Seat Filler

Clutching my crimson press VIP card and a Sharpie-circled schedule of shows, I once again tackled the New York International Fringe Festival — FringeNYC for short — the largest multi-arts festival in North America, which took over Manhattan’s downtown theater scene August 13–29 for its 14th year. My task this summer was particularly daunting since more than a quarter of the festival’s nearly 200 offerings had been deemed worthy of special LGBT interest.

Inspired by the true story of Harvard’s 1920 “secret court” formed to expel gay students, Stan Richardson’s Veritas, which won a FringeNYC Award for Best Ensemble, was the only show to sell out its entire run before the fest began. But if veritas be told, it didn’t quite live up to the buzz. Director Ryan J. Davis staged stunning moments, particularly interrogation and “bitch party” scenes, but the script needs to be stripped of jarring metatheatrics.