Fringe 2015 Reviews - first 3 days
Aug. 2nd, 2015 11:58 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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Thursday, July 30
Thursday, July 30
by Comedy Suitcase (aka Josh Scrimshaw, Levi Weinhagan, et al)
Theatre in the Round
Honestly, I could watch Josh Scrimshaw do pratfalls, leaps, and choreographed stupidity all day long, so I never miss a Comedy Suitcase show. As always, the show was very enjoyable but not their best ever. Too many cast members, none of whom could keep up with Josh and Levi. When those two were off-stage, things lagged, which provided a little too much time to think about how thin the plot really is. The in-joke humor (aimed about equally at Marvel Comics tropes, Minnesota stereotypes, and Fringe meta-humor) was witty but a little too on the nose. Still an above-average Fringe show for me, and probably a five-star winner for Avengers fans and familes with kids. I particularly like what they did with Paul Bunyan, who really DOES deserve to be part of the Norse pantheon.
Honestly, I could watch Josh Scrimshaw do pratfalls, leaps, and choreographed stupidity all day long, so I never miss a Comedy Suitcase show. As always, the show was very enjoyable but not their best ever. Too many cast members, none of whom could keep up with Josh and Levi. When those two were off-stage, things lagged, which provided a little too much time to think about how thin the plot really is. The in-joke humor (aimed about equally at Marvel Comics tropes, Minnesota stereotypes, and Fringe meta-humor) was witty but a little too on the nose. Still an above-average Fringe show for me, and probably a five-star winner for Avengers fans and familes with kids. I particularly like what they did with Paul Bunyan, who really DOES deserve to be part of the Norse pantheon.
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Saturday, August 1
The Secret Book of Jesus * * * * *
by Maximum Verbosity (aka phillip andrew bennett low)
Ritz Studio
My favorite Fringe shows are the ones that grow out of a magnificent obsession where it is obvious that the show's creator spent weeks or months intensely researching one fascinating historical moment or reinterpreting a great work of literature. This is one of those (as pabl's shows usually are). In this case, the works in question are multiple apocryphal texts about the life of Jesus, carefully harmonised and translated into respectful but colloquial English and dramatically delivered. There are stories so familiar you can't believe they were left out of the Bible (the Cherry Tree Carol, and of course the Holy Grail). But some are unfamiliar, such as the riveting account of the Harrowing of Hell (the risen Jesus leads his disciples on a field trip to Hell to meet Satan). But I think the Baby Jesus stories are the best, including some little-known details about the family road trip to Egypt.
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Giving Grief * * * *
by Schroedinger's Dog (aka Kevin Hatle)
HUGE
Benny is proud of his work, but frankly he isn't quite as good an employee as he thinks he is. It's all in the details, Benny. But to be fair, his boss isn't the best employer in the world either. We've all had dysfunctional job experiences, but the stakes are a lot higher when the job in question is contract killer. Kevin Hatle is a brilliant solo performer, and he manages to make Benny a surprisingly sympathetic character (although not someone you would want on your payroll). His body language and comic timing is exquisite, although some of the mime work was a little hard to follow. All in all, an enjoyable and unusual show, especially recommended to fans of solo performances.
Benny is proud of his work, but frankly he isn't quite as good an employee as he thinks he is. It's all in the details, Benny. But to be fair, his boss isn't the best employer in the world either. We've all had dysfunctional job experiences, but the stakes are a lot higher when the job in question is contract killer. Kevin Hatle is a brilliant solo performer, and he manages to make Benny a surprisingly sympathetic character (although not someone you would want on your payroll). His body language and comic timing is exquisite, although some of the mime work was a little hard to follow. All in all, an enjoyable and unusual show, especially recommended to fans of solo performances.
