It seems everyone who moves to New York has a story to tell about it. They arrive, wide-eyed and naive, planning to take the city by storm. They usually get their asses handed to them, but in the process learn a lot about "Life" and "Themselves." At least that's what they think.
Every year or two, some fresh-faced, mid-to-late-twenty-something will put together a one-man show (or, God forbid, a cabaret), and pass along five or so years of collected wisdom - having to take a menial job so they can audition, not getting cast in Broadway plays even though they were way more talented than everyone else, hooking up with an endless list of Craiglist tricks, each of whom had a more unusual fetish than the last. At the end of the show, they act as though they've accomplished something amazing and unique by not having given up and moved back home.
Believe me, I've seen a lot of them. And being in my forties, I will admit to just a touch of schadenfreude, knowing what the next decade has in store for most of these kids.
That's why it's refreshing to hear someone a little older, just into his thirties, who actually has something interesting to say about his life in New York, and who is an apt enough writer to create stories that are more than just humorous and entertaining - they actually relate to one another and build a nice dramatic arc.
Dan Horrigan was a fresh-faced young man who moved to New York with the same dreams that many others had. He dealt with apartment snafus, had the requisite insufferable, depressing job, and discovered the anesthetizing comforts of drinking, drugs, and sex. The hook in Dan's story, as the title indicates, is when he finds out about "His AIDS." In fact, what he finds out is that he is HIV+, but he thinks of it and refers to it as a separate entity - his AIDS - an object like a shirt or chair that has a physical presence and influence.
My AiDS really isn't about AIDS, HIV, or living in New York, of course, it's about Horrigan's journey to adulthood. One of the strengths of this play, compared to so many similar ones, is that at the end, Horrigan doesn't claim to have figured everything out or to have learned "The Secret of Life." He's not the man he was. He's not the man he will be. But he's maturing and growing up. And sometimes that's enough.
While Horrigan is a good writer and an amusing and personable storyteller, he is a somewhat limited actor. At his best moments, it's easy to imagine that you're sitting in your friend Dan's living room, having a chat about his life. In these moments, Horrigan is open, relaxed, and fully at ease. The stories flow with a feeling of immediacy. Much of the play, however, Horrigan appears self-conscious and a bit too aware of the reaction he wants or expects from the audience. In fairness, this is Horrigan's first solo show, a difficult endeavor to begin with, and considering that he has spent most of his career as a producer and director, his lack of polish as an actor is forgivable.
One other note about this production of My AiDS, Lighting Designer Zach Blane has done an exemplary job. His lighting design is unobtrusive and nuanced, subtly reinforcing Horrigan's storytelling. Without question Blane is a talented designer worth keeping an eye on.
My AiDS Written and performed by Dan Horrigan Directed by Dave Solomon Producer: Justin Scribner Associate Producer: Laura A. Wright Lighting Designer: Zach Blane Set Designer: Shoko Kambara Assistant Set Designer: Sam Froeschle Press Representative: Shane Marshall Brown Event Coordinator: T.J. Fix Graphic Designer: Jeff Hardy
Urban Stages 259 West 30th Street
Saturdays at 10:30 PM Sundays and Mondays at 7:00 PM
I saw my mom do community theater when I was very young ... I was sitting with my dad in the audience and when I saw my mom take the stage. I recognized her, but she had turned into an old, OLD WOMAN!! I was so freaked out! I started crying and yelling because I just couldn't wrap my 6-year-old brain around the fact that my mom was now older than my grandma. The actors stopped and everyone in the audience watched as my father carried his wailing 6-year-old out of the theater, screaming that "theeeeyyyy turrrrrned Mommmmmmmy into an ollllld ladyyyyyyyy!!". She had to physically come out to calm me at intermisson and show me that the "old" was all done with make-up and wigs and ACTING! It was a revelation for me. People can pretend to be somebody else and a lot of other people will come and watch and be entertained! I was fascinated and HOOKED. My first musical in gradeschool was You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown. I've never stopped performing since.
Who are your biggest influences?
My Mom and Dad. Lucille Ball. Andy Kaufman. Carol Burnett. Steve Martin. Spinal Tap. My dog.
Tell me a little bit about Kill The Band.
Coinciding with the release of our debut album, I wanted to have a bit of a unique "coming out party" for the band and our music. Kill The Band is THE original, rock and roll anti-cabaret. It is an unpredictable, outrageously funny musical experience of both the band’s breakdowns and breakthrough. It's high concept, comedy rock music experienced in a theatrical way. Kill The Band is all the drama and ego that every band experiences throughout their career, smooshed into an hour of hilarious power!
So it was the upcoming album that inspired you to write the show?
I was inspired to write the show from the music I was making over the last year and a half, and the band I was playing it with for the last 6 months. It's very dramatic working with other people in a creative setting ... and funny. I wanted to write about the experience artistic collaboration. It's a constant rotation of power struggles, fighting, falling in love, riding the highs and hating each other.
Who else is in the show with you?
My band (Mike Milazzo, Joe Yoga and Bamboo Silva) play themselves in this show ... well, themselves sort of. I took a lot of artistic license with their personalities and our creative and personal conflicts to up the stakes and add to the comedic value of the show.
What's next for you after FRIGID?
We have a lot of gigs booked as a "regular band" and we all have solo projects as well. I myself am overbooked until the 20th of March, and then I'm going to Belize with my husband for a week for some seriously needed R&R! I am headlining at Austin's LAFF Festival in May and then I'm taking my solo show "Hysteri-Killy"! A One Freak Show! international with a European Tour in August.
And finally, if you could say anything to your potential audience what would it be?
See Kill The Band now while our egos and ticket prices are still reasonable, because we'll be rocketing into super stardom soon and you can say "I saw them back in the day!!"
I started in theatre in high school, as an anti-war demonstrater in a production of Antigone set in the 1960s. Hooked.
Who are your biggest influences?
My biggest influences as a playwright are Tennessee Williams, Harold Pinter, Terrence McNally, and Donald Margulies.
Tell me a little bit about your show.
I'll let the cast tell you about it:
Margo Brooke Pellmar (Jo): Its a love story about chance and timing and defeat and struggle ... and that's just the love between you and you ... then when somebody new is added ... you get this play.
Solomon Shiv (Joe): Two Partners. Each with their own Civil war. That's four sides trying improbably to win. Trying to control the Perfect Mess. Relating to failure. Discovering what was lacking. Somewhere, Time may have figured into the equation and there were some transformative ramifications.
Tamar Pelzig (Teri): Four Quarters describes the journey of one to themselves through a not so simple love story.
Omer Barnea (Terry): The various parts of myself and ourselves are in constant movement with parts that are harmonious and merge well into the other parts, and parts that are kept private and rigid due to our fears. This play is about the fluctuation of love and all of it's inhibitions and a certain triumph of communication despite all fear.
What inspired you to write Four Quarters?
The initial concept of two actors portraying one character came from a friend of mine, Jim Williams. From that, I started exploring the times in my life when I have been two different versions of myself.
Who are your collaborators and how long have you been working with them?
This is the second production of Four Quarters, so the development was primarily done back in 2002 when we were at the Fringe. However, I met Margo at an audition for another show of mine in 2008, loved her work, and showed her this play. She brought in Tamar, Solomon, and Omer and the five of us took off on this incredible journey. The four of them have known each other variously for many years--they all studied at Circle in the Square and were friends prior, Solomon and Tamar live together, and Tamar and Omer have known each other since they were teenagers living in Israel. I'm actually the odd-man-out, which is fabulous.
What's next for you after FRIGID?
Hopefully I'll have another show this year at the Midtown International Theatre Festival. I'm working on a series of three companion one-acts with an old friend who is a professor at Paris Junior College in Paris, Texas. The plan is to develop the three pieces as a single show down there and bring the students up to NYC to perform in the festival.
And finally, if you could say anything to your potential audience, what would it be?
Again, I'll let the cast respond:
Margo Brooke Pellmar (Jo): This is a touching show and we take off our clothes ... The play is open to discussion. Its thoughtful. The gender play is seamless.
Solomon Shiv (Joe): I can't think of any higher honor in theatre than to be part of the kind of play that confuses or engages the hearts 'n' heads of its audience.
Because each actor is playing a SIDE of a flawed human being, characters may be more intense within their opinions, seemingly flat or two-dimensional at the outset. As these 'Sides' or 'Quarters' begin to mingle and collide and affect, the identities begin reflecting our own familiar (and quite wonderous) confusion. Sure characters run an 'arc' in all kinds of stories but there aren't many that go at this way. It is unabashedly lost but not necessarily hopeless.
Tamar Pelzig (Teri): It will make you THINK -- Sometimes it's fun to expand your mind, and not just escape it. We all have conversations with ourselves ... and after watching this show, you might learn to speak to yourself in a much more loving way. The idea in the play is 'outside the box'. and too many shows out there are very much 'inside the box' ... besides, it will make an excellent conversation piece!
Omer Barnea (Terry): They should come if they feel like participating in a real process. It is not often, in my experience, that a true, exploring, curious, brave process is found in theatre. This is the real deal right here. Some guts and raw reality are thrown here in front of you -- some real hardcore unknowns. There are at least five individuals who are taking their sweet ass time to delve into a really good piece of writing and doubt every line of dialogue and syllable in it until life naturally occurs in the rehearsal room. Nothing ever gets done twice here, and this is what art (and life) is all about.
Christopher Heath (playwright, director): This cast. This cast. This cast is the most talented, fearless, raw, hilarious, exciting, open, interesting, hot, intelligent, and fun cast I've ever seen, let alone had the fortune to work with. Come to the show to see these amazing four future stars. You won't be sorry.
Four Quarters Written and directed by Christopher Heath
There are many smaller festivals, however, most of which get larger every year. One of my favorites among these is FRIGID New York. Part of this is because of the time of year - winter. It's one of the only festivals in the city at this time of year, a fact that no doubt helps them stand out. The second reason is that FRIGID New York brings in a diverse and interesting group of plays.
Founded by Horse Trade Theater Group in association with San Francisco's EXIT Theatre in 2007, FRIGID New York takes place in three venues (two of which are housed in the same building - the Kraine Theater and the Red Room - with the third, UNDER St. Marks, being a short walk away. The venues are rather small, and the audience has grown by 20% each year since its inception, so it pays to get tickets early.
Drawing on the Canadian Association of Fringe Festival's principle “to provide all artists, emerging and established, with the opportunity to produce their play no matter the content, form or style and to make the event as affordable and accessible as possible for the members of the community,” FRIGID New York is a mix of styles from traditional theatre to dance to improv to readings. While the phrase "something for everyone" gets bandied about a little too much, it is safe to say that the downtown theatre crowd will find plenty to see at this festival.
Here are a few of the shows that sound intriguing (descriptions provided by FRIGID New York). To see a full list, visit the FRIGID New York website.
The shows with the best titles:
Bonne Nuit Poo Poo - Max, Maxi and the Operator fight for their survival in this action-packed comic-erotic end times fantasy featuring live video stream, text, dance and spectacle. Created by Theatre Reverb with script, video and sound by Kristin Arnesen and Radoslaw Konopka.
Ramblings of a Gentleman Scumbag - Lucky Chengs Balloon man, delusional comic, and man of no God tries to justify 34 years of poor life choices and degeneracy. Profiled in Playgirl, FHM Magazine, Time-Out NY Magazine, John Murdock is not your Father’s balloon man. A straight man in a gay world, a feminist in the sex industry, a ridiculous man in a ridiculous world.
Interesting concepts:
Uncorseted - Destinies of a European countess and a humble American chambermaid collide at the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition. Swords of steel penetrate gender norms, true identities are freely explored, and one man discovers it is better to receive than to give.
Green Man - Gavin, a wounded and delirious soldier is taken in by a mysterious stranger. Nursed by the three women of the household–mother, wife and daughter–Gavin becomes entangled in ancient and deadly game of seduction, transgression and vengeance.
Onomatopoeia! - Onomatopoeia! presents clowning and juggling in a brand new light. Three characters present a collection of short scenes, which explore a single idea through physical theater and object manipulation. As the title suggests the only spoken words in the piece will be onomatopoeias!
One-performer shows:
Fishbowl - Mark Shyzer’s Fishbowl slyly reveals the connections between five outrageously hilarious characters: a nerdy schoolgirl obsessed with physics, a nihilistic teenage hipster, a gin-soaked divorcee, a perky aerobics instructor and an octogenarian with an odd sense of humour… all played by Shyzer.
It or Her - Somewhere between "Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure" and "The Tell-Tale Heart," this provocative dark comedy explores the basement of a suburban home where Andrew has devoted himself unconditionally to his incredible collection of figurines. Suffering the loss of The Red One, he seeks to uncover The Ultimate Arrangement before his hideout is invaded, and his dark secret is revealed.
No Traveler - In a narcissistic attempt to win her family’s attention, Abigail decides to perform the greatest stunt of all- attempted suicide. When her childish venture turns into unexpected reality, Abigail finds herself trapped in purgatory – a warped version of her apartment with two exits. Heaven or Hell. As a result of her foolish mistake, there is atonement and penance to be paid… and time is running out.
Mixed media:
Kill the Band - Kill the Band is the original, comedy rock and roll, anti-cabaret! Coinciding with the release of their first concept album, Kill the Band takes you on a cleverly comedic, musically theatrical trip through the band’s breakdowns and breakthrough.
Medea - Medea, suddenly abandoned by her husband Jason, plots her bloody revenge. A beautiful and heartbreaking staging of Euripides’ 2,400-year-old play about love, broken expectations, passion, violence and what happens when we want too much. An original score and puppetry add an artistic twist to this vibrant translation.
Aurelia and Imago - Bombarded by striking images of outer-space, floating petals, racing cars, and many more; Stark takes us on a journey of birth, life and beyond through her signature movement language combining the genuine with the forced. High energy music sets the tone.
Artists we already like:
LATE NIGHTS WITH THE BOYS: confessions of a leather bar chanteuse - With delightful and poignant tales of a Southern Songstress and her gay family, Alex Bond and David Carson read selections from Ms. Bond’s novel and transport you to Dallas 1977, a magical time before HIV/AIDS, but not before ignorance and prejudice. Read the StageBuzz.com interview with Alex Bond here.
tenderpits - tenderpits tells the part-autobiographical, part-fictionalized story of a young man’s immigration from Canada to New York City- and of his realization that he is, in fact, a wizard. From the creators of ART’S HEART (Winner, Outstanding Solo Show FringeNYC 2009) comes a sick new show about identity, magic and armpits.
And don't forget to check out the latenight Canuck Cabaret hosted by Paul Hutcheson. With a tagline like "Canadians Are Warm, Canadians Are Great Guests, Canadians Are F*%#ing Entertaining," how can it not be good?
The Writers Guild of America presented Tony and Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Edward Albee with the Evelyn F. Burkey Award in Manhattan Feb. 20.
Wednesday, February 24th is Arts Day in Albany. Find out how to get involved here.
Tommy Femia will star in Norma Doesmen, a parody of Sunset Boulevard.
Queens Theatre in the Park and Bristol Riverside Theatre, in association with Neil Berg and Adam Friedson, will present a new production of the award-winning musical revue Closer Than Ever directed by Richard Malty. Jr. and starring original cast members Sally Mayes and Lynne Wintersteller from April 16-25.
Philadelphia Theatre Company announces that two-time Tony Award-nominee and film actress Kathleen Turner will star in the world premiere of Red Hot Patriot: The Kick-Ass Wit of Molly Ivins by Margaret Engel and Allison Engel.
To celebrate the extension of Yisrael Campbell's Circumsize Me, Ben's Deli on W. 38th Street unveiled The Circumsize Me BRIS-ket Sandwich, sliced brisket and cole-slaw on rye bread with a pickle (with the ends cut off, naturally) and chopped liver on the side.
Willard Morgan's Saint Hollywood extends through March 20th.
The Gerald Lynch Theater at John Jay College presents Zombie, an unflinching look into the disturbed mind of a serial killer, written and performed by Bill Connington, adapted from the novella of the same name by Joyce Carol Oates. The show was a big hit at the 2008 FringeNYC Festival.
Karen Finley extends her Kennedy/Obama inspired new work, The Jackie Look, through March 27 at the Laurie Beechman Theater.
Scott Mason, a Dame Edna look-a-like from Delaware, was named the Dame’s Honorary Understudy in All About Me by judges Michael Riedel of the NYPost, NY1’s Frank DiLella and The Village Voice’s Michael Musto. Also on hand were guest judges Michael Feinstein and Dame Edna’s manager Barry Humphries. Judge for yourself.
The Gingold Theatrical Group's Project Shaw St. Patrick's Day Gala is March 17th. Featuring an all-star cast playing all the WRONG roles: KATE BALDWIN · MICHAEL CERVERIS · GEORGE S. IRVING · CHARLOTTE MOORE · KATE MULGREW · JANE POWELL · MICHAEL RIEDEL DIANE STILWELL WEINBERG · TOM VIOLA with irish musicians, songs, dances and larks.
At their March 26th benefit, the Astoria Performing Arts Center will be honoring Assembly Member Michael Gianaris and Jack Rainey, Vice President, Government and Community Banking, TD Bank, for their contributions to the arts and the Astoria community.
The Play Company will bring together some of NYC's top chefs and theater artists for its seventh annual gala CABARET GOURMET 2010 -- a unique evening hosted by Bryan Batt, the beloved Broadway performer and star of the hit television series MAD MEN, with featured performance by Tony-nominee Barbara Walsh and savory and sweet dishes prepared by chefs from several of the city's most celebrated restaurants.
Ma-Yi Theater Company - the Off-Broadway, Obie Award-winning company dedicated to producing new works about the Asian-American experience - will present the world-premiere of Michi Barall's play RESCUE ME (A Post-modern classic with snacks) , an adaptation of Euripides Iphigenia in Taurus. The cast of eight includes the Obie Award-winning actor and playwright David Greenspan (Myopia, She Stoops to Comedy, Boys in the Band), Jennifer Ikeda (Top Girls, Seascape), Julian Barnett, Leon Ingulsrud, Postell Pringle, Paco Tolson, Oni Monifa Reneee Brown and Katherine Partington.
Casting continues for the upcoming Broadway production of Lucy Prebble’s Enron, directed by Rupert Goold. Noah Weisberg, Rightor Doyle, Ian Kahn, Mary Stewart Sullivan, Madisyn Shipman and January Lavoy join the already announced Norbert Leo Butz and Stephen Kunken.
Aaron Louis (Producing Director, 3LD Art & Technology Center) in association with New Georges and The Essentials, will present the world premiere of The Diary of a Teenage Girl, written by Marielle Heller, adapted from the hit graphic novel of the same name by Phoebe Gloeckner, and directed by Sarah Cameron Sunde and Rachel Eckerling in a multi-media production. The cast includes Marielle Heller, Jon Krupp, Michael Laurence, Mariann Mayberry, and Nell Mooney.
Sin, a mystical comedy, based on Isaac Bashevis Singer’s short story “The Unseen,” adapted by Mark Altman, will have it’s world premiere at the Baruch Performing Arts Center’s Rose Nagelberg Theatre.
The Crucible by Arthur Miller is opening at The Gallery Players in Park Slope very soon.
The New York Neo-Futurists' The Soup Show opens on March 4th.
The Amoralists, the company behind The Pied Pipers of the Lower East Side, have announced their new season. On tap are the world premiere of Happy In The Poorhouse, written and directed by Derek Ahonen, the Off-Broadway premiere of Amerissiah, written and directed by Derek Ahonen, and the New York premiere of Ghosts in the Cottonwoods, written and directed by Obie Award-winner Adam Rapp.
What if Shakespeare wrote The Big Lebowski? Well, The Two Gentlemen of Lebowski has sold out it's entire run, so unless you have a ticket, you may never know.
Tony Award winner Betty Buckley has joined the cast of the new Off-Broadway comedy White's Lies, which begins previews at New World Stages March 22. She joins a cast that includes the previously reported Scott Patterson, Peter Scolari, Christy Carlson Romano, Rena Strober and Jimmy Ray Bennett. Producers of the Ben Andron play, which officially opens April 12, are Aaron Grant, Jana Robbins, Jeremy Handelman; Bob Cline directs.
The Rodgers and Hammerstein Organization has announced the Christmas 2010 release of "The Sound of Music" on Blu-ray, which will include bonus and interactive material.
I've been a fan of Betty Buckley for years. "Eight is Enough"? Loved her. "Carrie"? Great. "Oz"? Terrific. "The Happening"? Best thing in the movie.
So you're saying, that's not really much of a confession.
Well, here it is. I'd never really heard her sing. I missed her Broadway shows, and I don't have any of the cast albums. I've never made it to one of her cabarets. So Betty Buckley the actress? Love her. Betty Buckley the Broadway diva? Can't really say.
That's why I was excited to see her new cabaret act For the Love of Broadway! at Feinstein's at Loews Regency. In this show, the title of which was chosen by a fan submission contest on Twitter, Ms. Buckley responds to fan requests that she perform more Broadway material and a little less jazz.
What she comes up with is a wonderful mix of classic and modern Broadway, from Rodgers & Hammerstein to Robert Lopez and Jeff Marx of Avenue Q. And she nails these songs. She brings her amazing intensity to pieces like Jacques Brel and Rod McKuen's "If You Go Away" and "Come to Me, Bend to Me/This Nearly Was Mine," combining the Lerner & Loewe and Rodgers & Hammerstein classics. But she's equally at ease showing her puckish side with "You've Got Possibilities" from Charles Strouse and Lee Adams' It's a Bird... It's a Plane... It's Superman (which involved audience participation), and with the marvelously amusing "When I Belt," written by John McDaniel and Eric Kornfeld specifically for this show.
As expected, Ms. Buckley is a brilliant and nuanced singer. What amazes me most, however, is just how well she connects with her audience. While I know it wasn't the case, I felt as if she were singing the entire show directly to me. I imagine most of the audience felt the same way. It's not just because Feinstein's is an intimate space; Ms. Buckley is just that aware of the house.
The next generation of cabaret performers should get tickets immediately; it will be like a master class on performance. Everyone else should go just because it's a great evening with a very talented performer, featuring songs you know and love.
For the Love of Broadway Performed by Betty Buckley Music director/arranger: Kenny Werner Musicians: Tony Marino (bass), Billy Drewes (reeds and percussion)
Feinstein's at Loews Regency 540 Park Avenue
Tuesdays through Thursdays - 8:30PM Fridays and Saturdays - 8 PM and 10:30 PM
Lots of shows opening this week, thanks to FRIGID New York. Also a number of "one night only" events. Take your pick. There's no reason to spend another night in front of the TV.
Monday, Feb. 22 Broadway Backwards 5 - Never underestimate the power of a pronoun! With women singing men’s songs and men singing women’s – and the original pronouns intact – a song can mean something entirely new. Featuring host Florence Henderson, Nick Adams (A Chorus Line), Martine Allard (The Tap Dance Kid, Tony Award nom.), Dan Butler (NBC’s "Frasier", The Only Thing Worse…), Gary Beach (The Producers, Tony Award), Tituss Burgess (Guys and Dolls), Mario Cantone ("Sex and the City", Laugh Whore), Len Cariou (Sweeney Todd, Tony Award), Robert Cuccioli (Jeckyll & Hyde, Tony Award nom.), Raul Esparza (Company, 4-time Tony Award nom.), Tony Goldwyn ("Ghost", Promises, Promises), Ann Harada (Avenue Q, 9 to 5), Hunter Ryan Herdlicka (A Little Night Music), Aaron Lazar (A Little Night Music, The Light in the Piazza), Michele Lee (Seesaw, How to Succeed…, 2-time Tony Award nom.), Julia Murney (The Wild Party, Wicked), Becki Newton (ABC’s "Ugly Betty", Girl Crazy at Encores!), Tonya Pinkins (Caroline or Change, Jelly’s Last Jam, Tony Award), Lee Roy Reams (42nd Street, Tony Award nom.), Seth Rudetsky (The Ritz, Sirius Radio, Broadway Chatterbox), Lea Salonga (Miss Saigon, Tony Award), Douglas Sills (The Scarlet Pimpernel, Tony Award nom.), Bruce Vilanch (Hairspray), and over 50 Broadway singers & dancers.
Featuring Performances by F. Murray Abraham, Chuck Cooper and other stars from Finian's Rainbow, Tammy Grimes (accompanied by David Lewis), Phoebe Legere, Romulus Linney, Marian Seldes, Elaine Stritch, Betsy von Furstenberg, Eli Wallach and Anne Jackson, and Tango Dancers Anna Amadei and Daniel Fetecua-Soto.
Broadway by the Year kicks off its 10th anniversary season with Broadway Musicals of 1927 starring Marc Kudisch, Kate Baldwin, Christine Noll, Christopher Fitzgerald, Chad Kimball, Noah Racey, Jeffry Denman, and Alexander Gemignani.
If you find yourself in Glendale, CA, drop by the Alex Theatre to see a one-night-only production of High Spirits, Hugh Martin and Timothy Gray's rarely produced musical version of Noel Coward's Blithe Spirit.
YANK! A World War II Love Story, opens at the York Theatre. Music by Joseph Zellnik, Book and Lyrics by David Zellnik. Featuring Nancy Anderson (Wonderful Town), Jeffry Denman (White Christmas), Ivan Hernandez (Romantic Poetry), Bobby Steggert (Ragtime), and Andrew Durand (Spring Awakening), Zak Edwards (No No Nanette at Encores!), Todd Faulkner (PBS' "Wordscape"), Denis Lambert (A Chorus Line), Joseph Medeiros (Guys and Dolls), David Perlman (Calvin Berger), Christopher Ruth (Happy Days: The Musical), and Tally Sessions (South Pacific).
Thursday, Feb. 25 SIGNS OF LIFE: A Tale of Terezin, book by Peter Ullian, lyrics by Len Schiff, and music by Joel Derfner (Amas Musical Theatre in association with Snap-Two Productions)
Drag theatre company Shim Mamsir Productions presents it's inaugural outing - She'll Be Dying at the Bowery Poetry Club. This is the first in a series of wholly unauthorized staged readings of plays, films,TV movies, sitcoms and after school specials -- all presented with a drag twist. The reading stars high-voltage drag talents Sweetie, Mimi Imfurst, Bianca DelRio, Bianca Leigh, Lavinia Co-op and Dallas Dubois.
Saturday, Feb. 27 pornStar by Chris Craddock (Fancy Molasses and FRIGID New York 2010 - The Red Room)
THE SAME SEX-TACULAR! featuring John Flynn, Michael Hartney, Marcus Bishop-Wright, Tim Dunn, Shayna Ferm, Jeff Hiller, Corey Johnson, Kate McKinnon, Megan Neuringer at the Upright Citizen's Brigade Theatre
Sunday, Feb. 28 As part of their Matt Crowley reading series, The Transport Group presents The Men from the Boys (Crowley's follow up to The Boys in the Band). One night only.
The Off Broadway Alliance will hold the first in a series of planned seminars focusing on the culture, business and history of Off Broadway theater. The seminar, titled "The Bad Boys of Off Broadway", will feature playwrights Adam Rapp (Red Light Winter, Stone Cold Dead Serious, Essential Self-Defense) and Christopher Shinn (Dying City, Now Or Later, What Didn't Happen) and participants to be named. David Cote, theatre editor and chief drama critic for Time Out New York, will serve as moderator.
Leonard Jacobs at The Clyde Fitch Report has a great article about Christopher Carter Sanderson, the founding artistic and producing director of Gorilla Repertory Theatre of Gorilla Repertory Theatre, who is auctioning his arm (just to be tattooed, that is) for $5,000,000 on eBay. The money will go toward producing all of Shakespeare's acknowledged plays in 2012. You can bid here, if you have several million lying around. Leonard also has an interview with Najla Said.
Chris Caggiano finally makes it to the Winter Garden Theater. But does he like what he finds there?
Award-winning playwright Gabrielle Fox has had her plays produced throughout New York City, and in Westchester, Putnam, and Orange Counties. Theatres include the American Theatre of Actors, Baruch Performing Arts Center, Where Eagles Dare Studios and the Axial Theatre. One of her plays was recently made into a film and is currently in post-production. She has recently taken up directing as well. Gaby is a member of Polaris North and the Dramatists Guild.
What was your first theatrical experience and how was it?
My mother is an actress and I grew up running lines with her and sitting in on rehearsals and fell in love with the process and the rhythms of the dialogue, the importance of the words. Sitting in the bleachers of the Jones Beach Theatre during rehearsals of The Music Man felt like my own private performance and I loved being part of that world. I tried acting here and there, (most recently a zombie extra in a failed TV pilot - I make a mean zombie!), but I’ve always been more comfortable behind the scenes creating the world for the characters rather than living in those worlds. Growing up in Westchester in a school that brought us to the theatre almost every year was also wonderful. The music of A Chorus Line still gives me chills!
What is your theatrical background?
My training in the theatre has been mostly hands on. I’ve studied with Tony Howarth at the Axial Theatre in Westchester for years. He’s taught me the importance of how to both give and receive criticism. How to recognize the feedback that rings true to the vision of the story and characters and what doesn’t. I’ve also taken acting classes so that I can understand a character from the actors’ perspective and to understand what they might be looking for from the playwright. Nothing beats learning on the job. Working with directors and actors and watching the play grow through collaboration is magical (most times!). There are many times when the director and actors have added so much to the play that I forget that it was once mine. For me, it’s been really important to see theatre, read plays and learn and be inspired by them. There is nothing, absolutely nothing like live theatre.
Tell me a little bit about your plays. Where do you get your inspiration as a writer?
I don’t really look for inspiration, usually I’ll hear a bit of dialogue or come across a setting that I think would be interesting on the stage or an interesting situation for characters to live in. It usually starts with a very simple idea or action and then the characters take over; they dictate the play and its direction. If they don’t, it’s not working, and I’ll move on to the next idea. When I start writing a play, it is rarely from the beginning. The play always seems to start in the middle and I have to work my way to the beginning and the end. I don’t try to focus on themes, or style but I’ve been told that my plays are character driven, usually touch on the themes of loneliness and involve the struggle to connect. The most important plays that I’ve seen or read have impacted me on a gut level and that’s what I strive for in my work.
What are the best and worst things about working in theatre in New York?
I love, love, love New York. There is so much theatre everywhere and the energy is contagious. There is such an enormous number of talented people to work with and learn from that it is never boring. The worst part is that it’s so easy to get lost in the shuffle and trying to get produced can be a roller coaster but it’s the best roller coaster ride there is!
If you could send some advice back in time to yourself in high school or college, what would it be?
What are you waiting for! Do it now! Oh and my favorite quote “Be bold and mighty forces will come to your aid.”
I understand you'll have a show in this year's Planet Connections Theater Festivity. Tell me a little something about the play.
Yes! I was accepted into the Planet Connections Theatre Festivity. I’ll be presenting Fox Tales: An Evening of One Act Plays. It will include my one acts THE GRAVEYARD SHIFT, WINFLUENCE, and GOOD FRIDAY. This is something I’ve wanted to do for awhile and I’ll be working with a wonderful cast and director. The festival will begin in June and Fox Tales will have 6 performances (dates TBD) I can’t wait for these characters to be together all in one place. Each play has 2 characters each and they come from very different worlds and find they have more than they realized in common. The settings for each play couldn’t be more different - a graveyard, an office, and a Christian theme park. Should be fun!
What's else is on tap for you in 2010?
I started off the year with DARCY & DUKE in the Short Play Lab at Where Eagles Dare Studios. This March, my play SISTERS FOR LIFE will be presented at Westchester Community College as part of Women’s History Month and will kick off a panel discussion with presenters and students. And hopefully lots more. I’m putting the finishing touches on a full length version of THE TALK and THE BROWNSTONE and hope to have staged readings of them both in the near future.
Want to find out more about Gaby Fox? Send her an e-mail to join her mailing list. She'll keep you up-to-date on her theatrical adventures.
By Byrne Harrison Photos provided by Kampfire Films PR Leather bar chanteuse photo by John Walker
Alex Bond is an actress, writer, and comedienne whose favorite roles include - Off-Broadway: Clara, Chi Chi & Marie in Flamingo Court (Off-Broadway); Regional: Betty in The Foreigner (a role originated by her aunt, Sudie Bond), Kate in Sylvia, and Amanda in Private Lives. She adds that national commercials have been a nice source of income from time to time.
Cabaret work in Dallas, TX in the late 70’s was the inspiration for her novel “LATE NIGHTS WITH THE BOYS: confessions of a leather bar chanteuse." The book honors those days and the marvelous men who became her “Dallas family of friends.”
Ms. Bond had her essay about surviving two skull fractures published in the Nov/Dec 2006 issue of the "Hastings Center Report." It is entitled "Where No One Can Lead You." Ms. Bond is proud to be a TBI survivor.
Ms. Bond is a member of AEA, SAG, AFTRA, IATSE 764 and the Dramatists Guild.
She resides in New Jersey with her husband.
You have a fascinating resume, including stand-up, cabaret, film, TV and theatre. When did you first get involved in the performing arts and what was your first love?
The good thing about pushing sixty is that you have been around long enough, and perhaps lucky enough, to try out most areas of Show Biz. My journey began in Louisville, KY when I was three years old. I would sit in front of the TV set (a fairly new invention) and watch a pas-de-deux on the Bell Telephone Hour and say “I’m gonna be a ballerina” with my decidedly Southern accent. Music always has inspired me to move or sing or write. So dance was my first love. I was fortunate to have a mother who treated me to piano lessons and ballet class. When I was twelve years old I worked on losing that accent, and I did my first school play. I played Howay in Mrs. McThing, a Mary Chase play. I was the male lead (I went to an all-girls school). As I exited after my first scene, I got exit applause. I was shocked and thrilled, and I got teary-eyed as I grabbed onto the newel post at the top of the stairs to the back stage area. The prompter asked if I was okay, and I replied, “I’ve never been better!” and I walked back out on stage for my next scene. The acting bug bit me at that very moment, and its venom has been coursing through my veins ever since. As I have aged, and some areas of the biz have become less penetrable, I have found other fascinating areas in which I can create. I have been blessed with a loving husband (coming up on our 25th anniversary) who has encouraged me to try “everything”: writing, singing, acting, stand-up. I’m one lucky Ole Broad!
What is your professional background?
From the time I graduated college I considered acting to be my profession. There are so many wonderful teachers, mentors, colleagues, friends who have added to my professional and personal life. I studied acting with Michael Howard, to whom I am extremely grateful. I am still finding “aha” moments from his tutelage. He taught me to observe, to be still and watch and listen. It is still a favorite exercise.
Tell me something about your play "LOPSIDED," about 8 breast cancer survivors. What inspired you to write it?
I wrote “LOPSIDED” in 2001, shortly after 9-11. As all of us were, I was shaken by the event and moved by the strength New Yorkers showed in its wake. It was also a time when breast cancer awareness was more in national focus. I was inspired by the power of support groups which give us strength when life seems so dark. A friend asked me to create a fund-raiser event for Hackensack University Medical Center Breast Cancer Awareness, and I wrote a series of monologues for various characters. I placed those characters in a former firehouse basement in NYC and “LOPSIDED” emerged. I collaborated with Steven Yuhasz, the marvelous director, and produced the play at ATA on 54th Street. The play is dedicated to my Aunt Sudie who was a breast cancer survivor.
David Carson and you will be doing readings from your book, "LATE NIGHTS WITH THE BOYS: confessions of a leather bar chanteuse," at this year's FRIGID New York Festival. Tell me a little something about the book and the show.
Imagine Armistead Maupin and Fannie Flagg swapping stories ala Gurney’s Love Letters with a bit of Spalding Gray thrown in.
But to be clear, we are not a show. We are a book reading. And I might add, that can be an art form in and of itself. David brings his wonderful presence to my tales of Dallas, 1977 as we transport our listeners to a wild and magical time before AIDS, but not before ignorance and prejudice.
LATE NIGHTS WITH THE BOYS was a Selection at the 2009 Fresh Fruit Festival, Winner 2008 Best Literary Staging Award (San Francisco Fringe Festival), and Winner 2007 Producer’s Pick Award (DFW Fringe Festival).
Do you have any words of advice for students who are planning a career in theatre?
Honor your friendships; think balance; work hard; take care of your instrument; be generous on stage and off.
Be respectful of everyone on a show: actors, writers, directors, producers, designers, stagehands, wardrobe, ushers, musicians, doormen/women, box office, custodial staff, vendors; they are all part of the team that makes theatre magic. (I know this because I have worn most of those hats during my life in the theatre.)
What else do you have planned for 2010?
After the book readings for the FRIGID I will be portraying the role of Susie in the world premiere of a new play by David Stallings entitled BARRIER ISLAND from April 30-May 22, 2010 at Center Stage on 21st Street. The play will be directed by Cristina Alicea and produced by MTWorks. And as a bonus for me, David Carson will be playing my husband, the character of Nate, in that production. After May 2010, only the theatre gods know!
To find out more about Alex and LATE NIGHTS WITH THE BOYS: confessions of a leather bar chanteuse, visit her website or the LATE NIGHTS WITH THE BOYS site.
By Byrne Harrison Photo provided by Duncan Pflaster
Duncan Pflaster is a multi-award-winning playwright who has been doing theatre in NYC for 11 years, most famously his Big Epic Naked Shakespearean Fairy Tale Play Prince Trevor Amongst the Elephants. He also writes music, plays ukulele, and (occasionally, if his arm is twisted) acts.
When did you first get involved in theatre? I grew up in South Florida; my mother Grace was a local actress and was instrumental in my first involvement in theatre. The first real play I did was at age 6, a production with Royal Palm Children’s Theatre of Winnie-the-Pooh, in which I played Christopher Robin. I was the youngest member of the cast—all the actors playing my stuffed animals were college-age or older.
What is your theatrical background? For a long time I thought I would be a professional actor. I studied acting at New World School of the Arts in Miami, with Carol Cadby and David Kwiat as my main teachers (and took my only playwriting class, taught by Eric Bedenbaugh); I was kicked out after a year—they told me I’d never be an actor if I stayed at the school. I went on to Florida Atlantic University, where I had the opportunity of a wonderful class taught by Visiting Eminent Scholar Zoe Caldwell, whom I can’t credit enough with my understanding of text and how actors relate to it. I wrote my first full-length play as a joke—in the mid-90s, I was acting pretty consistently at Florida Playwrights' Theatre in Hollywood, FL, and one night, while drinking after a show, a friend said, "Wouldn't it be funny to do a drag queen Alice in Wonderland?" and a year later I finished Wilder and Wilder and it went onstage almost immediately at FPT (with me as The Queen of Hearts), first as a late-nite show, then when there were problems with the mainstage show which had to close, my play ran at 8pm for a couple of weekends. I try not to act much these days (I very rarely consider auditioning- I'm tempted by Sondheim musicals, clown roles in Shakespeare, and sometimes my friends’ plays) since it’s so hard to work 9-5, rehearse in the evenings, and still find time to do the writing that I consider my true vocation. I really don’t have much training in writing plays (aside from simply writing and producing them), so it’s ironic that it’s become my main focus.
What is your best theatrical memory? I’d have to go with the production of Prince Trevor Amongst the Elephants that I wrote and directed in the Midtown International Theatre Festival in 2008. A spectacular cast of 12 who were all good and nice people on top of it. Show was great, we got some great reviews (as well some of the worst reviews of my life), and were nominated for nine MITF awards, eventually winning three: Outstanding Production, Outstanding Comedy Script, and Outstanding Lead Actor (Carlos Rafael Fernandez, who played Prince Trevor). Such a joy.
What are the best and worst things about working in theatre in New York? Best: The amount of amazing talent there is available to work with; I keep meeting wonderful performers I want to cast in my plays. Worst: The number of competing productions makes it very easy for a play to get lost in the crowd.
Do you have any advice for students who are planning a career in theatre? To be cynical for a moment: find a school that has a “mafia” in New York. So much of NYC theatre is not a meritocracy; it’s based on luck and who you know. Often people will give a leg up to folks who went to the same school, so it’s a good idea to make one’s own luck and stack the deck in your favor. Non-cynical answer: Learn as much as you can about all aspects of theatre, not just the element that’s your focus. If you can essentially put up a play on your own, you're in a great position to work; you never know what you might be called upon to do (and maybe get paid for!).
What's next for you in 2010? I'll be doing my 10-minute play (they kiss) in the February 26-27 Short Play Lab at Where Eagles Dare, curated by Jonathan Wallace (The Play Plays- all plays about the experience of doing theatre), and then in March I'll be doing a few short plays at the Digable Arts Festival in Jersey City. After that, a few things are tentatively scheduled, pending official confirmation- I’ll be adapting and directing a production of Shakespeare’s Timon of Athens for Howling Moon Cab Company, starring Clara Barton Green in the titular role, this Spring. I hope to have new plays in both Planet Connections Theatre Festivity (The Thyme of the Season, my sequel to A Midsummer Night’s Dream) and the Midtown International Theatre Festival (The Starship Astrov: Chekhov in Outer Space!) this Summer.
Presented as part of the Short Subjects (continued) project at Where Eagles Dare, an outgrowth of the Short Subjects in the Midtown International Theatre Festival, Gabrielle Fox tackles some weighty topics in her play The Talk.
The play centers on a couple, David (Paul Geiger) and Michelle (Pilar Witherspoon), their son, Jake (Evan Robert Smith), and David's best friend, Marty (Michael Boothroyd). David and Michelle are merely going through the motions of their marriage, and each blames the other - David no longer seems interested in Michelle, Michelle is too busy with her job. Of course, the truth is deeper than that, which Jake discovers when he catches David and Marty during a tryst at the house.
Michelle is devastated and vows to keep Jake away from David by any means necessary. She also forbids Marty from seeing her son, although he has been like a third parent to Jake, filling in for Michelle and David when they've been too busy for their son. In order to make this happen, she embarks on a scorched earth campaign against David, making vile public accusations against him.
As would be expected from an incubator series called Short Subjects, The Talk is a very short piece, however playwright Gabrielle Fox has written a surprisingly tight play. Although she ties up all the loose ends into a satisfying ending that provides a strong message about individual needs versus the needs of a family, the play seems rushed. Fox has taken on a number of challenging topics - sexuality, infidelity, revenge, and childhood trauma, to name but a few - that seem somewhat too tightly packed in her short play. While I often lament the number of plays where the playwrights seem to drag out topics that don't justify full-length treatment, Fox's play could easily be expanded and some of the topics explored in depth. In addition, a longer format would allow better development of the relationships between the characters, specifically the triangle involving David, Michelle, and Marty. Of the three, Michelle is the most fully realized character; a little fleshing out would benefit David and Marty.
Troy Miller's direction is adequate, though not up to his usual high standards. He seems to have given his actors more rein than normal, and though Witherspoon is up to the challenge, the others at times falter, not allowing certain scenes to have the full emotional impact that they should. Overall, however, the production has more strengths than weaknesses, and I'm sure we will be seeing The Talk again in the future.
It's encouraging to see the types of work that John Chatterton Presents, Inc., is bringing to stage. The Talk is exactly the type of timely and though-provoking work that should be getting produced.
The Talk Written by Gabrielle Fox Directed by Troy Miller Stage Manager: Jason Xaysittiphone
Featuring: Paul Geiger (David), Pilar Witherspoon (Michelle), Michael Boothroyd (Marty), Evan Robert Smith (Jake), Rich Flight (Ray)
Where Eagles Dare Studios 347 W. 36th St., 13th Floor
Friday, November 13 - 9 PM Saturday, November 14 - 7 PM Sunday, November 15 - 3 PM Friday, November 20 - 7 PM Saturday, November 21 - 7 PM
Two minor characters playing a small, albeit important part in the story of Hamlet - Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. We know them as schoolmates of Hamlet, somewhat interchangeable courtiers, and spies brought to court by Hamlet's uncle Claudius. Tom Stoppard brings them front and center in Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, and while it's easy to describe the play as the story of Hamlet as told from the point of view of these two minor characters, it is so much more than that. Stoppard's play is a meditation on the nature of life and each person's place in it. Is there a purpose to our daily struggle? Are we merely minor players whose lives are guided by others? Or is it all chance, with no rhyme or reason?
Eric Percival (Rosencrantz) and Julian Elfer (Guildenstern) make a winning team as the bemused courtiers. Percival's Rosencrantz seem constantly bewildered as he tries to comprehend the situation he finds himself in. Elfer's Guildenstern wants to make sense of what is happening around him, but finds himself unable to do so. Rounding out the major players is Erik Jonsun, who does a terrific turn as The Player, the leader of the band of tragedians who will eventually perform "The Murder of Gonzago" for Claudius and the court - the play wherein Hamlet catches the conscience of the king. While the rest of the cast does an excellent job, the play truly crackles when Jonsun's Player is involved.
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead features strong direction by Cat Parker, who makes great use of George Allison's elegantly understated set. Played in the round, Parker utilizes the entire space, often surrounding the audience with players, effectively incorporating them into the production.
Other production elements are well done, including Eric Cope's lighting design, Andy Cohen's sound, and especially Karen Ledger's excellent costume design.
T. Schreiber Studio once again does what it does best - producing outstanding performances of challenging and entertaining plays.
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead Written by Tom Stoppard Directed by Cat Parker Scenic Designer: George Allison Costume Designer: Karen Ledger Lighting Designer: Eric Cope Sounds Designer: Andy Cohen Dialect/Vocal Coach: Page Clements Fight Choreographer: Michael Hagins Technical Director: Mark Chieda Dramaturge/Assistant Director: Cristina Lundy Stage Manager: Michael Denis Production Coordinator: Barbara Kielhofer Production Assistant: Oliver Sterlacci Publicist: Lanie Zipoy
Featuring: Eric Percival (Rosencrantz), Julian Elfer (Guildenstern), Erik Jonsun (The Player), Tim Weinert (Hamlet), Doug Williford (Claudius), Tootie Larios (Gertrude), Marguerite Forrest (Ophelia), Tom Lawson, Jr. (Polonius), Esteban Benito (Tragedian), Meghan Brown (Tragedian), Horacio Lazo (Tragedian), James O'Brien (Tragedian), Janine L. Pangburn (Tragedian), Diane Terrusa (Tragedian), Aki Tsuchimoto (Tragedian), Therese Tucker (Tragedian), Rodney Allen Umble (Tragedian)
T. Schreiber Studio 151 West 26th Street, 7th Floor
October 15 - November 22, 2009 Thursday through Saturday at 8 PM Sunday matinees at 3 PM
Just in time for Halloween, the Blood Brothers are back with a new evening of horror. After their most recent two shows featuring their take on pulp/noir and the works of Stephen King, their 2009 show returns to the Grand Guignol roots of the original 2006 production that started off this series. The New Guignol rips its terror from the headlines and reminds us that the scariest thing that we can encounter is other people, not the supernatural horrors and bogeymen that are the creations of our own imaginations.
Using real stories as their jumping off point, and proving it by showing copies of the newspaper articles from which they are drawn, The New Guignol presents tales of incest, beheadings (two, in fact), obsession, jealousy . . . well, all the things the Blood Brothers thrive on.
Featuring short plays by Danny Bowes, James Comtois, and Mac Rogers, The New Guignol returns to its Grand Guignol roots by focusing on the gore and savagery of the stories. This takes the form of incestuous rape, the aforementioned beheadings, cannibalism, and the usual brain spatters and gory knifings that we've come to expect from these shows. I will admit, though, that despite the subject matter, this year's production seemed rather less bloody than the previous ones. Ghoulish as it sounds, I wanted a lot more blood, not merely for the shock value, but for the opportunity to admire the special effects. That's not to say that Stephanie Cox-Williams skimped in her special effects design work this year (for the record, the effects were very well done - especially a rather gruesome C-section), it's just that there could have been a lot more of it.
The strongest play of the evening is Biological Mother by Mac Rogers. This tight, well-acted play about a young man seeking his birth mother, and the terrible secrets he unearths, is the most solid of the evening's shows. It features taut direction by Pete Boisvert and some strong performances, particularly Cotton Wright, Jessi Gotta and Marsha Martinez. Among the other strong performances are Becky Byers and Robert Leeds in James Comtois' A Room With No View and Jessi Gotta again in Comtois' creepy The Itch.
Overall, some of the best moments of the show (and this is true of the previous Blood Brothers productions, as well) are those featuring Pete Boisvert and Patrick Shearer as the ghoulish Blood Brothers. Shearer excels as the erudite and well-spoken sociopath, oozing charm and menace. Boisvert's strength is in playing the more bestial brother in a way that inspires both laughs and fear.
As with the best horror, there has to be a little bit of a twist to shake things up a bit. In The New Guignol, the twist involves incorporating the audience into the show. It's not something so mundane as audience interaction; that's not really the Blood Brothers' style. But this clever and chilling "There but for the grace of God go I" moment, ends the evening on a decidedly creepy note.
The Blood Brothers Present . . . The New Guignol Written by: Danny Bowes (Steve, Nothing We Can Do), James Comtois (A Room With No View, The Itch, Dominique), Mac Rogers (An Introduction to the New Guignol, On This Bus Forever, Biological Mother) Directed by: Pete Boisvert (An Introduction to the New Guignol, Biological Mother), Patrick Shearer (An Introduction to the New Guignol, Nothing We Can Do, On This Bus Forever), Abe Goldfarb (A Room With No View), Matt Johnston (The Itch), Stephanie Cox-Williams (Steve), Rebecca Comtois (Dominique) Stage Managers: Stephanie Cox-Williams and Dana Rossi Costume Designer: Sarah Riffle Costume Designer (A Room With No View): Madame Rosebud Lighting Designer: Daniel Winters Makeup Designer: Leslie Hughes Scenic Designer: Arnold Bueso Sound Designer: Patrick Shearer Special Effects Designer: Stephanie Cox-Williams Fight Choreography: Stephanie Cox-Williams and Patrick Shearer Original Music: Larry Lees Press Agent: James Comtois Graphic Production: Pete Boisvert Video Production: Marc Landers Program Editor: Dana Rossi Producers: Pete Boisvert, James Comtois, Rebecca Comtois, Stephanie Cox-Williams, Patrick Shearer
Featuring: Ryan Andes (Lee, Young Man), Becky Byers (Elisabeth, Passenger 2), Rebecca Comtois (Joyce, Woman), Jessi Gotta (Gail Woman), Stephen Hesket (Toby, Nurse 1), Robert Leeds (Josef, Voice, Passenger 2), Marsha Martinez (Shannon, Young Woman, Nurse), Ben VandenBoom (Solider, Nurse, Cop), Cotton Wright (Andrea, Doctor)
The Brick Theater 575 Metropolitan Avenue Williamsburg, Brooklyn
While Horrigan is a good writer and an amusing and personable storyteller, he is a somewhat limited actor. At his best moments, it's easy to imagine that you're sitting in your friend Dan's living room, having a chat about his life. In these moments, Horrigan is open, relaxed, and fully at ease. The stories flow with a feeling of immediacy. Much of the play, however, Horrigan appears self-conscious and a bit too aware of the reaction he wants or expects from the audience. In fairness, this is Horrigan's first solo show, a difficult endeavor to begin with, and considering that he has spent most of his career as a producer and director, his lack of polish as an actor is forgivable.
