Now that I don’t have to worry about any performances of my show, until um…. tomorrow (oh how time flies!) and don’t have to hit the lawn again until fiveish, it’s back to my reviewing race! Emojis explained here, and happy fringeing!
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In Their Footsteps
Don’t make the mistake of missing out on this show because your attention isn’t initially captured by the generic-sounding title. A documentary play from Ash Singer & Infinite Variety Productions, this show tells a story drawn from real history that is at times both captivating and chilling.
The piece was created from the oral testimonies of five women who served in the Vietnam war -some as members of the military, and some as civilian “donut dollies,” whose contributions to the war effort often went underappreciated both during and after the fact.
This intense watch features some of the best acting I’ve seen around Fringe from its all-female cast of five, and is well-written and visually compelling throughout thanks to resourceful, creative staging. I also appreciate the care taken to include the stories of women whose experiences were affected by their intersectional identities, such as one Asian-American woman who finds herself thrust into painful positions because of her physical similarity to Vietnamese civilian victims and a Black woman who must deal with racism from comrades even in the midst of a war zone.
You’ll come away in awe of the troupe’s talent and even more amazed by the strength of the real women whose stories they here bring to life so poignantly. You’ll also probably be enraged by all the injustices they had to suffer after being drawn into this misguided conflict, which means the piece’s anti-war message comes through full-stop.
Playing tonight @ 6:05 pm in the Pink Venue
Future showtimes and tickets here!
Emojis earned: 💙🏆🎭
The One Who Calls
This standout is one I caught on the first official day of Fringe but put off reviewing for a few days for a happy reason—these guys managed to sell out their subsequent two Saturday and Sunday performances! That means the buzz is already strong about playwright Bethany Dickens-Assaf’s triumph of a psychological thriller, which quickly captures the audience’s attention with its unique premise and easily keeps it throughout the 55 minute run-time.
Basically, protagonist Shawn is a queer woman stifled by her small-town life and the host of a public access radio-show that viewers can call into to report UFO sightings, hence the play’s title. We meet her on a night that her phone is ringing off the hook, then wonder with her whether what’s happening is evidence of anything supernatural or only of her own unraveling.
From there, the piece takes several surprising turns before culminating in an unexpected but emotionally satisfying resolution without ever losing steam. Dickens-Assaf also directs, and helps create the feeling of being immersed in the drama by utilizing areas of the audience as a playing space. As Shawn, actress Bree Wells grounds the show with a stellar performance, and is supported throughout by strong work from the rest of the ensemble. Judging by this show’s success so far, you might have a hard time securing tickets for its last two weekend performances, so I wouldn’t miss the chance to add it to your Monday night itinerary!
Playing tonight @ 8:50 pm in the Scarlet Venue
Future performance info and showtimes here!
Emojis earned: 💙🧠🎭
MacShrek: The Comedy of Ogres
For the most part, this spirited piece is every bit as fun and funny as implied by its playful title. The only place that that title might mislead is in the fact that it’s less of a mash-up between Shrek and Macbeth specifically then a retelling of the animated movie that utilizes bits and pieces of quite a few of the bard’s works to structure its winning parody.
The nine member cast of the show plays a tremendous part in that success, maintaining a quick pace that’s essential to its high energy. Justin Hughes anchors the insanity well in the title role of Machshrek, and Pao Ayala showcases her standout comedic ability in the role of Donkey or “Bottom” as the remaining players shine in various character roles. Costumes are minimalist for some characters and impressive recreations of their original look for others, but uniformly get their point across.
If I had any critique about this show, my main nitpick is more like whatever you would call the opposite of a backhanded compliment, in that the script was sometimes a little too smart for its own good. For example, there were segments in the show that I felt like I enjoyed because I caught a clever structural reference to a Shakespearean tragedy, but that I’m not sure if the lay-audience member would appreciate if they came expecting swamp humor and fart jokes.
In other words, maybe a few more “stupid” gags could’ve worked to balance out the lower key sonnets and soliloquizing, but, otherwise, this mismatched marriage of low-brow and high-brow humor is one that works as well as the one between Dragon and Donkey!
Playing tonight at 7:10 pm in the Yellow Venue
Future performance info and tickets available here!
Emojis earned: 😄🎈🍸