Author Archive
Hip-Shot: ‘Sezze Sun’
Sezze Sun
@ The Bodega
Remaining performances:
7/24 @ 6:30pm; 7/25 @ 9pm; 7/26 @ 4:30pm
They say: A struggling actor invites friends and family to his parents’ Italian villa for great food, drink and festivities. But he has ulterior motives. Secrets are revealed and covertly filmed in this multi-media exploration of the digitalization and destruction of relationships.
Sheffy says: MTV is filming its 23rd season of The Real World right here in Washington, in Dupont Circle. What’s most surprising is not that the Fringer to your left might soon be a cable TV mini-celebrity, but that this show is still on the air. Who would’ve thought that broadcasting the “unscripted” lives of seven co-habitating strangers would spark a new genre called “Reality TV?” And after Big Brother, Survivor, Jon & Kate, doesn’t the concept ever get stale?
Well how about this play’s angle: You lock a motley crew of characters in an Italian villa and videotape the unfolding drama without their knowledge. You can probably already guess some of the skeletons that come out when illuminated by the Sezze sun. The conniving mastermind behind the plot is the petulant Ben (Matthew Charles), a British actor-director whose egomania becomes clear in his ranting asides directly into the videocamera.
Hip-Shot: ‘Cabaret Carousel’
Cabaret Carousel
At the Source
Remaining performances:
None!
They say: Blues and Broadway, Latin Jazz, Bohemian Pop and Bossa Nova, our rotating carousel of three cabaret evenings features soulful songs from DC’s Fringe finest: Sally Martin, Richard Tappen, Detra Battle, Stanley Webber, Cecilia Esquivel, Tara McCredie, Pam Ward, Dani Cortaza.
Sheffy says: Monday night is traditionally the night theaters go dark. At the Source, though, one Fringe light was shining for Cabaret Carousel—and that light seemed to attract all the Fringe fanatic moths. For those expecting an old fashioned concert with no skits, dancing, or story, the music did not disappoint. Here, carousel refers to the constantly rotating program from Blues to Bossa Nova to Broadway music over the nine-performance run—really three shows under one marquee. I attended on Broadway night and was treated to 21 numbers performed by talented vocalists Sally Martin, Tara McCredie, and Richard Tappen and accompanied by pianist Alex Tang.
Hip-Shot: ‘Goodbye Love, Goodbye Joy, Hello Travis McElroy’
Goodbye Love, Goodbye Joy, Hello Travis McElroy
The Shop @ Ft. Fringe
Remaining performances:
July 23 at 9:45 pm; July 25 at 11:30 am
They say: You make your living pretending to be someone you’re not. Goodbye, love. Everybody else’s entertainment is your job. Goodbye, joy. So is it possible to work in Hollywood without your life turning into a sitcom? Hello, Travis McElroy.
Sheffy says: Jellybeans?! When staging a play gushing with stereotypes, the blubbering young woman who just lost her boyfriend medicates with chocolate ice cream. Even I know that. And there is plenty of blubbering (and jellybeans) in a play about three female roommates in Hollywood fighting over clothes, movie gigs, and men (meow!). There’s Kelly (Kristen Egermeier), the beautiful self-centered actress who’ll do anything, or anyone, to get her big break; Jessica (Teresa Spencer) the out-of-work actress who doesn’t seem to understand how to play the game in Hollywood; and then there’s the sweet Linda (Megan Dominy) with the big heart, yet sans boyfriend.
Fringe Foul: Don’t get between me and my beer!
Closing time is a simple concept. At 12:25 am, the bartender announces, “Last Call at 12:30!” As I select my beverage (from the Baldacchino Gypsy Tent bar’s refreshingly delectable beer menu), the bartender explains that Fringe’s alcohol permit extends only until 1 a.m., so I will have to finish my beverage before then. Perfectly understandable.
So please explain to me why the Fringe beer police start grabbing cups out of your hands at 12:40 a.m.! Last Saturday night, my friend got up from our table to make room in her bladder to finish her beer, and when she got back at 12:45, her beer had been confiscated—against our protestations. This Saturday night, after being harassed every 5 minutes by said beer police, the editor of this City Paper blog had his nearly full bottle swiped from under his nose at 12:48. We were informed that Alcohol Beverage Control has been cracking down (they don’t like ‘em theatre-types, I reckon).
Hip-Shot: ‘Thou Shall Not Kill’
Thou Shall Not Kill
Egnirf Trof @ Murder… er, Redrum @ Fort Fringe
Remaining performances:
July 17 at 9:45 pm; July 19 at 2:15 pm
They say: “A collection of stimulating and comedic one-acts asking the question, ‘Can’t murder be innocent?’ Join a variety of imaginative characters portraying how naively one’s mind can contemplate murder. This show will challenge your own morals and leave you wanting more!”
Sheffy says: Remember how much fun you had in your Philosophy 101 class debating questions like: Is it ethical to kill someone in self-defense or in war? What about assassinating Hitler? If you could prevent someone from being killed, are you culpable if you don’t? Now imagine listening to that debate rehashed for 120 straight minutes. I get it, every scenario is unique, but to make your point, do you really need to beat it over the head with a brick (uh, literally)?
Back by popular demand…
Some shows were such hits last year, they’re back and better than ever this year (well, they’re back at any rate).
Here are the Fringe & Purge reviews from last year. Note: Dates, times, and locations in the last year’s reviews have changed (duh!) so please see times posted below.
Bargain Basement Game Show–Warehouse Next Door, 7/16 @10pm, 7/18 @1pm, 7/24 @6pm
Children of Medea–Bedroom at Ft. Fringe, 7/16 @8:30pm, 7/17 @8:30pm, 7/19 @4:30pm, 7/25 @2:30pm
Diamond Dead (OK, I’m not sure if this is, ahem, a reincarnation, or the sequel)–Baldacchino Gypsy Tent, 7/18 @6:30pm, 7/19 @5:30pm, 7/22 @6, 7/25 @7:30
McSwiggin’s Pub–Goethe Institut, 7/18 @12:45, 7/24 @8pm, 7/25 @10:30pm
Dizzy Miss Lizzie’s Roadside Revue: The Oresteia–Church St. Theater, 7/17 @11pm, 7/18 @11pm, 7/19 @7&9pm, 7/24 @11pm, 7/25 @11pm, 7/26 @7&9pm
Revolutionary: Isadora Duncan’s Words, Music, Dance–Mt. Vernon United Methodist Church, 7/15 @7:30, 7/25 @11:30am
Sorry if I missed any, but I’m sure you’ll let me know…
Hip-Shot: ‘A Tactile Dinner’
A Tactile Dinner
The Arthur Flemming Center (1426 9th St. NW @ P St.)
Remaining performances
July 13 at 7:30pm; July 19 at 4:00pm; July 19 at 7:30pm
They say: You are cordially invited to celebrate the passé-ist glory of Futurist degustation: a tactile seven-course meal of gastronomic revolution. Those without suitable tactilist garb will be loaned one upon entry. Suggested $5 gratuity. R.S.V.P. or food-related concerns to info@banishedproductions.org
Sheffy says: You think you’ve seen “the Fringiest” show? A Tactile Dinner is off the map (actually, it’s literally off the Fringe map, and there are no signs outside to help identify the building, so make sure you write down the address). This is no show, it is an experience, and one I exhort you not to miss.
Hip-Shot: ‘Beyond Dark Corners’
Beyond Dark Corners
Warehouse — Next Door
Remaining performances:
July 19 at 8 pm; July 23 at 9:30 pm; July 25 at 1 pm
They say: Black, and Gay in struggle with identity. Christopher Prince and Terry Sidney, seasoned Performance Artists push the envelope another notch by creating a riveting evening of poetry, music and stories exploring conflict between self-value, culture and social politics.
Sheffy says: November 4, 2008, was historic. African-American voters turned out in record numbers to elect Barack Obama. In California, that record black vote has been blamed for ensuring passage of Prop 8, where 7 in 10 blacks voted in favor of a measure that bans gay marriage. While both the black community and gay community have struggled for their civil rights, traditionally the two have not gotten along. So what if you’re both black and gay? Chances are “Beyond Dark Corners” is not just a metaphor for you.
Hip Shot: ‘Peace Warriors’
Peace Warriors
Warehouse — Mainstage
Remaining performances:
July 12 at 11:00 am; July 23 at 9 pm; July 25 at 1 pm
They say: Academic ambition, Middle East politics, old affairs and new seductions come together in a darkly comic and powerful new play. Four academics and one teenage girl spend a tumultuous night flaunting their peace activism and confronting their deepest passions.
Sheffy says: Middle East peace lures four “professional leftists” together at the Lewis household—and yet, this play does not involve any Arabs. Israeli-born American historian and playwright Doron Ben-Atar instead focuses on the conflict among Jews on how to react to Israel’s occupation and treatment of Palestinians. While all the characters are Jewish, their religion is Radicalism. Picking a fight is in the job description of an activist; actual quotations from anti-Zionist Jews are used in the play (although some quotes were so offensive they were edited out of the original draft for seeming too unrealistic). Checkpoint demonstrations are appearing on college campuses. In “opposing apartheid policies” some academics are boycotting their Israeli colleagues (and in turn being accused of “anti-Semitism”). While acknowledging the legitimate grievances of the Palestinian people, Ben-Atar’s World Premiere production intends to depolarize the dialogue.
Fringe-Blogger Profile: Gordon
Name: Sheffy Gordon
Hometown: Born in Haifa, Israel; grew up in Pittsburgh, PA
Years in D.C.: 5, plus a few sticky summers when I was home from college.
First CapFringe? This is my third year, second with Fringe and Purge.
Shows I’m Seeing: I can’t plan more than a few days ahead—Peace Warriors, Beyond Dark Corners, and A Tactile Dinner
Random Things You Might Find Revealing About My Sensibilities: I have never owned a car; my favorite possessions are my bicycles and my underwater camera. I spent six years in grad school studying how flies fly.
