All posts by Aviva Philipp-Muller

A Visual Take on Visual Fringe

As I walk through the crowded Fringe Club in the now historic Honest Ed’s back alley, I see that I am caught between clowns, food stands, and actors basking in a tipsy, post-performance glow. I push my way through the most densely creative parking lot in Toronto to sit down with Laura Philipps, the Visual Fringe Coordinator, to discuss the ins and outs of what goes on at the Fringe Club.

What does the Visual Fringe actually consist of? As Philipps explains much of what goes on at the Fringe Club is actually part of Visual Fringe: merchandise, alley plays, buskers, art exhibits, and games all comprise the Visual Fringe.

(Keep reading for photos and more on the Visual Fringe)

Continue reading A Visual Take on Visual Fringe

Hey ’90s Kids, You’re Old (Hole Punch Productions) 2014 Toronto Fringe Review

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Get out your toe socks and your mix-tapes, because Hole Punch Productions’ Hey ’90s Kids, You’re old will scour your arsenal of 90’s themed memories and wring you dry. This sketch comedy show at the Toronto Fringe Festival is centred around nostalgia for the 1990s. Hole Punch Productions has constructed a funny show that delivers exactly what it promises.
Continue reading Hey ’90s Kids, You’re Old (Hole Punch Productions) 2014 Toronto Fringe Review

Silent Party Interlude (Devon More Music) 2014 Toronto Fringe Review

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Devon More Music’s Silent Party Interlude at the Toronto Fringe Festival took me by surprise, and impressed my socks off. When I first read the description of a show about the life changing journey one woman makes on a meditation retreat, I was skeptical. I was expecting an incomprehensible, new age, navel-gazing kind of show. Continue reading Silent Party Interlude (Devon More Music) 2014 Toronto Fringe Review

A Bicycle Built for Two (Theatre of the Beat) 2014 Toronto Fringe Review

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Theatre of the Beat’s A Bicycle Built for Two is a comedy all about love and- you guessed it-marriage. This Toronto Fringe show is overall sweet and charming, though at times it feels a bit like an after school special on relationships.

The show examines the intra-relationship conflicts of several different couples: the main characters, Will and Sarah, who are getting married and experiencing tensions; Will’s parents who are in the throes of empty nest syndrome; and a few other couples who are also connected to the family. Continue reading A Bicycle Built for Two (Theatre of the Beat) 2014 Toronto Fringe Review

#WeddingMusical (Bad Dress Productions) 2014 Toronto Fringe Review

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Bad Dress Productions’ #WeddingMusical is a not-so-original musical at the Toronto Fringe Festival about all the things that can go wrong at a wedding. The show feels sort of like a sitcom or Family Channel show, with some groaners and a predictable, but solid structure.

Abby and Ebby are getting married, and everything that could go wrong at their wedding goes very wrong. The show does not quite feel ready for an audience, but I think it has potential, especially as a situational comedy.

Continue reading #WeddingMusical (Bad Dress Productions) 2014 Toronto Fringe Review