This sketch comedy show is not particularly queer-focused, but it does contain several songs about downtown Toronto, some crossdressing and a fantastic Katherine Hepburn impression. Besides, I’ve slept in the same bed with a male member of the cast on more than one occasion. 

It has had a rocky time with some reviewers. I’ve heard the hilarious song about riding the streetcar (and how the streetcar gets weird east of Yonge) described as too long. The scene with the imaginary friend (who tells you to do bad things) has been described as taking a while to get going. And one peculiarly weak-stomached reviewer seemed particularly put off by the Katherine Hepburn sketch. 

They’re being fussy. The show is not 100 percent brilliant, but it is consistently amusing, the actors have great energy, and the material covered is pleasingly broad. Some of it has a local Toronto feel, like the song mocking hipsters in the west end, and some is more timeless and far reaching, like the “Mr Rochester” sketch. And I don’t see how anybody, especially a gay man, could object to the Katherine Hepburn sketch. Her creaky New England accent rings true, and her seeming immortality and do-it-yourselfness gives her new and terrifying life.

This is a great chance to see some Second City Academy grads on their way to fame; I’m sure I spied a few proto-Scott Thompsons or Mike Myerses. — Jeremy Willard

All the World’s a Stage of Grief runs till Sun, July 15, Randolph Theatre, 736 Bathurst St. fringetoronto.com