What is truth? It’s a big question to explore in 50 minutes, but Agora Dance’s The Kind of Thing That Would Happen attempts to do exactly that. The result is a beautifully executed, if overly intellectualized, piece of modern dance-theatre.
Comedian Elected to Town Council in New Jersey (Capital Fringe review)
Ask yourself: how much do you need to know about the inner workings of local government in Flemington, New Jersey? If the answer is “I’d rather know about Flemington, NJ than what’s going on in town in DC right now”, then this may be the sort of soothing show you’re looking for.
Lost Teeth (Fringe review)
How far are we willing to go to seek happiness? That’s the intriguing premise of Jona Tarlin’s Lost Teeth, a world premiere production from New York City’s Blowout Theatre Company which has a promising start but ultimately fails to satisfy.
Paper (Capital Fringe review)
A cluttered desk, a twenty-minute appointment, a student and a teacher, and what ensues are cerebral twists and turns, well beyond the subdued, weightiness of departmental office hours. We inhabit this narrow space and learn about the teacher and about the student. The student objects to insensitive classroom remarks and is averse to a proposed […]
Tiresias’ Tits (Capital Fringe review)
Tiresias’ Tits is a self-described satirical, surreal, burlesque (fun fact – the author of the ur-source material, The Breasts of Tiresias, Guillaume Apollinaire, is responsible for giving us the word “surrealism”) and it lives up to every single one of those words. Erin Teachman reviews for DC Metro Theater Arts
Relese: A Rock Opera (Capital Fringe review)
An exciting aspect of CapFringe is getting a sneak peek at a new show in the first stage of development. Such is the case with DC Dogs’ Release: A Rock Opera, now playing at the Gallaudet University Elstad Auditorium. Andrew Baughman reviews for DC Metro Theater Arts
To Be or Not To Be in Love – That Is the Question?
Sitting in the audience of To Be or Not To Be In Love – That Is The Question?, a one-woman cabaret starring writer-choreographer Beverly Merella, might be the modern equivalent of attending a Florence Foster Jenkins concert. In spite of more than a few missed notes, the dynamic Ms. Merella charms the audience with her vibrant […]
Exit Carolyn (Capital Fringe review)
I love Fringe. And like many theatergoers, I head off each day with tolerance and hope. The tolerance is for shows that are long on ambition, and the hope is for something more. Imagine my surprise at finding that hope fulfilled on my second day of reviewing. Ravelle Brickman reviews for DC Metro Theater Arts
This Too Comes By Hard (Capital Fringe review)
No way around it, this is a dark, harsh, and gritty domestic drama. For some, it may be too dark, too harsh, too gritty, perhaps a partner violence trigger. A fun, frothy, feel-good frolic this show is decidedly not. But it’s got a riveting story structure, creditable acting and direction, and cutting, high-tension dialogue that […]
MacBheatha (Capital Fringe review)
Alana Wiljanen made a good choice in calling her group’s co-created Shakespeare adaptation MacBheatha, instead of the more famous Macbeth, Shakespeare’s sordid tale of a Scotsman murdering his way to power. Her scrappy bunch of (mostly) University of Richmond students dissolve the classic into its atomic parts then reconstitute it into something new. What this […]
Return to the Scene of the Crime (Capital Fringe review)
An autobiographical one-man show about performing a different autobiographical one-man show? It sounds like the ultimate Fringe Festival cliché. But despite its conceit, David Kleinberg’s Return to the Scene of the Crime is a sincere and moving, if sprawling and unwieldy, show which embodies a totally different Fringe cliché: the diamond in the rough.
The Dream Dancer (Capital Fringe review)
Magical realism meets morality play with a dash of sideshow in The Dream Dancer, an entrancing journey through time at this year’s Fringe. If magic, hypnosis, and feminism tickle your fancy, then this play is a great way to spend your evening!