Archive for 2013
Fringe Femmes: “Take Me to the Poorhouse”
Fringe Femmes: quick looks at plays by women on the fringe… “Take Me to the Poorhouse” by Liz Femi Man. It’s not all that often that you see a solo show where you want to take the performer home with you. The pocket-sized Liz Femi is just about the most adorable actor onstage ever, and [...]
Trailer Park 2013 is STILL Live!
Yes indeed, yes indeedy, LemonHeads, the inaugural launch of Trailer Park is now live! Thanks to the folks at Hollywood Fringe – especially Ben and Stacy and Dave – as well as the peeps at Combined Artform – that would be the QuinnMeister – you can now catch Trailer Park right here (see video below) [...]
Fringe Femmes: “Baby”
Fringe Femmes: quick looks at plays by women on the fringe… ”Baby” by Lisa Ebersole Legendary film actor Ron West is a sick, old shell of a man, holed up and waiting to die. But his much-younger wife thinks he’s got one more command performance in him: getting her pregnant. Lisa Ebersole’s dark comedy is [...]
Bitter Lemons’ Critics Panel Set for Fringe, Sunday, June 23rd, 11am, Fringe MainStage
This is going to be a whiz-banger of an event and though it’s open to everyone I’d especially encourage all the aspiring and rising Los Angeles theater critics out there to attend, as well as the established peeps. There will be something for everyone. Many of these folks on the panel will be instructors in [...]
Wet the Hippo to Read Moby Dick in its Entirety
Yep. That’s the news from the Wet Hippos. Sounds like a haiku, doesn’t it? My favorite show of the fringe so far. Here’s the blurb I received from them today explaining this very Fringy event. WET THE HIPPO READS MOBY-DICK, THE WHOLE THING, WITHOUT STOPPING (EXCEPT TO PERFORM THEIR SHOW) Beginning 5:00 PM Friday, June 21 [...]
The Daily FringeMeter: 6.18.13
Your daily snapshot of the ever-evolving FringeMeter as of Tuesday, June 18th, 2013 at exactly 2:43pm. Hollywood Fringe Festival 2013 Rankings (no static at all) — 99% Sweet A man experiencing a crisis of faith becomes obsessed with an enigmatic rock band. Solo performer Alex Knox takes us on a highly personal journey of [...]
The Fringe Who Stole Grinchmas, Book 1 – by Jay McAdams
I am a Grinch, at least when it comes to the Fringe. Not because I’ve been there and seen it for myself. No, I sat out the first couple of Fringes. Why? Simply because as a theatre artist who has spent every day of the last quarter century defending quality theatre, I’m not inclined to [...]
Critique of the Week
I’m late with the COW this week, but hey, it’s Fringe. But being that it IS Fringe, this one from Tony is a tasy treat. Especially like the little anecdote at the end. Tony has that way sometimes. PHILOSOPHY IN THE BOUDOIR Tony Frankel – Stage and Cinema PHALLUS IN BLUNDERLAND Who has been accused [...]
Ratified!
At approximately 8:10pm tonight, Monday, June 17th, 2013, at the Colony Theatre in Burbank, 55 Los Angeles Theater Producers and Producing Entities voted, 54 For and 1 Against, to ratify the bylaws created by an elected transitional committee made up of producers from the 99 Seat Theater Community. I was one of those voting in [...]
The Monday Moment
My four-year-old son Max leading a dance movement piece at Fringe Family on Sunday. I call this one “flock of wounded birds”. He’s the little guy in the orange shirt.
Neil Patrick Harris to Revive Hedwig on Broadway in 2014
Yeah, I’ve known about this for about a year now, but I figured I’d let BroadwayWorld break the news. Oh and the NY Times as well. It’s important to share the wealth among your fellow blog-o-sphericals from time to time, especially with those tiny upstarts like BroadwayWorld. I actually have related news that’s even more spectacular [...]
The Los Angeles Post Interviews Bitter Lemons’ Editor
Yes, I just spoke of myself in the third person. It’s a painful occurrence, trust me. Below is a little interview conducted by Los Angeles Post theater critic Rose Desena. It’s a veritable potpourri on the history of our site and the state of Los Angeles Theater. It’s interesting, I think, maybe, I dunno, so [...]
The 99 Seat Producers Vote Happens Tonight, Colony Theatre, 7pm
Be there and be a part of Los Angeles Theater History. On Monday night, June 17, at 7:00 pm, at the Colony Theatre in Burbank, we will be hosting the official vote regarding the approval of these by-laws for the new League. It is very important that all 99-seat independent producers and producers for 99-seat theatre companies attend and vote. [...]
The Fringe So Far
First of all it must be said that the Fringe peeps have got this puppy easin’ down the street like a freakin’ Lamborghini this year. Very professional, well executed and organized, everyone looks like they know what they are doing, you don’t see that look of the hunted in people’s eyes, y’all have found your [...]
The Daily FringeMeter: 6.17.13
The love continues to roll in and for the most part the FringeMeter scores are stayin’ mighty high, but the great thing is that more and more shows have now received the required 5 reviews over at the Fringe site (which is where the raw data for this meter is derived from) and are now [...]
Fringe Review: Orwellian
I first saw Larry Cedar solo onstage in American Fiesta and similarly delighted in his work with director Thomas Bigley as the titular character in King Lear. This team now reunites (with assistance from Nick Neidorf who provides original music and sound design) to create Orwellian, a production that dramatizes three of George Orwell’s most famous [...]
“Wet the Hippo” Whets the Hippo
Ahhhh. It took 12 shows and about 9 days but I finally saw that show that always makes me go, “Ahhhh, now this is why I love the Fringe.” It happens every year, Four Clowns year one, Porter’s Macbeth year two, Button Wagon and Fear Factor year three. Ahhhh yes. I have plenty more to see and [...]
The Daily FringeMeter: 6.15.13
Your daily snapshot from the community reviews over at the Fringe site, known affectionately as our live FringeMeter. As always, somewhat over-exuberant and somewhat over-cooked, but nevertheless, a helpful tool when choosing shows to see. Here it is as of 9:55pm, June 15th, 2013. Hollywood Fringe Festival 2013 Rankings (no static at all) — [...]
Fringe Previews Thoughts
These are re-posted (mostly intact) from the Hollywood Fringe Festival site. I try to express what rattles around my head for a few days after seeing each piece. The Fire Room through June 29th at Actors Company Fringe is the time when I find new artists to follow the rest of the year. Otherwise I [...]
The Daily FringeMeter: 6.14.13
Okay, people, back away from the pom-pons and make an effort to tell us what you really thought about that show, k? There’s a whole bunch of shows that are getting a whole lotta love and I’ve seen some of them and while they weren’t hate-worthy, they were hardly love-worthy. None of these artists is [...]
Trailer Park 2013 is Live!
Yes indeed, yes indeedy, LemonHeads, the inaugural launch of Trailer Park is now live! Thanks to the folks at Hollywood Fringe – especially Ben and Stacy and Dave – as well as the peeps at Combined Artform – that would be the QuinnMeister – you can now catch Trailer Park right here (see video below) [...]
A MIDSUMMER SATURDAY NIGHT’S FEVER DREAM (TROUBIES): 88% – SWEET
SWEET Even by the Troubies’ typically reliable comic standards, this commedia dell’arte-infused mash-up of classical lit and pop culture is an exceptionally hilarious and energetic romp. Philip Brandes – LA Times BITTERSWEET The current incarnation, once again helmed by Troubie founder Matt Walker, is more polished than the original but less surprising and not as [...]
ONE NIGHT IN MIAMI…: 100% – SWEET
SWEET Nonetheless, the vivid humor, ironic reversals and the larger implications hold us, right through to the bittersweet fade-out. Director Carl Cofield keeps things tautly entertaining on designer Stephanie Kerley Schwartz’s excellent set, and his actors (with alternates), who express rather than mimic their real-life counterparts, are first-rate. David C. Nichols – LA Times SWEET [...]
BOB: A LIFE IN FIVE ACTS: 80% – SWEET
SWEET Go see it by any means possible. If you have to drag yourself there with nothing but two arms and determination, and must collect the price of admission from fallen change, do it. This is one of the finest productions in Los Angeles this year, and I must recommend the viewing of it to [...]
Here are the 99 Seat Producers’ League By-laws – Read Them!
If you are interested (and you should be if you are reading this) in becoming informed on the bylaws that are about to be voted on this coming Monday, you can now read them here. Okay first thing I gotta get off my chest…Why did you change the name?!? Well, I think I know why, [...]
The Daily FringeMeter: 6.13.13
Here’s your latest Daily FringeMeter snapshot logging in at exactly 5:pm, June 13, 2013: Hollywood Fringe Festival 2013 Rankings Four Clowns presents Me Rich You Learn — 100% Sweet 3-time Hollywood Fringe Physical Theatre Award winners, Four Clowns is back with a wild two-man show. Former millionaire & convicted tax evader TR Hamer has [...]
Come and Vote – 99 Seat Producers League Meeting this Monday, June 17, 7pm, at Colony Theatre
Sandwiched amidst all the Fringe hullabaloo a very important meeting is about to occur that could affect the direction of Los Angeles Theater for the next two decades or so. After a tremendous amount of hard work by a group of hard working Los Angeles theater-makers a final presentation of some foundational by-laws for the [...]
Fringe Femmes: “Before a Fall”
Fringe Femmes: quick looks at plays by women on the fringe… “Before a Fall” by Lily Mercer It’s billed as a “Southern Gothic Tale,” but whatever that means to you, don’t go looking for the avant-garde or much of the Fringe factor here. Lily Mercer’s “Before a Fall” is a straight-ahead, often chilling drama that [...]
Let’s Fringe! Thursday Broadcast
Thursday, June 13 @11:20am Untitled: we’re doing a play Equal Acts Productions It’s two weeks to opening night and there’s no play, but who cares when love triangles, mistaken identities, and a hangman’s noose are involved?! Come see what our moms are calling the “funniest play ever written!” To submit your Fringe show for an [...]
