Philly Fringe 2026: Noam Osband presents Wikipedilove

What do blue whale penises, a fishing village in Newfoundland, dinosaur erotica, and the marriage certificate of Eva Braun have in common? They are all subjects in Osband’s search history, no doubt confusing his algorithm or putting him on some watchlist. They are also the topics of several songs in Osband’s show as the duo take the audience through the cycle of romance: courtship, dating, sex, marriage, children, and death. This song-and-lecture is well-cited, including references to Scientific American, The New York Times, and several academic papers.

Osbund and Apostolidis are incredibly charming as they delightfully click through screenshots, backing up each outlandish claim with a photograph or sentence. There is a bit of whiplash jumping from topic to topic, but the show shines when the audience is trying to guess the next punchline.

There are some personal anecdotes, too, about how we all experience these scientific facts in our daily lives. Much like a Wikipedia rabbit hole, the show also touches on more serious topics. In between jokes about silly-sounding town names or workplace crushes, the show also touches on things like the sexism of the scientific field and negotiating consent. And it’s a show that the audience must be all-in on for the ride. Be ready to laugh, stand, or cringe at the right moment, so the duo can appropriately leverage the room’s energy.

Some Fringe shows are sad, others are thought-provoking, and some have you shouting a four-letter word in unison to shame voyeuristic academics who study animal sex. Wikipedilove is all three. Sixty minutes flew by. I’d happily watch another hour of the greatest hits of our collective knowledge base set to accordion and guitar. So go, have a good time, learn a few new facts about romance for your next orgy, and get a reminder that love comes in many forms. I would say it’s all dumb fun, but that would be an insult to one of the silliest, smartest experiences I’ve had in years.

Our Fringe Coverage Friends Drive donors made this review possible. Be sure to subscribe so you can stay in the conversation! If you want to join our supporters, you can make a gift here.