Show: 9
Category: COMEDY / DRAMA / SPOKEN WORD
By: DangerVision Productions
Directed by: Amber Danger Johnson
Location: Crane Theater
Summary: A series of short plays about grief, framed by a visitation in a funeral home
Highlights: The play opens at a visitation (or wake), the most awkward of reception lines. As the widow steels herself to be able to speak, a funeral director (played by Clarence Wethern) talks about grief, what it is and what it isn't. What follows are five short plays (all accompanied by projected imagery) that range from funny to mystical to sad, brought to life by the ensemble (Ben Tallen, Charles Numrich, Karen Bair, Sophie Javna, and Victoria Pyan). Laura Buchholz's exploration of people's fascination with the details of death, Gemma Irish's profound treatise on the meaning of life itself, Rachel Teagle's story of a complicated mother/daughter relationship, Sam Landman's moving tribute to his best friend, and Tyler Mills' poetic journey through grief are tied together by Heather Meyer's funny/sad "interludes" delivered by the funeral director. I came prepared to cry, but laughed more than I expected, while still being moved by the varied expressions of the experience of grief, an inescapable part of being human.
"The price of love is loss, but still we pay, we love anyway."
- Next to Normal
Read all of my Fringe mini-reviews here.
"The price of love is loss, but still we pay, we love anyway."
- Next to Normal
Read all of my Fringe mini-reviews here.