Romeo & Juliet

Indifferently Reformed—John Hirsch Mainstage

Shakespeare was never my thing in high school. Tried as I could, I could never understand the meanings behind Shakespearean English—I can decipher metaphors just fine but it’s hard to do that when you physically don’t know what they’re saying. In the modern era with the ease of adaption and access, I’ve been able to enjoy Shakespeare’s work in modern English and experience the works for the first time.

That’s why I hoped out of this performance but since they used Shakespearean English, most of it went over my head. Plus, the troupe conform the length of the play to fit the 75-minute time limit. Instead of paring in some areas, they sped up the pace of speech. I already had trouble interpreting what they said—add fast-speech to it and much of it felt like a foreign language to me.

The acting looked genuine and heart-felt. They put a lot of emotion into the performance but for me, I could only enjoy it so much without the basic understanding of the language. If you can enjoy Shakespeare in the Bard’s tongue, this is for you. If you need someone to translate for you, this might not be up your alley.

Ray Yuen

African Folktales with Erik de Waal

YAP Theatre—Kids Venue

With smoothly flowing lines and just enough poorly timed “forgetfulness” of character names of animal attributes, any and all children are kept solidly at the edge of their seat. With a 45 minute run time very well suited for the target audience of the show, a truly impressive level of engagement with the crowd and enough South African words to call the show educational, this is a must see for anyone with kids.

Josh Fidelak

Wait, So Do I Make Out With A Pan?

Buried Seeds Productions—MTC Up the Alley

Are you queer?

If your answer is “yes,” you should see this show—you may be able to relate.
If your answer is “maybe,” you should see this show—it might answer some of your questions.
If you answer is “no,” you should see this show—you might learn something.

Ray Yuen

A Toast to Prohibition

Melanie Gall Presents—Tom Hendry Warehouse

As always, Ms.Gall is a sure bet for top quality entertainment. I still remember the excited buzz about her from her very first show here. I haven’t missed one since. She shares my love of history; and besides being treated to the loveliest voice at this year’s Fringe, you will actually learn something. Her total professionalism shows, as the heat in the Warehouse tonight was unbearable. And we weren’t under stage lights! Every minute was charming, engaging, and humorous. Imagine gangster Al Capone actually writing a love song, which was really quite charming. Melanie treated us to many other popular songs of the time, interspersed with a her tale of a strong woman running a speakeasy as the last minutes of Prohibition tick away. I’m of the opinion that until we appreciate the past, we can’t really understand the present.

This would be a perfect show to bring an older loved one to; as the venue is usually comfortable, and this wonderful production would really resonate and be quite nostalgic. I brought my Mom and Dad to her Vera Lynne show years ago and they still talk about it fondly.

Brava

Lisa Campbell

Crabs Gone Wild

Pinchy Productions—The Fountain – Portage Place

I think you can see the joke coming a kilometre away. I thought perhaps there would be more to it, but there wasn’t. After a while, the joke wore a little thin, but the play stayed entertaining.

The program lists the show at 60 minutes but it only ran 45 minutes. That’s fine; I don’t think they could have stretched the joke another 15 minutes.

Ray Yuen

I Am The Most Unfeeling Doctor in the World (And Other True Tales from the Emergency Room)

Melissa Yuan-Innes—The Cinematheque

Dr. Yuan-Innes expertly tells a collection of stories, some funny, some sad, from her start in medicine to working in an ER where you meet some very interesting characters often in some very tough situations. She also includes some heartfelt personal stories involving herself and her family and how dealing with those is affected by her medical knowledge.

There is also a fun musical interlude involving her co-star, a medical skeleton. Other than being a Doctor, her desire to also follow her creative side by writing and performing shines through, and she keeps the audience wanting more.

Murray Hunter

BEFORE BREAKFAST: An Opera in One Act

Naomi Forman Productions—WAG – Muriel Richardson Auditorium

I love opera and I am very happy to see it represented here at Fringe. This festival showcases many of the arts but opera often slips through the cracks. There’s probably a reason for it since opera is not exactly the prime entertainment in central Canada. All of my opera experience has been from the great Italian and German composers. Thomas Pasatieri is a contemporary composer born in New York in 1945. Before the show started, I was very curious as to what the music of a “modern” composer sounds like.

It’s hard to judge how the music would sound if it was backed by a full symphony but with just a piano, it sets a nice backdrop to the main event: the superb vocals of Prima Donna Forman. Forman is a voice instructor at the University of Brandon, as well as a performer with Manitoba Opera and the WSO. It is truly a treat to see her perform at Fringe.

As with most tragedies, this opera hits the lowest notes of human emotion, digging to the depths of how despicable humanity can be. I’m used to operas being ~200 minutes long and 45 minutes is a tease. Really, it left me wanting more. When people ask me to explain the plot of an opera to them, the story takes less than a minute to relate. However, the plot development and progression takes a while. At a mere 45 minutes, there isn’t enough time to develop a plot and explore it. It’s like a summary of a play and I want more. But again, I’m an opera veteran; for a veteran novice, perhaps this is long enough.

Whether you have been listening to opera for ages, or never at all, this is a great show to try out. As a bonus, we see a bit of ballet to go with Forman’s spectacular voice. This is my don’t miss show of the year.

Ray Yuen

Daddy’s Boy

Erik de Waal—Planetarium

Masterful and near hypnotic storytelling prowess interweaves the narratives of Erik de Waal’s childhood with those of his fathers decline and passing. Ranging from absolute tragedy to heartwarming story to humour, the emotions evoked are at all points vivid and powerful. Beats are never missed, and of note is the technical management being spot on despite issues with airlines resulting in there being no technical rehearsals. An excellent show, as anyone knowing Erik would expect.

Josh Fidelak

Lost and Foundling

MTYP’s Summer Studio—MTYP – Mainstage

Lost and Foundling follows the adventures of Price whose entire life has been spent in a Super Price Mart. She is a foundling being lovingly raised by naïve but well-meaning staff. Price is bright, plucky and determined to explore her world including the mystery of “the line”, the terror of the “slasher”, the threat of the “demanding shopper”, and the siren song of sample tables. The young company is tight and the material humorous and touching. MTYP Summer Studio handles complicated choreography with ease and delivers everything you were looking for in a good Fringe show. It truly is thoughtful, funny and kind.

Barbara Fawcett

Juliet: A Revenge Comedy

Ryan Gladstone—The King’s Head Pub

With children, you are not supposed to have favorites; but with Fringe plays you can! And this is mine! If I have time, I will see it again. And in 32 years of Fringing, and thousands of plays, I’ve never done that.

If you have knowledge of The Bard, you will get the most from this absolutely perfect production. I can see a lot of the “ha ha” going over ones head if you are not familiar with Shakespeare. The theme this year, rightly, seems strong women turning the tables on male subjection. Will didn’t know what he was getting into here! Kudos to Ryan Gladstone for this most creative, unusual and unique masterpiece. It takes a very cerebral and astute writer to even imagine this concept of Shakespeare’s characters being able to participate in their fates. The two actresses, Lili Beaudoin and Carly Pokoradi, really outdid themselves. I honestly can’t do them justice in few words.

I love intelligent, quirky humour and if it can be decadent at the same time, so much the better; and this play was sexy! The fornication scenes behind the sheet were side splitting! I can’t say enough about the talent here. Just go!

Lisa Campbell