White Noises

Bold and Sincere

Sophia delves into some heavy territory and does it with her full chest. Thought-provoking, well-crafted, and incredibly well-performed. Would love to see more original work from Sophia in the future!

The best Fringe shows drive post-show discussion

Yes, this was a mystery to both of us, but we were sharing points-of-view for the rest of the evening which is the sign of a great artistic experience. I put it in the genre of "post modernism" ("characterized by skepticism towards grand narratives, objective truth, and universalism, emphasizing instead difference, plurality, and subjectivity" per Google). My book club has read a couple post modern books lately and had the same reaction = "huh, what was that about." My sister had a totally different point-of-view (I won't include it here to preclude a spoiler).

5 Kitties for White Noises!

White Noises was a really fascinating watch - I have never seen a psychological thriller done onstage but this was absolutely fantastic. The performer was a definite triple threat - I almost wish this show could have been done on one of the dance stages, but it may have taken away the intimacy of the performance. Sound design was also incredible. The only downside is that I can’t see the listing of cast and crew to see where y’all came from because this was an AMAZING watch. Bravo!

I'm willing to believe I'm wrong/didn't get it but

I really really struggled to connect with this, unfortunately. This actress is so talented, but me and the friend I saw it with found ourselves uncomfortable, and not in a way we found interesting. Listen, I cannot judge: I wrote a whole show once about being rejected by a boy I went on three dates with, but the attempt to imbue that narrative with horror elements didn't really play for me-- I think perhaps it needed a slower build to that spooky and cool ending. I am legitimately happy to see others liked it--and I'm excited to see what Sophia does in the future.

Intimate, Empathetic, Haunting

Unless the specific content is a trigger for you, you're an idiot if you don't see this. Of all the solo shows I've seen at Fringe so far, this is the one I'm going to be thinking about the longest. White Noises is more hardcore than most of us could ever have the courage to be. I was enthralled from start to finish, an absolute must-see. There is nothing else at Fringe like this.

RISE, COWARDS — THIS SHOULD FILL HOUSE EVERY NIGHT

Compulsory attribution of the whole self to any mote of (perceived) romantic decency; psychosis wrought by alienation from reality, becoming unmoored from identity as you attempt to build it in the chest cavity of someone completely uninvested; the most authentically uncomfortable performance this Fringe, bar none, absolutely My Shit with a performance that sells the unsellable and leaps ahead of any single character portrayal this year. Should the subject matter, subtext, thesis, or design be off-putting to you, there's still no budging my take in one major department—this is the most committed, convincing act of Fringe 2025, and will be dominating my thoughts in the coming weeks while other (still lovely) shows have begun to fade in pieces.

What Mackenzie Kelsheimer said

See his review up top, seriously. As for my thoughts, all viewers will likely agree the climax scene is a demo of Sophia White's, the sole performer and production credit to this blackbox of a show, simple yet whole-hog muscle for squeezing out all the juice a scene can give. In this case, it's the audible, visual horrors of a private act of... well, can I say? If you know that you're squeamish to even the stark suggestion of a blood-related Act, then head to the Open Eye bathroom by the time a package arrives on stage. The final minutes of the show aside, White's character was naive and weepy in a way that almost deceives if not for the IV drip of unsettling sound and lighting, sinking us further into a desperation that was primed to plunge. But before such plunging, we get a character who fucking COOKS on some dream sequence ballet choreo, self-wallowing paired with White's passing blip of potent singing ability, very personable and relatable 2025 commentary about watching foreign catastrophes from your palm-screens being at odds with the romantic and routine creature comforts sold to us from birth; the bedrock of "White Noises" undeniable force being White's acting, their physicality and gifted facial language both highly tuned to the emotions of each scene. I am saying so many good, gushing things in this review because there is nearly NOTHING about this show page that would prepare an inroad for viewers into the corroding inner-world of this show and its character. So, let all the reviews decide for you to CATCH THIS SHOW BEFORE FRINGE ENDS.

Wow, bold, sincere, intimate

I loved this solo show. A lot of solo pieces rely on a certain amount of artifice to keep an audience enthralled for the duration. Sophia, however, captivated me as an audience with her raw intimacy and excellent staging choices. From her heartfelt emotional moments, pretty princess ideations, and perfectly captured doomscroll sessions, I was with her the whole ride. I even gasped at a certain reveal. I was going to give this 5 kitties before the incredibly powerful ending, and that only cemented its perfect thesis.

Raw emotional talent

It is so difficult to bring real emotion to a performance and this young artist nailed it. I'm sure they will continue to grow as a performer and will be a force to be reckoned with. As a mother to a daughter her age, it also enforced my thought that I would NOT want to be that age, now. It's a show worth being uncomfortable over.

Remains in your mind long after you finish.

This show is not for squeamish people. It's a dark, moody, empathetic, thoughtful, disturbing glimpse into a young woman's anxieties, both highly individual in comparison to the extremes of genocides alluded to in the story and worsened by society and socialization. But if you are willing to risk the controversial subject matter, this show provokes deep thoughts that force your mind to revisit it. Frankly, words are very hard to find to describe this. I consider this to be the most-underrated show of Fringe, precisely because it's not likely to ever be a mainstream hit, due to the believable, brazen approach to very-fraught subject matter. It discomforts you in the most-compelling way. Even if you do regret watching it, you won't regret watching in another sense, because it echoes around your head, as great art ought to do. The use of sound augmented the picture of increasing isolation. This was a one-person show, yet more-compelling than many shows with multiple actors. Do not miss this if you consume art with intensely uncomfortable subject matter.