Bait your time, as fringe fest reviews keep coming

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This article was published 21/07/2024 (504 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

1 FAMILY FRIENDLY COMEDY SHOW, PLEASE!

Happy Capybara Productions
Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame (Venue 24), to Sunday

Clearly more comfortable performing to a crowd of well-lubricated adults, the comedian rotation on the Saturday afternoon shift came across as ill-prepared for the mostly younger audience.

Host Andy Noble kicked things off before Calgary’s Dale Ward came on strong, only to flounder with an ill-advised impersonation of someone deaf speaking. Mike Green turned things around with a lengthy, albeit humorous, spiel about being spanked with a wooden spoon as a child, before Benji Rothman did a complete 180 with his laconic and indifferent delivery.

Proceedings were wrapped up at 43 minutes with an invitation to the audience to share a joke. The first (and only) person to leap up and grab the mic? My eight-year-old. Her (admittedly unoriginal) gag “mascara and eye shadow fight and then they make up” drew the loudest chuckles that afternoon. Short on laughs, this could have been so much more than what it was. At least the air-conditioning worked.

🐟🐟

— AV Kitching

BARRY POTTER AND THE MAGIC OF WIZARDRY

Dirk Darrow Investigations
Tom Hendry Warehouse (Venue 6), to Sunday

You can’t fault Tim Motley for not trying. On a humid and sticky Saturday afternoon, in a venue where the air-conditioning seemed to have given up the ghost, everyone was wilting, including Motley and his jokes.

While his gags may have fallen flat, he’s still very much a skilled magician. The premise, as the name suggests, is a parody of Harry Potter and as the titular character, Motley makes magic loosely woven around a plot that features dark wizards, riddles, snakes and owls. But there’s just too much chat for a magic show – the clue is in the name: show more, tell less.

He does redeem himself with clever coin tricks, misdirection, sleight-of-hand and mind-reading, aptly aided by enthusiastic audience participation. The old “sealed envelope” trick ends the hour on a high note in an otherwise average outing.

🐟🐟🐟 ½

— AV Kitching

CIRCUS!

Mr. Circus Productions
MTYP Mainstage (Kids Venue), to Sunday

Local performer Isaac Girardin dazzles as a roadie-turned-juggler who must utilize Circus GPT to put on a performance after being left behind by his troupe. But there is no AI involved in this 45-minute joy as Girardin charms the audience, both young and old, with the usual circus staples (including an “animal” parade). Be warned, adults attending, you may be “voluntold” to assist during certain segments, but will walk away with a new talent for juggling.

Girardin has a natural ability to spellbind his mostly young audience through his bubbly personality and likability. Little ones, be sure to bring in your own animal headband or mask if you wish to take part in the impromptu parade!

Kids and their grown-ups will love this delightful show that manages to do the impossible: get a theatre full of children to listen to instruction.

🐟🐟🐟🐟🐟

— Sonya Ballantyne

THE ETHAN IN THE ROOM

Stark Raving Productions
Théâtre Cercle Molière (Venue 3), to Sunday

Ethan Stark knows how to throw a fascinating, unforgettable dinner party.

As the audience enters the theatre, the 23-year-old Stark — a Harry S. Rintoul-nominated playwright — sits in waiting, his wrists tied to the arms of a chair, his mouth restricted by a rag. It’s an invitation — for anxious audacity, for startling intimacy and for a deeply felt sketch rich in precise definitions.

The soirée is hosted by George (Sam Hodge), a manager of others who strives for self-actualization, along with his wife Marigold (Madyson Richard), who’s been led to believe she has only one role to play.

Hodge has a ball pulling the threads out of George’s buttoned-up persona, while Richard revels in needling domestic stereotypes.

The guests (Sadie Kornovski and Mari Padeanu) are well-cast and well-portrayed. As their conversation dances between inanity and revelation, Stark sits, bound to say something so potent, so clear, and so raw that it would be a disservice to describe it in such a brief space. There’s only one way to hear these actors, and their director, roar.

🐟🐟🐟🐟🐟

— Ben Waldman

IS MY MICROPHONE ON?

Grace Théâtre Cercle
Molière (Venue 3), to Sunday

Every teen is radicalized when they realize for the first time that grown-ups don’t know everything. This 45-minute locally produced manifesto by Toronto-based playwright Jordan Tannahill examines the righteous anger of gen Z as they are about to inherit a world they’re expected to save … but without offending previous generations or seeming “ungrateful” to do it.

The members of the ensemble cast wear their anger on their sleeve with sincerity and unflinching honesty, but with a softness that betrays their fear of the sort of world they are coming of age in. You have to love their vulnerability when admitting that the ensemble, made up of white-presenting young adults, didn’t speak for their whole generation, which also includes BIPOC and gender-fluid comrades.

Those of boomer age should not attend if they dislike being referred to as “boomer.” But the sincerity of this cast makes it difficult not to be charmed by their calls for action. The kids are all right.

🐟🐟🐟🐟

— Sonya Ballantyne

THE MAGICIAN’S APPRENTICES

Comedy Illusions of Greg Wood
John Hirsch Mainstage (Venue 1), to Sunday

A wholesome 50-minute show full of classic magic tricks that have stood the test of time, judging by the delighted audience, adults and children alike, whose attention never once wavers from the action on stage.

Greg Wood is a master of his craft; with his two apprentices Wynter and Tanek, he embarks on a routine that draws “oohs” and “aahs.” A sword box trick, sleight-of-hand, rope escape and card tricks galore are interspersed with comedy sketches where the younger apprentices pretend to fool their mentor. It’s charming and wholesome — a tad old-fashioned, no doubt, but why fix it when it ain’t broke?

Towards the end of his show, Wood speaks rather touchingly on the nature of magic and the gift of wonder and surprise before thanking us for joining him. This is magic and laughter with soul.

🐟🐟🐟🐟

— AV Kitching

RACISM FROM THE EYES OF A RACIST

Squid Eye Lens Productions
Planetarium Auditorium (Venue 9), to Saturday

Upon entry to the venue, audience members are given a “Fun Racism, Hate, Stereotypes Quiz” and a pen promoting creator and performer Ray Yuen’s realty business — you’ll also be gifted a branded tote bag on the way out; it’s an odd moment for self-promotion, but at least you now have contact info for a realtor who has undergone some personal growth.

During his hour-long presentation, Yuen (a funny and engaging storyteller) lays bare the root of his discriminatory worldview and the education that changed his outlook. Growing up in Winnipeg as the child of Chinese immigrants, he describes in specific detail the racism, sexism and homophobia he encountered in the world and learned at home.

The self-reflective quiz weaves well with the narrative, but the questions themselves lack the insidious nuance Yuen includes in his poignant PowerPoint-supported show, making it too easy to skirt tender topics. (FYI, there’s no public sharing, so answer honestly.)

🐟🐟🐟 ½

— Eva Wasney

SUPER FUNTIMES MAGIC!

The Baggy Pants
Planetarium Auditorium (Venue 9), to Saturday

Christopher Bange is a bumbling, bowler-hatted, bow tie-wearing, buttoned-up mime/clown/magician. And his 45-minute solo show has just as many frills, accessories and doodads.

Super Funtimes Magic! is a big, goofy production with colourful tricks facilitated by chaotic clumsiness. There’s a magical mirrored chest, sparkly backdrop and set of giant cue cards that just won’t stay put.

Somehow, everything is an umbrella. While the klutzy segues make for fun comedic moments, that energy doesn’t magically turn into smooth sleights-of-hand. Often, the inner working of an illusion can be seen poking out of a pant leg or visible via sleeve.

The semi-circle shape of the venue likely isn’t helping with the blocking. Still, the performer from Long Beach, Calif., puts on an energetic, family-friendly show that had audience members of all ages gasping and guffawing at the silent slapstick spectacle.

🐟🐟🐟

— Eva Wasney

THE TWO GENTLEMEN OF VERONA

Indifferently Reformed
Asper Centre for Theatre & Film (Venue 10), to Saturday

Lots of clever touches elevate this nutty take on Shakespeare, courtesy of local rookie co-directors David Lange and Dryden Dilts. The principal characters, Valentine (Ben Robertson) and Proteus (Liam Dutiaume) are chatting onstage as the audience enters, establishing their buddy-buddy relationship before the first line is uttered.

Another standout is Julia (Eve Ross Moore), who progresses from a swooning girl to a woman disguising herself as a man to pursue her lover. Her facial expressions, especially when eavesdropping, are priceless.

The play is presented in Shakespearean English with some not-so-accidental lapses into more contemporary slang. This renders the olde English less daunting and more accessible.

Men played women is Shakespeare’s day. Here, women play men, complete with comically unrealistic painted-on moustaches and chest hair. Pertinent quibble: Some acting is deliberately overdone and hammy, which is funny at first but eventually overstays its welcome. Overall, the cast has a blast for 75 minutes, and takes the audience right along.

🐟🐟🐟🐟 ½

— Janice Sawka

VERBAL TAPAS

Rob Gee
Planetarium Auditorium (Venue 9), to Saturday

Grab a seat and peruse the menu before digging into a fast-moving meal of filling, varied verses. Rob Gee is an English comedian, poet and mental-health nurse who’s currently enjoying his 13th appearance at the Winnipeg Fringe Theatre Festival.

He’s admittedly a big fan of the event and for Saturday’s afternoon audience, the feeling was mutual.

His new Verbal Tapas production is an hour of audience-led slam poetry on topics that ping-pong from dementia to goths to heaven’s VIP section. Some poems are a few lines long, others are winding tales.

Crowd members receive an actual printed menu bearing 20 titles with vague descriptors. Orders are shouted and Gee performs the request entirely from memory — an impressive feat in itself — often sprinkling in tasty, timely asides. A fun concept with a lot of replay value.

🐟🐟🐟🐟 ½

— Eva Wasney