I was almost not going to do a blog preview for this year's Rochester, NY Fringe Festival but, let's be honest, it is still my FAVORITE Rochester festival. And, of course, I am volunteering for it again this year. How could I not? For those who are new to the magnificence that is the Fringe: it an arts festival that combines music, art, theater, dance, and/or any combination of those to create something new and different. A true feast for your senses. I guarantee that you will go to the festival and leave having seen something you've never seen before in your life. I also was able to catch the first Cirque du Fringe show, which premiered this past Tuesday night with a new lineup of cirque and comedic acts called "Cirque du Fringe: D'Illusion", curated by Fringe veteran artists Matt & Heidi Morgan, who are also performers in the show.
Let's get right into Cirque. I have been lucky enough to see the Cirque du Fringe show each year since it's inception. Every year the show gets bigger, better, funnier, more engaging, and more diverse. This year is no different. Along with the typical balancing acts, death-defying ladder tricks, and aerial silk performances, Cirque du Fringe brought a few new tricks up their sleeve. If you're a fan of street performance, there is a new circus performer who does floating glass orb juggling and crazy yo-yo tricks that were absolutely killer. In addition, there is an underlying Western film theme to the show - which brings on an entirely new layer of interesting acts. For instance, there is an aerial arts performance done on a flying horse saddle - not kidding. Also, there is another circus performer who thrills the crowd with lasso and whip tricks which definitely caused a few gasps and gawks. I was personally terrified for the front row during his whip act, and glad I sat further back... just in case.
What absolutely rocked the whole show for me, and probably for many in the crowd, was a returning performer from Japan who not only performed in the comedic skits, but was an incredible magician to boot. The main theme of this year's Cirque du Fringe plays on the corny 80's style of Vegas magicians, I loved that tie-in with this performer's show-stealing magic act. The biggest surprise of all was the grand finale but... I won't spoil that for you if you are planning on catching the show. Let's just say I think I busted a gut from sheer laughter. The show has performances every night of the Fringe Festival in the Spiegeltent through September 21 as well as a matinee performance on Saturdays which are labelled as family-friendly. If you've never been to a Cirque du Fringe performance, this year is definitely one to see!
Something that I totally missed out on last year that blew up on social media was the Massaoke. I have a feeling it will draw an even bigger crowd this year. I, for one, will definitely be in attendance. Essentially it is a giant karaoke session smack dab in the middle of Downtown Rochester. There is a giant karaoke screen with lyrics and a live band from London performing popular hits from the past four decades including indie, pop, and rock hits. This year, they are dedicating their second night performance just to playing Broadway show tunes. I believe you can still use the Massaoke App from the App Store to make song requests before the performance like last year. BRB while I blow it up with "Candy Store" from Heathers... This event is free and the MixTape performance is Friday, September 20 at 8:30pm and the Night at the Musicals performance is Saturday, September 21 at 8:30pm as well. Let me tell you this is the one event not to miss at Fringe this year!
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to have a duo of comedian close gal pals? Well the Bushwacked Bunch are back this year with more comedy skits and booze for everyone. These girls will have you peeing your pants, figuratively and maybe literally depending on how much you drink. It's basically a comedy improv show that the audience gets to participate in. There are two shows - one called "Bushwacked British Bakeoff", themed around The Great British Bake Off, and another they brought back from last year's sold out show "Bushwacked Bonfire". There are plenty of performances but only a handful of spots for each show, so if you want to go make sure you snatch up your tickets quickly. Especially if you want to go to the "boozy" version of their Bake Off show which includes a couple of "adult bevvys" to enjoy during the escapades. The shows are all outdoors in the Spiegelgarden near the Fringe central hub. Everyone I saw leaving the shows last year couldn't stop raving about them, so I can see why they've made a return!
I am excited to be attending (as a volunteer) something that is new this year - the Fringe's first "Drag Brunch" which will be this Sunday at the Spiegeltent. We all know that Rochester NY's drag queen scene is LIT. But lately there have been all of these well-curated and much loved drag brunches that I keep hearing about. And I must find out the tea! Essentially: you eat brunch and a bunch of hilarious and talented queens perform dazzlingly campy acts for your (and the world's TBH) pleasure. This brunch has some yummy and fancy brunch foods like baked french toast(!) and chocolate filled croissants(??) - along with a stocked bar for all of your Bloody Mary/Mimosa needs. There are two performances this Sunday, September 15 - one at 12:15pm and a second showing at 2:45pm. All of the performances are actually all sold out already - but I'm hoping they come back with more shows next year because it will clearly be a hit!
Finally, I have to express my excitement that Missy Pfohl Smith and W. Michelle Harris are yet again going to be directing BIODANCE in a conceptual dance and music performance called "The Fragile Corridor" in the newly-renovated Rochester Museum & Science Center's Strasenburgh Planetarium. For those of you who read my Fringe preview last year, you know I am absolutely floored by the epitome of art, theatre, dance, and music this group contains all rolled into one. Last year's performance in the Lyric Theatre combined an element of yoga, opera, and a sound bath element that was a delight to the eyes and ears. This year's performance promises to be cinematic and immersive in nature, and includes a percussive musical experience with musician Michael Burritt. Performances are at 6:30pm from each night from Thursday, September 19th until Saturday, September 21.
Lastly, there are a few venues this year that absolutely kick butt and I think you should check out a performance if you are able at either School of the Arts, The Avyarium at Village Gate, or UUU Art Collective. If you've never been to any shows there, I guarantee you will have a unique and fun experience seeing something fringey in those spaces! That wraps up my Rochester Fringe Festival Top 5 for this year, if you'd like to follow along in my Fringe Fest adventures, be sure to follow me on Instagram, I will be posting Instastories all week long. Thank you for reading my festival preview, keep an eye out for more articles like this by following my Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram for post updates!
No comments:
Post a Comment