		Thersites
		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: Thersites Reviewer: Frequently Fringed 4 Stars The only "classical" work in the Festival, Thersites is an early English play that is almost entirely unknown by modern audiences(or, at least it was entirely unknown to me). This version (which was rather short, even by Fringe standards - it clocked in around 35 minutes) peppered with modern allusions to Cheney, Halliburton etc. The adaptation was done by Lucas McClure, who also played the title character. He does a great job holding the stage as the ridiculous braggart Thersites, a vainglorious soldier with delusions of grandeur. McClure has a strong command of the metered language. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said of the actor playing the Armourer, who struggled both with the memorization and the understanding of the verse. However, his scene was only five minutes of the performance and the rest of the cast was strong, particularly Thersites' mistreated mother. Overall, I enjoyed the show quite a bit and filled a literate void for the Festival - no other show ! I've seen in Fringe '05 (20 count) had such witty verbiage. The let downs were the Armourer and the short running time (I don't know if that was because the source material was short if it was just this adaptation). I could definitely have watched this for a full hour had there been more to see. I'm also not sure that McClure's costume needed to be quite...so risque Play: Theristes Reviewer: Larkin 1 Star I was going to write a review the night I saw the performance but didn't want to be cruel. After a few days I am still thinking about the show - and not in a good way. There was a serious disconnect from the performers and audience. The text was dense and the attempt to lighten it up or convey it to the audience did not succeed. It appeared as if some of the performers themselves had difficulties with the text. The night that I attended one of the characters kept stumbling (and plum forgetting) his lines. The young boy (played by a woman) was the best part of teh production she had a physical commitment to the character - nice. All in all, you are tredding into dangerous territory when you adapt, direct, and star in a play by yourself. It could have used some outside influences.. Play: thersites Reviewer: Jason R. 1 Star The best thing I can say is that it was only 35 minutes long. I was ready to leave right from the video projection segment, which grated on my ears and nerves, making me wonder what was wrong with the sound system, only to realize that the theatre was not to blame for the aural assault. What seemed to be the shows only joke, was beaten over our heads as if to say, "We made something funny, now laugh already!" It would be difficult to fault the players, since the original script is 500 years old, however so much damage has been done to it that only they can take the blame. Friends don't let friends see this show. Play: Thersites Reviewer: Agnes 4 Stars This show is ambitious but the cast is extremely talented and the play itself is perfect for the updated references to the "boasters" among our present day war mongers. Lucas McClure is compelling and has a great command of the material. Great to hear this language spoken with such understanding. Loved the projections too. Go see it. Very entertaining. Play: Thersites Reviewer: Dawn 1 Star Okay...I was going to leave this one alone, but it has to be said...please stay clear of this one. The only saving grace was that is was so short. Also the present day changes to the play made it even more impossible to follow. Play: Thersites Reviewer: Oncemoreintothebreach 3 Stars It was an interesting idea that didn't really come off. This is an update of one of the earliest plays in English, but it needs more work to tighten it up. Leaving in the rhymed verse wasn't a good idea either -- we're all too used to blank verse by now for it to sound anything but jingly. The contemporary references come off as a little heavy-handed as well. Still, it's more ambitious than most of the fringe offerings and certainly promising. Play: thersites Reviewer: theatre goer 1 Star It was sort of funny. Didn't get much of the dialog. Should pass on this one.