Fringe reviews #5 : You sit down at the Cube Stage and wake up in the beer tent

Winnipeg Free Press

2 days ago

THE DIRTY BUCKET COMEDY SHOW
No Cheat Codes Productions
Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame (Venue 24), to Saturday, July 26
⭐⭐⭐
This later-night (9 p.m. throughout its run) standup comedy show features a rotating cast of comics who take some thematic cues from slips of paper dropped into the dirty bucket of the show's title — so depending on who's performing and the calibre of the subject matter provided by the audience, the show could go in a number of directions.
Opening night was hosted by Mike Green and featured shorts sets from him, Benji Rothman, Emmanuel Lomuro and Jordan Wellwood, who all did good work with the subject matter provided. The subject voted best of the night wins a prize — 'Winnipeggers on the Epstein list' took top honours on opening night (disclosure: this reviewer's suggestion) and led to a couple of hilarious moments.
The comedy had some edge to it, but was hampered slightly by the sometimes odd or uninspired suggestions, which also impacted the 45-minute-long show's flow. For the comics to truly shine, fringe-goers best bring their raunchiest ideas for the dirty bucket and see what kind of magic they can cook up.
— Ben Sigurdson
FIJI
Theatre by the River
Asper Centre for Theatre & Film (Venue 10), to Sunday, July 27
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Equal parts disturbing and endearing, Fiji might be the most twisted rom-com you'll ever see. Winnipeg-based Theatre by the River, known for producing 'theatre that gets you talking,' delivers a sharp, high-stakes staging of this 60-minute dramedy.
What begins as a seemingly awkward hookup quickly takes a dark and unexpected turn in a story inspired by a grisly early-2000s true-crime case. The heartfelt and darkly funny show premièred at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2021 and is captivating enough to be expanded into a full-length mainstage production.
Chris Sousa and Chase Winnicky share undeniable chemistry, skilfully shifting between macabre discussions and playful banter. Both actors are charming and talented, but it's Winnicky's scene-stealing a cappella rendition of Tiffany's I Think We're Alone Now, paired with his lovable performance, that will make you want to just eat him up.
And in a show like this, that's only partly a metaphor.
— Jeffrey Vallis
IAGO VS HAMLET
Rod Peter Jr.
MTC Up the Alley (Venue 2), to Sunday, July 27
⭐⭐⭐⭐
British Columbia-based fringe stalwarts Jon Paterson and Rod Peter Jr. have honed the popular Iago vs. Hamlet into a well-oiled, delightfully funny 45-minute (not 60 as advertised) mashup of some of the Bard's best-known lines delivered by two of his most fascinating characters.
In the fast-paced comedy, Iago (Paterson) and Hamlet (Peter Jr.) bump into each other in a warehouse space they've each purportedly rented, which has clearly been double booked, leaving the two moody leading men to verbally spar before seemingly hatching a plan to sort out the prince's family problems.
Hamlet and Iago each have ulterior motives, of course, which they share in asides to the crowd (although, hilariously, they can hear each other's schemes).
Paterson, in particular, shines as Iago; Peter Jr. is quite good as Hamlet as well, but his delivery is at times a little hurried. Still, there are plenty of laughs throughout, particularly for Shakespeare fans, and an epic, uproarious final duel is worth the price of admission alone.
— Ben Sigurdson
OVERSET FOLLOWS:POOL (NO WATER)
Kinetica Creative
Théâtre Cercle Molière (Venue 3), to Saturday, July 26
⭐⭐⭐½
Winnipeg's Kinetica Creative takes a deep dive into artistic obsession and the lengths one will go to achieve 'success' in this darkly conceived drama by Mark Ravenhill.
Four artist friends (Destiny Klassen, Ciera Durrant, Lauryn Mestito-Dao and Mateo Cardona) take turns narrating their tale of the privileged 'Pool Girl' (Sydney Pacheco), who suffers a catastrophic injury after plunging into a drained swimming pool. As the narrative unfolds, each character reveals their inner demons, including jealousy, resentment and addiction.
The ensemble, directed/choreographed by Katelyn Mestito-Dao, works well as a cohesive unit, with actors crisply delivering their staccato lines in the 65-minute (billed as 75) show with conviction, further underscored by effective dance-like movement.
However, a few wonky things threaten to submerge the plot, including how the Pool Girl could so miraculously recover from her near fatal accident. But these foibles are forgiven after Cardona's Dylan sums up, 'We took a wrong turn into art and ruined our lives,' the play becoming a cautionary tale for the siren call of temptation in our own, all-too-fallible lives.
— Holly Harris
THE RAUNCHY ROMP WITH THE RAGING QUEEN
François le Foutre
Asper Centre for Theatre & Film, U of W (Venue 10), to Sunday, July 27
⭐⭐⭐
The 'most fearsome fruit in all of France,' François le Foutre, makes his fringe debut in this one-man adult comedy. Jam-packed with double entendres and sexual innuendo, the show brings audience members onstage to act out swashbuckling scenes.
But heavy reliance on audience participation can backfire, and with only 10 people at the afternoon matinee, the performance wrapped after just 35 minutes (billed as 60). Le Foutre explained the show changes each time, with rotating readings and excerpts shaped by the crowd's energy.
The Texas-based performer's physical storytelling — adapted from his self-published romance-adventure series The Seamen Sexology — may be better suited to busking at Renaissance street fairs, where he typically tours his act. Still, this is the kind of show you might enjoy with a group of friends looking for easy laughs, raunchy antics or the chance to get humped on stage by a gay pirate.
— Jeffrey Vallis
REVIEWING THE FREE PRESS 2
Happy Capybara Productions
Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame (Venue 24), to Sunday, July 27
⭐⭐⭐ ½
Benji Rothman is back again to gently pillory the Free Press and its fringe reviews in his 45-minute show that's in turns funny, sharp and surprisingly endearing.
In Reviewing the Free Press 2, he offers modest updates to last year's slide show and monologue detailing gaffes the Freep has made in the past, the inconsistencies/bias in the paper's fringe reviews, and the sometimes-ridiculous nature of reviews in general.
One of the additions to the show, of course, is last year's 3 1/2-star review from arts and life editor Jill Wilson. (And yes, Jill, the projection height has been adjusted.) So, assuming this review will appear in the slide show of shame in Reviewing the Free Press 3 (or maybe even sooner): Rothman's delivery and timing work well (brief technical glitch on opening night aside), earning plenty of laughs from the small but engaged crowd. While some of the review snippets highlighted were cherry-picked a little fast and loose to fit his argument about the inconsistent nature of reviews, it doesn't change the fact that he's mostly right.
— Ben Sigurdson
ROB AND JENNY'S FIRST DATE
Dark Horse Theatre
John Hirsch Mainstage (Venue 1), to Sunday, July 27
⭐⭐ ½
Longtime friends Rob and Jenny, finally unattached to others, have decided to get together, hitting La Grenouille for their first date.
Over the course of the next 70-ish minutes it's one calamity after another. Front and back of house are disasters from top to bottom, from cantankerous outgoing server Diego (the slyly funny Mike Seccombe) to Simon, the stuffy manager, to the over-the-top French chef Gaston.
More bad news: feared restaurant critic Liselle shows up with her date Jasmine, who has dated both Rob and Jenny. Awkward.
Unfortunately 'awkward' is the best description of the production, which could stand to be tightened up to an hour and can't seem to decide what it wants to be.
The restaurant staff's interactions with the diners provide some clever laughs, but by contrast the over-the-top physical comedy from the nervous, bumbling Rob (think Jack Tripper from Three's Company) feels misplaced. Jenny's innuendo-laden dirty talk and some offstage raunchiness hint at something sexier, but is contrasted by tender, well-timed wisdom and heartfelt reflections by Ambrose, a fellow diner (played touchingly by Dave Pruden).
Many of the components are good, but they don't come together to form a satisfying whole.
— Ben Sigurdson
SHAKESPEARE: SAY IT!
Schindel Says Productions
Rachel Browne Theatre (Venue 8), to Saturday, July 26
⭐⭐⭐
Vancouver-based performer Dana Schindel sells her interpretation of Romeo and Juliet as a 'goofy, fun time' — and for the most part, she's not wrong. In this bare bones staging of the pared-down text, handpicked lines from Shakespeare are projected onto the wall for the audience to shout out from their seats, with a handful of pre-assigned audience participants featured in character roles.
It's the kind of interactive concept that might work well in a high school theatre class, but during the 45-minute performance, the balance occasionally tipped too far toward the audience, who ended up doing most of the work. In several moments, Schindel's audience soloists even outshone her.
That said, it's easy to root for the earnest and affable Schindel in her playful fringe debut. She takes her role as director and guide seriously, keeping the crowd engaged even if the mid-show dance break drags on longer than it needs to.
— Jeffrey Vallis
SMALL FISH
Small Fish
Rachel Browne Theatre (Venue 8), to Sunday, July 27
⭐⭐⭐⭐ ½
Small Fish is a very silly fishbowl brimming with queer humour and joyful absurdity.
Created and performed by Ottawa comedy pals Glenys Marshall and Maggie Harder, this hour-long revue features super sexy standup and sweet, sweet keytar music.
But the sketches are where things get weird. Good weird.
Marshall and Harder have a comfy onstage chemistry that shines during bits about superheroes, the homoerotic magnetism of in-ground pools and disappointing gift horses. Familiar tropes are turned on their heads and stretched beyond recognition. It's the kind of comedy that leans into cringe and somehow lands at wholesome.
There are also moments of prop work so smooth they feel like sleight of hand. The action is supported by simple but effective backdrops and sound.
Whether doling out regional jokes gleaned from Google or singing about long lost tampon strings, Small Fish is inventive and endearing.
— Eva Wasney
STACEY-JEAN: LIFE LINES
SJeanSProductions
MTC Up the Alley (Venue 2), to Sunday, July 27
⭐ ½
Winnipeg's own Arlene Libich debuts her new work, a monologue chronicling the early life of character Stacey-Jean Sandbury.
The 40-minute performance sees Libich take centre stage and pick colourful images off a clothes drying rack, describing how they represent Sandbury's life — from memories of long drives in the countryside, to recalling her mother's struggle with mental illness, and her own rejection in social circles.
While the memories are vividly described, Libich's monotone delivery falls short of captivating the audience. She dutifully follows notes written on the back of the images, and at times, continues reading as she turns away from the audience to reach for the next chapter of her life.
Despite a complex and challenging childhood, Sandbury finds success professionally and online helping others.
It's an interesting premise with an uplifting ending that is wrapped up too quickly. The performance could be refined with stage markings to ensure our protagonist doesn't find herself out of the spotlight as often as she did.
— Nadya Pankiw