This week we’ve got a special section on the Denver Fringe Festival courtesy of our Denver correspondent Danielle Look, plus we take a quick trip to The Hulu Motel in LA, and check in on Brooklyn’s QUINCE before a version of it heads off to Lincoln Center.
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DENVER FRINGE FESTIVAL
The third annual Denver Fringe spanned four days and featured over 40 different shows, approximately six of which were classified as immersive. Our Denver Correspondent, Danielle Look, was able to catch four of those shows.
The All American Haunting : A Theatrical Seance — Anthem & Aria Flint
$15; Denver, Colorado; Run Concluded
You may think there’s only so many ways to spin a classic seance scene, but Anthem and Aria (aka The Psychic Soulmates) managed to keep it fresh and engaging through the help of Teddy, their assistant from the spirit world. The show starts off on a high note as Teddy helps a blind-folded Aria identify personal items from audience members’ pockets, but things quickly devolve when bad energies start flowing through the planchette. The All American Haunting is filled with classic jump scares, sophisticated magic, and punctuated by fantastic showmanship — a winning combination that drew a packed house every night at Fringe.
— Danielle Look, Denver Correspondent
ExperiMENTAL — Steven Nicholas
$15; Denver, CO; Run Concluded
My favorite performance of the weekend, Steven Nicholas has built an entrancing one-man show that’s fully dependent on audience involvement, and fully intent on blowing their minds in the process. Billed as “an interactive mind reading experience that will twist your reality in the most delightful way,” this is more than just a magic show; it’s the physical incarnation of impossible brain teasers, acted out before your very eyes. With impeccable stage banter and delivery, Steven guides his audience through jaw-dropping moment after moment and keeps them laughing every step of the way.
— Danielle Look, Denver Correspondent
Salt Mother — Leah Cardenas (Director) & Monte D. Monteleagre (Writer)
$10; Denver, CO; Run Concluded
Unquestionably the most immersive performance on the festival lineup, this 15-minute experience for an audience of one was bizarrely beautiful and enchanting.
Imagine attending a support group for spiritual perfectionists that starts out nice enough, but quickly evolves into mysterious, culty rituals. Much like the famous sociological experiments of conformity, I found myself following the lead of my new friends without really understanding what I was doing or why, lest I might upset the almighty Salt Mother we were awaiting. We chanted and danced. We stood up and sat down, and stood up and sat down again.
When Salt Mother finally graced us with her presence, she was warm and magnetic, yet stern and sharp. Despite the conflicting delivery, I found her words to be calming, soothing and meditative. “Maybe that’s why these people love her so much,” I thought to myself as the ceremony was ending.
And that thought was instantly followed by “Wait — did I just join a cult?”
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— Danielle Look, Denver Correspondent
Un/Packing — Nicolas Shannon Savard
$15; Denver, CO; Run Concluded
Though there were plenty of moments of humor in the show, Un/Packing not only dealt with serious subject matter, but it also forced audience members to grapple with that content and make a potentially life-threatening decision surrounding it.
Aptly described as a “choose your own adventure” performance, trans performer Nicolas Shannon Savard used acting alongside multi-media to set scene after scene of traumatic encounters they’ve faced in real life, then asked the audience how they would respond in that situation. After audience deliberation and consensus, Nicolas continued the story in accordance with their choice until reaching a new moment of conflict or fear in which a decision must be made.
The physical execution of the branching points in the story could use some work (there was a distracting index card system, props that never came into play, and some flawed tech) but that was easy to overlook in lieu of the deeply personal, intimate story-telling that took place. It was both sad and enlightening to step into shoes so different from my own, and to sit with the terrifying realities of everyday life for the owner of those shoes. I’m grateful to Nicolas for letting me try them on.
— Danielle Look, Denver Correspondent
THE REGULAR RUNDOWN
The Hulu Motel
Free, reservation required; Studio City; Run Concluded
Hulu can sometimes be seen as the “forgotten eldest child” of the streaming wars. Originally a collaboration between the major studios to, in part, fend off Netflix, Hulu has seen some of its might fade as those same studios have set up their own streaming services.
But a funny thing happened on the way to this point. Between its originals slate — which includes standouts like The Great, Only Murders in the Building, and The Dropout — and the FX shows like What We Do In The Shadows that they host, Hulu has become indispensable for those who dig TV with personality to spare.
Which is how I found myself at The Hulu Motel, a pop-up at Studio City’s Sportsmen’s Lodge. The production team had kitted out the lobby, a few rooms, and the pool area with a mix of photo ops and interactive installations. Plus food and drink. All of it themed around the different shows. Props and costumes were on hand for the photo ops, along with the occasional actor to round things out. Like the vampire on hand for WWDITS.
It wasn’t all selfie time, with a mini escape room for Only Murders… and a “confession booth” interview that let you pick one of three identities for a reality show confession interview. I’m eagerly awaiting the video from that one.
Influencers were treated to some extra perks, like special keys that unlocked green safes around the hotel which contained cards redeemable for swag. To be clear: everyone got room keys (which had QR codes on them for maps) but only those on the VIP list got ones that unlocked the prizes. At least that’s how it seemed. Maybe I missed a safe when I had the normal key. The VIP one I held definitely worked in one room.
All in all: this was a fun way to spend an hour and change, and I know I would have had even more fun if I’d brought someone along. Photo stations are better when you’ve got a squad, and the young and beautiful folks who were all over the place were definitely enjoying themselves in their pairs, triads, and quads.
If The Hulu Motel should open a franchise in your neck of the woods, or at a big convention near you, it’s definitely worth the time spent when you’re a fan of their shows. And if you’re NOT a fan of their shows… well, consider this a sign to get with it and start watching.
— Noah Nelson, Publisher
QUINCE — One Whale’s Tale
$25-$200; Brooklyn, New York; Run Concluded
There’s a moment three-quarters of the way through QUINCE that moved me to tears. Feuding with her daughter, caught between her love for her child and love for the church, and lamenting her own lost childhood, Maria (Brenda Flores) finds catharsis at last. Reconciling with her late mother in an abstract musical sequence, both her and her schizophrenic brother (José Pérez) find resolution to their lifelong struggles.
Of course, afterwards, we return to the crushing literalism that dogs most of the play. QUINCE follows Cindy (Sara Guttierez), a Mexican-American lesbian on the eve of her 15th birthday, trying to resolve tensions at the intersection of sexuality, culture, and religion. This is all ripe material for exploration, but the script’s show-don’t-tell ethos makes it all hard to swallow. Arguments are all text and no subtext, though the actors gamely attempt to infuse the dialogue with nuance. There’s an attempt to add complexity via magical-realist elements of ghosts and Aztec gods, but these never quite gel. Outside of the immediate family, the cast also feels too large, with not enough time given to build relationships, most notably the trophy-esque non-presence of Cindy’s girlfriend Katie (Saige Larmer).
Still, the show is not without merit. The music and performances are strong, and the basic story is filled with dramatic possibility. The staging is particularly well executed; not only is it delightful sitting at quinceañera party tables laden with paper flowers and Mexican sweets, the role of the audience as party guests creates an atmosphere that gives weight to Maria’s fears of judgment.
Overall, QUINCE feels like a flawed early outing from a talented team. An upcoming Lincoln Center reimagining, QUINCE en la Plaza, highlighting music and movement, feels like a good move, playing to the show’s strengths and stripping down the overladen script.
– Blake Weil, East Coast Curator At Large
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