Anna, in the Darkness at the Lounge Theatre is a powerful thriller with a malevolent undercurrent that carries its audience from the show’s first suspenseful moment to its very last. And since the audience is literally holed up in the same house as the story’s central character, a small-town teacher turned local pariah, every moment of this psychological drama is underscored by the feeling that we’re in it together and maybe, just maybe, none of us are getting out alive. 

Amanda Weier’s direction gives great dynamic shape to this solo show, and as Rebecca Lincoln’s compelling performance ratchets up the tension, we see a character on the verge complete breakdown defiantly clinging to a residual sense of injustice and wrongdoing. Lincoln moves deftly from moments of dark humour to those of paralysing fear. It is a consummate performance that marks her out as an actor of breadth and integrity.

Find out more about this show including performance dates and times at the Hollywood Fringe Festival website www.hollywoodfringe.org  

Where to begin a feast? With breakfast naturally, and so it was that I kicked off my 2015 fringe experience at the ungodly hour of 11.45 a.m. (okay, that's more brunch than breakfast) but I'm happy to report a good house at Scott Marden's Will Play production of A Very Modern Marriage at the Lounge Theatre, and that's no surprise with such a lively and dynamic production on show. I should also point out that Saturday's performance was the only early start - all other dates and times are PM slots and as with all the shows reviewed here you can check out full details at the Hollywood Fringe Festival website at www.hollywoodfringe.org

Marden and his actors navigate more the twists and turns than Magic Mountain's Twisted Colossus in Arthur M. Jolly's contemporary farce. The production is a wickedly funny ménage à trois that doesn't pause for breath. The 90 minute show, performed without an intermission, feels more like 60, the action changes gear effortlessly, the transitions between scenes are never clunky, and three excellent actors squeeze every ounce of drama out the script. 

This is not what I'd call a "fringey" fringe production (no actor defecating in a bucket while another performs a naked handstand reciting the words of Doctor Faustus backwards) but what exactly does "fringey" mean? Isn't that the great joy of a festival like this -  that we get exposed to the kind of fringe diversity that encompasses and array of performance styles and genres?!

The bottom lines is this: a tight and well-oiled production with great acting. Estaban Andres Cruz is vibrant and deliciously conniving as Christopher; Donal Thoms-Cappello as Matthew displays a manliness that cleverly belies the vulnerability of his character as the plot unfolds; and Deborah Jensen is superb as the wife-with-trust-issues who is part-tiger-part-kitten.

And so we come to the Main Course. I caught the late night show of Kate Motzenbacker's production and having feasted on theatre all day long thought my appetite had been sated - until I saw this fantastic production with the extraordinary talents of Madison Shepard, Sonia Jackson, Jessica DeBruin, Linda Serrato-Ybarra, and Molly Wixson. Between them they bring 16 superbly well-crafted characters to life in a devastatingly funny tale of womanhood in the world today. 

The parade of characters, costumes and different settings is anchored by the simple through line of two women waiting for a bus but you won't believe where the journey takes you! 

Smile, Baby is an excellent show, a comedy that packs a punch and a 2015 Hollywood Fringe MUST SEE.

“Total f**king insanity!” It was with these three words that I embraced director Josh T. Ryan last night following his production of Othello at Zombie Joe’s Underground. The hour-long adaption (and the word “adaption” is one you really should bear in mind before seeing this show) by Ryan and the legendary Zombie Joe himself displays the kind of majestic anarchy and unrivaled theatrical madness that sets it apart from the regular diet of staid retellings usually on offer. The production is witty, engaging, and constantly on the move: Iambic pentameter by the scruff of the neck, Shakespeare by the horns, everything ravaged by a cracking pace of delivery and devilry.

The course is steered by a truly ensemble cast. Vincent Cusimano’s fearless Iago is very, very funny complete with full-throttle theatricality and naked flesh. Vanessa Cate’s Othello is brooding and paranoid, and the entirely invented role of the Photographer, played by Sebastian Muñoz is as wicked as it is depraved. The rest of the cast including Kirsten Benjamin as Desdemona, Anna Gion as Emilia, Quinn Knox as Cassio, Hedy Beinert as Bianca, Tyler Koster as Montano, Hannah Mosqueda as Roderigo, and R. Benjamin Warren as Fineas all sparkle in their own unique way and make a sensuous dance of this adaptation.

The high-octane humour is tempered by moments of genuine poignancy…but lest the production take itself too serious it’s not long before the Moor of Venice is breaking into song. I want to repeat again my first impression: Total F**king Insanity! Go and see this show. It is Othello as you have never seen him before, diva of the fashion industry, Iago the prince of the catwalk accompanied by rock ballads, Lycra, Glam Rock and New Romantics styling.


Running until June 27. Check out ZJU website for more details: www.zombiejoes.com

Only just getting round to posting this blog about last month's festival of shorts at Samuel French - a great success thanks in no small part to the sterling work of all those who took part - an international array of directors, writers, and actors who came together to put these readings on. Visit www.razethespace.com for photos of the day. The festival will be back next year and we remain tight lipped for now but hope to post some good news in the near future regarding the next stage in the life of this play festival X