Fringe Festival reviews: Rocker seeks redemption

Are we cursed by our past — the deeds we both relish and regret? Mark Rosenwinkel's drama puts a heroin-chic rock star together with a sweet young woman who is way too good for him. Each one, though, would like to escape the traps they have made. Is there redemption? Yes, Rosenwinkel tells us. It is found in the embrace of another human, not in statements of belief. Bruce Abas has an Alice Cooper look going, and it takes a leap of faith for us to see what Natasha Roy (who could not be any more beautiful and innocent) sees in him. By Fringe standards, this show is of the first rank. (4 p.m. Fri., 10 p.m. Sat.; HUGE Theater, 3037 Lyndale Av. S.)

Graydon Royce

Playwright Josh Carson tells the untold story of what happens to the actors after President Lincoln's assassination at Ford Theatre. The show is filled with quippy one-liners, nonstop intellectual and physical comedy, and an interesting plot line that will have some audience members wanting to see it twice. The fast-paced production is packed with jokes. Josh Carson, Andy Kraft, Shanan Custer and company are energetic throughout the entire hour. Don't miss this show. (5:30 p.m. Tue., 7 p.m. Thu., 4 p.m. Sat.; Theatre in the Round, 245 Cedar Av. S.)

Karen Zamora

This collection of comedic sketches is all over the map. Jim Cunningham, Eriq Nelson, Dawn Brodey, Amy Shomshak and Joshua Will issue smart send-ups of religion, relationships and other topics. One of the memorable sketches involves a slacker (Will) who learns by "spontaneous osmosis." When he is hit on the head with a book, the contents transfer to his brain. It's all pleasantly amusing. (10 p.m. Fri., 5:30 p..m Sat.; Intermedia Arts, 2822 Lyndale Av. S.)

Rohan Preston

This genuinely haunting company-created piece inventively re-imagines the case of a mysterious beast called La Bête that supposedly terrorized Gevaudan province in southern France in the 18th century. Four actors play various characters who sharply personify the gulf between the peasantry and the monarchy. Megan Campbell Lagas conveys 20-year-old Marie-Jeanne's unique sense of intuition, which outwits the Kings' men. Vocal effects, artful lighting, red fabric, and a flowing use of tree branches as extensions of actors' bodies bring to life the primal power of nature itself. (5:30 p.m. Tue., 8:30 p.m. Sat., 5:30 p.m. Sun.; Southern Theater, 1420 Washington Av. S.)

John Townsend

Siobhan O'Loughlin has a thing about body hair — or rather she has a thing about how people react to her body hair. O'Loughlin lived in a commune where women didn't shave, and when she moved to New York, she found a world that judged her quite differently. Her show draws from interviews with women who have hairy points of view and also from her own experiences. It's provocative, entertaining, very well made and maybe a little obsessive. But that's all right. Her head and her heart are in the right place. (7 p.m. Thu., 2:30 p.m. Sun.; HUGE Theater, 3037 Lyndale Av. S.)

Graydon Royce

A show about transportation options may not sound funny, but this one is. Created by Hollie Edlund, Rachel Johnson and Sophia Ogren-Dehn, "On the Move" summons up laughs in response to dance-based skits tackling everything from the family road trip to airport hustle-and-bustle (with a cameo by one of those ubiquitous Nice Ride bikes). The best moment delves into the secret lives of traffic cones — who knew they were so sneaky? Not everything works. This show is best when it's performed for laughs, since the more serious interludes tend to fall flat. (8:30 p.m. Tue., 10 p.m. Thu., 2:30 p.m. Aug. 10; Intermedia Arts, 2822 Lyndale Av. S.)

Caroline Palmer