Monthly Archives: June 2012

June 2, 2012 · 10:08 am

METHTACULAR! Review

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

METHTACULAR! presented by Justin Brill as part of the 2012 Cincinnati Fringe Festival. You can read the show description here.

Steven Strafford shares his experiences as a young, gay actor in Chicago who becomes addicted to crystal meth. Strafford is a talented performer who keeps the audience engaged throughout the show. This solo work with accompanist, (because every special needs an opening number) is funny, touching and brutally honest.

Overall, METHTACULAR is the embodiment of a fringe show and one of my favorites of the festival.

Click here for a complete list of show times, local media coverage and other reviews for METHTACULAR! 

I would enjoy hearing what you think about the show or my review. All I ask is that you express your opinion without attacking someone else’s opinion. You can post your comments below.

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June 2, 2012 · 12:17 am

Post Fringe: Day 3 (Friday)

The 2012 Cincinnati Fringe Festival continued Friday with another record night of sales.

It was standing room only for the opening performances of both RADIO STAR and STRANGE DREAMZ.

The buzz for RADIO STAR is good, and you still have four opportunities to catch the show:

  • Sat, June 2 at 8:45pm
  • Tue, June 5 at 9:15pm
  • Wed, June 6 at 7:15pm
  • Fri, June 8 at 7:15pm

You also have four more chances to see Fringe favorite Kevin J. Thornton’s new show STRANGE DREAMZ:

  • Sat, June 2 at 3:45pm (or as Kevin calls it, his hangover show 🙂 )
  • Mon, June 4 at 8:45pm
  • Wed, June 6 at 9pm
  • Fri, June 8 at 9pm

Looking ahead to Saturday, the final performance of GRIM AND FISCHER: A Deathly Comedy in Full-Face Mask has completely sold out.

This is also true for Saturday’s second performance of DON’T CROSS THE STREAMS: THE CEASE AND DESIST MUSICAL. The good news is that three performances do remain:

  • Tue, June 5 at 7pm
  • Thu, June 7 at 8:30pm
  • Sat, June 9 at 7:30pm

Finally, on Friday night during the Channel Fringe Hard-Hitting Action News Update, the sequel to last year’s successful Save It, Shave It or Style It fundraiser was announced. Last year Doug Borntrager put his beard on the line as Fringe attendees voted by donation and Style It received the most money.

Not to be outdone by the hubby, this year it’s Liz Borntrager’s hair is on the line. Whichever bucket receives the most donations by Friday, June 8th will determine the fate of her lovely locks.

Stop by the Fringe Bar Series at Know Theatre to cast your vote after the final performances each evening.

 

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June 1, 2012 · 5:06 pm

GRIM AND FISCHER: A Deathly Comedy in Full-Face Mask Review

Photo by Jeff Burkle.

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

GRIM AND FISCHER: A Deathly Comedy in Full-Face Mask presented by WONDERHEADS as part of the 2012 Cincinnati Fringe Festival. You can read the show description here.

There are no spoken lines in GRIM AND FISCHER, only well-executive music and sound effects. Two performers bring character and emotion to three roles while denied an actor’s most-used tool, their face.

The masks are indeed “wonderheads.” Oversized, with caricature-like features, it’s amazing how varied they look when your viewing angle changes. The eyes of the mask also seem to move as your perspective changes. How ever the actors see out of the masks was undetectable from my seat, which only reinforces the illusion.

Cute, funny and touching, (with a bit of an “Up” vibe to it) GRIM AND FISCHER is a solid production that can be enjoyed by all ages.

Click here for a complete list of show times, local media coverage and other reviews for GRIM AND FISCHER: A Deathly Comedy in Full-Face Mask

I would enjoy hearing what you think about the show or my review. All I ask is that you express your opinion without attacking someone else’s opinion. You can post your comments below.

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June 1, 2012 · 3:38 pm

QUAKE: A Closet Love Story Review

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

QUAKE: A Closet Love Story presented by New Edgecliff Theatre as part of the 2012 Cincinnati Fringe Festival. You can read the show description here.

As presented, QUAKE is a well-acted, cute romantic-comedy. But that for me is the disappointment. Being a Fringe Festival entry, I expected/wanted something a bit grittier.

For characters who have to come to terms with their lives ending trapped and starving, the couple (portrayed by Justin Baldwin and Lara Miller) seem incredibly well-adjusted throughout most of the production. Although the narrative asides between scenes details the power of an earthquake, and the effects of lack of food and water on the human body, these are not translated visually to the show.

Also, the flow of the show is interrupted by having the actors recite these asides live with a flashlight under their chin. Perhaps if they were recorded, it would give the actors time adjust their appearance in some way to better represent the physical and mental toll of their ordeal. As performed, they play ends with the actors looking nearly the same as they did at the beginning of their days-long ordeal.

Overall the show is perfectly fine, but I really wish stronger and bolder choices had been made to elevate the show.

Click here for a complete list of show times, local media coverage and other reviews for QUAKE: A Closet Love Story!

I would enjoy hearing what you think about the show or my review. All I ask is that you express your opinion without attacking someone else’s opinion. You can post your comments below.

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June 1, 2012 · 1:53 pm

BREAKING RANK! Review

Howard Petrick. Photo by Joe Osejo.

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

BREAKING RANK! presented by Howard Petrick as part of the 2012 Cincinnati Fringe Festival. You can read the show description here.

In his one-man autobiographical show, Howard Petrick offers a very interesting perspective on his life in the military during the Vietnam War. Over the course of the play, Petrick portrays over 20 characters.

While well-rehearsed, I did find Petrick performance to be a bit flat. While the military monotone works for the military superiors and bureaucrats, I would have liked to see more energy and personality when he was portraying his contemporaries and especially himself. I’ve seen Petrick at the Fringe Bar Series and I’d like to have seen a bit more of his “everyday” self on stage to help connect with the audience.

My only issue with the script was that I never felt Petrick allowed us into his head. Where did his convictions come from? What did he hope to accomplish that first day when refusing to complete his paperwork? When did he decide to become an activist? A short coda dealing with these questions would have been of great interest to me.

Overall, a strong personal story that needs a bit more “oomph” in its delivery.

Click here for a complete list of show times, local media coverage and other reviews for BREAKING RANK!

I would enjoy hearing what you think about the show or my review. All I ask is that you express your opinion without attacking someone else’s opinion. You can post your comments below.

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