politics on the edge
 SAN FRANCISCO FRINGE FESTIVAL AUDIENCE REVIEWS
TO REVIEW A PLAY / HOME / FRINGE PLAY DESCRIPTIONS
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: Politics on the Edge
Reviewer: Shelley
4 Stars
I recommend this play strongly if only for the middle of the 3 short pieces. Set in a taxi cab with 4 actors, the piece is fluid, fascinating and utterly gripping with some compelling performances. It makes a refreshing change from one person shows and highlights a wonderful writer.
Go see this.


Play: Politics on the Edge
Reviewer: Chris
3 Stars
The middle piece of the three, November 2001, really stood out as the piece to see. Excellent acting and writing. The other two, Chop and Geography Lesson, were pretty tedious.


Play: politics on the edge
Reviewer: xtian
4 Stars
These 4 Stars go to Jon Brooks' segment, an intriguing NYC cab ride involving three passengers and their cabbie, mere weeks after 9/11. Fears, doubts, and the coping mechanisms all involved are exposed. An unexpected ending offers hope for the future.


Play: Politics on the Edge
Reviewer: Jason Wong
5 Stars
Very clever!! I loved the analogies of all three to current events and the attitudes of many people. I really got into the stories, Chop seemed to offer an everyone for themself mentality with the poor third character being beat up (life's never fair), November 2001 was a clevery written, directed and performed piece which highlighted the audaciousness and presumptuous attitudes of two Americans, while Geography Lesson portrayed a representation of different mother/daughter scenes from around the world that we just seem to clump up into one big headline instead of separating their circumstances like well informed adults. I saw this opening night, and thoroughly enjoyed the intellectual development and performance of all the pieces. Well Recommended!!


Play: Politics on the Edge
Reviewer: Claudia Barr
5 Stars
I saw Politics on the Edge opening night. It’s a good solid hour of insightful writing and sharp performances. For me, the highlight was Jon Brook’s play November 2001. I had heard the play read (we’re both playwrights with Theatre Artists’ Conspiracy) while Jon was developing it. Seeing it staged is a real treat. For a short play set in a taxi—which you would think would be static-- it had an amazing sense of movement. The characters are stuck in a claustrophobic ride in NYC after 9/11 with the very relatives that drive them most nuts. Josh (played to perfection by Dan Wilson) is stuck in a cab ride with his father and uncle—who bicker incessantly and cluelessly insult their Iranian cabby, Kazem. Fred Pitts, who played Kazem is distractingly handsome and gave a flawless performance. All four actors, especially George McRae, who had the wordiest part, gave spirited and nuanced performances. They were directed by Ellen Koivisto, who is a hell of a good director. Chop and Geography Lesson (which bookend November 2001) were both written by Koivisto. Chop is the shortest piece and is performed first. It’s a witty and very visual play; you have to see it to get it, the dialogue is absurd and almost incidental to the action. The dialogue is all in Geography Lesson, which is a beautifully written piece of world theater made personal by the two actresses (Rachel Garza and Adel Miller) that play a variety of mother and daughter scenes set in dangerous political climes over the recent past. Taking world headlines and making them personal is the challenge and Koivisto’s brilliant dialogue draws you in and makes you care. See Politics on the Edge; it’s thought provoking, really well written, and entertaining.


Play: politics on the edge
Reviewer: roberta rosen
4 Stars
I liked all 3 plays but particularly enjoyed Nov. 2001. I thought the writing was excellent, using dialogue to develop characters that were touching, somewhat recognizable and very funny.

I thought the acting and writing in all 3 plays quite accomplished.