Friday was a night of big, powerful shows that showed us further proof that this tenth year of the Hollywood Fringe Festival is turning out to be one of our favorite years. Here are our reviews for Day 9.
TITLE OF SHOW: The Last Croissant
VENUE: The Broadwater (Main Stage)
REVIEW: If there was an award for the most elaborate and complex show at Fringe, then this one would win hands down. The cast treated us to a pre-show outside the venue, which spilled over to the venue until it was time for the show to begin. The cast is uber-talented and were surprisingly great vocalists, not to mention the incredible musicianship of Luke Medina, who accompanied every song on his guitar. This is a true ensemble piece, and we salute every member of the cast – Julia Finch as Frederick, Medina as Imogen, Meg Cashel as Mumbo, Tyler Bremer as Jumbo, Veronica Tjioe as October/February, and Conor Murphy as Ranger Dave. Brandon Blum (Bear), Kat DeVoe-Peterson (Teabag) and Taylor Bennett (The Postal Service) provided excellent support to the main characters. There were even foley artists involved with the show. Tjioe’s playwriting was spot-on and beautifully realized by director Rosie Glen-Lambert, making this a truly fun way to spend a couple of hours at Fringe.
RECOMMENDATION: Don’t miss this amazing show. There is only one remaining performance on June 27 at 8:30 p.m. Tickets are available on their Fringe project page.
TITLE OF SHOW: Lincoln 2020
VENUE: The Broadwater (Second Stage)
REVIEW: This year we have seen a plethora of political shows as we head into the 2020 elections, but this one take an unusual stance on the entire election process. Have we truly reached the point where it doesn’t matter what the candidates believe but only how well they are known? This show examines that question with an irreverent look at Presidential elections, and features an all-star ensemble cast to achieve that vision. With an incredible script by Holiday Kinard and brilliant direction from Colleen Labella, the cast truly had the freedom to deliver a strong contender for some type of award recognition and is most worthy of an Encore performance. Allie Leonard as Tess and Tim Kopacz as Lincoln turn in especially savory performances, while receiving amazing support from Monique Getineau (April), Amadia Bearden (Hunter), Rebecca Knowles (Kenzie), and Janet Chamberlin (Mallory). Patrick Censopiano, Kristen Cook, Eric Delgado, Adam Gentzler and Dan Torson all provide outstanding support in multiple roles as part of the ensemble.
RECOMMENDATION: This one is definitely worth checking out. Remaining performances are June 23 at 5 p.m., June 26 at 8 p.m. and June 29 at 7 p.m. Tickets are available on their Fringe project page.
TITLE OF SHOW: Hamilkong
VENUE: The Complex (OMR Theater)
REVIEW: The Fringe has always had a few outrageous mashups in its previous nine years, but this year’s tribute to the story of King Kong as told through the music of Hamilton is truly a work of art. Adam Korenman has written truly hilarious and powerful lyrics that transform those Hamilton musical numbers into a well staged musical that is worthy of being on Broadway. But the brilliant lyrics would be worthless without a cast that can deliver them, and this cast is outstanding in every way. Hats of to the amazing Geri Courtney-Austein as Hamilkong as well as Asia Ring as Ann Darrow, Sashaaa as Carl Denham and Olga Desyatnik as Jack Driscoll. Korenman also leads the incredible supporting cast, along with Francesca Reggio, Nate Leykam, Jeanne Lau, Genna Weinstein, Jeremy Klein and Kyle Reese Klein. Stand up and cheer for the Eighth Wonder of the World, MF’ing Alexander Hamilkong!
RECOMMENDATION: Don’t miss this incredibly creative mashup. Even though it’s sold out, get on the wait list for their final performance on June 29 at 10:30 p.m.