CLICK HERE FOR LIST OF ALL PLAYS REVIEWED CLICK ON PLAY FOR AUDIENCE REVIEWS FOR THAT PLAY
- Abducted
Action!
Asian for Dummies
Ball and Daisy Chain
Can You See Me?
Certain Things...
Chinese Clown Cabaret
Cincinatti
Come Fly With Me Nude
Comedy on the Square
divagation
Faker
Flame and the Stone
Flower Murderer
Framework
Future Folkloric
Hollywoodland
Home/Darkness
Hooray for Speech...
It's Stupid to Steal...
Late Night With God
Long-Form Improv &...
m.i. blue's TWILITE...
Magic @ the Fringe
Moliere Than Thou
nEO-sURREALISTS Present
Other American Stories
Oui Be Negroes
PAIN
Quarter Into It
Rabbit Causes Dog
Rap Canterbury Tales
Reframing the Hourglass
Short and Sweet...
some life
Subhuman-True Tales...
This Love Train...
Thrilling Adventures...
Tonight: The Harsh …
Under the Counter...
Viva Karaoke!...
Viva Vivi
Wrestling an Alligator
Young War
Zeppelin Beach Improv
Play: rap canterbury tales
Reviewer: annika
Reviewer Email:
Rating: 5 Stars
Baba Brinkman does a great job of re-imagining three of the canterbury tales.
This is clearly part of a larger goal, to help bring back oral poetry and
oral performance of poetry. His rap about the history of oral poetry was
especially well- done.
Play: the flame and the stone
Reviewer: annika
Reviewer Email:
Rating: 5 Stars
Well-crafted story of Yeats and his relation with Maud Gonne, told against
the background of "the troubles" in Ireland in the late 19th century.
Very well-acted and worth seeing.
Play: moliere than thou
Reviewer: annika
Reviewer Email:
Rating: 5 Stars
Fantastic show! Timothy Mooney is a gifted actor who manages to weave together
some of Moliere's best monologues in a spirited performance, done with panache
and style. At two times he asks for volunteers from the audience to do a
scene with him. Ladies: if you've ever wanted to be made love to by Mel
Gibson, take him up on it. You'll only have a few lines, and he does look
like Mel.
Play: Rabbit Causes Dog
Reviewer: Marissa
Reviewer Email:
Rating: 5 Stars
A spectacular show! Their use of gesture, movement and sound is innovative
and engaging. A powerful piece that haunts you after you've left the theater!
THIS IS A MUST SEE!!!!!!
Play: Neo-Surrealists
Reviewer: Nick Strange
Reviewer Email:
Rating: 5 Stars
Drop every pre-conceived notion you have about risk-taking on stage and
see these guys. They're vaudeville on acid.
Play: Cincinnati
Reviewer: Shaun Landry
Reviewer Email: shaunlandry@yahoo.com
Rating: 3 Stars
The performance of Mia was strong. She obviously has this show in her bones.
Technically it was incredible (especially the end and that realization that
she has gone officially crazy...with the slide show and her expressions...very
powerful). The material on the other hand was not as exciting as I hoped
it would be. What makes this show good is Mia takes material that some would
probably not care too much about and uses that incredible stage ability
to bring you in. I would like to see her in other pieces around the city.
She is an acting force.
Play: This Love Train Is Unstoppable
Reviewer: shaunlandry@yahoo.com
Reviewer Email: shaunlandry@yahoo.com
Rating: 4 Stars
So, I sat next to Mia who posted below. I found our bodies during most of
the show leaned foraward into watching Mondy do this piece. It was funny.
The transistions from one story back to the "The acne" was clean
and good. His delivery made you like him automatically. It is so dry...you
need a humidifier in the place. There could have been some more stronger
voice flux in some places...but overall the show was super strong. There
are so many one person shows at the Fringe this year. This is yet, another...that
did not dissapoint. (just watch this guy buying him a drink..he fricking
drinks Makers Mark...the most expenisve drink to order...can you dumb down
to beer?)
Play: Neo Surrealists Present...Half Baked but Well Done
Reviewer: Shaun Landry
Reviewer Email: shaunlandry@yahoo.com
Rating: 5 Stars
Four star along for any ensemble who ranges between the ages of 25-30 can
do a scene regarding a classic (and obscure now) vaudvillian who used to
do his entire act out of his ass...is all right by me. I don't know what
it is. Maybe I can smell a Chicagoan a mile away. Maybe I lean towards the
wonderfully absurb. Maybe I cannot stop laughing at the extreme retardedness
of Olympic boxes. Maybe I love that they make fun of the Fringe itself.
Maybe the idea they get guest artist from other Fringe shows to do something
butt ass stupid. Naked men passing out chocolate. Glow in the dark beauty.
A delicious full figured woman in a mask doing Tribal dancing. A woman in
a beautiful commedia mask mowing the floor. Good grief. It was a good show.
The only beef is this: Tighten up the transistions DOGS. If I do not see
you cats Gurrella the closing night party with your own personal Fringe
Awards...I will be pissed. See this FRICKIN CHEESE THROWIN SHOW.
Play: asian for dummies
Reviewer: annika
Reviewer Email:
Rating: 4 Stars
This show goes to darker places than last year's show. Definitely worth
seeing. It's fascinating having insiders' views of asian-american culture.
(Although, one of my favorite routines(about a lost Chinese clan in medieval
Scotland) had little to do (I presume!) with the asian-american experience,
but was really well done and a lot of fun.)
Play: future folkloric
Reviewer: annika
Reviewer Email:
Rating: 3 Stars
When this group sticks to music and dance, they're very good. However, their
attempts at story-telling (especially the "fairy godmother in Angola")
are extremely amateurish and don't work at all. Stick to song, music, and
percussion.
Play: late night with god
Reviewer: annika
Reviewer Email:
Rating: 2 Stars
You'd think that with thousands of years of religion to call upon, they
could come up with more interesting material than wound up in this show.
However, the guy doing the Dalai Lama does a great extended display of mouth-acoustics
with the microphone. His extended jam almost makes the show worthwhile.
Play: the thrilling adventures of elvis in space
Reviewer: annika
Reviewer Email:
Rating: 2 Stars
generally stupid and sophomoric.
I liked robot charlie hodges,
and the general premise of elvis being the hero of a space opera has promise.
Also there's some Bush-bashing,
which is always enjoyable.
Anyway, if you're into something goofy and unpolished, and the show description
appeals to you, go for it. Otherwise, be very careful.
Play: rabbit causes dog
Reviewer: annika
Reviewer Email:
Rating: 2 Stars
I've seen a lot of plays (around 3 a week for the last 4 years) so I'm a
somewhat sophicticated theatre-goer. However, I don't see where all the
awe-struck praise in the other reviews comes from. The performers are talented,
but this show seems to be a disorganized mish-mash of cliches about appalachia
- incest, stupid yokels, etc. Despite the Walker Evans images hanging about
the lobby, I get the feeling the cast made up this show out of whole cloth.
Play: magic@the fringe
Reviewer: annika
Reviewer Email:
Rating: 5 Stars
A must-see, especially if you didn't see his fringe show last year. Complete
control of his craft, and an actor's ability to tell a story. What I like
best is Cagigal's ability to do "meta-magic" - to use magic to
address wider human concerns of death and destruction, rebirth and transformation.
This year's show developed themes from last year's. I hope that next year
he ventures into new territory - it will be exciting to see what he comes
up with.
Play: divagation
Reviewer: annika
Reviewer Email:
Rating: 2 Stars
IT COULD HAVE BEEN 5 STARS-
The sad thing about this cabaret performance is that it could have been
great. The chanteuse has a wonderful voice, and when she does get around
to singing (around 4 or 5 songs in the whole show)it's breath-taking. Most
of the time though, her excellent back-up-combo is left doing nothing while
she talks about wanting to do cabaret, tells some awful jokes, and goes
through a really tedious routine about making peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.
I appreciate the conceit of the show: that this is her "first night"
doing caberet, and she's nervous, etc. I think it's a fine idea to deconstruct
the cabaret lounge act - but, hey, she has a world of songs to choose from,
and a beautiful voice to sing them with. Think outside the cabaret box,
but stick to songs (and playing the clarinet, which she does pretty well.)
A lot of us can make pb&j sandwiches, but would give 5 years of our
lives to sing like that.
Play: This Love Train is Unstoppable....
Reviewer: Lydia Anders
Reviewer Email: landers@yahoo.com
Rating: 5 Stars
I will marry Dave Mondy if he asks me...oh wait, he doesn't know me...but
I will marry him anyway. He is brilliant and funny and I wish everyone would
go and see this amazing show with the hot hot guy...tooooooo poignant, wonderfully
written and funny.
Jealous of his girlfriend, if there is one. If not, taking numbers, Dave?
:)
Play: Rabbit Causes Dog
Reviewer: heather
Reviewer Email:
thank you. thanks to a fantastic, tight ensemble with amazing chemistry
and energy. thank you. the simplicity, and music, and dark, and fun...all
just make me say yes. thanks.
Play: Wrestling with Alligators
Reviewer: JustAGuy
Reviewer Email:
Rating: 1 Star
I went to this play reading the blurb on the sffringe site and on reading
the reviews. Let me just say I wonder if I saw the same plays that the reviewers
saw? The story was flat, dull, very uninspiring and unsurprising, and the
acting seemed pretty weak. I just wonder how this play got good reviews,
and wonder how it was accepted into the fringe.
Play: Asian For Dummies
Reviewer: kensek
Reviewer Email:
Rating: 3 Stars
A couple of handfuls of comedy bits touching on Asian life and stereotypes.
Some of the bits were out and out funny. Others merited just an amused grin.
Each bit is short enough that the lesser ones pass by fairly quickly. If
you're a PC person who can't stand some ethnic stereotypes being parodied,
even if by that ethnic group, you probably shouldn't attend. Even the funnier
bits played to too obvious targets, though. A defter touch would have been
funnier. Entertaining hour.
Play: Under the Counter Culture
Reviewer: kensek
Reviewer Email:
Rating: 5 Stars
Hey, how often do you get to here a violin and acoustic guitar fronted by
a singer at the Fringe? Muscial comedy, original songs by Joani Rose and
company, as she sings about her life, much of it in Humboldt(?) county.
Kind of a bluegrass twang to much of the music. Fairly light hearted, a
friend's death is treated with a deft touch.
Play: Flower Murderer
Reviewer: Kensek
Reviewer Email:
Rating: 4 Stars
Powerful solo performance by Stevenson. For most of the performance, you
feel as if she's speaking directly to you. Intense, piercing look. A number
of members of the audience came up to her to compliment her after the performance.
Much heavier in tone than the solo performance of Faker. Worth seeing. Only
a few bits bordered on something somewhat less than "pretentious"
Play: Magic @ the Fringe
Reviewer: Darcy
Reviewer Email:
Rating: 5 Stars
I've seen Christian in action before and he just gets better every time.
For anyone that love wholesome entertainment with a touch of family nostaligia
should see this show
Play: Flower Murderer
Reviewer: Mia Paschal
Reviewer Email:
Rating: None
I enjoyed Flower Murderer. I saw it a few days ago, and so many of Sabrina's
characters just stayed with me. It was a pleasure to watch her on stage,
and, while all of her characters were interesting, I really loved the roommate
note scene (hilarious!), the Baha'i transvestite, the elderly lady speaking
about age and aging. And I absolutely loved the Flower Murderer piece! Lovely,
impressive work, and lovely writing - subtle and powerful.
Play: This Love Train Is Unstoppable
Reviewer: Mia
Reviewer Email:
Rating: None
I really enjoyed this show, especially Dave's relaxed, engaging delivery
and stage presence, and his dry wit. The hour flew by - I didn't want it
to end!
Play: Magic @ The Fringe
Reviewer: Mereides
Reviewer Email: mermaidinflames@yahoo.com
Rating: 5 Stars
This is a beautiful, lyrical show, which takes the idea of a magic show
to new heights. Christian Cagigal is a very talented actor and magician
and he skillfully and subtly weaves illusion, Shakespeare, Lorca, glimpses
of his life and passions, humor, and even the true tale of a Spanish emigre
seamstress to reveal the truest and, in the end, the most awe-inspiring
magic of all - life, and how we live and perceive it. Because Christian
shows us that it's not only only about the magic tricks we see, but how
we see them, and what that tells us about ourselves. A very special work
from a generous, sensitive, and intelligent actor.
And I loved the "Tony Soprano"-like stage assistant! A very nice touch. The music was very good too.
Play: The Flame and the Stone
Reviewer: Jay Martin
Reviewer Email: scenography@hotmail.com
Rating: 5 Stars
A young poet, William Butler Yeats, and a young protester, Maud Gonne, both
long to restore something taken from the Irish. They long for each other,
too. They aren't young anymore when the story ends, fifty years later, and
Ireland hasn't recovered the ancient spirituality Yeats wanted it to have
or the full nationality Gonne wanted it to have. In simple terms, Yeats
worried about the Irish's beliefs and Gonne worried about the Irish's eats.
I know which side I'm on (first the sausage, then the sermon, as Brecht
said) but this story is about how these two influential people influenced
each other. Gonne gives life to rebel courage and gives Yeats the true news
about politics that he needs. In the flesh, Yeats's faith in paganism and
in drugs seems more hopeful than crackpot, and Gonne comes to share his
hope. Almost all that's on the stage are two actors. And the actors are
close to the audience. I'd always rather see good acting up close than on
the other side of a mammoth theater. I'd also always rather see a play about
politics than about sexual trauma or spiritual beliefs, but in the story
of Yeats and Gonne all of those are tied together. Because it's a story
of fact, it isn't always foreseeable where the story goes next, and it isn't
ever inevitable where it goes. If it had been fiction, the playwright would
have sent the story somewhere else, maybe even somewhere happy. But after
these small scenes, I felt I had seen the large lives of Yeats and Gonne.