Fringe Fest 2021 review: A History of Lists

When Julia Schultz’s Dr. Preamble takes the stage at Neptune’s Scotiabank Theatre, she coughs a little, voice creaking as she welcomes the audience to this, her lecture on the “Listory of the Hist.” Silk-blend scarf over wool-blend sweater, turning in her sensible Mary Jane heels, Preamble is a few decades away from becoming someone akin to Netflix series The Chair’s show-stealing Dr. Joan Hambling: A bit batty and a lot uninterested in repressing her wildness as it begins to boil over.

Schultz's liberal arts background informs the one-person show’s parody of an academic white-knuckling through a lecture she’s less-than-ready for, thanks to personal tumult that’s alluded to but never directly addressed—a wise choice, respecting the audience’s imagination and the show’s 20-minute runtime. (Name another show this fest that’ll make you laugh about cuneiform, I’ll wait.)

A quick, vulnerable dip into the sea between who we are and who we hope we are, The History of The List is about all the neurotic wants riding on each list we write—particularly, as Preamble puts it,"the want to be seen."

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See The History of The List at Neptune's Scotiabank Stage Sep 3, 7pm; Sep 4, 4pm; Sep  5, 2pm. Tickets and details at Halifax Fringe.