Ashley Steed

The instant Liz Eldridge as the murderess Lydia Trueblood steps on stage she has us in the palm of her hand. This musical romp inspired by the real life husband murdering Trueblood is not just an engaging story but the music and musical talent of Eldridge is phenomenal. Musical accompaniment by Clara Dykstra (both accordion and trumpet) is cleverly added to the show by creating the character of Trueblood’s daughter Annabelle (she’s a mute who sings and swears) – which allows for the terrific m... full review

Amica Hunter and David Cantor make for a must-see theatrical and circus clowning duo. Having studied clowning, it is refreshing to see traditional clowning techniques mixed with mime, acrobatics, and pure entertainment – not to mention the most inventive uses of balloons I’ve ever seen. The theme of aviation is wonderfully explored as Beau (Cantor) tosses the nimble Aero (Hunter) around. Balloons are used throughout – popping, flying, turning into puppets, and the finale with the “dance of the... full review

A baseball game without the ball. Yup, that’s it. And it’s brilliant in its simplicity and execution, making a wonderfully atmospheric piece and interesting experiment. Brimmer Street has done an excellent job of re-creating every element of a baseball game. Every detail is here – the star-spangled banner, organ, first pitch, announcers, adverts for “local” companies (ie other fringe shows), player histories, bat sound effects, the seventh inning stretch, and even a pop fly caught by a fan. Th... full review

If you love or appreciate lyrical folk music you will not be disappointed in Melanie Rose Thomas’s hauntingly beautiful folk opera. Inspired by Beauty and the Beast and the Persephone myth, the opera depicts the trials of a daughter who signs over her soul to save her opium-addict father. Once you enter The Cave, there’s no going back to the outside world. Bianca Gisselle who plays our protagonist Willow has one of the most beautiful, sultry and dynamic voices. Her leading man The Master (Will... full review

As soon as Ben Moroski enters the space as Pete, a substitute teacher doing a one-man show, you know that this man is cracked. Unlike Moroski, Pete is not a natural performer and as he starts to do his show about his ex-girlfriend he breaks down as starts to tell us about this new girl he met, well ran over and took home after a party. Moroski’s insane energy pulls you in as he recounts the weekend with his new love, who to us is clearly dead. Nick Massough’s direction keeps the story running ... full review

So far this is my Fringe fave. I have a love/hate relationship with the hit HBO series Girls, but this mashup of Lena Dunham with Louisa May Alcott’s classic, Little Women is nothing but love/love. Chiara Atik’s spot on play takes the main events from the novel and uses the rapid, self-indulgent language from Girls, creating true comedic brilliance. In fact, it’s so perfect that I’m surprised someone hasn’t put the two together sooner. Stephanie Ward’s stealth direction keeps the show at a ... full review

For the first preview I saw, Abby Schachner was still getting down the sequences of her text, but it didn’t matter because she embraced every forgetful moment with such intensity that we were still with her as she battled herself. Schachner’s childhood story, where her father was charged for hiring a hit man to kill her mother, feels like it should be a Lifetime Original Movie. Thankfully Schachner forgoes the melodrama and jabs straight into absurd, manic comedy. A tremendous and inventive pe... full review

It seems like everyday someone posts a new TED talk or motivational speech on Facebook. James Robinson has taken this trend of “this speech will change your life” and made an engaging satire on how we convince ourselves and others to lead better lives. First up is Lucy (Scarlet Bermingham) who tells us bullshit ourselves and just tell ourselves that we’re “freakin’ awesome.” Next is Mark (Eric Pierce) who says the secret to happiness is to be like sheep and to look at pictures of pugs. Third up i... full review

As an avid fan of baked goods, I definitely couldn’t resist a show where someone bakes. Daliya Karnfsky, or the Bakeress, has adapted her YouTube series into a delicious treat of a live show. Dressed in red and donning an apron, she greets each audience member as they walk in and compares a few to baked good. I was an Oreo, which I’m OK with. Using snippets of her show and questions from YouTube, the Bakeress answers questions about love, sex and relationships while using each ingredient of th... full review

90s teen angst can be rocky territory if not done right, thankfully Riot Grrrl by Louisa Hill is just the right amount of angst with an abundance of teenage idealism and a bucket load of punk rock. Although the script is flawed (needs some more character development and the ending needs re-working), director Scott Marden and his fantastic all female cast make this an enjoyable and energetic production. Marden’s fast past and sharp direction with projections of zines mixed with composer Diego D... full review