Sometimes critics can shed light on the darkness. It’s our duty and our pleasure to clue in the public to an unknown piece of theatre when we can, holding the front door open for others to peer inside.
Archives for July 16, 2012
SINGLEMARRIEDGIRL
Some people can think of no worse fate than having their most private thoughts laid bare for public consumption.
Girls Who Think They’re Hot
Girls Who Think They’re Hot is one of the most intriguing and creative productions I’ve seen at the Fringe in years and a terrific introduction to Lumina Theatre.
Barter
Whatever the connection between wealth and happiness truly is, playwright Emily Daly reminds us that it’s complicated.
Donna Has a Boyfriend: A Collection of Works
Sometimes, modern dance is modern dance and even a cute title can’t wrestle a collection of works out of mind numbing movement for the sake of movement category.
Sacred and Scared Get the Same Score in Scrabble
The piped-in recording of the toe-tapping, banjo strumming, “Down By the Riverside,” with the lyrics “I ain’t gonna study war no more,” captures some of the down hominess for this provocative show.
LapBand Texas
Pillar’s got a problem, and so does her Mama—she weighs a metric ton. Fortunately for Pillar, really named Karen, kleptomania is easier to hide than morbid obesity.
The Pundit
There’s a certain art to speaking without saying anything of substance – a talent all too familiar to those who live among the politicians and think tank heads of Washington D.C..
Despertar
How many does it take to tango? In typical Fringe fashion, Despertar (Spanish for “awakening”) attempts to forge new kinds of theatre by merging performance art, dance, and scripted play. The piece follows two ill-fated couples, re-enacting their dream-like relationships in one extended 50-minute tango over six short scenes.
Stopgap
May Green and Robert James-Baker have some issues with sperm. Field Trip Theatre’s Stopgap, directed by Jamila Reddy, explores the relationship between small-town America and the residents who grow up there.
Cecily and Gwendolyn’s Fantastical Capital Anthropological, Inquisitorial Probe
“Why don’t you want to talk about sex?” inquires Cecily in an innocuous tone, addressing the crowd of characteristically guarded Washingtonians. The silence speaks volumes.
My Princess Bride
There is a certain subset of people, particularly kids of the 80s, for whom such phrases as “As You Wish” and “Never argue with a Sicilian when death is on the line” are an inextricable part of their DNA.