Fringe of Fancy [Theatre Nerd]

The 2013 Hollywood Fringe Festival is in full swing through this weekend, ending June 29^th.  The two week event features the good, the bad and the ugly of live performance.  The festival hosts hundreds of shows including solo performance, cabaret and variety, comedy, and ensemble performance – all housed in 20 different theaters and performance venues in Hollywood.  There truly is something for everyone. The crowds are young and enthusiastic, and a majority of the shows are imported from theatre companies all over the US and abroad.

Fringe fests happen all over the world and throughout the year.  Independent artists have a space to workshop and debut new works in front of an audience for a relatively small entrance fee.  Renting theater space is very costly; this helps an artist afford to put their work out to be seen by the world, or, at least a very loving and supportive theatre community.  The festivals champion the independent theatre artist.  Support the Fringe and see some exciting (or terrible!) shit.

The beauty of the Hollywood Fringe, aside from the supportive community spirit the fest seems to invoke, is the accessibility factor.  All Fringe theatres are all located within the theatre district in central Hollywood. Also, all the theaters are within one square mile of one another, and a good majority of them are on Santa Monica Blvd..  Also, the Metro at Hollywood and Vine is a hop, skip and a nice 15 minute walk away from all venue locations.   As a recent New York to LA transplant, this makes me giddy.

Public transportation, ya’ll.  Get hip.  Get your tap pass now.  http://taptogo.net/

Most shows run around one hour and ticket prices range from Pay What You Can to $15.  Not bad.  You can also check out the free events the festival hosts, such as the End of the World Party on June 29th or Gallatin:LA- an eclectic evening of art and theatre created by NYU-Galatin Alumni, also June 29th

For all of this and to read show reviews and to plan your fringe outing , visit www.hollywoodfringe.com

I’ve caught a few shows thus far.  First was the Zenith Ensemble’s The Devil and Billy Markham, Shel Silverstein’s “epic dirty poem” about a man who strikes not one but two losing deals with the devil.  Perfectly fitted for its venue, the 3 Clubs Bar, this one has an old-time, back room speakeasy feel and features a gritty, soulful live band featuring guitar (Carlos Flores), drums (Kevin Katich), and keyboards (Hank Doughan).

Aaron Williams aggressively barrels through the narration with such manic ferocity that it leaves the audience hoping he’ll relax and breathe, so that the audience can too.   Or maybe it was just me?  Either way, I lost interest.  Williams forces the poem forward rather than finding the natural rise and fall of the story.   Ruth Fox plays Billy’s wife, and serves no real purpose in the piece except to occasionally pout, swing her hair, or stand sexily off to the side and demonstrate sex positions.

Every girl’s dream role, I can tell you.

The cast did make great use of the space and the band helped nail the tone, but the breakneck speed of the poem left me searching for the cocktail waitress.

Next up was Take Me to the Poorhouse, A one woman show written and performed by the delightful Liz Femi.  The story follows an 8-year-old Nigerian Schoolgirl and her desire for her family to become poor in order to feel like she belongs to her own community. Femi is as endearing as she is skilled, and she brings great life to this simple and engaging story. Each character she creates is detailed distinct and authentic.

Femi uses simple projections and lighting to move the story along, but other than that, she relies on characterization and the audience’s imagination.  This is storytelling at it’s physical best.

The performance I attended was full; many of the audience members were participants of the festival supporting Femi’s work.  I was once again reminded of the beauty and strength of the theatre community- inclusive, supportive, alive and living larger than life.  The audience erupted in applause and gratitude when Femi took her curtain call.  I was happy to be in the room.

In the coming days I’m interested in checking out Comedy, Death and a New Ferrari at Theatre Asylum, based on reviews I read about the one-woman show.  I’m fascinated by one-person shows.  Fluffy Bunnies in a Field of Daisies at the Underground Theatre, cause aaah! Hot Cat at the Theatre of Note, created by Theatre Movement Bazaar, is an intriguing blend of theatre and dance, and Jesus Ride at the at the Lounge Theatre because why not take a ride?  At your own risk, dear fringers.  Hope to see you there.

For more information and for dates and times, visit the website www.hollywoodfringe.com .