Fringe reviews #8: Experience points awarded

ANOTHER SIDE OF RICE

Nicholas Rice

Asper Centre for Theatre & Film (Venue 10) to July 26

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In a typically charming outing at the Asper Centre, showman Nicholas Rice returns to his native Winnipeg with three untitled stories about personal development on the precipice of failure during earlier innings: in the outfield, in the classroom and on the unforgiving sidewalks of downtown Toronto.

In this second helping to his 2024 show, the 74-year-old storyteller backpedals to his River Heights upbringing as a lonely boy with a dead father, Dr. Joe Rice, whose lasting example defined a lifelong quest to become not simply a man, but a gentle one.

Empathetic, wise and with an energy that defies the ticking of the pitch clock, Rice provides lovely reminders of the value of helping hands and firm handshakes. Why this, why now? Rice closes with an optimistic excerpt from W.H. Auden’s prophetic poem September 1, 1939, instructing his listeners to “show an affirming flame.”

– Ben Waldman

THE CROWN WITNESS IS A STAND-UP COMEDIAN?

Jeff Gobeil Productions

West End Cultural Centre — ACU Hall (Venue 27), to July 26

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“I hate standup,” Jeff Gobeil says a handful of times during this hour-long solo show.

It’s a surprising admission from the journeyman carpenter and recent social work graduate, who has established himself as an exciting voice in Winnipeg’s standup comedy scene.

The 35-year-old uses the “I hate standup” refrain to explore the complicated ways that using humour has shaped his life. His story focuses on how he reported his childhood sexual abuser to police and served as the Crown witness during the man’s trial.

Gobeil alternates between courtroom scenes, sessions with his therapist, interviews with the police and discussions with friends and family as he tells his tale.

This is a thoughtful, brave, powerful production, with Gobeil striking a breathtaking balance between his harrowing life story and the comedic observations that have resulted. You’ll be transfixed from the moment he first opens his mouth.

— Aaron Epp

THE CULT OF THE COMFY WIZARD

Inner Worlds Theatre

School of Contemporary Dancers (Venue 7), to July 26

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This new production from Calgary is a story told by creator-performer Andrew Crabbe about the rise and fall of a wizard and how he lured Crabbe into his comfy cult with the promise of escapism.

At its core, the one-hour comedy has an interesting concept, and the themes of escapism are relatable for anybody. Unfortunately, it falls flat in its execution.

Crabbe plays both himself and the wizard, differentiating the two with a change in voice and demeanour — not really enough to retain engagement throughout the show.

A large portion of the show is spent on exposition regarding the concept behind the comfy wizard before it gets to the meat of the story.

— Tiago Resko

DEAD CHEF

JHG Creative

The Gargoyle Theatre (Venue 25), to July 26

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With a dash of Weekend at Bernie’s, a pinch of The Bear and a soupçon of Ratatouille, Winnipeg’s JHG Creative serves up a slapstick comedy musical that goes down a treat.

Here’s the premise: the Waters brothers (Connor Joseph and Cuinn Joseph), owners of the chichi French restaurant Eau Bouillante (lol), are shocked to discover the body of head chef Sophie van Bleu (Monique Gauthier) in the kitchen. Sacre bleu! Not on the very night they are trying to earn their first Michelin star! And so, they decide to fake their way through dinner service, pretending Sophie is still alive. (This is, obviously, a very black comedy — but it’s strangely moving, too.)

The power of JHG Creatives is that they are clearly ardent students of the musical. The reprise, the patter song, the “I Want” song — their well-constructed shows have them all, and the musicality is consistently impressive.

While Benjamin Krawchuk’s turn as French-Canadian garçon Ramsay de Mignon (lol) was top notch, the real star of this show is Gauthier, the titular Dead Chef whose physical comedy chops — especially in a CCTV-footage style sequence in which she must repeatedly reperform her series of ultimately fatal kitchen mishaps in forward and reverse — are, quite simply, chef’s kiss.

— Jen Zoratti

EMBARRASSED NAKED FEMALE (THIS SHOW CONTAINS NUDITY)

Woman’s Move

Asper Centre for Theatre & Film (Venue 10) to July 26

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When she premièred The Sensemaker six years ago, Elsa Couvreur wanted her dystopian take on Simon Says in the Captcha era to find an audience — but not like this. During that piece of performance art, a robotic interlocutor requires an applicant to leap through dehumanizing hoops to prove her authenticity: for a few minutes, the voice requests a full-body scan in the nude.

Couvreur’s work was performed to half-empty theatres across her native Europe, but on shadowy corners of the internet, video footage of The Sensemaker was a certifiable hit for fetishistic male viewers, shared hundreds of thousands of times without Couvreur’s consent.

In this hour-long anthropological report from a strange edge of the manosphere, Switzerland’s Couvreur dives into the chatrooms to learn what she can about the pleasures and pains of being seen and scrutinized by the wilfully anonymous. Brilliantly and generously shared, Embarrassed Naked Female is as informative as a TED Talk while playing like a thrilling game of cat and mouse, with the undercover performer doubling as an insightful private eye for our Orwellian age.

— Ben Waldman

GOOSE! NIGHT OF THE COBRA CHICKEN

Faux Ghost

MTYP Richardson Studio Theatre (Venue 22), to July 26

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If you thought geese were scary before, imagine a world where climate catastrophe has rendered them ravenous for blood — human blood. Enter an immersive horror-comedy bursting with camp, drama, faux-gore, flashbacks and synth-backed dance sequences. Enter … the goose-pocalypse.

The audience is invited to participate from the outset, having been welcomed into the “safe house” with a pamphlet on surviving the goose-led massacres.

The premise of this 50-minute production from Winnipeg-based Faux Ghost is hilariously ridiculous. The execution is seriously stellar. The show rests on magnetic performances from Andrew Broaddus and Alexandra Chubaty Boychuk, who deliver an electrifying, comical, sometimes even scary cast of characters. The story is well-thought-out, complete with dramatic back stories and a shocking twist.

Goose! is a fresh, fun, delightfully cheesy riff on the horror-comedy genre that perfectly captures the spirit of the fringe.

— Julia-Simone Rutgers

HOW BONO SAVED MY LIFE (THREE TIMES)

Sonya Ballantyne Entertainment

Club 200 (Venue 29), to Friday

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In this one-woman show, Winnipeg’s Sonya Ballantyne traces her devotion to U2 from when she discovered the Irish rock group at age 13 until today. As the title suggests, the 40-year-old shares the three times she came close to ending her life and how the band — specifically lead singer Bono — brought her back from the edge.

Ballantyne recounts concerts in Sydney, Australia, and Las Vegas, and her brushes with Bono in Winnipeg in 2011. She also unpacks the childhood abuse and sexual assault she’s survived, and gives the audience glimpses into her professional journey as a writer and filmmaker

More than a story about Indigenous trauma, How Bono Saved My Life is an exploration of fandom, how we can use pop culture to express our emotions and how we respond when we don’t agree with artists we love. Even people who don’t like U2 will be captivated by Ballantyne’s endearing and courageous storytelling.

Note: Each performance starts at 4:30 p.m., not at the time indicated in the fringe program. See it as soon as possible.

— Aaron Epp

PAPER FATHERS: SHADOWS AND THE SONGS WE LEAVE BEHIND

Tilted Hilton Productions

The Gargoyle Theatre (Venue 25), to July 26

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This autobiographical one-man drama is the debut playwriting work from Winnipeg’s Tim Hogue, who also performs it.

Over the course of 45 minutes, Hogue investigates how the loss of his biological father at a young age and suffering abuse at the hands of his stepfather as a teenager shaped his life, and the redemption he’s found as he strives to be a good father to his two sons.

At the same time, Hogue explores the life of Cliff Edwards, a.k.a. “Ukulele Ike,” who found success as a pop singer, musician and actor — he voiced Jiminy Cricket in Disney’s Pinocchio — before falling into poverty and dying alone.

It’s not clear why Hogue chose to weave these particular stories together and the parallels he sees between his life and Edwards’. You might leave the theatre confused. But Hogue’s efforts, including the sensitivity he brings to the material, are admirable.

— Aaron Epp

RUMOURS IN MOTION

Hijames Movement

The Rachel Browne Theatre (Venue 8), to July 26

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Seven local professional contemporary dancers led by Hilary James get their groove on with this feel-good tribute to Fleetwood Mac’s seminal 1977 album Rumours.

Each dancer takes her turn choreographing/performing a series of 11 well-crafted solos and ensemble pieces, flowing seamlessly like a playlist and packed with as much colourful personality as a mid-century rec room.

Highlights include Don’t Stop, which rails against the pressures of group conformity, performed by Brooke Hess, Chelsea Kuik Tielman, Monica Schilling and Sontje Skabo. An even funkier The Chain, with Kristie Enns-Strong, James and Naomi Wiebe now added to the mix, features an intriguing “fight” section where dancers leap and spar with each other in slo-mo.

Other can’t-misses are I Don’t Want to Know, with Schilling and Wiebe tossing off practically every social dance move in the book, and choreographer Emma Beech’s Never Going Back Again, an expressive solo for Wiebe punctuated by playful quirkiness. It’s a fringe show that leaves you wanting more (B-side, anyone?), its 45 minutes flying by quicker than you can shake a fistful of fuzzy dice.

— Holly Harris

SITE #57

Thinking & Feeling Theatre Company

Asper Centre for Theatre & Film (Venue 10) to July 26

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Outstanding comedic performances by Madison Chevrefils, Ella Cole and Dryden Dilts power the latest work from emerging Winnipeg playwright Eve Ross Moore, about three campers caught at crossroads.

For Hailey (Chevrefils), annual trips to Otter Falls offer contemplative salvation and the gratification of self-sufficiency, but lifestyle vlogger Brooke (Cole) — filling in for her sister’s unreliable flame — prefers selfie sticks to pine needles: she’s going to need a lot of rosé to make it through the weekend. But they’re going to need a third Solo cup: Luke (Dilts) says he’s got a booking and covets the titular plot.

There’s genuine fizz and pop plugged into Moore’s well-crafted script, and in the screwball tradition of screenwriters Billy Wilder and I.A.L. Diamond, the kindling required for sparks to fly is gathered and laid out for the audience within the breezy first third of the production’s 75-minute runtime.

— Ben Waldman