|
|
|
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: 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.
Barrelhouse literary magazine usually holds its annual conference in Washington DC, but Philly’s getting a turn this year. Saturday’s event is a full day of panels and workshops aimed at writers of poetry, fiction and nonfiction.
Among the speakers and discussion leaders: Ken Kalfus, Sarah Rose Etter, Katherine Hill, Courtney Elizabeth Mauk, Laura van den Berg, Katie Ford, Iain Haley Pollock and the editors of Painted Bride Quarterly. There’s a strong extended-family City Paper contingent, too, like: once-upon-a-time CP music critic Andrew Ervin (author of Extraordinary Renditions which I’ve heard is excellent), poet Michelle Taransky (who judged our poetry contest a couple years back and is awesome) and Elise Juska (who judged our fiction contest a few years ago, and kicks ass).
Delivering the keynote speaker is Stewart O’Nan, author of Last Night at the Lobster, The Odds and a ton of other stuff, including those Red Sox books co-written with Stephen King. Ask him why he’s wearing a frickin Pirates hat in that photo.
Sat., Sept. 22, 9 a.m., $65 ($55 for students), UArts’ Terra Hall, 211 S. Broad St. More info here.
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: Private Places
GROUP: idiosynCrazy Productions
GENRE: Dance
ATTENDED: Sat., Sept. 15, 8 p.m.
CLOSES: Thu., Sept. 20
BRIEF SELF-DESCRIPTION: Philly-based choreographer Jumatatu Poe debuts this exciting, visceral work that mixes explosiveness and confinement, the effect of exterior on the interior, service and performance, materials and identity. Private Places plays with the stylized movement of the service industry and the high-powered approach of J-Sette, a dance culture developed in black gay clubs with roots in drill team and majorette events of Southern historically black universities. The two share spatial formations that are tight and meticulous, activity that is repeated for accuracy, and routines performed under the surveillance of a captain.
WE THINK: About midway through Private Places, one dancer asks another, “Why would they do something like that?” “I have no idea,” comes the reply. You may find yourself feeling the same way about this show, where performers run through an array of non sequitur situations that include their attempting to organize the audience, zipping a guy up in a suitcase, doing synchronized club moves, and grunting while getting into a scrum and then they get naked; all pretty much for reasons unknown. It’s a conceptual cacophony of ideas that don’t add up. That may well be the point— we all have urges we can’t explain. But this comes off like a primal therapy session. It strains too hard to be deep. Well, the title is accurate; the places this one goes are better kept private.
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: 3 Mad Rituals
GROUP: Philly Improv Theater (PHIT)
GENRE: Improv Comedy
ATTENDED: Sat., Sept. 15, 10:30 p.m.
CLOSES: Sat., Sept. 22
BRIEF SELF-DESCRIPTION: PHIT House Team King Friday (Chicago Improv Festival, Del Close Marathon) delivers back-to-back-to-back improv sets that blend to create a single, hilarious, one-of-a-kind show based on a song lyric suggested by you! A perennial Fringe favorite, this year’s performances will be a must-have ticket.
WE THINK: What do popsicles, sneakers and Wonder Woman all have in common? Absolutely nothing. But PHIT took these three audience-suggested words as the basis for three, 20 minutes acts (hence the titular “mad rituals”) and created an hour of non-stop laughs. With recurring characters and settings, including the relationship between a woman and her 10-year old husband, a tortuous educator and his student teacher, and a religious couple who couldn't help but continually use The Lord's name in vain, Team King delivered with a gang of jokes ranging from the philosophy behind splinters to Jesus’ clothing line. The third and final act was the team’s improvised vision of a movie that hasn’t been made yet—Wonder Woman. If any director were to actually make a flick about the Amazonian superheroine, one can only hope that it involves as much wittiness, humor and slow-mo, sweat dripping breast action as the one Team King imagined off the top of their heads. What’s the best part about PHIT and their 3 Mad Rituals? You’re guaranteed for a different experience every time, though the same high quality of improv gold is always guaranteed.
—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: Cambridge Footlights
GROUP: Cambridge Footlights
GENRE: Sketch comedy
ATTENDED: Sun., Sept. 16
CLOSES: Tue., Sept. 18
BRIEF SELF-DESCRIPTION: The internationally-famous Cambridge Footlights are bringing their Edinburgh Fringe show across the pond! The Footlights's brand new hour of sketches, surrealism and satire is always a must-have ticket–don't miss your chance to see the "most renowned sketch troupe of them all."
WE THINK: Continuing a long tradition we’re only barely aware of here in the states, these young Brits put on one of the funniest, tightest most inventive sketch comedy shows I’ve ever scene. The absurdist sketches, many of which tugged on the same sci-fi thread, were ably performed by enthusiastic actors who know how to go big without all that theatrical bluster, and knew how to do subtle without worrying that we won’t know when to laugh. So much fun (and there’s only one show left — tonight).
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: Einstein/Tagore: Seashore of Endless Worlds
GROUP: Mangalam Dance and Shiva3
GENRE: Theater/Dance
ATTENDED: Sun., Sept. 16
CLOSES: Sun., Sept. 22
BRIEF SELF-DESCRIPTION: When Nobel-winning Bengali poet Rabindranath Tagore met Einstein in 1930 they discussed science, religion and consciousness. Inspired by this encounter, [choreographer Bidisha] Dasgupta's work blends modern dance, Bharatanatyam Indian classical and Tagore's Rabindra Nritya dance style to explore our ties to the cosmos.
WE THINK: Taking place in the intimate front room of Twelve Gates Arts gallery in Old City, producer/choreographer/director/dancer Bidisha Dasgupta and fellow dancers Leslie Elkins and Jodi Obeid star in this diamond-in-the-Fringe-rough show inspired by the well-documented religion-versus-science discussions between Einstein and Tagore. Though there is some dialog — the dance routines are interspersed with quick, straight-from-the-script readings by Elkins and Obeid — the dancing is why you should put this on your Fringe itinerary. Dasgupta, decked out in gorgeous, traditional Indian garb, is a force, engaging every ounce of her being in routines that run the gamut from energetic and attention-demanding ("Mangalam: Honoring the Elements") to rip-your-heart-out passionate ("Trance"). Elkins and Obeid, both with backgrounds in contemporary dance, join in on a few numbers, too, most notably the final performance to Bikram Ghosh's refreshingly funky "Rhythm Speaks." It doesn't have the high-flying acrobatics you might find in some of the more-hyped Live Arts dance shows, but this little must-see will take you on a mesmerizing cultural journey you'll want to take again and again.
- Activism
- Arts
- Arts Events
- Books
- Dance
- First Person Fest
- Last Chance
- Museum
- On the Fringe
- Philly Artists
- The Curator
- Theater
- Visual Art
- Arts News
- Artist Profile
- Arts Preview
- Street Art
- Been There, Done That
- Big Ups
- Comedy
- LOL With It
- Stand-up
- Critical Mass
- DVD
- Events
- Friday Fill-in
- Ice Cubes
- In Memoriam
- Interview
- Just Do It
- Just Opened
- Kaleidoscopic
- LGBTQ
- Art Phag
- Mailbag
- Movies
- Film Fest
- Movie Review
- On set
- Scenester
- screening
- trailer!
- Music
- 10 Track Mind
- Album
- Album Review
- Concert Review
- DJs
- Local Support
- Now Hear This
- One Track Mind
- Philly Bands
- Show
- Somebody Else Was There
- Song
- The Showdown
- concert photos
- jazz
- DJ Nights Blogged
- Night Watch
- Now See This
- Poetic License
- Printed Matter
- Radio
- Shopping
- Coveted
- Fashion
- What We Heart
- TV
- 24
- Idol Hands
- Mad Men
- ProjRun
- True Blood
- Useless Lost Recaps
- Couch Potato
- Shore Trash
- Turned ONN
- TopMod
- Video Games
- Free Online Game
- PSP
- PlayStation 2
- The 1-Upper
- Wii
- Web Junk
- CAGE MATCH
- Free Online Toy
- Weekend Omnibus
- Win
