Musicals are just like regular shows, except better because they sing and dance.

Let me tell you about three musicals that I'm really excited for at this Fringe, all of which are at risk of selling out.

Bat Boy: The Musical (2026) 5 out of 5 stars

Previously: Alice By Heart 3 out of 5 stars (2025), Evil Dead: The Musical 5 out of 5 stars (2024)

The Weekly World News Bat Boy: a screaming, big-eared, wide-eyed boy in black and white.

First, there's Bat Boy: The Musical. And look, I could give a synopsis, but I'm a millennial and this picture, it has formative memories for me.

This is a Scona Alumni production and they always do great work.

A Hellmark Christmas Musical Parody (2026) 3.5 out of 5 stars

Previously: Voldemort and the Teenage Hogwarts Musical Parody 4.5 out of 5 stars (2025), Pair of Guys Lost: A New Musical 3.5 out of 5 stars (2025)

Poster for A Hellmark Christmas Musical Parody, with blood spattered across snowy holly berries.

A Hellmark Christmas Musical Parody is a new musical by Darkstage Productions that parodies the Hallmark Cinematic Universe of Christmas movies.

If you're thinking dark musical satire of Christmas sounds a lot like a Fringe show I've seen before, yup. I thought Krampus was pretty great, too.

And the co-writer of Krampus stars in Hellmark. There really are not that many people making musicals in Edmonton.

Rodgers and Hammerstein's ROBOCOP: The Musical (2026) 5 out of 5 stars

Finally, there's Rodgers and Hammerstein's RoboCop: The Musical, and it's going to be, based on the title alone, very, very dumb.

This is the same team that made SPEED! A 1940's Radio Drama last year, which premiered to rave reviews and a sold-out run. I, unfortunately, didn't get to see it, but I'm excited to see RoboCop this year.

Poster for Rodgers and Hammerstein's RoboCop: The Musical, with RoboCop on an alpine meadow.
Poster for SPEED! A 1940's Radio Drama, starring Orson Welles and Keanu Reeves, with a bus flying off the page.

All three of these shows have already sold out over half of their runs and the festival has not yet begun.

Ticket availability for RoboCop: The Musical at the Varscona Theatre, with several performances at reduced availability.
Ticket availability for Bat Boy: The Musical at Strathcona High School, with several performances at reduced availability.
Ticket availability for A Hellmark Christmas Musical Parody at the FOH PRO Stage, with one performance sold out.

Ticket availability on August 10, three days before the festival opened.

So, sorry to be the guy who always tells you to buy your tickets right now, but if you did, then I wouldn't have to.

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