Otto & Astrid’s Joint Solo Project

Salvador Dinosaur—Pyramid Cabaret

They truly love Winnipeg ( as you should know if you follow them on FB) and Winnipeg loves them back!

If you have seen their show in the past, please don’t let that stop you from attending as it is all new and has evolved in a new direction. While their past schtick was hard core rock and roll; we’re all getting older and Otto and Astrid are astute enough professionals to evolve and adapt. Being less raucous lets the real musicianship and adept physical comedy shine. I always look forward to Astrid’s latest over-the-top outfit. And I never tire of the rather zoftig Astrid’s antics. The way she plops in front of her drum kit and her just plain dirty rendition of her original ‘Tasty Snak’ are hilarious. That woman can really shake her booty (and everything else)!

This may be a ‘joint solo project’ but the magic shines when Otto and Astrid are TOGETHER!

Lisa Campbell

ANATOMICA

Ragmop Theatre—MTC Up the Alley

What if you had a different type of body? Different as in the type of skeleton you had. Endoskeleton (which is our only experience), Exoskeleton, or Hydrostatic Skeleton, which would be the best? Amica Hunter poses this question to the audience in their new solo show. The show starts with a very different way of communicating with some audience members and then moves on to a striptease that goes a little further in a somewhat different way than you would expect.

The creativity in performing examples of creatures with the other two skeletal systems was masterfully done. All in all a very thought provoking show. I notice I have used the adjective ‘different’ several times, but different can be good (especially at the Fringe), and in this case it was great fun.

Murray Hunter

The Last Five Years

Hot Reject Productions—Tom Hendry Warehouse

You know the “showtune sound?” Of course you do! The Little Mermaid oozes with it, same with The Lion King and Beauty and the Beast. As soon as you hear a song from a showtune, you know immediately it spent some time on Broadway, or way, way, way off Broadway! If nothing else, they’re catchy, and often, I find myself humming them. When someone asks, “what are you singing?” You’re almost embarrassed to say, “Under the Sea!”

Surprisingly, it wasn’t until five songs into it before I felt the showtime vibe. Is that good? I don’t know–just different. Some of the tunes were catchy, but some were just ok—not hum worthy for sure. One of the singers was markedly better than the other, but both seemed to lose their key at one time or another. On occasion, they “reached” for that extra octave, and they probably shouldn’t have. I loved the quartet in the background and sometimes, it was fun just to watch them play.

At 90 minutes, I found it a tad long. There were a couple of songs that didn’t fit into the flow and seemed out of place. It would be a much tighter effort at 60 minutes.

The house erupted with a standing “o” after the show. I felt somewhat like a cad being the only one not standing but apologetically, it is not standing material. It’s good, even very good, but not outstanding. I have a feeling that there were a lot of friends and family in the audience propelling the enthusiasm.

Ray Yuen

Living the Dream

A One Human Being, Potentially Comedic Performance of Les Mis—The Rachel Browne Theatre

In this one-person musical meets parody meets comedy, local drama teacher Alli Perlov condenses the nearly 3 hour musical “Les Miserables” into a hilarious 52 minutes.

Perlov plays nearly 30 characters and includes gags, witty commentary & fun audience participation.

A refreshed version of the 2018 sell out show, Perlov hustles harder than ever to make you laugh, whether you’re a fan of Les Mis or not!

Lykos Theatre

The Comaback Kid—Théâtre Cercle Molière

Get your ringside seats to the ultimate battle of Brain vs Body as Mike de Jong tells the harrowing true story of spending his 30th birthday in a diabetic coma. Struck down in his prime, Mike shows just what it takes to pull yourself out of the deepest depths. Don’t miss this sleeper hit that is guaranteed to contain the Best Story you’ll hear at the Fringe this year!

Wind Flower Dance Company

Twenty Four—Tom Hendry Warehouse

Twenty Four is a day in dance. From the most important meal of the day to the end of the workday rush, Wind Flower Dance Co. captures the wonder of the everyday. With 24 dances, each representing an hour, Twenty four is full of a variety of music, styles and moods for everyone. Featuring a local cast of dynamic dancers from the School of Contemporary Dancers in Winnipeg.

“A marvelous breakout performance by Wind Flower Dance Company”

Sapphire Butterfly Blue

MTYP’s Summer Studio—MTYP – Mainstage

This was an EXCELLENT show. This show touched my heart and I shed a tear or two. The Salem Witch Trials started with a group of 13-14 year olds spreading false rumours that ended up in women in the village being hung for being a witch. How the elders of the town fell for this is incomprehensible. One line stuck with me, “I was only a witch when they said that I was.”

For the show being the first one, I can only imagine the performers grow and perform. The performers played each role perfectly with stunning emotions.

You will shed a tear. GO!!

Tracy Hall-Adam

Subscatter Productions

The Murky Place—The Rachel Browne Theatre

“The best parts of an acid trip.”

“Exceptional”

Audiences are raving about The Murky Place at Venue 8. Come watch 3 artists from across Canada do a dive deep into psychological territories through sonic exploration and subconscious unravelling. Kayla performs a wacky-but-poignant solo in a raincoat, Oriah has modified recordings of her grandparents’ voices, and our invited collaborator Alex Elliott shares the dark origins of an Icelandic lullaby.

Bring friends! ASL interpretation at every show.

World’s Fair 1876: The Centennial Exposition

JHG Creative—The Gargoyle Theatre

This musical was BRILLIANT. Set at the first centennial of America, we find ourselves at a conference of sorts, surrounded by notable inventors as they attempt to win the president’s favour in support of their creation. It reminded me a lot of Hamilton in so far as the clever and witty songwriting and storytelling. It is a (mostly) historically accurate story, rich with poignant social commentary. There is something so appealing about history being presented in such a fun and engaging way. I thought the songwriting and the script was so inspired, and I strongly feel like it’s shows like this are the reason I love musical theatre. It offers a perspective of hope about the world felt so many years ago, which serves to show how much has (or hasn’t) changed at all in the time elapsed since. It’s informative, thoroughly entertaining, hilarious, and an absolute delight. Definitely make the time to check this one out!

Calantha Jensen

Lessons They Won’t Let Us Teach in School

Joseph Herd Productions—The Gargoyle Theatre

I was very excited to see what kind of wisdom was about to be divulged in this show from the title alone, and they delivered! Performed by two brothers who both teach in Winnipeg high schools, we are guided through a series of lessons that are truths with a controversial enough nature that it took this particular space for them to be able to talk about them. Cleverly written and extremely funny, we get some valuable insight into the experience of being a teacher and what education is truly about. For anyone who has ever been a student and for any teachers or members of the school system, this show has valuable lessons for us all and is a brilliant piece of theatre. A definite MUST SEE.

Calantha Jensen