What I liked
Directing, writing, all performers were excellent. Travis Joe Dixon plays M-Pulse’s descent into villainy in a grounded, believable fashion and Joanna Hernandez perfectly embodies the heart of the show as Starchild. The entire pantheon of strangely familiar superheroes is well-represented: Courtney King as “The Owl” (“I’m not insane. I’m a high-functioning sociopath. There’s a difference.”), Ann Hurd as Lady Voodoo, Tanner Riser as Maximus/Lal-el, and Chris Clabaugh as the desperate-to-find-an-uncopyrighted-nickname Jonathan, who runs very fast are all standouts.
The ‘shadows,’ whom the performers frequently bounce off or get hoisted by for fight sequences, are great as well. Use of screen panels and silhouettes was great, as was Graydon Lichter’s sound design.
What I didn't like
Tattered Capes is as good as a Fringe show can get. One hopes that the show goes on to get a full production with more funding in a slot that isn’t restricted to 90 minutes!
My overall impression
One of the most successfully ambitious Fringe shows I’ve seen in years! Writer Greg Crafts and director Corey Lynn Howe—along with great choreography/fight choreography by Soda Persi—craft a piece of superhero pop art for the ages while telling a timely story of gender equality and toxic masculinity that still manages to be a lot of fun. The play’s story is extremely well-crafted (no pun intended), but I can’t reveal much of it without spoiling some fun twists.
