My High-Heeled Life: Or, How I Learned to Keep Worrying and Love My Stilettos is a solo play written by and starring Katharine McLeod. This piece, being put on by Sparking Fuse as part of the Toronto Fringe Festival is being shown at the Tarragon Theatre.

I find I am eyeing her outfit the moment I walk in. It’s hard not to, with her red lips that we notice as she takes a peek at the audience and her beautiful black suede pumps to top off a tight black dress. She has her back towards us, adding a sense of mystery and intrigue.

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Shakespeare BASH’d is back at Fringe this year with another site-specific Shakespeare piece at the Victory Café, this year it’s Much Ado About Nothing.

This incredibly entertaining 90 minute piece is set in a post-war celebration, while maintaining the traditional Shakespearean language people are familiar with. The shortened version doesn’t take away from the original and the changes are barely noticeable.

Many people know the story well. As a child, the film was one of my favourites and I watched it over and over.

If people aren’t familiar with the play, however, they need not worry as they will be able to follow along.  The piece flows very nicely and, other than a few line flubs, it feels comfortable and seems natural.

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Bad Guys Finish First is a one-man show being put on by Backyard Spaceship Productions at Theatre Passe Muraille’s Mainspace. Normally, I tend to steer clear of one-man shows, but seeing as it’s the Toronto Fringe Festival I thought, why not. This show is written by and stars Gavin Williams as Baxter Bentley and let me tell you, this man’s compelling performance had me hooked immediately.

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A Midsummer Night’s Dream…A Puppet Epic! Put on by Shakey-Shake and Friends at The Palmerston Library Theatre as part of FringeKids, combined my love of both Shakespeare and puppets. I have been working with puppets for the past year and have fallen in love with these furry and odd creatures. To see new ones of different shapes, sizes and colours, created by Tom McGee, was like meeting new friends. Walking into the theatre I was surrounded by very young children and their parents. I sat beside a wonderful little girl wearing pink hippo rain boots, quite darling.

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