Jason Hammond

I got a free ticket to this show and almost didn't go to this 9pm show after a busy day.

In part, that was because I thought this might just be a tribute show, not much different than going to see some cover artist at the local casino or whatever.

I'm glad I went because I was absolutely blown away by this show - the performer was sexy, sassy and seriously talented.

She used the history of female black artists to tell the story of black America - from segregation to the civil rights movement to the use of a Beyonce song by the ground-breaking Kamala Harris campaign for Presidency of the United States.

But the show is not just a lecture or a revue. The song choices are inspired and you're not just hearing "the hits" but songs that help tell the story.

Perhaps surprisingly, a unique take on a Bob Dylan classic is a highlight as is the blending of Dolly Parton's gentleness leading into Whitney Houston's power for an incredible performance of one of the most successful songs of all-time, "I Will Always Love You".

I could go on and on but there's plenty of other moments that will surprise and delight you and you'll have to see this show for yourself to find out!

A deep dive into five different cults through history. Cool that the show didn't just feature the best known cults but at least two I'd never heard of, including a Canadian one for some of that homebrewed crazy.

At times, it felt like the performer was reading the Wikipedia entries for the cults without deeper insights but more just showing their horrors and damage.

Various funny asides are a highlight throughout the show and a tangent where the man running the lights and sound talks about his own close call with a cult left me wanting to know more.

I thought this show was building to an obvious but important message about the current cult running the United States and there were some connections made but not in an overly overt manner which left the show feeling unfinished in a way.

Overall, like all fringe shows, worth checking out and supporting for the unique content and eye-opening information.