Capital Fringe Festival

Post theater writers Nelson Pressley and Celia Wren were online Monday, July 23 at 3 p.m. ET to discuss which shows to catch (and which ones to avoid) at this week's Capital Fringe Festival, where more than 120 groups will put on 500-plus performances.

A transcript follows

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Washington, D.C.: Nelson --

I got revved up for the Fringe Festival after reading your article in the Sunday Post. I'm thinking that Laura Zam's performance sounds like a real highlight. Can you say anything more about what made it work for you?

Thanks!

Doug

Nelson Pressley: It started after midnight, I'd already seen six shows, and she kept me not just awake but interested with her sense of urgency and well-judged humor. It's a complicated story, moving freely among times and places and among a number of characters, but she always keeps the audience in tune with where she's headed on this autobiographical journey. She's very engaging, and as I think I wrote, she finishes her show beautifully.

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"The Blue Lagoon"?: Has anyone seen "The Blue Lagoon," the musical? It sounds entertaining, but I haven't heard anything about it yet.

Nelson Pressley: Full disclosure right off the top: that one's by Jonathan Padget, who is a copy editor for the Post's Style section, so a critique or endorsement would be out of line. But maybe a description's okay: boy and girl get shipwrecked, fall in love, complications ensue in a blue lagoon rendered as a kiddie pool (you've seen the movie, right?). Forty five minutes, tongue in cheek, more lighthearted than most of what I've seen so far. ...

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washingtonpost.com: The Opening Acts: Merriment, With Razor-Sharp Edges (Post, July 22)

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Falls Church, Va.: Thanks for taking time out to review a wide range of performances. Did you get a chance to see "I Am S.A.A.M"?

Nelson Pressley: Yes, sadly. Obviously not everything's going to work, but this struck me as pretty naive, not nearly as penetrating as you'd hope. It's billed as "a multimedia presentation inspired by stories of real south Asian men," but a lot of it was pedestrian, not the kind of insightful or culturally specific material that seemed to have been advertised, and the large cast wasn't wholly comfortable on stage (putting it kindly).

Nonetheless, it drew a full house at the Goethe Institute in a kind of multimedia lecture room that had to hold more than a hundred. Attendance, in my experience this weekend, has been pretty impressive.

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Washington, D.C.: When reviewing a Fringe show, how do you differentiate between a good show and a bad show? Would it be the same criteria if a regular theatre production was being viewed? If so, can you give examples, from what you have seen of Fringe so far -- which shows you liked and disliked?

Celia Wren: That is an excellent question. I'd say there's an expectation that a Fringe show will be more adventurous than most offerings by in the year-round lineup of established theatre companies. You wouldn't want to produce a really safe play in a Fringe context, and I think critics are inclined to respond accordingly. Also, there's often an in-progress feel to a Fringe show. On the other hand, if something is so zany and off-the-wall that it's unworkable, that should be said. I don't think I've seen anything really safe at this Fringe, or any other Fringe festivals I've attended.

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Washington, D.C.: Hi, I was wondering if any of you have seen "This Digital Life" at the Goethe Institute? I'm trying to decide whether to see it this Saturday or to go with something else.

Celia Wren: I saw "This Digital Life." Let me preface my response by saying that the playwright announced very clearly in a talk back session that the play is a work-in-progress. I do think he raises some interesting moral and interpersonal questions that are new territory, since they involve very new media. However, it is certainly not one of the more polished works I've seen; unless you're really interested in cyber-issues, I'd recommend that you check out something else.

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Washington, D.C.: Have you seen "Abstract Nude"? If so, what was your opinion? I personally thought it was okay, but it didn't live up to the Post's review from 2006. I didn't find it very funny (although much of the rest of the audience seemed to) and I also thought some of the actors overdid it.

Nelson Pressley: Saw it, loved it, and yes, I laughed -- also very much admired the playwright's "Let X" not so long ago at Flashpoint. Flaws, to me, are that it's short (still just 65 minutes), and it explains itself a bit too literally at the end. Everything 'til then is so bloody good -- the fresh characters, the very smart dialogue, and really fine performances (I guess I beg to differ with you) -- that the finish is a slight letdown.

Very promising, this Gwydion Suilebhan. I spent most of "Abstract Nude" wanting a local theater to produce it NOW, and the last five minutes thinking it's still an inch away. ...

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Forest Heights, Md.: Did you see "Butter"? What is your opinion?

Celia Wren: I'm planning to see "Butter" tomorrow. The title makes it sort of hard to resist.

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Washington, D.C.: Did you see "Two of Mee"?

Nelson Pressley: Saw it; it's in today's roundup in Style ... often okay, but no "bobrauschenbergamerica" (the other Mee in the Fringe), which was a real kick. Been a while since I've been invited to toss ping pong balls at a performer (playfully), or to play checkers with a cast member during the show.

Actually, that's NEVER happened before. (And she cheated at checkers, and had the nerve to look offended when I did, too. ...)

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Roanoke, Va.: As a transplanted Roanoker, I am very interested in "The Neon Man and Me." Has the play been received well?

Nelson Pressley: I'll note it in Wednesday's roundup. Kind of liked it, and as a Virginian, it'll definitely be for you, since it's partly about writer-performer Slash Coleman's relationship with home, by way of a good friend he lost.

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D.C. area: Last year there were some terrific and intriguing dance performances. From memory: the 24-hour piece at the Warehouse, "Off White" at a small Pepco gallery with art/installation/fabric and dance performance, the 10-hour "Sanctuary" at the Building Museum to name some of my highlights. What's in store dance-performance-wise this year? It seems not as much.

Celia Wren: The Post's dance writers will be checking in on some of the dance performances. If you look at the online guide to the festival, it lists the shows by genre, with "dance" being one of the categories.

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Columbia Heights: I have a limited number of free nights during the festival. Do you have a short list of "must sees" for the festival that you're willing to share?

Thank you!

Nelson Pressley: That's the thing about the Fringe -- figuring out the must-sees! I'm so glad I caught "bobrauschenbergamerica." My others, so far, are at Source Theatre: "Abstract Nude" (odd that a conventional play gets all the buzz at the Fringe) and "Queen of the Bohemian Dream," a really well-performed cabaret of songs by lyricist Fran Landesman. That one's perhaps less conventional than you'd think: it has a lot of class, but also a dark seam that's slightly unsettling by the end.

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washingtonpost.com: Capital Fringe Festival

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Forest Heights, Md.: Last year I was able to found daily reviews about performances in Capital Fringe. Where can I find reviews?

Nelson Pressley: Check the Style section every day, from yesterday through this Sunday. Celia and I are writing every day, catching what we can. ...

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Potomac, Md.: Did you see "Stone Goddess"? I heard some good things (on the Citypaper site), but I'm skeptical about a sci-fi play. Your thoughts?

Celia Wren: I haven't seen it, but I've often thought thought that sci-fi is a kind of under-utilized genre in the theatre. If there were ever a context to explore the genre, a fringe festival is it!

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Arlington, Va.: Don't know anything about the Fringe Festival thing, but I miss the Potomac Theater Project which we attended and enjoyed in summers past up at Olney. Anything along those line playing in this Fringe thing?

Nelson Pressley: As you probably know, the PTP has decamped for New York, and they're missed. The old gang was in the lobby at the Olney Theatre Center Saturday night after "Democracy."

Still, you might want to look at some of what Theatre J is producing in conjunction with the Fringe. The heading is "Voices From a Changing Middle East," and it includes "Ariel Sharon Hovers Between Life and Death and Dreams of Theodor Herzl," a revival of David Hare's "Via Dolorosa," "From Tel Aviv to Ramallah: A Beat Box Journey," and more.

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Takoma Park: I keep reading online reviews of the same handful of shows. Has anyone seen "For Boston," "Local Story," or "Nutshell"?

Celia Wren: I saw "Nutshell." I'm usually inclined to admire plays that adopt whimsical, or even weird, approaches, but in this case the combination of the modern story and the T.S. Eliot references just seemed too jarring and arbitrary to work. Perhaps other viewers will feel differently.

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Bethesda, Md.: Anyone seen "Making (Up) History: Searching for Annie Moore"? See it tonight or choose something else? Thanks.

Celia Wren: I haven't seen it yet, but it does sound potentially intriguing.

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Takoma Park, Md.: I'm curious as to how Equity union actors can appear in low (or no) pay Fringe shows. Any knowledge on how small companies avoid the red-tape? Not many of the shows seem to have Equity actors.

Nelson Pressley: There you go: not many of the shows seem to have Equity actors. But there are generally waivers and exceptions for this type of presentation.

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Washington, D.C.: Did you see "The Ex Files"? I was sorry to miss Holly Twyford's return to the stage.

Nelson Pressley: Catching it tonight, and yes, she's always a draw, isn't she?

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Bethesda, Md.: A lot of the good reviews and favorites (logically) are from the first weekend -- shows that are either sold out or almost over. Any picks from the shows starting this week? What are you looking forward to?

Celia Wren: I'm looking forward to "Too Much Light Makes the Baby Go Blind," which starts on Wednesday. "Hamlet? That Is the Question," which starts Thursday, gains a certain cachet from following the Shakespeare in Washington festival.

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Nelson Pressley: I'm routing a wish from Fringe director Julianne Brienza, who wants people to be aware of a public roundtable next Sunday, 5 p.m., at the Atlas Performing Arts Center on H St. NE called "Defining the Future of the Fringe." Brienza's hoping to hear from audiences and participants what they think could happen next.

Thanks for the questions, and see you on the Fringe . . .

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Celia Wren: So many fringe offerings to see--and so little time! Even when you find yourself in a show that's not so hot, by the way, it's rather inspiring to think of the effort and enthusiasm that has gone into putting the productions, and the festival as a whole, together.

Good luck to everyone on choosing shows to see,

Celia

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