Valentino: a play in verse

In the title role of Valentino, Renato Biribin Jr. wipes the floor with his victims, both physically and mentally. Sam Fleischer as Machiavelli and Lachlan McKinney as Ramiro also shine in their roles. I would love to see David Wisehart's beautiful piece fully-produced.... full review

Pros: - Wisehart's script is full of beautiful poetry overflowing with striking imagery and clever witticisms. He accomplished daunting task of writing an entire play in ottava rima with skill and proficiency. - The story is brimming with passion, action, adventure and suspense. History buffs will marvel at the faithfulness to the true events the story is based on. Conspiracy buffs will enjoy the chess match of the plot's intrigue. The casual theatergoer will be wrapped up in the story. - Renato Biribin Jr. (Valentino) and Summer Dare Litwin (Lucrezia Borgia) deliver standout performances. Cons: - The Fringe production was shortened for time considerations, which leads to one (very small) head-scratching moment near the end of the s... full review

First off- I am sucker for verse, so they kind of had me at lights up. There were so many clever lines. My fave- I will take the Mach out of Machiavelli. The story had it all- love, hate, vengeance, scheming, bloody murder, a decent body count, fratricide, a crooked philandering Pope, seduction, sword fights. The only thing missing were men in tights. The actors were able to carry off a difficult text with little difficulty and the bare bones set worked to create the world of Valentino- a driven man who is not afraid to get medieval if he has to. If you are looking for big drama- here it is. I look forward to seeing this with a larger budget and men in tights.... full review

I attended the opening night performance of this show and it was certainly a great way to start off my Hollywood Fringe experience. Much praise to Mr.Wisehart's successful foray into creating a play entirely in verse. Even more impressive though, was his genuine and warm curtain speech. He literally lifted up other Fringe participants' shows to the audience. It was a selfless act that exemplified the true essence of community and I was thrilled to see such a gesture. Just as the playwright has committed himself to a tall task, so have the players. They take on the demanding text fervently but still with a focus on story-telling. Admittedly, the performances were not uniformly strong- some seemed to not fully grasp what they were s... full review

If you're wondering "what is this, exactly?" It's absolutely riveting, that's what it is. The story - pulled from true events - is excellent, filled with political and personal intrigue, high drama and some seriously bad-ass wordsmithing. Do not be intimidated by it all being in verse; it flows with the ease of conversation. You can follow the story without getting tripped up in "I'm listening to poetry." Costuming and period-accurate weaponry, not so much, but that is easily overlooked. Particularly effective were Renato Biribin Jr. (Valentino), Summer Dare Litwin (Borgia, who absolutely slayed with her "bloody hand of God" speech) and Neil Fleischer (Pope).... full review

First of all, what amazing writing. Kudos to David Wisehart for his clever and complex script and to Rachel Stoll for recognizing a great new work when it came her way. It is one thing to write a play, quite another to write a semi-historical play and quite a larger task to write one in verse! I attended the closing night performance and what a great way to finish off my Hollywood Fringe. While not all of the performers were comfortable with the verse, each was obviously earnest about getting the story across. While this lack of comfort sometimes drained some energy away from the text, the lead characters were all well cast. The more energetic and believable performances were given by Renato Biribin Jr. as Valentino, Spencer Hearne as ... full review