Aaron Kozak

Great actors in a well directed piece. Director Scott Marden proves once again he knows how to get great stuff out of his actors. The play is written in a difficult tone, light and kooky at times, but with some very extreme turning points. I think this incongruity hindered both dynamics, so we never experienced raw dramatic tension and danger, but we also weren't certain of the joke enough to comfortably laugh at the wild circumstance. Still, with a brisk pace, a charming cast, and plenty of big ... full review

Pretty good show with some nice performances from Fringe veterans. Highlight performance was Eric Cire, and the work between him and his scene partner Gregory Crafts elegantly navigated the line between in your face and underplayed. The play itself was expertly penned in cyclical episodic structure, but it did feel that most of the optimum points of drama happened in the early scenes. This did not prove to be too large an issue with it being a tight one hour with short vignettes. Overall, definit... full review

Shel Silverstein has always been a favorite author of mine, and you rarely see anyone take on his plays. I have never understood why that is because they are so funny, and at times, mind blowing brilliant. The way Billy Markham ends is one of those moments. It is the perfect ending that makes the most sense, but yet, it's so silly and unthinkable that you never see it coming. The band was excellent, but this is show is about two men, Shel Silverstein and Aaron Lyons, who commands the stage, a... full review

"Daddy" is the story of two estranged sisters coming together over the death of their father, each facing up to their family's dark past. The ensemble works well together to deal with this very dark, difficult subject matter in a way that is actually charming at times. The scenes between two sisters, while under the duress of unimaginable circumstances, still felt grounded enough to really see your own sibling issues within the scenes. I thought the character arcs were very interesting. One siste... full review

The show had a lot of buzz to live up to by the time I saw, and it certainly everything these reviews say it is. Four incredible actors and amazingly talented piano player/music director coming together on stage in a perfect storm of musical theater. It's difficult to even pinpoint, which song or which actor you liked the best because they are so cohesive and the show flies by. I found myself singing several of the songs afterwards. The Directing was perfectly unobtrusive, staging it as simpl... full review

I laughed when I walked through the door at the shopping cart full of beer cans, wondering which members of the cast took part in drinking all those for the show. By end of the experience, I could only assume it was all of them. The ensemble is stacked with talented character actors, and they work effortlessly to give you exactly what you came for: a foul mouthed, drunken look at redneck family matters. The well rounded cast showed no weak links, and this a credit to good directing as well. I... full review

When the bumbling stage manager arrives on scene at the beginning the play, "It's Important to Leave As Well" runs a bit like Durang's "The Actor's Nightmare." The actress handling the role, who might have been the actual stage manager, not sure on that one, handles the chaos of awkward nothingness during a performance with ease, and it earned her some of the richest laughs of the performance. The play begins to take real form though in the second scene, where playwright Joshua Morrison begins a ... full review

Loved it. Superb script. Great acting. The lead actor, even with a few accent slips, really nailed the journey of a character with so many dimensions. His dual objective to do the right thing and also lay his checkered past to rest are both such rich motives, but they also conflict with each other as well...is it really doing the right thing if he does it to redeem himself? Such a fantastic internal struggle, which very much resonated with me and really layered the character. His wife was played ... full review

This play is definitely one to see. The music is magnificent, and the lyrics are very clever. The actress portraying Rose has an unbelievable voice, and she really shined when taking a lead melody behind the beautiful harmonies of the full ensemble numbers. Outside of one line flub, the show seemed very polished, and the cast each showed their chops as musical theater performers. Great ensemble, no real weak links. I think the tech people should also be recognized for the mix. Usually, that i... full review

This was delightful. I can't tell what was part of the show, and what was them screwing around, but I loved it all. I think these guys are a major contender for the best comedy show of Fringe 2011.... full review