It's Fringe Festival Time!

The Capitol Fringe Festival began a few days ago, and so far I've attended two shows. I would have done more, but I'm scraping the bottom of my bank account after last month's adventures and need to wait for my next paycheck....

Still, it was fun Friday night for the first show of "Illuminopolis."

This is a great variety evening that mixes music and dance, with everything involving light in some way, from ultraviolet day-glo to electric to fire. It's ably hosted by my pal Shortstaxx, stars my other pals Miss Joule and Malibu, and also features belly-dancer Na'la and the singing Sweater Set. Their second show last night was SRO and they've been getting great buzz from reviewers, so if you're in town, check 'em out.

It was also a great evening for me as when I went I ran into a bunch of other friends, so we all enjoyed the show together. Later, having drinks at the Fort Fringe bar, I ran into other friends from different circles, and then some of us went out to dinner and laughed at how grown-up we were all being. Seeing as how I'm staring down the barrel of 46, I darn well better start being grown-up.

Today I hit something that would appeal to Dust & Corruption readers: Happenstance Theater's "Manifesto!"

"Manifesto!" is a glorious cabaret set in the 20s that contrasts the views of Dadaism, Futurism, and Communism, in a wonderfully quirky way. The script is taken almost entirely from writings of the period and is wonderfully produced, with every move seeming to be carefully choreographed. I caught Happenstance's "Cabaret Macabre" last Halloween (one of the few really Halloween-y things I did last season, which was a very busy one for me) and am now completely sold on their style and aesthetic.

And it was a fun day personally because I ran into other friends there, including Miss Joule and Malibu, and my lovely pal Ginna. I think I was the envy of every guy there, and if not, I should have been.

I have other shows in mind to catch, here's hoping I get to them!