Fringe Reviews — Page 2

circusliz...

This is from another Fringe thread. Sorry to your classmate, but this show was dreadful.

TRADITION! is awful. There's not a single snippet of music or dialogue from FIDDLER (probably a rights issue), which in and of itself dooms the show. The characters just TALK about how the show is getting revised, botched, etc. Where's the humor in that? Plus, characters say and do things inconsistent with how their personality had already been developed, and some stuff doesn't even make sense (why do the parents come to rehearsal in the first place?). It's also way too long, and they have the nerve to announce "5 minute stretch" instead of a regular intermission. Uh, ever hear of editing???!!! A very amateurish production, and frankly there are too many like it in the Fringe.

And surely they realize that any changes to a show have to be approved by those controlling the rights. Obviously, Fiddler's creators would never allow the changes and cuts they discuss. So the whole show revolves around a complete impossibility.

And what was the point of the obnoxious agent? If these actors accept work in a rinky-dink barely legit theater, would they even have an agent, let alone one who acts like he wields so much power? And wouldn't the gay guy be closeted -- or at least not flamboyant -- in such a conservative community? See, nothing even makes sense!

Show: Pith!
Venue: The Village Theatre
Verdict: Heartwarming, if imperfect.

Pith!, one of the popular Fringe alumnus shows being revived this year, is a story about stories, and the power they hold. Jeff Halsam plays Jack Vail, a frequent traveller who, while staying in Rhode Island, takes a wealthy and emotionally crippled woman named Virginia Tilden (Davina Stewart) and her female servant Nancy Kimble (Leona Brausen) on a voyage of imagination in their sitting room. By the end, Virginia will have come to terms with what's haunting her, mistress and servant will have grown closer, and...Jack will have moved on. If the play had any structural flaw, it's that Jack remains an elusive character. It's hinted that his good deeds are motivated by his attraction to Virginia, but beyond that he's more of a catalyst- albeit a very entertaining one- than a person. Nevertheless, Pith! is a sweet and nicely designed production worth watching if you didn't catch it the first time it came around.

Another worthwhile Fringe show was "Site-Seeing". Sadly, I saw its closing performance today.

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So, I've seen six more shows and still have 2 more.

I'll write reviews for all 8 tomorrow, and I'll ad the 6 to my ranking list.

The Infliction of Cruelty
The Big Picture
Diving Normal
Don't Spit the Water
The Armageddon Dance Party
Girl Scouts of America
The Goods are Odd
Band Geeks
The Revenants
...Categories
It's a Hit
T.L.C.
Sax and Dixon
House
58!
A One Man Hamlet
Rainy Days and Mondays
The French Defense
We Love you Johnny Hero
Faust
Mrs. Darling's Bed n Board
Tell-Tale Heart
Breeze off the River
Fallen Angel
The Last Spoken Word
Godversations
Grace Falls
The Yellow Wallpaper

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I saw "A Time to Be Born" today. If it wasn't the final performance, I'd tell everyone to go see it.

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white noise isn't until NYMF.

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