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Posted: 3:00 AM CDT Saturday, Jul. 16, 2022 Last Modified: 10:35 AM CDT Saturday, Jul. 16, 2022 | Updates

Bat Brains, or Let’s Explore Mental Illness With Vampires, stars Sam Kruger.

MTC Up the Alley (Venue 2) to July 24

Minneapolis actor Sam Kruger’s alter-ego in this hour-long dark comedy is Scud, a vampire of the Max Shreck/Nosferatu school: pointy incisors, lifeless pale skin, exquisite 18th-century tailoring. But of course, one should not anticipate an Abbott and Costello-esque horror comedy here. Scud is a manifestation of mental illness, a vampiric withdrawal from society.

Kruger suggests that transformation in the opening few minutes, applying his makeup and dressing in his costume while casually discussing a health scare with the audience. Once doctors rule out more mundane ailments, we’re left with the possibility Sam’s issues are psychological in nature. Enter Scud, wandering in his home looking for food and being sent into a panic by the intrusion of a pizza-delivery man.

Kruger relies perhaps too heavily on an elaborate set of sound/lighting cues, but his invention proves to be rich. There is poignancy in Scud’s utter solitude, enhanced by Kruger’s furtive, scuttling occupation of the cavernous empty space of the MTC venue.

But it is funny too. If not for the horrific visage, Scud’s manic energy might suggest kinship with another weird, neurotic loner: Ed Grimley, with one major difference. Scud draws blood. ★★★1/2

Stéphanie Morin-Robert Performance Society

PTE — Mainstage (Venue 16) to July 24

Black Eye is Stéphanie Morin-Robert’s standup show.

Fringe darling Stéphanie Morin-Robert (the brains behind such hits as Blindside, Eye Candy and The Merkin Sisters) is back at the fringe with a standup comedy show that is at once dark, raunchy, vulnerable and incredibly sweet.

Morin-Robert, if you are unfamiliar with her other work, lost her left eye to cancer when she was two years old and has had a glass eye ever since. It’s a topic that has been fertile comedic ground for her — including the screamingly funny ending of this show, which will not be spoiled here, but is absolutely worth the price of admission.

She also bares all about a very special childhood cat, challenging pregnancy, a marathon labour with her first, and the transition to motherhood in storytelling that’s as affecting as it is funny — even when the audience seems unsure whether it’s OK to laugh or not (It’s OK!). ★★★★

John Hirsch MTC Mainstage (Venue 1) to July 23

This musical is a great example of another aspect of the fringe — namely, providing opportunities for local companies to strut their stuff to a wider audience than friends and family on recital night.

Basically a collection of songs from movies such as Cabaret, Chicago and Sweet Charity, it’s held together by a slim plotline of performers preparing for their opening night. The between-song dialogue is unfortunately rendered murky by uneven mic levels.

But nobody is expecting an amateur production to match the sound technology and polished numbers from the films. What’s refreshing to see here is a mix of ages, ethnicities, body sizes, and — let’s be honest — abilities, among the cast, with everyone getting into it. Standouts included Anika Price as Roxie singing Roxie and Alexa Peters as Dorothy belting out Maybe This Time. The period flapper costumes and gowns are pretty good too.

At 50 minutes, it runs 10 minutes shorter than the time in the program. So if you’re looking to squeeze in another show and feel like tapping your toes, you may enjoy this. ★★★

MTC Up the Alley (Venue 2) to July 22

This drama goes deep — and not just in the sex scenes.

The story opens with a wordless dance sequence depicting passion. The sequence is repeated, and each time the passion decreases, and the act seems less enjoyable and more combative.

What follows is the story of Prince Charming (Nick Xidos), Princess Rose (Cora Fast) and Fairy Godmother Melisandre (Heather Forgie).

Rose was raised by wolves. Her fire excites Charming, but he feels uncomfortable that she "gets" (excites) him quicker than he excites her. He feels the man should "get" the woman first. Melisandre tries to counsel Rose on her mixed emotions and responses. Things don’t go well…

All the players are very capable actors and equally strong, but the overall message remains unclear: Is it a condemnation of the ordeals medieval women were expected to endure to supposedly prove their purity and worthiness? Is it a criticism of men who are uneasy with powerful women? Or women who are uncertain of their own power? All of the above?

If you haven’t already, put this performance on your must-see list. Actor John D. Huston resurrects a government bureaucrat from 1907 —the Laurier era — for this hour-long performance that is a far greater and more comprehensive history lesson than many of us (past a certain age anyway) ever learned about Canada’s treatment of Indigenous people.

This drama is gripping, fascinating and extremely difficult at times. Performing a script by fringe mainstay Keir Cutler (Teaching Shakespeare), Huston’s performance is bang-on. He will make you believe that, yes, this is probably how the government justified this dark part of Canadian history.

Civilized brings to life parts of our past that we are still trying to reconcile. It is based on true historical reports and writings, and the way it’s told is digestible and engaging. This play should be shown in schools, workplaces, old folks’ homes and anywhere else people will see it. ★★★★★

Courtship stars Thomas Toles (left) and Sophie George.

John Hirsch Mainstage (Venue 1) to July 24

Winnipeg’s Snakeskin Jacket, with George Toles as director, has taken American playwright Horton Foote’s shimmering memory play and slightly Canadianized it. The small problem with that is the play is set now in Saskatchewan in 1915 with no reference to the First World War, or comment on the two young men in the play not being in uniform.

If one can let that go, the production is otherwise a beautiful, clear delineation of Foote’s belief in love and the risks it is worth. The play calls for two restrained yet champing-at-the-bit-of-life lovers, and it gets them in the rich performances of Thomas Toles and Sophie George. It also needs a strong ensemble representing a suppressed community and gets it solidly.

Toles’ direction invites us into this world, and its 75 minutes is worth a visit. ★★★★

The Studio at Théâtre Cercle Molière (Venue 20), to Friday

With heart-on-his-sleeve hindsight, Edmonton playwright and performer Leif Oleson-Cormack tells us his cringey coming-out story, which culminates in an ill-advised trip to Disneyland with Arthur, the object of his unrequited love. Oleson-Cormack has an epic night spent trying to fend off handsy sugar daddies at a lame gay club while trying to overly orchestrate a perfect romantic moment with Arthur.

Oleson-Cormack is nerdily charming, and his rapid-fire retelling has the feel of a story told to best friends over brunch. It’s also gutsy in that modern, painfully confessional way, culminating in a lovely moment of generosity and self-awareness at the end. But it’s at least 15 minutes too long, with too many "and then he said, and then I said" chunks that weigh down the pacing. And it’s yet another one-man show. It would be great to see what a guy with a clearly NOT-useless playwriting MFA could do with a cast of actors. ★★★1/2

Rachel Browne Theatre (Venue 8) to Friday

The quirkiness of this 45-minute Winnipeg group’s show, ostensibly about a fern’s musings on being dismembered in a world of furniture created from packing boxes, is difficult to describe. It’s easy to take or leave alone; one suspects your mood at the moment may decide how you view the show. It is sweet at times, pretentious at others.

Under Tanner Manson’s direction, the performers — Jo Burdon, Victoria Emilie Hill and Edward Wiebe — are engaging, despite any lapses in the material. However, what makes one stop and take notice are the engrossing dance encounters (call them pas de dieux if you like) of Burdon and Wiebe. The second, especially — a kind of physical workout routine that turns into a shorthand of the complexity of male/female, indeed, all human relationships — is something to behold. ★★★1/2

Comedy Illusions of Greg Wood

Calvary Temple (Venue 10) to July 23

With all manner of screens competing for kids’ attention these days, how refreshing it is to hear them genuinely oooh and ahhh over some old-school sleight-of-hand from Winnipeg illusionist Greg Wood.

The immensely likable Wood’s rapport with kids and adults alike is a marvel to watch in this 45-minute all-ages show, which features an entertaining series of tricks involving scarves, ropes, rings and napkins and a little levitation. While it’s clear he’s serious about his craft, he doesn’t take himself too seriously.

While some of his banter skews a little cornball — especially the jokes intended for the adults — his ability to quickly make the (mostly) child volunteers selected from the audience feel at ease is perhaps more impressive than the magic; it’s no small feat to get the shy ones, in particular, to open up, the wonder plain on their faces. ★★★1/2

The Great and Powerful Tim

The Cinematheque (Venue 7) to July 24

The Great and Powerful Tim: Magic Tonight is a blend of your typical magic show with a comedic TV talk-show element. Tim the magician is funny, charismatic and uses plenty of props during the hour-long kid- and family-friendly performance.

Though this is a one-man show, he does make a solid effort to get the whole audience involved. In fact, people who attend this show should know that they could be called up to the stage to assist in magic tricks. Most of the kids in the audience loved that part. Tim’s wit and sense of humour are something everyone can enjoy. ★★★

The Clock Tower — Portage Place (Venue 3) to July 24

In a compelling one-hour visit to a world filled with darkness and despair, four puppets are tasked with finding "importance" in the city of Bowble. Scenes transition quickly as themes of passion, desire and belonging are explored. Audiences should think twice about blinking if they want to keep up with this fast-paced story.

Limited props and set design leaves the spotlight on the four Winnipeg-based actors and their abilities. Each one captivates the audience’s attention as they remain committed to their complex, gritty characters. Powerful prose breaks the illusion of Bowble’s society in this dramedy, unveiling its reflection on the hardships and broken social structures of modern-day life.

Let discomfort drive you to change how you see the world through the lens — or mirror — Bowble offers. ★★★1/2

The Clock Tower — Portage Place (Venue 3) to July 24

Veteran English comedian Alex Dallas — who has called Canada home since the 1990s and whose name you might recognize from the comedy troupe Sensible Footwear — is absolutely sensational in this razor-sharp one-woman show that takes on everything from manspreading to #MeToo.

Meticulously written and performed by Dallas, Horseface is a memoir of her encounters with men throughout her life (she’s in her 60s now): handsy professors, train manspreaders, A-list fondlers, first-date flippers (you just have to see the show), pornography-cataloguing fathers.

Dallas is furiously funny in her observations and insights — delivered with that signature dry British wit — but she’s also a master of the one-two punch, swinging from hilarious to harrowing. The most powerful moments of the show are at its sharp edges, where Dallas really gets to the heart of what it means to be treated like prey in a world full of wolves. ★★★★★

Rachel Browne Theatre (Venue 8) to July 24

Described in the program as "epic minimalism," this physical theatre piece is adapted from the classic novel by Jules Verne. St. Catharines, Ont.-based performer Robert Feetham relies on a chair, a brown hat, his physicality and the audience’s imagination as his tools for this hour-long journey to the centre of the earth.

Parts of the performance are narrated and set to music, but Feetham himself never speaks. That makes the story a bit difficult to follow at times. After all, Verne’s story is an enormous one to tell without so much as a prop, or a spoken word. (Physical theatre is bit like a ballet.)

But you do get the gist, even if some of it gets muddled. Feetham is outstanding in his physical and voice/sound acting, and that makes it captivating to watch. It’s a good family show. ★★★

Tom Hendry Warehouse (Venue 6) to Friday

Aspiring to lurid, Grand Guignol displays of sex and violence, this 75-minute portmanteau of EC Comics-inspired horror starts things off, appropriately enough, going straight to video. On a too-small screen, we see a faux trailer for a movie about Hitler’s scheme to revive dinosaurs, followed by a Herschel Gordon Lewis-style evisceration of some boob in the audience who failed to silence his cellphone. Things start to get real, more or less, when Satan himself (George McRobb) takes to the stage to tell stories of murder and madness, many of which seem to feature a geriatric teen named Eddie.

This is a best-of package in a fringe series that gave up the ghost a decade ago. It wasn’t all that long a stretch, but the humour can seem a little ruder than usual, with scenes of infant murder (it’s OK, they’re demonic infants), corpse reanimation and man-eating gazongas.

It’s not without some ragtag charm, especially when some multi-tasking ghouls in the cast mess with the audience during the phobia sketch. It would be even more charming if some cold-blooded elimination of some extraneous material had scythed the running time down to an hour. ★★★

Charlene Van Buekenhout in Minoosh Doo-Kapeeshiw.

MTYP Mainstage (Kids Venue) to July 23

Minoosh Doo-Kapeeshiw is a delightfully sweet one-person performance featuring local actor Charlene Van Buekenhout as Minoosh, the Métis Kitty, a silent character who uses physical comedy (think Mr. Bean) to tell the story of a cat who goes camping and finds a new friend.

The show is narrated in the southern Michif language, but you don’t need to understand the words to get what’s going on. Van Buekenhout’s physicality and plethora of props are enough. Minoosh engages with the audience subtly and they roar back in a big way, responding to what she’s doing.

Minoosh’s shenanigans — whether it be fishing out of a suitcase, playing with a ball of yarn or drinking a cup of tea — draw continual belly laughs from the young folks. But while this show is directed at a younger audience, it’s one the whole family will enjoy. ★★★★

This one-woman performance is like a modern-day version of an old-time adventure radio show come to life. Edmonton actor Caley Suliak has a wonderful energy as Orphia Flange, Space Ranger. She brings to life a whole galaxy in the Princess Street venue with just a prop chair that doubles as her A-I spaceship, her superb acting skills, and of course audience imagination.

The hour-long comedy, written by fringe mainstay Kenneth Brown (Spiral Dive), is full of action and adventure that leaves you cheering for our hero (and her trusty spaceship) in her quest to find answers about who is responsible for the death of her wife, while dodging the Galactic council and the evil villain Vizier.

The Paladin is imaginative and quirky and downright fun to watch. It’s a wonderful show for families with older children, and adults. ★★★

The Wishes Mystical Puppet Company

Tom Hendry Warehouse (Venue 6) to July 24

You know it’s a contemporary fairy tale when the heroine is a little girl who won’t go to bed because she has to keep checking her smartphone messages. She enters a dream world and meets an owl who likes staying up at night. When she reveals she also dislikes bedtime, he ensnares her in his plan to make sleeping illegal — pillows and cushions too. Gradually, the exhausted citizens turn into the Walking Unawake, and desperate people sneak off to take illegal naps in "sleepeasys." Can a human child save the day?

Writer-puppeteers Daniel Wishes and Seri Yani use carboard shadow puppets to create a fantastical realm, moving the puppets closer and farther from the lens to mimic changes in size, approaching and receding motion, depth perception and even film credits.

At a solid hour with a complex story, this could be a stretch for some kids, maybe even some adults. But it’s nice to see that puppetry, many children’s first theatrical experience for generations, still works its magic in this digital age. ★★★1/2

A weekly review of the Winnipeg arts scene, delivered every Thursday.

Planetarium Auditorium (Venue 5) to July 24

Winnipeg’s Hailley Rhoda has some deeply personal truths to share. Her 45-minute monologue, loosely bound within a circus setting, focuses on her personal experience living with a chronic illness, how it affects her daily life and her interactions with the world.

Rhoda is no stranger to the stage, and her performance effectively pulls in and holds attention. She excels at sharing uncomfortable truths, which will help expand the audience’s understanding of living with a disability. That message forcefully resonates the length of the play — particularly in the final minutes.

Some set props do an excellent job at enhancing and clarifying Rhoda’s perspective, while others distract the production’s flow. At times, the circus theme hamstrings the strength of the script. Regardless, the narrative impact of this work will resonate with audience members long after the curtain falls. ★★★1/2

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Updated on Saturday, July 16, 2022 at 10:35 AM CDT: Fixes typo

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