Watching a great sex comedy provides some of the most fun you can have with your clothes on. Watching a bad sex comedy is painfully awkward and embarrassing. The creative team behind Mr. Taken has given us something that sits solidly between those two extremes. There are things to like about this show, but, while not cringe-inducing, […]
Just Like A Woman (Capital Fringe review)
The tagline for Larry E. Blossom’s latest Capital Fringe offering, Just Like A Woman, is “Will Trans Trump Fear in These Troubled Times?” Unfortunately, neither the issues of transphobia nor the effects that Trump’s election has had on America are examined in this convoluted production by Out-Side the Box Theatre. Instead, the underbaked play leans […]
8 Bit Circus Sh*t (Capital Fringe review)
8 Bit Circus Sh*t’s two acts are almost as different as fire and ice. Both are video game-inspired displays of fire circus tricks, but vary greatly in excitement and accessibility.
J-Swizzle’s (& D-Man’s) Epic Awesome Swaggy Broventure for Sweet Rhymes (Capital Fringe Review
Ah, to be thirteen again- the age full of equal parts hubris and insecurity. Such are the epic struggles of two teenage would-be rappers in this funny new piece by Emma Choi, herself a senior at George C Marshall High School. But don’t let the playwright’s youth dissuade you from coming to see this show; […]
Ghouls (Capital Fringe review)
There is a moment in Sean Surla’s one-woman piece, Ghouls, (playing at the Atlas Performing Arts Center through July 16) where Emel Haddad – Surla’s stand-in for herself, and an extraordinarily generous actress – describes driving to the top of Pike’s Peak with her family. Along the way, before the very top, she wants her […]
Not Quite: Asian American by Law, Asian Woman by Desire (Capital Fringe review)
Stop reading this review, click this hyperlink, buy a ticket, and see it. Don’t want to go alone? I’ll see it with you. We’ve never met before? Who cares. I’m your new best friend for life Mike Bevel and we will make this happen. Mike Bevel reviews for DC Metro Theater Arts
Life, Death, & Everything In-Between (Capital Fringe review)
Large swatches of fabric move time forward or weave through space. The bold colors catch the eye. Confrontational dialogue sets characters in opposition while bodies remain static or surge forward with pedestrian-like purpose. We hear familiar phrases and grasp for a glimpse of a connection, but it is momentary and fleeting. Jane Franklin reviews for […]
Hevagon 2017: Let Freedom Zing! (Capital Fringe review)
Described as “D.C.’s only all-original political satirical musical comedy troupe,” Hexagon gives a musical zing to the political madness of the past year. Now in its 62nd year, Hexagon brings its unique brand of original music and sketch comedy to Fringe, lampooning politicians, popular culture, and even the D.C. Metro. And the best part? Hexagon […]
The Words She Gave Me (Capital Fringe review)
The Words She Gave Me, Solia Bickersteth’s ambitious multimedia project, is a bighearted and moving exploration of how African-American women have shaped one another’s concept of womanhood. Sisterhood is powerful, she tells us. It is also intensely spiritual. Amy Kotkin reviews for DC Metro Theater Arts
Ladies in Waiting: The Judgement of Henry VIII (Capital Fringe review)
Divorced. Beheaded. Died. Divorced. Beheaded. Survived. What a clever mnemonic device to track the tragic lives of Henry VIII’s many wives. And this play will not let you forget it.
Lazarus (Capital Fringe review)
The notion that medical technology will one day enable human beings to live indefinitely is not just science fiction. Preventing the aging process (or “ending aging”) is an actual field of scientific research. The possibility of living forever is also the sort of plot device that could well be made into a play. It would […]
Blue Over You (Capital Fringe review)
It’s winter in Evanston, Illinois, and a woman has gone missing. Her name is Mitzi, and beyond that we know just a scant few details: she works as an Administrator, is unafraid of bumble bees, appreciates expensive red wine, and has a good friend named Louise. So that’s a start.