Elysya Scerbo-Pasta

I had seen advertisements of this show circulating before Fringe. When I saw it had joined the festival, I immediately got a ticket. I love escape rooms, puzzles, and immersive theatre, so I was really happy to add this to my lineup.

The goal is to obtain artifacts from the characters by helping them fulfill their wishes, which you can only learn by interacting and chatting with them. Everyone works together collectively, so there is lots of chatter and plenty of ways to get involved.

The gameplay was fun and easy to pick up, and they did an excellent job of balancing the atmosphere and immersion with clear gameplay. Everyone was engaged and seemed to be having an excellent time.

The actresses were fantastic. They were great at staying in character and improvising around whatever was happening in the room. They engaged as many people as possible and did an excellent job of giving hints while remaining in character.

As a large group of sober people (we played at 2:30 p.m.) we managed to collect nine out of 10 artifacts!

My understanding is that if you missed this experience during Fringe, there will be more showings outside of Fringe in the near future! I certainly recommend.

The story of how “The Vampyre” by John William Polidori was written, retold in the most absurd, unhinged way. I was living for it.

This was sooo funny, with so much heart. Surprisingly! I wasn’t expecting it to tug at the heartstrings the way it did.

The actresses were chef’s kiss**. Absolutely brilliant at bringing the characters to life. Their comedic timing was spot on, and they had excellent chemistry together on stage. The duo of the unhinged Byron and the straight man Polidori worked very well.

There were some parts early on and in the middle of the play that felt a bit muddled as it switched back and forth between the history of the two friends and the story of “The Vampyre”. That being said, the juxtaposition of the two stories worked very well, especially when the characters hilariously, or sadly, found similarities between them.

I wanted to like this soooo badly. The concept really intrigued me, especially with all the current discussions surrounding real-life self-completion programs. I was very interested to see what the play would have to say about the subject.

Unfortunately, I had difficulty hearing many of the actors, so I missed some chunks of dialogue. I also felt there was much more to explore, and that 45 minutes simply wasn’t enough time for such a complex topic. The script did not allow us to fully understand the characters or explore their motivations in much depth. Even the main character felt underdeveloped.

There is definitely something here. With more time and further development, I think this could become a very strong and thought-provoking play.

Absolutely charming!

When the play was over and we were leaving the theatre, I heard several people comment on how realistic it was. I’m not sure they were referring to the characters themselves, because Evie and Alfie are sweet and somewhat idealized, and their relationship is the kind many of us dream of having as we grow older.

What felt real to me was the development of their relationship: the ups and downs they experienced, the ways they changed as they grew older, and the emotions behind the different events in their lives. The play captured the passage of time beautifully, showing how love can evolve while still remaining deeply recognizable.

The actors were wonderful! Engaging and warm, with great chemistry. They carried us through the characters’ joy, anger, and sadness.

The stage setup was extremely simple: two chairs and a side table. Yet they made such effective use of them, and every moment felt carefully choreographed. The simplicity allowed the performances and the relationship at the heart of the play to shine.

This was so eerie and psychologically disturbing. I loved it. It kept me on my toes and nervous about what was going to happen next.

It left me thinking about relationships. With the family we know and the neighbours we don’t. It made me think about hat it would be like to be raised alongside a psychopath, and the damage that could do. It also left me with questions about love, and whether someone who is deeply psychologically disturbed can truly feel it.

Despite how abnormal and difficult the sister is, the actress did an excellent job of bringing her to life and making you question what was going on inside her head. Opposite her, the male actor played the “straight man” to her madness extremely well. He exuded a kindness while displaying the anger and frustration his character felt more and more over the years.

The play was originally supposed to take place in a condo but pivoted to Puppy Sphere. The venue offered essentially the same kind of setup they had been looking for, with a living room and kitchen area that worked well for the production. It felt more immersive and intimate than a traditional stage would have been, and the play made excellent use of the space.

I love improv. I know it can be hit or miss. Maybe I was lucky enough to attend a particularly strong night, but this was hilarious.

The setup worked really well, smoothly weaving together improv games and audience participation to create a loose storyline. It also feels highly rewatchable, since the outcome could be completely different depending on the audience and the prompts the performers receive.

All of the performers were extremely talented. Everything ran smoothly, and they played off one another expertly.

So funny! I don’t think you have to have been to Fringe before to enjoy this.

It’s hard to leave a review for comedic plays because it depends on what tickles your funny bone. The performers are fantastic. I found the sketches to be witty and absurdist. It worked for me!

Gripping, though it felt like something was missing. A lot happened, and yet I was left with the strange feeling that not much had truly happened at all. I also realized I may have missed the first line of the play’s description, so my expectations going in were quite different from what the piece ultimately explored.

In the end, it felt less like a plot-driven story and more like a character study: a deep dive into the kind of addiction AI can create, and how that addiction takes hold of both the mind and body. The central character was fascinating to watch, and all of the actresses delivered EXCELLENT performances.

I wish I hadn’t gone to see this alone, or that I’d had the courage to turn to someone next to me afterwards. This is one of those pieces that can spark conversation.

The actresses were phenomenal. Their performances felt raw, intense, and (purposefully) unhinged. They also had great chemistry together, playing characters who were opposite in many ways while being in a strange, co-dependent relationship.

Even with a fairly simple setup, the piece never felt long or boring. The story continued to move forward through the dialogue and monologues of the two women, gradually revealing more about their relationship and their reality.

I really appreciated the lighting direction as well. It made a noticeable difference in how the actresses appeared, which felt especially important given that the audience surrounded the box-like space from different angles. I also enjoyed the visuals running on the screen in the background. They added atmosphere and a stronger sense of unease to what was happening onstage.

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!