Yesterday was another easy day of reviews, with time left over to catch a movie. We checked out Ocean’s 8, and it was perfect, and even told a convincing story of the connection between the movies staring George Clooney and the current one with Julia Roberts. Afterwards it was time to head down to the Fringe, with five shows on our schedule.
TITLE OF SHOW: Dracula’s Taste Test
VENUE: The Broadwater Black Box
REVIEW: We had no idea what to expect from this show, and picked it because it had Dracula in the title. We were pleasantly surprised to find it a rollicking good time, singing karaoke with Dracula and his monster friends, and listening to Quasimodo deliver the perfect stand-up comedy routine. The cast was amazing, with knock-out performances by Carrie Keranen as Quasimodo, Jeff Sumner as Creep, Crystal Keith as the Ghost of Mina Harker and Marz Richards as Dracula. C.J. Merriman did a great job of choreographing and directing this show, with musical direction by Ryan Johnson, who also provided the piano accompaniment as The Phantom of the Opera. This is the kind of show you can only get at Fringe – no agenda, no propaganda, and no purpose other than to just have fun.
RECOMMENDATION: If you want a good time, and to forget about the world for an hour, come immerse yourself in this show. It is just what the doctor ordered. You can still catch it on June 17 at 6 p.m. and June 21 at 10 p.m. You can purchase your tickets here.
TITLE OF SHOW: Echoes
VENUE: The Broadwater Second Stage
REVIEW: It was a honor to review this play, which has already won awards around the world, including the Adelaide Fringe, Edinburgh Festival Fringe and Prague Fringe. The cast of Catherine Lidstone as Samira and Bree Wernicke as Tillie was sheer perfection, bringing this interesting parallel story to life. We quickly lost track of time as these ladies told their individual tales. Despite them being 175 years apart, they were similar in so many ways, living in a time and place where females were not respected and were forced to be whatever their abusive husbands wanted. To share in their tenacity for justice and freedom and their mission to help others was the core of the show, and the audience was buying every second of this magnificent performance. The simplistic staging added to the timeliness of the story, which comes at a time when women are once again rising up against their male antagonists. This one is well worth the investment of time and money, for the knowledge you can glean from it is without price.
RECOMMENDATION: Definitely see it – it is a treasure that will become a powerful motivator for change. Catch one of their remaining performances on June 14 at 8 p.m., June 15 at 7:30 p.m., June 17 at 4 p.m., June 21 at 5:30 p.m. and June 22 at 9 p.m. You can buy tickets here.
TITLE OF SHOW: The Other Side of the Razor Ribbon
VENUE: Asylum Studio C
REVIEW: This was our first solo play, and we were looking forward to it because of the subject matter – writing. As writers, we are always looking for helpful hints and ways to improve our blog, and to have the opportunity to hear from the acclaimed “Memoir Midwife” seemed like a good idea. However, it wasn’t exactly what we had thought it would be. Stacy Dymalski wrote the show, based on her encounter with a budding writer, David C. Taylor, who was incarcerated for human smuggling. Dymalski worked with Taylor for several years, mailing his transcripts back and forth while creating what was to become the Jacumba Connection. We expected the show to be more about that interaction, but the majority of the show was spent on explaining Dymalski’s personal backstory. While that was interesting, it was not the story that the title reflected. We think the show would have benefitted greatly by having a director, as the backstory portion was longer than the subject matter portion. Still, it was a worthy effort, and the inclusion of her musically gifted son Derrick (who played flute, clarinet and sax) helped set the mood for the show with his beautiful compositions.
RECOMMENDATION: This is a good Fringe show that could be tweaked to be even better. We still think you should see it, just don’t go expecting to hear a lot about the writing process. Enjoy the music and listen to the story and you’ll leave fulfilled. Remaining performances are June 16 at noon, June 21 at 7 p.m. and June 23 at 3 p.m. Tickets can be purchased here.
Don’t go away – part 2 is coming soon.