What I liked
I had no idea what to expect of Craftsman. To be honest, I went in not expecting much, but boy was I surprised! One of the most unique and original stories I have ever heard. Playwright Tony Foster managed to create a fantastic, somewhat supernatural, contemporary story that literally plays two time periods simultaneously on stage. 1910 and 2010 play side-by-side in this incredibly cool story. I see a lot of 99 seat theater in Los Angeles and this play has many familiar faces. One particular actor I had never seen before was John W. McLaughlin who played the character of Mark who harbors a very dark secret. McLaughlin managed to keep me in suspense about what his tragic secret was, and when it’s revealed, his acting was out of this world. He actually made me shed a tear in the middle of this dark comedy. He has a particular acting style that is very natural, honest, and believable. All of the talent in Craftsman was stellar, but McLaughlin stood out for me as truly authentic. I would like to see much more of him in future productions. I googled him and all I could find was a couple of low-budge film credits. I couldn’t take my eyes off him!
Etienne Eckhart, who plays the neurotic real estate agent is fabulous as the comic relief. She brought levity to otherwise “heavy” moments. (I saw the matinee on Sunday and she got her pen caught in her hair at the beginning of the show and it was a hilarious accident that she handled beautifully, almost as if it were staged! Tara Norris as Rebecca appeared to step right out of 1910. All of the talent was above and beyond what I expected. Shaina Rosenthal’s direction was simple, yet effective. Lot’s of entrances and exits streamlined almost to perfection. In the sea of choices at fringe this year, I highly recommend this one.!
What I didn't like
If I’m looking for constructive criticism, I would say that I would have liked to have seen them use the stage more. At times it seemed that the actors got stuck in one place on the stage. I would like to see them interact more with their surroundings. It also seemed they may have been forced to shorten the play a bit to fit within Fringe guidelines. It really has the power to be a full-length production.
My overall impression
See it. Great performances. Great story!
