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: Magic @ The Fringe
Reviewer: Muzz
Reviewer Email: bigmuzz@bigmuzz.com
Rating: 5 Stars
I was very pleasantly surprised by this show. The storytelling and humor
are great, and he builds rapport with the audience very quickly. Christian
not only wow's you with the magic tricks, but also makes you THINK about
what you are seeing.
Play: Future Folkloric
Reviewer: Palmito
Reviewer Email:
Rating: None
Hey - we've got three more shows next weekend - see the bottom of our Fringe
page for correct times and location:
http://www.sffringe.org/fringe04/plays04/futurefo.html
And whatever you do - don't sit in the front row if you don't want to get "involved" in the action. ;-)
Play: Wrestling an Alligator
Reviewer: Nick Strange
Reviewer Email:
Lots of engergy. An intersting premise: a company makes it's money by forcing
clients to violate a contract and then suing them for damages. But much
of what goes on feels pointless and the show itself felt over long before
the material ran out. While Mary Samson and Larkin Boero both had their
moments (and, perhaps, could have had more under a different director),
Stefin Collins didn't deliver one honest line reading. Perhaps he should
consider suing his acting teachers for breach of contract.
Play: Hooray for Speech Therapy
Reviewer: Nick Strange
Reviewer Email:
To be honest, this show wasn't on my list to see at the Fringe, but when
I caught Kurt Fitzpatrick doing a Guest Artist spot at the Neo-Surrealists
show Friday night, I knew I had to give Hooray for Speech Therapy a shot.
This isn't a great show. The material rambles and Kurt seems obviously to
be enjoying it more than anyone else. But it is a good show and, most importantly,
an endearing one. I was glad to have caught it.
Play: It's Stupid to Steal...
Reviewer: Nick Strange
Reviewer Email:
Note to Hank Di Giovanni: Slow down. Take your time. Find the moments. Develope
your rapport with the audience. Work on your comic timing. Relax. Trust
the material instead of driving it like a semi down Highway 5. Also, get
rid of the hard hat as soon as possible as it casts a shadow over your eyes.
When I can't see your eyes I can't tell if anything that's being said is
registering emotionally with the actor, or if you're just faking it. If
the problem is with getting such a large amount of material out in sixty
minutes, then cut some of the material. I'd suggest starting with the gravesite
solioquy, as it's too cute, redundant, and out of character with everything
else. Both the writing and the acting had a lot of potential that I thought
was undercut by the lack of direction.
Play: Wrestling an Alligator
Reviewer: Orson Harris
Reviewer Email:
Rating: None
Eesh. I really didn't understand what the playwright was going for, and
what was left didn't interest me at all. I'd like my hour back, please.
Play: Viva Karaoke
Reviewer: Judy
Reviewer Email:
Rating: 4 Stars
Ridiculous, silly and fun. Loved the curvy cast--especially the cowgirl.
And loved to hate the cheerleaders.
Play: "Short and Sweet"
Reviewer: Judy
Reviewer Email:
Rating: 3 Stars
"Hit the Muscle" --about two suburban Narcissists in an empty
marriage. Somehow they made a committment to spend their lives together
without him knowing anything about the reality of her past--yet somehow
he loved her neurotic, controlled and controlling present self??? Oh no
I forgot, he only loved his fantasy image of her--he knew nothing about
the guts and blood and bones and soul of this woman. I didn't believe it...or
maybe it was more that I didn't care. I didn't like them--especially the
main character. She was too defended. I needed her to be willing to risk
the safety and security of her sterile, thinly constructed fantasy life
to realize her authentic self and to live her truth soulfully and with courage.
Maybe the play was too short for this kind of development. Maybe, to be
fair, I don't like short pieces. I don't want to see "ordinary"
behavior on stage (hiding, pretending), I want to see ordinary people in
the extraordinary part of their journeys...
The middle piece--"Ritual Trio" was interesting--loved the exploration
of the sexual attractiveness of an older woman. Hated that the lust remained
cerebral and was not consumated. The last piece "Commit me to memory"
...as a woman living with a life-threatening illness, the heroic martyrdom
of the main (and dying) character pissed me off. "Yes I know you love
me and I love you but I am going to save you from the horror of watching
me die by running off to India to die alone." Give me a f%$#ing break!
If you have someone willing to go through it with you, then have the courage
to go through it with them. The common thread in these three pieces? a woman
presented with an opportunity to have an authenitc connection with another
through the courageous act of accepting the truth of who she herself is,
and each of them choosing instead, to hide, to withdraw, to resist.
Please show me a woman who loves herself enough to allow herself to be accepted,
loved, desired and supported for her true self, even (and especially) if
part of the truth is that she is an ex-junkie, a woman of age whose life
is etched into her face, or a woman who is dying. Give me hope, not just
something to think about.
Play: Short and Sweet
Reviewer: Amanda
Reviewer Email:
Rating: 4 Stars
As an person with a short attention span and also lacking play-going experience,
I found Short and Sweet conceptually appealing. Hit the Muscle (first play)
provides a diverse set of characters--the actors play off one another well.
Commit Me to Memory (third) works well as a short play, though it made me
want to see the longer version, and achieves impressive character depth
and thematic gravity, especially given the short time frame. Congrats to
the cast, crew and director for their talents and effort.
Play: Hollywoodland by Hal Savage
Reviewer: Cass Flatley
Reviewer Email:
Rating: 5 Stars
Casting was super, actors were superb. The performance was exciting. My
only negative thought is that it ran for such a short time many people missed
it and I couldn't get back for a second time. The character development
was excellent and I found myself believing that I knew them personally.
Jan Rose was remarkable as Jane. She really lit the stage with her appearance.
Thank you for a delightful evening.
Play: Chinese Clown Cabaret
Reviewer: Preston
Reviewer Email: pnspeaker@yahoo.com
Rating: 4 Stars
The multi-talented Jane Chen and her wonderfully irreverent mother deliver
a performance that's at once goofy and classy, heart-warming and funny,
traditional and counter-streotype. Jane if you read this review I want to
invite you to the college where I work to do a show - seriously. You're
one-of-a-kind!
Play: wrestling an alligator
Reviewer: jes'fine
Reviewer Email:
Rating: 1 Star
There's a minus sign in front of that one star rating. I've stayed out of
writting negative reviews but this was just terrible. Stay away from this
show! I haven't a clue as to who wrote the positive reviews. There was not
a single moment in the entire eternity of this enterminable 60 minute "show"
that I enjoyed being there. 15 minutes in I couldn't figure out what the
point of doing this show was nor did I any longer care. The Buddah in me
cries out for compassion for someone who would allegedly unknowingly and
unwittenly be the cause of so much pain and suffering ........but the Charles
Bronson in me screams out , "Screw that crap , off the bastard before
he 'creates' again."...I probably should have cooled off before writting
this but........As a friend of my wife's was told by her church choir master
, "I believe the Lord has other plans for you." Or at have someone
evaluate what you are doing before attempting this again. Please , for our
sake.
Play: "Home/Darkness
Reviewer: Paul Kleyman
Reviewer Email: paul@asaging.org
Rating: 5 Stars
The slash-title is the only thing I don't like about this superb production.
Joe Dunn (directed by the keen-minded Charlie Varon, has crafted one of
the most incisive statements about the effect of 9/11 on American Society
that I've seen in fiction of nonfiction. The show's several scenarios involving
a British philopsphy professor at U.C. Berkeley, a Pakistani merchant and
his rebellious all-American teenage son, and Christian fundamentalist car
salesman, each emerges separately but become entwined in love and fear by
the play's end. Dunn is a commanding performer, a Brit whose mastery of
both character and accent is almost as impressive as his skill as a writer.
This is the initial outing for a play that has taken about a year to delvelop,
I was to told. There are a few slow spots and transitions that could be
smoother, but quality is so high and the performance so absorbing that theater
lovers will find it a sheer pleasure to be able to say, "I saw it when
it was first stag!
ed." This work should go to the top of the Best of the Fringe list.
Play: Cincinnati
Reviewer: Lance Shoely
Reviewer Email:
Rating: 5 Stars
Mia Tagano's performance was excellent. The show was amazing to watch and
wow what a story! Part drama, comedy and just an overall treat. The sound,
lights and slides were fantastic and they did nothing but help Mia's performance,
but the performance itself would be nothing without Mia! ROCK ON!
Play: Home/Darkness by Joe Dunn
Reviewer: Michelle Richards
Reviewer Email:
Rating: 5 Stars
Masterful, thoughtful and funny. The diverse characters that Joe brings
to life push us to explore what it means to be an american in these times.
An awesome show!
Play: Action!
Reviewer: K. Fitz
Reviewer Email:
I would like to respond to whatwasthat's comment about the five-star reviews
of this show. I previously gave this show five stars, and I must be honest
and say that this is really a four-star show. I tacked on an extra star
because Thessaly is just so damn cute. So there you go - five stars in all.
I hope this clears things up.
Play: Action!
Reviewer: Preston
Reviewer Email:
This play had some pretty funny moments. Towards the end of the play, however,
I was a bit overwhelmed by her non-stop frantic energy - like drinking a
six pack of red-bull while racing. Still, I think she'd make cast on SNL.
Play: Hurray for Speech Therapy
Reviewer: Preston
Reviewer Email:
Rating: 2 Stars
You'd want to root for the guy, although it wasn't as funny as I had hoped.
Play: Framework
Reviewer: Preston
Reviewer Email:
True improv talents, this gang. Recommeded
Play: Come Fly With Me Nude
Reviewer: Nick Strange
Reviewer Email:
Rating: 5 Stars
The Ice Capades routine alone is worth the price of admission. These guys
are tight, funny, and capable of invoking concepts (Twyla Tharp in just
three steps, for example) with a minimum of effort. Dom and Bella, the two
main characters, don't have a clue and that's what makes them so endearing.
I'm glad to hear the show is selling out (in terms of packed houses, of
course), 'cause they deserve it
Play: Framework
Reviewer: Nick Strange
Reviewer Email:
Frankly, I was disappointed. I'd seen this group a while back at the Next
Stage and thought they had a lot of potential. But since then, for whatever
reason, that potential has been diluted to simply a gimmick. Doing long-form
improv isn't enough. Even doing long-form improv well isn't enough. It still
needs to have an edge and the show I caught Thursday night was barely a
notch or two above after-school special. Come on, guys! You're a talented
bunch of improvisers. Unadulterated happy endings are cheese whiz.
Play: Frameworks
Reviewer: Cory
Reviewer Email: kunjane@hotmail.com
Rating: 2 Stars
I thought the whole thing was overacted and corny. I didn't love that the
actors were waiting on the sidelines. I thought they did a good job of making
it seem like a real play, but it was overstylized. I don't really love the
concept of integrating technology.
Play: Abducted
Reviewer: Nick Strange
Reviewer Email:
This critique may be about me, but will someone explain what alien abduction,
writer's block, and lesbianism have in common? It's not that I'm anti any
of the above, I just don't understand
Play: Can You See Me?
Reviewer: Melinda
Reviewer Email:
Rating: 5 Stars
Funny, sad, sweet and cute. A must see for anyone who ever loved a kick-ass
grandmother
Play: Quarter Into It
Reviewer: Orson Harris
Reviewer Email:
Rating: 1 Star
Everyone who actually puts a show together from start to finish deserves
a certain amount of credit; it's hard work. Aaron Pewtherer and Sonja Starkovich
are very sincere and well-rehearsed. Quick changes went very smoothly. However,
I wish they had gone further to make their work stand out. If you're going
to have a weird situation, make it a WEIRD situation, not just a hotel where
you can't get what you want. If you're going to do a bad French (or Bronx
or Valley Girl) accent, do a BAAAAD French accent. If you're going to portray
twins who spend so much time together that you wonder if there's something
else going on, do THE HOUSE OF YES.Is it intentionally ironic when one character
says, "These are all cliches" ?
Play: Under the Counter Culture
Reviewer: Natasha Juliana
Reviewer Email:
Rating: 5 Stars
Joani Rose made me laugh and cry. I enjoyed every minute of this show. The
music was great and the stories heartfelt and unabashedly honest.
Play: Asian for Dummies
Reviewer: Muzz
Reviewer Email: bigmuzz@bigmuzz.com
Rating: 2 Stars
Of the three OPM shows I've seen, this was the least inspired and least
original. Most of the skits weren't funny, just shocking or strange (esp
the skit about parents of the newborn baby). The acting was great, but I
really didn't get the point of the skit about the Clan of McChung. The only
one I found funny was "Chinatown Justice". The cast seemed smaller
than previous years, so maybe that had something to do with the selection
of skits included in the show. I felt some of the skits were really forced
and there was a lot of re-hashed material.
Play: Reframing the Hourglass
Reviewer: Diane Karagienakos
Reviewer Email:
Rating: 5 Stars
This show is incredible. Perfectly paced, funny, sad, and touching. I never
thought my heart could break for two sweaters. Leibe Wetzel is in that is
one of those rare people who don't strive to be artists, they simply are.
I cannot wait to see what she does next.
Play: certain things
Reviewer: annika
Reviewer Email:
Rating: 3 Stars
A man and a woman look back over their life together, with flash-backs using
a variety of text by writers from Petronius to Charles Mee. The acting,
espcially by the actress, is very good. What didn't work for me is that
the text used didn't seem very well chosen. Out of all that has been written
about love, it seems there's a lot that cuts closer to the bone than what
was actually used.
Play: short and sweet: three plays
Reviewer: annika
Reviewer Email:
Rating: 4 Stars
The first of the three plays (Hit the Muscle) was brilliant. It is complete
in-and-of-itself, ending with a moment of epiphany for the protagonist,
a young woman who has pulled herself out of reform school by years of excruciating
self-discipline. At the same time, I wanted to see this one-act embedded
in a full play, and to spend more time with the wonderfully realized character.
This play makes the whole show worth-while.The other two plays don't work
as well. The second one was tedious interlude about an older woman in a
bar, who is not dealing well with aging. Fortunately it was very short.
The last play, about a woman with a neurological problem (tumor? brain damage?)
charactized by loss of memory and focus, who has fled to an ashram in India.
There she is visited by a friend/co-worker from back in the states. It was
interesting; the only problem I had with it was that the staging was very
static