Fringe is back in Jefferson Park
Evil women, mind pickers, Fred Hampton, one spectacularly overdue library book, and, of course, the usual sex and death: the Chicago Fringe Festival is back for its eighth go- round, filling nine Jefferson Park venues with “the untried and the weird.” Below are short reviews of 12 shows that run into the festival’s second weekend. It’s all over September 10. — TONY ADLER
DANDY DARKLY’S MYTH MOUTH! Imagine an even queenier, more hyperactive Rip Taylor with a penchant for sequins, wordplay, and revisionist queer history, and you’ll have a sense of Brooklyn’s Dandy Darkly’s overwhelming hour of outlandish mythmaking. His images are meticulously hallucinogenic, but challenging acoustics and a rattling delivery make him difficult to follow. ( Thu 9/ 7- Fri 9/8, 8: 30 PM) — JUSTIN HAYFORD
EVIL WOMEN Four of history’s most villainous reallife mobsters, queens, and serial killers entertain and torment each other for eternity in this all- female redux of No Exit by # Divahs. The metaphysical threads get tangled up, but there’s some thoughtful absurdity here. ( Fri 9/ 18, 10 PM; Sat 9/ 9, 7 PM; Sun 9/ 10, 5: 30 PM) — DAN JAKES
EXCEPTIONS TO REALITY Truth be told, I have no way of fact- checking William Pack’s assertion that most magicians start the craft as a child because of “problems at home,” but it sounds . . . questionable. I hope. Between dad jokes, Pack adeptly performs mind reading and slight sleight- of- hand card and coin tricks, and his gentle demeanor serves as a nice foil for his more squirm- inducing illusions. ( Sat 9/ 9, 10 PM; Sun 9/ 10, 8: 30 PM) ( DJ)
JEFF FORT AND FRED HAMPTON: A REV
OLUTIONARY LOVE STORY A timely and intriguing exploration of the relationship between the leaders of the Blackstone Rangers gang and the Chicago branch of the Black Panther Party, this play captures the spirit of what these two ambitious young
men aspired to and the ways they were undermined by both internal and external forces. Whatever their individual flaws, their dream of bettering the plight of African- Americans in this country remains urgent, noble, yet unfulfilled. Steven Long wrote and directed. ( Thu 9/7, 8: 30 PM; Sat 9/9, 2: 30 PM; Sun 9/ 10, 5: 30 PM) — DMITRY SAMAROV
MAN Steve Berglund wrote and performed this unfocused misfire of a meditation on the meaning of manhood, which apparently consists of whining about things you can’t or won’t do. There are attempts at jocularity and off- color humor along the way here, culminating with Berglund’s equating his coexistence with a misbehaving dog to the story line of 12 Years a Slave. Avoid at all costs. ( Thu 9/ 7, 7 PM; Sat 9/ 9, 4 PM) ( DS)
MARK TOLAND: MIND READER Mark Toland is not Houdini or Svengali, not Jeanne Dixon or Edgar Cayce, not Miss Cleo or Nostradamus. There’s no smoke, mirrors, or astral projection, only pen, paper, and participants eager— or at least willing— to have their minds picked through for trivia. He has no flash and no agenda. He’s just a guy from Kansas who’s got your number. ( Sat 9/9, 8: 3o PM; Sun 9/ 10, 4 PM) — IRENE HSIAO
NARRATIVES OF ACHROMATOPSIA Chicago director Iris Sowlat stitches together firsthand accounts from several people ( including herself) with achromatopsia, a visual impairment that inhibits color perception and diminishes visual acuity. The anecdotes vary from predictable to illuminating ( imagine flirting without visual cues), but the tales of triumph against tall odds are inspirational. ( Sat 9/ 9, 4 PM; Sun 9/ 10, 2: 30 PM) ( JH)
THE ONE WITHOUT WORDS The duet is a commonplace and a zone of infinite exploration, a microcosm of human relations, of which love is only one possibility— here explored by actors untrained in the finer expression of the sinew. Mugging and kissing tell the tiresome story of a trite couple. It’s tragic. ( Sun 9/ 10, 8: 30 PM) ( IH)
PRAKRITI: A HISTORY OF THE PRESENT Ishti team Kinnari Vora and Preeti Veerlapati combine several traditions of Indian classical dance in their exploration of the tension between opposing beliefs and the rediscovery of balance. Conceptually a work in progress, Prakriti ( Sanskrit for “primal matter”) showcases the expression of faces, hands, and voices to hint at the value of ritual in the practice of daily life. ( Sat 9/9, 5: 30 PM) ( IH) UNDERNEATH THE LINTEL Pat O’Brien ( best known as Mr. Dewey on Saved by the Bell) gives an astounding performance as a librarian who embarks on an existential quest after a book shows up 123 years overdue. Inspired by the multiple meanings of the myth of the Wandering Jew, this solo play by Glen Berger is a deeply resonant meditation on choice and consequence. ( Thu 9/ 7Fri 9/ 8, 7 PM) ( DS)
WHEN THAT SONG I S ABOUT YOU Chicago musical theater actor Julie Soroko has a rather dutiful tale to tell: undergraduate insecurity, self- defeating relationships, postcollege aimlessness, eventual selfacceptance, all scored to on- the- nose pop songs. Soroko’s a likable performer with a strong voice, but she too often milks the moments of her own life, making autobiography feel oddly impersonal. ( Fri 9/ 8, 7 PM) ( JH)
WORK TO BE DONE With a healthy dose of selfabasement, solo artist Andy Monson dips in and out of an off- kilter, unfinished manuscript between phone calls with unamused industry colleagues. Keyboard underscoring by Emilie Modaff keeps the audience on its toes. ( Sat 9/9, 8: 30 PM) ( DJ)
CHICAGO FRINGE FESTIVAL Through Sun 9/ 10: times vary, locations vary; see website, chicagofringe. org, $ 10 per show plus $ 5 admission button; ticket packages $ 36-$ 175 plus $ 5 button.