Queer Reviewed Roundup: 2025 Philadelphia Fringe Festival- Week One
- Frank Schierloh
- Sep 13
- 4 min read
It’s that time of year again, the weather starts to shift, and the Philadelphia Fringe Festival takes place all over the city. This year, there are a staggering 346 productions - a record in the festival's history - making this year’s festival selection slightly overwhelming. There is a lot to see, which is actually quite a moving realization, given the constant attacks on arts funding this past year.
Weathering- Faye Driscoll
Billed as a “multi-sensory sculpture made of bodies, sounds, scents, liquids and objects” Weathering was the opening night production of this year’s festival. Ten performers perched on a large white foam square, moving at a pace that started glacial and ended chaotic. The large square begins rotating, and the performers slowly remove articles of clothing as they claw, slide down, and bounce off each other in an almost primitive manner, all the while groaning, exhaling and death rattling. No words are spoken as the movements become more frenetic and chaotic; the sounds reaches a deafening climax while the performers are in various states of undress… then the show ends, and you’re left wondering what you just saw.
There is a large blurb about what the show, performers and choreographer Driscoll are trying to convey, however it is hard to glean any of this from watching the production. The first thirty or so minutes of watching the performers move at a glacial pace is simultaneously boring, frustrating and audacious. Once the tempo starts to pick up, and objects start to appear from bags, pockets and jackets it gets a bit more engaging to watch, but more in a “what’s going to happen next” way than in something more meaningful. Towards the end, as the white square starts careening around the playing space, getting dangerously close to the audience's knees, and half and fully naked performers start to drape themselves on audience members, the show feels less about something more than how far the audience can be pushed into discomfort.
Overall, Weathering felt like an expressionist painting. Some people would watch it and say they could do that themselves, (very “why is this in an art museum?” energy), while others might glean a deeper meaning here. As confoundingly entertaining as it occasionally got, sadly the performance didn’t match the show's written intention for me.
Weathering played at the Fringe Arts building from September 4th-6th.
Alice Tierney- Opera on Tap Philadelphia
How do we interpret archaeological findings and discover a person's story when they haven’t left any concrete evidence of themselves behind? That’s the thesis question at the heart of the one act opera Alice Tierney. The opera tells the story of four grad students excavating the ground of a former boarding house, run by a woman named Alice Tierney who met a mysterious fate.
It’s a fascinating topic, and one that makes for an interesting opera. Unfortunately, the payoff at the end, while moralistic, is a little bit of a let down. The score by Philly composer Melissa Dunphy is pleasant while also showcasing many different musical styles. The score also sounded great when sung by the very talented cast of performers. Where this production was let down was in the technical elements, particularly the lights. For whatever reason, the lights kept changing every few seconds, rotating through the full rainbow of colors, not in time with any vocal or dramatic shift. There was also a projected backdrop, but the placement of the projector caused many of the singers to be performing while having a brick wall cascading over their face. The Velvet Whip is a really intimate and cool space, and it felt like these lighting choices hindered the show from fully inhabiting it.
Alice Tierney played at the Velvet Whip from September 5th-7th.
Dogberry and Verges are Scared- Slippery Trout Productions and Cincinnati Shakespeare Company
Move over Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, there's a new POV-Shakespeare duo-play in town, admittedly one with less ethos, and more slapstick. This new play by Will Mobley and Michael Doherty is a “shift the camera to focus on the side character” story about Dogberry and Verges: two secondary characters in Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing. The play is pretty straightforward, recounting the events of the original play from their perspective. The piece works really well as it balances many different styles and forms of comedy. There’s slapstick, witty humor, puns, sight gags, and impressive word play to name just a few.
The cast is led by Scott Greer and Anthony Lawton as the titular characters, respectively. Both Philadelphia performance legends, their work here is nothing short of wonderful. What is so delightful to see is the ease with which they play these characters: there’s no pretense, they just are, and it feels so refreshing to see the humor of this piece handled so exceptionally. The rest of the cast is also well served, with Courtney Lucien bringing an earnestness to her Hero, that is all the more special when juxtaposed with her absurd portrayal of the Sexton at the trial of Borrachio. Director Matt Decker does a great job at letting this talented cast and funny script shine.
Dogberry and Verges are Scared is running at Christ Church Neighborhood House until September 14th.
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