With July 4 squarely in the rear view, Capital Fringe Festival is in full force. So many shows to see, so little time! If looking at the calendar fills you with the same existential dread that creeps up at the sight of the Netflix home screen, this guide (and all of DCist’s coverage) will ease your suffering.
Here’s what’s worth watching in the next week. If a show sounds intriguing but you can’t make it that night due to your overflowing social calendar, click the show title for a full list of dates. Nearly every show is playing numerous times.
FRIDAY, JULY 13
Three sisters split apart and come back together in 1 2 3: a play about abandonment and ballroom dancing. (Photo courtesy of Capital Fringe)Abandonment and ballroom dancing just go together—at least according to 1 2 3: a play about abandonment and ballroom dancing. Based on the fascinating true story of the radical Ohio 7, this show tracks three sisters as they face the effects of their parents’ crimes. (5:30 p.m. at Christ United Methodist Church)
We’ll do you a favor and spare you the monumentally disturbing cover image on the show page for Love in Three Scenes (look if you dare). But the cryptic teaser is compelling: Two Muslims discuss Thomas Jefferson and the First Amendment; a Canadian professor talks “from the future” (?) about the Great Lakes War of 2095 (??); and “we take a look inside Trump’s heart.” This might not be good, but it will definitely be interesting. (5:45 p.m. at St. Augustine’s Episcopal Church)
Take a trip to the American Southwest in Mesa, Arizona or Something Like It. (Photo courtesy of Capital Fringe)SATURDAY, JULY 14
Classical Greek theatre and surrealism meet in Mesa, Arizona or Something Like It, which finds a young man heading to Arizona on a blind tip from three fates. Hope he packed plenty of water for the ride. (1:30 p.m. at Western Presbyterian Church)
Two shows we reviewed this week have follow-up performances Saturday night. F*ck Tinder: A Love Story, which definitely won’t hit close to home for anyone under 30 in this city, earned praise from Allie Goldstein, who called it “an utterly relatable story.” (4:15 p.m. at Christ United Methodist Church) O Monsters, meanwhile, offers a spectacular visual feast and will leave you chatting excitedly with friends on the way out (1:45 p.m. at Arena Stage).
Baltimore’s legendary poet as you’ve never seen him before headlines Tales of The Mysterious and Grotesque: The Works of Edgar Allen Poe. (Photo courtesy of Capital Fringe) SUNDAY, JULY 15
Itching to interact? You might get the chance at the immersive Tales of The Mysterious and Grotesque: The Works of Edgar Allan Poe, which brings the classic poet’s stories to vivid life. (7 p.m. at St. Augustine’s Episcopal Church)
Fringe devotees may remember Confederates from the 2016 slate. The same group (Lights, Theatre, Action!) is back with Black Confederates the middle installment in a trilogy about the Civil War. This performance promises to inject some historically accurate nuance into the nation-dividing conflict. (2:45 p.m. at St. Augustine’s Episocopal Church)
MONDAY, JULY 16
No performances. Spend your day wallowing in the familiar despair of the early work week.
Culture clashes abound in The Tragical Comical Fool’s Game. (Photo courtesy of Capital Fringe)
TUESDAY, JULY 17
The Tragical Comical Fool’s Game follows four characters described on the show page as “an almost nun,” “a g@y sailor”, “a $lut” and “a raging b!tch” (all punctuation theirs). So it’s 60 minutes about four people with everything in common with no potential for conflict, then. Got it. (5 p.m. at Christ United Methodist Church)
You might be reading this guide and thinking, “I could make a show as good as these!” or “I could make a show even better than these!” (So modest.) Don’t forget Learn to Fringe Happy Hour, where Fringe staff will offer behind-the-scenes tips on how to make your show stand out. Also, drinks. (4 p.m. at City Bar in the Hyatt hotel, also Wednesday and Thursday)
Women fight back in How’s That Workin’ Out For Ya?. (Photo courtesy of Capital Fringe) WEDNESDAY, JULY 18
Four female playwrights is better than one, according to How’s That Workin’ Out For Ya?, which crams several mini-comedies involving women tackling adversity at home and at work into 75 minutes. (8:15 p.m. at Arena Stage)
Another set of four people does a very different thing in the solo show Meet the Glory Wholes. The suggestive title tells part of the story, which involves washed-up comedians taking an unusual approach to the final episode of their recently canceled children’s television show. Leave the kids and kids at heart at home, or plug their ears. (Also, be very careful Googling the title for this one.) (6:30 p.m. at St. Augustine’s Episcopal Church)
Bartleby, the Magical White Coworker is definitely white, but not definitely magical. (Photo courtesy of Capital Fringe)
THURSDAY, JULY 19
Tokenism goes wrong, as it so often does, in Bartleby, the Magical White Coworker. Find out if the definition of “magical” in this case is literal. (9:15 p.m. at Christ United Methodist Church)
Fringe is a celebration of all kinds of art, not exclusively theater. There’s a free musical performance from Sonic Castaways, a Latin rock/flamenco band that’ll be playing for two hours whether the sun shines or the storm clouds gather. (5:30 p.m. at Market SW)
