Written and produced by Chris Valenti, creator of the 2017 HFF award-winning musical, Narsociety.
Directed by Curtis Bechdholt
Starring: Steve Brewster, Victoria Ippolito, Brian Lally, William Gabriel Grier, Chris Valenti, Jim Nieb, Ian Gray, Anna Luiza, Jeff Elam, and Christine DiTillio
Chris Valente has been a part of the Fringe for many years but I have never been able to make any of his previous shows. Luckily, I was able to squeeze this one in, and very glad I did. He has written five five hilarious vignettes that are presented by an amazing cast that included Brian Lally, Steve Brewster, and Victoria Ippolito on “Fandom,” William Gabriel Grier and Valenti on “Polite Racism,” Jim Nieb, Ian Gray and Anna Luiza on “Suicide Pact,” Jeff Elam, Ippolito and Christine Ditillio on “Brittle Trombone,” and Gray, Valenti, Nieb, Brewster, Lally, Luiza and Grier on “Fantasy Football.” It was a humorous way to address these serious issues, and was well received. Come on out and laugh at these white man “mistakes.”
I love sketch comedy when it’s done right. The pacing of these sketches flowed very well, leading us to punchlines that highlight ironically hilarious situations. Plus, I love the goodnatured poke at straight, white men trying to navigate a changing world that now considers women, LGBT, and people of color. It’s smart humor. The comedy writing in this production is so good, that several of the sketches are “SNL” or “In Living Color” worthy. Seriously, this is better than most of the stuff on network TV. If you like laughing, go see this show.
The whole of the play is nuanced, questioning, and thought-provoking. That's not to say it's comfortable — Chris sense of playfulness and his expert control of pressure is still at play...
At its core, this show is a fast-paced fluid comedy that forces us to take a hard look in the mirror and examine our shortcomings, and it makes us ask ourselves not when, but how can we be better.
This is the gold standard of sketch comedy for fringe! Excellent writing with current topics and out of box ideas, and very well cast. The last sketch is SNL worthy go just for the "fantasy" football!
Chris Valenti's masterful writing makes this compilation of five short scenes not only hilarious and entertaining, but also thought-provoking. Definitely one of the best shows in this year's Fringe Festival!
So much Fun! Clever, smart, and funny--Chris Valenti brings this to us with his writing of these 5 short comedies! Well directed by Curtis Bechdholt and great performances by the cast!
I appreciate that the stories took us on a bold and exciting ride inside these characters' heads. Go see this show and laughter is guaranteed!! :D
I loved the shows ability to use humor to shed light on uncomfortable social interactions. It was witty, incredibly fun, and the actor’s were amazing. My favorite sketch was “Suicide Pact”. All the actors we’re incredibly talented and very committed to their performance. And I really appreciated that this production included female actors, despite the title!
Tackling racism, sexism, or any other politically charged topic is always a risk. I feel this play was very thoughtful about being careful and sensitive regarding these topics. Working with women and people of color helped bring the required perspectives to tackle the themes of the show, and I think keeping your collaborative circle as diverse as possible is crucial while you keep tackling these tough dialogues. :)
Chris Valente has been a part of the Fringe for many years but I have never been able to make any of his previous shows. Luckily, I was able to squeeze this one in, and very glad I did. He has written five five hilarious vignettes that are presented by an amazing cast that included Brian Lally, Steve Brewster, and Victoria Ippolito on “Fandom,” William Gabriel Grier and Valenti on “Polite Racism,” Jim Nieb, Ian Gray and Anna Luiza on “Suicide Pact,” Jeff Elam, Ippolito and Christine Ditillio on “Brittle Trombone,” and Gray, Valenti, Nieb, Brewster, Lally, Luiza and Grier on “Fantasy Football.” It was a humorous way to address these serious issues, and was well received. Come on out and laugh at these white man “mistakes.”
The whole of the play is nuanced, questioning, and thought-provoking. That's not to say it's comfortable — Chris sense of playfulness and his expert control of pressure is still at play...
At its core, this show is a fast-paced fluid comedy that forces us to take a hard look in the mirror and examine our shortcomings, and it makes us ask ourselves not when, but how can we be better.
I love sketch comedy when it’s done right. The pacing of these sketches flowed very well, leading us to punchlines that highlight ironically hilarious situations. Plus, I love the goodnatured poke at straight, white men trying to navigate a changing world that now considers women, LGBT, and people of color. It’s smart humor. The comedy writing in this production is so good, that several of the sketches are “SNL” or “In Living Color” worthy. Seriously, this is better than most of the stuff on network TV. If you like laughing, go see this show.
This is the gold standard of sketch comedy for fringe! Excellent writing with current topics and out of box ideas, and very well cast. The last sketch is SNL worthy go just for the "fantasy" football!
Chris Valenti's masterful writing makes this compilation of five short scenes not only hilarious and entertaining, but also thought-provoking. Definitely one of the best shows in this year's Fringe Festival!
So much Fun! Clever, smart, and funny--Chris Valenti brings this to us with his writing of these 5 short comedies! Well directed by Curtis Bechdholt and great performances by the cast!
I appreciate that the stories took us on a bold and exciting ride inside these characters' heads. Go see this show and laughter is guaranteed!! :D
I loved the shows ability to use humor to shed light on uncomfortable social interactions. It was witty, incredibly fun, and the actor’s were amazing. My favorite sketch was “Suicide Pact”. All the actors we’re incredibly talented and very committed to their performance. And I really appreciated that this production included female actors, despite the title!
Tackling racism, sexism, or any other politically charged topic is always a risk. I feel this play was very thoughtful about being careful and sensitive regarding these topics. Working with women and people of color helped bring the required perspectives to tackle the themes of the show, and I think keeping your collaborative circle as diverse as possible is crucial while you keep tackling these tough dialogues. :)
