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Variations on a Theme by Tara Varney
Tara Varney
Show Information:
Schisms, disconnects, and words left unsaid. From the creator of past Fringe hits Sexing Hitler, Red Death, and Voyage to Voyager, comes a collection of intimate, touching, and humorous scenes that explore the difficulties we experience communicating with each other. Starring Amy Hurrelbrink, Parry Luellen, Mike Ott, and Marcie Ramirez.
Venue
Musical Theatre Heritage
2450 Grand Blvd #301,
Kansas City, MO 64108
Show Times
July 21 – Friday – 8:00pm
July 23 – Sunday – 5:00pm
July 24 – Monday – 6:30pm
July 25 – Tuesday – 9:30pm
July 27 – Thursday – 8:00pm
July 29 – Saturday – 6:30pm
Category
Theatre
Runtime
60 Minutes
Rating
Mature Audience Only
Warning
Adult Language
Comments
10 responses to “Variations on a Theme by Tara Varney”
Tara has done it again, what a fun & heartfelt show. Try to see it!
Not as good as years past…several scenes were downers. Acting was great but it just wasn’t terribly entertaining.
Excellent first scene that serves as an excellent jumping off point. Special shout out to Mike Ott’s spell check moment and later on Amy Hurrelbrink is the best sleeping wife ever.
I saw this show last night and was very surprised. Tara Varney has always put together shows that I spent the whole time laughing, this year showed me a much deeper beauty in her talent. “Variations on a Theme” has plenty of laughs for sure but there were times of exploration that touched me trendously. A minimalistic set just made it easier to watch these beautiful actors. I definately laughed but this is so relatable and thought provoking. Lovely work by Tara and her cast and crew! A must see.
The structure was interesting–a series of two-character plays, each involving a man and a woman, with the actors mixing and matching. The quality was varied, but the good ones–the more serious ones, as it turned out–made the show worth attending. I especially liked the one about the man struggling with his own sexual orientation and the one involving the interaction of a mother and her grown son preparing for Christmas (to say more would be a plot-spoiler). Some of the comedy was too obvious (the opening skit) or juvenile (the one with all the scatological humor), but the good outweighed the bad. Excellent acting throughout.
Excellent writing and excellent acting. I always like Tara’s work and make sure I get a chance to see it every year. This was no exception.
One of the things I especially loved about the show was its range – not just in the dramatic to comedic, but in the range of different types of comedy. And the cast hit all the right notes with it, especially Mike Ott, who is fantastic in everything I’ve ever seen him in.
There are things in every scene people can relate to and they are at times laugh at loud hilarious or heart breaking. And the four-person cast handles all of these deftly.
This is one of the top shows I’ve seen this year and I’ve recommended it to everyone I’ve talked to. Also, some of the best pre-show music of the festival.
Superb, superb, superb! Ms. Varney’s script of vignettes is thoroughly engaging, each scene a unique block in an uncommon quilt of human interpersonal experiences. The four actors enliven the words from the page, both rollicking through comedy and venturing fearlessly into the vulnerability of drama.
The versatile set design is simple and delightfully functional, allowing the actors to seamlessly transition through the spaces inhabited by their characters. The sound and lighting design each serve to enrich the action on stage, gently supporting the vision of the writer and director of this remarkable hour of theatre.
Very entertaining. Nincely written scenes, both funny and touching. Good directing and acting. Worth seeing!
One of the best shows this year! Funny, touching and thought provoking. Amazing acting.
This was probably my own personal “Best of Fringe” choice. The writing is razor sharp and the acting is really, really complementary to the short scenes that all revolve around the complexities and conundrums of communication. It was alternately hilarious, touching and always personal and intimate. It makes the viewer appreciate the daily challenges we all face and the difficulty in expressing ourselves to others on both a superficial and much deeper level. This was a treat on every level and I was thinking about it long, long after I had left the theater.