Toronto Fringe Festival 2026
Little Astronaut
Isobel Arseneau
Genre: Musical Theatre
Venue: Native Earth's Aki Studio 585 Dundas Street E Toronto Ontario M5A 2B7
Festival: Toronto Fringe Festival
Low Down
The show delivers a message about friendship, hope, determination, and possibilities, told through the lens of female university engineering students trying to navigate the challenges of the male-dominated field.
Review
Little Astronaut is a women’s empowerment story, told through the lens of female university engineering students trying to navigate the challenges of the male-dominated field. It is a bold, compelling, thought-provoking, and entertaining musical. The songs, accompanied by at 16-piece big band, are well-written and suited to each character.
Hazel, played by is a first year engineering student at the University of Toronto (U of T), Canada’s top engineering school. The show opens with her beautiful ballad, “Starting Today”, in which she shows her optimism and determination for her new pursuits. She wants to be an astronaut and that program could take her close to her dreams.
Lily is quietly brilliant, not certain of her future but with a sense of purpose.
These two young women are smart and focused. Despite landing in a male-dominated curriculum with the inherent biases, they know who they are and will stand up for their rights to achieve their goals.
But they are constantly thwarted. They are both ostracized and harassed by the boys, judged more harshly by their professor, and made to fight off unwanted sexual advances. One of the male students attempts to support them but he is bullied for his actions. “You’re on Your Own” is a heartfelt ballad that describes the women’s frustration and isolation. Lily and Hazel become lab partners, but each handles the personal challenges in a different way: Hazel withdraws while Lily becomes terrified of speaking out.
Despite the obstacles, we know that these two brave women will prevail. Hazel is going to be an astronaut and Lily will find her path. The show delivers a message about friendship, hope, determination, and possibilities. By the end of the show, we are cheering for Hazel and Lily and feeling confident in their futures. The music carries us but the message is uplifting.
The stage design effectively paints the picture of the situation facing the women. With only wooden boxes, the stage transforms into a classroom, platforms for ensemble singing, and a study lounge. The music has edges of Dear Even Hansen. The original songs are memorable and very Broadway. The big band arrangements are well-orchestrated, led by the very capable conductors Nicholas Biancolin and Jonathan Hua. The singing is strong, especially from the lead characters Hazel, portrayed by the playwright and composer Isobel Arseneau, and Lily, played by played by Bianca Hopkins. The directors are Arseneau and Victoria Zhou. The audience is fully engaged throughout the performance. However, it needs a stronger ending with a clear conclusion.
Arseneau began writing the songs and show in her first year at U of T. Four years later it is a full stage production. The cast members are primarily U of T engineering students, which makes the show ring true for them and for the audience. U of T has a tradition of engineers in musicals. It is fitting that these bright young voices are sharing an important story.
