Sub-Total
2018 Audience Reviews
Member Reviews
The following reviews were submitted by Fringe Member:
Company: Tyler West
Show: ABEYANCE
Venue: Strike Theater
Energetic and great fun!
This whirlwind of physical comedy, impressively performed with minimal props, takes you into the valiant protagonist's world of absurd office disasters and fantastical dreams. Didn't want it to end.
Company: Concrete Drops
Show: Inescapable
Venue: Augsburg Mainstage
Clever but too much deja vu
Intelligent and absorbing at times, but a tad dull and repetitive at others (a central deja vu element of the plot is overplayed). Good story, but would be best as a somewhat shorter feature.
Company: Audacity Theatre Lab
Show: Robert's Eternal Goldfish
Venue: Rarig Center Xperimental
Good but not stellar
I like misanthropic characters. Especially when their misanthropy is channeled into humorous tirades against the foolish conventions of society, or apoplectic fits over the seemingly trivial. While there is some of that to be seen and heard here, the "magical" aspect of the story and overall character development arc leads down a somewhat different path, which I personally both liked and disliked. When I read a review that the character Robert is like a cross between George Costanza and Lewis Black, I developed certain false expectations about the performance prior to my attendance. My advice: shed any expectations and enjoy the character for who he is rather than for who you might want him to be. Overall, good performance but I did not find myself fully absorbed in the story.
Company: Sidecar Theatre
Show: Summers in Prague
Venue: Rarig Center Arena
Best of the best
Don't go thinking that this is just a funny story about sexual adventurism. It's not aiming for cheap laughs or thrills. This is a beautifully emotional and completely absorbing story with superb acting, yielding a realness that couldn't be present in less serious work. This is polished and professional, and the best that I've seen thus far at the Fringe. I would even consider seeing this twice, and I NEVER do that.
Company: Literally Entertainment
Show: The Great Canadian Maple Syrup Heist or, Ocean's 'Eh'T?: A Musical
Venue: Mixed Blood Theatre
Good effort, fair execution
Strong appreciation for the original musical numbers. Singing and acting quality ranged from good (I especially like Francois) to mediocre. After some time, the Canada jokes lost their punch and acted scenes felt a bit long/flat. The performance had its moments, but I was ready to leave by the end.
Company: Clevername Theatre
Show: THE NEWS: A Musical
Venue: Ritz Theater Mainstage
Great promise but ultimately disappointing
Very mixed feelings about this performance. The cast is obviously very talented and the singing was quite good. At the start, this felt like a proper musical on a serious and important subject (with some decent humor thrown in). I really wanted to like it. But as the show progressed, the humor and plot became increasingly juvenile and nonsensical.
Company: The Adventures of Les Kurkendaal
Show: Walking While Black in Moscow
Venue: Ritz Theater Studio
Enjoyable, but perhaps too casual?
I enjoy a good, humorous travel narrative. I also enjoy comedic stories told by friends in my living room. This performance felt like both. Although interested and entertained for sure, I felt like something was missing for a stage performance, though I can't quite put my finger on what. Regardless, I enjoyed myself and also gained some interesting insights.
Company: FredPictures
Show: The Breakfast Club: The Musical!
Venue: Southern Theater
Imperfect but delightful
Singing quality is uneven, but the performance is nevertheless a delight. I appreciate the original music and clever adaptation of the movie to the stage, but it seems unnecessary for it to be completely in song (dialogue-as-song in some segments does not come off well when there is little pitch variation in the background music). Prospective viewers should ignore the critical aspects of this review, however, and go see the show. I was glad that I attended and felt that it was the most enjoyable performance on my Thursday evening at the Fringe.
Company: Flash Grenade Productions
Show: The Flashlight Zone: 20 Science Fiction Plays in One Hour
Venue: Theatre in the Round
Enjoyable flurry of sci-fi mini stories
Five performers rotate in and out of twenty stories/plays, ordered according to audience suggestion. Simply pulling this off smoothly (which they did!) is very impressive. Many of the stories are clever, provoking, and touching. My largest critique is that twenty stories is probably too ambitious: the pacing sometimes felt a bit hurried (slower progression might allow for greater audience reflection) and the transitions between stories is conducted in a jarring manner that snaps you out of the "flashlight zone" and back into the theater.
Company: OverLaugh Productions
Show: YOUNGBLOOD IN THE DESERT/GATEWAY DRUG
Venue: Rarig Center Arena
Left with a grin on my face
Silly, thoughtful, and sometimes even touching. Very well acted, with good use of a sparse set in a small theater. I entered not knowing what I was in for and left with a grin on my face. Mr. Knight: the sound of your voice was perfect for the part.