Fringe finds: 6 top picks from opening weekend of the Winnipeg Fringe Festival

The opening weekend of the31stannual Winnipeg Fringe Theatre has come and gone, and our review crew has seen dozens of the 178 shows on offer.

We'vegot lots of reviews up already, and more to come but here are a half dozen of our favourites from the first few days of the fest.

What are your top picks? Let us know in the comments!

Animosity

STARS

A love story in the abyss,Animosityis a perfect piece of absurdist theatre.

Two characters are trapped in a void. They feel no hunger or thirst. The temperature is constant, as is gravity. They seem to remember a life before but they cannot be certain.

Without any external distractions, the two characters focus their attention on each other. Friendship turns to love, and love turns to fear and hatred.

The trappings of traditional theatre have been stripped away. Performed in a bare basement on a thrust stage, there are no sets and props, no elaborate costumes, no complicated light and sound cues.

This is theatre concentrate. With nowhere for the actors to hide, every blocking choice and tempo change is magnified and scrutinized. Their work is strong and true.

Playwright Wren Brian elegantly grapples with essential questions of human existence. How do you imbue meaning into a purposeless existence? Can you choose love?

Reviewed by MichellePalansky

Brain Machine

STARS

Andrew Bailey's solo show is about the fascinating (and little-known) people and stories behind the creation of theinternet and much more. It's also about how he accidentally went viral, and how the web has the power to connect or destroy all of us.

That he's able to tie all of this more or less seamlessly together is one of the things that makesBrain Machineso remarkable. That he's able to bring something fresh to the well-hashed"interwebsmight be good, might be bad"theme may be even more remarkable.

Much of this comes down to Bailey's skill as a storyteller. He's got the timing of a seasoned standup and a scriptwriter's sense of when to reveal information particularly a bombshell he dropswell into the play.

It's personal, it's smart and it's also very funny. Check it out. Your brain will thank you.

Reviewed byJoffSchmidt

Cranbourne

STARS

As performed by Fringe veteran JonLachlanStewart, Quebecois playwright Fabien Cloutier'sCranbourneis a searing, haunting and utterly remarkable piece of theatre.

Cranbournetakes us into the dismal and narrow world of our narrator, who lives in small-town, working-class Quebec. Though he's crass (there's language here to offend just about everyone) and more than a little Islamophobic, he's also self-aware enough to know his life could be better and so could he.

Cloutier's script (translated by Marie-ClaudePlourde)is smart and pointed (think DanielMacIvorat his edgiest, with a dash of David Mamet). It's also, in spite of its sadness, surprisingly if darkly funny.

Stewart's note-perfect performance drives it home, as he fully embodies the character, becoming someone we can't help but like even as we're not sure we should.

It's theatre that grabs you by the scruff of the neck anddoesn't let go for 75 minutes. Not for the faint of heart but not to be missed.

Reviewed byJoffSchmidt

RockoandNakota: Tales From the Land

STARS

RockoandNakota: Tales From the Landis First Nations storytelling at its finest. It weaves a family's long forgotten stories with the present day, where we meetNakota, a youngAnishinaabeboy stuck in the hospital.

We begin withNakotain front of his class, reading the story he wrote while bedridden. Originally, hethought he'dwrite a story inspired by his beloved Wolverine comics. But a visit from his grandfather changes everything.

In the hospital,Rockoregales youngNakotawith stories of his youth, and encouragesNakotato recall his memories his stories so he too can write a powerful, cultural tale.

The one-man play is written and performed by JoshLanguedoc, anAnishinaabeperformer from Edmonton. He gives a riveting performance, taking on several roles, both human and animal.

RockoandNakotamasterfully weaves colourfulAnishinaabestories intoNakota's sterile hospital life. It is a heartwarming tale about family, storytelling, and a First Nation boy's connection to his ancestors.

Reviewed by Stephanie Cram

TiBertIs Back!

STARS

In place of reviewingTiBertle Voyageur's show, I have elected to create a song.

I have no musical training. There is not a tune to sing this to. I don't speak French. But it's what my daughter would do. So here, now, is myChant forTiBert:

He's great with kids and juggling, too!

TiBert!TiBert!

He'll teach you how to drive a canoe!

TiBert!TiBert!

We'll play the spoons and dance a jig!

TiBert!TiBert!

WithTiBertour fun will always be big! (I'm going to work on this line some more)

It'sTiBertLe Voyageur!

Who wants to be in a York boat race?

TiBert!TiBert!

Or play the harp inside your face?

TiBert!TiBert!

He makes every kid a part of the show!

TiBert!TiBert!

When it's all over you won't want to go!

It'sTiBertLe Voyageur!

It'sTiBertLe Voyageur!

C'ESTTIBERTLE VOYAGEUR!

Reviewed by KellyStifora

The Wilds

STARS

TheWonderheadsreturn with their signature full-head masks and a tale that's darker than their previous shows, but no less captivating or magical.

It follows an elderly man who must enter a fearsome forest after his wifeand their favourite treevanish from their backyard.

What unfolds as he encounters a cast of curious creatures is a profoundly moving story of love, loss and hope.

As always, much of the magic here is in how expressive theWonderheads' masks are performers Andrew Phoenix and KateBraidwoodconvey emotion so beautifully, you forget the expressions on the masksaren't, in fact, changing.

They also incorporate wonderful puppet work everything from simple stick puppets to full-body puppetry.

The material is darker than normal for theWonderheads, and the show has some intense moments it's probably not suitable for the youngestFringers. But older kidsand any adult who has a trace of inner child leftwill delight inThe Wilds.

Reviewed byJoffSchmidt