Tag: Laura Wiley

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Fringe Shows Hollywood Fringe Festival Reviews See it or Skip it Theatre Women in Entertainment

HFF18 day 7 – see it or skip it (part 2)

You can find part 1 here.

Our next show was one of our most anticipated shows.  As extreme Die Hard fans who live in Montana, we have never had the chance to catch Theatre Unleashed’s annual Christmas present, and were overjoyed by the prospect of getting to see it at this year’s Fringe.

TITLE OF SHOW:  A Very Die Hard Christmas

VENUE:  Studio/Stage

REVIEW:  We came to this show with high hopes and standards, and were relieved that once again, Theatre Unleashed did not disappoint.  Parody shows will either uplift or alienate fans of the original, and we are proud to say that this show is a definite hit.  From the amazing rewrites of holiday songs to the long list of puns included in the show, the action kept us mesmerized for the entire 90 minutes, which flew by like Christmas morning.  We especially liked the use of the Snowman for Patrolman Powell, and the creative casting methods used by this company that defy logic but which always work.  The only person who seemed typecast was Jim Martyka as Hans Gruber, and anyone who has dealt with him knows I mean this in the best possible way.  We just couldn’t think of anyone else in the Company (except maybe Greg Crafts) that could get away with being such a horrible villain.  Kudos to the amazing ensemble cast for always rising to the top of the fringe.

RECOMMENDATION:  Definitely get off your keister and catch one of the two remaining performances on June 21 at 7:30 p.m. or June 23 at 6:30 p.m.  Tickets are running out, so grab them here.

TITLE OF SHOW:  Sex and the Musical

VENUE:  Three Clubs

REVIEW:  We come to our last show of the weekend, another of our most anticipated shows, and Laura Wiley once again delivers a hit.  We are almost as big a fan of Carrie, Miranda, Charlotte and Samantha as we are of McClane, and to see this amazing prequel was like a drink of water in a vast desert.  Her cast of Sherry Berg (last year’s Buffy) as Carrie Bradshaw, Emily Craig as Miranda Hobbes, Amanda Hootman as Charlotte York and Alli Miller as Samantha Jones was truly inspired.  I mean, in all of Fringe, who is better equipped to play Samantha than Miller?  The original songs were well written and ably performed by this talented cast, who were supported in their roles by Aaron Matijasic as Stanford Blatch, Reagan Osborne as Allen Prince, Cory Robinson as Mr. Big and Nicholas Rubando as the waiter and Carrie’s editor.  This is definitely a contender for Best Musical of HFF18.

RECOMMENDATION:  Don’t miss your chance to see one of the best shows at Fringe.  Catch them on either June 19 or 21 at 11:30 p.m., but be advised, they will sell out.  Grab your tickets today by clicking here.

We’ll be seeing three shows tonight and then taking tomorrow off for the LA Music Critic Awards Winners Showcase.  Details in tomorrow’s reviews.

Categories
Hollywood Fringe Festival Theatre

Ten most anticipated shows at HFF18

We can hardly believe that it’s time again to head down to Los Angeles for the ninth annual Hollywood Fringe Festival.  Out of the 380 available shows, we have chosen 51 to attend, including about 15 we are screening for our annual Larry Cornwall Award for Musical Excellence.  Here are the ten shows we are most excited about.  We are including links to their pages as well as the name of the venue.

10.  Earworm (McCadden Theatre) – We love the premise of this show and think it could be fun.  They are also up for the Larry Cornwall Award.

9.  Sex and the Musical (Three Clubs).  Laura Wiley brought us the incredibly fun Buffy kills Edward last year and we can’t wait to see what she does with this one, a prequel to the beloved Sex and the City show from HBO.

8,  With my Eyes Shut (Studio/Stage).  One of our favorite actresses from last year was Esther Mira.  She’s back with a new show, and it’s also being considered for the Larry Cornwall Award.

7.  Wild at Hart (The Lounge).  Solo shows are always a big hit for us at Fringe, and no one directs them better than Jessica Lynn Johnson.  This one should be great and it’s up for a Larry Cornwall Award as well.

6.  Sam Shaber:  Lie, Death & Duran Duran (The Complex).  Who doesn’t love the music of Duran Duran?  We are definitely intrigued by this one and it’s also being considered for the Larry Cornwall Award.

5.  Met Again (Studio/Stage).  A tender love story, and it’s a Theatre Unleashed show.  What more do we need to say?

4.  Stripped (The Broadwater).  Fringe gives us the chance to check out the taboo, and to see it from different viewpoints.  This one should be interesting to view, and it’s up for a Larry Cornwall Award as well.

3.  A Very Die Hard Christmas (Studio/Stage).  Living in Montana, we have missed this holiday show from Theatre Unleashed for the past three years.  We are true Die Hard fans and can’t wait to see this production.  Besides, who doesn’t want to see Jim Martyka as a villain?  This one is also being considered for the Larry Cornwall Award.

2.  Doctor Nympho vs. The Sex Zombies (Three Clubs).  Three words sum up this one – Michael Shaw Fisher!  This is the first Orgasmico musical since 2013’s Exorcistic, and he’s doing it in conjunction with one of the hottest companies at Fringe – Cherry Poppins.  What can go wrong?

1,  The Craftlesque (Three Clubs).  This is another show that we have missed being in Montana.  Alli Miller and Sarah Haworth Hodges and their Cherry Poppins ladies are sure to make this one great.

We’ll see you in Los Angeles Monday night.  This is gonna be epic!