Category Archives: Cincy Fringe Festival

My Fringe Schedule: Day 6

With a busy weekend of 19 performances, I’ve passed the halfway mark of this year’s Fringe experience. Monday’s two performances are:

CFF_Ryan and Alice logoRYAN AND ALICE?
2060 Theatrical Productions
Cincinnati, OH

Directed by Emma Miller
Cast: Julia Greer & Aaron Lynn

Ryan and Alice weren’t expecting to be trapped in the run-down bathroom at a Louisville apartment party – and they aren’t too thrilled with the situation. Can tales of sex, adolescent humiliation, and giant cream puffs distract them from a doomed attraction? Witty dialogue and honest observation drive this contemporary look at the unexpected strangers who shape our lives. A must-see comedy.

CFF_Please Call Me Cupcake logoPLEASE, CALL ME CUPCAKE
Kevin Thornton
Nashville, TN

Cincinnati Fringe favorite Kevin Thornton returns this week with something complete new and different…

A mashup of Divine, Pee Wee’s Playhouse and Reggie Watts! This bizarre and hilarious drag queen performance uses vintage drum machines and synthesizers with stream of consciousness song lyrics to bring you into the strange mind of Cupcake Hawthorne. Performer Kevin Thornton is a veteran national fringe performer and 2010 New Faces winner at The Comedy Store in Los Angeles

 

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My Fringe Schedule: Day 5

Ok, so seven shows yesterday kick my butt. Sunday’s schedule is a more manageable five shows:

CFF_Measure for Measure logoWILLIAM SHAKESPEARE’S MOST BRUTAL TRAGEDY: MEASURE FOR MEASURE
#ViralContentGenerator
Pittsburgh, PA

MEASURE FOR MEASURE features Isabella struggling to maintain her bodily autonomy amongst several powerful men who desire her. This exploration of Shakespeare’s text highlights the changes between 17th century Verona and today–and what hasn’t changed

CFF_The Secret of Avalon Falls

Photo by Rick Poston.

THE SECRETS OF AVONDALE FALLS
The O’Debra Twins
Brooklyn, NY

Avondale Falls. Where everybody knows your name. Because they’re planning to poison you for seducing their fiancé while they were in an amnesia-induced coma after falling into quicksand, and your husband, the world’s handsomest doctor, is trying to put you in a medical prison for the exceptionally beautiful and rich. No one is safe in this 1980s soap opera, performed radio-style. Brought to you by the creator of RADIO STAR and her evil twin sister.

CFF_Velour promoVELOUR
Schedule C Productions
Anderson, IN

The creators of The King & I: a Hunk of Burnin’ Love (Citybeat Critic’s Pick 2014) are back for their 3rd Cincy Fringe with the story of wannabe lounge singer, Vinnie Velour, who must fight for the right to sing via a series of audience-chosen variety acts offering 27 possible outcomes! “There’s nothing Vinnie can’t do…à la the screwball comedies of the ‘40’s” ~Nuvo Magazine “One of this year’s best. Don’t miss this show!” ~Indyfringetalks.com.

CFF_Daddy IssuesDADDY ISSUES
Peter Aguero
Sunnyside, NY

Moth Host and Storyteller Peter Aguero takes the audience through a raw and sympathetic look at his relationship with and without his father. “Simply, perfectly moving” – Edmonton Journal “A master storyteller and wordsmith” – Winnipeg Free Press

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My 2016 Cincy Fringe Show Rankings

Updated 6/13/16

CFF_We Did It Girl logoI have reached that point in the Fringe Festival where I become woefully behind in reviews vs. productions I’ve seen.

Below I am ranking the shows I’ve attended to date. Links to reviews added as they become available.

  1. WE DID IT, GIRL!
  2. BOO-BOO
  3. CESSNA: A Drama Noir | Review
  4. DARLINGS | Review
  5. UNREPENTANT NECROPHILE | Review
  6. ICE CANDLE
  7. BABY MAMA
  8. NAKED STRANGERS | Review
  9. FRUIT FLIES LIKE A BANANA
  10. MY LEFT TEETH
  11. FURLESQUE
  12. COSMIC NOMAD
  13. RYAN & ALICE?
  14. DADDY ISSUES
  15. SHENATRA!
  16. SHIT MEN HAVE SAID
  17. SQUEEZE IT FROM THE MIDDLE
  18. PUNK’S NOT DEAD AND NEITHER IS SAM (YET)
  19. GOLCONDA
  20. THE 4TH GRADERS PRESENT AN UNNAMED LOVE-SUICIDE
  21. THE FAINTING ROOM
  22. THE BISCUITEATER
  23. TESLA EX MACHINA | Review
  24. PLEASE, CALL ME CUPCAKE
  25. VELOUR
  26. THE SECRETS OF AVONDALE FALLS
  27. OTHER BOTHER | Review
  28. I HATE IT HERE | Review
  29. WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE’S MOST BRUTAL TRAGEDY: MEASURE FOR MEASURE
  30. BLACK-N-WHITE CAFE
  31. WOODY VS. MIA VS. GWYNETH VS COLDPLAY
  32. GOSPEL OF FAT KATHY
  33. TWIGGY FARTDUST AND HER NEMESIS FROM MARS

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My Fringe Schedule: Day 4

Seven shows on the schedule today, so this post is gonna be short and sweet:

CFF_We Did It Girl logoWE DID IT, GIRL!
Torie & Me
Cincinnati, OH
Written by Kevin Crowley and performed by Kevin Crowley & Torie Wiggins
I heard positive comments about last night performance on the street (context, people).

Our goal with WE DID IT, GIRL! is the eradication of racism in America by the end of our run. Anything else is a waste of time. You might also laugh, cry, sing along and find yourself utterly horrified by the end and that’s ok too. But we’ve got no more time for broad assumptions and lazy generalizations about people who are different and so we are putting a stop it here and now.

CFF_Black-n-White Cafe logoBLACK-N-WHITE CAFE
arte-fact theatre collective
Dayton, OH

A diverse group of fun-loving patrons at a local hipster cafe are brought face-to-face with their fears when confronted by a larger society that seems to be crumbling like the famous NY-style black and white cookies that the cafe is known for. One by one, as they are confronted by the issues at hand, they learn to face one another honestly as they grapple with the awkward truths revealed as the story unfolds.

CFF_Woody vs Mia vs logoWOODY VS. MIA VS. GWYNETH, VS COLDPLAY
Baby Ears
Atlanta, GA

Welcome to our break-up game show! This show imagines its four title characters are all friends, and follow what happens after Gwyneth and Coldplay’s conscious uncoupling unsettles Mia and Woody’s imperfect partnership. Interspersed through this are games requiring the performers to challenge and surprise each other (every night is different), including “It’s All Good! An Exercise in Rationalization,” “The Love Song of J. Gwyneth Paltrow,” and “The Five Stages of Staying the F— Together!”

CFF_Squeeze It From the Middle logoSQUEEZE IT FROM THE MIDDLE: A Love Story
Donkey and Unicorn Productions
Cincinnati, OH
Created by Allison Bishop and performed by Allison Bishop & Adam Sanregret

SQUEEZE IT FROM THE MIDDLE: A Love Story is an intimate musical adventure. It is a collection of story scenes that are interspersed with original songs, weaving a unique tapestry of theatrical evolution! One Woman, One Man, armed with only a chair, a table, a bottle of bourbon, and some instruments, SQUEEZE IT FROM THE MIDDLE is a journey of (mostly) humorous stories are (practically) true tales worth repeating. Give it a juicy squeeze!

CFF_GolcondaGOLCONDA
Tongue of the Mind
Cincinnati, OH
Written by Robert Macke & directed by Nate Netzley
Featuring Jeff Miller as Magritte, Andrew Ian Adams as Picasso, Chris Bishop as Van Gogh, Jack Manion as Warhol & Adam Jones as Theodore

In the modern world of online dating, anyone can be anyone. So why not be four of the most influential artists of all time? Join Magritte, Van Gogh, Picasso, and Warhol at brunch as they explore the freedoms and restrictions of their sexualities. When presented with equal dignity in the eyes of the law, what happens when some refuse this right themselves? It’s a coming of age story, where four generations come to age together.

Following a mad dash through the Art Academy building…

My Left TeethMY LEFT TEETH
Paul Strickland Presents
Cincinnati, OH
Written & directed by Paul Strickland, the troubadour of the trailer park
Featuring local favorites Miranda McGee & Annie Kalahurka

While cleaning out the house of her estranged and strange dead aunt, a woman encounters her aunt’s persistently peculiar neighbor, and then finds a mysterious videotape the departed left behind—which is probably going to change everything.

CFF_The Gospel of Fat Kathy promoTHE GOSPEL OF FAT KATHY
#theatrecompany
Cincinnati, OH
Directed by AC Horton
Cast includes: Katie Langham as Fat Kathy, Spencer Lackey as Awkward God, Owen Alderson as Taius, Ryan Garrett as Otto & Mickey Tropeano as Clementine

In this play, God checks in on Earth disguised as a high school student. A girl spreads cooties with a nudie. A suicide is contemplated. Myths are performed. Lessons are learned. You’ll cry, you’ll LOL- your grandmother’s not gonna get it.

I’ve got my 5-hr energies in my backpack and my running shoes on my feet. Happy Fringing!

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TESLA EX MACHINA 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.

TESLA EX MACHINA presented by Ricky Coates as part of the 2016 Cincinnati Fringe Festival. You can read the show description here.

CFF_Tesla4_sm

Photo by JMC Photography.

Ricky Coates, in his first appearance at the Cincy Fringe, performs a brand new work, his one-man biopic about inventor Nikola Tesla. For those of us in attendance opening night, we have the bragging rights of being his first fringe audience.

Coates is a strong performer and very enjoyable to watch. He handles the multiple characters well and I enjoyed his characterization of Tesla himself.

I found it to be an interesting, but not yet compelling work. Not a bash against the production, just understanding that it’s still a new work. Getting that first one out of the way does wonders. I hope I have the chance to see him perform TESLA again (unfortunately not possible at this fringe), and that he makes it back in a future fringe to perform A ZOMBIE ODYSSEY…hint, hint.

Four performances remain through June 10.

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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