Cindy Marie Jenkins

Fierce Backbone wasn’t shy last year at another Fringe debut: seven (eight?) shows in multiple different venues. For a producing company created “to support the work our membership is inspired to create,” that first leap showed its audiences a wide range of new plays. It was a bold move that paid off from this audience member’s point-of-view: I’m game to try most anything they produce. Their latest offering is The Beating by Mona Deutsch Miller. It’s a bit flamenco, a bit spoken word plus... full review

This show is so much more than it appears. I expected the laughter, the fun, the heart, but not the real meat of Lyla's story. An excellent production that might be hard to forget.... full review

Through a series of movement, text, live painting and sound, the experience that Bennett and her cohorts create feels pretty messy and confused. That might sound bad, but it's a lot like the mind-space of people who want to do something more with their lives and aren't sure how. There are moments of clarity, union, dischord, beauty, horror - quite a lot packed into 45 minutes. Bennett and team ask the question "What does it take to get to a point in your life when you make a huge change, and get ... full review

Earlier today I reviewed a Fringe show and spent 3 sentences to essentially say "It did nothing for me. I left the theater unchanged in any way." I'm awfully glad I prioritized seeing "Gentle Passage" yesterday. It destroyed me. During one specific scene change I burst into an audible sob, then somehow held it together (likely so I wouldn't miss any details) until the very end. The curtain call. Lights down and I lost it. I couldn't control myself, sobbing all the way back to Fringe Centra... full review

A nice assortment of work here, although "Banana Intervention" seemed more of a skit than a play, even just ten minutes long. The next two pieces took some surprising and intriguing turns, giving nice color to what the word "intervention" means. I look forward to seeing more of the multiple offerings Fierce Backbone produced at the Fringe; this group of plays just didn't do much for me.... full review

One of the most impressive parts to this piece is how honestly Lina portrays herself, even (and especially) to the point of satire. The version of herself who boards the flight vs the lingering, painful questions as she tries to de-plane gave me great insight into this young artist. Culture shock doesn't begin to describe her journey, and I actually think the rough workshop form worked in her favor most of the time: the writer/performer is still processing that summer, and doesn't have much of an... full review

Watching this show, I found myself suspended somewhere between a guffaw and gasp of horror the entire time. Szathmari has an insane ability to draw you into these incredibly different characters's greatest desires, teach some history and give a really good yank at your guts. A work-in-progress, I couldn't stop thinking about it for hours afterwards, and honestly still don't feel like I have fully digested it. It was such a great meal that I plan to go back for seconds. I strongly suggest you ... full review

Noel Olken can tell a good story and has a lot to say. There is a great framework in "No Boundarys" to explore the questions of reality and grief inherent at this specific time. The first half of the show, however, could spend more time setting up who he is and more of the role his father played in his life, so that any change means as much to the audience as it does to him. The revelations near the end just don't play, because we don't have any real sense of what he was fighting against or for i... full review

You know the old joke about someone pulling out their pictures, home videos and guitar, trapping you until you can find an excuse to leave? Andrew Potter can trap me with his stories and music anytime. There is much more to this performance than can be gleaned from the postcard or blurb. After interviewing Andrew (http://losangeles.bitter-lemons.com/2012/06/15/lets-fringe-friday-live-interview-schedule/) , I re-scheduled my day in order to see his show. It was worth it in every way. ... full review

I was excited after interviewing this group of artists, and the preview was thoroughly impressive. Their vibe, their professionalism, and ultimately their work gave me a lot of encouragement for the recently-graduated creative team. Keep both of your eyes on Theater Hounds Productions. A charming and well-told story, Claudia Restrepo both helmed and stars as a Civil War buff who deals with her father's death by emotionally inviting Abraham Lincoln to be her roommate. I don't know how Lisa Goo... full review