JANUARY 8, 2011 FRONT PAGE POLITICS BUSINESS MEDIA ENTERTAINMENT COMEDY SPORTS STYLE WORLD GREEN FOOD TRAVEL TECH LIVING HEALTH DIVORCE ARTS BOOKS RELIGION IMPACT EDUCATION COLLEGE NY LA CHICAGO DENVER BLOGS Michael Giltz Freelance writer and raconteur Posted: September 11, 2010 01:30 AM BIO Become a Fan Get Email Alerts Bloggers' Index 10 6 views 0 0Inspiring Funny Hot Scary Outrageous Amazing Weird CrazyTheater: Top 5 Picks for NYC Fringe Fest Encores What's Your Reaction: Read More: Comedy , Fringe Fest NYC , Gay , Hurricane Katrina , New York International Fringe Festival , Off- Broadway , Plays , Reviews , Theater , Time Out New York , Entertainment News The best and worst part of fringe festivals, like Edinburgh and New York City's International Fringe Festival, is the sheer volume of shows.</p><p> You can't possibly see them all and when you do pick andchoose, you're certain to miss out on some gems.</p><p> So FringeNYC Encore Series is especially welcome.</p><p> You get a second chance to see 21 of the best shows out of the 200 that were performed.</p><p> Here are my five toppicks for shows worth seeing (or seeing again) from now through September 26.</p><p> FringeNYC is the only Fringe Festival I've attended so I can't compare it to any others, unlike Jason Zinoman of the New York Times .</p><p> All I know is that I was very lucky with the (far) too few shows I saw.</p><p> Each one was worth my time and two of them were exceptional.</p><p> So here are five shows to jump at, along with linksto all my reviews.</p><p> FRINGENYC ENCORE TOP PICKS 1.</p><p> The Twentieth Century Way -- Playwright Tom Jacobson is new to me and perhaps new to you, but his success is sure to rise with the terrific new play The Twentieth Century Way , one of the most polished and assured productions I have ever seen at the Fringe Fest and certainly destined to have a further life Off Broadway, at the very least.</p><p> This is top-notch work delivered with assurance and not to be missed.</p><p> Click here for my full original review on AOL's gay blog Queersighted.</p><p> MOST POPULAR ON HUFFPOSTBIG NEWS: The Kardashians | Bristol Palin | Celebrity Skin | Jersey Shore | Smarter Ideas | More...</p><p> LOG IN | SIGN UP SHARE THIS STORY Get Entertainment Alerts Email Comments Elizabeth Edwards' Will Revealed Camille Grammer's Porn Past Comes Back To Haunt Her GOP Congresswoman Caught In Sexually Suggestive Photos Intestinal Parasites May Be Causing Your Energy Slump Should The Leader Of The Free World Dress Like THIS? What Not To Say When Your Loved One Is Upset Thousands Of Birds Found Dead In Italy John Edwards Spokesman Denies Rumored Proposal To Rielle Hunter Betty White: 'I'm Going Recommend 553 Like 753 Like 462 Like 652 Like 536 Like 356 Recommend 33K Like 4K 2.</p><p> The Hurricane Katrina Comedy Festival -- I'll be shocked if The Hurricane Katrina Comedy Festival doesn't run off-Broadway or at least tour around the country after its successful run in the New York International Fringe Festival.</p><p> It's a polished, ready-for-prime-time look at Katrina through the stories of survivors portrayed by five talented actors.</p><p> Like Spike Lee's documentaries on the subject, youmay think you've heard everything you want about this unnatural disaster (it was the dikes and vanishingwetlands, not Mother Nature, that destroyed the Gulf Coast).</p><p> But the moment their stories begin, you'reutterly engrossed.</p><p> Click here for my full original review on AOL's gay blog Queersighted.</p><p> Here are three shows I'd like to see. 3.</p><p> Pope! An Epic Musical -- The name made me a little wary: spoof musicals are rarely as full of easy laughs as the creators expect.</p><p> But this garnered good reviews and the musical numbers online from an earlier workshop are appealing. 1 of 5 Dylan Ratigan Free Market Fraud Sen.</p><p> Jon Tester Tester Pushes to Reform Senate Rules With Greater Transparency, EfficiencyDON'T MISS HUFFPOST BLOGGERS HOT TRENDS TOP VIDEO PICKS 1 of 8 camille grammer lady gaga miley cyrus lap dance video natalie portman pregnant raven symone weight loss More Celebrity News at People.com More Celebrity News at Popeater.com Away For A While' Like 537 Ginnifer Goodwin Reacts to Uproar over Her Weight Watchers History READ MORE History Channel Won't Show Katie Holmes Miniseries The Kennedys READ MORE Lindsay Lohan's Post- Rehab Gift: a $25,000 Necklace READ MORE Salma Hayek's Red Bikini Stands Out in St.</p><p> Barts Lea Michele's Diva Behavior Strikes Again Petra Nemcova Engaged to British Actor Comments 0 Pending Comments 0View FAQ Camille Grammer's Porn Past Comes Back To...</p><p> Olivia Wilde Dons See-Through Bikini (PHOTOS) Natalie Portman: I Was 'Barely Eating' During...</p><p> Natalie Portman Reveals Engagement Ring (PHOTOS)4.</p><p> The Secretaries -- How did I miss the fact that this is a Five Lesbian Brothers revival by TOSOS? That alone would have made it a good bet in my book, not to mention a description that urges, "Join this cult of murderous Slim-Fast drinking, high-heel wearing, big-haired secretaries who work the desks ofthe Cooney Lumber Mill in Big Bone, Oregon.</p><p> It's just like your office, only with chainsaws." 5.</p><p> Hearts Full Of Blood -- One of the smartest ways to narrow down your choices during Fringe is to look for shows that have played elsewhere to good reviews.</p><p> This tense drama comes from Chicago (great theater town, of course) and strong reviews from the Chicago Tribune and Time Out Chicago .</p><p> Here in New York it scored raves from the top critics, including four stars from Time Out New York and Chris Kompanek right here on HuffPo.</p><p> I also reviewed two shows that aren't in the Encore run: a one-man spin on A Separate Peace and Rites of Privacy, a solo showcase for actor David Rhodes.</p><p> Click on the links to read my full reviews. ***** Thanks for reading.</p><p> Michael Giltz is the cohost of Showbiz Sandbox, a weekly pop culture podcast that reveals the industry take on entertainment news of the day and features top journalists and opinion makers as guests.</p><p> It's available free on iTunes.</p><p> Visit Michael Giltz at his website and his daily blog.</p><p> Download his podcast of celebrity interviews and his radio show, also called Popsurfing and alsoavailable for free on iTunes.</p><p> Follow Michael Giltz on Twitter: www.twitter.com/michaelgiltz More in Entertainment...</p><p> Kourtney K.'s Stunning Bikini Bod Jane Krakowski RevealsBaby Bump Bristol Palin's New RadioGig? MOST DISCUSSED RIGHT NOW HOT ON FACEBOOK HOT ON TWITTER Natalie Portman Television Brazil Sudan Christianity Careers War Wire CES 2011 ModelsHUFFPOST'S BIG NEWS PAGES MORE BIG NEWS PAGES »One And Done: 'Sarah Palin's Alaska' NOT Renewed: Report 42 Comments Natalie Portman: I Was 'Barely Eating' During 'Black Swan' 435 Comments Camille Grammer's Porn Past Comes Back To Haunt Her 969 Comments PHOTOS: Olivia Wilde Dons See-Through Bikini 101 Comments Amanda Seyfried, Ryan Phillippe Dating: Romance Heats Up 4 Comments Ashton Kutcher: Training, Paranoid About Real Life 'End Of Days' 904 CommentsFOLLOW HUFFINGTON POST FRONT PAGE POLITICS BUSINESS MEDIA ENTERTAINMENT COMEDY SPORTS STYLE WORLD GREEN FOOD TRAVEL TECH LIVING HEALTH DIVORCE ARTS BOOKS RELIGION IMPACT EDUCATION COLLEGE NY LA CHICAGO DENVER BLOGS Advertise | Log In | Make HuffPost your Home Page | RSS | Careers | FAQ | Contact Us User Agreement | Privacy | Comment Policy | About Us | Powered by Movable Type Copyright © 2011 TheHuffingtonPost.com, Inc. | "The Huffington Post" is a registered trademark of TheHuffingtonPost.com, Inc.</p><p> All rights reserved.</p><p> Recency | PopularityComments are closed for this entry View All
