Bob Leggett

I met Artwork Theatre's Søren Olsen when I came to see Speed Merchant, and was intrigued by his description of his show. He convinced me to stay after Red Bastard and check it out. What resulted was an interesting night of theater. The dialog of the play is complete gibberish, but much like That Beautiful Laugh, the physicality of actors Elizabeth Colon Nelson, Gabriel McKinney, and Tim Reid shine through and provide most of the clues as to what is happening on stage. The play is visually... full review

Had I bothered to check the description of the play before I entered the theater, I would have been better prepared for the evening. Even in hindsight, although it accurately states that the show is about Ulysses S. Grant, it was much more than that. Growing up in Virginia, history has always been a big part of my life. I must admit that I had bought in to the historical myths about Grant, which this play so adequately dispelled. What emerged was a new and compelling look at the person who ... full review

I rearranged my schedule and came to see Red Bastard without the slightest idea what to expect, based solely on the recommendation of Sound & Fury's Richard Maritzer. I was not prepared for the awesomeness of this show. From the moment Eric Davis (Cirque du Soleil's Iris)stepped onto the stage in the most outlandish costume imaginable, his presence filled the theater with power. Davis exudes strength, knowledge and the overwhelming desire to help his audience by challenging their beliefs. ... full review

The marketing of this piece, with a condom attached to the flyer proclaiming alternately "Wanna be seduced?" and "Wait, are you a virgin?" compelled me to check it out. The play is composed of three separate stories, which share a common theme. From what I could gather, the title comes from the third one, where a man from the future comes back in search of the perfect candidate to repopulate the earth. The glue in this production is the stellar work of Alla Poberesky. Whether portraying a... full review

Standing outside the Complex on Saturday, waiting for a show to begin, I overheard a conversation between Peter Berube and a fan of his show. The conversation intrigued me enough to ask about the show, The Last Five Years. Already a fan of Jason Robert Brown's "Songs for the New World," I agreed to check it out. It was a wise decision. Although I previously chided the presentation of Virginia City for being an opera without dialogue to understand the show, The Last Five Years is, in fact ba... full review

Met the adorable Lexi last week and she told me about her show, which I agreed to check out - OMG - I had NO idea how fabulous it would be! I have seen my share of Fringe shows, especially one-woman shows, and this one ROCKS! Yeah, we all know the girl meets guy, guy blows off girl and breaks girl's heart, girl overcomes story, but this one is told with such emotion, description and feeling that you think you're walking through it together with her. Her descriptions and dialogue are prec... full review

If there was a Fringe award for the most determined self-promoter, the award would go to Craig Shaynak. He was everywhere, talking to participants and people in general, handing out flyers, in his large white "Google" t-shirt. How could I not check out his show? Good thing I did, cause it's a riot! From the moment I entered the venue, where Craig was handing out Oreo Cookies, cause "cookies must be accepted if you want your browser to work." Craig had one pun after another lined up to demo... full review

Although he was the director of this magnificent show, I first encountered Rich Clark as a photographer, working on press photos for individual performances. When he invited me to partake of his vision, I was all too happy to oblige, and I'm glad I did. This play is a thinking man's gem. What begins as a tale about a group of college students trying to come to grips with life and independence from their parents evolves into a gripping tale of choice and consequence. Brent and Wendy are a ... full review

As I walked into the Underground Theater, so far from the plethora a venues surrounding Fringe Central, I was greeted by Kiersten Lyons with the most unique press kit I had ever received. Contained in a 3-ring green binder, decorated with foam "Sweethearts," and my name, I found a little pencil case with a Strawberry Shortcake pen, a slap bracelet, a letter from Lyons and the usual. Her performance was just as unique. A string was strung across the stage, and on the string hung with clothesp... full review

Living next door to a voice-over artist, I'd heard tales of the craziness of this portion of the industry. But nothing I'd heard from my neighbor prepared me for the incredibleness of this performance. Bill Ratner has been involved in the industry for most of his life, coming from a home where his dad was an ad executive for General Mills and helped personify the image of Betty Crocker for the world. Ratner has a way of bringing those images in his head into perfect focus so that the audie... full review