Review - The Adventures of Alvin Sputnik: Deep Sea Explorer (terraNOVA Collective and Weeping Spoon Productions and the undergroundzero festival)

By Byrne Harrison

Is it odd to call a play set in a post-apocalyptic world charming and delightful? Probably so, but be that as it may, The Adventures of Alvin Sputnik: Deep Sea Explorer is a charming and delightful modern fable. While it deals with environmental issues, Alvin Sputnik is mostly a story about love and sacrifice.

Alvin and his wife are among the few survivors left after global warming floods the entire planet. After his wife dies of a fever, Alvin sees her soul descend into the ocean. Unable to follow her, he fears that he is doomed to a life of loneliness. That's when he hears the call from Earth HQ. They will be launching a mission to find a hidden paradise under the sea, man's last hope for continued existence, and the man who can find it will be a hero. Like Orpheus, Alvin descends into the watery underworld to find his lost wife and mankind's future.

Tim Watts is a gifted performer, and Alvin Sputnik draws on his many skills as an actor, musician, animator, and puppeteer. Through this multi-media creation, Watts brings to life an undersea world full of delights and dangers, sacrifice and reunion. More than that, he has created a play that is wistful, amusing and inspirational. Though much of the play is non-verbal (who can talk at the bottom of the ocean?), this fascinating play and its charming leading man easily draw the audience in and keep them rapt until the play's lovely and satisfying end.

Anthony Watts, Tim's father, built the many sets and gadgets used in the show, much of which was created to complement Tim's animation. The elder Watts is an engineer, and his skill and ingenuity is obvious. Mat Cheethum's sound design is excellent, strengthening this already well-done show.

Alvin Sputnik is a beautiful, touching and inspiring piece of theatre and should be on everybody's must see list for the undergroundzero festival. To give you a taste of what the show is like, I've included a short video montage below from an earlier incarnation of the play.

The Adventures of Alvin Sputnik: Deep Sea Explorer
Creator, Performer, Animator: Tim Watts
Collaborator/Tour Manager: Arielle Gray
Set and Gadget Construction: Anthony Watts
Sound Design: Mat Cheethum

P.S. 122
150 1st Avenue
Upstairs Venue

July 7 - 7pm
July 8 - 9pm
July 9 - 7pm
July 10 - 7pm
July 11 - 3pm

5 Questions With undergroundzero Participant Tim Watts

By Byrne Harrison

Name: Tim Watts
Show: The Adventures of Alvin Sputnik: Deep Sea Explorer
Relationship to play: Creator and performer

Tim Watts is a performer, deviser, director, producer, puppeteer and animator. He is a member of “Weeping Spoon Productions”, an international multi-award winning independent theatre company based in Perth, Western Australia. He has performed/devised/directed theatre and participated in various workshops all around the world with leading theatre practitioners/companies including Marek Bečka (Prague), Jean-Guy Lecat (Paris), Complicite (London), and Dell'Arte International (USA). His most recent credits include, Deathtrap (PICA, Perth) The World Inspite of Itself (China), Red Lashes (UNIMA 2008, Perth), Greed (Canada Fringe), Hope is the saddest (Brisbane Festival), Duck Duck Goose (The Blue Room, Perth), Oscar (Perth) and Heart of Gold (PICA,Perth).

First of all, it's great to see you back in New York with Alvin Sputnik. How does it feel to bring the show back to a new festival? And what do you hope to bring to the new production?

It is great to be back in New York. I really love this city, and it is great to bring the show back to a new festival. Its a chance to meet new people, and be apart of such a strong Off-Off Broadway theatre scene. There are so many talented artists living in this city, and it is fantastic to be submerged into that theatre culture, even if only for a week. I have improved and tweeked the show since last year, and i am keen to get more feedback on it so that i can continue to tweek and improve it over the years.

It seems the news on the environmental front seems to be getting worse and worse. Do you think people will ever learn from their mistakes, or are we heading for something like the waterworld of Alvin Sputnik?

I think the world has changed dramatically over the last year, and people and companies are making changes. I have noticed a big difference in NYC since I was here last year; it is becoming easier to do the right thing, because companies are realising its what people want. "Green" its becoming very marketable, it seems. Which is a HUGE step for the world. It makes the consumer feel empowered, like they can make a difference by the choices they make. I have faith and hope that we will learn from our mistakes, and I hope that the change happens soon. Though when news comes in of a preventable environmental disaster such as the oils spill it exhausts that faith in humanity for a while, but there is no point wallowing in the despair, and just looking at the spill like a child whose ice cream just fell on the floor, we just need to fix it.

The "waterworld" of Alvin Sputnik is not a scientific possibility. From my understanding the rising water level won't rise high enough to cover the entire planet. But that dramatic change in the climate will kill a lot of life, including humanity. This of course is immensely tragic, and we must do all we can to prevent it from happening.

What can people expect from your show?

They can expect a fun, inspiring show about the power of enduring love and the end of the world. Puppets, bubbles, deep sea creatures, animation, and a wiimote.

When last we spoke, you had plans to take Alvin Sputnik worldwide and translate it into other languages. How is that going?

Great! for the rest of this year and next year I will be touring Alvin all over Australia, India, Korea, China, Scotland, Ireland, England, France, Germany, New Zealand, and I hope in 2012, I will return to the USA and Canada. Korean will be the first language we translate it into, with others to follow. There is very little dialogue in it, and we will figure out the best way to perform it in another language - subtitles or if I learn sections in another language. It is very exciting!

What is next for you after undergroundzero? And will we see you in New York again soon?

After undergroundzero we head down to perform in Columbia, South Carolina, on the 14th of July, and in Wilmington, North Carolina on the 17th of July. I am performing at the Port City Puppet Festival in Wilmington, and it is the main reason i have been able to make it to the USA this year. I am very excited to engage with the American puppetry scene, and it is a very exciting program they have booked down there.

I certainly plan to be back in NYC and the USA again. Next year is fully booked up with touring Alvin all over the world, so I won't have a chance next year, but I am currently trying to organise a tour of the USA and Canada in 2012, so I'll keep you posted.

The Adventures of Alvin Sputnik: Deep Sea Explorer
Created & Performed by Tim Watts, Australia
Produced in Association with terraNOVA Collective

P.S. 122
150 First Ave at 9th St.
Upstairs Venue

July 7 - 7pm
July 8 - 9pm
July 9 - 7pm
July 10 - 7pm
July 11 - 3pm

Review - The Little One (Nosedive Productions)

By Byrne Harrison
Headshot photo by Pete Boisvert
Production photo by Daniel Winters

For those of you who believe vampires shouldn't sparkle, there is an alternative to the latest Stephanie Meyer-inspired tween chick flick. James Comtois' The Little One, currently at the Kraine Theatre, is good antidote to the vampire-lite version that is currently gracing local movie theatres. Featuring blood, humor and plenty of death, The Little One is a nice, though somewhat uneven, addition to the vampire canon.

The Little One follows Cynthia (Becky Byers), a newly-turned orphan vampire, who is adopted by Marie (Rebecca Comtois), a powerful, older vampire. After a run-in with the sadistic Gogol (Patrick Shearer), the governor of her group, Cynthia turns her back on her vampire life and tries to live as a human, albeit one who never goes out by day. It is during this period that the play is most effective. How does an immortal maintain relationships with people whose lives are fleeting? And who are ultimately just food? The answer, as Cynthia discovers, is that they don't. After the last of her friends and family pass away, Cynthia returns to Marie, who tries to mold her into her version of a proper immortal.

This leads to an interesting debate concerning the nature of vampirism. To Marie and her friends, immortality offers a chance to better oneself - learning about art, history, languages, etc. One must feed, but there are rules. Others, like the dour Sergei (played marvelously by Christopher Yustin), believe that vampires are animals, created from humans, but not meant to be among them. One should blend in for safety's sake, but a vampire should no more try to be human, than a human should try to be a cow.

This brings up another terrific twist for the vampire lore. After being turned, the new vampire can no longer understand humans (in a sense, they must learn how to hear humans again), or indeed, even perceive them visually in the same way. This production utilizes masks and taped dialogue combined with spoken words to achieve this effect. It's a great idea that works well on stage. Another innovation is acknowledging the fact that language changes over time. As the play progresses 350 years into the future, the slang becomes harder to follow, to the point where the humans are speaking gibberish to vampire ears. It reminds me of what Joss Whedon did to a much lesser extent on his TV series "Firefly," where he created a version of English heavily influenced by Chinese and featuring new slang.

Unfortunately, the finale of The Little One disappoints somewhat. Not for lack of enthusiasm - the amazing fight scene between Gogol and Cynthia features some terrific fight choreography from the consistently strong Qui Nguyen - but because it all revolves around a rather banal power struggle. After some of Comtois' more interesting innovations, I would have liked to have seen a better reason for this final battle between these characters.

The acting in The Little One is generally strong. Byers is outstanding as Cynthia and shines when she first discovers the athletic abilities of her new vampiric body. Though Gogol is a somewhat two-dimensional villain, Shearer brings to him an amped up version of the joyful sadism that he has in the annual Blood Brothers Present... shows in the fall. Shearer makes an outstanding psychopath. Yustin imbues his Sergei with plenty of Russian gloom and stoicism, yet allows him to be charming and self-effacing. Rebecca Comtois' Marie could use a touch more Lucrezia Borgia about her. She and Gogol should be equals in everything but rank; this never comes across in her performance.

Director Pete Boisvert creates a fast-paced show for the most part, and takes full advantage of the special effects (the blood work is especially effective without being cartoonish). While the use of chairs, tables, desks, etc., creates a more realistic set, given the limitations of the stage at the Kraine, set changes take time, and every moment allows the intensity to bleed away.

Overall, this was a good production. While there were flaws, they didn't take away from the enjoyment of the play or diminish the fine additions to vampire lore that James Comtois has given us. The final performance of The Little One is tonight (though I hope there will be future productions), so get your ticket, grab a pair of fangs, and go.

The Little One
By James Comtois
Directed by Pete Boisvert
Fight Choreographer: Qui Nguyen
Stage Manager: Guinevere Pressley
Assistant Stage Manager: Emily Edwards
Production Manager: Stephanie Cox-Williams
Costume Designer: Betsy Strong
Jewelry Designer: Melissa Roth
Lighting Designer: Daniel Winters
Makeup Designers: Leslie E. Hughes & Melissa Roth
Scenic Designer: Tim McMath
Sound Designer: Stephen Heskett
Crew: Doug MacKrell, Devon Riley, Dana Rossi, Ben VandenBoom
Producers: Pete Boisvert, James Comtois, Rebecca Comtois, Stephanie Cox-Williams, Marc Landers, Patrick Shearer, Ben VandenBoom, Christopher Yustin

Featuring: Becky Byers (Cynthia), Rebecca Comtois (Marie), Patrick Shearer (Gogol), Christopher Yustin (Sergei), Ryan Andes (Artemis), Stephen Heskett (Francis), Stephanie Cox-Williams (Flora/Mrs. Walters), Jeremy Goren (Kyle/Jeremy), Melissa Roth (Michelle/Alicia)

The Kraine Theatre
85 E. 4th Street
Thursday - Saturday
June 17 - July 10, 7:30 PM

5 Questions With undergroundzero Participant Ian Rowlands

By Byrne Harrison

Name: Ian Rowlands
Play: Marriage of Convenience
Relationship to play: Writer and director

Though resident in Wales, Ian Rowlands is no stranger to NY. His play Blink ran for three weeks as part of the Brits Off Broadway Festival in 2008. He is a Lark Alumnus and his last play, Desire Lines was developed in conjunction with The Lark and read for two nights (with John Doman of "The Wire" in the lead) in 2009. That play will be fully staged and toured in Spring 2011. In Wales, he writes and directs, both in tv and theatre. His plays are published by Parthian Books (Marriage of Convenience is published in the volume "One Man, One Voice") and he has an entry in the Dictionary of Literary Biography.

Your previous work, Blink, played here in 2008 in an Off-Broadway production at 59E59 Theatres. What can people who only know your work through that play expect from Marriage of Convenience?

I am largely an autobiographical writer in that I tend to take moments of life, compound and juxtapose them in order to heighten dramatic potential and create, what I term, 'hybrid' histories. What's on stage is not my life, rather aspects of it. Both Blink and Marriage are therefore based on real events but fly off tangentially from them.

What led your to write it?

In essence, exile. I was living abroad and saw my nation, and my formative experiences living within it in a different light -- 'By measuring the distance we come home' wrote the Welsh academic Raymond Williams. Marriage of Convenience was a way of measuring.

You're an alumnus of the Lark Play Development Center. How did their program help you?

I cannot thank The Lark enough - not only support but friends. Whilst at the Lark I wrote a new play, Desire Lines, which was read as part of a studio retreat last April. This play will go into full production and tour UK next Spring (though the contract has yet to be singed!).

What are your hopes for this reading?

Severalfold. Amongst them, a further chance to be a part of a reading process and an opportunity to continue a dialogue with a city that I have come to love. My work is culturally specific and it will be an opportunity to measure how transferable the nuances of my experience are - an exercise in cultural equivalence.

What is next for you after undergroundzero?

Over the coming few months I will embark upon a new writing project - On Script / Off Broadway. I am fascinated by the dominance of rehearsed reading in the theatre ecology of NY. On Script / Off Broadway will be a play within a play; a play about a rehearsed reading of a contemporary version of The Trojan Women set in Troy, Ohio. I'm off to Ohio in the morning to spend some time there as part of my research process. I will write the play within the play in full (even though only a few minutes of it might appear in the body of the main text). This will be developed in conjunction with The Lark and Daniella Topol (who is also great). This will be read several time in NY this coming Fall and in the Spring and the experiences of this reading process will feed into the development of the main play. As a byproduct of this process, I have also carried out research in Britain and the Netherlands (courtesy of Wales Arts International and the Netherlands Theatre Institute) into comparative practices. The fruit of that research will be a series of tailored essays upon the roles rehearsed reading fulfills in the theatre ecologies from New Amsterdam to Old Amsterdam. The Welsh essay goes to print next week and hopefully I will hit Caridad Svich's August deadline for the American essay.

Marriage of Convenience
Written & Directed by Ian Rowlands, Wales
Performed by Christian Conn

Staged Reading

P.S. 122
150 First Ave at 9th St.

Sat July 10 @ 2pm - Downstairs Venue

Theatre Shorts

By Byrne Harrison

-- Bid on a limited edition Al Hirschfeld print of Bernadette Peters as Annie Oakley in the 1999 Broadway Revival of "Annie Get Your Gun." Proceeds benefit Broadway Barks.

-- And speaking of Broadway Barks, on Saturday, July 10, Kristin Chenoweth, Kelsey Grammer and Sean Hayes will be among the many stars joining founders and cohosts Mary Tyler Moore and Bernadette Peters for the 12th annual edition of Broadway Barks, the all-star dog and cat adopt-a-thon featuring more of your favorite celebrities presenting adorable, but temporarily down-on-their-luck, dogs and cats from more than 25 New York area shelters and rescue organizations.

-- Even more Broadway Barks news! A Little Night Music's Hunter Ryan Herdlicka appeared on WPIX's morning show to talk about Broadway Barks 12.

-- Did you know you can get lots of theatre discounts by joining WNET's Kids Club 13? Save money at The Gazillion Bubble Show, Manhattan Children's Theatre, The Shadow Box Theatre, Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey, TADA! Youth Theatre, and more.

-- There's just a little time left to join the New York Neo-Futurists Basic Training Level I Workshop.

-- Redd Tale Theatre Company dives into its seventh season with Shakespeare's classic, Macbeth, and a new adaptation of the French classic The Triumph of Love by Will Le Vasseur. Both are directed by Artistic Director, Will Le Vasseur.

Provincetown Actor and Cabaret Performer Wins "Ghost Hunter Academy"

By Byrne Harrison

Provincetown actor and cabaret performer Adam Berry won the SyFy network's "Ghost Hunters Academy" on the July 7th episode.

I saw Berry perform last year in his caberet act with Ben Griessmeyer at the Waterford Inn and was pleased to hear that he and Griessmeyer would be performing again this summer. Amazing to hear that this talented actor and singer is also the founder of Provincetown Paranormal Research Society and an official Ghost Hunter.

New Motion Picture Version of South Pacific in the Works

Imagem, the music publisher and owner of the Rodgers & Hammerstein copyrights, announced today that it has signed a co-production agreement with Amber Entertainment and Chicagofilms for a new major motion picture version of Rodgers & Hammerstein’s classic musical, South Pacific.

Denis Wigman, CFO of Imagem and co-founder, has had extensive experience as a film producer, involved in the production and financing of more than 40 international feature films, and will be leading Imagem’s role in this new venture, together with Ted Chapin, President of Rodgers & Hammerstein. “I am thrilled that Imagem will be a partner in this latest adaptation of South Pacific for the screen,” says Wigman. “We see great opportunities to reintroduce this timeless classic to movie audiences all over the world, and it is especially gratifying to work with such industry mavericks as Ileen [Maisel, Amber Entertainment] and 'Gosford Park's Bob Balaban.”

“South Pacific is extraordinary,” observes Ted Chapin. “It thrives on stage, but turning it into a new major motion picture is an exciting challenge. Inspired by the stellar production at Lincoln Center Theater, Bob Balaban and Ileen Maisel have seen modern cinematic possibilities that challenge us all to interpret this masterpiece for new generations of filmgoers.”

“Producing a new version of South Pacific,” says Ileen Maisel, “allows an audience to explore war and racism in a safe and engaging way that will ultimately bring greater understanding to these important topics of our time.”

“Our movie will be a tougher, more realistic retelling of the same classic story of two very different people whose love for each other transcends their enormous cultural differences,” says Chicagofilms founder Bob Balaban. “We think there's a whole new audience just waiting to fall in love with its magical score, epic romance, and exotic locale.”

Theatre Shorts

By Byrne Harrison

-- Mark W. Jones, Executive Director of the Paper Mill Playhouse in NJ, resigns.

-- Dance New Amsterdam faces possible eviction.

-- The Midtown International Theatre Festival announces this season's shows. The festival runs from July 12-August 1.

-- Academy, the 2009 New York Musical Theatre (NYMF) selection to the 2010 Daegu International Musical Festival (DIMF) in Daegu, South Korea has been awarded The Best Musical Prize at the Festival. Academy has book, music and lyrics by John Mercurio and was conceived and developed by Andrew Kato. Academy won The 2009 NYMF Awards for Excellence for Best Ensemble and Best Music. Actor Corey Boardman also wins the award for Best Supporting Actor in a Musical for the entire festival.

The NYMF/DIMF production exchange will continue with Korea’s homegrown musical Special Letter at the 2010 New York Musical Theater Festival. Written by Book and Lyrics by In Seon Park, Music by Chang Wook Ma, Special Letter is a rambunctious comedy about a soldier whose pen pal is not who she seem.

-- John Tartaglia presents music from his new Off-Broadway production Imaginocean! at Barnes & Noble (86th and Lexington) on Wednesday July 28 at 7:00 PM. Tartaglia and cast members will sign copies of the CD.

-- Broadway favorite Mary Testa will be Valerie Smaldone's special guest on her new WOR Radio program "Valerie's New York" this Friday, July 9th at 11:20 AM to discuss I'll Be Damned, currently running at The Vineyard's Dimson Theatre. The interview can be heard live at wor710.com. See photos from the production here.

-- The National Alliance for Musical Theatre (NAMT) has announced the selections for its 22nd Annual Festival of New Musicals taking place on Thursday, October 21 and Friday, October 22, 2010 in New York City.

-- Brooklyn's TKTS booth turns 2 years old on Saturday.

-- Israel Hicks, a prolific stage director who in 2009 completed a nearly 20-year project directing August Wilson’s entire decade-by-decade cycle about the black experience in 20th-century America, died on Saturday in Sleepy Hollow, N.Y.

-- Julianne Moore's "Freckleface Strawberry" to hit Off-Broadway as a musical.

-- The Brick presents Game Play: A Celebration of Video Game Performance Art. The festival runs from July 9th-25th.

-- For those in the Philly area, People's Light & Theatre's The Secret of Sherlock Holmes opens this week.

-- Two-time Emmy Award winner Bruce Vilanch returns to Fire Island Pines on Saturday, July 17 and Sunday, July 18 to host Fire Island Dance Festival 16 (FIDF 16), the premier cultural event of the summer benefiting Dancers Responding to AIDS (DRA). This year's festival will include performances by eleven dance companies and artists including Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Merce Cunningham Dance Company, MOMIX, Camille A. Brown, ABT principal Marcelo Gomes and more all performed outdoors against the stunning backdrop of the Great South Bay.



-- Are you a student looking for cheap (and possibly free) tickets to Broadway and Off-Broadway shows. StudentRush.org is just for you.

-- Exhibitionistic daters can put their love lives in the spotlight at the Fix-Up Show, a weekly Love Connection–type stage spectacle.

-- If you don't have 12 hours to see The Demons this weekend on Governors Island, you can still hear director Peter Stein discuss the production this Friday at Stanley H. Kaplan Penthouse in the Rose Building, 165 West 65th Street.

-- The undergroundzero festival discussed on WNYC.org.

$8 Tickets to Puppetry of the Penis

8coupons has teamed up with Puppetry of the Penis Off-Broadway to offer tickets for $8 (reg. $49.50) for performances July 13 at 8pm, July 14 at 8pm and July 15 at 8pm. Tickets are $18 (reg. $49.50) for performances July 16 through July 24.

Who: www.8coupons.com and www.puppetryofthepenis.com

What: 8coupons OCHO LOCO! See Puppetry of the Penis for as little as $8!

When: $8 tickets available for performances on July 13 at 8pm, July 14 at 8pm, July 15 at 8pm. $18 tickets available for performances from July 16 - July 24; all shows start at 8pm.

Where: Puppetry of the Penis is located at the Bleecker Street Theatre (45 Bleecker Street just east of Lafayette Street)

Why: Because New York is all about shock, astonishment, and delight!

How: OCHO LOCO! Tickets now on sale. 2 Ways To Order:

1. Text yourself the special OCHO LOCO! coupon from 8coupons.com and show your phone to the box office to redeem. Use promo code: 8PUPPET.
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Link: http://www.8coupons.com/discounts/puppetry-of-the-penis-new-york-10012

The Conditions: $1.50 facility fee will be added to each ticket. Limit 8 tickets per order! Additional service fees may apply to phone/online orders. This offer is subject to availability and can be revoked at anytime.

Theatre Shorts

By Byrne Harrison

-- Broadway in Bryant Park kicks off on Thursday, July 8th from 12:30-1:30 PM featuring the casts of STOMP, Promises, Promises, In the Heights, and Nunsense. Broadway in Bryant Park is every Thursday through August 12th. See the full schedule here.

-- The undergroundzero festival starts today and runs through the 26th.

-- Pulitzer and Tony-winning playwright David Mamet, currently represented on Broadway with the play Race, will be a guest on Charlie Rose Wednesday, July 7th at 11 PM EST on PBS.

-- Jane Krakowski will perform and sign copies of her first solo album, "Jane Krakowski: The Laziest Gal in Town" at Barnes & Noble Lincoln Triangle on Tuesday, July 13th at 5 PM.

-- Cast members from The Addams Family will perform and sign copies of the cast album at Barnes & Noble Lincoln Triangle on Thursday, July 15th at 4:30 PM.

-- Three-time Tony Award winner Carol Channing and cabaret performer Richard Skipper will be appearing at Barnes & Noble Lincoln Triangle on July 23 at 6 PM to discuss Channing's career and her new album of classics and gospel, "For Heaven's Sake."

Review - St. Nicholas (Theatre of the Expendable)

By Byrne Harrison

It's a rare thing to see a truly riveting one-man show. It takes a combination of an excellent script, strong direction, and a talented actor who can hold the audience in the palm of his hand. The Theatre of the Expendable production of Conor McPherson's St. Nicholas has all three.

McPherson's story about a jaded Irish drama critic, his obsession with a young actress, and his eventual servitude to a coven of vampires is a marvelous tale. Spun out slowly with tantalizing hints of the supernatural story, McPherson paints a picture of a frustrated man who tries to drown his self-loathing with food and drink and by crushing the artists he both despises and longs to be.

Darrell James truly brings this unnamed critic to life. At times full of bluster, at others whispering to draw the audience in, he never falters or hits a false note. Although James spends much of the play in the lone chair on stage, casually talking to the audience, there is so much energy and movement in his performance, from grand gestures to the slight curl of a lip or cocking of his head, that it's only when he stands up to prowl the stage that it hits home that he's been seated the whole time. James' true strength lies in his ability to respond to the audience; like a true storyteller, he knows the best way to keep the audience rapt is to make them part of the story, even if it's just by acknowledging a laugh or a gasp.

Lighting designer Ryan Metzler creates a suitably moody atmosphere for the production, creating lighting that subtly lightens and fades depending on James' speech, letting James play the audience by pulling them in tight, then letting them pull away and catch their breath. Director Jesse Edward Rosbrow keeps the production tense and moving (both physically and emotionally), creating a tight well-crafted production.

If there is one thing I regret about this production, it is that I didn't see it earlier in it's run.

St. Nicholas
By Conor McPherson
Directed by Jesse Edward Rosbrow
Lighting Designer: Ryan Metzler
Costuem and Properties Consultant: Jennifer Raskopf
Stage Manager: Melissa A. Nathan
Graphic Desinger: Duncan Pflaster
Audience Development: Michael Roderick
Press Representative: Emily Owens PR
Produced by Alexander Koo, Arienne Pelletier, Jesse Edward Rosbrow

Featuring: Darrell James

The WorkShop Theater
312 W. 36th Street, 4th Floor

Closes 7/3/10

FRIGID New York Presents Mini Fridge

By Byrne Harrison

It's winter in July as Horse Trade Theater Group and FRIGID New York bring back a few of their best shows from this season's FRIGID New York Festival. If you missed these shows in February and March, you have two days to catch them again.

Here's the line up.

Friday, July 2

6:30pm tenderpits
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. Do you believe?

8:30pm No Traveller
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.

10:30pm Vodka Shoes
Rather than abuse her, Leslie’s alcoholic father would buy her shoes, drag race the lawnmower, and burn the neighbor’s bills, while her mother managed a doomed Christian bookstore and prayed in tongues over Leslie’s ailing sister. Leslie’s storytelling navigates a humorously tragic journey through childhood with frighteningly endearing characters.

12am Canuck Cabaret

Saturday, July 3

6:30pm XY(T)
Do you have the balls to become a man? XY(T) brings to life a series of questions, contradictions, and characters around the theme of testosterone. Veering between playful, poignant, hilarious, and disconcerting, transgender butch Kestryl Lowrey strips away layers of gender and self in pursuit of sex and sanity within embodied masculinity.

8:30pm 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, 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.

10:30pm 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.

12am Canuck Cabaret featuring Kill The Band

And if this wasn't enough, there will be a 4th of July BBQ on Sunday at 1 PM.

The mini-festival will play at UNDER St. Marks (94 St. Marks Place between 1st Ave and Ave A). Tickets ($15, $25 Two Show Pass, $30 Three Show Pass) are available by calling Smarttix at 212-868-4444 or online at www.horseTRADE.info.

Promises, Promises Loves LeBron

By Byrne Harrison

While I couldn't give a tinker's damn if LeBron James plays for the Knicks or some other team, I thought this video from the ladies of Promises, Promises was cute (and some savvy marketing).

Review - The Thyme of the Season (Cross-Eyed Bear Productions and the Planet Connections Theatre Festivity)

By Byrne Harrison

It takes guts to write a sequel to a Shakespeare play, especially one of his most popular. I will give Duncan Pflaster, the playwright behind The Thyme of the Season, his due. He has created a fun and well written play that fully captures the spirit of A Midsummer Night's Dream, while wedding the Bard's gift for storytelling with a modern sensibility.

It's Halloween and marital problems have driven the young lovers of A Midsummer Night's Dream back into the forest. Little do they know that the fairies, thanks to a bargain they have with Hades, have to send a human soul to Hell that very night. Will one of the young Athenians be lost? Or will Bottom, made rich and famous after his performance of Pyramus and Thisbe, save the day? And will he ever find the ethereal woman for whom he is ever willing to make an ass of himself?

And speaking of making an ass of himself, will Puck be able to serve Oberon and bedevil Titania, not to mention woo the comely Pumpkinseed, all while under a witch's spell?

It's a comedy, so the answer to most of those questions is yes . . . kind of.

The production is marvelous all around. Mark Richard Caswell's costumes, especially the fantastical fairy costumes, are rich, rough and incorporate touches of the forest world that the fairies inhabit. Matthew Applebaum's original music, performed live during the show, adds a luxuriant touch. The acting is outstanding, with particular praise to Clara Barton Green who makes a marvelously spritely Puck and who plays very well in her scenes with Tania Jeudy's Pumpkinseed. Eric C. Bailey does a good job of creating a well-rounded Bottom, as it were, a comic word-mangler who nonetheless is no fool. While all the young lovers perform well, Kelly Nichols as Helena and the remarkable Rebecca Hirota as Hermia, steal their scenes.

Pflaster has written a fun, spirited and naughty show, and his direction keeps it fast and funny. I fully expect to see this clever show returned to the stage soon.

The Thyme of the Season
Written and Directed by Duncan Pflaster
Conceived by Duncan Pflaster and Clara Barton Green
Stage Manager: Shawna Cathey
Costumes: Mark Richard Caswell
Original Music/Guitar: Matthew Applebaum
Viola (June 5, 6, 8, 18, 23): Michelle O'Connor
Horn (June 11, 13, 19): Jesse Neuman
House Managers: Patricia Comstock and Nicholas Meo

Featuring: Clara Barton Green (Puck), Kelly Nichols (Helena), Rebecca Hirota (Hermia), Eric C. Bailey (Bottom), Matt Falber (Demetrius), Shawn McLaughlin (Lysander) Tania Jeudy (Pumpkinseed), Ryan G. Metzger (Oberon), Michelle Ramoni (Titania)

Closed June 23

Gingold Theatrical Group's Project Shaw Performance of Man and Superman Coming July 19th

By Byrne Harrison

The Gingold Theatrical Group's Project Shaw, a monthly reading series dedicated to the collected works of George Bernard Shaw, will be presenting Man and Superman on July 19th at 7 PM at the Players Club at 16 Gramercy Park South.

The cast will include Simon Jones, Josh Grisetti, Michael Cerveris, Elena Shaddow, Jayne Houdyshell, Charlotte Moore, Emily Loesser, Arnie Burton, A.J. Shively, Daniel Jenkins, and Bill Nolte. Time Out New York theatre editor and critic David Cote will narrate. Actor and musician Alexander Sovronsky will provide music for the performance.

Project Shaw's next performance, after a brief hiatus in August, will be Candida on September 27th.

Buy tickets early, this monthly series always sells out quickly. Featuring excellent casts, strong direction, and, of course, the marvelous wit and wisdom of George Bernard Shaw, Project Shaw is the most consistently well-produced reading series in the city.

For more information or to purchase tickets, click here.