Erik Blair

I ABSOLUTELY LOVED THIS SHOW. And I hate after shows. HATE them. I think having a show that's nothing but overblown fan appreciation stretched out to an hour is the height of wasted space in an hyper-saturated media. It caught the nature of this type of self-promoting nonsense perfectly and then added real twists and intrigue into the middle of the fluffy irrelevant crap. Beautifully done, beautifully acted, beautiful across the board.... full review

I came into this play with no conception of what I was going to see. What I found was a play that ultimately is about the meaning of love. What is love--who can love whom--is love fragile--is it forever--is it powerful--is it salvation, or damnation, or worthless? The characters in this play are all circling around the idea of love and that's a play that is really worth seeing. Unfortunately, the play that currently exists is deeply flawed and in need of revision before that greater play can ... full review

I have spent a long time in Los Angeles looking for great burlesque. There are many troupes and teams in the city and area that claim to be great--and my hopes are nearly always dashed. So when I met Lemi Atom at one of the Fringe meetups and was told that this particular show was going to be different, I came with pretty diminished expectations. I left surprisingly impressed with a show that managed to be both brave, inspired and in several cases STELLAR burlesque. Some of the numbers were ok... full review

I'd been told to go see this show, so I finally made time to do so--and I'm glad I did. In 45 mins, these four actors did an AMAZING job of improvising several scenes of Shakespeare where they didn't know which character they would be until that show began. Now let's be clear--that means they know ALL the lines and characters for ALL the scenes, so it's not like they're making it up from scratch. But even still, to have all the possible combinations and then have to leap into it at a moment's ... full review

All I knew about this show before I went to see it was that it was "kids doing Titus Andronicus" and they'd been banned from going into Fringe Central. So when I walked into the theater and my program was entirely in-character and then the teacher walked onto the stage, already having a meltdown over his cheating wife...I knew I was in for a great time. I was absolutely right. From its opening moments to its terrifying, dark and shocking ending, this play is a joy to watch. It's like Shakespea... full review

Somehow I managed to get all the way to the opening moments of JonBenet Ramsey: The Musical without realizing exactly what I was getting into, without understanding the play I was about to see. And that turned out to be a great thing--because if I'd actively known that I was going to be seeing a parody musical about JonBenet Ramsey's death that would cast her mother as a maniacal, power-hungry madwoman with delusions of being Professor Moriarty-level smart while singing Broadway show-tune melodie... full review

Having seen Macdeth, I was eager to see whether the comedy performed by the same team would have the same impact on me and be equally as funny. And for the most part, it was. If you're interested in seeing a great, funny, fantastic show of bawdy, sexual-innuendo filled jokes that weave together a love story that could easily have been told during Shakespeare's time--come see this show. It's a great, fantastic parody of Shakespeare's comedies--covering the mistaken identities, the goofy and sud... full review

"Come see us destroy Shakespeare's Scottish Play!" they said. "It's a comedic version of the play," they promised. For days, people in kilts had been (nicely) assaulting me whenever I was trying to get to a play on Theater Row. Finally, like the indoctrination of a new cult member, I gave in and went to see this play. And I am very, very glad I did so. Because Macdeth is an absolutely brilliant experience. From the opening audience interactive moment to its closing monologue, this is a true ... full review

This is a show that has some fun potential to it. A live mind-reader starts trying to do his show, fails, and turns to his mentor--an animated character who helps him read minds IN REAL TIME. A Neat idea, for sure, and one that's family-friendly and capable of amusing all ages. The performance I saw was, indeed, amusing--but at the same time, there were things that kept it from being as much fun as I hoped it would be. The pacing was slower than I would have hoped. There were a few mistakes in... full review

Gilda Radner wasn't a comedian that I had much of an opinion about one way or another before I saw this show--I wasn't a big fan of or a a hater against her. Helena Cosentino's top-notch solo performance that celebrates Gilda's life, death, attitude and comedy is so good it made me into a Gilda fan. That's clearly the goal. Helena is a life-long Gilda fan (admitted so as part of the show) and this play is clearly her way of both celebrating that admiration of Gilda's talent and helping to rais... full review