U and Me and My Best Friend P

Don't think for a second these are just your average children's poems. Remember, the show stems from the mind of Abby Schachner, not your average solo performer. While it's easy to get caught up in rhyme scheme and rhythm, these are cleverly written and skillfully crafted pieces with so much love and soul put into them. Some of my favorites are "Malcolm the Forgotten," "Draggin' Dragons" and "T-shirt Princess." This show's about imagination, childhood's in particular, that as adults we tend to shut off (many of us unknowingly, a few of us unwillingly). Not Abby. With just a piece of fabric, Abby transforms herself into a rebellious princess at odds with her controlling Queen mother. A stoop in her posture and she's suddenly an old hag... full review

Of course Abby is one of a kind, but if I had to describe her, I'd say it reminded me a lot of the manic energy that Gilda Radner used to do in those sketches where she was a little girl playing in her room. It's almost like a kid's show for adults -- something I haven't seen since the Pee Wee Herman Show (the HBO pre-Pee Wee's Playhouse show for adults) from the 1980s. She definitely has that Romper Room kid's show host act down, but with her quick wit and biting commentary that kept the small audience laughing throughout. She also uses audience participation to fill the time between setting up different bits. She has a song or poem about every letter of the alphabet -- except "R," which she promised us she'd work on. All-in-all, thi... full review

Where stream of consciousness, imagination and innocence collide and bursts into Abby's poetic/alphabetic world... a place that's filled with heart and soul & everything amazingly magically rhymes! I didn't want to leave. In 3 words: AN ABSOLUTE MUST-SEE!!!! ... full review

This is one strange, crazy weird show that will totally keep you on your feet guessing. Abby seems to have an answer for everything as the audience shouts out letters by which she responds in the form of a Busey-like free-association of words that flow with masterful articulation and memory from her. In between these bits are fantasy tales of princes, princesses, kings and castles. I simply cannot describe this show with extreme accuracy, it is unlike anything I have ever seen before. The show has a very loose, bohemian feel to it that is warm and inviting. It is fun storytelling, slightly experimental, part free-form structured improv and wacky. The audience was roaring with laughter from beginning to end and this show is pretty damn entert... full review

Being in the audience of an Abby Schachner show is like standing near a hurricane -- it feels dangerous and risky, but the wind and the rain that smacks you in the face will make you feel invigorated and alive. After being blown away by her darkly autobiographic 2014 Fringe masterpiece SCHACHNER VS. SCHACHNER, I knew I was in for a treat. This adult kids' show is a whole different kind of tour de force. Hilarious, moving, brilliant, impressive, poetic, prophetic, and most of all, FUN! Plus every show has different poems and songs in the mix, so it's worth seeing multiple times. Treat yourself!... full review

Abby Schachner is a dazzling storyteller with a magical mind and I absolutely LOVED this show. I won't endeavor to describe the events that took place when I saw her because Abby is so in-the-moment with her audience that I just know the show is a different kind of brilliant every time. I will simply say that you should all give yourself the gift of seeing this brilliant artist do what she does. ... full review

Building on last year's tour de force black comedy, "Schachner vs. Schachner," Abby returns to the stage as a gifted sketch comedian. At first, "U and Me..." appears to be an antic, racy parody of children's authors like Dr. Seuss and Shel Silverstein, but it is much more than that. Abby is a trained actress, believable as an old witch, a young boy and a backwoodsman. She feeds off the audience's energy to improvise comic asides. In the most elaborate sketch, "The Zippermouth Prince," Abby undergoes a catharsis while acting out the emotional transformation of a spoiled prince. "U and Me..." is the work of a brilliant, multi-talented artist. ... full review

Abby Schachner is a phenomenon. Not only is she a whirlwind presence who owns the stage and holds the audience in raptures, she is also a wonderful poet. The blend of fairytale and dark psyche is intoxicating and funny. Her own child-like quality is divine, and yet at the same time she is incredibly sexy on stage. What a strange and beguiling combination. It's magical, like the Wicked Stepmother and Gretel and the Good Fairy all rolled into one. We laughed and laughed, then were touched and provoked. I can't imagine anyone attending the HFF15 and not including this show in their schedule: they wouldn't have experienced the Fringe!!... full review

I was frankly astonished that Abby chose P as her BFF, but be that as it may, this show is Alphabetically Bountiful, with well Chosen, Dramatically Engaging Fun for the General run of Humanity, In no short order, all Joking aside. Karma, Love, Mountains, No stone left unturned. Opportunities Provided for all to enjoy her Quaint and wondrous creatures, whether Royal or of Sundry and Totally Undetermined ancestry. Very Wonderful, X-traordinary... You'll love this show! Zoom over there immediately. (There, now, the rest of the letters won't be jealous.) Note: No vowels or consonants were harmed in the production of this show. Don't miss it. Abby was fantastic!! ... full review

I just built a permanent new place in my heart for Abby Schachner. I had so much fun at her show! She turned her packed house into an intimate gathering of close friends by being unabashedly, electrically and hyper-kinesthetically open and alive. A skilled and talented artist and the goofiest kid you could ever want to meet, Abby is the kind of performer I aspire to be. She honors and subverts the fairy-tale world she spins in poems that are funny and odd, innocent and not, unpredictable and profound. Her show provides dozens of thrills that will have you laughing a dozen different ways. She's a performer completely in her element. Get a ticket quick. ... full review