Category Archives: Reviews

May 29, 2014 · 2:22 pm

TRAGEDY: A TRAGEDY Review

CFF_Tragedy A TragedyTRAGEDY: A TRAGEDY presented by New Edgecliff Theatre as part of the 2014 Cincinnati Fringe Festival.

You can read the show description here.

TRAGEDY: A TRAGEDY, written by Will Eno (Thom Pain (based on nothing)), takes a satirical look at our 24-hour news cycle. Eno’s densely-written script has some smart and funny moments, but it did feel to me that the production lacked forward momentum in places.

Director Jim Stump has a talented cast, but I found the performances lacked character and individuality. Yes, everyone had the “news reporter” cadence to their voices, but with a sameness that would allow, for example, the female reporters to switch roles without really impacting the show.  Where are the strong personalities that deliver the news, such as Bill O’Reilly or Nancy Grace? Even “the witness” seemed a bit too normal for this over-sensationalized event. The pacing of the opening night performance was also hampered by slow line pick-ups among the cast.

Overall an interesting work that could use a bit more oomph.

Four performances remain through Thursday, June 5.

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May 29, 2014 · 12:52 pm

SON OF A HUTCH Review

CFF_Son of a HutchSON OF A HUTCH presented by Left Out Productions as part of the 2014 Cincinnati Fringe Festival.

You can read the show description here.

Fringe favorite Joe Hutcheson (writer/performer 2011 Critics’ Pick of the Fringe MISS MAGNOLIA BEAUMONT GOES TO PROVINCETOWN) returns this year with a personal story.

Hutcheson’s script is smart, funny and touching as he shares memories of family and growing up as a “Hutch.” A great performer and storyteller, he easily slips in and out of characters as he reenacts key moments from his past. Due to how the show is structured, it does jump back and forth in time very often. There were a couple of instances where the transitions in time were a little unclear to me. Personally, I wouldn’t mind seeing some of the stories performed a bit bigger to offset the quieter moments.

Overall a great start to this year’s festival.

P. S. It’s nice to know that my dad wasn’t the only one that “watched” TV with his eyes shut.
P.S.S. Best dog name ever!

Only three performances remain through Sunday, June 1. The Gateways to Healing venue is on the smaller side, so I’d recommend getting weekend tickets early.

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February 24, 2014 · 12:43 pm

4000 MILES Quick-Review

Vera Joseph (Rosemary Prinz) and her grandson, Leo Joseph-Connell (Robbie Tann), get reacquainted after years apart. Photo by Sandy Underwood.

Vera Joseph (Rosemary Prinz) and her grandson, Leo Joseph-Connell (Robbie Tann), get reacquainted after years apart. Photo by Sandy Underwood.

4000 MILES presented by Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park through March 9.

Veteran actress Rosemary Prinz shines as feisty grandmother Vera Joseph is this cute and offbeat comedic play. Robbie Tann also does well as Leo, but there were times he came off more caricature than character. Prinz and Tann have a believable relationship as grandmother and grandson. Opening night, Tann’s scenes with the other two actresses (Adina Verson as Bec & Christine Lin as Amanda/Lily) still felt a bit rough around the edges.

The set design by James Kronzer is well done. Director Blake Robinson’s blocking does have the actors side by side on the couch a bit too often for my tastes. It creates less-than ideal sight-lines for the four seats against the upstage wall of the side sections.

I also found the staging of the final scene to be a bit stagnant. For a show about continuing to move forward, it felt strange to have it end with the characters simply sitting on the couch.

Overall, a laugh out loud, funny script with some nice touching moments. Rosemary Prinz steals the show and our hearts.

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My rating: 3.75 out of 5

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February 13, 2014 · 4:15 pm

SEMINAR Quick-Review

FT_Seminar

Michael Shooner as Leondard, Ian Kramer as Martin, Angel Zachel as Izzy, Merritt Beischel as Kate & Alec Bowling as Douglas.

SEMINAR presented by Falcon Theater through Feb. 15

Special guest artist Michael Shooner and a solid ensemble, under the direction of Alecia Lewkowich, create an entertaining evening with Theresa Rebeck’s SEMINAR. The script is smart and I found myself enjoying the first act more as new information came to light during the second act. The pacing and blocking of the show worked well, especially when moving all five actors around a smaller stage. Staging choices were spot on as the relationships among the characters changed over time. Every ensemble member made smart character decisions and had a moment to shine over the course of the show. The confrontation scene, between Martin (Ian Kramer) and Leonard (Michael Shooner), was a highlight for me.

Opening night, I did feel there were more comedic moments to be mined from the script. There were times during Doug’s bouts of verbal diarrhea when his dialogue did not sound like spontaneous utterances, but lines repeated from memory. I also found the one blackout mid-scene to be confusing, as all the other blackouts indicated a time jump.

Overall an entertaining evening of theater.

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My rating: 4 out of 5

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February 1, 2014 · 2:05 pm

REVELATION 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.

REVELATION presented by Untethered Theatre Company through Feb. 8.

Leah Strasser as Rebecca, Paul Morris as Dan & Ben Dudley as Brandon.

Leah Strasser as Rebecca, Paul Morris as Dan & Ben Dudley as Brandon.

I’ve spent the last several days replaying REVELATION in my head, trying to resolve the script, direction, acting choices and overall tone into something that makes sense to me…and I can’t.

The world created in REVELATION doesn’t seem to follow any logic. A few examples include: A world where wearing a name brand can kill you, but only if you go outside. Swimming across the Hudson River-turned-to-blood leads to disease, but apparently a shower and change of clothes waits on the other side as well. That 43 people will patiently wait their turn to be killed by one man with a shotgun. And where, like in a Saturday morning cartoon, you can pull off the steering wheel off and hand it to the person in the passenger seat to take over the driving duties. I could go on.

This is how my mind processes what I see on stage. And not being able to “buy into” this “reality” keeps me from becoming vested in the show.

For me, REVELATION needs an overall tone, more depth to the lead characters, and a strengthening of the themes that are being explored.

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My rating: 3 out of 5

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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