Central Standard Theatre presented several new Solo Shows for the Kansas City Fringe Festival in 2016, including shows from local artitsts Cheryl Weaver, Sam Wright, Marilyn Lynch, Megan Greenlee and Charles Pulliam. Plus an International Collaboration with Heidi Van and Gavin Robertson.
The Event by John Clancy Featuring Bob Paisley
...It was a remarkable, witty, irreverent and poignant introspection. ...Armed with the barest of stages - prop-less for about two-thirds of the performance, and only a chair thereafter - Paisley drew in the audience from the first line, and he held them rapt to the last.
Christopher Guerin - KC Metropolis - January 2010
Paisley's performance is memorable for its clarity. Every choice is precise. Nothing gets lost in the haze. Every word counts. Every line affects the viewer. ... And it's accomplished by one actor, alone on a stage. This is pure theater, and how refreshing it is.
Robert Trussell - Kansas City Star - July 2010
It's quite a piece. It takes quite an actor.
Samela Harris - The Barefoot Review - March 2014
A Steady Rain by Keith Huff Featuring Scott Cordes and Forrest Attaway
... The writing explodes with visual imagery and often resonates with muscular poetry.
... This play is all-male all the time and requires the services of two exceptional actors, which is what we find in the Central Standard Theatre production directed by Bob Paisley. The pairing of Scott Cordes as Denny and Forrest Attaway as Joey certainly fuels expectations of emotional pyrotechnics among theatergoers familiar with their work. They do not disappoint.
... Even so, this imperfect play is never less than absorbing in performance. And this production gives you a chance to watch two gifted actors do some very good work.
Robert Trussell - Kansas City Star - October 2010
Driving Miss Daisy by Alfred Uhry Marilyn Lynch, Harvey Williams and Bob Paisley
... All I know is that the Central Standard Theatre production of Alfred Uhry's "Driving Miss Daisy" placed a lump in my throat Saturday night, even though I'd seen the play before. Even though I'd seen the movie. Even though I knew my buttons were being pushed. ... every now and then you see actors who so thoroughly inhabit their roles that they force you to look at the play in a new way, and that's what the CST production does.
Robert Trussell - Kansas City Star - July 2011
... If you thought the film was good, wait until you see this magical production. It will send you out with a warm glow and a touch of optimism for the future of humanity.
Barry Lenny - Glam Adelaide - February 2012
Even if I owned the sky, there are not enough stars I could give this show.
David Grybowski - The Barefoot Review - February 2012
Bedtime Solos by Jakob Holder Featuring Amy Kelly and Jordan Fox
...“Bedtime Solos” is one of the strangest plays I've seen, but the Fringe production is so impeccably directed by Bob Paisley and so expertly performed by Amy Kelly and Jordan Fox that I couldn't resist its mesmerizing power.
Robert Trussell - Kansas City Star - July 2013
...The writing is richly descriptive and poetic, the acting totally convincing and the direction fluid... typifies the sort of jewel that Edinburgh can unearth.
- The Beasts Pen - August 2013
Paul Robeson by Phillip Hayes Dean Featuring Robert McNichols, Jr.
McNichol is simply outstanding. The simple dignity of the storytelling, the ingenious use of three chairs as props (three balanced together the literal apex) is compelled with the carefully-placed song that gathers to the climax. McNichol makes good use of the stage but knows the gift of stillness, and is never too hectic or active. He builds climaxes, knows how to time a joke and running gag to perfection, and can turn tragic to comic on a pin. His inherent musicianship underpins his way of moving: he literally orchestrates the experience of Paul Robeson.
Simon Jenner - FringeReview.com - July 2023
Suzi of the Dress by Albert Welling Featuring Nicole Hall and Christoph Cording
I was never bored though, enjoyed the pay-off, the final wince at the end, the slight smile playing over Suzi’s face. And what it might mean.
No doubting of the power of this double-bill from Kansas.... The Paul Robeson is solid gold, the Suzi of the Dress, quicksilver.
Simon Jenner - FringeReview.com - July 2023