Fringe Review: The Handy Man Can

Yes, sorry, I should have written this last night after the show. But I was tired, OK? Post-Fringe need to collapse! C’mon, you know you know exactly what I mean…

“The show” is The Handy Man Can. From the program’s blurb, I expected a crime drama; that’s exactly what Houdiniman Productions delivered… along with quite a few surprises! The play opens with two shady characters, one clearly far more afraid than the other, discussing the criminal predicament they’re in. Their discussion turns to the man who is quite likely hunting them down: the Handy Man, an infamous assassin believed to work for their boss, who may or may not be an urban legend. Saro Saroyan is immediately lovable as Rex, the simple worker who really didn’t want to be involved in crime in the first place.

Quite a change from the shows I’ve been seeing recently! The Handy Man Can is dark. D-A-R-K. The script touches on some incredibly sensitive subject matter. Thankfully, director/playwright Eric Weiss crafted a narrative that, while intense, never takes itself so overly seriously that it becomes a bother. Instead, the audience is given a suspenseful, edge-of-your seat “action play” where the words are quick, the gunshots are loud, and the ending isn’t set in stone until the lights go out. Granted, some dialogue-heavy scenes seem to drag on despite the fast-paced smartspeak, but there’s something to be said for the pushing the needle just a little too far and then grabbing the audience’s attention with an unexpected change of focus.

I’m a huge CSI fan. Bordering on ridiculously nerdy levels, actually. So when I see something crime-related, I pretty much automatically try to figure it out. And while I scored a few “good calls” during The Handy Man Can, I couldn’t pinpoint the ending until it happened. Who would have the heart of gold in the end? Who would live, if anyone? Were any “predictable” endings plausible?

Let’s just say that when the climax came, I jumped in my seat. And possibly made a noise. I could give you the plot, I suppose, since Fringe is now over… but I ain’t gonna. I don’t know if the show is touring the Fringe circuit so I don’t want to be the one that gives it all away! Instead, if you get a chance in the future, check out The Handy Man Can or other productions by this team. You won’t regret it.