Stage Buzz

Stage Buzz Review by Byrne Harrison

With a title that references Dr. Stranglove, I think I can be forgiven for expecting a play that would take the story of The Frog Prince, best known by way of the Brothers Grimm, and turn it completely inside out. Instead, Princess Mimi Or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Frog (a play for someone else’s children) is a remarkably conventional retelling of the story.

Princess Mimi (Sarah Todes) is spoiled. Her father (Miriam Mintz) and grandmother (Steven Olender) aren’t willing to do much about her behavior, so Mimi’s only friend is her golden iPod, Poddy. When Mimi drops Poddy down a well, she is so distraught that she makes a deal with a Frog (John Kurzynowski) –she’ll let him live in the palace if he gets her iPod back. He does. She reneges. Her father lets the frog move in anyway, but only until a new iPod arrives (poor Poddy got all wet and no longer worked). After some initial awkwardness, they become friends. The iPod arrives, the frog leaves, Mimi realizes that a slimy green friend who actually listens is better than an iPod any day. A kiss. A prince. Happily ever after.

Playwright Patrick Flynn has created an amusing piece of children’s theatre. There’s enough pop culture, slapstick, and silliness to keep a gaggle of kids entertained. And thanks to the antics of the Narrators (played in this production by Marty Glyer and Michael Lister) there’s some funny stuff for parents as well. But I’m not convinced that The Hamburger Theatre Company trusts the material. Director Zachary Stewart seems more interested in using tricks - gender-bending casting of the King and Queen Mum, stylized movement, self-referential theatrical jokes – to make the production seem geared more toward adults. While it is an interesting choice, I’m not sure it was the best one in this case. In addition the play feels rushed. As it is, it runs considerably shorter than the promised hour and fifteen minutes. Stewart could easily afford to take things at a slightly less frantic pace.

The actors in Princess Mimi seem to be having a good time and there are some rather good performances. Chief among these are Marty Glyer and Michael Lister as the Narrators and John Kurzynowski as the Frog. Kurzynowski was without a doubt the most expressive amphibian I’ve seen since Kermit the Frog. Sarah Todes did an excellent job as the spoiled Princess. Both Mintz and Olender did well with their roles, though the Queen Mum and King are really there to serve as a foil for Mimi, so they didn’t often get a chance to shine.

The production values are very good for a Fringe show. Andrew Scoville’s scenic design and Caitlyn Larson’s lighting manage to rein in the cavernous stage at the Connelly Theater. Laura Helmer’s costume design is fun and inspired.

Ultimately, this production of Princess Mimi is a lot like the dry macaroni and glitter art you made in elementary school. You and your friends loved making it. Your parents thought it was the best thing ever. But for those who weren’t involved, it’s just hard to get too worked up about it.

Written by Patrick Flynn
Directed by Zachary Stewart
Scenic Design: Andrew Scoville
Costume Design: Laura Helmer
Lighting Design: Caitlyn Larson
Sound Design: Robert Ribar
Co-Scenic Design: Harry John Shepard
Props Design: Adele Rylands
Production Stage Manager: Paul Bedard

Featuring Marty Glyer (Narrator 1), Michael Lister (Narrator 2), Miriam Mintz (King Timothy the Tolerable), Steven Olender (The Queen Mum), Sarah Todes (Princess Mimi), John Kurzynowski (The Frog)

The Connelly Theater
220 East 4th Street

Closed: Sunday August 26th

Stage Buzz Review by Byrne Harrison

There’s something a little unfocused about . . . Double Vision, Barbara Blumenthal-Ehrlich’s new play being produced at the 2007 NY Fringe Festival. While quite a bit of the play rings true, especially when dealing with the subtle and not so subtle ways people sabotage the relationships that could bring them happiness, there are enough unrealistic situations to suggest that the playwright really wanted to write an absurdist piece, but felt the need to make it more palatable for a mainstream audience.

. . . Double Vision centers around three roommates: Dave (Shane Jacobsen) and Mark (Quinn Mattfeld), two 30-somethings, falling apart because of their dysfunctional relationships, and Ben (Christopher McCann), a man in his 50s blissfully happy to have found the 21-year-old of his dreams, Michelle (Sarah Silk). Mark only dates married women, for fear of allowing himself to get in too deep, and is avoiding calls from Amy, a woman who could turn out to be something meaningful. Dave is dating Mary (Rebecca Henderson), a high-powered business woman, though their relationship is on the rocks because neither one wants to address the issue of Mary’s upcoming transfer to LA. The final character in mix is Celia (Linda Jones), the boys’ next-door neighbor, who is having relationship issues of her own. She works a night shift so she can limit the time spent her reliable, but boring, boyfriend Michael.

The most interesting characters are those who are least tethered to reality, in this case Dave and Mary. Dave’s stress over the impending end of their relationship has led him to hallucinate a blonde-haired woman who keeps magically appearing in front of his car, forcing him into wreck after wreck. He also refuses to use the subway because he always sees a naked man, one no one else notices and one who is beginning to look more and more like him. Mary has a knack for business and has found that no one is her equal in the office, but her possible transfer and Dave’s refusal to address it is keeping her from being able to make a decision about anything, even what shoes to wear. When she finally does make a decision, one to make her more Californian in preparation for her move, it has dire consequences.

Given that they play the most complex characters in . . . Double Vision, it’s no surprise that Shane Jacobsen and Rebecca Henderson stand out. Jacobsen, who was most recently seen playing a smarmy Lothario in I’m in Love With Your Wife at the Midtown International Theater Festival, proves himself a versatile and interesting actor. His unselfconsciousness, both in regards to his nudity in the play and his character’s slow descent into madness, make him fascinating to watch. Henderson’s Mary could have easily been a two-dimensional character, an indecisive girl waiting for Dave to come through for her. Instead, Henderson shows the pain and disappointment hiding under her ball-busting exterior. Most importantly, she does an excellent job portraying Mary’s confusion and disgust of what she is becoming as her relationship crumbles.

While some of the roles, Mark in particular, seem underwritten, the cast is uniformly strong. This combined with Ari Laura Kreith’s extremely competent directing, smooth over several of the script’s bumpier moments.

. . . Double Vision is not as strong of a play as it could have been, but the strength of the acting and directing make the production enjoyable nonetheless.

Written by Barbara Blumenthal-Ehrlich
Directed by Ari Laura Kreith
Production Stage Manager: Andrea Ghersetich
Lighting Design: Anjeanette Stokes
Set, Costume and Prop Design: Michael Wilson Morgan
Sound Design: Ben Morss

Featuring Rebecca Henderson (Mary), Shane Jacobsen (Dave), Linda Jones (Celia), Quinn Mattfeld (Mark), Christopher McCann (Ben), Sarah Silk (Michelle)

The Linhart Theater
440 Lafayette Street

Closed: Friday August 24th

UPDATE: . . . Double Vision continues to run as part of the FringeNYC Encore Series through Sept. 16 at the Bleecker St. Theatre (45 Bleecker Street).  For further information visit the . . . Double Vision website.

Stage Buzz Review by Byrne Harrison

I’ll be the first to admit that I am not a huge fan of one-person, autobiographical theatre. I find that a great deal of it is self-indulgent and better suited for a psychologist’s office than for the stage. That being said, I was surprised to find myself amused and delighted by Jessica Hedrick’s Sodomy & Pedicures, playing as part of the New York International Fringe Festival.

Raised to be a feminist by an Irish-Catholic women’s studies professor and a blue collar Communist, but stuck in a Cosmo-loving world, it is no wonder that Hedrick has issues with sex. When she meets an Italian Lothario who wants to dominate her, not to mention explore a little anal loving, all her ideals about equality and feminism fly out the door as she finds herself irresistibly drawn to him. As she tries to understand these feelings, she explores her views on life, love, and sexual politics, all the while turning to her friends and family for their advice and input. While Hedrick’s tale is amusing, it is her performance that really seals the deal. She is a funny and engaging storyteller, a marvelous mimic, and remarkably unselfconscious given the material.

Director Julia M. Smith proves herself particularly skilled in allowing the comic scenes to build slowly - never forcing the humor, but never letting it get too slow. Hedrick’s scene in which she discusses an intimate use for a peacock feather is an excellent example of this. In addition, Smith makes very good use of the small stage. Where many one-person shows tend to take a static ’stand and speak’ approach, Smith avoids this while keeping all the movement natural.

In Sodomy & Pedicures, Hedrick does a marvelous job in telling her story and in making the audience care about her. By the end of the show, it’s easy to imagine that you were just spending the evening with a very good, very funny friend, instead of watching a piece of theatre.

Written and Performed by Jessica Hedrick
Directed by Julia M. Smith
Production Stage Manager: Rebecca Nell Robertson

The Players Loft
115 MacDougal Street

Closed: Saturday August 25th

Stage Buzz Review by David Pasteelnick

Disclaimer: I don’t play video games. I know little to nothing about video games. I am not particularly interested in video games. That being said, I was blown away by the Fringe Festival production of Helmet, a play that uses video games and those who love them as a central theme.

At its core, Helmet tells the story of two unlikely lost souls who find themselves thrown together in their struggle to make sense of their lives. One, Roddy (Troy David Mercier), is a lonely teenager obsessed with video games, who daily hangs out at a small video gaming store. The other, Sal (Michael Evans Lopez), is a no-longer-so-young man who owns and manages the failing store, which is slated to close forever at the end of the day.

The playwright, Douglas Maxwell, uses the motif of video games to define the action and the acting style of the performers. Using stylized movements, sound and lighting effects, the characters appear to be living their lives inside a giant video game. While the effect could have been cartoonish or slapstick, the nuanced performances of the actors, under the sure-handed guidance of director Maryann Lombardi, turn this theatrical convention into a powerful and moving tool to convey the inner lives and outer struggles of the play’s characters.

As the two move through the various “levels” of the story’s dramatic arc, they make tactical errors in their words and actions that repeatedly lead to the loss of one of their “lives.” As the fatally “wounded” character crumbles to the floor the stage goes red, then black, a voice announces the number of remaining lives, and the action resets as the characters try again to connect to each other or gain favor in the other’s eyes. While at first comical, the stakes involved in the repeated deaths get higher as the narrative tightens. As the action progresses, the actors also gradually humanize their movements and speaking style, mirroring the growth in the relationship between them.

Mr. Lopez and Mr. Mercier beautifully illustrate the love/hate relationship that exists between these two apparent life losers. The crumbling home lives of both characters often provide a dysfunctional common ground. Sal struggles to keep Roddy at arms length, while at the same time succumbing to the basic human need to guide, instruct and comfort. Roddy slavishly thrives on the attention he can squeeze out of Sal, and will resort to any measures, negative or positive, to get a reaction and re-affirm that he at least matters in someone’s eyes. Sal consistently addresses Roddy with the disparaging nickname of Helmet, hence the title. This is either some video game reference or is a swipe at the unkempt halo of hair covering the younger man’s head. I was unsure.

There are many instances, both physical and spoken, which reference very specific video games or gaming elements, and I admit that there were plenty of jokes that I missed due to my relative ignorance of the gaming universe. Even with this handicap, I was completely swept up in the action and invested in the characters and their fates. Kudos go to sound designers Amy Altadonna and Vincent Olivieri (who also composed original music for the play) and lighting designer Robert Strano for transforming a bare stage into an intricate video game universe.

Helmet is an innovative, deeply affecting, and winningly entertaining depiction of the unstoppable human need to connect in a world of technological distraction and isolation.

Written by Douglas Maxwell
Directed by Maryann Lombardi
Sound Design: Amy Altadonna and Vincent Olivieri
Lighting Design: Robert Strano

Featuring Michael Evans Lopez (Sal) and Troy David Mercier (Roddy).

The Player’s Loft Theatre
115 MacDougal Street

Closed: Monday August 19th

Stage Buzz Review by David Pasteelnick

‘Backstage’ declared in 2006 that Michèle Aldin was one of “three Fringe Festival playwrights to watch,” and evidence of that assertion is on display in the current production of The Program, part of the 2007 New York International Fringe Festival. In her current work, Ms. Aldin creates well-rendered characters that inhabit a quirky yet believable world that teeters on the edge of emotional disaster.

A family of salt-of-the-earth Italian-Americans is summarily uprooted from their home in Brooklyn and transplanted to middle-American suburbia as part of a witness protection program when the father, Noah (Kurt Elftmann), turns states evidence in a mafia case. The Bianchino family, now generically named the Dukes, is described in production notes as “the Sopranos moved to Wisteria Lane.” However, the production succeeds more when it resists the temptation to delve into such pop-cultural mimicry.

Across the board, the actors, Wende O’Reilly (mother Priscilla), Mr. Elftmann, Cara Samantha Scherker (daughter Gwen), Ben Sumrall (admirably taking on the dual roles of son Chip and Gwen’s high school crush Sip), and Bruce Barton (Fed Agent ‘Uncle Joe’) are strong. They find complexities and balance in their roles, steering away from the easy laughs of a two-dimensional sit-com style and plumbing the rich opportunities that Aldin has created for them.

For the most part we are treated not to a rehash of My Blue Heaven but a sincere and humorous family melodrama about geographic and emotional dislocation, the eternal power struggle between mothers and teenage daughters, and the toll of trying to be something you aren’t.

It is unfortunately the uneven direction from Elysa Marden that often sabotages the production. To her credit she creates many effective moments, often centered around the family dinner table. Yet here and there she errs on the side of broad comedy, which causes the play to stumble and lose its momentum. Part of the problem may also live in the text. A recurring device uses ‘Uncle Joe’ as the manifestation of the play’s characters within Gwen’s imagination. If that sentence sounds confusing, the concept is even more so when enacted on stage.

Ms. Aldin also ties things up too neatly at the play’s conclusion, somewhat betraying the finely-shaded characters she has worked so hard to create. The ending feels forced and robs the piece of a possibly richer and less pat solution to the central conflict.

Set and light design were functional but unexceptional. However, while the program doesn’t say who to credit, the use of music also was cleverly employed throughout the production.

Note that the criticisms voiced here should be taken with a grain of salt. The purpose of the Fringe Festival is to provide fledgling plays, such as this one, the opportunity to take first flight and perhaps stumble and sputter a bit before they soar. The Program has great potential will hopefully take full wing in a future incarnation.

Written by Michele Aldin
Directed by Elysa Marden
Stage Manager: Mary Beth Ward

Featuring: Bruce Barton (Uncle Joe); Kurt Elftmann (Noah); Wende O’Reilly (Priscilla); Cara Samantha Scherker (Gwen); and Ben Sumrall (Sip and Chip)

The New School for Drama Theater
151 Bank Street

Closed: Monday August 20th