Review: (Winnipeg) Dandyman (Fringe)

A Dandy and A Clown
by Edgar Governo
@pseudohistorian

A good sign of a seasoned trick performer is that you can't tell the difference between actual mistakes and 'mistakes' designed either to make a trick look harder or to give off the air of someone just bumbling around.

Daniel Oldaker is just such a performer--there are various points in his show where things seem to go awry, and I honestly couldn't tell you if they were planned or if he is simply really good at adapting to those moments. Oldaker comes across like the lovechild of Julian Bashir and Pee-Wee Herman (with a touch of Martin Short thrown in), dashing and dapper but also exhibiting a Pee-Wee-like dedication to play and general goofiness that is enjoyable without needing any edgy attitude.

The lack of dialogue in Oldaker's performance doesn't prevent Dandyman from being easy to understand, and the central use of straws in his trickery shows that you don't need to have a lot of equipment of elaborate set pieces to make your own fun--you just need to pack a healthy imagination.

Dandyman is at the Winnipeg Fringe