Meet & Greet

Highlighted with brilliant acting, writing and directing MEET AND GREET is bound to be one of the biggest hits at this year's Fringe. The premise is we are in a casting office in the San Fernando Valley, present day. Four actresses have been called in for one part during pilot season, and each one appears to be at the end of her acting rope and really needs the job. Each is greeted by a catty, young, gay male CASTING ASSISTANT (Paul Iacono) who seems to be more than happy to feed the egos of the needy actresses. As he escorts each actress into the off stage casting meeting, the other three reveal much about their lives, needs, and many shortcomings. The four actresses (Carolyn Hennesy, Vicki Lewis, Teresa Ganzel, and Daniele Gaither) ... full review

A Stunning Performance that took this season at the Hollywood Fringe to a new level of distinction. Read the full review: https://www.hollywoodfringe.org/projects/1517?details... full review

It’s a story as old as Hollywood. Four very different actresses are up for the same role as lead of a network television show: Margo, the classically-trained theatre legend; loose cannon/cautionary tale Belinda, beloved airhead and bombshell Teresa, and rising trashy reality star Desiree in the mold of NeNe Leakes. Each woman has her own reasons for desperately needing the job, despite the fact that the part they are fighting for is a turd – a silly over-sexed cartoon character of a role that the actresses note is clearly written by a man. The show is extremely well-cast, with most of the roles suiting the actors perfectly... Please read the rest of the review at <a href="http://cinesnatch.blogspot.com/2014/06/2014-hollywood-fringe-rou... full review

Stars light up the Theatre Asylum stage at this year’s Hollywood Fringe festival as a quartet of fictional Broadway/Hollywood divas vie for a sitcom pilot lead in Stan Zimmerman and Christian McLaughlin’s outrageously funny Meet & Greet. Broadway legend Margo Jane Marsden (Carolyn Hennesy), former sitcom costars Belinda Reid (Vicki Lewis) and Teri Valentine (Teresa Ganzel), and Real Housekeepers Of Palm Beach star Desiree White (Daniele Gaither) have been summoned to a San Fernando Valley casting office to read for the role of Andrea in a soon-to-be-shot pilot. Not surprisingly, each finds the presence of the other three more than a bit irritating, and surprising as well, since no four actresses could be more dissimilar than classicall... full review

Stan Zimmerman and Christian McLaughlin’s play is packed with nasty laughs and knowing industry jabs, and it all works wonderfully well, as delivered by a game and capable cast. Carolyn Hennesy, a familiar face to fans of True Blood, is a riot as the imperious Margo. Teresa Ganzel sends up her own ‘80s goofy blonde image to a tee, and Vicki Lewis is all exposed nerves as the down-on-her-luck Belinda. Daniele Gaither does a wonderfully vicious parody of those awful “real housewives” (and I’m thinking NeNe in particular, since her character’s cancelled show is called “Cray-Cray for Desiree”). Iocano is also fun as the potentially clichéd, fluttery assistant who’s actually got a trick of his own up his sleeve. Zimmerman’s direction is fast a... full review