"Enlarged to Show Texture" Review by Kelly Luck

There is not much this reviewer can say about this play, as to go into even basic detail would be to spoil the thing. Suffice to say it is a meditation upon friendship, conflict of differences, the ways we cope with how the world messes with our minds, and the means by which we heal.

Fringe veterans will know that it’s always worth finding out what Tara Varney and Bryan Colley are up to. Over the years, it’s never been quite possible to guess what they would come up with next, but it is always something interesting. Once again we get the blend of humor and tragedy, the frivolous drilling down to the deeply personal. There’s even a little music history thrown in for good measure.

Sometimes things don’t always go to plan. Sometimes you have to get out there and wing it. And sometimes you need to stop and ask yourself what is really important. A most affecting show, and definitely worth the Fringer’s attention.

https://kcfringe.org/enlarged-to-show-texture-review-by-kelly-luck/

"Voyage to Voyager" KC Metropolis Review by Anthony Rodgers

In 1977, Carl Sagan led a project to summarize what it means to be human and to send that information into space for the potential discovery by intelligent extraterrestrial life—easier said than done! Voyage to Voyager is a play about a play—“playception”—about the real life struggles encountered by Sagan and colleagues in the development of the Voyager Golden Record, which can be seen this week in an unlikely theater near you: the Gottlieb Planetarium in Union Station.

The concept of this show is simple: to portray the process by which the famous Golden Record came to be; the said process, however, is more complicated than I ever imagined it to have been. Comical, educational, and provocative, this production asks many questions as to what the human experience truly entails and how diverse we all are from one another. The cast was lively and realistic while delivering the inflections and reactions of actors dealing with an energetic yet aloof on-stage director. Portraying Sagan, Coleman Crenshaw was the standout performer, phenomenal as the astronomical icon, and even slightly eerie in his spot-on resemblance.

Presenting a show in a planetarium comes with its own special set of opportunities and challenges, including the fact that the performers’ voices project differently depending on where they are while speaking and where the individual listener is seated. While it was fascinating to note this acoustic phenomenon, it never hindered the performers or flow but remains an interesting tidbit for anyone planning endeavors in a theater meant for a different type of star. The screen was used for projected images from the Golden Record as well as some original animation sequences by Billy Blob. These large cartoons depicted goofy situations in which hydrogen-based life-forms discover the Voyager spacecraft and attempt to decode the images and sounds on the record—silly but possibly realistic in the future, give or take a few billion years or so.

Filled with laughs and scientific details, Voyage to Voyager gives a fresh perspective on the historic task set forth by Sagan and reminds us of the hope that fuels our individual dreams to take us where no one has gone before.

more at KC Metropolis

"Red Death" Examiner.com Review by Bob Evans

And the red death comes as a pestilence in the night to strike and destroy all in its proximity with a 30-minute horrific death. No one is immune, and no one has an antidote for this avatar of death based on the Edgar Allan Poe’s short story, “The Masque of the Red Death.”

“Red Death,” by Mummer Opera Company, continues to attract large crowds to the Off Center Theatre in Kansas City’s Crown Center with its unique blend of Poe macabre magic, opera, and ballet. The show features the voice of worldly reknown operatic tenor, Nathan Granner, as Pince Prospero. Equal to the operatic work by Granner and Devon Barnes, the piece stands out for the lyrical ballet, choreographed by Kansas City, Kansas native Amy Hurrelbrink.

According to the Fringe program: “Join Prince Prospero in the safety of his castle as plague and pestilence ravages the land. He will delight and entertain you with a magnificent masqued ball. Tara Varney directs this operatic adaptation of Edgar Allan Poe's "Masque of the Red Death" starring tenor Nathan Granner, with music by Daniel Doss and choreography by Amy Hurrelbrink.”

The show is amazing. As guests leave the auditorium you can hear them talk about the singing the dancing and each person seems to have their own special focus of what they thought was inspiring in the production. The show is a beautiful blend of story, singing, and dancing. Not enough credit can be given to those who performed and produced this entry in the 2014 Kansas City Fringe Festival.

Anyone who is familiar with the short story by Edgar Allen Poe knows that the party is an attempt to make fun of the poor while the rich lock themselves away in the prince's palace to avoid the pestilence of the red death. They believe that they are economically and socially above such demonic plagues, so they party and dance their way to their own death. The seven rooms that lead to the final room are conveyed by changing lighting throughout the piece. It’s very subtle, but it works.

Watch for this show to compete for “Best of Venue” and received the encore performance on Sunday, July 27. The show receives the highest recommendations for general audiences.

Cast includes Nathan Granner as Prospero, Devon Branes as his servant, Coleman Crenshaw as the Red Death, and dancers: Chelsea Anglemyer, Josh Atkins, Amy Hurrelbrink, Tyler Parsons, Tiffany Powell.

The creative team includes: accompanist, Michaelis Koutsupides; music, Daniel Doss; liberetto, Bryan Colley; director, Tara Varney; choreography, Amy Hurrelbrink; costumes, Tara Varney, Sam Varney Cheryl Varney, Amy Hurrelbrink; scenic design, Bryan Colley; lighting, Shane Rowse.

Tickets can be purchases at the venue’s door, or online at the KC Fringe website.

Read the review at examiner.com

"Red Death" Pitch Review by Liz Cook

Red Death, a chamber opera based on an Edgar Allan Poe tale, lived up to some early hype it had generated. You don't need to be an opera fan to appreciate Daniel Doss' moody score and Bryan Colley's lush libretto, and the action — directed by Tara Varney and choreographed by Amy Hurrelbrink — was lean and tightly focused. Nathan Granner gave rich voice to Prince Prospero, narrator and ill-fated reveler. Devon Barnes offered a haunting, expressive performance as his servant, though her two-tone vibrato challenged her pitch at times.

Read the review at The Pitch

"Red Death" KC Stage Review by ChaimEliyahu

The Fringe, bless its heart, brings us lots of work-in-progress: artists taking advantage of the chance to stage new work, to see how new scripts play before live audiences: simply staged, cut to suit the Festival's crowded schedule — gems in the rough. But here's one that I'd call a gem, cut and polished, all its facets working together: "Red Death" is an operatic diamond.

I blame opera’s social trappings for burying its roots as popular entertainment. Bugs Bunny parodies, if not direct personal experience, leave us with nightmare fantasies of being trapped in swollen Wagnerian productions that just won't end. Never fear! "Red Death" packs its powerful punch in record time: I clocked Friday's opening performance at just 32 minutes.

This will leave you time to admire Bryan Colley's libretto, available on the "Red Death Lyrics" sheet on a table by the Off Center Theatre door. Its story is adapted mainly from Edgar Allan Poe's familiar "Masque of the Red Death, with credited infusions from more esoteric sources (Lucretius, Montaigne and Ecclesiastes). This gem is set by composer Daniel Doss and brought to brilliant musical life by two outstanding singers — tenor Nathan Granner and soprano Devon Barnes — with pianist Michalis Koutsoupides filling in for the orchestra.

But opera is the original multi-medium, and director Tara Varney, ably supported by choreographer Amy Hurrelbrink, has marshaled an artistic team that has these three musicians surrounded and outnumbered. Varney's family, with Hurrelbrink's help, has costumed a cast that includes five fine dancers. Chelsea Anglemyer, Josh Atkins, Tyler Parsons and Tiffany Powell join the choreographer herself in animating that silent threat that's inspired Granner's Prince Prospero to attempt their protection as guests in his party. Dance sequences flow smoothly into and out of the singing as the dancers support and advance the action. Actor Coleman Crenshaw needs no words — only his sinister, masked presence — to spoil the fun as the Uninvited Guest. But no spoiler alert is needed: even if you've somehow missed reading Poe, the title itself reminds us of the inevitable.

Colley has brought his economical art not only to the libretto, but also to the stage setting, subtly enlivened by Shane Rowse's dramatic lighting. The lyrics sheet spells out his scheme rather more distinctly than it has felt in performance. Varney's direction brings all these elements and actors together in a performance that embodies the essential power of opera.

Which you experience this week, quite cheaply and without any dress code. You will not leave the theater humming any of Doss's tunes. But you will be impressed by what a company of hard-working artists can do with a little space and a little of your time as their audience.

Read the review at KC Stage

"Red Death" KC Stage Review by kellyluck

It seems every year at Fringe there comes along a show that I find myself wishing could be brought out to full length. This year, one such show is Bryan Colley's "Red Death", an operatic take on Edgar Allen Poe's classic "The Masque of the Red Death". Poe's works--indeed, gothic horror in general--is by its nature so inherently operatic that it's amazing that it isn't tapped as source material more often. Really, the closest we have to an musical adaptation of the story before this is Fishbone's "Party at Ground Zero".

Colley of course is a fixture at the Fringe, and it's always interesting to see what he comes up with. This time around is a bit different than the usual fare, but this is no bad thing. The story is more or less the same, Prince Prospero (Nathan Granner, Tenor) walks his guests (and by extension, us) through the multicolored rooms of his stately pleasure palace, while the uninvited but inevitable guest (Coleman Crenshaw) stalks along behind. A servant (Devon Barnes) has been added to the story as a counterfoil to the prince's decadence. From room to room, they debate pleasure and pain, life and death. This provides an interesting counterfoil to the show, but still the whole thing clocks in at about 40 minutes.

As someone who regularly covers the opera beat, I meet many people who would like to give it a try but are too intimidated by it. "Red Death" is, as operas go, about as accessible as it gets. It is short, sung in English, with a story that most people know, and you don't even have to get dressed up for it. The principals are both seasoned singers--Granner's tenor voice being particularly noteworthy--and the chorus keep things interesting without becoming intrusive. It is on the short side for this reviewer's taste, but then, can wanting more really be a bad thing?

Read the review at KC Stage

"Red Death" KC Metropolis Review by Lee Hartman

Composer Daniel Doss and librettist Bryan Colley have strong source material in their new opera Red Death. Edgar Allen Poe’s gothic sensibilities in “The Masque of the Red Death” have been supplemented with text from Lucretius, Ecclesiastes, and Montaigne for the one-act, forty-minute opera playing at Off Center Theatre.

Nathan Granner stars as Prince Prospero, host to some unafflicted revellers in his cloistered estate. The Red Death has been killing anyone who contracts it within a half hour. Barring the gate to new entries and from anyone leaving, and thus safe, Prospero throws a masque filled with circus acts, dancing, and laughter. Devon Barnes as Prospero’s servant has already seen her family succumb to the Red Death and wonders if all this revelry is premature.

The production values of Red Death put many other Fringe shows to shame. Directed by Tara Varney, the blocking is crisp around Bryan Colley’s sets and make excellent use of the space with Amy Hurrelbrink’s engaging choreography. Shane Rowse’s lighting design is particularly moody with its saturated reds, greens, and oranges. Granner’s costume is lux and Coleman Crenshaw’s mask as the Uninvited Guest is a work of beauty. However, the company’s costumes seem more appropriate for a production of Pippin with their lime green accents, clashing florals, and fluorescent pinks.

Doss’s music, especially his accompaniment, is more in the vein of musicals than opera. His score is tonally conservative and lacks the Grand Guignol of the subject matter. If Doss could add more dissonance, space, and silence in his busy treatment, that disconnect would be diminished because as it stands now, Red Death strives to be darker than it actually is. Which isn’t to say it’s not enjoyable; there is plenty to like. Doss’s prosody of Colley’s text is masterful even when dealing with cringe-worthy Lloyd Webber-esque rhyming couplets. With that skill, the story is never lost. Granner, at full volume for most of his singing, is convincing with his laissez-faire attitude and Barnes, aside from a few diction issues of American versus British pronunciation, is an equal match. Accompanist Michalis Koutsoupides is kept busy with the noty score and maintains a constant, solid presence throughout.

Red Death should be on your “to see” list for this year’s Fringe. It tries something new, albeit conservatively, but the performances and production are worthy of attention.

Read the review at KC Metropolis

"Red Death" KC Star Review by Robert Trussell

Those who have attended performances at KC Fringe though the years expect to see something unusual, but few of us have seen anything quite like “Red Death.”

This one-act chamber opera from composer Daniel Doss and writer Bryan Colley offers a concise 40 minutes of vivid gothic horror filled with impressionistic images. The show, directed by Tara Varney and choreographed by Amy Hurrelbrink, is almost as much dance theater as it is opera.

This adaptation of “The Masque of the Red Death” by Edgar Allan Poe tells the tale of Prince Prospero, who retreats to his castle for a night of revelry with his entourage and servants while a plague ravages the countryside.

According to the program, Colley’s libretto borrows not only from Poe, but from the Roman poet/philosopher Lucretius Carus, Renaissance essayist Michel de Montaigne and Ecclesiastes in the Bible, but I confess that I’m too meager a scholar to comment on Colley’s choices. I can say that his libretto is loaded with compelling images.

Doss’ lush score, performed by pianist Michalis Koutsoupides, is darkly romantic, often returning to a haunting waltz-time motif. The music is so compelling that you can easily imagine what it would sound like performed by a full orchestra.

Tenor Nathan Granner plays Prospero with Shakespearean flair and his voice, as usual, is mesmerizing. Soprano Devon Barnes is impressive as Prospero’s unnamed servant, whose perception of the futility of existence draws her magnetically toward death.

Many Fringe shows are bare-bones affairs but this one shimmers, thanks to a delicate, evocative lighting design by Shane Rowse and elegant costumes designed and created by Varney and her collaborators. A cadre of dancers create dreamlike stage pictures.

In essence, this piece is a 19th-century meditation on death, but the combination of music, dance, creative lighting and inventive costumes will linger in the viewer’s memory.

Read the review at the KC Star

"Red Death" KC Stage Review by Detailer

A very strong performance of an effectively creative adaptation of Edgar Allan Poe’s The Masque of the Red Death.

I am not an opera fan, but this presentation could convert me. First, it’s in English, it began with the spoken word, and the company gave out printed lyrics for those of us not used to listening to opera.

But the printed words weren’t needed to understand Nathan Granner. His voice was strong and clear, and his character was compelling. Gorgeous singing. That alone was worth the time.

Devon Barnes had a lovely voice when singing low and soft, but some of her higher sections had a piercing quality to me. Her physical reactions, particularly to the Uninvited Guest, were emotionally effective. Her acting came across as truthful, the emotions coming from within.

Bryan Colley’s libretto and Daniel Doss’s music were quite impressive. They captured the story succinctly, getting us in the spirit, enjoying the characters, and building to the climax. The entertainment at the ball provided emotional variety, and gave the individual dancers a moment in the spotlight, which they deserved. Michalis Koutsoupides accompanied with just the right volume, not drowning out the voices as too often happens in musical productions.

Tara Varney’s direction and Amy Hurrelbrink’s choreography created a powerful experience. The movement was natural, provided a variety of stage pictures that evoked emotion and added visual interest, and covered the audience well. The dancing enhanced the mood and the story, and it gave a fascinating visual behind Nathan’s powerful singing. Dancers Chelsea Anglemyer, Josh Atkins, Amy Hurrelbrink, Tyler Parsons, and Tiffany Powell blended beautifully as an ensemble, and also embodied unique personalities. They listened actively and carried out business that made the scenes realistic without pulling focus. The choreography allowed each of them moments to be featured. At one point their frantic, almost jerky, movements gave the impression of many more dancers than there were. This was an effective contrast to the fluidly slow movements, particularly when Coleman Crenshaw as the Uninvited Guest drew attention merely by his intense stage presence.

Bryan Colley designed a sparse setting that allowed Shane Rowse’s lighting to set the mood. One window lighted in red in one corner, a white-lighted clock in the diagonal corner, a bench with just enough props to give the dancers realistic business on one side and allow them ways to create pictures on different levels—that was perfect to set the tone and give space for the story to unfold. The patterned lighting changes were very effective, and the white light always pinpointed the main action. Tara Varney punched the ending with an evocative image.

read the review at KC Stage

"Chicken Heart" review by tomeserole

Wonderful Sci-FI
Wow. This takes me back to how sci-fi made it into the media.
Great stage show. Wonderful performance from the cast, including the
puppets and their masters. So nice to SEE live sound effects. (Yes, do
think about that last sentence.)

I plan to go back again and take more friends to see this. It took me back
to being on a live set of The Twilight Zone.

Thank you to the cast and crew.

from KC Stage 
Photo by Shane Rowse

"Chicken Heart" review by Rabid_Reviewer

Old Radio with a lot of heart
After so many years of the Fringe Festival, there has been one consistency you can count on: a clever script by Bryan Colley and excellent direction by Tara Varney.

This show is somewhat dated, not because of the material, but because the delivery method of the story is something younger generations are not familiar with anymore. The Chicken Heart was a presentation of the Lights Out radio show. In the iPod generation, radio shows are not something most younger people are familiar with.

The presentation of this piece hearkens back to the old radio days, by presenting not only actors on a set, but also the sound engineers, creating live sound effects on stage. I loved it.

The staging is creative, entertaining, and forces the audience to use their imagination to fill in the gaps in a highly effective way.

My favorite moment of the show was Amy Hurrelbrink's performance as the airplane. I don't want to say anymore about that because it really should be seen without the surprises ruined.

I do have one nitpick. To increase the size of the cast on stage, hand puppets were employed to play characters. The concept works well, however, it would have been even MORE effective if the puppets and humans could have been individualized and interacted more. As an actor, it is difficult to separate yourself from the puppets you are working with and keep each of them active in their own subtext. It's the kind of thing that takes years of training and practice to get just right, and let's face it, the Jim Henson company is probably beyond the budget of this production. It's a minor flaw and I'm nitpicking.

This is a highly entertaining production that will bring a sense of nostalgia to the older generation and hopefully introduce a younger generation to a form of entertainment that is passing into the mists of time due to constantly changing technology.

from KC Stage
Photo by Shane Rowse

"Chicken Heart" review by wornall

Chicken Heart FUN!
Just back from the Fringe Festival and saw Chicken Heart. In almost one word: "a blast!" In two words: "go see!" Imagine an old radio show and an old comic book, got together in the back seat of a 1948 Hudson and produced a love child. They name it "Chicken Heart," as produced by Bryan Colley and Tara Varney. The small cast produces sound affects, plays three characters at one time and has as much fun as the audience. Then just when you think they have taken it too far, they go further and it is perfect! The cast, each and every one, is great. Andy Garrison is perfection as the mad scientist! So if you want to have fun, hoot, be surprised and have even more fun, go see Chicken Heart!

from KC Stage 
Photo by Shane Rowse

"Chicken Heart" review by Showrev

Great play, excellent acting!
I went to this play by chance, but I'm glad I did. It was a nice surprise, one of the best shows at Fringe Fest that I've seen! The play is funny, on the dark humor side, trying to keep the horror SF plot of the original radio show, and the acting outstanding. Worth seeing!

more at KC Stage 
Photo by Shane Rowse

"Chicken Heart" review by BrettV

They push the medium in new directions - and it works, again!
This show is not just funny and nostalgic. It's an extremely clever update combining visual theater with radio performance. Colley/Varney has again created a new vision of what traditional theater can be, without sacrificing the entertainment value. The actors fulfill roles of stage acting, multiple characters, radio sound effects, and even props, and all are excellent while challenged by not being allowed to remain immersed in their roles (method actors need not apply).

The Colley/Varney team is local-famous for pioneering writing and stage techniques, including not breaking but bulldozing the fourth wall (Lingerie Shop), and disallowing suspension-of-disbelief as an allegory to the play itself (Sexing Hitler). But it isn't just High Art, lost in intellectualism or existentialism. It's real entertainment for most audiences. I'm looking forward to their next new invention, even if it's just a plain-old show.

more at KC Stage 
Photo by Shane Rowse

"Chicken Heart" review by fluffysingler

Brechtian cheesy fun
Brecht said that there was no need for the "suspension of disbelief" in theatre, citing the recounting of an accident as an example of performance that lays the performance elements bare. Chicken Heart straddles that line, making the sound effects obvious to the audience and making no effort to make this a realistic play, and in this case, it really works well! Many of the effects, such as the flying of the helicopter, reminded me of the backyard plays of children. The scientist is right out of Central Casting and harkens back to Dr. Strangelove. This pulls out every sci-fi cliche in the book and has so much fun with it! I can't imagine anyone not having fun at this show!

And by the way, it is family friendly. Bring the kids! Bring the grandparents! Bring your friends! Bring your enemies, your frenemies, and everyone else you can fit in your car.

from KC Stage
Photo by Shane Rowse

Hargrove Exhibit Review from Vertigo

I had just finished making my way slowly more or less chronologically through the galleries of Roman, Greek, Egyptian, and medieval European art at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas City when I turned a corner into a tiny gallery that appeared to be an exact recreation of someone’s study.  Judging by the evidence, the time was more or less a century ago and the occupant had clearly been a world traveler, an obsessive collector, and something of an eccentric.  The clock in the corner was ticking and it appeared that someone had only moments before slid the chair back from the desk with its ancient typewriter and had walked out into the museum.  The introductory panel told me I was looking at “The Magnificent Collection of Gilbert G. Hargrove.”

"Sexing Hitler" Review by Robert Trussell

Oh, those crafty Nazis.

In 1940, designers and fabricators at a factory in Dresden set to work making inflatable sex dolls for the troops because fine young specimens of German manhood were falling prey to the ravages of syphilis via Parisian prostitutes.

Sounds preposterous, I know, but this strange story was documented in Graeme Donald’s 2010 book, “Mussolini’s Barber.” The program was carried out under the supervision of Heinrich Himmler, who later suspended it. Regrettably, none of the “gynoids” survived the Dresden fire bombing.

This curious bit of history is the point of departure for “Sexing Hitler,” a new play by Bryan Colley and Tara Varney. The playwrights choose to avoid a conventional narrative in favor of a sort of meta-theatrical, vaudevillian style, which serves the material well.

The show, directed by Varney, is preceded by a rhyming prologue performed by Himmler (Andy Garrison) and the story is told through a series of vignettes punctuated by a live band – Kyle Dalquist, Sergio Moreno and Richard Walker, who composed the music with Christian Hankel. The 60-minute performance concludes with an epilogue.

There are times when this approach works brilliantly, thanks in large part to actor/choreographer Amy Hurrelbrink, who plays the Doll. She also plays Himmler’s mistress, but her performance as the Doll is what everyone will remember. The lithe, limber Hurrelbrink is apparently light as a feather, judging by how effortlessly actors carry her across the stage.

The Doll is initially seen with a white mask in place of a face, but it gradually becomes more unnervingly human as the play explores questions about standards of beauties, the nature of love and our shared humanity – or lack thereof. Hurrelbrink delivers an exceptional, mime-based performance.

The play depicts the doll’s development and creation by sculptor Arthur Rink (Parry Luellen) and Senta Schneider (Marcie Ramirez), an expert in textiles. A low-key, poignant love affair develops between these two, but, the play implies, they do not survive the Dresden bombing.

Playing multiple German soldiers is Eric Tedder, a dancer/actor who is quietly charismatic and exhibits flashes of a wicked sense of humor. Garrison chooses pomposity as Himmler’s defining characteristic and Hankel plays a succession of eugenicists in broad, comic style.

Varney and Colley have demonstrated an interest in weird corners of Nazi history before. This time most of the essential elements come together in a memorable piece of theater. If it’s less polished than we might prefer, it reflects the nature of KC Fringe shows, which have to be done fast and cheap.

Read more here: http://www.kansascity.com/2012/07/26/3726818/fringe-fest-sexing-hitler-unconventional.html#storylink=cpy

from the Kansas City Star

"Sexing Hitler" Review by Detailer

Wonderful in every respect. It is hard for me to single out specifics because I liked every moment so much. The entire show is well-conceived and ably executed, and that is an understatement. Writers / directors Bryan Colley and Tara Varney crafted a splendid script, and nurtured actors and designers to bring it to life with perfection. Kudos to everyone involved with this outstanding production.

Heinrich Himmler decides that the soldiers need dolls to keep them from contaminating themselves with lesser humans. The program identifies resources for the true story about how the Third Reich invented inflatable pleasure dolls.

With that idea, we are in for rollicking good fun that hides the evil beneath. What I especially like about this script is that the evil is gradually exposed. There is a moment that punches me in the stomach, very similar to how I feel at the end of a certain song in Cabaret.

Andy Garrison as Himmler appropriately takes command of the stage, and sets the bar extremely high for excellent acting. He starts the gimmick of ending every scene with an actor’s gesture, and others follow suit, including the doll even when she is motionless during the scene. This gimmick fits the style of the show beautifully and humorously. It is very meaningful when Andy quits doing this gesture. His Johnny Carson-style monologue is one of the highlights. Starts out hilarious, and ends with thoughts to stop my breath.

Marcie Ramirez and Parry Luellen as the scientists who manufacture the doll build their humorous interplay into a sweet relationship that becomes an important symbol of hope at the end. Their opening scene in which they discuss how to design the doll is filled with their own awkward attraction, and the technical talk is very funny because of the well-defined subtext. One of Parry’s funny lines is questioning what he can tell his mother when she asks about his work. Parry’s thinking scene is a wonderful moment. He takes long enough to make me uncomfortable, which is the point. Yet he fills it with enough variety to keep me hooked. I can tell he is thinking because of his acting skills.

Eric Tedder and Christian Hankel portray various characters with distinctively different personalities, all very well done.

Amy Hurrelbrink plays both Himmler’s love interest and the doll, and does both parts with perfection. She choreographed the dances, as well, and all of her movements as the doll are amazing to watch. Her doll’s movements show different personalities and moods.

The crew also includes Ryan Puff as stage manager, Shane Rowse as technical director, and Diane Bulan as archivist. Kyle Dahlquist, Christian Hankel, Sergio Moreno, and Richard Walker provide music which adds to the fun. At one point Marcie and Parry react to a music cue; another time the band plays Somewhere Over the Rainbow when the soldier is dancing with his doll Dorothy.

The directors’ notes say that they allowed the cast to come up with the ending, and that changed from their original writing. As well as the rest of the script is done, I would imagine the writers’ original ending is excellent. But I do like the juxtaposition of Himmler’s perfect baby with the couple’s decision. Two visions of what the new Germany should be.

from KC Stage

"Sexing Hitler" Review by Karen Hauge

Just when you thought you knew everything there was to know about the Nazis, here comes Sexing Hitler, the nearly unbelievable true story of a team of scientists’ efforts to create a lifelike inflatable sex doll for Nazi soldiers to carry with them into battle. A concept like that almost defies the need for a review to garner fresh audiences, but I will digress over what was truly a must-see Fringe debut.

The year is 1941, and Nazi SS Heinrich Himmler (Andy Garrison) is presented with a problem: his soldiers are being threatened off the field as well as in battle. The culprit? Why, syphilis, of course, which is running rampant through the troops due to their unwavering patronage of French prostitutes. Himmler sets Dresden scientists Dr. Arthur Rink (Parry Luellen) and Senta Schneider (Marcie Ramirez) to an unusual and top secret task: to create a lifelike inflatable doll for soldiers to enjoy instead of the prostitutes, thereby keeping the troops healthy and strong enough for battle. The incredible ridiculousness of this idea is echoed in the musings of the scientists, who struggle to make a doll that is lifelike and satisfying, not only to keep soldiers healthy but also to prevent the conception of any children with the blood of a good German man and a dirty French whore.

The one-act, hour-long play is darkly funny and well composed, with a cast of six and a small band providing quirky reactive and mood-setting music. Off Center Theatre is bare, the only props being a few black boxes moved around between scenes by the actors. The actors’ performances are universally excellent, and naming standouts is impossible. Garrison as Himmler is deeply funny as the leader demanding feminine perfection in the doll; his character also functions as a narrator, speaking in verse (and I do love a good rhyme scheme) and sits down for interludes with various eugenicists from around the world, played with hilarious variety by Christian Hankel. Hankel delivers the sometimes shocking quotes of these scientists with earnestness that served to highlight the cruel reality of the worldwide history of race-purifying endeavors.

Luellen as the quivering, unimaginative Dr. Rink is perfectly awkward as he experimented uncomfortably with the idea of a sex doll, and his dynamic with Ramirez as his no-nonsense, insightful colleague is appropriately quirky. Eric Tedder and Amy Hurrelbrink play multiple roles throughout to great effect, with Tedder portraying various soldiers given the dolls to “test out” and Hurrelbrink playing Himmler’s mistress as well as each iteration of the doll, which comes to life as the fantasy of each soldier.

Sexing Hitler is definitely a must-see for its combination of ridiculous hilarity and truly fascinating historical material. The use of adult language and subject matter leads me to advise against bringing your children, but get a babysitter and come down to Off Center for a night with a very original new play.

from KC Metropolis

"Sexing Hitler" Review by kellyluck

The history of the inflatable sex doll is a grotesque but interesting one. As far back as the seventeenth century, sailors were carrying homemade "Dames de Voyage" with them on long trips. In the 20th century, we begin to see commercially manufactured ones, with careful attention to detail extending so far as fluid secretions by way of concealed pumps, etc. But the inflatable doll we generally think of nowadays traces its origin straight back to the Third Reich, where it was developed as a means to combat the ongoing threat of syphilis. It is this story that Sexing Hitler tells with wit, thoughtfulness, and yes, even a little charm.

Heinrich Himmler (Andy Garrison gleefully strutting the line between swagger and camp) orders Dr. Arthur Rink (Parry Luellen) and Senta Schneider (Marcie Ramirez) to develop a "comforter" for the troops so they will stop patronizing French Prostitutes. "We are losing more men to the 'French disease' than to the French guns!" Despite the sheer awkwardness of the assignment, the two work together, managing to produce an item and begin putting it through the rigorous testing with a series of soldiers (all played ably by Eric Tedder), each of which reacts to the doll in his own way. As the project drags on, and more and more uncomfortable truths about gender and sexuality are dragged to the light by way of the doll, Himmler becomes impatient. He wants - demands - the doll be more than a simple comforter. It must be an inspiration, a very model of the Germany to come. It must be the muse that sends the men forward across Europe and the world.

The creative team behind the play are no strangers to the Fringe, and their experience shows. Bryan Colley and Tara Varney have written some very memorable productions, and this will no doubt be another one. The script is sly, witty and incisive and even sympathetic by turns. Interspersed with the historical events portrayed (it is based on the actual history of the doll) are a series of rather notorious quotations on eugenics by various intellectuals and luminaries, performed by Christian Hankel. These provide perspective as the researchers labor to build the Aryan Dream.

Special notice must be given to Amy Hurrelbrink, who doubles as The Doll, and as Haschen Potthast, Himmler's secretary/mistress who ultimately becomes its model. She flips between the roles easily, morphing from gynoid to tittering arm candy almost without break. It is interesting to compare the dual roles: as the story progresses, each becomes the template upon which others impress their desires. In a play filled with strong performances, she is nonetheless a standout.

It takes a certain nerve to pull off something like this, not to mention a not inconsiderable amount of skill. Fortunately, the story is in excellent hands. Definitely a highlight of this year's Fringe, Sexing Hitler is not to be missed.

from KC Stage