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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 SHOWThe Spidey Project

VENUE:  Studio/Stage

REVIEWTheatre 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 SHOWNothing 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.

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Fringe Shows Hollywood Fringe Festival Reviews Theatre Women in Entertainment

HFF17 – see it or skip it (day 2) part 1

Friday was such a wonderful day.  Got up early to work on my first reviews and to tell our story about our journey down to the Hollywood Fringe Festival.  Afterwards, we headed out for lunch and then drove around and visited some of our old haunts, like Fry’s Electronics, before heading down to the Fringe for the first of five shows.  Three of the shows on our evening schedule were included in our Ten Most Anticipated Shows at HFF17.

TITLE OF SHOWQuantum Entanglement

VENUE:  Sacred Fools Black Box

REVIEW:   Katelyn Schiller blew us away with her amazing How to be a Virgin (in 12 morally ambiguous steps) last year, so we were really looking forward to her new show Quantum Entanglement.  Unfortunately, it was not what we expected.  In a way, that is good, because the show was beautiful.  The problem was we’re not sure what it is.  To quote Schiller’s character Andromeda, “(we) wanted to give the gift of understanding, but we couldn’t.”  We talked to several other attendees afterwards, and none of them could put a finger on just what we had experienced.  It was a beautiful show, but what was it trying to say?  The best we could come up with was that it was about relationships, and that everyone who sees it will take from it what they need, based on their own experiences with relationships.  That being said, it was definitely one of the most different Fringe shows we have ever encountered, and for that we were fortunate to have seen it.  We would love to hear your take on this show.

RECOMMENDATION:  If you love the unexpected and exciting aspect of Fringe, then this is the perfect show for you.  Remaining performances include June 17 at 2:30 p.m. and June 23 at 6 p.m.  On the other hand, if you only like typical theatrical performances, then you may want to skip this one.

TITLE OF SHOWHot Dates

VENUE:  The Three Clubs

REVIEW:   The title of the show doesn’t really convey the story, but it is definitely a good marketing ploy.  I mean, who wouldn’t want to spend some quality time with a babe as hot as Shiragirl?  She takes us on a time trip through her life, spouting off those dates like they were page markers in the story of her journey.  What makes it even better is that she can sing and dance, as well as act, and she uses all of these things to describe her life.  This is another show that used the creative skills of Deana Barone, while at the same time using brilliant Natalie Mitchell to direct this amazing show.  It also came in at #10 on our “most anticipated” list.  Needless to say you will not leave this show unentertained.  We also encourage you to click the link above and check out Shiragirl’s Facebook page to find out more about the incredible life of Shira Leigh.

RECOMMENDATION:  We think you should definitely See it.  She still has one more performance on June 24 at 6:30 p.m.  It’s definitely worth attending.

TITLE OF SHOWThe Girl who Jumped off the Hollywood Sign

VENUE:  Lounge 2 Theatre

REVIEWJoanne Hartstone comes to us from her native Australia, where she has already won two awards at the 2017 Adelaide Fringe.  This show was #5 on our list of “most anticipated” shows at HFF17, and it definitely did not disappoint.  We have always been fans of Hollywood’s Golden Age, and it became quickly obvious that Hartstone had done her research in crafting this timeless story.  This show was also the first one we reviewed that had submitted to be considered for our first Larry Cornwall Award for best use of music in a non-musical show.  Hartstone set the bar for the competition quite high.  In the words made famous in the “Men on Film” skits from In Living Color, it earned “two snaps and a trip around the world.”  Hartstone’s voice is amazing as she performs songs by Judy Garland, Marilyn Monroe, The Andrew Sisters and Jean Harlow, to name a few.  Hartstone would have been a star with them had she lived back then.  We are thankful she decided to bring us this amazing show from down under.

RECOMMENDATION:  You simply must See it.  Hartstone has several remaining shows on June 17 at 6 p.m., June 18 at 4 p.m. and June 22 at  8 p.m.  Don’t miss it.