We'll be online ourselves in numerous ways this coming week to share and engage with Fringe pieces.
Of course, the Fringe schedule is going strong, and so are Broad Street Review staff! Look to our selections this week that help you make choices and also find us, just as Neil's friend Katie found him last week at Gunnar Montana's Bath House. As always, do be sure to introduce yourself as a BSR reader and let us know if these picks are steering you to new possibilities.
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This is the only way to get our team’s Fringe itinerary! Check out where we’ll be for the next seven days. And let us know what you're headed to!
FIND KYLE
Me and Jesus and Prince and Captain Jean-Luc Picard in a One Bedroom apartment in the Bronx
WHEN: Friday, September 23
WHERE: The MAAS Building Studio
WHY: I’m not really sure what to expect from this, and that’s exactly what I’d expect from a show like this. Shavon Norris’ performance blends a variety of elements that, at first glance, may not fit together. But in the description, it reads: “There were twilight zone marathons, zombies and Sunday morning pews. I am from the Bronx. I do not speak the King’s English. I speak the Bronx English…I speak live long and prosper. Infinite Diversity in Infinite Combinations. I speak Prince. Sade. Luther Vandross. I speak the erotic and the sensual. The lusciousness and deliciousness of the body.” How could I not be intrigued? Although I speak West Philly English, I can relate to every word here.
FIND ALAINA & KYLE
Broad Street Review on Instagram
WHEN: Saturday, September 24
WHERE: Instagram
WHY: Kyle and Alaina do a Fringe takeover of our social media as they meet up, take in some shows, and post their experiences and thoughts online in real time!
Hello, How Are You?
WHEN: Saturday, September 24
WHERE: Asian Arts Initiative
WHY: An afternoon show at Asian Arts Initiative is just the ticket to start out our Fringe marathon. This solo show about a Black woman dating “during what feels like the end of times” is from an artist who’s seizing the chance to mount a show for the first time after a decade of many other jobs.
Free Fleet
WHEN: Saturday, September 24
WHERE: Haas Biergarten
WHY: We wanted to check out a mobile outdoor show a convenient distance from our matinee, so this Fellini-inspired “absurdist parade” beginning near FringeArts fit the bill. It promises a “whimsical spectacle” that responds to nearby architecture while subverting pedestrian expectations.
Fitting In: Tales of the Fat Ingenue
WHEN: Saturday, September 24
WHERE: Painted Mug Cafe
WHY: Alaina reviewed the world premiere of this show in August. The performance was still pretty raw, but it had a lot of promise, and we want to follow up. A truly inclusive theater industry would welcome all body types, including fat people, but unfortunately, Philly’s not there yet. What do fat artists have to say about it?
“FIND” NEIL:
“Bon Appétit!” By Julia Child and Lee Hoiby (During a Pandemic!)
WHEN: Sunday, September 25
WHERE: Online
WHY: What a set of layers to this! Solo show? Opera? Julia Child? Alternative history? Streaming? Some of these I’m familiar with and others are outside my ken.
FIND KYLE
Tragic Nostalgia
WHEN: Monday, September 26
WHERE: Fidget Space
WHY: Sound is a visual experience for me, and I’m curious to see how artist Jeanne Lyons weaves together “vocal layers, manipulated field recordings, and synthesized tone” with “abstract black and white visual projections.” And the title alone is enough to spark interest from my inner sad emo teen spirit.
AN EXTRA CHANCE TO FIND BOTH ALAINA AND KYLE
SPEECH
WHEN: Wednesday, September 28
WHERE: Proscenium Theater at The Drake
WHY: For years, a new Lightning Rod Special show has been a run, don’t walk proposition to me. A “satirical scrutiny of the free speech debate” and cultural performativity in our social-media soaked world? Yes please. You can find me there with associate editor Kyle V. Hiller.
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