iNDY fRINGE True Variety

TyCStover

August 23, 2008 by TyCStover

0 votes

This post actually started as a response to a comment IndyCurmudgeon made on the Indy.com staff's "5 theatrical productions on the fringe" iNDY FRINGE article. http://www.indy.com/posts/10902

And I think the topic merits its own thread...

His comment...

"Greeattt...so this Fringe thing is nothing but girl power shows and f*#&in magic acts?

I thought there were alot more things going on at Fringe beyond the 5 shows one of your editors liked the most or had buddies in, so why didn't Indy.com post the whole Fringe line-up?"

There is truly something for everyone. Indy .com can not cover all 54 shows and still cover anything else in town.

And it depends on the individual's taste anyway. Just check out Indyfringe.org for full descriptions. My recommendations of not to miss shows are fully different from Whitney's. I throughly enjoyed THE CAVERNS tonight (see review), A------S AND AUREOLES id perhaps the funniest thing I have seen at fringe. But, it is taste. I saw the Meet The Rock preview on Fri. I also watched some of his stuff online... not my cup of...er...Geritol. If you have kids there are things for them, some like dance... I happen to...Motus is awesome. I also enjoy magic, yeah maybe 4 magicians could be a bit much but if you look at them they are all different in presentation and kind of magic. Mind reading, big stage, history/drag, teenager. Taylor Martin (Andrea Merlin) knows more about the history of magic than any one person I have ever met. Phil The Void across the board every year a quality show and fuuuuuuny.

Sooo... what sort of a Fringer are you? Magic? Comedy? Dance? Drama? Family Friendly? Freaky stuff that can't be categorized... a couple a those this year. What are you seeing? And if you are not...why not??

Forum: Talk

Tags: 

Variety, fringe

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5 comments

whitney smith
whitney smith, August 23
0 votes

Well said, Ty. IndyFringe offers such variety that theatregoers with differing taste can come up with their own, high-quality favorites without duplication. IndyFringe is also a place to try things you might not otherwise. Phil the Void is not someone I wanted to invest time in last year, but after seeing his bit at the Fringe Preview I'm a new convert and plan to catch his act.

UncleSam
UncleSam, August 23
0 votes

Speaking of "high-quality favorites without duplication," might we not forget to mention that "Peace on Terror" from Bloomington's Theatre of the People is a must see show that defines what the Indy Fringe could be if only we demanded more intellectual thought from our community of artists. We in the theatre profession often hear that audiences want nothing more than simple entertainment, but we dare to differ. Theatre of the People believes that some audiences seek entertainment, yes, but some folks also want to see shows that stimulate their emotions in a thought-provoking and meaningful way.

As such, "Peace on Terror" makes every attempt to highlight real life drama in an entertaining way. This is no show for the Beavis and Butthead crowd who think taboo subjects are fringy, yet everyone is still welcome to join the hundreds of audience members who have already experienced a show they have no doubt never experienced before and would not if it weren't for the bravery of the ensemble of artists involved to believe that some audiences are right to demand more from their community of artists.

"Peace on Terror" is now playing: Theatre on the Square - Stage 2 Saturday, August 23 @ 9pm Sunday, August 24 @ 1:30pm Wednesday, August 27 @ 7:30pm Saturday, August 30 @ 7:30pm Sunday, August 31 @ 6pm

TyCStover
TyCStover, August 24
0 votes

Thanks for the plug for your show Uncle Sam... Hey Indy.com-ers... let's hear it... When 'ya comin' what are ya seein'?

IndyCurmudgeon
IndyCurmudgeon, August 24
0 votes

I thought I would try it out, so I went to see three shows yesterday in search of some good "E".

First I saw "Stripped" at the Phoenix. Anything to do with strippers and such appeals to me. Overall, this was a well-written and performed show, but I think they F&*%d up some cues towards the end. Otherwise, I was pleasantly surprised by this original from a local group and would recommend it to others to go check this one out since it gave good "E".

The next show I went to, "Confessions of a Fringe Technician", was a huge mistake and a waste of the 10 bucks admission. The only reason I went was because someone told me the same group/person did a really funny show a few years ago call "Jaws". I have to say that the whole premise lost me; it was a very loose satire concerning Fringe festivals, technicians and numerous references to Minneapolis. I felt like I was sitting through 55 minutes of a poorly executed inside joke mixed with some "Theatre Tech 101". Between the Forrest Gump-esque character (Actor 1), the over-the-top female Actor 2, the latent homosexual pretending to be a womanizer called Actor 3 or our main character "the Tech", I began to become more and more annoyed with not only this failed attempt at a coherent story, but the writers lazy and egocentric attempt at a witty original production. All and all, I would highly recommend taking an Alexander Hamilton out of your wallet, wipe your butt with it and set it on fire before forking it over to attend this show.

Finally, I saw "Best of the Blizzard" at the Phoenix because it was close to my car and I needed something to help me forget the last disaster that managed to hijack a stage and potentially ruin the Fringe for a newcomer. This was better that "Confessions", but a bit too ADHD with 18 shorts at about 3 minutes each. Some sketches were funny while others left me thinking "WTF!", but this quartet of talented young performers gave me enough of the "E" to balance and redeem this evening. Although this seemed more like a 60 minute audition for SNL than live theatre, if you have some time between shows and an extra ten-spot I say go check it out.

Cheers!

TyCStover
TyCStover, August 25
0 votes

IC, Glad you ventured down. And glad you got your dose of "E". Sorry you felt got burned on TECH.

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