Great Battles in History (A+) Mark Shyzer is the breakout star of the Fringe so far, at least in my estimation. Only Human is a big part of that (which I’ll talk about in a minute) but it’s his solo show that’s the most remarkable achievement. Superficially, Great Battles in History is a meta comedy […]
Hey ‘90s Kids, You’re Old (B+) Hey ‘90s Kids, You’re Old, is really everything you want out of a fringe sketch comedy show: good laughs, clever premise, and pop culture references. That said, it is very possible my great enjoyment of this show lies more in the nostalgia factor, and less in the skill of […]
Confessions of a Redheaded Coffeeshop Girl (B+) Rebecca Perry’s semi-musical solo show about an overqualified twentysomething slinging coffee to make ends meet is incredibly charming. Advertised as an anthropological study of coffeeshop culture, it’s really more of a modern fairytale, complete with a handsome patron serving as both prince charming and fairy godmother. The storytelling […]
Lost and Found (A) What a better way to start my fringe binge than Marilla Wex’s Lost and Found. From the first moments of her honest and integral solo show, Wex performs with energy, consistent humour and a smile. I think I wrote down “absolutely charming” twice. It’s everything you want in a solo show: […]
The Centre of the Universe (B) The Centre of The Universe, staged between the taps and front windows of everybody’s favourite dive bar, “The Lab” is a gripping telling of the post-internet apocalypse. It builds steadily to its genuinely frightening and shocking climax on the shoulders of a couple of strong performances. Lea Russel and […]
My second day at the Toronto Fringe was a one-play affair (don’t judge, I had things to do). But here’s the FULL LIST of our festival reviews if one isn’t enough for you. Love’s Labour’s Lost (A-) I was nervous about this one. My love of Shakespeare Bash’d and their clear, thoughtful approach to […]
Check out our Full List of Fringe reviews HERE and see below for my report from my first day of shows at the Toronto Fringe Festival. Tachycardia (C-) The first show on my Fringe schedule fell victim to that very Fringe-y problem of artistically indulgent accidental silliness. Nadine Bhabha and Joel Edmiston begin the play […]
Soulpepper’s wildly successful 2013 production of Angels in America is onstage again this summer. After winning two My Theatre Awards in April (Best Actor- Damien Atkins & Best Director- Albert Schultz), the 6-hour epic lured us back to the Young Centre today for another round. Revisiting roles they played a little less than a year ago, […]