CLICK HERE FOR A RECENT REVIEWS IN CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER

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<52
American Appetite: Tales of Dirty Young Boys & Spry Old Men, The
An Evening At Home
Anablep and Other Oddities
Back to Kroenig
Beckett's Last Dance
Beneath Sita's Belly
Black Box Confessions
Blue Sofa
Candistan
Caught Sleeping
Cleopatra!-And Antony
ClockBusters
Death Blow - The Show
Devouring Time
Engineer and The Artist, The
Enronicles
Exit Laughing!
F--king Handicapped Guy
Fred Anderson -Professional Goofball!
Full Spectrum Improvisation
George Bush's Nuts
Getting It Wrong
Guano dell' Amore - ("Birdshit of Love")
Gulag Ha Ha
Interactive Solo Performer Daniel Packard
Ken and Andy Show, The
Lillie, A Musical
Looking, Then Pointing
Mad Adventures of Chaos For Hire, The
Me Laugh You Long Time
Menopause and Desire: Or Why Must I Be Middle Aged and In Love?
Microclimates: A Crime Against Gravity or The Burrito From Sausalito
My Son, the Mummy: Episode Pi
nEO-sURREALIST sYSTEMS pRESENTS: HOE- DOWN!!!!!
Objects In Mirror (May Be Closer Than They Appear)
OUTTAKES: Monologues, Stories, and Social Commentary
Rise And Fall of The US/them Empire, The
Smashing Icons
Something You Might Want
Song in Your Blood, The
Spray
Stranger In Woodstock
Surfing Toasters
Survival of the Fit Enough/ Fern
Talking To Myself
Tangled
Uncle Jacques' Symphony
Underground Movement Theatre
Upper Canada Cougar Movement, The
Valentine's Play Time
Way Light Strikes Filled Mason Jars, The
Winterkill
Woods For The Trees
Zucchini: The Forbidden Dance!

Play: Song in Your Blood
Reviewer: Ariel N.
Reviewer Email:
Rating: 3 Stars
Great attempt considering this wasn't a typical fringe show. Loved the mood at the beginning with the slide show. Liked the family atmosphere with the parents and kids singing at the beginning, that was cute, had an almost Broadway feel to it.
I don't think the actors fit the style of the writing, but once I got past that I fell into the story. The lead guy and the aunt didn't have a huge range of emotions; he seemed angry the whole time and she annoyed. He was boisterously loud even during the tender moments. She sighed after every line, even between scenes which grated on my nerves a bit. I really wanted her to play up her manipulative side more, especially when she was trying to blame the son for the death of his brother. I don't think she understood that's what the scene was about. However, I was impressed with their level of commitment. I really felt the dynamics of the brother/sister relationship. They both touched me on an emotional level, and ultimately that's what counts in my opinion, because despite the rough spots I did believe them.
I especially enjoyed the mother and son. I was very touched by their relationship, and I have to admit I sniffled (a lot) once things went utterly, insanely downhill. I liked the boy because he was having fun with his character. He had genuine reactions and facial expressions, and for such a young guy he really understood what was going on. The mother, though she seemed slightly uncomfortable with some of her lines in the beginning, really grew on me. I liked how she transitioned from happy mother, to letting on she had a bratty/manipulative side, to utter insanity. I had an aunt who suffered from schizophrenia, and it sent chills down my back how she captured that authentic wild look in her eyes. My favorite scene from the whole play was when she was going to the market and she cleverly manipulated the sister-in law into letting her go without helping with the house work, she was rediculous and funny; I felt the essence of her character was captured in that scene.
The only thing I didn't believe with this play was that they were Irish. I would re-cast everybody if it were going into full production with people who are actually Irish to capture the (challenging) style of the writing. But over-all, I walked out of the theater happy with what I experienced; I always like a production that makes me laugh and cry.

Play: Song In Your Blood
Reviewer: Mr.E
Reviewer Email: nobody@nothing.com
Rating: 3 Stars
An interesting story with shaky delivery. Seems like the writing was there, but most of the actors weren't up to the challenge. The father was too heavy-handed with his performance, as if each line was delivered with a tone that screamed (literally) "HEY LOOK AT ME, I AM ACTING!"

The mother was well-written, but again the actress wasn't up to snuff. She over did it. I understand this is stage, but there were probably 35 people tops in the audience---I think we would have picked up on subtelty. She was a tad more tolerable than the father, but not by much. Maybe these two went to the same acting school? I suggest they play it down a bit more next time.

The strongest acting came via the aunt character, who practically stole the show. She delivered her lines in a believable and even tone, and she felt the most comfortable on stage. While her performance was by far the more superior and refreshing, it was a bit jarring to see her interact with the other over-dramatic players on stage. Let's not even talk about her "love interest" that the lines just fall out of his mouth with absolutely no conviction.

All-in-all, a very well-written play with some shaky acting with a bright spot in the aunt character. Take notice of this actress!

Play: The Song in Your Blood
Reviewer: Jerry
Reviewer Email:
Rating: 3 Stars
All in all it was a decent production. The writing lacked clarity, flow and structure. Although an interesting story of the life of an Irish American family in the late 20's, I really wasn't sure what the point was. Was this an autobiography of sorts~something written to release family skeltons? Who's point of view was this told in? What was the depth of the relatonship between Eamon and Katie? These are the things that need to be worked out before the production can be presented in a full lenght forum. I can see that Denise Dee has a lot of writing depth and ability, I'm just not sure how well of a playwrite she is at this moment. It was pretty well acted for what the actors had to work with. I heard also in passing, that the lead role of Finn Sr. had been recast at the last minute. Considering this on the actor and the rest of the cast, I think a great job was done by all!

Play: The Song in Your Blood
Reviewer: Shauna
Reviewer Email:
Rating: 4 Stars
Well written, well casted, well done! A must see for anyone interested in great drama with an edge of comedy and an edge of tragedy. Definite moments of laughter; definite moments of tears.

Play: The Song in Your Blood
Reviewer: Kirk
Reviewer Email:
Rating: 3 Stars
Denise Dee's writings are amazing, however unlike last year, the delivery of the play was off. Mostly, casting hurts this production than the script. The women were casted well, however the men, in particular Finn Sr. & Jr., were not up to par with the script. I would like to see this play in full production, but with the cast now, it will only hurt a piece of Denise's more.

Play: The Song In Your Blood
Reviewer: Adam Sandel/The Examiner
Reviewer Email:
Rating: 3 Stars
"The Song In Your Blood" is the first act of Denise Dee's play about the inheritance of music, disease and madness. An Irish family in the late 1920s struggles with poverty, the death of a child, and its mother's schizophrenia. Dee valiantly takes on big issues, but too often mistakes recrimination for conflict. Sara Santiago has some strong mad scenes at the mother, but much of the acting is at surface level, without exploring the characters beneath the lines.

Play: The Song In Your Blood
Reviewer: Christina Garcia
Reviewer Email: christina.garcia@gene.GE.com
Rating: 4 Stars
The message was delivered beautifully and with all the color it deserves. The trials and heartaches of young parents attempting to maintain a healthy, positive family environment even while dealing with crises is a story to which many can relate. The acting was pleasant and the characters real. A good effort exerted by all!

Play: The Song in Your Blood
Reviewer: Vince Vitale
Reviewer Email: WorldGazer@aol.com
Rating: 4 Stars
The "song" is more a reference to fate than music, which also has a presence in Denise Dee's play. A turn-of-the-century Irish immigrant family in Pittsburgh suffers the Angela's Ashes formula for pain. The song is the "sickness in your blood," an inherited dysfunction. And as far as glowing visions of the future, one character asks her brother, "You really think there is going to BE a future?" The weak family members are all held together by Aunt Katie, who submerges her life in service to them. The Fringe sees precious little classic theater with set and props, as well as family themes, and for this I am grateful to playwright Dee. What is lacking is a sense of counterbalancing lightness and humor, which would have made the hard times that much more poignant, while intermittently lightening the burden on the audience. I was also left with wanting to know whose story this is, which character is the central perspective. Are all these characters victims, or are they hid!
ing out in their various dysfunctions? All in all, a family drama worth seeing.

Play: The Song in Your Blood
Reviewer: K.S. Kelly
Reviewer Email: kskelly@concentric.net
Rating: 3 Stars
A story of an Irish family, from hopeful early days and later hard times, that is well acted by a cast that includes some bright children. The costumes were pretty good at recreating turn of the century fashion; the stage set was sparse. It is an emotional drama, really, that illustrates universal truths about family interactions that haven't changed much since the turn of century setting. Musical themes are woven throughout the production to make effective points about the culture of this family and Irish culture in general. It's worth seeing if you like deep thoughts and are sentimental in nature.

Play: The Song in Your Blood
Reviewer: Sandy
Reviewer Email:
Rating: 4 Stars
This play portays the the life experience of a family suffering from poverty, mental illness and alcoholism with brutal honesty. Without resorting to sentimentality, this play provides profound insites into the human condition and family dynamics. None of the characters are heroes, all are tainted, and each is grappling with the loss of their dreams. This is a play that is well acted and haunting.

Play: The Song In Your Blood
Reviewer: Robin Amos
Reviewer Email:
Rating: 3 Stars
The Song In Your Blood is a well written and ambitious sophomore effort by last years Best of Fringe and Best New Drama winners, Theatre of Hiareth. The year is 1928, the family is poor Irish Catholic, the setting is a tenement apartment in the shadow of Pittsburgh’s steel mills, the mother hears voices, the father is drunk - and lost in the midst of it is ten year old Finn, trying to make sense of it all. In a sea of the standard fringe fare of austere black box productions and one man/woman shows, The Song in Your Blood stands out, if nothing else, for it’s aspirations. To attempt staging a period piece, with music and a cast of nine, which includes children - and one a twelve year old in a lead role! - is brave given the restraints of the fringe. Hiareth meets the challenge and rises above these limitations - Toby Brooks plays the lead with surprising depth and finesse for his age, a spare set (though quite bulky for the fringe) and excellent period costuming set the!
scene, projection, sound cues and special lighting effects are used sparingly but to great effect to set mood, period and to illustrate, in an eerily moving dream sequence, the mother’s deranged state of mind while under sedation.
But, the production has problems - the acting, for the most part, is ponderous and overly dramatic and coveys nothing of the mischievous and devilish charm and humor that the Irish use to make light of the tragedies that pervade their history. When Finn Sr., the father, turns to young Finn and asks, “How old are you now?” there is none of the twinkle in the eye or the false bravado my Irish father would have used to make light of this embarrassing confusion. With no sense of humor how could a man a survive 12 hours shifts in a steel mill only to come home to view his wife’s mental collapse and see his dreams of a music career drift further and further away? Unfortunately there is not much hope for the audience either when the actors deliver easy laugh lines like this with a morose and actorly declamation. Brooks, as young Finn, seems struggling out there, with the ecstatic exuberance he brings to the role, to wake the rest of the cast up from a stupor. And he seems to be!
almost the only one in the cast (for all of his twelve years) to understand the humor in the script. Which is unfortunate, because the script is full of dialog written with a keen ear for the whimsical double meanings and subtle put downs that pepper Irish banter.
Still the cast manages some of the scenes with great effect - a scene between Finn and his mother as they discuss her madness and his future is quite poignant. But with the cast only being able to pull off these tear-jerking moments while missing the humor and lightness that is also in the play, we the audience feel beat down and unsympathetic. I hope that The Song In Your Blood will find a second and full staging (for the fringe only the first act is presented.) It’s potential is evident and with some love and nurturing this play could be really something special.
Rimma Dreyband’s excellent performance in the all too small role of Norah, the sharp tongued neighbor, should be commended in closing. With the excellent grasp of Irish sarcasm displayed in the pointed delivery of her lines, one wonders why her talents were not applied in a more central role. The energy she brought to her scenes really showed all that this play could be.