What an incredible weekend of shows at HFF19! We took in 13 of them, as well as performing our show for the fourth time. We have now viewed 61 shows, of which 24 were being considered for the Larry Cornwall Award for Musical Excellence. We’ll be announcing this year’s winner at the Awards Show on Sunday at the Ricardo Montalban Theater. Show starts at 6:30 p.m. In the meantime, here is part 1 of our reviews for Saturday’s shows.
TITLE OF SHOW: 45mg
VENUE: The Broadwater (Black Box)
REVIEW: Who says you can’t tell a great story in less than 30 minutes? I would have seen this show no matter what because one of earliest fringeships, David Haverty, was involved. He turned out to be just the tip of the iceberg when it came to the awesomeness of this production. The show was written by Ian Kaye and directed by Nikki Muller and Jason Rosario, all of whom also starred in the show, with an amazing cameo from Kelly Pierre. This one is pure Fringe gold, and one of the more physical shows at HFF19. It is also one of the best shows of the Fringe.
RECOMMENDATION: Don’t miss this amazing show. There is only one remaining performance on June 30 at 4:30 p.m. Tickets are available on their Fringe project page.
TITLE OF SHOW: (IM) PERFEKT
VENUE: The Lounge Theatres
REVIEW: I almost missed this masterpiece, but was able to juggle my schedule to include it, and boy am I glad I did. I think this is the best solo show that I’m reviewed during HFF19, and there have been some great ones, including Raised by Wolves, Hollywoodn’t, Leaving Prince Charming and Corina. Jannica Olin is a gifted performer with such a powerful and personal story that the audience feels every emotion that she does. It was an honor to learn about the life-changing event that happened to her, and how she was able to turn it all around. Sweden’s loss is our gain, and I couldn’t be more proud of her, and the remarkable work that she and director Jessica Lynn Johnson put into this show.
RECOMMENDATION: Don’t miss this amazing show. There is only one remaining performance on June 28 at 8 p.m. Tickets are available on her Fringe project page.
TITLE OF SHOW: Dandy Darkly’s All Aboard
VENUE: Asylum Studio C
REVIEW: Pure storytellers are a rare breed, and Dandy Darkly is one of the best, reminiscent of one of my favorites from the Renaissance Faire, the late Mark Lewis. He has won countless awards from fringes worldwide, and he showed why during this non-stop southern gothic tale. He controlled the audience from start to finish, keeping them engaged and entranced in every word he spoke. This show was truly a treat.
RECOMMENDATION: Don’t miss this amazing show. Remaining performances are on June 26 at 10 p.m. and June 29 at 10:30 p.m. Tickets are available on his Fringe project page.