A little surprised to have managed at least a paragraph’s worth of semi-cohesive thought about five more shows today in my espresso-martini fueled exhaustion with the Fringiness of it all. Hence my title, and hence my intention of being even less formal than usual today, but you’ll at least get the gist of what you can expect from these five shows from today’s overview!
Automatic Orchestra: Just Add Music
A bold experiment that invites the audience to provide the score for expressive actors with provided plastic instruments. Intermittently dramatically successful, but ultimately quite entertaining. Wandering into this show at the end of my night after quite a few beers might’ve been the perfect way to experience it, and the interactive aspects and guest stars who step in as band leaders provide inherent rewatch value. Not sure if the creative concept proves itself well enough to justify much of a post-fringe life for this show, but that’s all the more reason to catch this one in the moment!
Playing tonight @ 8:35 in the Blue venue, tickets and future showtimes here!
Emojis earned: 😄🎈🍃🎉
Big Gay Jesus – The Third Coming
Irreverent and improvisational fun delivered by solo performer Arthur Davis III, who styles himself as Jesus’s gay brother. The religious theming comes with some clever quips that distinguish this show from similarly silly offerings. Prepare for psychic readings, staged rebirths, and other quirky audience-interactive sequences that give this show a great vibe even if they can’t fully justify its 60 minute runtime, which felt a little overlong as the show moved towards its conclusion. Having seen this show in previews at 11:45 am, I can see how a rowdier late night audience might have made this show a better experience, which bodes well for its last two scheduled late night performances!
Playing tonight @ 10:15 pm and tomorrow @ 10:30 pm in the Pink venue, tickets available here!
Emojis earned: 😄🎈🍸🎉
Crosswalks: A Tribute To Truth, Trans Rights, And Social Justice
The worst I can say about this earnest show is that its simplistic plot and transparent messaging gave the whole thing a preaching to the choir quality – but in these trying times, I’d much rather attend a show like this that wears its wokeness on its sleeve than one that fails to acknowledge our country’s problematic politics as they relate to queer rights. Plus, the song and dance interludes featuring the work of Chappel Roan, while not always easy to connect to the show’s main plot, were always fun and made this piece a lot more watchable than similarly message-oriented shows that take themselves way too seriously. I can also praise this one for the opportunity it provides to showcase the skills of its large and diverse cast.
Playing tonight @ 9:20 pm and Sunday @ 7:05 pm, tickets here!
Emojis earned: 🎈💫🎭
Younger Us
Another understated piece you only have a few more chances to catch this festival, this well-crafted dramedy from local writer and performer Soph Rubin-Siegel is sweet, funny, and ultimately quite poignant. Set as a group of friends reconnect in the wake of a tragedy, my main qualm with Younger Us is that it offers the audience a few too many characters for us to easily keep track of and connect to in the span of a sixty minute show. For me, this meant that the more comedic moments focusing on well-drawn quirky side characters hit better than lengthy conversations between more grounded players, but this grounded work still definitely earns its place amidst all the festival’s Fringier offerings.
Emojis earned: 🎭💫😄
Last two shows tomorrow @ 2:50 pm and Sunday @ 8:05 pm in the Brown venue, tickets and future showtimes here!
The Suitcase (La Maleta)
Dramatic and poignant reflection on the immigrant experience through one woman’s powerful story. Sometimes felt a little too “constructed” to convey a message, but that’s the worst thing I can think to say about it, and Gio Quezada’s expressive performance is beautifully controlled to achieve this piece’s obvious goal in a way that viscerally affected me as well as many of my fellow audience members. I also just learned in visiting this show’s ticket page that it is offering performances in both English and Spanish, which is a super-cool step for inclusivity and pretty unique for Fringe.
Playing tonight @ 6:00 pm in Spanish and tomorrow @ 1:25 pm in English in the Orange Venue, tickets available here!
Emojis earned: 💙🧠🎭🏆
—
So, there you have it! One more performance of my show Karma’s a Bitch scheduled for the ungodly hour of 12:05 pm tomorrow, and would love to see some familiar faces in the crowd!