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Barker's Battle
Our Rating: 
A whopping 13 local actors share the stage in this depiction of First World War flying ace William George Barker’s life. And what a life it was: the Dauphin farm boy became the most decorated serviceman in Canadian history, earning the Victoria Cross before going on to become an aviation pioneer. He even teamed up after the war with Billy Bishop, another Victoria Cross winner whose life was celebrated in one of Canada’s most famous stage musicals in the 1980s.
Unfortunately, while Barker’s life has great dramatic potential, this play is no Billy Bishop Goes to War. It needs tighter staging, a few stronger characters and a good edit (it went almost 18 minutes past its 75-minute published length).
Standouts included Kyle Collins as Barker and a commanding Tyler Morgan in five different roles.
— Margo Goodhand
From the Fringe program:
Barker's Battle revolves around the relatively brief, true-to-life and tumultuous times of William Barker from Dauphin, Manitoba.
Barker was a World War I fighter pilot, civil aviation pioneer and Canada's most decorated serviceman. Whether in the battlefields of the sky, or life's struggles after the war, he was in constant conflict with himself and those around him while striving to fulfill his ambitions.
Recommended For: Mature Audience
Length: 75 min
Tickets: $8
Discount Tickets: $6 for Students, Seniors, Fringe performers
Warnings: Language, Gunshots, Herbal Cigarettes, loud sound effects
History
Updated on Friday, July 20, 2012 at 1:44 PM CDT:
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