Jayme Reid

A sweet series of vignettes about love in all its forms, how it begins, how it ends, and the messy middles.

The actors were incredible! I was so impressed with the character choices and physicality that immediately distinguished the current scene's character from previous ones. Even though we only spent a few minutes with each character, they each felt believable, and the scenes we saw play out onstage felt like real moments between two people who have a long history together, or are just starting one.

I also really enjoyed just how varied the scenes were! We saw familial relationships, romantic relationships, and friendships represented as different forms of love. The scenes were also varied in style, which kept things interesting. That being said, this sometimes also made for some longer transitions between scenes.

This is one of those shows that I'm probably going to be thinking about for a long time. I know the exact point of the show was that we only see little snapshots of all the lives happening in this apartment building, but I do wonder what happened to some of those characters.

If I had to choose one word to describe this show it would be "visceral".

Holy crap, these kids knocked it out of the park with the writing and acting, I don't think I've ever felt so uncomfortable in a play.

I do have some familiarity with Dionysus and the story of the Bacchae, as well as a decent understanding of Beatlemania style fan culture of the 60s, which is exactly why I bought my ticket, but that's absolutely not necessary to enjoy this disturbing retelling of a Greek tragedy.

The original songs were a treat! The costumes were adorably period appropriate, though the school uniforms admittedly became less charming as they became stained with blood. The performances by the young actors were very impressive, especially in moments where they were all speaking or breathing in synch.

This was my first time seeing a Theatre Network Summer Academy show at Fringe, but it won't be my last. The future of theatre in Edmonton looks very bright!

Before this, I'd only seen Martin Dockery in scripted narrative based shows (like the Stakeout in 2025), but I figured I better finally cross a Dockery solo show off my Fringe bingo card this year.

I wasn't sure about his particular style/delivery at first, especially because it was so different from the role I'd seen him in last year, but he won me over pretty quickly. The threads of the show came together in a really satisfying way as it went on, and quite a few moments made me laugh out loud.

And, as a nice bonus, I now know exactly one more fact about the Forbidden City than I did before.

The performance I went to ran about 15 minutes long, so be aware of that if you have a busy Fringe schedule.

This show has been a Fringe tradition of mine for a few years now. The kings of Sorry Not Sorry Improv have never let me down.

The dance numbers that open and close the show are high energy, and it's a lot of fun to watch how each performer brings their character into the choreography.

The advice is... well, it's as good as you'd expect. The improv scenes are quick and witty. I appreciate how this panel of experts works together to make sure each king has a moment in the show where they're in the spotlight.

I truly and genuinely had no idea what I was getting myself into with this one. But after watching them wrestle a stranger, I'd follow Tony Adams into hell if it meant seeing them on stage there.

And here, with their pal Rod Peter Jr., Tony is hilarious. Each of the bros has incredible physicality, and full throttle commitment to their ridiculous bits.

Underneath the parody of masculinity and excessive consumption of Muscle Milk, there's a real heart here, with underlying themes of how masculinity can limit men. Rod in particular delivers a powerful monologue in this piece - I'd never seen him in a Fringe show before, but I'd love to see him do a storytelling piece someday.

Taint Brothers is one of those shows that I'm genuinely not sure how I would explain to somebody else, and I think that's a strength.

Abracadabra!

God is back to work her floral power suited magic.

The show this year felt like the antidote to the dumpster fire that has been 2026.

I'm a teacher, and some of the jokes about the current generation of kids had tears streaming down my face, and my stomach hurt with how hard I was laughing. God went off script a bit, but I didn't mind. The off the cuff jokes were some of the funniest of the night.

The heartfelt moments felt earned, as they always do, and left me with something to carry with me.

The themes of my Fringe 2026 have seemed to be magic, historical queer people, and hilarious jokes about things that have no business being funny, and God is a Scottish Drag Queen somehow managed to hit all three this year.

This was the first time I'd seen Zachary Parsons-Lozinski perform/be credited as himself and not as Lilith Fair, and I almost didn't recognize him! Watching him struggle to walk in the same heels I'd seen Lilith Fair command the stage wearing in The Edmonton Queen was very charming.

He and Andrea House were great as Craig Russell and Mae West, and it was an unexpected treat to get to hear them sing together.

I'd never heard this story before, and Darrin Hagen's clever script was the perfect introduction to it. As usual with Hagen's work, the script is witty and extremely Canadian.

It's clear through the script, the acting choices, and the beautiful set design and costuming for Mae that this is a very loving (if a little silly) tribute to both Mae West and Craig Russell.

The acting was superb! Goodman and Goodwife Briar felt like a very real couple who'd spent their lives together, and their moments together brought a lot of heart to this show.

The script was good, and accurate to the time period.

The lighting was a bit odd, I found the actors wandered out of their light a lot, but I don't think it took away from my enjoyment of the show.

Another reviewer mentioned that they found it strange there was no land acknowledgement for this show, though, and I agree that when you're doing a show about colonial themes there should be more effort to acknowledge the land you're doing it on, particularly if the script includes colonial language/ideology in the name of historical accuracy.

Just Felice Makes Friends sounded like the most wholesome hour I could spend at the Fringe this year, and I was right.

Just Felice is an endearing performer who connected with the audience instantly, and I loved the way this show incorporated multimedia elements and even some stop motion animation! And the tricks themselves are completely seamless.

I was lucky enough to be chosen to help with a trick, and even getting to see it up close on stage right beside her, I still have NO idea how she did it.

A unique premise of an intergalactic job interview with audience participation done so, so right, GERALD was some of the most fun I'd had at Fringe in years.

The actors were absolutely hilarious together, and knew exactly how to riff off of each other and the audience. The coworker relationship is a fun and familiar dynamic, even when portrayed through aliens.

I went to opening night and was shocked to learn that this was Gill's (Eddie McDonald's) first performance on stage! He seemed like a seasoned pro up there.

Also, part of what makes this show special is that they partnered with Bent Stick Brewing to bring us Gerald Juice, which is available at the concession at the venue (and, speaking from experience, is very good).