Ready Player, Too

So full of heart and energy

This is such a delightful romp of a show. Lily is bursting with energy, joy and heat. I loved how cohesive the thru lines of the show were and it really packs a meaningful punch by the end. <3

A Win

Lily’s work has a way of making you feel less alone. Her material often has themes steeped in that universal yearning to be seen by others and by our selves. She achieves that ever-so-important magic of inviting her audience to see themselves in the hilarity, self-questioning, and at times heartbreaking stories from her life that she shares so generously. This is a Win.

Game on!

High energy and heartfelt storytelling from a first-time Fringe performer. The inaugural show was clearly attended by many friends and family but the standing O was earned. Lily for the win.

The tomb raider we deserve

I’m a sucker for autobiographical one-performer shows. Lily invites the audience in and takes us on her life journey. Her relationship to video games is just the tip of the iceberg. This is a story with many themes, my favorites being perseverance and celebrating the people you love. Well done Lily!

Standup with top-rate production value

Creativity 4; Production Value 5+; Interest (subjective) 3.5 Oh, boy, these types of reviews are tough to write: a show that didn't quite meet my (very subjective) Fringe expectations. First, Lily is obviously a very skilled, energetic performer. And her storytelling & spoken word (which I appreciate) clearly morphed into sort of self-congratulatory standup. In short, I had hoped for a stronger take-away or emotional hook. Kudos to her very supportive group of friends!

A great solo performance

A master of the craft, solo performer Lily Rains brings us along on a journey of video games, competition, and finding self-worth. Loved it!

Lily Rains is now your kid sister.

And she's burrowed into your heart. Come for the stories, stay for the refreshing self-awareness. Beautiful, honest and playful even in its most heart-felt moments. She holds you and you hold her. It's a good moment that you'll want to relive, and you'll feel lighter when you leave. Don't miss.

Great Storytelling

Lily is a talented performer who definitely tells a great story. This is a well-paced and wonderfully told story. You will definitely be willing to play the game.

Good game! *high five*

I wish all storytelling shows were this physically engaged! Through the lens of play and playing, Lily Rains shares a charming and relatable autobiographical piece about figuring life out. So much love and honest reflection.

Best Solo Show Ive seen at Fringe.. ever

Ready Player Too is an absolute gem. At its heart, this is a show about play; soccer, video games, competition. but it becomes something much bigger. It’s about what happens when someone who has spent her life feeling the tension of competition begins to understand how debilitating a world built around scarcity can be, a 'Thunderdome'. And then she discovers another way to play. Instead of needing to win, she learns how to light someone else’s candle. To pick people up. To be the wingwoman. To recognize what someone else needs and help them get there. I honestly think we need more of that in the world. We need more people with the self-awareness to understand themselves and the generosity to use that understanding to help guide people who haven’t gotten there yet. And somehow, while exploring all of this, she’s also really damn funny. The show is heartfelt, hilarious, vulnerable, and paced beautifully. There isn’t a moment that feels wasted. You’re watching an unbelievably talented human tell a deeply personal story, but it never feels self-indulgent. it feels like she’s inviting you to play alongside her. And this is her FIRST FRINGE?! That needs to be called out. Because if Ready Player Too is what she does the first time out, I desperately want to see what she does next. Go see this show. And then somebody please make sure she keeps making more.

Games!

The concept of this show was so fun! I loved hearing which video game was associated with each era of her story, and her movement work throughout the show made every scene-let feel very alive and present. A beautiful, funny, heartwarming exploration of Lily’s journey of a lifetime moving toward self-compassion and cultivating a playful spirit. It made me reflect on my own experience in the world in a new way!

Entertaining & Meaningful, Don't miss

The best solo show I have ever seen. Very engaging; extremely funny and meaningful. Lily Rains seems to have poured her heart and soul into this production and the payout is the sort of deep heartwarming satisfaction one gets from those rare conversations in one's life that you never forget. Plus laughter, lots of laughter.

Insane Energy and So Much Heart

Lily keeps the energy up a kind of insane amount--- the show had some truly wonderfully crafted moments of physical comedy and I found it to be a nice balance of comedic beats and heartfelt address. Where it feel a little flat to me was the final maybe 10-15 minutes. I felt there was a bit of a narrative disconnect between the final two-ish scenes and the closing monologue. I wish there had been one more scene or moment between 2020 and 2026 that could've help to show how she came to the conclusions she came to from this whole exercise. But overall this was a very, very fun show that does play (haha, get it?) with some really interesting ideas surrounding competition, teamwork and personal growth.

Soccer ball to the face and heart

There’s a trampoline. I should probably start there. It’s a one-woman show about play and games, performed with her whole body: high fives to the front row, flopping, kicking, every inch of the room. At one point she takes a soccer ball to the face and the whole audience ends up cheering about it. You just go with her. There’s sibling rivalry in here too, and depression, and family stuff that gets very quiet. She’s earned those moments by then, so they land. (There’s a glass-half-full joke I won’t spoil.) I can’t think of anyone I’d tell to skip this. Make the time. It’s just worth it.

Stand-up and confession of the gamer 😀

We all loves Tomb Raider's boobies! No any cheat codes will be revealed...