For an hour and a half on Monday night, I was transported back to my teenage years. “13 the Musical,” performed by members of the Lyric Voices junior show choir at the Lyric Theatre, is a charmingly irreverent and surprisingly funny musical that tackles issues that every teen has faced: being liked by their peers, being […]
Rochester Fringe Festival
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Becca reviews ‘Labyrinth’
The highly anticipated Sunday night premiere of “Labyrinth” at RMSC’s Strasenburgh Planetarium did not disappoint. Co-created by BIODANCE’s Missy Pfohl Smith and media artist W. Michelle Harris — who together presented the acclaimed “Anomaly” at the same venue in 2013 and 2016 — the multi-sensory show was performed to a full house on opening night. […]
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Adam reviews ‘The Seal Maiden’ and ‘The Topher Holt Experience’
With the sheer number of options available to audiences each day at the Rochester Fringe Festival, the only way to get the most out of the experience is to make sure you take in as wide a variety of shows as possible. And with that in mind, I spent my Sunday taking in a bit […]
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Becca reviews ‘Big Knockers,’ ‘The Lanthan Mire,’ ‘The Space Between,’ and ‘Creditors’
If you’re in the mood for some silly, bawdy humor and enjoy participating in a good puzzle, check out the final performance of the delightful “Big Knockers: Debunking the Fox Sisters” next Saturday at Abilene. Produced by Stone’s Throw (the people behind “Dashboard Dramas,” “The Oboe Show,” and “Hot Tub: The Musical”), the show is […]
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Adam reviews ‘Wolf Tails and Stolen Footprints,’ ‘Good Joke/Bad Joke Bingo,’ and ’50 Shades of Gay’
“Wolf Tails and Stolen Footprints” opens with the show’s 12-person cast running about Blackfriars’ darkened stage, each of them fearfully crying out. The chaos carries on for a time, until the din suddenly falls away as a voice calls out, “Once upon a time!” This brief opening neatly encapsulates the idea behind the production, in […]
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Katie reviews ‘Heathers,’ ‘Come As You Are,’ and PUSH
First off, can we talk about how cool Plasticiens Volants was? According to my social media feeds, you guys thought so, too. Tonight, I was popping around to The Lyric Theatre, Parcel 5, and the School of the Arts, and I have to say, it makes me all sappy when I see the amount of […]
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Frank reviews ‘Where? I. Come! From…” and Leo Crandall
With any dance performance, I don’t suspend disbelief but rather dive right in with my own reality as my guide. I may be wrong, and often I am, but this way, I get a personal benefit to leave with. “Where? I. Come! From…” over at MuCCC was a genius technical concept that featured three dancers in […]
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Frank reviews Mental Graffiti, ‘The Black Bird of Death,’ and the Immersive Igloo
First off on this tepid evening, I sauntered over to see RIT’s Mental Graffiti poetry reading. Topically it was young person fare and charming, with lots of clever digs and clever ways at reclaiming compromised innocence. One fellow even performed an ode to his foot. When a performer did something of note, the other poets […]
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Kathy reviews Garth Fagan Dance and EstroFest
Garth Fagan Dance’s “Up Close and Personal,” my first show at the 2017 Rochester Fringe, was a raw shot of movement, inspiration, and awe. The show, set in the acclaimed company’s rehearsal space, feels intimate as you watch the dancers move gracefully about the stage. The performances are punctuated by chats with the man himself about […]
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Becca reviews ‘Big Bang’
I strongly encourage you all to attend the final performance of “Big Bang.” And for that reason, my review will not contain all of the spoiler descriptions that are effervescing inside of me. Some of them, but not all of them. The Friday and Saturday on the Fringe feature will take place again at Parcel 5 […]
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Adam reviews ‘Complimentary Heckling’ and ‘Carnival of Souls’
Before the big Friday on the Fringe show from Plasticiens Volants, I made sure I got to experience “Complimentary Heckling,” which is, well, pretty much exactly what it sounds like. Performance artist Crackerjack is camped out in Parcel 5, megaphone in hand, ready to spread some good vibes to any passerby who looks her way. […]
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Frank reviews Cirque Du Fringe: ‘Eclectic Attraction’ and Pinch and Squeal
Cirque Du Fringe: “Eclectic Attraction” was a physical treat of muscular and balance-oriented feats performed in the confines of the Spiegeltent. The hosts, Matt Morgan and Heidi Brucker Morgan — who have staged Spiegeltent shows at the Rochester Fringe before — were the through-line for essentially a circus masquerading as a dream by their infant […]
