Roommate Agreements (Flux in a Box) 2017 Toronto Fringe Review

Photo of Dan Rosen and Josh Tibbetts

Roommate Agreements is an improv comedy show produced by Flux in a Box that is playing at the Toronto Fringe Festival. In theory, the show is supposed to feature household stories performed by actual roommates; the show I saw had none of that. Nonetheless, I really enjoyed it.

From the first several seconds Dan Rosen and Josh Tibbetts had the audience, including me, hooked. They kept that strong level of attentiveness all throughout the show. As I was leaving, I heard multiple people expressing disappointment in how quickly the hour went by.

Rosen and Tibbetts feed off of each other very naturally, and it’s clear that they have been improvising together for a long time. I was impressed with the ease that they took on characters formerly played by the other without any confusion.

They used the small venue to their advantage, often walking out into the audience or running around on and off stage. It was lucky that their lighting technician was able to keep up.

Speaking of lighting, the actors didn’t seem completely aware of where the lights could reach them. There were multiple times where one of the actors would sit on the edge of the stage and would be barely lit or lit in a way that causes large shadows across the face.

Despite how entertaining the show was,  I found it disappointing that they asked the audience to write down scene suggestions only to ignore them entirely. One suggestion was pulled out of the box and only given one throwaway line near the end of the show.

The show that I saw also had nothing to do with roommates or the situations that they can find themselves in. However, the show being improv means that it may be more roommate-centered in future performances.

Overall, this is a very funny show, and I really enjoyed it. Just make sure you go into it with the expectation of an improv show that could be about anything and not necessarily a show about roommates.

Details

  • Roommate Agreements plays at the Factory Studio. (125 Bathurst St.)
  • Tickets are $12. The festival also offers a range of money-saving passes for serious Fringers.
  • Tickets can be purchased online, by telephone (416-966-1062), from the Fringe Club at Scadding Court, and — if any remain — from the venue’s box office starting one hour before curtain.
  • Be aware that Fringe performances always start exactly on time, and that latecomers are never admitted.
  • Content Warning: Mature Language.
  • This venue is accessible.

Performances

  • Thursday July 6th, 09:30 pm
  • Saturday July 8th, 07:15 pm
  • Sunday July 9th, 04:30 pm
  • Tuesday July 11th, 01:00 pm
  • Thursday July 13th, 11:15 pm
  • Friday July 14th, 02:00 pm
  • Saturday July 15th, 05:45 pm

Photo of Dan Rosen and Josh Tibbetts by Jo E. Callingham of Vanilla Bean Pictures.

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One thought on “Roommate Agreements (Flux in a Box) 2017 Toronto Fringe Review”

  1. I saw Room mates agreements on Sunday after noon and loved the inventiveness of the improve and the amazing experiences of these erstwhile room mates. Good fun……

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