Toronto Fringe Review: A sharp, affectionate sketch revue sends up the wonderful madness of Fringe theatre
By Ross
By the sixth show of my Toronto Fringe marathon (and the third that evening), I had already laughed, cried, pondered life, wandered through nightmares, and discovered artists I cannot wait to follow again. Every show seemed to offer up its own little universe. Then I walked into the Alumnae Theatre for Every Fringe Show You’ve Ever Seen All At Once, a production determined to celebrate absolutely everything ridiculous, familiar, and oddly lovable about the Fringe itself. Judging by the laughter around me, the audience happily recognized every joke, every theatrical cliché, and every wonderfully specific festival reference.
Written and directed by Matt McCready, the revue never lacks confidence or commitment. McCready, alongside Tyra Banda, Ed Choi, Meredith Mullen, Talia Rockland, and Colin Sharpe, attacks each sketch with complete conviction, embracing the wonderfully heightened absurdity that Fringe audiences so often adore. The ensemble works well together, allowing each performer moments to shine while constantly supporting one another. What impressed me most was the show’s structural playfulness. Sketches that initially appear finished surprisingly return later in unexpected ways, with callbacks that gradually stitch the evening into a surprisingly cohesive whole instead of a simple collection of disconnected bits.
However, the comedy never quite connected to my funny bone the way it clearly did for everyone else around me. Perhaps it was simply the reality of arriving late in the evening after an already full day of Fringe adventures, but I often found myself admiring the performers’ precision and energy more than laughing outright. Even so, it was impossible to miss how enthusiastically the audience embraced the material, particularly its affectionate lampooning of earnest solo shows, awkward Fringe conventions, and the wonderfully peculiar world that festival regulars know so well.
That may ultimately be the production’s greatest success. Every Fringe Show You’ve Ever Seen All At Once understands the peculiar rhythm of the Toronto Fringe and invites audiences to laugh at a community they clearly love. The sketches celebrate the artists who throw themselves into impossible ideas, tiny venues, and wildly ambitious dreams with all the determination in the world. After spending my days immersed in that same spirit, it felt like an affectionate farewell to the evening, knowing that I was going to be back for more the following day. That affection for the artists, the risks, and even the wonderfully familiar clichés of Fringe feels entirely in keeping with what keeps audiences returning year after year.
Tyra Banda, Colin Sharpe, Meredith Mullen, Ed Choi, Talia Rockland and Matt McCready in front of a wall of fire. Photo By Paul Aihoshi. For more information and tickets, click here.