CLICK HERE FOR RECENT REVIEWS IN CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER CLICK ON PLAY FOR AUDIENCE REVIEWS FOR THAT PLAY
- @six
21/One
Another Ugly Duckling Tale
BabyLove
Before the End- A Boy Called Noise
cruel & unusual
Curriculum Vitae
Eating Skeletons
Exiles
Fall and Rise of the Rising Fallen
Flamenco con Fusion
Fuse
Get It? Got it. Good!
Get Laughs or Die Tryin'
Irma at the Movies & Frozen
Just For Laughs
Kingdom of Not- Neon Man and Me
- nEO sURREALIST sYSTEMS
Pomp & Circumstance
Readiness is All
Revolving Madness
sally: MIA / Sheepish
Secret Ruths of Island House
Sisyphus on Vacation
Stone Trilogy, Three Tales
Thanatics - A Rock Opera
This Lily Was (Fontana)
Thrilling Adventures of Elvis in Space
Tilting at Transformations
Visiting Bertha
Waiting for Bordeaux
Where the Sun Don't Shine
Woof, Daddy
Yellow Fever Express
Yorick & Co.
Play: Just for Laughs
Reviewer: annika
5 Stars
a completely charming, innocent recreation
of classic vaudeville, with a very talented group acting their hearts out.
At 90 minutes of non-stop action (except for intermission)this show is a real bargain.
A few people walked out after the first few minutes - I guess it wasn't "edgy" enough for them.
Play: Where the Sun Don't Shine
Reviewer: annika
5 Stars
Marvelous tribute to "TwilightZone", with wonderful costumes,
sets, music, etc.
They've missed an opportunity to do something actually great, though,
and that is to relate the paranoia of the 50's to the paranoia of today.
Based on the Fringe preview event
("Is the Frappachino vente so different from the malted milk?")
I was hoping for more pointed political satire.
I hope this group returns to the Fringe next year with great political satire. We're in need of it just as much as our (grand)parents were in the 50's!
Play: Woof, daddy
Reviewer: annika
3 Stars
This is probably the best production
you could ever hope to see of "Woof, daddy".
Having said that, you should be warned
that overall the play is pretentious academic playwrighting. Think of it
as "Sylvia" done by Beckett. The play has lots of clever epigrammatic
language. However, take away the cleverness, and there's no there, there.
Given that the playwright has written a handful of books on theatre with
"Transversal Theatre" in the title, this is presumably an exemplar
of his theory of transverse drama.
However, if you manage to suspend any desire to relate to these characters as actual human beings, it's a hoot!
Play: Kingdom of Not
Reviewer: annika
3 Stars
Dan Carbone is definitely a talented actor,
and his tale is very dark, moody, and southern gothic.
However, I couldn't for the life of me figure out what it was about.
It's kind of fascinating listening to 60 minutes of crazed ramblings, but
it would have been nice to have somewhere in the piece to "latch on
to".
Play: exiles
Reviewer: annika
5 Stars
the enormously talented John Rackham is back again from England,
this time in a two-man show about being an English-teacher in Saudi Arabia.
Rackham plays all the roles
except for the English teacher.
Great acting by both actor's
and a fascinating look
at life in Bush's favorite dictatorship.
Play: 21/0ne
Reviewer: annika
1 Star
Warning!
This show runs almost 90 minutes,
so it might make it very difficult to get to a following show!
I liked the Fellini-esque events happening
outside the bus,
but inside was pretty boring
(maybe it's more interesting if you take advantage of the unlimited drinks
for $10.)
The bride-to-be (we're all supposedly her friends at her bachelorette party)
wasn't very good at her challenges (like doing a rap on what she ate for
breakfast) and what little plot there was concerning her relationships with
others on the bus was not developed.
Play: Just for Laughs
Reviewer: Allie
5 Stars
I went into the show hoping to have a few laughs and a good time. I left
with a smile that lasted for two days and an evening to remember forever.
Trust me, after this show; you'll never look at a hula dance without laughing
your ass off!!
Play: Where the Sun Don't Shine
Reviewer: Natasha
5 Stars
Fast paced, funny, clever, topical, current! A really witty, well acted
show. Execllent use of the quick-change multi-use backgrounds and props
AND the costumes were great! I enjoyed it and I bet you will too.
Play: Thanatics
Reviewer: Larry Krazny
5 Stars
It's all about the music. They should sell and album or something. The story
is cool, too--pretty familiar and haunting...and funny. But all the actors
play different instruments and can sing. There's even a couple dance numbers.
Crooked Family did a hell of a lot a work on this. The direction seemed
to have everything flowing a breakneck speed. Very entertaining. Five thumbs
up!!
Play: Before the End
Reviewer: Fringe already?
3 Stars
Karen Fox is a strong performer with great presence and I'd look forward
to seeing her in other productions. This had some neat ideas going on but
they didn't always come together or took a real long time to do so. The
idea of her being the possible last survivor after the wars and ALL is intriging
but it's never clear who she is speaking to. Are we real , are we the ancestors
, is this just mental revelry or has she gone mad? Or maybe that's the idea.
There has obviously been a great deal of thought that went into this production
,and it's possible it just went over my head , but it seemed too abstract
in getting across her messages. I really did like the revelation to be found
in the old book and wish I could have connected with more of the show in
that same way. I'd also add that there was a great deal to talk about after
the show and that alone makes it worth seeing.
Play: Get It? Got it? Good!
Reviewer: D
4 Stars
Great fun. Witty, lighthearted, and playful. The three acts go by quickly,
not unlike an episode of The Office.
Play: Where the Sun Don't Shine
Reviewer: Scott Barclay
5 Stars
Theatre Tremendo’s time-warp take on our own warped time is chock full
of clever laughs. Even the scenery had the full house laughing. Neat-o!
Play: Where The Sun Don't Shine
Reviewer: smc
4 Stars
This show was funny. The actors were all hilarious, with their rubber facial
expressions, and excellent comic timing. I especially enjoyed watching the
character portrayals performed by Floriana Alessandria. Wonderful job! Definately,
nice work by the entire cast.. tons of great moments.
Play: Where the Sun Don't Shine
Reviewer: Marla Misunas
5 Stars
Fantastic, hilarious! Even if you are only marginally familiar with the
old Twilight Zone show, this set of three vignettes will have you rolling
in the aisles; and even make you think. Great script, great acting, imaginative
minimalist sets.
Play: Pomp and Circumstance
Reviewer: Dale E.
3 Stars
Some good writing, some good acting, but the reviewer that mentioned editing
is correct. The playwright bit off a bit more than he could chew for 60
mins. Feels like two or three plots pushed into one 60 minute show. Felt
like a legal TV program, actually.
Play: Yorick & Co.
Reviewer: Sandy Hutchens
5 Stars
Everyone should see this show! It was well written and performed. When you
realize this was the first Fringe performance for this group; it amazes
me that everything was done so professionally. Top honors to the whole crew,
onstage and behind the scenes. The full house that was present when I saw
the show seemed to appreciate the humor and had a great time. The show was
fast paced and kept you laughing. YOU NEED TO SEE THIS ONE!
Play: Revolving Madness
Reviewer: Shaun Landry
4 Stars
You know how people who fringe a lot never take the reviews seriously because
half the reviews are people who can't stand a actor or director...have not
sen the show and just being snarky giving zero and one stars..
and the other half is friends of the cast and/or directors and they are
just pushing trying to get more four and five star rend
views?
Well I'm the latter. Yeah. I will up to it. I consider every single one of the people in Revolving (Mike, Christy, Lauren and Dre) great friends and good people. Honestly good people.
And the show they did last night was really strong and good. It is apparrent that they also care and love each other very much, and it is also very apparent that they have known and worked with each other for a very long period of time. That is a mark of a good improv ensemble. People who can hang in there and work with each other for years. True Fiction Magazine has that mark. And So does Revolving. They are a great ensemble.
I'm saying this because I'm their friend. I'm also saying this because these people were instrumental in selling out a three hundred seat house at SFIF06: If you miss the only official improv show at The Fringe? You are missing one of the best improv ensembles in the city.
-Shaun Landry
Play: Where the Sun Don't Shine
Reviewer: Kris Collins
5 Stars
The play was lively, nicely paced and very entertaining. Kept my interest
throughout. The members were all multi-talented and all played their roles
to the hilt. Makes you want to go to Where the Sun Don't Shine (a pun).
Don't miss it!
Play: Tilting at Transformations
Reviewer: Judy Freeman
4 Stars
This was a very enjoyable hour of theater. The short playlets were clever,
imaginative, and fun. The acting was engaging. I would highly recommend
this.
Play: Curriculum Vitae
Reviewer: ripegirl
5 Stars
A well rehearsed and precise yet comforatable and relaxed performance. I
laughed, I related and I highly reccommend seeing this show. I'm not a fan
of solo shows, mainly because they are so hard to pull off, but Mr. Hogg
does it brilliantly!
Play: Thanatics
Reviewer: Misha
5 Stars
This show has SO blown away my expectations. The music was superb, well
played and supremely well sung. A fantastic cast along with great new direction
has transformed this show into one I'd want to go see again and again. Hopefully,
the producers and cast will consider a longer run in the future as this
show could easily be expanded to more obviously comment on the state of
current politics.
Play: Get it? Got it? Good?
Reviewer: dark princess
4 Stars
A great ensemble cast in a quick witted and complex thrill ride. Fun, blasphemous
and compelling. I think I know what IT is.
Play: Curriculum Vitae
Reviewer: Kate Burton
5 Stars
BRILLIANT. Go and see this show!
Play: Eating Skeletons 3.5 stars
Reviewer: Darryl Henry
4 Stars
Got Calories?
A slice of life in la la land, starring three talented actresses. Eating Skeletons is about the trials and tribulations, the traumas and the tears of two teenage girls trying for stardom, as they audition for their big chance. Christina Huntington (babe). Of course, the talent scout/agent is Jewish. Good performances by all the actresses. Parts of the dialogue you’ve heard before (those 5 pounds that TV adds…). Oh, by the way, Christina Huntington is a babe! And no, I’m not a bud who has known her for years.
Play: 21/One - 3.5 Stars
Reviewer: Craig Kensek
4 Stars
A Moving Performance. Really! You’re on a Bus
This is a different performance piece from the norm. You ride a in a bachelorette party bus (passengers include the bride to be), shortly before her wedding. A list of bachelorette party to do’s. Jello shots. Tecate beer, and prophylactics. Passengers are part of the performance, as the actors speak to them and react to the answers. I’ve never gotten off a bus with an actor to buy a six-pack of beer mid performance before. Tough to explain, you’ll just have to do it. One quibble ­ you will feel more involved in the action if you’re in the middle of the bus, as opposed to the front or back. If the line, "with your teeth" is used while on the bus, shoot out "a reviewer suggested that" and demand another jello shot!
Play: Readiness is All - 3.5 stars
Reviewer: Craig Kensek
4 Stars
A touching one woman performance. It’s not so much that you feel her pain as she matter of factly discusses the highs and lows (major illnesses twice) of her life. Instead, you feel her strength. During her performance, you get a sense that only you and her are in the theatre. Much stronger than some solo “performances” where you heard a memorized script. Thoughtful, quiet, moving. If you’re intimidated by a performance speaking to you only (it seemed that way), sit further to the back (I don’t think it will make any difference, though!). This is a nice piece worth seeing.
Play: Before the End - 2.5 stars
Reviewer: Craig Kensek
3 Stars
Wardrobe malfunctions occur even after the apocalypse
In this, one-woman show, Karen Fox, shares her life through song (great voice), poetry, soliloquies, after the “big one” hits. The performance wasn’t moving. "Akirame" was sharing her life not with us, but to us. When talking about capturing water in clay vessels, pouring water into commuter thermoses seemed odd. Strange hair and that darned wardrobe malfunction made for a strange performance.
Play: 21/one
Reviewer: Steve
1 Star
the bus - this show was dreadful. could have been fun but, just did not
deliver. some half-hearted "seemed funny when i was drunk in my living
room" stuff. unless the joke was to hold innocents hostage and keep
them from attending legitmate fringe shows. the disorganized overtime run
prevented me from attending a 10:00 show - bad form - disrespects other
acts.
Play: yellow fever express
Reviewer: Kyle Patterson-Nulls
5 Stars
A wild ride. His language is brutally honest and hilarious and when he's
at the pulpit he peaches right from the heart. The guy tells us before the
play starts to fasten our seat belts. I wish there really were seat belts.
One minute we're in Arizona, then Ralph Reed is getting raped by Beelzebub,
then to Utah, then a sex crazed reverend starts complaining about his sex
life. Think what would happen if Spaling Grey, Jerry Falwell, and Jackie
Chan had a baby-you've got the yellow fever express. I loved the music.
Although a couple of the transitions from monologue to preacher were a little
rough. Overall, I loved it.
Play: Get Laughs or Die Trying
Reviewer: Paula Barish
5 Stars
Good writing, sharp direction, really good performances, and very funny.
Go see this one.
Play: 21/One
Reviewer: Fringe already?
1 Star
Let me off this bus right now! Actually , one star is generous , my wife's talking -2. This is easily the most disappointing show we've done at the fringe. This is kind of a take on the "Tina n Tony's Wedding" concept done as a bachlorette party on a moving bus. Neat idea that they haven't done much with and feels to be in very early developmental stage. This was just BORING and I don't think any number of jello shots would have helped. The outside vignets is an interesting concept but nothing is tied together. They need to take this bus back into the garage and put some serious work into it. At the end of an hour and twenty minutes I was dying to get off.
Play: Thanatics - A Rock Opera
Reviewer: Stephanie Shallot
5 Stars
A political party using fear to further its agenda which is merely a ruse
for financial gain? That's about where the similarities to our current regime
end, however. Thanatics takes place In a world where artists can be villains
and heroes, where environmental fear baiting is used to progress a neo-fascist
agenda, where San Francisco is the focal point of a suicide art movement
and a depopulation political party. It's got a dark (sometimes sick) humor.
A decent but sparse script helps hold together a plot line mainly consisting
of some very catchy original music: rock, funk, country, punk, rap, blues,
folk, disco...did I leave anything out? I saw this show last year when it
was self-produced and pretty much just the music and a high-concept narration
that made the story hard to follow. This is a new and improved version that
fills in the cracks. You almost want it to be longer so the actors aren't
sweating the scene transitions. Oh, yeah, the performances: most notably
the Rav!
en and villain characters and all three of the ladies. And the performance
artist guy is hysterical. The narrator, who I guess is the writer, keeps
it all together pretty smoothly and still manages to jam on the guitar in
between. Also, their program handouts have all the lyrics in it, which are
pretty killer. Do yourself a favor and catch this wild ride of a show.
Play: Waiting For Bordeaux
Reviewer: Michael Kael
4 Stars
Acting and presentation 3, Script 5 so I'll give it a 4....I liked the idea
of it, the cleverness of it from the title on down and some of the dialogue
was really first rate....i'm tempted to see it again and would highly recommend
attending a performance
Play: Get it Got it Good
Reviewer:
3 Stars
Moments of brilliance amidst underdevelopment. Sam Shaw is always a hilarious
pleasure onstage. the show picked up steam at a pwerpoint presentation and
at the end I thought It ended up much better than it began. The script needs
to be focused, tightened and clarified.
Play: curriculum vitae
Reviewer: seapony lerner
5 Stars
I call him J.Ho and he's a Manic Badger on a sugar high!! Sharp funny writing
and a firecracker performer! JHo is totally on fire! There were times I
wanted him to slow down a bit - a directorial note. Great moments when he
stops completely and puts on a shoe or sips water contemplatively. A stellar
solo spitfiresies!!
Play: Flamenco con Fusion
Reviewer: Buzz Brooks
5 Stars
Amazing professional talent graces the Exit this Fringe season with this
show. Top-notch guitarizations by Dr. Garcia coupled with exciting pediofrolics
from the dancers make this a must-see.
Play: Get Laughs
Reviewer: Buzz Brooks
5 Stars
OPM returns triumphantly to the Bay Area with yet another kick-ass show
of great sketch comedy. Best hour I've spent at the Fringe.
Play: Woof, Daddy
Reviewer: SF WEEKLY
A father and a son go duck hunting and, guns in hand, try to hash out
the deaths of the mother, daughter, and beloved dog while the departed ghosts
look on. At first the father speaks only in cryptic rhyming couplets and
allegories -"To eat a duck is not to eat a duck, but to be a duck is
to be eaten." Playwright Bryan Reynolds graduated from UC Berkeley
and holds a Ph.D. from Harvard, which might explain the layered language
and the multiple meanings, but he doesn't shy away from letting his characters
bust into fully choreographed loung-singer routines and episodes of passionate
sex on the side of the road. With skilled cast members (all of them pursuing
graduate degrees in acting), director Amanda McRaven stages and paces each
moment impeccably, shying away from what she describes as "tired vestiges
of realism." The ensemble uses dance, movement, and vocal sound layering
to convey Reynolds' haunting story of love, beastly secrets, and the deep
connection between man and ani!
mal. -N.E.
Play: Before The End
Reviewer: Kelly Garton
With great attention to detail, and a slow burrowing into us (both her audience and ancestors), Karen Fox invites us to witness the end of our human journey on earth in Before The End. Through beautiful, cross-cultural song, dance and ritual, Akirame (Fox) offers us her poignant vulnerability, resolute strenghth, and no simple balm, as she faces the sum of all our actions and inactions.
Play: An Accident of Identity
Reviewer: smc
5 Stars
"Accident of Identity" was so beautifully done. The staging and
directing were wonderful. The acting was superb. Each role was cast with
the perfect actor, who portrayed their roles, flawlessly. The dynamics of
the political and emotional ramifications through their character portrayal
and interactions were stunning. The story was very well written. The profoundness
in politics of FDA approval of new medications and medical trials (funded
by drug companies, who want to make money off the sick and ill); and how
our fate can be out of our hands is pretty heavy. I really loved how the
title of the play was multi-faceted, and played at different levels. Of
the 3 in plays in "The Stone Trilogy". This one is tops! And should
not be missed.
Play: 21/One
Reviewer: jboz
4 Stars
Quite a unique show. Mobile theatre + alcohol = much fun! Being transported
around the SF on the Mexican Bus was fun in itself, but there's so much
to check out along the way, from projections to pillowfighting! I felt that
despite several challenges, it was well coordinated- not an easy task. One
of the best parts was that at times it was hard to tell who was part of
the play and who wasn't! One of the other reviewers mentioned a hillarious
inebriated indivdual, as did I, (Bucky?) who shook things up in a good way,
but I don't think we saw the same show! =) Audience participation is key
in this show and if you are encouraged to get into it all along the way.
I'll defintely be back for more, this time with more friends in tow!
Play: Curriculum Vitae
Reviewer: Suzie
5 Stars
High-pitched, full-out humor in which the workplace is more of a loser than
the protagonist. Cheers! Deserves Best of Fringe.
Play: Secret Ruths of Island House
Reviewer: suzie
5 Stars
Superbly crafted and paced, the show sucks the audience into a world our
culture wants to render invisible. Deserves Best of Fringe!
Play: Woof Daddy
Reviewer: Walt
5 Stars
This was the best show I've seen this year at the Fringe! Although the beginning
was a little psuedo-intellectual, the overall effect was mind-blowing. Specific
performances from Jason Vande Brake as the delusional if not criminal father
and Mercedes Manning as Sparkles the Dog were highlights. Jason's vocal
control and heart felt intensity proved to be a driving force through out
the show, while Mercedes' physical embodiment and eneregetic committment
to the role made her impossible not to watch. Can you say "Best of
Fringe"?
Play: Thanatics
Reviewer: Peter Overstreet
4 Stars
A fun and artistically provocative piece that kept the audience both entertained
... and thinking!
Play: Where the Sun Don't Shine
Reviewer: Tina Paul Mulye
5 Stars
This was one of the best shows I've seen in a long time! The entire cast
was great and they engaged the audience for the entire hour they were on
stage!
Play: Woof Daddy
Reviewer: Michael
5 Stars
This is Beckett at his absolute best. But Woof Daddy is not by Samuel Beckett.
It is by a college professor named Bryan Reynolds. The actors are brilliant.
But they are not famous. Neither is the director. Her name is Amanda Mcraven.
The performance was as tight as a frog’s ass. Not a drop of wasted
verbiage or action. This production is perfect. It transports us. The Transversal
Theater Company is great.
Play: Yorick and Co.
Reviewer: Mia Paschal
A funny script, a very tight ensemble with a lot of energy. And I'll admit it, I'm in love with Yorick now.
Play: Curriculum Vitae
Reviewer: Mia Paschal
Very funny, clever, and sharp. I loved his energy and his physicality, and especially his rapport with the audience.
Play: The Thanatics
Reviewer: Mia Paschal
I'm so glad I saw this show - I loved the multi-talented cast, the energy, the music, the lyrics. These guys were working so hard - they were sweating up there! - but it was smooth and seamless. A great, great performance with lots of heart and commitment, and a sharp and funny script.
Play: NEO Surrealists
Reviewer: Mia Paschal
I've loved these guys since 2001, and have seen this 2006 Fringe show three times already (and I'm coming back for more!). Every performance features a slightly different lineup of performers and acts, and it's all just perfect and great and wonderful - Dan, Chia, the pbj guys, the MUNI preacher, F&L at breakfast, Mikl-M! And if you're lucky for realsies, you'll catch Thessaly Lerner serenading her special friend.