{"data":{"id":"ba0b4fe1-3f6b-46d5-a63d-9f75d43810b9","originKind":"SYNDICATED","title":"Fringe Review: Muttnik full of heart, humour in this dog's tale of adventure","summary":"Muttnik\n\n4 stars (Out of 5)\n\nStage 6, Gateway Theatre, 8529 Gateway Blvd.\n\nLook, I’m as surprised as anybody that show about the first dog sent into space that’s as moving as this is. And as funny as it is.\n\nBut that’s fringe for you.\n\nMuttnik is a one-man — or is it one-dog? — show retelling the life of the Russian dog sent into space on Sputnik II. The first living creature sent into orbit. In real life, the dog’s name was Laika, and she sadly (spoiler alert!) died on her mission.\n\nIn Bruce Ryan Costella’s retelling, the names we hear most are Barker (the English translation) and “Little Lemon,” the affectionate name given to our little space dog by one of her Russian handlers.\n\nRead all our Fringe reviews here Costella retells the story of being born to a single mother — dog dads are never around — being ripped from her family, adopted by a woman who then dies, leading to our fuzzy hero winding up on the street until getting rescued by some scientists and carted off to a lab where dogs are put through their paces. Barker tries to do everything he’s asked in the hopes of yielding the one phrase all dogs yearn to hear: “Good dog.”\n\nCostella is really captivating, with his slightly cartoonish Russian accent, space suit, floppy ears and a tail, working with minimal lighting and sound in a confined space on the larger stage. The storytelling here is dynamic, reaching an emotional peak for dog and handler as we near the fateful launch.\n\nHe tackles some weighty concepts — living a full life in the face of adversity, the treatment of animals in the name of human advancement, the desire of all creatures to find connection and love, to name a few — in such an engaging fashion that it’s hard not to get caught up in Barker’s story, even if you know the outcome.\n\nRound of a-paws for Muttnik.\n\nRelated Fringe Review: Ron Pearson proves that he is Lucky\n\nFringe Review: In My Room looks to uplift, bring laughs\n\nBookmark our website and support our journalism: Don’t miss the news you need to know — add EdmontonJournal.com and EdmontonSun.com to your bookmarks and sign up for our newsletters here.\n\nYou can also support our journalism by becoming a digital subscriber. Subscribers gain unlimited access to The Edmonton Journal, Edmonton Sun, National Post and 13 other Canadian news sites. Support us by subscribing today: The Edmonton Journal | The Edmonton Sun.","url":"https://edmontonjournal.com/entertainment/review-muttnik-edmonton-fringe","imageUrl":"https://smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital/edmontonjournal/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/muttnik_304712679.jpg","publishedAt":"2026-08-15T00:19:33.000Z","sourceLabel":"Edmonton Journal Music","tags":["Entertainment","Festivals","Local Arts","Theatre"],"authorName":"Dave Breakenridge","contentHtml":"<img alt=\"Bruce Ryan Costella in Muttnik, at the Edmonton International Fringe Festival. \" src=\"https://smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital/edmontonjournal/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/muttnik_304712679.jpg\" title=\"Bruce Ryan Costella in Muttnik, at the Edmonton International Fringe Festival. \" /><p> <strong>Muttnik</strong> </p><p> <strong>4 stars (Out of 5)</strong> </p><p> <strong>Stage 6, Gateway Theatre, 8529 Gateway Blvd.</strong> </p><p> Look, I’m as surprised as anybody that show about the first dog sent into space that’s as moving as this is. And as funny as it is. </p><p> But that’s fringe for you. </p><p> Muttnik is a one-man — or is it one-dog? — show retelling the life of the Russian dog sent into space on Sputnik II. The first living creature sent into orbit. In real life, the dog’s name was Laika, and she sadly (spoiler alert!) died on her mission. </p><p> In Bruce Ryan Costella’s retelling, the names we hear most are Barker (the English translation) and “Little Lemon,” the affectionate name given to our little space dog by one of her Russian handlers. </p><h2><a href=\"https://edmontonjournal.com/tag/edmonton-fringe-festival/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Read all our Fringe reviews here</a></h2><p> Costella retells the story of being born to a single mother — dog dads are never around — being ripped from her family, adopted by a woman who then dies, leading to our fuzzy hero winding up on the street until getting rescued by some scientists and carted off to a lab where dogs are put through their paces. Barker tries to do everything he’s asked in the hopes of yielding the one phrase all dogs yearn to hear: “Good dog.” </p><p> Costella is really captivating, with his slightly cartoonish Russian accent, space suit, floppy ears and a tail, working with minimal lighting and sound in a confined space on the larger stage. The storytelling here is dynamic, reaching an emotional peak for dog and handler as we near the fateful launch. </p><p> He tackles some weighty concepts — living a full life in the face of adversity, the treatment of animals in the name of human advancement, the desire of all creatures to find connection and love, to name a few — in such an engaging fashion that it’s hard not to get caught up in Barker’s story, even if you know the outcome. </p><p> Round of a-paws for Muttnik. </p><h2>Related</h2><ul><li><a href=\"https://edmontonjournal.com/entertainment/review-ron-pearson-lucky-edmonton-fringe\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Fringe Review: Ron Pearson proves that he is Lucky</a></li><li><a href=\"https://edmontonjournal.com/entertainment/review-in-my-room-edmonton-fringe\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Fringe Review: In My Room looks to uplift, bring laughs</a></li></ul><p> <strong>Bookmark our website and support our journalism:</strong><em>Don’t miss the news you need to know — add <a href=\"http://edmontonjournal.com/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">EdmontonJournal.com</a> and <a href=\"http://edmontonsun.com/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">EdmontonSun.com</a> to your bookmarks and <a href=\"https://edmontonjournal.com/newsletters/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">sign up for our newsletters here.</a></em> </p><p> <em>You can also support our journalism by becoming a digital subscriber. Subscribers gain unlimited access to The Edmonton Journal, Edmonton Sun, National Post and 13 other Canadian news sites. Support us by subscribing today: <a href=\"https://edmontonjournal.com/subscribe/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">The Edmonton Journal</a> | <a href=\"https://edmontonsun.com/subscribe/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">The Edmonton Sun.</a></em> </p>","slug":"fringe-review-muttnik-full-of-heart-humour-in-this-dogs-tale-of-adventure","publicPath":"/news/2026-08-14-fringe-review-muttnik-full-of-heart-humour-in-this-dogs-tale-of-adventure"}}