How’s your Fringe marathon going? I could already use some sleep. Here’s a first round of reviews and recommendations in case anyone is still building their schedule.

RECOMMENDED

1. LADIES’ DAY
My current top recommendation. A delightful and sensitive look at women in the 1960s discovering, through solidarity, a sense of self beyond the narrow scripts they’ve been handed. It has charm, heart, and even bite. Review coming soon on NEXT. (Gosh, I’m behind on writing it; Ryan, don’t read this!!)

2. AFENI
A sharp piece of lecture-theatre centred on a Black Panther activist. It is politically anchored and passionately acted.
https://nextmag.ca/fringe-review-afeni-is-a-fierce-lesson-in-revolutionary-faith/

3. HE-R’TZ
A compelling dance piece about the fragmentation of migrant identity.
https://ourtheatrevoice.com/toronto-fringe-2026-dispatch-1-first-encounters-and-early-picks/

OTHER SHOWS I’VE SEEN

1920s Walking Around in a Dream
A sweet, old-fashioned cabaret-style show with real affection for 1920s performance traditions.
https://ourtheatrevoice.com/toronto-fringe-2026-dispatch-1-first-encounters-and-early-picks/

Finding Jamie
A queer coming-of-age solo show about childhood shame and heteronormative expectations. It has some genuinely interesting ideas, though I found it a little thin overall. Review coming soon on NEXT.

Minimum
A political satire that turns Ontario politics into a circus of egos, though I wasn’t fully convinced it knew exactly where to aim its fire.
https://nextmag.ca/fringe-review-minimum-turns-ontario-politics-into-a-circus-of-egos/

Three Descending Notes
A gentle musical about dementia, with intriguing images, though for me it struggled to hold together dramatically.
https://ourtheatrevoice.com/toronto-fringe-2026-dispatch-1-first-encounters-and-early-picks/