By Byrne Harrison
If there can be said to be a theatrical equivalent of sitting around the campfire telling ghost stories, it is RadioTheatre's latest production, "The Haunting of St. Mark's Place." Featuring the outstanding cast of Frank Zilinyi, R. Patrick Alberty, Alexandra Hellquist and Richard P. Butler, the production features all the things that you want out of a Halloween tale - supernatural visitors, spooky scenes, terrified screams, and enough creepiness to see you all the way to Halloween night.
The play begins with a classic, Lovecraft's "The Music of Erich Zann," reimagined to fit the St. Mark's Place setting for these short plays. It continues with a story of possession, the return of a dead groom ready to claim his still living bride, a reimagining of W.W. Jacob's "The Monkey's Paw," and a terrific story about a dead wife's screaming skull.
Using little in the way of sets and special effects (just enough to create atmosphere), but taking full advantage of terrific music and sound effects, the company puts on a truly delightful evening of ghostly terror under the deft direction of Frank Zilinyi.
I have now seen four or so productions by this company, and continue to be impressed not only by the overall strength of the productions, but by the extremely talented cast and the well adapted plays (their work with H.P. Lovecraft's work is outstanding). If you have never seen one of their shows, I urge you to head down to the East Village and catch one. If you like radio theatre, you'll love RadioTheatre.
"The Haunting of St. Mark's Place"
Created by Dan Bianchi
Directed by Frank Zilinyi
Sound Engineer: Eduardo Ramirez
Featuring: Frank Zilinyi, R. Patrick Alberty, Alexandra Hellquist, Richard P. Butler
Closed: October 21st
Sunday, October 21, 2012
Book Review: “Drama: An Actor’s Education” by John Lithgow
By Mark A. Newman
I’ve always found John Lithgow to be a wily sort of actor: self-possessed with patrician dignity but not too proud to turn himself into a braying jackass at a moment’s notice. I have also always thought of him as one of our country’s most underrated actors. Thankfully he’s not underused as well since he finds his way from TV (the murderous and conniving Arthur Mitchell in Dexter and his free-spirited know-it-all Dick Solomon on 3rd Rock from the Sun), to movies (his joyous and heartbreaking role in Rise of the Planet of the Apes), to the stage (his suave Lawrence in Dirty Rotten Scoundrels and, most recently, as Joseph Alsop in The Columnist), all the while managing to deliver compelling, artful, and entertaining performances.
In Drama: An Actor’s Education, Lithgow takes us on an autobiographical road trip through his acting career from his nomadic childhood to his Oscar-nominated and Tony-winning triumphs. Rest assured, it is a bumpy ride; his father, Arthur, a stage director and actor in his own right, took his family from hither to yon in a seemingly never ending wild goose chase from one teaching job to another directing job around a good portion of the greater Midwest and Northeast.
While some adult children of dreamers often look back in anger on such an upbringing, Lithgow instead speaks of his father with glowing admiration and affection. As the family moved from town to town young John simply rolled with the punches and the affable youth soon blossomed from just filling a spot on the stage in his father’s productions to soon having his own commanding presence in productions both amateur and professional.
Lithgow doesn’t hold back on his own foibles either. He is brutally honest about his own marital infidelities in his first marriage and dumps all of the blame on himself. He apparently had the bad habit of getting into torrid affairs with his leading ladies…ALL of them, more or less. The most notorious was Liv Ullman while the two were in the Broadway revival of Anna Christie. This was the final straw for his first marriage and this relationship had more drama than the play itself with backstage tantrums and teary confessions.
As the thespian details his forays into motion pictures, you will log on to www.imdb.com to see exactly who he was talking about when he detailed working with an older leading man whose glory days were well behind him. You have to respect Lithgow for not naming the Oscar-winner’s name. This is a “tell all” with certain limitations.
At the heart of this book is a father and son story. Arthur Lithgow was a dreamer and he longed for bigger and better things for himself and his family. The elder Lithgow touched many fledgling actors’ lives throughout a career that was both tempestuous and triumphant. He no doubt had a vast impact on his son’s life; had he not been such a theatrical maven, young John would’ve no doubt pursued his earlier career leanings of being an artist. After seeing Lithgow recently in his Tony-nominated role as Joseph Alsop in The Columnist on Broadway, I for one am grateful for the senior Lithgow’s influence on his son.
Note: I actually listened to the audio version of Drama: An Actor’s Education while on a multi-state road trip. Read by the author, I really got the feel for his younger years as he, too, was on a never ending road trip as his father moved the family from one quixotic adventure to another!
Thursday, October 18, 2012
Sherie Rene Scott engages in hilarious and poignant soul-searching in "Piece of Meat" at 54 Below
By Rob Hartmann
At its best, the art of cabaret represents the peak of the storyteller’s craft. From a simple beginning, the yarn-spinner draws you in to a tale which takes you places you never quite expected to go – through twists and turns which make perfect sense at the time, although in the end you aren’t quite sure exactly how you arrived home again.
Sherie Rene Scott, in her new show, Piece of Meat, currently playing at the elegant midtown cabaret room 54 Below, demonstrates her complete mastery of cabaret and storytelling. This should come as no surprise to those who saw her earlier work, Everyday Rapture, for which she was Tony-nominated as both performer and co-author.
Ms. Scott is a professional who knows exactly how to capture an audience from her first entrance, in a deftly hilarious rendition of “5 Years Time” (by English indie-folk band Noah & The Whale.) The evening’s music ranges from the Broadway standard (1939’s “Are You Havin’ Any Fun”) to Joni Mitchell, Paul McCartney, Annie Lennox and the Talking Heads – all innovatively arranged by musical director Todd Almond. Mr. Almond, an accomplished theater composer-lyricist, also contributes two songs to the lineup: “Oh Sean”, an ode to a relationship sung by someone who finds herself more cynical than she is willing to admit; and the haunting encore, “This Is Why We Do This” (a collaboration between Mr. Almond and Adam Bock.)
To fully explain the details of the story with which Ms. Scott beguiles the room would be to destroy some of its magic. Suffice it to say that it begins with (as the title says) a piece of meat – or rather, a craving for meat that puzzles Ms. Scott, a longtime vegetarian who has proudly survived for years on “Tic Tacs and applause”. The journey to understand her craving takes her from encounters with a gyro on Ninth Avenue, to her youth poring over pictures of vegetarian Linda McCartney in Life magazine, to a time spent with a gay-for-pay hustler boyfriend with a yin-yang tattoo – and ultimately to conversations with present-day Sir Paul McCartney and the Dalai Lama.
The songs float in and out of the narrative effortlessly, as the mood pivots from a snappy comic tone to quieter moments of reverie. Ms. Scott is a modern incarnation of a classic Broadway type: a wide-eyed soul who sees the world with a particular mix of naïveté and bubbling wonder (who blithely dances across tabletops to retrieve a disco ball from a bow-tied-but-shirtless fella) but who, in time, reveals a carefully hidden wistfulness and longing. Her voice shifts easily from a deliciously bright pop soprano with a Broadway zip, to a more plaintive, pure and folky sound. Ms. Scott inhabits all the songs fully – to the point where it seems that music disappears and the audience is simply being treated to a full-on glimpse of the performer’s soul.
Mr. Almond, at the piano, is joined by Alana Dawes on bass (who contributes some beautiful legato phrases in the instrument’s upper registers) and Levy Lorenzo on percussion. Mr. Lorenzo supplies everything from a calypso beat to mesmerizing work on the vibraphone. In one instance, he captures a shimmering undersea mood to accompany Ms. Scott’s story of an underwater encounter which seems to begin as a comic anecdote, but which deepens into something transcendent.
Piece of Meat was presented earlier this year at Australia’s Adelaide Cabaret Festival. It seems that the evening might continue to evolve; certain narrative threads could easily expand further, if Ms. Scott and Mr. Almond wished to lengthen the show. However, the evening in its current form is absolutely satisfying – and the audience is left hungry for more (no pun intended.) The show feels dreamlike and at the same time very much of the present moment in the issues it explores. Ms. Scott’s particular brand of deadpan comic musings has the ability to completely suspend the audience’s disbelief. If Ms. Scott has not actually exchanged chatty e-mails with His Holiness the Dalai Lama, then please don’t tell me: I prefer to live in a world where this is real.
Mention must also be made of the venue itself, the gorgeous 54 Below. Designed by Tony-award-winning set designer John Lee Beatty, the restaurant and bar evoke the vanished glamour of a 1920s speakeasy along with Parisian Art Nouveau elegance. The room strikes the perfect note of intimacy – a feeling of warmth and clubbiness (golden lighting, leather-covered tables) without overpacked claustrophobia. The food was smartly done, and the service was expertly coordinated with the show: plates magically appeared and were silently whisked away.
If Sherie Rene Scott had lived in another era, Cole Porter, Rodgers & Hart and the Gershwins would all have been battling one another for the opportunity to create shows for her. We’re lucky that today, Ms. Scott (with her collaborators) creates a unique theatrical world for herself.
Sherie Rene Scott at 54 Below: Piece of Meat. Musical direction and arrangements by Todd Almond. Choreographer: Michael Lynch. Featuring Mr. Almond on piano, with Alana Dawes, bass, and Levy Lorenzo, percussion.
October 16-20, 23-27 at 8:30 pm, October 19, 20, 26 & 27 at 11:00 PM $60 cover charge, $30 food & beverage minimum. 54 Below, 254 West 54th Street. (646) 476-3551 www.54Below.com
"Detroit" - An interesting commentary overall
By Judd Hollander
The changing times, the lack of a feeling of "community" in the present-day suburbs and the dangers of keeping secrets are the underlying themes in Lisa D'Amour's dramatic comedy Detroit .
Ben (David Schwimmer) and wife Mary (Amy Ryan) are a moderately well-off couple, living in a suburban community while trying to deal with a recent downturn in their economic situation. Ben has been laid off from his job and is working feverishly on starting his own website to launch his new business; while Mary, currently the sole breadwinner, supports Ben wholeheartedly in his new endeavor. Or so she says.
The two have also recently met their new neighbors: Sharon (Sarah Sokolovic) and Kenny (Darren Pettie). A somewhat less refined duo who work menial jobs and are struggling with drug and alcohol addiction. Sharon and Kenny met in rehab and got married soon after. Once they finished their substance abuse programs, the two moved into a house owned by Kenny's uncle Frank (John Cullum).
The two couples make for an interesting study in contrasts. Ben and Mary being the more guarded of the two, while Sharon and Kenny are of the "let it all hang out" variety. They decided early on that due to their past problems, they should have no secrets, not only from each other, but also from the world at large. Sharon in particular has a habit of going off on rants, especially about everybody being so busy with their own lives, that they have no time for becoming involved with anyone else, even if the people in question live right next door. In an attempt to prove her wrong, Ben and Mary accept an invitation to come over for dinner, though Kenny and Sharon's food and home is definitely of a somewhat lower tier than Ben and Mary's.
The characters, while not feeling all that real at times, can nonetheless be quite interesting. Particularly with the relationship that develops between Mary and Sharon. In Sharon , Mary finds someone to tell her worries to, while Sharon offers some candid and brutally honest comments about Mary's own situation, as well as her own. Their husbands also do a bit of bonding, but in their case it's more of the stereotypical male variety, which entails them drinking beers, talking about women and planning for a boys' night out. However, even as Kenny and Sharon struggle to stay on the straight and narrow, Ben and Mary are dealing with their own repressed feelings and secrets, ones which finally come bursting out in a wild barbeque that ends in a literal blaze of alcohol and sober realization.
The underlying strength of the play is that the story itself is so involving, dealing with subjects both topical and universal - people struggling with addiction, the need to achieve success and/or maintain a style of living with which they've become accustomed, and the need to change one's situation and start anew. There are a few plot holes here and there, such as the initially somewhat self-centered Ben and Mary actually agreeing to come over to Sharon and Kenny's for dinner out of a sense of guilt, something that doesn't quite seem in their nature; and can anyone remember a wild party in the suburbs where someone didn't complain about the noise? But other than these few little narrative hiccups, the play works well enough, making its points powerfully and succinctly, rather than being overly broad or preachy.
As mentioned above, the characters are interesting, though not as fully drawn as they could be. Sokolovic is extremely good as Sharon , a young woman trying to hold on to her sobriety and home as best she can, while seeing in Mary the close friend she's never had. Pettie works well as Kenny, though the character has an excessively hard-nosed attitude, making one feel he's always ready to explode, thus removing much of his sympathy. Schwimmer is fine as Ben, but the character is too much of a cipher, spouting the words and playing a role, but never explaining what drives him or what he wants in life until the very end. By which time, it's really too late to care about him all that much. Ryan is quite good as the long-suffering Mary, her scenes with Sokolovic providing much of the dramatic meat of the play. John Cullum is fine as Frank, appearing only briefly, but his time on stage is pivotal to the story, as he flawlessly delivers a somewhat wistful monologue which takes things full circle and explains much of the back story not previously revealed.
Anne Kauffman's direction of the play is fine, though the pacing is a bit off here and there, the show moving sometimes slower than it should. The piece also feels a bit long at points, with about 10 minutes that could have been cut from the running time. Sets by Louisa Thompson are fine and the lighting by Mark Barton, as well as the various effects, all work well.
Detroit does have a few problems, but the soul of the show is enjoyable to behold, with its ultimate meaning having a powerful impact. That being how, despite everyone's best efforts and intentions, the more things change, the more they ultimately stay almost exactly the same – in terms of a mental, if not always physical perception.
Written by: Lisa D'Amour
Scenic Design: Louisa Thompson
Costume Design: Kaye Voyce
Lighting Design: Mark Barton
Sound Design: Matt Tierney
Production Stage Manager: Lisa Ann Chernoff
Assistant Stage Manager: Ryan Gohsman
Directed by: Anne Kauffman
Featuring: Amy Ryan (Mary), Sarah Sokolovic (Sharon ), Darren Pettie (Kenny), David Schwimmer (Ben), John Cullum (Frank)
Playwrights Horizons Mainstage Theatre
416 West 42nd Street
Tickets: 212-279-4200 or www.playwrightshorizons.org
Tickets: 212-279-4200 or www.playwrightshorizons.org
Running Time: I hour, 40 minutes, no intermission
Closes: October 28, 2012
“Lovers” - Two interesting tales of love and loss
By Judd Hollander
The Actors Company Theatre opens its 20th season with a pair of one-act works by Brian Friel about life, love, and second chances. Presented under the umbrella title of Lovers and first seen in America in 1968, the two plays, called Winners and Losers respectively, showcase people on the threshold of change and what happens when they take that step, or conversely, decide not to do so.
Winners, the longer of the two stories, takes place in 1968 Ireland with flashbacks to a faithful afternoon in the lives of two teenage lovers. 17 year old Mag (Justine Salata) and 17 and a half year old Joe (Cameron Scoggins). The two are about to be married as Mag is pregnant with Joe's child.
As Mag and Joe sit atop a hill above their town to study for their final exams, while engaging in cross-conversations, it quickly becomes obvious the couple is a study in contrasts. Joe is the more studious and serious of the duo, while Mag is more flighty and fancy-free, often driving her husband-to-be to distraction. Both also have issues they're struggling to deal with. Joe, who once had dreams of going on to college and becoming a math teacher, feels Mag trapped him into marriage; while Mag is excited about becoming a wife and mother, but is completely overwhelmed with the responsibilities that come along with that situation. That Mag and Joe love each other is without question, but both are feeling the ever-increasing weight of being forced to become adults long before they're ready.
As Mag and Joe's story plays out, their tale is interspersed with comments from a Man (James Riordan) and Woman (Kati Brazda), news commentators both, recounting what happened to Mag and Joe on the day depicted, piecing together clues as to their movements, whereabouts and final destination. Speaking without bias and with an air of authority, these comments are a calming counterbalance to the actions of Mag and Joe, who are busy trying to celebrate life and all the possibilities it has to offer. At least before the limitations of reality start to set in.
Performances by the actors are all strong, though the story/mystery is what draws the audience in. Information about the participants is given out in dribs and drabs, with it coming across perhaps too slow at points, though it definitely succeeds in maintaining interest. It would have nice however, if there were one or two lines tossed in to help tie things up a bit better, as a few issues are left hanging, though not enough to mar the emotional impact of the tale.
Next up is Losers. Set in the same time and place as Winners, this second work looks at things from the other side of the coin from previous play. Namely, what comes after happily ever after? Andy (Riordan) a forty-something gentleman, is courting Hanna (Brazda), a woman approximately the same age. The two, after having spent much of their lives alone, finally find someone with whom they can spend their life. However Hanna lives with her aged and bed-ridden mother, one Mrs. Wilson, played expertly to the comic hilt by Nora Chester, who uses a combination of infirmity and guilt to keep her daughter close by. As such, Andy and Hanna find they have to be rather inventive in order to be able to secure some quality alone time. All of which leads to hilarious results, such as the couple spouting poetry when they want to fool around in Hanna's living room, so as not to arouse her mom's suspicions when she listens to the conversations from her nearby bedroom. All works well until Hanna finds herself forced to choose between Andy and her mother; with Andy, having his own plans for himself and hew new bride, feeling somewhat left out in the cold.
Depending just as much on the comical moments as it does on the narrative, Andy recounting the story which is played out via flashback, the four member cast pulls out all the stops, playing their roles perfectly straight for maximum effect. Riordan and Brazda have wonderful chemistry together, Riordan getting to do a hilarious drunk sequence while Brazda has great fun as the long suffering daughter trying to find a little happiness wherever she can.Chester plays a pious and somewhat scheming woman perfectly, using her words and gestures to twist the knife of sarcasm and blade of guilt deeper into Andy and Hanna every time they're with her. In a way, it could be said that Andy and Hanna suffer the "death of a thousand cuts" from Mrs. Wilson's machinations. Cynthia Darlow is funny as Cissy, Mrs. Wilson's long-time friend and religious companion. As with Winners, Losers is a story about choices in life: the ones that you make and ones you find thrust upon you. Though in all cases presented here, once the various decisions have been made, there is no turning back from them or their resulting effects.
Depending just as much on the comical moments as it does on the narrative, Andy recounting the story which is played out via flashback, the four member cast pulls out all the stops, playing their roles perfectly straight for maximum effect. Riordan and Brazda have wonderful chemistry together, Riordan getting to do a hilarious drunk sequence while Brazda has great fun as the long suffering daughter trying to find a little happiness wherever she can.
If there's a complaint with Losers, it's that the playwright uses too much narrative talk, telling, rather than showing what went on between the characters. This is especially true with a speech Andy gives after he and Hanna have become husband and wife, the monologue serving as an information bridge leading into the next sequence in the play.
Also linking the two pieces together is the fact that both works present situations the audience can relate to and understand, thus allowing them to emphasize with the characters in each piece. Both of the shows could, in actuality, have been expanded into full-length pieces, were the author so inclined. As noted in the press notes, the shows are often preformed separately as stand-alone plays, though one can see the definite connections when the two are done together.
Drew Barr does a nice job with the direction, especially when it comes to the various scenes involving physical activity. The show does run a little long and could benefit from some cutting or quickening of pacing, especially in act one, but all in all, Lovers offers a very involving and ironic twist (particularly when taking into account the titles of the individual works) on the subjects of love, commitment and the accompanying emotional joys and baggage.
The sets by Brett J. Banakis in each piece are nicely appropriate, both sparse and at the same time filing. Lighting by Mary Louise Geiger works well, as do the costumes by Kim Krumm Sorenson.
Lovers
Winners
Featuring: James Riordan (Man), Kati Brazda (Woman), Justine Salata (Mag), Cameron Scoggins (Joe)
Losers
Featuring: James Riordan (Andy), Kati Brazda (Hanna), Cynthia Darlow (Cissy), Nora Chester (Mrs. Wilson)
Presented by The Actors Company Theatre
Written by: Brian Friel
Directed by Drew Barr
Scenic Design: Brett J. Banakis
Sound Design & Original Music: Daniel Kluger
Costume Design: Kim Krum Sorenson
Lighting Design: Mary Louise Geiger
Wig Design: Robert Charles Vallance
Props: Lauren Madden
Dialect Coach: Susan Cameron
Production Stage Manager: Michael Friedlander
Assistant Stage Manger: Alex Mark
Dramaturge: Ethan Joseph
Casting: Kelly Gillespie
Press & Publicity: Richard Hillman
TACT General Manager: Cathy Bencivenga
Beckett Theatre
Theatre Row Studios
Tickets: 212-239-6200 or www.telecharge.com
Information: www.tactnyc.org
Running Time: 2 Hours, 10 Minutes - with one intermission
Closes: October 20, 2012
Saturday, October 13, 2012
Review - "Doctor Who Returns to Hotsy Totsy Burlesque"
By Byrne Harrison
I love "Doctor Who." I also love New York's fulsome burlesque scene. Thanks to Joe the Shark, Cherry Pitz and the rest of the crew behind Hotsy Totsy Burlesque, I had a chance to enjoy the two together. And despite the deluge, it was a fun, and very well attended event.
The evening, "Doctor Who Returns to Hotsy Totsy Burlesque," featured some marvelous performers - Cherry Pitz, Lana Firebird, Lewd Alfred Douglas, Little Motown, Matt Knife, Nasty Canasta, Nelson Lugo, Ruby Solitaire, Teddy Turnaround and Handsome Brad. But I wasn't there just for the excellent burlesque performers, I was there for the Doctor. And Doctor Who fans were not disappointed. There was a stripping Amy Pond, TARDIS, and Dalek (Daleks look much better without their protective armor in this version than they do on "Doctor Who"). There was a Cyberman version of Cherry Pitz who had to be rescued by Lana Firebird and Little Motown. There was a Weeping Angel (a male one - don't blink or you're buggered). Best of all, there was a spot on Matt Smith impersonation by Handsome Brad and some great repartee between him and Cherry Pitz.
This was my first trip to The Home for Wayward Girls and Fallen Women (aka the R Bar on the Bowery), but not my last. Hotsy Totsy Burlesque has a little something for everyone, and thanks to the fun themes that Joe the Shark and Cherry Pitz come up with, you'll have a great time.
Next up is "Cherry Pitz: Vampire Hunter," on Tuesday, October 16th. If the crowd at the Doctor Who night is any indication, buy a ticket and get there early. The place fills up fast. Maybe Cherry Pitz will finally figure out who the greatest vampire is - Dracula, Edward, LeStat, or Angel.
Photo by Ben Trivett Handsome Brad, Cherry Pitz |
The evening, "Doctor Who Returns to Hotsy Totsy Burlesque," featured some marvelous performers - Cherry Pitz, Lana Firebird, Lewd Alfred Douglas, Little Motown, Matt Knife, Nasty Canasta, Nelson Lugo, Ruby Solitaire, Teddy Turnaround and Handsome Brad. But I wasn't there just for the excellent burlesque performers, I was there for the Doctor. And Doctor Who fans were not disappointed. There was a stripping Amy Pond, TARDIS, and Dalek (Daleks look much better without their protective armor in this version than they do on "Doctor Who"). There was a Cyberman version of Cherry Pitz who had to be rescued by Lana Firebird and Little Motown. There was a Weeping Angel (a male one - don't blink or you're buggered). Best of all, there was a spot on Matt Smith impersonation by Handsome Brad and some great repartee between him and Cherry Pitz.
This was my first trip to The Home for Wayward Girls and Fallen Women (aka the R Bar on the Bowery), but not my last. Hotsy Totsy Burlesque has a little something for everyone, and thanks to the fun themes that Joe the Shark and Cherry Pitz come up with, you'll have a great time.
Next up is "Cherry Pitz: Vampire Hunter," on Tuesday, October 16th. If the crowd at the Doctor Who night is any indication, buy a ticket and get there early. The place fills up fast. Maybe Cherry Pitz will finally figure out who the greatest vampire is - Dracula, Edward, LeStat, or Angel.
Photo by C. Scott Robinson Matt Knife |
Photo by Nishell Falcone Lana Firebird, Cherry Pitz, Little Motown |
Review - "The Blood Brothers Present... Raw Feed"
By Byrne Harrison
Photo by Isaiah Tanenbaum
I know Pete Boisvert and Patrick Shearer, the actors who portray the Blood Brothers in Nosedive Productions' annual gore fest. I see them at fundraisers and award ceremonies. We chat about theatre and their upcoming shows. I run into them at various Off-Off Broadway productions (the OOB community is closely knit, and slightly incestuous).
The point is, I know them and they are both nice, friendly guys.
And yet, when I see them in their ghoulish Blood Brothers personas, they still freak me the hell out.
Shearer's brother is the intellectual type of killer. Fond of a little Cryptkeeper humor. Suave, but menacing. Boisvert's brother is a thug. Quiet and angry, he delights in the brutalities of life - blood, mangled limbs, screams. Together, they are magic. Bloody, brutal magic.
This year's production, "The Blood Brothers Present... Raw Feed," is full of the usual nasty, pulled-from-the-headlines stories and buckets of blood (thanks to the incomparable Stephanie Cox-Williams, who once again brings on the gore). But this year, the Blood Brothers are having a bit of an existential crisis - in a world full of people who are willing to do horrible things to one another, is there really any place for a pair of chalk-faced, maniacal ghouls?
Spoiler: Of course there is. And the way the Blood Brothers work it out, in a series of scenes written by playwright Mac Rogers, is fantastic.
"Raw Feed" features eight short plays (and, of course, Mac Rogers' framing play, also entitled "Raw Feed"). Most of the plays deal with some aspect of fame or the 24/7 plugged in lives that people tend to live today, where privacy is a thing of the past.
Mac Rogers' "Kittens in a Bag," is a story about a gay porn star, Luka (TJ Clark), who would do anything - and does - to get noticed on the web (in a rather inspired bit of theatre, the Internet is portrayed by Emily Hartford). Whether it's killing kittens on video, or killing a young man, the result is the same in his eyes - more hits, more people talking about him. Fame or infamy, it doesn't really matter in the end, as long as people know his name.
Jessi Gotta's short piece, "Kitty's Revenge," closes out the evening, and is a comic answer to Rogers play, showing Luka getting his comeuppance. Brutal, but funny.
The most striking piece of the evening is Nat Cassidy's "TALHOTBLOND," with an internet obsession gone awry. This dance piece with music is haunting, and the ensemble, Judy Merrick, Stephanie Willing, Gareth Declan and Collin McConnell are outstanding (Nat Cassidy, in full Blood Brother makeup, sings and plays guitar for the piece). A departure from the typical Blood Brother play, I would love to see more of this in future productions.
Among the other outstanding short plays are James Comtois' look inside the mind of a serial killer (Lowell Byers) is "Bachelor Number One," a story based on a real killer who appeared on "The Dating Game" in the '70s, and Nat Cassidy's amazingly creepy "Joy Junction" featuring a cannibal pedophile (Roger Nasser) from a Christian children's TV show. Nasser is terrific in this role, as is Stephanie Willing as his new puppet Marigold. This play also shows of more of Stephanie Cox-Williams' work with some great bloody makeup effects.
Rounding out the show are "I Prefer Limes," about a very, very persistent stalker, "Dark Mirror," a disturbing short piece about rape, and "All of Me," the goriest of the plays.
"Raw Feed" delivers the promised gore, fear, and just enough reality to make you uneasy at the thought of another night alone in your apartment. And you might want to think twice before picking up that phone call...you never know who's watching.
"The Blood Brothers Present... Raw Feed"
"Raw Feed"
By Mac Rogers
Featuring: Pete Boisvert and Patrick Shearer
"I Prefer Limes"
By James Comtois
Directed by Pete Boisvert
Featuring: Leah Carrell (Woman), Gareth Declan (Voice), Alexis Thomason (Friend), Emily Hartford and Collin Mc Connell (Detectives), TJ Clark and Judy Merrick (Police)
"Bachelor Number One"
By James Comtois
Directed by Nat Cassidy
Featuring: C.L. Weatherstone (Host), Lowell Byers (Bachelor #1), TJ Clark (Bachelor #2), Roger Nasser (Bachelor #3), Alexis Thomason (Cheryl), Stephanie Willing (Talia), Leah Carrell (Julie)
"TALHOTBLOND"
By Nat Cassidy
Directed by Patrick Shearer with Stephanie Cox-Williams
Choreography by Stephanie Willing with Judy Merrick
Featuring: Judy Merrick (Mother), Stephanie Willing (Daughter), Gareth Declan (Lover), Collin McConnell (Friend)
"Kittens in a Bag"
By Mac Rogers
Directed by Patrick Shearer
Featuring: TJ Clark (Luka), Emily Hartford (The Internet), Collin McConnell (Neal), Gareth Declan (Carlo), Leah Carrell (Clerk)
"Dark Mirror"
By Danny Bowes
Directed by Pete Boisvert
Featuring: Alexis Thomason (Narrator), C.L. Weatherstone (Hooded Man), Judy Merrick (Old Woman)
"Joy Junction"
By Nat Cassidy
Directed by Pete Boisvert
Featuring: Roger Nasser (Ronald), Collin McConnell (Marty), Stephanie Willing (Marigold), Judy Merrick (Annabelle), Gareth Declan (Chooch)
"All of Me"
By Stephanie Cox-Williams
Directed by Patrick Shearer
Featuring: C.L. Weatherstone (Man), Leah Carrell (Woman), and TJ Clark, Gareth Declan, Emily Hartford, and Collin McConnell (Police)
"Kitty's Revenge"
By Jessi Gotta
Directed by Patrick Shearer
Featuring: TJ Clark (Luka), Roger Nasser (Puppy), Stephanie Willing (Bunny), Emily Hartford (Kitten)
The Brick
579 Metropolitan Avenue
Closes October 13th
Photo by Isaiah Tanenbaum
The point is, I know them and they are both nice, friendly guys.
And yet, when I see them in their ghoulish Blood Brothers personas, they still freak me the hell out.
Shearer's brother is the intellectual type of killer. Fond of a little Cryptkeeper humor. Suave, but menacing. Boisvert's brother is a thug. Quiet and angry, he delights in the brutalities of life - blood, mangled limbs, screams. Together, they are magic. Bloody, brutal magic.
This year's production, "The Blood Brothers Present... Raw Feed," is full of the usual nasty, pulled-from-the-headlines stories and buckets of blood (thanks to the incomparable Stephanie Cox-Williams, who once again brings on the gore). But this year, the Blood Brothers are having a bit of an existential crisis - in a world full of people who are willing to do horrible things to one another, is there really any place for a pair of chalk-faced, maniacal ghouls?
Spoiler: Of course there is. And the way the Blood Brothers work it out, in a series of scenes written by playwright Mac Rogers, is fantastic.
"Raw Feed" features eight short plays (and, of course, Mac Rogers' framing play, also entitled "Raw Feed"). Most of the plays deal with some aspect of fame or the 24/7 plugged in lives that people tend to live today, where privacy is a thing of the past.
Mac Rogers' "Kittens in a Bag," is a story about a gay porn star, Luka (TJ Clark), who would do anything - and does - to get noticed on the web (in a rather inspired bit of theatre, the Internet is portrayed by Emily Hartford). Whether it's killing kittens on video, or killing a young man, the result is the same in his eyes - more hits, more people talking about him. Fame or infamy, it doesn't really matter in the end, as long as people know his name.
Jessi Gotta's short piece, "Kitty's Revenge," closes out the evening, and is a comic answer to Rogers play, showing Luka getting his comeuppance. Brutal, but funny.
The most striking piece of the evening is Nat Cassidy's "TALHOTBLOND," with an internet obsession gone awry. This dance piece with music is haunting, and the ensemble, Judy Merrick, Stephanie Willing, Gareth Declan and Collin McConnell are outstanding (Nat Cassidy, in full Blood Brother makeup, sings and plays guitar for the piece). A departure from the typical Blood Brother play, I would love to see more of this in future productions.
Among the other outstanding short plays are James Comtois' look inside the mind of a serial killer (Lowell Byers) is "Bachelor Number One," a story based on a real killer who appeared on "The Dating Game" in the '70s, and Nat Cassidy's amazingly creepy "Joy Junction" featuring a cannibal pedophile (Roger Nasser) from a Christian children's TV show. Nasser is terrific in this role, as is Stephanie Willing as his new puppet Marigold. This play also shows of more of Stephanie Cox-Williams' work with some great bloody makeup effects.
Rounding out the show are "I Prefer Limes," about a very, very persistent stalker, "Dark Mirror," a disturbing short piece about rape, and "All of Me," the goriest of the plays.
"Raw Feed" delivers the promised gore, fear, and just enough reality to make you uneasy at the thought of another night alone in your apartment. And you might want to think twice before picking up that phone call...you never know who's watching.
"The Blood Brothers Present... Raw Feed"
"Raw Feed"
By Mac Rogers
Featuring: Pete Boisvert and Patrick Shearer
"I Prefer Limes"
By James Comtois
Directed by Pete Boisvert
Featuring: Leah Carrell (Woman), Gareth Declan (Voice), Alexis Thomason (Friend), Emily Hartford and Collin Mc Connell (Detectives), TJ Clark and Judy Merrick (Police)
"Bachelor Number One"
By James Comtois
Directed by Nat Cassidy
Featuring: C.L. Weatherstone (Host), Lowell Byers (Bachelor #1), TJ Clark (Bachelor #2), Roger Nasser (Bachelor #3), Alexis Thomason (Cheryl), Stephanie Willing (Talia), Leah Carrell (Julie)
"TALHOTBLOND"
By Nat Cassidy
Directed by Patrick Shearer with Stephanie Cox-Williams
Choreography by Stephanie Willing with Judy Merrick
Featuring: Judy Merrick (Mother), Stephanie Willing (Daughter), Gareth Declan (Lover), Collin McConnell (Friend)
"Kittens in a Bag"
By Mac Rogers
Directed by Patrick Shearer
Featuring: TJ Clark (Luka), Emily Hartford (The Internet), Collin McConnell (Neal), Gareth Declan (Carlo), Leah Carrell (Clerk)
"Dark Mirror"
By Danny Bowes
Directed by Pete Boisvert
Featuring: Alexis Thomason (Narrator), C.L. Weatherstone (Hooded Man), Judy Merrick (Old Woman)
"Joy Junction"
By Nat Cassidy
Directed by Pete Boisvert
Featuring: Roger Nasser (Ronald), Collin McConnell (Marty), Stephanie Willing (Marigold), Judy Merrick (Annabelle), Gareth Declan (Chooch)
"All of Me"
By Stephanie Cox-Williams
Directed by Patrick Shearer
Featuring: C.L. Weatherstone (Man), Leah Carrell (Woman), and TJ Clark, Gareth Declan, Emily Hartford, and Collin McConnell (Police)
"Kitty's Revenge"
By Jessi Gotta
Directed by Patrick Shearer
Featuring: TJ Clark (Luka), Roger Nasser (Puppy), Stephanie Willing (Bunny), Emily Hartford (Kitten)
The Brick
579 Metropolitan Avenue
Closes October 13th
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