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Fringe Shows Hollywood Fringe Festival Reviews See it or Skip it Theatre

HFF17 – see it or skip it (day 4) part 3

We closed out our day with a pair of musicals, and they totally made our night.  They more than made up for the lack of Fringe shows we would be attending on Monday and Tuesday.

TITLE OF SHOW:  Turbulence!

VENUE:  Sacred Fools Main Stage

REVIEW:  Not since Orgasmico has a theater company become synonymous with great musicals.  Last year Robot Teammate brought us Thug Tunnel, which was pretty fricking amazing.  This year they have left that one in the dust with their current production of Turbulence!  From the first moment they took the stage, Kat Primeau. Chris Bramante, Miles Crosman, Dave Reynolds and Molly Dworsky owned the stage as they took the audience on a wild space race around the galaxy.  The chemistry between the members of this ensemble was palpable and the force was strong in them.  Two members of their killer band, Sam Johnides and Branson NeJame, even did double duty as the evil Martians, on top of the killer licks emanating from back stage.  This is one of those Fringe shows you don’t mind seeing more than once.

RECOMMENDATION:  Unless you want to be kidded for missing out on the BEST (according to my wife) show at HFF17, then you simply MUST See this show.  Make sure to catch one (or more) of their remaining shows on June 21 at 8:30 p.m. and June 22 at 10 p.m.

TITLE OF SHOW:  Buffy Kills Edward: A Musical Romp

VENUE:  The Three Clubs

REVIEW:  From the moment Laura Wiley told me about her idea for a cross-over event between the worlds of Buffy and Twilight, I had been dying to see this show.  The hype is real, people, this one is a blast.  The venue was packed with both Buffy and Twilight nerds, and I was firmly in the Twilight end.  But I still enjoyed the cross-over world where Buffy was allowed to kill Edward, and the ensuing war where she kills still more of them.  The very talented cast totally captured the nuances of their characters, including Bella’s annoying lip biting.  Kudos to Sherry Berg as Buffy, Kim Dalton as Alice, Dawn and Jane (which she NAILED), Corinne Mestemacher as Bella, Cory Robinson as Xander, Jacob, and Emmet, Lauren Sperling as Willow and Rosalie, Casey Suddeth as Edward, Spike and Aro and Matthew Thomas as Giles, Angel and Dr. Cullen.  Of course, none of these amazing performances would have been possible had Wiley not written such a wonderful musical.  Hats off to you, Laura, as well.

RECOMMENDATION:  Definitely See it, especially if you are a fan of either Buffy or Twilight.  It is well worth the effort.  The final show on June 22 at 7:30 p.m. is sold out, but get on the waiting list and you just might win the lottery.

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Fringe Shows Hollywood Fringe Festival Reviews Theatre

HFF17 – see it or skip it (day 2) part 2

So, the first part of our day we attended three shows that were on the dramatic side.  We closed out the night with a pair of musicals at Studio/Stage, both of which were on our list of most anticipated shows.

TITLE OF SHOW:  The Spidey Project

VENUE:  Studio/Stage

REVIEW:  Theatre Unleashed never fails to deliver outstanding performances, whether at Fringe or the rest of the year, and this show is one of their best.  It was flawlessly directed by the playwright and lyricist himself, Justin Moran, and retold the Spider-Man origin story in a delightful and unique way – through music.  The back story of the production is equally impressive, so grab me when I’m out and about and we’ll discuss.

With the current media attention on superheroes, especially those from Marvel, The Spidey Project is particularly timely for this year’s Fringe.  Every performer was outstanding, but several deserve special kudos, among them Travis Nilan, who played Peter Parker/Spider-Man, both in the original one night only performance in New York and again for this run in Los Angeles.  He was totally believable in his portrayal, and made the story come alive.  He was aided in this endeavor by an outstanding supporting cast, including Heather Lake as Betty Brant, Henry Kaiser as Kent Holbrook, Presley Roy as Gwen Stacy, Richard Abraham as Uncle Ben, Margaret Glaccum as Aunt May, Adam Slemon as J. Jonah Jameson and Christopher Jewell Valentin as Flash Thompson.   Kudos also to the amazing choreography of Lindsay Braverman and the tight musical production of musical director Jennifer Lin.  

RECOMMENDATION:  This one is a no-brainer, and deserves one of our highest See it ratings.  Unfortunately, the show is sold out for the remainder of Fringe, but you can sign up for the wait list and more than likely get to see one of the remaining performances on June 21 at 7 p.m. or June 24 at 7:45 p.m.

TITLE OF SHOW:  Nothing Bad: A Werewolf Rock Musical

VENUE:  Studio/Stage

REVIEW:   With the absence of Orgasmico Theatre Company at this year’s Fringe, we were looking to this rock musical to help us get over that loss.  While the production did not ascend to quite that level, it was a worthy effort by first time company They Played Productions.  The show combined elements of Pleasantville, Teen Wolf and Wolfen to create a hybrid musical of the ideal small town with a dark secret.  Hats off to first time playwright and director Erik Blair, who has crafted a wonderful story about coming of age within a “too perfect” community.  He was wonderfully aided in his efforts by songwriter and musical director Dan Sugimoto, and producer Thea Rivera.

Lyndsey Wegner and Lexi Eiserman were perfect in their portrayals of Mayor White and her daughter, Lily White, respectively, both of whom had dark secrets they did not want to come to light.  Their voices were amazingly strong and they brought their respective characters to life in a goose-bump raising way.  They were aided in their performances by an amazing cast of supporting actors, including Jake Saenz as Christopher Cross, Tyler Angier as Luke Diamond, Renee Wylder as D’nise D’Arthur, Tyler Carlson as Dean Swenson, Mathew San Jose as Jake Stone and Danielle Philapil as the Beast.  Jessica Tucker and Rachel Berman were also great in their ensemble roles.

RECOMMENDATION:  Like The Spidey Project, this show is sold out for the duration of its Fringe run.  However, we recommend that you See it, and sign up for the wait list for your chance at the final performance on June 24 at 9:30 p.m.