Paul Hoan Zeidler

A solid dramatization of the Soviet Union's World War II female night bombing groups known by the Nazis as the "Night Witches." Strong ensemble work with many notable performances including Heather Schmidt as a neophyte teenager who becomes one of the unit's bravest pilots, and by Curt Bonnem who shuffles German, French and Russian accents as though they were a deck of playing cards. The production includes black light effects and a way cool glow-in-the-dark model of a German Messerschmidt 110.... full review

Fans of Ben Moroski's and Michael Shaw Fisher's previous Fringe hits will certainly not be disappointed by TILT, a raw, brutal and fascinating portrait of the friendship between two escapees from an L.A. psychiatric ward. Moroski's script finds a cool syncopation as it shifts between the unique rhythm in each character's dialog. Both actors deliver unwavering, in-yer-face performances that you'll remember long after this Fringe is over.... full review

Carrie Keranen's comic timing is impeccable as rogue cop Lynn Alvarado, "the Lamprey." Victor Issac's direction is as tight as a snare drum. Peter Fluet's script delivers on every action and comedic set-up. And if you never thought rheumatoid arthritis particularly funny, you've got to see Fluet's performance of a software engineer afflicted with the peculiar condition. LAMPREY busts your gut as it kicks your ass every inch of the way.... full review

Ed Goodman continues his comic explorations of the artists and literary figures of the 19th Century by shining the big bright light on a very, very much alive Mark Twain. Goodman uses considerable ingenuity in an improvisational performance that hilariously deconstructs one person shows as it reconstructs the life of the Bard from the Mississippi River. The exhibition skips like a stone off a few historical points, then takes questions and truths from the audience and involves them in a multipl... full review

It is a tribute to the inexhaustible talents of the Loft Ensemble that they're able to dive deep into the choked and polluted waters of fairy tale parodies, take an okay script and spin it all up into an enjoyable evening. Very strong ensemble work with many notable performances, including Bree Pavey as a minstrel of ceremonies, Tor Brown as a comfortably self-centered prince, April Morrow as a screechy peasant and a party-girl princess, and Cameron Britton as a servant and stage hand who's chal... full review

One of the greatest benefits of the Hollywood Fringe Festival is the wide variety of shows you can see in a short time. Selecting the right ones give you the ability to listen in on, and even become part of, the culture debating itself. Some may not agree with the opinions expressed here or perhaps not to the degree that they're expressed, but no one can refute their importance. That alone makes MUST BE COMFORTABLE WITH one of the essential shows of this year's festival.... full review

This Fringe show caught an early buzz and it pretty much lives up to it. A deeply disturbed middle school teacher going through a brutal divorce leads his young charges into a production of Shakespeare's most violent play. It's moment of personal revelation and revenge for him, and it could be more of one for some of his students, too. There's plenty of laughs, mostly in the early going, and behandings, betongueings, patricide, matricide, regicide, cannibalism and buckets and buckets of blood.... full review

A cool take on an old classic that makes it shine like new. Jen Albert's ferocious Kate, Dana DeRuyck's effervescent Lucentio and Tara Donovan's evanescent Bianca are more than reason enough to tie yourself down and let this SHREW slap you up.... full review

Jaime Andrews' fact-based fairytale, COOKIE AND THE MONSTER, stomps into humorous and disturbing life in this year's Fringe at Theatre of NOTE. While it's easy for audience members to root for Cookie as a kindergartner whose imaginary Monster inspires her to stand up to bullies and shout at hypocrisies, our identification with her--and willingness to laugh at her--grows more troubling when the Monster's advice eventually leads her into drugs, promiscuity and adult nightclubs. Ms. Andrews throws... full review

The self-absorption, the stagey spins to indicate another scene, the elderly African-American characters who are sources of perfect wisdom, the absurd amount of lighting and sound cues, these and more get gleefully cornholed in Jim Hanna's satire of one-man shows. The production is assisted by Caitlin Rucker's tight direction and a fistful of outstanding performances including Darin Toonder as returning champion Trent "the Soul Mirror" Isaacs and Forest Lancaster as the smooth and smarmy master ... full review