More Fringe Festival Reports

Monday is usually my chores and things and stuff to-do day, and this Monday was no exception. The most time consuming was, of course, the two trips to the grocery stores in the ‘hood but I am now stocked up food-wise for the week.

On Monday my first Fringe Festival show was at 5:00 in a newly renovated theater on Bank Street in The Village. “The Chronicles of Steve: the bossy bottom” was one of the WORST shows I have seen in a long long time. It was 1:15 of pure drek as the writer/performer shamelessly invoked every dreadful gay stereotype in the world. It gets 0 stars. Barf and double barf.

I had about an hour to kill before my next show so I just wandered around The Village and people-watched.

“For Reasons Unknown” attracted a full house at The Barrow Street Theater and there was good reason - the show was excellent. The blurb said that it was based on a real event. Wow! Briefly, the male lead (and co-writer) comes home to his Midtown East apartment to find that someone has “pooed” on his couch, then all hell breaks loose as he and his female best friend attempt to find out “who done it.” The cops are called; his next-door neighbor is questioned; the building superintendent, a gun-toting anti-pigeon fanatic, appears; and, in the final scene the apartment is almost destroyed by a falling crane. Oh my Gawd thought I, this is set in the building at the end of my block, and it was indeed I discovered after the show. It was very eerie. I award the show 4.5 stars.

So, that was Monday. Now, what about today, Tuesday? Well, I have two Fringe Festival shows and one Off-Broadway show:

2:30 - “The Deciders.” Musical/Comedy. 1:10 - “Patriotism! Power! Paranoia? A driving rock score reveals in song and satire the secrets, dreams, motives and misinformation of those who make the decisions and those who live with the repercussions from the Washington Power Elite to Baghdad and beyond.” Fringe Festival.

5:00 - “Raised by Lesbians.” Comedy. 1:15 - “No sixteen-year-old wants to be seen with his parents, lesbian or otherwise. Sprung from the laboratory into the shopping mall, feral freak boy Joe is badgered by his dad, picked on my classmates ... oh, and mom has a new girlfriend.” Fringe Festival.

At 7:30 I have the Off-Broadway show “The Marriage of Bette & Boo” which I have described in a previous posting. This show is part of my Roundabout Theater season subscription. It has gotten excellent reviews and I am looking forward to seeing it.

My entertainment schedule for the rest of the week is --

Wednesday - 3:00 - “The Disappearance of Jonah.” Comedy/Drama. 1:15 - “Small-town golden boy Jonah Thompson disappeared two years ago. Against the backdrop of Manhattan and the the scattered people Jonah once knew, his brother Finn sets out to find him.” Fringe Festival.

8:00 - Mostly Mozart Festival Concert @ Lincoln Center. Mozart: Serenade for Winds; Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 3; Mozart: Symphony No. 39. (discounted TDF ticket).

Thursday - 3:00 - “The Gay No More Telethon.” Musical Comedy. 1:40 - “Tonight, Reverend Wiley Ray Henderson's Religious Broadcasting Network presents The "Gay No More" Telethon. Your generous contribution will help turn every homosexual straight by the Rapture or the 2014 Winter Olympics ...whichever comes first. "Let's Get One Thing Straight ... You!" Fringe Festival.

Friday - 2:30 - “Parental Indiscretions.” Comedy. 1:30 - “Two brothers - one gay, one straight - discover they may not be, and their Aunt Pearl's prize winning petunia patch holds more than just the key to their past.” Fringe Festival.

8:00 - “National Pastime” - “National Pastime is the story of a small 1930's radio station which cannot compete for the rights to broadcast a real baseball team's games....so they create their own team! Written by Algonquin Theater's Artistic Director Tony Sportiello and directed by Nancy Robillard, this popular comedy has appeared twice in Cooperstown at the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame and is in the Literature Library.” (complimentary ticket).

Saturday - gasp, open at the moment

Sunday - “The Naked Elephant in the Middle of the Room.” Comedy/Drama. 0:45 - “A novice playwright struggles to write a really great comedy for FringeNYC while his characters come to life onstage. But what sells? Sex? Gay humor? Naked men? Or an audience warning" CONTAINS ADULT THEMES and NUDITY! How great is that!” Fringe Festival.

In closing, I am happy to report that my sister, Ann Parker, now living in California, is recovering from the surgery required to repair the shoulder she broke in an unfortunate accident while walking her dog. Her daughter Donna has stepped forward and is now with Ann - way to go Donna!! Thanks!!

Billi Pod
wanjr@aol.com