The Rage Fairy is a cute little unpolished gem of indie theatre playing right now in North Hollywood. In the humble Sherry Theatre, we are treated to the tale of a Rage Fairy (Holly Anne Mitchell) who falls in love with an equally unbalanced Murderer (Isaac Tipton Snyder). The result is a quintessential slice of scrappy production that leans heavily into its strengths while reaching for a bit too much.

Written and Directed by Antonia Czinger, The Rage Fairy opens with Mom (Cassandra Stipes), Pop (Max Zumstein) as they begin their day of business. They run an ambiguously referenced shop filled with pastries and candy. At the register is their creation, The Rage Fairy. Embodying the mercurial emotional nature of a teen, our titular fairy is either wildly productive or painfully slow based on her mood swings. While Mom and Pop have done fine exploiting her energy levels, we see that the Fairy longs for more. Love to be exact.

The Fairy meets the Murderer and decides that she can overlook his blood-smeared shirt and abusive behavior because she can actually fix him. As her mood swings become more violent and erratic, the Fairy is haunted by the ghosts of her boyfriend’s victims portrayed by Madison Hubler, Lauren Adlhoch, and Ayanda Dube.  A Fortune Teller (Megan Colburn) and her True Friend (Morgan Lorraine) advise her against it, but the Rage Fairy continues to spiral into love’s grip with a madman. Who will win out, the Murderer or the magic maker?

Czinger directs a cast with a light, comedic touch. There is never anything too serious or dire that can’t be overcome with a funny quip or behavior. We enter the world she has created and can begin to understand its strange rules. We buy that two mortals can create a magical, albeit flawed creature from spare ingredients, and that said character would be as magical and powerful as anything else. Yet the same script indulges in far too many characters and unessesary scenes.

Let’s make this clear, this is Czinger’s and Mitchell’s show from beginning to end. Czinger orchestrates the proceedings while Mitchell commands every ounce of attention from every audience member for every second of the show and she deserves it. Her performance as the Rage Fairy is hilarious, tragic, and it IS the show. Her performance is the connective tissue that makes us buy into the scant set by Isaac Tipton Snyder, the resourceful lighting by David Dickens, and razor-sharp sound design by Trevor Reece.

If you want a magical, yet cynical night of independent theatre, The Rage Fairy is a solid bet. This is a house full of creatives pouring every last ounce of energy that they have into an intimate production with high aspirations. The Rage Fairy demands to be seen and heard on the merit of its inventive nature and determination alone. It’s not perfect, it’s shabby, but it has everything else you hope to see in the Los Angeles Indie Theatre scene.

PERFORMANCES & TICKETS:
Performances Saturday and Sunday 8:30pm.
February 19 – March 13, 2022.  Tickets are $20.00
Eventbrite:  https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-rage-fairy-tickets-246986261557