Steve Fisher

You'd have to have a heart of stone not to appreciate this new musical by University of Toronto student Isolbel Arseneau, about female Engineering students struggling with patriarchy & toxic masculinity, featuring a cast of 13 U of T students, plus a 15 piece (student) band.

Musical geeks will adore Sydney Page's "solo" show (mild spoiler: a bubbly Sierra Philbert plays Page's teenage self) about a "mid" triple threat mulling hanging up her character shoes; it coasts on their outsized stage personalities.

This time-skewered musical drama borrows plot points from SLIDING DOORS, GROUNDHOG DAY, & BEETLEJUICE. Witty lyrics & A+ singing from the on stage trio (plus Taryn Wichenko's comedic timing) make it work, though it could shave 10-15 min off its running time. (I saw their last performance, so the volume issues noted by other reviewers here seemed mostly resolved.)

This sci-fi one act play about a woman (Ivy Miller) alone on a errant space shuttle, & the helpline operator (Will King) who's her only link to civilization, is sparse, unsettling, & effective, especially due to the eerie projection & sound design.

This delightful take on Shakespeare's MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING partially updates the dialogue, is set at a progressive college with an all gender soccer team, & makes the romances queer, with nuanced portrayals of the flawed lovers.

Cheese puns & cartoonish characters abound in this silly story of an influencer dairy biz heiress, but it works, mainly due to the spirited turns by Arleigh Curran (the titular sleuth) & José Andrés Bordas (everyone else, incl. puppets).

The Centre for Indigenous Theatre remounts Darla Contois' 2017 play, with director Ed Roy back, & emerging actor Jaeli Bruno in a moving turn. She plays Eva, the only Native at a city school, who's grappling with a history of abuse, a severed family, & a 2-Spirit awakening.

This musical is a delight from start to finish; a 1980's queer awakening of a 2nd generation Filipino-Cdn teen, complete w/ 80's hit tributes & references, & a 5 piece band (a giant harp!). Spitfire singer-actor Josette Jorge is a revelation.

Too many #FringeTO cliches—an overly long musical intro & outro; a direct self address to a childhood photo—to recommend this autobiographical show about dealing with emotionally closed off father issues (though I'm glad Mark E. Smith found therapy).

Veteran Fringe storyteller Jimmy Hogg previews this new, (mostly) swear-free show, ostensibly about a day trip to visit a girl when he was 19—but it's really his storyteller origin story. He has fun playing in the round @ Videocabaret.