Cyrano A-Go-Go in DallasNews.com

Strong start for ‘Out of the Loop’ with comedy, wonder

Nancy Churnin | DallasNews.com | March 10, 2015

ADDISON — The icy weather pushed WaterTower Theatre’s 14th annual Out of the Loop Fringe Festival back one day, but it roared back strongly Friday night. There was a smorgasbord of hourlong shows in three indoor spaces and conversation bubbling in the lobby between the 7:30 and 9 p.m. performances at Addison Conference and Theatre Centre.

Out of the Loop is a creative playground that gives artists a chance to try something new and audiences a chance to experience the unexpected, with the sensation of being blindfolded as you dip your hand into a goody bag. You don’t know if what you’re going to get will delight or perplex or, indeed, if what delights you will perplex your neighbor.

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Theater artists dream about plays that can change the world. What a shock when it happens. In his Cyrano A-Go-Go monologue, Dallas’ Brad McEntire tells the story of Cyrano de Bergerac, the play that led to a two-hour standing ovation in 1897, followed by people in France weeping, forgiving each other and canceling duels.

In an earlier version with the same title, McEntire stuck to the history. Here he masterfully weaves it with his own story of how encountering the play at 15 in the public library proved a life-changing experience. With just one more story to bring us full circle to why he felt compelled to create this piece, it could soar.

Original review... HERE

Note: Usually, I just post these reviews and leave them without comment. Sometimes I'll correct for accuracy. In this case, I appreciate the reviewer coming out to see the show, but don't understand her final comment. The whole premise of Cyrano A-Go-Go is an explanation of how the play Cyrano de Bergerac affected me. The piece itself is a telling of why I am doing the piece.