My overall impression
I cannot express how pleased with myself I am that I made sure to make time to see 25 Plays Per Hour before Fringe comes to an end this weekend. While I was seeing shows in the opening week, I saw audiences coming out of the Asylum Theatre absolute in stitches and I thought to myself, “Hey. Self. Note to you: make time and make a plan to see this show before Fringe ends.” And so I did.
Coming from Seattle, the land of “14/48: the World’s Quickest Theatre Festival,” in which a team of playwrights, directors, composers, and actors create 7 plays per night, direct them during the day, then perform them two days in a row, for two weekends in a row, quick-fire, fast-paced, by-the-seat-of-our-pants theatre is, what one would certainly consider to be my bag. So, yes, I went into this show with a very positive inclination to enjoy it inherently, if for nothing else but nostalgia’s sake.
Then, in the very first scenes, I found myself completely absorbed in each and every story. The repeated lazzi’s (“Coming Out,” and “Serial Killer”), dispersed intermittently throughout the other plays, grew in hilarity and complexity, rising to absolutely fabulous crescendos.
The cast were tight, fast, and extremely connected. Major shout-outs to the writing team of Jim Martyka, Jim Blanchette, Aaron Kozak, Ian Federgreen, Jacob Smith, Gregory Crafts, Ben Atkinson, Lee Pollero, Megan McKamy, Chris Schlichting, Cesar Abella, Darren Mangler, and Beth Wallan for their ingenuity and creativity (and brevity).
There’s only one performance left, so if you can, check this show out. I am proud to wear their button on my bag.
