Survival of the Spookiest from Saskatoon’s Wonder City Collective/Peach Pit Productions is a delightful high energy, game show where the Phantom of the Refinery is picking their successor to take over haunting The Refinery.

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  The production is written and directed as a collective and features an ensemble of Kaelee Duck (Phantom), Sam Fairweather (Madame Tabitha), Sammy Ramsay (Ali J), Kyler Buecker (Harry the Werewolf) Makhosini Ndlovu (Doom Stuffing) and Danica Tempel as Countess Valerie

           

  The show is broken down into a classic game show format where the Phantom challenges the competing monsters to a rap battle, spooky story, food contest and more.

           

  What makes this production and premise succeed is based on the phenomenal cast who have such a strong grasp of each of their character’s personas that it allows the production to truly flourish and be unique.

           

  Dyck anchors the production with their portrayal of the Phantom effortlessly being both deadpan and quipping and bringing a rapid fire flow to the show.

           

  Fairweather as Madame Tabitha, the witch with the third eye, is obliviously cocky and confident without being off-putting and overly campy. Fairweather is able to lean into the stereotypical witch trope while making it her own.

           

  Ramsay as Ali J, the swamp creature borrowing from the Creature of the Black Lagoon, Swamp Thing, Man-Thing to name a few. Ramsay is infectiously quirky, desperately seeking attention and validation.

           

  Buecker as Harry the Werewolf, conveys such an earnest, sincere energy that is adorable and charming.

           

  Ndlovu as Doom-Stuffing the pillow monster is able to perfectly capture the downtrodden, stressed demeanor that makes the character instantly memorable.

           

  Temple steals the show as Countess Valerie who is a reformed vampire who has switched to insects over humans. Temple’s accent, affectations and sarcastic tone are as hilarious as they are magnetic never knowing how Temple’s character will react or respond to any given situation.

           

  This is a must see for lovers of monsters, while aimed at children this successfully transcends to appealing to all ages due to the wickedly talented cast, the rapid game show format and the improve nature which turns each performance into a live action Choose Your Own Adventure book with different endings and twists

           

  Survival of the Spookiest is playing at The Refinery from August 3-10th 2024 at the Saskatoon Fringe Festival. Tickets can be bought online here, the box office on site or at the venue itself.