Reviews will be updated daily after 2 p.m. untl July 24.

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5 stars
N.O.N.C.E.
Steve Larkin
Venue 2, MTC Up the Alley

U.K. poet Steve Larkin delivers a riveting tale based on his own real-life experience serving as poet-in-residence at HMP Grendon Underwood, a high-security therapeutic correctional institution in England. Surrounded by rapists, murderers and pedophiles, Larkin introduces the inmates to creative writing, using the art form as a tool for catharsis and rehabilitation in his antisocial pupils. Among his spoken-word narratives about criminal students with pseudonyms such as Paul Weller and John Lennon and his own personal battles, Larkin interjects his sublime slam poetry with a gripping rap cadence and brash punk rock style that casts over you like a spell. His account is enthralling and his execution superb. Larkin creates theatre that will speak equally to those who find their poetry from classic literary forms or subversive musicians. Run to this show.

— Julijana Capone

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5 stars
NO TRAVELER: A COMEDY ABOUT SUICIDE
Pennypollak
Venue 3, The Playhouse Studio

Now THIS is Fringe theatre. Written and acted by New York’s wild-eyed, wild-haired Penny Pollak, this dark, edgy one-woman show focuses on a troubled young woman who, in a wine-induced fit of despair, decides to slash her wrists with a straight-razor. Her cry for attention is a little too successful, and she wakes up in a puke-filled bucket in purgatory. Her way out? Stop at least one self-destructive woman from the same fate. Heavy stuff, to be sure, but No Traveler is indeed a comedy about suicide, filled with macabre humour that Pollak delivers flawlessly. (At the afternoon showing I was at, the audience members seemed tentative and guarded with their laughter, but this critic happens to take her humour black.) Pollak is also a gifted physical performer who often says more with her body than she does with her mouth, and she was absolutely thrilling to watch. And with a script and story so strong, it’s no wonder No Traveler is being adapted into a feature-length film by acclaimed American History X director Tony Kaye.

— Jen Zoratti

• • •

2.5 stars
OH, TANNENBAUM!
Stinging Nettle Productions
Venue 1, MTC Mainstage

Dr. Tannenbaum is a scientist trying to find a cure for depression. As he drifts off to sleep one night, he ends up in a strange dreamworld that appears to be influenced by paganism and fairy tales. The elaborate costumes, sets and backdrop of this production bring Tannenbaum’s dreamworld to life and are incredibly eye catching. However, the good doctor is anything but impressed by all this natural beauty. He thinks it’s dirty and his scientific ideas don’t fare well in a forest where electronic gadgets and pills don’t exist. He meets three talking herbs who slowly convince him that have everything we need to be happy is within us all. This is a good message overall, but the conversations in the forest can go on for far too long and, frankly, it gets boring, waiting for Tannenbaum to become a changed man. Luckily there’s a newscaster in this dreamworld who interjects with some funny lines.

— Deborah Remus

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2.5 stars
OH, THAT WILY SNAKE!
Concrete Drops
Venue 12, Canwest Centre for Theatre and Film (U of W)

You know, it often doesn't even matter if the actors are capable and have clear rapport onstage: if they're working with a script that's just not engaging or even puzzling at the core, they’re in trouble. The performers did their damndest here and seem to think Martin Dockery's text actually amounts to some substance, but it just doesn’t, making this a tedious Fringe experience at even a mere 45 minutes. The story: this dude has hoped for some sexing with this chick, see, and has even conveniently brought his bed over. Then he finds out she’s got an enormous-in-every-way Belgian boyfriend, who seems to be about 12 feet tall. Can he turn her head by whisking her off on a magic bed ride… through the clouds? One thing's for sure: he can’t turn ours. Whatever point, tone or feel Dockery was aiming for is a mystery, and this story just leaves us cold.

— Kenton Smith

• • •

3.5 stars
OUTSIDE JOKE
Outside Joke
Venue 21, Rudolph Rocker Cultural Centre, 91 Albert

I'm generally wary when it comes to improv due to the inconsistent nature of it. Outside Joke, however, held my attention and had me guffawing at a reliable pace. One single, audience-supplied  concept was turned into an hour-long musical opus with humorous results. The ridiculousness of breaking into song at odd intervals made for an excellent comedic device, and the songs weren't half bad for being entirely improvised. There was also a certain charm that came with the Outside Joke crew's knack for covering up their own obvious blemishes in plot structure — even if the result was a boner joke.

— Nicholas Luchak

• • •

2 stars
PARTY WORTH CRASHING
Jo Ha Kyu Productions
Venue 9, Shaw Performing Arts Centre (MTYP)

For some people, conventionally insincere, corny musicals are heralded as great forms of entertainment. I kind of consider them to be the lowest common denominator. I find it a tad condescending to be spoon-fed simple plot points via over-the-top song/dance numbers. That said, some of these songs were well written and well performed, but I don't think I was the target audience. If this show were properly named Whiskey Dix: The Musical, I would have known to steer clear of it. The biggest revelation in the plot was revealed as a call-to-action, telling 20-somethings to do something with their lives, since all of them are spending most of their free time chugging Heinekens and hunting for poon/peen. At least I think that's what the point was; my mind set off its defense mechanism and rapidly started to wander about halfway through the show.

— Nicholas Luchak

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3 stars
THE PHYSICISTS
Relativity Theatre
Venue 6, Tom Hendry Theatre at the MTC Warehouse

Isaac Newton, Albert Einstein and Johann Möbius feel guilty that their work could be responsible for the decline of mankind. But since none of those physicists lived in the same lifetime, they’re just a bunch of mentally ill men who live in an asylum. All of them kill their nurses and Möbius believes the Biblical King Solomon regularly visits him. And if that’s not enough for you, these guys aren’t actually insane. They’re just faking it. While this did get the odd laugh from the audience, this isn’t the best choice for a comedy — it’s too deep to be funny. And it can be confusing as well, but luckily this play doesn’t get too dull; the characters are intriguing enough that you won’t drift off.

— Deborah Remus

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4.5 Stars
PLAYING FOR ADVANTAGE
Black Sheep Theatre
Venue 4, Alloway Hall, Manitoba Museum

A clever, sweet, charming, and funny two-hander written by Noah Casey about a boy-girl couple meeting, dating, and so on, presented as a tennis match. No program means no name actors, alas, but they easily handled the verbal volleys with perfect rhythm as they move naturally from adorable partners to bitter rivals. It's tennis lessons in love.

— Quentin Mills-Fenn

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4 stars
THE PRE-HISTORY OF MOSES P.
Erik de Waal
Venue 8, Rachel Browne Theatre

Erik de Waal never disappoints. The one-man storytelling machine from Cape Town, South Africa returns to our own colonial state with perhaps the most affecting tale I’ve yet seen him tell. De Waal’s shared some good ones before, but what’s jumped out most on previous occasions is the man’s gift for evoking vivid imagery, using nothing but oral ingenuity infused with heart and soul. This time we find ourselves deeply involved in de Waal’s deeply sad story about the racial politics of the apartheid era – and how the self-interested drive to fit in and prosper can fool some into thinking they belong, even when someone else’s rules say they don’t. On that point, de Waal’s closing lines have devastating effect; in a larger sense, his tale is about the evil of being accommodating to evil. And unlike alarmingly more and more long-winded performers at the Fringe, de Waal knows when to stop for best effect.

–– Kenton Smith

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3 Stars
THE PRICE OF ADMISSION
Jurasco Productions
Venue 11, Red River College

Wayne James, an organic farmer, delivers a thought piece about farming, chemicals, and what should be our relationship to the land. Less an entertainment piece, let alone a play, than a genially delivered lecture, complete with songs. There’s an amusing anecdote about growing up in a DDT world. Go with an open mind and you might learn something.

— Quentin Mills-Fenn

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3.5 stars
PRINCESS DEE: THE PRINCESS DIANA STORY RETOLD
Eye of the Storm Productions
Venue 20: Aqua Books

A tale of a bulimic trapped in a loveless marriage is a bit of a tough sell among the cornucopia of delights at the Fringe. Princess Dee: The Princess Diana Story Retold flirts with sophomoric humour via broad caricatures of lower class Brits and clever wordplay all about not saying "dog shit", but more often Carly Tarret deftly communicates the genuine sadness of a woman who desperately wants to be loved. The Royals are presented as two-bit swindlers and extortionists who lord it over the council flats of Britannia Estates; The Queen is cannily re-interpreted as chain-smoking pub owner Queenie who bosses around her kebab king husband and sleaze-ball son, Charlie (guess who?). When Tarret plays four characters at once, things become a little muddied, but she crackles as the beset-upon but not wholly victimized Dee and the icy Queenie. Dee's life parallels that of Princess Diana, making this feel like a well-researched biography, but Princess Dee ducks the inevitable gory conclusion — not quite to offer hope, though.

— Sandee Moore

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3.5 stars
RAMBO: THE MISSING YEARS
Howard Petrick Presents
Venue 10, Planetarium Auditorium
 
Billed as a comedy, this one-man offering from American writer/performer Howard Petrick definitely has its very funny moments. A true story, Petrick was drafted — sort of — to serve in the Vietnam War way back in 1967. In Rambo: The Missing Years Petrick delivers, by way of wonderful characterizations of a multitude of Army brass and other draftees, his tragi-comic story of working an anti-war campaign while being enlisted. For 60 minutes he has you laughing through the fear as he describes his daunting challenges trying get away with acts that border on treason, at least to the U.S. Army. Hanoi Howie gradually becomes a celebrity of sorts and Petrick's smooth writing and linear flow makes his story super-engaging and yes, very funny. Of course, Rambo doesn’t join The Anti War Committee at Fort Hood, Texas and the rebellious Petrick gets thrown out of the Army. This piece will have you questioning much and realizing that although there is no draft in place currently, there are still some of the same issues revolving around soldiers and their reasons for enlisting.

–– Jeff Monk

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5 stars
THE RETURN OF THE REVENGE OF THE SON OF HTE BRIDE OF MACABRE TALES OF HORROR AND MACABRENESS II: SATAN'S BOOGALOO
Puppy In Pants Productions
Venue 6, Tom Hendry Theatre at the MTC Warehouse

Despite an opening warning from Satan (George McRobb) to lower your expectations for the sequel to last year’s acclaimed sketch comedy horror show, much like Evil Dead 2, this follow-up is just as good as the original.  With eight campy stories told with tongue firmly in cheek and performed by a top notch cast, the production saves the best tale for last.  And Baby Makes.. Murder! is an over-the-top depiction of murderous infants and also makes use of the fantastic set design and costumes. The Return… is a perfect mixture of horror and comedy, even if there is admittedly less gore.

— Amanda Stefaniuk

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4 Stars
R.I.S.K.
Michael Davidson
Venue 7, The Cinematheque

Michael Davidson's one-and-a-half man show (sidekick Brennan Campbell is a largely silent presence on stage) is something you’ll either love or hate. Davidson’s got a background in improv and it shows with his rapid-fire delivery as he gleefully shatters theatre conventions. Sure, having no description whatsoever in the Fringe program is kind of, um, risky, but that’s the point. This is a performance that wants you to re-evaluate your life, which is not everybody’s idea of an hour of entertainment. And once I figured out what was going on, I loved it.

— Quentin Mills-Fenn

• • •

2.5 stars
ROALD DAHL'S THE WITCHES
MTYP Yo.Co.
Venue 9, Shaw Performing Arts Centre (MTYP)?

The next generation of actors is on display in Manitoba Theatre for Young People's adaptation of one of Roald Dahl's deliciously dark children's novels. The cast gives it all — and it’s clear they’re having fun — but a few technical hiccups (including delayed music cues) take away from the production. There are a number of stand outs in the cast, and the actor playing the Grand High Witch plays up the role in the best way possible: half Angelica Huston, half Charles Busch — and all memorable stage villain.  Kids will enjoy the show more than parents, even if the titular witches think they smell of dog’s droppings.

— Amanda Stefaniuk

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3 stars
ROGUE COP
Fallis & Ball's Productions
Venue 6, Tom Hendry Theatre at the MTC Warehouse

Rogue Cop promises "over-the-top '80s cop action onstage" and it delivers in spades. This swaggering hour-long romp concerns Skylar Murphy (Adam Hurtig), a mustachioed, trigger-happy detective with a penchant for taking matters into his own hands — and no shortage of "testicular fortitude" to get the job done right. More homage than parody, Rogue Cop doesn't so much send up '80s cop/action flicks so much as it works within the tropes of the genre — and as such, its characters often come across like one-dimensional caricatures (see: the hooker with a heart of gold, the curmudgeonly police chief, the corrupt cop, etc.). Yes, there are big laughs — including a particularly inspired chase scene — but there's a conspicuous lack of heart. Still, as a turn-your-brain-off summer popcorn blockbuster, Rogue Cop is a huge success.

— Jen Zoratti

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1.5 stars
RUN FOR YOUR LIFE
Sinéad Cormack
Venue 1, John Hirsch Theatre at the MTC Mainstage

When your audience members start texting, falling asleep or darting their eyes towards the nearest exit, you know there has been a fatal mistake in the overall concept and execution of your play. Ireland native Sinéad Cormack is unfortunately guilty of this. In her 45-minute piece, which centres on her own inner-desire to explore the world, she includes barely enough substance for it to be considered a cohesive play. There is a trace of character development that might have been built upon, but instead the audience is punished for Cormack's lack of content and is forced to watch her run back and forth for roughly 30 minutes on a map that has been drawn-out on the floor of the stage. I found the protracted nature of this work to be arduous and at times unbearable. This show might be enlightening to a geography student, but ultimately there is still a lot of work to be done here.

— Julijana Capone

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4.5 stars
THE SAME JOKE TWICE
Big Word Performance Poetry
Venue 9, Shaw Performing Arts Centre (MTYP)

The show within a show premise isn't as mind-blowing as it once may have been, but this show really breaks it down into something much more abstract. The Same Joke Twice is a production that purposefully struggles with its own concept before your eyes. Caley Suliak and Richard Lee play a couple trapped in a hotel room of indecisiveness, both struggling to write independent plays that turn out to be exactly the same. It's kind of like watching a faster-paced live version of the Spike Jonze/Charlie Kaufman-penned film Adaptation. These two unfortunate souls go through the process of attempting to interpret several styles of post-modernist theatre, displaying the confusion and madness of trying to commit an idea to a manageable art form. In doing so they effortlessly imitate the stylings of Woody Allen, Samuel Beckett, and even MTYP itself while trying to pin down a worthwhile approach. The Same Joke Twice's dialogue moves at a brilliantly break-neck speed and, because of its self-aware, self-deprecating nature, comes off clever as hell.

–– Nicholas Luchak

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3.5 Stars
THE SEMINAR
Poieme Productions
Venue 8, The rachel Browne Theatre

A very black comedy about the beauty trap and the lengths people will go to be attractive. There are some very clever bits and some really funny lines but there’s not quite enough material for a whole show, however, and the production seems somewhat padded. Still, the plastic surgery is gruesomely presented and the audience participation is wonderfully excruciating.

— Quentin Mills-Fenn

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3.5 stars
SCARLET WOMAN
SunsetGun Productions
Venue 8, Rachel Browne Theatre

Scarlet Woman is a film noir melodrama replete with winking nods to the genre's overcomplicated plots and overreliance on stereotypes. Not a parody so much as a homage, the play's strength lies in its loving reproduction of the genre's attributes, from the deadly femme fatale to the quintiple-cross. While some audiences might bristle at the barrage of film noir clichés, the self-consciousness with which the actresses play out these roles rehabilitates them somewhat. The able Brittany Parker and Candy Simmons play every role, and their constant shifting accents the noir-ish theme of unstable identity. However, the characters tend to bleed into one another, with just a few distinguishing marks. The performances are solid but the production a bit loose, although the actresses recovered quickly and gracefully from their flubs and missed cues (this may not be an issue with further performances). All told, a solid show whose script is filled with quirky noir one-liners, but without much depth beneath its lipstick veneer.

— Jonathan Ball

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2.5 stars
THE SCENTS OF TANG
Alexandria Elliott & Black Heart Dance
Venue 8, Rachel Browne Theatre

Any show inspired by the roiling passions of Argentine tango sounds promising. However, The Scents of Tang only winds up paying lip service to this classic art form — it’s ultimately all talk but little action. 

Choreographed by Winnipeg dance artists Alexandria Elliott and Renée Vandale, the 35 minute show (10 minutes shy of its billed 45 minutes) is performed by Nicole Coppens, Elliott, Farrah Fernando, Keren Parker and Vandale. There is a sketchy narrative — two dancers assert their dominance like alpha females; catfights ensue; individuals writhe and sob onstage as tensions erupt; dancers egg each other in quasi-turf wars until the show’s final, inexplicably calm resolution.

The choreography felt overly contrived while lacking the slinkiness inherent to tango. Any tension created quickly dissipates. Although it’s admirable to see original choreography produced, an outside eye and/or creative director could have helped this puzzler live up to its sultry potential.    

— Holly Harris

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4 stars
SHADES
Drive Dance
Venue 8, Rachel Browne Theatre

Winnipeg’s Drive Dance follows up last year’s hit premiere show with its latest offering. Performed by founding troupe members Arlo Baskier-Nabess, Kathleen Hiley and Robyn Thomson Kacki, Shades reveals "a world of vulnerability, emotion, physicality and risk" with the mixed contemporary bill featuring six works by choreographers Stephanie Ballard and Gaile-Petursson-Hiley.

Ballard’s Mara (1989), created for the great Canadian modern dancer Margie Gillis, is a classic.
Hiley’s expressive performance of the mesmerizing solo recalls a young Gillis while making it her own. She easily handled the backward flips and swirling train of her black dress, with every sideways glance luring viewers into mysterious worlds.    

Another highlight is Petursson-Hiley’s Chutes and Ladders (2010). The high-octane ensemble work, in which dancers precariously perch atop a ladder or fall backwards into each other’s arms, included additional guest dancers James Thomson Kacki, Ardley Zozobrado and Warren Clelland. The explosive piece bristles with energy as a joyful celebration of movement itself.

— Holly Harris

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4.5 stars
SIGURD THE DRAGONSLAYER
The Struts and Frets Players
Venue 3, The Playhouse Studio

Sigurd the Dragonslayer is a Monty Python-esque small-stage adaptation of a Norse myth. The narrator’s introduction belies how funny the rest of the show will be, but its wit and self-reference become clear within the show’s first five minutes. The Struts and Frets Players deliver their tongue-twister lines effortlessly and have the audience cracking up with their pop culture references (such as "G," the blinged-out wooden horse) and recurring gags (like how Sigurd doesn’t get out much, save for naked bear-chase Thursdays). This play is for the quick-witted and the mythically-savvy; the web of related characters and murders is particularly complicated when crammed into a 75-minute play. Clever props alleviate some of the tangles in the web of characters, like the screen for puppeteering background stories, and are tangible reminders of the razor-sharp Struts and Frets Players.

— Emily Wessel

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3.5 stars

SLUT (R)EVOLUTION

Cameryn Moore

Venue 11, Red River College

 

 

Cameryn Moore brings us into her sexual sphere of Craigslist hookups, group orgies, BDSM discovery, you-name-it kinks and dripping innuendo. In between talk of sexual exploits, Moore spills candid details about her journey into promiscuity, from her Mormon upbringing and bi-curious coming-of-age to all-out sexual revolt. I should warn you that her raunchy tales are not for the faint of heart. I sat beside an 86 year-old woman, whose discomfort was palpable, especially during a scene in which Moore acts out an orgasm, while masturbating under a sheet to erotic-readings. If you have ever been curious about sexual experimentation, Moore allows you to live vicariously through her own experiences. As a performer, she is sometimes awkward, but always comes across honest and uncensored. A show of very smutty proportions. 

 

–– Julijana Capone

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4 stars
SOFA SO GOOD
Small Matters Productions
Venue 6, Tom Hendry Theatre at the MTC Warehouse

Are Fringe fests more or less the only remaining places to see classic clowning like this? If so, then that’s all the more reason to cherish the occasions: I wouldn’t want to do without seeing the likes of Edmonton-based Small Matters Productions, and their clowns-in-love Rocket and Sheshells. Around the loose themes of moving in together, lovers’ quarrels and a possessed couch retrieved from the trash, performers Adam Keefe and Christine Lesiak find endless creative and comedic possibilities — and, for that matter, more or less sum up the essence of the domestic relationship. There’s a lot of laughter of recognition to be found in this show, as well as just some plain wicked, well-conceived comedy — such as an uproarious stretch involving a dildo secreted in the couch’s folds. This is the kind of stuff we go to the Fringe for.

— Kenton Smith

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4 stars
SOMETHING ABOUT LIFE
Chris Gibbs
Venue 24, School of Contemporary Dancers

Comedian Chris Gibbs is a Fringe favourite and it’s not hard to understand why; the guy is absolutely, show-stoppingly hilarious. In this performance, the  self-deprecating British expat went for a stripped-down standup routine under the loose, anything-goes theme of ‘Something About Life’ — which is perfect; after all, Gibbs is a master of observational humour, and his timing is second-to-none. He’s also a bundle of energy, and a deft physical comedian. What else is there to say? Go see this.

— Jen Zoratti

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5 stars
SOUND & FURY’S "DOC FAUSTUS"
Sound & Fury
Venue 18, The Gas Station Theatre

L.A.’s Sound & Fury start the laughs before the show even begins, joking with the assembled audience at the expense of late-comers scuttling to their seats. From there they launch into a rip-snorting, loosey-goosey adaptation (they admit it includes only about four lines from the original play) of Christopher Marlowe’s "only hit", his medieval Doctor Faustus re-imagined as a wide-eyed, Texan "Doc". Marlowe’s play provides a structure, including narration delivered by a chorus, for largely improvised giggles about damnation ("Actually, [Lucifer]'s a vegetarian, but he will eat your soul"). Tipping their Stetsons to the "no fourth wall" tradition of vaudeville, costume/character changes are woven into the action and the dialogue: "How theatrically convenient." The comic quips shine brightest when the actors genuinely crack each other up; the whole thing is brought to a (literally) crashing conclusion when John Wayne upstages Doc Faustus during his big dramatic scene, then demons cart the doctor off to Transcona. Alakazam! Allosaurus! Devilishly clever laughs are summoned forth.

— Sandee Moore

• • •

3 stars
SPEECH & DEBATE
Pocket Frock Productions
Venue 2, MTC Up The Alley

 Linked by a small-town sex scandal, three Salem, Ore. teens come together to form their high school’s speech and debate team. Written by American playwright Stephen Karam, this Winnipeg production features wannabe actress/drama queen Diwata (Tatitana Carnevale), aspiring journalist Solomon (Nyk Bielak) and new gay kid on the block Howie (Jonathan Lawrence), who plan to expose the truth, well, if their own dirty secrets don’t get in the way. With witty dialogue, silly songs, hilarious dance numbers and comical notions such as a gay Abraham Lincoln, Speech and Debate is full of funny. However, said laughs are too far apart, the pacing is extremely uneven and, at 90 minutes, the play is way too long.

 — Jared Story

• • •

2.5 stars
SPIN THE RASCAL
Crosseyed Rascals
Venue 11, Red River College

This is improv comedy — or, as my spell checker calls it, "improve" comedy — and that little paperclip might be onto something, as Crosseyed Rascals could use a boost in the laughs department. The Winnipeg clean-comedy team has got ad-libbing down – albeit in predictable improv games such as Questions Only, Alphabet and Should’ve Said – but can’t quite deliver the knock-out punchline. It’s not for lack of trying. All four performers are energetic, enthusiastic, likable, well-groomed, etc., but more fun than funny. Oh, there are plenty of chuckles, even giggles, teehees and titters, but no knee-slapping, shoulder-shaking, "I have to pee" laughs. Without a guffaw, the games seem to go on forever. Seriously, I almost yelled "Scene!" a few times.  Perhaps that’s the nature of working clean. For this reviewer, not going blue means missing out a whole other hilarious side of life.

— Jared Story

• • •

5 stars
SPITTING IN THE FACE OF THE DEVIL
John Montgomery Theatre Company
Venue 4, Alloway Hall

Now here is a one-man show that lacks no dimension and leaves no question unanswered. Thanks to Bob Brader's charismatic portrayal of a character by the same name and that Bob's mother, grandmother, father, and childhood friends, Spitting in the Face of the Devil is full, complete, and leaves no questions - except perhaps how much of the play is autobiographical. Brader recounts his formative and dark childhood experiences with his father ("the devil") on a barely lit stage and among almost no props. Though he revisits his disturbing past, Brader keeps the audience mesmerized with his dark comedic relief.

 — Emily Wessel

• • •

3 Stars
SPRING AWAKENING
Academy of Broadcasting Corporation Faculty of Broadcasting
Venue 4, Alloway Hall, Manitoba Museum

An ambitious mounting of the notorious play by Frank Wedekind, translated by American literary star Jonathan Franzen and later turned into a hit Broadway musical. Nineteenth-century German teenagers get into all sorts of mischief (various kinds of sex, abortion, suicide). It’s a difficult, challenging work, and makes for a long afternoon or evening but it’s probably your only chance to see the non-musical version of the play in the city. Good for them.

— Quentin Mills-Fenn

• • •

3 stars
STRIPES: THE MYSTERY CIRCUS
Stripes: The Mystery Circus
Venue 2, MTC up the alley

It’s really hard to know what to make of this play. Odd and eccentric as only a Fringe play can be, Sarah Hayward’s one-woman show is personal and often captivating. Hayward is an amazingly energetic performer, leaping about the stage, playing eight different characters throughout. She’s also a capable singer, and the songs, with a couple exceptions, are great. But where the play really falters is with the framing device of the whole thing. Ostensibly about a woman auditioning to be in the circus, it loses focus about halfway through, and some of the songs feel awkwardly shoehorned in. That said, if you don’t mind the story too much, the show is worth checking out just to watch Hayward’s performance.

— Mike Sherby

• • •

5 stars
THE SUCKER PUNCH
Stupid Gumball Dispenser Productions
Venue 7, Cinematheque

Quite the accurate title, that: this powerful, brilliantly performed jewel knocks the air clean out of us in startling fashion. Winnipegger and Fringe regular Brent Hirose's inspired premise asks: what if you could re-do the last five seconds of your life? Short-term time travel, after all, could help you fix all those Freudian slips and otherwise ill-chosen words at the wrong moments. Or, it could only underline what little control we often truly have over our own fates, and prevent us from ever learning from our mistakes — which is the only real, painful means of coming to terms with ourselves. As the action progresses, we slowly, almost disquietingly realize how deeply Hirose, as playwright, has reached — and how profoundly we’ve been moved. As an actor, Hirose moves in and out of characters with astonishing effortlessness, never for an instant dropping out of the moment. Don’t miss this one for the world.

–– Kenton Smith

• • •

3.5 stars
THE TASTE OF HONEY
In Between Productions
Venue 17, PTE Colin Jackson Studio

It may not be my favourite kitchen sink drama — that honour go to Poor Cow — but this production of 1958's The Taste of Honey nicely captures the desperate lives of the British working class of that era. Victoria Hill plays Jo, a 17-year old girl who finds herself pregnant and alone after a fling with a sailor. Not helping matters is her negligent mother (Kirsten Wattis) who promptly abandons Jo after catching the eye of a rich lothario (Justin Pike). Considering the venue's close quarters, the decision to break the fourth wall at moments doesn't work all the time, but it's a bold move nonetheless. Don't be out off by its 90-minute running time, either; despite a few awkward moments where props are switched out, the production goes by at a brisk pace.

— Amanda Stefaniuk

• • •

4 stars
TEACHING SHAKESPEARE 2
Doctor Keir Co.
Venue 20, Aqua Books

Keir Cutler's Teaching Shakespeare 2 takes the form of a monologue by a defamed, deluded community college professor. The title is a misnomer, since the good "doctor" is only teaching one thing in class today: his own unpublished novel, Detroit, which (he informs us) trumps anything by Shakespeare. The character is a cheap cliché — the disgraced university professor, self-absorbed and self-pitying, who brings vodka to class — but Cutler plays him well. The strength of the show is Detroit itself, which the professor reads from and talks about and acts outs. Overwrought and too heavy in its themes, its basic idea fits the mold of the Great American Novel despite its poor execution and abysmal ending: Detroit is just good enough to be bad. As a creative writer and instructor, I've met people with similar delusions of grandeur and skewed perceptions of their own talent, and I’ve read other Detroits. If Cutler trusted the material enough to dial down the stereotype, the play would be perfect. Nevertheless, Cutler captivates, and the show never lags. Shakespeare class has never been so silly and fun.

— Jonathan Ball

• • •

4 stars
THINGS THAT NEVER HAPPEN
Travis Bernhardt
Venue 5, Son of Warehouse

We can thank Winnipeg-born conjurer Doug Henning for inspiring Vancouver’s Travis Bernhardt for his interest in magic. And because of the late local talent, the unashamedly nerdy Bernhardt has brought his fun and wonderful show to the Fringe. Whether it's a trick as canonical as the torn and restored newspaper or the ability to make a shoe jump from his foot to his hand in a flash, the quick-witted performer has the chops to make you forget you're in a sweltering venue. His knack for close-up magic — perhaps the hardest to master — is showcased in an impressive finale that admittedly even amazes the much too modest Bernhardt.

— Amanda Stefaniuk

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4 stars
THIS IS CANCER
PKF Productions
Venue 16, PTE Mainstage
 
Armed with an English accent and crazy, gold lamé onesie, Bruce Horak (Cancer), a cancer survivor and the star and co-creator of This is Cancer, takes a flashlight into the darkness of an oft-uncomfortable subject. The production uses witty and (sometimes) weird song and dance ("I’m terminal and that’s OK."), crude jokes, and heaps of audience interaction that force viewers to take on the vile disease. Cancer believes he is beloved (he does have almost as many Google hits as Jesus) until he learns that he "licks balls," so to speak. It’s absurd theatre, dark humour and clowning all wrapped up into one hideously hilarious ball. The show is not all about laughs, however. Perhaps the most emotional of moments comes during a taped-recording of Horak’s cancer-stricken father dictating his own obituary: An exercise Horak will also ask the audience do, so be warned! If you want to beat cancer (literally), see the show in which confrontation is welcomed.

— Julijana Capone

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3 stars
THREE SECONDS TO LIVE
Fifth Wall
Venue 11, Red River College

If Fringe shows are often make-work projects for actors to showcase themselves, then Shawn Erker the actor, hailing from Saskatoon, has done a fine job projecting his talents as a thespian. That’s because, in spite of the very thin, merely adequate script Shawn Erker the writer has provided, Shawn Erker the actor admirably succeeds in engaging us for 50 minutes or so in this countdown-to-the-end-of-the-world, one-man reflection on life. Too bad there’s just nothing in the central character’s life that particularly moves, intrigues or amuses us, making the eventual payoff pop like a New Year’s cracker, when it had the potential to blow off in more impressive fashion — especially with that rather clever device of marking the impending apocalypse in real time. Next time, writer Erker really needs to give actor Erker a better platform from which to show the world what he’s made of.

— Kenton Smith

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5 stars
TINFOIL DINOSAUR
Tinfoil Dinosaur Productions
Venue 7, Cinematheque

Tinfoil Dinosaur's writer and performer Sam S. Mullins has crafted a wonderful, hilarious  and very moving show about being human and making connections with others. The play focuses on Mullins and his desire to become an actor, battling his loneliness, anxiety and doubt after moving to Vancouver from Victoria. In less adept hands this could easily head into navel-gazing territory, but the play is so well written it avoids this trap. Mullins has all the beats nailed in the play, and his comic timing is perfect. Add to that the fact that this is one of the most honest, raw performances I've seen in a long time, and you have one incredible Fringe play.

— Mike Sherby

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1/2 star
TWENTY-FIVE
Joel Crichton Emergency
Venue 9, Shaw Performing Arts Centre (MTYP)

One can only hope the performers were trying to ruin musical theatre deliberately; that’s the best-case explanation for this travesty, quite possibly the worst Fringe show I've ever seen. Here’s a hint, people: if you're too goddamned lazy to actually come up with a real musical — with story, spectacle and some semblance of production value — at least fill your musical cabaret — flimsily organized around the theme of life at 25 — with decent music. And don’t sing off key. That's especially since it seems possible your show was devised solely as a giant sign, with audio, to potential musical casting directors: "Hey! Look at us!  We can sing! Really!" Except, only some of the time. And what you’re singing, decontextualized from any narrative framework, is generic, unmemorable and at worst just fucking bad. If you weren't willing to put in more effort than THIS, you had no business hanging out your shingle at this festival. One can only wonder how many more deserving companies failed to meet with luck during the entry lottery. Atrocious.

— Kenton Smith

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5 Stars
UNDER THE MANGO TREE
Ra Ra Wai Productions
Venue 6, Tom Hendry Theatre at the MTC Warehouse

Veenesh Dubois does not put a foot wrong in her semi-autobiographical play. Dubois inhabits a series of beautifully portrayed characters in this story centering on a young girl in Fiji whose father emigrates to Canada. There’s some multi-media, some dance, and sweetly funny moments building to an emotionally powerful conclusion.  (At the end of the performance I saw, Dubois announced that a portion of the box office would be donated to a homeless women's shelter.)

— Quentin Mills-Fenn

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4 stars
UNDER THE NOSE: MEMOIRS OF A CLOWN
Loonissee
Venue 3, The Playhouse Studio 

Full disclosure: I was one of those kids who would run screaming from clowns. Therefore, I wasn’t prepared to laugh as hard as I did in Winnipeg stage veteran Sue Proctor’s hilarious autobiographical comedy about her 20-year clowning career. The show begins with Proctor kvetching about the aches and pains of aging while still having to don the red nose. She recounts desperate attempts at twisting balloon animals, being flat out snubbed by adults,and developing injuries from endless face painting. As she tells her real-life tales, she morphs into her three clown alter egos: Pierrot, Marmelade and a particularly striking, full regalia Agnes Tidbits who gave her that personal "moment of freedom" she had yearned for. Montreal actor Christine Bellerose's Fraise plays sidekick clown but it's really Proctor's show. Despite some unevenness, her witty observations and crackerjack comic timing (especially when bashing through French as stage struck Agnes) are screamingly funny. Who even needs the nose?

–– Holly Harris

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3.5 stars
THE WET DREAM CATCHER
Craving Space Productions
Venue 5, Son of Warehouse

Randy Jacobs’ (aka RC Weslowski’s) real talent is in the word part of spoken word: he shows some amazing proclivity for language in this often-surreal monologue that tries to make the audience feel good about their own dirtiest thoughts. Jacobs, who mentions that to some he resembles a fat Russell Crowe (forgetting that Russell Crowe IS fat), has a gift for making words flow, and using them to evoke remarkable imagery. He’s a less impressive a performer, however; he’s just not as electrifying a vessel for vocabulary as Fringe staples Jem Rolls, Rob Gee or Erik de Waal, who have come to set the bar on that score. Nonetheless, Jacobs succeeds in providing a fair amount of laughter, and the near-capacity audience roared for the most part. So you might weigh that endorsement a little more heavily. Oh yes, and I should also mention the free orgasms thrown out at show’s end.

— Kenton Smith

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3 stars
WILDWOOD PARK
tReAd ThE eDgE PrOdUcTiOnS
Venue 8, The Rachel Browne Theatre
 
This show’s titular neighbourhood has nothing to do with Winnipeg’s Wildwood Park community. Instead, it’s the fictitious, upscale location of a colonial mansion in which this play is set — a house that’s on the market in the wake of the gruesome (and still unsolved) mass murder of its previous inhabitants; not even the family dog was spared a bloody death, we learn, as an increasingly emotionally fragile real estate agent, Ms. Haviland (Maryth Gilroy), leads a prospective buyer, Dr. Simian (Jason Broadfoot), on a tour of the property. There’s nothing egregiously wrong with this production — the writing is fine; the acting, satisfactory — but there’s nothing particularly great about it, either. Over-billed as "a tense psychological thriller," it’s, at best, moderately creepy (and even then, only in parts). Also, the performance I attended clocked in at only 35 minutes instead of the advertised 60, leaving me dissatisfied and wondering if a scene was skipped by accident.
 
— Marlo Campbell

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5 stars
WHISKEY BARS
Big Empty Barn Productions
Venue 3, Playhouse Studio

This stunning one-man show built on the songs of Kurt Weill is back after seven years for a welcome return engagement. Multi-talented Bremner Duthie (who wrote the show) does a crackerjack job with his revealing portrait of a cabaret performer who’s made a career of bad decision-making. With characterful performances of Weill classics: Duthie’s "Mack the Knife" is spine-chilling and his "Speak Low" completely gorgeous. Extraordinary.

— Quentin Mills-Fenn

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1.5 or 5 stars
WHY ME?
Low Brow Amusements
The Cinematheque, 100 Arthur St.

I have no idea what the fuck i just saw. Fred Heinrichs is a curmudgeonly and disturbed individual who has seen fit to make a dollar off of the stereotype of the rambling old man. He still managed to maintain some charm with his conversationalist delivery and sweet old man-ness, but also shovelled out story after aimless story about every single time Autopac and the Dept. of Motor Vehicles fucked him. That is literally what the entire show consisted of. I think some particularly gung-ho family member must have put him up to do this. That said, I could look at this another way. What if this guy knows exactly what he's doing? If this entire performance was self aware, it may have been the greatest and most convincing piece of performance art I've ever seen. I challenge you to endure this perplexing sideshow.

— Nicholas Luchak

• • •

2.5 stars
WRITTEN IN HOT PINK LIPSTICK AND A LADY’S TEARS
Acting as a Way of Life
Venue 5, Son of Warehouse

In 1961, we witness the fateful rescue of Pamela from a mugging by the heroic and boisterous Ellie. Over the next 60 minutes (or 40 years in theatre time) we listen to their devoted and loving correspondence by the elder versions of each woman. These readings are interspersed with the younger Pam’s dreams of talking to and seeing Ellie, despite their distance and very different lives. The heartfelt words are acted well and believably, as if each woman were really just revisiting old letters, while the young versions go about distractingly writing the letters behind them. The words are the main focus of the play, but the action detracts from their impact. The jump back in time right at the beginning works, but leaves little room for possible endings. The letters tend to slow the show down — namely the parts detailing each lover's jealousy — but it's still lovely despite not being lively.

— Emily Wessel

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4 stars
ZACK ADAMS: LOVE SONGS FOR FUTURE GIRL
Weeping Spoon Productions
Venue 7, Cinematheque
 
As we all learned from Pulp Fiction, personality goes a long way — and Zack Adams (aka Shane Adamczak), all the way from Perth, Australia, has personality in spades. Inspired by a painful breakup with a women he thought was "The One," this one-man comedy cabaret features goofy, guitar-driven songs about relationships lost and ones that never really began, with a few ridiculous covers thrown in just for fun (Achy Breaky Heart, anyone?). My favourite was Young, Dumb and Greasy, which was about being a teenager (lyrics included the rhymey "Sheep are kind of fleecy" and the angst-filled "I hate my stepdad!") although a jingle he was commissioned to write about apricots was also hysterical. Not all material is successful — Adams would be smart to drop the heartfelt stuff — but his natural charm makes him instantly likable and fun to watch.
 
— Marlo Campbell

• • •

4.5 Stars
ZANNA DON’T!
Nova Dance Collective
Venue 9, Shaw Performing Arts Centre (MTYP)

This clever musical fairy tale challenges sexual stereotypes and social prejudice by creating a parallel universe in which homosexuality is the norm and heterosexuality taboo. Zanna (Nelson Bettencourt), a hip-swiveling fairy-cum-cupid, maked dreams come true by matchmaking couples in Heartsville, U.S.A. Enter partners Steve (Markian Tarasiuk) and Mike (Joshua Balzer) and Kate (Paige Pooley) and Roberta (Stephanie Sy), throw in a few surprising plot twists and you’ve got the makings of a hugely entertaining show with a message.  The production boasts terrific performances by a cast of nine singers/dancers/actors directed by Aaron Pridham. The outrageous, militaristic Be a Man, and Zanna’s Tis a Far, Far Better Thing I Do/Blow Winds were highlights. An onstage four-piece band led by Paul DeGurse accompanies the nearly non-stop musical numbers that range from rockabilly to rock ’n’ roll. At ten bucks a pop, you’ll have a gay old time at this former off-Broadway show that still packs a fabulous punch.

— Holly Harris

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