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Arts
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: The Consul
GROUP: The Philadelphia Opera Collective
GENRE: Opera
ATTENDED: Fri., Sept. 7, 8 p.m.
CLOSES: Fri., Sept. 14
BRIEF SELF-DESCRIPTION: While trapped in a stifling, dusty waiting room surrounded by strangers, a young woman discovers that everything she is and everything she loves boils down to a single piece of paper. When the whole world closes in around her, will one piece of paper be enough protection?
WE THINK: The trope of the "mad scene," in which a (nearly always) female character expresses losing her mind with a flood of showy coloratura, was highly overused during a certain period of opera. It was basically a go-to excuse to let a diva show off her pipes and for the composer to break musical rules. (Think Ophelia in Hamlet.) A lot of operas foster the sterotype that the whole art form is uniformly big and bombastic, where every single person who goes crazy does so suddenly in a big theatrical way rather than just quietly sobbing in a corner. The grand postures, epic plotlines and bellowed vocals of opera's pre-modern eras were designed to be seen and heard from the back of a large concert hall rather than close up, so you can excuse them for lacking some subtlety.
But The Consul, an English-language opera that won the 1950 Pulitzer Prize for music, is a lovely little example of the possibilities of the small scale. In tiny Jolie Laide Gallery, the audience in the front row (particularly on the left side) is literally within inches of the performers (close enough to feel a breeze as actors go by) and the acting is... actually acting, which is wonderful in an art form where productions can sometimes dedicate all their efforts to the music. The young cast sounded uniformly great; they had clearly thought about how to make the space feel intimate rather than cramped, and how to handle selling it to the back row when the back row is only a couple yards away. The Consul follows the wife of a political dissident, who in the first act has to go on the run from the secret police of their unnamed, East Germany-ish country. Nearly the entire second half is set in a surreal bureaucratic purgatory as Magda attempts to get visas for herself, her husband, his mother and their baby to cross the border in a maddening battle of paperwork with the secretary at the consulate. The story gets heavy into some brutal, emotional stuff — no rose-colored glasses here on the standard outcome of opposing a totalitarian state, and I cried twice, which doesn't happen all that much. You get the feeling that you're watching how madness should be done: Not as a bravura four-minute aria, but agonizingly drawn out over an entire opera.
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: The Grimacchio Variety Hour
GROUP: Philly Improv Theater
GENRE: Comedy
ATTENDED: Fri., Sept. 7, 9 p.m.
CLOSES: Sept. 11, 9 p.m.
BRIEF SELF-DESCRIPTION: Comedy act Grimacchio (Jason Grimley and Ralph Andracchio) pay tribute to classic shows like Colgate Comedy Hour and The Carol Burnett Show, hosting an hour filled with big band songs — with a live band on stage! — dance interludes, sketch comedy, plus a special guest star or two.
WE THINK: The Grimacchio Brothers and the extended PHIT family managed to recreate not just the scatterbrained fun and feel of an old-school variety show, but the tension, as well. Just like on live television, there’s nowhere to hide. All punches must be rolled with, all errors must be laughed off. The Grimacchios, our all-singing/joking/acting/schticking host duo, handled it swimmingly, enjoying the tension with good humor and grace. And there were a lot of balls to juggle, besides their own songs, bits and improvised banter: a swinging, horn-filled houseband; the dancing interludes, (hilarious) stand-up comedian La Tice; and some wild sketches by comedy group Secret Pants. (“Elf Law & Elf Order” was insane and note-perfect.) Every night of The Grimacchio Variety Hour is different, and we’re close enough to see the sweat on our hosts’ brows, but they proven they can make it across the tightrope. Really good show.
—Patrick Rapa
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: Chomsky vs. Buckley
GROUP: Bruce Walsh
GENRE: Theater
ATTENDED: Fri., Sept. 7, 9 p.m.
CLOSES: Sat. Sept, 8
BRIEF SELF-DESCRIPTION: The playwright of past Live Arts Festival shows The Guided Tour and Northern Liberty, invites you into his home for an experiment in language and morality. He has convinced his roommates to memorize the 1969 Noam Chomsky vs. William F. Buckley debate, and perform it as they prepare and serve hors d’oeuvres.
WE THINK: You’re milling around the living room of playwright Bruce Walsh’s home, nibbling on hors d'oeuvres and chatting with guests, when two voices get louder than all the rest. Everyone quiets down as these two casually recite a Noam Chomsky vs. William F. Buckley 1969 debate. Only here, Buckley’s a woman and Chomsky’s a No Libs hipster. Betwixt vigorous intellectual sparring, an unlikely relationship develops, capped off by a sweet dance to Booker T. & the M.G.’s Green Onions. Tres charming, sometimes humorous, and all the more fascinating, when you realize the content of the debate — about war and terrorism — remains all too relevant today. Quintessential Fringe; but sorry folks, the living room is sold out.
—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: Pro-Mania 2K12: WitOut Wrestling
GROUP: Philly Improv Theater (PHIT)
GENRE: Improv Comedy
ATTENDED: Fri., Sept. 14, 11:30 p.m.
CLOSES: 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: ProMania 2K12 follows up last year’s off-the-ropes hilarious act with yet another show filled with smack downs, suplexes, and pins. Complete with pre-recorded and “backstage” promo tapes that introduce the evening combatants (which includes such spandex super heroes as the Vegan Volcano, Pot Bot, and the Necrosexual), Philadelphia Improv Theater’s finest took shots at not only one another, but also at Comcast, hipsters, Christian fundies, and South Philly Guidettes. Featuring commentary from the tag-team broadcast tandem of Vinny Paycheck and Bill Buckley, PHIT successfully created an experience that was half Jerry Springer, half WWE, and totally hilarious. So while most Philly sports teams only make it to the playoffs and the choke, Philly Improv Theater and Pro-Mania 2K12 wins the improve comedy championship by a landslide… even it if was all scripted from the get-go.
—Max Pulcini
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: Angry People Building Things
GROUP: Angry People Building Things
GENRE: Improv
ATTENDED: Fri., Sept. 7, 10 p.m.
CLOSES: Sat., Sept. 22, 7 p.m.
BRIEF SELF-DESCRIPTION: The Angry People find out what makes you angry and channel your rage and theirs into hilarious improv. They attack the stage with a ferocious energy unmatched in the entire history of the known universe. Enraged? Furious? Depressed? Euphoric? Asthmatic? Regardless, Angry People is a must see!
WE THINK: In a flash of fury, the Angry People took stage with a stomping and two wooden chairs, demanding the audience provide a subject to rage over. Despite their intimidating name, the anger subsided within minutes, transforming into an absurdly frightening comedy of depraved suburban domesticity. Whether burning down the family house or masking the son’s murder via sticking his member into an outlet, players kept the laughs coming. At a digestible forty-five minutes, one might not go wrong beginning or ending a night of Fringe spectacle with the simplistic yet nonsensical hijinks of the Angry People.
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: Kabbalah Salon
GROUP: Rabbi Rayzel Raphael
GENRE: Happening
ATTENDED: Fri., Sept. 7, 7:30 p.m.
CLOSES: Fri., Sept. 14
BRIEF SELF-DESCRIPTION: Enter the world of Kabbalah, the Jewish mystical tradition. Explore the legends of the Feminine Divine with a Shechinah Oracle. Rabbi Rayzel Raphael guides through interactive story and song to receive messages for the new year. Welcome seekers and non-seekers, of all faith traditions.
WE THINK: Drawing, in varying degrees, from Shabbat services, ’70s-style consciousness-raising groups, tarot and the Zohar, Kabbalah Salon isn’t for those seeking belly laughs or dark art — Rabbi Geela Rayzel Raphael’s love for rainbows is much too genuine for that. But judging from the mostly middle-aged women (and a handful of husbands) seated in a Melrose Park mansion just more than a week before Rosh Hashanah, those who are drawn to Raphael’s entreaties for peace, joy and justice will be moved by something they didn’t even necessarily know they needed. And what the rabbi and her five-woman chorus of priestesses and performers lacked in polish, they made up for with sincerity and warmth.
—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: Myths & Monsters
GROUP: Philly Improv Theater
GENRE: Theater
ATTENDED: Fri., Sept. 7, 7:30 p.m.
CLOSES: Sun., Sept. 9
BRIEF SELF-DESCRIPTION: An hour long improvised hero’s adventure following a basic structure parsed by Joseph Campbell. A team of actors moving and breathing in tandem will depict monstrous beasts and terrifying deities encountered during a spontaneously created theatrical tale of trials and transformation of a lone hero.
WE THINK: Sustaining a five minute improv sketch is difficult. Constructing an unscripted hour long narrative is herculean. So Philly Improv Theater looked to myth-master Joseph Campbell for guidance. Campbell’s conception of the hero’s adventure provides the blueprint for PHIT’s Myths and Monsters, but absurd characters and dialogue give these legendary tales some levity. Friday’s show told the story of a village idiot turned centaur savior. He experiences love, loss, pain, and redemption in his journey to save his family and friends. George Lucas also adhered to this formula for his own films, but theater-goers should know that Myths and Monsters is more Spaceballs than Star Wars.
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: The Maids
GROUP: Kicking Mule Theatre Company
GENRE: Theater
ATTENDED: Fri., Sept. 7, 8 p.m.
CLOSES: Sun., Sept. 9
BRIEF SELF-DESCRIPTION: In this fascinating dark ceremony by Jean Genet, every night two sisters, Solange and Claire, "play" at destroying Madame, their employer. Genet explores the eternal archetype of female and male nature in these unusual and infinite mirrors of good and evil.
WE THINK: Put simply, the act of murder is some cold, calculating shit. In other mediums, there's rarely a glimpse into the build-up behind the act. It's only ever the interrogation, and an explanation as to why it happened. However, this endeavor is that look into what happens when anger, dissatisfaction, and resentment boil over. Sisters Claire (Danny Kevin Ryan) and Solange (James Ludlum) attend to the Madame's (Francine Rousell) every waking need, and they fucking hate her for it. While she's out galavanting, they plot. They want to ruin her.
The opening is confounding and jarring, but ties together when the vaunted Madame finally enters. If she were simply a nasty wench then it'd be understandable why they want to strike her down, but Roussel walks a delightfully fine line between warm and cold, and it only pushes the sisters further to the edge. The freak-out scenes that take place while she's away drive the production. Ultimately, the pacing and plotting here produce a captivating murder ballad.
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: This Town Is A Mystery
GROUP: Headlong Dance Theater
GENRE: Dance/Theater/Experience
ATTENDED: Fri., Sept. 7, 7 p.m.
CLOSES: Sept. 22
BRIEF SELF-DESCRIPTION: Every home is a universe. This Town Is a Mystery combines local performance and dinner in four Philadelphia homes. Created over the course of several months by Headlong and each home’s residents, the dance works are performed by the residents in their own living rooms — transformed into a fully teched stage — with no professional performers.
WE THINK: In some ways, this is territory as unfamiliar even for seasoned experimental dance/theater audiences as it is for the brave, enthusiastic families — in my case South Philly's Aryadereis (Teheran-born father, Roxborough-bred mom and three delightful, utterly rambunctious kids) — who serve as both hospitable hosts and slightly tentative but wholly captivating amateur performers. But it's also such a human and heartwarming thing, to be welcomed into this home, to get to know these fascinating folks and hear their astonishingly powerful stories, that to evaluate it in terms of art feels nearly beside the point. It's clear, however, that the lively post-performance potluck is as crucial a part of the experience as the "show" itself, and possibly the more memorable part.
—K. Ross Hoffman
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: Electric Jungle
GROUP: Found Theater Company
GENRE: Theater
ATTENDED: Thu., Sept. 6, 9 p.m.
CLOSES: Mon., Sept. 24
BRIEF SELF-DESCRIPTION: Set sail on a musical odyssey through the sound barrier and beyond! Delve into a cavernous landscape exploring the nature of sound through a maze of microphone vines and pulsing radio waves. Join our ensemble on another visceral adventure, fusing physical theater with text, imagery, and song.
WE THINK: If you were attempting to create the archetypal Fringe show, you'd want to include: some nonsensical soundscapes; fragments of acted scenes that, as soon as they coalesce, begin to dissolve; a cast of talented young performers (including one, inexplicably, in an alligator mask); and, if at all possible, a brief radio drama narrated with the use of a theremin. You'd be close to approximating the experience of Electric Jungle, from local collective Found Theater Company, founded in '09 by a group of Temple students. The opening vignette — a caveman in the foreground, elaborate shadow puppetry behind — sets the tone: a vague sense of being shipwrecked inside someone else's dream. A few folk-rock ballads, a children’s TV show gone direly wrong, the obligatory rhythm-section-on-a-bucket-and-some-old-pans and a few funny/awkward moments as characters struggle to find harmony round out exactly what that archetypal Fringe production ought to be: a good (but weird and slightly disorienting) time for all.
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