Thursday, July 30, 2009

Fringe 2009 - OOTS - Cherry Cherry Lemon

"Uh uh. All kinds of no."

Keira McDonald

Cherry Cherry Lemon

from Seattle, WA

A twist of fate brings together an awkward woman and a party girl. Their friendship develops through erotic stories about love, sex and how one doesn't always mean the other. Accompanied by live solo guitar.

This was great. Funny and sexy and naughty and just a little bit sad. Wonderful comedic performances. The preview makes you long to see the scenes these two characters share together. Alone, they're enormously entertaining. Together, the chemistry is sure to be combustible in the best way. Megan Hill recounted how her mousy administrative assistant character set herself free in the supply closet at work, while Keira McDonald demonstrated how easily someone can undo the good work of foreplay with a more aggressive agenda. All this, plus a hilarious soundtrack of live guitar reinforcing the solid script and performances - not at all intrusive, almost more like a third member of the ensemble. Well done all the way around.

This should count as a returning favorite from Top 10 lists of the past (2003, to be exact, my very first), because the playwright Keri Healey, is the woman who directed
Gilgamesh, Iowa - one of my all-time favorite Fringe plays, and one I couldn't seem to stay away from. Invoking the spirit of that play has a powerful pull for me.

In addition, Megan Hill, one of the two actors in this show, was in the 2004 Fringe follow-up by Gilgamesh's playwright Scot Augustson, Plants and Animals - yet another comedic two-hander of which I went back for seconds.

This play was a big hit with the Seattle theater critics in its first run and it's easy to see why. The pedigree plus the preview really pushes this one toward the top of the list of things I need to find a way to wedge into my schedule. Good stuff. Well worth putting on a schedule of your own.

Their show page

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