Once, The Lion King, Sister Act, Bring it On, Shrek…what do these movies have in common? All of them were turned into musicals. Some are fantastic adaptations that appeal to both the general musical theatre crowd and fans of the movie, but some only appeal to one of the two. Speaking as a dedicated musical theatre fan, I have to say that turning Dirty Dancing into a musical was a great idea, but the adaptation didn’t translate very well onto the stage. Continue Reading
What You Will works if you are an aficionado of Shakespearian humor with a hint of raunchiness. If you do not like this sort of thing then you may have wanted to see one of the other 168 shows available at this year’s Fringe Festival. The plot was hard to follow and the acting was just a bit overdone. My largest dissatisfaction with the show was that there were quite a few characters who seemingly had superfluous roles. When you try compacting a Shakespearian inspired piece chocked full of modern innuendos with a wide-range of characters in less than an hour, the result often is a turgid mess that only a certain target audience will receive with enthusiasm. Continue Reading
Now I may not be a connoisseur of Bollywood dance styles, but I do know a good dance production when I see one. Hi! Hello! Namaste? is a truly unique experience at this year’s Fringe Festival. It offers an alternative to the festival’s slate which is comprised mainly of comedic productions. The show was full of amazing outfits and even better dancing. The very large cast worked well, offering a magnificent sight to the audience. While I’ll admit that the plot was a little vapid and cliché, this show is intended to highlight the unique style of dance that you can only find in this Bollywood inspired show. Continue Reading
The Four Humors Does Every Show In The Fringe was a comedic improv show that got it’s laughs by making fun of other Fringe shows, which is a great idea and I wish I’d thought of it. This was the very first improv show I’ve ever been to and I loved it. This time they tried to perform Blue Moon Theatre Company’s production Fish Stories. The actors recovered from bouts of laughter seamlessly. I especially liked the guest performer, Tim Hellendrung. His audience reviews were absolutely hysterical. The whole cast impressed me with their ability to adapt to whatever was thrown at them. This was a great show. Continue Reading
Negative Negative Production’s Habibi was a sad story of love and loss, and like some other beautiful stories, it did not have a happy ending. I’ve never understood why some people insist that all stories have happy endings. Life itself doesn’t have a happy ending, so why should every story? The three actors in this show were all extremely talented and they made their characters feel like living breathing people. I thought that the set was a bit over the top for a Fringe play. It made the already small space seem tiny. Other than the overly extravagant set, it was a very good show. Continue Reading
Freshwater Theatre’s Rewind-A-Buddy was nothing like I expected it to be. It was both hysterically funny and heart wrenchingly sad all at the same time. Buddy, played by J. Merrill Motz, was relatable and everything that happened seemed to escalate naturally, nothing ever seemed forced. Motz had great facial expressions that really tied the show together. It was very interesting to watch Buddy getting more and more frustrated and upset as the show went on. The actor who played Buddy seemed very emotional at the end of his performance, which made the things he said about loneliness feel much more personal. This was a very well done show and their use of repetition was exquisite. Continue Reading
This is a show that every type of audience can relate to. Young or old, male or female, married or single, anyone can find something to enjoy in the witty and modern take on relationships that is Couples Therapy. The two person cast works stupendously. Kellian Kary and Nick Wolf have a clear chemistry that is essential to such an intimate show. The quick wardrobe changes and dialogues heard backstage add comedic value and display the writing and acting talent of this dynamic duo. Continue Reading
There is a continuous battle fought by actors and high schoolers alike—understanding Shakespeare. Except for the mighty few who are either geniuses or lying, it is quite hard for most of the population to comprehend the 400 year old words of Shakespeare’s literature. Shakespeare Apocalypse, performing at Theatre In The Round, exposes many of the issues modern generations have with Shakespeare’s writing and provides a glimpse of what would happen if we decided to stop reading Shakespeare – an apocalypse, obviously. The story begins with Peter, a starving young actor (naturally), and Amy performing Hamlet when Peter forgets his next line. He then begins improvising. Then improvising turns into a big rant against Shakespeare. This is all filmed by teen vlogger Tracy, who puts it on the internet and the video goes viral. Soon people all over the world are burning Shakespeare’s work and proclaiming #downwiththebard! In a turn of Freudian proportions, Shakespeare, Jane Austen, and Ernest Hemingway come back, having sold their souls to the devil for literary immortality, to destroy the world. Peter and Amy must save the world. With twists and turns at every corner, Shakespeare Apocalypse does not follow the normal path of apocalypse stories at all, making it truly original and innovative. Continue Reading
Fringe Orphans 3, performing at Theatre in the Round, is an eclectic collection of short shows which would not have been long enough for a full fringe slot. The five minute shows range from Fit in This, about creepy weird girls who attempt to fit an “Important Man” into their toys, to Great Moments in Metro Transit which chronicles a man’s experiences riding the bus for a year as he slowly becomes less phased by all the strange stuff that happens. Since every show is written by different authors, and most have different actors, the stories do not in any way connect. This is alright, they are not supposed to, but what this does lead to is a wide range of humor and quality. Since every show is so different from the next, it is very unlikely for anyone to enjoy every single one. Since there is such a wide range, though, there is something for everyone. Continue Reading
