Monthly Archives: June 2011

MISS MAGNOLIA BEAUMONT GOES TO PROVINCETOWN from Joe Hutchenson as part of the 2011 Cincinnati Fringe Festival. You can read the show description here.

If there is any misstep in this production, I didn’t see it. The script is extremely well-written, emotionally vibrant and real. Both Miss Beaumont and Master Joseph are fully developed characters with depth and heart. The characters transitions are eye-blink fast and yet there is never any confusion as to which character is speaking. The progression of their “forced” relationship to friendship hits all the right emotional notes. MISS MAGNOLIA BEAUMONT GOES TO PROVINCETOWN is an impressive. entertaining work.

And as promised, you do get to see Joe’s naked butt.

JUST. GO.

Three performances remain of MISS MAGNOLIA BEAUMONT GOES TO PROVINCETOWN at 1423 Vine:

• Tue, June 7 at 7pm
• Thu, June 9 at 8:30pm
• Fri, June 10 at 8:45pm

Links to all reviews can be found on the BTC REVIEWS page. Blog postings, links to other media reviews and more are available on my FaceBook fan page or you can receive updates on Twitter from @BTCincyRob.

THE BEASTS from The Great Ben Egerman Adventure - Photos by Bryn Weller.

THE BEASTS from The Great Ben Egerman Theatre Adventure! as part of the 2011 Cincinnati Fringe Festival. You can read the show description here.

There is great potential in Ben Egerman’s THE BEASTS, a sort of an apocalyptic cautionary fairy tale. Parallel story lines have characters debating the same action, opening “the door” that separates their worlds.

The use of puppets, as well as the hand-drawn illustrations, work well. As does the confusion over “archaeological finds” when the written word has been lost to time. A bit more exposition about the current world and some physical and sexual diversity to the characters would add layers to the show.

Perhaps the biggest problem is the pacing. Every time the actor leaves the stage for a costume change, any momentum that has been built is lost. It might also help the keep the entire performance on the stage. I think the audience is savvy enough to understand which side of the door they are on without having to repeatedly shift in their seats. I would have liked one more scene to serve as a coda for the piece as the current ending seems a bit abrupt.

One thing that clearly stands out is Egerman’s enthusiasm for what he does and for being part of the creative, communal energy of the Fringe.

Three performances remain of THE BEASTS at Media Bridges:

• Mon, June 6 at 8pm
• Fri, June 10 at 9:30pm
• Sat, June 11 at 7:30pm

Links to all reviews can be found on the BTC REVIEWS page. Blog postings, links to other media reviews and more are available on my FaceBook fan page or you can receive updates on Twitter from @BTCincyRob.

THE LYDIA ETUDES – ABOUT LOVING ANTON CHEKVOK from Dawn Arnold as part of the 2011 Cincinnati Fringe Festival. You can read the show description here.

This production works well in the intimate setting of Media Bridges. Costumed in an attractive period dress by Erin Rose Gallagher, and staged with only three chairs, a small writing table, and letters hanging overheard,  Dawn Arnold  is mesmerizing to watch as Lydia Avilova.

The actress perfectly conveys the varied and sometimes conflicting emotions that mark Lydia’s platonic, but longing for more, relationship with Chekhov through their correspondence and several brief encounters, until his death in 1904. When depicting those personal meetings, it is a simple brush of the actress’ hand at her hair to transform herself into Anton Chekov.

At the opening performance, I sat near the door to make a fast exit to my next performance. I did find the volume of the classical music, underscoring the show, to be a little too loud at times.

Four performances remain of THE LYDIA ETUDES – ABOUT LOVING ANTON CHEKVOK at Media Bridges:

• Tue, June 7 at 7:45pm
• Wed, June 8 at 8:45pm
• Fri, June 10 at 7pm
• Sat, June 11 at 4pm

Links to all reviews can be found on the BTC REVIEWS page. Blog postings, links to other media reviews and more are available on my FaceBook fan page or you can receive updates on Twitter from @BTCincyRob.

Randy Lee Bailey as Jon Frankie, Christopher Dooley as Marin Jones & George Alexander as Chief Leon Proudfeather in PEYOTE BUSINESS LUNCH from Artemis Exchange. Photo by Jeff Burkle.

PEYOTE BUSINESS LUNCH from Artemis Exchange as part of the 2011 Cincinnati Fringe Festival. You can read the show description here.

Before I get into my review for the show I have to talk about the elephant in the room or, in this case, the elephant that IS in the room. The ArtWorks venue was problematic for WHITE GIRL, it works better for both HEADSCARF AND THE ANGRY BITCH and I LOVE YOU (WE’RE FUCKED) because the performers are standing for most of their one-person shows. However, the venue buries PEYOTE BUSINESS LUNCH.

The majority of the show is three men seated around a card table. For me, the entire performance was a frustrating and futile attempt to try to see who was talking through an ever-shifting sea of heads. Literally at no point during the performance could I see all three actors unimpeded. Add to this, the echoes caused by the bare, flat walls around the actors, the depth of the room, the air conditioning equipment running to my right, and the lack of diction and projection by some of the performers; in tandem these issues caused me to miss large chunks of what is essential a talky show. Hanging area mikes over the actors could correct this later complaint.

So here begins the rant. The audience is complaining, other reviewers are complaining, the Fringe staff is aware of the issue and yet NOTHING has been done to address the sight line problem at ArtWorks. As I see it there are several options:

• Beg, borrow or steal a high top table and chairs from an Applebee’s to get the actors above the heads of the audience.
• Stack flats or risers on the existing play area to add more height.
• Put the audience on risers so they can see over each other.
• Move the remaining performances to another venue. Yes, I understand this is a logistical nightmare but something needs to be done.  At least at Hanke 1 the sight lines would be better.

End rant. Here are my impressions of the show from what I could see and hear. I enjoyed George Alexander as Chief Leon Proudfeather who offered an interesting performance both vocally and visually. Randy Lee Bailey as job applicant Jon Frankie, doesn’t offer much variation in his performance when he is under the influence of peyote. A more physical/comic approach to the character would have made Jon a better foil for Leon. Christopher Dooley as Marvin Jones spends most of the show seated between the other two men in an peyote-induced stupor. This puts him in the un-admirable position of trying to balance an interesting performance without upstaging those around him. Christopher also has the deepest voice on stage which tends to echo off the walls so more attention to voice projection and annunciation would help. Those notes can be given to Kate Kershaw as well, who’s delivery as the apathetic waitress is spot on, but hard to hear.

Kate also plays other characters/spirit guides that appear during the peyote-influenced lunch. Her waitress apron is used as a prop for several of these transformations, but unfortunately a white apron on a white shirt in front of white walls tends to wash out. This would have been a great opportunity to add masks or props with some color and Native American influences into the story to better define that these characters were part of the “trip.”

A strange bit in the script occurs when the waitress goes off on a “I don’t want to be a waitress, I’m a actor” tirade because the peyote-influenced lunch patrons fail to respond to her questions. Which would be fine if she wasn’t the person who was told by the Chief to bring in the laced tea. I also would have expected the Chief’s role to be more of vision guide than equal participant.

The script has potential, but I think it needs some tweaking and streamlining.

Three performances remain of PEYOTE BUSINESS LUNCH at ArtWorks:

• Mon, June 6 at 8:30pm
• Wed, June 8 at 8:15pm
• Fri, June 10 at 7pm

Links to all reviews can be found on the BTC REVIEWS page. Blog postings, links to other media reviews and more are available on my FaceBook fan page or you can receive updates on Twitter from @BTCincyRob.