Lila: The Love Story of Radha and Krishna
The Apothecary

Remaining performances:
Jul 25th 4:15 pm

They say: Attraction, flirtation, jealousy, passion. Follow the human Radha and the god Krishna as they bask in the joy and burn in the heat of their love. The emotional quality of their story is captured beautifully through Odissi Indian classical dance.

Llewellyn’s take: It was pouring rain outside the Apothecary.  People shuffled in, soaked from head to toe, sopping wet playbills in hand.  A veritable waterfall cascaded from the ceiling in the back of the house.  The stage manager quipped that they were just trying to set the ambiance by making it more monsoon-like.  She may have been joking, but the drenched, humid conditions were perfect for what was a beautiful, intricate, and all-around amazing performance.  I can’t imagine a better way to wait out a monsoon then to watch the graceful interplay of these gorgeous women; the slow, delicate contortions alternating with the staccato raga stepwork.  Shalini Goel Agarwal’s flirtatious, mesmerizing gaze itself is reason enough to see this show.   The captivating beauty in their dress and expressive personalities had me wishing for an even plusher production—what if there were more dancers, more tapestries, real waterfalls, and a live tabla-sitar orchestra?

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A. D.
The Bedroom at Fort Fringe

Remaining Performances:
Jul 24th 5 pm
Jul 25th 8:30 pm
Jul 26th 5 pm

They Say: A show that runs the gamut from A to D. Attention deficits, afternoon delights, American dreams, artistic differences, anxiety disorders, they’re all here. From the author of last year’s A Report of Gunfire, a comic look at the world today.

Llewellyn’s take: Of the “A.D.” items listed in the description, the emphasis should be placed on “attention deficit” and “anxiety disorders.”  There are also American Dreams and artistic differences, though I didn’t see any afternoon delights.  Instead, A.D. is a frenetic, one-woman dash through multiple personalities that weave in and out of neurotic introspections…all of it surrounding the fast-paced huck-a-buck world we live in today.  Annie Huey keeps up the tempo throughout the show with a nervous grin no matter which character she assumes, from frantic stewardess to nervous art model.

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The Girl Who Waters the Basil
The Apothecary – at The Trading Post

Remaining Shows:
July 19th 4:45 pm
July 24th 6 pm

What they say: The tale of a poor shoemaker’s daughter and a lovesick inquisitive prince. Based on Lorca’s play of the same name, this slightly surreal ‘pocket-opera’ features performances by Robert Baker and Rebecca Ocampo.

Llewellyn’s take: One of the great perks of a show with so many credentials is that the playbill is large enough to use as a multi-page fan.  And heady credentials they are.  These are some classically trained maestros slumming it for us heathens who probably wouldn’t make it out to the Kennedy Center on five-cent beer night.  I mean, they have a musical ombudsman listed in the credits for crying out loud.

Even though they list it as a “pocket opera,” it’s still opera in the end, so expect bel cantos, colla voce, and a supernumerary.  Because the story is so short, you don’t get overwhelmed with boredom after three hours of butt-numbing vibrato; these folks keep it to a nimble 40 minutes of well-crafted musicianship.  You’re in, you’re acculturated, and then you’re out.

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Billy the Kid: First Exhumation
The Bodega – at The Trading Post

Remaining Performances:
July 17th, 7 pm
July 25th, 5 pm

They say: Directed by a former member of Herbert Blau’s performance group Kraiken, Redd Shifft tackles similar performance issues, including spontaneous improvisation, psycho-association, physical and vocal reflexivity, all in a highly charged, non-linear context of the body longing to know.

Llewellyn’s take: Be grateful for the Fringe Festival: these experimental theater opportunities that are few and far between in DC.  Dramatic improvisation may not be everybody’s cup of tea for sure, but I like it as a palate-cleanser from a world filled with Legally Blonde the Musicals.

So here we have Billy the Kid: A First Exhumation, a storytelling experiment that delves into the fight-or-flight mentality.  Intertwined with the stream of consciousness re-enactment of Billy’s life are modern tales of revenge and revenge fantasies. Threats punctuate dream sequences while a tense Western gunfight-strum plays in the background.  The characters are there only to mock and threaten each other—just the way Artaud might have wanted them to.
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GS-14
The Bodega at The Trading Post

Remaining Performances
Wednesday, July 15th 5:30 pm
Saturday, July 18th 6 pm
Thursday, July 23rd 8 pm
Sunday, July 26th 11:45 am

They say: GS-14 is a comedy about a fed-up government manager who decides to ignore all rules so as to get the job done. He tries to fire the lazy. He tells people unwelcome truths. He’s soon in fights with almost everyone!

Llewellyn says: Isn’t government one big, convoluted bureaucracy?  I mean really, who knows how anybody gets anything done in a world of inane requirements, embattled egos, and endless paperwork.  Maybe if someone were only able to circumvent all the needless requirements, then something could actually get done around here!  That’s the story of GS-14, where a frustrated, conniving manager, aptly played by Seth Vaughn, looks to circumvent the PC police to complete this fictional software that would “save untold lives”. It’s an office drama, told with lots of wit, that digs into the details of political maneuvering and innuendo that surround this town’s untold soap operas.  Complex and creative maybe, but in the end, it’s unsatisfactory.  Constantly pacing around an office desk, most of the actors never seem to settle into their roles unless they’re imitating other characters within the story.  They are all just ordinary office workers going about their day.  And without characters to care about, the obscure military references fall flat.

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The Fifth Musketeer
The Apothecary at the Trading Post
Remaining Performances:
July 12th at 7:45 p.m.; July 17th at 9:45 p.m.; July 18th at 1:30 p.m.

They Say: Follow one woman’s quest in acquiring the art of the sword. Filled with drama and adventure, the play also delves into power politics behind religious persecution, the nature of revenge, and the role of women in society.

Llewellyn’s take: Of all of the shows in this year’s Fringe involving female swordplay (three so far), The Fifth Musketeer just happens to be the one without nudity.  Must be tough on publicity!  Think about it: given the option, would you go see a.) female swordplay or a.) naked female swordplay?  Of course, that might be the same as asking if you would rather see bowling or naked bowling.  Sometimes nudity doesn’t have the additive property.

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Name: Llewellyn Hinkes
Hometown: Capitol Hill and Kensington
Years in D.C.: 25
First CapFringe? Nope.  Wrote, acted, and volunteered in previous years.  Attended in between.
Shows I’m Seeing: The Fifth Musketeer, Billy The Kid: The First Exhumation, Foley Artist, GS-14, Cover Me in Humaness.  Others I’m still sussing out.
Random Thing You Might Find Revealing About My Sensibilities: Thinks Cassavetes was a hack, Brecht was unwatchable, and Mamet only had a couple good stories in him.  Eager to see a show that puts them all to shame.