By Jay Menard

The title of Clara Madrenas’ Recovery Show is not so much of a misnomer, as it is a misdirection. The title is intended to be reflexive — representing the shared recovery from mental and physical ailments by Madrenas and her partner. But the truth is that, after leaving the production, it is the audience who is in need of Recovery time following one of the most open, honest, and visceral productions to be mounted on a Fringe stage in years.

During the play, Madrenas talks about how, during a particular stage of psychosis, she felt that the only way she could heal her ailing partner was to grasp a glowing orb that appeared on their bedroom wall, and transfer its energy into her partner by cracking open his chest, exposing his organs, and manipulating them.

That’s an apt metaphor for Recovery Show — as Madrenas metaphorically rips open her being and exposes her soul to the light. She does it not to be judged, but rather to be understood — and to help others understand their experiences. Like the mirror neurons she discusses late in the play, the audience shares the catharsis and empathy to which the story builds. Continue reading →

By Jay Menard

If one could focus exclusively on the dance and tune everything else out, Rebellion would be an excellent dance show. The performers, from The Dance Movement, execute the choreography beautifully. They are strong dancers as an ensemble, performing flawless synchronization when called for, and standing out as individuals when given the chance.

Unfortunately, direction and production decisions makes it impossible to tune the others out. And the dancers are obscured by directorial decisions that are implemented with all the subtlety of a sledgehammer. The performance suffers as a result and the dancers are the victims of the decisions. Continue reading →

By Jay Menard

Mike Delamont is a veteran of the Fringe circuit and has graced the London Fringe stages for years — often as God, the Scottish Drag Queen, and last year as himself in a deeply personal production about his mother. But this year, Delamont has released his wild side and gives the Devil his due in Hell Yeah! An Evening with the Devil.

Delamont is a true professional. He’s built up enough cachet to be able to phone it in once in awhile, but he consistently delivers hilarious writing, structured content, and an incredibly immersive performance. He eschews the Scottish brogue and frumpy dress for a drawl reminiscent of a southern preacher, hikes up his slacks, slicks down his hair, and buffs his Ned Flanders-esque “Dr. Fuzzenstein.” Continue reading →

By Jay Menard

So Tevye may not need another daughter, but it clearly can use some refinement, edits, focus, and better pacing. There is a rudimentary foundation of a story in this play, but a lack of subtlety in delivery and challenges with its pacing causes that promising potential to be lost.

The production is Monda Halpern’s So Tevye, Could You Use Another Daughter. And there’s a certain chutzpah involved with name dropping Tevye in a production. Due to the iconic status of the character (known from Fiddler on the Roof and the Tevye series of novels from whence the film and play were inspired), you’re setting expectations extremely high about the quality of the content, at very least. When those expectations are elevated, it’s beholden on all involved to live up to them. Continue reading →