John Jordan, left, Marcel Nunis and Jaguar Bennett are directors of the festival that ends this weekend.

Still lots of Rogue to catch

The festival's final weekend nears; here's what's hot and what's not.

By Donald Munro and Mike Osegueda / The Fresno Bee

(Updated Thursday, March 9, 2006, 6:23 AM)

There is no rest for the Rogue.

You might think because your Rogue Festival schedule says there was nothing happening Monday and Tuesday, that the nine-day, 70-performer, 200-show festival was taking a break.

No. Not at all.

"I just bought a bunch more T-shirts, I'm delivering some stuff to sponsors, I have to distribute the few remaining programs," festival co-director John Jordan says from his car, close to crossing another thing off his to-do list. "It's nothing too big. But it's not like you get to forget the festival for two days."

The nonjuried festival started up again with a few performances on Wednesday. There are more tonight, followed by a full weekend to close out this year's Rogue.

So far so good, says Jordan. About 3,100 tickets were sold in the first weekend, 600 more than last year's first week, making it likely the Rogue will top last year's 5,000 tickets. "We're looking to beat that, and I think we're going to," Jordan says.

Want to be a part of that? Well, there are nearly 100 performances left.

That's a lot, we know. But we watched many a Rogue show last weekend, and we picked five you should see and one you should avoid altogether. Reviews are by Donald Munro (DM) and Mike Osegueda (MO) as shown.

For a complete list of Rogue happenings, go to www.roguefestival.com.

Our top Five

"Love's Fire": Something tells me that the stage of the Severance Building, former home of the Fresno Ballet, never was graced with a pair of studded black stiletto heels. Until now. For those who complain that Fresno theater is too safe — too family-friendly and unwilling to get down and dirty — your day has arrived. In "Love's Fire," a trio of one-act plays presented by the newly founded Artists Repertory Theater, you'll get a rousing smorgasbord of sexual obsession, jealousy and betrayal. That each are inspired by a Shakespearean sonnet — and penned by powerhouse playwrights — makes it an even more intense experience.

Marsha Norman's "140," directed by Adam Meredith, is the weakest of the three, with four lovers betraying each other in a series of continuing rounds of deception. It tries hard for sexual heat (hence the stilettos) but never rises above the level of academic exercise. "Terminating," by Tony Kushner (and directed by Michael Peterson), is more powerful. A disturbed patient (Jaguar Bennett in a goofy and searing portrayal) pleads with his ex-psychiatrist (played with brittle aplomb by Jennifer Hurd- Peterson) to take him on again as a client while their respective lovers whine in the background. Kushner's blusteringly intellectual script gives the whole experience a rousing, methinks-too-much appeal; it's like a philosophy class that's rated NC-17.

And capping off the evening is Eric Bogosian's chipper "Bitter Sauce," about a distraught bride-to-be (nicely played by Gabriela Nalbandian) who springs an uncomfortable surprise on her fiancé (Meredith, in fine form). Director S. Eric Day finds the glee in this sharp, dark piece. Overall, "Love's Fire" certainly generates some heat.

Additional performances: 8:30 p.m. Friday, 5:30 p.m. Saturday, Severance Building (Wishon and Floradora avenues).

Tickets: $7. (DM)

"Lies My Father Told Me": If you closed your eyes and forgot that you were sitting in a dance studio in Fresno, if you closed your eyes and just listened, you would feel like you, too, were a child in Malaysia listening to the stories of Harold Nunis.

If you closed your eyes, you, too, could image the adventure and of his stories of jungle-hunting trips gone wrong, magic trees that know lottery numbers and blood brothers who communicate through dreams.

These are the basis of "Lies My Father Told Me," a solo performance piece by local playwright Marcel Nunis, who weaves a vivid, engaging and highly detailed tale from the stories his dad told him as a kid.

If you opened your eyes, all that's there is Nunis sitting in a chair, next to a small table, assuming his role as family storyteller.

But it didn't seem that way. It seemed like so much more. Nunis transports his audience to another time and place, re-living the seemingly tall tales passed down from father to son, much like in the 2003 Tim Burton movie, "Big Fish."

While Burton had a star cast and special effects, all Nunis has is well- thought out words. And that's more than enough, considering his engaging demeanor onstage and vivid writing.

The imagery comes easy. And the storytelling is fabulous. The only question is whether you believe Harold's stories. To decide that, you must close your eyes, listen, and watch them for yourself.

"Lies My Father Told Me" plays again at 7 p.m. today and 5:30 p.m. Saturday at Dianna's Studio South, 726 N. Fulton St. Tickets cost $7. (MO)

"Conversation with a Synner": Henry VIII had six wives, who are best remembered by English schoolchildren in the following rhyme: "divorced, beheaded, died / divorced, beheaded, survived."

Cathryn Fairlee, a Healdsburg storyteller, takes great pride in portraying the luckiest of the bunch: Kateryn Parr, last queen to Henry VIII, who managed to outlive her infamous spouse. Kateryn had her own experience with multiple marriages; Henry actually was her third husband, and she even scored a fourth after the king died. Dressed in character in the show "Conversation with a Synner: Cathryn Tells All," Fairlee takes the audience on a fascinating little turn back to the English Reformation. In those turbulent times, the last queen managed to keep her head on her shoulders, quite literally, evading heresy charges.

It's a low-key yet charming performance delivered in the intimate space of the Spectrum Gallery, with the royal gossip and historical tidbits broken up by several songs delivered in Fairlee's strong, sure voice. There's even an opportunity for questions afterward. Just think: You can go to a Rogue show and actually learn something.

Additional performances: 8:45 p.m. March 10, 6:15 p.m. March 11, Spectrum Gallery (1306 N. Wishon Ave.). Tickets: $4. Info: www.sonic.net/~cfair. (DM)

"Fear of a Brown Planet": Toronto-based stand-up comic Nile Seguin was one of the most anticipated acts coming into this year's Rogue Festival — and he doesn't disappoint in a warm and witty set titled "Fear of a Brown Planet."

Half-Rwandan and half French- Canadian, the amiable Seguin is in an advantageous position to poke fun at race and hybridity. ("I'm the Tiger Woods kind of black," he cracks.) But is he black "enough"? Maybe for a theater festival, say, but how about the Apollo Theater?

Hollywood and the entertainment industry are prime offenders when it comes to racial double standards, and Seguin unleashes a crisp routine that points up the sometimes wacky ways that society tries to deal with those who are brown. Ranging from over-the-top provocative (he acts out a sitcom alluding to his Rwandan heritage titled "I Dream of Genie-cide" to caustically political (Condi Rice fans should check their Bush/Cheney buttons at the door), Seguin has a personable style and a conversational knack for treating the most hot-button topics with an easygoing grace.

Additional performances: 8:30 p.m. Friday at Dianna's Dance Studio (726 N. Fulton); 8:30 p.m. Saturday at Starline (831 E. Fern Ave.). Info: www.nileseguin.com (DM)

"It's OK to Like Porn": Aaron Bonilla offends nondiscriminately. He'll offend you sexually, religiously, politically and morally. Hey, at least he covers all the bases.

Bonilla is behind "It's OK to Like Porn," the most crass and crude show on this year's Rogue Festival. It debuted Sunday night, detailing Bonilla's time working in a porn store and starts with him walking out with a blow-up doll on his shoulders. It's safe to say this one isn't for kids — or the easily offended, for that matter.

As a 25-year-old theater student at Fresno City College, Bonilla has had many jobs, but he says the most rewarding has been working at an adult store.

Minus a few first-timer mishaps and political jokes that missed the mark, "It's OK to Like Porn" was plenty entertaining. When Bonilla was on, he channeled the explanatory charm of Zach Braff's "JD" character on "Scrubs" and the unapologetic foulness of Randal Graves from "Clerks" and was a raucous hit.

He fuses his porn-store narratives with introspection of his own sexual exploits and even brings in Shakespeare and a sock puppet. I'd try to explain, but really, you have to see all that for yourself.

"It's OK to Like Porn," plays again at 10 p.m. Friday at Spectrum Gallery (1306 N. Wishon Ave.). Tickets cost $4. (MO)

To avoid

I'm almost never offended at the theater. But I walked out on the Red Dog Liberation Company's production of "Gargoyles in Love" at the Severance Building.

This original play by Darlow Safley is tedious, but that's not the biggest problem. It's the premise: a dating service for near-centenarians. An entrepreneur decides to match up single folks close to 100 years old. And who plays these older people? A mostly young acting company made up to look old in ridiculous costumes. Joke after joke pokes fun at the ignobleness of aging, from gags about diarrhea and prune juice to astonishingly inappropriate remarks about syphilis. This is a play in which the audience is supposed to laugh at a 97-year-old woman who can't apply her lipstick properly.

Director Steve Torres can't find the right sketch-comedy tone for the proceedings. It probably could have worked as a "Saturday Night Live" skit. But in the hands of this company, it's plodding and surprisingly mean. When the 91-year-old guy walks in with a noose around his neck, it isn't funny, just in poor taste. When the old woman, listening to a story about a college in France, hears "some buns" instead of "Sorbonne," it isn't clever, just inane. When the young owner of the dating service sighs in disgust as he says "senior citizens," it's truly offensive. This is one show to avoid.

Additional performances: 2:30 and 7 p.m. March 11, Severance Building (corner of Wishon and Floradora avenues). Tickets: $7. (DM)

The reporters can be reached at mosegueda@fresnobee.com, dmunro@fresnobee.com or (559) 441-6479.

City Procamation
		From THE FRESNO BEE, Mar. 9, 2006
	John Jordan, left, Marcel Nunis and Jaguar Bennett are directors of the festival that ends this weekend. Still lots of Rogue to catch The festival's final weekend nears; here's what's hot and what's not. By Donald Munro and Mike Osegueda / The Fresno Bee (Updated Thursday, March 9, 2006, 6:23 AM) There is no rest for the Rogue. You might think because your Rogue Festival schedule says there was nothing happening Monday and Tuesday, that the nine-day, 70-performer, 200-show festival was taking a break. No. Not at all. "I just bought a bunch more T-shirts, I'm delivering some stuff to sponsors, I have to distribute the few remaining programs," festival co-director John Jordan says from his car, close to crossing another thing off his to-do list. "It's nothing too big. But it's not like you get to forget the festival for two days." The nonjuried festival started up again with a few performances on Wednesday. There are more tonight, followed by a full weekend to close out this year's Rogue. So far so good, says Jordan. About 3,100 tickets were sold in the first weekend, 600 more than last year's first week, making it likely the Rogue will top last year's 5,000 tickets. "We're looking to beat that, and I think we're going to," Jordan says. Want to be a part of that? Well, there are nearly 100 performances left. That's a lot, we know. But we watched many a Rogue show last weekend, and we picked five you should see and one you should avoid altogether. Reviews are by Donald Munro (DM) and Mike Osegueda (MO) as shown. For a complete list of Rogue happenings, go to www.roguefestival.com. Our top Five "Love's Fire": Something tells me that the stage of the Severance Building, former home of the Fresno Ballet, never was graced with a pair of studded black stiletto heels. Until now. For those who complain that Fresno theater is too safe — too family-friendly and unwilling to get down and dirty — your day has arrived. In "Love's Fire," a trio of one-act plays presented by the newly founded Artists Repertory Theater, you'll get a rousing smorgasbord of sexual obsession, jealousy and betrayal. That each are inspired by a Shakespearean sonnet — and penned by powerhouse playwrights — makes it an even more intense experience. Marsha Norman's "140," directed by Adam Meredith, is the weakest of the three, with four lovers betraying each other in a series of continuing rounds of deception. It tries hard for sexual heat (hence the stilettos) but never rises above the level of academic exercise. "Terminating," by Tony Kushner (and directed by Michael Peterson), is more powerful. A disturbed patient (Jaguar Bennett in a goofy and searing portrayal) pleads with his ex-psychiatrist (played with brittle aplomb by Jennifer Hurd- Peterson) to take him on again as a client while their respective lovers whine in the background. Kushner's blusteringly intellectual script gives the whole experience a rousing, methinks-too-much appeal; it's like a philosophy class that's rated NC-17. And capping off the evening is Eric Bogosian's chipper "Bitter Sauce," about a distraught bride-to-be (nicely played by Gabriela Nalbandian) who springs an uncomfortable surprise on her fiancé (Meredith, in fine form). Director S. Eric Day finds the glee in this sharp, dark piece. Overall, "Love's Fire" certainly generates some heat. Additional performances: 8:30 p.m. Friday, 5:30 p.m. Saturday, Severance Building (Wishon and Floradora avenues). Tickets: $7. (DM) "Lies My Father Told Me": If you closed your eyes and forgot that you were sitting in a dance studio in Fresno, if you closed your eyes and just listened, you would feel like you, too, were a child in Malaysia listening to the stories of Harold Nunis. If you closed your eyes, you, too, could image the adventure and of his stories of jungle-hunting trips gone wrong, magic trees that know lottery numbers and blood brothers who communicate through dreams. These are the basis of "Lies My Father Told Me," a solo performance piece by local playwright Marcel Nunis, who weaves a vivid, engaging and highly detailed tale from the stories his dad told him as a kid. If you opened your eyes, all that's there is Nunis sitting in a chair, next to a small table, assuming his role as family storyteller. But it didn't seem that way. It seemed like so much more. Nunis transports his audience to another time and place, re-living the seemingly tall tales passed down from father to son, much like in the 2003 Tim Burton movie, "Big Fish." While Burton had a star cast and special effects, all Nunis has is well- thought out words. And that's more than enough, considering his engaging demeanor onstage and vivid writing. The imagery comes easy. And the storytelling is fabulous. The only question is whether you believe Harold's stories. To decide that, you must close your eyes, listen, and watch them for yourself. "Lies My Father Told Me" plays again at 7 p.m. today and 5:30 p.m. Saturday at Dianna's Studio South, 726 N. Fulton St. Tickets cost $7. (MO) "Conversation with a Synner": Henry VIII had six wives, who are best remembered by English schoolchildren in the following rhyme: "divorced, beheaded, died / divorced, beheaded, survived." Cathryn Fairlee, a Healdsburg storyteller, takes great pride in portraying the luckiest of the bunch: Kateryn Parr, last queen to Henry VIII, who managed to outlive her infamous spouse. Kateryn had her own experience with multiple marriages; Henry actually was her third husband, and she even scored a fourth after the king died. Dressed in character in the show "Conversation with a Synner: Cathryn Tells All," Fairlee takes the audience on a fascinating little turn back to the English Reformation. In those turbulent times, the last queen managed to keep her head on her shoulders, quite literally, evading heresy charges. It's a low-key yet charming performance delivered in the intimate space of the Spectrum Gallery, with the royal gossip and historical tidbits broken up by several songs delivered in Fairlee's strong, sure voice. There's even an opportunity for questions afterward. Just think: You can go to a Rogue show and actually learn something. Additional performances: 8:45 p.m. March 10, 6:15 p.m. March 11, Spectrum Gallery (1306 N. Wishon Ave.). Tickets: $4. Info: www.sonic.net/~cfair. (DM) "Fear of a Brown Planet": Toronto-based stand-up comic Nile Seguin was one of the most anticipated acts coming into this year's Rogue Festival — and he doesn't disappoint in a warm and witty set titled "Fear of a Brown Planet." Half-Rwandan and half French- Canadian, the amiable Seguin is in an advantageous position to poke fun at race and hybridity. ("I'm the Tiger Woods kind of black," he cracks.) But is he black "enough"? Maybe for a theater festival, say, but how about the Apollo Theater? Hollywood and the entertainment industry are prime offenders when it comes to racial double standards, and Seguin unleashes a crisp routine that points up the sometimes wacky ways that society tries to deal with those who are brown. Ranging from over-the-top provocative (he acts out a sitcom alluding to his Rwandan heritage titled "I Dream of Genie-cide" to caustically political (Condi Rice fans should check their Bush/Cheney buttons at the door), Seguin has a personable style and a conversational knack for treating the most hot-button topics with an easygoing grace. Additional performances: 8:30 p.m. Friday at Dianna's Dance Studio (726 N. Fulton); 8:30 p.m. Saturday at Starline (831 E. Fern Ave.). Info: www.nileseguin.com (DM) "It's OK to Like Porn": Aaron Bonilla offends nondiscriminately. He'll offend you sexually, religiously, politically and morally. Hey, at least he covers all the bases. Bonilla is behind "It's OK to Like Porn," the most crass and crude show on this year's Rogue Festival. It debuted Sunday night, detailing Bonilla's time working in a porn store and starts with him walking out with a blow-up doll on his shoulders. It's safe to say this one isn't for kids — or the easily offended, for that matter. As a 25-year-old theater student at Fresno City College, Bonilla has had many jobs, but he says the most rewarding has been working at an adult store. Minus a few first-timer mishaps and political jokes that missed the mark, "It's OK to Like Porn" was plenty entertaining. When Bonilla was on, he channeled the explanatory charm of Zach Braff's "JD" character on "Scrubs" and the unapologetic foulness of Randal Graves from "Clerks" and was a raucous hit. He fuses his porn-store narratives with introspection of his own sexual exploits and even brings in Shakespeare and a sock puppet. I'd try to explain, but really, you have to see all that for yourself. "It's OK to Like Porn," plays again at 10 p.m. Friday at Spectrum Gallery (1306 N. Wishon Ave.). Tickets cost $4. (MO) To avoid I'm almost never offended at the theater. But I walked out on the Red Dog Liberation Company's production of "Gargoyles in Love" at the Severance Building. This original play by Darlow Safley is tedious, but that's not the biggest problem. It's the premise: a dating service for near-centenarians. An entrepreneur decides to match up single folks close to 100 years old. And who plays these older people? A mostly young acting company made up to look old in ridiculous costumes. Joke after joke pokes fun at the ignobleness of aging, from gags about diarrhea and prune juice to astonishingly inappropriate remarks about syphilis. This is a play in which the audience is supposed to laugh at a 97-year-old woman who can't apply her lipstick properly. Director Steve Torres can't find the right sketch-comedy tone for the proceedings. It probably could have worked as a "Saturday Night Live" skit. But in the hands of this company, it's plodding and surprisingly mean. When the 91-year-old guy walks in with a noose around his neck, it isn't funny, just in poor taste. When the old woman, listening to a story about a college in France, hears "some buns" instead of "Sorbonne," it isn't clever, just inane. When the young owner of the dating service sighs in disgust as he says "senior citizens," it's truly offensive. This is one show to avoid. Additional performances: 2:30 and 7 p.m. March 11, Severance Building (corner of Wishon and Floradora avenues). Tickets: $7. (DM) The reporters can be reached at mosegueda@fresnobee.com, dmunro@fresnobee.com or (559) 441-6479.