursday were equally enjoying the show), Gibbs knows how to talk to a crowd in a natural and personal way. If he ever gets the opportunity to play Dr. Watson in a straight adaptation of Sherlock Holmes, he should strongly consider it.

Low-key but charming, this is good old-fashioned armchair-by-the-hearth storytelling. 4/5

— Janice Sawka

HUNKS IN 3D

Hunks

Comedy at Wee Johnny’s (Venue 15) to July 24

Winnipeg comedy troupe Hunks have a faithful following for a reason. The four members — Tim Gray, Dana Smith, Matt Nightingale and Rory Fallis — have an engaging chemistry and take such palpable delight in presenting their sharp and silly sketches, it’s fun just being in the same room.

That said, Hunks in 3D isn’t their best show. It starts off strong but the laughs wane a bit by the end of its 45 minutes, and the linked sketches tying the show together need tightening (though the send-up of movie hacking scenes is bang on). However, even the weaker sketches are bolstered by the aforementioned chemistry and by flawlessly executed sound, light and video cues by Fallis, while the strong stuff — a security guard serving revenge ice cold, a very subjective eye test — is so freakin’ clever and delightfully weird. A guaranteed good time. 3.5/5

— Jill Wilson

ADAM’S NEUROHILARITY

Autistic Productions

MTYP — Richardson Hall (Venue 22) to July 24

Butter knives, Star Wars beatboxing, dating app fails and haunted humour — you never know exactly what you’re going to get during Adam’s Neurohilarity. The standup-comedy variety show features a rotating cast of comedians from across the neurodiverse universe.

Creator and host Adam Schwartz is the show’s mainstay, opening with a set about his experiences with autism and returning to the mic with one-liners to introduce each of the six acts. The evening’s headliner was Scott Porteous’ alter-ego Herbert Henries, a “comedy-dangerist” who rolled out puns while performing various feats of (cautious) danger. The format is something Schwartz has been working locally since January. On the night the Free Press attended, the production included performers with autism, borderline personality disorder and severe social anxiety — though not everyone discussed their diagnosis onstage. The show offers a platform and an opportunity to step outside prescribed ideas of neurodiversity. 3.5/5

— Eva Wasney

AWAY, NOW: THE WORLD’S MOST DESIRED DESTINATION

The Fountain — Portage Place (Venue 4) to July 24

Paul Strickland and Erika MacDonald wanted to get out of town in 2020. Who didn’t? They were stuck at home in Covington, Ky. – a lovely place, undoubtedly. But the veteran fringe performers have a hard time staying put after years of globetrotting performances.

Where did they want to go, and when? They wanted to go Away. NOW. Anywhere but here. So they created a travel guide to the make-believe city of Away, in the state of Now. The result is something wholly original and utterly delightful, a true diversion from the troubles from which they sought refuge.

In a time when everyone feels lost, Strickland and MacDonald are excellent tour guides, and there’s no way to predict where they’ll take you next as they tell the audience the city’s history, its local customs, and give tips on its best shopping. It’s hard to describe, but there was not a moment that didn’t feel like a gift. Going to Away, Now is a trip you’ll want to take. 5/5

— Ben Waldman

BROWN WASP

Saw Toe Productions

The Fountain — Portage Place (Venue 4), to July 24

Though listed at 60 minutes, this Vancouver-sponsored serious comedy by Meah Martin comes in at a smooth 50 as presented by a group of Winnipeg-based artists.

An older woman reflects on the history of her ravaged physical body as she visits a spa, hoping for a cure in its restorative waters. At times bracingly, wickedly funny about the horrors of disease and at moments reflective without indulging in sentimentality, the play asks no quarter for the protagonist. It does at times indulge in a not-quite-defined mysticism in comparing the brown wasp of the title as it dies to the human condition. But this can be forgiven given on the whole the pleasure it gives throughout.

Alyssa Watson’s direction is assured. Above all, we have the wonderful performance of Megan McArton, seamless, stirring, a joy to behold. 4/5

— Rory Runnells

THE CAUSE

Joseph-Herd Productions

MTYP-Richardson Hall (Venue 22) to July 24

You’ll need to keep your head on a swivel to keep up with the double-crossing action in The Cause. The theatrical comedy created by Winnipeg’s Cuinn and Connor Joseph, Jacob Herd and Monique Gauthier packs a lot of content and a lot of dialogue into a 60-minute time slot.

There’s a quintet of undercover agents and as many warring storylines. To explain their motive and mission, the cast members speak (in various accents) directly to the audience throughout the production — it’s a necessary shtick, but one that breaks up the flow later on. The goofy, dim-witted Jovan, played by Alex Menec, steals the show with muddled mottos and tales from the old country. Will we ever find out what a “schmerpa” is?

The Cause, which won the Harry S. Rintoul Award for Best New Manitoba Play in 2019, is an atypical espionage story that could use fewer twists and more time. 3.5/5

— Eva Wasney

CHRIS GIBBS, OLD IS THE NEW NEW

Kelly Finnegan Productions

King’s Head Pub (Venue 14) to July 24

The British-born, Toronto-based Chris Gibbs (The Power of Ignorance, Gibberish) is back at the fringe with a collection of stories and jokes culled from the last three decades of his work — not a “greatest hits,” he points out, but with loads of laughs nonetheless.

While Gibbs noted he’d not gotten through all his planned material, what he did plow through delivered plenty of chuckles: ruminations on his son’s birth, his British “accent,” getting old, Australian spiders, camping around bears in Canada and, finally, death (and the absurdity of sympathy cards).

Gibbs’ somewhat self-deprecating humour struck a chord with the mostly packed house; the jokes are mainly PG-rated and played nicely in a pub setting. A bloody good time. 4/5

—Ben Sigurdson

CRABS GONE WILD

Pinchy Productions

The Fountain — Portage Place (Venue 4) to July 24

Two people meet on a dating app and go fishing on their first date. Instead of catching rainbow trout, they catch the titular crustacean, which of course shares its name with a certain parasite that makes its home in a nest of pubic hair. When they tell their friends and family they’ve potentially met their soulmate, the acquaintances invariably ask: What did you do together?

Why, we caught crabs!

Hilarious misunderstanding? Maybe for a moment. But in local company Pinchy Production’s 60-minute comedy, the friends and family don’t ask for clarification: they freak out and worry over the lovers’ laissez-faire attitude toward their sexual health. It makes for an intriguing screwball-comedy premise.

The likable cast boldly sidles through the performance, committing ever so strongly to the bit. However, the central joke never quite lands, and each successive telling feels more belaboured than the last. The Free Press did catch an early performance, so it’s more than likely a lot of the kinks will be ironed out should you catch Crabs at a later date. 2.5/5

— Ben Waldman

ONE MAN BACK TO THE FUTURE (A PARODY)

Historic Jukebox

Tom Hendry Warehouse (Venue 6) to July 23

If you put Shelby Bond in a red puffer vest, dial up his vocal timbre a notch and squint just enough (or, OK, maybe a lot), he does kinda pass for a young Michael J. Fox. But let’s be honest, most of the folks who will be checking out his delightful solo parody of Back to the Future, last seen here in 2014,aren’t going to see a faithful impersonation of the film’s characters. They’re going to spend more time with their longtime fringe favourite, Shelby.

For nearly two decades, the Los Angeles actor has been one of fringe’s most reliably effervescent performers. This one-hour show is no exception. With an affable ease, he cavorts through the film’s famous scenes, bringing the audience into the fun and playing every character to parodic perfection. The Winnipeg crowd is “like family” to him, he says. So what better family reunion activity than sharing a good-natured romp through a nostalgia flick? 4/5

— Melissa Martin

EVERLEIGH AND THE MAGIC BOOK

Melanie Gall Presents for Kids

MTYP Mainstage (Kids Venue), to July 23

Snakes and scales! Operatically trained singer-actress Melanie Gall is back in town from St. Albert, Alta., with her all-new kids’ show about Everleigh, a nine-year old witch princess who needs a little help with her magic tricks. After discovering a magic book, she inadvertently turns her mother into various (puppet) animals until harnessing the power of music to make things right again.

Gall (also appearing in A Toast to Prohibition) is one of the best kids’ entertainers on the fringe circuit; her terrific vocals, genuine warmth and spot-on ad-libs hold the attention of even the most wriggly, eliciting squeals of laughter with a zany audience-participation chicken dance.

But peel back the layers and her thoughtful, 30-minute one-woman show resonates with the true magic of art to empower, ignite imagination and bring much needed joy to the world — ultimately the best trick of all. 4/5

— Holly Harris

HOCKEY NIGHT AT THE PUCK & PICKLE PUB

Monster Theatre

King’s Head Pub (Venue 14) to July 24

Jon Paterson and Ryan Gladstone return with an updated version of their hilarious two-man show featuring a whole pile of characters seated at the fictional Puck & Pickle pub, watching a clutch hockey game — in this case the 2022 Olympic gold medal game between Canada and the U.S. Over the course of an hour, Paterson and Gladstone (sporting Team Canada jerseys) table-hop through impersonations of the pub’s patrons as the game unfolds — crusty old men, a Canadian and American hockey fan, a couple on a first date, two guys dreaming up a fringe show and more — as well as nailing the “chemistry” between hockey announcers Jim Hughson and Kelly Hrudey.

The comedy’s fast and furious, with plenty of Jets references; the occasional stumble/break in character only added to the laughs. Hockey knowledge is a must to appreciate the rapid-fire, gut-busting humour. 4/5

—Ben Sigurdson

JOSIE AND GRACE

PKF Productions

PTE Mainstage (Venue 16), to July 24

This sure-fire fringe hit highlights the who-knew friendship of legendary American singer-dancer-activist-spy Josephine Baker and Hollywood film actress Grace Kelly, a.k.a. Princess Grace of Monaco. The 90-minute musical from Orlando, Fla., is one of those shows that whizzes by.

Tymisha Harris (last seen here in Josephine) and Rachel Comeau turn out powerhouse performances as the singer and actress, respectively, with Tod Kimbro’s play creating effective counterpoint between their individual dreams and desires amid an unforgiving world of racial segregation.

Comeau’s mesmerizing transformation — from struggling starlet plagued by doubts and insecurities to ice princess duped into an empty marriage of royal protocol and infidelities — chills to the bone. Equally compelling is Harris’s portrayal, as she gathers her “Rainbow Tribe” of adopted children and belts out her numbers for all she’s worth.

A few opening-night tech glitches took nothing away from the production, beautifully directed by Aradhana Tiwari, which includes luscious period costumes, character wigs and bling aplenty. Bring Kleenex for the show’s final scene — it packs a punch. 5/5

— Holly Harris

THE SIDETRACK BANDITS SKETCH SHOW

Sidetrack Bandits

The Studio at Théâtre Cercle Molière (Venue 20) to July 23

Steinbach’s Menno-friendly sketch comedy troupe are back for a fourth shot at the fringe, and this time they land more sketches than they miss. There’s no real theme, and a couple of scenes are poorly constructed and muff the joke, particularly the one about the old people fighting over a craft show table that sort of goes nowhere.

But if you look past the somewhat amateurish and occasionally overly broad performances, there are some really quite sharp moments — the Hollywood bros writing a script about periods and the song about mental health were zingy. And there’s a sketch about meth that made me feel like a bad person for laughing so hard, which is what the fringe should be about.

At 45 minutes, it’s reliable fringe fare. 4/5

— Mary Agnes Welch

THE TRUTH

Still Your Friend

The Output at Video Pool Media Arts Centre (Venue 9) to July 24

The Truth will set you free. But it can also make life worse and messier. At least according to Toronto’s Adam Bailey. Take, for example, the time a friend’s girlfriend told Bailey that Coldplay’s Yellow was her favourite love song. The performer was all too eager to tell her that it was actually about death and a funeral. Years later, they bumped into one another, and the woman was still mad at Bailey for ruining her favourite song; he’d long since forgotten the initial interaction.

Bailey’s a talented storyteller whose personality bubbles but never boils over. A self-described “former gifted student,” he delves into myriad topics — philosophy, LGBTTQ+ history, religion, anthropology, biology, addiction — as he comedically wrestles with what it means to be honest and true to thine own self.

His central thesis isn’t new, but it is meaningful, especially in what some refer to as a “post-truth” era: Facts don’t move people. Stories do. What a pleasure to listen to someone equally adept in sharing both. 4/5

— Ben Waldman

ARE YOU LOVIN’ IT

Theatre Group Gumbo

John Hirsch Mainstage (Venue 1) to July 24

Somewhere in the middle of Are You Lovin’ It, a strange thing happened to me. For 30 minutes, I’d been sucked into this fever-dream send-up of Japanese and American culture, delivered by a trio of relentlessly interactive performers from Osaka. Between the dancing poops and the rotten intestine burgers, I was thinking it was the most bizarre and off-putting thing I’d ever seen.

Suddenly, I passed through what I can only describe as the Are You Lovin’ It event horizon, where I not only understood what was happening, but found it brilliantly subversive and charming. I’m still not sure if it was an epiphany or just Stockholm Syndrome, but I realized I was madly in love with them.

At that exact moment, two people in front of me walked out.

In this, the hour-long Are You Lovin’ It is the quintessential fringe show. It’s frenetic and zany and more than a little deranged. It gleefully cannonballs past known boundaries of good taste. Some people will hate it, others will talk about it for years. But you will never see anything like it. 4/5

— Melissa Martin