Everything Else Is War

Fabian does a great job at telling the story of Grant's life. If only we learned history like this. He weaves Grant's life story with parallels in his own and one can see why his interest in Grant runs so deep. He is a masterful storyteller and like Spaulding Gray, it's just him on stage, sitting at a table with bottle of wine in which he takes swigs from every once in a while and his story. ... full review

Fabian has done his research about the tragic, complex general who won the war for Lincoln, and presents key highlights from Grant's life with a contemporary flair history teachers who have bored generations of students would do well to take a few notes from. Even better is Fabian's framing of Grant's story within the context of his own life. An Air Force veteran adrift, sometimes drunken and struggling to hold onto life itself, Fabian does nice job using tales of his poor-decision-making to explore the emotional parallels between himself and Grant. He *gets* Grant. I have no doubt Grant would grocked him back, and the two would have ended up in a bar somewhere with a bottle of whiskey. His super-spare set and jittery, at times just be... full review

First let me say that I was expecting the typical solo show but this was not. Fabian, a masterful storyteller told the story of Ulysses S. Grant in a most interesting and powerful way. He weaves his personal story which in some ways parallels Grants but mostly in the way of their love and destruction of alcohol. ... full review

Had I bothered to check the description of the play before I entered the theater, I would have been better prepared for the evening. Even in hindsight, although it accurately states that the show is about Ulysses S. Grant, it was much more than that. Growing up in Virginia, history has always been a big part of my life. I must admit that I had bought in to the historical myths about Grant, which this play so adequately dispelled. What emerged was a new and compelling look at the person who was Grant. This show is a definite work in progress, with a dynamic prognosis. It was compelling, intriguing, insightful and educational. What needs work is the delivery. I was left wondering if Ryan Fabian meant to come across as an Inspecto... full review