Fringe Reviews – Day 8
I’ve been playing a lot of “Fringe Roulette” this year. While there are a lot of shows I want to see, most of them aren’t showing at a time I can see them (this weekend should change that). So instead, I’m just going to a show that is taking place close to where my shows are taking place. Those kinds of choices can result in finding some hidden gems.
So far this year, I haven’t had that kind of luck. I have seen very little that is terrible but I have seen a great deal that is mediocre.
I played Fringe Roulette with my first show yesterday and the result was…well…let’s just say I’m hoping my results are better next time.
Wel….that was a thing that happened.
My companion and I had differing opinions on this show. I felt that it was successful at what it was trying to do and I just didn’t like it. She felt it wasn’t successful at what it was trying to do.
She also didn’t like it.
The show was an absurdist comedy with a heavy emphasis on the absurd. At times, it felt like members of the audience laughed because they felt they were supposed to be laughing. At other times, it felt like something was supposed to be funny but no-one laughed.
The performers were fully committed and the production was clearly made by people who knew what they wanted to do. I don’t believe what I saw was accidental.
Were I giving a star rating for this show, I don’t know what I would give. Personally, I found it to be boring and I wasn’t engaged. But was that me or was it the show?
I guess the best thing I can say is if you know me and you like what I like, you probably won’t like it. But if you like avant garde weird comedy about vaginas, you might like it. I’m not sure.
Tim Uren’s show is a horror story set in the Black Hills of South Dakota. Four tourists check out the home of a legendary serial killer and you get the distinct impression that something bad is going to happen.
To talk too much about the show would be to take away from the experience of watching it. Tim does a great job crafting five very interesting and layered characters in a short amount of time and the performers all breathe life into them with skill.
Charles Hubbell, in particular, is exceptional. He is given most of the heavy lifting in the script and he carries it off with the deft touch of a seasoned professional.
That he stands out is more of a complement to him than to the skill of his fellow performers – all of whom are fantastic.
The story is simple but it twists and turns and is filled with the kind of lingering dread that exemplifies the best in horror. You know the hammer will fall but the question is when? And how?
I know and enjoy Tim’s writing so I’m not surprised that I liked this show. What surprised me was how much I liked the show. His show is easily in my top five for this year’s Fringe.
Grail Diary 