Category Archives: Reviews

June 5, 2013 · 11:48 am

POE AND MATHEWS: A MISADVENTURE IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE Review

Brian Kuwabara as Cornelius Mathews & Emily Windler as Edgar Allan Poe. Photo by Jacob Drabik.

POE AND MATHEWS: A MISADVENTURE IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE presented by Grumble Productions as part of the 2013 Cincinnati Fringe Festival. Click here for the show description, a list of show times, links to local media coverage and other reviews.

Thanks to my Dad, I was exposed to Laurel & Hardy, Abbott & Costello, The Three Stooges and The Bowery Boys at an early age. POE & MATHEWS brought back those memories and reminded me of the affection I have for this type of physical comedy.

Brian Kuwabara as Cornelius Mathews & Emily Windler as Edgar Allan Poe. Photo by Jacob Drabik.

Brian Kuwabara as Cornelius Mathews & Emily Windler as Edgar Allan Poe. Photo by Jacob Drabik.

Emily Windler plays straight-man Edgar Allan Poe to Brian Kuwabara’s bumbling Cornelius Mathews. The two make a great team and compliment each other nicely. Personally, I got a big charge out of Windler’s much put-upon Poe. The mannerisms, the voice, the faces, the eye-rolls in exasperation combined to make an entertaining character to watch.

The script is good and flows nicely. Veiled (and blatant) movie references, commentary asides about the venue, and improper word choice are some fun bits. A small complaint, there was one “stage” that felt like it was going a bit long, a few minutes before it actually ended.

Overall, a fun, laugh-filled hour at The Coffee Emporium.

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.

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.

Leave a comment

Filed under Cincy Fringe Festival, Reviews

Tagged as

June 4, 2013 · 3:40 pm

BUTCHER HOLLER HERE WE COME Review

Photo by Joe Bourguignon.

Photo by Joe Bourguignon.

BUTCHER HOLLER HERE WE COME presented by Aztec Economy as part of the 2013 Cincinnati Fringe Festival. Click here for a list of show times, local media coverage and other reviews.

You gotta love a show with your name (kinda) in the title. 🙂

I remember visiting Mammoth Caves, and sitting in that large chamber when they turn out the lights. So dark you can’t see your hand in front of your face. The underground venue at MOTR Pub comes close to that kind of darkness.

Photo by Joe Bourguignon.

Photo by Joe Bourguignon.

The concept for the show is very interesting. It’s 1973 and the audience is trapped with five coal miners after a cave collapse. Usually the only lights, if any, are the headlamps of the miners.

The ensemble is talented and does great work. The confrontation scene was well done albeit a bit stressful. 🙂

The description promises that the show brutally weaves “through family histories, complicated friendships, crooked politics, childhood visions, audacious hopes, eerie dreams, criminal addictions, and fervent spirituality.” Which it does. But for me, with the lack of visual information, I had a hard time keeping track of who was who, (aside from “Hiccup”) and their personal connections. Perhaps a short scene before the lights go out could help establish some of the characters and relationships for the audience.

Overall a fun and unique experience.

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.

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.

Leave a comment

Filed under Cincy Fringe Festival, Reviews

Tagged as

June 4, 2013 · 2:05 pm

THE ELEPHANT IN MY CLOSET Review

David Lee Nelson. Photo by Jeff Burkle.

David Lee Nelson. Photo by Jeff Burkle.

THE ELEPHANT IN MY CLOSET presented by Keeping Watch as part of the 2013 Cincinnati Fringe Festival. Click here for a list of show times, local media coverage and other reviews.

David Lee Nelson’s one-man show, THE ELEPHANT IN MY CLOSET is a laugh-out-loud, smart, straight-talking 60+ minutes.

For those of you worried the show might be a extreme party-bashing tirade, nothing could be farther from the truth. Nelson begins with a quick history of the Republican Party, then recounts his own personal political history by Presidential election by Presidential election.

Running as a thread throughout the show, is Nelson’s relationship with his father. The only two men in a house full of women, politics was one of underpinnings in their close relationship. How would voting for Obama in 2012 affect their relationship?

David Lee Nelson. Photo by Jeff Burkle.

David Lee Nelson. Photo by Jeff Burkle.

Nelson is a talented performer with great comic timing. He has an easiness on stage and quickly establishes a great rapport with the audience. The multi-media used for the show are well done and well-chosen.

For laughs per minute, the funniest show at the fringe and worth a stop.

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.

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.

Leave a comment

Filed under Cincy Fringe Festival, Reviews

Tagged as

June 4, 2013 · 12:41 pm

PETUNIA & CHICKEN Review

CFF_Petunia and Chicken1

Carrie Brown & Karim Muasher. Photo by Matt Steffen.

PETUNIA AND CHICKEN presented by Animal Engine as part of the 2013 Cincinnati Fringe Festival. You can read the show description here.

“PETUNIA & CHICKEN is SOOO cute! You have to see it.” I told many of my co-fringers after seeing it on Sunday. And when I say “cute,” I mean it in the best sense of the word.

P&C is charming, clever, imaginative and mesmerizing. Armed only with a bowler hat and a shawl, Carrie Brown & Karim Muasher are the set, the sound effects and every character in this love story. Not only are both actors extremely talented, but their performances are extremely well-rehearsed. Great work by director Melinda Jean Ferraraccio.

CFF_Petunia and Chicken2

Karim Muasher & Carrie Brown. Photo by Matt Steffen.

I did not realize, until, near the end of the show, how emotionally invested I had become. A vocal reaction from the audience actually startled me because I had forgotten they were there. At the same time, I thought, “how awesome that they all are just as caught up in the story as I am.” That’s a bit of theater magic right there.

PETUNIA & CHICKEN is one of my favorites of all fringe shows I’ve ever seen.

P&C is being performed in (what I think) is the smallest venue. Tickets will go fast.

Click here for a complete list of show times, local media coverage and other reviews for PETUNIA & CHICKEN.

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.

Leave a comment

Filed under Cincy Fringe Festival, Reviews

Tagged as

June 3, 2013 · 4:05 pm

THE WAVE 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.

Jon Kovach. Photo by Jeff Burkle.

Jon Kovach. Photo by Jeff Burkle.

THE WAVE presented by Unity Productions as part of the 2013 Cincinnati Fringe Festival. You can read the show description here.

Jon Kovach has a knack for finding some truly interesting one-man shows. Following up last year’s entry of Nothing, this year, Jon brings us THE WAVE by Ron Jones.

Based on a true story, the show recounts a social experiment that quickly created a fascist state on campus. The play deftly illustrates how individual freedoms can be abandoned for collective goals.

Addressing the audience as his class (the fact that the audience is actually sitting in a classroom doesn’t hurt), Kovach serves as both narrator and participant, and is easily convincing as a young, enthusiastic, history teacher in 1960s California. Jon transitions well from naivety of what his character has started, to excitement, worry and fear as the experiment comes close to “hopping the rails.”

Jon Kovach. Photo by Jeff Burkle.

Jon Kovach. Photo by Jeff Burkle.

Overall a strong performance of a strong script. Definitely worth checking out.

Click here for a complete list of show times, local media coverage and other reviews for THE WAVE.

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.

1 Comment

Filed under Cincy Fringe Festival, Reviews

Tagged as