HFF18 day 2 – see it or skip it

With only two reviews to write from our first day of Fringe, we had lots of down time yesterday.  That gave us the chance to hit Big Lots and stock up on essentials for the next two weeks, and catch up on sleep.  Staying out of that hot sun was another good reason to lay low.

Finally it was time to head back down to the Fringe, and we had a couple of interesting shows to check out.  We were joined by our dear friend Rasika Mathur, the creator and actress who brought us last year’s My Hustle has ADHD, who met us at the Hobgoblin Playhouse for our first show of the evening.

TITLE OF SHOW:  The Story of my Life

VENUE:  The Hobgoblin Playhouse

REVIEW: This was our second show at this amazing venue, and once again that grand piano was the star of the show.  Although not an original show (it had a brief run off Broadway), it was nevertheless extremely well done by members of Chromolume Theatre, who exceeded our expectations in their interpretation of the songs and the material.  This was easily one of the best musicals we have ever seen at Fringe.  Andrew Schulman, who played Thomas and Daniel Koh, who played Alvin, truly embodied their characters, giving the audience an honest look at the lives of these two life-long friends, and the adventures they shared during that life.  The direction of Michael Marchak and the musical direction of Richard Bereni were also quite evident, as they worked the full gamut of our emotions, creating memorable moment after memorable moment.  The actors performance of “The Butterfly Song” had us in tears with the simple beauty of the story and the imagery that the words created in our minds.

RECOMMENDATION:  This one is our third straight no-brainer.  You simply must see this show, especially if you love music and want to be truly moved by a wonderful story about friendship.  This one deserves a long run.  You can still catch it on June 16 at 10 p.m. and June 23 at 7:30 p.m.   You can purchase your tickets here.

We had a little time before our next show, so Rasika suggested we grab a drink.  We headed over to the next venue, found a parking place, and walked around until we found the Next Door Lounge on Highland.  We had the Georgia Julep, and it was mighty tasty.  It was fun catching up with Rasika, comparing notes on the first show, and discussing what to expect from the next one.  After taking the obligatory selfie, and posting it to social media, we headed over to the Los Angeles LGBT Center for our next show.

TITLE OF SHOW:  The Dangerous Cures of Dr. B

VENUE:  The Los Angeles LGBT Center

REVIEW:  We didn’t know what to expect from this show, but since they had applied for the Larry Cornwall Award, we had to screen it.  The play is based on the true life antics of John R. Brinkley, a so-called “doctor” and radio pioneer who achieved infamy during the 1920’s and 30’s for his radical use of goat glands to “cure” male impotency and other problems.  This is not a “feel-good” show, which was painfully obviously in the quiet and introspective looks on the faces of the audience as they left the venue.  While Jess Weaver and Garrett Crouch did a great job of providing music within the context of the show, it did not rise to the level of necessity to the overall story that is required for the Larry Cornwall Award.  This was a truly dark story of a man who was in many ways just another Jim Jones or David Karesh, and the insane ways that people can ignore reality when it opposes their rosy picture.  Kudos to the Puckwit Gang, who turned in stellar ensemble performances and brought the sordid story to life.

RECOMMENDATION:      Even though you won’t leave the venue feeling better, this is a show you should definitely see.  Hopefully it will open  your eyes to the dangers of being blinded by any one person and their philosophy.  You can still catch it on June 13, 19 and 22 at 10:30 p.m., June 17 at 6 p.m., and June 23 at 8 p.m.   You can purchase your tickets here.