pool (no water) by Mark Ravenhill

I was so ready to hate this play. I showed up overheated and out of breath, rushing from another show only to discover that Pool has no discount for Fringe-goers or participants, nor are they offering any preview rates. The fellow at the door informed me that this show had not set out to be a Fringe show, & had originally planned to charge people $21 dollars a pop. Odd, since the Fringe website says they are charging everyone $20 right before it says a Fringe Button will get you a dollar off. May want to have a talk with the box office, Mr. Producer. Putting that aside, within minutes of this play beginning I was enraptured and by the time the last words were uttered, I'd completely forgotten my previous bad mood and was filled with exc... full review

This was a really well done show. I really respected the commitment of the performers; they were so clearly dedicated yet also executed the show with great simplicity and ease. Monkey Wrench is very cool, just like Rude Guerillas were, and I am glad they have brought this show to the Hollywood Fringe. The play itself is really interesting material. Not the sort of usual narrative fare. If you are into edgy ensemble theater, this will totally be your cup of tea. ... full review

This show is not for everyone. If you want a safe, comfy, feel-good kinda show, this ain't it. If you like it raw, edgy, visceral, and a little dangerous, this one's for you. ... full review

pool (no water) Review by Pauline Adamek. ***This review first appeared on www.ArtsBeatLA.com *** I had heard raves from my fellow critics about this show, so my expectations were reasonably high. Alas, those expectations were dashed by a play that had its merits (the incisive storyline was excellent) but was largely tedious to endure. Way too much yelling going on, methinks. The much-touted movement aspect of the piece was well synched to the text but left this critic cold. I spent a lot of my time watching the mirrored images screened upstage, but some were ill-chosen, poorly rendered and eventually became repetitious. Some of that art was wonderful, though. Basically, this was a show I enjoyed more upon reflection than... full review

A friend suggested this production and I'm glad I got the experience. From the first images and spot-on costume for the artist who "made" it, I was totally riveted. The story made me question experience of life vs art and everything in-between. Ultimately, however, it made me question what the creators think of artists as a whole. Except in very rare cases when characters barely considered acting civil for a split second before indulging in selfish, drug and unhappiness-fueled actions, everyone came off as nothing more than a stereotype. It just left a weird taste in my mouth even as the storytelling was well done and exciting.... full review