Monthly Archives: May 2011

Promotional images for THE BEASTS, MISS MAGNOLIA BEAUMONT GOES TO PROVINCETOWN and THE BODY SPEAKS: SCRIPTED

Fringe performances on Sunday, June 5th begin at 2pm. I have three shows on my schedule for the day:

• 4pm at Media Bridges
  THE BEASTS from The Great Ben Egerman Theatre Adventure
  A building secured for generations against what lies outside. A meeting is called to discuss whether it’s time to finally open the doors, to see whether the Beasts still wait outside, whether it is time to let us out, and perhaps, to let them in… Plus, there are weird puppets! A strange mixture of post-apocalyptic horror, solo performance, and puppetry results in this politically charged & extremely dark comedy.

Ben Egerman’s tagline for THE BEASTS is “ALIEN meets TWELVE ANGRY MEN meets the Muppets.” How can I not go? As I stated previously, I have not had positive experiences with puppets at the friends, so let’s see if this holds true for muppets as well…

• 5:30pm at 1423 Vine
  MISS MAGNOLIA BEAUMONT GOES TO PROVINCETOWN from Left Out Productions
  Miss Magnolia Beaumont, Southern debutante, finds herself trapped in the body of Joe, a gay New Yorker visiting Provincetown, MA. This hilarious and touching tale of two souls struggling for balance and understanding celebrates the beauty and magic of P-town.

Reading the description immediately brought to mind ALL OF ME with Steve Martin and Lily Tomlin, (and this if you are a FARSCAPE fan) you know, if Steve was gay and Lily was a Southern debutante from the Civil War era. A quick look as his preview video and a scanning of recent reviews reinforces that this should be an entertaining and insightful performance. Can’t wait.  Then it’s a no-time dash a few doors down.

• 7pm at 1411 Vine
  THE BODY SPEAKS: SCRIPTED from Performance Gallery
  THE BODY SPEAKS roller-coaster plows through the brains of six playwrights and out pops a unique vision. A series of photos by Sean Dunn inspire our “scripted” response; concise vignettes creating a variety of worlds, characters and stories. They may enchant, they may enrage as they explore the body, brain and beyond. Come along on the ride. Continue your journey through the theme by seeing the “movement” and “captured” versions by our collaborating partners. Part of THE BODY SPEAKS: SEVEN PHOTOS INSPIRE DANCE, FILM AND THEATRE. Explore three independent interpretations and one unique collaboration. 

If there is one local performance organization that lives on the Fringe, it is Performance Gallery. TBS:S is their eighth consecutive entry in the Cincinnati Fringe Festival since 2004. Personal favorites include godsplay (’06) and fricative(’08). A host of faces familiar to local audiences perform in the 70 minutes show: Michael Bath, Aretta Baumgartner, Katie Eichler, Michael Hall, Mindy Heithaus, Marissa Holzman, Jodie Linver, Lauren Otte, Willemien Patterson, Hayley Powell, Simon Powell, Derek Snow, Khrys Styles & Valerie Witherspoon.

Heading out to a an audition after this performance. Look for reviews for these productions on Monday.

Official Cincy Fringe site | Plan your Fringe-ing with my daily show grid |

On Saturday Fringe-ing begins at 2pm. The five shows I’m catching on June 4th are:

• 2pm at Hanke 1
  THE VINDLEVOSS FAMILY CIRCUS from Karim Muasher and Carrie Brown
  Professor VindleVoss and her adopted son Edvard the Zombie invite you to the rebirth of their once towering family circus! With only a few dusty artifacts and their quick wits, they make the magic of the big top live again!  Come eat the free popcorn, feel your belly rumble with laughter, and watch with amazement the death-defying thrills for children of all ages!

A circus fringe-style with a zombie assistant. Need I say more? After the circus it’s a two-plus block sprint (and hoping for a five minute late start) for

• 3pm  at Artworks
  PEYOTE BUSINESS LUNCH from Artemis Exchange
  A job applicant meets the CFO of an Indian Casino Corporation and the CFO’s Secretary at the Olive Garden inside their casino for a final interview – which just so happens to be a peyote-fueled vision quest. With the help of Spirit Guides, the men explore their collective subconscious with cleansed perception and experience the pure sensations of the human soul on capitalism (with unlimited soup, salad, and bread sticks.) 

The third show about trying to find a job, is someone trying to tell me something? Local group Artemis Exchange was founded in 2008 by Christopher Karr and Chris Wesselman. In the 2009 Fringe Festival AE presented A PERFECTLY WONDERFUL EVENING (which I had a small part in helping to cast, heh) and last year’s Fringe entry, ABERRANT REFLECTIONS ON THE BARBARISM OF YOU AND I, which returned to the stage this past March at New Edgecliff Theatre.

• 4:15pm at Hanke 1
  RIP IN THE ATMOSPHERE presented by Psophonia Dance Company
  Descend into the depths of Psophonia’s rabbit hole. Where weightlessness ensues, everyday reality ends. Such abandonment is natural at Earth’s highest atmospheric level. But what if the ability to control your body stopped working at ground level? If your sensory flow suddenly disappeared, how would you function in the world? RIP IN THE ATMOSPHERE, our sensory deprivation is your sensory overload. Experience every atmospheric level as Psophonia Dance Company dares to split your mind. So point yourself over to this mixed repertoire of the senses and upset your equilibrium. Let it rip!

Promotional images for DENALI, HEADSCARF AND THE ANGRY BITCH and I LOVE YOU (WE'RE FUCKED)

Start your weekend on the Fringe. Performances I’ll be attending on Friday, June 3rd:

• 7pm at Know Theater
   DENALI from Working Group Theatre
  Who owns the story of survival? One summer, three childhood friends attempt to summit Mt. McKinley in Alaska’s Denali National Park — and only two come back. DENALI, by Austin Bunn, explores the line between fact and fiction, and the tests of friendship on the world’s coldest mountain. Imagine Jon Krakauer’s INTO THIN AIR with a James Frey scandal of legitimacy and you have the newest work from Pushcart Prize winning author Austin Bunn. 

The description for this show immediately reminded me of a half-hour cutting of K2 (the story of two friends’ ascent of the second-highest mountain on Earth) presented years ago by Falcon Theater. I’m very interested to see this on unfold.

• 8pm at ArtWorks
  HEADSCARF AND THE ANGRY BITCH from Zehra Fazal
  This beef ain’t halal! Join Zed “The Muslim Weird Al” Headscarf on an irreverent romp through the American Muslim experience. This musically comic solo-show explores religion, growing up in a Pakistani immigrant family, and coming to terms with sex and love—all in one hilarious, energy-packed hour of story and song parody from powerhouse performer Zehra Fazal.

Best show title this season, religion themed and the “Muslim Weird Al?” I’m so there. Thankfully the two venues for D & HATAB are right next door to each other. Cutting this one close as well.

• 9:30pm at ArtWorks
  I LOVE YOU (WE’RE FUCKED) from Kevin J. Thornton
  “I was going through an intense break up in Los Angeles. I moved out of our West Hollywood apartment and came to Indiana to hibernate for the winter and clear my head. Instead, I ended up drinking a lot and writing folk/country songs. I decided to take all this heartbreak and music and smash it together with my stand up.” This unique hybrid of styles is displayed in Thornton’s hilariously show about a gay man looking back over the greatest loves (and sex) of his life written by and starring Kevin J Thornton. Includes original music from Thornton’s 2011 release JANUARY DREAMS.

Based on his 2009 Fringe appearance with SEX, DREAMS AND SELF CONTROL (he also revisited Know last October for two performances), Kevin’s new show was definitely at the top of my must see this list this Fringe. Following the format of his previous show, ILY(WF) is “a mix of stand-up, storytelling and original music.” Reviews of this new show from the Orlando Fringe have been very positive. A great place to start your Friday night before you hit the bars (you know who you are).

Check back for reviews on Saturday.

Official Cincy Fringe site | Plan your Fringe-ing with my daily show grid |