Category Archives: Cincy Fringe Festival

June 10, 2016 · 10:21 am

My Fringe Schedule: Day 10

FINALLY seeing these two local shows tonight:

CFF_FurlesqueFURLESQUE
Autumn Kaleidoscope
Cincinnati, OH

Directed by Sean P. Mette

Cast: Mike Hall as Jackson Hawkins, Audrey MacNeil as Nancy Hawkins, Lauren Carr as Beatrix “Trixxy” Dinkley, Zach Robinson as Bernard Jones & Eileen Earnest as Chanticleer Owens

Jackson Hawkins is the owner of the Scratch & Sniff. Nancy Hawkins is his niece. She so desperately wants to be part of the show, but he won’t let her. Why is he squashing her dreams? Why won’t he let her dance? Is that a real bear roaming around the stage? Furlesque answers these questions (and creates quite a few more) in this coming of age story set inside a burlesque club for furries!

CFF_Ice CandleICE CANDLE
Pack of Others
Cincinnati, OH

Written & performed by Erika MacDonald

When Erika MacDonald was 18 she did NOT spend a year in Indonesia – but she came close, before being evacuated. Can she ever truly explain what happened? A live “un-documentary” solo show about a strange girl in a strange land. Winner of the Critic’s Choice Award for “Best Female Performance” at Orlando Fringe

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June 9, 2016 · 6:32 am

My Fringe Schedule: Day 9

I hit the Fringe Wall but I’m still pushing forward. Two shows tonight:

CFF_The Fainting Room promo

Becca Bernard. Photo by Kirk Marsh.

THE FAINTING ROOM
Kiss of Whimsey
Brooklyn, NY

Treat yourself to an explosive release of physical comedy, music, and candid confession by entering TTHE FAINTING ROOM. This raucous show explores the ideas behind the historical phenomenon of “female hysteria,” celebrating self love and vibrators and rejecting the idea that it is better to be unhappy with someone or something that doesn’t fit than to be alone.

CFF_Cosmic Nomad logoCOSMIC NOMAD
Josh Richards
Melbourne, Austrailia

Comedian, physicist, and general troublemaker Josh Richards knows his days are numbered: short-listed from over 200,000 applicants for the first human mission to Mars in 2026, and launching without any hope of ever returning, it’s increasingly likely he’ll die on the red planet.

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June 8, 2016 · 6:33 am

My Fringe Schedule: Day 8

Finally seeing two shows everyone keeps asking me if I’ve seen yet…

CFF_Baby Mama promoBABY MAMA: One Woman’s Quest to Give Her Child to Gay People
Caps Lock Theatre
Astoria, NY

Written and performed by Mariah MacCarthy
Directed by Sara Lyons

BABY MAMA tracks one birth mother’s true adoption journey, from conception to placement with the gay couple of her dreams–while still living her life, dating, and attending the occasional orgy. From adoption agencies to vaginal discharge, from burlesque to good-byes, this up-close-and-personal night of storytelling is everything about those ten months you ever wanted to know (and probably plenty that you didn’t). Bring hankies.

CFF_Shit Men Have Said logoSHIT MEN HAVE SAID OR: HOW I LEARNED TO STOP WORRYING AND LOVE THE PATRIACHY
ReVamp Collective
Philadelphia, PA

Written by Kristen Scatton
Directed by Carly Bodnar

Cast: Anna Pysher, Kimie Muroya, Gil Johnson, Rich Stevens & Erin Carr

Enter the system! ReVamp Collective would like to invite you to the People’s Association of Testing, Research, and Innovation for Achieving Rigorous Control of Humanity. This organization is committed to developing standards to maintain a well-ordered society, and training individuals to understand and fulfill these expectations. This production reexamines the established gender roles in our western society. Each ‘test subject’ will be part of the conversation through moments of audience participation before, during and after the performance. Welcome, and enjoy.

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June 6, 2016 · 5:05 pm

NAKED STRANGERS Review

Links to all reviews can be found using the REVIEWS link at the top of the page. Blog postings, links and more are available on my Facebook fan page. You can also receive updates on Twitter from @BTCincyRob.

CFF_Naked Strangers promoNAKED STRANGERS presented by Out of School Productions as part of the 2016 Cincinnati Fringe Festival. You can read the show description here.

This production is one of several fringe shows this year that uses an ensemble to discuss a topic and impart information to its audience. For me, it was also the most successful.

STRANGERS features a talented and diverse cast of nine recent college-graduates, who are very much at-ease on stage and enjoyable to watch. I was grateful for the overall tone of the show and its underlying sense of humor. I felt included in the experience, the difference between being talked to vs. being talked at. The material was well-written and organized. Properties and costumes were well-chosen and used sparingly. It was nice to see the urge to “kitchen sink” the production was avoided. Credit for this fine production is shared with creator and director Richard Hess.

“Wasn’t that pleasant?” the audience is rhetorically asked several times throughout the production. Indeed it was.

Two performances remain through June 8.

 

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June 6, 2016 · 5:03 pm

THE UNREPENTANT NECROPHILE Review

Links to all reviews can be found using the REVIEWS link at the top of the page. Blog postings, links and more are available on my Facebook fan page. You can also receive updates on Twitter from @BTCincyRob.

THE UNREPENTANT NECROPHILE presented by The Coldharts as part of the 2016 Cincinnati Fringe Festival. You can read the show description here.

CFF_The Unrepentant Necrophile

Katie Hartman & Nate Gebhard.

nec·ro·phil·i·a – A paraphilia in which sexual gratification is derived from fantasies or acts involving a corpse.

Consider yourself warned.

The Coldharts follow up last year’s macabre EDGAR ALLAN with an even darker, more-twisted tale featuring a rock-n-roll beat. Joining Katie Hartman (guitar/vocals) and Nick Ryan (bass) this year is Nate Gebhard on drums.

Still a relatively new work, the show could benefit from an expanded book and perhaps an introductory scene before the first musical number. At the opening performance, Hartman’s vocals were over amplified, causing many in the audience to literally cover one ear to manage the volume. Conversely, it was difficult hearing some of the dialogue, as the actors were too soft-spoken and blocked completely upstage.

Volume obstacles aside, the musical numbers are strong and the show still manages to generate some good laughs. I can say unhesitatingly, that I’ve never seen anything quite like this on stage. A dark and entertaining guilty pleasure. BTW, Weekend‘s Bernie can’t hold a drumstick to this corpse.

Two performances remain through June 11.

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