Final Girl: A New Musical

“Final Girl: A New Musical” is a must-see for fans of musical horror and slasher classics. With a seasoned cast delivering top-tier performances and choreography that’s both sharp and thrilling, the production oozes professionalism. From start to finish, it’s a wildly entertaining ride—never a dull moment, never a missed beat. Among the fringe offerings, this show stands out as one of the very best.

Babe, wake up, Straight Edge Theatre has a new musical! This is my pick of the fringe this year. If I can give gazillion stars 🌟, I would gladly give it all the stars. Safe to say I am a big fan of Seth Gilfillan and Stephen Allred's works -- Cult Cycle, Imaginary Friend, Conjoined, Krampus, and now Final Girl. And with the resurgence of horror flicks this year, the theme of the musical is so timely. Full disclosure, as a monthly donor to the Fringe, I got early access to ticket sales, and this is one of the first tickets I bought because I knew for sure it will be soldout.

Scream is the gold standard for a horror film. It kicked off a franchise and has had a few contenders nipping at its heels but nothing as strong as what happened opening night. With musical theatre becoming a mainstream phenomenon, it was only a matter of time before that standard would be attempted. Having seen A Gentleman's guide to love and murder, I very much appreciate the art form. Final Girl is an incredibly substantial offering for the genre. There were a few reviews I was concerned about that indicated it wasn't that substantial of a story. I realize what they meant was it wasn't long enough. I can see this being put on at the Citadel, or the Orange Hub to a full length. Perhaps even traveling? I don't want to spoil anything for those who haven't seen it yet so I won't mention comps but I will say, the musical cues were flawless. The choreography was performed wonderfully by all and each character was fully 3 dimensional. I look forward to a longer show where the horror tropes can really shine. Bravo!

Final Girl is a musical. It does have a full band and the cast is mic-ed so it can be (too) loud, depending on your comfort. There are also a few issues with hot microphones (sizzling and pops). But I really enjoyed the performances and the choreography of the show. I really enjoy their style of writing in satire songs with pop culture references. This show made me laugh and grooving in my seat.

All the show contains items that are correct.

This show truly 'killed it'! I wont rehash details from other reviews (but yes to the cast, songs, etc) but I really appreciated the attention to details when you compare it to the average Fringe production: preshow music set the tone (campy/poppy with a hint of dark undercurrent "too pretty to die" and "i hate you"), immersive use of props, lighting changes to up the drama, and the amount of info and jokes packed into the lyrics of each song was impressive (wish there was closed captions, I'm sure I missed something). I would say "get your tickets now" buuut its sold out. So steal a friends ticket, hide under their trench coat (a la Vincent Adultman) or bribe the ticket scanners to let you sit on someone's lap.

Final Girl: A New Musical - “I Hate Teenagers” By: Krissy Berkholtz

They say when “Mercury is in retrograde,” everything around you gets shaken up. Whether that be no wifi over the weekend, hurting your weak ankle, or even…a camping trip gone wrong. Who knows? “Final Girl: A New Musical” does! “Final Girl: A New Musical” is a hilariously written musical thanks to Seth Gilfillan and Stephan Allerd that is a take on your classic horror movie tropes but now set in modern day. Enveloped in social media, “Final Girl” is the ‘yassified’ version of “Friday the 13th” Followed by an incredible cast of singers/actors and a live band, “Final Girl: A New Musical” never missed a beat while making the audience erupt with laughter throughout the show. Alyson Horne, Bella King, Jaimi Reese, Josh Travnik and Liz Janzen take us on the twisting ride while their smooth vocals and impressive dance skills leave the audience with an itch satisfyingly scratched. So make sure your shoes are laced and hold onto your allies dearly as “Final Girl: A New Musical” has you guessing who the real final girl will be… “Final Girl: A New Musical” runs from August 20th-24th.

Another big win for Straight Edge theatre with the silly, scary, very entertaininig Final Girl: A New Musical. See my full review here.

https://lucyhainesca.wordpress.com/2025/08/19/fringe-review-mean-girl-meets-scream-final-girl-a-new-musical-is-wicked-fun/

I think Straightedge theatre is an icon in the local original musical scene. This one was again outstanding. Firstly, the performances were top notch, which is no surprise. Addison, Emma, and Kraitlin were standouts. The story was pretty typical, but done well. One thing I like about Straightedge which sets them apart from other musical companies is that their songs are genuinely good, not just campy or funny (though they can be that too).

To critique a few things, the balance of singers' mic's to the band's mic's was off. At times it was tough to hear some of the lyrics, especially from Dani, even though I was in the front row. And I wish Trish’s song had been transposed into a higher key, as her voice couldn't go quite that low and that made it pretty hard to hear her.

I prefer this show to Krampus from 2 years ago, but I am still pining for Conjoined to make a comeback someday.

"The Straight Edge team of Seth Gilfillan and Stephan Allred have brought a new “horror comedy musical” — with a live three-piece band! — to the Fringe. And it has fun revelling in a genre, the repertoire of 90s teen slasher classics like Scream, whilst spoofing it...." Check out the full 12thnight review!

OK this was incredible. Every single performer in the cast was SO GOOD. The vocal range and the flawless choreo were absolute highlights! Josh was especially the best!! I loved these characters and had many laughs! Best murder musical ever! GO SEE THIS!!!!!

Final Girl is a razor-sharp take on a familiar story (a bunch of bratty teens on a weekend trip, subjected to the horrors of terrible cell service and a masked killer), twisting it into a cuttingly self-aware and brutally funny subversion of its trope. The show is grounded by catchy pop songs packed with punchlines, performed either with classic musical spectacle or at times, a subtlety of physical comedy delivered effortlessly by the seasoned cast. You can’t help but root for the characters who, while being morally questionable people for the most part, are brought to life so endearingly by their actors. Live musical accompaniment and a clever use of lighting elevates the polish of the production, resulting in a true night-out at-the-theatre vibe.

Straight Edge Theatre continues to set a high bar in Edmonton theatre and Final Girl is this year’s triumph, being as catchy as it is thrilling. It’s a show you’ll want to rewatch to catch every quip—just be warned, you’ll likely leave with at least one song stuck in your head.

Straight Edge Theatre consistently produces best of Fringe material.

This year was no exception. This is the company brought you Krampus, Imaginary Friend and Cult Cycle. It's a horror comedy about teenagers on a remote weekend trip encountering a murderer (as one does).

I previewed it briefly during rehearsal before Fringe and gave it a blind five stars –– after seeing their sold-out opening night I have no reason to change that assessment.

The show is performed wonderfully, all the cast are giving it all (even if two of them were literally sprinting from ArtsHub Ortona where they just performed 90 minutes in Assassins). The choreo is excellent and the songs are well-written, well-performed and funny.

The story does leave something to be desired, but in my view the story is just a vehicle to deliver bits... and all the bits deliver.

The show has already sold out it's three openers, so if you want tickets you'd best get them now. And you should want tickets.

What a great start to my fringe! This show was so well written and the cast really brought the words to life. The character archtypes were well delivered. I could picture each one from my own highschool experience. The songs were catchy and vocals were great. Packed house show one and I’d expect that will happen all week. Get tickets early!