Titillated
Donna Kay Yarbough has brought a new title to Fresno audiences, Titillated, a journey of comedic erotica through the mediums of storytelling, music, and verbal edits/commentary on a novel-in-progress. Supported by Heather Parish as Jane Austen (yes, that Jane Austen) and Allyson Wonderland as our musical entertainment, Titillated is one of the best fringe festival shows I have ever seen.
Yarbough is our host, bringing the audience into the fantastical world of erotica, replete with facial reactions that complement her storytelling cadence and delectable writing. The penultimate story, Me and Mr. Jones, is a rollercoaster of chemistry, emotions, and hilarity, and Yarbough’s delivery of the twists, turns, and tension is precise and pristine. Parish’s turn as Austen, giving edits to a novel in which many of the inaccuracies of the time,--whether it be the garments worn or the actual depiction of the sexual exploits between the story’s characters, Penelope and Michael--are uniformly hysterical and deliciously sassy. Rounding out the entertainment is Allyson Wonderland, whose acoustic renditions of the intimacies of the songs’ characters are wonderful. If nothing else has convinced you, where else will you see a show where Jane Austen tambourine-claps with a period-appropriate fan to an acoustic rendition of Ginuwine’s “Pony”? I implore you to catch Titillated if the opportunity arises because this premiere performance is a delectable treat for fringe audiences.
You can catch the final showing of Titillated today at 5:30pm.
Twatties
The premiere live podcast of Twatties, a local comedy group, had a great turnout of jokes, riffs, and camaraderie as we got to know the comedians through their sets and brief Q+A afterwards. Highlights included Dollar Tree “thrifting,” the scent of a certain brand of pasta when it’s expelled from the body of the consumer, what’s off and on-limits for first-date conversation, and the fate of a religiously-raised daughter who has no problem slapping someone when called for.
What makes their comedy style a fun time at the theater is how each comedian plays well off the audience. The snippet-length of sets allow the jokes to be delivered at a clipped pace while picking up plenty of bread crumbs along the way. Twatties was a one-night stand for this year’s Mini-Rogue, so I encourage you to keep tabs on them so you can follow them via podcast and live shows at LAByrinth Art Collective, their host venue.