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1 Quandary Place
Abundance
ADVENTURES OF A SUBSTITUTE TEACHER
Barroom Philosophers
Border Crossings
Class Notes
Embarrassment & Death
The Falls of Vincent Millay
Found and Lost: Goals for 2002
Frisco Fred's Cabaret!
Fuck You Cancer
Great Hymn of Thanksgiving / Conversation
Storm
The Hasheesh Eater
Heavy Metal Playground
HER KIND: The Life & Poetry of Anne
Sexton
i hate my friends
Jesus Rant
Kiss My Booth
Korean Badass
Low Hanging Fruit
Monkey Poet Stand-Up!
Organic Boxed Chicken Stock
parts is parts:
Party of One
RM3
The Sewers
Shopping as a Spiritual Path
Spotless
Stetson Manifesto
A Strange Black Passion
Super Glossy!
TeleMongol
Terrible Voice
Tesla's White Pigeon
Turn of the Screw
You Go First
Play: RM3
Reviewer: Diane Karagienakos
5 Stars
RM3 does not disappoint. All 60 minutes are filled with with well-paced
energy and fine performances. The limited space is used brilliantly, every
scene choreographed like a fine dance. All performances felt genuine and
true, though I was especially drawn to the supporting players (the efficient
female assistant and the good-ol' boy Southern Daddy). I found them especially
magnetic and natural. An entertaining, moving mix of sex, politics, and
music.
Play: i hate my friends
Reviewer: yawza
3 Stars
This is worth going to see for the packaging alone which is creative and unusual enough to carry you past the fact that the play has serious issues. Great concept of having you be a fly on the wall ,actually one of ten flies, in the hotel room and then becoming an actual a part of the seminar being presented in the conference room. But the play itself needs editing and there is very little connection and/or chemistry between the actors. Maybe this has to do with the almost assembly line process of doing one performance right after the other for five shows. At the end , I knew intellectually what the play was supposed to have been about ,but somehow there was something missing in the way it was done. Still I'd recommend seeing this for the concept and for the effort.
Play: RM3
Reviewer: Diane Karagienakos
5 Stars
RM3 does not disappoint. All 60 minutes are filled with with well-paced
energy and fine performances. The limited space is used brilliantly, every
scene choreographed like a fine dance. All performances felt genuine and
true, though I was especially drawn to the supporting players (the efficient
female assistant and the good-ol' boy Southern Daddy). I found them especially
magnetic and natural. An entertaining, moving mix of sex, politics, and
music.
Play: Found & Lost: Thngs to Do in 2002
Reviewer: yawza
5 Stars
Just to add my voice to the chorus ( and I wish I knew how to sign that ) this is a brilliantly conceived and executed program. Enjoyable and uplifting. Go see it now.
Play: Turn of the Screw
Reviewer: Jerry Padilla
5 Stars
For such a small stage production the use of the space was very well done.
The acting was superb and I particularly liked the staging. I like to support
fringe theater because I think it's important to hear new voices and fresh
readings- This play was a pleasure. I really recommend seeing it!
Play: Border Crossings
Reviewer: R. Lee Skoorb
3 Stars
In case you missed the curriculum in Relationships 101, this is a brief,
heartfelt foray into that territory. Mr. Huddle is an accomplished entertainer,
and he held my attention throughout most of the show. I was only disappointed
that he didn't delve into the subject a little deeper, and somehow the epiphany
or catharsis that you expect in this kind of show didn't materialize for
me. But...maybe I wasn't paying close enough attention!
Play: "Found & Lost: Things to Do in 2002"
Reviewer: Mia Paschal
5 Stars
Sheer joy - sublime dancing and choreography, excellent music, superb character
work, and I loved the concept.
Play: i hate my friends
Reviewer: The Puppet's Agent
5 Stars
Yeah, yeah, the play is great...i loved everything about it...and i am totally
unbiased...blah, blah, blah...but what a waste not utilizing the real star...and
my client, RANDY!...what were they thinking not allowing him to speak???...hey
Randy...i hope you are happy now...i told you theatre was a waste of your
time and talent...get your butt back down to LA...you've got a MONEY MAKING
MOVIE to shoot!!! your friend, at least 10% of the time, your COMMERCIAL/FILM
agent...
Play: Super Glossy!
Reviewer: callie
5 Stars
I caught this show in DC. Courtney is Supah Hot, Supah Sexy, and Supah Smart.
Play: The Falls of Vincent Millay
Reviewer: Kate
3 Stars
I was seriously looking forward to some Millay loving. I have always been
a fan of her poetry and was excited to get a bit of her biography as well.
Though the piece has some lovely writing (both Edna's AND the playwrights) it was rather hard to follow. The performance art aspect of movement and breathing started off promising. I loved the scarves and their usage. But, then, it petered off. It seemed that they had one idea that just became less and less interesting as the play wore on. It never went far enough in any direction to really capture my imagination.
All that being said Lesli Brownlee is AMAZING. I want to BE her. In fact, all of the performances were spot on and engaging, I just wish the overall production had made stronger choices.
Play: Monkey Poet Stand-Up
Reviewer: Kate
5 Stars
Matt is a truly talented performer. And when you layer in the fact that
he is writing poetry, (that often rhymes!) with a political, emotional and
social commentary it becomes nothing short of amazing. His irreverent attitude
and fun laid back stage presence make him a joy to watch.
At the very beginning, I was wary. He seemed to be trying very hard. But, the moment his first poem began, he sank fully into his reality and kept us with him for the rest of the show...and this was at 10pm at night! I didn't look at my watch once. (which says a LOT)
His poetry is wonderful, and though his 4 chord songs don't even begin to compare, they create a nice juxtaposition. Oh, and follow his advice when he says to check out Dike Omeje.
Play: Great Hymn Of Thanksgiving/Conversation Storm
Reviewer: Courtney
5 Stars
I have seen this show three times in total (twice in Minneapolis last year).
I will leave the typical labels behind that one might choose to give this
piece of theatrical art and just say that if you don't have this show in
your Fringe schedule, GET IT THERE. Your mind will be blown. For the first
half of the hour, The Nonsense Company creates an eerie symphony of sounds
and music from common household cutlery, liquids, violin bows (oh, the whipping
- incredible) along with two actual instruments - only one, the triangle,
used in its traditional fashion. And the other awesome thing is they are
reading sheet music! How does one transcribe this orchestra onto paper?
I have no idea, but you are on the edge of your seat, enjoying the genius
in the moment while simultaneously wondering what's coming next. In the
second half of the hour, we are treated to the "conversation storm,"
a hilarious and scary commentary on our nation's hypocritical and circumstantial
torture polic!
y. The concept might turn people off, but TNC really brilliantly constructs
both sides of the argument pretty diplomatically (and artistically)... you'll
have to watch to see how frightening it gets. I love a show that makes me
uncomfortable. DO NOT MISS THIS SHOW.
Play: Fuck You Cancer
Reviewer: Rick
5 Stars
Beautifully done. Wonderfully creative, and not the kind that makes you
think, "that's weird". Go see it! One of the best i've seen.
Play: Monkey Poet Stand-up!
Reviewer: John
4 Stars
A performer well at ease on-stage and very matter-of-fact about his art
and person. Matt's poems about sex and death are bold, funny and engaging.
And while the songs and political-themed poems do not offer quite as much
of an original voice, they are not without merit and were received warmly
by the audience.
Play: Her Kind: the Life and Poetry of Anne Sexton
Reviewer: Andy
5 Stars
ONE MORE CHANCE TO SEE IT!
First, a disclaimer and confession: I have not so far been a big fan of Anne Sexton’s work, and even something as excellent as “Her Kind” wasn’t able to change that.
Which is clearly not entirely true, since Hannah Wolfe’s performances of Sexton’s poems showed such an awareness and understanding of their workings—their subtleties of meter, syntactic turns, and contradictory, drastically shifting and counterintuitive expressive tones—that the writing shone out in the layering of these devices, in the tension between them, the crackling energies that drive the poems. In other words, the poems were crystal clear in a way ordinary recitation hardly ever is. Wolfe brings it all out.
Laurel Dugan’s precise dance embodied the composed but volatile force field of the poems without a wasted gesture. It’s the mark of a fine performer when a moment of absolute motionlessness, a coming to rest, can with possibilities, the weight of even the absence of gesture taking the breath away. The character of the movement matches the variety of levels of language at work in the poems, ranging from aestheticized representations of Sexton to explosions into linked series of strange lines, pushed past metaphor and resemblance into a place more abstract yet fully palpable.
There’s also plenty of fascinating stuff on Sexton’s life, horribly tragic but with a wry humor at times that also shows up in the poems. The figure of Sexton’s radio stays with me, as if the poet were the receiver of signals from elsewhere, from beyond the barrier of repression erected in her being by a life of sexual oppression and mental illness, giving voice to the dialogue between Anne and the Other, her alter-ego Elizabeth. The nervous, frightened, nearly powerless teacher of poetry (Wolfe again) adds another layer to all of it as she tries to transmit, through the static of her helplessness, the poems in the world of their time.
A great piece that, as will have been evident in the sprawl of my sentences here, sent me home wanting to write.
Play: Fred's Frisco Cabaret
Reviewer: Suzanne
5 Stars
I had a great silly time at this variety show of magicians, puppeteers and
jugglers. Fun, fun, fun
Play: Her Kind: Anne Sexton
Reviewer: Harrison
2 Stars
The actresses were committed but the material wasn't there. Seemed to be
a college level production where no one was sure of the theme. I wanted
real interaction between Anne & Elizabeth not silly videos and modern
dance.
Play: You Go First
Reviewer: yawza
4 Stars
This is a difficult show to review , one because the quality of improv
can always vary greatly and secondly on the night I saw the show one of
the performers got caught in the Giants/Niner's traffic jam and didn't get
there until about half way through the performance. Doing a two man improv
by yourself and playing both parts is a remarkable accomplishment and proved
to be far more entertaining that watching someone play them self in chess.
I seriously doubt audiences will have that chance again. I'm sure the performers
hope that's true. Having said that, I think the idea is that the improv
is done without input from the audience , but since this was such an unusual
show , I'm still not sure. We were entertained and definitely impressed
by the "one man duo" and the truncated remainder of the show was
enjoyable and the Niner's play in St Louis on Sun , so I think everything
is OK from now on. All indications are that a full show would be great.
These appear to be talented a!
nd extremely resourceful guys. Go.
Play: Border Crossings/ Rick Huddle
Reviewer: Sarah Stein
5 Stars
He can tell stories, dance and sing at the same time! Rick Huddle is master
of all these arts, esp. storytelling. His show is filled with humor and
wisdom and always entertaining.
Play: The Stetson Manifesto
Reviewer: Derek G.
5 Stars
This well-paced show combines laugh-out-loud comedy, drama and choreography
to tell the story of an self-styled cowboy ("Catfish") who is
determined to fight against the corporation that has taken over the ranch
where he works. Angered by absurd safety regulations, the encroachment on
his livelihood by modern ranching technology and the gradual disappearance
of his beloved cowboy culture, Catfish takes a stand against a force that
he knows full well cannot be beaten.
Joe Carrig delivers an exciting performance as the boisterously drunk, uncouth Catfish. Alternately charming and violently unpredictable , he is the very embodiment of youthful defiance against the Establishment.
Play: Border crossings
Reviewer: Mr.R
4 Stars
This guy is great. What a presence. Solo shows arn't really my cup of tea,
but Mr. Huddle really took over and occupied the stage. His physicality
was really strong, and tender and aggressive at the same time.
but then half way through the show we were not in mexico any more, and suddenly
it wasn't quite as interesting. The lyrical quality of the first half gave
way to some sort of confessional about guilt over a girlfriend and Mexico
was nowhere to be seen. I would have tied it back to the journey in Oaxaca,
where there is so much beauty and magic to call apon. I'd still tell people
to go see this though, I was very moved at times.
Play: The Hasheesh Eater
Reviewer: one of those darkies
1 Star
I have to concur with RRR in that after waiting and waiting for the play
(Saturday 9/8) to start it was announced that the holdup was due to the
cast’s desire to accommodate the members of another cast who, of course,
never showed up. I wish I could say that things turned around once the house
lights dimmed but it continued down hill from there. The SF Buffoons dubs
itself as “edgy” and “expressive”, presenting “crass
cultural commentary from the underground”. When done intelligently,
I feel this type of humor can be quite funny, but too often what winds up
happening is that self proclaimed “edginess” is used to thinly
mask the same odious rhetoric that can be found in any outlet of mainstream
entertainment. I smelled trouble coming a mile away.
Within the first 15 minutes of the production the main character referred to African Americans as “darkies”, touting how rhythmic they are as a people. Being African American myself (one of only two in the audience) I didn’t find this edgy, amusing, or even insulting for that matter. Had The Hasheesh Eater contained any higher level of production value maybe I would have been, but the comment, a least from a script perspective, added no credence to the character or storyline. It was there just to be there, and that, in my opinion, didn’t make the production edgy at all but weak in addition to the already flimsy stage direction, sub-par acting, and the poorly lit stage which only served to make the theater itself darker than the main character’s drug narrative could have ever been.
By the end of the evening my friends and I wished we had pooled our money and bought some hash instead seeing The Hasheesh Eater. The SF Buffoon’s proclamation of so-called edgy and offensive commentary never really panned out and certainly didn’t bother to take jabs at any other demographic group in attendance (namely white people and gays whom primarily made up the audience and cast). From my perspective The Hasheesh Eater only served to feebly rehash (sorry, couldn’t resist another pun) the same kind of stereotype-based humor that I don’t have to go out and pay money to experience. I can stay home and watch television for that.
Play: tessla's white dove
Reviewer: Mr.R
1 Star
basically this is the kind of show that gives theater a bad name. I was
in turns bored and annoyed, by the meaningless, repetative, and mind-numbing,
whatever-ness of this production. I didn't "get it", because there
was nothing to get. If you are going to be absurd, non-linear, or surreal,
then at least try to make it interesting. JEEZ!
Play: The Children's Museum
Reviewer: Nancy
5 Stars
Riveting!The actors are amazingly resourseful in creating mood and emotional
tenor. The characters traverse through time, through tragedy, back and forth,
we go with them and are not disappointed. And stand up performance.