Julia Peterson
Saskatoon StarPhoenix
StarPhoenix reporter Julia Peterson reviews every show at the 2025 Saskatoon Fringe Festival, which runs July 31 through August 9.
This year, the festival features 23 indoor theatre shows across four venues: the Cosmopolitan Senior Citizens’ Centre, Refinery Arts & Spirit Centre, Broadway Theatre and the Shakespeare on the Saskatchewan festival site.
1 Small Lie
4/5 stars
Is Martin Dockery telling a true story about something that actually happened?
“Don’t worry about it,” is his advice to audiences this Fringe. But is it an absolutely captivating wild ride through impromptu wildlife rescue, small-town police intrigue and pandemic-induced terrible decision-making? Oh yes, 1 Small Lie is all of that, and more.
Dockery’s performance is a masterclass in precision. Rather than punctuating his stories with sound cues, he uses a single track that plays (and that he very much plays with) throughout the show. Once the music starts, there’s no stopping or slowing down, and his jam-packed narration has to keep pace down to the second.
As Dockery stacks up details in his retelling of events that may or may not have happened in coastal New York state a few years ago, the story as a whole becomes evermore improbable — and yet, the jump from each moment to the next almost seems inevitable.
The show’s eponymous one small lie snowballs into an avalanche of petty impulses, good intentions and brain-fart decisions that together make just enough sense to sell the possibility that any or all of this might have a grain of truth.
If you’re heading into 1 Small Lie with the mindset of a private investigator, intent on picking apart fact and fiction, you’ll quickly find yourself tangled up in its web.
My suggestion? Take Dockery’s advice and “don’t worry about it.” Leave your disbelief at the door, and let yourself be swept away by an excellent story well told.
Adventures in Canadian Parking Lots
4/5 stars
Jem Rolls is an icon of the international Fringe circuit. With more Fringe festivals under his belt than any other performer alive today, he has more than earned the accolade of “master storyteller.”
So, what could be more fitting than Rolls turning his latest show into a tribute to the Fringe itself? And not just any Fringe tribute. Rolls celebrates what he describes as the “uniquely Canadian phenomenon” of a coast-to-coast Fringe tour where performers spend their summers criss-crossing the country, entertaining audiences and making their mark at festivals that were deliberately scheduled to allow and encourage this artistic cross-pollination.
Within his hour on the stage, Rolls brings a bit of everything: true stories, original fiction, poetry, comedy, tragedy and insights from his decades spent travelling from Fringe to Fringe.
It’s a true smorgasbord of a stage performance, and nobody else in the world could do it like Jem Rolls.
Age Old Tales for All Ages
5/5 stars
Whether he’s strumming a song or spinning a yarn, Paul Strickland never talks down to children. He knows that kids are small humans, yes. But they are people with viewpoints and interests and perspectives all their own who deserve stories that are just as wide-eyed, curious, thoughtful and inventive as they are.
As it turns out, those kinds of stories are great fun for all the “former kids” in the audience too.
Strickland’s lively guitar playing and call-and-response melodies are catchy, beautifully written and always engaging. His stories range from pinnacles of punnery to witty reimaginings of classic tales with a fresh new shine.
Strickland’s performance belongs right up there with the greatest hits of The Vinyl Cafe or Tom Lehrer in his Electric Company era. This show is sure to echo across generations of audience members throughout the Fringe.
(a)political
3.5/5 stars
Haven’t we heard enough about American politics this year? Even as events south of the 49th parallel dominate the news cycle, Bobby Wesley’s story is still worth a listen.
On this first stop of what the American storyteller is tongue-in-cheek calling his ‘Mea Culpa’ tour of Canada, he’s out to prove there are still reasons to be optimistic about getting involved in local politics, and hope to be found beyond the headlines.
In this true story about an “unwinnable campaign” in Florida in 2006, Wesley — fresh out of grad school at the time and hoping to be “the first person in history to do something useful with a political science degree” — was managing the campaign for his friend. Between the cows, long car rides, line dancing and golf cart parades through retirement communities, there are valuable lessons and reminders sprinkled in about how we can unite and take care of our communities, no matter where we are.
As a comedic political narrative/campaign postmortem, the show is far more “sarcastic” than “Sorkin” (in fact, it’s often sarcastic about Sorkin). But Wesley still does have a little bit of starry-eyed belief that things can be better than they are — and his outlook is inescapably contagious.
A Spoonful of Magic
2.5/5 stars
Who doesn’t remember that breathtaking moment of watching Mary Poppins for the first time? Of seeing the magical nanny fly down from her cloud towards Cherry Tree Lane, landing gently on the street with her iconic black umbrella and carpet bag?
All of a sudden, the world sparkled with possibility.
In A Spoonful of Magic, stage magicians Jordan Rooks and Lisa Krol set out to recreate that sense of awe and wonder for audiences of all ages as Poppins returns to find the youngest Banks child all grown up and struggling through the ordinary pitfalls of modern life. Maybe, she decides, he needs a little reminder that the world has always been full of magic — if you know where to look.
Where Krol and Rooks shine brightest is in their clever one-liner quips and moments of improv — they are very good at thinking on their feet, especially when there is audience interaction — and a genuinely touching conclusion.
If this is the first magic show you’ve ever been to, it’s a cute introduction to the genre. But the magic itself is all very classic — familiar tricks overshadowed by the amount of time the performers spend hyping each other up about the amazement of it all, and by their choice to set the show in the context of such an iconic story.
BRAIN
5/5 stars
Some shows are inherently difficult to review in detail without spoiling exactly what makes them so great. BRAIN is one of those shows.
Beyond its bubbly, interactive, highly-caffeinated charm, the depth of story and emotion in BRAIN reaches far below the technicolour surface.
It often feels like Inside Out for grown-ups, glittering with musical theatre parodies and pinpoint references to The Great British Bake Off. It takes a lot of skill to pull off something this silly, and still cover the full range of emotions in an hour on stage.
If you have a knee-jerk reaction to the narrative-framing premise of “right brain” and “left brain” being totally separate and distinct (that theory is, at best, a massive overstatement of established neuroscience), you can check your irritation at the door. The show does address that, and beautifully.
BRAIN is a weird, wonderful, touching, revelatory, only-at-Fringe piece of theatre. Don’t miss it.
Can’t Help Falling In Love … with Shakespeare?
3.5/5 stars
The company of Live Fully Productions brings their exuberantly joyful acting and decadent harmonies to answer the question: How is Shakespeare’s work relevant to audiences today?
A pair of university students, accompanied by dramatic visions of Shakespearean archetypes through the ages, tackle a homework assignment by finding modern songs that mirror themes expressed in the Bard’s most famous plays.
The performance of Tears for Fears’ Mad World as an insight into Hamlet was an absolutely jaw-dropping standout moment, and the track list spans chart-topping hits from Taylor Swift to Elvis. However, some parts of the plot do feel like a thin excuse to move from one song to the next.
This is a fun little jukebox musical with an excellent cast, some memorable insights and a delightful conclusion.
Colourless Ruby and the Fantastical Missing Shades
3.5/5 stars
For many theatre lovers, one of the best parts of going to see a show is the feeling of being swept into the story on stage.
In Colourless Ruby, performers Emma Eaton and Rachel Walliser bring their world to life in living colour for this all-ages show
It hinges on a cute premise: Ruby the Clown, who lives in a world of black and white, stumbles upon a secret passageway to a world filled with vibrant colour. It’s where bright blue cats become cherished companions, helpful storytellers share quests and memories, and Ruby might find new reasons to appreciate her black-and-white self while discovering the colours she’s had inside of her all along.
For the kids in the audience, this show promises to be a romp, like a playground game of make-believe taking over the stage. Eaton and Walliser have built in plenty of moments to flex their improv skills, and this is very much an “active participation encouraged” event.
For the grown-ups in the audience, this is the sort of story that will knock on the door of your heart, inviting your inner child to come out and play.
The Day the Beanstalk Market Crashed
4/5 stars
Shadow puppets and biting satire are on full display in The Day the Beanstalk Market Crashed. Performers from Mind of a Snail Puppet Co. use a camcorder and an overhead projector to make an arthouse movie live on stage.
It’s an off-the-wall premise, but the artistry and gorgeous design elevates this show to something far greater than a silly parody.
The original music and hand-crafted visual elements are memorable, distinct and so theatrical. The co-ordination between the two performers, who have to stay in sync with one another as well as with their technical effects, is truly impressive.
The Day the Beanstalk Market Crashed is a brand-new show premiering at the Saskatoon Fringe — it will only become more polished with time.
But if you like puppetry, David Lynch or anarchist pigeons, you will love this show.
