Author Archive
Hip Shot: “Late Bloomers and Glory Days”
Late Bloomers and Glory Days
The Bodega at the Trading Post
Remaining Performances: Friday, July 24th at 8:30 p.m.; Sunday, July 26th at 6:30 p.m.
They Say: “The fifteen year high school reunion of the Fighting Eagles brings out the teenager in 7 former friends. But as the drink count rises and secrets are revealed, will they manage to stay that way?”
Glen’s Take: The above description promises — or threatens, I suppose, depending on your point of view — a tried and true reunion-sparks-shattering-revelations drama in the That Championship Season mode. Which is essentially what Late Bloomers and Glory Days delivers — you’ll know you’re on rails from beginning to end, but the track runs pretty smooth.
Local playwright Allyson Currin knows that we ‘ve seen this all before, and plays with those expectations a bit. That shattering revelation is deliberately anti-climactic, and — mercifully — has nothing to do with anyone coming out of the damn closet because that shit is, can we all agree, A) not particularly shattering, and B) SERIOUSLY tired, already.
Hip Shot: “The Sin Show”
The Sin Show
The Mountain at Mount Vernon Square UMC
Remaining Performances: Wednesday, July 22nd at 10 p.m.; Friday, July 24th at 8 p.m. [SOLD OUT]; Sunday, July 26th at 2 p.m.
They say: “Riding on the sold-out success of last year’s Chocolate Jesus and Revenge of the Cat-Headed Baby, SpeakeasyDC presents yet another sure-to-be-Fringe-fave, THE SIN SHOW featuring true stories about pride, greed, envy, sloth, gluttony, lust, and wrath.”
Glen’s take: Look, the SpeakeasyDC guys don’t need our help — they’ve a proven record at Fringe as both vets and all-stars, they’re selling out shows, they got a rave in the paper blog of record. So they really don’t need us to tell you the show’s pretty great, but they’re getting it anyway, because, turns out? The show’s pretty great.
It’s great for the reasons their previous Fringe outings were: With seeming effortlessness, these stories, and these storytellers, provoke precisely what they mean to — gasps, laughter (raucous and rueful, in turn), along with quieter, more introspective reactions.
The Injured List: Fringe Casualties
Let’s face it, people. This is some full-contact theater, up in here. The Fringe muse can inspire, but she can also slap your ass around.
Yes, the venues are hot; we’ve all watched drops of persperation fly from performers’ noses every time they turn their heads, describing graceful, albeit funky, arcs over the footlights. Let’s just remember that as uncomfortable as you feel — sitting there in the dark, fanning yourself with your program like a pasha — the performers have it worse, by an order of magnitude. Or at least, once you factor in costumes, lights and physical exertion, by a good 10 degrees Farhenheit.
But that comes with the territory. Herewith, we honor those who’ve given their lives, or at least their ability to thumb-wrestle for a while, to Fringe.
Hip Shot: “Missing Pages”
Missing Pages
Fort Fringe – Redrum
Remaining Performances:
Sunday, July 19th at 6:45 p.m.; Thursday, July 23 at 5:30 p.m.; Saturday, July 25th at 4:30 p.m.; Sunday, July 26th at 2:15 p.m.
They say: “A World War II hero, his daughter and Vietnam veteran son confront the secrets that haunt and divide them. This powerful new drama, lightened with laughter, was inspired by the author’s father, whose war diary she discovered after his death.
Glen’s Take: ”Emerging” local playwright Susan Austin Roth is a well-known and highly successful writer of gardening books, so should you see other reviews of Missing Pages busting out a lot of cheap gardening puns, you’ll know why. Not here, though. No, faithful F and P reader, here you will find no references to grafting, cutting or pruning; that is my solemn vow.
A play that revolves around Alzheimer’s has a tough row to hoe.
Hip Shot: “She Moved Through the Fair”
She Moved Through the Fair
Warehouse – Next Door
Remaining Performances:
Saturday, July 18th, 7:30 p.m.; Sunday, July 19th, 3:45 p.m.
They Say: “The romantic life of a contemporary Irishwoman is illuminated in bittersweet, often comic tales of coming of age, illicit love affairs gone wrong, an unforgettable plan for revenge, and its surprising aftermath.”
Glen’s Take: Scheinman’s preview precis sheds a bit more light: ”One-woman show; reminiscences of a brandy-swilling Irish lass delivered in a soupy brogue.”
The one woman in question, possessed of both brandy and brogue, is one Polly MacIntyre, whose show takes the form of four brief slice-of-life monologues — each one, in this case, sliced neatly from the life of a character named Kathleen.
We first meet her as teenager as she recounts to us — in hushed, embarrassed whispers — the tale of her decidedly unromantic deflowering. A quick backstage change of hairstyle later, and a slightly older Kathleen shares with us the tale of her abortive romance with a pompous musician. Next, she finds herself thrust into the role of mistress, afloat in a romantic limbo that’s beginning to wear at her nerves, and finally we come upon a middle-aged Kathleen waiting in a Paris cafe, attempting to figure out just how she ended up there.
Hip Shot: “FICTITIOUS The Musical”
FICTITIOUS The Musical
The Warehouse – Mainstage
Remaining Performances: Wednesday, July 15th at 5 p.m.; Friday, July 24th at 8:00 p.m.; Saturday, July 25th at 10:30 p.m.
They Say: “This (sic) satirical musical comedy. Hugh Diffindoffer, a young immigrant from ‘Nonexzistia’ comes to America. His journey leads him to become The Number One Bodybuilder in the World, Movie Star in the World and finally, Leader of the Free World.”
Glen’s Take: They also say: “127 Minutes.” So yeah; know that.
Look, the songs by Tom Hyndman are solid, the harmonies both precise and euphonious, and the band, led by Mary Sugar, is tight. They sound great — yes, grampa, they’re loud (amplifiers + teensy space = scowls from the Olive-Garden early-bird contingent) — but they’re great.
The music itself is pleasingly catchy; it’s lyrically that the songs underperform. Many of Hynder’s most hummable tunes dispense with the verse as quickly as possible so they can head straight for the chorus and homestead there, but that’s par for the Broadway course.
Hip Shot: “The Rise of General Arthur”
The Bedroom at Fort Fringe
Remaining Performances:
Just the one: Wednesday, July 15 at 8:00 p.m.
They Say: “The fifth century meets the twenty-first when Lance-Corporal Pellinore is shipped off to Baghdad. It’s Arthur’s story…as you’ve never heard it before.”
Glen’s Take: Well, that doesn’t really cover it. No, if you want to know what to expect, there’s a few lines from the program that’ll do the job better.
I’m not talking the extensive bibliographic exegesis of source texts, or the quotes from Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Sir Thomas Malory and Dennis (”You can’t expect to weild supreme executive power just ’cause some watery tart threw a sword at you!”) the Peasant.
No, it’s this bit, from the cover: ”The Rise of General Arthur, an original presentation of stories from a theatrical work-in-progress by phillip andrew bennett low”.
Got that? Here’s the take-home: 1. Stories. 2. Work-in-Progress. (And okay, 3. Name in lowercase. Pretension threat level: orange.)
Hip Shot: “The Devil’s Christmas Carol”
The Devil’s Christmas Carol
The Mountain at Mount Vernon Place UMC
Remaining Performances:
Sunday, June 12 at 8:00 p.m.; Sunday, June 19 at 3:45 p.m.; Saturday, June 25 at 10:00 p.m.
They Say: “Expect the unexpected in this musical story about lost souls condemned to perform A Christmas Carol in Hell until they get it right. If the show is REALLY good, some souls might get out …. HONEST!”
Glen’s Take: Hoo boy.
Okay. One of the great things about Fringe is the way it gives artists a chance to perform before audiences they wouldn’t have access to otherwise. Let’s not forget that allowing less-than-seasoned performers, directors and writers a chance to ditch the floaties and test themselves in open water is a Really Big Deal.
In return, we Fringe audiences get the chance to make exciting new discoveries. The price we pay for that opportunity, of course, is risk of disappointment. Serious disappointment.
Crushing, soul-sickening, is-this-thing-really-two-hours, Jesus-fuck-I-need-a-beer disappointment.
But we have a responsibility, too. When we see something we love, we must needs tell others about it. And when we see something which gives rise to that particular species of disappointment delineated above, we are charged with the responsibility not to be complete dicks about it. (That’s right, I’m calling you out, continuously sniggering skinny-jeaned hipsters two rows behind me. I mean, I understand where you’re coming from — trust me — but c’mon.)
Hip-Shot: ‘Vincent’
Vincent
DC Arts Center
Remaining Performances:
All shows at 7:30 p.m.:
Friday, July 10th; Saturday, July 11th; Sunday, July 12th; Thursday, July 16th; Saturday, July 18th; Sunday, July 19th; Wednesday, July 22nd;Thursday, July 23rd; Friday, July 24th; Saturday, July 25th; Sunday, July 26th
They Say: “Paris 1890. In a moving effort to rescue his brother’s legacy, Theo van Gogh revisits Vincent’s turbulent life, offering insight into the world of the tormented artist. The world of the misunderstood genius is recreated in this poignant and intimate meditation.”
Glen’s Take: Yeah, pretty much. Especially the ‘intimate’ part.
In a tiny space tucked behind the DC Arts Center (up the stairs, then down the stairs, turn right), Theatre du Jour founder B. Stanley’s delivering a precise, finely modulated performance as a heartsick Theo Van Gogh.
It’s barely a week after the passing of his beloved brother Vincent, and Theo just wants to clear up a few things, okay? As he paces Vincent’s abandoned studio (neatly evoked by a stark blank canvas and scattered tubes of paint), Theo addresses some lingering misconceptions—and outright lies—spread by ignorant townsfolk and that bastard, Paul Gauguin.
Fringe-Blogger Profile: Weldon
Name: Glen Weldon
Hometown: West Chester (we called it “Wet Cheddar”! Ha!), Pennsylvania (we called it “Pretzelvania”! I know, right? We were EDGY.)
Years in D.C.: 15
First CapFringe? Nope: Attended the first, blogged the last two for CP.
Shows I’m Seeing: Lots, but so far ‘Vincent’ and ‘Devils Christmas Carol’ for sure.
Random Thing You Might Find Revealing About My Sensibilities: My loyalties to the Swift and Powerful Monarch of the Ocean run deep, okay? Deep. If you get up in my bald pasty grill and be all, like, “Aquaman is Lame!” I will name thee lazy comedy hack, yes I will, and shove a smelt up your nose.
