Author Archive
Melissa Delizia on Sara Malinowski
Sara, I feel so lucky to have seen Girlfriends. It’s a show that is full of heart, humor, and (mostly) honesty. Sitting in the audience, I felt like I was at a sleepover listening to my best friend tell me a story. Your performance was so captivating that I left overflowing with emotions and nostalgia for a time in my own life where I was still discovering who I…
David Robson on Jennifer Blaine
Dear Jennifer, I came to Mister John’s Music expecting a feminist comedy show, but nothing prepared this cis normie for the brash, silly, in-your-face hilarity of Raw Deal. Despite your 30 years of liberation-inspired merrymaking and vulgarity that make you a Philly Fringe legend, I was a Blaine virgin. Shame on me. But better late than never! The disco ball and mustard-colored curtains set the perfect tone, and when…
Soleil Kohl on Katarina Kojic
Dear Katarina (and the whole PhotoProv cast), What a delight to see one of my first performing loves, improv, in a brand new light. Entering the space, I always get excited when the preshow (which usually has audiences chatting, fumbling through bags, using the bathroom, etc) makes a wonderfully magical promise, and gives us something to look forward to. I loved getting to sit with everyone while they slowly…
Morgan FitzPatrick Andrews on Kym Priess
Dear Kym, In 1939, Bert Lahr’s Cowardly Lion was the only character to get two theme songs in MGM’s The Wizard of Oz. Somewhere between “If I Only Had The Nerve” and “Were I King of the Forest,” Lahr’s sad sack would-be-king cat ad-libbed his lines, sent castmates into fits of laughter, and drove the production totally off the rails. How can a lion—any lion—top that act? Well, let’s…
Thomas Choinacky on Soleil Kohl
Dear Soleil- As I walked into the theater you were deep in a dysfunctional dance that flipped through a mix of physically exhausting pedestrian gestures. I quickly caught on to this as the “hold” or “waiting” button similar to a video game start screen. As you riled around I became concerned about your knees, so many collapses to the floor! I was relieved to see your kneepads later. I…
Jack McManus on Savannah Reich
Dear Savannah, I rushed over to see your show directly from a performance of Notice Me Gwyneth, one of the pieces I directed in the Fringe and which you reviewed so kindly. Yours was the first show I got to see since opening both of my projects, and I was feeling raggedly tired but euphoric at the freedom I was experiencing. I love the feeling of creative saturation that…
Michelle Nguyen on Morgan FitzPatrick Andrews
Dear Morgan, What’s in a name? If the name changes does the thing itself also change? And who is doing the naming? These are the questions I’m left to consider after witnessing the madcap medley that is, was, and will always be Columbo’s Day, Volume 1. Part kooky-caper with ample clown-foolery, part TED-talk on wor(l)d history and bird facts, I loved how you were able to seamlessly weave in…
Chizo Nwagwu on Michelle Nguyen
Dear Michelle, You should be incredibly proud of “The Deer Ones”: you brought the audience along from the moment you stepped onstage to be part of Robin’s journey. Entering the theater, the ambiance created with the trees and the lone stump set the stage for a story that we would all be part of. Despite you mentioning it being your first time performing, you are a natural performer. You…
Noam Osband on David Robson
David, Tarana Burke coined the phrase “Me Too” in 2006, and it’s been nearly a decade since the MeToo movement became a national phenomenon. In that time, so many of us have been forced to confront the entrenchment of misogyny, the way its perpetrators so infrequently face consequences, and the impact on the untold numbers of their victims. What I loved about “Without Consent,” is the way it forced me…
Katarina Kojic on Red Rae
Dear Red Rae, I came to Fire Portal already in an artistic state of mind. Because the performance was running late, I had time to wander through the other galleries as they were getting ready to open. I saw some work that caught my attention and even bought a canvas bag that says “Philly is for Artists” on it. I remember thinking that it was a pretty perfect prelude…
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