Catching a Cheese Pervert: A Priscilla Patton Mystery
Cheese puns & cartoonish characters abound in this silly story of an influencer dairy biz heiress, but it works, mainly due to the spirited turns by Arleigh Curran (the titular sleuth) & José Andrés Bordas (everyone else, incl. puppets).
Who wrote this? Tina Fey?! It’s a dense , joke-packed script with a ton of cheese puns and a perfectly absurdist premise that’s actually based on a true story. The fun, feminist script takes on everything from veganism to influencers with an impressive two person cast who collectively play at least a dozen characters, complete with puppets and a dance number. What’s not to love?!
The theatre was packed and it seemed like lots of people laughed, but it I couldn’t Camembert it. The cheese puns were abundant but didn’t take it far enough for me to set an absurd tone that I think they were goating for. The other humor grated on me: “body count matters” and poking fun at a woman’s perceived promiscuity, someone is gay or not gay (“surprise!”), men=bad, social influencers are vapid, saying the word penis… healing from trauma jokes clashed with a story where women were being targeted and sexually harassed… the justice system not believing or protecting women played entirely for laughs without self awareness. Was the overall joke that everyone was terrible? The characters’ behaviours were inconsistent so I felt nothing about them. I was bored. I wanted to like this because I love absurdity and mysteries, but this didn’t land for me.
The title will get you in the door, but you'll stay for the jokes...and the Butterball of course!
Read my full review online!
Catching a Cheese Pervert is what the Fringe does best; a high energy screwball comedy based on an absurd premise; executed with passion and verve.
Full review at the link
thi sis great fun! pokes at partiarchy, veganism, oatmilk lovers and has a good time doing it. the 2 actors are amazing together and the support actor is so versatile, he plays easily 10 characters and does them all superbly! a really fun romp! great props and story and script a must fringe see!
With a title like Catching a Cheese Pervert, going in without expectations is recommended. Both actors are great and convincing in their roles, with the cheese puns being in abundance and appreciated. The story is tightly paced, memorable and isn't afraid to be different. Recommended to everyone looking for something that has a little bit of everything.
1 Funny, 2 silly, 3 original, 4 great cast, 5 weird characters................ the answer is All of the above!!! Catching a Cheese Pervert: A Priscilla Patton Mystery now on at The Toronto Fringe is the type of show that Fringe is famous for. GO OUT AND PLAY
This was so much fun. It's silly in the best way, with endless cheese jokes that somehow never got old. The writing is really clever, with lots of fun Canadiana references. I laughed the whole way through and left smiling.
This was alright!
A light, silly show with a few genuinely funny moments, especially when it leaned into the ridiculousness and the cheese puns. SO many great cheese puns. There were also a couple of short choreographed/dance sequences that I thought were just so cute and fun.
I think the performance didn’t fully work for me. The lead actress brought a lot of great energy to the role, and she was so cute, but at times the delivery felt a bit over the top, and there were noticeable pauses where she searched for her next line on a hidden sheet of paper. Those moments pulled me out of the show a little.
The script itself also felt uneven in places, and I think the overall flow could have been stronger. It was ultimately harmless, light entertainment, but there were moments where I found myself waiting for it to wrap up.
I appreciated the humour, effort, and playful concept!
Giving it 2 stars just for the energy of the performance, but unfortunately, I have nothing good to say about it. The plot was weak, it wasn't well written, and on top of it, the lead actress kept reading her lines off a page in a very obvious way. Wouldn't recommend.
A typical Fringe comedy (I mean that in a GOOD way): dedicated performers playing multiple characters; recognizable stereotypes; sparse set decorations; and complete and total dedication to the story, regardless of how ridiculous it gets. If you like your comedy a bit bizarre, this show will give you what you want.