Tag: reviews

Categories
Fringe Shows

HFF16 – Day Eight (part 2)

The second half of the day began with my most anticipated show, Gilda: A Tribute to the Beloved Comedienne Gilda Radner.  Like many of you, I fondly remember Gilda and the greatness she brought to the founding cast of Saturday Night Live, including those amazing and memorable characters Judy Miller, Emily Litella, Baba Wawa and Roseanne Rosannadana.

Gilda

Helena K. Cosentino embodies the memory of Gilda and truly brings her back to life again in what is the most beautiful and loving tribute I have ever witnessed to a Hollywood icon.  In addition, she embodies the soul and spirit of Gilda by donating the proceeds from the show to the Cancer Support Community and Gilda’s Club of Kansas City in honor of Gilda.  You can also make donations by clicking here.

I was very fortunate to catch her final Fringe show before she heads home for the Kansas City Fringe Festival.  Hopefully she will share her gifts with us at the Zootown Fringe Festival in August.

My next show was Sexy Maus at the Studio portion of Sacred Fools Theatre.  It is wonderfully written and delightfully performed by Andrea Schell with superb directing from Wade Gasque.

SexyMaus

This show takes the audience on a thrilling trip around Europe as Schell tries to escape the real life hell of helping her parents by going on a whirlwind tour of some of Europe’s hot spots, all the while looking for love in all the trendy places.

Schell tells a very compelling story, complete with breathtaking slides documenting her trip.  Her storytelling is first rate, and kept the audience engaged throughout.

We recommend you take a little trip with the Sexy Maus, and live vicariously through her story.  Her final performance is scheduled for June 25 at 10 p.m.

My sixth show of the day was a special appearance by New York premier actor Khalil Mhammad who brought his new solo show Pryor Truth to the Fringe for a two day stint.

Pryor

Muhammad has crafted a finely tuned one-man show that felt just like a performance by the late comedian Richard Pryor.  His performance was spot on, from his vocal delivery to his constant sweat wiping and colorful language.  I felt like I was in the presence of greatness as I thoroughly enjoyed this opportunity I never had to hear Pryor live.  It was a fitting tribute to the man proclaimed as one of America’s greatest comedians.  The entire house became engrossed in the show and gave him a rousing ovation at the end.

Unfortunately this was his only appearance at HFF16, but we can only hope that Muhammad will return with another show in the future.

My final show for the night (and, as it turned out, HFF16) was Erica Flor’s provocative tale Bloody Beautiful. 

Beautiful woman with red tissue around her waist

The show centers around the story of one of the world’s most prolific serial killers, Countess Elizabeth Ba’thory, the Blood Countess from Hungary, who allegedly killed more than 650 young women between 1585 and 1610.

In her performance, the evil spirit of the Countess is seeking to take over the mind and body of Flor so that she can once again be free to kill.  While the concept is not new, Flor makes a valiant effort to show the constant struggle as she fights off the Countess’ attempts at possession.

While it was neither my favorite nor least favorite Fringe show, it was definitely memorable and compelled me to look up the story online to find out the rest of the gory details.  For that, I thank Flor for bringing such an interesting character to the Fringe.

Tomorrow I will post my HFF16 wrapup, which includes my top 10 favorite shows.  Until then, happy fringing.

 

 

Categories
Fringe Shows

HFF16 – Day Eight (part 1)

Friday night had been my favorite night of fringing and I looked forward to my seven shows on Saturday to further what has become my favorite fringe experience yet.

My day started off with 30JJ or Bust in Studio C of the Complex Theatre.  The show was written and performed by Joan Afton and was developed and directed by Deana Barone.  In a word, it was magnificent.

30jj

Kudos to Afton for having the courage to tell this very personal story, and to Barone for helping develop both the story and the performer and bring them both to the Fringe Experience.  Our shared Renaissance Faire experience also contributed to my ability to connect to this show, and to Afton.

Go see the final performance on June 25 at 11:30 p.m.  It’s well worth your time.

Up next was Sticky Fingers.  Compiled from stories told by female shoplifters after they were caught, the show was wonderfully written by Terry Anne Holzman and directed by her husband, Ernie Holzman.  Its wonderful cast included Maya Ferrara, Sidney Aptaker, Hallie Mayer, Francine Daniels, Breon Gorman, Dionne Jones and one of the show’s producers, Fiona Lakeland.

Sticky

Hearing these stories from this fine cast of actresses was a true highlight of my HFF16 experience.  It was enlightening to hear their rationale for stealing, and especially to hear the story about the most famous shoplifter of all, Winona Ryder.  Lakeland’s portrayal of her was spot on, and one of the best performances of the show.

We highly recommend this play.  Catch its final performance on June 25 at 10 p.m. in the Dorie Theatre at the Complex.

My third show of the day, MetaFam, was coincidently also at the Complex in the Flight Theatre, and featured Barone (the director of 30JJ or Bust).

Metafam

Barone tells her story of growing up in a family that included a mentally ill sister, a sick brother, an adorable mother and a guru-like father.  These personalities all played a role in her development as an artist, and I believe shaped her to become a guru herself in allowing solo artists to bring their stories to the stage.  I just might have to work with her to bring my own story out.  But that’s a story for another day.

Barone did a great job of melding those stories into a true Fringe experience.  I was especially amazed at her ability to improv real-world issues like late arrivals into the fabric of the show without breaking character as she repeatedly shattered the illusionary fourth wall.

Metafam has one remaining performance on June 25 at 1:45.  We recommend you check it out and see for yourself the awesomeness that is Deana Barone.

More Fringe reviews to come in part 2.

 

Categories
Fringe Shows

HFF16 – Day Seven (part 2)

My fourth show of the day was Mad Lib the Musical and it was a rousing good time.  I wish that I had the time to see the entire show, as I had to slip out to go to Aliens vs. Musical, but what I saw was absolutely brilliant and amazing.

Madlib

I liken the show to a musical version of Whose Line is it Anyway? on steroids.  The concept is that the audience picks ten songs and three nouns to form the basis for the musical.   The cast then has five minutes to formulate the show based on those nouns and incorporating the songs.

The show features four regular cast members, Kate Bowman, Lauren Byrd, Nathan Ondracek and Mitchell Turner, plus two guest stars.  On this night those guest stars were Alli Miller from Whole Newd World and Angel’s Flight and Theresa Stroll from My Big Fat Blonde Musical.

I only got to see three songs, but the improv “script” was witty and fun.  The only drawback was the time it spent in setting up the show.  Had I not had another show coming up, it would have been a great way to close out another fun day of Fringe.  Catch one of its final two performances on June 24 or 25 at 10:30 p.m.

My final show for the night was one of last year’s hit shows, Alien vs. Musical.  From what I understand, this year’s show was longer than last year’s, and included additional material, including bits from West Side Story and Hamilton.

Alien

The show started off innocently enough in the land of Musical, where some of our favorite characters live in peace, including those from Grease, Wicked, Dreamgirls, Music Man, Hairspray, Book of Mormon, Les Miserables, and Annie, to name a few.  Speaking of Annie, Allie Costa turns in the performance of the decade in her role as Annie.  She gives the character true life and her song “There is no Tomorrow” is the highlight of the show.

The cast includes Levanna Atkinson-Williams as Effie, Christopher Bunyi as Danny, Nick Emmet McGee as Harold, Taylor Minckley as Elder, Ally Mulholland as Tracy, Matthew Noah as ValJean, Suzanne Petrela as Elphaba, Brad Simanski as Mark and Briane Sanborn as Maria.

Hats off to the creative team behind the show.  With book, music and lyrics by Erik Przytulski, book and creature design by Steve Troop and choreography by Regina Laughlin, and direction by Matthew Tyler and musical direction by Emily Cohn (who provides an interesting cameo with the Alien), the show appears to be on its way to its off-Broadway debut this fall.  It remains a fan favorite at Fringe and we’re sure it will do well in New York.

Catch one of its two remaining shows on June 23 at 8:30 p.m. or June 26 at 6 p.m.

I have saved my final review of the day until later.  Still waiting for additional information from the producer, but the show was one of the highlights of Fringe 2016.  I probably won’t get to work on it until I get back to Montana, along with my reviews of my Saturday (seven shows) and Sunday (two shows) experiences.  Until then, Happy Father’s Day to all the Dads and have a wonderful day Fringing.

Categories
Fringe Shows

HFF16 – Day Seven (part 1)

Friday began innocently enough without any warning as to the Fringe incredibleness that was coming.  I spent the morning writing and relaxing before heading out to the Fringe for what I thought would be a normal night of great shows, with four of them planned for the evening.

Upon arrival at Three Clubs and looking at their line-up for the night, I shelved my previous plans and decided to catch all four of their shows and still be able to catch Alien vs. Musical afterwards.  That plan proved to be a wise idea.

The night began with the stellar performance of 50 Shades of Shakespeare.   The premise enticed me – two men, two women, doing Shakespeare’s sexiest scenes – but the twist was that the audience selected which actors would take which roles.  These guys KNEW their Shakespeare, inside and out, and delivered a stirring performance regardless of the role they played.

50 Shades

With a cast that included Kelly Nienaltowski, Jordan Mann, Noah James and Eddie Vona, under the superb direction of Jess Shoemaker, 50 Shades was a can’t miss production.  Their acting chops were put to the test and they responded with some of the best Shakespeare I have ever witnessed.  This is definitely one of the best shows at HFF16, and we highly recommend you catch one of their remaining performances on June 19 at 11 p.m. or June 20 at 8:30 p.m.

We’ll skip over the next show I attended and come back to it in Part 3 of this review.

Third on my plate for Friday was Black Widow Laughs, a show that I had intended to review on Sunday, but due to a change in plans, decided to check out on Friday.  The production team and the venue were very amenable to my request and took care of me, despite almost being sold out.

BWL

Vampire shows are always popular, and this one is even more so.  Nina Rose Carlin has crafted a great piece with an amazing cast featuring Wellesley Daniels, Cheyann Dillon, Savannah Gilmore, Lucy Keith and Darrin Luginski as a family of vampires who run a 1920’s speakeasy, and Charlie Haakenson, Greg Feiner and Carlin as their unwitting victims.

This production has the same kind of sexiness usually reserved for vampires of a more sparkly persuasion, and delivers a bloody good time for all.  Definitely check out of their remaining shows on June 19 at 9:15 p.m. or June 23 at 6:45 p.m.

The night continued in part 2, to be posted shortly.

Categories
Fringe Shows

HFF16 – Day Six

Day 6 of the Hollywood Fringe Festival started with breakfast at a Burbank greasy spoon with another of my wonderful friends.  This time it was VK Lynne, the sultry songtress from LA rock band, The Spider Accomplice.  VK and I have been friends for more than 10 years, and I have watched her musical growth through a myriad of styles until she has finally reached the place where she truly belongs.  Not only is she an amazing songwriter and vocalist, but she is becoming a much sought-after model.  Definitely check out her band and her work.  What an amazing woman.  Breakfast was a hoot.

Since my first Fringe show wasn’t until 6:15, I had plenty of time to relax and write.  It does feel good to have some down time, especially with a hectic weekend fast approaching.

I was invited to see a musical about one of my favorite country artists, Mindy McCready, so I decided to watch the first act of Broadway Noir and then slip out during intermission and head to the Dragonfly to see McCready.  Unfortunately, Broadway started late and so I had to leave before it finished.  However, from what I saw, it was a fun show with a great cast, and I wish I could have seen the whole show.

Broadway

The music and show were wonderfully written by Dan Sugi, who also plays the piano for the performance, and directed by Julia Lisa.  Check out their final show on June 19 at 3:45 p.m.

Back to the Dragonfly for McCready.  The show was lovingly created and written by Jon Bernstein and Jennifer Blake and stars Blake as McCready.  The musical direction was by Brady Harris and Michael Ursu and overall direction by Robert Glen Decker.  The rest of the cast includes Zack Crosby, Robert Hardin, Craig Umhoefer and Ursu.

McCready

The frustrating thing about this show is the untapped potential.  The story is great, Blake has a wonderful voice and a true connection to McCready, but the overall production just didn’t jell.  It seems to me that the biggest issue with this show is a lack of confidence by the cast, with the exception of Blake and Hardin.  I think they have the talent, but need further work to bring it out.

If you love the McCready’s music, check out the show and let me know what you think.  The remaining schedule is June 21 at 7:30 p.m. and June 26 at 2:30 p.m.

By this time I was ready to be wowed as I headed back to Sacred Fools for the opening night performance of My Big Fat Blonde Musical (“MBFBM”) by Theatre Unleashed member Theresa Stroll.  Mission accomplished!

Blonde Musical

OMG!  Stoll has created a masterpiece about accepting one’s self without giving up on dreams and ambitions.  With the assistance of her fiance’ Bobby McGlynn, and under the superb direction of Jennifer Lynn Johnson, MBFBM delivers its message of positivity with both barrels.  You cannot help but be inspired by the story of Stoll’s struggles and her victory over them in reaching her goal of becoming an actress.  Her songs are catchy, her dialogue is witty and her portrayal of the people she encountered during this time is spot on.  I’m sure each of us have faced similar rivals in our quest to better ourselves and reach our goals and potential.

Kudos also to the multi-talented Lindsay Braverman for her wonderful choreography.  MBFBM is truly one of the premier shows at HFF16, and we highly recommend it, especially if you need a positive lift to raise your spirits and your outlook on life.  Don’t miss one of the remaining performances on June 20 at 6:30 p.m., June 23 at 11:30 p.m. or June 25 at 8:30 p.m.

I was really looking forward to my last show of the day, Live From the Grave, it’s John Belushi (“LFTGraveIJB”).   SNL seems to be a popular subject this year, with shows from Larraine Newman’s niece (Charlotte’s Shorts), as well as shows about Gilda Radner and Richard Pryor.  Needless to say, a story about Belushi was almost too incredible to imagine, and LFTGraveIJB more than lived up to the challenge.

JB

Jack Zullo has created a masterful tribute to one of Hollywood’s brightest stars.  Despite his death in 1982, Belushi continues to reign as a gifted writer and comic who helped launch SNL, and this show further added to that legacy.  Special kudos to Keith Saltojanes for his stirring portrayal of Dan Aykroyd.  His version of “Rubber Biscuit,” combined with his duet with Zullo on “Expressway” rocked like it was the original Blues Brothers on stage.  The packed house was on its feet by the end of the show, cementing the fact that this show is a winner.

Don’t miss the chance to see it.  Their remaining performances are June 25 at 6:30 p.m. and June 26 at 3 p.m. at the Three Clubs.

Afterwards I had a blast hanging in the bar with fringeships old and new, including David Haverty, Shannon Nelson, Brendan Hunt and Lauren Van Kurin, and got a t-shirt from Zullo.  You’ll see me wearing it around the Fringe on Saturday.

Happy fringing.

Categories
Reviews

Kris Angelis goes to a new level with Heartbreak is Contagious

If you have followed my past reviews, you should know that this reviewer has been a huge fan of the music of Kris Angelis for many years.  Her latest release, Heartbreak is Contagious, a 3-song EP, is her best to date, and delivers what could well be her break-out into mainstream music.

With an overall sound reminiscent of Taylor Swift, all three songs are knock-outs and better than most of the songs on radio today.  The title track adds the musicality of the Lumineers with a vocal delivery similar to Miranda Lambert, and definitely has an alt-country feel.  Track 2, “Built this House,” is thoughtful and uplifting, with incredible lyrics, while Track 3, “Kevin Bacon,” is simply fun and worthy of immediate radio release.  You cannot help but get up and dance as Angelis “breaks Footloose, with those Kevin Bacon moves.”

With all songs written by Angelis, Morgan Taylor Reid and Alexander Cardinale, the EP is wonderfully produced by Reid, who also plays all the instruments.

If you love pop music and artists like Taylor Swift and Rachel Platten, you will love Heartbreak is Contagious.  Call your local radio station and ask them to play it – it’s a win-win situation.

For more info on Angelis, check out her website and Facebook pages, follow her on Twitter and Instagram, and definitely subscribe to her YouTube channel.