Charlie Day is back at it again with this brilliant spinoff of Romeo and Juliet; in it, he plays Paris, the man who was originally supposed to marry Juliet. I remember him from last year, in the show Rock Bottom, and I was blown away. His fierce marketing pays off. What a great idea and definitely going in my list of funniest Fringe shows. Charlie is a master performer, engaging and seducing the audience. He gives humanity to Shakespearean characters, dare I say! Unfortunately, this was his last show, but I will keep an eye on him for when he returns.
I will never miss a Hailey McAfee performance, and what an interesting concept. We watch this character, who is reminiscent of Caroline Leavitt, tell stories and live through them with us. In it, we get a taste of the dark shadows of living a life of leadership, trying to hide the truth until it consumes the self. The show got darker and darker, and we as audience members become bewildered at what angle to perceive this in. The show is ultimately engaging and thought provoking, and McAfee’s performance is one you will not forget about. I appreciate how this show does not preach to the choir and shows a darker side of humanity.
The Dog Log at The Broadwater
Short and sweet, a fun show. Richard Lucas takes a simple personal scenario and adds complexity to it, giving a subtle and standout performance. Richard is talking to us throughout the show, storytelling and making the other characters come to life, and keeping us engaged. I can’t imagine how he wrote a book on the subject as well but I sure am intrigued. Really well done Fringe show!
Kami Girl at Skiptown Playhouse
Clown Show that does clown right down to a tee. Comedy reminiscent of Borat and/or Andy Kaufman. Kami Dimitrova (the actress) plays an Eastern European girl trying to fit in American culture, and working a new job as a waitress in her dad’s restaurant. She interacts with the audience well and has a well-thought out structure, constantly in character despite any mishaps (by the audience). Kami showcases many talents in hr production including singing and playing musical instruments. A 5-star comedy!
Brilliant! A clown show about being a stranger to metropolitan life. The tagline is that this is a Live Documentary and wow, what an experience. Emily Maverick interacts with the audience purely speaking gibberish and fully commits to the bit. The physical humor is unmatched, playful, and her energy reminds me of Borat traveling to the United States. This show is truly a one of a kind experience. By the time I posted this there is one more show on Wednesday July 25, 2025 at 8:30 PM in The Madnani Theater.
Family Fries at The Broadwater
Wild, funny, entertaining! Great acting and chemistry. I loved the storyline, as it is full of goofy twists, but I feel like there were more questions to be asked/answered in the story, or characters. It is an entertaining piece, but I’m not left thinking about the themes, etc. The marketing for this show is so good.
Really well-crafted, personal, one-person show with different characterizations. Sydney’s confidence shines and we love her energy! A touching tribute to her loved ones. Sydney embodies different characters from her upbringing to show how she became who she is.
Napolean’s Whore Sister at The Broadwater, second stage
Wildyly entertaining and feircly intelligent! Very funny show, with a strong ensemble; Shannon Corbeil’s script is smart writing; powerful messages coated with humor. The show pokes fun at the history of misogyny. Style similar to The West Wing, I think – taking a subject of serious manner and flipping it (or highlighting a certain aspect) and making it funny with comedic characters. Both deadpan and slpastick humor, each character gets us laughing.
Absolute Legends at The Broadwater Mainstage
Absolute Hilarity! Nonstop laughs! Dynamic duo. Will Thomas McFadden and Alan Linic create a smash hit for the Fringe Festival, not to be missed! Marco and Rubio take us through two legends from their big book and recreate fantasies for us to see. Loved the costume changes and cannot stop laughing as I think of one of the characters Alan played. I highly recommend this show for healing belly laughs.
In Except Myself, playwright Drew Petrollio takes on an ambitious and slippery subject: the self. It is reminiscent of Steven Pressfield’s The War of Art, reminding us that Resistance plays a huge part in blocking our creativity. It starts out chaotic but blends into wit, playfulness, and a surprising emotional punch. Some of the characters seemed a bit campy, or tropes were on the nose, but it all fit in with the style and I really liked Mandy Rubeli’s performance!
Reservoir Dolls at The Broadwater
Lani Harms shines in Reservoir Dolls, a one-woman show that joins forces of different Quentin Tarantino leads stuck in his head, in a thirty minute punch! The different characters make us laugh out of our seats and keep us entertained to a surprising and hilarious grand finale. Smooth transitions with good use of multimedia. A brilliant concept and flawless delivery. Good use of set and props. Comedic brilliance with a good understanding of the Tarantino-verse, and the controversies that arise. Can”t stop laughing at the finale as I write this. Definitely going in my top list of one-person shows this year. Lovers of film rejoice, you don’t want to miss this!
Girl Blood at The Broadwater
I loved the set design! An important piece, especially for a cisgender male like me. Is it because of that, that I had a hard time following what was going on? Moved a little slow, didn’t have to be 90 minutes long. I’m too tired I will edit this review more throughout the week.
A beautiful portrait on the struggles of living with OCD. I was mad that I was a little late and had to sit in the corner. As with Titi Lee, I respect the natural flow of storytelling and keeping us engaged by not appearing too overly rehearsed, giving us a present experience. Marissa is such a genuine performer with a strong presence on stage, giving us a peak into what life is like with compulsive thoughts. She gives us stories of her family life and healing journey, a truly therapeutic experience. A good combination of multimedia use, with personal home videos and childhood notes projected on screen; as well as a great, live and original (?) music performance by her. Perhaps I ought not to write too much about this show so that you can experience it for yourself. I highly recommend this show and can’t wait to see what Marissa Rutka brings next to the stage.
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring: Part III
If you ever wondered what it would be like if your nerdiest, most theatrically-inclined friend told you The Lord of the Rings story around a campfire — only he really got into it, forgot to stop, and had props ready to go — then Riley Smith has answered our prayers. I saw Part 1, two years ago, and thought it was… rough. This was before I knew Riley and the show has come a long way! Smith puts together a fun, experimental project where he is on stage fully committed through a retelling of the classic story/film and playing different characters. The show is chaotic, heartfelt, and hilarious. He has the audience join in with sound effects, humming noises, and keeps us entertained throughout. The production design is pretty bare, as Riley invites us to use our imagination with him, there are a few well-placed props. The show lasts 50 minutes but we are entertained throughout. I appreciate Riley giving us a full-fledged performance (as he does with his other show) and pokes fun at how draining it can be for him. I’m excited for Part 4 of The Fellowship of the Ring, mainly for the continued commitment.
Possibly one of my personal favorites! Aaron Pang takes the concept of inspiration-porn, as commonly referenced in stories of people with disabilities, and smashes it out the window to create a whole new approach. A truly genuine, authentic experience that had me tearful as I walked out by the way he playfully punches us in the gut. Aaron is such a charismatic storyteller, taking us on the wild ride of his life, and have you thinking about it after for days. This is a “love story” like no other; it is about finding love within, and gives us a new concept of what it means to be a hero. This rewrites the common story of disability, the hero’s journey; instead of coming out of a low point, as most stories of disability are structured, we learn to make life whole at the present moment. Aaron made us laugh, and even better, he would laugh with us. I liked his interactions with the audience, too, and how the play can change with each audience.
The American Dream at Zephyr Theater
I met the writer at Office Hours and was excited to see political theater making a comeback. A series of vignettes to portray the current state of the political times we are in. This has good moments, good acting, and the touching message at the end had me tearing up. Some of the concepts worked very well. I was particularly interested in the sketch of the AI police officer who struggles to connect with his mission, and also the teaching assistant, for the special needs student, who loses his job. I would really like to see these developed and I think the production was a nice experimental piece. Some of these scenes felt like I was watching the Saturday Night Live skits that are exact transcripts of what happened in the news or the latest thing Trump/Musk did. Perhaps it is just a sign of our times that we can no longer tell the difference. I did not like the characterizations that actors ended up chose to do; not that I was offended, it just feels like that has been done before, too often.
Slay Me at The Hobgoblin Playhouse
A show that evolves throughout, shows different sides to anxiety. Tremendous performance by Veronica Rosas, who also writes the production. What appears to be a fun getting ready for date night turns much darker. Great writing, but felt longer than it needed to be.
One Up at The Actor’s Company
An underdog story of a young intern trying to make her creative dreams come true; I’m sure many can relate. Super fun musical with great songs and a strong storyline. This is the second musical I have seen at the space, and I’m not sure if there is an issue with the venue, but the music was too loud. It is campy, if you are into that. Wow, Alanna Hernandez can sing and gave a very solid performance! Great performances all around, with strong and silly characters.
Saw too many shows tonight. I’m too tired to write. Bookmarking this for later.
A Perfectly Still Curveball at The Broadwater
RomCom, just okay. Same actors Pam Quinn Eberhart always uses same actors, nice to see them team up. I have seen a lot of Pam’s shows, want to see her try a different style
15th Century Ballerina at The Broadwater
Tagline – “Comedy, Tragedy, Silk, Cello, Dance.” This show brings all of that and much more!
Wow what a hilarious character for a one person show. A modern day actors with her mind stuck in the 15th century. She interfaces with the present time while struggling to hold onto her profession as a ballerina. Taking us on wild adventures, short lived and eternal romances.
Excellent performance and use of audience. Prepare to laugh your ass off and be wowed by such a role. Tour de force performance from Catherine O’Meara.
The Young Jane Show at EastPAC
Hidden gem at Hollywood Fringe Fest, could easily win an award for political theater. This show is a historic documentation of our times.
The play begins with Young Jane speaking to her viewers on a streaming service but transforms into a series of poetry and song, giving life to what our hearts fight for.
I’m saddened that it was only me and two others in the audience. Lorne Stevenson Jr. gives a domineering performance that has us siding with Young Jane as they spiral into protest.
Jersey Devil at The Broadwater Mainstage
Personal, poignant, and big laughs. Hal Rudnick is terrific in delivering this unique yet universal story, which pushes extremes but stays realistic.
Rudnick speaks on anti social personality disorder and how it manifested in his father. Growing up with a lifetime of embarrassing and dangerous moments. The show stays on theme throughout and Hal shows pictures on the projector that captures moments.
Did it need to be on main stage?
Holy Holy’s at The Broadwater
Wow what a show. Clown Work is really taking over Fringe this year. This is a show like no other, it is art! Great performances, physical comedy, and use of tech design. A fun experience in which the audience will feel like a part of the show.
Stage Takes 