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Reviews
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| ART |
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Art,
playing at the Curran Theatre under the direction of Carole Shorenstein
Hays and the Messrs. Nederlander, is a quick and witty romp through
the relationship of three men. We first meet Marc (Judd Hirsch),
in his apartment pontificating on the absurdness of his friend Serge
buying an all white painting for 200,000 francs. Serge (Cotter Smith),
of course, doesn’t think it absurd at all and states repeatedly
that it is not white, maintaining that it has greys and blues and
even reds, if the light hits it just right. Yvan (Jack Willis) is
the easy-going one in this trio, agreeing with both and never really
having an opinion on anything. That is, until his fiancee, mother,
and step-mother all lock horns over the upcoming wedding invitations,
knocking him out of complacency. He erupts in a torrent of words
and gesticulation in a play-stealing scene when repeating this altercation
to his two friends causing them to stare in complete amazement.
This doesn’t deter them from their argument about the painting,
though. This argument grows and grows and takes on a life of it’s
own, wrecking old beliefs and assumptions and blazing a trail for
a different kind of relationship between them all. The dialogue
is wonderful and all three actors turn in exceptional performances
(especially Jack Willis). You’d better hurry to see it though, as
it won’t be in town for long... |
| The Lobsters are back, and they're better than ever |
Last year I saw this group perform "Killing My Lobster Gets Some Action." This year, they've got new material (Killing My Lobster Boards Flight 354), new costumes, and new choreography. This year's show is much tighter and more effective, packing all of the Lobsters' trademark goofiness into each scene and handling the transitions with ease. The onstage DJ is a major attraction; he keeps it funky for most of the 60 minute show.
Inspired by Monty Python and Mel Brooks (and looking a little like Bob and David's Mr. Show), the Lobsters leave no comedic stone unturned as they make their way through this latest work, a series of vignettes set in an airport and on an airplane. Exceptional moments include Abby Paige as a tragically Caucasian Spanish teacher from Palo Alto and a Scooby-Doo like sketch where founding Lobster Marc Vogl is chased by a ball, a stick, and a shovel. Get there early. This show sells out. Visit the Killing My Lobster webpage - Lori Culwell
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Fringe
Festival
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The 1999 Fringe Festival is underway, and this year features more absurd and comedic pieces than you can shake a stick at. Founded by Christina Augello (of Exit Theater fame) and Richard Livingston, the Festival has been running since 1991 and is a bigger success every year. With five theaters participating this year as venues, the festival has more than 250 performances of 50 shows playing over the next week. All subjects are covered-from screwball comedy (see Killing My Lobster review) to the modern Avant Garde (Richard Foreman's My Head was a Sledgehammer) to the classic (Buchner's Woyzeck), there is truly something for everyone at the Fringe.
This festival
is a continuation of Fringe Festivals around the world (Edinburgh, New
York, Hong Kong) in which artists get together to perform 10 or so days
of off-beat theater and spoken word art. This year's San Francisco line
up shows the diversity of the Festival-30 Helens are down from Canada,
and several of the entrants have trekked from New York, L.A. and beyond
to be here. Now, I'm not saying they're all good-the entrance procedure
is an un-arbitrated first-come, first served, so they don't screen for
quality. But chances are if you know a group, you hear something good
on the street, or you check here for thing reviewed by posthoc, you'll
see something you won't soon forget. Of course, you could just attend
the Best of the Fringe, which is on from September 30th thru October 2nd
at the Exit. Click below to see the Fringe Festival's webpage, and plan
your week accordingly.
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Lori Culwell
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