Mayor thrilled to be publicly and hilariously mocked by comedy royalty
And for Winnipeg's mayor, who bore the unrelenting brunt of the bloated, fictitious character's improvised comedy chaos at Assiniboine Park Saturday evening, it was an over-too-soon dream come true.
'I've never been a part of anything like what I experienced Saturday night,' Scott Gillingham said Monday, still basking in the glow of the exquisite pain he endured sitting on stage opposite one of Canadian comic actor Martin Short's beloved over-the-top characters.
'(It was) really a cool thing for a Canadian who's been a fan of Martin Short's for decades.'
MIKE PETERS PHOTO
Winnipeg mayor Scott Gillingham is interviewed by Martin Short character Jiminy Glick at the Great Outdoor Comedy Festival at Assiniboine Park Saturday.
MIKE PETERS PHOTO
Winnipeg mayor Scott Gillingham is interviewed by Martin Short character Jiminy Glick at the Great Outdoor Comedy Festival at Assiniboine Park Saturday.
The 75-year-old Short was one of the headliners at the weekend's Great Outdoors Comedy Festival.
Gillingham's appearance as Glick's victim came as a surprise for the audience, as did former mayor Brian Bowman's star turn during Short's 2015 performance at the Club Regent Event Centre.
'You were adopted,' Glick asked/told Gillingham in his obnoxious, declarative and high-pitched voice.
The mayor responded that he, in fact, had not been adopted.
'Oh, sorry, I hate for you to find out this way,' came the reply.
MIKE PETERS PHOTO
Gillingham (left) said of his interview by Martin Short: '(It was) really a cool thing for a Canadian who's been a fan of Martin Short's for decades.'
MIKE PETERS PHOTO
Gillingham (left) said of his interview by Martin Short: '(It was) really a cool thing for a Canadian who's been a fan of Martin Short's for decades.'
The conversation also at one point entered a 'lightning round.' The questions included, 'If you grew another nipple anywhere in your body, where would you put it?' and 'Are we putting breath mints in the wrong end?'
The mayor answered with 'in the middle' and 'next question,' respectively.
'As the one being interviewed by Jiminy Glick, you don't really say a lot. It just kind of comes at you like a firehose. You laugh and you cringe and you try to have some sort of witty response, but it's over in a heartbeat. But it's a lot of fun,' said Gillingham, adding he was laughing too hard to answer some of the questions.
It was a nice change from his day job, he said.
'What I like about, obviously, about that experience, but the comedy festival as well, is that there's so much that is heavy and serious in our lives and in our community, in our world right now. Being able to come together as a community and laugh is kind of refreshing,' he said.
The Great Outdoors Comedy Festival, which also features John Mulaney, Whitney Cummings, Jeremy Piven and the Trailer Park Boys, among others, is visiting multiple Canadian cities (along with Spokane, Wash.).
Wednesdays
Sent weekly from the heart of Turtle Island, an exploration of Indigenous voices, perspectives and experiences.
'To see Winnipeg as being central to the vision of the nationwide festival brings a spotlight to Winnipeg. That's really good,' Gillingham said. 'Obviously, it brings economic spinoffs to the community, as well. Whether it's people coming in from out of town to watch the shows and hotel nights, restaurants. It just brings a buzz to the city.'
Gillingham said he's hopeful organizers will expand the local portion of the event in the future.
'They absolutely see a future here in Winnipeg and (a) goal to continue to grow the comedy festival here in our city,' he said.
joyanne.pursaga@freepress.mb.ca
X: @joyanne_pursaga
Joyanne PursagaReporter
Joyanne is city hall reporter for the Winnipeg Free Press. A reporter since 2004, she began covering politics exclusively in 2012, writing on city hall and the Manitoba Legislature for the Winnipeg Sun before joining the Free Press in early 2020. Read more about Joyanne.
Every piece of reporting Joyanne produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press's tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press's history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates.
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.
Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Vancouver Sun
2 hours ago
- Vancouver Sun
U.S. Christian musician Sean Feucht show set for Alberta legislature grounds in Edmonton
A pro-Trump and Christian singer whose events on his east coast Canadian tour have had to be moved to alternate venues after being cancelled is slated to play at the Alberta legislature grounds in August. U.S. musician Sean Feucht has faced protests and cancellations this week on the first leg of his cross-country tour which is slated to stop on Aug. 22 in Edmonton for a performance at the grounds' south bandshell. A spokesperson for Alberta Infrastructure said in a statement tour organizers had submitted an incomplete event permit application for the event. Start your day with a roundup of B.C.-focused news and opinion. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Sunrise will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. 'We are taking steps to help organizers submit a complete application,' it reads, noting the event must comply with 'security protocols, public safety, and venue guidelines.' The statement did not address questions about if the show would go ahead or the possible need for heightened security. The guidelines for use of the Alberta Legislature Grounds state applications must be submitted four weeks in advance, with applicants mandated to have at least $2 million in liability insurance, a security plan, and proof of permits and licences, among other requirements. Feucht describes himself as a musician, missionary, author and activist, and has drawn opposition for his affinity for U.S. President Donald Trump and the Make America Great Again Movement as well as his views on abortion, gender, and the LGBT community. He was scheduled to play at the York Redoubt National Historic Site in Halifax last Wednesday but Parks Canada revoked the event's permit, citing 'evolving safety and security considerations' amid potential protests and following consultation with police. The event later went ahead when a local farmer opened his field for the singer and his audience. Since then, events in Charlottetown, Fredericton, Quebec City, Moncton, and Gatineau, Que. have been cancelled with organizers citing security concerns, permitting issues, or local codes of conduct. On social media, Feucht said his shows went on after alternate venues were found. 'Venues have now been replaced and these cities will hear from lawyers soon,' he posted late Thursday. On Friday night, his event in Montreal went ahead amid protests and a smoke bomb being thrown on stage despite a warning from the city that the church he was performing at hadn't secured the proper permit. He stated on social media that organizers had secured a permit that was later cancelled, and claimed to be bringing his experience to the attention of the U.S. president. 'I've been in touch with senior White House officials and they are watching what is unfolding with blatant Christian persecution in Canada,' he posted. Feucht was scheduled to play Sunday in Vaughn, Ont., outside of Toronto but the city told Postmedia that it had cancelled the event's permit 'on the basis of health and safety as well as community standards and well-being.'
Toronto Sun
2 hours ago
- Toronto Sun
LILLEY: CBC pushes left-wing political values in effort to cancel Christian singer
But the public broadcaster's news coverage of the 'MAGA musician' has instead made Sean Feucht a much bigger celebrity in Canada Get the latest from Brian Lilley straight to your inbox American musician Sean Feucht had been scheduled to perform in Moncton, N.B., on Thursday, July 24, 2025. Photo by Gage Skidmore/CC BY-SA 2.0 CBC went on a religious war against a Christian singer this past week in an effort to cancel his concerts. Instead, CBC raised the profile of Sean Feucht in Canada and showed just how politicized their news coverage has become. It started several days ago as Canada's public broadcaster went wall to wall with coverage of Feucht's show in Halifax. They described him repeatedly as a 'MAGA musician' and then made it clear to their readers and viewers that Feucht holds views that no Canadian should welcome. 'Sean Feucht is a religious singer from the U.S. who has expressed anti-diversity, anti-2SLGBTQ+ and anti-women's rights views on his platforms,' read one story about his original venue in Halifax being cancelled. Other media outlets joined in the pile on, simply describing Feucht as MAGA and therefore unacceptable. We don't need to tell you more than that, we've already told you that he likes the bad Orange man in the White House – BAN HIM! This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account A protestor chants slogans against pro-Maga and Christian singer Sean Feucht during his performance at Ministerios Restauración in Montreal on Friday, July 25, 2025. Photo by Allen McInnis / MONTREAL GAZETTE The original venues for all six concerts cancelled on him – some reportedly keeping the fees he had already paid. Feucht may not be a household name in Canada, but he has played and toured here many times and he quickly found new venues. The media hype about the dangers of allowing a Christian rocker to perform here kept up and when he played Montreal on Friday night, radical protesters showed up to try and forcibly shut down the show. Montreal police arrest a protester who refused to stop eating on the stairs of Ministerios Restauración during pro-Maga and Christian singer Sean Feucht's performance in Montreal on Friday, July 25, 2025. Photo by Allen McInnis / MONTREAL GAZETTE CBC quoted a spokesperson for Montreal Mayor Valerie Plante saying they believe in freedom of expression but not for this guy. 'Freedom of expression is one of our fundamental values, but hateful and discriminatory speech is not accepted in Montreal and, as in other Canadian cities, the show will not be tolerated,' Catherine Cadotte told CBC . Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Mayor Valérie Plante at a press conference on the terrace at City Hall in Montreal on Wednesday, June 11, 2025. Photo by John Mahoney / MONTREAL GAZETTE The mayor's office tried to shut down the show even after it moved from a municipal venue to a church – and the city is now threatening to fine that church. They claimed Feucht didn't have a permit to play and it wouldn't be allowed to go forward, a claim CBC dutifully put to the singer as he spoke with media ahead of the show. 'It's because you don't have a permit,' a CBC-Radio Canada journalist stated to Feucht on the issue of why some wanted his show shut down. 'I don't think you need a permit to worship in a church,' Feucht responded. Feucht, the American, has a better understanding of how our country operates than a CBC journalist, that is truly sad. If we lived in a country fully run by CBC and Montreal Mayor Valerie Plante, then we would have to sign away freedom of religion, freedom of assembly and freedom expression – three fundamental freedoms protected by Canada's Charter of Rights and Freedoms. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Pro-Maga and Christian singer Sean Feucht speaks before his performance at Ministerios Restauración in Montreal on Friday, July 25, 2025. Photo by Allen McInnis / MONTREAL GAZETTE As you can see, there is a selective approach to who gets those rights and freedoms protected. There is a lot of chatter about what kind of musical acts are acceptable these days. Concerts for British punk rap duo Bob Vylan were cancelled after they shouted 'death, death to the IVF' at the Glastonbury music festival. Irish rap group Kneecap are slated to perform four sold-out shows in Toronto and Vancouver later this year but there are calls for them to be banned from Canada for their open support of banned terrorist groups like Hezbollah and Hamas. Read More This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. When CBC did a story on protests against Kneecap, they spoke with the Centre for Free Expression about how problematic it is to ban musical acts. That's something they only did in Feucht's case after days of broadcast and online print stories whipping up the Canadian public about the MAGA invasion. I'd never heard of Sean Feucht before this past week and CBC 's decision to join a Holy War to shut him down. They may have gotten the venues to deny him entry, but they also made him a much bigger celebrity in Canada than he would have been otherwise. CBC also showed that while they claim to stand up for Canadian values, they don't mean the ones in the Charter, they mean the left-wing political values they push every single day. blilley@ Columnists Toronto & GTA Columnists Sunshine Girls Columnists
Winnipeg Free Press
11 hours ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Orchestral expressions
Back in 2004, the front page of the Free Press Arts & Life section (then called Entertainment) ran a glowing tribute by Morley Walker to one of the most august careers in Manitoba's arts sector. Rita Menzies was retiring. Some expected she'd make more time for favourite pursuits — cooking, travel, family, opera, art— especially after such an eventful finale to a long career. The year before, Menzies — who'd been with the Manitoba Chamber Orchestra for 24 years as its first general manager — had been tapped to take the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra's reins in an interim capacity. Jeannette Menzies photo Rita Menzies on a trip to Reykjavik, Iceland. On the face of it, the move may have seemed improbable. The WSO was 10 times the size of the MCO and had a $3-million deficit. But Menzies' reputation — her crack command of budgets and structures, coupled with a soft, deft touch for people and politics — preceded her. 'There were a lot of highfalutin people who came in and absolutely burned out within a month,' recalls violinist and WSO concertmaster Karl Stobbe. 'I really have to give (Rita) credit for saving the WSO in a time when people were not sure it could be saved.' Amazingly, the WSO finished its 2003-4 season with a considerable surplus. Walker playfully cast aspersions on her resolve to retire after this success: 'Oh, did she not tell you? She has accepted an honorarium to run the Agassiz Summer Chamber Music Festival in June … But in July, she plans to take it easy. Honest.' What's that saying about best-laid plans? Before long, the retiree was the annual fest's director, a role she held for a full 11 years. She also returned as the WSO's interim executive director in 2006 and served as Agassiz's board president until her death in June at 83, after a short battle with cancer. 'How fitting that Rita worked in the frontline of Winnipeg's arts community until a few weeks before her passing — she was always keen to contribute and to help others,' says Agassiz artistic director Paul Marleyn. 'She developed (Agassiz) and she worked every day — her famous and proudly Mennonite work ethic. Rita had extraordinary values, values about which she never preached.' Jennifer Menzies Photo At Ponemah Beach, Menzies and granddaughter Olivia work on art projects. Menzies took up drawing and watercolour painting in retirement. Rita Menzies' career charts the rise of a certain type of pillar in Manitoba's arts and cultural life. The late 1960s and early 1970s were a coming-of-age for Canadian culture, with the government using the Centennial to invest heavily in the sector. However, the path to the MCO's emergence was often far from smooth. For seven lively years, the MCO (founded in 1972) was administered as a volunteer-driven passion project, operating out of insurance manager Bill Stewart's office. 'Maybe I was paying more time to the Manitoba Chamber Orchestra than I was to my business,' says Stewart with a chuckle. 'It became apparent … that we would have to get some kind of administrative help.' MCO's early history is hard to separate from Westminster United Church — a stronghold of a broadly liberal Protestantism, known for its deep love of classical music. Its congregation criss-crossed with MCO's audience and with its beautiful acoustics and central location, the church eventually became the organization's primary venue. It had a celebrated organist in Don Menzies, who held the post from 1966 until 2022. Just down the road, his wife Rita — born in Kitchener, Ont., in 1942 — taught math and English at Kelvin High School. She was also an accomplished organist and her musical passion was about to make its way to the centre of things. Jeannette Menzies photo Menzies (right) with her husband Don in France. Though technically retired, Menzies ran the Agassiz Summer Chamber Music Festival for eleven years. By the late 1970s the MCO was operating out of another makeshift office. The hum of a typewriter — clattering out accounting reports, marketing plans and musician contracts — filled the basement. 'I have vivid memories of a filing cabinet and card table propped up in the laundry room,' recalls Jeannette Menzies, a Canadian diplomat, former ambassador to Iceland and Rita's daughter. 'We loved having her around when we were young and hearing the sounds of classical music at home.' But for Menzies, juggling a young family — which included daughters Tanis and Jennifer as well as Jeannette – was only half of it. As well having suddenly traded in English lit for budget sheets, Menzies had to learn and quickly master the art of balancing those budgets. 'She told me once that the first thing she did every morning was read the entire business section of the Winnipeg Free Press,' says Stobbe, who got to know Menzies in the 1990s while playing with the MCO. JOE BRYKSA/FREE PRESS In 2003, Menzies (right) moved from the MCO to the struggling WSO as Interim Director, seen here in 2004 with violinist Claudine St Arnauld. Potential funders, donors and board members — Menzies was, by all accounts, always on the hunt for allies and resources to better the organizations she led. With its footing now secure, the MCO could find a proper office and finally start delegating. By the 1990s, the orchestra had hired Elise Anderson as its office manager, Jon Snidal as its designer and systems manager and violinist Boyd MacKenzie as its concert manager. 'Find(ing) good people. That was a real strength of hers,' says Vicki Young, Menzies' successor at the MCO. 'To bring on people like Elise and Jon and Boyd — I think is pretty incredible.' All of them are still associated with the MCO in some way, while today a new generation of staff and musicians carries the torch, including Sean McManus, executive director since 2023. The original team supported the orchestra through a showing at the Winter Olympics in Calgary, tours across the world and countless commissions of new Canadian music. Supplied Menzies was an accomplished organist, which can be traced back to her early practice sessions at the family piano. The MCO was also earning a rep as a solid stop for famous touring soloists, with Joshua Bell, Marc-André Hamelin and Liona Boyd all sharing the stage with the orchestra in those years. When Young assumed the MCO's reins in 2003, she had a rarity in her hands: a classical ensemble with loyal employees and musicians, a consistent streak of balanced budgets and a deeply engaged, supportive audience base. '(Rita) was always thinking ahead and setting a really good foundation for what was to come,' says Young. Over the next 20 years, the MCO saw a continued streak of balanced budgets, more growth and further professionalization of its board, touring and movement towards more multicultural priorities. It benefited not just from Menzies' foundation but something more ineffable. Menzies was valedictorian at her Grade 12 graduation. Veteran staff will tell you about a cultural throughline at the MCO — a democratic ethos with a strong, trusted leader acting as first among equals — that they trace back to Menzies. 'She was described as kind of having a calming effect on an organization,' says her daughter Jeannette. 'I saw her as a trailblazer. But I think my mom would probably be mortified (to hear that) because she really would give equal credit to Jon, Elise and others.' Though Menzies' so-called retirement was packed with Agassiz commitments and volunteer work, her tireless sense of industry found rhythm in the pastimes she loved most. She was known as an extraordinary cook and a lifelong learner, picking up watercolour painting in retirement. As a consummate hostess and longtime member of the Westminster Concert Organ Series Committee (founded by her husband in 1989 and running until the pandemic), she prepared many dinners for guest organists and the receptions following concerts. The couple sometimes oriented their many trips across the world around performance opportunities for Don and made regular pilgrimages to the Ottawa area to see their granddaughters, Grace and Olivia Kennedy. 'Behind everything was Rita's love of life, her family, music, the arts, of people and of the Winnipeg community,' says Marleyn. Menzies with her daughters Tanis, Jeannette and Jennifer. 'She avoided the stage and public attention, yet somehow quietly lead her workplaces with elegance, industry, effectiveness … Rita gave us all such a magnificent example of what the qualities of honesty, kindness, hard work and love can achieve.' Conrad SweatmanReporter Conrad Sweatman is an arts reporter and feature writer. Before joining the Free Press full-time in 2024, he worked in the U.K. and Canadian cultural sectors, freelanced for outlets including The Walrus, VICE and Prairie Fire. Read more about Conrad. 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. Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
