EDITORIAL: ‘The Nostalgia Girls’ Takes Us Back to the 2000s While Holding Today Under the Spotlight

The Nostalgia Girls is a jam-packed comedic musical bringing back the good old ages, the early 2000s. Ready to get some good old escapism… sike. Instead, The Nostalgia Girls use shimmering pop memories to hold a mirror up to the present moment.

Kesha briefly appearing on the Halsey Tour, Hillary Duff is back on tour, it’s like it’s the 2000s again and The Nostalgia Girls leans fully into that cultural moment and the heavier global context. In the past few weeks the world has felt wartime, and as we look back the question lingers, what are we leaving for the next generation? An undistinguishable virality driven musical era scrolling blindly on TikTok to ignore the bloodshed? Maybe it’ll sound sweeter with hindsight.

Nostalgia feels sweet yet fragile. Barbie’s playhouse was always plastic. The facade of a Chamberlain-level “peace in our time” promises has dissipated and whilst we stare oblivion down the barrel, the piercing bright lights of the theatre hold you within the context of a sing-a-long musical with The Nostalgia Girls. Emily Ferrier and Ally Medeiros beautifully dive into the psyche of Gen-Z and millennials mourning a world that no longer exists. 

Emily Ferrier and Ally Medeiros burst onto stage in PVC pink and silver fits with vocals galore, immediately taking up space as pop stars. Ally Medeiros is chalkfilled with energy, with a smooth charm that can’t help but win you over. Emily Ferrier cuts through the noise with razor sharp commentary. This paired with the duo’s melodic vocals makes The Nostalgia Girls a real treat of a performance.

Pulsing lights flash during the musical numbers as The Nostalgia Girls dance between humour and dread. Emily Ferrier and Ally Medeiros layer in contemporary commentary with songs on dating, insecurities and the male loneliness epidemic.  As they sing, the silence in the dissociation settles. The formulaic poppy beat entrances the audience yet and the contents fill us with a reality check.  The final singalong with lyrics on the screen in the style of “This Is What Dreams Are Made Of” by Hillary Duff leaves the audience with a sense of collective hope and commitment to embrace what made us then, and hope it can build a more resilient future. If Britney got through it, so can we.In the hands of Ferrier and Medeiros, The Nostalgia Girls is a pop concert with backbone. Can the pop girlies of today relate?

Performances of The Nostalgia Girls have now concluded at The Toronto Sketch Comedy Festival 2026.