Hey ’90s Kids, You’re Old by Taryn Parrish
August 12 – 14, 16 – 19, 21 at Sugar Swing Dance Club
More information: hey90skids.com

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An interview with Taryn Parrish.

Describe your show in five words.

’90s nostalgia sketch comedy show!

Okay, now that we’re intrigued… what’s the longer description?

It’s a ’90s nostalgia show that’s set in the present, so you’ll see a number of familiar ’90s childhood characters and products in modern day situations, including Pinky and the Brain, Are you Afraid of the Dark’‘s Midnight Society, Waldo, S Club 7, and many more that will test your ’90s IQ!

Hey ’90s Kids, You’re Old is a 90s nostalgic show that isn’t set in the 90s. How did you come up with the idea for this show?

I was inspired to create this show after seeing a number of ’90s nostalgia lists/articles being shared online. Soon enough, the ’90s were back in full force in fashion, music, television and so on. I loved how we were experiencing the ’90s today. I loved how the ’90s were romanticized as the “last true decade” (free of social media/the Internet). I was fascinated by the fact that so many ’90s kids, now in their young 20s, felt “old!” I thought it would be really fun to create a show that celebrated the ’90s (because they were awesome), but that also toyed with our ideas about nostalgia, childhood, and romanticizing the past. The end product is what I would call a fun, nostalgic satire!

Hey ’90s Kids, You’re Old explores what it means to have grown up in the 90s. What themes or ideas did you latch onto when exploring this large topic to create your show?

One of the most dominant themes in the show is technology. The advancements in technology, and the inability to “keep up” are part of what create the divide among many generations. Technologies have a way of anchoring us to certain eras and to speak to how “cool” or “hip” we are. I believe that the reason why ’90s kids today feel so “old” at such a young age, is because technology has changed so rapidly – in the past 10 years especially. As such, technology as a marker of change is something that I wanted to represent in the show. The technology aspect is also really interesting because the popular opinion (among many ’90s kids) seems to be that life was better in the ’90s with less technology, and yet it’s technology that allows us to reminisce about the ’90s today – and I love that “conflict.”

I can imagine that Hey 90’s Kids, You’re Old causes audience members to self-reflect quite a bit. Can you share some particularly memorable audience reactions to the show from your runs in other cities?

We have so much fun with our audiences! Our show is very reference heavy, so a lot of the fun comes from the audience catching references or chatting with us after the show about ’90s things they forgot they loved. A few memorable interactions come to mind. One Toronto audience member told us “I loved it. It put me in an existential crisis.” I have never heard the words “love” and “existential crisis” together in a sentence before! Another one of our favourite audience moments was in Winnipeg. We had an awesome crowd, and there was a couple sitting at the back of the theatre with their (very well behaved) baby. We have a visual gag near the end of the show, and the baby let out the cutest giggle! The audience (and the actors) couldn’t contain their laughter. I loved that moment because it felt like the ’90s was something everyone could enjoy, even if they didn’t live it!

Anything else you want audiences to know about the show?

We’re so excited to be performing at Edmonton Fringe and can’t wait to share our love of the ’90s with you! We encourage you to come chat with us after the show!

The 35th Edmonton International Fringe Theatre Festival is August 11 – 21. Tickets go on sale August 3 at noon and will be available at tickets.fringetheatre.ca.