Monthly Archives: June 2011

DENALI from Working Group Theatre - Photos by Andrew Hungerford.

DENALI presented by Working Group Theatre as part of the 2011 Cincinnati Fringe Festival. You can read the show description here.

It has been said, for writers, that the devil is in the detail. At the heart of DENALI is the exploration of that concept and the consequences of changing the detail, no matter how good the intentions. And then, those intentions are questioned.

The script by Austin Bunn is smart and layered. All of Bunn’s characters are guilty of hidden motivations. (You can’t spell denial without Denali.) The devil is in the detail for the audience as well. Clues are dropped throughout the play and the payoff is when those dots connect by the end of the show.

The solid acting ensemble (who also directed the production) work well together as three childhood friends link by Josh, who perished on Mt. McKinley. Kristy Hartsgrove, who plays Josh’s sister, shows great range later in the show as the  TV show host.

Only two performances remain of DENALI at Know Theatre: Sat, June 4 at 7:15pm and Sun, June 5 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.

DARKER from New Edgecliff Theatre - Photo by Andrew Hungerford.

DARKER presented by New Edgecliff Theatre as part of the 2011 Fringe Festival. You can read the show description here.

In DARKER, film noir meets Fringe and the result is a very stylized and engaging theater experience. All aspects of the production compliment each other, making the final result more than the sum of its parts.

Director Illana Stein creates beautiful stage pictures and fully-realized performances from her cast of four: Michael Carr as Max, Jeffrey K. Miller as Tom, Mindy Heithaus as Lucy and the lighting. I don’t really know how better to describe it. Using several free standing, unshaded light bulbs in various lit combinations throughout the show. the shadows become a fourth presence on stage. Kudos to Melissa Bennett on her lighting design and technical direction.

Back to the breathing cast, in both look and performance, Mindy Heithaus personifies the femme fatale. One more than one occasion I realized she was standing in a “classic” movie pose…I didn’t see her step into it, but suddenly it was there. It’s attention to these kinds of details by everyone involved that elevates the show. Another component to the success of the show is the genre-matching costume and prop design of Jim Stump.

Catie O’Keefe’s script takes the 1940’s Hollywood mystery and turns it on its side. Clues are dropped throughout the show, and if at the end I didn’t have all my questions answered, I have to wonder…Was that the playwrights intention or did I overlooked the answers hidden throughout the show? Either way, I’m fine with that.

There are a couple of minor issues I did want to mention. The use of the tap light does not match the motif for the production. Also I would encourage actors to hold for another beat or two for the blackouts before breaking the scene.

Four performances remain of DARKER at Know Theatre, Sat, June 4 at 4:30pm; Mon, July 6 at 8pm; Thu, July 9 at 7pm and Fri, June 10 at 9:15pm

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.

TO AND FRO AND UP AND DOWN presented by Kleesattel Productions as part of the 2011 Cincinnati Fringe Festival. You can read the show description here.

Please note that the run time for this production has been increased to 45 minutes.

The Devil himself gets the Fringe treatment courtesy of an original script by Benjamin Kleesattel, under the deft direction of his aunt, Gina Kleesattel.

The Devil may seem an odd choice for leading a Bible study, but then again, wouldn’t someone who has been around since “in the beginning” have some interesting insights?

Dain Alan Paige is spot-on as an unassuming, professor-ly, and seemingly honest narrator for the piece. Cutting through the “vilification” the Devil has endured by the media for thousands of years, the play focuses on the parts of the Bible where he is actually mentioned by name.

Over the course of the lecture, Satan is joined by Adam and Eve, the Snake, Job and his wife and Jesus. The solid ensemble of Brendon North, Anne Arezina and Joe Caesar each tackle a pair of these supporting roles. Caesar as the snake was a personal favorite.

The script is smart and offers some fun “insights” into what may have been lost in translation over the years. Perhaps a few scenes could use some editing but that is a minor complaint.

Unfortunately with the run-time being incorrect, I was forced to leave the performance just as Jesus made his entrance near the end of the show. I’m hoping to find a way to catch  the rest of the show before the Festival ends.

Four performances remain of TO AND FRO AND UP AND DOWN at the Art Academy, Sat, June 4 at 3:15pm; Tue, July 7 at 7pm; Thu, July 9 at 8:15pm and Sat, June 11 at 3pm.

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.

MISSING from Jessica Ferris - Photo by Jeff Burkle.

MISSING: THE FANTASTICAL AND TRUE STORY OF MY FATHER’S DISAPPEARANCE AND WHAT I FOUND WHEN I LOOKED FOR HIM presented by Jessica Ferris as part of the 2011 Cincinnati Fringe Festival. You can read the show description here.

Jessica Ferris has a true and personal story to tell. Well,  to say “tell” does not do her performance justice. Ferris brings considerable talent to her solo show: strong character acting, physical theater skills, a bit of the avant-guard, and a willingness to tap into and share the painful emotions she experienced over the years.

MISSING is not just the story of trying to find the father that abandoned her when she was two years old. It’s a re-examination and sharing of her nearly-obsessive  journey to find answers to fill the missing pieces of her being, and hopefully, to find her missing peace. In me, she found a kindred soul.

For those of you with Norman Rockwell-esque families, maybe you’ll realize how lucky you were in the birth lottery. For those with troubled families, maybe you’ll realize you’re not so alone. And for those who don’t emphasize with Jessica’s emotionally-charged performance, maybe you are one in twenty-five.

Four performances of MISSING remain at Know Theatre: Sat, June 4 at 9:15pm; Sun, June 5 at 2:30pm; Tue, June  at 7pm and Fri, June 10 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.