Too much to choose from is the only problem with going to The Seattle Fringe Theatre Festival this weekend. Here are the top 10 most interesting sounding works going on Mar. 13-15 (And there are repeats of many shows that we picked for Thursday).
The Ben & Jerry's Theatre at The Market Theatre, Pike Place Market offers Reefer Madness -- The Musical based on the 30's camp classic film, produced by Seattle's oldest improv theatre Unexpected Productions (Mar. 13 at 7:30 PM, Mar. 14 at 9 PM, Mar. 15 at 5 PM At the same venue is Smoke, an acclaimed solo performance piece in the Toronto Fringe Festival, written by Michael MacLean and performed by Richard Stockton Rand (Mar. 14 at 1 PM).
The U-Park Theatre, at Brown Bag Theatre in the Newmark, 2nd at Pike presents Medea starring drag artiste Choca Fresca in the title role, performing an exciting translation of the play by Robinson Jeffers (Mar.13 at 10 p.m., Mar.14 at 9 p.m. and Mar. 15 at 10:30 p.m.) and two of Seattle's most talented actresses, Lori Larsen and Tina Kunz perform Issak Esmail Issaks's absurdist comedy Mothers (Mar. 14 at 5:30 PM, Mar 15 at 1:30 PM).
Buffalo Exchange Theatre at the Chamber Theatre in the Oddfellows Bldg., 10th & Pine debuts The Amorphous Blob, the tale of an agoraphobic inventor and the unstoppable blob he creates, and features a cast of one human and several inanimate objects (Mar. 14 at 5 PM, Mar. 16 at 6 PM). There is also a promising sounding Workshop on Mar. 21 with actress/teacher Susy Schneider, covering the art of creating your own fringe piece (Limited to 12 people).
Bannerworks Theatre, at Freehold's Eat Hall Theatre, Oddfellow's Bldg., 10th and Pine has Pandora, the first solo show from the highly acclaimed UMO ensemble's Martha Enson. (Mar.14 at noon, Mar. 16 at 9:30 PM) . Broadway Grill Theatre at Union Garage, 10th between Pike & Union showcases Daniel Luna in Men On The Verge Of A His-Panic Breakdown, about the gay Latino sub-culture in America, directed by The Group Theatre's Jose Carrasquillo (Mar. 13 at 10 PM, Mar. 14 at 7:30 PM, Mar. 15 at 3:30 PM).
Noah's Bagel Theatre at Richard Hugo House, 11th and Pine has Brides and Other Disabilities, a Dance theatre performance which was voted Best of the 1997 San Francisco Fringe (Mar. 14 at 7:30 PM, Mar. 15 at 3:30 PM).
Coastal Kitchen Theatre, The Underground Theatre, Dance On Capitol Hill on 15th Ave, presents an encore of a the 1996 Fringe hit A Pale and Lovely Place starring Umo Ensemble's Kevin Joyce (Mar. 15 at 3 PM).
For a look at all the other offerings this weekend and throughout the fest, go to the website at www.seattlefringe.org.
-- By David-Edward Hughes
Seattle Correspondent
