Fringe reviews #11: Your only way out is through the lighting booth
Paul Strickland Presents
RRC Polytech (Venue 11) to Sunday
⭐⭐⭐⭐
It sounds like the setup for a bad joke: a guy from Kentucky walks into a college classroom singing silly songs… But in the case of fringe favourite Paul Strickland, it's more like a guy strumming an acoustic guitar while surrounded by old friends.
The storytelling songster has a wonderful rapport with his audience. Maybe it was his praise for the Winnipeg fringe scene ('It's very special here') or his self-deprecating humour, but the sedate, mostly middle-aged crowd at Friday's afternoon performance adored it.
The songs are hit-and-miss, but what's most impressive is how Strickland can go from surreal to sentimental, and make it all work ('My Dad turned into a pile of wool. Mama sewed him into a sweater … Whenever I wore it, it felt like a big hug.')
His longtime director Erika MacDonald also joins him onstage in character as a surprise guest. A relaxing respite from some of the fringe craziness.
— Janice Sawka
BEST FRIENDS FOREVER
B12 Theatre Productions
CCFM — Antoine Garborieau Hall (Venue 19), to Sunday
⭐⭐⭐½
Kaycee is a heavyset woman, unhappy with her body and her life, failing her university classes and going downhill fast. Ally is her dependable, goofy galpal since childhood. And Dee is younger, slimmer, cuter, but strangely driven to make friends, even if by forcing herself into someone's life.
Winnipeg writer/director Kennedy Huckerby created this dramedy out of her background in mental health support and a desire to showcase stories of female friendship.
All actors give commendable performances: Elena Modrzejewski (Kaycee) has the standout scene of the play, as she cries over her dying grandfather's bedside, but needs to project more in other scenes. Avery Mittermayr (Ally) is just plain fun. Maija Buduhan (Dee) is appropriately enigmatic. David Lange ably contributes a variety of male supporting roles.
The 60-minute run time forces Kaycee's crisis to escalate unnaturally quickly, and the final explanation of Dee's hold over her, while unexpected and clever, is resolved too easily.
Definitely geared towards women, but with valuable lessons for all regarding toxic friendships.
— Janice Sawka
CACTUS
Cactus Theatre
Tom Hendry Warehouse (Venue 6) to Sunday
⭐⭐⭐
The local Cactus Theatre was formed to present the late Manitoba playwright Daniel Gilmour's dark comedy Cactus. At 60 minutes, it is perhaps a touch too long, since it seems scattered at first, but the play soon shapes itself into a funny and moving piece about confronting death and subsequent grief.
Tom is visited by the angel of death. He is there to guide Tom through his life's episodes — A Christmas Carol and It's A Wonderful Life are noted comically — before his demise.
There is a lesson to be learned but it isn't what one expects. Tom faces his grief in a gut-wrenching way that makes you gasp at the work's theatrical daring. Gilmour avoids sentimentality with intelligence, while his humanity shines through the sometimes messy structure.
The production balances the play's comic and dramatic intentions well. It honours Gilmour, whose death at age 38 in 2023 was a loss to the local playwriting community.
— Rory Runnells
DAREDEVILS
Corael Productions
MTC Up the Alley (Venue 2), to Saturday
⭐⭐⭐ ½
The names of daredevils Charles Blondin and Maria Spelterini may not resonate much today, but they were once called out by roaring crowds as they stepped into some of the most treacherous tightrope stunts of the 19th century.
Winnipeg playwright Ellen Peterson's comedy imagines them as frenemies in Niagara Falls, where they are attempting to traverse its river gorge. Blondin is Spelterini's teacher and would-be lover, though the student appears to be overtaking the master, much to his chagrin.
Nearly every line of dialogue seems dedicated to driving home Blondin's flamboyance and chauvinism — part Inigo Montoya, more Pepe Le Pew — and the younger Spelterini's pluck and intrepidness.
This becomes repetitive. Nevertheless, the actors make solid use of the material and there's real craft elsewhere in Peterson's script. The language, by turns bawdy and highfalutin', is a lot of fun. Moments of vulnerability by Blondin in the play's conclusion add a welcome sense of discovery and dramatic depth.
— Conrad Sweatman
THE GALLERY WALL
Evens and Odds
Son of Warehouse (Venue 5), to Saturday
⭐⭐⭐⭐ ½
A painter and an aspiring journalist meet and, almost by chance, begin to open up about the past experiences that have shaped who they are today. What each of them learns from each other, and about themselves, propels a deeply engrossing, character-driven theatrical treat.
The script for this 60-minute dramedy is a star in its own right. The dialogue is natural and fast-paced, driving meaningful character growth through a combination of sassy banter and reflective musings. The tone shifts effortlessly between humour, tenderness and tension that drives real depth.
Ella Cole and Kirstin Caguioa deliver exceptional performances — you can feel the chemistry between them, and both bring relatable charm to their characters. It's easy to sympathize as they struggle to navigate the uncertainty in their futures.
There are a few areas where the narrative wanders slightly, but this performance ultimately delivers a strong, character-driven experience.
— Matt Schaubroeck
RIOT!
Monster Theatre
King's Head Pub (Venue 14), to Sunday
⭐⭐⭐ ½
It's 1849 in New York City. The streets smell of urine and class tensions are mounting. In steps the thespian Macready, the toast of the elite, to perform at the exclusive Astor Place. Conflict with his rival Forrest, a working-class theatre hero, help to spark a bloody theatre riot. Vancouver-based brothers Jeff and Ryan Gladstone's retell this history as a rapid-fire one-hour comedy. They swap characters, accents and insults with brilliant skill. It's little wonder this touring show has been a hit in so many other cities.
The Gladstones tell us that they hope their show will help the politically unaligned better come to understand the value of dialogue. This is nice, but caricatures of 19th-century WASPs and theatre culture have very little to do with today's political polarization. More importantly, they don't seem particularly daring either — for all its F-sharps, the comedy feels a little low-stakes to crackle.
— Conrad Sweatman
THE SHOW MUST GO ON!
Mad Tom Theatre Company
Théâtre Cercle Molière (Venue 3), to Sunday
⭐⭐⭐
In the theatre world, the 'curse of Macbeth' has it that if actors say the very name of Shakespeare's famous tragedy, they'll invite toil and trouble. This local 75-minute comedy (not 90) written and produced by young local actors imagines this curse befalling a high school theatre production.
It often feels like an affectionate send-up of theatre kids. Woe to the teen today who posts an overly earnest skit online and finds himself trolled by legions of edge-lords in the comments.
One character in Show seems to embody this comment section: he calls everyone 'gay' and — we hesitate to say — gets some of the show's funniest lines.
Show makes the mistake of having him succumb to the curse too quickly, because the show's best stuff is the repartee between opposing types rather than the wilfully ludicrous plot.
But there's no point scrutinizing things too closely. It has the novice feel of a show by kids fresh out of high school, but also it has an infectious energy. It's a bit long, but it's fun.
— Conrad Sweatman
STORIES I WON'T TELL THE KIDS / DES HISTOIRES (PAS) POUR LES ENFANTS
TiBert inc.
Le Studio at Théâtre Cercle Molière (Venue 20), to Sunday
⭐⭐ ½
Rob Malo has made a name for himself through a long career as a storyteller and children's entertainer. This 50-minute series of stories, targeted towards a more mature audience, tries to welcome in a new demographic for the longtime entertainer. Unfortunately, the cohesion of the show falls a little flat.
There is definitely some adult content at the show — too risky, apparently, for even ChatGPT — and does earn some genuine laughs. But Malo also spends a significant amount of time of his stage time on a kid-friendly historical tale that, while interesting, does not thematically match the rest of the more risqué humour.
Malo is a passionate and polished raconteur, and each of tales would likely have a rapt audience at any bar table or kitchen party. As a stage performance, this one is still falling a little flat.
While most upcoming shows are in English, Thursday's performance will be en français.
— Matt Schaubroeck
WHERE DOES BOB BELONG ?
Super Duper Productions
Centre culturel franco-manitobain (Venue 4), to Sunday
⭐⭐ ½
In this quirky 45-minute show (not 60 as listed), Toronto-based red nosed clown Christopher Bugg presents the story of a clown and his life-size puppet friend/lover Bob.
The best of the show is Bugg bringing Bob to some kind of life. Romance, longing and uffering follow as the two go through a chaotic relationship. The worst is when the clown indulges in a frenetic unconvincing bit involving genitalia props. In some way, which seems unclear, this tiresome vulgarity has to do with Bob.
There is, finally, a Bugg-Bob reconciliation and a satisfying happy ending.
The rake-thin performer has impressive control of his body, which he subjects to harsh treatment with many — perhaps too many — props. Bugg appeals to the audience, as clowns will, but it only stalls the action, rather than enhancing it.
Maybe even 45 minutes is too long for the material Bugg offers.
— Rory Runnells
WHEREVER YOU MAY BE
Reis' Pieces Theatre Co.
Théâtre Cercle Molière (Venue 3), to Sunday
Weekday Evenings
Today's must-read stories and a roundup of the day's headlines, delivered every evening.
⭐⭐ ½
Hilde is the spunkiest resident in her personal care home. She came to Canada as a Ukrainian refugee and raised a family. Now she's an old wit with a bone to pick with her pious, nosy neighbour. She likes beer, salty foods and reviewing mistakes in the newspaper. A natural protagonist of a fringe show, then.
Wherever You May Be is essentially community theatre. It deals with Mennonite community themes, and its sizable cast will probably continue to draw a big crowd of friends, family and fans. Erin Essery is strong as Hilde, but big amateur casts tend to have weak points (and, in this case, some weak characters).
Wherever You May Be is a cosy play in search of a dramatic conflict. It flirts with punchy premises — populist Mennonite anger about 'elites' and taxes; religious tensions; memories of Soviet persecution — but these are carted off or resolved almost as quickly as they're introduced. The cast can sing though. More of this, please.
— Conrad Sweatman
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Winnipeg Free Press
20-07-2025
- Winnipeg Free Press
Fringe reviews #11: Your only way out is through the lighting booth
100% UNTRUEBADOUR Paul Strickland Presents RRC Polytech (Venue 11) to Sunday ⭐⭐⭐⭐ It sounds like the setup for a bad joke: a guy from Kentucky walks into a college classroom singing silly songs… But in the case of fringe favourite Paul Strickland, it's more like a guy strumming an acoustic guitar while surrounded by old friends. The storytelling songster has a wonderful rapport with his audience. Maybe it was his praise for the Winnipeg fringe scene ('It's very special here') or his self-deprecating humour, but the sedate, mostly middle-aged crowd at Friday's afternoon performance adored it. The songs are hit-and-miss, but what's most impressive is how Strickland can go from surreal to sentimental, and make it all work ('My Dad turned into a pile of wool. Mama sewed him into a sweater … Whenever I wore it, it felt like a big hug.') His longtime director Erika MacDonald also joins him onstage in character as a surprise guest. A relaxing respite from some of the fringe craziness. — Janice Sawka BEST FRIENDS FOREVER B12 Theatre Productions CCFM — Antoine Garborieau Hall (Venue 19), to Sunday ⭐⭐⭐½ Kaycee is a heavyset woman, unhappy with her body and her life, failing her university classes and going downhill fast. Ally is her dependable, goofy galpal since childhood. And Dee is younger, slimmer, cuter, but strangely driven to make friends, even if by forcing herself into someone's life. Winnipeg writer/director Kennedy Huckerby created this dramedy out of her background in mental health support and a desire to showcase stories of female friendship. All actors give commendable performances: Elena Modrzejewski (Kaycee) has the standout scene of the play, as she cries over her dying grandfather's bedside, but needs to project more in other scenes. Avery Mittermayr (Ally) is just plain fun. Maija Buduhan (Dee) is appropriately enigmatic. David Lange ably contributes a variety of male supporting roles. The 60-minute run time forces Kaycee's crisis to escalate unnaturally quickly, and the final explanation of Dee's hold over her, while unexpected and clever, is resolved too easily. Definitely geared towards women, but with valuable lessons for all regarding toxic friendships. — Janice Sawka CACTUS Cactus Theatre Tom Hendry Warehouse (Venue 6) to Sunday ⭐⭐⭐ The local Cactus Theatre was formed to present the late Manitoba playwright Daniel Gilmour's dark comedy Cactus. At 60 minutes, it is perhaps a touch too long, since it seems scattered at first, but the play soon shapes itself into a funny and moving piece about confronting death and subsequent grief. Tom is visited by the angel of death. He is there to guide Tom through his life's episodes — A Christmas Carol and It's A Wonderful Life are noted comically — before his demise. There is a lesson to be learned but it isn't what one expects. Tom faces his grief in a gut-wrenching way that makes you gasp at the work's theatrical daring. Gilmour avoids sentimentality with intelligence, while his humanity shines through the sometimes messy structure. The production balances the play's comic and dramatic intentions well. It honours Gilmour, whose death at age 38 in 2023 was a loss to the local playwriting community. — Rory Runnells DAREDEVILS Corael Productions MTC Up the Alley (Venue 2), to Saturday ⭐⭐⭐ ½ The names of daredevils Charles Blondin and Maria Spelterini may not resonate much today, but they were once called out by roaring crowds as they stepped into some of the most treacherous tightrope stunts of the 19th century. Winnipeg playwright Ellen Peterson's comedy imagines them as frenemies in Niagara Falls, where they are attempting to traverse its river gorge. Blondin is Spelterini's teacher and would-be lover, though the student appears to be overtaking the master, much to his chagrin. Nearly every line of dialogue seems dedicated to driving home Blondin's flamboyance and chauvinism — part Inigo Montoya, more Pepe Le Pew — and the younger Spelterini's pluck and intrepidness. This becomes repetitive. Nevertheless, the actors make solid use of the material and there's real craft elsewhere in Peterson's script. The language, by turns bawdy and highfalutin', is a lot of fun. Moments of vulnerability by Blondin in the play's conclusion add a welcome sense of discovery and dramatic depth. — Conrad Sweatman THE GALLERY WALL Evens and Odds Son of Warehouse (Venue 5), to Saturday ⭐⭐⭐⭐ ½ A painter and an aspiring journalist meet and, almost by chance, begin to open up about the past experiences that have shaped who they are today. What each of them learns from each other, and about themselves, propels a deeply engrossing, character-driven theatrical treat. The script for this 60-minute dramedy is a star in its own right. The dialogue is natural and fast-paced, driving meaningful character growth through a combination of sassy banter and reflective musings. The tone shifts effortlessly between humour, tenderness and tension that drives real depth. Ella Cole and Kirstin Caguioa deliver exceptional performances — you can feel the chemistry between them, and both bring relatable charm to their characters. It's easy to sympathize as they struggle to navigate the uncertainty in their futures. There are a few areas where the narrative wanders slightly, but this performance ultimately delivers a strong, character-driven experience. — Matt Schaubroeck RIOT! Monster Theatre King's Head Pub (Venue 14), to Sunday ⭐⭐⭐ ½ It's 1849 in New York City. The streets smell of urine and class tensions are mounting. In steps the thespian Macready, the toast of the elite, to perform at the exclusive Astor Place. Conflict with his rival Forrest, a working-class theatre hero, help to spark a bloody theatre riot. Vancouver-based brothers Jeff and Ryan Gladstone's retell this history as a rapid-fire one-hour comedy. They swap characters, accents and insults with brilliant skill. It's little wonder this touring show has been a hit in so many other cities. The Gladstones tell us that they hope their show will help the politically unaligned better come to understand the value of dialogue. This is nice, but caricatures of 19th-century WASPs and theatre culture have very little to do with today's political polarization. More importantly, they don't seem particularly daring either — for all its F-sharps, the comedy feels a little low-stakes to crackle. — Conrad Sweatman THE SHOW MUST GO ON! Mad Tom Theatre Company Théâtre Cercle Molière (Venue 3), to Sunday ⭐⭐⭐ In the theatre world, the 'curse of Macbeth' has it that if actors say the very name of Shakespeare's famous tragedy, they'll invite toil and trouble. This local 75-minute comedy (not 90) written and produced by young local actors imagines this curse befalling a high school theatre production. It often feels like an affectionate send-up of theatre kids. Woe to the teen today who posts an overly earnest skit online and finds himself trolled by legions of edge-lords in the comments. One character in Show seems to embody this comment section: he calls everyone 'gay' and — we hesitate to say — gets some of the show's funniest lines. Show makes the mistake of having him succumb to the curse too quickly, because the show's best stuff is the repartee between opposing types rather than the wilfully ludicrous plot. But there's no point scrutinizing things too closely. It has the novice feel of a show by kids fresh out of high school, but also it has an infectious energy. It's a bit long, but it's fun. — Conrad Sweatman STORIES I WON'T TELL THE KIDS / DES HISTOIRES (PAS) POUR LES ENFANTS TiBert inc. Le Studio at Théâtre Cercle Molière (Venue 20), to Sunday ⭐⭐ ½ Rob Malo has made a name for himself through a long career as a storyteller and children's entertainer. This 50-minute series of stories, targeted towards a more mature audience, tries to welcome in a new demographic for the longtime entertainer. Unfortunately, the cohesion of the show falls a little flat. There is definitely some adult content at the show — too risky, apparently, for even ChatGPT — and does earn some genuine laughs. But Malo also spends a significant amount of time of his stage time on a kid-friendly historical tale that, while interesting, does not thematically match the rest of the more risqué humour. Malo is a passionate and polished raconteur, and each of tales would likely have a rapt audience at any bar table or kitchen party. As a stage performance, this one is still falling a little flat. While most upcoming shows are in English, Thursday's performance will be en français. — Matt Schaubroeck WHERE DOES BOB BELONG ? Super Duper Productions Centre culturel franco-manitobain (Venue 4), to Sunday ⭐⭐ ½ In this quirky 45-minute show (not 60 as listed), Toronto-based red nosed clown Christopher Bugg presents the story of a clown and his life-size puppet friend/lover Bob. The best of the show is Bugg bringing Bob to some kind of life. Romance, longing and uffering follow as the two go through a chaotic relationship. The worst is when the clown indulges in a frenetic unconvincing bit involving genitalia props. In some way, which seems unclear, this tiresome vulgarity has to do with Bob. There is, finally, a Bugg-Bob reconciliation and a satisfying happy ending. The rake-thin performer has impressive control of his body, which he subjects to harsh treatment with many — perhaps too many — props. Bugg appeals to the audience, as clowns will, but it only stalls the action, rather than enhancing it. Maybe even 45 minutes is too long for the material Bugg offers. — Rory Runnells WHEREVER YOU MAY BE Reis' Pieces Theatre Co. Théâtre Cercle Molière (Venue 3), to Sunday Weekday Evenings Today's must-read stories and a roundup of the day's headlines, delivered every evening. ⭐⭐ ½ Hilde is the spunkiest resident in her personal care home. She came to Canada as a Ukrainian refugee and raised a family. Now she's an old wit with a bone to pick with her pious, nosy neighbour. She likes beer, salty foods and reviewing mistakes in the newspaper. A natural protagonist of a fringe show, then. Wherever You May Be is essentially community theatre. It deals with Mennonite community themes, and its sizable cast will probably continue to draw a big crowd of friends, family and fans. Erin Essery is strong as Hilde, but big amateur casts tend to have weak points (and, in this case, some weak characters). Wherever You May Be is a cosy play in search of a dramatic conflict. It flirts with punchy premises — populist Mennonite anger about 'elites' and taxes; religious tensions; memories of Soviet persecution — but these are carted off or resolved almost as quickly as they're introduced. The cast can sing though. More of this, please. — Conrad Sweatman
Winnipeg Free Press
17-07-2025
- Winnipeg Free Press
Fringe reviews #2: Your destiny awaits in a warehouse basement
ADAM BAILEY: MY THREE DEATHS Still Your Friend Le Studio at Theâtre Cercle Molière (Venue 20), to July 27 'Rumours of my death have been wildly exaggerated … by me,' says Adam Bailey at the top of his latest hour of well-woven storytelling at the fringe. Since his first solo show (Adam Bailey is on Fire) in 2015, the Toronto performer, who was raised against his will in Belleville, Ont., has alternated between deeply personal tales of coming of age as the gay son of an evangelical minister and richly detailed histories of notable figures both well-known (Henri Rousseau) and obscure (19th-century suffragette Victoria Woodhull). In My Three Deaths, Bailey returns to the character he knows best. The result? A well-composed, smartly lit and intermittently moving story about losing and becoming lost after the blackout. ⭐⭐⭐ ½ — Ben Waldman CONTROL Jurasco Le Studio at Theâtre Cercle Molière (Venue 20), to July 27 When Wayne James was 16 years old, he declared at the dinner table that nothing surprised him anymore. Raised on a farm in Lydiatt, in the R.M. of Brokenhead, James saw by 1966 that while his world revolved around the sun, the moon, the water and the soil, the rest of society instead sought to strike paydirt. Throughout this civic-minded, hour-long treatise on chemical warfare, inherited wealth, corn silage and intergenerational responsibility, this hippie Sam Elliott gets on the audience's level, frequently proving his teenage self wrong by making unpredictable choices. 'In show business, this is what we call a change of pace,' he says before plucking an original folk tune in the vein of Pete Seeger. A similar warning might have been recommended before James is cast in a red light to recite a version of Chief Seattle's 1854 address to 'the Great White Chief in Washington.' ⭐⭐ ½ — Ben Waldman EMERGENCY OPS Illustrium Creations RRC Polytech (Venue 11), to July 26 This 45-minute one-man workplace comedy about institutional incompetence in the civil service will surely resonate with anyone who's quietly fumed as supervisors make bad decisions, suck up to management or scream at subordinates. Local playwright/performer Hayden Maines dons a rainbow of different coloured safety vests to play five members of an Emergency Operations Centre team dealing with a train derailment. Maines has nailed the office archetypes — including Jamie, the new operations chief whom no one has time to train and Kelly, the reluctant HR person-turned-logistics chief who can't handle pressure — and he's an appealing actor. However, the writing here needs to be much sharper and tighter (there's a lot of filler dialogue and unnecessary yelling), with more care taken to delineate the characters. While the pace is manic, the potential for madcap farce isn't quite attained. It's far from a disaster, though; with some tweaking, it could get the job done. ⭐⭐ ½ — Jill Wilson HOOP AND HAT: VAUDEVILLE SHOWDOWN Hoop and Hat John Hirsch Mainstage (Venue 1), to July 26 Winnipeg acrobats Chris Without the Hat and Carla Cerceau are apparently more accustomed to working outside as street performers, where the spectacle of, say, Chris juggling machetes feels a little more immediate and dangerous. Deprived of that direct contact with the audience in the hardtop venue of RMTC, the pair contrive to deliver something like a plot, playing the two vaudeville performers drawn into a competition to see whose act is more dangerous. 'Contrive' is the operative word here. Both performers have talents in their fields, Chris as a juggler/magician and Cerceau as an aerialist, performing a perilous routine from a hoop dangling a few metres above the stage. But attempts to flesh out the proceedings just seem random, including Chris singing the song Mr. Cellophane from the musical Chicago, expressing a sentiment that should feel alien to any self-respecting vaudevillian. The promised hour-long run was closer to 45 minutes. ⭐⭐ ½ — Randall King AN IMPROVISED JOHN HUGHES MOVIE Tectonic Improv Centre culturel franco-manitobain (Venue 4), to July 27 The goal of newly formed improv troupe Tectonic's first fringe offering is to pay entertaining homage to the lasting style of John Hughes, the director of such classic fare as Uncle Buck and The Breakfast Club. But while the local performers — Kristen Einarson, Dewey Parker, Kim Laberinto and Scott Angus — are likeably silly and committed as improv artists, it was clear on opening night that this hour-long feature could stand to refer more directly to its sources: a deeper development of archetypes, a greater sense of geography and a few choice props would work wonders. The pieces, suggested by an audience member, were all there for a lively coming-of-age tale: a naive teenage girl who's never been on an airplane headed to a friend's wedding in Wales. There are cheesy, sappy and snappy beats to keep in any Hughesian tale and Tectonic struggled to keep the rhythm, especially when overloud, obtrusive '80s music was piped in sporadically. Still, the audience laughed loudly and often, pleased by the wacky performance if not by the adherence to the form mastered by the great cinematic poet of suburban Chicago. Hughes got better with time: one assumes the same will be true from show to show for Tectonic. ⭐⭐ ½ — Ben Waldman LIFE, LOVE, AND LACK THEREOF Hiljames movement Asper Centre for Theatre and Film (Venue 10), to July 25 Winnipeg's Hilary James, Brooke Hess, Emma Beech and Naomi Wiebe peel back the existential layers of the human condition with all its foibles and frailties in this 60-minute (billed as 75) contemporary dance show featuring three solo world premières. These Things Take Time begins with choreographer Hess preparing a meal in a steaming rice cooker as an ode to mundane routines of day-to-day life. Note, created by Beech and Wiebe, features the latter performing angular, highly gestural movement vocabulary as she explores connection through repetitive motion. However in the abstract program's strongest offering, Solitude Salsa, show producer/choreographer James truly dances like no one's watching during her kaleidoscopic mash-up of styles that further showcases her versatile artistry. It's impossible to take your eyes off her as she wrestles with the gnawing ache of loneliness and its flipside, freedom, her final expansive leaps and spins across the stage ringing as true as a late-night phone call from a desperate, yearning soul. ⭐⭐⭐ ½ — Holly Harris NO DIE! Fedor Comedy Pyramid Cabaret (Venue 15), to July 26 Written and performed by Dutch comedian Fedor Ikelaar, this hour-long standup/storytelling show is a madcap travelogue detailing his hilarious (and harrowing) misadventures in Sierra Leone and Thailand. You know what they say: what doesn't kill you makes you funnier. Ikelaar is a bit slow to get going (there's quite a bit of filler in the beginning), but once he does, he's on fire. The Sierra Leone story is so full of twists and turns and mistaken identity — and so well written and well told — that it could likely hold this show on its own; the story from Thailand that gives the show its title isn't quite ready for prime time. Still, Ikelaar is a likable stage presence and knows how to spin a yarn. With some editing and a tighter ending, No Die! could really kill. ⭐⭐⭐ — Jen Zoratti PLAN V: THE RISE OF REVERENCE Dance Naked Creative Asper Centre for Theatre & Film (Venue 10), to July 27 What's soft, pink and shimmers in the light? Mama V (Eleanor O'Brien) at her latest Plan V meeting, focusing on the celebration and power of the canal we all came from. Clad in a hot-pink, bedazzled velour track suit, the Portland, Ore.-based actor reflects on the #MeToo movement, the reversal of Roe v. Wade and historical shame surrounding women's sexual satisfaction — calling on attendees to 'come together,' listen to their inner goddesses and reclaim their power through pleasure. The 60-minute sermon-style delivery is reminiscent of church (including some moments where one looks at one's watch). Amid the heavy topics, the sex-positive comedy is filled with witty dialogue and complemented with pre-recorded video featuring other meeting attendees (brilliantly played by O'Brien) on 'Zype.' Plan V brings levity and humour to the timely issue of bodily autonomy and is unapologetically feminist. It's brazen and bold with room for laughter, reflection and rebellion, although its message may resonate more deeply with audiences in need of reminders about self-empowerment. Despite its slower start, Plan V leaves you wishing this was your high school sex education class experience. ⭐⭐⭐⭐ — Nadya Pankiw THE ROYAL SPEAKEASY All About Theatre Adults Pyramid Cabaret (Venue 15), to July 26 While there's certainly talent to be found in Winnipeg's All About Theatre crew, this 60-minute cabaret-comedy about the goings-on at a Prohibition-era speakeasy never rises to their level. It starts with a bang. Molly Helmer's sultry, operatic version of Florence Desmond's wistful 1933 song Cigarettes, Cigars as club performer Rose is absolutely stunning. Anika Price, playing club owner Flo, also turns in a pair of showstoppers in the form of jazz-inspired covers of Britney Spears' Toxic and Tove Lo's Habits (Stay High). But an incoherent plot with too many characters sucks the life out of this show. The vocal performances are often too quiet (likely a venue issue, not a capability issue) and the choreography is frequently lacklustre. Remembering the steps is important, but the backup dancers need to remember their faces: some of them look as if they are being forced to perform at gunpoint. ⭐⭐ — Jen Zoratti TOMATOES TRIED TO KILL ME BUT BANJOS SAVED MY LIFE Quivering Dendrites PTE — Colin Jackson Studio (Venue 17), to July 20 Keith Alessi returns for his third run at the Winnipeg Fringe Festival, following successful, mostly sold-out runs in 2019 and 2022. It's the same show he's brought twice before and it's just as endearing and funny (and banjo-filled) as previous appearances. In the hour-long performance, the Virginia-based Alessi, onstage with a bowl of fake tomatoes and four banjos, details the way he went from a successful CEO to pursuing his love of the banjo before an esophageal cancer diagnosis (from eating too many tomatoes as the child of Italians) and a seven-hour surgery, which changed his take on life. Alessi recounts his journey through cancer (and learning the banjo) with humility, endearingly corny humour and a whole lot of pickin'. His competent banjo playing comes through crisp and clear, but his voice suffered slightly on opening night from a slightly muddy, too-low vocal mix. Still, the sincerity and charm of his moving story roused the sold-out crowd to a standing ovation by show's end. ⭐⭐⭐⭐ — Ben Sigurdson
Winnipeg Free Press
19-06-2025
- Winnipeg Free Press
Opinion: Jaws leaves cinematic legacy in its bloodied-water wake
Opinion Jaws celebrates its 50th anniversary this week. I didn't see Steven Spielberg's carefully constructed, unexpectedly understated creature feature when it came out in theatres in 1975. My parents considered it too scary for kids. Later in life, I made up for that lost opportunity, and now I watch it every summer. It's a seasonal film for me, marking the time of sun and swimming and beaches the way It's a Wonderful Life marks Christmas. This image released by Peacock shows cinematographer Bill Butler, standing, and director Steven Spielberg during the filming of 'Jaws.' (Peacock/Universal Pictures via AP) Jaws is often cited as the first summer blockbuster, its unprecedented success — it became the highest-grossing movie ever at that time — bringing in big changes in the way studios made, marketed and distributed movies. It changed the cinematic landscape so dramatically that it's hard now to remember the before times — when summertime was the slow period for theatres, when marketing was a minor line-item in a movie's budget, when studios preferred to slow-roll their releases over a period of weeks. We now take massive, much-hyped, multiplex-blanketing event movies for granted. But we should never take Jaws for granted. Beyond being a business model for Hollywood's summer hits, beyond being an important, influential and endlessly quoted pop-culture phenomenon ('You're gonna need a bigger boat'), Jaws is just a damn fine movie. Five decades later, it remains brilliantly better than most of the blockbusters that have followed in its chum-strewn wake. Unfortunately, and perhaps predictably, the industry has too often picked up the film's formula without taking in the finer points of Spielberg's approach. Adapted from Peter Benchley's 1974 novel, Jaws takes us to a coastal community that relies on summer tourist dollars to stay afloat. When a killer shark appears off its shores in the leadup to the July 4th weekend, craven town mayor Larry Vaughn (Murray Hamilton) and concerned police chief Martin Brody (Roy Scheider) clash over how to handle the situation. Ultimately, the reluctant, ocean-fearing Brody, with smart-assed shark biologist Matt Hooper (Richard Dreyfuss) and salty, hands-on shark hunter Quint (Robert Shaw), head out to open water for a classic humans-versus-nature showdown. This basic template has since been applied to alligators, anacondas, aliens and tornadoes, but the imitators rarely achieve Jaws' beautiful balance of B-movie pleasure and Moby Dick heft. Surprisingly, for a movie that has had such an outsized effect, a lot of its virtues are modest. Spielberg is a consummate craftsperson, and in Jaws his style is effective, economical and (mostly) unshowy. This image released by Peacock shows Roy Scheider in a scene from "Jaws." (Peacock/Universal Pictures via AP) Yes, there's that famous dolly zoom that film kids love to talk about — the moment Brody realizes his children and the shark are in the same water and Spielberg uses his camera to replicate that sudden, disorienting lurch of terror. But a lot of the film's power comes out slowly and cumulatively, as Spielberg makes the dozens of small, subtle decisions that go into good visual storytelling. There are the deep-focus crowd scenes that ground us in the chaos and conflicts of this small community. There's the tight framing and careful blocking of the three main actors — Scheider, Dreyfuss and Shaw — on that cramped boat, which gradually build up a picture not just of the individual characters but of their shifting power dynamics and changing sympathies. There's the unlikely sunlit horror of the beach scenes and the sea-level camera angles that take us — uncomfortably — right into the action. There's the precise pacing, which builds suspense with a quiet, relentless momentum that matches the 'du-dum, du-dum' of John Williams' famous score. This restraint makes the sparingly used jump scares that much more effective. No shot is wasted, no sequence is extended longer than necessary, and that less-is-more approach extends — crucially — to the shark. In this pre-CGI era, Spielberg was using practical effects, and the three formats of rubber-and-steel mechanical shark — all called Bruce by the crew — broke down constantly. Faced with a ballooning budget and a shoot going 10 weeks over schedule, Spielberg ended up using the physical presence of the shark sparingly. Wednesdays Columnist Jen Zoratti looks at what's next in arts, life and pop culture. This was a necessity that became a cinematic gift, as clever editing — and viewers' minds — conjured up a horror that went far beyond what Bruce, even at his toothiest and thrashiest, could provide. Keeping the monster mostly offscreen, Spielberg essentially created a shark that was everywhere and nowhere at the same time. And while the monster remains mysterious, the people and the places are specific, in ways that are unusual in most blockbusters today. The current tendency in summer action movies is to go bigger and bigger, so sometimes the whole world, or even the entire universe is under threat. Once again, Jaws goes smaller. Grounded in a human scale, the story deals with a handful of deaths and comes down to one shark and three men on a boat. Yet somehow these stakes feel larger. Robert Shaw, Roy Scheider and Richard Dreyfuss are shown in a scene from 'Jaws.' (Peacock/Universal Pictures) Again, less is more with this classic film, a big blockbuster made great by myriad small details. (One darker final note: Jaws kicked off the sharksploitation genre, which has demonized these animals as monsters that attack with malign, targeted intent, and these anti-shark tropes have had disastrous real-world effects on shark populations. When watching the movie, it's important to keep in mind that, statistically speaking, you're more likely to be killed by a falling vending machine or a charging cow than a Great White.) Alison GillmorWriter Studying at the University of Winnipeg and later Toronto's York University, Alison Gillmor planned to become an art historian. She ended up catching the journalism bug when she started as visual arts reviewer at the Winnipeg Free Press in 1992. Read full biography Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber. 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