Emil Amok: 69

Emil has a lot of personality, funny jokes, and observations. I especially liked what he had to say about second-generation immigrants being treated "first" because they are better acclimated to the culture. There is a bit of ranty filler that honestly felt improvised, but I am nonetheless rooting for my kikkoman.

Emil is a super high energy performer with a genuine curiosity & care about the world around him. I appreciated his stories, insights, and observations as a Filipino American, father of a trans daughter, and son of a Trump supporter. Emil deserves the warmest welcome here in Canada!

There are riches in Emil Amok: 69, but you’ve got to negotiate a lot of clutter to get to them.

In his anecdotal stand-up set, writer and performer Emil Amok Guillermo adopts an alienatingly hyperactive persona, his delivery is all over the place, and many of his cappers don’t land.

But he’s not messing around with his content, which is, at times, both funny and moving.

It’s grounding and important to get Amok’s first-person account of what it’s like to be brown in CDTA 34’s America (Convicted Felon Donald Trump’s America, to use Amok’s term): the weirdness of having relatives who support Trump, and the destabilization of Trump’s attack on birthright citizenship after what looked like progress in the arc of racism.

There’s a lovely bit about Amok’s relationship to his trans daughter. When she wants to get feminizing facial surgery, he says, “You’re already Filipino. Isn’t that feminine enough?” (Hey! He said it, not me. And I appreciate his transgressiveness.)

When the bandages come off, he says, touchingly, “Beautiful.”

At the performance I attended, Emil Amok: 69 settled down gradually after its rattletrap beginning.

Remaining performances: Sept 6, 7:30; Sept 10, 5:00; Sept 11, 9:25; Sept 12, 6:15; Sept 14, 4:20. Tickets

(You can read all my reviews — including Fringe reviews — on my website, Fresh Sheet Reviews. Click the URL below.)

Emil Guillermo has carved out a career as a journalist and storyteller, and his Fringe hour reflects that pedigree: a compelling presence, a strong voice, and a knack for weaving anecdotes into a larger reflection on identity. He kept the pace up for the whole show—a feat in solo performance.

That said, the piece struggles under its own ambition. At times it feels like Emil is reaching for Martin Dockery’s fast-paced narrative energy but without quite the same snap or structural tightness. It could easily have been shorter, and the repetition of a single word as a thematic anchor felt more like a tic than a throughline. I found myself wanting a clearer narrative arc—something that elevated the material beyond surface-level echoes.

Where it succeeds is in heart. Emil’s honesty is palpable, and his exploration of what it means to be an American-born “immigrant” from the Philippines—always caught in a paradox of belonging and exclusion—rings with sincerity and resonance. That vulnerability holds the audience, even when the dramaturgy wobbles.

Ultimately, Emil Amok is less about flawless polish and more about personal truth. It may not soar with the precision of other solo storytellers at Fringe, but it lingers for its honesty.

LOVED IT LOVED IT LOVED IT

Unexpectedly hilarious, dark, engaging. Loved hearing the story of this filipino american and his career and the jokes he told had me laughing all day long. 69 is not a "sex show" as he says in this story. There is some chaotic elements to this story, however this does make sense with the chaos in the USA and his worries for his trans daughter. MUST SEE. The description in the program guide is not doing this show justice.

In this very chaotic, politically driven show, Emil intertwines daily news with personal stories and lays out what it’s really like to navigate the current state of the US. It’s his personal stories that really drive the show though. Especially when he talks about his daughter.

Emil Amok: 69 - “Be rebellious” By: Krissy Berkholtz

With muppet like charisma and a bright comedic style, Emil teaches the lucky audience on how to “give Amok” about today’s current political climate. “Emil Amok: 69” is a one man, raunchy comedy show about a man’s life. Following in perfectly cut segments, Emil dives deep into his personal life and relates it to the issues his family has generationally faced, what his daughter has faced, and what he’s faced- and all overcame. Emil doesn’t hold back on his opinions. Calling attention to the truth by both presenting factual and credible sources, while he charmingly entertains the audience. The set was cleverly designed to be in disarray, such as the world is, while the lighting and sound complemented Emil and his creativity by shifting between colours as the topics became ‘higher stakes’. “Emil Amok: 69” will have you hollering at the end of the night, but will make you think about all the work that still needs to be done in this world. “Emil Amok: 69” runs from August 20th-24th.