Second week into the Fringe World Festival and it’s just as good as the first. Here are a couple of shows I saw.
Murder Village : An Improvised Whodunnit
Murder Village is a must see on my Fringe list every year and this year didn’t disappoint. The village had been on a roll of late with no murders for the past twelve months (well not since last Fringe) but that was about to change.
The premise is simple. Every night the audience fills out a questionnaire to decide who dies, how and by whom. It’s then up to a cast to play it out the story for us.
This year our trip to the 1950’s English village introduced us to a priest, a nurse, a shopkeeper, a gangster and the ever-present inept police inspector. Thankfully a celebrated French sleuth had dropped in. Like us he had no idea about the murder. Sitting on the side of the stage it was up to him to solve the crime.
Backed by a cast of Australia’s funniest improvisers we were in excellent hands. As is often the case with improv it’s the slip ups that make the funniest moments. This show remains a must see for Fringe 2027. Reliably good fun and different every time.
Casey Filips: Virtuoso
In contrast Virtuoso and its maker Casey Filips were completely unknown to me. There’s always at least one Fringe show that leaves you pondering about what you just saw, and this is it so far for Fringe 2026.
This one man show features Tobias Finlay-Fraser who we meet auditioning for a part. While he considers himself the greatest actor of his generation, the casting agents have yet to discover his talent.
As audience members we were a tad confused about what to do at the start but thanks to Casey’s skill at coaxing the audience in, we were soon up to our necks in participation.
This Fringe show is totally unique. It’s audience participant meets improvisation like you’ve never seen before. Take a chance and let yourself go. I’ve never yelled out so much at a show.
Supernatural Babes
If you’re a fan of the Supernatural series, you’ll definitely want to see this Fringe show. In fact, I heard several audience members say the show could’ve gone on for three hours instead of one.
To be honest I think I’ve seen one or two episodes of the show and yet I still had a good time. The massive enthusiasm, giggles, cheers, boos and love in the room was infectious.
For more information go to Fringe World Festival
