7wo men go off the clo ck(literally&metaphorically)shed corporate skins like snakes shedding winter from drones to pajama-clad revelers:watch them trans form linear time into fluid time into creative play in the intimate black- box they reach our souls(we identify completely)because they represent familiar lives punctuated by the mind less routine of office work for the first few minutes they are not in harmony with them selves.then: therapy clown therapy (what effective therapy) get off that... Read more →
At the Fringe, you expect something edgy and unexpected. "Holy Holy: The Birth of Disco", directed by Natasha Mercado, delivers exactly that. It also makes us examine our own lives and encourages us to change them. It portrays drudgery to show us that change is possible through a play that is ostensibly about the birth of disco but is really about personal renaissance. The production is engaging, sharp, and profound. Beyond words, staging, and design,... Read more →
Writer's block has rarely felt more existential than in c. jay cox's latest play, which transforms creative crisis into a meditation on artificial consciousness. The central idea (a desperate playwright accepting help from an AI housed in a sex robot) could easily descend into cheap laughs or heavy-handed technophobia. Instead, cox crafts an intellectual sparring match between human and machine that questions whether creativity can be produced by algorithm without losing its soul. Playwright Luke... Read more →
In "Sweet Air," playwright Matt Morillo strips away the typical romantic comedy scaffolding to expose something more authentic: the raw possibility that emerges when strangers connect without pretense. Set in a frozen subway limbo on Valentine's night, the play positions itself at the intersection of isolation and connection in our post-pandemic world. Morillo, whose previous works have earned festival accolades, here crafts a deceptively simple premise - two stranded strangers talking - that serves as... Read more →
Davidson balances parental anxiety and psychedelic revelation in his solo performance. He asks a universal question: what wisdom can a flawed father offer his daughter? Instead of offering tidy moral lessons, Davidson explores personal reckoning through plant medicine. The show centers on a desperate father turning to ayahuasca (a powerful psychedelic brew used in traditional South American ceremonies) the day before his daughter's wedding. This creates tension through the collision of sacred ceremonies, one ancient... Read more →
Hollis Hart’s set designer for "Holy Holy: The Birth of Disco" serves as both canvas and catalyst, transforming the Broadwater's Black Box and dissolving conventional boundaries. Unlike standard theatrical settings that merely frame action, Hart’s work actively participates in the storytelling. The design refuses to remain static. The space shifts between practical function and abstract form, mirroring the production's contrast between work and play. Hart uses vertical elements for performers to climb, horizontal planes that... Read more →
"Holy Holy: The Birth of Disco" rebels against our culture's obsession with productivity. This ensemble-created work transforms the Broadwater's Black Box into what director Natasha Mercado calls a "surreal playground" – apt for a piece that defies conventional theatrical categories. Part physical comedy, part fever dream, the production shows women rejecting capitalism for play. The ensemble's physical commitment impresses throughout. When one character succumbs to work's appeal, her companions drag her back to anarchic revelry,... Read more →
Few plays tackle human trafficking with such directness. Yolande Boyom's "The Road to Freedom," adapted from her documentary film, presents harsh realities on stage without dilution. The production works both as drama and as activism. Boyom's background in nursing and social work gives the project clinical precision. Co-directed with Billie King, the play draws on true accounts of women trafficked across borders. Unlike conventional issue-based theater, this work refuses to separate art from action. The... Read more →
Elena Martinez's "FUNERAL SHOW" explores mourning relationships with the living. In this one-woman dark comedy, Martinez dissects rather than merely acknowledges emotional wounds. She turns complicated parental relationships into a theatrical wake for people who are alive but absent from her life. The premise is both provocative and psychologically astute: how do we process the grief of estrangement? Martinez answers through musical performance, drag aesthetics, and clown work—forms that blend appearance with emotional truth. Under... Read more →
In "Best. Dad. NEVER." Haig Chahinian defies expectations of both parenthood stories and one-person shows. His performance explores his overlapping identities - gay, Armenian-American, adoptive father to a biracial Black daughter - with refreshing clarity and honesty. Rather than relying on sentiment, Chahinian builds his story through well-observed moments of cultural clash and parental confusion that reveal universal truths about family-making. What sets this piece apart from standard parenting tales is how Chahinian questions his... Read more →
In "Ophelia's Refrain," Sheila-Joon Azim brings Shakespeare's Ophelia into the realm of contemporary identity politics. This solo performance follows a half-Iranian woman's journey from Seattle's streets to Amazonian ceremonies. Azim's work defies categorization, combining theatre, movement, song and punk rock to explore identity breakdown. The production challenges modern ideas about belonging through classical references. Under Shyamala Moorty's direction, Azim turns personal confession into universal questions. The show asks, "What if Ophelia took acid?”, reframing psychological... Read more →
Shelley Cooper's solo musical "Rag Doll on a Bomb Site" brings to life a crucial moment in theatre history clearly and purposefully. Set in 1928 Berlin, the piece shows Lotte Lenya facing a crisis minutes before the premiere of "The Threepenny Opera." Her name is missing from the playbill, and her husband Kurt Weill demands the show be cancelled. The drama unfolds in Lenya's dressing room as she tries to calm Weill while revealing fragments... Read more →
In the intimate setting of The Zephyr Theatre, Maria Fagan Hassani becomes Marilynn, an educational therapist whose weekly support group reveals struggle, resilience, and unexpected connection. "Atypical Grace" avoids the tearful sentimentality that often spoils single-performer shows about disability, instead offering a clear-eyed look at how learning differences affect entire families. Hassani's performance works on two levels: as Marilynn, she guides and participates, helping parents face their children's challenges while confronting her own unresolved issues.... Read more →
In "Earth, Wind & Car Fire," Janora McDuffie turns her personal story into universal insights in a tight 60-minute solo performance. McDuffie, known for her television work and as the voice announcer for the 94th Academy Awards, brings her storytelling talents to the intimate stage of El Centro's Main Space. The show explores Black and queer identity skillfully, mixing humor with serious moments. Building on her work with No More Down Low TV - an... Read more →
In "Me, Myself and Other," Diana Romero turns personal struggle into compelling theater, creating a solo performance that refuses to be defined by limitation. The 50-minute piece, directed by Maggie Whittum, examines identity, disability, and resilience with refreshing candor. Romero traces her evolution as a first-generation American woman navigating cultural boundaries before and after doctors diagnosed her with multiple sclerosis at 32. This production stands out for its honest approach to disability - neither maudlin... Read more →
In "Reservoir Dolls," Lani Harms delivers a sharp, meta-theatrical solo comedy that cleverly enters Quentin Tarantino's bloody cinematic universe. As both writer and performer, Harms tells the story of Atlanta Springfield, a barefoot call girl who suddenly realizes she's trapped in Tarantino's tenth and final film and must flee for her life while meeting the director's previous female characters. The concept compels because it works as both homage and critique. By making her protagonist self-aware... Read more →
Natasha Mercado's three new works at Hollywood Fringe 2025 show a director who freshly combines vulnerability with absurdity. Having built her reputation through solo performances and directing, Mercado now brings her "Soft Clown" approach to three productions: "Funeral Show," "The Birth of Disco," and "El Mago Loco." What connects these works is Mercado's commitment to emotional honesty within surrealist settings. Her directing avoids the ironic detachment that often plagues experimental theater. Instead, she creates spaces... Read more →
In "Blackout - No Hard Feelings," Kerri Van Auken crafts a darkly comic journey into the mind of Mary Lynn, a woman whose sunny disposition masks a life in free fall. Van Auken's one-woman show deftly navigates the troubles of middle-aged disappointment with humor and psychological depth. This production stands out for its fresh take on emotional avoidance. Rather than merely depicting escapism, Van Auken takes us inside her protagonist's head, creating a psychological landscape... Read more →
Rejyna Douglass-Whitman transforms personal struggle into theatre in "Trans Mom vs. Family Court." Set in 1990s Los Angeles, this one-woman show chronicles a transgender musician's fight for custody of her daughter while navigating gender identity, conservative attitudes and legal prejudice. The production avoids easy sentiment and predictable political messages. Douglass-Whitman, making her solo acting debut after years as a musician, brings authenticity to a story that balances personal revelation with social commentary. The show examines... Read more →
Rheagan Wallace's solo show reveals a common paradox in performing careers: those who push you toward the spotlight often cast the longest shadows. In "Stage Mamma," Wallace transforms her progression from Texas child actor to Hollywood professional into a universal story about finding independence within complex family relationships. The production goes beyond simple memoir by using a sophisticated multimedia approach. Wallace doesn't just tell her story - she embodies it through multiple character transformations, while... Read more →
Jordan R. Young's one-woman show "Bela Lugosi Meets Edna St. Vincent Millay" creates an unlikely but fascinating intersection of two cultural figures who never actually met. Rose London shifts effortlessly between roles - the narrator, Millay herself, and Lugosi - while revealing surprising parallels between the vampire actor and Pulitzer Prize-winning poet. Both achieved fame early, spoke against fascism, and struggled with addiction. The show places these historical figures within a story about an actress... Read more →