Posts tagged with ‘mimi’
I love Isabel Nelson and her Ensemble. There. I said it. You veteran Fringers out there will remember this group from last year’s Ballad of the Pale Fisherman, wherein she boggled FF’s mind with her charming tale based on the Selkie myth. Well, they’ve done it again. This haunting story of a lost and lonely young woman seeking herself in the woods is inspired by Red Riding Hood, Appalachian music, La Loba, and the myth of Demeter and Persephone. It’s a lot to think about, and few of us are going to consciously assimilate the possible range of those influences in a first watch. They tell you about these influences in the program, though, and then ask you to “forget all that and enjoy a new story”; you should just stop sorting it out and take their advice. You’ll instantly find the Red Riding story, and certainly the dark and earthy music of Appalachia speaks—in fact, I could almost hear the wind and trickling mountain streams in the dreamlike movement of the ensemble as they swirl around their storytellers. Red’s journey is not unlike Persephone’s, in that she finds a mysterious mother figure in the woods; her journey is not unlike many young women, in that she gains terrible understanding and must decide what to do with it. Go see this—it’s beautiful, it’s wise, and it’s worth it.
Dylan Fresco is one of those gents you just want to call “old friend”. His wonderful and moving return to the Fringe is a can’t-miss, and you should go—and be prepared to feel lots of things. A mixture of song, story-telling and historical anecdote, this gentle and often very funny walk down Fresco’s familial memory is touching, sometimes sobering, romantic and delightful. Not only is he a gifted musician, his calming and twinkly presence will make you feel like you’re hearing about days gone by from a favorite uncle. He reminds his audience of the horrors that come from “discounting” others, and opens their hearts along the way with his generosity. It’s a terrific way to spend a Fringe slot.
This is a hard one for me to write. I wanted so desperately to fall for this show—the marketing has been great, you’d be hard-pressed to find a more gifted cast, and the writing/producing team is terrific. The fact is, though, that I’m not sure I get it. It’s the story of three neighbors who are trapped together in a Minnesota home after a house party; they struggle with each other, themselves, and finally, their fate. There was some clever dialogue, some hilarious comedic moments (God sent us Tim Hellendrung and his trombone), but in the end I’m not sure it landed. The characters talk often in the play about how little they really know of each other, and I could relate—it was hard to take the journey with people I never got to know. We find out that one character came to the party to commit suicide, but even that is just touched on briefly and set aside in the wild race to the end. The ending is huge fun, and it felt like what theatre should be—a life-changing moment we are privileged to witness. I hope Ben San Del keeps working on it. The play is a good idea; the Fringe’s time limits made me feel cheated out of the full story, though, and I wasn’t sure what I’d seen during the curtain call.
Fruitcake - Ten Commandments from the Psych Ward
Rob Gee’s totally engaging presence is reason enough to attend this show; if you need some more reasons, though, here’s one: it’s a show about a very serious issue that profoundly affects humanity. It’s also hilarious, charming, insightful, loving, edgy and bold. Gee worked for 11 years as a psychiatric nurse in psych units/institutions throughout the UK and Australia. It becomes apparent through his tales that he has seen almost everything (drug abuse, terror, heartbreak, severe psychoses, physical trauma, death) — somehow, though, I was left with a sense of hope and reassurance in his reflections. The voice of God (a lilting Jamaican patois) is played by Jean Binta Breeze — She lays down Her commandments throughout the story, and Mr. Gee reflects on Her words with stories and beat poetry that happen to be at once shocking, moving and hilarious. Don’t be fooled by his light banter, though — it’s clear that he means business. I applaud this work and the effort behind bringing these difficult issues to light in an accessible way. Gee loves the patients in his stories…and as a result, I loved them, too. This is a serious must-see.
MisMatched is the family-friendly story of two children who meet and grow in a friendship from elementary school through high school. They are both “different” from the other kids, and they learn through a series of lessons that being different for the right reasons is perfectly ok. The actors interact heavily with the audience, bringing them onto the stage at moments and requiring physical activity of them throughout. The story gets a bit preachy and forced at moments, and the target age for the story’s audience isn’t always clear, but it’s a good effort by a new company in town. If you have young-ish ones looking for a fun hour with some fun-loving actors, this is one to catch. There are some nice character performances, too.
Drop everything on your schedule and go see this show immediately. I haven’t said anything this serious all week. Never mind your queasiness with the form, just GO. The show is a wonderful sampling of master American composer/conductor Leonard Bernstein’s work, and it’s worth every penny and moment you’ll spend on it. Beautifully directed by Robert Neu, the artistic team delivers a lovely and balanced production of this little-known “opera in seven scenes”. It’s quick-paced, charming, unsettling, and fantastic. The musicians are gifted, the choreography is exactly right, and I found myself wishing the hour would last longer. The score contains lingering traces of Bernstein’s better-known earlier musical “On The Town”, and hints at his crowning popular achievement five years later — West Side Story. We’re lucky it made it through the Fringe lottery.
So stop reading this and go get your ticket.
This remount from last year’s Fringe…is…a…remount. The show is based on an apparently real theory called the Sultan’s Dowry Problem, which quantifies the likelihood that a person who is actively seeking a match will find him or her after going on dates with roughly 37 out of 100 potential suitors. Interesting premise, Minnebarista, so…good initiative, bad judgment. The writing and execution take the easy way out, and while there were some fun individual performances, this one needs some serious work. The energy was very low, and the structure (he goes on a date with a weirdo, she goes on a date with a weirdo, he goes on a … ) got old by minute 8. Moving on…there are other fish in the sea.
This has to be the most imaginative project I’ve seen at Fringe this year. I’m a sucker for any producing team gung-ho on trying a new musical, and One of a Kind Productions is taking this effort seriously. The production notes cite the piece as a tribute to villains; that’s only part of the fun. This quirky show has everything a new musical requires: oddball characters, fun and catchy music, and a premise designed for a score. The show’s writer, Chris Kind, shows a real fluency in comic book-speak, and his cast-mates are great at filling out his story. Of particular note is the dull-witted cop, played by Alan Just, and the sadistic vixen/love interest Nostradamus, played by Claire Lloyd. The props and costumes are beautifully detailed, and the choreography by Angelyn Faust is spot on. Is it a little rough around the edges? Sure. But this is a must-see for you Comic Con junkies out there…and even for those of you who just love a fun new musical in the making. Check it out.
An Evening with Alan Jr. and Chastity Gambler
Ok, look, here’s my Fringe confession of the day: I WAIT for these two to arrive at the Fringe every year. Their performances in “Auntie Dorris…” last year were enough to keep me on edge hoping I could see them again in 2010. Their work is just so beautifully WEIRD. I sit in the audience, laughing with everyone else, and I look around me and think, “Are we all on the same rollercoaster right now? Do these people all wonder if the whole thing is being drunkenly improvised, too? Is this a script, is it therapy for this potential couple, is it a conglomeration of stories pulled from dysfunctional relatives? Will it be remarkable, will it be a horrible Fringe crash-and-burn that we will all witness together?” In The Ballad of Chastity Gambler… the two actors portray D-list country music musicians sorting through their love affair onstage, and so many strange moments happen that it’s worth being there to see it. It’s not necessarily good writing at all…but it’s good theatre, and that’s what we’re doing here, people.
Just go see it. Just go. You’re probably reading this review having already seen it, and wondering if we liked it like you did, and yes — of course we did. Ferarri McSpeedy, as always, seems to create fun and loving theatre, and this is no exception. These guys obviously spent way too much time in high school cafeterias waiting for speech contest results, and their nods to being a teenager in 1990’s USA are a riot. SPOILER ALERT: Erin Sheppard and Matt Spring fake-ice skating to a scene from “The Cutting Edge” was worth the price of admission. The verse-competition poems by Minneapolis darling Lauren Anderson are priceless, and Mike Fotis’ dancing beer bottle is unsettling and awesome. Keep your eye out for Tim Hellendrung, too, and go see everything he does from here on out. In his entire life. Great show, perfect cast, nice execution — the most fun I’ve had yet at the Fringe.
- Page 1 of 3
- Next »
