2026 Audience Reviews

Company: True Men Productions
Show: Castrati: A Tale of Two
Venue: Barbara Barker Center for Dance

A Timeless, Timely Camp Masterpiece

This show is something deeply special. I can sense the magnificent future of this show churning beneath the surface. It’s wiles and gumption blew me away— everything I saw, whether seemingly unpolished or not, seemed an intentional part of this show. It is deeply aware of itself. Listen close— your ear (and body) will be deeply pleased at the little diamonds of hilarious dialogue that pass you by if you aren’t locked in. It demands your attention and your humor— you are in on the joke. It is as much a campy pastiche as it is a soaring original piece. It embodies a love of artifice and exaggeration in a fascinating way; pared down sets, minimalist yet effective costumes, contrasted by complex musical arrangements, huge cast (for Fringe especially- I counted at least 20 people in the whole production), and a delightful leading protagonist with a delicious voice. My only piece of criticism is that the sound system, I’m sure to no fault of their own, left a little to be desired, as sometimes the combo of the space with the complexity of the musical pieces made for difficulties in terms of hearing everything fully. Great show in all. Keep your eye on it. It seems to be divisive already, which I think makes even more of a case for you to go see it. Out of the four Fringes I’ve been to so far, this one has already been the most memorable, in large part to Castrati. Props to everyone involved.