Riding the Bull
2011 reviews of New Amerikan Theatre production in Seattle
“The production is extremely watchable…It’s an intriguing introduction to Schulenburg, and we can hope more companies are drawn to his work.”
-Miryam Gordon, Seattle Gay News
“A love story of sorts, Riding the Bull is cleverly written, moving, and funny with plenty of delightful laugh aloud moments…the imaginative and delightful script by Schulenberg deserve a bigger audience.”
-J. Autumn Needles, EDGE
“It was an impressive feat of performance, and it made August Schulenburg’s unusual tale of romance and religious conversions between unlikely and often unlikable people engaging and gratifying…watch as two characters who feel like people who could be sitting in the seat right next to you, people you may very well not meet in your everyday life, travel a perilous journey though a life they don’t fully understand, but that may include elements strikingly similar to your own.”
-Jerry Kraft, Seattle Actor
2009 Reviews of R.A.W. Production
Editors’ pick, Washington Post
“one of Capital Fringe’s more captivating shows…unexpected and sometimes even sickening, but that makes the enthralling show all the more memorable”
Stephanie Merry, Washington Post, 7-20-09
Best Male Actor of the Capitol Fringe
“Riding the Bull gave us the finest male acting of the Fringe in the person of Jason McCool.”
Bob Anthony, AllArtsReview4U
“This Fringearrific show won the Village Voice’s Audience Favorite in New York and features some of DC’s best. MASSIVELY positive audience reaction and buzz – laughter and tears! One of the Examiner’s ten shows ‘you don’t want to miss.’ One performance has already sold out.” (PS – Make it 2… er, 3!)
Brett Adelman’s DC Fringe blog, 7/13/09
One of DCist’s four Must See Shows of the Capitol Fringe
“[a] sharp, exceedingly odd and genuinely funny play… [with an] excellent cast!”
Sommer Mathis, DCist, 7/23/09
“It’s raw and vibrant theater. Two performances left. Definitely worth it.”
Jenn Larson, WeLoveDC, 7/14/09
“I cried… a lot of fun, a lot of heart, a little blasphemy, and a little banjo!”
Jessica Pearson, DC Theatre Scene, 7/12/09
“Wonderfully acted & directed, this insightful, hilarious, moving ‘dramedy’ reeled us in with guffaws, then stealthily moved many to tears. At the performance I saw, the prevailing sentiment of the audience was clearly empathy with these deeply human characters…”
-Karen Shod (of Karen’s Hot Tip and Tix)
2007 Reviews of Flux Theatre Ensemble’s Production
Winner of the Village Voice Audience Favorite Award for FringeNYC
“Flux Theatre Ensemble’s production of August Schulenburg’s Riding the Bull finds the sweet spot between cynicism and piety, giving us a stunningly imaginative comedy that never loses sight of its own heart.”
Peter Boisvert, nytheatre.com, 2007
“Supremely intelligent and entertaining…
It’s a remarkable play with a distinctive vision of America.”
Patrick Lee, Just Shows To Go You, 2007
“Schulenburg is a talented writer with a bright future ahead of him….
Riding the Bull is a play worth seeing.”
S.M. Dunlap, OffOffOnline, 2007
“Filled with tenderness…there’s a serious message about faith and forgiveness.”
Aaron Riccio, That Sounds Cool, 2007
“What a whimsical, charming parable! This two person comedy about God,
greed, guilt, and love is just further evidence that the
Fringe Festival is acquiring better and better material every year.”
David Bell, Show Showdown, 2007
2005 Review of Theater for the New City’s Production
“We will suffer heartily if we lose touch with the specifics of America,
its crevices as well as its monuments. We should ponder its failed dreamers
as much as its brassy victors. Religion may outlive our laughter, but we might
outrun its fanatics if we understand what they cling to in our rattling world, and why.
And we should all think more about Elvis. Riding the Bull is up to all these challenges
because it creates its own Faulknerian “postage stamp of land” and makes the
odd lives lived there seem possible…”
Brain Boyles, Theatre2K, 2005
“It’s a completely surprising read: I thought I knew we were safely in the land of mocking and then tipping sacred cows, then the play turned underneath me. It’s all so honest and heartfelt: all of it. From the filth to the faith, Schulenburg inhabits each moment fully and lets the characters and action speak for themselves.”
-A response to reading the play, written by Mark Fossen for his blog, 52 Play in 52 Days
Corinna Schulenburg 