Always Open

A clever, high concept hook sets this script apart from the jump. You essentially see the same play twice, once from inside the all night diner where these characters loiter and, following an actual flip of the set half way through, watch the same time frame played from outside the diner as the characters wander out for smoke breaks, etc. Genuinely clever, genuinely entertaining. The cast is solid with a standout or two and Susan Lee's thoughtful direction makes for some funny, touching, uncomfortable moments.... full review

Always open is a pretty unique show, something the likes of I can almost guarantee you will probably not see again at this years Hollywood Fringe Festival. The show is set at 11:45 pm on a Sunday in 1994 at a twenty-four-hour dinner; you know the one I am talking about. Every town in America has one, the place you and your high school friends spent hours upon hours chatting about everything and nothing, when you had nowhere to be, and you didn't pay more than a couple of bucks for soda and appetizers and didn't tip the staff well. Yeah, I am talking about that dinner.... full review

An enjoyable time with a great cast that tells this story so very well. Smooth like fine whiskey, this show was. I laughed and even had a few moments of "hmmm...". Solid production all around. ... full review

At first I thought the show was going to be centered around the guy with the flannel around his waist. He’s purposefully a little obnoxious and interrupts his girlfriend, so you don’t know whether or not you should like him. But then, the girlfriend ends up sticking up for herself and you realize the play doesn’t center around them at all. In fact, it centers around the diner itself and how a central meeting place can bring so much life into one room. This is a story about a diner and how people love, live, and experience their lives with other people alongside them. Always Open is a delightful slice of life set on a minimal stage without the distractions of a huge set. The simple stage design worked perfectly and helped the audience recogni... full review

A well done story telling the same night in different perspectives. A bold concept in it's execution for the Fringe but one that mostly pays off great characters, motivations and solid performances throughout. ... full review

Very fun and witty play -- it gets deeper as it goes on. You think it's just about witty verbal banter, but then the layers are revealed and it packs a punch. Enjoyed it very much.... full review

I liked it a lot! Well written, very well acted. Sometimes smaller shows with bigger casts can have trouble connecting with everyone but this cast of 7 worked great as an ensemble. I was very impressed. Well worth it to check out.... full review

This is a time capsule in the best possible sense - for the importance of Nirvana in all our lives in the early 90s, and also in that post-high school pre-responsibility haze in which slackerism is both an inescapable inevitability and a great source of truth about the transition that is about to take place. By the end of the play it shows you that it had much more going on than you realized when you first sat down. Solid acting by all involved!... full review

Great show, well written, surprising. ... full review

This is my first of 6 shows I will be seeing this season of Fringe and I must say it was good choice to start with! I recommend to check it out. I found it be more intricate than it initially seemed, as the merger into the second act clears up a lot of stuff and you start making connections. I love anything 90's so seeing all of the references was a treat for me. It was fun to see each character show out their personality and how each one was distinct from the others. The entire cast was fantastic but I'd like to give two special shout outs to the actress who played Sunny (I've misplaced my playbill but I believe her name was Paige) and the actor who played Murphy (I'm almost certain his name is Mathew). Paige was able to bring a very human ... full review