Ethereal Fantazy Productions‘ Next Thing You Know is a coming-of-age musical playing at the Randolph Theatre as part of the Toronto Fringe Festival.  It is a classic story following four New York artists lost in their mid-to-late-twenties, facing the realization that the life they thought they once wanted is now not as desirable as the life they thought they’d never choose to live. In other words, becoming an adult.  Continue reading Next Thing You Know (Ethereal Fantazy Productions) 2016 Toronto Fringe Review →

Broadleaf Theatre’s production, Bite-Sized, opened Thursday at the Factory Theatre Mainspace as part of the 2016 Fringe Festival. The title refers to the format of the show, 18 plays – all three minutes or less. And all dealing with local, national, and global environmental issues. I’m a big fan of short plays so I had high hopes for the show. Continue reading Bite-Sized (Broadleaf Theatre) 2016 Toronto Fringe Review →

Sarah Hagen, a touring concert pianist, has played all over the world: tiny towns in rural BC, cottage country in Ontario, vast auditoriums in Europe, Carnegie Hall — and now, the Tarragon Solo Room.

In her hour-long Perk up, pianist!, she blends music and storytelling to revisit the places, situations and encounters which have shaped her into the artist and the woman she has become. How much has she changed over the 30 years she’s been obsessed with her instrument, and what does that mean for the next 30?

Continue reading Perk up, pianist! (Hagen Does Theatre) 2016 Toronto Fringe Review →

When was the last time you tried to please someone and completely failed at it? In a powerful solo act by comedian Ryan Dillon, Dillon takes the audience on a journey that makes us reflect on the choices we’ve made in our life. Are we people-pleasers? Does the idea of making everyone happy make you happy? Dillon stepped onto the Tarragon stage to tell us a story that was heartwarming, funny and compelling. Collapse at the Toronto Fringe Festival tugged at my heart strings and it gave me something to really think about.

Continue reading Collapse (White Frames Productions) 2016 Toronto Fringe Review →

Waking, playing at this year’s Toronto Fringe Festival, is the heartbreaking tale of a man who, after suffering from severe trauma, is left with a working memory of only 45 seconds, and without the capability of forming new memories. In a way it can be seen like an extreme form of dementia or Alzheimer’s, where each day, each passing moment is quite literally brand new. Waking explores the value of family and the loss of self identity.

Continue reading Waking (Chameleon Productions) 2016 Toronto Fringe Review →