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 The Man Who Couldn’t Die” at Venue 9 (Planetarium Auditorium)

Check your program for dates and times.

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Anyone can call themselves a storyteller. Leigh-Anne Kehler is the real deal. From the moment she opens her mouth to describe her dad’s heart exploding on the operating table (No, he didn’t die – thus, the title) to the last line of this poignant, often graphic, and exceedingly funny tale, Kehler has the audience right where she wants them. Using her body, voice and facial expressions, she masterfully captures the raspy squawk of her father in his hospital bed speaking through a feeding tube, or his notorious cackle when he tells an inappropriate joke around the dinner table. Like any good storyteller, Kehler chooses her words carefully. Even the three unassuming chairs set a few feet apart across the wide Planetarium stage serve a purpose. Jumping back and forth in time, the script never wavers from the carefully taut thread that carries this sad, but hopeful tale, successfully to its conclusion.

Robbi Goltsman-Ferris
CJNU Radio