Derrick Chua's 2025 TO Fringe Picks

July 2025 feels like the start of a new era in the evolution of the Toronto Fringe Festival. The most noticeable shift will certainly be the move of the Fringe Festival Hub down to Soulpepper, which will also host four venues. Another shift involves incorporating the curated Next Stage Series into the summer Fringe Festival. And for the first time ever, Theatre Passe Muraille is being operated as a satellite venue which held a separate lottery open only to “Canadian musicals”.

For full disclosure about my personal interest in some of this year’s shows, I was on the jury that curated the Next Stage Series, and I am the Executive Producer of Alliance for Canadian Musicals which is organizing the Theatre Passe Muraille venue.

With 107 shows at this year’s Festival, you’ll certainly have lots to choose from. These Fringe Picks contain a few different categories to focus on varied interests, based on my knowledge of the artists involved and their past work at Fringe and elsewhere, and available information in the Fringe Program and Website (as of June 20, 2025). But this certainly remains a purely subjective exercise, and I look forward to hearing your recommendations, thoughts and discoveries throughout the festival. Happy Fringe!

(Shows are listed in alphabetical order within the categories, and the page numbers refer to the show’s listing in the Fringe Program.)

FOUR FOR NEXT STAGE

These are the four shows that were curated by the 2025 Next Stage Selection Committee, brought to you by experienced Fringe producers, so you’ve got a strong group who believe these will be some of the best theatre to see at this year’s Festival.

Have Fun Kids (p. 25)

In January 2020, storyteller, theatre artist and vibrant member of the Fringe community Jordan Mechano died by suicide. Following his death, close friend and fellow artist Laura Anne Harris (Destiny, USA; Pitch Blonde) discovered more than 700 pages of his writing. With permission from Jordan’s estate, Have Fun Kids was born - a raw, tender and quietly radical show that blends Jordan’s text with Laura’s own stories of grief, memory and the fragile act of remembering, directed by Jessie Fraser. Feels like a fitting tribute to Jordan’s memory.

Justice for Maurice Henry Carter (p. 25)

Fringe veterans may remember an earlier workshop version of this piece in 2010, then called Maurice Carter’s Innocence. Since then, authors Alicia Payne and Donald Molnar have continued to rework this piece with staged readings being presented in a number of venues including the National Black Theatre Festival. Based on the true story of Maurice Carter, a Black man who spent 29 years in prison for a crime he did not commit, and Doug Tjapkes, a former church organ salesman and radio station owner who befriended Maurice and worked tirelessly for ten years to win his freedom, the play includes a gospel choir which sings hymns and songs woven into the narrative while also acting as a chorus. No casting info yet as I’m writing this, but a powerful tale being told.

Siranoush (p. 25)

Lara Arabian is a trilingual artist by way of Beirut, upstate New York and Paris, now residing in Toronto. Presented at the 2022 Rutas Festival, Siranoush is a multimedia, multilingual solo show that explores Arabian’s desire to dig deeper into her cultural roots through a reimagining of Siranoush, a 19th century Armenian actress who crossed continents to become the first female in the non-western world to play Hamlet, disrupting the image of a woman of her time. Directed by Carla Melo, this performance takes us across time and space to explore the power of theatre as a way of cultural survival and female empowerment.

Songs by a Wannabe (p. 25)

Fresh from performing in Come From Away at Mirvish’s Royal Alexandra Theatre, Barbara (Babz) Johnston is already a familiar name to Fringe audiences, having co-written and/or performed in Fringe musical hits like Bubble Babz: Songs from the Tub, The Fence, One Small Step, Be Kind Rewind and Summerland. Babz is also a co-founder and “Ginger Spice” in Wannabe: The Spice Girls Tribute Band, which provides the inspiration for this show, featuring an original pop score by Babz and Anika Johnson, mostly true stories from the tour road and direction by Mitchell Cushman. Trust that you wannabe booking tickets asap for this one.

FOUR MUSICALS TO NOTE

These are four uniquely original large-cast (by Fringe standards) Canadian musicals playing in front of public audiences for the very first time, each well worth your time.

Almost Ever After (p. 26)

Full disclosure that I am once again working with Andrew Seok on this latest musical, but by now Fringe goers are well aware of the talented writer & composer behind sold-out hits Rosamund, The Man With the Golden Heart, Unravelled and Echoes. Stacked with a fabulous cast including Nathan Bois-McDonald, Rhoslynne Bugay, James Daly, Paige Foskett, Ronan Hayes, Kelly Holiff, Marisa McIntyre, David Okey-Azunnah, Julia Pulo, Andrew Seok and Kimberly-Ann Truong, Almost Ever After is a hilarious and heartfelt musical journey through five inter-connected love stories exploring modern relationships and the search for “the one”. Note the new location from previous years, at Artists Play on Carlaw, but there’s no doubt this one will sell out no matter where in the city it is, so do book early.

Apothecary (p. 50)

Fringe audiences will remember the duo of Laura Piccinin and Allison Wither from their previous musical Every Silver Lining, which played at both Fringe and Next Stage. They return with  Apothecary, alongside Fringe veteran Cass Van Wyck (The Huns, Good Old Days, Anywhere) stepping into the director chair with music direction by Wither. Set within the magical walls of a living sanctuary, situated in neither place nor time, Lady and Tilly work tirelessly to treat and comfort each woman who appears at their door, no matter when they're from. It stars Benjamin Earl, Callan Forrester, Lauryn Hall, Mona Hillis, Jodi Jahnke, Sydney Marion, Anique Mercier, Ayokunmi Oladesu, Laura Piccinin, Ashlie White.

Ctrl Alt Delete: An Alphabetical Musical (p. 50)

As an English major who doesn’t have the patience for crossword puzzles, is a terrible Scrabble player and still wonders what Wordle is all about, I could too easily get behind the world of Ctrl Alt Delete, where the English language is downsizing and can no longer afford to employ 26 letters. Seven at-risk letters are called to stand in front of a jury of audience members and prove themselves or face deletion forever. I’ll let you guess which letters, or even better, come to the show and find out. The writer and composer is Douglas Price, director and choreographer Stephen Cota and the cast is Millie Boon, Ryan J. Burda, Vanessa Campbell, Taj Crozier, Lucas Popowich, Alexis Raphael and Tahirih Vejdani.

Potato Potato (p. 53)

This is probably the one show on this Insiders Guide where Fringe regulars look at the list of people involved, and may not recognize a single name. That’s because the creative / production team of 10 people and cast of 12, consists entirely (or almost) of emerging artists who are either still in or have just graduated from Sheridan College’s Musical Theatre Performance or Production program. But I saw a portion of this musical developed at Sheridan, a comedic satire around the second politically induced potato famine in Halifax, and think it will be worth your time. Written by Emma Golden, directed by Talia Bowell, music direction by Jessica Looper, choreography by Norman Abraham, starring Taj Crozier, Avery Da Cunha, Allyah Dickie, Michaela Jinyoung Jang, Maya Katz, Sasha Khan, Noah Leonard, Frankie McKay, Mickey McKinnon, Tessa Saville, Heather Thwaites, Lindsey Tower.

FOUR PRIZE WINNING MUSICALS (Thanks Pat and Tony Adams Freedom Fund for the Arts)

For the first time ever, all three finalists for the annual Adams Prize for Musical Theatre can be seen at the same festival, and the fourth here is a remount of a prize-winning show.

All That She Wrote (p. 50)

First Runner-Up for the 2025 Adams Prize, All That She Wrote is written by Annika Tupper, currently starring in another new musical After The Rain with Tarragon Theatre and Musical Stage Company. In development with Makeshift Company, this piece is set in a world of characters obsessed with True Crime, while exploring the meaning of justice, Queer friendship, Twitch live-streaming, retribution and U-Haul lesbians. Directed by Ally Chozik with music direction by Nicholas Mustapha and choreography by Mara Turenne, the cast of emerging and established musical theatre talents include Sydney Brown, Trevor Cartiladge, Blue Free Cooper, Jason Dauvin, Emily Elizabeth, Amariah Faulkner, Luca Giorgio, Rhys Harrison, Violet Legarde, Jude Levy, Sara Stahmer, Bartu Suer.

Iris (Says Goodbye) (p. 51)

Winner of the 2025 Adams Prize for Best New Musical, writers Ben Kopp and Margot Greve had a previous Fringe hit with Killing Time: A Game Show Musical, so all the more reason to be excited for this piece set in a giant endless airport where souls await their final departure and Iris has been granted the opportunity to return to earth and live another life, the course of which is determined each night by audience members selecting 8 acts of 20 to be performed, making each show truly unique. Directed by Greve, music direction by Kopp and Jonah Nung, choreography by Alli Carry, starring Michelle Blight, Madelaine Hodges 賀美倫, Sydney Gauvin, Luca McPhee, Nick Dolan, Ben Yoganathan, Jameson Mosher, Justan Myers-Chapman, Brooke Mitchell, Claudia Nigro, Ineza Mugisha, Maggie Tavares and Brynn Bonne.

Killy Willy (p. 53)

From First Born Theatre Company that brought last year’s hit Gringas, this musical entry was the Second Runner-Up for the 2025 Adams Prize. Written by Eliza Smith with music by Mona Fyfe, this folk musical-comedy follows Willy, a captive killer whale, yearning for freedom. I’m not totally sure how song, dance and Shakespearean soliloquy play into wild whales rallying to confront their greatest threat (humans, of course), but I’m excited to find out. Directed by Zoe Marin, music direction by Benjamin Kersey, choreographed by Bri Clarke, the cast includes Nora Alexander, Jenna Brown, Mercedes Isaza Clunie, Dillon Strasser Einish, Maya Fleming, Reena Goze, Lara Hamburg, Jasmine Jenkinson, Jordan Kuper, Alexandra Martin, Julianna Olave, Eliza Smith, Jenn Tan.

People Suck: A Musical Airing of Grievances (p. 53)

Premiering in the 2015 Toronto Fringe, People Suck by Megan Phillips and Peter Cavell was awarded Patron’s Pick, Best of Fringe and the Ed Mirvish Award. 10 years later, after two acclaimed productions in Australia, this hilarious and far-too-relatable musical theatre song cycle exploring the many ways in which humanity is just the worst, returns in a new production directed by Jessica Sherman with choreography by Kelsey Howatt, starring Liana Bdéwi, Chris Johnson, Michelle Nash, Megan Phillips, David Silvestri. Because people still suck, but believe me, this show won’t.

FOUR PLAYS TO LOOK FORWARD TO

The Adding Machine (p. 26)

The Adding Machine is a 1923 play written by Elmer Rice, considered a landmark of American expressionism, about a worker who is fired and replaced by an adding machine, unraveling his world into a surreal, existential nightmare. Can’t wait to see this newly adapted 2025 version by Alice Fox Lundy who also directs, and dramaturg Guillermo Verdecchia, particularly with a cast led by Tim Walker as Mr. Zero, alongside Jennifer McEwen, Breanna Dillon, Dani Zimmer, and Jamar Adams-Thompson.

Grown-Ass*d Broads Talkin’ Dirty (p. 27)

I’ve known Valerie Boyle as a formidable musical theatre performer who was already well established when I started regularly attending shows in the 90s at Drayton, Stage West etc, and even saw her in Mary Poppins on Broadway. So it was a thrill cheering her on as she appeared at 75-years of age on Canada’s Got Talent earlier this year, and now at the Fringe as the playwright of this show featuring five bawdy and fierce broads who have been meeting monthly to enjoy theme parties at each other’s homes since they were teens. Like an episode of The Golden Girls, but funnier and dirtier, it stars Andrea Davis, Jorie Morrow, Linda Joyce Nourse, Morrie Sinkins and Tricia Williams, directed by Christel Bartelse.

James & Eddie (p.45)

The winner of the Toronto Fringe 2025 New Play Contest was announced at the Lottery Party in December, and I was thrilled to hear the name of playwright M.J. Kang. If you were seeing theatre in Toronto in the 90s & 2000s, you might remember her plays Noran Bang: The Yellow Room, Blessing and Dreams of Blonde & Blue, as well as two that played at Toronto Fringe Simply Fred (1997) and Stay With Me (2013). This latest play is set in 1980s Toronto, as two Korean families recovering from the after-effects of the Korean War meet and support each other in a strange new Canadian world. Directed by Doug Kaback, it stars Kang, Elsha Kim and Katherine Ko.

Whistling Pine (A Dark Comedy) (p. 43)

Presented by Centre for Indigenous Theatre, written and performed by Chris Mejaki and directed by Ed Roy, here we meet CJ, a young Indigenous man navigating life as a small-town Ontario drug dealer. The trajectory of his life takes a dramatic and comedic turn when he’s arrested, incarcerated, and mysteriously contacted by his ancestral spiritual guides. Whistling Pine takes CJ on a spiritual journey of awakening and personal reconciliation. Expect humour, heart and spirituality from this solo performance that explores identity, healing and transformation.

FOUR FOR FAMILY AUDIENCES

Emilio’s A Million Chameleons (p.51)

Emilio runs a chameleon circus, just like his father did, where a million different chameleons do amazing acts. But what happens when it all falls apart? From Fringe favourites Adam Proulx (The Family Crow) and director Byron Laviolette (Morro & Jasp), with music by Chris Tsujiuchi, comes this puppet-filled musical comedy about letting your inner sparkle shine. Returning after a month-long run off-Broadway for a limited four-show TO Fringe run, this show is suitable for all ages and for the whole family, adults included. I’ve seen it and I loved it. And now I have that darned catchy theme song running through my head.

Lulu (p. 59)

On this journey into a world of Afro-Caribbean folklore, legacy and ancestry, 10-year-old Lulu faces a quest to save her ailing grandmother, interacting with a number of traditional characters such as Anansi, La Diablesse and Rolling Calf, learning lessons from them as she grows in her understanding of her family and herself. Told through a myriad of dialogue, songs, movement and dub, it’s written by Sashoya Simpson, directed by d’bi young anitafrika and features an all-black cast of talent from across the Caribbean: Leilani Ragobeer, Najla Nubyanluv, KayGeni, David Delisca, Danielle Grant, Kabrena Robinson and Tasha Gray. Suitable for ages 8+.

Playground: A New Family Musical (p.63)

Playground tells the story of Eliot, a kid with a creative spirit and appetite for adventure, as he moves to a school, in a new town. Longing for acceptance, Eliot invents a game on the school playground, leading his new friends on a journey through the world of imagination. Created around the music catalogue of beloved Canadian children’s singer/songwriter and multiple Juno-Award winner Jack Grunsky and set to a book by Amanda Freedman, its suitable for children 4-12, their parents and grandparents. Directed by Olivia Daniels, choreography by Sarah Schryburt, the cast includes Misha Sharivker, Yunike Soedarmasto, Ian Kowalski, Lizzie Song, Cayne Kitigawa, Meredith Shedden, Emma Coulson, Zoe Virola, Olivia Daniels and Joe Matheson.

The Velveteen Rabbit (p. 63)

Adapted by Mya Leworthy, Naomi Jijina and Lucy Ellis (who also composes) from Margery Williams’ classic children’s story, this version of the story about a curious toy who wants nothing more than to become ‘real’ is filled with live original music, choreography and shadow puppetry. Suitable for ages 5+ along with the whole family, bring your own stuffed animal for a chance to be featured in the show. Performers include Nell Khayutin, Demi-Lee Bainbridge, Adrian Chevalier, Naomi Jijina, Mauranda Nunes, Lucy Ellis, Cooper Bilton, Deebs Franz.

FOUR VETERAN FRINGE STORYTELLERS

These solo performers should be well familiar to Fringe audiences, having performed their shows in multiple festivals throughout the years, selling out consistently with good reason.

Adam Bailey: My Three Deaths (p. 57)

Well familiar to Toronto audiences for previous Fringe hits like The Life Henri (Outstanding New Play, Outstanding Production, NOW Magazine), The Assassination of Robert Ford (Best of Fringe) and Adam Bailey is on Fire (Patrons’ Pick), this new work sees Adam facing death three times, but each time living on to tell the true tall-tales in a show that covers all life has to offer from Black Sabath to orphaned kittens to seeing ghosts. Looking forward to this one being dead funny.

Jimmy Hogg: The Potato King (p. 35)

I had the pleasure of seeing this piece at Montreal Fringe and it’s one of my favourites from Fringe veteran, 12x Best of Fringe winner, Jimmy Hogg. Known for his high-energy, physical, tangential style of storytelling, Toronto audiences would know Hogg from previous shows like A Brief History of Petty Crime and Wisdom: Part One. Directed by Peter Stevens, The Potato King sees Jimmy meeting the girlfriend’s grandparents, trying to fit in at a sex club and generally revelling in the hilarious absurdity of trying to find THE ONE.

Something To Look Forward To (p. 61)

Joanne O’Sullivan may be best known to Fringe audiences for her award-winning show She Grew Funny, but she has also written on tv shows such as This Hour Has 22 Minutes and The Baroness von Sketch Show, hosted The Spit storytelling and more. Now she claws her way back to the Fringe with this show about the power of stories to hold us together when life falls apart. After a 7-year period of deep personal loss, mirrored by a period of global chaos (that part, less personal), she finds herself at a moment where she’s in need of something to look forward to... and this show is it. Directed by Emmy Award-winner Allana Harkin.

100% Wizard with Keith Brown (p. 26)

Perhaps not the kind of performer naturally associated in a “storyteller” category, but Keith Brown is well known to Fringe audiences for the stories he tells through the art of magic in previous shows like Absolute Magic and At The Table. Not sure what he has up his sleeves for this one, but I’m sure it will be entertaining for the entire family.

FOUR SHOWS I’VE SEEN ELSEWHERE

These are four shows that I’ve already seen in other festivals, which have been hits where they’ve played, and which I can definitely recommend.

Bitty-Bat and Friends (p. 30)

When I saw Bitty-Bat in a sold-out performance at the Edinburgh Fringe last year, she didn’t have any friends. At least not on stage, but certainly the entire audience became friends as they were utterly taken by this baffling, but beloved creature of the night just trying to get through her daily rituals. Created and performed by Emily Jeffers, tor Toronto Fringe each night’s Bitty-Bat show will feature a different guest opening act, so all the more reason to fly into this one.

Bob Marley: How Reggae Changed the World (p. 57)

I had the pleasure of seeing Duane Forrest charming a sold-out Edinburgh Fringe audience with this interactive music-theatre experience, weaving acoustic renditions of classic reggae hits with stories around his Jamaican heritage and growing up in Scarborough. There’s good reason it has sold out and been acclaimed in Perth, Adelaide, Taiwan and more, so catch it on tour this summer here or in Montreal, Ottawa, Winnipeg or back in Edinburgh.

Confessions of a Redheaded Coffeeshop Girl (p. 31)

Fringe goers who were around in 2014 might remember seeing Rebecca Perry’s Confessions of a Redheaded Coffeeshop Girl then. I did, and enjoyed it so much that I helped her produce the show at the Edinburgh Fringe the following year where it sold out at Gilded Balloon, which led to her touring the show to over 30 cities worldwide now. After a little hiatus, recent anthropology grad and feisty redhead Joanie Little is back still working as a barista, interacting with her customers and singing some tunes alongside music director Quinton Naughton, directed by Matt Bernard. Catch the Toronto remount before it heads back to Edinburgh in August.

Who Drinks Mocktails on the Beach?! (p. 43)

I saw this show at Montreal Fringe last year, on its cross-Canada tour during which it received Outstanding Production and Audience Choice awards for good reason. Told in the style of Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s Fleabag with an early 2000’s pop-punk soundtrack, this poignant comedy follows party-girl Candace as she runs away to Mexico for her best friend's destination wedding... and she isn't the maid of honor... or even a bridesmaid… for reasons. Written and performed by Sara Mayfield with direction by Damon Bradley Jang.

FOUR THAT DIDN’T FIT INTO A CATEGORY BUT REALLY CAUGHT MY EYE

Every year there are shows that don’t quite fit into any of the categories that I’ve created, but to which attention still needs to be paid. These are four of those shows.

My Pet Lizard, Liz: The Shakespearean Existential Crisis that Led to his Ultimate Demise (p. 53)

Besides the catchy title, I’ve admired the artistry of writer and performer Shaharah “Gaz” Gaznabbi in What Can Indian Look Like? at the Edinburgh Fringe and other work at Toronto Fringe, Soulpepper Queer Youth Cabaret, etc. Now they have teamed up with director Anand Rajaram in this production where comedy, grief and art collide. With puppets made from found materials, character and accent work, to music from local Toronto artists, this musical comedy (to distract from the fact that it’s a Shakespearean tragedy) explores how one tries to move on after losing a friend, while inviting a fresh approach to storytelling,

Temple of Desire (p. 56)

This dance-theatre performance looks spectacular! Touring from Australia, fresh from a sell-out, award-winning run at Melbourne Fringe, this work centres 17 queer and transgendered dancers of colour trained in the classical Indian form of Bharatanātyam, exploring themes of colonisation, diaspora, gender, spirituality & sexuality. A truly rare opportunity at Toronto Fringe to experience one of the world’s first feminist, queer and trans-forward full-length contemporary dance theatre productions based on classical Indian dance concepts.

The Iron Mask (p. 51)

Breakaway Entertainment will be familiar to Fringe audiences for a number of dance theatre pieces at the festival including last year’s Patron’s Pick Scenes From an Italian Restaurant, and previously In Transit, Tales of a Cocktail and Anatomy of a Dancer. The Iron Mask story is adapted by Anibal Ortega from  Alexandre Dumas, but set in 1920s Toronto as a Prohibition-era musical with Canadian songs as twins - one, a ruthless crime lord; the other, a prisoner lost in the underbelly of King St - are bound by fate and a secret buried in blood. Direction by Adam Martino and choreography from Martino, Sydney Keir and Alayna Kellett, it stars Anibal Ortega, Tiffanie Samuels, Lexie Stavro, Kaitlind Gorman, Emily Hundt, Bryce Gowdy, Miranda Pereyra and Doraianna Filippo.

Very Shady Arab Ladies (p. 41)

Maryem Tollar and Roula Said are, individually, two award-winning musician artists in the Canadian World Music scene. As a side project, they formed FAOC – which stands for Friggin Arab Orchestra Company, or possibly Freakin Awesome Old Crones. Either way I loved their EP Arab Ladies Sing Christmas Carols Written By Jews (check it out on Bandcamp). Now they have joined forces with director and co-writer HRH Anand Rajaram for this piece featuring satire and song for an apocalyptic age. Starring (or featuring) Maryem Tollar, Roula Said, Anand Rajaram, Tim Gentle, Joska Tollar, Ernie Tollar. Standing by with hookah in hand.