{"data":{"id":"1ed8e623-4887-47a0-b6c6-af7259acd67c","originKind":"SYNDICATED","title":"Fringe Review: Tita Jokes an inviting cultural delight in terrific song and jokes","summary":"Tita Jokes\n\n5 out of 5\n\nStage 6, The Gateway Theatre, 8424 Gateway Blvd.\n\nToronto’s Tita Collective is possibly the most relaxed and non-“actor voice” ensemble of people I’ve ever seen do an introduction onstage, utterly at home with each other and offering us into its theatrical living room.\n\nOnce just meaning “aunties,” the Filipino phrase Titas has extended to extended family members, friends, salesladies, young urban professionals claiming it, but — either way — the sketch musical is quickly dedicated to all of them.\n\nStarting off with a hilarious song about how the five-piece ensemble doesn’t get all the references in Canadian shows, they sing, “And now that is going to happen to you!” to those outside the loop, the opposite happens in this act of honest cultural immersion.\n\nTo make things easy, AP Bautista, Belinda Corpuz, Ellie Posadas, Alia Rasul and Maricris Rivera are given Spice Girl names — Baby, Posh, Ginger, etc. — with Tita at the end to explore different aspects of Philippine and diaspora culture.\n\nCorpuz, for example, as Scary Tita is hilarious as an overprotective mother — at least where her daughter is concerned. Her son can do whatever he wants.\n\nRasul — Posh Tita — does a great song and dance about being a rich Tita in Windermere, or at the very least making sure to look like one.\n\nAnd you’ll laugh hard at Rivera’s dedication to Filipina scientists, where the various white men at the climate disaster conference can’t stop objectifying her cuteness to the point of throwing Pokeballs on stage to try and capture her. “Where did you even get these?” she asks as the scene ends.\n\nFull of Jollibee and super hilarious Bruno Mars references (including a dance number with four of him) — plus a great, eye-opening “You shall not pass!” joke — these super-innovative and stunningly sung 75 minutes are some of the best of the Fringe.\n\nAnd if you end up hungry for a hot bowl of kare-kare after, so much the better!\n\nfgriwkowsky@postmedia.com\n\nBookmark our website and support our journalism: Don’t miss the news you need to know — add EdmontonJournal.com and EdmontonSun.com to your bookmarks and sign up for our newsletters here.\n\nYou can also support our journalism by becoming a digital subscriber. Subscribers gain unlimited access to The Edmonton Journal, Edmonton Sun, National Post and 13 other Canadian news sites. Support us by subscribing today: The Edmonton Journal | The Edmonton Sun.","url":"https://edmontonjournal.com/entertainment/fringe-review-tita-jokes-an-inviting-cultural-delight-in-terrific-song-and-jokes","imageUrl":"https://smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital/edmontonjournal/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/tita-jokes_304763209.jpg","publishedAt":"2026-08-18T21:09:40.000Z","sourceLabel":"Edmonton Journal Music","tags":["Entertainment","Festivals","Theatre"],"authorName":"Fish Griwkowsky","contentHtml":"<img alt=\"Tita Jokes, at the 2026 Edmonton Fringe Festival.\" src=\"https://smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital/edmontonjournal/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/tita-jokes_304763209.jpg\" title=\"Tita Jokes, at the 2026 Edmonton Fringe Festival.\" /><p> <strong>Tita Jokes</strong> </p><p> <strong>5 out of 5</strong> </p><p> <strong>Stage 6, The Gateway Theatre, 8424 Gateway Blvd.</strong> </p><p> Toronto’s Tita Collective is possibly the most relaxed and non-“actor voice” ensemble of people I’ve ever seen do an introduction onstage, utterly at home with each other and offering us into its theatrical living room. </p><p> Once just meaning “aunties,” the Filipino phrase Titas has extended to extended family members, friends, salesladies, young urban professionals claiming it, but — either way — the sketch musical is quickly dedicated to all of them. </p><p> Starting off with a hilarious song about how the five-piece ensemble doesn’t get all the references in Canadian shows, they sing, “And now that is going to happen to you!” to those outside the loop, the opposite happens in this act of honest cultural immersion. </p><p> To make things easy, AP Bautista, Belinda Corpuz, Ellie Posadas, Alia Rasul and Maricris Rivera are given Spice Girl names — Baby, Posh, Ginger, etc. — with Tita at the end to explore different aspects of Philippine and diaspora culture. </p><p> Corpuz, for example, as Scary Tita is hilarious as an overprotective mother — at least where her daughter is concerned. Her son can do whatever he wants. </p><p> Rasul — Posh Tita — does a great song and dance about being a rich Tita in Windermere, or at the very least making sure to look like one. </p><p> And you’ll laugh hard at Rivera’s dedication to Filipina scientists, where the various white men at the climate disaster conference can’t stop objectifying her cuteness to the point of throwing Pokeballs on stage to try and capture her. “Where did you even get these?” she asks as the scene ends. </p><p> Full of Jollibee and super hilarious Bruno Mars references (including a dance number with four of him) — plus a great, eye-opening “You shall not pass!” joke — these super-innovative and stunningly sung 75 minutes are some of the best of the Fringe. </p><p> And if you end up hungry for a hot bowl of kare-kare after, so much the better! </p><p> <a href=\"mailto:fgriwkowsky@postmedia.com\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">fgriwkowsky@postmedia.com</a> </p><p> <strong>Bookmark our website and support our journalism:</strong><em>Don’t miss the news you need to know — add <a href=\"http://edmontonjournal.com/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">EdmontonJournal.com</a> and <a href=\"http://edmontonsun.com/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">EdmontonSun.com</a> to your bookmarks and <a href=\"https://edmontonjournal.com/newsletters/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">sign up for our newsletters here.</a></em> </p><p> <em>You can also support our journalism by becoming a digital subscriber. Subscribers gain unlimited access to The Edmonton Journal, Edmonton Sun, National Post and 13 other Canadian news sites. Support us by subscribing today: <a href=\"https://edmontonjournal.com/subscribe/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">The Edmonton Journal</a> | <a href=\"https://edmontonsun.com/subscribe/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">The Edmonton Sun.</a></em> </p>","slug":"fringe-review-tita-jokes-an-inviting-cultural-delight-in-terrific-song-and-jokes","publicPath":"/news/2026-08-18-fringe-review-tita-jokes-an-inviting-cultural-delight-in-terrific-song-and-jokes"}}