A spot-on parody of the retro-style of film noir in a hilarious send-up of our ever-growing post-modern obsession with social media and technology, Fishtown – A Hipster Noir reaffirms Tribe of Fools’ standing as a perennial favorite in the Philadelphia Fringe. Written by Caitlin Weigel and directed by Peter Smith, the hysterically sharp-witted show will have you screaming with laughter, then considering the issues of privacy and ethics raised by the unchecked proliferation of digital profiling and virtual reality.
Zachary Chiero. Photo by Kathryn Raines, Plate 3 Photography.
Creator/Performers Zachary Chiero, Tara Demmy, Jenna Kuerzi, Joseph Ahmed, and Kyle Yackoski are flawless in their definitions of the quirky characters (featuring women in key roles), impeccable in their comic timing, masterful in their delivery of the vintage lingo from then and the techno-speak of now, and perfectly synchronized in their seemingly effortless execution of Chiero’s inspired choreography. Highlights include energetic fight scenes, the complex side-splitting transfer of multiple valises by undercover agents, and a completely unexpected rollicking group dance to Lesley Gore’s 1963 pop hit “Sunshine, Lollipops, and Rainbows.” It’s all a lot of fun, until they – we – are confronted with the serious question of “What is real?” and the moral dilemma of what we would do, if given the opportunity to bring to (virtual) life our fondest dreams and memories.
A top-notch artistic design supports the terrific cast, script, and movement. Smith’s set, and lighting by Robin Stamey, evoke the look and mood of an old movie, with spotlights in the darkness and figures silhouetted behind window shades. Costumes by Lexa Grace capture the preferred attire of today’s hipster techies and computer nerds, as well as the period-style fashions of 1940s private detectives (or, more accurately, “private investigators,” as explained in one of the show’s wacky running jokes). Props by Christine Gaydos form the basis of zany sight gags (yes, there’s a banana!) and trace the recent history and projected future of digital devices, with well-coordinated sound effects provided by Damien Figueras.
With Fishtown – A Hipster Noir, the ever-brilliant Tribe of Fools offers yet another must-see production in its ongoing series of original Fringe hits. Don’t miss it!
Promotional image with Tara Demmy. Photo by Kathryn Raines, Plate 3 Photography.
Running Time: Approximately 85 minutes, without intermission.
Fishtown – A Hipster Noirplays through Saturday, September 23, 2017, at Tribe of Fools, performing at the Louis Bluver Theatre at the Drake – 302 South Hicks Street, Philadelphia, PA. For tickets, call the Fringe box office at (215) 413-9006, or purchase themonline.
I spoke with Jenna, Eric, and Hannah this week prior to the opening of the Fringe, during their busy rehearsal time, to discuss the shows, their hectic schedules, and their views on the value of the festival and what it has to offer.
Deb: What made you decide to participate in two Fringe productions this year?
Jenna: I’ve done it before, during the 2015 festival, with On the Rocks’ Spookfish (also by Haygen Brice Walker) and Exit the King with the Idiopathic Ridiculopathy Consortium, so I was like, “This is a piece of cake!” (which is only half true). Tribe of Fools is one of my favorite companies in town, because nobody does what they do, but I don’t think they typically hold auditions, since the style and training are so specific for the acrobatics, parkour, and circus arts incorporated into the shows. When I saw there were auditions for Fishtown, I needed to be seen by them and I needed to be in it. I already knew I was going to be in The Groom . . ., because we’d been workshopping the script for a little while, but I wasn’t sure what specific parts I’d be playing until we had a complete cast.
Jenna Kuerzi. Photo by Justin Walsh Photography.
Eric: A few of the people who saw Joan Crawford in Her Own Words when we did it the first time have been asking for years (decades, actually) when we were going to bring it back. Seeing the Ryan Murphy miniseries Feud: Bette and Joan made me realize that now was probably a good time to do it, while I still have enough brain cells left to learn 75 minutes of text. Of course, doing Joan meant I couldn’t perform in the WaitStaff show, but they had no Director as yet, so I signed on for that.
Eric Singel. Photo by Paul Sirochman.
Hannah: I think severe over-excitability mixed with a healthy dose of masochism? Tilda Swinton Adopt Me Please has been slotted for the Fringe since August 2016, and when Brenna Geffers asked me to work on Die-Cast’s inaugural production of Pericles, it felt impossible to say no.
Hannah Van Sciver. Photo courtesy of the artist.
How have you been able to manage your schedules for both rehearsals and performances?
Hannah: HA. A lot of emailing, coupled with a lot of compromising, coupled with a lot of “Where are you?” texts.
Jenna: The joy of being in late-night shows with my On the Rocks family is that we are all able to do more than one show, if we so choose. Tribe of Fools has a very rigorous training schedule with the Philadelphia School of Circus Arts included in rehearsals, because we have to if we don’t want to hurt ourselves. The short answer is: I don’t have days off. My friends and loved ones know when late August/early September hits, they’ll never see me unless they are in the show with me. I have good friends and loved ones.
Eric: The rehearsal schedule turned out to be much less of a nightmare than I thought it would be, as my Joan director and I both had daytime availability, and WaitStaff rehearsals are traditionally in the evenings. Once Labor of Love opens and I’ve turned it over to the stage manager, I will miss most of its performances, which means having to rely on second-hand reports of what’s working and not working. Actually, the performance schedule will feel like a vacation compared to the rehearsal schedules . . . Did these shows open yet?
What are your roles in and contributions to your two shows?
Eric: As I said, I play Joan Crawford in the one-man show Joan Crawford in Her Own Words and I am directing the WaitStaff’s Labor of Love.
Jim Boyle, Sara Carano, Chris McGovern, Joanne Cunningham, and Gerre Garrett in a promotional image for Labor of Love. Photo by Ryan McMenamin.
Hannah: I’m co-creating and performing in Tilda Swinton Adopt Me Please with Nicholas Scheppard and producing the project through my company The Greenfield Collective. I’m playing Marina in Die-Cast’s Pericles, and also composing some original music for the production.
Promotional image for Pericles, with Shamus Hunter McCarty, Hannah Van Sciver, and Colleen Corcoran. Photo by Brenna Geffers.
Jenna: In Fishtown, I play Claire, the “assistant” to a tech mega-mogul with some deeper plans behind her thick-rimmed glasses. The general structure was already in place when I came on board, but as a company (Joseph Ahmed, Zachary Chiero, Tara Demmy, Kyle Yackoski, director Peter Smith, and our writer Caitlin Weigel) we devised the show. In The Groom . . ., I’m a wedding planner who is trying desperately to make a difficult client’s wedding THE BEST, DAMN IT! And I’m also a prostitute at the bachelor party. Who isn’t interested in any of that? Campbell O’Hare and I have now done four of Haygen’s shows in the Fringe together, and every year it’s equal parts amazing and terrifying to find out who he has written for us.
Promotional image for The Groom’s a Fag; The Bride’s a Cunt; The Best Man’s a Whore; and the Maiden of Honor (Just) Hung Herself in the Closet, with Campbell O’Hare. Photo by Layne Marie Williams.
Are there similarities between the shows you’re doing, which allow you to adhere to a particular style or genre for which you’d like to be known, or are they very different, so that you can show your range in performing?
Jenna: Both shows are comedies, until they aren’t, and both are physical, but we’re not doing cartwheels or lifting people in The Groom . . ., like we are in Fishtown. I’m playing three (really four – I have another small part in Fishtown) very different characters in both shows. So hopefully I’m showing range! Haha. I don’t think I’m known for anything in particular, except maybe my hair. I’d like to be the go-to for real life cartoon characters that are rooted in truth. But I also want those characters to be kind of mean, but we like them because they’re definitely funny, and we probably see ourselves in them, for better or worse. Both shows have that bite to their characters.
Zachary Chiero and Jenna Kuerzi in a promotional image for Fishtown – A Hipster Noir. Photo by Kate Raines, Plate 3 Photography.
Eric: The only “particular style or genre for which I’d like to be known” is as a working (read: PAID!) artist, so both of these shows have that in common. They are also both very funny, although in very different ways. Since Joan is composed of actual things that she said in interviews and the like, a lot of the humor there comes from the things the audience knows about her that she DOESN’T say.
Eric Singel in a promotional image for Joan Crawford in Her Own Words. Photo by Peter Tupitza.
Hannah: It’s funny. They couldn’t be more different – one’s a devised piece about celebrity stalking and adolescence, and the other is a rarely done psycho-sexual Shakespeare play – but they have a surprising amount of overlap. Both are physically demanding, and feature a lot of movement choreography. Both heavily feature Greek gods. In both productions, I play a young woman deeply at odds with the world around her. And both plays exist in worlds that are epic and ethereal. As far as performance goes, I think I’m putting different parts of myself forward. Pericles is expressionist, gritty, and musical. Tilda is frenetic and chaotic and, I think, unexpectedly heartfelt.
Hannah Van Sciver and Nicholas Scheppard in a promotional image for Tilda Swinton Adopt Me Please. Photo by Hannah Van Sciver.
What do you envision as your ideal role or show?
Jenna: It changes every day, but right now it’s Yitzhak in Hedwig and the Angry Inch, Rose in The Flick, and I will play Janis Joplin somewhere, in something, at some point.
Eric: The one with the next paycheck? I’ve done dinner theatre, for God’s sake! Actually, though, I am very enamored of the one-man-show format, having done a number of such shows (in addition to Joan, Dan Butler’s The Only Thing Worse You Could Have Told Me . . . and my own pieces The Wedding Consultant and Looking for Uranus: Starzina Starfish-Browne’s Comeback Tour). Sketch-comedy-wise, I’m toying with some ideas for two-handed evenings.
Hannah: Oh man. I like to be challenged. To be honest, in an ideal world I’m doing a combination of weird new work and bold classical material. I’d say I’m pretty happy with my Fringe. But also, an ideal show would change the way people relate to the world around them, so here’s to hoping both can do that in some small way.
What do you find most appealing about appearing in the Fringe?
Jenna: Fringe is my favorite time of year. Personally, I get to make art with old friends and new friends. As a community, people are given a chance to do something stupid or fun or interesting or smart or dumb or silly, and if it’s bad, well, it’s Fringe. It’s refreshing and inspiring.
Hannah: The Fringe always has this truly wild energy, I think because so many artists are throwing so many different strands of theatrical spaghetti against the wall. There’s an air of daring and openness that permeates the whole festival, and it makes it exhilarating to perform. Also, everyone is out and about supporting each other’s work! It rocks!
Eric: Publicity opportunities like this one, and all the other attention the Fringe generates, enable small production companies to reach much larger and more diverse audiences than they ever otherwise could. When I approached the creators of Joan back in February about bringing it back, there was never any question that we would do it at Fringe. And the WaitStaff is essentially the Fringe poster child; we are the longest-running continuously-producing company in the Philadelphia Fringe Festival.
At this point are you exhausted or exhilarated?
Eric: Yes.
Jenna: Both. I love being busy and I thrive when I’m overwhelmed, which is probably not great, but it’s fine because I’m drinking lots of water. I’m so excited to get into tech and to see these two shows come to life. It also helps that I love everybody I’m working with.
Hannah: Both! For sure.
Will you have time to see any other offerings in the festival?
Jenna: I’m trying! I made a very ambitious schedule for all of the shows that have strange show times, or are on off days.
Hannah: I have yet to tessellate my Fringe calendar, but I’m trying to catch Sam Tower + Ensemble’s Strange Tenants, and On the Rocks’ The Groom . . . So many good offerings – it’s theater Christmas!
Eric: That’s one of the only things wrong with Fringe – there’s so much great stuff happening all at once, and if you’re participating, you can’t see a lot of it. I just learned of Hannah’s Tilda Swinton show through this interview, and it sounds fascinating. I was already aware of Jenna’s The Groom . . . (in fact, we reference that show in Labor of Love); and although I don’t know them personally, I have seen some excellent work done by a few of her castmates (Campbell O’Hare, Josh McLucas). And I am an enormous fan of Tribe of Fools. So those would be the first shows I will try to see if I’m standing upright at any point after opening. This seems as good a time as any to point out that The Groom . . ., Fishtown, and Joan Crawford in Her Own Words all have crowdfunding campaigns still running.
Do you have anything lined up in the 2017-18 season, after the Fringe?
Eric: We are hoping that this is just the beginning of the second coming of Joan Crawford in Her Own Words, so hopefully we will have some bookings for that coming up.
Hannah: Pericles is touring to Provincetown immediately after the Fringe closes for the Provincetown Tennessee Williams Theater Festival, and I’ll be working with Delaware Shakespeare in October on a Shakespeare-and-Poe project. I’m also looking forward to helping direct some new work this fall for First Person Arts and Philadelphia Young Playwrights. There are a couple other exciting things on the back burner, but mum’s the word at the moment!
Jenna: I’ll be in By the Bog of Cats with Irish Heritage Theatre in November and I’m playing Dot/Marie in Sunday in the Park with George at Wilmington’s City Theater Company in December. Other than that, 2018 is free and clear, so somebody should hire me.
Can we look forward to seeing you again in the 2018 Fringe?
Hannah: I certainly hope so.
Eric: No doubt. Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in.
Jenna: For as long as I live in Philadelphia, I intend on making, and being in, weird shit in the Fringe. Count on it.
Thanks, Jenna, Eric, and Hannah, for taking the time to discuss the joys and challenges of your work in this year’s Fringe!
The 2017 Fringe Festival plays September 7-24, 2017, at venues throughout Philadelphia. For more information, contact patronservices@FringeArts.com or call (215) 413-1318.
From antiquity to the present, tragedy and drama to absurdism and comedy, masterpieces by classic playwrights to experimental ensemble-devised works by local artists, the 2017 Philadelphia Fringe Festival runs the gamut over the span of eighteen days, from September 7-24, with 158 offerings throughout the city (plus another twelve shows in the Curated Fringe, and seventeen more in the Digital Fringe). By casting an eye on stories from all periods of history and into the future, participating artists not only entertain and affect us, but also remind us of the importance of art in illuminating the recurrent fundamental issues in human nature and aggregate society, while underscoring George Santayana’s truism, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”
My top picks for this year’s Fringe will make us look at ourselves, laugh at ourselves, and maybe even learn to be our better selves. Arranged in alphabetical order by company (and excluding works listed in the Digital and Curated Fringe categories), they are:
Die-Cast, Pericles. Photo by Brenna Geffers
Die-Cast, Pericles – A brand-new company founded by Director Brenna Geffers and Designer Thom Weaver, Die-Cast makes its debut in the 2017 Fringe with an inventive interpretation of the seldom-staged Shakespearean classic Pericles. The immersive ensemble-based production, employing original song, movement, and poetry presented by a team of favorite collaborators (Keith Conallen, Hannah Van Sciver, Chris Anthony, Colleen Corcoran, Carlo Campbell, Kayla Anthony, Shamus McCarty, Anthony Crosby, and Andrew Carroll), invites audiences to choose their own path in exploring the narrative. Staged within the crumbling walls of The Rotunda, the piece is sure to evoke the dark mood of the ancient story, filled with incest and riddles, assassins and brothels, fire and storms. Expect an epic struggle between good and evil, fortune and fate, painful separation and joyful reunion, and a re-envisioning of the protagonists’ traditional gender roles and sexuality, all told with expressive emotion and physicality. September 7-9, at The Rotunda – 4014 Walnut Street.
Found Theater Company, Game Show Show. Photo by Harish Pathak.
Found Theater Company, Game Show Show – After its sorely-missed absence from last year’s Festival, the always hypnotic and incisive Found returns with an absurdist dream-like meditation on our societal standards of success, failure, winning, and losing that combines original text, music, and physical scores. Set in the colorful pop-culture world of a TV quiz show, contestants compete for prizes, bonus rounds, and their notion of the American Dream (between commercial breaks, of course!), until the surreal game spins out of control, revealing the intentions of the players and viewers, and the lengths to which people will go to get what they want. Under the direction of Co-Founding Company Member Alison Mae Hoban, Found veterans Joe Wozniak, Adrienne Hertler, Joe Palinsky, and Matt Lorenz (who also serves as Assistant Director) are joined by the newly-Found Kristy Joe Slough and Ciara Collins (a current theater student at Temple University, where the company began), in this critical examination of human nature. September 6-10, at The MAAS Building – 1325 North Randolph Street.
Heart of a Lion Productions, As the Matzo Ball Turns – The Musical. Photo courtesy of the company.
Heart of a Lion Productions, As the Matzo Ball Turns – The Musical – Based on the 2012 autobiographical book by Jozef Rothstein, the aspiring actor-turned-waiter-turned-author recounts his humorous, heartbreaking, and humbling experiences in Hollywood after leaving small-town Pennsylvania in search of stardom. What he found instead was a “ten-year sentence as a waiter in a Jewish deli” frequented by celebrities (he names names!), along with the occasional hit man, drive-by shooting, and unfulfilling work in commercials, while waiting for his big break. This insider’s look at the dark side of the entertainment industry and the restaurant business should have all the melodrama of a TV soap opera set to music, and the wit of a satirist using laughter to preserve his sanity, to overcome the disappointment of his shattered dreams, and to turn lemons into lemonade with a well-received publication and a hoped for success in the theater, if not on the Silver Screen. September 7-10, at the Independence Seaport Museum – 211 South Columbus Boulevard.
JUNK, . . . strand . . . Photo by Steve Belkowitz.
JUNK, . . . strand . . . – World-class dancer/choreographer Brian Sanders and his ever-amazing troupe take Fringe audiences on an immersive 50-minute site-specific self-guided adventure through the wild paths of Forgotten Bottom (the DuPont Crescent Trail – a little-known urban strand along the banks of the Schuylkill River). Participants select from four levels of experiences, each with a different starting point and pricing: the bare-bones elemental “Rugged Primal” walk; the apocalyptic “Nuclear Romance” on a limited number of scooters; the merry “Medieval Revelry” led by courtly minstrels who provide pickings of food and drink; and the “Future Fancy Ultimate Tour” with seated meal service and fermented ichor (“blood of the gods”) on the lawn. All of the eras and audiences intersect on the Crescent at sunset, culminating in an acrobatic-dance-theater performance by the intrepid Billy Robinson, Teddy Fatscher, Chelsea Prunty, Julia Higdon, Kelly Trevlyn, Regan Jackson, Frank Leone, and Brandon Pereira, exploring the malleability of time and the surreality of history. So don your field gear, plug in your headsets to hear a unique soundscape, or rent a surrey-for-two (at an extra cost) for an expansive ride around the grounds. Happy trails! September 7- 23, at DuPont Crescent Trail – Grays Ferry Crescent Trail Park.
On the Rocks, The Groom’s a Fag . . . Photo by Layne Marie Williams.
On the Rocks, The Groom’s a Fag; The Bride’s a Cunt; The Best Man’s a Whore; and the Maiden of Honor (Just) Hung Herself in the Closet – In the final installment of On the Rocks’ sharp-witted and critically-acclaimed Fringe series “The Dead Teenager Trilogy,” playwright Haygen Brice Walker deconstructs marriage with a frighteningly funny contemporary eye on the horrors of commitment and the other things that haunt us. With a cast of returning favorites from the past two chapters (Joe Canuso, Ashton Carter, Jenna Kuerzi, and Campbell O’Hare) directed once again by Elaina Di Monaco, the haunted wedding play features a virgin bride and a gay groom, Emma Stone and the Easter Bunny, cocaine, hookers, and glamping. Needless to say, “shit gets fucked up” in this over-the-top parody of the horror-film genre and send-up of our most laughable socio-cultural trends. Glamping. Really? September 8-22, at The Beard Cave @ St. Mary’s Church – 3916 Locust Walk.
Revolution Shakespeare, Cymbeline. Photo courtesy of the company.
Revolution Shakespeare, Cymbeline – Now in its fourth year of offering free open-air performances in South Philadelphia’s Hawthorne Park, RevShakes presents a small-cast version of Cymbeline, with a diverse ensemble of seven (Griffin Stanton-Ameisen, Mitchell Bloom, Newton Buchanan, Izzy Castaldi, Sabrina Profitt , James Tolbert III, and Twoey Truong) playing multiple roles in the Bard’s story of love, jealousy, false accusation, and reconciliation in ancient Britain. Through the characters’ conflicting ways of life and clashing traditions, Director Jared Michael Delaney aims to show how differences too often separate us, but can also bring us together. Now that’s one revolution we should all fight to win. September 20-October 1, at Hawthorne Park – 12th and Catharine Streets.
Sam Tower + Ensemble, Strange Tenants. Photo by Plate 3 Photography.
Sam Tower + Ensemble, Strange Tenants – In the spirit of their 2015 Fringe hit 901 Nowhere Street, director Sam Tower, playwright Jeremy Gable, composer Alec MacLaughlin, and designer Kevin Meehan, along with co-devisors/performers Merri Rashoyan, Nia Benjamin, Bi Jean Ngo, Tess Kunik, and Katie Croyle (with contributions by Emilie Krause and Anna Szapiro from the work’s early development phase in 2016), set a noir-inspired mood of mystery that evokes the films of Alfred Hitchcock, but with a distinctly post-modern feminist focus. The original “dance theater psycho thriller” takes a walk on the sinister side, as the reunion of four estranged female friends becomes an exploration of a puzzling disappearance that reveals their childhood secrets and broken promises, personal histories and cultural inheritances, past memories and surreal imaginings – the titular Strange Tenants that inhabit us all – through hypnotic movement, redolent visuals, and an evocative soundscape. September 7-17, at Power Plant Productions Basement – 233 North Bread Street.
The Greenfield Collective. Tilda Swinton Adopt Me Please. Photo by Hannah Van Sciver.
The Greenfield Collective, Tilda Swinton Adopt Me Please – Co-Creators Nicholas Scheppard and Hannah Van Sciver star as an unconventional pair of twins from a “normal home” who would seem to have everything, but become obsessed with gender-bending actress Tilda Swinton. The Greenfield Collective’s highly conceptual and stylized exploration of adolescent imagination, celebrity stalking, gender identification, and the acceptability of love in all its forms combines theater with performance art, dance, evocative audio-visuals, and characters whose look mirrors the transcendent androgynous beauty of their idol. Directed by Maura Krause and designed by Sara Outing, Lucas Fendlay, and Michael Lambui, the original piece, presented in association with Minding Your Mind and Philadelphia’s Department of Behavioral Health and Intellectual Disability Services, not only contains a serious message, but also provides supplementary talkbacks and informative hand-outs for those in attendance. September 13-17, at Asian Arts Initiative, Studio C – 1219 Vine Street.
The Idiopathic Ridiculopathy Consortium, Eugène Ionesco’s The Bald Soprano. Photo by Johanna Austin @ AustinArt.org.
The Idiopathic Ridiculopathy Consortium, Eugène Ionesco’sThe Bald Soprano– The first “anti-play” written by the master of the Absurdist genre when he was trying to learn English, Eugène Ionesco’s The Bald Soprano is this year’s Fringe entry by Philadelphia’s own masters of the genre, the IRC. At the heart of the seminal tragicomedy is the failure to communicate, the disintegration of language, and the collapse of reality, as the conversations of two married couples in London descend into gibberish, non sequiturs, and repetition. Staged in the Bethany Mission Gallery hung with outsider art, the setting should further illuminate the plight of those who are unable to make themselves understood, and highlight the lack of meaningful dialogue – on a personal, national, and global scale – both then and now. In keeping with the IRC’s mission, a ridiculously good mix of company stalwarts and newcomers (Sonja Robson, John Zak, Tomas Dura, Arlen Hancock, Bob Schmidt, and Producing Artistic Director Tina Brock, who will also direct) is guaranteed to “bring good nothingness to life.” September 5-24, at Bethany Mission Gallery – 1527 Brandywine Street.
The Philadelphia Artists’ Collective, Iphigenia at Aulis. Photo by Daniel Kontz.
The Philadelphia Artists’ Collective, Iphigenia at Aulis – In collaboration with the Independence Seaport Museum, the PAC takes audiences aboard the 1890s steel warship USS Olympia (the oldest still afloat) for its telling of Euripides’ last extant tragedy of circa 406 BC. Directed by company Co-Founder Dan Hodge, the ancient historical tale recounts a heartrending family drama of patriotism, pride, devotion, and sacrifice within the context of Trojan War. A traditional Greek chorus (including Peggy Smith and Stephanie Iozzia) provides running commentary and didactic observations on the actions of Agamemnon (Nathan Foley), Clytemnestra (Tai Verley), Menelaus (Aaron Kirkpatrick), the titular Iphigenia (Becca Khalil), and other famed figures from antiquity, whose human struggles are no less relevant today than they were two-and-a-half millennia ago. September 7-22, at Cruiser Olympia, Penn’s Landing – 301 South Christopher Columbus Boulevard.
The Revivalists, United. Photo courtesy of the company.
The Revivalists, United – Could there be a more timely site-specific show in historic Philadelphia than a commemoration of the date of September 9, when, in 1776, the Continental Congress officially changed the name of our country from the Colonies to the United States of America? The 18th-century Betsy Ross House, purported to be birthplace of the American flag, serves as the venue for The Revivalists’ immersive performance of traditional folk songs and stories that declare our independence and send out a call for us to stand united. Expect to be swept away by a spirited evening of rebellion and the birth of a nation. But don’t forget that if we were permanent residents of England, we’d all be covered under the free national healthcare system, so God Save the Queen and Long Live the Revolution! September 9-23, at The Betsy Ross House – 231 Arch Street.
Tribe of Fools, Fishtown. Photo by Plate 3 Photography.
Tribe of Fools, Fishtown – A Hipster Noir – A perennial hit with Fringe-goers and critics alike, Tribe of Fools is known for its combination of thrilling acrobatics and parkour with a Philly-centric narrative of locally-inspired characters and a tongue-in-cheek sense of humor that culminates in a relevant message. This year, with a female lead and sexier dreamier dance-like acrobatics, the Tribe sets its latest creation in the Fishtown section of the city, for a noir-style detective story that ponders the mystery of our obsession with virtual reality at the cost of our disconnect from the real world around us. Self-described as a mash-up in the spirit of Chinatown meets Black Mirror meets Who Framed Roger Rabbit, the new work – written by Caitlin Weigel, directed by Peter Smith, and performed/co-created by Joseph Ahmed, Zachary Chiero, Tara Demmy, Jenna Kuerzi, and Kyle Yackoski – follows the adventures of a luddite private eye who stumbles upon a new app at the center of a high-tech conspiracy, which allows users to live out their wildest fantasies. Just think of the ramifications; these insightful ‘Fools’ have. September 8-23, at the Louis Bluver Theater at The Drake – 302 South Hicks Street.
University of the Arts and The Berserker Residents, These Terrible Things. Photo courtesy of the artists.
University of the Arts and The Berserker Residents, These Terrible Things – You can always count on the uproarious Berserkers for full-throttle hilarity, and if their Fringe production is even half as funny as their description of it is in the catalogue listings (“I hate this show. These assholes are forcing us to [word limit reached]”), we’re all in for some non-stop hysterics. This year they’ve teamed up with the University of the Arts for the research and development of their latest original comedy, These Terrible Things, working alongside some very lucky students to help them craft the show. A self-referencing piece on life in the theater, the company’s faux staging of a bogus “old-ass play” will test the relationship between audience and performer, lampoon regional theater-making, skewer the tendency to present the classics rather than creating something new, and bring attention to those behind-the-scenes artists without whom the show could not go on and the play could go wrong. I’m already laughing! September 14-23, at the Caplan Studio Theater, University of the Arts – 211 South Broad Street.
WaitStaff Sketch Comedy, Labor of Love. Photo courtesy of the company.
WaitStaff Sketch Comedy, Labor of Love – Longtime favorites The WaitStaff, a mainstay of the Fringe and a part of the Philadelphia nightlife for nearly two decades, serves up a winning concoction of liquor and laughs at L’Étage Cabaret, with a new evening of no-holds-barred sketch comedy and cocktails (for sale to a 21+ audience). Featuring skits by Jim Boyle, Sara Carano, Joanne Cunningham, Gerre Garrett, and Chris McGovern, the comics’ latest offering, under the zany direction of Eric Singel, will forego the widespread focus on our current presidential administration, with refreshing politics-free humor that is still sure to be politically-incorrect. So if you’ve lost your sense of humor of late, come find it again with this welcome Labor of Love. September 8-23, at L’Étage Cabaret – 624 South 6th Street.
Weftworks, Mistress of the Maze. Photo by Chris Hallock.
WeftWorks, Mistress of the Maze – Multi-disciplinary artist, writer, and trained anthropologist Sarah Carr presents her WeftWorks’ inaugural performance project, Mistress of the Maze, in the 2017 Fringe. Based on the mythology of the Minoan culture of ancient Crete, and taking its inspiration from the imagery and rituals depicted in extant frescos, sculpture, and seals, the original dance/theater piece weaves together movement and music with contemporary fiber-arts costumes and masks. Performed by three female dancers and one male, this new exploration of the pre-Greek roots of the Minotaur, the Labyrinth, and Ariadne (the daughter of King Minos) examines the principle of female power and the hypothesis of a matriarchal society, as embodied by her dominion over the sacred maze and the hybrid creature that inhabits it. September 16-17, at CHI Movement Arts Center – 1316 South 9th Street.
Along with the new works and company premieres, you can also catch remounts of past favorites in this year’s festival, including my top four picks for sure-fire revivals:
Almanac Dance Circus Theatre, Leaps of Faith and Other Mistakes. Photo by Daniel Kontz.
Almanac Dance Circus Theatre, Leaps of Faith and Other Mistakes– Originally performed at the Fleisher Art Memorial in June 2015, Almanac brings its brand of daring acrobatics, theatrical narrative, and live music to the 2017 Fringe with a re-envisioning of its metaphorical tale about the mistakes of believing too hard and, consequently, becoming “lost at sea.” September 6-23, at the Painted Bride Art Center – 230 Vine Street.
Iron Age Theatre Radical Acts, Marx in Soho. Photo by John Doyle.
Iron Age Theatre Radical Acts, Marx in Soho – Marking the 150th anniversary of the publication of Das Kapital (Karl Marx’s seminal 1867 critique of Capitalist economics), actor and political activist Bob Weick returns to the Philly Fringe, where his ongoing national tour began in 2004, with his signature performance of Howard Zinn’s Marx in Soho, produced by Iron Age Theatre Radical Acts and directed by John Doyle. September 6-22, at the Ethical Society of Philadelphia – 1906 South Rittenhouse Square.
JCProductions, Joan Crawford in Her Own Words. Photo by Brian Bancroft.
JCProductions, Joan Crawford in Her Own Words – Get up close and personal this Fringe with legendary movie star Joan Crawford, as she defends herself against critics in a camp solo show created verbatim from her own books and interviews by Michael McHugh, and delivered by the hilarious Eric Singel in a boozy tour-de-force drag performance directed by Peter Tupitza – the same team that debuted the work upstairs at the old 247 gay bar in 1993. September 7-24, at Tabu Lounge – 200 South 12th Street.
REV Theatre Company, Death Is A Cabaret Ol’ Chum. Photo by Sam Nagel.
REV Theatre Company, Death Is A Cabaret Ol’ Chum– Since it first appeared at Laurel Hill Cemetery in 2012, REV’s “Graveyard Cabaret” has killed it with spine-tingling vocals, eerie costumes, and complimentary tomb-side cocktails, so bring your blanket or folding chair for another round of macabre delights, with a few added songs and new cast members, directed by Rosey Hay. September 13-16, at Laurel Hill Cemetery – 3822 Ridge Avenue.
The Philadelphia Fringe Festival plays from September 7-24, 2017, at venues throughout Philadelphia. For tickets, call the Fringe box office at (215) 413-9006, or purchase them online.
Landis and Jennifer Smith. Photo by Jason Sanders.
The great thing about fairy tales is their malleability. Fairy tales have been around for millennia and are often transported from country to country, morphing with each region and time that they inhabit.
Enchantment Theatre Company carries on the proud tradition of adopting fairy tales with it’s latest piece of children’s theater, The Beast in the Bayou.
The Beast in the Bayou began as part of Enchantment Theatre Company’s “Enchantment Everywhere” program, which creates new works of theater with portable productions which they take to schools that have recently lost field trip funding, and other locations throughout Philadelphia. To date, Enchantment Everywhere has served about 15,000 Philadelphia children each year for the past four years.
This month, Enchantment Theatre Company will bring The Beast in the Bayou to Wolf Trap in Virginia (July 6-7) and Penns Landing in Philadelphia (July 11). I spoke to Jennifer and Landis Smith, Co-Artistic Directors of Enchantment Theatre Company, about the production.
Nicole: Landis and Jennifer, thanks for talking to me! What can patrons expect from The Beast in the Bayou?
Jennifer: Well, it’s a version of Beauty and the Beast but recast as a regional folktale. It’s got a lot of classic themes from Beauty and the Beast but with some fun twists. For example, we wanted to set it somewhere in the United States so we thought a lot about folktales from different regions of the country and came up with this idea of a beast living in a bayou and protecting it. We have also added an environmental theme. The beast protects the animals who live on the bayou. There are masks, magic and puppets. It’s a lot of fun!
Did you write the story yourselves?
Jennifer: We did. Our artistic team likes to take traditional stories and put an original twist on them. Landis and I worked together on this piece with our director Leslie Riedel and music director Charlie Gilbert.
How does music fit into the story?
Jennifer: The story is told through spoken narration and music is in the background to support the story. The actors don’t speak, but instead act out what the narrator describes. It’s very physical theater.
Landis: As we looked at creating this story, the thing that bothered our composer was that at the end, when beauty falls in love with beast, he turns back into a handsome prince. We felt that belied the message that she should love him for who he is. So that transformation doesn’t occur in our version. It’s all about their love for each other, and their devotion to the environment. Then we thought, well in that case, why does Beauty have to be so beautiful and perfect? So in our version, she walks with a limp that she got from falling out of a tree as a young child.
We were driven to really examine what the story is and add some interesting twists in turning the tale upside down.
A performance of The Beast in the Bayou. Performers (l to r): Aaron Lathrop, Aaron Roberge, Peter Smith, Leah Holleran, and Erin Carney. Photo by Jason Sanders.
Oh, I like the idea that they are perfect in their imperfect state without having to become physically “beautiful.” One complaint that contemporary audiences have about Beauty and the Beast is that the Beast basically captures this woman and then she falls in love with him while his prisoner. Is that something you address?
Jennifer: We do use the concept of the father getting lost in the bayou and encountering the Beast. The Beast is rough with him because he doesn’t want anybody in the bayou, so he scares him off and tells him to send his daughter. But she agrees to go and stay because she sees he’s protecting the bayou. She becomes his ally. We debated a lot about that aspect of it because we were trying to push against the norms of the story. We go a little bit in the direction of the story but verge away from it in interesting ways.
Tell me about the Enchantment Everywhere Program through which The Beast in the Bayou was developed?
Jennifer: The Enchantment Everywhere program was developed so that the productions would be portable in order to serve schools that can’t come to the theaters. We’ve created very portable staging and lighting so it’s easy to travel to places like Wolf Trap and Penn’s Landing.
Landis: The Enchantment Everywhere program was created after our local Philadelphia school district cut funding for school trips to the theater. We went from a time when busloads of kids would be coming to our shows by the thousands to the current situation in which kids are not being offered this experience. We realized it was important for us to switch our model and take our shows to the kids. So we created four very portable shows depicting classic stories and took them to the kids. Our shows have been seen by over 13,000 children in the Philadelphia area in the last few years, mostly for free.
What made you two choose to focus your careers on children’s theater?
Jennifer: We have both always loved the more fantastical elements of storytelling so when we started thinking about the kind of pieces we would love to do, we always veered toward something that had a little more magic or fantasy and realized that our interests were really appropriate for young audiences.
Kids theater tends to get a bad rap and be thought of as purely entertainment, not something that stretches kids imaginations. We’ve always been very insistent in working to engage an audience and get them involved in what’s happening. To entertain, but also to involve the audience a lot more. Kids are often pandered to in a lot of ways, but I believe that kids are super smart and that they get more than we give them credit for.
Landis: Our theater is very theatrical. Ancient theater used masks, elevator shoes, and all kinds of devices to play upon the imagination. It’s only more recently that realism has dominated theater. We draw from that ancient tradition to stimulate imagination. Kids are naturally spontaneous and creative so we like the idea of exposing them to shows that might make them realize they can continue to fertilize their imaginations at home.
Who should come see this show?
Jennifer: Children, families, grandparents, everyone! Kids find it very accessible because of the visuals, the music, the acting and storytelling. I think parents and children will be delighted that it is something they can share with their children.
Landis: If it’s not good enough for the adults, it’s not good enough for the kids!
Running Time: 34 minutes plus a Q & A session after the show. No intermission.
The Beast in the Bayou plays on July 6 and 7, 2017 at 10:30am at Wolf Trap Theatre-in-the-Woods – 1551 Trap Road, in Vienna, VA., and on July 11 at 11am at Penn’s Landing – 101 South Christopher Columbus Road, in Philadelphia, PA. For tickets to the Wolf Trap show, purchase them online. The Penn’s Landing show is free to the public as part of the city’s Arts in Action program.
What is education? Just because you attend school and sit in a desk doesn’t mean you learn something. In addition, learning can happen beyond the traditional classroom.
In School Play, Terry Brennan plays himself at nine years old in the fourth grade. This one-man show, written by Brennan and Jack Tamburri, depicts a typical day in the life of a smart fourth grader who just can’t seem to fit into the regular classroom. Tamburri directs Brennan in this funny and poignant look at the issues that a child may face in the daily grind of school. Filled with lots of acrobatics, this very physical show is well-coordinated and makes the most of its lighting, set and sound design.
Terry Brennan. Photo by Nick Mazzuca.
Brennan gives an energetic and engaging performance in School Play. He jumps around, does cartwheels, handstands and squeezes himself in and out of the desk. Like many 9-year-olds, he fidgets and talks out of turn. His characterization is excellent and believable even though he is considerably older in real life. The sound and lighting design, by Kyle Yackoski and Robin Stamey, help depict what is going on in Terry’s mind, when he starts to lose focus and daydream in class. For example, when his unseen teacher, Ms. Jackson, tells him to “keep it inside,” he launches into an outlandish dance medley with his desk, which encompasses tango, lindy, disco and “dirty dancing.” Popular recorded music tracks and different colored lighting accompany each style.
Even though Brennan is the only character, the set design and the script make it easy to imagine an entire class of children and the teacher. Terry often speaks to Ms. Jackson and other students in the class. Even though they are not physically present, and they don’t talk back, Terry’s responses, actions and facial expressions illustrate the interactions. The venue, St. Peter’s School, is perfect for School Play. It’s an elementary school, and the small auditorium creates an intimate space that feels like a classroom. Rather than use the stage, the “classroom” is set up on the opposite end of the room and the audience is close to, and on the same level as, the actor. The set, designed by Peter Smith, is simple but highly effective, with just one little desk, a table and a cupboard with a pencil sharpener, stapler and a few other items.
I laughed through most of School Play. Even though I was a “good student” and never had difficulties in school, I could relate to the character and his problems. I had classmates who always seemed to get in trouble and teachers who picked on them. It is natural to identify and sympathize with Terry because his inner struggle and his intelligence are clearly and skillfully portrayed in School Play. This is a fun yet thought provoking play, and I highly recommend it for parents and teachers especially.
Running Time: 65 minutes, with no intermission.
Terry Brennan. Photo by Nick Mazzuca.
School Play plays through June 25, 2017 at Tribe of Fools, performing at St. Peter’s School – 319 Lombard Street, in Philadelphia, PA. For tickets, purchase them online.
Peter and the Starcatcher creates a backstory for one of literature’s greatest heroes, Peter Pan. But much of the appeal of Rick Elice’s play – and director Ted Wioncek III’s production – lies in the way it tells that story.
Katrina Michaels, Tim Rinehart, and Adam Hoyak. Photo by David Pierron.
Based on a book by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson, Peter and the Starcatcher takes us to 1885 and follows the courses of two sailing ships. Villainous pirates are in pursuit of a treasure chest (naturally) that’s on one of the ships. But have they picked the right ship? Hard to say – these bumbling buccaneers can’t seem to get much right. Meanwhile, aboard one of those ships is a young boy without any possessions – not even a name. With the help of a bunch of other young boys – and one very special young girl – he acquires some special powers and a legendary name. But even though we think of Peter Pan as the boy who doesn’t grow up, this Peter does a lot of growing in just a little time.
It wouldn’t be a Peter Pan story without leaps of imagination, and Peter and the Starcatcher supplies plenty of fresh fantasy. (What is a starcatcher anyway? Don’t worry, this show will tell you.) But this show fleshes out the classic tale in charming and poignant ways: the Lost Boys here are orphans who are truly lost without a mother (they’ve never even heard of a bedtime story, let alone had one read to them). And the boastful boys must take a backseat to Molly, the only girl in their group, who turns out to be a better leader than any of them. There’s a winsomeness and tenderness here that will make it attractive to audiences of all ages.
There’s a lot of humor here too, thanks to the bad guy: Black Stache, a sort of sketchbook version of Captain Hook who blunders his way across the sea and bobbles the English language while he’s at it. Black Stache isn’t nearly as fearsome as he thinks he is, but that’s part of the joke; even his menacing mustache is drawn on with greasepaint, Groucho Marx-style.
Wioncek fills the show with engaging, low-key stagecraft; rather than showing us the two ships, we see a couple of hand-held model ships, with the rest of the setting suggested by ladders, ropes and other found objects. When storms attack the ships, a couple of onstage seating platforms get pushed around by the actors, drawing audience members into the action and adding to the fun. A sense of wonder permeates the production, meaning you’ll never miss grandiose sets and pyrotechnics.
Tim Rinehart and Ernie Jewell. Photo by Chris Miller.
The informal tone extends to the whole presentation: the boys wear sneakers and sweatshirts (Ashleigh Poteat’s costumes blend the old with the new), Chris Miller’s lighting design establishes a hazardous mood without elaborate special effects, and the scenic design (credited to Wioncek, Miller, Ernie Jewell and Peter Smith) adorns the walls with wooden pallets, creating an unfinished look.
Unfortunately, many of the show’s nuances are lost in a sound design that tends to swallow the dialogue, making it hard to follow some of the plot twists. This is especially noticeable during the songs (written by Wayne Barker); most of the lyrics are impossible to decipher, even though the band consists only of a keyboardist and a percussionist, both of whom sit between the stage and the majority of the audience.
Still, there’s a lot of warmth in Peter and the Starcatcher, much of it emanating from the cast. Adam Hoyak makes the most of his journey as Peter, searching for (and eventually finding) the hero within. Katrina Michaels is plucky and precocious as Molly, a great role model for the youngsters in the audience. Best of all is Tim Rinehart, hamming it up with plenty of glee as Black Stache. There are nice comic performances by the rest of the cast too, notably Ernie Jewell as the oblivious Smee, and Jonathan Fink, who, while doing a drag turn as Molly’s nanny (wearing both a bonnet and a beard), makes the show’s connections to British stage traditions more explicit.
What makes Eagle Theatre’s Peter and the Starcatcher unique is the dynamic and resourceful way it tells its story. It makes it a story worth catching for the entire family.
Running Time: Two hours and 40 minutes, including an intermission.
Peter and the Starcatcher plays through June 11, 2017, at The Eagle Theatre – 208 Vine Street, in Hammonton, NJ. For tickets, call the box office at (609) 704-5012, or purchase them online.
It’s back to the ‘80s at Hammonton’s Eagle Theatre, for an absolutely hilarious revisiting of the decade of big hair, tacky fashions, and bad-ass music–or just bad, if you’re not of that generation!–in Rock of Ages. More than simply a jukebox musical, the book by Chris D’Arienzo is an over-the-top parody of the period, constructed around live covers of the most popular hits of the time. For those who lived through it, wore the styles, drank the wine coolers, and rocked out to the music, the show is a walk down memory lane; for those who didn’t, it’s an uproarious introduction to the questionable taste of what–as Lonny, the show’s narrator, tells us–was “a sexier time” in America, with a Republican President (Ronald Reagan), mullet hairdos, and sleazy strip joints. At least mullets have since fallen by the wayside.
Tim Rinehart and Patrick Joyce. Photo by Chris Miller.
Directed with full-out “sex, drugs, and rock-and-roll” gusto by Ed Corsi, Eagle’s laugh-out-loud production, filled with raunchy humor and dirty dancing, is performed by an exuberant cast of fourteen and a kick-ass five-piece band under the musical direction of Jason Neri, with Jeff Ralston and Jack Jesiolowski on guitar, Ryan Macken on bass, Tyler Steinbronn on drums, and Neri on keyboards. For better or worse, the terrific ensemble successfully recreates the style, mood, and sound of “classic rock” of the ‘80s, and keeps us clapping along and rocking, while plants in the front rows of the audience wave their cigarette (or joint) lighters, in traditional rock-concert fashion.
The show’s silly lyrics-inspired storyline follows the misadventures of Sherrie, “a small-town girl,” and Drew, “a city boy” (from, you guessed it, “south Detroit”—courtesy of “Don’t Stop Believin’” by ‘80s rock band Journey), who meet in a club on the Sunset Strip in LA, where they’ve come to pursue their dreams of stardom and romance. A send-up of the usual old boy-meets-girl/boy-loses-girl/boy-gets-girl cliché, the young couple’s “f’in’ love story” is here waylaid by the egomaniacal rock god Stacee Jaxx, Sherrie’s stint as a stripper, a record producer’s idea to feature Drew in a boy band, and a German developer’s plans to turn the Strip into a strip mall, which draws protests and a rousing rendition of Twisted Sister’s “We’re Not Gonna Take It” from the locals, fiercely pumping their fists and jumping up and down.
Eagle’s entire cast brings an unbridled spirit of satire to the roles, with especially sidesplitting performances by Patrick Joyce as Lonny, who strikes outrageously funny poses and makes occasional breaks from the narrative to offer his comic direct-address commentary to the audience; Tim Rinehart as the club’s hippie pothead proprietor Dennis Dupree; Loulu Luzi as the dedicated community activist Regina; and Adam Hoyak as Franz, the prancing and squealing son of the German developer who delivers one of the funniest lines in the show. And Sal Pavia is a standout as the sybaritic Stacee, perfectly embodying the demeanor and devolution of the laughably archetypal rock star while nailing his full-throttle vocals. Jenna Bitow as the strip club’s ‘Mama’ also dazzles with her powerhouse voice every time she takes the stage, and Justin Luciano’s Drew and Leanne Smith’s Sherrie strike a sentimental note with their harmonious heartfelt duet of “High Enough” by Styx.
The performers are supported by a spot-on design, with lights by Chris Miller, sound by David Pierron, set by Peter Smith, and video production by Brian Morris that evoke the times and locale with witty accuracy. Ashleigh Poteat’s trashy period-style costumes and wigs are a howl, and high-energy choreography by the multi-talented Pavia spoofs the risible well-observed moves of both rockers and strippers alike.
Sal Pavia (center), with Meghan Deeley and Jessica Huch. Photo by Chris Miller.
If you’re looking for “complex characters and deep thoughts,” a serious message, or a heavy socio-political agenda, you won’t find it here. Eagle’s Rock of Ages is just a lot of loud stupid fun, in a raucously entertaining two hours of nostalgia-filled farce. So “enjoy having your face melted” and rock on!
Running Time: Approximately two hours and 15 minutes, including a 15-minute intermission.
Rock of Agesplays through Sunday, February 19, 2017,at Eagle Theatre – 208 Vine Street, in Hammonton, NJ. For tickets, call (609) 704-5012, or purchase them online.
In a theatre festival with a sometimes overwhelming number of shows, there’s only one show where you’ll see actors flipping off walls, a real-life Street Fighter battle, and show-downs with the Philadelphia Parking Authority.
Tribe of Fools’ Antihero, playing in the Painted Bride Art Center, is a raucous comedy that boasts an impressive combination of razor-shop dialogue, feats of virtuosic physicality, and some in-your-face truth laying down. Directed by Terry Brennan and written by Brennan, Nick Mazzuca, and Peter Smith,
Antihero revolves around the story of two white male nerds: Parker Peters (Kyle Yackoksi), a rule-loving Superman fan with a secret identity and the Man Without a Name (Smith), a batman idolizer dead set on carrying out a vigilante campaign against the PPA. Parker and his ideological opponent face off in their favorite comic store, watched by the store manager (Zachary Chiero) and Simone (Colleen Hughes) – a graduate student writing her thesis on “the contemporary regressive post-adult male.”
Kyle Yackoski and Peter Smith face off. Photo courtesy of Tribe of Fools.
The script moves at a fast clip, Mike Cosenza’s fight choreography is as hilarious as Brennan and Co.’s script, and the athletic ensemble (filled out by Tara Demmy, Leah Holleran, and Joseph Ahmed) hit consistent laughs. Yet Antihero isn’t all fun and games. The first scene sets the comic store crew against a serious backdrop: the violent police killing of a suspected shoplifter.
In between the jokes, Antihero tackles racism, sexism, toxic masculinity, and institutional corruption. It’s an important choice to bring up and make room for such topics, but sometimes there is a sense that these myriad issues are being treated too lightly. Tribe of Fools states that they make, “complicated and difficult themes accessible and identifiable to the audience,” but in Antihero they also run the risk of depicting the issues themselves as something that can or should be laughed at.
Ultimately, Antihero, with its stellar comedic performances and an unexpectedly intense and moving ending, is never a dull ride. It’s well worth braving your own run in with the PPA to go see.
Running Time: Approximately 90 minutes, with no intermission.
Antihero plays September 12-23, 2016 at The 2016 Philadelphia Fringe Festival performing at the Painted Bride Art Center – 4th and Vine Streets, in Philadelphia, PA. For tickets, call the box office at (215) 413 1318, or purchase them online.
Inspired by the ancient Greek myth of Io, the principles of existential risk and human enhancement ethics considered by Swedish philosopher Nick Bostrum, and the popular genre of science fiction, Almanac Dance Circus Theatre, under the dramaturgical direction of Nick Jonczak, has created an ingenious space epic that raises the big issues about life, death, and the destiny of humankind in Exile 2588. Using an old story to tell a new one, the futuristic adaptation follows the peregrinations of Io, here exiled from earth for committing the first homicide in over 500 years (or was it a mercy killing, or assisted suicide?), on a planet where all inhabitants have been granted eternal life.
Nick Gillette, Lauren Johns, and Ben Grinberg. Photo by Daniel Kontz Design.
Almanac’s remarkably gifted ensemble of creators/performers (Ben Grinberg, Nick Gillette, Nicole Burgio, Mark Wong, and Lauren Johns) combines its signature style of dazzling acrobatics, engaging acting, and amusing wit with the narration, commentary, and original live folk music composed and performed by the supremely talented duo Chickabiddy (Aaron Cromie and Emily Schuman. That’s a whole lot of superlatives in one brilliantly entertaining and thought-provoking 65-minute show!
The work’s breathtaking physicality–with spectacular solo routines of breakdancing by Wong and static trapeze by Burgio (all of the daredevil dance and circus skills are performed without a net or safety harness)–and haunting musical harmonies (among the most poignant mood-setting numbers are the opening “Origin Song” and the provocative finale “If I Were Infinite,” which has all of the makings of a stand-alone hit) are supported by a top-notch design.
Chickabiddy (Emily Schuman and Aaron Cromie). Photo by Daniel Kontz Design.
Peter Smith’s sleek set of geometric black-and-white panels is enhanced by Robin Stamey’s glowing colored lights, and costumes by Natalia de la Torre cleverly evoke the style of the future in functional dance and exercise gear that permits the performers full mobility.
After captivating us with movement, music, and storytelling, Exile 2588 leaves us pondering the timeless questions about mortality and wondering if unending life at all cost is truly better than a natural life cycle and ultimate death. This is really heady stuff; don’t miss it.
Design by Thomas Romer at Chop Shop.
Running Time: 65 minutes, without intermission.
Exile 2588plays through Friday, September 23, 2016, performing at the Painted Bride Art Center – 230 Vine Street, Philadelphia, PA. For tickets, call (215) 413-1318, or purchase them online.
If you believe that the arts are an integral part of life, and that children should be introduced to them from an early age, then you are in total agreement with the mission of Enchantment Theatre Company. Artistic Directors Landis Smith, Jennifer Blatchley Smith, and Leslie Reidel formed the Philadelphia-based non-profit organization in 2000, to create imaginative offerings that entertain, inspire, enrich, and challenge young audiences, while impressing all ages with the outstanding quality of its performances and its high production values.
Landis Smith, Jennifer Blatchley Smith, and Leslie Reidel. Photo courtesy of Enchantment Theatre Company.
Presenting inventive new works based on classic children’s literature and fairytales, familiar fables and age-old myths, Enchantment’s distinctive approach honors such time-honored traditions of world theater as Commedia dell’Arte, Kabuki, Bunraku, pantomime, magic, and dance. Its combination of silent, movement-based live actors and puppets with pre-recorded sound effects, original music, and voiceover narration and dialogue is enhanced by expressive masks, colorful costumes, hand-painted sets, and clever props. The result is a masterful fusion of engaging storytelling with the performing and visual arts, which appeals to all of the senses, stimulates intuitive thinking, and captivates adults and children alike.
In addition to its annual mainstage production each December—a spectacular version of Peter Rabbit Tales graced the theater of the Arts Bank in 2015–Enchantment tours its shows both nationally and internationally (Peter Rabbit Tales traveled throughout North America on its 2015-16 schedule) and also brings a selection of portable works to Philadelphia-area schools and local community venues.
Enchantment Theatre Company’s ‘Peter Rabbit Tales.’ Photo by Mark Garvin.
The goal of “Enchantment Everywhere” is to provide kids with ready access to much-needed theatrical programming, at a time when funding for the arts has become severely limited in our country, and field trips, extracurricular activities, and arts classes have been reduced or completely eliminated from the curriculum of many of our underserved educational institutions. As part of its in-school initiatives, the socially-conscious company also offers a 20-week residency program with six teaching artists, culminating in an Enchantment-style production at the end of the course by the young participants. The programs are provided at a low cost to schools, with financial assistance available by application to those who couldn’t otherwise afford them. To date, Enchantment has served over 150,000 local students and has developed on-going relationships with many of its educational partners.
Promotional image for Enchantment Theatre Company’s The Beast in the Bayou. Design by Hanna Manninen.
Enchantment’s current offering, and the third in its “Enchantment Everywhere” series, is a world-premiere production of The Beast in the Bayou, a delightful reimagining by the Smiths and Reidel of the timeless 18th century French fairytale Beauty and the Beast, with original music by Charles Gilbert. Set in a small town, forest, and marshland of Louisiana, filled with alluring reptiles, birds, and butterflies, the Americanized folk version of the transformative story underscores the value of nature, generosity, love, and kindness, and the importance of appreciating all living creatures for their inner beauty, not their outward appearance (“Beauty is what you do”). Presented its in signature style by a skilled ensemble of five (Erin Carney, Leah Holleran, Aaron Lathrop, Aaron Roberge, and Peter Smith), the 35-minute family-friendly show made its public debut at the Philadelphia Zoo on May 2nd, moves to Smith Memorial Playground for two performances on Mother’s Day, May 8th, and will continue to be seen in schools throughout the region.
Previous shows in the “Enchantment Everywhere” series, and also available for travel, are original adaptations of The Fisherman and the Flounder and The Brave Little Tailor, favorites from the collection of early German fairytales by the Brothers Grimm.
Enchantment Theatre Company’s ‘The Brave Little Tailor.’ Photo by Sally Huxley.
Following the public performances of The Beast in the Bayou, Enchantment will collaborate with the Philadelphia Sinfonia in a concert at the Kimmel Center on May 25th, where everyone can join in the magic.
Enchantment Theatre Company’s ‘The Sorcerer’s Apprentice.’ Photo by Mark Garvin.
The orchestral program includes works by Tchaikovsky and Glinka, and concludes with a multi-disciplinary presentation of Paul Dukas’ The Sorcerer’s Apprentice(made famous in the animated 1940 Disney film Fantasia), featuring music by the Philadelphia Sinfonia Players and a theatrical interpretation by Enchantment Theatre Company. You can expect it to be thoroughly enchanting!
The Beast in the Bayouplays on Sunday, May 8, 2016 at 11:00 am and 12:15 pm, by Enchantment Theatre Company, performing at Smith Memorial Playground – 3500 Reservoir Drive, Philadelphia, PA. Reserve tickets online, or book a performance for your school.
The Sorcerer’s Apprenticeplays on Wednesday, May 25, 2016 by Enchantment Theatre Company and the Philadelphia Sinfonia, performing at Verizon Hall in the Kimmel Center – 300 South Broad Street, in Philadelphia, PA. For tickets, call the box office at (215) 893-1999, or purchase online.
