Category Archives: Reviews

WHITE GIRL from Maythinee Washington - Photo by Bryn Weller

WHITE GIRL presented by Maythinee Washington as part of the 2011 Cincinnati Fringe Festival. You can read the show description here.

WHITE GIRL is a solo performance art piece of personal examination told by “employing found text & sound with movement and pantomime.” In all fairness, I need to state that these types of work are not my favorite to attend. To me the audience’s enjoyment of the work is tied to an individual’s emotional response to what is conveyed by the artist. When I have trouble reconciling the theme, the artist’s written statements about the show and the actual performance, then my reaction turns to confusion and frustration.

Most of the “found sound” pieces used were extremely old. Sound tracks from those ’40s and ’50s classroom movies in the vein of “Reefer Madness.” In one, a stern male voice lecturing young Jack and Jill about “How Can You Tell if You Are Ready for Marriage?” (A film I’ve seen roasted in an episode of MST3K.) These films are something my parent’s would have been subjected to when they were in high school, but I fail to see them as a contemporary influence on this young actress when she was growing up. The same is true, for me, in the use of the soundtrack of the “Mystery Date” board game commercial, which I vaguely remember as a child. Again how did this influence a young woman young enough to be my daughter?

More contemporary influences are shown in the off-handed use of pages ripped from fashion magazines and the like, but for me it is an obvious choice and not new territory. The show does finish strong as the performer embraces herself and her heritage. As I stated earlier, this type of performance speaks to the individual so your response to the piece will probably be completely different from mine.

The ArtWorks performance space does have a raised playing area, but sight lines are horrible for all but the front rows whenever the actress goes to the floor. Moving those scenes as far upstage as possible would help with sight lines.

Three performances of WHITE GIRL at Artworks remain: Tonight (Thu, June 2) at 7:15pm, Sat, June 4 at 8pm and Sun, June 5 at 3pm.

THE GOD BLOG presented by What If Play Shop Players as part of the 2011 Cincinnati Fringe Festival. You can read the show description here.

I am not familiar with WLW radio’s daily soap opera, “As Your Stomach Turns,” a Cincinnati staple of the late ’60s through 1981. What I expected from THE GOD BLOG was compelling voices, sound effects and melodramatic fun. My performance expectations are best met by playwright and actress Kathleen O’Neill.

Unfortunately, at the opening night performance, the show suffers from an obvious lack of rehearsal. Reading from a script is no excuse for a lack of preparation. Actors need to be intimately familiar with their individual parts as well as the script as a whole. And if this is a homage to radio melodrama, then voice acting and strong characterization should be front and foremost. Instead line delivery tends to be flat and several pregnant pauses occur as cast members miss their pick-ups lines. Also too much focus is spent talking to each other instead of performing to the audience, causing cast members to lose their place in their scripts. Finally, a few cast members could benefit from a lesson in how to use a stand microphone.

The good news is that cast members have time between shows to work on their material and I expect stronger, more fine-tuned performances as the festival continues. Remember, if you are having fun, the audience will respond in kind.

Four performances of THE GOD BLOG at the Art Academy of Cincinnati remain: Fri, June 3 at 8:15pm, Tue, June 7 at 8:45pm. Wed, June 8 at 7pm, and Sat, June 11 at 5pm

CURRICULUM VITAE from Jimmy Hogg - Photo by Andrew Hungerford

CURRICULUM VITAE presented by Jimmy Hogg as part of the Cincinnati Fringe Festival. You can read the show description here.

Jimm Hogg descibes his performance style as “very physically detailed, exceptionally fast-paced and packed with details, descriptions, segues and anecdotes leaving the audience little time to breathe until the curtain comes down. ” In that regard, CURRICULUM VITAE certainly delivers as promised.

For me, the part of the delivery that stumbles is feeling that I was being talked at, instead of being talked to. So it’s more stand-up comedy than theatrical performance. The best moments, for me, were when the strangely vocal (for Cincinnati) audience, knocked Hogg’s performance off its well-rehearsed track and forced him to directly interact with the audience, allowing his personality and quick-wit to shine.

Overall a good Fringe production. Many thanks to Hogg for adjusting his performance, as this venue does not have a raised play area. BTW the accent promised in the show’s tag line is British, not Canadian.

The Day 1 performance was well attended and well-received with an audience count of approximately 50 patrons, with only a couple of Fringe “virgins.”

Three performances of CURRICULUM VITAE remain at 1423 Vine : Fri, June 3 at 07:30pm, Sat, June 4 at 3pm and Mon, June 6 at 8:30pm.