Fringe Binge! Show #4: Rodeo Town

David Lynch called. He wants his play back.

For anyone who craves that eerie noir feel and the relief that comes at the end when they are brought back to real life, this is their play. It didn't take long to get sucked into the lonely desert enclave of Rodeo Town. The acting was impeccable. Combine that with a few bottles of whiskey, a wood fence and a picnic table and within minutes, you were a million miles from The Beverly Center.

The darkness in this play is hidden at first, slowly unfurling in layers until your skin crawls. When the character Richard (played by Dustin Gooch) accidentally stumbles into this forgotten place, it was almost a sigh of relief to see someone with a Smart phone and pressed khakis. He reminded us of a more secure, familiar place, if only for a few minutes. It didn't take long for Garth (played by Eric Cire) to work on deconstructing Richard, and sucking him into his deranged web at Rodeo Town. Cowboys within Garth's web struggle against the control he has over them, including Lonnie, played by actor Harry Beer. Beer seems to be another character straight out of a Lynch story, (specifically Bob from Twin Peaks). Weakened by alcohol, his attempts to rise above the cult of personality dissolve before good is done.

Tension mounts as the cowboys (and their new guest) prepare for the biggest night of the year; a whiskey-soaked party where women (who only visit once a year) are expected to attend. But all the hootin' and hollerin' in the world won't prepare them for the one single woman who does show up. After this night, Rodeo Town will never be the same.

Fringe Binge! Show #3: Me Love Me

 

In the program for Me Love Me, playwright Brandon Baruch assures us "Don't worry...you can take a nice long shower tomorrow morning." He wasn't kidding. Me Love Me delves into the chaos of Hollywood life; and not the view from the top which we're accustomed to seeing on TV. We're exposed to the clawing and desperate underbelly of Hollywood. Actors with miserable day jobs in customer service, coke-fueled "networking" parties at night. The narcissism and backstabbing will ring familiar to most Fringe theatregoers, and it's a subject that may always have us in its thrall. 

There are two characters named Tuck. One is a spoiled man-child with a sense of entitlement, the other is his literal clone who is scientifically four years old. Both have the same level of maturity, only the original Tuck is a jaded actor with an uncanny ability to bullshit. Then there's Gemma, a performance artist who's as level-headed as someone can be with a Xanax addiction. After a night of binging on booze and drugs, both Tucks steer down a road that will change the course of their lives, and Gemma is left to pick up the pieces, sans Xanax.

This play is at both times funny and disturbing, as it steers us down paths that make the viewers shift in their seats. Actor Benjamin Durham was convincingly deplorable. In fact, I believe I was unconsciously sneering at him as he addressed the audience after the show. Which goes to show how talented he is and how ridiculous I am. Actress Lizzie Adelman was endearing, and had a chance to shine during her segment as performance artist. She cackled in an oh-my-God-I'm-going-to-have-a-nervous-breakdown kind of way, and we ate it up. But I certainly didn't wait until morning to take that nice, long shower.

Turn that Cringe Fest to a Fringe Fest!

It's that time of year again - the Hollywood Fringe Fest is celebrating its third year, and all your fake actor friends who only contact you when they have seats to fill will be loading up your inbox with invites.

Step one: Delete all the invites from fake friends

Step two: Consider the plays your REAL friends have invited you to

Step three: Go see 25 Plays Per Hour at Theatre Asylum

Step four: Reconsider the plays that your REAL friends invited you to, and then decide to adopt a shelter dog instead

Why? Because dogs are amazing, and 25 Plays Per Hour is funny. And that says a lot, because let's face it: most plays are bad and no one wants to see them. It costs money, precious weekend time and forces you to perform that fake praise in the lobby afterward. The latter which is so awkward, my coworker can't bear to befriend actors. So what a breath of fresh air to find a play that made me laugh out loud, and not care about the wannabe creative types in the audience who were too "cool" (insecure) to be the first to laugh.

While I do harbor the concern that play's creators might hate women, it's not a dark Dostoyevsky-type hatred. It's more of a funny hatred, poking only at the surface (girls as cliche: whiny, insecure, talkative). The Theatre Unleashed troupe brought a lot to the table as well. Who would think to combine the likes of Jack the Ripper and Typhoid Mary in a scene? Before acting even took place, the announcement of these two characters being thrown together caused ripples of laughter through the audience. Lee Pollero, a nimble and Kennedy-like actor in the troupe, thought to combine the dialogue of two men, (one a gay porn star and the other a macho vet) with them simultaneously offering a word-for-word account of two completely different experiences (an on-camera sex act and Vietnam combat, respectively). Hilarious.

The acting was impeccable. Sean Fitzgerald having a nervous breakdown during a TV commercial taping (he's just giving the TVs away - literally) was electric. Corey Howe was endearing and Tracey Collins is a natural on stage.

Seeing your friends in a play doesn't always have to be painful. Drop the Cringe fest and see this play!