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Coming to 2023 Edmonton Fringe

It’s been a wonderful year seeing shows on the Fringe circuit. Given that we’re coming out of the pandemic, the number of high quality productions is surprising.

So why am I writing recommendations for the Edmonton Fringe?

For nine years I’ve posted recommendations for the upcoming Edmonton Fringe via the #yegfringe hashtag, based on what I’ve seen at the Winnipeg Fringe, and the Ottawa Fringe. First on Facebook then eight times on this blog.

There are more than 185 shows scheduled at the Edmonton Fringe this year. I’m going to stick to shows that I’ve seen already; there will be lots of good shows outside this list. More about that below.

So here are shows that I’ve seen, that are coming to the Edmonton Fringe this year, and that I’m recommending. I’m going to attempt some sort of rough rank order, but, like reviewing, that order is definitely subjective. (Many of the differences in my ranks are miniscule.) Your mileage may vary. Some shows are not for everybody, no matter what my recommendation. Some will not be your cup of tea. Read the reviews carefully.

There are 18 recommendations below. I don’t expect you’ll see them all. So read the descriptions and reviews and decide which appeal to you personally.

Tango in the Dark

This was my personal highlight of this year’s Ottawa Chamberfest (the largest chamber music festival in the world). PointeTango combines tango, ballet and other dance forms to produce a unique show that received a standing ovation the night we saw them. Erin Scott-Kafadar performed the show in combinations of ballet pointe shoes, stiletto heels and bare feet. Her chemistry with Alexander Richardson was electric. Their performances were sensual, romantic, athletic, beautiful and even dangerous.

They performed at Chamberfest with live music by The Payadora Tango Ensemble. For the Edmonton Fringe, the program has been abridged to 60 minutes with recorded music. The dancing will still be stunning. Run, don’t walk to get tickets.

Nashville Hurricane

Chase Padgett brings back his 2016/19 Edmonton Fringe hit. Joff Schmidt of CBC Manitoba wrote: “Nashville Hurricane is a Fringe force of nature. Don’t let it pass you by.”

This year, Ben Waldman wrote in his Winnipeg Free Press review: “When perusing your fringe program, make sure to hand-pick this tale of a fingerpicking phenom drawn from the mind and soul of Chase Padgett, a festival veteran with transformative capabilities and undeniable talent.”

If you missed it, now’s your chance. If you saw it and want to have Padgett blow you away again, don’t wait until the last minute.

Eleanor’s Story: an American Girl in Hitler’s Germany

Best coming-of-age story ever.

Eleanor’s Story won the Jury’s Choice Award at this year’s Ottawa Fringe.

From the Apt613 review:

“Garner gives an extraordinary view of wartime, seen through the eyes of a girl of nine who grows to become a young woman of 15. The story covers a huge span: from Hitler Youth to the Gestapo, from a public hanging to mass bombings, from rationing to starvation and much more.”

This sellout hit of the 2015 and 2022 Edmonton Fringes returns to Edmonton. Winnipeg Free Press reviewer Pat St. Germain described it in her review as:

“Harrowing, occasionally humorous and brutally honest”.

Take a teenager. Take a young adult. Take a parent, Take yourself.

But see this show.

Anatolia Speaks

This sleeper about a Bosnian immigrant in Edmonton starts out slowly, then worms its way into your heart … and doesn’t let go. Written and directed by Ken Brown (Spiral Dive). As Randall King of the Winnipeg Free Press put it: “Candice Fiorentino really delivers the goods, delineating a character arc that takes her from a cute comic figure to a tragic heroine in breathtakingly subtle increments.”

Breaking Bard

This was one of the big surprises of this year’s Winnipeg Fringe. We were intrigued by the premise in the program: improvised Shakespearean style tragedy. But then one of Seismic Shift Productions cast flyered us: they improvise in iambic pentameter! Like Shakespeare, not all of the performance is in pentameter, but most of it is. We were so impressed with how good this show was, we saw it THREE times. Each show was completely different with only one exception: at the end the stage is littered with bodies. Given that there are 12,000 deaths in Shakespeare, there’s plenty of source material to use as inspiration.

Don’t take my word for it. Denise Duguay of the Winnipeg Free Press wrote in her review: “This nimble, talented troupe, taking their show on the road for the first time, is incapable of disappointing any audience.”

DieNasty! Edmonton’s Live Improvised Soap Opera

Edmonton Fringe fans need no introduction to the long-running Die-Nasty improvised soap opera. But if you’re visiting the Fringe for the first time, you owe it to yourself to check out this fine long-form improv show. When we attended the Edmonton Fringe we made sure to catch Die-Nasty. Some of the best improv we’ve seen at both Edmonton and Winnipeg. See the show early, though. Tickets sell quickly. With 100% of tickets available in advance, if you snooze, you’ll lose.

Horseface

Hell hath no fury like Alex Dallas scorned. The women in the audience laughed in recognition and solidarity. I laughed. The men laughed.

Don’t take my word for it. Jen Foratti of the Winnipeg Free Press wrote:

“Dallas is furiously funny in her observations and insights — delivered with that signature dry British wit — but she’s also a master of the one-two punch, swinging from hilarious to harrowing. The most powerful moments of the show are at its sharp edges, where Dallas really gets to the heart of what it means to be treated like prey in a world full of wolves.”

jem rolls MAXIMUM CRUSOE

7500 words in 55 minutes! Even for jem rolls, this is close to a speed record. Or as Apt613 reviewer, Bruce Burwell wrote:

“jem delivers the whole show at high speed and we’re left digesting a deluge of words and rhymes. You have to pay close attention since there are Indian gods, unfamiliar place names and even less familiar people names – Prachi Pande from Pune! “

But this is far more than a feat of performance endurance. As Burwell concluded:

“I’ve seen a lot of jem’s shows and in my opinion this was definitely his funniest.”

Every Good Story Ends with One

We caught the first performance of this Martin Dockery one-hander at the Winnipeg Fringe. Good thing too, because he sold out most of his run. The subject starts with how Dockery bombed his first time at the Adelaide Fringe Festival. With all the twists and turns, we didn’t see the end coming. In the meantime, he had the Winnipeg audience on the edge of their seats.

Winnipeg Free Press reviewer, Alan Small, wrote in his review: “Dockery’s boisterous style and his 60-minute, sometimes meandering buildup to Every Good Story’s climax is definitely one to add to second-week fringe lists.”

Get your tickets in advance.

Mail Ordered

This collaboration between Singapore’s Shanice Stanislaus and Calgary’s Aaron Cates had the most street buzz of any show at the Winnipeg Fringe.

We had seven independent recommendations for this show by the time we finally fit it into our schedule. The first recommendations came day one. We were not disappointed.

As Ben Sigurdson wrote in his Winnipeg Free Press review: “Patience is a virtue; while things start off a bit sluggish, the second half of Mail Ordered offers a couple surprises, including an oh-my-gosh payoff at the end that brings this comedy home in a mostly satisfying way.”

Opera Mouse

We (and her parents) took our 4 year old niece to see opera singer Melanie Gall’s first childrens’ show (directed by Erik de Waal) in 2013. Before the show started, we asked her parents if she would want to meet the performer after the show. We needn’t have asked. Our niece was the first of seven children to go on stage for audience participation with Gall’s puppet mouse. Gall had the children singing Mozart on stage. Multiple times. Each time displaying a different emotion. As well, Gall had the audience singing scales, opera tunes, and “helping out” with the high notes of an aria. Lovely show for kids (and their parents). CBC Manitoba dubbed it Outstanding Kids Show.

Gall has toured Opera Mouse to multiple countries and continents. She’s brought it back to Edmonton Fringe again. If you missed it, bring kid(s) and have a good time.

The Long Night of the American Dream

Much as I enjoy Martin Dockery’s solo shows, I’ve developed a taste for his two and six-handers. His scripts for Moonlight after Midnight and The Stakeout still have me awe-struck after seeing them at the Ottawa, Winnipeg and Edmonton Fringes.

This meta play within a play had the Winnipeg audience laughing throughout while they kept track of the many layers of the script. Theatre for patrons who want something more demanding than just a straightforward comedy.

As Ben Sigurdson of the Winnipeg Free Press wrote in his review:

“Dockery and Broaddus play brothers, the former a playwright and the latter an actor.”

“the brothers have spent the bulk of the hour garnering sympathy (and loads of laughs) from the audience, who by this time have become wholly invested in the imperfect pair.”

The American Songbook Experience

Melanie Gall takes a more personal tack with her latest show, which is a love letter to both the American Songbook and her late father. Gall’s operatically trained voice is a treat as always, but her tale of her father gives the show added depth.

As Holly Harris of the Winnipeg Free Press wrote in her review: “The operatically trained soprano belts out greatest hits by Gershwin, Porter, Berlin and others, as she recounts Young’s big band roots in Toronto with a “booming baritone” voice rivalling Sinatra’s. Her showstopper, Brother, Can you Spare a Dime?, is worth the price of admission alone”

Field Zoology 101

In 2019, I got advance notice of this show from Victoria Fringe doyenne Janis LaCouvée. Thank you, Janis.

Matt TenBruggencate of the Winnipeg Free Press wrote of Shawn O’Hara’s performance: “His delivery of set material as — a list of most dangerous/sexy animals, his quest for vengeance against a neighbourhood raccoon — is note-perfect, while his off-the-cuff responses to audience questions prove a first-rate comedic talent.”

If you missed it, O’Hara’s deadpan delivery alone is worth the price of admission.

A.W.O.L.

OMG! Rob Gee (Forget Me Not) and Jon Paterson (How I Met My Mother) on the same stage. The show premiered at the Regina Fringe. Opening night in Winnipeg was still something of a hot mess, but we and the audience were all prepared to run with it anyway. I was reminded of Paterson and Ryan Gladstone’s Hockey Night at the Puck & Pickle Pub, where part of the fun was to see how much they could mess up the script while still keeping the audience laughing.

The Fool

While there are comic lines (and fart jokes), Ryan Gladstone’s script and direction give Jon Paterson (House) a chance to show off both his comedic and dramatic skills.

As Ben Sigurdson wrote in his Winnipeg Free Press review: “The strength of this show is Paterson’s energetic physical comedy, particularly his ability to jump back and forth among characters, playing the king and queen as well as guards, the fool’s BFF (an ox named Drew), and more.”

Deux

The title is a triple entendre. This is the second Merkin Sisters show. There are two performers on stage. And some of the performance consists of interpretive dance including pas de deux.

How to describe a show where the performers themselves ask the audience: “If you figure out what this show is about, tell us.”?

Don’t come expecting a profound analysis of the meaning of life. The closest Deux comes is answering the type casting question: “Why am I always the…?”

This isn’t a show for everyone. Those easily offended will be offended.

I didn’t see the first Merkin Sisters show, but their fans definitely showed up for their second show. Like their fans, I laughed, a lot. You may too. Or not.

Stephanie Wobensmith of Apt613 captured the content best in her review:

“The Merkin Sisters is bursting with physical comedy. It sometimes pays homage to the comedic legends of the past, but it does so in a way that feels fresh and modern. It incorporates burlesque and drag performances of all gender presentations, from high masc to high femme and everything in between.”

Muse

One of the great things about the Fringe circuit is that you pay for your venue and you get to do whatever you want with your time slots. In this case, Cameryn Moore provides the opportunity to participate in a life drawing art class, while she fills the time with personal stories.

True confession time. I didn’t actually see Moore’s show in Ottawa. BUT I did see the results of two happy participants who were very pleased with the experience. I can barely sketch constellations with a pencil. Their charcoal renderings were memorable.

So if you would like to hire (share) a life model for Fringe prices and practice your sketching skills, Moore’s show is a bargain.

Or as Apt613 reviewer Stephanie Wobensmith wrote:

“Built with honesty, accessibility, and approachability in mind, Muse: An Experiment in Storytelling and Life Drawing was a refreshing break from more traditional theatre shows at the Ottawa Fringe Festival this year.”

I saw 23 shows at the Ottawa Fringe this year, and 44 at this year’s Winnipeg Fringe. Consequently I haven’t seen all the shows touring this year’s Edmonton Fringe. Plus my tastes don’t necessarily match yours. So go see some shows that I haven’t recommended.

Happy Fringing!

Coming to 2023 Winnipeg Fringe

Every year at least one of my friends and followers in Winnipeg asked for recommendations for the upcoming Winnipeg Fringe, based on what I’ve seen at the Ottawa Fringe. Now that the Ottawa and Winnipeg Fringes have live performances again, I’ve decided to resume my recommendations. My list is based on shows I’ve seen at Ottawa Fringes, and previous Winnipeg Fringes.

There are people coming to the Winnipeg Fringe from across Canada, Americans from 11 different states and international artists from England, Germany, Romania, South Africa, The Netherlands, Australia and Singapore, this year. I’m going to start with shows that I’ve seen already. Because there are so many good shows I haven’t seen, I’m then going to list some of them in alphabetical order. More about that later.

So here are shows that I’ve seen, that are coming to the Winnipeg Fringe this year, and that I’m recommending. I’m going to attempt some sort of rough rank order, but, like reviewing, that order is subjective. Frankly, many of these ranks are WAY too close to call. Your mileage may vary.

Also, some comparisons don’t strictly make sense. What does it mean to rank a family-friendly show versus a mature show? Dance versus drama versus comedy? Which type do you want to see? I happen to like all of them, but not everybody does.

Some shows are not for everybody, no matter what my recommendation. Some shows may push you beyond your boundaries. Read the quoted reviews carefully.

Nashville Hurricane

Chase Padgett brings back his 2014/18 Winnipeg Fringe hit. Joff Schmidt of CBC Manitoba wrote: “Nashville Hurricane is a Fringe force of nature. Don’t let it pass you by.” If you missed it, now’s your chance. If you saw it and want to have Padgett blow you away again, don’t wait until the last minute.

Generic Male: Just What We Need, Another Show About Men

There was a LOT of buzz about this show in Ottawa. And that buzz was well justified. Generic Male won the Outstanding Overall Production award, the Volunteer’s Choice Award and a Best of Fest award at the Ottawa Fringe. Apt613 Reviewers Samara Caplan and Laura Gauthier wrote in their review:

“This show is probably like nothing else you’ve seen—a combination of acrobatics, dance and comedy, all while challenging the audience with probing questions making you think about what you know and what you think this show is about.”

They added:

“Some of the most striking moments of the show aren’t even spoken. Macho competition, absurd immaturity, touching emotion, all displayed through incredible movements. This show stays with you—you’ll find yourself turning over moments in your mind hours or even days later.”

At The Table With Keith Brown

“Amazing!”

“Well, actually, yes. It was.”

Let’s be clear: I’ve seen a lot of magic shows, and I’ve also seen lots of card tricks. But Keith Brown did almost 50 minutes of card tricks, all of which I had never seen before.

Read the rest of my review from the 2022 Ottawa Fringe for more details.

As I said in my review:

“Three years of COVID-19 have definitely made Brown a more mature performer. A show for the entire family, I heartily agree with the first family of Iceland: go see this show.”

Teaching Shakespeare

Did you miss this show when Keir Cutler brought it to the 2001 and 2014 Winnipeg Fringes? You have another chance at a show with a LONG history of performances and positive reviews. Definitely a crowd pleaser.

Katie Nicholson of CBC Manitoba wrote in her review in 2014: “A seasoned performer, Cutler has precise and playful comic timing”

For Science!

This was a sleeper. I put it on my maybe list because the company had produced Ask Aggie and Butt Kapinski, but I didn’t hear much buzz on the Winnipeg streets early in the Fringe.

For Science! is a very intensive audience participation show. With no communication devices except a whistle, a stopwatch and overhead slide projections, two white-lab-coated mute scientists run a set of “experiments” with volunteer subjects from the audience. I’ve never seen so many people volunteer to get on stage. Nor have so much fun doing so. This is a great family show with plenty of fun for children, teens and adults alike.

As Marlo Campbell wrote in her review: “The result is ridiculous good fun — made funnier by the fact neither professor nor assistant utters a single word throughout the entire show.” “Mind-blowing theatre this is not. However, it’s a simple-yet-clever concept that’s utterly charming in its execution.”

After we saw the show, For Science! buttons started appearing on Fringers’ t-shirts all around the Fringe. Charming indeed!

jem rolls MAXIMUM CRUSOE

7500 words in 55 minutes! Even for jem rolls, this is close to a speed record. Or as Apt613 reviewer, Bruce Burwell wrote:

But this is far more than a feat of performance endurance. As Burwell concluded:

“I’ve seen a lot of jem’s shows and in my opinion this was definitely his funniest.”

Opera Mouse

Gall has toured Opera Mouse to multiple countries and continents. She’s brought it back to Winnipeg Fringe again. If you missed it, bring kid(s) and have a good time.

Field Zoology 101

In 2019, I got advance notice of this show from Victoria Fringe doyenne Janis LaCouvée. Thank you, Janis.

If you missed it, O’Hara’s deadpan delivery alone is worth the price of admission.

Ingenue: Deana Durbin, Judy Garland and the Golden Age of Hollywood

There was a time when Winnipeg-born (but not raised) Deanna Durbin was more famous than her friend Judy Garland. Durbin saved Universal Studio from bankruptcy. Now you’d be hard pressed to find people who remember her name. Operatically trained, Durbin’s voice drew crowds to the cinema from 1936 to 1949. Then she retired with her husband to Paris.

Operatically trained Melanie Gall weaves the story of Durbin’s career around songs both well-known and obscure. As Apt613 reviewer Mer Weinhold wrote in her review: “Ingenue is a charming, beautifully polished show that exposed me to a snippet of history I’d had no idea existed. I highly recommend this play”.

Clueless in ZA

When I saw this at the 2016 Winnipeg Fringe, it was titled Head in the Clouds. Erik de Waal has updated and remounted this hit show.

Winnipeg Free Press reviewer, Wendy King capture it best in her review:

“He tells of the African men who influenced him as a storyteller, of the heroism and outrages he witnessed and his own adventures going from boy to man. De Waal delivers an emotional and inspiring 60-minute journey into hope.”

Tomatoes Tried to Kill Me But Banjos Saved My Life

Buzz on the street started early for Keith Alessi’s personal story about tomatoes, cancer and banjos. Alessi is a good, but not great banjo player. He’s also a good, but not great storyteller. But he has this subtle way of connecting with his audience that just charms them. Lots of people left his show with big smiles on their faces. What more can you ask?

Rob Williams of the Winnipeg Free Press wrote in his review: “Alessi’s inspirational and compelling tale will pluck at your heartstrings, clawhammer style.”

Deux

The title is a triple entendre. This is the second Merkin Sisters show. There are two performers on stage. And some of the performance consists of interpretive dance including pas de deux.

How to describe a show where the performers themselves ask the audience: “If you figure out what this show is about, tell us.”?

Don’t come expecting a profound analysis of the meaning of life. The closest Deux comes is answering the type casting question: “Why am I always the…?”

This isn’t a show for everyone. Those easily offended will be offended.

I didn’t see the first Merkin Sisters show, but their fans definitely showed up for their second show. Like their fans, I laughed, a lot. You may too. Or not.

Stephanie Wobensmith of Apt613 captured the content best in her review:

Booger Red

The purpose of teenagers is to drive parents crazy. Whereas the purpose of parents is to drive teenagers crazy. Otherwise, no one would leave home.

If you’ve been at serious loggerheads with your father from your teenage years, you may see parallels with your own life. Loucks shares insights about things he never got to say. Those insights may shape yours.

Loucks weaves the two stories, alternating between Red’s booming preacher voice, Loucks’ own musical theatre baritone, and Loucks’ narrator voice. This structure emphasizes the parallels between how father and son find their ways in the world.

See the rest of my review here: https://apt613.ca/fringe-review-booger-red/

Muse

So if you would like to hire (share) a life model for Fringe prices and practice your sketching skills, Moore’s show is a bargain.

Or as Apt613 reviewer Stephanie Wobensmith wrote:

Bremner sings: Everything in New Orleans is a Good Idea

I saw and reviewed the very first performance of this show at the Ottawa Fringe. I expect that Bremner Duthie has made some changes and tuned the show for Winnipeg. In Ottawa the show was clearly a work in progress.

But there are some good bones to build on here.

In my review, I give three examples of Duthie’s original songs that are keepers. One of them, Duthie’s ode to Princess Stephanie, owner of the gay bar Mag’s, is a real barn-burner. He sings her lament that alcohol doesn’t satisfy her desire because “a man don’t come in a glass” and ends with “pour me a double, nothing but trouble, man!”

There are also several stories that are keepers as well. Outsiders may find it hard to understand the resilience of the city devastated by Hurricane Katrina. So Duthie weaves a tapestry of the contributions of many ethnic groups that built New Orleans, including French, Spanish, Italians, Germans, Jews, Irish, Cajuns and Creoles.

That story left me wanting more. (Always leave them wanting more.)

For more details, check out my Apt613 review: https://apt613.ca/fringe-review-bremner-sings-evreything-in-new-orleans-is-a-good-idea/

I saw 23 shows at the Ottawa Fringe this year and about 45 at the 2022 Winnipeg Fringe. (Plus God knows how many hundred at previous Fringes.) Consequently I haven’t seen all the shows touring to this year’s Winnipeg Fringe. Nor have I seen any of the local productions. Or any of the latest improv. In fact there are already 17 shows on my wanna-see list. So go see some shows that I haven’t recommended.

Usually my evil plan is to recommend only shows I’ve seen. That way my readers flock to those shows, and I use my Frequent Fringer pass to buy tickets on my wanna-see list. Nyah-ha-ha!

But honestly, this year, shows on my wanna-see list are just screaming to be seen. So, in alphabetical order, here they are:

Adventure of the Little Rooster – The Grand Salto Theatre

African Folktales – Erik de Waal

The American Songbook Experience – Melanie Gall

A.W.O.L. – Rob Gee (and Jon Paterson)

Bookmarks – Corin Raymond

Breaking Bard – Spontaneous Shakespearean Company

The Case of the Mysterious Mystery, A Not Quite Sherlock Mystery – Chris Gibbs

Eleanor’s Story: Life After War – Ingrid Garner

Every Good Story Ends with One – Martin Dockery

Good Grief – James Gangl

How I Met My Neurodivergent Friend – Adam Schwartz

Long Night of the American Dream – Concrete Drops

Otto & Astrid’s Joint Solo Project – Die Roten Punkte

Six Chick Flicks – Kerry Ipema & TJ Dawe

The Smallest Stupid Improv Show – Stephen Sim

Staffroom – Leith Clark

The Tempest – Indifferently Reformed

Happy Fringing!

Coming to 2022 Edmonton Fringe

It’s been wonderful year returning to seeing shows on the Fringe circuit. Given that we’re coming out of the pandemic, the number of high quality productions is surprising.

So why am I writing recommendations for the Edmonton Fringe?

For eight years I’ve posted recommendations for the upcoming Edmonton Fringe via the #yegfringe hashtag, based on what I’ve seen at the Winnipeg Fringe, and the Ottawa Fringe. First on Facebook then seven times on this blog.

There are more than 160 shows scheduled at the Edmonton Fringe this year. I’m going to stick to shows that I’ve seen already; there will be lots of good shows outside this list. More about that below.

There are 17 recommendations below. I don’t expect you’ll see them all. So read the descriptions and reviews and decide which appeal to you personally.

Generic Male: Just What We Need, Another Show About Men

They added:

Eleanor’s Story: an American Girl in Hitler’s Germany

Best coming-of-age story ever.

Eleanor’s Story won the Jury’s Choice Award at this year’s Ottawa Fringe.

From the Apt613 review:

This hit of the 2015 and 2016 Winnipeg Fringes returns to Winnipeg. Winnipeg Free Press reviewer Pat St. Germain described it in her review as:

“Harrowing, occasionally humorous and brutally honest”.

Take a teenager. Take a young adult. Take a parent, Take yourself.

But see this show.

How I Met My Mother

Full disclosure: I met Jonathon Paterson’s mom on the Fringe circuit. She flyered me for one of Jonny P’s shows at the Winnipeg Fringe. Who could refuse this 70-something lady with the warm smile and brimming enthusiasm?

Then she was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s.

In this show, Paterson explains how he had to transform himself from badass to caregiver. It’s a moving performance that brought many to tears.

As Apt613 reviewer Jennifer Cavanagh wrote in her review:

“The conclusion may have left me in floods of happy-sad tears but I’ll take that. This is a best-of-fest contender and not to be missed.”

Chase Padgett: Lucky Break

During the pandemic, Fringe circuit guitar hero Chase Padgett had two wildly different experiences of the Fox television network. The first was taking care of his Trump following, Fox News imbibing mother while she was waiting for hip surgery. The other was appearing as a contestant on Fox’s musical competition Alter Ego. While neither furthered his career, Padgett intertwines two moving and engrossing stories to keep his audience engaged. As Winnipeg Free Press reviewer Alan Small wrote in his review:

“While he re-enacts some highlights from his Alter Ego performances in the hour-long Lucky Break, Padgett is at his best distilling his thoughts about the show, American politics and parental problems into satisfying poetry and rap.”

Die-Nasty 2022

The Eleven O’Clock Number

Speaking of improv, Edmonton’s own Grindstone Theatre does long-form musical improv. Winnipeg fans of Outside Joke discovered that Grindstone certainly have the improv and musical chops. The night we saw them the audience gave them a real challenge: a Museum Musical. Grindstone took up the challenge and blew the audience away. I’d love to see a musical improv competition between Grindstone and Outside Joke. I can’t predict who would “win”, but the results would be one for the Fringe history books.

As Winnipeg Free Press reviewer Randall King wrote:

“Performers Byron Martin, Dallas Friesen, Abby Vandenberghe, and Malachi Wilkins, with keyboard accompanist Simon Abbott, can often spin a tune more catchy than you’d find in some legitimate contemporary musicals. But even better, they deliver real laughs with combination punches of solid gags and impressive extemporaneous choreography. Talk about thinking on your feet.”

Horseface

Hell hath no fury like Alex Dallas scorned. The women in the audience laughed in recognition and solidarity. I laughed. The men laughed.

Don’t take my word for it. Jen Foratti of the Winnipeg Free Press wrote:

Blueberries are Assholes

Fringe god TJ Dawe elicited a split decision in our household. My gude wyfe, Barbara Popel, thinks this is TJ’s best show ever. I think it’s one of his best three. We saw the show twice to try to come to a consensus. Which of us is right? I’ll let you decide. Well worth an hour of your time.

The Stakeout

Much as I enjoy Martin Dockery’s solo shows, I’ve developed a taste for his two and six-handers. His script for Moonlight after Midnight still has me awe-struck after seeing it at the Ottawa and Edmonton Fringes.

Two FBI agents are sitting in a car watching a van. One is a veteran agent on his last day on the job. The other is a new academy graduate on his first day. The intricate plot has more twists than a New York City pretzel vendor.

You’re in for a treat with this one. As Nadya Pankiw of the Winnipeg Free Press wrote in her review:

“A phenomenal story told with impeccable cadence.”

Rocko and Nakota: Tales from the Land

As I wrote in my review for Apt613: “One of the joys of Fringing is discovering a compelling story told by a masterful storyteller. Such is the case of Rocko and Nakota: Tales From the Land, told by Josh Languedoc of Indigenized Indigenous Theatre from St. Albert, Alberta.”

Why? “Languedoc fills the entire ODD Box stage with his performance and characters.”

The CBC review crew’s Stephanie Cram called it “First Nations storytelling at its finest.”

Dirk Darrow: Magic of Future Past

I’ve seen a number of Tim Motley’s Dirk Darrow shows over the years. This is his most polished show yet. It won a Best of Fest award here in Ottawa. In her Apt613 review, Julia Bueneman wrote:

“Combining skilled magic, 1930s grit, time travel, standup and audience participation, Dirk Darrow: Future Past Magic is a compelling and energized play that had me giggling, stunned and picking my jaw up off the floor.”

While there were technical difficulties on review night, by the time I saw it, the show was running smooth as silk. You don’t have to be a Dirk Darrow fan to be gob-smacked at Motley’s mentalism and magic tricks this year.

Juliet: A Revenge Comedy

Co-written with Pippa Mackie (Progressive Polygamists), this may well be Ryan Gladstone’s (Monster Theatre) best script ever. Whip-smart dialogue and fast-paced action drive this three hander through the Shakespeare folio as Juliet attempts to evade her fateful death, while attempting to do the same for other Shakespearean doomed heroines (played with great aplomb by Carly Pokoradi (The Canada Show)).

Lara Rae of CBC Manitoba wrote in her review: “It’s cerebral without ever being inaccessible.” “you’d be daft, or slow to buy, to miss out on this sure-to-sell-out gem.”

The Walk in The Snow: the true story of Lise Meitner

Much as I like jem rolls’ performance poetry, my favourite of rolls’ shows was The Inventor of All Things about physicist Leo Szilard. It isn’t just me. By attendance, TIOAT was rolls’ most popular show ever.

rolls is back with another forgotten scientist, Lise Meitner, lead author of the first publication of the description of nuclear fission and how it works. During her lifetime, she was toasted by U.S. National Press Club and President Harry Truman. But the Nobel prize for nuclear fission went to one of her male colleagues. Now you’re hardly alone if you don’t know her name or who she was.

While I found rolls’ tale fascinating, I wondered during the show whether it was just me. I needn’t have worried. As I wrote in my review for Aot613: “At the end the audience reacted with enthusiastic, appreciative and very long applause, forcing rolls to take many bows.”

For Science!

This was a sleeper. I put it on my maybe list because the company had produced Ask Aggie and Butt Kapinski, but I didn’t hear much buzz on the Winnipeg streets early in the Fringe.

After we saw the show, For Science! buttons started appearing on Fringers’ t-shirts all around the Fringe. Charming indeed!

Daddy’s Boy

Erik de Waal starts out on familiar territory with personal stories of his childhood experiences of Apartheid. But then he turns to a life and death story of his father that grips the audience.

Mary Agnes Welch of the Winnipeg Free Press wrote: “The last half has more heft – a gritty look at the imprisonment of a vital man in a broken body. Tiny, telling details of his father’s long last days make the final few moments of this show a gut-punch, especially for people familiar with illness. The lady beside me got out her Kleenex.”

Bedwetter

New Fringe performer Tamlynn Bryson surprised a lot of people with her engaging performance about a subject no one wants to talk about. Apt613 reviewer Barbara Popel captured that popular reaction in her review:

“Bedwetter was an unalloyed surprise for me. I was expecting a less-than-polished coming of age monologue whose only unusual aspect was that the young woman had suffered into her teenage years as a bedwetter. Coming of age monologues are a dime a dozen at the Fringe. Instead, I got a polished, funny, touching story from a talented charming performer. Within a few minutes, she had the audience (yours truly included) in the palm of her hand.”

Tomatoes Tried to Kill Me But Banjos Saved My Life

Rob Williams of the Winnipeg Free Press wrote in his review: “Alessi’s inspirational and compelling tale will pluck at your heartstrings, clawhammer style.”

I saw 25 shows at the Ottawa Fringe this year, and 37 at this year’s Winnipeg Fringe. Consequently I haven’t seen all the shows touring this year’s Edmonton Fringe. Plus my tastes don’t necessarily match yours. So go see some shows that I haven’t recommended.

Happy Fringing!

Coming to 2022 Winnipeg Fringe

Before the pandemic, every year at least one of my friends and followers in Winnipeg asked for recommendations for the upcoming Winnipeg Fringe, based on what I’ve seen at the Ottawa Fringe. Now that the Ottawa and Winnipeg Fringes have live performances again, I’ve decided to resume my recommendations. My list is based on shows I’ve seen at Ottawa Fringes, and previous Winnipeg Fringes.

There are 113 shows coming to the Winnipeg Fringe this year. I’m going to stick to shows that I’ve seen already; there will be lots of good shows outside this list. More about that later.

Some shows are not for everybody, no matter what my recommendation. Some shows may push you beyond your boundaries. Read the quoted reviews carefully.

Tango to the Pointe

This was my personal highlight of this year’s Ottawa Fringe. PointeTango combines tango, ballet and other dance forms to produce a unique show that received a standing ovation the night we saw them. Erin Scott-Kafadar performed almost the entire show in ballet pointe shoes. Her chemistry with Alexander Richardson was electric. Their performances were sensual, romantic, athletic, beautiful and even dangerous.

The company had to self-isolate for most of their run, so they performed only twice in Ottawa. There’s no review from Apt613, but there is a preview article to give you a taste of what to expect. The editors wrote this headline:

“Let’s get (Tango) to the point(e)—you won’t want to miss this dance show”

Pick seats in the John Hirsch Mainstage where you can see their feet.

If you see only one dance show at this year’s Winnipeg Fringe, make it this one.

Generic Male: Just What We Need, Another Show About Men

They added:

Civilized

Fringe veterans Keir Cutler and John D. Huston combine resources for this tour-de-force bravura performance. Cutler wrote the script and Huston performs solo as a fictional Ottawa civil servant in the Department of Indian Affairs of Sir Wilfred Laurier’s government. He has traveled to the future to explain the policy and implementation in his time of Indian residential schools.

This is NOT an easy show to watch. As Apt613 reviewers Samara Caplan and Laura Gauthier wrote in their review:

“Civilized is a powerful and impactful show, but sitting through this production is not easy; it feels tense, uncomfortable, and oftentimes horrifying. This is the ways art changes us, by challenging us to sit in our discomfort and listen to the stories and the history that needs to be told”

They conclude with:

“Civilized may be one of the most important things you ever see on stage—take your parents, your friends, your children. Every Canadian (and beyond) should be sitting in those theatre seats.”

Eleanor’s Story: an American Girl in Hitler’s Germany

Best coming-of-age story ever.

Eleanor’s Story won the Jury’s Choice Award at this year’s Ottawa Fringe.

From the Apt613 review:

This hit of the 2015 and 2016 Winnipeg Fringes returns to Winnipeg. Winnipeg Free Press reviewer Pat St. Germain described it in her review as:

“Harrowing, occasionally humorous and brutally honest”.

Take a teenager. Take a young adult. Take a parent, Take yourself.

But see this show.

Three

Bossy Flyer’s hit of the 2019 Winnipeg Fringe is back. Yet another wonderful dance performance for this year’s Winnipeg Fringe. Rave reviews in 2019:

Winnipeg Free Press’s Frances Koncan wrote in her review:

“Performed with strength, grace, and flawless technique by acrobats Taylor Casas, Cynthia Price and Ezra Lebank, hell may be other people, as Sartre famously said, but this show soars pretty close to heaven.”

CBC Manitoba’s Joff Schmidt wrote in his review:

“What’s especially impressive is how effortless they make it all look — when these feats clearly involve incredible effort, and remarkable strength and agility.

It’s an engaging story about relationships told through top-notch physical theatre.”

How I Met My Mother

Then she was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s.

In this show, Paterson explains how he had to transform himself from badass to caregiver. It’s a moving performance that brought many to tears.

As Apt613 reviewer Jennifer Cavanagh wrote in her review:

“The conclusion may have left me in floods of happy-sad tears but I’ll take that. This is a best-of-fest contender and not to be missed.”

Dirk Darrow: Magic of Future Past

Juliet: A Revenge Comedy

This hit of the 2019 Winnipeg Fringe returns to its perfect venue: the King’s Head Pub. Frankly, co-writer Pippa Mackie (Juliet) and Carly Pokoradi (other Shakespearean female characters) shamelessly upstage co-writer Ryan Gladstone (Shakespeare) to the delight of the King’s Head audience.

Winnipeg Free Press reviewer Ben MacPhee-Sigurdson wrote in his review:

“The interactions between Pokoradi and Mackie veer between classic Shakespeare and saucy modern-day dialogue, keeping audiences in stitches from beginning to end of the 60-minute production.”

Bedwetter

I Am The Most Unfeeling Doctor In The World (And Other True Tales From The Emergency Room)

Writer and performer Melissa Yuan-Innes is not a professional actor. She’s an emergency room doctor who has a lot of engaging stories to tell. She quickly pulls the audience into her world with stories that range from joyful to heartbreaking.

In spite of being an amateur, Yuan-Innes pulled off a Best of Fest award at the 2019 Ottawa Fringe. There are a number of reasons for this coup. First the show has good bones. Literally: a full-size medical skeleton. Furthermore Yuan-Innes uses the skeleton as a straight man for her humour. Talk about a dead-pan expression! Although she’s an amateur, Yuan-Innes recruited then Great Canadian Theatre Company artistic director Eric Coates to give her pointers while she was developing her show. Finally, as a first time Fringe performer, she picked the brains of some veteran Fringe performers about how to sell her show while flyering. Result: she beat out a professional Pinter production in her venue.

But don’t just take my word for it. Apt613 reviewer Barbara Popel wrote in her review:

‘She got the audience on her side early on. She was open about her uncertainties, even when she was the primary attending ER physician. And she certainly can laugh at herself. At one point, she broke into an exuberant dance to the theme from Ghostbusters, with the lyrics changed so the audience called out “Your doctor!” in response to her “Who ya gonna call?”’

I saw 19 shows at the Ottawa Fringe this year and about 55 at the 2019 Winnipeg Fringe. Consequently I haven’t seen all the shows touring to this year’s Winnipeg Fringe, like THEATrePUBLIC’s The Paladin for example. Nor have I seen any of the local productions like Indifferently Reformed’s Romeo and Juliet. Or any of the latest improv. In fact there are already 30 shows on my wanna-see list. So go see some shows that I haven’t recommended.

Happy Fringing!

DLRA Presentation – City of Ottawa Planning Cmte – Oct 1.21

The text of the Powerpoint presentation follows. Distributed with permission of Carmen Sanchez, DLRA President.

Dow’s Lake Residents Association:

It’s too early to lift the holding provisions for the new Civic Hospital

Prepared by: Dow’s Lake Residents Association, Special Committee on the new Civic Hospital

Destination: For presentation at the Oct 1, 2021 meeting of the City of Ottawa’s Planning Committee

Too many questions and risks to lift holding conditions and/or delegate authority to staff

▪ New Civic Hospital essentially adds the population of Whitehorse adjacent to dense downtown neighbourhoods and a world heritage site.

▪ Impacts on adjacent neighbourhoods (such as Dow’s Lake) will be significant.

Increased dangers and serious inconveniences to residents due to increased volume of traffic, frequency/intensity of speeding, cut-through traffic on residential streets, air and noise pollution, parking overflow, etc.
Significant financial uncertainty and risks.
Serious negative environmental impacts including major loss of trees, green space and variety of further risks to Rideau Canal/Dow’s Lake , Arboretum and Experimental Farm.

City has fiduciary and moral responsibility to ensure that the development of the hospital is done correctly. It cannot ask some residents and neighbourhoods to bear the brunt of the negative consequences without, at the very least, developing plans to mitigate those effects.
The current state of the application does not achieve this.Thus:
– Holding conditions should not be lifted, nor should the authority over future decisionsbe delegated to city staff, at this time.
– At very least, city and hospital must guarantee it will work with DLRA to address all concerns.

1. Transportation

Paul Saurette, DLRA Resident

Transportation 1: Variety of increased dangers and inconveniences to Dow’s Lake community

20,000 predicted daily hospital visits in 2028, 35,000 daily visits in 2048.
Dow’s Lake = small neighbourhood less than 1km from hospital site; high proportion of seniors/children; key access point to Commissioners Park.
Highly predictable impacts of new hospital:
- – Bronson/Carling/QE: Increased volume of traffic + increased frequency and intensity of speeding and red light running.
- – DL residential streets: increased volume of cut-through traffic + increased frequency and intensity of speeding, running stop signs, etc.
- – DL residential streets: become de facto overflow parking for new hospital.
Consequences for DL residents, pedestrians, cyclists and drivers
- – Significantly increased dangers to pedestrians, cyclists and drivers both within DL and when entering/exiting DL.
- – Significantly increased inconveniences to DL residents – including parking issues, noise pollution, air pollution, etc.
▪ TIA and city have so far failed to consult DLRA robustly-and have thus ignored / dismissed our justifiable concerns.

Transportation 2: City must work with DRLA to identify + enact solutions before construction begins

▪ Goal 1: Reduce dangers due to cut-through traffic in DL. E.g.,
- – 30 km sped limit
- – ‘Local only’ and ‘traffic calmed’ street designations
- – Extensive use of raised cross walks, speed bumps, traffic calming dividers and bike lanes
- – Optimized traffic flow rules and signage – e.g., more stop signs, one-way streets, ‘no left turning’ designations (onto Bronson), redesigned street entrances off Bronson
▪ Goal 2: Reduce dangers of increased volume/speed of traffic on Bronson. E.g.,
- – Designate Bronson (from Sunnyside to the 417) as Community Safety Zone
- – Lower speed limit of Bronson from Sunnyside north
- – Enhance traffic enforcement (red-light cameras, automated speed enforcement cameras)
- – Addition and enhancement of pedestrian crossings (raised and painted crosswalks, creation of new crosswalks)
▪ Goal 3: Enact parking restrictions to eliminate use as overflow parking. E.g.,
– No parking for non-residents during the day; time limited parking overnight (as in Civic Hospital neighbourhood) – Free permanent street parking passes for DL residents
– Significantly enhanced enforcement
▪ Goal 4: Adopt wide variety of policies designed to encourage use of LRT, bus and bicycle to access hospital
▪ Goal 5: Ensure real-time, transparent and publicly-available monitoring of data – as well as effective processes to resolve – relevant to transportation and other impacts related to the new hospital

Transportation 3: City must not lift holding conditions and/or delegate to staff until these issues are addressed

▪ These consequences should not be ignored, downplayed, dismissed or postponed. They are predictable. And many will begin as soon as construction begins.
▪ In response to our queries, both the hospital and city staff have essentially told us that any problems that arise will be addressed after the fact.
▪ This is a highly inefficient way to try to solve problems – it is well known in project management that it is far more costly and usually much less effective to try to retrofit solutions after the fact.
▪ These responses are also rather insulting – since they completely ignore our lived experience and they ensure that, at the minimum, we will have to live with these (highly predictable) negative consequences for some time before they are addressed…if they are addressed at all.
▪ This is no way to treat the legitimate, reasonable concerns of citizens whose everyday life will be deeply impacted – in a negative way – by the new hospital if our concerns are not addressed. The city must do better.
▪ As such, we urge you not to lift the holding conditions and/or delegate such decisions to staff until these, and other concerns, are fully addressed.

2. Finance

Monica Olney, DLRA Resident

Finance 1: City must not lift holding conditions and/or delegate to staff until we have more clarity around costs and how they are to be apportioned

There is a significant lack of clarity regarding the realistic cost of the new Civic Hospital, as well as about how they will be apportioned and who will cover them.
This means that the city is potentially assuming a high level of financial risk.
Given this lack of information and transparency, as well as the high level of risk to the city, the city should not lift the holding provision at this time.
Below are some examples that support this position.

Finance 2: Cost estimates are likely outdated and comparisons suggest they are optimistic

Oakville Trafalgar Hospital

▪ December 2015 opening
▪ 340 beds on opening
▪ 1.6 million sq. ft
▪ $2.7 BILLION total cost
▪ $8.0 M/Bed or $1,687/sq ft
▪ Contribution from City ofOakville = $130 million
▪ Increased city taxes = NONE
▪ Community contribution=$60million

New Civic Hospital
▪ 2028 opening
▪ 640 beds on opening
▪ 2 million sq. ft.
▪ $2.8 BILLION total cost
▪ $4.4 M/Bed or $1,400/sq ft ▪ Contribution from City of

Ottawa=UNKNOWN
▪ Increase in city taxes = UNKNOWN

▪ Community contribution =$700 million (2016 estimate)

Finance 3: High level of uncertainty about sources of additional funding as well as potential additional costs to city

No clarity about how $700 million+ will be raised

▪ No details as to how this amount is to be raised.
▪ City staff suggested that the $700 million will be raised by the hospital through fundraising, parking fees, retail and restaurant operations. Of note: for fiscal year 2021, net parking revenues (3 campuses) totaled $11 million. Parking revenue usually goes to the purchase of new equipment.

Variety of additional potl costs to City

▪ Challenges with water servicing because of topography.
▪ Need to relocate Private Sanitary Infrastructure on the Farm
▪ Need to relocate Stormwater sewers on the Farm
▪ Significant flooding risks in lower Mooney’s Bay Collector and Nepean Bay Trunk
▪ Increased traffic gridlock and congestion at key intersections (Carling, Bronson, Preston, Queen Elizabeth, Prince of Wales, etc)
▪ Bike path rebuilding,etc
▪ What is the estimate of these costs? Who will pay for these infrastructure costs (especially in a context where these costs usually accrue to the city)?

Finance 4: City must not lift holding conditions and/or delegate to staff until we have more clarity around costs and how they are to be apportioned

In sum, there is far too much financial uncertainty and vulnerability for the city to lift the holding conditions
With such incomplete information, the fiscally responsible course of action is to keep the holding provision in place until further information is available.
Both the city and the hospital would be in breach of their fiduciary duties if the holding provision is lifted.

3. Environment

Joseph Federico, DLRA Resident

A New Civic Campus at Dow’s Lake

Dow’sLake. EnvironmentallySensitive. Ecologically Rich.

The Ottawa Hospital – a 99-year lease of federal lands.
A major development on federal lands.
An Independent Environmental Impact Assessment must be done.
Do not lift the Holding Provisions.

Summary

Carmen Sanchez, DLRA President

At Digital Fringe: Field Zoology 101

Field Zoology 101

by Shawn O’Hara

Review by Brian Carroll

46 min | Comedy | 14+, PG

A school bell rings and Dr. Bradley Q. Gooseberry (Shawn O’Hara) enters wearing khaki shorts, golf shirt, sun hat and the world’s most obviously fake mustache, to teach the audience Field Zoology 101. His qualifications include a Ph.D. from the Fort St. John Community College – and Barbecue Joint (where he passed at the head of his class with a strong C, and a minor in marinades.)

For the next five years, he travelled deep into the heart of the Amazon – central processing warehouse in Petaluma, California. There he developed a thorough understanding of rat mating habits and biology (including a level of intimacy which would be a spoiler to reveal).

His next expedition saw him traveling to the Rocky Mountain – Chocolate Factory in Victoria, British Columbia. Let’s just say that the legal status of his time there is a matter of some dispute.

But this is not about Dr. Gooseberry. This is about the audience – listening to Dr. Gooseberry.

Dr. Gooseberry introduces the three main areas of study in field zoology:

fields,
zoology, and
seduction.

As he enlists the aid of an aging overhead projector, the scientific content of the lecture leisurely drifts away from reality, contributing much to the good-hearted laughter of the audience.

For example, the first overhead slide is a hand-drawn, horizontal line. “This is a field – first discovered in 1931 by Sir Arthur Douglas Field.” One day, Sir Field looked at his surroundings and said, “Why not just a bunch of grass?” And a bunch of grass he did.

As for zoology – “Zoology was at one time the most popular area of scientific study, before seeing a sharp downturn in the mid-1980s, when people realized that there are just so many goddamn animals. There are hundreds, if not thousands of animals.”

As for seduction, I’ll let you discover Dr. Gooseberry’s enlightening observations for yourself. Especially the relationship between young adolescent peacocks and Axe body spray. The mind fairly boggles.

Shawn O’Hara’s satirical send-up of every boring nature documentary you were forced to endure in school or university has the audience busting a gut, even after they fail to find a lost and particularly venomous spider in their midst. The spider may not send them into death throes, but O’Hara does send them into throes of laughter.

As Dr. Gooseberry mentions, the show is rated 14+. Parents should expect sexual content, F-bombs, and explicit descriptions of violence and abnormal sexuality. A thorough grounding in “the birds and bees” should be a prerequisite to appreciate and enjoy the meandering between reality and satire.

You may not learn much about zoology, but you’ll find plenty to laugh about.

Field Zoology 101 by Shawn O’Hara is playing at Digital Fringe Vol. 1. Rentals cost $11.99 online. A 10-show pass is $39.99. Rentals include a 3-month streaming period. Visit https://vimeo.com/ondemand/digitalefringevol1/ to rent this show and for the list of all 10 shows.

Coming to 2019 Edmonton Fringe

It’s been another wonderful year for seeing shows on the Fringe circuit. The number of high quality productions continues to expand.

So why am I writing recommendations for the Edmonton Fringe?

Reason one. For seven years I’ve posted recommendations for the upcoming Edmonton Fringe via the #yegfringe hashtag, based on what I’ve seen at the Winnipeg Fringe, and the Ottawa Fringe. First on Facebook then six times on this blog. I’ve already had my first request for this year’s version. So there’s a demand.

Reason two. Once again we saw early sellouts at the Winnipeg and Ottawa Fringes. We saw a lot of shows sell out on the first or second performance. Advance ticket sales were way up from two years ago, even before they started. I expect that the same will be true for the Edmonton Fringe. Pick your shows early.

There are 270 shows scheduled in 51 venues at the Edmonton Fringe this year. I’m going to stick to shows that I’ve seen already; there will be lots of good shows outside this list. More about that below.

There are 26 recommendations below. I don’t expect you’ll see them all. So read the descriptions and reviews and decide which appeal to you personally.

Josephine, a Burlesque Cabaret Dream Play

We’ve seen Josephine in two versions: two years ago at the Winnipeg Fringe and last year’s expanded version at the Ottawa Fringe. When the buzz hit the street in Winnipeg, many people couldn’t get tickets. Last year, Josephine cleaned up at the Ottawa Fringe, winning the Outstanding Overall Production Award, the Volunteers Choice Award and a Best of Fest. Several performances sold out. The expanded version also sold out at this year’s Winnipeg Fringe.

Get your tickets early.

Flight

Two years ago, Flight was our 7-year-old niece’s favourite. She’s learning gymnastics and loves seeing dance. This is a remarkably beautiful piece (based on The Little Prince) that we saw twice at last year’s Winnipeg Fringe.

Michelle Palansky of CBC Manitoba wrote: “Flight relies upon astonishing acrobatics and the willingness of the audience to imagine new worlds”.

Take kids, adults, and friends… to see Flight.

Destiny, USA

Laura Anne Harris (Pitch Blonde) returns with a new show which starts slowly but packs a punch. Harris has based this new play on her experience as a verbatim translator for deaf clients. The play is actually a four-hander, with three parts played by ASL actors whose performances were recorded on video for playback during the show. The whole performance is accessible to the deaf through displayed text or ASL.

At first the pacing feels stilted, as Harris has to sync her spoken lines to the displayed text. But then the interactions between Harris and the other three characters take over. At first the interactions seem superficial. But the content soon ranges into the intensely personal, all of which Harris must, by contract, translate verbatim, word for word, including the most intimate words.

I don’t often cry in theatres, but Harris and her cast reduced me to tears.

As Samara Caplan of Apt613 wrote in her review: “A surprisingly emotional and impactful show—Destiny, USA will take you somewhere you didn’t expect.” “Destiny, USA is a show not to be missed.”

Juliet: A Revenge Comedy

Lara Rae of CBC Manitoba wrote in her review: “It’s cerebral without ever being inaccessible.” “you’d be daft, or slow to buy, to miss out on this sure-to-sell-out gem.”

Promise and Promiscuity: A Musical by Jane Austen & Penny Ashton

Penny Ashton’s loving send-up of Jane Austen sold out houses two years running at the Winnipeg Fringe. As Alison Gilmor of the Winnipeg Free Press wrote: “Ashton’s sparkling script riffs on the structure, characters and dialogue of the Austen canon, but you don’t need to be a dedicated Janeite to enjoy the romp.”

Fans of Jane Austen should note that Ashton uses some Anglo-Saxon double entendres that are definitely NOT in the Austen canon.

If you missed it the last time it played the Edmonton Fringe because of the sellouts, now’s your chance to see what all the fuss is about.

The Walk in The Snow: the true story of Lise Meitner

The Slip-Knot

Fringe circuit legend TJ Dawe has made a career out of twisting seemingly unrelated plots into tightly woven resolutions that surprise and delight audiences. In The Slip-Knot, Dawe tells stories from three disparate horrible jobs and ties these stories together at the end. He does this so well that The Slip-Knot earned him enough money to avoid horrible jobs forever.

Whether you’re a TJ Dawe fan who hasn’t seen how Dawe’s career began, or if you’re not a fan but are wondering what all the fuss is about, this show’s for you. As Sarah Gawdin wrote for the Chilliwack Progress: “In turns hysterical and heartbreaking, frantic and thoughtful, international Fringe icon TJ Dawe breathes life into the mundane as he recounts working three dead-end jobs.”

For Science!

This was a sleeper. I put it on my maybe list because the company had produced Ask Aggie and Butt Kapinski, but I didn’t hear much buzz on the Winnipeg streets early in the Fringe.

After we saw the show, For Science! buttons started appearing on Fringers’ t-shirts all around the Fringe. Charming indeed!

Pack Animals

Two teenage camp girls get lost from their respective camps and have to team up to survive until they can find their way out of the woods. Don’t let this innocuous description keep you away from the sleeper hit that eventually sold out at this year’s Ottawa Fringe.

Pack Animals is a phenomenon. Within minutes the dynamic duo of Brinkman and Grummet had the audience roaring with their no-holds-barred humour (classified 14+).

As Apt613 reviewers Caplan and Gauthier wrote in their review: “no subject seemed untouchable. All under the guise of the seemingly stock story of two would-be young campers getting lost in the woods, humour and song are used to shed light on modern day issues of feminism, patriarchy, gender as a construct and dating, among other topics.”

Some may be offended by Brinkman and Grummet’s frankness. Tough!

Chase Padgett: Heart Attacks & Other Blessings

This is a more personal show than 6 Guitars and Nashville Hurricane, as you might guess from the title. There’s less guitar playing and more storytelling. It’s a good story, with twists and turns that keep the audience guessing. (Though it’s no spoiler to say that Padgett survives.)

While there’s less guitar virtuosity on display, I like the fact that Padgett has chosen to move the plot forward with original songs that show off his lyrical singing voice.

Rob Williams described the show in his Winnipeg Free Press review as “a fast-paced, heartfelt one-hour musical comedy that rides a roller-coaster of emotions from gut-wrenching to glorious.”

Art of Astonishment

In a world that sometimes seems to be going to hell in a hand basket, magician Keith Brown offers a delightful hour of respite. Not only does he offer up an hour of “how the hell did he do that” magic. But he also has wonderful uplifting stories of how he has managed to accomplish extraordinary things, like perform for the First Lady of Iceland, using utterly ordinary methods.

He also has great rapport with audiences of all ages. While some of his volunteers from the audience were adults, many were kids and teens. One volunteer was five years old! Regardless, Brown makes them feel comfortable and safe. No one is embarrassed and all are welcome.

As Erin Lebar wrote in her review: Brown “is clearly very skilled, and had the audience gasping in disbelief on more than one occasion. He’s a very likeable performer, and because he takes the time to bond with the audience, it makes his successes all the more sweet.”

Mind Games: Brain-Bending Magic

True confession time: I became a Jeff Newman fan when we saw one of his shows at the Edmonton Fringe. So we went to see him early at this year’s Winnipeg Fringe. He already had an almost sellout in the intimate Cinematheque venue. Buzz was clearly hitting the street.

Newman specializes in mentalism. After the fact, you may figure out, in theory, how he does some of his amazing tricks. But I watched closely, and I still couldn’t catch him at it. As well as being a silky smooth magician, Newman is also fine showman. There was one point where he managed to mislead the audience so well that his on-stage volunteer giggled at his misdirection.

Erin Lebar of the Winnipeg Free Press captured it well in her review: “60 minutes of the mentalist living up to the title of the show, bewildering and confusing a sold-out Cinematheque audience with improbable feats of mind reading and predictions he had made about the show well before it even began.”

Underneath the Lintel

John D. Huston brings back his 2007 Fringe circuit hit about a Dutch librarian who discovers a returned book that is 113 years overdue. Huston’s performance of American playwright Glen Berger’s one-hander had sellouts in every city. Huston’s librarian leaves his hometown for the first time to pursue the mystery, while Huston’s performance charms his audience thoroughly. See it before Huston puts it to bed for another 12 years.

Blind to Happiness

… is my favourite Tim C. Murphy show. Period. Dramaturged by T.J. Dawe and it shows. I enjoyed every minute.

But don’t take my word for it. Nick Bachusky of Apartment 613 peppered his review with pull quotes: “Do yourself a favour and buy tickets in advance for this performance.” “Murphy loves what he does and brings with him a perfected script.” “I can highly recommend this play and you will be lucky to see it for sure. Blind to Happiness is well worth every penny.”

Tomatoes Tried to Kill Me But Banjos Saved My Life

Rob Williams of the Winnipeg Free Press wrote in his review: “Alessi’s inspirational and compelling tale will pluck at your heartstrings, clawhammer style.”

Three

Bossy Flyer has another show this year, loosely based on Jean-Paul Sartre’s No Exit. The choreography, athleticism and acting are what you would expect from the company that brings you Flight. My one caution is to line up really early to get seats up close. As I recall there’s no banked seating at Sugar Swing Ballroom and the stage is only slightly raised. If you’re not in the first two rows you may miss some of the floor work, as we did in their venue at the Winnipeg Fringe.

But if you can get close seats, then, as Frances Koncan of the Winnipeg Free Press wrote in her review: “Performed with strength, grace, and flawless technique by acrobats Taylor Casas, Cynthia Price and Ezra Lebank, hell may be other people, as Sartre famously said, but this show soars pretty close to heaven.”

The Surprise

Martin Dockery won a Best of Fest at the Ottawa Fringe in 2014 with this popular solo show. Patrick Langston of the Ottawa Citizen wrote in his review: “This tale of family, love, other cultures and our essential aloneness in life feels as true as anything he’s ever done.” Alvina Ruprecht of Capital Critics Circle wrote: “A performance genius in our midst!”

Opera Mouse

Gall has toured Opera Mouse to multiple countries and continents. She’s brought it back to Winnipeg Fringe for a third time. If you missed it, bring kid(s) and have a good time.

African Folktales with Erik de Waal

Joff Schmidt of CBC Manitoba says it best about this kids favourite: “Erik de Waal has become a reliable Fringe mainstay with his delightful renditions of traditional folktales.” “for toddlers and elementary school-aged kids, de Waal is a reliable bet.”

Each year, de Waal has new tales for his young audience.

Things We (Never) Learned in Sex Ed

From the company that brought No Belles to the Fringe circuit comes this funny but also serious foray into the hits and misses of current sex education. Starting with ukuleles and an anatomically correct vulva puppet, Lindsay Spear and Phoebe Thompson start what seems to be a light bit of comedy. Yes there are laughs, but you’ll find it more informative and thought-provoking than first impressions suggest. An hour well worth your time.

As the Winnipeg Free Press’s Eva Wasney wrote in her review: “If the subject matter has you squirming in your seat, Spear and Thompson have made their point about society’s negative attitude towards sexual awareness.”

Field Zoology 101

I got advance notice of this show from Victoria Fringe doyenne Janis LaCouvée. Thank you, Janis.

Ingenue: Deana Durbin, Judy Garland and the Golden Age of Hollywood

Operatic Panic Attack

TJ Dawe fans will be pleased with his new show, but I’d recommend that newcomers to TJ’s material try out The Slip-Knot first. I liked the new material. I particularly enjoyed TJ’s portrayal of his induction to the world of opera. Worth the price of admission alone. But the show needs some editing as not all the tangents seem relevant or get resolved at the end.

As Mary Agnes Welch of the Winnipeg Free Press wrote in her review: “There are sweetly painful bits — his desperation to fit in at theatre school and nail his monologue class. There are wryly bang-on little gems of description — the overwrought theatre-y-ness of theatre students”.

Franz Ferdinand Must Die

I wasn’t expecting much from this storytelling one-hander about the hapless teenager who triggered (literally) the Great War (that we now know as World War I). Word on the street was, frankly, mixed. But Adam Bailey is an engaging and energetic storyteller and he captured my imagination for a full hour. Afterwards I scurried to Wikipedia to learn more about the individuals highlighted in this high-energy show.

As Joff Schmidt of CBC Manitoba wrote in his review: “Franz Ferdinand Must Die is overall absorbing — and pierces into a fascinating piece of history.”

Sherlock Holmes: The Sign of Four

Fans of By the Book Productions 2 Sherlock Holmes Adventures will probably like this latest three hander. (Ellie Heath joins Kenneth Brown and John D. Huston in this latest production.) As before, the actors share all the roles, so keep your wits about you to follow the action.

Ellie Heath is a welcome addition to the dynamics of the portrayals. But it’s the new character, Toby, who steals the show.

As Wendy King of the Winnipeg Free Press wrote in her review: “The role-switching sets a lively pace (and adds a touch of farce) to the Victorian action as Holmes and company solve the mystery surrounding the disappearance of Mary’s father. It’s jam-packed (and a little ragged) so be warned: blink and you’ll miss something. The bits and pieces of the solution come at you fast.”

2 For Tea

Don’t look for James and Jamesy to solve the problems of the world with exploratory discussion of redeeming social value. This is cotton-candy summer entertainment. Delightfully so.

James and Jamesy did so well with this show in 2013 on the Fringe circuit that they’ve brought it back to the Winnipeg Fringe. You now have another chance to see it if you missed it because of sellouts.

Dana Ewachow of Mooney on Theatre captured it well here: “2 For Tea is a play that really understands how to please an audience. The play entertains with physical whimsy, delightful props, and general silliness.”

Familiar performers are bringing brand new shows to the Edmonton Fringe that I haven’t had the opportunity to see. Don’t just stick to my above recommendations. Check out the new show by Die-Nasty for example.

I saw 28 shows at the Ottawa Fringe this year, and 47 at this year’s Winnipeg Fringe. Consequently I haven’t seen all the shows touring this year’s Edmonton Fringe. Plus my tastes don’t necessarily match yours. So go see some shows that I haven’t recommended.

Happy Fringing!

Coming to 2019 Winnipeg Fringe

Every year at least one of my friends and followers in Winnipeg asks for recommendations for the upcoming Winnipeg Fringe, based on what I’ve seen at the Ottawa Fringe. It’s already happened. (Can’t these people spell deferred gratification?)

Last year I again posted my list on my blog. It had 182 hits. Given this demand, I’m repeating the exercise. My list is based on shows I’ve seen at the Ottawa Fringe, and previous Winnipeg Fringes.

There are 179 shows coming to the Winnipeg Fringe this year. I’m going to stick to shows that I’ve seen already; there will be lots of good shows outside this list. More about that later.

Also, some comparisons don’t strictly make sense. What does it mean to rank a family-friendly show versus a mature show? Which type do you want to see? I happen to like both kinds, but not everybody does.

Some shows are not for everybody, no matter what my recommendation. Some shows may push you beyond your boundaries. Read the quoted reviews carefully.

Josephine, a Burlesque Cabaret Dream Play

We’ve seen Josephine in two versions: two years ago at the Winnipeg Fringe and last year’s expanded version at the Ottawa Fringe. When the buzz hit the street in Winnipeg two years ago, many people couldn’t get tickets. Last year, Josephine cleaned up at the Ottawa Fringe, winning the Outstanding Overall Production Award, the Volunteers Choice Award and a Best of Fest. Several performances sold out.

Get your tickets early.

Moonlight After Midnight

Concrete Drops is Martin Dockery & Vanessa Quesnelle. The show had sellouts at the 2014 Winnipeg Fringe. They picked up the Outstanding Original Work Award at the 2014 Ottawa Fringe, and an Honourable Mention from the Capital Critics Circle. Reviews were full of pull quotes. “A magical performance”. “This play is everything I’ve ever wanted out of theatre.” “A charming whodonewhat.” A romantic mystery, Moonlight After Midnight challenged reviewers to tempt readers while avoiding spoilers. See it with a friend. You’ll want to talk about it afterwards.

Magnificence

In my humble opinion, this is Keir Cutler’s best show ever! Cutler has appeared at the Winnipeg Fringe for many years, especially with his Teaching Shakespeare series of shows.

Magnificence is Cutler’s ode to his mother, and to her story (now out of print) about Madame Day, a Mohawk woman who acts during a crisis while a whole village stands aside, not wanting to get involved. As Apt613 reviewer, Barbara Popel, wrote in her review: ‘Mrs. Cutler calls Madame Dey’s act “magnificence,” meaning doing something great for a noble purpose. As it was.’

My life is richer having heard Keir Cutler tell us about Madame Dey.

The Walk in The Snow: the true story of Lise Meitner

War of 1812

Produced by Mike Delamont, starring Wes Borg, Morgan Cranny, Rod Peter Jr and Mike Delamont, last year’s remount of the Three Dead Trolls Fringe hit promised to be as hilarious as the original. Check out this song from the original.

CBC Manitoba reviewer Michelle Palansky wrote in her review: “Come for the Apocalypse Now re-enactment, stay for the two-metre-tall Laura Secord. The horror! Sketch comedy that makes you smrtr, this remount is a helluva crowd pleaser.”

Pack Animals

Pack Animals is a phenomenon. Within minutes the dynamic duo of Brinkman and Grummet had the audience roaring with their no-holds-barred humour (classified 14+).

Some may be offended by Brinkman and Grummet’s frankness. Tough!

Underneath the Lintel

2 For Tea

Don’t look for James and Jamesy to solve the problems of the world with exploratory discussion of redeeming social value. This is cotton-candy summer entertainment. Delightfully so.

Opera Mouse

Gall has toured Opera Mouse to multiple countries and continents. She’s brought it back to Winnipeg Fringe for a third time. If you missed it, bring kid(s) and have a good time.

Ingenue: Deana Durbin, Judy Garland and the Golden Age of Hollywood

The ADHD Project

Having seen this show in Ottawa at 11PM, I think it’s a perfect late night show. (I LIKE late night shows.) That hour seems to draw just the people who appreciate this quirky kind of humour. But it’s also a family friendly show that would be good for teenagers at any hour. You decide.

Brenda Dunn of Apt613 wrote: ‘This is a heartwarming and genuinely funny show that takes an honest look at the impact of ADHD without coming off as too much of an after-school-special. If you know anyone who is currently, or has ever been “the weird awkward kid,” bring them to enjoy this little toast to the atypical.’

I saw 27 shows at the Ottawa Fringe this year and about 55 at last year’s Winnipeg Fringe. Consequently I haven’t seen all the shows touring to this year’s Winnipeg Fringe, like Bossy Flyer’s Three for example. Nor have I seen any of the local productions like Cory Wojcik’s new play, Mix Tapes from my Mom. Or any of the latest improv like Outside Joke. In fact there are already 30 shows on my wanna-see list. So go see some shows that I haven’t recommended.

Happy Fringing!

Coming to 2018 Edmonton Fringe

It’s been another wonderful year for seeing shows on the Fringe circuit. The number of high quality productions continues to expand.

So why am I writing recommendations for the Edmonton Fringe?

Reason one. For six years I’ve posted recommendations for the upcoming Edmonton Fringe via the #yegfringe hashtag, based on what I’ve seen at the Winnipeg Fringe, the Ottawa Fringe and Ottawa’s Undercurrents festival. First on Facebook then five times on this blog. Last year there were 177 hits. I’ve already had more than one request for this year’s version. So there’s a demand.

Reason two. Once again we saw early sellouts at the Winnipeg and Ottawa Fringes. The first night of the Winnipeg Fringe we were locked out of three shows. A first! We saw a lot of shows sell out on the first or second performance. Advance ticket sales were way up from two years ago, even before they started. I expect that the same will be true for the Edmonton Fringe. Pick your shows early.

There are 227 shows scheduled in 46 venues at the Edmonton Fringe this year. I’m going to stick to shows that I’ve seen already; there will be lots of good shows outside this list. More about that below.

So here are shows that I’ve seen, that are coming to the Edmonton Fringe this year, and that I’m recommending. I’m going to attempt some sort of rough rank order, but, like reviewing, that order is subjective. (Many of the differences in my ranks are miniscule.) Your mileage may vary. Some shows are not for everybody, no matter what my recommendation. Read the reviews carefully.

There are 30 recommendations below. I don’t expect you’ll see them all. So read the descriptions and reviews and decide which appeal to you personally.

Jake’s Gift

Top of my list is Jake’s Gift. If you missed this at previous Edmonton Fringes, here’s your chance to see it. I saw Julia Mackey perform this in Ottawa in 2009 at the Canadian War Museum. She made war veterans weep. Mackey performed for the third time in Winnipeg at the 2013 Winnipeg Fringe and still sold out. If you haven’t seen Jake’s Gift, don’t miss it.

Josephine, a Burlesque Cabaret Dream Play

We’ve seen Josephine in two versions: last year at the Winnipeg Fringe and this year’s expanded version at the Ottawa Fringe. When the buzz hit the street in Winnipeg last year, many people couldn’t get tickets. This year, Josephine cleaned up at the Ottawa Fringe, winning the Outstanding Overall Production Award, the Volunteers Choice Award and a Best of Fest. Several performances sold out. The expanded version also sold out at this year’s Winnipeg Fringe.

Get your tickets early.

6 Guitars

Returning to the Edmonton Fringe, here’s another chance to catch this sellout show.

2013’s new kid at the Ottawa and Winnipeg Fringes, Chase Padgett, tied for Outstanding Solo Performance Award at the Ottawa Fringe Festival for his wonderful show, 6 Guitars. We saw the 60 minute version in Ottawa. We also saw the (even better) 90 minute version at the Winnipeg Fringe Festival.

Here’s what Michelle Palansky of CBC Manitoba had to say about Padgett and the 90 minute version in her review: “Chase Padgett himself, who is clearly a superior type of alien being transported to Earth to deliver some fine Fringe fare. See this show.”

Many fringers still haven’t seen 6 Guitars. Lots of people have seen it multiple times. This will probably still be hot ticket item.

The War of 1812

Produced by Mike Delamont, starring Wes Borg, Morgan Cranny, Rod Peter Jr and Mike Delamont, this remount of the Three Dead Trolls Fringe hit is even more hilarious than the original. And you’ll never enter a Laura Secord shop again without thinking of Mike Delamont. And yes, they’ve kept this song from the original.

One Man Lord of the Rings

Charles Ross packed them in at the 2004 Winnipeg Fringe when we saw him portray the entire trilogy (slightly abridged) in one hour. He had to cancel one of his shows because Industrial Light & Magic flew him to Los Angeles to do a private performance of One Man Star Wars Trilogy for their staff. Here are his reviews. Pick one.

Fool Muun Komming!

The Outstanding Solo Performance Award at the Ottawa Fringe went to Sam Kruger for Fool Muun Komming! Buzz hit the street with Barb Popel’s early review for Apt613: “I’ve only seen this type of really creative, weird and wonderful play at a Fringe festival. And even there, it’s a rare thing to find.”

Kruger was up against stiff competition at this year’s Ottawa Fringe, including Ottawa’s Pierre Brault (Winnipeg audiences saw his show Five O’Clock Bells). Kruger’s award is well-deserved.

Macbeth Muet

This was a treat of the 2016 Ottawa Undercurrents Festival. It was SO much fun! I wrote in my review: “This is the silliest production of Macbeth I’ve ever seen. And it is well-crafted silliness.”

Let’s be clear. Although there were many chuckles in the audience on opening night, Macbeth Muet is more silliness than laugh out loud comedy. This is a light-hearted pastiche. Shakespeare would probably approve.

It’s not all yucks however. I saw it again in Winnipeg. When the Macduff family is slaughtered the room turned eerily quiet in horror.

Don’t just take my word for it. Randall King of the Winnipeg Free Press wrote: “This is a display of sheer theatrical invention, certainly a must-see on your fringe menu.”

If you missed this at last year’s Edmonton Fringe, you’ve got another chance.

A Canadian Bartender at Butlin’s

I missed this T.J. Dawe show at the 2005 Winnipeg Fringe, but caught it at a near full house in a large venue at this year’s Winnipeg Fringe. Thank goodness I had a chance to correct that omission.

As Kevin Prokosh wrote in his Winnipeg Free Press review: “Thirteen years after its debut here, Canadian Bartender can still serve a stout theatrical brew.”

INTERSTELLAR ELDER: Badass Grandma in Space

Ingrid Hansen wowed Ottawa audiences with this one-person show and its stage-filling production values. Of all the Hansen shows I’ve seen, this is my favourite.

Kate Carmanico wrote in her review in Apt613: “An immersive experience led by an intelligent and fearless performer—Interstellar Elder is a Fringe masterpiece.”

Jesus Christ – The Lost Years

Let me say off the top that I loved this Monster Theatre production. This remount features Alex Gullason and Carly Pokoradi, two actresses from last year’s The Canada Show and I like this one better.

I’m not alone in that opinion. Lisa Campbell wrote: “Energy, intelligence and humour abound as these two gals throw their hearts and bodies into showing us what might have been during those lost years.”

Rocko and Nakota: Tales from the Land

Why? “Languedoc fills the entire ODD Box stage with his performance and characters.”

The CBC review crew’s Stephanie Cram called it “First Nations storytelling at its finest.”

Terms and Conditions

I took a flyer on this show because I saw the same company do a lovely show called Flight last year. I’m so glad I did.

I’ll let Ben MacPhee-Sigurdson of the Winnipeg Free Press do the talking for this fun show. He described it as a: “hilarious, incredibly acrobatic, 45-plus minute physical comedy” and wrote “once those characters’ bodies get moving, the acrobatics are spectacular. The action culminates with a fight scene featuring breathtaking gymnastics while retaining the quasi-madcap physical humour established at the outset.”

Magical Mystery Detour

Fringe veteran Gemma Wilcox returns with a 23-character one-woman show that won a Best of Fest at the Ottawa Fringe, most popular for its venue. Wilcox herself was on the short list for Capital Critics Circle Best Performer.

If you haven’t seen any of Wilcox’s multiple character shows, worry not. The Magical Mystery Detour stands on its own. A young woman, Sandra, is facing double-edged grief for a breakup with her lover and the death of her mother. But then a gift appears in the mail that send Sandra on a magical trip through southern England.

Patrick Langston (Ottawa Citizen) summarizes well: “it’s the trip itself and its unreal events, events to which she appears oblivious, that are so much fun: her car flirts, in a Scottish burr, with another car while stuck in a traffic jam; an annoying fly talks; a tree gets the hots for Sandra.”

In my review for Apartment 613, I wrote that Wilcox “changes shape from character to character with uncanny and rapid fluidity.”

Matthew Champ of On Stage Ottawa wrote: “this show is absolute magic”.

Nightmare on East Hastings

Bill Pats is back with a new story about his time as a property manager in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside. As Livia Belcea of Apt613 wrote “Bill’s fascinating story is worth hearing, and will undoubtedly have you reflect on social and political issues we often tend to ignore.” With graphic details and adult language, this show is definitely for mature audiences.

Daddy’s Boy

Erik de Waal starts out on familiar territory with personal stories of his childhood experiences of Apartheid. But then he turns to a life and death story of his father that grips the audience.

Death – A Romantic Comedy

Rob Gee premiered this show at this year’s Winnipeg Fringe. After a rocky first performance, his second night was much stronger and a delight to attend.

I wasn’t the only one to think so. Bradley Sawatzky of CBC Manitoba wrote: “Rob Gee is a powerhouse of a storyteller. He’s smart, wicked funny, and makes it all look effortless which it most certainly is not. Did I mention he’s wicked funny? Gee weaves together seemingly unrelated tales of loss, love, and drinking into one amazing narrative.”

The Wilds

Wonderheads are back with a new show. Lara Rae of the Winnipeg Free Press asks: “how can the mask face not move and yet we “see” the character smile, “look” sad, depressed etc?”

Yes, I know how they make their solid masks change expression on stage. NO, I’m not going to tell you how. Figure it out for yourselves!

I’ll let Rae have the last word: “Get ready to happily laugh and ugly cry.”

2 Sherlock Holmes Mysteries

Fringe legends Kenneth Brown and John D. Huston present this family friendly pair of whodunnits.

As Alan Small of the Winnipeg Free Press wrote: “Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson hardly need an introduction, and neither do the legendary fringe actors who portray them in this charming retelling of two of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s famous short stories.”

Blind to Happiness

… is my favourite Tim C. Murphy show. Period. Dramaturged by T.J. Dawe and it shows. I enjoyed every minute.

If you missed it at last year’s Edmonton Fringe, you now have a second chance.

Today, for Now

Warning: the Apocalypse can actually be very funny. But don’t take my word for it.

Kevin Prokosh of the Winnipeg Free Press wrote: “The Vancouver writing duo of Valerie Cotic and Jeff Leard have fun portraying an array of desperate people attempting to make the most of what little time is left.” He adds: “Cotic and Leard both display admirable commitment and versatility during their enjoyable 55 minutes on stage.”

OK, so it’s not War and Peace. But it is definitely fun.

jem rolls: I, Idiot

While a few audience members may recognize rolls’ performance poem, Clanger Man, the rest of the show is all new material. And it’s non-stop performance. Don’t blink or you may miss an important detail.

As Jennifer Cavanaugh wrote for Apt613: “With nothing on the stage and few light cues Rolls fully commands the space with his loud proclamations and exuberant movements moving from self-deprecating humour to wider observations with clever confidence and buffoonery.”

As an added bonus, catch rolls while he’s flyering for this show. At the Winnipeg Fringe he had two versions of his pitch. He called them the American version and the Canadian version. Ask for both. You’ll be glad you did.

African Folk Tales with Erik de Waal

Each year, de Waal has new tales for his young audience.

Field Zoology 101

I got advance notice of this show from Victoria Fringe doyenne Janis LaCouvée. Thank you, Janis.

Flute Loops

This is one of those “take a chance” shows that the Fringe circuit enables. Some will love it; some won’t. Either way Devon More seems to get the science right in this quirky tale of a Physics Ph.D. candidate who’s trying to work on her Theory of Everything thesis while volunteering as a roadie for her boy-friend’s band.

Reviewers have trouble putting their enthusiasm for this show into words. Michelle Palansky of CBC Manitoba does it best: “Calling all music/theoretical physics/theatre geeks! I know you’re out there! Now is your time, this is your play, I have found your queen.

Devon More is a fresh breath of Fringe weird, making quantum physics not only comprehensible but downright catchy.”

The ADHD Project

The Progressive Polygamists

If I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes, I wouldn’t have believed that a satire about polygamy at Bountiful could be so damned funny.

When this show played the 2012 Edmonton Fringe, Claire Theobald of the Edmonton Sun wrote: “Absolutely a show not to be missed, Progressive Polygamists will have you laughing so hard you will forget how much you are sweating.”

The Circus Firemen

Reviewers at Fringe Festivals ignore outdoor buskers and musicians. By the time the buzz found us, we had missed the Circus Firemen in 2014 at the Winnipeg Fringe. But they flyered us, and told us why we should see their show, on a train leaving Toronto last fall. So in 2015 I made time in my busy schedule to catch their outdoor act. They juggle flaming batons while balancing on straight ladders! And they’re funny! What more do you need to know? Don’t forget to put some money in their hats afterwards.

Big Wheel Show

I had a spare hour so I sat down at the outdoor stage at last year’s Winnipeg Fringe to check out Hannah Cryle’s acrobatic show involving a big steel wheel out in the open. Cryle starts out slowly to gain the confidence of her audience as she rolls among the crowd inside the heavy wheel. Then she recruits a couple of volunteers and the tricks become more and more impressive. Her finale is a real crowd-pleaser. Lots of people put folding money in her hat afterwards, myself included.

ReubenDotDotDot

This is one of the highest busker shows I’ve seen at any Fringe Festival. But Reuben performs his high pole act solo! He does recruit four strong volunteers to keep him aloft, but none of them have any training or experience with the act. Well worth folding money in the hat.

Tianna the Traveller

I caught the last part of this amazing escape artist’s show. I honestly didn’t think she could get out of the ropes, chains, locks, plastic ties and bands that surrounded her lithe body. I wasn’t the only doubting Thomas in the outdoor audience. Now I’m a believer. I was short on cash, but I threw everything I had into her busker’s hat at the end. Bring money.

Familiar performers are bringing brand new shows to the Edmonton Fringe that I haven’t had the opportunity to see. Don’t just stick to my above recommendations. Check out some new shows by A Little Bit Off, Colossal Productions, Die-Nasty, The Fourth Wall Ensemble, Guys in Disguise, Al LaFrance, Pop Goes the Opera, Randy Rutherford.

And Teatro La Quindicina is mounting a Lemoine premiere!

I saw 29 shows at the Ottawa Fringe this year, and 45 at this year’s Winnipeg Fringe. Consequently I haven’t seen all the shows touring this year’s Edmonton Fringe. Plus my tastes don’t necessarily match yours. So go see some shows that I haven’t recommended.

Happy Fringing!

Coming to 2018 Winnipeg Fringe

Every year at least one of my friends and followers in Winnipeg asks for recommendations for the upcoming Winnipeg Fringe, based on what I’ve seen at the Ottawa Fringe. It’s already happened.

Last year I again posted my list on my blog. It had 327 hits. Given this demand, I’m repeating the exercise. My list is based on shows I’ve seen at the Ottawa Fringe, previous Winnipeg Fringes and the 2016 Edmonton Fringe.

There are 180 shows coming to the Winnipeg Fringe this year. I’m going to stick to shows that I’ve seen already (with a few exceptions); there will be lots of good shows outside this list. More about that later.

Some shows are not for everybody, no matter what my recommendation. Some shows may push you beyond your boundaries. Read the quoted reviews carefully.

Josephine, a Burlesque Cabaret Dream Play

Get your tickets early.

6 Guitars

Returning to the Winnipeg Fringe, here’s another chance to catch this sellout show.

About 35,000 people go to the Winnipeg Fringe every year. Many of them haven’t seen 6 Guitars. Lots of people have seen it multiple times. This will probably still be hot ticket item.

Nashville Hurricane

Chase Padgett brings back his 2014 Winnipeg Fringe hit. Joff Schmidt of CBC Manitoba wrote: “Nashville Hurricane is a Fringe force of nature. Don’t let it pass you by.” If you missed it, now’s your chance. If you saw it and want to have Padgett blow you away again, don’t wait until the last minute.

Flight

Last year, Flight was our 7-year-old niece’s favourite. She’s learning gymnastics and loves seeing dance. This is a remarkably beautiful piece (based on The Little Prince) that we saw twice at last year’s Winnipeg Fringe.

Michelle Palansky of CBC Manitoba wrote: “Flight relies upon astonishing acrobatics and the willingness of the audience to imagine new worlds”.

Take kids, adults, and friends… to see Flight.

Fool Muun Komming!

Kruger was up against stiff competition at this year’s Ottawa Fringe, including Ottawa’s Pierre Brault (Winnipeg audiences saw his show Five O’Clock Bells). Kruger’s award is well-deserved.

INTERSTELLAR ELDER: Badass Grandma in Space

Ingrid Hansen wowed Ottawa audiences with this one-person show and its stage-filling production values. Of all the Hansen shows I’ve seen, this is my favourite.

Kate Carmanico wrote in her review in Apt613: “An immersive experience led by an intelligent and fearless performer—Interstellar Elder is a Fringe masterpiece.”

The Elephant Girls

For years, I’ve attended shows at the Winnipeg Fringe and thought, “I wish my Ottawa Friends could see this.” Lately I’ve been seeing a few shows at the Ottawa Fringe and wished that my Winnipeg friends could see them. The Elephant Girls is one such show.

The Elephant Girls won the Outstanding Production Award at the 2015 Ottawa Fringe and the Capital Critics Circle Best Show Award. It sold out its entire run plus its Best of Fest performance. It was held over for two performances in July.

Kat Fournier of the Capital Critics Circle wrote: “Gritty, powerful and excellently crafted, The Elephant Girls is an astounding story that transports its audience to a bar in historic, inter-war London, England. Here at the Ottawa Fringe, we are fortunate to have seen the world premiere of a show that will undoubtedly become a great success.”

The Elephant Girls played the 2016 Winnipeg Fringe Festival to packed houses, and went on to the Edinburgh Fringe. It’s back again for all those people who missed it the first time.

Big Shot

I saw Jon Lachlan Stewart’s Big Shot at the 2011 Winnipeg Fringe. I was blown away by the cinematography, or rather by the cinematic feel of the piece. I’m not the only one. Jill Wilson of the Winnipeg Free Press wrote: “Written and performed by the magnetic Jon Lachlan Stewart, the 75-minute Big Shot is a bravura work.”

If the name Jon Lachlan Stewart sounds familiar to you, he was half to the duo that presented the marvelous Macbeth Must at last year’s Winnipeg Fringe.

Rocko and Nakota: Tales from the Land

Why? “Languedoc fills the entire ODD Box stage with his performance and characters.”

Take kids and adults to this family friendly show.

War of 1812

Produced by Mike Delamont, starring Wes Borg, Morgan Cranny, Rod Peter Jr and Mike Delamont, this remount of the Three Dead Trolls Fringe hit promises to be as hilarious as the original. Don’t believe me? Check out this song from the original.

A Nightmare on East Hastings

Shadows in Bloom

After the house lights came up, my wife turned to our friend and asked, “So how did you like the show?”

“Oh, Wow!!!”

Gemma Wilcox tends to have that effect on audience members.

Gemma Wilcox brings back her 2008 hit to the Winnipeg Fringe.

As Bill Bows of Variety wrote: “Wilcox moves easily through the nuances of London’s class-tinged dialects and accents, mixing vocal virtuosity with imaginative expressions and postures to herald each new personality”

jem rolls: I, Idiot

2 Ruby Knockers, 1 Jaded Dick: A Dirk Darrow Investigation

Since this is a prequel to Tim Motley’s Dirk Darrow NCSSI, you don’t have to have seen Motley’s previous Fringe show. This show is even more popular, having won a Patron’s Pick at the 2014 Winnipeg Fringe. As Pat St. Germain of the Winnipeg Free Press wrote: “Amazing card tricks, mind games and groaners galore add up to 60 minutes, or more, of pure entertainment”. Keep your pencils.

I saw 29 shows at the Ottawa Fringe this year, about 60 at the 2017 Winnipeg Fringe and 39 at the 2016 Edmonton Fringe. Consequently I haven’t seen all the shows touring to this year’s Winnipeg Fringe. Nor have I seen any of the local productions like Knavish Hedgehogs or Kiss the Giraffe. Or any of the latest improv, like The Crumbs and Outside Joke. So go see some shows that I haven’t recommended.

Happy Fringing!