Neurohilarity
Neurohilarity—Alloway Hall – Manitoba Museum
Neurohilarity brings together the funniest neurodivergent comics in Winnipeg to share a stage.
Featured comics include several Winnipeg Comedy Festival and Yuk Yuk’s veterans such as Kane Greene, Quinn Greene, Danielle Kayhara, Scott Koropas, Adam Schwartz, and Carole Cunningham.
This show is hilarious!
ImproVision
ImproVision: Mötley Canöe—Duke of Kent Legion
After more than 23 years performing their own brand of fast-paced, mashed-up improv together, ImproVision’s Alan, Ed and George wanted a change. So launching a new career as plaid-leather-hair-country-metal-motorcycle-canoe cross-over band was an obvious progression. As challenging as it was to build a spectacular pyrotechnics display in the 50-seat Duke of Kent Legion — our audiences deserve it! Almost no one will catch fire.
Yeah: no. We made that up. Come see us make more stuff up.
“tore the roof off the house… them boys is funny”- a past review
Dark Horse Theatre
Specimen Sherman—Cre8ery
Fresh from a whirlwind intergalactic tour of Altair IV, Barsoom, Wrigley’s Pleasure Planet, and Mustafar (that was a rough crowd), Dark Horse Theatre’s production of “Specimen Sherman” finally returns to Earth! Be sure to catch this offbeat alien abduction comedy before it journeys off-world again! Featuring Fringe veterans Dave Pruden, Karl Eckstrand, and Mike Seccombe, and Fringe newcomers Debra Ross, Emma Stevens, and Simran Bal. Stage-managed by the astronomical Erin Rezansoff (with almost no help from Jango Fett). Experience this otherworldly show now, before the aliens come for…YOU!!!
Welcome to another Winnipeg Fringe Festival! Glad to meet you, we are the Jenny Revue. What is a Jenny Revue? Well let us explain. We are the original independent publication for fans and performers of the Winnipeg Fringe to get the word out about our amazing theatre companies. This is our 30th year, so we started this long before Social Media was a spark of 1’s and 0’s in Mark Zuckerbot’s electronic brain (you will never convince me he is a human being). These days, other than some one-sheet issues that we will distribute every couple days through the Jenny Boxes (at the Beer Tent, Hospo in MTC, and Across the Board Game Cafe) we are mostly online, and if you are reading this then you obviously found us. We already have our first bunch of reviews from Wednesday night posted, and a number of SSPs from some of the performing companies. We will have lists of them on the homepage below the great cartoon by Dave Pruden and these Editorial missives.
What Is New—There are a few new things at the Fringe this year including new venues, some ticket selling changes, and Pay What You Can (PWYC) shows. One of the biggest changes is having four venues out at the Centre Culturel Franco-Manitoban (CCFM). That will make it a great little hub that has a lot of performances so people can spend a whole day Fringing out there. Kid’s Fringe (not to be confused with the Kid’s Venue) has moved from Stephen Juba park back to Old Market Square in what is known as the Beer Tent a little later in the day. Another change for you Early Birds is that tickets now go on sale 30 minutes before the first show of the day at a venue as opposed to 1 hour like it has been in the past. Lastly, there are some PWYC shows, including the Kid’s Venue shows, Shelby Bond’s “The Sherlock Holmes Experience, and “Fringe Open Night” at the Exchange Events Centre. PWYC tickets must be purchased at the door. One last thing that is new again is the Big Show Board at the info tent in Old Market Square which was missing last year. It has been brought back due to popular demand and is always great resource to see what shows are up next and whether they are sold out or not. It has always been a good way to pick a show to take a chance on to fill in gaps in your Fringe viewing schedule.
What Is Back, But Still Seems New—There is still supervised bike parking in the Pantages courtyard which has Fringe volunteers keeping an eye out (from 10am to 12:15am) over an area where you can lock up your bike. Old Market Square is fully licensed again this year, so you can enjoy an adult beverage anywhere inside its boundaries, assuming you are of an age to do so. One of the major ticket selling changes from last year is back, where ALL the tickets for a show are available for sale in advance. So check the Winnipeg Fringe’s website to see if a show is sold out prior to heading out to purchase tickets at the door for a popular show. There were a couple quick sell outs on Wednesday evening, so consider yourself forewarned.
Another Year Older—With it being our 30th year, we plan on celebrating with some special releases throughout the Fringe. We would love any stories about Fringes past, if you have some stories to share send them our way.For those feeling nostalgic, you can visit our Archives page to take a gander at all the ancient scrolls from the very beginning of the Jenny. I also encourage you to check out the Special 20th Anniversary Inserts from back in 2011 (I apologize for the use of Comic Sans font, it was a much simpler time back then).
A Jenny Primer—The Jenny Revue is an independent place for everyone to share their Winnipeg Fringe experience. You can contact us via email at jennyrevue@gmail.com. Please follow us on Twitter @jennyrevue, Instagram jennyrevue, and/or Facebook for updates on when the site is updated and other Fringe news.
The key parts of the Jenny are the following:
- Reviews—We do a few things differently at the Jenny, one of the biggest differences is we do not use a star or number rating system. Yes that means you actually have to read a review to see what the person reviewing the show thought about it. We have always done it this way, and think that it is a better way to do things. We accept reviews from anyone, with only one condition: You must provide your real name, and some form of contact info (so you can be reached in case we need clarification). Not all the reviews we receive may get published but in general as long as the review was well written it will be published on the website. While we expect our little herd of Jenny Staff to review every show at the Fringe, we want to hear from you to hear what you think so send us those reviews.
- Shameless Self-Promotion—If you are in a Fringe play and haven’t yet shamelessly promoted your show, put together 80 words (or less)—different from your program blurb—and send them to us. Think of it like you are giving your quick flyering spiel to people waiting in line, and be creative. Clearly mark them as SSPs since it’s difficult to tell the difference between an unqualified rave by a satisfied patron, and a bombastic bit of self-promotion by a company scribe.
- Letters—Got an opinion on something at the Fringe? It is always better to get it off your chest. Send us your thoughts with your name and contact info and if it catches our eye we’ll spread the word.
- News—We are always looking for interesting or wacky things that have happened during the Fringe. If you have a tale to tell, let us know.
Last, but certainly not least are the Jenny Awards. This is our end of Festival party that will be held Sunday July 30th. The Jenny’s will be back at Across the Board Game Cafe a fully accessible licensed venue at 211 Bannatyne Avenue.
Enjoy the Fringe!
Murray Hunter
Nashville Hurricane
Chase Padgett—PTE – Mainstage
Chase Padgett returns with this reprise to delight his faithful fans. The audience was full of those just wanting more of this rare combination of masterful guitarist and winning storyteller. He’s changed it up enough to not be repetitive if you’ve seen this one before. But no one really cares. Winnipeg adores him with good reason. His folksy, warm interactions with the audience just make us love him more. He weaves a few different tales together, all interesting and intriguing, while effectively intertwining his warm, rich guitar playing. Opening night was deservedly packed; and I can’t imagine anyone not being completely delighted with this stellar show.
Lisa Campbell
Staffroom
Scattered Minds Theatre—John Hirsch Mainstage
Most people at some point in their lives wonder what goes on in a teaching staff room and this play is here to answer the question! The play follows a day in a staff room as the various teachers interact. A teacher myself, the characters were spot on. Jokes were crude (some made me cringe) and captured the curmudgeon perfectly. There were tender moments that captured the do-gooder teachers to a tee.
Mostly the play showed the truth, which is that no teacher is perfect, we are all just trying our best in front of our kids and letting loose our demons with our coworkers.
Kaitlyn Kriss
A.W.O.L.
Rob Gee—The King’s Head Pub
Rob Gee and Jon Paterson play Neville and Cyril (as well as a number of other side characters) in this entertaining comic performance of two elderly gentlemen trying to have one last adventure. The story pulls in some influences from Gee’s previous shows that were based on some of his experiences working as a psychiatric nurse and some of the challenges the residents face.
It is a fun show by a very personable and able duo that was very enjoyable. Also nicely woven in are some rhyming couplets in the dialog and narration that showcases Gee’s spoken word poetry background.
Murray Hunter
This Calls for Danger
Hogans Circus—Royal Albert Arms
This show started six minutes late and faced a host of technical difficulties, which is sometimes part of opening day. I was concerned we would not get out on time because of it but the performer was very cognisant of time and ended the show exactly when it is scheduled to end—that was nice work.
As Oddly describes in the programme, this is a “sideshow act” and that’s exactly what you get. As a scientist, I can explain some of the stunts through science, but no one wants to read that. Some of them are harder to explain, and it’s all part of being an illusionist. Don’t get me wrong: this is not a magic show, but there are tricks involved.
Oddly executes most of them very well and there are moments of genuine gut-splitting laughter. Part of it is Oddly’s engagement and part of it is the enthusiasm of the audience. This is the kind of show where you get out of it as much as you put into it. Walk in, grab a drink (licensed and ≥18 only), cringe at some moments, laugh at others, and wow at the rest. Want to up your level of engagement? Be an audience volunteer—you’ll have plenty of opportunity.
Ray Yuen
World’s Greatest* Dad
Morgan Cranny—CCFM Pauline-Boutal Hall
Morgan is a talented and veteran performer whom I have loved in the past. He’s warm and likeable. The problem is the dissonance between what I expected and what I saw tonight. As the author, he should know his lines. He admitted this failure himself. He excused himself by saying he hadn’t performed it since 2015. That shouldn’t be the audience’s problem. Many sentences had the words reversed. We knew what he meant; but that wasn’t what was said. Having to rely on the teleprompter and still repeating was disappointing.
The bones are here. The play has a charming and relatable premise. His ‘dad joke‘ about Tarzan was hilarious! The problem was that the only ones really laughing consistently were his friends and former director. I’m hoping that some serious rehearsal can bring this production up to what it can be quickly.
Lisa Campbell
All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten
Shoestring Players—Tom Hendry Warehouse
This show is a gem!
A beautiful storytelling show presented with heartfelt honesty, metaphor and song. We are taken on a journey through a selection of memories and stories, all reflecting important lessons in life. We get to be reminded of our earliest perspectives on the world and our belief in our ability to do anything. Learning how to navigate the world together, experiencing wonder and remembering to share, apologize, and flush. Yet we often forget what truly living life means as we get older and we are shown how growing up changes our perspectives on life. I saw myself in every story, reminiscing similar experiences and important lessons of my own, and I laughed and wept in equal measure.
This show has so much heart and is sincerely relatable and validating. An adult cast of all ages reminds us that regardless of where we are in our life’s journeys, revisiting how we saw the world as a kid always has a wealth of wisdom to offer us all. I highly recommend for anyone looking to reacquaint themselves with their inner child, and to share a beautiful moment of connection with one another despite the stories not being exactly our own. We learnt the most essential lessons early in life and are better for the reminder after leaving this show. The title couldn’t be more accurate, and overall the show is wonderful and endearing. I absolutely loved it.
Calantha Jensen
