Author Archive
Hip Shot: Diamond Dead (Continued…)
Diamond Dead (Continued…)The Baldacchino Gypsy Tent Bar
Remaining performances: July 25 7:30
They say: A new Maverick rises to do battle with the forces of evil in the continued adventures of the zombie rock band Diamond Dead.
Joan says: Spinal Tap meets Re-Animator in this irreverent rock opera.
Whenever you agree to see a play about a band, you wonder whether the actors can can really mount an effective band. Well no worries here—the Landless Theatre Company hits this one right out of the graveyard. I will be first in line the day the soundtrack becomes available. And talk about death metal—4 out of 5 of the band members are actually dead!
Hip Shot: Jack the Ticket Ripper
Jack the Ticket Ripper
The Goethe Gallery
Remaining performances: July 18 6:00, 19 2:30
They say: Jack the ticket-taker has never missed a performance in 25 years. When his job is threatened Jack refuses to be downsized. A hilarious revenge comedy that will have you asking “Who will Jack off next?”
Joan says: Living is easy, comedy is hard, comedy about slaughtering your coworkers is magnificent.
I have a theory that playwright John Morogiello went to see Sweeney Todd and said to himself afterwards, “What this show really needs is some laughs”. How right he was! Jack (delightfully played by Jim Gagne) is a pompous usher. You don’t like him, but you have to love his boyish enthusiasm for murdering his equally pretentious coworkers. Each slaying has a surreal sort of Hannibal Lecter-meets-Elmer Fudd quality to it. You scream both in horror and delight—and you laugh, and laugh, and laugh.
Hip Shot: ‘Bag Lady’
Bag Lady
The Bedroom at Fort Fringe
Remaining performances: July 17 6:00, 23 9:00, 26 noon
They say: “Meet Clara, Russian Empress, Survivor, The Virgin Queen. She’s the Empress of New York with a bench, a doll, a realm to rule. Travel light. Only Essentials.”
Joan says: Ranting and rambling raised to an art form.
Playwright Jean Claude van Itallie premiered this one-woman show 30 years ago in New York City. I used to spend a lot of time in New York during that period. The protocol for passing a bag lady was eyes averted. Now all these years later I have been shown the bag lady in all her madness and glory and I know why I was afraid.
Hip-Shot: ‘Life Inside an Open Kaije’
Life Inside an Open Kaije
Warehouse — Next Door
Remaining performances:
July 11 at 6:15 pm; Jul 12 at 9 pm; Jul 18 at 11 am
They say: Life Inside an Open Kaije covers certain memorable chapters of the playwright’s life while dealing with diabetes and how he was able to overcome each obstacle through narration.
Joan says: Everything you ever wanted to know about living with diabetes but were afraid to ask.
Playwright Kevin Ray Johnson unflinchingly chronicles his metamorphosis from a newly diagnosed 8-year-old into a 20-something man who has finally made peace with the disease. The normally rocky process of growing up becomes so much more gut-wrenching, thanks to the physical and mental tolls of his disease.
Gregory Joseph Twomey stars as the afflicted Kaije through every stage of his life—which given the breadth of ages is a rather impressive feat. The supporting cast of two men (Joey Ibanez and Rob Loreto) and one woman (Rosanna Haddad) are left with the daunting task of playing everyone else of import. Usually the changes in character are clear; occasionally they add a bit of mental vertigo until you recognize their new role. A compelling story, with the actors stretched beautifully to portray a dizzying array of doctors, nurses, friends and family.
See it if: You’d like to become more compassionate courtesy of a behind-the-scenes tour of living with a chronic disease.
Skip it if: You’d rather not need a scorecard to distinguish the players.
Fringe Blogger Profile: Wendland
Name: Joan Wendland
Hometown: Born – New York City; Raised – Fanwood, New Jersey; Became who I really am – Hoboken, New Jersey
Years in D.C.: 18
First CapFringe? It’s my first time – be gentle with me!
Shows I’m Seeing: ‘Life in an Open Kaije,’ ‘Bag Lady,’ and ‘Jack the Ticket Ripper’ – plus whatever I can get my husband to agree to see with me
Random Thing You Might Find Revealing About My Sensibilities: I am in the middle of reading three different books: The Scarlet Pimpernel, Mean Streets (for the Kat Richarson novella), and Strata by Terry Pratchett. My favorite musical of all time is Chess. My favorite drama is Copenhagen. I love Dennis Miller AND Dennis Leary. I own a tie-dyed lab coat and the ugliest shoes on the planet.
