KC Fringe "Hexing Hitler" review by aStrassle

A Curse on the Fuhrer!

Rating: 3

Hexing Hitler

KC Fringe Festival

Perhaps one of the darkest times in history was World War II, when Adolf Hitler became determined to destroy the modern social fabric and create a new world order. It was a terrible time and people dreamed of a day when the fighting would stop. They would do anything to have Adolf Hitler stop his tyrannical stampede across Europe.

The story goes that one night in 1941, a group of about five people gathered at a cabin in the woods to put a hex on Hitler. I found this quite fascinating since it's not something that's taught in an everyday history class, at least, not in any of mine. Apparently, the whole account was well documented with photos by LIFE Magazine photographer Tom McAvoy. Type in "Hexing Hitler" into Google and some interesting things come up. I'd say good job to the author on the detail put into the script when it came to what occurred that dark night in 1941.

The most captivating performers during the show had to be Melody Butler as Ruth Birdseye and Doogin Brown as Richard Tupper. These two play well off each other as they fight for attention and control over the proceedings. It almost looks like two small children trying to get the most attention from an adult. It's quite comical.

Parry Luellen portrayed the LIFE Magazine photographer Tom McAvoy. I liked his character, but I didn't like what he was wearing. His red checkered outfit screamed lumberjack rather than professional photographer. Without the camera - which I love that it actually fit the time period - I would never had known or believed he was a photographer.

To me, the most confusing aspect of this play was the relationship between Kipp Simmons as William Seabrook and Sarah Mae Lamar as his spouse Constance Kuhr. It all seemed way too rehearsed and bland to me.

This show had its rough patches, but it is a good show to see. It's an interesting take on a dark time in world history.

"Hexing Hitler" continues throughout the week. You can learn more about the show at www.kcfringe.com