Dizzy Miss Lizzy's Roadside Review Presents The Oresteia

Last night, Matty and I went to see Dizzy Miss Lizzy's Roadside Review Presents The Oresteia at the Capital Fringe Festival. DMLRR is the brainchild of Debra Buonaccorsi and Steve McWilliams, both long time friends of mine. I had known that they had been working on this show for quite some time, but had no idea what to expect as I sat in the packed Fringe Tent on New York Avenue.


Matt met me at TicketPlace and we went up 7th, catching a bite on the way at Potbelly's...which made me feel like a big ol' potbelly the rest of the night, but I digress...We took in the lovely sights of the neighborhood...









As we crossed on to New York Avenue, a young lady yelled at the window to Matt "Looking good!".
Matt loves the city.
After we passed the Eagle, we saw our destination in the distance...











I have to say, the former sight of the AV Restaurant is an odd, yet somehow perfect venue for the Fringe headquarters. The tents looming behind the odd and somehow tacky Greek looking statue add just the right atmosphere.









Speaking of that statue, the touch of the Fringe Tee Shirt and the string of Christmas lights was inspired.









Actually, that statue's butt was being ogled by most of the people I talked to on the outside deck. But then again, it's pretty easy to have a perfectly sculpted rear when your rear has been perfectly sculpted.





And as a sidenote, in the Fringe Headquarter's restroom, they had painted words and phrases on the walls to tart up the look of the place, and on the door of the restroom is painted the word "Consume".
I know what they are going for, as in consume as many shows at Fringe as you can....but...I dunno...I don't think that consume is the best word to think of while in the restroom. Bad form there...
Anyway, I digress again...
The Show.
If you are not familiar with the plot of the Oresteia, it doesn't matter, but HERE IT IS.
Deb's lovely husband Jay was such a sweet gentleman and bought me a beer at the bar before the show started. What a guy! :) And then we went into the tent.
While hot and steamy, the setting was perfect. It smelled of beer and sweat. Slowly the roadside review performers started to emerge, getting ready for the show. My ex-onstage girlfriend, Felicia Curry came out and immediately started stretching. She even engaged another cast member in a head stand-off. She clearly won. Maria Egler can vamp it up like nobody's business, and when she sings her first song, which I think is called Vengeance, her voice screaming out the high punk style notes was enough to make me look around the audience with shock wondering if any of them really appreciated how *(&%&^% high the notes she was belting were.
Amazing.
From the look of the costumes, to the cast, to the actual convention of how they tell the story, (complete with circus style deaths of Greek characters) it is all very smart and VERY entertaining. Steve McWilliams belted out a growling Victory song as he rocked out on guitar (he was Agamemnon), Deb was Iphigenia, dancing a gorgeous little ballet piece as guitars strummed in the background. Her ill fated character is killed by her father, Agamemnon as a sacrafice to the gods. Maria Egler plays Clytemnestra to the hilt, funny and viscious at the same time. Mike Kozemchak serves as a narrarator/ringleader of this circus like evening. His kind of a Willy Wonka meets Monty Pythonesque dryness fits this role perfectly. And Felicia Curry never dissapoints as she performs a fantastic dance as Cassandra, the doomed oracle, and as Athena at the end, singing the catchiest song I've heard in a long time. This show needs to be fully produced. It is aching to be. It needs that next level. It is ready for it.

But look, everyone in this thing is good, and doing a fantastic job, and I can't stress to you enough that if you can get there for the final show at 4PM today, you really should. It is really worth it, and you will not be dissapointed.
I am so proud of what Steve and Debra have created, and was glad to have been able to see such a fantastic show.
Don't take just my word for it, check out THE WASHINGTON POST's Review if you must.
But whatever you do, get your butt, sculpted or unsculpted out of your house and get down to see Dizzy Miss Lizzy's last show at 4PM!!!'
GET TICKETS AT THE DOOR AND GO!!!