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On the Fringe
After making copy editors and headline writers groan for years, the artist formerly known as the "Philadelphia Live Arts Festival and Philly Fringe" — a moniker that resulted from the arts-festival equivalent of a couple getting married but wanting to keep their last names — just announced that it is cutting nearly 40 characters from its name (even the space!) and will now be known as just FringeArts.
They announced this at the groundbreaking of the (at the moment, very cold) new building that'll serve as a year-round HQ for the organization at Race and Columbus, right next to the Ben Franklin Bridge. (That honestly made us wonder a little — a NJ Transit train rumbled by during one of the speeches, and it was ... loud enough that you couldn't hear the speaker, who had a mic.)
But the space looks like it's going to be pretty great — it's huge, and will have a bar and restaurant, and as part of the city's ongoing efforts to make the waterfront not suck, it'll have bathrooms open to the public year-round.
We got a little flutter at something buried in the middle of the release in the "About the New Space" section describing the 240-seat theater space:
The theater will be designed to embrace a full range of performances, from shows like a reimagined Twelfth Night, or What You Will by Philadelphia's Pig Iron Theatre Company ...
That definitely sounded like one of our favorite festival shows ever was getting a revival. Sadly, when we made inquiries, it sounds more like that was being used as an example of a show that might have been put on there if it had existed in 2011, though Pig Iron willl be putting on stuff year-round. Way to get our hopes up, FringeArts.
SHOW: Pro-Mania 2K12: WitOut Wrestling
GROUP: Philly Improv Theater (PHIT)
GENRE: Sketch/Improv Comedy
ATTENDED: Fri., Sept. 7, 11:30 pm., Fri., Sept. 14, 11:30 p.m., Sat. Sept. 22, 11:30 p.m.
CLOSED: Sat., Sept. 22
BRIEF SELF-DESCRIPTION: 2011’s hit show returns! A sport-stravagant celebration of the larger-than-life spectacle that is professional wrestling (with only some of the wrestling). Philly’s top comedic performers pay homage to the flashy trash-talking promos, slick video packages and bitter rivalries of the squared circle.
WE THINK: Joey Dougherty certainly got his comeuppance, after letting the championship go to his head. Congrats to fan-favorite Moonshine Marvin, who technically won the belt while Joey was snoozing backstage (since the belt is 24/7, falls-count-anywhere). The stealthy pin was shown on the Jumbotron to the delight of a packed Adrienne Theatre. Moonshine successfully defended his new title in the main-event tag match between himself and "the intern" vs. Joey and Alex Fucking Gross. It was a surprisingly well-choreographed night of wrassling all around — especially for a gang of untrained local comedians. One exception: Local pro-wrestler Tim Donst gave The Necrosexual a lesson in self-esteem after a black-metal-shred-off-turned-"Kumbaya"-sing-along ended in the dark lord's embarrassment (ya know, like it usually does).
Every year, there's hundreds and hundreds of performances at the Philly Fringe and Live Arts Festival, and unless it's one of the big shows, it's sometimes hard to tell what you're going to get. Here at Critical Mass we're sending writers to as many shows as we possibly can for 75 pocket-sized reviews over the course of the fest. Check back in with us at On The Fringe every day for real talk on what these things actually are!
SHOW: Fibber
GROUP: Philly Improv Theater
GENRE: Storytelling/improv
ATTENDED: Fri., Sept. 21, 9:30 p.m.
CLOSES: Sun., Sept. 23
BRIEF SELF-DESCRIPTION: 4 STORYTELLERS. 1 FIBBER. After swearing to tell the truth, Philly’s most talented storytellers share their own personal and outrageous experiences with the audience—but someone has made it all up. It’s the audience's job to hear the stories and vote for the person whose pants they think are on fire!
WE THINK: Hilary Rea gave a delightful introduction by admitting her gullibility about the non-existent Pizza Wolf club at Lazaro’s. Then I listened dutifully to the four “local celebrities” who played Fibber. Dan Gross of the Daily News told a gross out story about shitting his pants. But I knew he wasn’t full of shit. Project Runway winner Jay McCarroll spoke inelegantly about a job he did at an Internet porn company. (Nobody using notes to remember dildos and overdoses could be lying.) Bryan Dwyer of Pizza Brain told a story about sleep deprivation that seemed too vague — as soon as I heard Geekadelphia’s Eric Smith’s fishy tale of getting hooked by a camper, I figured Dwyer was the fabricator. However, Dwyer was really convincing in the Q&A session, and Eric wasn’t. (Lake Winnebago?!) And why was Eric — who admitted he couldn’t swim — out in a boat on a lake supervising kids? As for whether I marked the ballot correctly, I won’t lie. But I won’t tell you either.
—Gary M. Kramer
Every year, there's hundreds and hundreds of performances at the Philly Fringe and Live Arts Festival, and unless it's one of the big shows, it's sometimes hard to tell what you're going to get. Here at Critical Mass we're sending writers to as many shows as we possibly can for 75 pocket-sized reviews over the course of the fest. Check back in with us at On The Fringe every day for real talk on what these things actually are!
SHOW: Scout
GROUP: Fur Collective
GENRE: Theater
ATTENDED: Mon., Sept. 17
CLOSES: Wed., Sept. 19 (Note: this review slipped through the cracks, apologies! —ed.)
BRIEF SELF-DESCRIPTION: This piece is ripe with patriotism and controversy. Using these entities this piece explores entitlement, occupation of space, and the world we inherit. Scout allows us to be critical of a country full of contradictions while still being completely enamored by its charm.
WE THINK: Three boy scouts (Hannah DeKeijzer, Yasmin Roberti, Anna Szapiro) sit around a campfire with a bag of marshmallows. The game is Chubby Bunny, and the objective is to speak while filling your mouth to maximum capacity. The scouts are attempting to finish the line "America is..." which makes a good deal of sense considering they are the Boy Scouts of America, after all. The responses sound about right in the beginning ("America is baseball," "America is babes"), but once the declaration comes out that "America isn't all that it's cracked up to be" then things take on a tone a bit heavier than just mere spitballin'. However, the heady debate goes unresolved as our characters quickly move onto a swimming hole, and with a running time of just under thirty minutes, it's never revisited. The premise is novel enough and the dialogue engaging, but the sudden ending leaves way too much on the table.
—Chris Brown
Every year, there's hundreds and hundreds of performances at the Philly Fringe and Live Arts Festival, and unless it's one of the big shows, it's sometimes hard to tell what you're going to get. Here at Critical Mass we're sending writers to as many shows as we possibly can for 75 pocket-sized reviews over the course of the fest. Check back in with us at On The Fringe every day for real talk on what these things actually are!
SHOW: Backstory
GROUP: Hot Dish + Philly Improv Theater
GENRE: Improv
ATTENDED: Wed., Sept. 19, 7:30 p.m.
CLOSES: Sat., Sept. 22
BRIEF SELF-DESCRIPTION: A completely improvised show that unfolds backward in time, similar to the movie Memento. Unlike anything that fans of improv and comedy at the Philly Fringe have ever seen before, it's an evening of completely engrossing and entertaining theater from the curtain call to the opening suggestion.
WE THINK: As far as plot goes, it’s not exactly going to be Memento, given that the performers are thinking on their feet, working backwards and trying to be funny all at once. Fortunately, that’s somewhat beside the point. On the night we went, there were plenty of hilarious moments punctuating the confusing and awkward ones, as performers worked backward to commit a solved murder and ask the answered questions.
—Samantha Melamed
Every year, there's hundreds and hundreds of performances at the Philly Fringe and Live Arts Festival, and unless it's one of the big shows, it's sometimes hard to tell what you're going to get. Here at Critical Mass we're sending writers to as many shows as we possibly can for 75 pocket-sized reviews over the course of the fest. Check back in with us at On The Fringe every day for real talk on what these things actually are!
SHOW: Sequence 8
GROUP: Seven Fingers
GENRE: Dance
ATTENDED: Tue., Sept. 18, 7 p.m.
CLOSES: Sun., Sept. 23
BRIEF SELF-DESCRIPTION: The Montreal-based circus company creates circus on a human scale—placing the extraordinary element of circus in ordinary contexts. In extreme close-up, Sequence 8 features aerial hoops, rings, Korean board, cigar box juggling, Chinese acrobatics, and incredible feats of balance and beauty—all by performers whose basic human desires and qualities audiences can relate to.
WE THINK: With Sequence 8, Seven Fingers takes the adage about art imitating life to heart. Throughout the show, the company employs circus arts as metaphors for expressing ideas about elements of human life. The teeterboard, for instance, relates to the search for balance. A trapeze artist makes a number of attempts before getting his act in gear. Coincidental actions continually have consequences to others in the cast, which comes off like a bunch of good friends. It’s all very endearing, and risky, too. When a guy plunges down a tall pole, head first, stopping just inches from the ground, you get a real jolt of adrenaline. Other times the circus arts, though difficult to master, are presented in such as way as to make you want to jump on stage and join in what’s happening. These amiable performers truly connect with the audience, and that’s the neatest trick of all.
—Deni Kasrel
Every year, there's hundreds and hundreds of performances at the Philly Fringe and Live Arts Festival, and unless it's one of the big shows, it's sometimes hard to tell what you're going to get. Here at Critical Mass we're sending writers to as many shows as we possibly can for 75 pocket-sized reviews over the course of the fest. Check back in with us at On The Fringe every day for real talk on what these things actually are!
SHOW: Food Court
GROUP: Back to Back Theatre with The Necks
GENRE: Theater/music
ATTENDED: Thu., Sept. 20, 8 p.m.
CLOSES: Sun., Sept. 22
BRIEF SELF-DESCRIPTION: Part concert, part theater show, FOOD COURT follows a near death experience in a suburban mall by the Asian Hut and the Juice Bar. Played out in a psychological space constructed from light and sound, the stage transforms a mundane seating area into a shadowy void, where the edges between floor, walls, and ceiling become indistinguishable. This majestic canvas then moves its performers into a forest, a place of nightmares where the moral and ethical framework keeping our fragile civil existence together no longer exists. FOOD COURT features the remarkable vision of Australia’s Back to Back Theatre and the live music of The Necks, who create a new score for each performance.
WE THINK: Hard to watch and hard to shake, Food Court first forces viewers to watch a brutal act of bullying and its aftermath, then to examine their own experiences and expectations. We meet two women, played by Nicki Holland and Sonia Teuben, in the midst of a seemingly banal conversation about food. Eventually, they belittle a third woman (Sarah Mainwaring) about her weight and lack of speech; their taunts turn to sustained ritual humiliation and physical abuse. That all of the actors have perceived intellectual disabilities only ramps up the tension and transcendence, as does The Necks’ unsettling improvised score.
—M.J. Fine
Every year, there's hundreds and hundreds of performances at the Philly Fringe and Live Arts Festival, and unless it's one of the big shows, it's sometimes hard to tell what you're going to get. Here at Critical Mass we're sending writers to as many shows as we possibly can for 75 pocket-sized reviews over the course of the fest. Check back in with us at On The Fringe every day for real talk on what these things actually are!
SHOW: No Rest for the Wicked
GROUP: REV Theatre Company
GENRE: Cabaret
ATTENDED: Thu., Sept. 20, 8 p.m.
CLOSES: Sat., Sept. 22
BRIEF SELF-DESCRIPTION: Sip a cocktail or two as darkness falls and lost (singing) souls appear through the mists of Laurel Hill Cemetery. All with music from Bessie Smith to the Scissor Sisters, Cab Calloway to Nirvana, among many others. Complimentary drinks at 7:15; performance at 8pm.
WE THINK: Depending on your temperament, the prospect of spending an evening in a graveyard either sounds like a ball or fills you with complete and utter dread. Let's be real, though: Free drinks plus cabaret plus cemetery ambiance equals a big win. No Rest for the Wicked is a total blast. Between climbing on top of tombstones and literally dancing on people's graves, the troupe marches through the hour-long set with blazing enthusiasm. Working from a catalog that includes familiar death-related joints like Nancy Sinatra's "Bang, Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down)" and Nirvana-by-way-of-Leadbelly's "Where Did You Sleep Last Night?" and lesser-known songs like "Pistol Packin' Mama" and "Send Me To The 'Lectric Chair", the performers deliver lively, rousing arrangements. Cabaret is frequently defined by its setting, and Laurel Hill Cemetery proves to be pretty damn ideal.
—Chris Brown
Every year, there's hundreds and hundreds of performances at the Philly Fringe and Live Arts Festival, and unless it's one of the big shows, it's sometimes hard to tell what you're going to get. Here at Critical Mass we're sending writers to as many shows as we possibly can for 75 pocket-sized reviews over the course of the fest. Check back in with us at On The Fringe every day for real talk on what these things actually are!
SHOW: untitled feminist show
GROUP: Young Jean Lee's Theater Company
GENRE: Theater/dance
ATTENDED: Wed., Sept. 19, 9 p.m.
CLOSES: Fri. Sept. 21
BRIEF SELF-DESCRIPTION: In Young Jean Lee’s latest experiment, six charismatic stars of the downtown theater, dance, cabaret, and burlesque worlds come together to invite the audience on an exhilaratingly irreverent, nearly-wordless celebration of a fluid and limitless sense of identity.
WE THINK: Lee's "utopian feminist experience" is Bang's older, more serious sister, challenging the audience in profound ways (even the title — which isn't a title, yet is — provokes thought), yet born of the same fun spirit as Charlotte Ford's comic treatise on body image, sex and nudity. In untitled, six performers enter naked in a ritual procession, then perform a variety of dance and theater vignettes perceived through our constant awareness of their nudity. How, and why, does nudity affect us so much? From childlike games and a dance pantomiming domestic chores to Amelia Zirin-Brown's mimed offers to audience members of increasingly ridiculous sex acts , we're both confronted by their bare flesh and conditioned to ignore it. When the performers finally appear clothed for their bows, they seem unfamiliar, like they're suddenly in disguise.
Every year, there's hundreds and hundreds of performances at the Philly Fringe and Live Arts Festival, and unless it's one of the big shows, it's sometimes hard to tell what you're going to get. Here at Critical Mass we're sending writers to as many shows as we possibly can for 75 pocket-sized reviews over the course of the fest. Check back in with us at On The Fringe every day for real talk on what these things actually are!
SHOW: Hot Pepper, Air Conditioner, and the Farewell Speech
GROUP: Chelfitsch
GENRE: Theater
ATTENDED: Wed., Sept. 19, 7 p.m.
CLOSES: Sat., Sept. 22
BRIEF SELF-DESCRIPTION: From acclaimed Japanese playwright-director Toshiki Okada comes this triptych of plays that capture the malaise and instability of young low-level office workers with humor and striking movement. Set within an office break room, this trio of interconnected stories is accompanied by the performers’ choreographed gestures, everyday motions that have evolved into startling physical images of emotion and thought.
WE THINK: Repetitive dialogue, movement, and music make these three plays about office society feel like musical theater. Everyday conversation, though spoken (with projected English supertitles), takes on a songlike importance, and stilted, awkward motions become like dance, insisting on expression despite the constrained office personalities and colorless business attire. Chelfitsch's young cast brings an energy and charm that bridges the culture gap with grace and humor.
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