Day One of performances, of the 2016 Cincinnati Fringe Festival, kicks off tonight.
I was able to squeeze three productions into my first evening.
As I’m typing this Tuesday evening, only a handful of tickets remain for the inaugural performance of CESSNA: A Drama Noir:
December, 1982. An unexplained plane crash leaves five officials and confessed embezzler Carl Johnson incinerated in a ruined Montgomery bookstore. The box of cash they sought? Buried in Cincinnati. Agent John Lockwood seeks answers and redemption in a dark caper where none can be trusted and fate carries out its own inscrutable design. Based on true events, CESSNA features live jazz music.
Created locally by Hugo West Productions, their previous fringe productions include: DON’T CROSS THE STEAMS: THE CEASE AND DESIST MUSICAL (2013), HOT DAMN! IT’S THE LOVELAND FROG (2014) & ZOMBIE-LOGUE (2015).
CESSNA is directed by Greg Procaccino. The cast features local favorites: Michael Hall, Michael G. Bath, Mindy Heithaus & Carter Bratton.
The second performance of the evening is OTHER BOTHER (no, not OTHER BROTHER) by The Performance Gallery, a Cincinnati-based collaborative of theatre artists.
Others have infiltrated our daily existence. Others are irksome and tedious. Others believe weird stuff and do weird things. They’re cretins. Evolution has not solved this problem? Why? WHY? WHHYYYYYYY? We will get right down to the real nitty gritty. We will solve the problem. We will make the world a joyous place. Join us as we explore how to conquer the bother of another other.
Previous original fringe productions include: IMAGES OF A BEATING HEART (2004), THE KILLER WHISPERS AND PRAYERS (2005), GODSPLAY (2006), GIRLFIGHT (2007), FRICATIVE (2008), KAZ/M (2009), THE COUNCIL (2010) THE BODY SPEAKS: SCRIPTED (2011), RODNEY RUMPLE’S RANDOM REALITY (2012), MATER FACIT (2013), HEIST (2014) & SHIRTZNECOCKLE (2015).
OTHER BOTHER is written by Derek Snow & Regina Pugh and directed by Regina Pugh. The local cast includes: Willemien Patterson Van Dartel, Maya Farhat, Justin Lee, Jodie Linver, Patrick E. Phillips, Regina Pugh & Samantha Russell.
Rounding out my first night is DARLINGS, by Animal Engine of New York City, featuring the husband and wife team of Karim Muasher and Carrie Brown.
A re-imagining of PETER PAN told from the perspective of the Darlings, two parents struggling with the loss of their children. They search for them by day and tell stories about a place called Neverland by night … where the mermaids will drown you, the pirates might kill you, and you can’t trust the charming little boy with the impish smile. A dark and dangerous fairy tale for adults.
Previous Cincy Fringe productions include: THE VINDLEVOSS FAMILY CIRCUS SPECTACULAR! (2011), PETUNIA AND CHICKEN (2013 – Artist’s Pick Award and one of my personal all-time favorite fringe shows) and DOG SHOW (2015).
I hope you have a chance to make it down to Over-the-Rhine and catch a show or ten. Feel free to say hello and remind me to take a Facebook Friends Project selfie. Happy Fringing.
I have reached that point in the Fringe Festival where I become woefully behind in reviews vs. productions I’ve seen.
Behind the Curtain Cincinnati 