We’ve made it through the first weekend and aside from some hot days and the odd thunderstorm, things have been going pretty well. You can check out the Shameless Self-Promotions and the list of all the shows that have been reviewed (which appears at the bottom of the homepage). If you are still not sure what the Jenny is about you can click on our FAQ (an article from last week) which helps give you an idea on what we are about.
Lend Us a Hand—We’ve still got a lot of shows that have not yet been reviewed, so if you’ve seen a show and want to help us (and other Fringers) out please send us your thoughts on the show. If you think one of our reviewers was out to lunch on a review, let us know that too.
Jenny Awards—As we have seven days of Fringing left, we are also seven days away from the Jenny Awards to wrap up this year’s Fringe. They will be held upstairs at the King’s Head starting at 10pm Sunday July 29th. Anyone who has been mentioned in a Review, SSP or Letter is eligible to be included in one of our made up categories. The lovely Michelle Cook is busy making the equally lovely donkeys that are handed out to the winners. The roar of the crowd decides the winners and you have to be there to get your award, so performers please add it to your schedule.
Murray Hunter
Now some more words by Jenny Coordinating Reviewer Ray Yuen
What I Love About the Fringe
I’ve been Fringing for many years, first just seeing the shows. Then I casually reviewed because a friend of mine was involved with the Jenny. When the opportunity opened, it was irresistible for me to become part of the Jenny staff. Since I moved from being a viewer to a reviewer, it’s made me watch through a different lens. Rather than simply relaxing and watching shows emerge, I now continuously ponder what’s going on, why I like it (or don’t), and what can I tell the world about this. It is for the same reason I became a restaurant reviewer/critic so many years ago. It makes me think about what I’m doing (eating), rather than just watch it slip by.
In my Fringing binge, people often have the same questions for me: what’s it like to be a reviewer? You must love the privilege of seeing unlimited shows? What’s your favourite? All of these are valid questions that I’ve answered in previous years of reviewing—check the Archives if you want those answers. Today, someone asked me a question I haven’t heard before.
Why do you do this? I’ll answer this with one simple statement: I love The Fringe Festival. This naturally leads to the next question: what makes Fringe special and different than other festivals? Here’s my take on The Fringe.
My academic background lies with public administration (MPA) and city planning. During the course of my studies, one of the main topics centred on Winnipeg downtown and how to make it flourish like successful, vibrant cities. For most of the year, our downtown sits like a ghost-town, abandoned, wasted and rotting away like the festering buildings within it. The only people you see after work hours are people that society abandoned. One of the exceptions comes with The Fringe Festival, where Old Market Square rocks with vivacity and exuberance. Well before the facelift and The Cube, thousands of people lined the streets, sidewalks and grass, lounging around to soak in the shows of the former stage. Meanwhile, thousands of others combed through the streets, darting from venue-to-venue, seeking out their next show. The Festival has continued to grow since then, and it continues to grow and evolve every year.
This is the vision of what our downtown is supposed to be. Why is it only like this two weeks of the year? What is it about The Fringe that brings people to our core when it’s the leper ward of a hospital for most of the year?
What is it indeed?
That led me to think more about the impact of The Fringe and for me, it became more than just seeing a few shows and enjoying a snack to the free concerts at The Square. What are the compounds that make this Festival so unique and successful?
- Biking: My Master’s Thesis focussed on cycling as a mode of transportation. I am an avid cyclist, putting on an average of 1500-2000 km from spring to autumn. Not only does cycling improve your strength and health, it also saves the environment and infrastructure. During Fringe, you don’t have to look far to see thousands of bicycles chained to makeshift bike stands. For the duration of The Festival, Exchange District Winnipeg looks like Amsterdam, where cycling is the dominant transportation mode. Here, cyclists are the norm, rather than the pariahs.
- Inclusion: Not that long ago, members of the LGBTQ+ community were targeted and assaulted in various areas of downtown. We as a city have come a long way since then, but let’s not kid ourselves; homophobia continues to permeate many aspects of our society. Hatred is not as condoned as it used to be but it still lurks in dark corners, leaving people afraid to come out, and afraid to express themselves. Over the duration of The Fringe, you see many members of the LGBTQ+ community unafraid to be themselves. Old Market Square—and to a certain extent—the entire Exchange District transforms into a Safe Space (Safer Space anyway). As an Ally and a feminist, I strive to bring equal right to exist for all humans, regardless of race, religion, orientation, sex, gender, capability, age, and the list goes on. Fringe central brings together a wide spectrum of people, all with the common pursuit of having a good time, regardless of what you are, what you look like, and what you do.
- Tourism: Winnipeg isn’t a tourist hub. Most travellers come here for business or to visit friends/family. You don’t often hear of people coming to Winnipeg because they simply want to visit. We are not Toronto, Vancouver or Montreal. The Fringe is one of the festivals that, by its nature, draws people to come to our city. Hundreds of performers descend upon our city to showcase their acts, but in between, they roam our streets and take in our sights and amenities. Winnipeg should be proud to have tourists marvel at what we have to offer. During this time, we are a tourist centre.
- The Festival: Finally, there’s the festival itself. What a wonderful opportunity to embrace some truly great and unique experiences. To be sure, not all shows are for everyone but nothing can beat the feeling of coming out of a theatre after an exhilarating experience. It’s satisfyingly rewarding to be able to tell everyone about those moments after I live through them.
The Fringe Festival is a transformative time for our city. It is electrifying to see some many people come to celebrate and revel in the streets that are normally so sparse. Perhaps someday, downtown will be vibrant all year—for now, let’s enjoy what we have.
Happy Fringe!
Ray Yuen
Coordinating Reviewer
Bushel and Peck
Aaron Malkin—John Hirsch Mainstage
I find it hard to write a proper review on this performance, as they had a catastrophic failure of a key prop, a light that was not only the centerpiece of many of the bits, but was meant to provide the primary illumination of those scenes. It shows the professionalism of real life couple Alastair Knowles and Stephanie Morin-Robert (of James & Jamesy and The Merkin Sisters) that they were prepared with a spare light bulb, but unfortunately the light itself was broken beyond any quick repair.
They managed to persevere and by using an audience member’s cell phone as a replacement light, along with alternate stage lighting and a few verbal notes to the audience of what the scene should look like, were still able to put on a pretty good performance.
Murray Hunter
The Waffle House Daze
Wish Experience—The Cinematheque
My first thought walking out was ‘Working at Waffle House sounds wild’, which I’m almost 100% certain wasn’t the intention. Or perhaps it was part of it. We are guided through a half standup, half storytelling hour of the risks of doing all together too many drugs and the rewards of not. Her storytelling was wonderful, but the standup could use some work, as while it was funny, at times it felt forced and even properly under-rehearsed. She often felt as though she was waiting for a laugh that didn’t happen. When the show takes a more serious tone towards the end, it felt quite jarring, which I’m sure was the point, but also a little out of place. Trying to make jokes of subjects like this can be tricky, and while she didn’t hit the mark spot on, she came right close.
Arden Pruden
Puppet Guy, Africa’s top ventriloquist
Conrad Koch—Son of Warehouse
Africa’s top ventriloquist? I can’t say, but he’s a hell of an entertainer. The merriment and laughs start as soon as the lights dim and continue through the entire show. The opening “guest” feels like what you’d normally see from a ventriloquist act, but performed expertly nevertheless.
The next characters that take stage are out of this world whacky, with hilarity ensuing. If you’re adverse to being in the public eye, you should probably stay away from the front row.
Ray Yuen
Daddy’s Boy
Erik de Waal Productions—Onstage at Pantages
By the end of this one several people in the audience had gotten out their tissue to mop up tears. This is a heavy, but nostalgic view of an apparently incredible man, and this show does him justice and then some. We are taken gently through the life of Erik’s father from his birth, to his father’s death, and it paints a stunning picture of a man who loved big, and loved hard, and wanted out on his own terms. My only regret is that I never got to meet him.
Arden Pruden
Pixels
Virtual Productions 3000—PLATFORM Centre
The premise is simple: someone from the audience provides a topic and actors Stephen Sim and Caity Curtis develop a skit based on the background. The actors take quite a bit of time to propound the virtues and the newness of the technology. If you have no virtual reality experience, this will open your eyes.
As for the sketches, the performers are not up to the calibre of the usual improv actors you see at Fringe. They struggle frequently with material, leaving numerous gaps of silence. Curtis especially looks like she struggles for fill, with Sim reaching to bridge the gaps. Despite the awkward moments, the results end up fun to watch.
A couple of hints:
1.This venue (Venue #24, not Venue #7 across the atrium) is the hottest I’ve experienced yet. They offer complimentary water on site. You should take it to keep hydrated, or better yet, bring your own refillable water bottle to save the plastic.
2.This room is very cramped and not tiered. If you’re in the back row, you may not see very well. I highly recommend you get here early to get a front row seat to get the best (and only) full-screen view.
Ray Yuen
The DnD Improv Show 11
DnD Improv—Gas Station Arts Centre
As we were leaving, my partner asked me, how much of this do you think is scripted? Well obviously not the scenes or it wouldn’t be improv, but it speaks for the ingenuity of the company that despite the random nature of the show, they always have a prop or set piece available. Much like a proper campaign, I imagine that the general story is planned, and clearly certain elements were made when characters were planned out, but it maintained all the charm of a proper improv performance. If you’re going to see this one, I suggest not picking favourites, as 3 characters died on the night that I went alone, and there has been more. I was surprised and a little disappointed when the show ended, I hadn’t even noticed that it had been an hour. I could watch this company for hours.
Arden Pruden
Let’s Prank Call Each Other
Zach Dorn—Son of Warehouse
With multiple streams of media for his puppetry, the set looks like a deck at NORAD, rather than a stage at Fringe. With some many modes, I wondered how he’s going to be able to navigate through them all to deliver a smooth and refined package.
He couldn’t.
The presentation looks fractured at multiple points, leaving the collective un-cogent. There is great potential here for a visually stunning show but he’s too ambitious in what he can juggle. There’s no discernable plot to the story, leaving a miscellany of video technology.
Ray Yuen
Tumbling After
MTYP Summer Studio—MTYP – Richardson Hall
I’m always a fan of fairy tales, in nearly every context, so this was a no brainer for me. These kids took to the script beautifully, many of them going from character to character and back again without hesitating, and sometimes very quickly. I can only imagine what the backstage looked like. While not yet professional, they all held themselves as such, and never once did the puns get tedious, as they so often can threaten to. These a long and bright road ahead for all of these kids.
Arden Pruden
Ideas Bobert!
Candy Bones—Son of Warehouse
Candice Roberts puts on this one-person show reminiscent of the vaudevillian era, Chaplin-esque type of comedy where humour was simpler, more direct and ludicrous. Reading the program description first gives you a hint towards the underlying metaphor and a roadmap to what’s happening.
Roberts executes the delivery expertly as she employs various media to evoke the senses. Cute and quaint, this visit into Bobert’s psyche leaves you giggling, sympathising and cringing through this entertaining and fun hour of discovery.
If you don’t like being the centre of attention, it might be a good idea to avoid the front row.
Ray Yuen
