Review by Wendy Walters • Halifax • 2025-04-22
Knockout is a whip-smart comedy with excellent production quality. The premise alone—a sportscaster-style narration of a queer female friendship-turned-crush—would be enough to entertain for an hour. But, this show brings deeper layers.
Meg “Panic Attack” Warren is every young lesbian with anxious attachment issues, a fear of abandonment, and an emotionally unavailable crush. Somehow, this makes for some very funny dialogue. Haylea Dollimont meets the clever script with expertly delivered physical comedy.
The laughs kick off immediately with full ESPN-style sports commentary narration, thanks to the entertaining duo of Tim Mann and Steve Guy. As narrators-turned-inner-critics, they deliver a high-energy, hilarious play-by-play of the emotionally brutal friendship flirtation.
Maude McInnis nails the role of Blair—the aloof, cool, avoidant girl who flirts with you on the way to a party, then makes out with someone else once you’re there.
We’ve all been there, haven’t we? Crushing on someone who thrives on confusion—snuggles on the couch, constant texting and phone calls, buying your favourite cider. Enter Blair “Chaotic Bisexual” Turner. If Meg didn’t already start out with raging insecurity, a few months of Blair’s mixed signals would lock that shit in.
Maude McInnis nails the role of Blair—the aloof, cool, avoidant girl who flirts with you on the way to a party, then makes out with someone else once you’re there. We all know a Blair. If you don’t know one, you probably are one.
The biggest laughs of the night come from painfully relatable moments. One standout scene has Meg writing, deleting, and rewriting the same text message before finally just sending a single, “k.” The audience roared.
Beyond the satire, Knockout has heart. The pace changes in the final few scenes, giving way to a believable, booze-fueled confrontation that clears the air and exposes the root of Meg’s spiraling. It’s tender, tense, and familiar.
This one’s a Knockout! An almost full Bus Stop Theatre rose to their feet for a show that delivered laughs and an interesting, yet familiar, story.
And, the show leaves us with a few hanging threads, as life often does.
See it Tuesday, April 22 @ 8:30 pm, Thursday, April 24th @ 6:00 pm, Sunday, April 27th @ 3:30 pm. Get tickets here.
Writer & Director: Lawson Hannaford
Cast: Michael Kamras, Guido G Furlani, Haylea Dollimont, Maude McInnis
Producer & Tech Designer: Logan Robins
Production Assistant: Kaitlyn Tompkins
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