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A
(Bearded) Lady
BLESSING
HER HEART
Break-Upocalypse
Carnival
Of Chaos: "Survival Tips For The Reckless"
Cemetery
Golf
Cockroach
De
Rerum Natura; Or, Love The One You Whip
Eat,
Pray, Laugh!
Fists
of Funny
FOOL
FOR A CLIENT
The
Fox
The
Frank Diary of Anne
The
Godling
Hell,
The Musical
I
Prefer Fur
Inside
Private Lives
J.Lo.Hew
JESUS
IN MONTANA: Adventures in a Doomsday Cult
Knitting
LandEscape
Legs
and All
Marriage:
a queer institution
MISSING:
fugue #9: wear a warm coat
No
Ordinary Nut
Open
Season, A Queer Performance Spectacular
Play
4 Play
Poste
Restante
PUBLIC
SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT: Comedy and Justice for All
Pulp
Scripture
Recess
Searching
for the Voice of the Third
Show
No Show
Spider
Baby the musical
Suicide
Me!
The
Surprise
The
Tao of Everest
Tater
Stew
tempestuous(ness)
or HIStory is Told by the Victors
The
Texas Chainsaw Musical!
Theatre
of the Battle
Ticonderoga
The
Unbearable Lightness of Raya
Play: Hell, The Musical!
Reviewer: Bradley
5 Stars
Congratulations on such a winning musical!
Great Music moose!
Play: Hell...the musical
Reviewer: margery fairchild
2 Stars
I was disappointed by this play for a couple reasons: 1) Why adapt a great
work of literature if your intent is to NOT make it stronger OR put a unique
spin on it. 2) The 3 lead characters spend most of the play fighting there
tightly woven cliches, instead of finding an honest theatrical arc. 3)The
music got to be so repetitive that it almost put me to sleep.
All that being said, the actors committed and upheld the performance.
Play: Hell, The Musical
Reviewer: Spider Daddy
4 Stars
I have always been a fan of Sartre's "No exit" and I was concerned
when I heard someone was doing an updated musical version. My fears have
been squashed. Fun, fast paced, dark and rocking.
A great score cast and script but hampered by the fringe format. I couldn't
help but feel that the actors were rushing through the scenes to make the
time limit. The pace was just a tad too brisk and the show would have been
helped by just a few moments of silence and slowing down to let the moments
sink in.
But, well worth your time and and perhaps the best musical about hell ever
Play: Hell, the Musical
Reviewer: Robert Avila - San Francisco Bay Guardian
5 Stars
Darkness descends again in a philosophical and even more comical key with
2006 Best of Fringe winner K.S. Haddock's Hell, the Musical, which astutely
realizes that while Jean Paul Sartre cooked up the perfect image of hell
in other people, he completely left out the power chords. The charismatic
cast of this revamped No Exit can sing and act, and the live musical accompaniment
by the Crooked Family provides the Pat Benatar-esque punch you'd expect
to be leveled by and against the damned.
Play: Hell, The Musical
Reviewer: FringeFan
4 Stars
A little rough but a damn good time
Play: Hell, the Musical
Reviewer: Sam
3 Stars
I liked it. The writer is very talented and the cast accomplished. The band
was cool. At the top of the show the band was much louder than the cast
making it hard to hear. The voices were strong but too similar in range
making the show a bit one note. I longed for some higher voices to create
contrast.
Favorite song sung by Ilene about the traps in the room. The actress playing
the Marina chick was the most consistent in character.
I think it will only get stronger as it developes and isn't that what the Fringe is for? It's not perfect but I imagine if they continue to refine it, it will might be.
Play: Hell, The Musical
Reviewer: Craig Kensek
4 Stars
Hell is Where Bean Bag Chairs Have Been Vanquished to (4.5)
Hell, the Musical, is a take on Sartre’s “No Exit”. A Marina party girl, a lesbian, and a churlish cowardly journalist find themselves in a room together in Hell. For a party girl, hell means never having a mirror to look into. Who has to take the bean bag chair? Can the trio get along without killing each other? Wait a second; they’re in hell, for eternity. Occasionally goes into set bits. Will the bimbo’s batting blue eyes seduce the bitter guy? Creative lyrics, a band, characters you’ve probably met who you wish would meet a fiery demise are in this musical. An entertaining way to spend 60 minutes.
Play: Hell, the Musical
Reviewer: M. Pilkington
5 Stars
Fellow Fringe-goers: claw your way in to see the last two performances of
Hell, the Musical!
Seeing Sartre's 'No Exit' reimagined as a musical is a pleasure to see here. The music is fantastic. K.S. Haddock and Tom Beyer are first-rate songwriters; my personal favorite was the eerie "Back on Earth" with a reprise for each damned character. Strong performances match the tunes, particularly Danielle Thys as Ilene. And, of course, the one-room-in-Hell setting lends itself nicely to both dramatic tension a necessarily-compact Fringe production.
The only thing missing was a kick-line with all four characters. Think about that for next time, guys!
Play: Hell, the Musical
Reviewer: T. Whitehall
5 Stars
I'm just in town for just a week and my friends decide to drag me to this
tiny little theatre in a questionable neighborhood. We have to wait in line
and I'm thinking I'm already in Hell - but WOW.
This show kicked ass! The band was tight, the writing was hilarious and the actors were all spot on. Great comedic timing, great voices, great songs. Couldn't ask for a better night's entertainment.
I had no idea it would be so funny - or frankly - so professional. I think they have to get all the band's gear in and out in 5 minutes.
Wish I wasn't leaving tomorrow or I'd see it again!
Play: Hell, The Musical
Reviewer: Jeanette Atherton
4 Stars
K.S. Haddock is a power house of creativity - writing, composing & directing
(and acting)! His professional and talented troupe of actors and musicians
has pulled off an entertaining and smile-worthy look at Haddock's contemporary
vision of Jean-Paul Sartre's No Exit.
Play: Hell, the Musical
Reviewer: Deidre McCarthy
5 Stars
The Hell you say! Catch this fun, well-played musical from the creator of
Thanatics. All the performers are great: the 4 actors as well as the band.
Mark Ungar rips it up on guitar.
Peter Sroka will knock your socks off! K.S.Haddock is snotty and slightly scary as the valet. Danielle Thys is also kinda scary as Ilene the tortured dyke, and Jennifer Rand is subtly evil as Yvonne the vapid Marina chick.
Go laugh out loud at Hell!
Play: hell the musical
Reviewer: pete feltman
5 Stars
holy shit this was good
Play: Hell
Reviewer: Dorothy LaRue
5 Stars
Really tight script, great music, great show
Play: Hell, The Musical
Reviewer: nEO-sURREALIST aGENT #1
4 Stars
The Exit on Taylor can barely contain the energy created by this talented
cast backed up by a fez clad live band. An updated adaptation of No Exit
is difficult enough, but a musical adaptation is almost impossible, yet
they pull it off with panache. A great show, lots of fun. Catch this one
after a few drinks
Play: Hell, The Musical
Reviewer: Helen
4 Stars
Danielle Thys and KS Haddock were stand-outs in this thoughtfully scripted
musical. However, the production was harmed by poor quality headset mics
that made it difficult to understand the words and also distorted the vocal
qualities of the artists. But don't let that stop you from seeing the show.
Even with technical difficulties this cast is worth seeing
Play: Hell, The Musical
Reviewer: Sharon Burns
5 Stars
Hell is funny and dark and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The actors are all top
notch as the layers of their characters unfold when they wind up in a room
together in "hell" and reflect on their misdeeds. The all-original
music is catchy and the band is extremely talented...if a bit on the loud
side, at times overpowering the female vocalists.
Play: Hell, The Musical
Reviewer: B. Edward Seeman
5 Stars
This show was great! Opening night was so much fun. The Crooked Family band
was amazingly tight, the performers were spot and and the script was funny,
touching and haunting all at the same time. Go to Hell! You will not be
disappointed.
Play: Hell, The Musical
Reviewer: Kevin Thomas - SF GLBT Arts Examiner
5 Stars
“Hell” couldn’t be more fun. “Hell the musical”
that is.
Part of this year’s San Francisco Fringe Festival, and from the creator of 2006’s Best of Fringe for Musical Script, this fast-paced show manages to cram in 17 songs and lots of fun in under one hour.
And while it’s short on time, it’s big on talent. Peter Sroka
provides a fine Broadway-level voice as Joseph, a photo journalist, who
appears to have done everything right, so we wonder what brings him to hell.
He is not musically matched by his costars Danielle Thys and Jenny Rand
who seem to get overshadowed by the pulsating musical beat. But both Thys
and Rand hold their own as actors, even though occasionally some musical
feedback interfered with their performances.
K.S. Haddock is perhaps the show’s most underrated gem. He is the only
one of the four actors not on stage for most of the production and that’s
because he’s also working the sound and with the band. One could say
he’s the Hellmaster as he’s writer and director of the show.
It might be more complete to include a little background about the story
of “Hell,” but in this case of this production, the journey to
“Hell” is better taken by surprise.
Just go in knowing, you’re going to enjoy some witty songs, clever
dialog and a story that comes full circle.
Play: Hell, the musical
Reviewer: Rickardo Zegri
5 Stars
Pulling off a rock opera under the set up and breakdown time limitations
of the Fringe Festival is impressive alone, but they more than pulled it
off in this show. The Acting was tight and the songs were funny, tragic
and beautiful. A must see for this fringe season.
Play: Hell
Reviewer: Rey Zegri
5 Stars
Awesome show. A must see.
Play: Hell: the musical
Reviewer: Anne Chandler
5 Stars
This was my first attendance of a Fringe production and I was pleasantly
surprised. "Hell" was good fun. Peppy music, clever lyrics, and
well-cast. Musicals have got to be tough to prepare--but this group pulls
it off. Well worth seeing
Play: Hell musical
Reviewer: Carolyn
5 Stars
What a super show! I think there were a little opening night thingies that
will get smoothed out, but the storytelling was clear, the music was performed
beautifully (band a little on the loud side). I like that none of the songs
were the same. All the actors were great, but the standout was the male
character. The lesbian was outrageous. But I think the Marina chick was
actually the most evil. And I love that it was so San Franciscan. I recommend
the show highly.
Play: Hell
Reviewer: David S.
4 Stars
Really great show! I think I finally get No Exit now--it was supposed to
be funny. Great script. Music was very good, too (all original?). I'd give
it five stars but they need to fix their sound a little.