		Playing in the Dark
		SAN FRANCISCO FRINGE FESTIVAL AUDIENCE REVIEWS
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CLICK HERE FOR RECENT REVIEWS IN CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER CLICK ON PLAY FOR AUDIENCE REVIEWS FOR THAT PLAY 21/One: Twenty-One Shows in One Hour 3 Plays About Your Mom Antarctica ARE YA WORKING? Being Something: Living "Young" and Growing "Old" in Oakland Bound and Gagged Brilliant Disguise Brother #1 Cervix With A Smile Chinese Clown Cabaret CornTato Divided We Fall Do The Clam El Camino Loco Fear of a Brown Planet Fresh Meat Go Kibbitz go! Got Lucky Green Bamboo Hermitage Here to There LOUNGE-ZILLA! Love Scenes Magnificence of the Disaster MEDIAVOID Name You Can Trust, A nEO-sURREALISTS Paper Dolls Playing in the Dark Politics on the Edge Revolving Madness SHIFTINGS Show me where it hurts Slow Moves, Rich Tales Sperm Warfare Thersites Waiting for the Relevance WALKING BACK TO BROOKLYN Werewolf, The When You Stand Alone Yellow Tunic, The You May Now Kiss.... My Sass		Play: Playing in the Dark Reviewer: Frequently Fringed 4 Stars Three odd short plays make up Jim Strope's contribution to this years Fringe Festival. I came in familiar with Jim's entry in 2003 (also 3 short plays) and while the style was similar, I felt that this was the stronger overall submission. Jim's penchant for eccentric, antagonistic characters remains, but here the stories come together more successfully. The best of the three pieces is the middle one, centered around a disturbed young man in a mental institution being visited by his also off-balance mother. The clever dialogue in this piece was augmented by two very strong leads. All in all, an interesting show, though by the nature of these short plays - not skits - it feels a little clipped and "partial". I'd be curious to see what a full length play by Jim Strope might be like. Play: Playing in the Dark Reviewer: Liz 4 Stars Three short scenes exploring the side of human nature consumed by fulfilling selfish desires. The first features a character who questions his ability to complete a job he has performed many times in the past but does not know how to escape. In the second, Mom is oblivious to the needs of those around her, and in the third there is no remorse, even when that means that One is now forever alone. Regarding the first act (Pounding), another reviewer says that he didn't get that these guys could/would actually kill someone and dump them over a cliff. The fact that they were not archetypical thugs made them even more frightening to me. Gosh, they could live next door to me. The context of this scene was a little mysterious and I think it belongs as one scene in a full length play. You need to know that "letting the air out" is slang for killing someone. Mad Tom is a delight. Mom is trying to create a world based on her fantasy of a relationship with her son Tom that will never be. She is searching for a meaningful life but cannot see beyond her own desires and how to be-in-relation to others. Next to the Last Man says that even the last living person is entrapped by human nature.The actors and the director took this task seriously and their hard work shows. The sound track adds depth to the production. Play: Playing in the Dark Reviewer: Celia Hatrford 5 Stars Very nice acting in all 3 plays, the script was fantastic and Mad Tom shined in all aspects of the play. My hats off to mom and bill. Good job guys Play: Playing in the Dark Reviewer: Jim Strope 5 Stars The actors are terrific. Linda Ayres-Frederick as Mom especially shines in Mad Tom but all are professional, well-paced, alternately funny and serious. The script is wonderful, a surface of intrigue and humor covering the subterranean hedonism that is the anthem of our time. Great writing, and I don't say that just because I'm the author. And Jean Mazzei's directing draws on her many talents. In addition to the casting and direction of the actors, she unifies the show by attention to lighting and music that artfully combines the individual plays into a single dramatic arc. It's a grat show, good candidate for Best of the Fringe, and I'm not saying that just because I'm the producer. Play: Playing In The Dark Reviewer: Vanessa Erickson 2 Stars The saving grace in this play was the acting of the mom and the son in the second part. The rest were lacking in intensity. There's too much to be desired in the play's direction too and the script needed more refining especially in the first part. Play: Playing in the dark Reviewer: Lord B 4 Stars I enjoyed all three plays of this show. The first was well acted but I didn't get that the leads were actually going to rape a woman and then dump her off a cliff. For some reason, I thought one of the guys was a pedophile (at least at first). So it wasn't clear to me exactly the nature of their crime. A fault of the play? I don't know. Probably just me. Well acted and written though. Second play reminded me of One Over the Cuckoos's Nest. I also enjoyed the performances. I wish my friend Irv had a more significant role to play as he is a fine actor in his own right. And the last play reminded of a Jack London story, To Build a Fire. It's a chilling account of one man's final moments in the snow trying to build a fire and failing and then going after his dog and failing at that too. This play was well written and well casted. Play: Playing in the Dark Reviewer: mike 2 Stars sort of interesting. kind of dark. not much action to speak of. the tall guy is a total stud. the ladies are the most dynamic actors of the bunch, especially the mom, love the mom. third scene needs a little work guys. Play: Playing in the Dark Reviewer: Belline 4 Stars Captivating. Three different shorts with very distinct voices. I loved it but I suppose it was too mysterious for me; I wanted more of my whys/hows/whos answered. Play: Playing In The Dark Reviewer: Samantha 1 Star The writing sucked. There's too much attempt at experimentation and profundity that the audience was left wondering what the play was really trying to say. The first part was a disaster with unclear dialogue and bad acting. Actors were good in the second and third parts though but in totality, the play felt like high school students auditioning for a mediocre school play. Save your $9 and your time. This play is not worth your while, I warn you.