Best Thing We Saw Yesterday
The Cody Rivers Show Presents: Stick to Glue - Rarig Thrust
5 Stars - Very Highly Recommended
I stood, OK? Normally, I don’t. I have liked a great many shows, but it takes a lot to get me on my feet. Also, I will very often resist, or wait, because I don’t want to be the only one, or worse yet draw attention to myself. It’s about the actors, not the audience. Here, I didn’t care. I just stood. And I wasn’t alone. We’ve been waiting all year for Cody Rivers to return, and they’re back, hallelujah. Two guys, this time in face paint rather than ugly jumpsuits and fright wigs, but the same stunning high-wire act of fearless comedy. They create an entire, complex, interconnected series of worlds and characters which can be appreciated individually. But when you stop and think and piece the whole thing together, it’s one bizarre, highly detailed tapestry of humanity (and animals) that’s truly mind-boggling. And wonderful. Their complete mastery of movement and language and the notion of just want makes something funny is - well, awe-inspiring. Extremely smart, extremely funny, and like nothing you’ve seen before. One of the best shows in the Fringe. Show page here, video clip here
I’m already trying to figure out a way to go back.
Next Performance - Tonight, Sunday, August 3rd, 8:30pm
Another Show That Refuses To Die (In A Good Way)
Shakespeare’s Land of the Dead - Walking Shadow - Rarig Thrust
5 Stars - Very Highly Recommended
Shakespeare. Zombies. In-jokes Elizabethan and very present-day. A most peculiar comedy, performed at near-lightning speed, given all the characters and plot twists they have to cram in an hour, and yet strangely it never feels rushed. Great script, great cast. Something weird and enormous enough that it needs a home like the Fringe to launch it properly. A lot of fun, and a bit hit with Mom. In fact, she liked it so much, *she* wants to go see it again. She almost feels she needs to. “It was great the first time, but there’s so much in it, I could have easily missed a third of it. I’d catch more the second time around.” Show page here, write-up here
Next Performance - Tonight, Sunday, August 3rd, 5:30pm
A Religious Experience
Tipping The Bucket - Allegra Lingo - Rarig Arena
5 Stars - Very Highly Recommended
Allegra’s stepped it up a notch, as I was hoping she would. Her stories have always been compelling and interesting, and this one’s no different. Here, though, we finally get some emotion out of her. Not torrents, mind you, but some, and its just enough. Frequently stepping away from the music stand and script which are the basis of her past performances (and still ground this one as well), she doesn’t just talk, she performs. The words are taking on shading and depth they haven’t had before. The fact that this is a spiritual journey no doubt is part of the reason. It’s a wandering of a different sort than she’s done before in front of a crowd. The words have never failed her, and this time around, her heart’s in the game as well. Show page here, video clips here and here, writeup here
Next Performance - Friday, August 8th, 5:30pm
A Scrappy, Scruffy Little Musical
One Night Only With Mike Mahony - Perpetual Motion Theatre Company - Rarig Arena
4-1/2 Stars - Very Highly Recommended
A high-energy, fast-moving ensemble performing a smart, funny script with original music (you can even buy the soundtrack - and after hearing the songs, I did). Normally, stories of struggling artists bore me. This production is a notable exception, partly because it explores the irrationality of the creative process, and creators, and puts it in perspective with the rest of us in the real world. Songs are incorporated in clever and interesting ways. Two sets of clothesline whipping words and other random items through the air across the stage space make for swift transitions and humorous commentary on the action. Show page here
This is another one I’d like to see again.
Next Performance - Tonight, Sunday, August 3rd, 10pm
Some Damn Fine Storytelling
Boys Don’t Make Passes At Girls Who Wear Glasses - True Enough Theater - Rarig Arena
4-1/2 Stars - Very Highly Recommended
Every time I see Curt Lund and Laura Bidgood in action, they up their storytelling game. Tales of vision correction, academic overachieving, awkward dates, still more awkward relationships, and breakups more bizarre and awkward still - all told with ample portions of humor and not a whiff of self-pity. They wear their geekdom proudly, not defensively, and thus it’s a hell of a lot of fun. Show page here, video clips here and here
Next Performance - Tuesday, August 5th, 10pm
NOBODY Expects The Spanish Inquisition!
My Hovercraft Is Full of Eels - Henry Epp - Intermedia Arts
4 Stars - Highly Recommended
Basically, a bunch of energetic young actors running around doing Monty Python sketches - classics from the Holy Grail, Life of Brian, and the Flying Circus - accompanied by a large live band. They do it all quite well, so it’s a tremendous amount of fun. Show page here
Next Performance - Tuesday, August 5th, 7pm
And last but certainly not least,
my show, which I shall leave it to others to review, and then pass on their notions about it...
“The Bronze Bitch Flies At Noon” and “Dog Tag”
If you saw us and liked us, tell others and write your own review here. Thanks.
Show page here, video clip here, writeups here, here and here
Next Performance - Wednesday, August 6th, 10pm
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment