The streets of Mt. Vernon Square/Chinatown

Remaining Performances:

Saturday, July 20, 5:00 p.m.
Saturday, July 20, 7:00 p.m.
Sunday, July 21, 5:00 p.m.
Sunday, July 21, 7:00 p.m.
Saturday, July 27, noon
Sunday, July 28, noon

They say: The “Fringiest Show at the Fringe” (City Paper, 2012). Tickets to our street performance events are free. Crosswalk Weddings 7/13-7/14; Life Size Rock Paper Scissors: We Play, You Play 7/20-7/21 around Mt. Vernon Square; and (!!!!) 7/28-7/29.”

Lindsey’s Take:Tickets to an Event is a uniquely Fringe experience, in a way that combines participatory theater and a man in a wedding dress playing the bagpipes. The result is delighted reactions from curious onlookers, and last Saturday, several surprise weddings in the middle of the street.

The premise was quirky, but turned out truly charming. A proposal in the Baldacchino Gypsy Tent draws surprise attendees to a “Crosswalk Wedding” – with bridesmaids, friends, and a drunk uncle cast on the spot. The highly participatory show begins their trek to 7th and H, in the middle of Chinatown. The processional was delightful: Every passerby was invited to the wedding, where some joined the group and all wished them well, with horns honking in congratulations the whole way there.

The amusement and surprise on people’s faces was evident, with only a few examples of pure confusion. The crowd drew more people in at every corner, including complete strangers willing to get married (or at least renew their vows) on the spot.

This weekend’s “Life Size Rock Paper Scissors” offers entirely new possibilities. And each performance is free!

If you find yourself amidst an event, join in. Each will be a little different, and probably a little odd or silly, but worth a chance.

See it if: You believe real-world surprises can come in many forms.

Skip it if: Participatory, outdoor theater sounds confusing, at best.