The Buzz – Reviews

Barry Potter and the Magic of Wizardry

Dirk Darrow Investigations—Tom Hendry Warehouse

I always make sure to see Tim Motley at the Fringe; an old habit. I still miss his old film noir detective shows. They were hilarious but he won’t listen to me and bring them back.

If you haven’t seen him before, do. He’s a very good magician and is wonderful in his kind and thoughtful treatment of those who participate. He’s especially heartwarming with kids and he had a doozy of a natural in a well filled opening night show. This is definitely one to bring the kids to. You won’t regret it!

Lisa Campbell

Supernatural

Gregoire Entertainment—CCFM – Antoine Gaborieau Hall

Don’t panic, as I did, when you don’t see a sign for Venue 19. Same as last year, for some unknown reason, there isn’t one, ridiculous.

This is one of the many, many magic shows at this year’s Fringe. But don’t worry, it’s Wonderful! Winnipeg’s Patrick Gregoire is a polished, charming young man with a wonderful, warm voice and just happens to be impeccably dressed and easy on the eyes. He must be performing a lot, as he never misses a beat and is so comfortable with his audience. As in most magic shows, patrons are involved in the show. So be prepared if you sit at the front. Well known Winnipeg magician Brian Glow was in attendance at the first show, and volunteered.

As I scanned the audience, people were literally leaning forward on the edge of their seats; with huge smiles. As with all great magicians, he has you gasping over and over “How did he do that?”.

Lisa Campbell

Barbie: A Parody

Meraki Theatre Productions—CCFM – Antoine Gaborieau Hall

We need to encourage young performers as they’ll be the ones entertaining us in the future. This cast of 10 is all under 18!

The audience, as expected on opening night, was jammed with adoring parents, grandparents and friends and extra seats had to be pulled in. These kids could have sneezed and got a standing ovation.

Fortunately, they did much better than that. This is a musical and the cast was lively and very enthusiastic. They were well rehearsed. It’s expected, with a cast this large and youthful, all are not at the same level of expertise. There were four standouts for me. There was no program, so no names. The young woman who played Barbie, the narrator, was polished, a wonderful, standout dancer and one of the consistent and strong vocalists. Barbie herself was the perfect physique to play a plastic doll. Tall, blonde, lithe, her performance was perfect for the role. Ken, was far and away the most mesmerizing and memorable. His vocals were superb and strong, his dancing was amazing and seemed to come naturally. I expect to enjoy more of him in the future. The Weird Barbie was not afraid to be weird. She reminded me of a young Lucille Ball and deserved all the laughs she got. Another to watch out for. Unfortunately, most of the tunes were set in keys beyond the reach of most of the female voices. This was not due to a lack of ability but to the lack of attention of whomever was in charge of the music. An easy fix.

If you have a teenager that enjoyed the Barbie Movie, they would love this.

Lisa Campbell

Rat Academy

Batrabbit Productions—The Rachel Browne Theatre

The title caught my eye, upon reading further program sharing, they were mentored by “Mump & Smoot” who I witnessed about 32 years ago. They were the masters!

Being a vet at this Fringe game, reading between the lines, I had to attend. I am damn glad I did. They (Katie Yonor & Dayna Lea Hoffmann) introduced and proceed from a mind of a rat, how to be one, act like one, and survive like one.

After all we’re attending an Academy after all. The two of them make you laugh, sneer, and though they are rats, sighs o’plenty, which they used to its fullest to play with the audience. There are some good or bad choices through out the lessons, but they do end up with the cheese in the end!

Oh, watch out for the mouse trap!

Kevin Campbell

The Dungeons ‘n’ Dragons Improv Show XV: The Skeleton Key

Miki Media Inc.—The Park Theatre

If you saw posters for this show with the character Oakley the dryad and got excited for this show, might as well not even bother. Through the unjust workings of fate and an oversized d20, she was taken from us, eaten by a jacked ladybug, leaving the forest unprotected and her story, tragically, untold.

I figure there are two types of people reading this, those who have seen DnD improv over the last 14 iterations and those who have not. If you have, it’s DnD improv. The props might be a little better, and they had a lot of fun with smashing the fake glasses over each other. If you haven’t, it’s a mostly planned, sometimes random improvised fantasy adventure played out over each night the show runs.

I dunno, man, it’s funny. Check it out if you somehow haven’t before.

Josh Fidelak

Escape From Winnipeg

Plisskin Productions—MTYP – Mainstage

With Tamlynn Bryson as Snake Plisskin and Rod Peter Jr. (and a puppet) as everyone else, you are transported to the future of 1997, well the future as far as an 80s action movie is concerned. Like an 80s action movie it is over the top, but also a lot of fun.

Unlike a Hollywood blockbuster, a Fringe show budget necessitates a little creativity in visual effects. Their use of an overhead projector with some simple animations to create the more spectacular stunts and scenes was well done.

The send-up of the misogyny present in most of that movie genre can at times be a Snake Plisskin punch in the face, but those movies deserve it. There are a few call-outs to some of John Carpenter’s other movies and a lot of very funny stuff that had the audience laughing. I don’t really know what to make of the Snake Plisskin and puppet sex scene, but Rod’s reactions as the somewhat less enthusiastic puppeteer really sold it.

Murray Hunter

The Magician’s Apprentices

Comedy Illusions of Greg Wood—John Hirsch Mainstage

If you have small kids, this is definitely one of the best bets for a good night at the Fringe.

Solid tricks, good crowd work and amusing interstitial jokes riffing on fringe announcements all work together well, the experience of Greg Wood showing through. My showing had some stumbles, but the draw of the show is and always was the charm of Greg’s young assistants, and even younger helpers from the crowd. Greg knows what he’s about, and if the description appeals then it’s a solid option.

Josh Fidelak

PICASSO lovers & muses

Bolero Dance Theatre—Tom Hendry Warehouse

The intro music while waiting for the show to start sets the mood for a bit of history about the Spanish painter and six of his lovers/wives/muses. The show includes 12 dance routines accompanied by a live vocalist, accordion, and guitar player. The dancing is mostly Flamenco or Classical Spanish, with a couple Bolero style as well. The complicated rhythmic routines are accentuated by tap with some numbers using castanets or clapping to really add to the percussive beat.

There are a number of dances with the whole cast, as well as solo performances by each of the muses and Picasso. The many costumes are incredible, and often are used as part of the dance.

They tell some of the story of each of the women between the dancing, and don’t sugar-coat the troubling parts of the relationships and tragic ends of a few of the muses. I definitely recommend getting a program as it gives a little more background on each of the women and provides a list of the dances and music.

I was amazed at how much they packed into a one hour show, and the standing ovation they got was well deserved. It would be hard to leave the show without a smile on your face.

Murray Hunter

Martin Dockery: TRUTH

Concrete Drops Theatre—Tom Hendry Warehouse

An absolute fever dream of a show, the fantastic comedic timing and storytelling prowess of Martin Dockery applied to a straightforward story format that rapidly disintegrates into chaos. Due to being both scatological and pornographic (though always at a comedic distance) paired with an American-centric political core, this is definitely a show targeted at an older audience, but an audience who will in all likelihood enjoy it.

For myself, while I question a bit of the political relevance of attempting to reinforce the anti Trump sentiments of a Winnipegian population already largely in agreement and unable to participate in the relevant upcoming election, I don’t believe this to take away from the show experience itself. For any fans of Dockery’s free wheeling storytelling comedy, a must see as always, and as always make sure you get there early, or buy tickets in advance.

Josh Fidelak