Blessed are those who have an opportunity to see the world premiere of CHRCH, A Black Music Story at Capital Fringe Festival for they shall be filled. Set in “a dance club afloat somewhere in the universe. The time: The Present, Past and Future,” this multimedia choreodrama written by Seshat Yon’shea Walker and directed by Henery Wyand is as much ethereal as it is onehunnit. In roughly 60 minutes, PastHER Teesh and ministry feed us manna from heaven: house music, radical self-love/acceptance, and edumacation on Black culture.

While the analogy of the church and the club isn’t a new one, it is one I have never seen developed so richly and extensively. Afrobeat artist Kizz Daniel sings one line about it and Grammy-nominated and -winning artists Janelle Monáe and Erykah Badu (respectively) explore similar Afro-futuristic themes in “Q.U.E.E.N.,” touching on music, testifying, preaching, Blackness, and self-love. Yon’shea Walker, who has a unique way with written word, prose and poetry, shares that CHRCH is the “first in a trilogy of werks that explore my personal life and stories mediated through the lens of black culture and the terrains of family and community that we have to navigate.”

CHRCH is riddled with metaphors throughout, and in CHRCH we are children of the 4/4 (a reference to the house genre of music that incorporates a repetitive four-on-the-floor beat). The sun is a “huge disco ball in the morning,” and the turntables are “two full moons pulsating in the sky.” CHRCH service is a nocturnal one of “Afro deities in gold dashikis.” The praise and worship are funky, and the altar call is to “altered states of being.” With glittery purple eyeshadow, lipstick, and a shape-shifting durag (transforming into a club dress, a skirt, a bookbag, a headwrap), the pastor, PastHER TEESH (played by Rocheny Princien), serves as the “Cultural Conduct-HER.” Her stage presence is captivating, especially when she appears wearing a black jumpsuit with silver bell bottoms. By the end of the performance, her silver hoop earrings have flown off in different directions, and her durag is barely on — a testament to her werk on the stage and the dance floor (ranging from drag vogue to ballet, and other choreography by Ronya Lee Anderson). Rita Burns as DJ, who welcomes us with about five minutes of house music at the start of the show and remains on stage throughout, brings warmth to her role.

According to the playwright, this production originated as documentary theater, leaving much to analyze. Perhaps a playbill or reference with more details would be helpful for the following:

1. The projected references to “Chocolate City”/GoGo music/Hotep, Indiana University of Pennsylvania (IUP) student protests, and Southern Baptist churches saying no to women pastors.
2. The reshaping and reconfiguring of English to Black lexicon and vernacular, which in itself could be a dissertation.
3. Projected notable figures/establishments in the house music genre, including “Chosen Few,” “DJ Underdog,” and “Sam ‘The Man’ Burns.”

I recommend for everyone to see this show, and when another opportunity to go to CHRCH presents itself, don’t forget to bring your dolla bills for the drag show offerin’ basket.

Running Time: 75 minutes
Genre: Dance
Dates and Times: (This show’s run has ended.)
Venue: Delirium, 1120 Connecticut Avenue NW, Suite 103
Tickets: $15
More Info and Tickets: CHRCH, A Black Music Story

The complete 2024 Capital Fringe Festival schedule is online here.

The post 2024 Capital Fringe Review: ‘CHRCH, A Black Music Story’ by Seshat Yon’shea Walker (4 stars) appeared first on DC Theater Arts.

I’ve never seen dance so hypnotizing or emotionally affecting. In Alone and Together, the SHARP Dance Company presents five dance pieces that are both conceptually concrete enough to emotionally connect, and abstract and ripe for interpretation enough to surprise. Thanks to this clear narrative grounding in musical lyrics and phrasing, the program notes, and emotionally recognizable gestures and movements, this show narratively captivates both dance connoisseurs and those new to dance. Not to mention, the dance skill on display is utterly superhuman.

Each of the five stories centers on a concrete story of self-discovery, growth from pain, and catharsis, with accompanying music composed by artists including Sinéad O’Connor, Counting Crows, and electronic music industry favorite Amon Tobin. Each musical selection has stunningly beautiful standout melodies and intricate harmonies, all of which capture the attention, making them ideal choices for a medium that can visually capture each sound to create a satisfying mise-en-scène. I found myself utterly absorbed in the movement and storytelling on stage. One piece of the production that enabled this was the comfortably high volume level of the backup music, which did a great deal to sensorially immerse the audience in the performance.

In addition to being visually stunning, the stories being told on stage are profoundly touching: they combine narratives specific to particular identities. In the number “Pieces of You” set to the song of the same name by Jewel, the biting lyrics attack discrimination as a concept through the lens of antisemitic, anti-female, and anti-gay hatred. The program asks, “discrimination is an ugly and useless waste of time and energy. Why are people so determined to alienate others?,” and the piece answers. We see individuals from each community represented through lyrics that cut right to the chase of why humans discriminate: they see in others elements of themselves they dislike. In this number, we see these “others” beheld for the beauty and light they radiate on stage. Not only are numerous identities represented as members of groups who deserve acceptance, but the stories here ask a question of everyone, on both sides of acts of discrimination, with ideas universally relevant enough for all to find themselves addressed and interrogated by the performance.

On top of the concepts and narratives at play, the dancing itself is executed flawlessly: it’s often hard to believe that these are people and not animated or computer-generated figures. It’s probably too late for me to start dancing myself, but this performance makes me want to go see more dance.

I am thrilled to learn about SHARP Dance Company through the Capital Fringe. This performance was easily one of the most impressive and affecting I’ve seen, not only at the Fringe but in DC over the last few years. I hope that they continue to receive the recognition they deserve.

Running Time: 55 minutes
Genre: Dance
Dates and Times: (This show’s run has ended.)
Venue: Cafritz Hall, 1529 16th St NW
Tickets: $15
More Info and Tickets: Alone and Together

The complete 2024 Capital Fringe Festival schedule is online here.

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I completely understand the drive to creatively capture the chaotic state of today’s democratic process in the form of a chaotic work, and maybe that’s a good foundation to start with from which to elaborate on other ideas. But simply observing reality isn’t art — that’s journalism.

Yes, the XY Players’ Democracy, starring Geoffrey Brand, Joe Dzikiewicz, Victoria Rose, Damia Torhagen, and Katrina Young, with listed playwright Robert Kittredge, observes through a few sketches and characters the utter chaos of our present political arena. But the core thesis of each sketch, and that of the show as a whole, is unclear. Most of the show’s sketches seem to unpack highly specific phenomena in our political discourse and electoral system, but the characters and storylines consistently don’t explain to us what those issues are. When a sketch’s thesis does begin to reveal itself, it is quickly refuted by a character coming in and adding contradictory nuance. When multiple opinions are conveyed in one sketch, especially with near-equal intensity and detail, the work takes less of a clear stance and becomes more shallowly representational.

For example, in the show’s opening sketch, we see a team of playwrights who represent different archetypes of individuals engaging in political discourse, and unlike in the show’s other sketches, the allegory is clear. At one point there’s even a joke breaking the fourth wall to make sure we got the metaphor. While some of these playwrights push for peace and others push for destroying their opponents in the name of justice, ultimately each character ends up committing an act of murderous violence in a sketch devoid of punchlines, and by the end it’s truly unclear what the sketch’s opinion is about its proceedings.

There are some interesting topics and ideas at play here — unpacking issues like judgmentalism in digital spaces and political tribalism through abstract characters and offbeat jokes is an interesting idea with a lot of potential, and the political comedy field certainly needs more stylistic diversity. But each character in the XY Players’ show would need to more clearly represent a particular idea or force for these sketches to be comprehensible.

I fully admit that I simply didn’t understand what the sketches were trying to say, but I don’t think I missed anything that would have helped. In one sketch, the plot has two sisters of antiquity who agree that the King is unattractive, and both sisters are ultimately killed. Then, a talking anthropomorphic rabbit hops on stage and offers the King a job on a production of The Sound of Music. I want to give the playwright the benefit of the doubt here that there was a point — maybe even one related to the central topic of democracy. So: with more clarity in who each character is and what issue is being illustrated, more polish on the performances, and more jokes, this could be the start of a really interesting comedy show.

But maybe the XY Players shouldn’t force themselves into the “comedy” label. It’s understandable that creators of brief, sometimes lighthearted pieces about political issues would feel pressure to file their work under “comedy,” but the work here is shying away from punchlines and is going for more situational humor and poetic, oddball energy. That’s certainly a valid way to do comedy, but the label “sketch comedy” as listed on the show’s Fringe page sets up an audience with expectations the show doesn’t currently meet. Currently, it reads more like a series of abstract, question-provoking morality tales. If read that way, which was not the creators’ stated intent, the show becomes a little more coherent and creatively interesting.

I am so eager to see what the XY Players do next, and I deeply appreciate their addition to the existing comedy styles currently oversaturating the world of political satire. I can’t wait to see how they continue to bring their original vision to play with genre and inject some much-needed political life into the satirical world during a time with near-unlimited fodder to work with.

Running Time: 60 minutes
Genre: Comedy
Dates and Times: (This show’s run has ended.)
Venue: Cafritz Hall, 1529 16th St NW
Tickets: $15
More Info and Tickets: Democracy

The complete 2024 Capital Fringe Festival schedule is online here.

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With the fear of Trump returning to office in this year’s election, returning to the 2016 election is scary but grounding. In a theatrical work, focusing more on everyday life around it is perhaps more powerful than the election itself. Luigi Laraia’s This is my sister is an intimate play in an intimate space that’s not trying to be bigger than it is.

In this play, two sisters grapple with the loss of their mother amid the 2016 presidential election. It’s also somehow funny. Sean Gabbart directs a production with realism in performances and technical choices (including a soft acoustic guitar–driven score by Luis Fernando Corzo). It shines most in its banter and individual character-driven moments.

One sister is Amy, a writer who hates Trump, recently returned from hospitalization due to a BPD episode, fears leaving her apartment, and has an affinity for watching her neighbors a bit too closely. In this role, Alexandra Recknagel’s sardonic delivery about politics with her sister, yet soft curiosity and hurt about life alone in her apartment, is dynamic.

The other is Lisa, a stay-at-home mom with three kids, motherly tendencies toward her younger sister, and initial apathy toward voting. Over time, she gets on the Hillary train. As Lisa, Rachel Sexton is cool and poised to a T until she can’t be.

Lisa needs further development, as Amy’s arc is more expanded in this cut, shortened for Fringe. It sometimes felt like there was room to go further that likely existed in its initial draft. More exploration of their lives outside of election talk and getting Amy to leave her apartment would be welcome, as the explosive final election night scene, which offers such exploration, packs a punch that feels revelatory.

But it’s a great reminder of how personal Trump’s election felt. That being forced to listen to Trump tirades can bring trapped, hopeless feelings. One strong moment showed Amy unable to avoid Trump coverage, culminating in almost setting her TV on fire.

This story leans more toward the trauma. It’s OK that it’s not always laugh-out-loud funny. It’s cool to track when it is a comedy, when it’s more of a dark comedy, and when it’s a drama. This feels more human, a quality that makes audiences feel a certain weight, even if they walked in expecting a comedy to solely entertain.

Running Time: 65 minutes
Genre: Comedy
Dates and Times: (This show’s run has ended.)
Venue: Bliss, Various Addresses
Tickets: $15
More Info and Tickets: This is my sister

The complete 2024 Capital Fringe Festival schedule is online here.

Director: Sean Gabbert
Playwright: Luigi Laraia
Performers: Alexandra Recknagel, Rachel Sexton
Composer: Luis Corzo
Assistant Director: Gaddiel Adams

The post 2024 Capital Fringe Review: ‘This is my sister’ by Luigi Laraia (3 ½ stars) appeared first on DC Theater Arts.

What a fascinating narrative thread: exploring immigration in terms of emigration from one’s home country and emigration from one’s family. In Sam Yakura’s comedy The Perfect Immigrant, under Charlotte La Nasa’s direction and in conjunction with Irish arts organization Solas Nua, protagonist Levi, played by Joshua Olujide, departs from Nigeria for his master’s program and a new career in Dublin, Ireland. The story blends spoken prose, comedic moments, and soul-baring from a deeply likable and captivating solo performer.

And it’s hard to get a one-man show right — it’s hard to keep it informative, engaging, and enjoyable the whole time. But what helps The Perfect Immigrant succeed is its clear narrative thread. The main character shows us what his narrative goals are at the start: unpacking the cultural changes and changes to his relationship with his parents he’s experiencing in Dublin, and he sticks with those ideas and their consequences through the rest of the narrative to create a satisfying narrative arc. Lights and projections from Hailey LaRoe, especially those marking Levi’s poetry around his experience, also add to the show’s overall cohesion.

The show could do with a little less telling and more showing — maybe less recounting of events and more introspective conversation about them — but the connection the show makes between the immigrant experience and the universal experience of growing up and making one’s own way makes this show relevant regardless of whether or not you may be a geographic immigrant. Showing as opposed to telling would also enable us to get to know Levi even more beyond simply how he acted in various new situations. We can only learn so much from watching someone: getting inside their head is a whole nother thing.

Further, on the “show vs. tell” point — I am not going to get in the way of the catharsis of writing or hearing immigrant stories for those on the creative team or in the audience. Obviously, even just hearing elements of a story you’ve lived yourself recounted in media is a beautiful thing and one we don’t get enough of. I’m not an immigrant myself, and I know this show was not necessarily “for me,” but as a young adult who moved out in the last few years, this show built a bridge to help me better understand the immigrant experience. Still, I think that perhaps even more insight could be gleaned from even more of an abstract, poetic approach to talking about this story to truly delve into some of the ideas at play here, not merely to provide commentary on the show’s narrative’s events.

This show is one of the most engaging and insightful I’ve seen at this year’s Fringe, thanks to its connection of the immigrant and young adult experiences — it’s wonderful to see new elaborations on narratives that are familiar for some and new for others.

Running Time: 60 minutes
Genre: Solo/Comedy
Dates and Times:

• July 21 at 5:50 PM

Venue: Laughter, 1150 Connecticut Avenue NW
More Info and Tickets: The Perfect Immigrant

The complete 2024 Capital Fringe Festival schedule is online here.

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There is not much in this show about Lucy the cat. But there is much about how hard it is to continue to live when there is so little in the world that affirms your right to be here. How the effort “pick yourself up, dust yourself off and start all over again” can feel less like an invitation to dance along with Ginger Rogers/Fred Astaire and more like being caught in a Groundhog Day–like cycle of repetition. And maybe one’s cat is the only source of unconditional positive regard that one gets. In that case, what does it take to ask for and give yourself permission to start all over again?

Written and performed by Peyton Smetana under the direction of Emly Beloate, the solo drama My Cat Named Lucy is well thought out. From its pre-show music referencing a cat’s point of view of life through the giant ball of twine that is playfully tossed between Lucy the cat and the play’s protagonist, an atmosphere of whimsy pervades the show. The ritual of repetition of effort to survive is deftly used to shape the script. The subject matter is worthy and the production effort sincere, informed, and competent. It is journeyman’s work: laudable but unexalted. And by the time this 50-minute show reached its conclusion, I would have welcomed a little exaltation.

Running Time: 50 minutes
Genre: Solo/Drama
Dates and Times: 

• July 21, 2024 6.00pm

Venue: Bliss, 1122 Connecticut Avenue NW
Tickets: $15
More Info and Tickets: My Cat Named Lucy

The complete 2024 Capital Fringe Festival schedule is online here.

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I’m thrilled they’ve included classic sci-fi horror in the Fringe. In The Call of Cthulhu presented by North Shore Productions, under DeLisa M. White’s direction, Greg Oliver Bodine brings H.P. Lovecraft’s classic horror short story to the stage in the form of a 75-minute monologue, which he adapted from the original himself. Lovecraft’s original story is told from the perspective of narrator Francis Wayland Thurston, who relays to the reader his grand-uncle’s recorded stories of a horrible creature and its fanatic religious cult, the existence and rise of which seem connected with mass global hysteria.

In the original story, we know that Thurston is deceased, having been killed by Cthulhu’s cult: his final lines are “Let me pray that, if I do not survive this manuscript, my executors may put caution before audacity and see that it meets no other eye,” and we are other eyes. RIP.

In Bodine’s adaptation, we see Francis, now called only Francis “X,” in a mental ward: specifically, Arkham Sanitarium in Massachusetts. He has been asked to address the asylum’s inaugural A.P.A. conference about what his doctors have labeled his “delusions” about the existence of this creature. And of course, they probably have little interest in the content of his claims: they merely want to behold how truly intricate this man’s delusions are. It is wonderfully dark, thought-provoking, and even — annoying critic term incoming — timely to see such an intelligent man so clearly about his wits, an educated truth-teller, dressed in his ward clothes in an asylum where he is treated as delusional and even subhuman. What an original and fascinating idea and concept for adaptation, and what a harrowing image to behold.

But we’re beholding that same image for 75 minutes.

Unfortunately, there just isn’t enough that’s been done here to adapt the text for the stage. There are occasional sound effects and dramatic music every now and then — and even these begin, end, and pause jarringly at times — but there is simply not enough to make the text enough for an engaging multi-dimensional theater show. Also, these sound effects and graphics feel too framed for the audience’s perspective as we revel in the creepiness of the narrative as opposed to diegetic, and thus don’t match the rest of the production elements, which are solidly diegetic. Creepy font, cartoony dramatic music, and sound effects feel beyond what this wrongfully incarcerated man would be in the mood to include in his presentation, both in terms of tone and anachronistic issues.

And I understand that there are limitations on Fringe shows. After all, this production is being done in the Fringe’s “Bliss” venue, which is the vacant first floor of a former Talbots (so cool). But surely the actor who played Dr. Bonner, who walked Francis “X” out on stage at the very start of the show, could not leave right away, and at least sit there for the duration of the 75 minutes and make mocking comments, or even just facial expressions. And if Francis has been confined and isolated in this ward against his will, speaking to an audience of people oblivious of a clear and present danger, why is he so at peace with the whole thing? Why would he not even mention that he might be a little tiny bit bothered in his entire presentation? And the bloody gauze around his hand is a great start to show he’s battered and bruised from the asylum’s abuse and neglect, but the rest of him looks perfectly coifed.

The production is already making some changes to adapt the text — the adaptation work here just needs to be taken to completion to support the fantastic framing device at play.

Running Time: 75 minutes
Genre: Solo/Drama
Dates and Times:

• July 20 at 6:00 PM
• July 21 at 11:35 AM

Venue: Bliss, 1122 Connecticut Avenue NW
Tickets: $15
More Info and Tickets: The Call of Cthulhu

The complete 2024 Capital Fringe Festival schedule is online here.

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After a day of worldwide computer meltdowns, I was ready for a little comedy and a lot of magic. Seven Wonders delivered and more.

A dapper Ryan Phillips stepped out in front of a moon-like orb of light in the storefront-turned-theater, and we were on our way to Abracadabra!

The sold-out audience was in for some magical theatrics, and even more, poignant tales of his magic upbringing and mentorship. The 27-year-old Phillips has been doing magic for the past 21 years, and coupled with his theatrical training, it is, well, magic.

He makes the classic three-cup trick new. He adds mind-bending card tricks and a spirited Rubik’s cube. This is an interactive show and the audience is asked to participate in multiple ways, drawn in by Phillips’ charm, and our innate curiosity. He made us want to believe in magic, and in this high-tech age that is even more of a wonder.

His enthusiasm for the tricks he must have done dozens of times was infectious. Like a true performer, it was as if he was doing his sleight of hands for the first time. Magic has always been his self-described “nerdy superpower,” and it is on full display here.

However, the blend of tricks, theatrics, story, and joy makes this show more than a magic show; this reviewer would argue that it’s the joy to be at work at something you love that’s on display here, and that in this high-pressure-what-do-you-do-for-a-living milieu we live in, especially in the DC area, is magic in itself.

“What I most like most about magic is that you practice it for so long to give someone else a moment of wonder,” he shared at one point in this delightful 60-minute program. Go for a moment of wonder—and receive seven of them.

Seven Wonders, as Ryan Phillips shares toward the end of this immersive experience, is “magic as an artform,” and this reviewer agrees.

Running Time: 60 minutes
Genre: Solo/Comedy
Dates and Times:

• July 20 at 4:00 PM
• July 21 at 2:05 PM

Venue: Laughter, 1150 Connecticut Avenue NW
Tickets: $15
More Info and Tickets: Seven Wonders

The complete 2024 Capital Fringe Festival schedule is online here.

The post 2024 Capital Fringe Review: ‘Seven Wonders’ by Ryan Phillips (5 stars) appeared first on DC Theater Arts.

James Baldwin, in The Struggle of the Artist, writes: “There is such a thing as integrity. Some people are noble. There is such a thing as courage. The terrible thing is that the reality behind these words depends on choices one has got to make forever and ever and ever every day.”

Actor/writer David Kaye, in this engaging biographical solo performance, gives us a vivid, narrative embodiment of what Baldwin is talking about.

The Haber in the title is Fritz Haber (performed by David Kaye), Nobel Prize winner for the invention of the Haber-Bosch process that made the production of synthetic fertilizer possible, thus preventing worldwide starvation. Over the course of this 50-minute confessional/apologia, Kaye’s Fritz Haber guides us through the life choices he makes that eventually result in his becoming known as the father of chemical warfare and the inventor of Zyklon (an insecticide that the Germans repurposed as Zyklon B and used to exterminate people).

Kaye gives a solid performance of a touching and cautionary story. The minimalist set (a desk and a chalkboard covered with chemical equations) allows us an unobstructed view of Fritz Haber’s confession as it plays out under the unforgiving gaze of a single, cold, and brazen spotlight.

Running Time: 50 minutes
Genre: Solo/Drama
Dates and Times:

• July 20 at 7:50 PM
• July 21 at 4:00 PM

Venue: Laughter, 1150 Connecticut Avenue NW
Tickets: $15
More Info and Tickets: The Haber Conundrum

The complete 2024 Capital Fringe Festival schedule is online here.

The Haber Conundrum
Written and Performed by David Kaye
Presented by Artists’ Collaborative Theatre of New England
Directed by Stephanie Voss

The post 2024 Capital Fringe Review: ‘The Haber Conundrum’ by David Kaye (3 ½ stars) appeared first on DC Theater Arts.

Describing herself as “an Old School diva, aging in a New Age,” Lea Adams shares moments of trying to live life with gusto no matter what. Early black-and-white images projected on the back wall show a youngster stuck in a hospital for months with a debilitating leg ailment. While she healed physically, a lingering loneliness pervaded her life — you can hear it in the stories and see glimpses of her sadness in her eyes looking out at you. Thus, she took on the role of a “chameleon,” changing and shifting to get through hard times. Living through the early days of segregation, she was caught in different worlds, affluent enough to attend a Jewish school while always being the outsider, “wanting to be different while longing to belong.”

Adams is supported by loving family members including her husband Wally Ashy who directed the piece and her granddaughter Tierra Ashby who brings out placards of content information. Reading from her soon-to-be-published memoir Nobody’s Native, Adams shares her sightings of such stars as Josephine Baker and Carl Bernstein; she was even in a back tent when Hendrix hit the stage, changing her look and manner as needed. While the Chameleon Chronicles is an entertaining jaunt down memory lane and Adams is personable and captivatingly genuine, the piece hits moments in fleeting succession without depth or exploration. As a work in progress, it’s an apt beginning that will hopefully fill and blossom with effort and time.

Running Time: 60 minutes
Genre: Solo/Drama
Dates and Times: (This show’s run has ended.)
Venue: Bliss, 1122 Connecticut Avenue NW
Tickets: $15
More Info and Tickets: Chameleon Chronicles

The complete 2024 Capital Fringe Festival schedule is online here.

Chameleon Chronicles
Playwright: Lea Adams
Director: Wally Ashby
Elise Perry, technical director
Performers: Lea Adams, Tierra Ashby

The post 2024 Capital Fringe Review: ‘Chameleon Chronicles’ by Lea Adams (3 stars) appeared first on DC Theater Arts.

Re: Writing by Caitlin Frazier is an ambitious and provocative show.

Caitlin Frazier plays Jane, a struggling writer who couples with Dylan, played by Ella Manning. Both are winning performers, and their rapid progression — in true lesbian cliché fashion — from initial meeting to sharing a home and holidays is believable because of their convincing chemistry.

Jane wants to tell Dylan’s story. The more Jane learns about Dylan’s childhood secret the greater her desire to write a book about it despite Dylan’s reluctance to be commodified. The narrative swiftly moves as the relationship grows in tandem with Jane’s writing ambitions about Dylan’s story.

Their interactions are characterized by extensive word games and third-person captions previewing topics under consideration. Structurally, this choice leads to fast pacing. On the one hand it allows Frazier to cover a lot of territory about the characters’ likes and dislikes, their quirks and foibles. On the other hand, we experience a lot of telling instead of showing.

Notwithstanding wanting the hyperactive word games to end sooner, I did crave more words. I wanted words strung together to form deep and intimate conversations. In particular, despite the abundant banter and longer exchanges that highlighted Jane’s and Dylan’s differences and similarities, they never spoke about being in an interracial relationship. Director Olivia Martin states that the two “never quite share anything of actual substance” in a program note.

And yet, omitting how racial differences contributed to their personal perspectives regarding trivial or serious matters, or if race indeed affected their gay identities — in a work about identity — rendered Jane and Dylan less than whole and hinted at an inauthentic relationship. Moreover, I wondered about Jane navigating the publishing industry as a woman of color. I know it to be a high-wire act.

It’s clear that this production is meant to ask questions rather than provide answers. A wise person once told me that we define people, especially those close to us, by the questions we choose to ask and the answers we choose to believe. At a pivotal moment Jane asks Dylan, “Do you trust me?” Dylan’s reply and the ending (which comes suddenly) wrap the play in a set of questions about approximation, appropriation, creativity, and trust.

I would love to see further development of this brainy production. Without a doubt, however, it deserves a wide audience as is. In a world where so much of writing is appropriative, a play that illuminates the complexities of the issue is sorely needed.

Running Time: 60 minutes
Genre: Drama
Dates and Times:

• July 20 at 11:35 AM

Venue: Bliss, 1122 Connecticut Avenue NW
Tickets: $15
More Info and Tickets: RE: Writing

The complete 2024 Capital Fringe Festival schedule is online here.

The post 2024 Capital Fringe Review: ‘Re: Writing’ by Caitlin Frazier (3 ½ stars) appeared first on DC Theater Arts.

When Raúl Mannola, the talented guitarist at Capital Fringe Festival’s Flamencodanza, says that with the Soleá style of Flamenco, you never know what you’re going to get, well, it’s a foregone conclusion. Out of the roughly 60-minute performance, we only experienced about 20 minutes of dancing, which left me expecting more. It is advisable to keep your expectations in check because out of the six most commonly used Flamenco instruments—cajón, castanets, palmas (hand clapping), cante (singing)—only two are featured: la guitarra (the guitar) and zapateao (shoes). While this combination of guitar and dance can convey the deepest emotions and intense movements of Flamenco, I must say those emotions, if present, were too subtle to notice.

Perhaps Mannola, also the composer, was aware of this, because about 15 minutes into the show, he pauses to inform the audience that his next guitar solos would have Afro-Brazilian influences, followed by “blues” with a “dark mood.” The essence of Flamenco, in my opinion, is to show rather than tell; we are meant to feel those emotions, not be told what to feel. In this regard, I believe this international duo has something to learn from Authentic Flamenco, whose delightful, captivating, and passionate performance in DC last year, featuring Yolanda Osuna and the Royal Opera of Madrid at the Howard Theatre, still has me enthralled.

Aylin Bayaz dazzles in a flowing blue satin dress with lace at the back and bottom. When her bedazzled sleeves catch the light, she sparkles, especially when she reappears in a large yellow scarf with fringes. Her arm and body movements are smooth and sultry. The most captivating moments occur when the guitar suddenly transitions into fast and precise strumming, matching the sound of Bayaz’s shoes rapidly hitting the floor. Bayaz’s dancing was one of the most anticipated moments, and I wished there had been more of it. Mannola’s 40 minutes of guitar solos were also enjoyable and thus not tedious to wait out. 

Perhaps this production could be better titled A Taste of Flamenco to avoid overselling (not in monetary terms, since it only cost $15, but in terms of expectations) and under delivering.

Running Time: 60 minutes
Genre: Dance
Dates and Times:

• July 20 at 1:00 PM
• July 21 at 6:40 PM

Venue: Cafritz Hall, 1529 16th St NW
Tickets: $15
More Info and Tickets: Flamencodanza

The complete 2024 Capital Fringe Festival schedule is online here.

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