It’s mid-July and that means it’s time for the Winnipeg Fringe Theatre Festival! This year the festival runs from July 16-27. There are 25 venues and 145 shows to choose from, including local offerings and national and international productions.

To get in on the fun, pick up a Winnipeg Fringe Festival program from any liquor commission in the city, or download the PDF on the Fringe website:
winnipegfringe.com

I’ll be reviewing some shows this year for CJNU, so be sure to read the latest review here on the website.

Below is the review for “Rob and Jenny’s First Date” at Venue 1 (John Hirsch Mainstage)

Check your program for dates and times.

WINNIPEG, MB — The play takes place at upscale restaurant, Chez Grenouille, on the last night of work for a waiter, Diego, who’s been let go after 24 years of service, and is out for revenge. It also happens to be the night Rob is meeting his friend, Jenny (whom he’s fantasized about for the good part of 20 years) for their first official date. A couple who arrive at the restaurant later in the play lend an added twist to this fairly well-written comedy of errors. Aimed at adults, the plot gets raunchier and more brazenly vulgar as the story progresses. This being Fringe – no surprises there! What did surprise me about this Dark Horse Theatre production was the level of acting. It was, to put it bluntly, amateurs-ville. Rob’s excessive nervousness about meeting Jenny and the physical comedy that ensued could have worked brilliantly, had Karl Copp not hammed it up to the point that it was uncomfortable to watch. Gaston, the chef, played by Daniel Piche, seemed to think that waving your hands around and acting distraught was a bonafide acting method. Only Dave Pruden, who played Ambrose – a kindly older gentleman, who appears at the beginning of the play, already fed up with the lack of service – used his acting chops to elicit genuine laughs from the audience. All in all, it was a disappointing effort.

Robbi Goltsman-Ferris
CJNU Radio