From Foster Care to Fabulous (FringeNYC) NYC Reviews and Tickets
About the Show
Part of FringeNYC: In this original musical, Patrick Burns takes on the role of late-night talk show host, detailing his foster care journey with a myriad of side-splitting songs, a plethora of jaw-dropping anecdotes and a cast of horrific, hilarious and heartbreaking characters.
Read more Show lessShow-Score Member Reviews (6)
See it if You enjoy great impersonations, good music and singing. Love memoirs.
Don't see it if Racial impersonations bother you.
See it if You want to see a true survivors tale told with great good humor and hard won resilience.
Don't see it if You want your musicals to be musicals and dramas to be dramas and NO mixing.
See it if You like great solo shows, are interested in human interest stories, are interested in the foster care system.
Don't see it if You do not like solo shows
See it if You like a solo show with music. It is a witty auto biography
Don't see it if You are homo phobic
See it if Wonder if it comes true.
Don't see it if Not the same as real life
See it if You want action
Don't see it if If you want to be disappointed
Critic Reviews (4)
"Burns's personal stories about foster parents abusing the system are harrowing. But his presentation of this history is deliberately glib...Unfortunately, this dissonance between form and content doesn’t pay off. The talk-show clichés that Burns employs help break up the evening, but they also break up the stories themselves, which lean on antic style instead of painful substance. Not as fabulous as it means to be, the show might be stronger with less showbiz and more sincerity."
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"Burns’ witty and creative portrayal of his journey through foster care in Central California is a refreshing surprise, and—what is more—a hilarious, sincere, and very relevant exposé of a system that does not get much attention in the musical theatre world...His performance is never one-note, and neither are his methods of relaying information. Though Burns’ work does need a bit of fine-tuning...all in all, Burns is onto something good."
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"Patrick Burns is a raconteur to be reckoned with…It sounds like a hanky-wringer, but Burns isn't out for sympathy...When broaching darker material, the show never delves deep into self-pity, nor does it read as too saintly of a bootstraps narrative…The evening, briskly directed by Richard Israel, is dynamic and rich in incident and though it's a bit flabby with false-endings, Burns' charm and steady storytelling make the work near-ready for prime time."
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"Burns’ tale is a somewhat horrifying retelling of his tumultuous upbringing. Yet, what’s even more horrifying is that it’s funny. Ranging from delicate, giddy showtunes to explicit rap, this show is not meant to warm the soul; although, it does. It’s not meant for the audience to leave all smiles; although, they did. It’s hard to say exactly what Burns does that keeps this dismal topic so flowery and light. Well, maybe it’s not. The title, after all, contains the word 'fabulous.'"
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