Happy returns

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 13/07/2016 (3384 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

It begins.

The 29th annual Winnipeg Fringe Theatre Festival officially kicks off at noon Wednesday at Old Market Square, when fringe executive producer Chuck McEwen metaphorically fires the starting pistol on the 12-day orgy of live, lively theatre. The event also includes free non-Chuck McEwen entertainment and appearances by many fringe performers.

The festival always promises theatre that is new and different, but for perennial fringe-goers, there is always the comfort of a familiar face: Jem Rolls, Charles Ross, Randy Rutherford and TJ Dawe, to name a few.

To name a few more:

— If you’ve seen God Is a Scottish Drag Queen I through III, you won’t want to miss God Is a Scottish Drag Queen IV (Venue 21 – MTYP Mainstage). Performer Mike Delamont says the Winnipeg run is “the Canadian première for the show and I’m very excited for it.

“It’s the newest and final chapter for a few years,” Delamont says, offering a preview of coming attractions: “Next year, it’s the devil’s turn to have a fringe show!”

— 2016 is an even year, so that must mean Portland, Ore.’s Chase Padgett, brings Nashville Hurricane (Venue 16 – PTE Mainstage) back to the stage. The musical about a manager, a mother, a mentor and a guitar prodigy last appeared at the Winnipeg fringe in 2014. In 2013 and 2015, Padgett performed 6 Guitars, and both shows have been on many critics’ must-see lists during previous fringe festivals.

— South African storyteller Erik de Waal once again brings two shows to the Winnipeg fringe. In addition to his perennial children’s favourite African Folktales with Erik de Waal (Kids Venue – MTYP Mainstage), he provides more adult themes with Erik de Waal’s Head in the Clouds (Venue 9 – Eckhardt-Gramatté Hall).

— Among returning local performers to watch out for is comedian Adam Schwartz in Aspergers: A Social Misfit at Work (Venue 9 – Eckhardt-Grammaté Hall), whose standup show focuses on a work-a-day life with Aspergers. He made his Winnipeg fringe debut in 2013 and released his first book, I’ve Got Asperger’s, So I’m Better Than You, earlier this year.

— Finally, one of the hottest double bills at this year’s fringe will be the improv tag team of Outside Joke: The Improvised Musical and the DnD Improv Show: Nine (both at Venue 18 – Gas Station Arts Centre). For eight nights, July 14-17 and July 20-23, the two shows go back-to-back at the 230-seat Osborne Street venue with Outside Joke starting at 7:45 p.m. and DnD winding up at 9:30 p.m. DnD also has shows Wednesday night and next Tuesday, July 19, off nights for Outside Joke.

•••

The number of venues coincides with the anniversary of the festival: 29. That’s down from last year. So are the number of productions, now at 169 due to more cancellations, the latest being Thom Pain [based on nothing] which was to have played at Venue 7 – Cinematheque.

“We had a recent change in cast and, being a one-actor show, it was quite a significant adjustment,” says producer Ivan Henwood of local company Snakeskin Jacket.

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“Unfortunately, because of the unique and demanding nature of the script as well as time constraints, we have been unable to bring the show to the level of standards we demand of ourselves and that we believe people have come to expect from Snakeskin Jacket,” Henwood said. “In short, we do not want to present a lacklustre production of an absolutely amazing script.” (The 2004 monologue got a Pulitzer nomination for playwright Will Eno.)

Joining Thom Pain on the cancellation list is The Pillowman at Venue 9, Jason at Venue 17 and Eastport at Venue 12. Vancouver’s RibbitRePublic Theatre will no longer be presenting The Paladin at Venue 13. The title of their new show is Best Picture, which Ribbit performed at the Winnipeg fringe two years ago (and they’ve cancelled performance berths on July 18 and 19).

•••

This year, the Winnipeg Free Press will be the only place to read reviews of all the fringe shows. We’ll have daily reviews of many of the plays in the paper, but by Sunday evening, you should be able to see reviews of all 169 fringe plays at www.winnipegfreepress.com/special/fringe.

randall.king@freepress.mb.ca Twitter: @FreepKing

Alan Small
Reporter

Alan Small was a journalist at the Free Press for more than 22 years in a variety of roles, the last being a reporter in the Arts and Life section.

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Randall King
Reporter

In a way, Randall King was born into the entertainment beat.

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