Toronto Fringe Review: Ms. Titaverse

There’s a charming sketch early on in Ms. Titaverse when the five fierce, Filipinx-Canadian members of the Tita Collective morph into their awkward teenage selves and deliver “Tales from My LiveJournal.”

One is obsessed with the Pokémon universe; another wonders how long she can spend at the new Playdium; and yet another keeps updating her MSN Messenger to see if her best female friend – whom she’s clearly in love with but doesn’t realize it yet – is logged on and why she’s been avoiding her. 

The affection, specificity and authenticity the artists bring to this sketch (and a few others) help make up for the less focused ones and the sound issues they faced on opening night.

After wowing the Fringe in 2019 with their sold-out, Patron’s Pick show Tita Jokes, Ann Paula Bautista, Belinda Corpuz, Ellie Posadas, Alia Rasul, Maricris Rivera have reassembled here. 

One sketch finds a quartet of seemingly devout young women solemnly entering a church, opening the good book and reciting chapter and verses from things that have more to do with their angsty lives than the Bible. Another scene, making good use of the Theatre Passe Muraille Mainspace’s height, features a DJ (Ellie Posadas), one in a long line of male DJs, confessing to his father (Belinda Corpuz) where his real career aspirations lie.

Both sketches, effectively lit by designer Justine Cargo, result in clever, sharp, beautifully detailed satire.

While the use of a beauty pageant motif in the title and marketing campaign isn’t fully set up or explored, it does provide one beautifully affirming look at body image. And the songs, whether extolling the virtues of older sisters, mothers or cottages, are alternately funny and poignant, especially when sung by gifted vocalist Corpuz. 

Ms. Titaverse is on now until July 15 as part of the Toronto Fringe Festival. Find show times and tickets here.