Toronto Fringe Review: Judge Mintz

A courtroom plus four questionable legal battles equals one fully improvised show — pretty standard, right? It is for Judge Mintz, which also invites different surprise guests to each of their performances. Although the full list of comedians taking part in Judge Mintz is available on their Fringe page, only a handful of those Canadian comics bring their humour to the stage each show. Taking on the various roles of Plaintiff, Defendant, or Witness, comics enter dressed in absurd costumes for the audience-suggested court case about to be fought. In a dry cleaning rivalry, a knight bore the swords of Defendant, and when a historical assassination of over a century ago was brought to the bench, one performer was sporting jorts.

Playing Bailiff in the performance I saw was Pat Ronan, who had a bellowing voice whether he was belting out in song or handing yellow cards to those disrupting the lawsuits. Ronan’s discipline for his character allowed his comedy to flourish as the show went on. He’d wait patiently to spur up a moment with commanding bouts. As soon as I began to forget he was lurking upstage, he’d throw out a well-timed red card or aggressively call the conversation to the topic at-hand. Always showing a soft spot for Judge Mintz (J.J. Greenberg) himself, the two have clear chemistry in their contrasting personas. With dry humour carrying Greenberg forward, he is the witty voice of reason amongst a chaotic cast. 

Standout guest performers were Ben Sosa-Wright and Carley Thorne, a pair that battled each other, bouncing off the other’s arguments with flair and sharp humour. Sosa-Wright’s delivery fell on a spectrum of one-word laugh-out-loud responses to melodramatic monologues. Thorne leaned into the aura of each character she played, her jokes consistently referencing the persona she had taken on in that moment. 

The remainder of the night’s performers Andy Assaf, Tricia Black, Brandon Hackett, Alex Kolanko, Shannon Lahaie, and Nicole Passmore were each wonderful in their own right, and the line-up has left me curious as to what future cast mash-ups will be. Improv is always a challenge and what consistently garnered laughs for these comedians was their commitment to the bit. “Yes and”-ing with effort and vigour seemed to be their speciality.

Judge Mintz is on now until July 13 as part of Toronto Fringe. Schedule and Tickets.