Erik Stuhaug
Wanna play Baccarat?
THE 12TH ANNUAL SEATTLE FRINGE FESTIVAL
322-2018 or www.seattlefringe.org
various times, days, and venues on Capitol Hill, ends Sun., Sept. 29
BY SEATTLE WEEKLY REVIEWERS
ABORTION 360, A SURVEY IN FATHERHOOD
Her gynecologist's exhortations to "respect the power of the blood" ought to inspire teenage Agatha to seek a new doctor. Instead, her quest for a worthy father for the precious 360 eggs she will produce turns up a remarkable streak of cads waving checkbooks to make her feigned pregnancies vanish. Men can be pigs, but this lying tramp deserves them. Even nice moments collapse under playwright Catherine Johnston's rigging. Odd Duck Studio, 1214 10th. 9:15 p.m. Fri., Sept. 27; 4:15 p.m. Sun., Sept. 29. GIANNI TRUZZI
ALWAYS
This effective drama about enduring friendship—and also the enduring cycle of domestic abuse—bears its message without being too preachy, though it doesn't fall far from the Afterschool Special tree. Apparently based on a true story, it's well-written and delivers about all an audience could ask for—some laughs, a few tears, and believable acting. Odd Duck Studio, 1214 10th. 7:30 p.m. Wed., Sept. 25; 11:15 p.m. Sat., Sept. 28; 11 a.m. Sun., Sept. 29. KATIE MILLBAUER
BACCARAT
Even though this play about companionship and alienation is vague, too long, and brutally symbolic, there is a fragile, heart-stopping chemistry between actors Montana VonFliss and Mike Mathieu that almost makes the show worth seeing—they communicate like birds. One of Mathieu's tasks is to utter the sentence "I am the ground you walk on, and I will keep you safe forever," and to everyone's shock, he movingly does so. Union Garage #2, 1418 10th. 10 p.m. Sat., Sept. 28; 1 p.m. Sun., Sept. 29. CHRISTOPHER FRIZZELLE
BARONESS JZEANNETTE, THE TEUTONIC TOUGHLOVE TYWRANT
The Baroness offers no-nonsense sex advice like a lanky Dr. Ruth in fishnet stockings. Yet despite writer/performer Jeanette All饧s improvised audience sparring, the promise of a high-spirited romp fades once it becomes clear that this put-on has no particular point. All饧s advice is surprisingly bland, especially when it's so clear she made up the questions. Schnapps is needed, either for All饠or, better yet, for us. Odd Duck Studio, 1214 10th. 4:45 p.m. Sat., Sept. 28; 7:45 p.m. Sun., Sept. 29. G.T.
* CHILDREN OF UNFORTUNATE SHAPE
Five misshapen characters all attend a support group called Mentally Combating Your Physical Challenges. Said "challenges" are stubby legs, an oversized head, deformed arms, a missing tongue, and a second toe extending far beyond the big toe. Comedy ensues, thanks in no small measure to an unfaltering portrayal by Cory Calhoun, who holds the show together. "My life changed the day I fell in love with my grandmother," he blurts out, apropos of nothing. "Goddamn, I loved her." Union Garage #1, 1418 10th. 9:15 p.m. Wed., Sept. 25; 2 p.m. Sat., Sept. 28. C.F.
CHURCH OF PIE
Pie—a collection of vignettes about appetite, both culinary and carnal—begins with a genuinely charming musical number about a runaway pancake, then descends into a trite and increasingly insipid series of non sequiturs. Just wait until you hit the endless, semi-serious sketch about the vegetable lover discovering he's married to a bunny, who leaves him with the wistful parting words "I hope you find how your garden grows." Ouch. Chamber Theater, 915 E. Pine, fourth floor. 7:30 p.m. Wed., Sept. 25; 9:15 p.m. Fri., Sept. 27; 2:30 p.m. Sat., Sept. 28; 5:30 p.m. Sun., Sept. 29. STEVE WIECKING
* CLONING JUDSON
By turns startling, sexy, and unsettling, Judson is driven by its intensely focused cast—and writer/ director J. Daniel Stanley—who manage to elevate the subject to something higher than what could have been a pedestrian moral commentary on the ramifications of modern science. Aaron Blakely, in the lead role, brings all of his insight and intelligence to bear, and the result is unforgettable. Freehold Studio, Oddfellows Hall, 1529 10th, second floor. 10:45 p.m. Sat., Sept. 28. C.F.
DANCING WITH SOUL
Eloquence Performance Company's Bryon Davis refers to himself as a renaissance man—directing, choreographing, and dancing for his own ensemble—but he might consider stepping back from the multiple roles to look at the performance. The works here come across as sincere but heavy-handed, with well-worn themes like family violence and sexuality treated in conventional fashion. Chamber Theater, 915 E Pine, fourth floor. 9:15 p.m. Thurs., Sept. 26; 4 p.m. Sat., Sept. 28. SANDRA KURTZ
* GEORGE BUSH'S NUTS
Political theater is as likely to self-destruct as succeed, yet Baltimore-based playwright and one-man whirligig Brandon Welch dives right in and delivers a string of satirical vignettes that largely work. Of course, he's got great material—a president who at moments seems to have lost his mental compass and a nation gone equally bonkers. But Welch has got something else working, too: an ability to make the political deeply personal. Union Garage #2, 1418 10th. 10 p.m. Sat., Sept. 28; 1 p.m. Sun., Sept. 29. PHILIP DAWDY
ISO . . . IN SEARCH OF
Something's off about a performance when the audience doesn't recognize the end: They sat in the dark at the finish of ISO, unsure if they should clap or expect yet another vignette exploring sexuality in human relationships. While some of the sketches were effective (real bodies—with tummies and scars—mimicking the hyper-toned humping seen in music videos), others were tired repetitions of old material (gosh—a penis!). Richard Hugo House, 1634 11th. 10 p.m. Thurs., Sept. 26; 12:30 a.m. Fri., Sept. 27; 6:30 p.m. Sat., Sept. 28. S. K.
