Took a needed day of rest on Sunday, rest both for poor old machete leg and my own wee brain, which gets a little overwhelmed these days. But the call of Fringe can’t be resisted for long, oh no, so it was back into action at the 2023 Winnipeg Fringe Festival, now with my beloved Otter by my side!

It looked like even the mighty Winnipeg Fringe machine wound down a little on a Monday, so our opening show options were limited. Luckily the Otter is a musical theatre nut, so LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS fit the bill just dandy. Put on by Winnipeg’s own Dramatic Theatre Company, this production of the man-eating-plant-from-outer-space musical classic is an enthusiastic crowd-pleaser indeed. Great onstage band providing the music, lively performances with fun choreo and costumes, and an adorably campy Audrey II to fill out the cast. We had a couple of minor issues with the sound volumes overall, and I personally wish we’d gotten in line a bit earlier, so I could have gotten a more wounded-leg-friendly seat (it doesn’t like staying bent for too long these days, preferring the aisle), but that was my own dang fault. A fun and high-energy 90 minute romp to kickstart our Fringe Monday!

Piling out of the crowd, we made a donut pitstop in the square…can recommend the Bronuts raspberry jam number, oboy! Then back to the Museum for a much-anticipated new show from Martin Dockery, sharing the stage with Andrew Broaddus. LONG NIGHT OF THE AMERICAN DREAM is…well, I could try saying what it is, but that would only ruin the many, many surprises that await you in this pure gem of a show. Nobody bends the mind quite like Dockery when he gets to writing his 2-handers, and this one is not only no exception, but maybe the pinnacle so far. I’ve never seen Broaddus perform before but he’s terrific, and has a very cool chemistry with Dockery that serves them well throughout this cool, strange trip of a show. I’m maybe 50% sure I know what the hell I just saw, but 100% sure it was one of the best things I’ve ever seen. And the Otter concurs, so take THAT to the bank and smoke it!

After a brief food break at the Free Press Cafe, we found ourselves back at the museum again, this time downstairs for Erik DeWaal and CLUELESS IN ZA. I’ve caught one of Erik’s shows years ago, and it remains a delight and a privilege. Man has lived a LIFE! His style of storytelling is smooth and stirring, almost hypnotic as DeWaal’s warm hug of a voice wraps around you, and brings you back to his childhood in South Africa in the dying days of Apartheid. Even when the events he relays are harrowing and disturbing, you can’t help but feel protected and loved, the memories trickling out with every deftly chosen word. And if you want slightly less political face, Erik has another show for children in the festival, so bring them kiddies out and treat them to a show they won’t forget!

Back upstairs in the evening air after that for one last one-person show for the day, this time by George Buri, a history professor hitting the Fringe circuit to relay the ups and downs of his big swing at achieving his lifelong dream. And as the title suggests, I LOST ON JEOPARDY! Definitely has its downs. Aided by some slides and video clips, Buri relates his longtime love of everybody’s fav’rit game show, and how he ended up becoming one of the contestants…and what happened, of course, after the title of his show came to pass. It’s a fine show with some interesting nuggets about the behind-the-scenes aspect of trying and applying for the trivia pot of gold…Buri looks pretty comfortable commanding the stage and looking back at the biggest victory and loss in his life, which just happen to be the same thing.

That was a fine capper on the day for us, and we treated ourselves to a cab home before another day of rest (read: cleaning the entire house before relatives arrive) today. But looking forward to dragging them all out to Fringe tomorrow! Check out the Winnipeg Fringe website for all the ticket and schedule details! Happy Fringing, gang, and see you around the square. Peace, love and soul,

the Visitor (aka Kevin)