Skip to content
Brick Wall Comedy
Brick Wall Comedy

Multiple Neurosis

Karin Fekko

YouTube · 2026 · 60 min

Quiet, dark storytelling about hiding MS for seventeen years.

Released , on YouTube.

For seventeen years, Karin Fekko hid her multiple sclerosis diagnosis from nearly everyone outside her parents while partying, dating, and grinding toward a tenured academic job. Working with only a stool, a microphone, and light cues, she pairs seven autobiographical stories from 1985 to 2025 with a series of recent dreams to poke at public assumptions about what disability looks like. Roughly 70% of Canadians with MS do not use mobility aids, a gap that drives her material on denial, binge drinking, and internalized ableism. Trained at The Second City and Comedy Bar in Toronto, Fekko shifted from writing prose to live storytelling in 2023 after pandemic isolation left her wanting a room full of people. The stage run earned five stars and a “Best of the Fest” top-ten nod from the Edmonton Journal at the 2025 Edmonton Fringe, though viewers expecting rapid-fire club punchlines should know that one Fringe attendee compared her quiet, slow-paced affect to a late-night CBC Radio 2 host. Fekko released the 50-minute filmed special on YouTube on May 30, 2026, for World MS Day, just before heading back onto the summer Fringe circuit with her follow-up show, Who’s Gonna Push Your Wheelchair?.

Notable bits & set list

3 bits

  1. The Latin definition of Multiple Sclerosis

    Explains that Multiple Sclerosis is Latin for 'God breaking your legs one day at a time' to disarm audiences and signal permission to laugh at her condition.

  2. Dream sequences reflecting disease progression

    Recounts specific dreams delineated by light cues to symbolize her psychological journey and evolving denial regarding MS.

  3. The dual life of invisible illness

    Reflects on existing as two different people: the struggling private self at home versus the seemingly unburdened public self striving for professional and personal milestones.

How it plays

Tone
Vulnerable, honest, thoughtful, and disarming, balancing tragedy and heavy subject matter with dark humor and levity.
On stage
Quiet, understated, dark and playful, characterized by a comforting vocal delivery compared by one reviewer to a late-night CBC Radio 2 host.
Pace
Intimate, conversational, and fairly slow-paced, relying on a stool and microphone rather than broad theatricality.
About
Multiple sclerosis and invisible disability, Internalized ableism and denial, Keeping a chronic illness secret for 17 years, Dating, partying, and pursuing tenure with chronic illness, Substance abuse and mental health

What the critics said

Hailed by critics and festival reviewers as one of the most honest, vulnerable, and moving storytelling shows of the Fringe circuit, praised for its deft balance of heartbreak and laughter.

In the room: Deeply engaged, intimate, and emotional, moving audience members to both tears and laughter while affirming those living with chronic illness.

Summed up from reviews, articles and listings. Sources: ottawafringe.com, edmontonjournal.com, apt613.ca, reviews.fringetheatre.ca, torontoguardian.com, linkedin.com, sweetaction.ca.

Backstory

Premiered on YouTube to mark World MS Day on May 30, 2026. The solo show marks 20 years since Fekko's multiple sclerosis diagnosis during university, addressing 17 years spent keeping her condition secret.

Details

Released
Runtime
60 min
Where
YouTube
Honors
5-Star Review – Edmonton Journal
Topics

Similar specials