Toronto Fringe Review: What Do We Have Here?

Photo by Shaina Follis with Graphic Design by Meghan Jones featuring Shaun Hunter, Shaina Follis, MK Morris, David Hadley, AJ Paluzzi, Cam Parkes, Rob Michaels, Jeannie Di Giacomo.

Do you remember playing house, or as pirates and jungle explorers? With What Do We Have Here?, The Well Well Wells bring back that charm of worldbuilding and childish imagination, catered to an older audience.

Created and presented by a group of eight friends (Jean Di Giacomo, Shaina Follis, David Hadley, Shaun Hunter, Rob Michaels, M.K. Morris, A.J. Paluzzi, Cameron Parkes), this sketch show highlights the diverse comedy of the group. The scenarios presented are creative, taking from all corners of inspiration, and introducing current cultural references. 

There is a polish seen in the vast creativity and relevance of the jokes. Along with choreographer Jenny Pullon and music director Jordan Armstrong, the cast creates an experience in every segment. However, the stage of Ada Slaight Hall swallows the energy of the group. Even the exuberance of eight people can't keep up with the largely unused space, leaving the audience to feel underwhelmed at times. 

The dips in energy were presented in long-winded dialogue as well. Occasionally, stints of drama were only accompanied by jokes at the beginning and end, making it difficult to retain audience engagement. Fortunately, the humour didn’t suffer and nor did the timing. Rather than many segments of similar tone, this show was composed of sketches that vastly varied in length, creating a colourful experience.

All in all, What Do We Have Here? is a delightfully original foray into sketch comedy. In conjunction with the cast, director Kyle Dooley, producer Meghan Jones, and stage manager Sam Polito create a show full of fresh humour and a touch of childhood.

What Do We Have Here? is on now until July 16 as part of the 2022 Toronto Fringe Festival.
Find show times and tickets here.