Well, Gemma Wilcox has done it again. Her world premiere run of The Wallaby Way made its debut in Fresno, and I was fortunate enough to catch its closing Rogue performance. Though it was billed as “in progress,” in typical Gemma fashion, I don’t see where her performance or script needs to be polished. The Wallaby Way is a passionate, intimate, emotionally-charged show that leaves Wilcox artistically naked on stage, baring all the feelings and pain that her script exudes.
The Wallaby Way takes the audience on Wilcox’s most recent journey to Tanzania and along the way it explores her last relationship, the effects of losing her mother, and what fleeing the North American distractions resulted for her. All this culminates in the riskiest performance I have ever seen Gemma Wilcox give (this is my third different title seeing her perform). There’s nothing left to emote after her impactful performance concludes with a more-than-deserved bow. Wilcox’s portrayals bounce between a well-nuanced narrator, a slew of characters she meets along her Tanzanian journey, and a wallaby with an ebb and flow that matches the pacing of her tenacious script. Wilcox delivered a remarkable performance that included the lovely use of a long red string that acted as a metaphor for being trapped, and also had practical uses, such as hanging clothes. The mask/costume for the wallaby is exquisitely crafted, aiding Wilcox’s various turns as the hopping marsupial. The wallaby, we cleverly see, is the omnipresent force, nature’s tour guide for Wilcox as she ventures through thick and thin to find clarity, closure, and peace with the tragedy that has clouded her mind and life.
I sing Miss Wilcox’s praises every time I see her perform, and this show only solidifies my opinion that she is a gift to solo theatre. Like many of the fringe artists I have highlighted, she is active on Twitter, Facebook, etc. She tours everywhere and has several one-woman shows in her canon that are sure-fire hits, so make every effort to support Miss Wilcox and her journey through the world, one show at a time.
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The Voice Shop was home to a one-woman show titled In the Blue of Evening. When I walked into the closing performance of this show, I was immediately met with one of the best sets I have ever seen from a Rogue show. The detail of the living room set-up was enough for me to grow in excitement as to what I was about to see. When Amelia Van Brunt took her well-deserved bow I was actually a bit sad to applaud because I truly wanted more. Â
From her first entrance, Brunt’s makeup and physicality as an elderly, house-ridden lady was on point. We see the effects, first comical then saddening, of dementia come through in various ways during Brunt’s performance. Her unwavering commitment to her animated character allows for some grounded pauses that invite laughs but then plummets to a deafening silence in the tender moments. Brunt’s physical humor is part of the effective staging that allows her to takes us through the day in the life of someone who is battling some serious dementia. Brunt lets the audience know through hilarious facial expressions, an intelligent sound design, and laser-eyed stares when we are supposed to find the condition humorous, and when we are to feel the sympathy. Brunt’s amazingly-paced show makes this tour-de-force performance one for fringe festival audiences to add to their show-seeing lists.
 My final day of Rogueing started with Donn Beedle and Karana Hattersley-Drayton’s two-person band, Two for the Road. They brought the intimate Veni Vidi Vici audience a delightful blend of western swing, a 4-tune Scottish medley, some Grateful Dead, some traditional Celtic music, and even some modern country covers. Their personable patter in-between sets and warm, casual atmosphere made for a splendid afternoon of song and speech.
A few of the musical highlights were Hattersley-Drayton’s cover of Dolly Parton in their “wings” motif song list, Beedle’s flawless fiddling all-show long, and an absolutely beautiful “Farewell, Farewell” for their finale. The chemistry between the two musicians was organic, charismatic, and delightful to watch. Hattersley-Drayton even busted out some spoon-enhanced instrumentation just to show she’s more than a talented keyboardist. Two for the Road performs all over Fresno at various gigs, both indoor and outdoor. I highly recommend them as a group for your next evening of musical entertainment. They are on Facebook, so go “like” them and catch their next gig!
Tim Mooney brought a one-man performance, Breakneck Hamlet, to the Rogue Festival that entertained, educated, and established Mooney as a stalwart Bard actor. Taking the five acts of Hamlet and stripping them down to an elevated SparkNotes-esque script by summarizing and choosing the vital monologues, Mooney performed all the major roles at breakneck speed (hence the title) making his rendition one for the fringe festival ages.
Mooney’s stellar commitment and fluid pacing was exhausting but pleasing to watch. This is not a show one should see if they don’t know anything about the Hamlet plot, though. Mooney’s ability to transcend from narrator to actor is so crisp that if one doesn’t have at least a decent familiarity with one of Shakespeare’s most iconic plays, they may be a little lost. Mooney’s lighting design at the Fresno Soap Co. was extremely effective, helping him switch in scene/act/room changes throughout the 45-minute marathon. Mooney’s astute dialects and wide range of vocal inflections helped him transform into each character with ease and constant consistency. This was a one-man Hamlet done right!
 Blimprov is a Rogue staple that I make sure to see every year and 2016 only reinstated my enjoyment of this Valley-favorite improv troupe. I was able to attend their closing Rogue performance where they incorporated long-form and short-form improv as the entertainment. They were hilarious, they were engaging, but most of all, they made for a damn fine performance of solid improv.
Friday night’s improv games were: Murder Mystery, Questions Only, and Rap Finale. The long-form game was started with a monologue, based on a suggestion from the audience (frogs) and escalated from there. The Blimprov crew performed the games with hilarious timing, great audience interaction, and creatively referencing earlier-established jokes in later scenes. Even the times that the players denied an offer, it was done so with comedic intention and always moved the scene/joke forward. Blimprov is not limited to just the Rogue, nor are they limited to just Fresno. They are on all the major social media platforms and travel often, so follow them and check them out in a venue near you!
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Rogue Review "Awkward Conversations w/Animals I've F*cked" show #535
My final show of the Rogue’s first weekend was, well, interesting. Then again, with a title like Awkward Conversations with Animals I’ve F*cked, I guess I shouldn’t have been surprised. Rob Hayes’ script is about Bobby, an awkward young man who has one-night stands with animals; one-night stand by their choice, not his. Joshua Taylor takes on the role of Bobby and performs the role with a profoundly-crafted arc that plummets into heavy, rapid-fire exposition at random moments in each one-night stand, culminating in a hauntingly-paced rant at the play’s end. Director Kayla M. Weber has intelligently staged and framed Taylor’s performance to get the most of this unbalanced, overly-wordy script.
Taylor’s performance is strongest when he dives into Bobby’s neuroses regarding the neediness he feels towards each animal he sleeps with, and the constant paranoia that the sirens outside his window are from the police, gearing up to take him into custody. Taylor’s physicality matches his mental instability as it worsens with each rejection, crippling his ability to function logically and “normally.”
Hayes’ script excels in how real the conversations are between Bobby and his animal hookups. The exchanges, sans the direct reference to the creature of his momentary desires, are recognizable rants filled with concerns that people have with other people all the time. These conversations are well-written, a tad ironic, and poignantly delivered by Taylor. However, a strong performance and deft direction are not able to help this approachable but oddly-structured script make its full impact. At the end of the play, I was left confused as to how I’m supposed to feel about Bobby, why all the lingering subtext about his past and his father came out as textual word vomit, and why the final scene of the play is distinctly different in tone and pace from the beginning scenes. Whether these were intended conflicts Hayes had in mind is beyond my recognition as an analytical audience member, but I did walk away knowing that Taylor and Weber are a stalwart team, and the right ones to tackle this consuming piece of theatre.
Awkward Conversations with Animals… will be play on 3/10 at 7pm and 3/12 at 8:30pm at Cal Arts.
 Last year I attempted to see Jaguar Bennett’s comedy show, but it was sold out. I learned my lesson, so for 2016 I bought my ticket in advance to his newest comedy show, “Bullsh*t is My Native Language.” Watching from the planter box out in the beautiful Veni Vini Vici patio this past Sunday evening was an educational experience, as Bennett delivered a compelling, hilarious, and intricately-traced lineage of marketing, and how it controls the American population way more than we think.
Bennett has the gift of comedy flowing through his veins, and uses his power for good in his stand-up routine at this year’s Rogue Festival. Bennett dives into his own career as a professional marketer, publicist, etc. and discusses how that has clarified his views as to how much corporations and marketers control what we think, what we buy, and what the “trends” are. Bennett’s ability to explain these haunting revelations in such a lighthearted context shows his uncanny comedic ability and skill as a monologist.
Catch the rest of Bennett’s shows at Veni Vini Vici on 3/10 at 6:30pm and 3/12 at 1:45pm. You will be enlightened, so don’t miss it!
 Black Wool Jacket was my thirteenth Rogue show over the course of three days. I had seen bands, a game show, tear-jerking performances, hilarious monologues, and some wonderful dancing. Black Wool Jacket became the top show I had seen of the festival, and I knew it within the first ten minutes. Natalie Frijia is an unsung hero of solo performers, a gift to the Rogue Festival lineup.
Whether you’ve been to a nightclub or not, you will enjoy Natalie’s performance. As a PhD student, she needs some extra cash, so she’s hired by a downtown night club to be a coat checker. The stories of the people, the jackets, the attitude, the coworkers, the everything associated with nightclub life make for one of the juiciest, most intriguing monologues I have ever encountered. Natalie has beautifully constructed a string of tales and terrors from her shifts as a coat checker that entertains and informs the crowd.
Natalie is an alluring storyteller with a profoundly-entertaining and strong structure to her script. She cleverly utilizes gloves and coats to further along the imagery she describes throughout her piece. Her red trench coat story does hit a well-earned, tender chord among the goofy anecdotes and intelligent comparisons between elephants and humans (she REALLLLLY likes elephants). Natalie effectively takes a subject like being a coat checker and turns it into an intriguing, tour-de-force performance that she charmingly delivers without a single hiccup in poise or break in comedic pace. It bears repeating: this show cannot be missed.
Black Wool Jacket will perform at Mia Cuppa Caffe’ on 3/10 at 6:30pm and 3/12 at 2pm. Don’t miss this show! Go see this show! Go!
