Neither evocative enough to engage nor well-crafted enough to impress, (Snap)shots, lands somewhere in the “still under construction” category, leaving us with a half an hour of less-than-impactful imagery trying very hard (sometimes very, very hard) to find its footing.

Loosely based on the fairytale canon, the Eleventh Hour Ensemble turns the Brothers Grimm on their head. The quick-witted script is peppered with timely material and favorite DC references, delivering guaranteed roars from the audience.

Choreographer Kelly Bon expertly crashes through the fourth wall to coerce the audience to accept the performers as humans accessible in the space. “Elephant” inspires herd mentality at its best.

Chameleon
The Apothecary
1013 7th Street NW

Remaining Performances:

Friday, July 23 at 6:00 p.m.
Saturday, July 24 at 3:45 p.m.
Sunday, July 25 at 2:15 p.m.
They Say: “Chameleon is a multi-disciplinary presentation about global citizens who have been exposed to several cultures in their developmental years.  Exploring the notions of home, cultural identity and relationships through film, [...]

Script aside, Kurkendaal is a charismatic performer. Plus, he’s a fountain of useful diet tips. Did you know a vodka and soda only has 100 calories? Hundreds of dollars in Jenny Craig dieting advice awaits you for the bargain cost of a $15 ticket.

Lanford Wilson’s Home Free gives its audience much to unravel as it follows the muddied logic of Lawrence and Joanna’s aberrant, make-believe world. Psychological disorder drives the piece, and we have much to sort through as we piece together the mystery of what’s so scary about the outside world. Social taboos abound in this one-act, but there is an eloquent innocence in Wilson’s deviant world, providing a nice tug-of-war on the audience’s sensibilities.

Long ago when I was in college, my good friend began embracing the term “chick” as an appropriate way to describe a new generation of feminism. I think “chick” is a rather brilliant signifier, describing female-specific content that doesn’t take itself too seriously. Plus, this coinage reclaims the word from its more demeaning form (an activity socio-political-activist-types adore). So, at the risk of putting off male audience members and pissing off old-guard feminists, I’ve decided Not Your Granny’s Revolution is a chick show—that is, a show about chicks who have moved past the sensitive diatribes and onto the self-aware humor of personal discovery.

I hope years from now we’ll say, “they just don’t write songs like Kevin Thornton used to.” Accompanied by gorgeous guitar riffs and a sweet, melodic voice, no written description can do his songs justice. You need to hear the refrain “After bible study hand jobs…We’ll read the word of God and then throb…” set to music to understand fully how poignant his lyrics can be. And lucky for you, you can, tonight and every night this weekend.

Cover Me in Humanness was lovely. And, in the sometimes slapstick, fart-joke, snarky, esoteric, experimental, deviant world of Fringe (all good things, mind you), it’s nice to have a little lovely once in a while.

The scripts could have benefited from some serious red ink, but a patient Fringe-goer may catch the rare, well-timed quip lurking within the clumsy dialogue. I do recall smiling once or twice. Plus, the cast is endearing. You can’t help but root for actors trying to enunciate “homosexual” in ill-fitting fangs.