[NoHo Arts District, CA] – A NoHo Arts 2026 Hollywood Fringe Festival review of Burn Scar, a comedy of catastrophic proportions.
Brilliant, powerful, and hopeful is the message of the solo show, Burn Scar, written and performed by Christine Dunford.
More of a comedic documentary than your usual solo fare. The show is funny about a very serious subject: the Pacific Palisades fire. Christine Dunford is a classically trained professional actress who has a number of solo shows under her belt, both satirical and political, but this show is different. It is all personal for her. We in the audience were lucky enough to be present watching her use all of her acting and writing skills, bringing us her story of chaos, loss, and redemption.
The setting took place in a small black box theatre that morphed into a TED Talk and then transported us into her experience of the fire and her connection to the Palisades. There were slides, whiteboards, and video of the story as it progressed. But the master storytelling of Christine Dunford educated us, made us smile, made us cry, but more importantly, brought the audience into her head and her heart. It also educated us on the politics and corporate greed that add to the agony and suffering of victims of catastrophic circumstances. The antagonists of Burn Scar are the very people who advertise how they are there to help when disaster hits in commercials airing in the middle of the night. There were plenty of sighs and disbelief as the stories of declines and refusals to help were presented.
“And like a good neighbour, no one was there.”
But Burn Scar is more than just facts. It brings a first-person account of humanity that steps up or sadly hides away when folks need it. Christine Dunford crafts this tale of woe and grief with charm and an optimism in people that would have you cheering on her positive outlook and her acceptance of unsuspected kindness. Her humour cushions the mightiest blows without deadening the importance of them. But she is never a victim of circumstance. Rather, she analyzes, evaluates (organizes), and goes into action. Her acceptance is her call to arms. She runs into the fire (fire humour) in order to solve a dilemma. More of a superhero facing the tumult than a melancholic reporter of the sad facts.
Year in and year out, the Hollywood Fringe Festival presents shows, plays, and performances that are transformative.
Burn Scar takes it to another level. The show is not only entertaining but also cathartic.
Brava, Christine Dunford, you did us all proud.
Tickets:
https://www.hollywoodfringe.org/projects/14403
When:
Thursday, June 4, at 7:15pm
Saturday, June 13, at 4pm
Saturday, June 20 at 7:30pm
Where:
Theatre of Note
1517 N Cahuenga Blvd, Hollywood