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dreamsharkBowing to the reality of a surprising but much-needed all-day rain, we abandoned the bikes for the day and drove. We actually stuck to plan for most of the day, but replaced the West Bank shows in the evening with Flawed Genius in Southeast, for a total of 5 shows. It was a successful day, leading off with two excellent productions: Hansel and Gretel: The Musical and The Broken Brain Summit.
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1:00 PM - Hansel and Gretel: The Musical ****
--- Top Hat Theatre at Theatre de la Jeune Lune
One of the most elaborate productions I've ever seen at the Fringe - huge cast, colorful costumes, full musical score. The theme of Hansel and Gretel is problematical for modern audiences, coming down to this: adults will always betray you; live by your wits or die a terrible death. The producers of this show have made a game attempt to deal with this dismal message by stuffing the play full of loving mommies and daddies, dancing/singing animals, and villagers that alternate between joyful peasant festivals and woodland search parties. But no amount of added sugar can disguise the fact that the children do get abandoned in the woods, harrassed by nasty crumb-eating blackbirds, and nearly eaten by a witch. It's all great fun. Recommended to everybody except sour-tempered Brothers Grimm purists.
2:30 PM - The Broken Brain Summit *****
--- Interact Center for the Visual Performing Arts at Interact Center for the Visual and Performing Arts
This was just great; a wonderful combination of art and reality. We sat down front, which turned out to put us right in the middle of the circle of "performers" (brain-damaged adults who were both reading from a script and telling their own stories). A wonderfully intimate experience, and a perfect change of pace after the large scale Hansel and Gretel. Incidentally, if you go to the address listed in the Fringe schedule you will just find a lot of lost Fringers asking each other where the theater is. The theater entrance is actually on the other side of the building, on 2nd Street not 3rd Avenue.
4:00 PM - Nor Did the Atomic Bomb Drop Itself ***
---- Richard Rousseau/Gone Today Productions at Interact Center for the Visual and Performing Arts
A very erratic production, with disconnected parts that never formed any kind of whole, or illuminated the intriguing title. The story-teller (Richard Rousseau) that began and ended the show was superb. The poetry (Tom Cassidy) was well delivered, but not to my taste: I prefer rhyme and scansion to heavy-handed irony. And the skit in the middle? Pointless and incomprehensible.
5:30 PM - Salome by Oscar Wilde **
--- Arthur Repertory Theatre at Theatre de la Jeune Lune
The first show I've seen this year that I actually disliked. The play itself was disappointing - I expected more from Oscar Wilde than a flat retelling of the "Bring me the head of John the Baptist" story. There were some nice descriptive turns of phrase, but precious little wit or character insight. The staging was inconsistent: Herod and his queen in full period costume, but everybody else in modern dress. The casting was inexplicable: John the Baptist (wearing nothing but a pair of punked out blue jeans) looked like a fat, hairy couch potato, with dull, piggy little eyes and limp hair. When his head makes a solo appearance at the end it looks like the head of Rasputin (appropriate enough, except that it doesn't remotely resemble the head of the actor that was playing John). Worst of all, the dancing was leaden. To be fair, Richard liked the show better than I did.
8:00 PM - Flawed Genius ***1/2
--- Barnaby King at The Soap Factory
The original Sad Clown and his astonishing piano. Barnaby King is a very talented performer, rubber-faced and seemingly boneless, and he really knows how to work the crowd. However, his material is a little thin and some of his schticks drag on way too long, giving the audience too much time to reflect on how uncomfortable the venue really is. I enjoyed his show, but I must admit that I was glad when it was over.
______________________________________________________________
1:00 PM - Hansel and Gretel: The Musical ****
--- Top Hat Theatre at Theatre de la Jeune Lune
One of the most elaborate productions I've ever seen at the Fringe - huge cast, colorful costumes, full musical score. The theme of Hansel and Gretel is problematical for modern audiences, coming down to this: adults will always betray you; live by your wits or die a terrible death. The producers of this show have made a game attempt to deal with this dismal message by stuffing the play full of loving mommies and daddies, dancing/singing animals, and villagers that alternate between joyful peasant festivals and woodland search parties. But no amount of added sugar can disguise the fact that the children do get abandoned in the woods, harrassed by nasty crumb-eating blackbirds, and nearly eaten by a witch. It's all great fun. Recommended to everybody except sour-tempered Brothers Grimm purists.
2:30 PM - The Broken Brain Summit *****
--- Interact Center for the Visual Performing Arts at Interact Center for the Visual and Performing Arts
This was just great; a wonderful combination of art and reality. We sat down front, which turned out to put us right in the middle of the circle of "performers" (brain-damaged adults who were both reading from a script and telling their own stories). A wonderfully intimate experience, and a perfect change of pace after the large scale Hansel and Gretel. Incidentally, if you go to the address listed in the Fringe schedule you will just find a lot of lost Fringers asking each other where the theater is. The theater entrance is actually on the other side of the building, on 2nd Street not 3rd Avenue.
4:00 PM - Nor Did the Atomic Bomb Drop Itself ***
---- Richard Rousseau/Gone Today Productions at Interact Center for the Visual and Performing Arts
A very erratic production, with disconnected parts that never formed any kind of whole, or illuminated the intriguing title. The story-teller (Richard Rousseau) that began and ended the show was superb. The poetry (Tom Cassidy) was well delivered, but not to my taste: I prefer rhyme and scansion to heavy-handed irony. And the skit in the middle? Pointless and incomprehensible.
5:30 PM - Salome by Oscar Wilde **
--- Arthur Repertory Theatre at Theatre de la Jeune Lune
The first show I've seen this year that I actually disliked. The play itself was disappointing - I expected more from Oscar Wilde than a flat retelling of the "Bring me the head of John the Baptist" story. There were some nice descriptive turns of phrase, but precious little wit or character insight. The staging was inconsistent: Herod and his queen in full period costume, but everybody else in modern dress. The casting was inexplicable: John the Baptist (wearing nothing but a pair of punked out blue jeans) looked like a fat, hairy couch potato, with dull, piggy little eyes and limp hair. When his head makes a solo appearance at the end it looks like the head of Rasputin (appropriate enough, except that it doesn't remotely resemble the head of the actor that was playing John). Worst of all, the dancing was leaden. To be fair, Richard liked the show better than I did.
8:00 PM - Flawed Genius ***1/2
--- Barnaby King at The Soap Factory
The original Sad Clown and his astonishing piano. Barnaby King is a very talented performer, rubber-faced and seemingly boneless, and he really knows how to work the crowd. However, his material is a little thin and some of his schticks drag on way too long, giving the audience too much time to reflect on how uncomfortable the venue really is. I enjoyed his show, but I must admit that I was glad when it was over.
