Paul Hoan Zeidler

Has it really been 26 years since NORMAL’s premiere at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival? Since the first rumble of the subversive work (of Anthony Neilson and other British playwrights such as Mark Ravenhill, Sarah Kane and Phillip Ridley) that would thunder into the In-yer-face movement? Praise be to the Vagrancy for finally giving this taut and transgressive play its very first west coast production. Let’s hope the awesome performances and high production values lead to a well-justified full ru... full review

Ever wanted to throw something at a Republican congressman spurting right-wing platitudes, but you were worried about federal prosecution/ RWNJ harassment/ opening an FBI file? Scott Golden gives you an epic opportunity in the final segment of “America First,” the evening of EASY TARGETS devoted to male characters. The Burglers of Hamm serve up some fat bullseyes for communal sock throwing with game performances from Hugo Armstrong, Albert Dayan, Jon Beauregard and Golden. This production is a... full review

A superlative production of a rarely performed classic makes THE FAGGOT KING a must-see.... full review

It's rare to find a show as challenging as it is successful anywhere, much less at the Hollywood Fringe, but this production certainly accomplishes both. Admirers of Tim Crouch's work in AN OAK TREE and other performance pieces will discover a great deal in this cross between a self-help seminar and the story of Osama Bin Laden. I can't help but respect Knaive Theatre's intelligence, deftness, charm and guts in mounting this show. A must see for this year's Fringe. ... full review

Miss Beryl Swiver has been charming audiences in lounges from Palm Springs to the Salton Sea for years, and she wants to share so much with us! Rebecca Larsen's superb portrayal of the singer deftly mixes improvisation, calibration and a spectacular amount of evening makeup. Richard Levinson's humorous songs and keyboard accompaniment help loft the proceedings into high caricature. Miss Beryl Swiver, the next time we meet I hope it's in the wee small hours of the morning and we both have marti... full review

It will be a long time before you see another ruthless spy master as forlornly in love as Eric Giancoli's Lancaster. He recruits and trains librarian Margo (an appropriately anxious Lauren Van Kurin) and sends her into battle for the Establishment, only to lose his heart to her and have his affection unrequited ... with unpredictable results. Fantastic fight choreography is a highlight in this, another fine Fringe show generated in the Sacred Fools Theater Co.'s late night program, Serial Kille... full review

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