The Teen Fringe Open Mic Night is a great event for teens to get their arts and voices out there. The night started out with a variety of pizza with gluten-free options and sodas from Dr Pepper to Sprite. After the food, the teens chose two out of three workshops. The first one, improv, lasted…

Subject to Change Theatre’s “You Are (Not) Okay” by Joshua Woodall tackles a problem of epidemic scale in the U.S., teen depression. The opening scene sets the tone with The Boy being interrogated and challenged by his concerned but suffocating parents. Faintly reminiscent of cop shows with each parent alternating between good cop-bad cop, the…

“Like a Rock Thrown into the Mississippi” “The Young Life and Troubled Times of Reuben Hall” is a one-man show co-written by Jeph Scanlon and Philip blue howl Hooser. It’s directed by Hooser, read and performed by Scanlon, with a musical selection by singer-songwriter Lucille Louise. The piece, loosely based on Reuben Hall’s actual life,…

In a small but lovely “Fringe with Benefits” show at the Arts Asylums, five visual artists look at both male and female nudes through the perspective of “the female gaze.” Ashley Boettcher’s beautiful series of nudes show the female form in poses of strength, grace, and agility while using aerial silks. The works began as…

By definition, Jim Cogswell is not exactly a troubadour. While he focuses the acoustic music he plays on themes of courtly love, he is not a wanderer, hailing from Leawood. Nor does he compose original music, at least not yet. However, through Jim’s set, he entertains and engages the audience through these songs of love.…

“Collidescope” is an electronic/experimental music band. The two members performing are: Hadiza on vocals and Madison on guitar and electronics. The sound of “Collidescope” is like traveling through a surreal dream world, then a track or moment later, that dream world segues into the apocalypse. The sound is very dynamic, using elements of lo fi,…

“Dreams Do Come True” is a comedy/stand-up routine by Kent Rader, an accountant turned comedian telling his story of how he left behind the world of numbers for one of laughter. We follow him from childhood to the present on his path to the very stage he stands. There are two stages to both the…

‘Flights of Faery Fancy’ was a fantastic show. It combined traditional children stories with phenomenal aerialist performances. Along with beautiful outfits, lights, and soundtrack, the story felt fun and beautiful. ‘Flights of Faery Fancy’ started with the Faery Godmother who tells us a little about each story. As the lights centered on her and music…

“Is This a Test?” features a retired elementary school teacher who attempts to educate on the “solution” to the education system on a worldwide scale. The show starts strong by asking pointed questions of the audience, but afterward, it lost direction. There were nebulous mentions of “The Plan” and a conspiracy theory subplot about the…

At the 2019 KC Fringe Festival, art is held up by duct tape For 15 years, the Kansas City Fringe Festival has been a midwestern staple, providing audiences with an enchanted mix of performing and display art. The event has steadily increased in both the number of shows presented as well as attendance, and has…

‘I Proud Mary’, a tribute to Tina Turner’s greatest hits by Suzette Woods, has many commendable aspects. A shimmering blue dress, a soft, pretty voice delivering the lyrics, and a notable song when the lights went red and she sat on a frilly red chair, singing a slow jam. It had the intimacy this reviewer…

Caddy Shakes hit the stage of the Buffalo Room for the 2019 Kansas City Fringe Festival, to great acclaim. A Shakespearean mash-up of the American comedy film Caddyshack, the three person, one act play included appearances by Lavinia Bottom, Dardanius, Asst. Greenskeeper, Carliolanus, Gophers, Kenny Loggins, and a Baby Ruth. Shimmying through parodies of famous…

‘Accidental Points of View’ is a self-described set of three plays regarding magic, larceny, and lies. It’s not much of a spoiler to say the description is accurate. Each play is better than the last and showcases local women playwrights. Our first play, “Home,” begins in a dusty attic with Amy (Sarah Nickerson) and her…

The tale of Dame Ragnelle has a long history in English literature, part of a tradition of medieval stories in which a woman, cursed into ugliness, regains her looks through a compassionate man’s actions. When King Arthur is given a year and a day to discover what women really want, the hideous dame offers to…

One of the true highlights of Fringe is finding the hidden gems: the small-venue performances, far from the big-ticket shows, that combine powerful material and performance in a one-two punch. Such a show is “kNew”, by t. l. sanders. Sanders, a poet, plays multiple characters in the story of a son dealing with the sudden…

Three individual plays connect purely by location: a family’s kitchen. Cast members read kitchen stories submitted by the audience from the prior show during the transitions between each play, making each show a unique experience. A folding table and chairs, plus a small bar with a few stools, serve as props for all three stories.…

The theatre is outfitted like a prison—and rather convincingly too. Between the metal bars, stiff benches, toilet seats set on top of empty buckets, and the industrial fan blowing, the Fishtank’s Black Box definitely feels like a cross between Chicago (the musical, not the city) and Oz (the one from HBO, not home of the…

5 Plays is Fringe’s most underrated show. Played by Kansas City improv professionals, 5 Plays is original, funny, and refreshing. Audience members were instructed make up a name for a play. We chose Killer Gnomes. Immediately and impressively, all six actors set the stage for a wealthy mother with twin 9-year old daughters, Clara and…

‘The Greatest-Er Show at Fringe’ was visually enticing with some impressive feats, such as women with rope tricks, hula hoop aerialists, tap dancers, and the like. Might one say it was the Greatest-Er Show at Fringe? Close, but not quite. Setting itself with high standards, some of the acts fell flat. Particularly, a juggling act…

Presented as a “work in progress,” “Weirdo” tells the story of a group of women who meet in the ’90s, first in a public space and then, after police intervention, at a club. The Club features an “Open Mic” night and it is only during this scene that the actors speak. Two of the women…

Sebastian Smith captured the audience from the moment he walked on stage. Setting out his props, an array of food and over-the-counter medications, he sat himself in front of the mic and began to tell the audience the story of his immigrant family. In a mixture of English and Spanish, which he helpfully translated, he…

While it is true that this show does contain some aerial performances, it should be noted that this is not the primary purpose or format of the show. It is, in fact, a sort of new-age infomercial, the aerial and musical interludes only serving to pad time and set the mode for advertising various products.…

“The Chapters Of Seeking” is a contemporary dance performance choreographed by Tristan Griffin and is split up into 4 parts: “Seeking: Momentum”, “Seeking: in Time”, “Seeking: 4 Love” and “Seeking: Truth”. The performance uses various genres of music and poetry. The choreography is clear, direct, emotional, and easy to understand and makes good use of…

‘With Me, and Such as Me, It is Different’ is a one person performance of half poetic speeches, half dance, and half concert. Yes, there are that many halves. One could not help but smile from the energy pouring out of Ahafia Jurkiewicz-Miles. An impassioned hybrid of speech and poem, Ahafia Jurkiewicz-Milescould could not stand…

Cowboy Mouth felt like a rollercoaster ride, many ups and downs. From the very start, two enraged rockstar wannabees scream about suicide as they play the drums and strum a broken guitar. The plot was confusing and didn’t seem to go anywhere. At every opportunity for a joke, it became serious. When serious, there was…

A set of old furniture and bluegrass music immediately set the tone for this historical drama. Simple, flat boards distinguish the walls of the house, complete with front porch in an intuitive bit of set design removing any barriers between the audience and the actors. The costumes are elaborate and appropriate; no expense was spared.…

Comedian Emmy Rivera uses Puerto Rican American Gothic to tell the story of what happens when a Puerto Rican Jersey girl moves to the mid-western college town of Lawrence, KS. Her performance is intended to show the struggles she faced while working through the struggles of being a “perfect” grandmother despite her long-ago buried party…

“Final Curtain” is an immersive theatre ghost story. There are three different plays happening at the same time. This reviewer saw the ghost expedition play. It tells the story of Billy and Wade, two paranormal investigators. Throughout the performance, they discuss their investigations and relationship as friends. “Final Curtain” is showing at the Metropolitan Ensemble…

Brie Henderson’s Six Degrees Of Defecation is an anthology of several “poo stories” set in a courtroom with witnesses “testifying” to their horrific experiences in several “real life” situations. While this performance is very ambitious and original in its scope, it was at times uneven in delivery. Ms. Henderson was quite inventive with the variety…

A sense of unease pervades immediately upon entry to the theater. It’s not the backdrops meant to resemble drawings delineating the space into various locations. It certainly wasn’t the unassuming black stools and TV trays serving as the only props. It was the seven actors, dressed in greyscale, literally propped up on the sides of…

“Lilly” is an ambient/electronic music trio that borrows elements of 17th century baroque music. The members are: Lizzi Leigh on vocals, Justin Story on guitar, and John Hatch on synths and keyboard. Lilly originally started as a solo music project by John, until only about a year and a half later, when John brought in…

DISCLAIMER: This play deals with themes of suicide prevention “I Could Take a Nap but Killing Myself Would be more Productive” (aka “Nap the Play”) covers the story of 18-year-old Sofia (LaurenSage Browning) narrated by herself in limbo (Markia Rose Sayers). Sofia lives with her family: her mother Anne (Fiona Rose), her father Kirk (Samuel…

If at first glance Nancee and Mike Micham look like farmers, it’s because they are, but that doesn’t mean they don’t have a story to tell. Last night, this reviewer joined a humble crowd at the Westport Coffee House to visit with the husband and wife duo as they wove a tale about Nancee’s grandmother…

‘Life Of An Empath’ is an interpretive dance production, wherein Joseph Sheppard, choreographer/performer, dances to 13 wonderful musical selections – using props (e.g., breathing spheres, binoculars, fans and wands) – to represent the journey of an individual learning to grow into his empathic abilities. Sheppard’s performance is sincere, emotive, and earnest. His choreography for the…

‘Emily the Musical’ is an elegant take on the Famous Poet Emily Dickenson’s early life wherein she is constantly face to face with death. The stage, littered with sparkling bowls and little flowers, along with worn out books and big glass lamps, delicately complemented the unveiling story line. Emily Dickenson, played by Isabella Pichardo, graces…

A perennial Fringe favorite, KC’s Magic Showcase is a family-friendly show which entertains all ages. The magicians are members of the Society of American Magicians and they are in all senses pros. Each performance features different magicians, so each show is different. This show was emceed by Cosmo and included a master of rope tricks,…

“Mercy” has an interesting premise: what happens when a plan to use violence to “teach a lesson” turns deadly? The lighting and set at Union Station City Stage were well-done, suggesting a prison, a cage, a cave. They added to the suspense and tension which percolates throughout the piece. What was lacking was strong direction.…

One of the regulars at the Fringe is the Right Between the Ears theater company, a group which has been doing radio comedy in the area for many years now. Each year’s Fringe offering tends to be based on some pastiche of long-past popular culture: B-movies, serials, and so on. This year, they’ve gone with…

Urban Legend – Denny Dey (New Digital Pathways) The Interrogation – Jesse Mack (LaMal Mack Studios) Old School – Harvey Williams (Melting Pot Films) Bout it – Stinson McLendon (Baby E Films) Review by Greg Cantrell Local Film Works is an amalgam of four very different short films of varying genres, and is, in fact,…

Zach Faust and Madison Dodd truly outdid themselves with this hilarious script pulling from the popular TV series while debuting with an all-star, talented cast. The spotlight featured a range of gifted young singers shuffling across the stage of the Arts Asylum. Will Schuester, performed by Alec Bridges, attempts to enlighten high schoolers by uniting…

Coming out strong, Jeremiah Kauffman’s “And Jesus Wept” presents the tough journey of Daniel clarifying his sexuality to his dad. His father, a Baptist preacher makes it clear that he will not have anything to do with his son because of his sexual preferences. A too-common life experience for young adults hits the stage of…

Katie Thayer stuns the stage in a black and white polka dot bikini and high wasted red bottoms. She spews out confidence considered contagious, What’s underneath is something to highlight in this show and not to be overlooked. Thayer features her body, perspective, and life experience in a refreshingly interactive cabaret-comedy series of scenes. This…

“Hanging by the End of the Leash,” by Amanda S. Cherry, starts with a promising recipe and ingredients – a female veteran with a medical condition, an adorable service dog, some monologue and stand-up, and “real life” skits to help tell the story of what it is like to navigate this world with a service…

If plays were bodies of water, War Paint was a waterfall. War Paint was soul-baring yet overly ambitious. Lily’s War Paint is a one-woman play lecturing viewers on the ills of our beauty-obsessed America. As Lily put on her war paint, addressing us as cadets, she illustrated her points with personal stories from her southern…

Back in 2012, physical comedian David Gaines brought his “7 (x1) Samurai” to the Kansas City Fringe where it caused a sensation. This year, he is back with a new performance harking back to the golden age of the traveling circus. Gaines (as always portraying all the characters) tells the story of a bashful circus…

In “Five and a Half Feet of Fearsome”, Shannon Savard combines comedy, puppetry, confessional, and disparate other elements to talk a little about life in the trans community, and most particularly their own experience as genderqueer. Purportedly a secret meeting of gender outlaws to iron out the dreaded “Trans Agenda”, the show slowly morphs into…

“Expectation” is a movement masterpiece. “Expectation” is a one woman movement performance, choreographed and performed by Sarah Frangenberg. The performance explores questions about expectations: What do people expect from you? What do you expect from individuals? What do you expect from yourself? These questions and many more are explored throughout the performance. Sarah’s technique is…

On November 3, 1957, a former street dog named Laika was launched in Sputnik 2, on a one-way trip into space. Contrary to reports at the time that she was euthanized prior to her oxygen running out, it is now believed she died within hours of launch due to overheating. Because of her, scientists were…

Times have certainly changed. If the old tales are to be believed, the sexual crimes of the rich and powerful were once winked at, not even a whispered condemnation. Over the decades, however, with more and more women loudly asserting their right to their own bodily autonomy and the rise of the panopticon known as…

“Sides of History is Multifaceted Storytelling” At the Unicorn Theatre Levin Stage an actor comes on before the ubiquitous KC Fringe Festival curtain speech is even over. “Oh,” I think to myself, “they’re going to pack every minute they’ve got.” I had no idea… When was the last time you left a Fringe show both…

If you asked me to describe “Expectation” in one word, I would first say it cannot be done. If you pressed me again for an answer, I would begrudgingly say “primal.” I would then quickly recant my statement and claim it could not be done. The show opens as Sarah Frangenberg walks to a darkened…

In the interest of clarity, it should be stated at the beginning that this is not exactly the performance advertised. Ms Grasberg has indeed created a two-act full-cast musical in the style of Gilbert & Sullivan about an all-female pirate crew and their escapades on the high seas. However, that is not what is being…

Mr. Chris Stephens is a virtuoso. If you have never actually been in the presence of one before, it may be hard to grasp the full meaning of the word. Simply put, he is astoundingly good at what he does. Over the course of his one-hour show, he takes no less than five string instruments,…

William S. Burroughs has emerged as one of those artists whose personal life draws nearly as much fascination as his work. Scion of a typewriter company fortune, icon of the Beats, closeted queer (his word), and inspiration to a generation of madniks. And, of course, the man who on a September night in 1951, shot…

Produced by VidaDance Company, ‘Turning The Page’ is a family friendly ballet that tells the tale of Ricki, a young girl who is picked on by a school bully. She quickly runs to the library to get away from the bully. After looking at the books and wandering around a bit, she falls unconscious onto…

Sometimes when ballet moves from the traditional, it struggles. Some directors stick to classical traditions, others experiment and fuse different styles into ballet, and others like newer dances such as hip hop and popping/locking. ‘The Artist: Inspired’ goes for the more experimental route while using classical tradition and pulls it off fantastically. This brings in…

Do you know that feeling you get when you start a new book, very first page immediately grabs your insides, you just know you are hooked and can’t wait to finish the book, but also that you are going to enjoy the wonderful ride? That’s how I felt watching ‘Deceit’, a truly enthralling play written…

My first Annie Kalahurka experience was almost exactly what I expected.  Wonderful. Her sold-out performance of Help Me Help You Me captured me and the audience from its very first moments. Bursting with energy and a wonderful sense of self, she commanded the stage during the entirety of her part musical, part comedy, part drama performance. Her…

“Nevertheless, It Persisted” Thorn Production’s “Jeannette Rankin: Champion of Persistence” could be called edu-tainment. It’s the kind of show I expect to see at a middle school assembly during Women’s History Month. That said, the biographical one-act about the life of the first woman elected to Congress was highly informative, and the enthusiastic performance of…

“A College Drop-Out, Stand-up Comedian from Kentucky Walks into a Bar…” … Okay, it wasn’t a bar, but it was a full house at the Unicorn Theatre’s Jerome Stage for Stewart Huff’s “Donating Sperm to My Sister’s Wife.” The stand-up comedian is relatively new to Fringe festivals, and this is his first time bringing the…

What do you do if you have a decent sense of humor AND you are trained in modern/interpretive dance AND you want to let people know you have some real artistic creativity? If you are John Dwyer, the choreographer and creative force behind For Whom The Comedy Panders, you deliver a unique and engaging 45…

Produced by Phil Kinen’s Big Show Productions, performed at Just Off Broadway Theater, directed by Philip Kinen, written and improvised by the cast and crew, “You Get What You Need” is about the recording process of one of the most famous Rolling Stones songs of all time, “You Can’t Always Get What You Want”. The…

There is not much this reviewer can say about this play, as to go into even basic detail would be to spoil the thing. Suffice to say it is a meditation upon friendship, conflict of differences, the ways we cope with how the world messes with our minds, and the means by which we heal.…

For this reviewer, one of the most compelling parts of the Fringe Festival is the autobiographical solo show. Every year we encounter fascinating people with a tale to tell and the ability to do so in an entertaining way. Take Ms Caitlin Cook, whose one-woman show blends music, humor, a bit of art history, and…

Marky (Lindsay Taylor) was the nerd girl. The odd one out. The kid who never fit in, and found herself happiest among her fantasy novels and movies. ‘The Lightweight’ details her years becoming a young adult: her time in college, the world of work, the frustrations she found as a woman in a world that…