Mike Blaha (Photo courtesy of Fringe Management)
Reviewed by Martίn Hernández
The Broadwater Studio
Through June 28.
RECOMMENDED
Whatever else you do at the Hollywood Fringe, see writer-performer Mike Blaha’s funny one-man show about his search for the world’s best jokes. More in league with standup comedy, Blaha is an affable entertainer with a gift for storytelling and comic timing. While his use of a microphone (with an odd reverb) in such a tiny venue led to some garbled words, Blaha delivers a witty travelogue that also serves as a warning for wary travelers. He shares a few of the best jokes from other countries, but most of his own are rather good as well.
Blaha’s last name is of Czech origin, but because he was adopted, he feels that he cannot really embrace that culture. However, with his vocation as an entertainment attorney with an entirely portable (laptop) office, he does have friends worldwide from his side job as a performer and producer of fringe shows around the globe.
Following a breakup with his girlfriend, Blaha felt he needed solace from his heartache. Since his “real” job enables him to work remotely, he figures that it is cheaper for him stay outside the U.S. rather than pay rent in L.A. Also, his Thanksgiving/Christmas holiday tradition is to spend time with friends in London and Paris.
From Montenegro to Trieste, Casablanca to Cuzco, Bali to New Zealand, Blaha fills us in on the perks and perils of solo globetrotting. In Paris, he learns the difference between a mugging and a pickpocketing – guess which one happened to him? On a trip to Peru, he learns the hard way that the trek from Lima to Cuzco to Machu Pichu is not the hop, skip and jump he thought. And Blaha puts his life in the hands of a taxi driver in Sarajevo (or was it in Zagreb? I was too busy laughing to write notes) who takes him on a death-defying ride, in more ways than one.
The Broadwater (Studio), 1078 Lillian Way, Los Angeles, CA 90038: June 28, 11:55 p.m. Hollywood Fringe show: https://www.hollywoodfringe.org/projects/12037?tab=tickets Running time one hour
