Fringe Review: A Woman’s Guide to Romance Novels a sexy, silly time

A Woman’s Guide to Romance Novels

4 stars (Out of 5)

Stage 23, The Bliss Stage at Holy Trinity Anglican Church, 10037 84 Ave.

Romance novels are having a particular moment in pop culture. Sales have skyrocketed over the last five years. Heated Rivalry, a television series based on hockey romance books, has been on everyone’s lips since its debut. Why is the genre booming?

Holly M. Brinkman offers a simple reason: they’re predictable, and it’s not a bug, but a feature.

When you crack open a new romance novel, you know the time investment will lead to a happy ending. She takes us through the familiar beats of these stories: the “meet cute” (when lead characters cross paths), the romantic middle, the crisis, and the happy ending. 

Brinkman improvises each section, skillfully showcasing her familiarity with the subgenres, themes and language of the genre. In each performance of A Woman’s Guide to Romance Novels, she’s joined by a guest performer. In our case, it was Tim Felton, whose smutty balloon show and take on sexy bowling were certainly memorable. 

Due to the improvisational nature of the show, and the variability of guest performers, your mileage may vary — in our show, the happy ending was a bit cumbersome — but you’re likely to have a great time.

Related