When it comes to creating a sex-positive space, Lauren and Amanda do it right. This bright millennial take on birds, bees and everything in between from Ottawa’s Toasted Theatre Company feels inclusive and right on time. The late-night talk-show format includes a spinning wheel of topics, games, questions from the audience and rotating guests from around the Fringe. Where else are you going to hear Fringe staff and performers talk about their kinks?

The interviews with people you’ve seen around the fest heighten the open vibe. At the show I attended, guest (and Fringe Festival producer) Michael Marinaccio looked nervous at first, but settled into his interview with candid aplomb. There’s a message in the show’s earnest ease: Everybody does it, “or chooses not to and that’s OK,” add the hosts. A segment on sex in the news is educational and makes the same point on a global scale. Though Lauren Cauchy and Amanda Logan are always ready with a randy joke or quick sexy pun, no one is put on display. This show is not about being “dirty” or risqué for shock value; instead it asks why we use those words at all.

Cauchy and Logan have bubbly charisma and stage confidence for days. Alli Harris is a super MC, adding clever guitar and vocal transitions. The topic at the performance I saw, chosen at random, was simply “Doin’ It,” which made for a fairly general show. With more focused options on the wheel, I wondered why this was even a choice.

That said, I saw the show at 6 p.m., but the energy in the room never dropped. Nice achievement for what feels like a late show.

Lauren and Amanda Do It
Toasted Theatre Company – Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
60 Minutes
18 & Up – Mature Themes
Brown Venue
Wednesday, May 23, 2018 10:15 PM
Friday, May 25, 2018 7:00 PM
Saturday, May 26, 2018 8:45 PM

Check out ALL of our Fringe 2018 reviews at orlandoweekly.com/fringe2018

This article appears in May 23-29, 2018.