Review: “The Paranoid King” at Montreal Fringe 2026
Olivia Collette’s "The Paranoid King"focuses on the existential anxieties of King Ashurhaddan–ruler of the Assyrian empire between 680 and 669 BC. By highlighting these emotions, which are rarely associated with an ancient imperial leader, the play centres human empathy and understanding.
Between core scenes of the play, staged advertisements for opium, olive oil, and pyramid timeshares turn the play to the present. Modern-day forms and expressions communicate
ancient perspectives to the audience. The commercial-break form of historically contextualizing the past appears to make both, the Ancient World and the present late-capitalist moment, the butt of the joke.
The clashing ideas in The Paranoid King make for a chaotic- and comedy-driven narrative. These qualities also give the audience room to reflect on their late capitalist position and logic
while getting a sense of ancient times.
The remaining showtimes for The Paranoid King are June 20 and 21 at Theatre La Comedie de Montreal
Review by Victoria Greco, Spoken Word Intern
