Foolish Fridays
Faction of Fools
Friday, Aug 7, 7pm
Free
Click to watch
Faction of Fools, Washington’s commedia dell’Arte theater company, resumes its Foolish Fridays beginning tonight at 7 PM.
Greg Benson, the host of Bar None Podcast, will host – or toast, the company says – the initial broadcast, which will focus on the very serious and difficult question of how to make a perfect Italian Negroni cocktail. (If you’re playing along at home, make sure you have some gin, sweet red vermouth, and Campari, as well as some orange peel. Or even if you’re not). There will be particular attention paid to making a better Negroni than the great actor Stanley Tucci does, for some reason.
Mr. Benson and the Fools will also talk about the history of the Negroni, and of commedia dell’Arte, in Italy after the second War.
Tonight’s Foolish Friday will broadcast on the Fools’ Facebook page. If you miss it, don’t despair; it will be there for a bit.
Klecksography 2020
Rorschach Theatre
Sunday, Aug 9, 7pm
Free
Click to watch on YouTube
We’ve written about Rorschach’s annual event, now nimbly adapted for online viewing and bigger than ever. Sixteen short plays in 90 minutes.
The Signature Show
Signature Theatre
Free. Available now
Click to watch on YouTube
The first of what Signature Theatre promises will be a biweekly series of interviews, clips and live performances, all packed into a tight 30 minute format.
Hamlet
The Show Must Go Online
Starts Wednesday, Aug 12, 2pm
Free
Click to view
Were it not for that showstopper, COVID-19, Ian Blackwell Rogers would be relaxing this summer from his roles in Brave Spirits’ ambitious Shakespeare histories rep cycle. Instead, he joins a global cast for Hamlet from the Canadian company, The Show Must Go Online. Turns out, TSMGO has been at this business for a bit, so you don’t need to wait until Wednesday to watch them perform Shakespeare. A gauge of the depth and breadth of their playlist – it includes The Life and Death of King John.
The Edinburgh Festival Fringe
Available throughout August
Some pay to view, others free
Click for the listings
Miss your usual July jolt of Fringe shows here in DC? The Edinburgh Fringe might fix you right up. Comedies, dramas, improv, dance, circus. Serious. Wacky. As for picks, you’re on your own. It’s easy enough to pop into the virtual tents for a look or a linger. Miss the postcards and mingling. Hopefully, we’ll be back in northeast next summer for our own Capital Fringe.
The End of TV
Manual Cinema
Free until August 10, 1pm
Click to watch
Miss the puppets? We all miss the puppets. Here’s a show of shadow puppetry which TDF calls ‘dazzling’. Manual Cinema sets the promise of TV commercials up against the declining opportunities in a Rust Belt City, 1990’s.
Lauren Halverson, in her weekly newsletter, Nothing For the Group, also likes Chicago’s Manual Cinema, and points out more August shows from the company: Lula Del Ray, No Blue Memories: The Life of Gwendolyn Brooks, and Frankenstein.
