Prior to the start of the Rochester Fringe Festival I joked that City should include an etiquette guide for Fringe audiences. This wasn’t meant to be bitchy (well, not entirely bitchy), but was inspired by two thoughts. First, Rochester is used to the Jazz Festival, during which people are encouraged to hop from show to […]
Fringe Festival
Posted inCulture
Rochester Fringe Festival, Day 1: “The Bicycle Men” review
Good old-fashioned vulgarity is taking a terrible beating these days at the hands of young playwrights who never learned that four-letter words and exaggerated descriptions of sex aren’t especially funny in and of themselves. It’s not the profanity I object, to but the witlessness that accompanies it. Without wit or cleverness, vulgarity flying around a […]
Posted inCulture
Interview: Patton Oswalt
Patton Oswalt is currently one of the biggest names in comedy — in fact, the night prior to his headlining gig at the First Niagara Rochester Fringe Festival he’ll be performing at the Just For Laughs festival in Toronto. Even if Oswalt’s name isn’t immediately recognizable, you’ve almost certainly seen or heard him. He was […]
Posted inSpecial Sections
Show time for Rochester Fringe
It took dancers jumping off buildings for people to finally “get” the magnitude of the inaugural First Niagara Rochester Fringe Festival. “Another festival?” is a common refrain in Rochester. It can be hard to get excited about a new project when the area is already so flush with celebrations of everything from Turkish culture and […]
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Best Bets at Rochester Fringe: Michael Lasser’s picks
One review of “The Bicycle Men” called it “a genial spoof.” So is this going to be one of those things that’s much funnier when you’re having a fourth beer with friends and making up a musical at 3 in the morning? But a naïve Yank who gets stuck while biking through France also conjures […]
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Best Bets at Rochester Fringe: Rebecca Rafferty’s picks
There are some unknowns in human existence that might never be answered. But that doesn’t mean we won’t eternally ask questions about our purpose (or lack thereof), the nature of death, and the slippery slope of human cognition. Core Project Chicago’s “The Dust” will explore these themes of death, fate, memory, and man through dance, […]
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Best Bets at Rochester Fringe: Casey Carlsen’s picks
BIODANCE, a well-established, local contemporary group led by Missy Pfohl Smith, has two distinctly different shows in the festival. “Breakdown: Dance/Sound” is an experimental new work performed to the orchestral music of Sound ExChange. The piece uses 50 musicians and 10 dancers, and promotes audience interaction. BIODANCE’s other work, “Love at First Waltz,” highlights Smith’s […]
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Best Bets at Rochester Fringe: Willie Clark’s picks
Big name comedian Patton Oswalt headlines the comedy portion of the Fringe Festival. Possibly best known for his roles in “The King of Queens” and the voice of Remy in “Ratatouille,” Oswalt has also appeared everywhere from “The Fairly Odd Parents” to “Community” to “Grand Theft Auto.” An accomplished stand-up comedian and writer (he most […]
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Best Bets at Rochester Fringe: Paloma Capanna’s picks
The Eastman School of Music students creating “Hide the Moon,” an original adaptation of Oscar Wilde’s “Salome,” are billing the event by the emotions infatuation, loathing, fear, and lust. Who doesn’t want an hour of high drama? The student group, led by Andrew Pramuk, are infusing drama, music, movement, and original arrangements to tell the […]
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Best Bets at Rochester Fringe: Eric Rezsnyak’s picks
The headliner act that made everyone go “Ooooooooo!” at the press conference, Bandaloop will undoubtedly be the most eye-popping experience at the inaugural Fringe Festival. This world-renowned aerial dance troupe performs vertical routines while suspended from climbing ropes. It has danced on the sides of the Seattle Space Needle, New York Stock Exchange, and the […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
UPDATE: Rochester Fringe Festival additions
The First Niagara Rochester Fringe Festival today announced several more events for its inaugural festival, which will take place September 19-23 in downtown Rochester. -The high-flying dance troupe Bandaloop, which will perform an aerial dance number on the side of the 21-story HSBCPlaza on Thursday, September 20, has added a second performance on Saturday, September […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
ARTS NEWS: Inaugural Rochester Fringe Festival schedule announced
This morning the organizers of the inaugural First Niagara Rochester Fringe Festival announced the schedule for the new arts & cultural event, which will feature more than 180 performances of 120 shows in 21 venues in downtown Rochester. Shows range from theater to music, visual art to comedy, dance to family-friendly fare, and will take […]
