Jane I

Jeff and Grundled is a fun romp into masculinity and what lengths people will go to to get a "free" cupcake.

The two leads have great working chemistry and clearly had fun putting the show together. The story isn't perfect, but it has a lot of funny moments and touching moments that ultimately led to an entertaining show. They have a good amount of audience participation, which keeps people engaged, and their physical comedy was top tier.

I pretty much never see shows off-island, but for The Last Cowboy (Hat Salesman), I am so, so glad I did. What an absolute sleeper hit. It's funny, it's touching, it's surprising, and it never stops from beginning to end. The audience participation is well done from the moment you walk into the room, right up until the very end. The story itself is a relatable tale of capitalism and growing apart, being left behind, and finding your niche in the world. Overall, a must-see. An-Te Chu was exceptional, and I'll be seated for all of his next shows.

The Guys I F*cked is a pretty standard "Excellent" Fringe show. Good acting, great chemistry between the cast, an engaging script, and overall, a great way to spend an hour.

Loved the use of props, shadow play (iykyk), and costume changes. The cast chewed the scenery and each other and the audience (and I) loved it.

I've never been to a show in a van, and I have to say this exceeded all of my expectations. The story was a bit predictable but still engaging, and the climax was quite emotional. The acting from both leads was superb. The location was such a novel idea; the fact that you are in a van watching everything go down was immersive and really does put you in the backseat.

The whole show was so creative, and the people behind it truly deserve their flowers for such an interesting idea and well-done execution. I wish there were more seats and performances so that I could recommend it more!

This was a fantastic, raunchy, and audience-involved clown show that had me hunched over with laughter. Sticky is a hilarious clown looking to get down, and the whole audience is invited to her love story.

If you like clowns, this is a must-see. The whole crowd was going wild, and even people walking by were laughing as they caught vignettes of Sticky's horny madness.

Hip Bang! always shows up with a weird show that makes you laugh, groan, and absurdly confused at least once, but leaves you with a life lesson. This one is no different; it's very funny, and the message at the end is pure chaos.

I went to the first show, which had some (still entertaining) technical bugs, but my friends and I were completely aligned that we needed to see it again.

Don't forget to give their album a look after the show! It's very good.

I think overall Cults has a lot of potential, but feels rough around the edges and a bit unfinished. I really wanted to love it as a fan of true crime myself. The material is interesting, but to me, I think it's probably too deep a look for people not into true crime, leaving them overwhelmed, and not deep enough for people who are really into true crime, leaving them feeling unsatisfied.

The jokes were funny, the music cues were entertaining, and there were some extremely devastating moments, but it didn't feel as impactful as some of the creator's other shows (like BRAIN, which I loved). The best moment was when he shared a personal story, and it was incredibly engaging. There were some moments tied to recent events and political discourse, but they felt shoehorned in, as the show avoided the elephant in the room: widespread religions popular in North America that are, by any definition, cults. That being said, the content was engaging and I enjoyed everything they covered.

Unfortunately, the biggest letdown for me by far was the performer. She didn't really seem into the material, and she had to call for line cues so many times and so abruptly that it felt like a bit at first. Eventually, it just repeatedly broke my immersion in the stories being told. There needs to be a better solution than screaming 10+ times across a stage for another line.

Snatched was a fun little ditty of a performance on the side of a hill. The location was excellent and the actress did a great job. It wasn't as memorable as other shows this year, but it had some really funny moments nonetheless.

This is legit one of my favourite Fringe shows I've ever seen. Whimsical chaos is always what I feel like the Fringe is about, and this show had it in droves. Too many cast members? Check. Tons of moving parts? Check. Audience participation that is so intense and frequent that it practically disrupts the show? Check. Pre- and Post-show activities? Check. Live music? Check. Bat Clown? Check.

I went twice to the Carnival, and would have gone a third time if I could have made it fit with my Fringe schedule. Both the people I took had a blast and said it was downright magical.

This show was incredible. Set design, tricks, story, costumes, talent, all impeccable.