162 Fringe Reviews (In order
from best to worst) for the 2006 Fringe
First,
you can find out about me, and my extended thoughts about reviewing at the bottom of this
page. I think that the most useful
aspect for my readers is the rankings. I
base the rankings on my enjoyment of the show, so they may not reflect the
quality of the script and/or acting. I
prefer plays to comedy acts, but work in a little of the latter for diversity. I have discovered that I have a penchant for
true stories. Because of my jet lag, the
August 5th reviews may be skewed against some of the comedy. August 16th was magical, with all
of my random picks being either four or five stars! The comments are short because I have little
time between shows, and, after all, I am here for the shows. If you wish to contact me, send e-mail to Sean Davis
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1. |
End
of the Rainbow (*****) Judy
Garland’s piano accompanist and fiancé try to help her with her six-week
comeback at |
|
2. |
Knots
(*****) Three
men and three women dancers explore the vagaries of romance and early
marriage. I found the movements
innovative, appropriate to their theme, and had just the right amount of
repetition. It was kick to see the
many uses they found for six Plexiglas closets from initial individual
turmoil to final marital fights. (Aug
19) |
|
3. |
Dusty
Limits is Heartless (*****) Much
the same as last year, when I found Holly Penfield’s cabaret act wonderful,
this year I found Dusty captivating.
His non-stop patter about his fab gay life and his renditions of great
songs with added lyrics were perfect for me.
He ended the act with back to back show stopping renditions of an
updated Cole Porter’s “Bee’s Do It”, and Doctor Doolittle’s “Talk to the
Republicans”. (Aug 7) |
|
4. |
One-Man
Star Wars Trilogy (*****) Just
as the title indicates an actor recreates the complete Star Wars Trilogy. With no props, he provides all of the
snippets of verbatim dialogue, music, sound effects, and visual effects to
tell the stories completely. As Star
Wars fans, the audience and I were rapt as he recreates one memorable scene
after another. Some are only 5 seconds
long, while others last more than a minute.
It is fun to see how he portrays the strange creatures of Lucas’
universe. His version of Jabba the
Hut, complete with huge slurping tongue, is inspired. This is a reverent homage, so he keeps his
sly asides to a minimum. I would only
recommend this to people who know the films fairly well. (Aug 24) |
|
5. |
Girl
Blog from Four
women and a man read from, and provide context for the real blogs of a
24-year old Iraqi woman. She started
her blogging when the Coalition invaded in 2003, and the play has a blog from
August 6th of this year.
The presentation is straightforward, but this may help to not obscure
the power of her words. (Aug 10) |
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6. |
Dialogues
2006 (*****) ends Aug 12th! Six
diverse pieces of dance and/or music all done at the top level. There were so many highlights that I feel
bad that I will only mention a couple.
The first piece, “Group Therapy” had four duets choreographed to a
variety of recorded pop tunes. The
most fun of the duets had a narcoleptic woman who constantly went limp on her
partner. The second piece, “Epitaph”,
had the dancers perform to a string trio while the writer/composer read a
witty set of epitaphs. The rest of
show had an original violin solo, a dance to Shostakovich, a John Cage piano
solo, and finally dances to a set of Joe Cocker tunes. (Aug 11)
|
|
7. |
Holly
Penfield – Both Sides Now (*****) The
singer, with a trio of musicians, has created a show that explores the two
sides of her career: nice songwriter and “wicked” cabaret singer. Most of the songs she wrote are tender
ballads ala Joni Mitchell, while her voice reminds me of Judy Garland. Holly is the consummate showman; during the
show she maneuvers through the pews so that she can interact with almost
every member of the audience. (Aug 22) |
|
8. |
Seven
Points for ‘Love’ (*****) With
the help of his intended’s teenage sister, a young man tries to use scrabble
to propose marriage. While this is
quite light fare, the charming performances of all make this quite
winning. Yeah it is fluff, but it is
well done fluff. (Aug 14) |
|
9. |
Tom
Crean- Antarctic Explorer (*****) Based
on the real life of a regular crewman on three expeditions of to the Antarctic,
this one-man show provides an engrossing description of the travails of this
man. Besides his adventures on the
ice, I found his extended description of his clothing particularly
fascinating. (Aug 5) |
|
10. |
A
Boat’s Yer Whole World (*****) This
one-woman show portrays the life of a woman who spent her whole life on the
towboats of the canals of |
|
11. |
And
Even My Goldfish (*****) In
this physical theater piece, a very tall man tires to recapture a lost love
while dealing with an insistent cleaning lady. There is an ineffable clarity to the piece
that just feels right. There are many
memorable moments, including a small man climbing inside the coat of the
lead, and feet becoming gold in a fish bowl.
(Aug 14) |
|
12. |
Floating
(*****) The
multimedia performance art tale of how the island Anglesea sails around the |
|
13. |
The
Dr.
Adam Kay, a real anesthetist, performs countless ditties he has written about
girlfriends, medicine, and many other topics.
The shorter pieces have the feel of Douglas Adams—a couple of short
lines followed by a punch line. He has
two Lord High Executioner type songs in which he deftly negotiates a tight
list of drugs or subjects, as well as rag reminiscent of Tom Lehrer. Please be warned that there are many songs
are off-color. (Aug 16) |
|
14. |
Paper
Flowers (*****) A
lonely Chilean woman, who initially allowed a hunted tramp to stay the day,
finds her apartment and life drawn into his mesmerizing chaos. I found the portrayals of her need and debasement
as well as his angry self-possession both riveting throughout. (Aug 13) |
|
15. |
Esme
Tales (*****) Based
on six short stories revolving around, though not necessarily including, a
free spirited schoolgirl. We see
stories of her classroom, her mother and father, her teacher’s sister, and a
young man who loves dust. The stories
combined with the original music proved quite moving for me. (Aug 9) |
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16. |
Out
of the Blue (*****) After
seeing this Oxford A Cappella last year, and giving them 5 stars, I looked
forward to seeing them again. They did
not disappoint. I loved all but one
All but one of the songs was perfect.
Their choreography is even better than last year. (Aug 27) |
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17. |
Hamp
(*****) A
firing squad looms over a guileless, shell shocked soldier as he is
court-martialed for desertion in 1918.
The power of this play lies in simple honesty of Hamp, and the growing
misgivings of his conflicted attorney.
Both actors carry off their roles beautifully. The only weak point in the trial occurs
when the medical officer is dismissed from his testimony before properly
answering questions about shell shock.
(Aug 20) |
|
18. |
Cabin
Fever (*****) A
veteran shipboard emcee/comedian tries to get his new boss to appreciate his
talent. The comedian provides a
wonderful characterization of life among shipboard entertainers. It is worth seeing this show just for the
section where he creates the first five minutes of a show, including
commentary about what is happening in the audience. (Aug 23) |
|
19. |
Nosferatu
(*****) A
musical about a married man in a rigid town who sells the house next to his
the vampire Nosferatu. The young cast
carries off this tale in winning fashion.
All leads have fine voices, and their stylized acting as music box
robots makes the story all the creepier.
(Aug 22) |
|
20. |
The
Unsinkable Clerk (*****) A
shy clerk with a precise routine for every day is suddenly transported into
the middle of an ocean where he meets Jonah inside the whale. This play abounds with whimsy as the pair
share adventures in the whale, on board a doomed cruise ship, and on an
island paradise. The facial
contortions and demeanor of the clerk reminded me of Wallace of Wallace and
Grommet. (Aug 25) |
|
21. |
Rose
(*****) Fiona
York plays the role of a Jewish woman whose life takes her from |
|
22. |
The
Hamlet Project (*****) This
small, young company successfully condenses Shakespeare’s play about a prince
who must deal with the assassination of his father by his uncle. I found it fascinating to watch as two
actors shared the role of Hamlet by perfectly alternating lines. Their constant back and forth was a great
metaphor for the conflicted Hamlet. As
usual, Ophelia’s death scene is the only drag on the play. (Aug 25) |
|
23. |
Other
People (****) A
witty comedy about two flatmates growing apart as one heads on to marriage,
and the other stands still, except in his work as a human statue. The script complements the quips about
English history, Paul McCartney, and video games bandied between the two longtime
friends, with their bittersweet observations about their personal lives. The maturing man manages to be sincere
about his love for his girlfriend while still playing a video game with his
pal. The stunted man rang true with
his adolescent obsession with inside jokes and trivia. (Aug 6) |
|
24. |
The
Government Inspector (****) The
corrupt officials of a remote town mistake a penniless aristocrat for an
inspector for the Russian Czar, and fond over him. The large gap-year cast did a remarkable
job with all aspects of this play. As
the play unfolded, I imagined what the Czar thought when it was presented to
him! (Aug 18) |
|
25. |
Into
the Hoods (****) The
tales of Rapuntzel, Little Red Riding Hood, Jack and the Beanstalk, and
Cinderella are set in the hip-hop world of an inner city apartment
tower. Initially there is a sameness
to the hip-hop dancing, but about a third of the way in the cast starts to
really explore the possibilities, including a nice quiet piece. This is one
of the few times that the use of a large back screen for videos and scenery
worked well. (Aug 24) |
|
26. |
Story
Shakespeare: The Tempest (****) With
the help of two magical creatures, an exiled king maroons his enemies on the
island he controls. The large, young
cast does a superb job of adapting the play to one hour. One of the many highlights was seeing the
monster Calaban played by two people at once.
(Aug 19) |
|
27. |
Neville’s
During
a teamwork exercise, four businessmen become marooned on an island in a
lake. Although they are caricatures,
the mix of an unstable Christian ornithologist, a softhearted leader, a witty
sarcastic complainer, and precise accountant provides the basis of many funny
and touching moments. (Aug 26) |
|
28. |
Clinically
Famous (****) A
woman portrays a former soap opera star describing her career from want to be
to beloved household name to patient in a clinic for celebrities. Her observations of each stage had a fine
mix of comedy, drama, and insight. She
learns the cost of fame when her role is changed from good wife to an evil
betrayed wife, and the public turns against her in real life. (Aug 22) |
|
29. |
The
What
can I say? I love good A Cappella, and
these singers had the voices and song selection to win my heart. (Aug 19) |
|
30. |
Jack
the Lad (****) While
one actor portrays a male prostitute telling his life’s story, another
portrays each of his clients. The tale
is told with many ingenious references to Jack and the Beanstalk, including a
set of keys with hollow beans with contents that lead him to the house of a
giant pimp. I know it sounds hokey,
but fairy tale is well hidden under the gritty realism of the son of a poor
single mother surviving in a harsh world.
(Aug 24) |
|
31. |
Killing
Time (****) A
married woman gives a good Samaritan a ride to his home, and then discovers
he has a dark side. This intriguing
thriller has many plot twists as the couple proceeds from supposed seduction
to criminal conspiracy. Unhappily, the
last event was predictable. More
importantly, when viewed in the context of the final plot twist, many of the
actions of the woman do not jibe with her final characterization. (Aug 26) |
|
32. |
Carbon
Fever (****) Two
men are trapped in grocery store when four feet of carbon covers the
Earth. Though beer, Pringles, and
sanitation issues are common topics, this tale is not as vulgar as it
sounds. These fellows are trapped, and
they don’t forget it. (Aug 24) |
|
33. |
Blues
Brothers Banned at the Fringe (****) Jake
and Elwood take the stage with a horn section and two back-up singers. I got what I expected—high energy blues
with enough shenagins to keep the audience loose in their seats. When the bass player took the mike, I
suddenly realized what a really good voice would sound like in that
context. The one problem with the show
was once they got people out of their seats dancing, they would occasionally
use riffs that were undanceable and dampen the spirit of the crowd. (Aug 19) |
|
34. |
Past
Half Remembered (****) Four
musician/actors and the lead recap the life of a centarian Russian woman
using a mix of music, acting, and serio-comic physical theater. Besides her courtship and marriage, both
World Wars and the Bolshevik revolution all have serious impact on her and
her husband. The touch is light, but
at 1945 I was scared we had only seen half of what would have been an
overlong play, but my fears were unwarranted since it ended shortly. (Aug 16) |
|
35. |
Lolita
(****) Nabakov’s
play about a pedophile who becomes obsessed with his stepdaughter. I found both leads played their complex
parts well: the pedophile was both restrained and yet sexually obsessed, and
Lolita was both manipulative and yet hurt.
Only the drama teacher seemed out of place with his almost campy
performance. Since my wife is a
therapist who deals with child abusers, I was surprised to see Lolita so well
adjusted in her later marriage. (Aug
20) |
|
36. |
Waiting
for Romeo (****) In
a war torn city, a woman who hasn’t left her flat for a year, and her
pregnant sister must suddenly deal with a roguish sniper. The story is well drawn as each pairing of
the trio is explored. The only fault I
could find is that the rogue was inconsistent in his ability to con his
victims. (Aug 23) |
|
37. |
Marlon
Brando’s Corset (****) The
dysfunctional cast of a popular medical TV show deal with the scriptwriter’s
criticism in a variety of ways, including murder. Though the cast is stereotypical with blonde
bimbo, witless hunk, jealous second banana, and smart actress, most of their
interactions are fun. The
scriptwriter’s witty lines and quips are the highlights, while the part after
the murder becomes broader, and less interesting. (Aug 16) |
|
38. |
The
Allotment (****) A
middle-aged horticultural therapy grad student brings four recent immigrants
together to rehabilitate a garden plot as therapy. All five characters are well etched, and
except for the student, each is unpredictable. (Aug 10) |
|
39. |
Lies
Have Been Told (****) A
one-man show with Philip York portraying Robert Maxwell, the British
publishing tycoon who died mysteriously after having been found to have
cooked the books. The forceful |
|
40. |
Dominic
Holland Stands Up (****) Dominic’s
stand-up routine is a mix of describing life as the father of four, and wry
observations about life in |
|
41. |
My
Name is Rachel Corrie (****) A
powerful true story of an idealistic young American woman who is bulldozed to
death by the Israelis while trying to intervene for the Palestinians in |
|
42. |
Andy’s
Promise (****) A
high school senior promises his brother on his mother’s life that he will not
lie for a week. When he lies to his
disabled sister, the story takes an intriguing turn as his mother suddenly
has a stroke. Though what I saw was
quite good, I wish they did not have to shorten the play; they left many
aspects incompletely explored. (Aug
6) |
|
43. |
Lippy
Bissoms (****) Poetry
from four middle aged women from |
|
44. |
Dickens
and Twain : Crossing the Pond (****) Two
actors portray Charles Dickens and Mark Twain discussing their lectures when
they performed in each other’s country.
Virtually all of the script is excerpts from their own writing with
the elegance of Dickens and the quips of Twain much in evidence. It was fascinating to hear of their century
old observations about the visited countries; |
|
45. |
The
Syringa Tree (****) A
white woman tells of her life in the countryside of |
|
46. |
Farewell
to the Tooth Fairy (****) 72-year-old
comedian Lynn Ruth Miller describes events from her life. I found the stories heartwarming. I particularly enjoyed her story of how she
befriended a poor boy with stinking fish sandwiches, and then went on to find
that he was a great dancer (and vote-rigger).
(Aug 14) |
|
47. |
Normal
(****) Based
on a true story in 1932, a young defense lawyer has a series of conversations
with a serial killer in |
|
48. |
Turning
Trix (****) The
lives of a young shaking drunk and his poetic drunken protector change with
the arrival of a soft hearted prostitute and illness. I found the selective use of rhyming
between characters a novel and winning theatric device. The three primary actors were all
strong. (Aug 13) |
|
49. |
Clean
Alternatives (****) The
president of a small company is offered money to keep her company afloat just
so her competitors don’t run afoul of the pollution laws. The writing is fast and witty with big
business the target a most barbs. However, the plot does wander a bit astray a
bit, and some of the writing seems to be there to show the prowess of the
playwright. (Aug 28) |
|
50. |
Delicious
(****) A
marvelous pianist and two female singers deliver popular songs ranging from “ |
|
51. |
The
Black Jew Dialogues (****) A
Black and a Jew explore the differences and similarities of their ethnic
history in |
|
52. |
Bouncers
–1990 remix (****) Four
men portray 50 characters as they look at life from the view as bouncers at a
popular late night pub. It takes a
while to get to know which characters they are portraying at any given
moment, but once I became acquainted with the repeated people the mix worked
quite well. Not surprisingly, I found
the four soliloquies by the sensitive head bouncer, Lucky Eddie, the best
part of the show. (Aug 7) |
|
53. |
The
New Standard (****) Last
year, I saw Steve Lawson alone with his bass and looping machine. This year he appears with vocalist Julie
McKee. Together they create an
appealing soft jazz duet. She clearly
has mastered looping over her own vocals.
However, my favorite song was “Get Ready”, in which he laid down a
simple loop, and then both worked with each other. If you don’t like soft jazz, then this
would be a two or three star. They are
only here until Aug 12th. (Aug 10) |
|
54. |
Paramour
(****) Two
young postal workers live alone on an island where they are supposed to sort
all of the lost mail of the |
|
55. |
Touched
(****) A
doctor, a distracted mother, a hairdresser, a wedding planner, a pregnant
woman, and a midwife wannabe share a table at a wedding. Each has a chance to speak of their
troubles, and have them nicely resolved by the end of the play. The wedding planner has the funniest part
as she deals with quirky incidents throughout the wedding, including a
grandfather dropping his teeth in the chocolate fondue. The mother nailed the appearance of nervous
distraction. (Aug 21) |
|
56. |
Innocence
(****) A
13-year old plays an 11-year old girl sitting in her bedroom dealing with the
tragedy that has befallen her family.
The innocence that such a young and talented performer can bring to
the part makes this play work. The
only flaw in the play is that it ignores the realities of modern police
investigations. (Aug 27) |
|
57. |
Tossers:
More Balls than Most (****) Seven
jugglers show what they can do with shovels, tables, oranges, bowlers,
basketballs, bicycle parts, and many other items. The show varies from singles, to duets, to
all juggling with each other. I was
embarrassed for the one woman in the group because she was clearly not of the
same caliber as the men; when it was her turn it was always a letdown. (Aug 22)
|
|
58. |
The
Plan B Show (****) A comedy about how an evil dating service
manager/mad scientist, and her female assistant that control the lives of two
men. Most of the zany gags work quite
well. The assistant gets the most out
of her part. (Aug 14) |
|
59. |
Reginald
D Hunter – Pride and Prejudice and Niggas (****) At
the beginning of the show, this standup comic warns the audience that the
title is just a joke, and irrelevant to the topics of the show. Hunter has a fine command of the English
language, but still chooses to use “F****in,” frequently. He has quite a few perceptive and funny
routines. Highlights were his
discussion of racial pejoratives, and a long story about his honorable father
revealing that he had been paid to have unusual sex. (Aug 28) |
|
60. |
Jim
Henson’s Puppet Improv (****) As
the name implies, this show has puppeteers doing improv comedy using
muppets. They accomplish this by
standing on stage manipulating the muppets with a TV camera just above their
heads. While the muppets certainly
lend a wonderful whimsy to the whole show, the actual improvisations were
mediocre. (Aug 20) |
|
61. |
Get
Carter (****) A
very competent enforcer follows many dead ends as he investigates the
suspicious death of his brother. This
an attempt to make a direct translation of the pulp movie starring Michael
Caine. It is remarkably faithful to
the story, including its grittiness.
Because of its complexity, I think that those who have seen the movie
will enjoy it much more than those that have not. The set utilizes one point perspective to
remarkable effect. As usual, I sat in
the front row, and end up spattered with some very stray blood! (Aug 17) |
|
62. |
Shakespeare
for Breakfast (****) A
traditional show for the Fringe that takes Shakespeare’s prose and adds
modern twists. “Taming of the Shrew” provides
the basic plot for the all female cast, but they speak lines derived from
many of his plays. The audience loved
it, and, despite only catching some of the references, I found it quite
clever and fun. (Aug 8) |
|
63. |
Diva
for the Role of Dostoevsky’s Wife (****) In
the present day, a retired actress meets a younger man in a nursing home who
thinks he is Dostoevsky. Together they
explore a play about Dostoevsky and his wife.
The story is intriguing, and the acting superb. (Aug 9) |
|
64. |
Urinetown
(****) A
musical about how an extended drought leads to a water conservation
corporation having laws enacted that requires people to use the company’s pay
toilets. The whole thing is done
tongue-in-cheek, with many funny asides by the narrator/cop. Unhappily, the cast had only a couple of
good voices—a common problem with Fringe musicals. (Aug 13) |
|
65. |
My
Dearest Byron (****) Lord
Byron found sex and solace in his sister’s love, and then married for
money. While the acting of both brother
and sister was superb, it is hard for me enjoy listening to a whiny
self-centered man for an hour. I felt
like I was watching the Kenneth Williams play set in an earlier time. (Aug 18) |
|
66. |
Desperate
Improvisations (****) An
artistic director gathers three writers together to write a new play. Utilizing the director’s own life as a
touchstone, the drag queen performing artist, mystery writer, and an American
Sci-Fi student in turn create a play that shifts back and forth based on
their own theatric biases. The abrupt
changes keep the play interesting.
(Aug 13) |
|
67. |
The
Iliad (****) Three
actors take this epic and cut it down to one hour. They did a remarkable job playing many
characters, and providing the necessary exposition to fairly faithfully
dramatize the giant story. They wisely
decided to just cover the first half.
(Aug 24) |
|
68. |
Pigeon
Man Apocalypse (****) After
an abusive childhood, a disturbed man seals himself in a space where he lives
on pigeons and rainwater. Among other
things the man relates his dealings with his parents, and an aborted love
affair. The actor executes a perfect
blend of a madman and storyteller.
(Aug 23) |
|
69. |
Animal
Farm (****) One
man plays all the animals in Orwell’s story about a communist revolution that
slowly goes wrong. The actor does a
fine job of differentiating between the many characters. The play is faithful to the book, but its
two hours wore me out. (Aug 28) |
|
70. |
Under
Ice (****) A
middle-aged businessman is disenchanted with the new personal effectiveness
training of his company. The lead is
superbly written, but the constant business-speak from the other two actors
is mind numbing for him and the audience.
Though I was awake throughout, I found many around me nodding off. (Aug 19) |
|
71. |
Audience
(***) This
play has a director providing a running commentary as the onstage audience
faces the real audience and supposedly watches his play. Seemingly all the possible events happen on
this one night from latecomers that cannot find the right seats to contagious
coughing to serious scenes misinterpreted as funny. The large cast provides room to portray a
wide variety of situations. The one
flaw was that the play did not end in a discernible fashion; the fake
audience just drifted offstage during their intermission, while the real
audience had no idea that the play was finished. (Aug 27) |
|
72. |
Life
Sucks … and then you Die (***) Ray
Jessel, a 70-something composer, plays a set of funny ditties. Most are quite funny, including one in the
style of Noel Coward. (Aug 27) |
|
73. |
The
A
platoon deals with cowardice in World War I, and then a similar platoon deals
with the abuse a prisoner during the recent Iraqi war. The two acts explored different aspects of
the necessity of group cohesiveness and discipline. Despite its topicality, the play never
really grabbed me. (Aug 28) |
|
74. |
White
Open Spaces (***) Five
actors deliver seven monologues about race relations in the lily white county
of Shropshire: a Black woman at a wedding, a restaurant owner refusing a
Traveler, an old man rejecting development, a cleaning woman hearing of a
Black marrying a White, a Pakistani confronted by a landowner, a Black
interrogated about the whereabouts of his White girlfriend, and a woman
mistreating a Black. Five of the
stories are quite strong. (Aug 21) |
|
75. |
Another
Country (***) In
the 1920s, one house of a public school must deal with the suicide of a young
member. As an American teacher, I
always find it interesting to see the inner workings of the English public
school system with its hierarchies, hazing, and homosexuality. The well-crafted characters did not
disappoint. My problem lay in not
being able to understand what they were saying because some actors spoke too
fast and/or softly. (Aug 20) |
|
76. |
What
I Heard about Six
actors recite quotes from prominent American Republicans and Tony Blair that track
the story of the invasion of |
|
77. |
Hillary
Agonistes (***) In
2009, President Hillary Clinton must deal with 65 million people in the world
mysteriously disappearing in one instant, leaving their clothes behind. The crux of the play is to whether Hillary
will treat the event as the Rapture which leads to Armageddon. The premise, Hillary, and her press
assistant are great. However, the
concept that impeachment could start in a few days is farfetched, as is the lack
of deference given the President by her subordinates. (Aug 26) |
|
78. |
John
Hegley Elevenses (***) A
likeable Brit reads and sings his doggerel at 11 each morning. The fare is light, but just right to start
your day. (Aug 10) |
|
79. |
A
British Guide To World Religions (***) The
pair provide a pleasant mix of jokes, quotes, and basic information of the
major religions from Hinduism to Scientology. Don’t go to expecting endless humor, but
all in all the experience is quite fulfilling. (Aug 7) |
|
80. |
Midnight
Carousel (***) This
cabaret of different acts each night from across the Fringe has Dusty Limits
as the compere. When Dusty is on the
stage, all will have a good time. The
only other regular acts are two burlesque women. They did a marvelous fan dance, and a less
successful balloon strip. The invited
acts vary from great to mediocre at best.
(Aug 9) |
|
81. |
Kyogen
– Raw and Uncooked (***) With
audience help, a young Japanese man creates a three person play in the
Japanese Kyogen style. He frequently
pauses to teach the audience this art form as well as comparing it to No
theater. His friendly demeanor made
the experience fun for all. (Aug 9) |
|
82. |
Klepto
(***) A
likable former kleptomaniac tells his life’s story utilizing poetry and
stand-up. From child abuse without
pathos to publishing his own book using stolen materials his winning
personality made the whole tale quite enjoyable. (Aug 9) |
|
83. |
ASAP
(***) A
man and woman review their lives after a car accident kills their
spouses. The men were best buddies,
and the women were sisters so there are a lot of pairings shown as well as
many group events. The whole play is
consistently enjoyable, except for some superfluous cavorting/dancing. (Aug
17) |
|
84. |
Danny’s
Wake (***) A
teacher and a plumber are the only people that show up to watch over a
32-year old man’s casket for the night, and spend the night talking about
their marriages, and correcting false share memories. The play starts rather slowly, but then has
a good second half, except for an unnecessary epilogue. A highlight is a section where the plumber
explains the sources of the nicknames for all of their school chums. (Aug 17) |
|
85. |
Wasted
(***) The
story of a real couple that tortured and murdered five children in the
1960s. The fact that this is based on
“The Crime of the Century,” makes each aspect all the more chilling. When the unrepentant man describes his
first experience with torturing a cat, I came to understand and yet hate
him. (Aug 21) |
|
86. |
Sit
(***) Three
men use physical theater to provide the history of the chair, and then
develop many sketches with chairs as their focus. The sketches are quite uneven, though the range
of uses of chairs in sketches is impressive.
They do have one of the few high quality videos that I have ever seen
at the Fringe; it covers the history of chairs in the 20th century using doctored
film clips. (Aug 17) |
|
87. |
It’s
A Girl (***) This
revue has five disparate women banding together to deal with their
pregnancies and the proposed development of a nuclear waste site in their
town. The vignettes cover pre-natal
classes, uncaring obstinate doctors, caring obstinate husbands, methods of
protest, and a childbirth on stage with a play-by-play announcer. (Aug 6) |
|
88. |
Immortal
(***) A
circus in which the audience stands at all times and is herded around the big
top to allow aerialists to perform above them. Much of the time antic performers move
among the crowd. The novelty of the
experience was great, but since there were no grandstands all acts had to be
based on performing above the crowd.
Even high quality aerial acts get boring when there is virtually no
break. (Aug 25) |
|
89. |
The
Art of Disappearance (***) This
piece interweaves the life cycle of two raindrops with the story of a
hairdresser and her long lost fisherman lover. The dance of the raindrops is much the stronger
of these only tangentially related stories.
I delighted in seeing the dancers convey the initial pitter-patter of
rain as well as their intermingling and parting as they flow down a river. (Aug 20) |
|
90. |
Rosencrantz
and Guildenstern are Dead (***) We
see the quirky lives of the two inconsequential friends of Hamlet that
accompanied him to |
|
91. |
David
O’Doherty is my name. (***) David’s
stand-up routine is fairly typical for a single twenty-something man. He does write and perform songs on small
Casio keyboards. Some of the songs are
quite funny, while others have little to offer. I should add that I was suffering from jet
lag, and may have enjoyed him more later in my visit. (Aug 5) |
|
92. |
Think
Pink! (***) Thirteen
|
|
93. |
Twilight
More
than a dozen actors perform the words of people involved the event
surrounding the 1992 riots after the four police officers were found innocent
of beating Rodney King. Though the
presentation is chronological, there still seems an aimlessness to it. I found it way too long, with a few
characters completely superfluous.
(Aug 12) |
|
94. |
Bed
Bound (***) While
they are stuck in a bedroom, an Irish daughter with polio trys to converse
with her furniture salesman father(?).
The father’s description of his murderous single-minded rise from poor
stock boy to owner of six furniture stores is always riveting. The noise from two large ventilating fans
combined with her quiet, thick brogue made they daughter’s lines
unintelligible in the beginning. By
the time she started to speak louder, we had lost interest in her more
confusing tale. (Aug 11) |
|
95. |
Bach-Bukowski
(***) Willem
van Ekeren plays selections from Bach’s Well Tempered Clavier while reciting
the poems of beat poet Charles Bukowski in a bluesy voice. I felt quite sophisticated, but could not
understand the Belgian in parts of the more chaotic poems. The phrase “mutilated minutes” for time
spent working really caught my ear.
(Aug 14) |
|
96. |
Twenty-five
Ugandan and Kenyan children join ten Ugandan adults to produce for African
dance and songs. Seemed like everyone
in the audience loved this. All
demonstrated a wonderful enthusiasm. I
just couldn’t get it out of my head that a group of Black children were
shipped away from their homes for the entertainment of a White audience. That was my problem, not theirs. Mind you, the money from the tour goes to
help 6,000 people. (Aug 14) |
|
97. |
Danceforms
(***) I
found my enjoyment of these ten dances caused me to reflect on what appeals
to me in general. The bell curve was
at work. “Morning”, a duet about
repeated morning sex and satiation, was clear, short, and not unnecessarily
repetitive. In the other dance of
note, a man donned a shirt with ten-foot sleeves that he proceeded to
manipulate like flowing ribbons. The
balance of the dances had occasional beauty and innovation, but leaned toward
the uninspiring mundane with usually similar music. (Aug 11) |
|
98. |
Struwwelpeter
(***) Five
clowns adapt eight of Hoffmann’s brutal fairy tales. Most teach a moral by a child suffering a
horrible death caused by their naughty actions. The choice of clowns and occasional black
light provided just the right tone of these bizarre stories. (Aug 10) |
|
99. |
Two
to Tangle (***) Two
mimes take a couple from courtship to married life to a flooded home. I cannot remember seeing such an extended
mimed story. Part of its attraction is
its uniqueness. (Aug 9) |
|
100.
|
Crime
and Punishment (***) In
Czarist Russia, a poor man murders a pawnbroker while he and the crime’s
investigator share the same woman. The
play has all the darkness of the novel, but the coincidence that permits the
investigator to solve the crime weakens the story. (Aug 25) |
|
101.
|
Eclipse
(***) Though
the acting was pretty good from these secondary school students, this dark
story of an interloper among young people watching an eclipse was difficult
to understand as a whole. Riddles
remained unanswered, and rituals appeared from nowhere. (Aug 8) |
|
102.
|
When
To Run (***) One
actress portrays four women for whom running becomes an important part of
their life. We learn of the lives of a
15 year old track star, an obsessed married runner, a lifestyle guru, and a
dog walker. Since the actress made no
costume changes, and the older women’s characterizations were only subtly
different, it was initially challenging to figure out who she was portraying
as she changed characters every few minutes. (Aug 8) |
|
103.
|
Talk
Radio (***) We
step into a talk-radio station, and while watching one host interact with his
callers, we learn of his life from his colleagues. There is plenty of room here for diatribes
by the host, but the disjoint between his consistent abuse of his audience
and their adoration of him seems a bit unreal. The story is quite dated in its references
to events, and portrayal of the host as having liberal views when
conservatives now dominate the airwaves.
I do admire how the actor could interact perfectly with pre-recorded
callers. (Aug 24) |
|
104.
|
Voices
in the Dark (***) A
young eloping couple takes refuge in barn, and then the story turns very dark
when another couple comes upon them.
The elopers are sweet but inconsequential, while the latter couple has
more meat. The unlikely coincidence
that the elopers would be in the barn at such an inopportune time severely
weakens the play. (Aug 21) |
|
105.
|
The
Pier Glass (***) In
the early 19th century, a theater company arrives in a town that
has a young heiress under house arrest by her stepmother. The costumes were among the best I have
seen, however the production as whole fell flat. |
|
106.
|
The
‘It’ Girls (***) Much
to their uncle/father’s consternation two teenage girls reject two suitable
businessmen suitors, and become enamored with two flowery rogues. The conceit of the play is that styles of
English used vary: the father in standard English, the girls in Jane Austin
prose, the businessmen in hip-hop slang, and the rogues in |
|
107.
|
Slap!
(***) A
famous rigid German hairdresser, an innovative English make-up artist, and
her star struck assistant sit in a trailer in a bog waiting to work on a rock
band for an MTV video. Much of the
material comes from the fact that the hairdresser and artist were chums in
cosmetology school, but had a falling out.
This is light comedy fare with little substance. (Aug 22) |
|
108.
|
Strange
Games (***) Three
clowns provide an uneven mix of stories.
Some are wonderfully fun, while others are ponderous and dull. During one of the better stories, I was
distracted by how the large swan puppet had a large hole in it and was quite
dirty. On the other hand, the
shabbiness of a Christmas tree created from an umbrella skeleton and trash
was integral part of its sweetness.
(Aug 9) |
|
109.
|
Strong
Native Women (***) Three
Native American women present dances and stories of famous Native American
women. While their relentless
solemness added some gravity to their show, it also highlighted a weakness of
the show. Almost all of the stories
deal with their interactions with their White conquerors. These strong women are defined only by
their sorrow, and never by their joys—they are totems that lack depth. (Aug 12)
|
|
110.
|
My
Brother’s Keeper (***) The
last two Jews in |
|
111.
|
Finding
This
unusual play transforms Romeo and Juliet into a myth of war torn |
|
112.
|
NewsRevue
2006 (***) Last
year I gave this comedy revue five stars.
So what happened? This year there
were more songs, and fewer sketches than last year. More importantly, there was a lot more
material that only Brits could understand.
So, it may well be worth five stars for Brits, but the ratings are
based on my enjoyment. (Aug 28) |
|
113.
|
With
a Song in My Heart (***) Three
women and three men sing medleys of Richard Rodgers songs. I have always loved the Rogers and Hart
collaborations, and was reminded that his work with Oscar Hammerstein was
ground breaking. While the songs are wonderful,
only two of the voices could do them justice.
(Aug 19) |
|
114.
|
Love
the Radio Edit (***) Two
women and two men lip-synch and act to short sections of popular songs to
tell a love story. I embarrassed to
say that I did not realize that this is one long story; I perceived it as a
set of separate stories. In any case,
since the songs are all hits, the audience cannot help but have a good
time. Having made a novelty tape
composed of parts of songs when I was six, I could not help but notice that the
songs could have been re-ordered to better effect. (Aug 13) |
|
115.
|
Young
Macbeth (***) A
young cast tackles Shakespeare’s play in one hour. The basic story and key lines are there,
but the only memorable parts are too loud music between scenes, and a screechy
witch. (Aug 21) |
|
116.
|
Pisspots
and Portraits (***) Six
actors explore more than a dozen works of art from Michaelangelo’s David to
Warhol’s Marilyn. This uneven piece
feels like classic Fringe with some inspired accessible scenes mixed with
other scenes that seem to have little point except as acting exercises. (Aug 20) |
|
117.
|
Purgatory
(***) Yeats
short play about a man who continues to feels a familial taint even twenty years
after killing his father. The story
starts slowly, and does not pick up much speed. There was some beauty in the language of
the disturbed man as he belittles his parents and himself. (Aug 24) |
|
118.
|
Duels
(***) As
the title indicates, this is a series of scenes involving various forms of
combat. Unhappily it is obvious that
these are actors, and not trained martial artists. I did find the first story about combat in
a video game using ballet the best of the lot. (Aug 18) |
|
119.
|
Bat
Boy: The Musical (***) A
teenage boy with fangs is found in a cave quickly learns to speak, but is
viewed as a threat by the townspeople in a dying |
|
120.
|
Think
No Evil of Us: My Life with Kenneth
Williams (***) This
one-man show is half an impersonation of the wit Kenneth Williams by David Benson,
and half vignettes from Benson’s life.
I know nothing of Williams, and found little pleasure in watching
Benson portray Williams as an unpleasant self-centered elitist with few
redeeming qualities. On the other
hand, I found Benson’s autobiographical sketches alternately funny and
touching. (Aug 17) |
|
121.
|
Can’t
Pay? Won’t Pay! (**) In
|
|
122.
|
Sequinned
Suits and Platform Boots (**) In
the 1970’s, a young man discovers glam rock, and attempts to form his own
band. The play is a mix of glam rock
songs, teen sexual ambivalence, campy parents, a genie, and a whole lot more. Though there is a plot thread, the whole
mixture lacks focus. (Aug 19) |
|
123.
|
Doctor
Faustus (**) Doctor
Faustus trades his soul for 24 years of his every wish being granted. This play doesn’t work because Faust
displays no interest in the things for which he traded. When he is granted Helen of Troy there is
no passion to be seen. Never do we see
any motivation for him to make the hideous bargain. (Aug 19) |
|
124.
|
Ketzal
(**) Seven
bald topless dancers portray the life story of a birdman. Though I had a general idea of progress, I
never felt sure. As with other dance
pieces, I found most of music monotonous; in this case it was atmospheric
sounds rather than music. The one
highlight is at the end where they fill stage with an inch of water, and then
flounce, slide, and splatter around in it.
I must admit that during the boring scenes I tried to figure out if
one particularly flat-chested dancer was a man or woman. By the end, both my companion and I were
just tired. (Aug 23) |
|
125.
|
Fish
Story (**) Three
people leave a safe house in the countryside after spending five years
cut-off from civilization. At least
that is suppose to be the premise. The
problem is that their knowledge of the world is erratic. They don’t understand what roads and cars
are, but they do understand stores, radios, and packaging. I just could never understand the
people. As with “Tylwyth Teg,” my
companion thought the play wonderful.
(Aug 23) |
|
126.
|
The
Tylwyth Teg (**) Three
fairies try to contend with industrial development by swapping babies with a
woman. This physical theater piece has
some interesting parts, including a changing silhouette panel, but was too
slow and sometimes incomprehensible. I
should note that my companion loved it.
(Aug 22) |
|
127.
|
Frankenstein
(**) A
seemingly complete telling of the story of Frankenstein, including the
doctor’s aborted creation of the monster’s bride to be. At one and a half hours, the stilted play
wore me out. It did get me interested
in reading the book, just so I could know what was the real original story.
(Aug 18?) |
|
128.
|
Rabbit
(**) This
has a powerful man and his wife visiting their daughter and meeting her
heroin addict boyfriend for the first time.
I liked the first scene with the daughter and boyfriend dealing with
the impending visit. However, because
her smooth young body betrayed her role, I was really put-off by the wife
suddenly stripping to a bra and panties; vamping would have been better for
me. (Aug 14) |
|
129.
|
A
Slice O’Minelli (**) Rick
Skye impersonates Liza Minelli. He
puts his all into the songs, and does a fair imitation of her voice. However, despite wearing Liza’s costumes
and makeup, this good sized man just does not look like her, and cannot
dance. At the end of the show, he
plays a clip with the slim vivacious Liza in “Happy Endings”, which
reinforced my opinion that he should ditch the drag, and do it straight. I should note that the older folk in the
show loved it. (Aug 9) |
|
130.
|
Confessions
of a Paralyzed Porn Star (**) Accompanied
by a pianist, an actress with the same name as a successful porn star sings
songs about her own life. She is
clearly a clever lyricist, but most of the songs are tinged with
anger/violence and are too loud for my tastes. She did have one song in the style of Joni
Mitchell that had beautiful music and evocative lyrics. (Aug 8) |
|
131.
|
The
Powder Room (**) Like
last year’s student burlesque show, despite pasties, bumps, and grinds, this
show seems naughty but not sexy. The
students give it their all, but it seems they couldn’t decide whether to go
for camp or make it an homage. A
murder on stage was neither. (Aug
7) |
|
132.
|
Parasites
(**) A
haughty professor from another university comes to inspect the parasitology
department whose primary professor is now a drunk. The first scene, which is between the
drunk and the young head of his department, is quite entertaining. The later scenes twist into silliness that
pale by comparison. (Aug 7) |
|
133.
|
American
Vaudeville (**) Two
men trace a vaudeville comedy duo from 1910 to 1927 by mixing vaudeville acts
with events from the duos lives. In
most cases the men display few skills that would qualify them for a real
vaudeville show. Both during the acts
and during the real life scenes, the entire play proceeds at a glacial
pace—the antithesis of fast paced vaudeville.
(Aug 22) |
|
134.
|
Vaudeville
Cabaret Club (**) The
third cabaret of my visit had your standard host, and visiting acts. The Tasmanian host had a good singing
voice, and was quite personable.
Nonetheless, cabaret shows depend on their acts. The first few acts were very good, but the
rest were pretty forgettable. The
Liquid Druid who manipulated up to seven clear orange size balls was
amazing! They seemed float across his
hands and arms. At the other end of
the scale was a woman who thought it would be incredibly amusing for her to
put ice cubes in her dress to simulate a nipple. (Aug 14)
|
|
135.
|
For
Every Passion Something (**) This
is a somewhat odd selection of scenes from Shakespeare plays. Though I love Shakespeare, and the students
did an adequate job, I could see no rhyme, nor reason to their
selections. (Aug 11) |
|
136.
|
No
Obvious Trauma (**) A
catatonic woman is treated by two physicians.
Another play that put me to sleep.
The only highlight was the use of two puppets to recreate the past,
and communicate. (Aug 21) |
|
137.
|
So
Simple (**) This
begins with a woman dancing, and shortly adds a male partner. Though there are some nice movements, there
is a general sameness to the music and work.
(Aug 21) |
|
138.
|
Scapin
the Cheat (**) Moliere’s
farce about two wastrel sons trying to convince their mothers to give their
permission and money. The highlights
are the scamp servants that scheme to help their masters. They decided to play directly to the
audience in a very broad style. This
dulled the impact of true farcical elements for me. (Aug 12) |
|
139.
|
Little
Red Riding Hood (**) Two
men and two women try to stretch the tale into fifty minutes. While it was interesting to see the actors
take turns in the lead roles of their genders, the story is just too slight
to support fifty minutes. (Aug 19) |
|
140.
|
Easy
Targets (**) Four
forgettable monologues by four actors provide targets for the knotted socks
thrown by the audience. In |
|
141.
|
Accidentally
Waiting To Happen (**) Three
young women are involved in a car accident deal with it in three different
ways. One obsesses over remembering
her now dead sister, one fears the outside world, and one leaves the world of
sanity and becomes homeless. All three
are always on stage, but the tale is told by rotating through each
individual’s bizarre life with minimal interactions with the other two. While the offstage pianist played somewhat
interesting improv situational music, the pacing as a whole is quite
slow. I noticed that others in the
audience were looking at their watches when the play was only half
through. (Aug 11) |
|
142.
|
Girl
in a Box (**) A
17-year old man invited to a small seaside town disrupts the lives of a
25-year old brother and a 28-year old sister.
A burlesque queen provides some delightful entertainment in the many
interludes. This tale of abuse has
its moments, but is too disjoint because of the many scene changes using the
shower-curtained room (box). (Aug 8) |
|
143.
|
Victims
of Freedom (**) A
short slice of life play that has a family harboring terrorists and then find
themselves terrorized when they are discovered by government
mercenaries. While the play depicts
torture and rape, there seems little point to the play as a whole, except to
say that innocent people are hurt in wars on terrorists. (Aug 26) |
|
144.
|
Paradox
(**) An
anthropologist explains to a TV presenter how a modern family can be divided
into three species (kids, parents, and grandparents) and then compares them
with videos of Neanderthals. To give
an idea of the level of humor, the grandparents had Stinkus in their species
name. The videos just had actors in
gorilla masks cavorting around a stream, and added nothing to the little that
was there already. (Aug 12) |
|
145.
|
Picking
Holes in the Mist (**) Four
new strawberry pickers end up in a pub, and learn about themselves. I found that I had little interest in their
problems. The only interesting
character was the pub owner who spoke in malapropisms. (Aug 9) |
|
146.
|
WASP
(**) Steve
Martin’s short play about a family of WASPs in |
|
147.
|
Diary
of a Nobody (**) Rodney
Bowes, a star of the 60’s(?) Britcom “Likely Lads”, portrays a Victorian
clerk reading from his diary covering a year of seemingly inconsequential
events. Those that know him, and/or
read the book found the show wonderful.
Without the benefit of either, I found him to be a confused actor that
forgot his place in a script that only occasionally held the interest of my
jet-lagged mind. (Aug 5) |
|
148.
|
Doom
Riders – The Four Noels (**) Three
men spoof gothic horror movies by portraying a triad trying to raise an evil
god with a human sacrifice. There were
good spirits throughout, but my jet lag really kicked in, and I nodded off
during parts. (Aug 5) |
|
149.
|
Songs
My Granny Frowned At (**) A
male singer with a decent voice and a pianist perform ditties that they
wrote. Most of the songs rambled, and,
in the end, I might have guessed that they were written while the pair were
on LSD. (Aug 28) |
|
150.
|
Gizmo
Love (**) A
studio scriptwriter is assigned to fix a heartfelt script written by an
eleven-year old boy while two gangsters make sure they do a good job. The performances by the scriptwriter and
one of the gangsters were top-notch, but I dozed from jet lag, and couldn’t
comprehend what was going on towards the end.
(Aug 5) |
|
151.
|
American
Football (**) A
black comedy in which a long haired teenager joins the Marines, cuts the head
off an Iraqi, and ends up in Leavenworth Military suffering the abuses of Abu
Ghraib. There is bad taste throughout,
including a talking severed head that is used as a ball. (Aug 13) |
|
152.
|
Skin
of the Moon (**) This
was a cross between Rocky Horror and 2,000,000 B.C. Despite the best efforts of the talented,
and sexy, supporting cast, they could not overcome preview snafus and the
shortcomings of the writer/director/lead.
In most cases, his attempts at audience participation fell flat, or
worse. In particular, he chose to grab
a disabled man’s crutches and then stage a race with another cast
member. After a woman with a crutch
left during the performance, he said that she should F*** Off! I would have given this one star, but I
presume that at least the technical snafus will be remedied. (Aug 5) |
|
153.
|
The
Road (**) (Not posted to edfringe.com to protect feelings) These
four dance pieces performed by American high school students made me aware of
the high quality of the other dance shows at the Fringe. The first two pieces felt like recitals
where each student was asked to demonstrate that they could perform basic
dance movements. There was little
flow, and I could not ignore all the shaking during poses. The last two pieces did have a few moments
of interesting choreography, and at least a couple of the dancers appeared
competent and at ease. (Aug 23) |
|
154.
|
Provocative
Cinema (*) All
of these three short films are flawed, though there are some worthwhile
aspects. There is a beautifully lit
seduction scene, and a horrific scene of an actor being suffocated by
wrapping his head in cellophane. (Aug
24) |
|
155.
|
Tea
Before Honour (*) At
morning tea on an estate, a young woman properly guesses her hostesses’ age,
but is challenged to a duel for the perceived slight nonetheless. The sound is poor, and the young woman
displayed little fencing training.
(Aug 19) |
|
156.
|
(I
am) Nobody’s Lunch (*) A
cabaret based on interviews with random regular folk about events since 2003. I do not know what was wrong, but I just
could not stay for awake for this, despite it being 3 in the afternoon. The fellow next to me also nodded off. Each time I awoke, I would hear a lousy
song, or an incredibly uninteresting monologue. (Aug 15) |
|
157.
|
Cabaret
of Menace (*) This
“…bold, adventurous” revue has nothing to recommend it to a tired fellow at
midnight. I kept looking for something
funny, or even comprehensible, and failed.
However, if you are a night owl actress, like my companion, you may
find this |
|
158.
|
Assassins
(*) (not posted to edfringe.com because play has ended) This
musical about the nine American presidential assassins failed on many
levels. The large company has only one
singer with range and volume, the design concept is weak and overlong, and
the music and lyrics are utterly forgettable.
I cannot think of a bright spot, except that there was a pin-up of
Jodi Foster shown during John Hinckley’s scene. (Aug 11) |
|
159.
|
The
Gun Show (*) A
late night show with interviews, a band, and visiting acts. The band was not designed for a seated
audience, one act was obviously drunk, and the host could not even feed
questions to an improv comedian. The
best act was a magician at the end.
(Aug 13) |
|
160.
|
The
Decline of the Scunthorpe Textile Industry (*) (not posted to edfringe.com
because play has ended) Five
real public school boys chat at school and go to a pub. Written by one of the cast, the play is
sophomoric throughout, and not to my taste.
However, it was fun to see that the young girls in the audience loved
it. (Aug 12) |
|
161.
|
What’s
the Question (no stars) The
playwright starts with the hackneyed subject of TV game show, and produces
virtually nothing funny. I think I chuckled
twice, and smiled three times in an hour.
I am truly amazed at the level of bad acting, and bad writing. With just a few tweaks this show could
become a hilarious campy play about how not to produce a play about TV game
shows. I suppose it is not surprising
that this is the same company that produced “Two Blokes in Search of a Pub,”
the only other no star play I have seen.
(Aug 25) |
|
1. |
Two
Blokes in Search of a Pub (no stars) After
their local pub is closed, two young men set out to find the perfect pub, and
deal with a homicidal neighbor and producer along the way. I had been warned that this was worthless,
but I had told one of the cast members that I would see it. Unhappily, the warning was accurate. There is nothing here, and the cast and
playwright appear to know that from the outset. To give you an idea, the best of laugh of
the evening came for a chair that was half covered in aluminum foil. (Aug 8) |
I am a 53-year old Computer Science lecturer from the
After more than 200 plays in just a little over a
year, I have a much better idea of my biases and prejudices in the role of a
critic. I find that I prefer fact to
fiction, innovation to repetition, coherence to creativity, the concrete to the
symbolic, and cleverness to depth. I
realize that many of these are antithetical to the spirit of the Fringe, but I
cannot deny my nature. In particular, I
just do not like shows that push the bounds of creativity beyond my ability to
make sense of them. Because I choose to
fill time slots with whatever is available, I still expose myself to such
shows, and do not mind. However, I do
feel a little guilty giving a low rating to a show on which a company has
worked so hard, and with such commitment.
But I envision that that is my role—to accurately report my enjoyment so
that others may better use my ratings.
In all but a very few cases, I admire the effort of each company, and
wish them well.