Fringing by the seat of their pants

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This article was published 23/07/2016 (3374 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Improv shows are always a popular genre at the Winnipeg Fringe Theatre Festival. This year, there are 17 shows listed under the Improv category in the fringe program; here are the Free Press reviews for those shows.

Flesh-Coloured Crayons

Absolute Zero

The Cinematheque (Venue 7), ends today

This all-female, multicultural local comedy troupe — Frances Koncan, Kristina Guevarra, Riva Billows and Anjali Sandhu — brings a unique perspective and buoyant energy to a collection of sketches, standup and improv. Guest Michael Ostry disproves their “100 per cent white guy free” claim, but he too is a winning presence during this 50-minute production.

Skits include a party where girls come as culturally appropriate Disney princesses (“It’s not every day you get to appropriate your own culture,” says the aboriginal Koncan, dressed as Pocahontas) and a segment called Talking With Boys, where they ask Ostry burning questions such as: “You’re on Tinder and he’s holding a fish… Why?”

The improv segments are the show’s weakest moments, though Ostry and Guevarra shared a hilariously awkward office romance. Sandhu’s stellar standup segment, focusing on her racist grandmother and her wish to avoid having a “uni-ethnic” baby, shows a fresh comedy voice in the making. ★★★1/2

— Jill Wilson

The Neighbourhood Watch

The Neighbourhood Watch Improv

Onstage at Pantages (Venue 4), ends today

The Neighbourhood Watch folks are experienced improv performers, and it shows.

In 45 minutes, the six Winnipeg performers sucked the audience into a vividly crafted small town, and managed to make them laugh, groan and genuinely care about the townsfolks’ bizarre problems.

The action never lagged, and the story was at turns delightful, heartbreaking and laugh-out-loud ridiculous. ★★★★★

— Aidan Geary

Babes and Buds!

Babes Improv

Cinematheque (Venue 7), to Saturday

The trouble with inviting friends to open your improv show is the threat of the hosts being badly upstaged.

Babes, the local ad-lib duo of Katy Bennett and Michael Ostry, came out second-best to their hotshot guest-improv pals Kris Siddiqi and Wayne Jones in the 45-minute improv exhibition Babes and Buds!

Siddiqi and Jones, alumni of Second City who have their own fringe show in the festival, made up on the spot an impressive scene around the afternoon’s stated theme of friendship. Both Torontonians were sharp and funny as they created vivid characters in a sparkling scene about two old friends discovering they are cellmates in jail. Smartly, they exited with the crowd wanting more.

Hosts Bennett and Ostry were then in the unenviable position of following with only a passable piece about two friends debating whether he should get rid of his cellphone because she didn’t have one. It earned some spotty laughs but paled in comparison with their guests’ awesome display. ★★★

— Kevin Prokosh

Welcome Player Two

Axiom Theatre

Cinematheque (Venue 7), to Sunday

There is only one specific type of person who will find enjoyment in this improv show — the type who loves to watch someone else play a video game for 45 minutes.

The premise is this: local host Luke Cecelon invites a fellow game enthusiast to play in front of the audience while they use said game as a vehicle to have an impromptu discussion on a specific topic — in this case, morality when it comes to an apocalyptic situation. The problem is little discussion actually happens; both Cecelon and his guest would utter half a sentence at a time and then get so distracted with the game that none of their thoughts could become fully formed, causing the same talking points to be repeated multiple times.

Perhaps pausing the game in certain spots in order to have more of a back-and-forth dialogue might be something to consider in future performances. In concept, Welcome Player Two is interesting, but the execution was poor; the best part was the free mini bag of Doritos. ★★

— Erin Lebar

The Big Stupid Improv Show

The Probable Cast

Asper Centre for Theatre & Film — U of W (Venue 12), to July 23

The Big Stupid Improv Show is a fringe tradition in which Crumbs’ Stephen Sim pulls together a cast of festival performers, comedians and improvisers for an hour-long show.

In Directors Cut, five directors lead their actors through stories in different genres — Wednesday’s were teen drama, Canadian teen drama, medical drama, travelogue and, er, “witches” — and the audience voted to determine which story we saw to the end.

The actors seemed to have too loose a grasp on their genre tropes for there to be any true satire, and some stories were very tedious. Still, the players’ agility and energy yielded some big laughs.

The audience favourite ended up being Witches, a mild-mannered thriller in which couple ultimately falls victim to three hilariously tame curses: “You will be bored a lot,” “You will lose your way occasionally” and “You will forget people’s names sometimes.” ★★★

— Jen Zoratti

Every night’s the same… it’s different

by aSIMaLEE

King’s Head Pub – Venue 14 to July 23

It’s just not the Winnipeg Fringe Theatre Festival without Crumbs. Since 1998, the improv duo of Stephen Sim and Lee White — with musical support courtesy of DJ Hunnicutt — has been making audiences pee their pants (hopefully not literally) with their quick wits and nimble performances.

It’s their finely honed chemistry that makes them such a draw; the way they play off each other is practically telepathic.

On Thursday night, they weaved yarns about a chicken farmer who feels lonely in his marriage and a reluctant vibrator salesman who ends up being very good at his job. “Chicken farmer” and “vibrator” aren’t the easiest audience suggestions to work with, but they pulled it off, delivering stories that were funny, absolutely, but also often quite touching.

Some scenes dragged on a little longer than they should have, but that’s a minor quibble — after all, they’re making it up as they go along. ★★★★

— Jen Zoratti

Siddiqi Jones

White Rhino Comedy

Red River College — Roblin Centre (Venue 11), to Sunday

Toronto duo Kris Siddiqi and Wayne Jones are full of energy and have the ideas to go along with it. The twosome takes one idea from the audience and runs with it for a full 40 minutes, veering into odd places both physically and verbally.

On Friday, Siddiqi and Jones visited a bathhouse together, where they riffed on their troubled relationships, Purple Rain, how bad men are and their deepest feelings. They were naked, so no hugging, though Jones is fearless when it comes to physical comedy, and some of the most amusing moments involved his contorted movements.

They finally got out of the bathhouse for a bit of a homage to the movie Say Anything in order to win Jones’s wife back, but with Phil Collins as the soundtrack instead of Peter Gabriel, who she likes better. He never did listen to her. ★★★★

— Rob Williams

Outside Joke: The Improvised Musical

Outside Joke

Gas Station Arts Centre (Venue 18), ends today

The always impressive local troupe Outside Joke pairs long-form improv based on an audience suggestion of a setting (a hotel, in Thursday night’s case) and inspired, intuitive musical accompaniment from pianist Leif Ingebrigtsen, which cannily sets the tone while also allowing the five-person cast to burst into made-up-on-the-spot showtunes when the mood strikes.

It’s pointless to recount the zany plot (Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez turn up, as does Margaret Atwood), but Toby Hughes stole the show with his portrayal of Trevor, a 106-year-old loyal hotel employee who has gone from bellboy to bellman. However, Andrea del Campo, Jane Testar, Robyn Slade and Chadd Henderson all get a moment or two of inspired silliness, creating characters you wish you’d be able to see again and songs you might leave singing.

Of course, audiences won’t know what they’re getting into each night, but this is as close to a sure thing as improv gets. ★★★1/2

— Jill Wilson

Free Beer 2: Electric Brewgaloo

The Horrible Friends

Duke of Kent Legion (Venue 23), ends today

There’s something to be said for truth in advertising, and this improv comedy show by Winnipeggers Luke Falconer and Shawn Kowalke delivers on its title — audience members who participate help to shape what happens onstage and earn free beer, since this venue has a bar. Improv is forever a hit-and-miss proposition, but this HFF duo hits much more often than it misses.

Standard genre games such as alternate-word, alphabet and double-speak produce entertaining results, and spontaneous short-form versions of a randomly chosen other fringe show — repeated under increasingly tight timelines (ending with a three-second sprint) — are inspired fun. ★★★1/2

— Brad Oswald

The Amateur Hour Improv

Theatre Couch Productions

Dragon Arts Collective (Venue 28), to Sunday

The Amateur Hour is actually 75 minutes and features a rotating cast of new local improv troupes (100 per cent of the proceeds go to Art City).

The three who participated in the opening night each had their own strengths and weaknesses during a 15-minute all-in game and their own 20-minute sets.

Each troupe was able to wring some laughs out of their premises, but most segments went on too long. Children’s performers Phoebe and Dad played well off each other during a trip to the zoo, but ran out of steam before the visit was over.

The duo Third Wheels was the best at keeping things short and sweet during a few different games with varying payoffs. The four-member troupe En Mass had the strongest comedic chops, but their one-premise setup about a feather-duster festival could have been cut in half.

Ending a scene that isn’t working will come more naturally when the show evolves to The Professional Hour Improv. ★★1/2

— Rob Williams

P & P Do the Entire Fringe

Peacock & Pheasant

Cinematheque (Venue 7), to Sunday

Winnipeg improv duo Peacock and Pheasant (Michael Ostry and Johnathan Kornelsen) are taking it upon themselves to re-enact a handful of this year’s fringe acts, chosen either randomly or by audience members.

With only the brief description in the program book or a verbal summary from the crowd to go off of, the pair improvised through two different plays during this particular performance, flipping back and forth between them several times during their 45 minutes on stage.

Ostry and Kornelsen work well together, reading each other’s physical and verbal cues deftly as they rotated through a cast of characters at a rapid pace.

They’re clever and quick — two important qualities in good improv performers — and are sure to elicit a few laughs. ★★★1/2

— Erin Lebar

Folk Lordz: Warriors & Fools

Rapid Fire Theatre

The Rocker (Venue 27), ends today

Edmonton duo Folk Lordz (Ben Gorodetsky and Todd Houseman) have an innovative premise: use Yiddish fool’s tales and Plains Cree oral tradition (plus an audience suggestion) to shape their improv performance.

It’s an admirable concept that doesn’t always pay off in an entertaining way. You can sense the duo forcing the work in the direction they want it to go, and though that’s sometimes an interesting place, the way they pointedly redress historical inaccuracies or correct gender bias feels didactic, rather than free-wheelingly organic.

However, they are quick-witted and engaging to watch (Gorodetsky has a deft physicality), and pull off moments of unexpected pathos and depth.

Both performers clearly have stories to tell. It would be nice to see them told in a more conventional way, not beholden to improv’s constraints. ★★★

— Jill Wilson

ImproVision: Racoonteurs

ImproVision

Duke of Kent Legion (Venue 23), ends today

Despite a sold-out house and a raucous late-night crowd that was more than willing to offer suggestions and input, this trio of local improvisers — Alan MacKenzie, Ed Cuddy and George McRobb — delivered only middling results during an hour-long show.

The jokes that hit were solid, but pacing was a problem as many setups of familiar improv games took longer than needed and prevented the show from sustaining its comedic momentum.

A decent effort, but with so many groups competing for improv laughs at the Winnipeg fringe, a bit more is needed to create a standout show. ★★1/2

— Brad Oswald

The DnD Improv Show: NINE

DnD Improv

Gas Station Arts Centre (Venue 18), ends today

This perennially popular local/import improv show is back for its ninth kick at the fantasy-role-playing-game can and things might be getting a smidge stale (though rabid fans will no doubt think otherwise).

It’s the fringe’s most lavish improv — featuring projections, costumes and props — but somehow that takes away from the “we’re making it up, folks!” atmosphere. Thursday night’s 60-minute instalment lacked either a real sense of surprise or consistent laughs.

However, the performances are solid and the 17-person cast is having a ball, which is contagious. (Ben Gorodetsky of Edmonton’s Folk Lordz was a standout: “I’m a petulant, opulent baby boy king, and I’m bored!”). And of course, it’s improv, so maybe tonight, the 20-sided dice will roll in the audience’s favour. ★★★

— Jill Wilson

Phoebe’s Fractured Fairy Tales

Real Live Entertainment

MTYP Mainstage (Kids Venue), to Sunday

Phoebe (Sherri Pierce) wants to finish her homework so she’ll be ready when her dad (Dan Piché) reads her a bedtime story. But this time, she wants them to act it out. Which they do, with volunteers and words suggested by audience members.

Because the show is partly improvised, energy levels and some details will vary between performances. The Friday show seemed to lack zip, resulting in parts of the story not being sufficiently highlighted. (”Dad” is clearly too tired and not in the mood for storytelling at the start, but is supposed to be energized by his daughter’s enthusiasm by the end. The change was barely there.)

Acoustics were another issue. Neither Pierce nor Piché project their voices strongly enough to fill the large MTYP space, which makes for frustrating viewing. It was obvious that the kids in the first five rows or so were responding enthusiastically, but others seemed more restless the further away they were sitting.

This Winnipeg production should improve with more performances. ★★1/2

— Janice Sawka

Mennonite’s Guide to Savage Street Fighting 3: When Anabaptists Attack

Crosseyed Rascals

Cinematheque (Venue 7), to Sunday

You don’t need to know Low German, but it helps.

Longtime Winnipeg improv institution the Crosseyed Rascals return to this year’s fringe in a show with a name half as long as a Mennonite funeral, but twice as funny.

The Rascals have pretty much cornered the market on family-friendly improv, and if that’s important to you, this is your group. However, really great improv relies on impeccable timing, stunning physical comedy, mime skills and most of all, listening to your partner with almost extra-sensory intensity, all while making it look effortless.

And you can find all of these things in abundance at this year’s fringe; unfortunately, these criteria were not consistently in evidence during the Rascals’ hour-long show. ★★

— Ben Wiebe

Parking Lots: Back to the Drawing Board

Parking Lots Improv

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Cinematheque (Venue 7), to Sunday

The premise behind local improv group Parking Lots’ newest (and fifth) fringe show, Back to the Drawing Board, is just that — to get people on the street or waiting in the lobby to draw pictures in a minute or less that the five male ad-libbers will then turn into scenes on stage later.

This is perhaps not the troupe’s best work, with many of the scenes feeling slow to come together — they never really seemed to truly find their flow. It’s a tough format, though, and there were a handful of outstanding moments in the 60-minute show that highlighted the experience the performers have in their field, including (but not limited to) a pun-filled conversation between clouds that had just finished raining out a couple’s wedding.

The recurrence of that same rained-out couple in many other storylines also provided a clever through-line that helped tie everything together nicely. ★★★

— Erin Lebar