The Underwear Fairy and Other Love Stories

To start with, it's beautifully written. I could smell the cool lake, I could feel the Acton winter, I could see the stars light up a tragic night sky. The show's creator, Kristi Boulton, is a leading light in Ontario's improv scene, and, while her off-the-cuff talents are exceptional, this script has the mark of care and consideration. The words are the right words, the jokes always land, the story is deftly crafted.

The true story at the heart of this play is a head-scratcher, to say the least. It certainly pulls you in - I don't think anyone could hear the beginning to this tale and not need to hear the end. If I were writing it, I would have likely turned it into a heavy-handed feminist horror movie. Instead, Kristi has woven her story into an optimistic exploration of love - all the ways it can be expressed, and all the ways it can't. It's touching, hilarious, suspenseful, and wise.

Go see it. Who knows? You might be the one person who can solve the mystery of The Underwear Fairy.

An unbelievable but real story told with humour and emotion that brings the audience along for a crazy mystery and through the artist's past loves. Truly a must see!

A true crime, undergarments-related mystery even TikTok couldn't solve. The most relatable kindergarten first crush story ever. An absolutely hilarious, stand-up comedy style format. Kristi Boulton's The Underwear Fairy and Other Love Stories is a stand-out one-woman show has got it ALL, and it's sure to leave you giggling throughout its entire runtime! I was left dazzled by Boulton's natural charm, unique usage of props, and extremely intriguing titular Underwear Fairy tale.

As previously mentioned, Boulton's self-written and directed play starts with the mysterious Fairy's introduction and continues to build off from there, but only in parts. To synopsize without spoiling, an unknown entity begins to dig through young, 13-year-old Kristi's underwear drawer and chaos ensues. In between portions of the terrifying undies story, Boulton treats audience with recounts of her various - sometimes scary, other times super nerdy - experiences with love. From fictional crushes to questioning sexuality to nightmare Tinder dates, this show covers everything one could relate to in this generation. These stories weren't just hilarious but oftentimes, really touching to hear.

Watching Kristi Boulton on stage is a magical experience. She is emotional and filled to the brim with infectious energy. Obviously, there is personal subject matter in the play but regardless, you can just hear how passionate she is about these stories and just how much they meant to her. It's honestly moving. That passion of hers, alongside her very descriptive language, helps make the events she's retelling easy to visualize.

In terms of technical elements, the props and set fascinated me the most. Boulton decided that her set would comprise of three tables with various different functions. The right-most one displayed the most scandalous pair of "Funderwear" she owned, and the table acted as her anchor while she gave her audience more breadcrumbs about the Underwear Fairy. The middle table contained the rest of her props; various items related to each miscellaneous love story she told. Then, the left table had a clear podium. Whenever Boulton would start telling a new story, they'd put the item relating to that story from the middle table onto the podium. It was a small detail, but added a level of care and effort into the show that I didn't expect.

All in all, Kristi Boulton delivers an utterly charming play; a perfectly balanced mix between comedy and drama. I was entertained and completely hooked throughout, and absolutely enamoured by the message: "Sometimes love is hard but that doesn't mean you stop trying". Recommend this show to all those who had awkward love experiences growing up, or who are experiencing something similar today!