The Abridged History of Modern Day India

The Complex
Through June 22

Courtesy: Stray Factory

This freewheeling 45-minute journey through over 400 years of Indian history feels a bit like a college improv show. There’s a manic energy to the performers, Mohit Gautam and Naren Weiss (who also wrote the show), as they alternate between winking cheekiness and an earnest desire to educate and break stereotypes. In recounting India’s history since the advent of British rule, they employ a literal timeline of placards, each turned over in sequence to reveal the date of a major event in the country’s history. The two also employ a host of creative props and costume elements, which are scattered seemingly haphazardly about the stage. It’s not tidy, and things seem chaotic, but somehow everything winds up where it needs to be . . . just as in India.

Charming as performers, Gautam and Weiss frequently break the fourth wall, co-opting audience volunteers to aid in sketches, and providing cookies and beer to those who answer correctly during a recap quiz late in the show. The characters they create, however, are not fully developed enough for the comedy to consistently land, and transitions between bits could use polishing. Still, it’s an amusing way to gain a little knowledge of India’s rich and often underpublicized history.—Mayank Keshaviah

Stray Factory at The Complex, 6476 Santa Monica Blvd., www.hollywoodfringe.org/projects/1650

Toddler Bangs America

Schkapf
Through June 27

Courtesy Ed Goodman

If a corporation were actually a person (much as that may not be a stretch these days), it might resemble the title character of Ed Goodman’s outlandish satire of corporate influence in America. Playing Toddler Bangs, Goodman struts around in his suit and combat boots, sporting a red, white, and blue tie while wreaking havoc with a spray can of whipped cream. He freely and sexually dispenses his “Bangoo” into the mouths of anyone who might oppose or question him. That includes our “everywoman” Amy Erika (Cj Merriman), environmental activist Buddy Green (Robbie Winston), The Judge (Brendan Broms) in the case against Toddler’s oil company, and Jinx Bladow (David Mayes), the slick lawyer hired to prosecute the oil company.

While the premise of the show, which was developed through Sacred Fools’ competition Serial Killers, is timely and on point, the execution of it remains rough and seemingly unfinished. The allegories are a bit too obvious, and even if Brechtian alienation is the intent, the overall narrative and connective tissue between scenes need strengthening. The cast, especially Goodman and Merriman, energetically attacks the material, and director Jeremy Aldridge’s use of audience volunteers to play secondary roles is thematically clever. However, with a stronger storyline, Toddler might actually bang.—Mayank Keshaviah

Schkapf, 6567-6585 Santa Monica Blvd., www.hollywoodfringe.org/projects/1762

These reviews are offered via a partnership between L.A. Weekly and Stage Raw. To maximize coverage of the Hollywood Fringe Festival, the two publications are sharing reviews and funding responsibilities. Stage Raw is an Emerge Project of the Pasadena Arts Council, with other funding coming from a combination of advertising and individual donors.  For the L.A. Weekly, please visit www.laweekly.com