Review: Citadel's Our Little Secret offers a perfect performance from Noam Tomaschoff

What counts as family? Who gets to live within that circle? What can an unspoken secret do when uncorked after decades left unsaid?

Noam Tomaschoff wrestles with these questions in his one-man, musical pop-opera (popera?), Fringe-inspired show Our Little Secret. The answers aren’t surprising but the performance is out of this world and runs at The Citadel until Oct. 25.

Noam comes from a pretty normal one-child family, a millennial growing up in a DINK household with two loving parents and no major issues to bring up. Then, one day, his life is turned upside down when he lets slip that he’s going to take an online genetics test.

His parents, looking to intercept his imminent discovery, break the news: they used a fertility service to conceive and his biological father was a sperm donor. Noam spirals for a bit before embarking on a journey of self discovery.

That journey includes a whole host of catchy tunes and brilliant quips, a polished show that shines brightly on the Maclab Theatre stage. Our Little Secret was originally written as a Fringe show and debuted in Toronto in 2023. The intervening years have provided a lot of rehearsal time and opportunity to polish this performance until it glimmers like sunlight.

Tomaschoff is an incredible performer, bouncing around the stage like he owns the place and we’re getting a one-night lease. His delivery on his songs is equally impressive, a lothario of music out to seduce every single audience member with his silky voice and incredible skills.

His writing is equally on point, a full 90 minutes of catchy tunes that will worm their way into your brain, again a bombastic combination of on-point writing and pitch-perfect delivery. Tomaschoff is a young performer and writer with an incredibly bright future ahead of him and getting to see him hit his cues on an Edmonton stage is a real treat.

One-man performances can feel empty and out of place on the big stage and adapting a Fringe show is not easy. What director Adam Pascal and his team have done with Our Little Secret makes it feel custom-made for the space, a small show pulled into a big venue and made wonderful.

While the performance is outstanding, the big secret itself feels a bit flat. This isn’t a Shakespearean “none of woman born shall harm Macbeth” situation where Noam has to figure out his superpowers bequeathed him due to his unique conception. He isn’t the product of infidelity stemming from harsh family dynamics nor does his backstory involve a body-sized bag, a shovel and a shotgun wedding. His parents used a sperm donor to start a family and then he grew up in a well-adjusted home as a loved and cherished child.

In the year 2026, using a fertility specialist to start a family doesn’t feel like the earth-shattering revelation it might have engendered two decades ago. There’s obviously some soul searching to work through, personal discoveries to make sense of and, eventually, some feelings to mend. But Noam will get there and be even happier for learning the truth, suddenly flushed with siblings after growing up an only child.

Family isn’t genetics or heritage, a place on a map or photos of people you’ve never met but with whom you share a few chromosomes. Family is caring for the ones you love, family is showing up, family is ping pong and dinners together and going to performances of Farmer Brown. That’s the heartwarming centre of Our Little Secret, the love that centres a family rather than the genetics that imply some sort of commitment. With Tomaschoff’s incredible singing and great tunes, Our Little Secret is a fun and enjoyable night of popera wrapped in the warm embrace of family.

Director: Adam Pascal

Written and performed by: Noam Tomaschoff

Where: The Citadel, 9828 101 A Ave.

When: until Oct. 25

Tickets available from $40 at citadeltheatre.com or through the box office at 780-425-1820