CAVE-IN The press release refers to The Cave as being inspired by Beauty and the Beast and Persephone. In Greek mythology, Persephone was abducted by Hades, the god-king of the Underworld. But this Fringe entry takes place not in Hell but an imagined abode of souls who have departed life as we know it: The…

A WORLD APART FROM TYPICAL FRINGE FARE Like a breath of fresh air, Jason Robert Brown’s Songs for a New World far exceeded my expectations of both the Fringe and Brown’s uneven song cycle. This is an early work from the Tony-winner for Parade and Bridges of Madison County. “It’s about one moment,” Brown said….

FAR FROM FABULOUS A young gay man named Charlie has had a breakup. Feeling despondent, he enters an empty theater and performs a ritual aided by a copy of Witchcraft for Dummies. He conjures an erstwhile college professor, Armand, to be his guide to the other world. Armand summons five older archetypal gay men (the…

LINDEN HOPS Based on the lyrics of Van Morrison’s “Linden Arden Stole the Highlights,” Colin Mitchell’s one-man play of the same name may have a sketchy narrative, but a combination of genuine acting by the author and Christian Levatino’s knowing and unobtrusive direction make this 1-hour first-person account of a San-Francisco-drug-dealer-turned-Scotland-recluse a persuasive event. It’s…

CANDY MAN Yes, this is a superficial “And then I…” retelling of Anthony Newley’s life, but Jon Peterson’s one-man outing at the Hollywood Fringe Festival is fun, escapist fare. In addition, audiences unfamiliar with the composer, actor, and one-time husband of Joan Collins should be flabbergasted by the gorgeous standards Newley left us (especially the…

ITHACA John Perrin Flynn and Brenda Davidson’s production of Penelope is so vivid that it’s hard for me to imagine the play in any other presentation – even though I’ve recently seen another  that had its own strengths.   Flynn’s direction is unequivocal, authoritative.   He finds the excitement and narrative drive carefully laid underneath Enda Walsh’s impossibly…

A BUTTERFLY WITHOUT WINGS Madama Butterfly (1904) is understandably one of the most popular operas in the world. Not only does it boast a tragic story that is incredibly moving, but the drama at its core is heightened and given beauty by Giacomo Puccini’s score. However, Center Stage Opera’s production fails to do the opera…

COMFORT CANCER Steven Dierkes has written the play one thinks of writing after a friend gets a brain tumor.   Like a character in Land Line, I once was a guy who talked long-distance day after day to a sick friend who’d had to move back into his parents’ house; if you live long enough, you’re…

IMPORTANCE AND FRIVOLITY Radically altering the circumstances of a revered text is the prerogative of any new production.   It’s one of the methods theater reserves to drag fusty old plays into the present.   And if you look at the Queer Classics version of The Importance of Being Earnest as taking place in a Sartre-esque vacuum,…