Thursday, July 1, 2010

Valentino review: "Amazing writing!"

The sixth review of Valentino: a play in verse at the Hollywood Fringe Festival is the most positive one yet. HFF Panelist Craig Shaynak saw the show closing night. He says, "what amazing writing. Kudos to David Wisehart for his clever and complex script," and adds, "there were some very funny and clever turns of phrase."

Read the full review.

Valentino review: "a unique theatrical voice"

The fifth review of Valentino: a play in verse at the Hollywood Fringe Festival is by HFF Panelist Chris Salazar, who attended the opening night performance. He says the play "succeeds on many levels. It offers a unique theatrical voice and a platform for strong ensemble acting. Also it tells an intriguing story."

Read the full review.

Valentino review: "beautiful piece"

The fourth review of Valentino: a play in verse at the Hollywood Fringe Festival is short and to the point. HFF Panelist Cindy Marie Jenkins calls the play a "beautiful piece" and gives praise to performers Sam Fleischer (Machiavelli) and Lachlan McKinney (Ramiro), but the best quote is: "In the title role of Valentino, Renato Biribin, Jr. wipes the floor with his victims, both physically and mentally."

Love it!

Read the full review.

Valentino review: "full of beautiful poetry"

The third review of Valentino: a play in verse at the Hollywood Fringe Festival comes from HFF Panelist Gregory Crafts. He writes, "Wisehart's script is full of beautiful poetry overflowing with striking imagery and clever witticisms." The verse, he says, is written "with skill and proficiency" and the story is "brimming with passion, action, adventure, and suspense." He also praises the performances of Renato Biribin, Jr. (Valentino) and Summer Dare Litwin (Lucrezia Borgia).

Read the full review.

Valentino review: "So many clever lines!"

The second review of Valentino: a play in verse at the Hollywood Fringe Festival comes from HFF Panelist Jacqetta Szathmari, who admits right off that she's a "sucker for verse." After noting that the script is full of clever lines, she raves, "The story had it all — love, hate, vengeance, scheming, bloody murder, a decent body count, fratricide, a crooked philandering Pope, seduction, sword fights." She goes on to call Valentino "a driven man who is not afraid to get medieval," and adds, "If you are looking for big drama — here it is."

Read the full review.

Valentino review: "Absolutely riveting!"

The first posted review for Valentino: a play in verse at the Hollywood Fringe Festival comes from HFF Panelist Pam Noles, who calls the show "absolutely riveting." The story, she says, is "excellent, filled with political and personal intrigue, high drama and some serious bad-ass wordsmithing."

Nice!

She goes on to say that the verse "flows with the ease of conversation," and praises the performances of Renato Biribin, Jr. (Valentino), Summer Dare Litwin (Lucrezia Borgia), and Neil Fleischer (Pope Alexander VI).

Read the full review.

Monday, June 21, 2010

"Valentino: a play in verse" — audience reaction

Valentino: a play in verse opened this past weekend at The Hollywood Fringe Festival in a world premiere production at The Complex in Hollywood.

Audience response was enthusiastic. Here's a video interview with the audience, cast, crew, and a couple of play-crashers:



For more information: Valentino: a play in verse