{"id":40400,"date":"2019-06-21T17:30:08","date_gmt":"2019-06-21T17:30:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/itsnotaboutme.tv\/news\/?p=40400"},"modified":"2019-06-21T17:30:08","modified_gmt":"2019-06-21T17:30:08","slug":"theatre-ride-or-die-the-hip-hop-musical-and-more-selections-from-the-hollywood-fringe-festival-2019","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/itsnotaboutme.tv\/news\/theatre-ride-or-die-the-hip-hop-musical-and-more-selections-from-the-hollywood-fringe-festival-2019\/","title":{"rendered":"THEATRE: RIDE OR DIE: THE HIP-HOP MUSICAL, AND MORE SELECTIONS FROM THE HOLLYWOOD FRINGE FESTIVAL 2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

RIDE OR DIE: THE HIP-HOP MUSICAL, AND MORE SELECTIONS FROM THE HOLLYWOOD FRINGE FESTIVAL 2019<\/h1>\n
\"A<\/a>

A board outside one of the theatres, listing their shows. Photo by Karen Salkin.<\/p><\/div>\n

I don\u2019t want to bury the headline here, so before I tell you anything else, I heavily recommend that you see the wonderful hip-hop musical Ride Or Die<\/em>, and to absolutely stay away from the dreadful Mil Grus<\/em>! Details on both to follow, but even though I suggest you read everything I have to say here<\/em>, you should also watch my new video detailing those two shows here: www.youtube.com\/watch?v=Pxpjvgl200g<\/a>.<\/p>\n

But first, an overview of the Hollywood Fringe Festival. I never really know how to describe it, but the easiest explanation is that it\u2019s a few hundred short shows that run almost continually in a bunch of venues in Hollywood for the month of June.<\/p>\n

Thankfully, they\u2019re all pretty brief–most are under an hour, with some running ninety minutes. Part of the fun is getting to see at least a couple of them in one day or night, with many being within walking distance of each other.<\/p>\n

\"And<\/a>

And a close-up of one on the boards which several people have mentioned to ME. Even though a FEW of those titles can apply to me, they’re referring to “Earth To Karen.” Yeah–I get it! Photo by Karen Salkin.<\/p><\/div>\n

Outside of discovering the marvelous Ride Or Die<\/em>, (which is the best part of this year\u2019s festival,) I was grateful to get acquainted with the plethora of little theatres in that area of town. I\u2019ve passed many of them in a car before, but knew nothing about them. Each one has something to offer, but my friend Marc says that The Broadwater, (where Ride Or Die<\/em> plays,) is \u201clike the Academy Awards compared to the others!\u201d<\/p>\n

Here are reviews of the four shows I\u2019ve seen so far this year, from best to worst. (But don\u2019t forget to also watch my video because it gives all the juicy dirt on them that just cannot be portrayed in writing! Here\u2019s that link again, in case you\u2019re too lazy<\/del> time-constrained to scroll up!: www.youtube.com\/watch?v=Pxpjvgl200g<\/a>.)<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

THE BEST ONE!: RIDE OR DIE: THE HIP-HOP MUSICAL<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"(L-R)<\/a>

(L-R) Alexa Russo, John Tucker, Casey Versfelt, Domonique Brown, and Callie Ott. Photo by Brendan McCay.<\/p><\/div>\n

There are only two more performances of this most worthwhile show, and they\u2019re both this week-end!!! So do yourselves a favor and spend that little bit of your day or night seeing Ride Or<\/em> Die: The Hip-Hop Musical<\/em>–it will warm your heart! I had a smile on my face the entire time. And laughed through just about all of it.<\/p>\n

Besides that it\u2019s a really funny show, with excellent performers, and fun understandable raps, the cast features some artists with Down Syndrome and some with autism, including the three leads. And they\u2019re all better than all<\/em> the other<\/em> actors I\u2019ve seen during this year\u2019s Fringe Festival! No lie. (And several of them are on TV series now, so you\u2019ll actually be seeing celebrities<\/em>!)<\/p>\n

Everyone<\/em> in this show is really good, but especially the two lead guys, Domonique Brown and John Tucker, who are absolutely fabulous.<\/p>\n

\"<\/a>

(L-R) Alexa Russo, Spencer Harte, and Casey Versfelt. Photo by Brendan McCay.<\/p><\/div>\n

Because of all this excellence, I\u2019m mentioning the names of the entire company, giving special kudos to Conor Hanney, who wrote every single bit of the story, dialogue and music, and who must be the most special guy I\u2019ve ever had the pleasure to meet in my whole life. (Not to mention that he\u2019s adorbs!)<\/p>\n

The rest of the cast members are: Spencer Harte, Coby Bird, Caley Versfelt, Brendan McCay, Stanson Chung, Alexa Russo, Callie Ott, and the above-mentioned Conor Hanney, with a special surprise appearance by a half-naked Rob Zaleski.<\/p>\n

And the beatboxer, Shaun Fisher, who even has a comic acting<\/em> turn as \u201cGod,\u201d keeps the show going seamlessly the entire time. And it\u2019s all directed by Kelsey Goeres.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m actually planning on going back to see it again this week-end because I want Mr. X to experience it. I hope to see you<\/em> all there, too!<\/p>\n

For tickets and more info, go to www.hollywoodfringe.org\/projects\/5881<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

THE NARCISSIST NEXT DOOR<\/strong><\/p>\n

This one is okay. It\u2019s a comedy, with a good script by Ellen Buckley, but it\u2019s nothing special.<\/p>\n

\"(L-R)<\/a>

(L-R) R\u00e9chard Fran\u00e7ois, Luca Malacrino, Kincaid Walker, and Michael Nardelli. [Note: This pic is not of the show; just of the actors.] Photo by R\u00e9chard Fran\u00e7ois.<\/p><\/div>The premise<\/em> of The Narcissist Next Door<\/em> is true-to-life, but the action<\/em> is far from it, (which doesn\u2019t really matter because so many comedy entertainments are far-fetched.) It\u2019s about a narcissistic guy who just barrels his way into the group of pals who hang-out next door to him. (One guy lives there.) And it goes from there, with most of it being very unbelievable. [Note: I know someone who\u2019s also a bit phony and full-of-himself, and I stopped letting him hang around pretty quickly because he was ruining the time of my other pals. There, done! So others can do that, as well.]<\/p>\n

The performances are good enough, and there are some laughs along the way. But the wardrobe is worse-than-awful. And, I know these shows are super-low-or-no-budget, but they need to change at least a shirt<\/em> every now and then to show passage of time. (They finally do that later on.)<\/p>\n

But the highlight, for my friend and me, anyway, is the occasional totally-buff half-naked body of Luca Malacrino, who plays the narcissist. That made the who thing worth our time.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

FEELING LUCKY<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Spencer<\/a>

Spencer Weitzel and Eddie Navarro. Photo by Stephen Fife.<\/p><\/div>\n

This show is a quartet of vignettes about dating. The good news about Feeling Lucky<\/em>\u00a0is that the two guys in it, Eddie Navarro and Spencer Weitzel, are pretty good, and the first skit, which features just the two of them, is amusing.<\/p>\n

But it goes downhill from there, mainly because the two females, Courtney Scheuerman and Tarah Pollock, are pretty weak. They stop after every…single..sentence. The one scene between just those two drags on and on. And their wardrobe is so bad that it actually becomes distracting. Who dressed them\u2014the \u201870s!?<\/p>\n

\"(L-R)<\/a>

(L-R) Courtney Scheurman, Spencer Weitzel, and Tarah Pollok. Photo by Stephen Fife.<\/p><\/div>\n

Something weird is that, at one point, Courtney lights up a cigarette, in character, and then pretends to smoke it and put it out, when it doesn\u2019t even get lit! That\u2019s the funniest thing she does all show, although it\u2019s by accident. Clearly she does not take a drag of it, which is absolutely correct of her, so why did the writer and director put that action in there to begin with?! It\u2019s absolutely unnecessary and actually irresponsible in this day and age!<\/p>\n

On the plus side is that\u2019s The Blank Theater is a cute petite theatre, with good sightlines from all over. And I appreciated their clever little set changes in the show.<\/p>\n

But don\u2019t see this show while hungry or thirsty\u2014every scene takes place in a restaurant or bar. (But if you do get cravings during it, here\u2019s more good news\u2014there are two easy cafes right across the street!)<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

THE ABSOLUTE WORST ONE!: MIL GRUS<\/strong><\/p>\n

This show was my raison d\u2019etre for my new YouTube video because not only is Mil Grus<\/em> painfully boring, and did not make me laugh even once, but it also features the absolute most offensive thing I have ever<\/em> seen on any<\/em> stage, much less one that labels itself a comedy<\/em>! It\u2019s hard to describe it in print, (but please continue reading this review anyway,) so here\u2019s the link to my latest YouTube video again, because it contains the pertinent visuals: www.youtube.com\/watch?v=Pxpjvgl200g<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"Mil<\/a>

Mil Grus. (There are five buffoons now.)<\/p><\/div>\n

I noticed that someone else referred to Mil Grus<\/em> as \u201ca waking nightmare,\u201d which is fitting, but it\u2019s even worse than that!<\/p>\n

My video explains exactly what this travesty is like, but here\u2019s the worst part: One of the aptly-monikered \u201cbuffoons\u201d takes a plastic bag out of her shirt, and puts it over her head, making like she\u2019s committing suicide by suffocation, complete with a terrified face. Then the rest of them go on with their inanity while she lies there, presumably dead. They should be ashamed of themselves! Making light of suicide is the furthest thing from funny, especially nowadays, when so many people, of all<\/em> ages and in all<\/em> walks of life, do<\/em> take their own lives. How does anyone over the age of fifteen not know that?! And how messed-up are the sensibilities of everyone involved with this show???<\/p>\n

This sick group of individuals calls themselves \u201cbuffoons,\u201d which is actually correct, but not in a good way. They\u2019re<\/em> taking it to mean \u201cclowning\u201d of a sort, but what they\u2019re really<\/em> demonstrating is the derogatory definitions of the word, such as these: \u201ca gross and usually ill-educated or stupid person,\u201d \u201ca\u00a0person\u00a0given\u00a0to\u00a0coarse\u00a0or\u00a0undignified\u00a0joking,\u201d and “an unintentionally ridiculous person.\u201d I could go on, but I think you get the idea.<\/p>\n

\"Mil<\/a>

Mil Grus. (See the caption above.)<\/p><\/div>\n

At one point, the lights in the theater go off for a long while, which I surmised that night was probably so I couldn\u2019t see to write any more bad notes about these blights on society. (Too harsh of me? I think not.)<\/p>\n

The good<\/em> news is that Mil Grus<\/em> is such garbage that I think I have finally hit rockbottom of seeing bad shows. I cannot imagine anything worse than this drivel.<\/p>\n

Besides the horrific suicide bit, all<\/em> of it is awful! I have honestly seen better shows, by far<\/em>, by five-year-olds in their living rooms.<\/p>\n

Near the end, one of the idiots on stage whispered, (which they probably thought was ironically,) \u201cWhat does it mean?\u201d My sentiments exactly!<\/p>\n

And the show just ends abruptly, with no one on stage, and an announcement, \u201cThat\u2019s it. Go home.\u201d Trust me\u2014they did not have to ask me twice!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

RIDE OR DIE: THE HIP-HOP MUSICAL, AND MORE SELECTIONS FROM THE HOLLYWOOD FRINGE FESTIVAL 2019 I don\u2019t want to bury the headline here, so before I tell you anything else, I heavily recommend that you see the wonderful hip-hop musical Ride Or Die, and to absolutely stay away from the dreadful Mil Grus! Details on<\/p>\n

Read More<\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":40395,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[33],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-40400","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-from-theater-to-events-to-the-circus"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/itsnotaboutme.tv\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40400","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/itsnotaboutme.tv\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/itsnotaboutme.tv\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/itsnotaboutme.tv\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/itsnotaboutme.tv\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=40400"}],"version-history":[{"count":24,"href":"https:\/\/itsnotaboutme.tv\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40400\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":40424,"href":"https:\/\/itsnotaboutme.tv\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40400\/revisions\/40424"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/itsnotaboutme.tv\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/40395"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/itsnotaboutme.tv\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=40400"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/itsnotaboutme.tv\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=40400"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/itsnotaboutme.tv\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=40400"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}