Tag: Best of Show

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Fringe Shows

Ten Favorite Shows of HFF16 (wrap-up part 2)

Before I reveal my Top 5, I need to apologize to some shows that I intended to see but was unable to, whether because of scheduling issues or change of plans.  Those shows included The Truth, A Horse With a View, The 7 Guys You Date Before you get Married, Amy Showden’s Casting Confessions for La to LA, Awkwardly Famous, Washed in the Blood, Vintage Box, Beethoven:  Immortal, Up Down Stick Stuck, Angel’s Flight, Voices, Slightly Dramatic, Thirteen’s Spring, The Father, The Son and the Holy Sh!t and Still Got It.  I also apologize to the two shows I had to cut short in order to make another show:  Broadway Noir and Mad Lib the Musical.  I did enjoy what I was able to see.

And now my Top Five favorite shows of HFF 16:

5.  Lamprey:  Weekend of Vengeance.  This show rocked.  It was fast paced and tight, with an amazing cast of characters, led by the unbelievably talented Carrie Keranen.  Great job by all and thanks to Sacred Fools for giving this kind of talent a place to grow.

4.  How to be a Virgin (in 12 Morally Ambiguous Steps).  Carla Neuss has written a dynamic story that was perfectly presented by the amazing powerball known as Katelyn Schiller.  I laughed so much at this show that I almost peed, and it was one of the best hours I spent at the Fringe.  Well done!

3.  A Feast of Snacks.  Theatre Unleashed has never failed to deliver in their annual offerings at Fringe, and this might be their best show to date.  All four mini-musicals rocked, and gave the multi-talented company members the chance to shine.  Hats off to Greg Crafts and company for giving us another reason to love the Fringe.

2.  A Whole Newd World – Cherry Tales at the Knock Shop.  Alli Miller and Sarah Haworth and the ladies of Cherry Poppins Productions have definitely created a winner in this sexy romp through the woods, introducing adult versions of your favorite Disney characters.  The show was both visually stunning and a musical delight.

  1.  Charlotte’s Shorts.  Charlotte Dean is an amazing writer.  The daughter of Tracy Newman (According to Jim) and the niece of Larraine Newman (SNL) provided the perfect material for her pool of actors to interpret, and in so doing created my favorite show of HFF16.  It was an honor and a privilege to witness this incredible talent.

In my final article on HFF16, I will list the shows worthy of Honorable Mention, as well as give out a few awards of my own.

 

 

Categories
Fringe Shows

Ten Favorite Shows of HFF16 (wrap-up part 1)

What a festival HFF 16 proved to be.  I drove 2600 miles round trip to attend 35 shows in eight days, and reviewed every one of them on my blog and on the Fringe website.  I reconnected with past fringeships and built new ones.  I walked miles up and down Theater Row going from show to show.  I drank more than I have in the past two years.  But most importantly, I had fun, thanks to the amazing participants and Festival staff that make up the Hollywood Fringe Festival.

The Freaks will be handed out next Sunday for the best shows at Fringe, as voted on by the participants and those who have reviewed shows.  But I wanted to take this time to hand out some of my own awards.  Here are the bottom five of my top 10 favorite shows:

10.  Gilda:  A tribute to the beloved comedienne Gilda Radner.  Helena K. Cosentino gave us one of the best tribute shows I have ever seen.  She nailed many of Radner’s routines, but it was the way she captured the spirit of Radner that made this show so special.  Thanks Helena.

9.  Tilt.  With a cast like Ben Moroski and Michael Shaw Fisher, both multi-award winning actors, how could you lose?  You can’t.  This show was very different from what they have previously done, but different is good.  They both turned in amazing performances, and it was an honor to be able to witness this next step in their Fringe careers.

8.  The Old Woman.  John Grady has been bringing excellent theater to the Fringe since it started in 2010, and his latest offering continues that tradition.  It is a moving story that gives his audiences a chance to see his ballet skills.  It provided a much needed respite from the heat and refreshed my spirit.  Well done John.

7.  My Big Fat Blonde Musical.  I have to admit, I was a little skeptical about seeing this show.  Theresa Stroll has created a masterpiece of theater that brings attention to one of the remaining biases in Hollywood – being fat.  Stroll proves that she can write, sing, perform and do comedy just as well as a skinny person.  My hat is off to you Theresa.  Thanks for the reminder that we still have a long way to go in erasing stereotypes.

6.  Happy Hour.  Fringe is the time to try new approaches, and this one worked.  Combining elements of theatre with live music and dance movement outside the confines of a musical was brilliant.  I look forward to seeing what Elitia Daniels and Wesley Flowers come up with next.  Hats off to the Venice Symphony Orchestra for making the show powerful and fun, and for bringing music to the masses.

Check out the rest of my Top 10 Favorite Shows in my next post, along with a few awards of my own.