The Navigator

Fantastic! I was at the edge of my seat from the 1st mile. First rate performance by Kelly Anne Burns and Joseph Franchini and great direction by Leslie Kincaid Burby! This show is a must see! ... full review

Clever, fun, and well paced. I have a family interest in the play, but the audience loved it too, and they weren't related!... full review

Your GPS tells you how to get where you're going, but what if it could tell you more? Such is the inventive premise of THE NAVIGATOR, enjoying its West Coast premiere during Fringe. Written by Eddie antar and directed by Leslie Kincaid Burby for Burning Clown Productions, this show was nominated for 2 Drama Desk Awards and 8 New York Innovative Theatre Awards, all well deserved. Kelly Anne Burns is the stoic, all-knowing Navigator in Dave's (Joseph Franchini) car. With every small robotic head movement, Burns embodies the mechanical all-knowing machine, guiding Dave in all things directional as well as financial and personal. Dave has fallen on hard times. He's out of work, drowning in debt, and his wife is threatening to leave him. ... full review

The Navigator was fantastic - which is rare these days when it comes to theater. The ensemble cast of 4 each stand out on their own while at the same time give a great group performance. This show has everything - earnest dramatic moments, comedy, surrealism. I am definitely going back to see it again. Both the writing, direction and acting and technical aspects of the show lived up to its NY Times Critic pick and I can definitely see why this show was nomiated for the Drama Desk. Great show.... full review

This show was very well done in every way. Although the premise seemed a little jokey for me, the play actually has a lot of heart along with the comedy and kept me engaged the entire time without missing a single beat. The acting is uniformly excellent, the designers contribute mightily and the show is obviously very well directed. I wish I could have stuck around afterward and met the people who did this!... full review

There is only one word to describe "The Navigator"... AMAZING! From the moment that the lights went up, we were taken on an incredible roller coaster ride. So funny. So touching. So thoughtful. A great script... great direction... great acting. This was no run-of-the-mill fringe show. This wonderful cast was impeccable. The lead in the show, Joe Franchini, delivers the kind of performance one does not generally see outside of a Broadway theatre. If you are seeing only one fringe show... this should be it.... full review

If you like good theater, go see the Navigator! Every element of this show is spot-on! The writing is superb - hilarious, emotional, and ultimately compelling. The cast of this show is absolutely stellar. The subtlety in the choices of the woman who played the navigator make it hard to tear your eyes off her face, and paired with the tone and keen timing of her driving partner, I was enthralled the entire time. The supporting characters are also amazingly fleshed out and specific. Truly beautiful work done by all! ... full review

I missed this show in New York and traveled to see it in the Fringe Festival. The lead actor, Joseph Franchini, was nominated for a Best Actor Drama Desk Award along with Philip Seymour Hoffman. It was a small show down town so you had to wonder what that was about. First, the play is a real theater piece, not a TV script wannabe. It is thoughtful and provocative and somehow gets under your skin in one short hour. Kelly Anne Burns plays the "navigator" which is to say the voice of the GPS system. At first, it seems she does very little but sit center stage and speak in short mechanical phrases. But, by the end, she is a real presence and is more than a little menacing. But, Franchini is the reason to see this. He covers a wide range of disc... full review

This is a fast-paced, contemporary and very funny (and a little disturbing) play that deserves to be seen and experienced. The performances are uniformly good. The story is compelling and well-paced. The humor pitch-perfect. Imagine a cross between Billy Wilder and Krystof Kieslowski's 1st of the "Decalogue" films and you have a good idea what to expect. Highly recommended. ... full review

I loved The Navigator. It more than lived up to my expectations. The dialogue was rich, the idea behind the navigator was brave and the acting was superlative. "Willing suspense of disbelief" all the way.... full review