6/3 UPDATE - Day One of performances is complete - and what a great day it was! I’ll keep a running list of the shows I’ve made it out to see here, as well as other things you should know or keep in mind as you Fringe!
“Julie” - a Must See historical comedy from Lisa DeRoberts (expertly directed by Lauren Carr)
“1nce Upon a Lie” - another “must-see” collection of stories from Paul Strickland.
“To Spite One’s Face” - a horror drama billed as “The VHS from The Ring meets the women of G.L.O.W.”
“Made in America” - a heartwrenching but ultimately heartwarming tale of trauma and triumph from Teruko Nakajima and her dog, Titi. Just superb.
The lineup for “TrueFRINGE” was announced. Telling stories on Thursday, June 15th, will be Tatiana Godfrey, director of “Gentrification: The Musical, Penny Sterling from ShMILF Life, Amica Hunter from “Anatomica,” Yanomi Shoshinz from “Happy Go Lucky.”
6.4 UPDATE - I followed the advice of the Fringe news anchors at rested a bit today, skipping the first time slot with a nap so that I could power through three shows today.
“The Rembrandt Job” - a hilarious and local tale of an art heist gone wrong featuring some of Cincinnati’s best actors
“Spank Bank Time Machine” - a manic exploration of grief, sexuality, and how to use Narcan - with free samples provided
Unfortunately, I started to feel ill (something I ate, I think - not contagious), so I left the Festival early and missed out on some fun Fringe-Oke as well as connecting with folks after the fact. But we’ve got a long festival ahead - so best to rest and practice self-care than push myself too hard too fast.
Tomorrow is a day off for everyone, and I’ll be back at on Tuesday!
6.5 UPDATE - Be sure to check out the League of Cincinnati Theatre’s Fringe recaps, including this one from Christy Carson, one from Kat Reynolds, from Alan Jozwiak, and from Liz Eichler.
Here’s a link to Rob Bucher’s annual rankings at Behind the Curtain Cincy.
Also, “Papa Fringe” Joe Mock is sharing his nightly thoughts on his FaceBook page.
I’ll share links to more updates as I see them!
6.6 UPDATE - Saw two very different shows:
Granny’s FixIt! - a charming piece about life in the Ozarks
Heart Ripped Out Twice and So Can You! - a mesmerizing and nearly perfect show about love, pain, and being human
Be sure to follow Rick Pender’s FaceBook page for his Fringe thoughts.
6.7 UPDATE - I saw a hilarious and touching show from Trey Tatum and Bridget Leak tonight, plus I had a fantastic time connecting with friends - old and new - after the show. That’s the best part of Fringe, really -the connections made and renewed.
Ruh-Roh! - an inventive interactive campy-but-ironic mystery about drug trafficking starring a teen detective and her dog
6.8 and 6.9 UPDATES - I took a couple of days off from “Fringing” to recover; it is definitely an exhausting - but in the best way possible - festival, so it’s important to pace yourself! Please check out the other folks who are writing about shows, all linked here:
Rick Pender’s FaceBook page
“Papa Fringe” Joe Mock’s FaceBook page
Rob Bucher’s Fringe thoughts at this link.
The League of Cincinnati Theatres coverage is here.
6.10 UPDATE - WCPO did a feature on “The Rembrandt Job,” which has been selling out.
“Bloodline” - this solo show is the portrait of three generations of men named Paris, starring Paris Crayton III. It’s definitely something you should see!
“Magic for Animals” - Liz Toonkel is a magician and animal rights advocate to uses her platform to entertain and educate!
“Anatomica” - this conversational-style production will charmingly sneak up on you.
“Runaway Princess” - This cautionary tale about the choices we make will grip you.
Fringe Encore Picks were announced, and the winners are:
Critic’s Choice: “Made in America”
Artist’s Choice: “Heart Ripped Out Twice and So Can You”
Producer’s Choice: “Happy Go Lucky”
These three shows will get an extra performance next Saturday. Tickets will be on sale soon!
6.11 UPDATE - Just one show today - and it was a good one!
“Happy Go Lucky” - A feel-good masterful puppet show from Japan
Fringe is dark tomorrow, but there are several more days of shows left, so get your tickets now!
6.13 UPDATE - Rainy days cause issues, and I ended up working later than I anticipated, so I didn’t do any Fringing today. I’m also out the next two nights but I’ll be back in full force on Friday!
In the meantime, read all the reviews from the folks listed in the updates above and get out there and support the last week of CincyFringe!
6.16 UPDATE - It’s the last night of Fringe performances (except for tomorrow’s Encore shows!), and I’m actually quite sad. I think this has definitely been the most fun I’ve had at Fringe ever, as the shows I saw were almost all good or great. Not only that, I felt more connected to the theatre community than ever before, making new friends from out of town and developing deeper relationships with others.
I’ll have more thoughts tomorrow in my last update, and it’s late, but let me just say that I enjoyed both shows tonight, as well as the Flashlight Cabaret, which included some wacky and amazing surprises. If you missed it, you missed a lot!
“Thread and Bone” - a gorgeous tribute and lusciously worded grief memoir by a skilled seamstress
“Rappings” - spooky, sad, and oh so good!
6.17 UPDATE - As I’m reflecting today on this year’s 20th Cincinnati Fringe Festival, I can’t help but think it is the best one yet. While some more seasoned folks were overheard bemoaning the “good old days” when we had to literally run from venue to venue to make the curtain speech and the sweltering venues without air conditioning (yes, these were things they said they missed!!) I was extremely pleased with how everything came together.
Big-time kudos to Fringe Producer Katie Hartman for her outstanding work. Also, a huge shout out to Liz Carman for her dual role as Box Office Manager and Media Relations. Donnie Piper did a remarkable job wrangling the volunteers, and Jim Stark, Tammy Winters, Andrew Hungerford, Doug Borntrager, Paul Wilson, and all the rest of the hard-working staff killed it this year.
The quality of this year’s productions has set a bar high for future Fringes. If you were to ask me my top five shows, I’d genuinely have a hard time narrowing it down to just five. Some of them are still lingering inside my mind; the power of hope is strong!
Finally, this year I’ve connected with more people, had great conversations, and met some incredible new friends from all over the world. I’ve had a hard time going home at the end of the night because I’m having too much fun just talking and hanging out.
So, I’m sad today that it’s over. But I suspect that “21” will be even better. See you there?
The 20th Annual Cincinnati Fringe Festival Award Winners are:
AUDIENCE PICK OF THE FRINGE: Ruh-Roh! from Queen City Flash
CRITIC’S PICK OF THE FRINGE: Heart Ripped Out Twice and So Can You from Linnea Bond
DR. ROBERT J. THIERAUF PRODUCER’S PICK: Bloodline from Paris Crayton III
THE LINDA BOWEN FULL FRONTAL PICK: Who’s Afraid of Winnie the Pooh? from Clevername Theatre
ARTIST’S PICK OF THE FRINGE: Anatomica from Amica Hunter