"REDlight" and "Dumber Faster" at The New York International Fringe Festival
“REDlight” at The White Box at 440 Studios “Dumber Faster” at The Steve and Marie Sgouros Theatre The New York International Fringe Festival Reviewed by David Roberts, Chief Critic Theatre Reviews Limited
“REDlight” purports to be writer and performer Ryan Kipp’s solo play drawn from his time as a heterosexual stripper in the only all-male, all nude gay strip club on the Eastern seaboard. Performing this piece in front of projections of buff men in a locker room, Kipp repeatedly reminds the audience of his heterosexuality: his like of men has only to do with the issues of control and the role of “being in charge” men have. And stripping for gay men is just another job. The audience meets a variety of characters – gay and straight – from the Club, from his past, from the armed services, from the Club’s VIP room. The audience also meets Kipp’s father and mother and scenes from his life with them: at the lake and in his bedroom. Unfortunately, the costume changes and character changes needed to accomplish this task in thirty-six minutes result in a confusing palette of characters that are sometimes indistinguishable and not well-formed. It is difficult to discern the purpose of this solo work especially given the final scene. Kipp stands nude in front of the audience claiming this exposure creates true intimacy and disclosure. The audience has no difficulty with the actor’s nudity: why would they? But is this the ultimate definition of intimacy and disclosure and transparency? Remaining show times are: Saturday, August 18th @ 4:30 pm; Saturday, August 25th @ 5:00 pm; and Sunday, August 26th @ 4:00 pm.
David Mogolov’s “Dumber Faster” is a comedic romp through the maze of man versus machine or brain versus smart phone or, even, perhaps something else. One surmises that humankind is dumbing down as the result of its use of high-tech devices like smart phones. Or one might connect with Mogolov’s rehearsal of his top-ten examples of the self-defeating behavior he embraces. At times, it is not clear what the purpose of “Dumber Faster” might be. The show currently runs for fifty minutes. Cut in half with some revision, this could be a successful stand-up comedy routine. Remaining show times: Saturday, August 18 @ 8:15 pm; Sunday, August 19 @ 3:30 pm; Thursday, August 23 @ 2:45 pm; and Saturday, August 25 @ 2:30 pm.
Tickets for these shows are available at www.fringenyc.org or 866-468-7619. $15 in advance, $18 at the door. Senior and Fringe Junior tickets available at the door for $10.
Permalink | Posted by David Roberts on Friday, August 17, 2012
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