Oh! I Miss the War

Fringe 2026

Oh! I Miss the War

50 years and an ocean apart, with ribald glee, two queens celebrate a century of queer spirit, sex, and hope.

London, 1967. Jack, aging tailor to the West End’s chorus boys, watches the new generation celebrate the decriminalization of sodomy, and laments that they will never know the outlaw happiness he knew as a youthful rentboy. Holding court hilariously, he re-affirms the power of transient love and outsider community.

Toronto, 2024. Matt, service bottom with failing knees, seeks connection with puppies and pronoun-careful Gen Zeds. Remembering the erotic, political, and spiritual transformations of SM, AIDS, and the Radical Faeries, he returns to the ever-unfolding present, and celebrates the continuing project of queer world-building and erotic possibility.

Recalling hankies and Polari, busbies and chaps, rent boys and faeries, tea rooms and back rooms, love and death, they bring the past to the present and celebrate the future.

Toronto Fringe Critic’s Pick! ★★★★★!

Watch Trailer

Plain Language Description

In London, 1967, an older tailor named Jack sits alone in a bar while young men celebrate the end of laws against gay sex. As he watches them, he wonders if they will ever be as happy or free as he was as a sex worker in World War World War II London. In Toronto, 2024, Matt feels out of place in the current queer politics, kinks, and conversations that younger people enjoy. He remembers his own erotic and political history. Coming back to the present, he celebrates and thanks the younger generations. Together, these two voices show how queer people across different eras build on each other’s lives, desires, and imaginations. They celebrate the ongoing, shared work of creating queer worlds and expanding erotic possibility. The 2025 Toronto Fringe production of this piece earned a Critic’s Pick and received five‑star reviews.