Tag: Stripped

Categories
Awards Hollywood Fringe Festival Theatre Women in Entertainment

Top ten shows at HFF 18 and Indie Voice Awards for Theatre

The 9th Annual Hollywood Fringe Festival has been put to bed (with the exception of those shows selected for encores) and we are safely back in Montana, so it is time to reveal our favorite shows of HFF18, as well as our winners for the Indie Voice Awards for Theatre.  You can find the “official” list of winners that were handed out on June 24 here.

We saw a total of 46 shows during the 13 days we were at Fringe.  So many of them were great, and we wish we could give credit to more, but here are our favorites.

TOP TEN SHOWS

10.  Met Again.  Once again, Theatre Unleashed delivered a breathtaking drama of infinite worth.  The duo of Julia Plostnieks and Michael Lutheran were stunning in their portrayal of a loving couple who had ups and downs during their lives.  This one left us with tears in our eyes.

9.  Blind Spots.  This was the only show we saw at the beautiful Stephanie Feury Studio Theatre, and it was definitely worth the trip.  The show was female written with an entire cast of females, and they demonstrated by their amazing performances that they are definitely forces to be reckoned with.

8.  The Parisian Dream.  Cabaret Versatile is the master at creating interesting shows, and this amazing French Cabaret was definitely one of their best.  It was told through mime, skits, song and dance, and it represented the historic Assistance League Playhouse well.

7.  With my Eyes Shut.  Esther Mira led a strong cast and told the story of two people with Asperger’s Syndrome who were learning how to function in life.  Through incredible dancing, music and physical theatre, they told the story as lovingly as they could, and made us proud to be part of HFF18.

6.  SQUIRREL!!  Jessica Lynn Johnson directed and Sarah Rose Reynolds delivered a stunning and revealing story of dealing with ADHD.  Reynolds even wowed us with her singing abilities, on top of her hilarious telling of her life story.

5.  Stripped.  Another great Johnson directed show featuring Julia Cavanaugh as the exotic dancer with a heart of gold.  Like Reynolds, she has an excellent singing voice, and totally tugged at our heart strings as she told the story of her life.

4.  The Word.  Victor Isaac is a comic genius and he puts it all on display in this comedic romp through the discovery of how to forgive yourself.  This one truly deserved its Fringe recognition.

3.  Doctor Nympho vs. The Sex Zombies.  The triumphant return of the Michael Shaw Fisher rock musical claimed three Fringe Awards, and was truly one of the highlights of HFF18.  Just seeing the entire cast safely navigate the small stage at Three Clubs was an event worthy of recognition.

2.  Play On!  A one-woman musical event, Laura Jo Trexler stole our hearts and our ears with these amazing original songs about the heroines of Shakespeare.  She also showed her stage presence and skills as she brought the songs to life, with nothing but herself and a grand piano.

1. The Women of Lockerbie.  We think it is a travesty that this show was not even nominated for a single award at Fringe.  This amazing cast brought the story of Pan Am Flight 103 to life by showing its effect not just on the passengers but those in the town of Lockerbie, Scotland as well.

INDIE VOICE AWARDS FOR THEATER

We agreed with some of the awards given out by the community, but not all of them, so here are the shows we would have given awards to:

In addition, we would also award these shows:

What were your favorites?  We would love to know.

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

HFF18 day 6 – see it or skip it (part 1)

Saturday was our busiest day of HFF18, with nine shows on our schedule, ranging from 11:30 a.m. to 11:55 p.m.  We knocked out the Friday reviews and then headed down to Fringe – first stop, The Broadwater.

TITLE OF SHOW:  Stripped

VENUE:  The Broadwater Studio

REVIEW:   Julia Cavanaugh is a former exotic dancer who discovered that recovery from emotional trauma is possible, and doesn’t require you to remove your clothes.  She was extremely vulnerable during the show, and shared her hard fought lessons learned with strength and confidence.  Although not quite yet a triple threat, she did have an amazing voice, and supplemented her impressive acting skills with that beautiful singing voice.  The show was humorous and powerful, and left this reviewer wanting to know more.  We will definitely be looking for bigger and better for Ms. Cavanaugh.  This was the first of five shows we reviewed on Saturday that were directed or assisted by the Queen of the Solo show herself, Jessica Lynn Johnson, and it was great to see her impressive students, and have the chance to hang out with her at the first three shows.

RECOMMENDATION:  This was one of the best solo shows we’ve seen this year.  Don’t miss your chance to check it out.  She has one show remaining on June 21 at 9:30 p.m.  Grab your tickets here.

TITLE OF SHOW:  My Calico Soul

VENUE:  The Broadwater Studio

REVIEW:   Steve Brock is many things – singer-songwriter, actor, bisexual, autistic, talented, but what he definitely is not is timid.  He confidently tells his story in song and speech, and draws the audience in with his sweetness and charm.  He was honest about his labels – those imparted on him and those he assigned himself.  He led the audience through his life story, and even had a talk back session at the end so that the audience could ask question about anything they did not understand.  Although there were some technical issues, Brock handled them with grace, and did not let them interfere with his show.  His voice is sweet and he writes beautiful songs, especially the title track that he uses to open and close the show.  All in all it was a most worthy effort.

RECOMMENDATION:  You should definitely check this one out, especially if you like to see how hard work and perseverance wins out over obstacles.  His remaining shows are June 22 at 9:30 p.m. and June 24 at 4 p.m.  You can buy your tickets here.

TITLE OF SHOW:  #METOO

VENUE:  Asylum Studio C

REVIEW:   Star Stone brings one of the most timely of topics to the Fringe stage – #metoo.  Her performance breaks chains and shatters taboos about eating disorders, alcoholism and unwanted sexual advances.  Her courage is manifested in this show, and the 25 characters you will meet explain the struggles she has endured, and eventually conquered.  You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll get pissed off, but ultimately you will be proud of her accomplishments in the struggle for female empowerment and the right to say “No.”  Consent is far too often a difficult thing to obtain, but men in general need to understand that it is a mandatory part of any sexual encounter.  Stone reminds us of this, and helps liberate us from the belief that men always get their way – by any means necessary.  We reject that notion, and vow to always obtain consent, whether it has been granted before or not.  Men have no right to assume that just because she doesn’t say anything, it’s all right to proceed.  Let us treat each other like we want to be treated, and allow true love to grow and healing to begin.

RECOMMENDATION:  Every man in Los Angeles needs to see this show and learn the truth, and every woman needs to come and be uplifted with this positive message.  The final show is June 22 at 8:30 p.m.  Get your tickets here.

We’ll be right back with part 2.

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!