Reviewing The Free Press

Certified Woke Bae Productions—Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame

How awkward is it to review a show that lambastes the validity of media reviews of Fringe theatre? Er-hem. Fortunately, The Jenny Revue does not issue star ratings, which possibly contributed to the favourable reference to this publication by the comedian piloting this show. Although that is indeed liable to change; the performer implies that because his past (and presumably present) stand-up and sketch-based Fringe productions are by nature inconsistent, that the local newspaper has repeatedly stumbled in accurately reviewing his work.

Rothman’s PowerPoint takedown of the Winnipeg Free Press is highly entertaining when he isn’t too focused on sour grapes, or stubbornly clinging to his perceived comedic value of racial stereotypes. Beginning with a section on the gendered bias of Free Press reviews, that fails to consider the possibility that female-produced content could regularly out-perform shows led by men, was more telling and less hilarious than he set it up to be. His best punchlines didn’t rely on outdated stand-up tropes, so it is surprising and unnecessary that he be so defensive of tired clichés.

The research into the foibles of the newspaper’s reporting from the turn of the century to present day is easily the funniest part, but was unfortunately significantly rushed – mostly clicked through with little or no delivery – as Rothman failed to adequately manage the time for his opening performance. Should he budget more for the titular Review that is arguably the basis of the show, it will be an enjoyable set. But perhaps it is unreasonable to expect a review to evaluate the unrealized potential of a performance over that which was actually offered on stage. Or perhaps this review is unfairly prejudiced. Most likely, reviews are inherently subjective tools designed to guide patrons, rather than placate performers, and are always best consumed with a very large grain of salt.

Ashley Frantik