There is no one I know who is neutral about Sarah Palin – it’s either enthusiastically supportive or strong ly opposed, so it was fitting that the performance called The Tea Party Project began with an image of Palin: the Tea Party provokes similarly divisive reactions.

The Cloak Room by Tracy Harris is the story of Mansel ( JaBen Early), a tormented man who has just lost his mother, Ruby ( K. Clare Johnson), his girlfriend, and a garage full of coats. It is through these coats that Mansel’s dark past and severe psychoses manifest themselves.

Dizzy Miss Lizzie’s Roadside Revue  – Finn McCool is an experience from the moment you enter the tent.  Upon entering I was handed a program, a fan, and a sheet of paper with a message that began “SAVE THIS PAPER!! YOU WILL NEED IT FOR THE SING ALONG”.

“My name is Slash Coleman. I’m a Jewish scientist – in my mind.” With these opening words, the performer of the one-man show Chaidentity articulates ground rules that, not surprisingly, he quickly defies.

The plot is silly and hard to follow, but who cares? James Levy has created a bath of aural joy, put it in the hands of some gifted musicians, and engaged some first-rate performers to sing the hell out of it. Thank you, brother Levy.

K.W. Kuchar’s ten/thirtyfour – the title derives from the police code for “riot in progress” – aspires to describe the aftermath in Washington of Dr. Martin Luther King’s assassination. Kuchar tries to adopt the documentary style of Moises Kaufman’s The Laramie Project or Anna Deavere Smith’s Fires in the Mirror, and, to a certain extent, […]

Push/Pull Theater Company’s production of Macbeth is tight, literally and metaphorically. The action – and there’s a lot – takes place in Fort Fringe on a stage that looks about 12 by 16 feet with a ceiling 10 feet above. The cast of 17 flies through the script, delivering the lines with intensity and transitioning […]

If the sight of the despondent Dorothy Parker on the show’s logo made you think this show would be depressing, then you may accuse its author and performer Lesley Abrams of false representation.  Abrams’ post mortem Dorothy is surprisingly cheery throughout the evening.

As someone who was reading classic DC and Marvel comic books before the members of this production were born, I see the affection in their staged readings of actual comic stories in Superheroes Who Are Super! Unfortunately, I don’t really feel the love in these comic renditions by Philadelphia’s Save The Day Productions.

For those who have always enjoyed those buddy action movies that Hollywood pumps out, “Ouch, That Hurts!” is a nice little Fringe hors d’oeuvres for your enjoyment.  Running barely 30 minutes in length, this original comedy revolves around two soldiers in Iraq contending with sand, sergeants, scorpions, and terrorists.

Elisha Clark Halpin couldn’t perform as scheduled due to an injury, but her company, ETCH Dance Co, filled the Apothecary with dramatic tension and angst. The program was entitled how frail the human heart, but Halpin’s creations are not for the faint of heart.

Losing It begins with a tantrum.  Madeleine Russell, the play’s author and star, storms on stage, bellows, and throws a chair, a stack of books, some trash and a potted plant to the ground.  She comes close to chucking a laptop before calming down.  It was, needless to say, an abrasive start and, frankly, I […]