Featured

Winnipeg Free Press - ONLINE EDITION

Mr. Crumple's Puppet Pad

Wishweweres, Winnipeg, MB

By: Dan Walechuk

Posted: 07/11/2011 5:35 PM | Comments: 0 | Last Modified: 07/20/2011 8:35 PM | Updates

Fringe Festival

Fringe Central

News, live blog, videos, and interviews from the Fringe.
Fringe Show Reviews

See our reviews and star ratings and share your own.
Fringe How-To

How to get around the Fringe, and how to make the most of Free Press Fringe coverage.
Live Blog

Read public tweets with the hashtag @wpgfringe.
Interactive Map

See a map of Fringe venues; Click to read or share a review.
Buy Tickets

Buy tickets for any play on the Fringe Festival website.

MTC Up the Alley (Venue 2), to Sunday

Children’s television show hosts Mr. Crumple and Mr. Rogers would have a lot in common, if Mr. Rogers were a drunk who swore at kids and told knock-knock jokes for change at bus stops. Things went bad for Mr. Crumple in 1996, but today the entertainer is sober and on the comeback trail, joined by his trusty puppet sidekicks Groggle, Gordito and Grizz.

Real-life television and film star Stephen McIntyre returns to his fringe roots and brings a sense of believability to the character: an agitated, on-the-edge, quick-tempered man dressed in an argyle sweater vest. His human co-stars Dan Walechuk and David Zellis handle all the puppet duties, standing beside McIntyre with their arms through the (well-made) homemade creations. The 45-minute show starts as a comedy, but a surprise from Mr. Crumple’s past marks a shift in tone and soon his pad becomes a bit of a downer.

Today’s lesson, kids: don’t have sex with puppets.

— Rob Williams

From the official Fringe Festival program:

Mr. Crumple was the king of children's television in the 80s until a sex scandal with a puppet ruined his career. Cherry Ontario is a teenage superstar with her face on everything from lunch boxes to underwear. When Cherry agrees to be in his comeback show, Crumple questions her true motives.

Recommended For: Mature Audience

Length: 45 MIN

Tickets: $10

Discount Tickets: $8 for Students

Under 14 not admitted.

http://www.danwalechuk.com/

***

Watch a video here

Watch live streaming video from winnipegfreepress1 at livestream.com

History

Updated on Wednesday, July 13, 2011 at 1:12 PM CDT: Adds video

July 16, 2011 at 2:19 PM: Adds review

July 20, 2011 at 8:35 PM: Adds video interview.

Fact Check

Have you found an error, or know of something we’ve missed in one of our stories? Please use the form below and let us know.

* Required

In which story did you find the error? *
Please post the headline of the story or the title of the video with the error.
What was the error? *
Please post exactly what was wrong with the story.
What should we have written?
Please indicate your source for the correct information.
Who else should we interview to improve this story?
Please include any contact information you may have.
Can we contact you in the future for advice on stories about this topic?
Yes

No
First Name: *
Last Name: *
E–mail Address: *
This will only be used to contact you if we have a question about your submission, it will not be used to identify you or be published.
Phone: *
This will only be used to contact you if we have a question about your submission, it will not be used to identify you or be published.
Colour:
Are you blue? If you can see this, leave it blank and get some CSS support.
Enter the words that you see: * This is to prevent our forms from being filled out automatically.
You have failed to correctly identify the words in the box above. Please try again.

More Featured

Undock

You can comment on most stories on winnipegfreepress.com. You can also agree or disagree with other comments. All you need to do is register and/or login and you can join the conversation and give your feedback.

Have Your Say

New to commenting? Check out our Frequently Asked Questions.

The Winnipeg Free Press does not necessarily endorse any of the views posted. By submitting your comment, you agree to our Terms and Conditions. These terms were revised effective April 16, 2010.