Oh Winnipeg! A Surprising Musical Memoir: Passion Goes a Long Way

John Pippus

Victoria: How does John Pippus manage to distinguish his ran-away-at-17-to-be-a-rock-star story from the others? For starters, sincerity and musical talent go a long way.

In his charming one-man musical memoir, Pippus takes us from his early life in the Prairies to trying out the full-time musician thing in Montreal and finally trading it all for a family and a steady job in B.C. when the drunken nights and uncertainty get to be too much. Many years later, after his kids have left home, he decides to give performance another go, and Victoria audiences should be very happy that he did.

The show does lag a bit at times and could use a good edit, but its highlights (including Pippus’ musical interludes, his impressions of family and the fantasy sequence where he enthusiastically lip-synchs to his catchy original tune “Better Days”) more than make up for its minor flaws. This is one to see.

For more show information go here.

By Jessica Salloum