Saturday was a FULL day of fringing, beginning with my first show at noon and ending with my final show at 12:30 a.m. It was a hodge-podge day of hits, misses and in-betweens, so let’s get to the reviews.
TITLE OF SHOW: An yet Another Evening with the Sistahs – Unsung Sheroes
VENUE: The Hudson Theatres (Guild)
REVIEW: One of my all-time favorite Fringe shows was “I Never met a Jerk I Didn’t Like,” which introduced me to the brilliance of Tiffany Phillips. She’s back this year, along with Fredericka Meek and Erika Cohen, to bring us a lesson in black history that will break your heart. We learn about the history of three prominent black women – slaves Anarcha Westcott and Ellen Craft and Congresswoman Shirley Chisolm. This show will move you like few Fringe shows have, and is the perfect way to start your Fringe Saturdays. This one is definitely one of the best shows of HFF19.
RECOMMENDATION: This is definitely a don’t miss show, so get your tickets before it sells out. Remaining performances are June 22 and 29 at noon. Tickets are available on her Fringe project page.
TITLE OF SHOW: Son of a Bitch
VENUE: The Broadwater (Second Stage)
REVIEW: Son of a Bitch is a brilliant piece of historical fiction that captures the spirit of the intriguing story of Lee Atwater and his role in the 1988 Presidential elections that resulted in George Bush‘s victory over the more popular Michael Dukakis. Director Billy Ray Brewton has perfectly captured the intelligent writing of Lucy Gillespie, with amazing performances from Ben Hethcoat as Atwater, Dennis Gersten as Vice-President Bush, Luke Forbes as “Jr.,” and David McElwee as the Vice-President’s Chief of Staff Jim. Chloe Dworkin (Cass) and Corsica Wilson (Gladys) turned in excellent supporting performances. If you care about politics, then this is a must see.
RECOMMENDATION: This is definitely a don’t miss show, so get your tickets before it sells out. Remaining performances are June 21 at 8 p.m., June 22 at 11 p.m., June 26 at 5 p.m. and June 29 at 6:30 p.m. Tickets are available on her Fringe project page.
TITLE OF SHOW: Mormon Playgirl
VENUE: The Complex (OMR Theatre)
REVIEW: It seems more and more actresses are coming forward with their #MeToo stories, and CC Sheffield is one of the more prominent ones. This could have been a powerful show, but instead was shallow and disjointed. Sheffield does a good job of telling it through her portrayal of a number of characters, but the central one was relegated to a too-short segment at the very end of her show. There is a lot of potential for this story, but unfortunately it was not used. This one is definitely a work in progress.
RECOMMENDATION: It might be wise to sit this one out until she has the chance to better define her story. If you’re brave, give it a chance. Remaining performances are June 20 and 28 at 6:30 p.m., and June 30 at 2 p.m. Tickets are available on her Fringe project page.