SON OF A BITCH

A captivating show, with each scene ending as poignantly as possible. Also a terrifying harbinger for the current state of American politics. A truly excellent way to start this year's Fringe experience.... full review

Exciting, dark, and funny. Lucy Gillespie's writing and Billy Ray Brewton's directing are a perfect match in this show, which is rounded out by a talented cast. Ben Hethcoat as Lee Atwater is one of the best performances I've seen in a long time.... full review

A smart, 'custom-made for political-junkies' story about an almost forgotten man. (How is that possible?) It makes you laugh, makes you angry, and it chills you.... full review

Son of a Bitch is a tremendously entertaining look at a controversial figure in Lee Atwater. Non-conventional casting, tight direction, excellent performances, and a haunting look at what American politics would eventually come to made this one of the best shows I've seen at Fringe.... full review

A relentless, thrilling political dramatization, brought to life excellent actors, perfectly-paced direction, and a top-notch script. Not just for politics junkies. ... full review

This fringe season has had a lot of wonderfully wacky, out-of-this-world productions- but then along comes this political-realism piece that just blows you out of the water. Lucy Gillespie's pulls us through our own history in a way that doesn't spoon feed us a particular message but rather puts us in the room of the beginnings of the smear campaign ads and our now hopelessly entwined experience of media and politics. ... full review

This show is brilliant, educational, and frankly terrifying. It starts off like a shot and never loses momentum with performances from an ensemble of actors that you just do not want to stop watching, no matter how much you might hate who they are portraying. They're so good, it might make you fall in love with the figures from recent history they portray - even if you walked in fully certain you could never even like them. It makes you think, questions your assumptions and has got this reviewer, in particular, wanting to look more closely than I already do at everything anyone says in Washington, no matter how good they might look [if you aren't already doing that, this play will give you reasons to]. ... full review

A great play with a superior acting job! Ben Hethcoat has a tough job playing a character who is equal parts despicable and charismatic. It helps that he looks like him sort of too. He alone is worth the price of admission, but this play has so much more to offer. It never judges it's subjects (only briefly towards the end) which I found refreshing given the political nature of the content. It shows when politics started to get vicious in the modern era. An amazingly engaging piece about an oft-forgotten time in our political history and the humble beginnings of our current political climate (which is in a bad state).... full review

What a great peek into our nation's history at a time where the lessons couldn't be more prescient. Also, it was hilarious. ... full review

Gosh, what a superb production. Outstanding performances, insightful writing and masterful direction. This is a very strong piece of ensemble theatre and would hold its own if immediately transferred to the Ahmanson, Broadway or West End. Son of A Bitch takes us on a moving journey through Washington in the 1980s, behind-the-scenes of the Republican White House, and has poignant messages for today in terms of corruption, populism and how the circus of politics is often disassociated from the will of the people. Five stars! ... full review