The Buzz – Reviews

Rat Academy

Batrabbit Productions—The Rachel Browne Theatre

Welcome to the drug-induced fever dream of Pinky and the Brain, wherein lab-rat and city-rat teach the street smarts necessary to survive in this filthy, unhinged world. These psychotic and adorable rat-clowns easily work the crowd while emphasizing all the qualities required of a good, strong, terrifying rat, unhindered by their limited ability in human English and social norms. Engaging, endearing, and a little bit gross, these vermin will have you rooting for them from beginning to end.

Ashley Frantik

Neurohilarity: Exposed.

Neurohilarity—Royal Albert

This is a showcase of some of Winnipeg’s most talented neuro-divergent comics. I loved the show and the variety of styles and personalities. Host Carole Cunningham is joined onstage by Scott Koropas, Adam Schwartz (working hard as both a comic and promoter), Kaitlyn Brightnose (a bright note here), Rollin’ Penner, and charming Danielle Kayahara. I can’t imagine someone not loving this show. Well worth taking in!

Lisa Campbell

Porn & Pinochet

Caturro Productions—Planetarium

This stand-up comic seems to struggle with the storytelling medium; his piece more closely resembles a comedy act in which the punchlines don’t quite stick their landing. The onstage set pieces that imply a more theatrical offering are under utilized, and the show fails to live up to the “funny as hell” promise of its program billing. Cañete’s narrative leans heavily into a perceived cultural difference in his Chilean-Canadian upbringing that elicited little more than polite chuckles from the audience.

His Gen X coming-of-age tale breezes past its most unique elements, which come long after the extended preamble to his return to Chile as a teenager. Somehow, relatively typical sexual discovery and family dysfunction take up far more space in a story titled ‘Pinochet’ than the fascinating reality of attending a fascist-supported grade school in dictatorial South America. This intriguing experience comes and goes in mere sentences and is followed by an emotional climax and conclusion that is not connected well enough to the previous acts to allow the audience to share in the performer’s complex feelings of losing a habitually problematic parent abroad.

Ashley Frantik

History of Edinburgh

Ross McMillan—The Asper Centre for Theatre & Film (U of W)

Winnipeg stalwart of stage and screen fame (he’s been in movies and series I’ve loved -RIP Steve) Ross McMillan, is always worth seeing. His vast experience makes him comfortable on stage and with his audience. I thoroughly enjoyed this multimedia show with a surprise video guest, lots of laughs, exploration of family relations and life. You even get a bit of history thrown in.

Don’t miss this. The audience was most appreciative and it’s great to see something different done so engagingly.

Lisa Campbell

House of Gold

Brighter Dark Theatre—The Output

House of Gold, simply put, is great!

Being in a smaller venue, it’s quite intimate and it really makes you feel like you’re a part of the dysfunctional Gold family. Each one of the cast members has a moment to shine and you can’t help but cheer (or laugh) along as they do so. The script is incredibly strong with the staging and acting enhancing it even more.

I took my girlfriend with me, someone who isn’t a very big fan of anything to do with theatre but she was giggling to herself the entire time, while still being fully engaged. She even raved about it as we got into the car and drove off.

This is the one show that I doubt anyone would want to miss out on! Go see it!

Emily Adam

Not Quite Sherlock: The Gaslight Detective

Chris Gibbs—MTYP – Mainstage

This year is a fortunate one for Fringers as some well beloved pros return after far too long an absence. I was so tickled to be able to see veteran actor Chris Gibbs reprise his role of self-effacing and ever so gullible Barnaby Gibbs. Chris is charismatic as he frequently breaks the fourth wall to engage in humorous banter with the audience. Set in 1896, this farce of a detective story is so entertaining that I’m sure once you enjoy this you’ll definitely be in for part two, Not Quite Sherlock : The Tunnel of Terror, also at this year’s Fringe. I already have my ticket.

Lisa Campbell

Dressed as People – A Triptych of Uncanny Abduction

Parry Riposte Productions—Tom Hendry Warehouse

As posted, we have three stories. The opening tale is eerily disturbing and stuck to my mind throughout the entire show. In fact, it was so unsettling that it clung with me through the next story and I lost focus often, reminiscing about the horror while the second tale continued. The final story was the lightest of the three, but there is still plenty of heartbreak and misery.

If I was to produce the show, I would swap the order and switch the positions of the first and final stories. This is not a feel-good show, so I’d leave the audience with the most horrific for last.

Ray Yuen

Red Light

The Barbarian Bombshells—Red River College Polytechnic

I struggled to remember this show only a few hours after seeing it. A problem I didn’t have with any of my other shows and it was my first, so I was fresh. After a lengthy warning about content by recording, Dana Graham took to the stage in a lovely red gown only to repeat word for word the same message. Besides being a waste of time, the warning was unnecessary, with the most scandalous thing occurring during her tale being a penis plopped in her hand. Rather tame by Fringe standards.

This supposedly true story is sold as a tale stranger than fiction. I call it a fairly normal weekend in my younger years. Dana is a competent actress, well rehearsed, but she came across as a disembodied voice due to her strange choice to be unlit during the show. I talked to the tech afterwards so as to be sure it wasn’t a glitch but he shrugged and said it was her choice.

Lisa Campbell

The Kid Was A Spy

big word/ jem rolls—Creative Manitoba

It would appear that Jem Rolls has kind of a thing for somewhat obscure nuclear physicists that have played an oversized role in history, but are now largely forgotten. That is a very good thing for us. This story involves the covert transfer of the plans for the Atomic bomb to the Russians. Using his spoken word poetry background to accentuate parts of the story by use of repeated phrases and word selection you are completely drawn into the story. It really is an amazing story and the choice Ted Hall made truly changed the world.

At the end, after laying out the story and the pros and cons of Ted’s decision, Jem does an informal poll, “Was Ted right or wrong to share the bomb?” It does really make you think. The venue was sold out, so you will probably want to book in advance.

Murray Hunter

Erika the Red

Monster Theatre—The King’s Head Pub

Oh my dear Tara, we missed you so! Travis is my favourite Canadian actress and I have really missed her. When you hear the other actors speaking of how excited they are to see her, that’s high praise indeed. Monster Theatre and the esteemed Ryan Gladstone as producer, never disappoint!

Her amazing physical ability fills the stage as she carries the enrapt audience along on this hilarious historical adventure. Her costume is perfection! One young English scamp can do it all and become more of a Viking than any man!

It’s always nice to end the show with an excited and delighted audience trailing out, chattering in amazement at what they’ve just seen. My favourite so far. Don’t miss it!

Lisa Campbell