Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Friday, February 22, 2008
Review - The Play About the Naked Guy (Emerging Artists Theatre)
Stage Buzz Review by Byrne Harrison
Ars Gratia Artis. Art for art’s sake. Can there be a more noble goal, a loftier ambition? But can that sentiment support a theatre company today? In the case of the Integrity Players, the fictional company at the heart of David Bell’s The Play About the Naked Guy, produced by Emerging Artists Theatre and currently playing at Baruch Performing Arts Center, the answer is a resounding no.
Known more for staging obscure (in every sense of the word) dramas than for the size of their audiences, the Integrity Players are in dire straits. Most of their company has quit, leaving only artistic director Dan (Jason Schuchman), his pregnant wife Amanda (Stacy Mayer), and their token Equity actor Harold (Wayne Henry). They’re out of money. They’re about to lose their theatre space. Their only financial backer, Mrs. Anderson (Ellen Reilly), Amanda’s mother, is pulling the plug. While she was willing to humor her daughter, now she’s ready for the company to shut down, for Dan to disappear, and for her daughter to return to a life of privilege in Connecticut where she belongs.
All seems lost until a chance encounter between the closeted Harold and Eddie Russini (Christopher Borg), a slick and sleazy producer of extremely popular and extremely base shows catering to an audience less interested in live theatre than live nudes on stage. To give a sense, his most recent masterpieces are Naked Boys Running Around Naked and Drunk Frat Boys Making Porn. Eddie’s idea? To borrow the Integrity Players’ cavernous space at Baruch Performing Arts Center and stage his next big hit – a gay musical based on the life of Christ. Rather than reveal the title, I’ll let it be a surprise. Needless to say, the American Family Association would not approve.
Unsurprisingly, Dan is horrified by the idea. But egged on by her mother and the fact that she’s expecting a child, Amanda votes to give it a shot in hopes of a big payday. Harold, blinded by lust for Kit Swagger (Dan Amboyer) the porn star who is to play Jesus, votes in favor of Eddie’s scheme as well.
What follows is Dan’s nightmare and the audience’s delight.
Bell’s script is a hoot, full of peppy one-liners. There are plenty of hilarious jokes about the New York theatre scene; one about Marian Seldes in particular is awesome. The play, however, at nearly two hours is a little long for what should be a breezy farce, and despite Tom Wojtunik’s deft directing, drags from time to time.
Fortunately, the cast is excellent. In particular, Christopher Borg and Ellen Reilly own the stage when they are on it. Borg, even at his most sedate, plays Russini as a cross between Svengali and Norma Desmond. Reilly is Cruella De Vil wrapped in Martha Stewart. The two are wonderful to watch and their scenes together are terrific. Stacy Mayer, whose Amanda is a good girl just waiting to be corrupted, plays the wide-eyed innocent with great skill. Christopher Sloan and Chad Austin play Russini’s angertwink sidekicks, T. Scott and Edonis. T. Scott has built his gay persona around Jack McFarland, Sean Hayes’ character on Will & Grace (and it must be said that Sloan does one hell of Jack McFarland imitation) and Edonis is pretty, but shallow as a saucer and dumb as a bag of hair. Needless to say, both are pretty darn funny and do a wicked job skewering gay youth-obsessed culture.
After Borg and Reilly’s performances, my personal favorite is Wayne Henry’s uptight Harold, which Henry plays with a certain Tony Randall-like aplomb. His character is amusing, but heartbreakingly earnest about his love of acting. In one of the best scenes from the play, Harold passes that enthusiasm along to a suddenly serious Kit. Dan Amboyer has the snarly, strutting Kit Swagger (what a great name) down pat, but it’s at the end of the play when Kit, having been coached in the actor’s art by Harold, takes on Harold’s plummy speaking voice and cries out, “I have a new master! And his name is Uta Hagen!” that Amboyer really shines.
Jason Schuchman has the unfortunate job of playing straight man to a stage full of funny men. That’s not to say that he doesn’t do a good job at it, but in a farce the earnest characters are never the ones that stick in the mind. Despite that, Schuchman’s Dan does have some good zingers – he has one particularly funny joke about Actors’ Equity – but overall, he is the voice of reason and in a zany show like this, that leaves him the odd man out.
While Bell’s final judgment of artistic versus commercial success seems a little cynical at first, it’s worth noting that Naked Boys Singing continues to pack in the crowds, while stellar Off and Off-Off Broadway productions languish. If the Eddie Russinis of the world really are the future of theatre, at least Bell can make us laugh about it.
Directed by Tom Wojtunik
Stage Manager: Jennifer Marie Russo
Choreographer: Ryan Kasprzak
Costume Designer: David Withrow
Set Designer: Michael P. Kramer
Lighting Designer: Travis Walker
Composition Sound Designer: Ryan Homsey
Press Agent/Marketing Director: Katie Rosin
Properties Intern: Ellys R. Abrams
Stage Crew: Jamie Phelps, Terra Vetter, Julie Feltman
Sound Board Operator: Kevin Wilder
Featuring Christopher Borg (Eddie Russini), Christopher Sloan (T. Scott), Dan Amboyer (Kit), Ellen Reilly (Mrs. Anderson), Jason Schuchman (Dan), Stacy Mayer (Amanda), Wayne Henry (Harold), Chad Austin (Edonis).
Baruch Performing Arts Center
55 Lexington Avenue
February 9 – March 2Mon. 7 PM; Friday 9:30 PM; Sat. 8 PM; Sun. 5 PM
Visit www.theatermania.com for tickets.
Ars Gratia Artis. Art for art’s sake. Can there be a more noble goal, a loftier ambition? But can that sentiment support a theatre company today? In the case of the Integrity Players, the fictional company at the heart of David Bell’s The Play About the Naked Guy, produced by Emerging Artists Theatre and currently playing at Baruch Performing Arts Center, the answer is a resounding no.
Known more for staging obscure (in every sense of the word) dramas than for the size of their audiences, the Integrity Players are in dire straits. Most of their company has quit, leaving only artistic director Dan (Jason Schuchman), his pregnant wife Amanda (Stacy Mayer), and their token Equity actor Harold (Wayne Henry). They’re out of money. They’re about to lose their theatre space. Their only financial backer, Mrs. Anderson (Ellen Reilly), Amanda’s mother, is pulling the plug. While she was willing to humor her daughter, now she’s ready for the company to shut down, for Dan to disappear, and for her daughter to return to a life of privilege in Connecticut where she belongs.
All seems lost until a chance encounter between the closeted Harold and Eddie Russini (Christopher Borg), a slick and sleazy producer of extremely popular and extremely base shows catering to an audience less interested in live theatre than live nudes on stage. To give a sense, his most recent masterpieces are Naked Boys Running Around Naked and Drunk Frat Boys Making Porn. Eddie’s idea? To borrow the Integrity Players’ cavernous space at Baruch Performing Arts Center and stage his next big hit – a gay musical based on the life of Christ. Rather than reveal the title, I’ll let it be a surprise. Needless to say, the American Family Association would not approve.
Unsurprisingly, Dan is horrified by the idea. But egged on by her mother and the fact that she’s expecting a child, Amanda votes to give it a shot in hopes of a big payday. Harold, blinded by lust for Kit Swagger (Dan Amboyer) the porn star who is to play Jesus, votes in favor of Eddie’s scheme as well.
What follows is Dan’s nightmare and the audience’s delight.
Bell’s script is a hoot, full of peppy one-liners. There are plenty of hilarious jokes about the New York theatre scene; one about Marian Seldes in particular is awesome. The play, however, at nearly two hours is a little long for what should be a breezy farce, and despite Tom Wojtunik’s deft directing, drags from time to time.
Fortunately, the cast is excellent. In particular, Christopher Borg and Ellen Reilly own the stage when they are on it. Borg, even at his most sedate, plays Russini as a cross between Svengali and Norma Desmond. Reilly is Cruella De Vil wrapped in Martha Stewart. The two are wonderful to watch and their scenes together are terrific. Stacy Mayer, whose Amanda is a good girl just waiting to be corrupted, plays the wide-eyed innocent with great skill. Christopher Sloan and Chad Austin play Russini’s angertwink sidekicks, T. Scott and Edonis. T. Scott has built his gay persona around Jack McFarland, Sean Hayes’ character on Will & Grace (and it must be said that Sloan does one hell of Jack McFarland imitation) and Edonis is pretty, but shallow as a saucer and dumb as a bag of hair. Needless to say, both are pretty darn funny and do a wicked job skewering gay youth-obsessed culture.
After Borg and Reilly’s performances, my personal favorite is Wayne Henry’s uptight Harold, which Henry plays with a certain Tony Randall-like aplomb. His character is amusing, but heartbreakingly earnest about his love of acting. In one of the best scenes from the play, Harold passes that enthusiasm along to a suddenly serious Kit. Dan Amboyer has the snarly, strutting Kit Swagger (what a great name) down pat, but it’s at the end of the play when Kit, having been coached in the actor’s art by Harold, takes on Harold’s plummy speaking voice and cries out, “I have a new master! And his name is Uta Hagen!” that Amboyer really shines.
Jason Schuchman has the unfortunate job of playing straight man to a stage full of funny men. That’s not to say that he doesn’t do a good job at it, but in a farce the earnest characters are never the ones that stick in the mind. Despite that, Schuchman’s Dan does have some good zingers – he has one particularly funny joke about Actors’ Equity – but overall, he is the voice of reason and in a zany show like this, that leaves him the odd man out.
While Bell’s final judgment of artistic versus commercial success seems a little cynical at first, it’s worth noting that Naked Boys Singing continues to pack in the crowds, while stellar Off and Off-Off Broadway productions languish. If the Eddie Russinis of the world really are the future of theatre, at least Bell can make us laugh about it.
Directed by Tom Wojtunik
Stage Manager: Jennifer Marie Russo
Choreographer: Ryan Kasprzak
Costume Designer: David Withrow
Set Designer: Michael P. Kramer
Lighting Designer: Travis Walker
Composition Sound Designer: Ryan Homsey
Press Agent/Marketing Director: Katie Rosin
Properties Intern: Ellys R. Abrams
Stage Crew: Jamie Phelps, Terra Vetter, Julie Feltman
Sound Board Operator: Kevin Wilder
Featuring Christopher Borg (Eddie Russini), Christopher Sloan (T. Scott), Dan Amboyer (Kit), Ellen Reilly (Mrs. Anderson), Jason Schuchman (Dan), Stacy Mayer (Amanda), Wayne Henry (Harold), Chad Austin (Edonis).
Baruch Performing Arts Center
55 Lexington Avenue
February 9 – March 2Mon. 7 PM; Friday 9:30 PM; Sat. 8 PM; Sun. 5 PM
Visit www.theatermania.com for tickets.
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Review - Claymont (Emerging Artists Theatre)
Stage Buzz Review by Byrne Harrison
The year is 1969. Vietnam is getting ugly. Students are rioting. Even in Claymont, a small town outside of Wilmington, change is in the air. For Dallas Hitchens, change means being kicked out of college, kicked out of his house, and moving in with his neighbors, the Greenglasses. For Neil Greenglass, it’s art, the possibility of attending Berkeley on a scholarship, and experiencing his first real crush . . . on the older, rebellious Dallas. Dallas encourages Neil’s artistic ability, he plays the big brother to him, and when his draft notice arrives, forces Neil to devise a drastic plan to keep Dallas close.
Written by Kevin Brofsky, Claymont could easily be dismissed as just another gay coming-of-age play. That would be a mistake, not only because it sells the play short, but also because Neil’s budding homosexuality is not the main point of the play. For Neil, that’s just one of many complications in his life – he’s unpopular, his father is an invalid, his family is poor, he’s artistic and misunderstood. His lesson is that life can be crushingly painful and unfair, but there is beauty, love and sacrifice – which might not sound like a good thing, but has rewards of its own.
The acting is generally good, though Wynne Anders as Dolores Hitchens, Dallas’ mom, and Rebecca Hoodwin as Neil’s Grandma, come dangerously close to caricature. Luckily, Hitchens and Hoodwin both know where to draw the line, and their characters- a Robert Harling-esque Southern chatterbox and an Old World bubbie, respectively- never quite go over-the-top. Jason Hare proves once again that he has a particular talent for playing teenagers. His Neil is almost so many things - gay, an artist, in love, free from high school – and Hare plays that sense of possibility so well. Stephen Sherman’s Dallas is an enigma. A young man who doesn’t want to go to war, he nonetheless sabotages every chance he has of staying out of it. Sherman does a fine job playing Dallas’ confusion at this self-destructive impulse and in keeping him from becoming just a charismatic rebel. Glory Gallo brings so much to the table as Shayna, Neil’s long-suffering mom. Her wonderfully nuanced performance is excellent and her scenes with Neil at the end of the play are at turns heartbreaking and amusing.
It is worth noting that this is Emerging Artists’ first production in Baruch Performing Arts Center. Now that the designers have a large, some might say cavernous, space in which to work, they are really getting an opportunity to show what they can do. Tim McMath’s set for Claymont doesn’t disappoint. It makes full use of the large space and captures the aesthetic of the late ‘60s suburbia without going overboard. It’s also a clever bit of staging having Dallas’ basement bedroom higher than the rest of the set. The actors make it work nicely by “descending” a flight of stairs then stepping up into the room. All in all, a nice effect.
While this production of Claymont seems to drag at times and generally feels overly long, it features good acting and a couple of really nice, touching moments.
Directed by Derek Jamison
Stage Manager: Jennifer Granrud
Set Designer: Tim McMath
Property Master: Stephanie Wiesner
Lighting Designer: Joyce Liao
Sound Designer: Ned Thorne
Costume Designer: Meredith Neal
Technical Director: Patrick T. Cecala II
Press Agent/Marketing Director: Katie Rosin
Properties Intern: Ellys R. Abrams
Stage Crew: Tera Vetter, Alison Carroll
Sound Board Operator: Jin Hamano
Featuring Aimee Howard (Sharon Letts), Glory Gallo (Shayna), Jason Hare (Neil), Rebecca Hoodwin (Grandma), Ron Bopst (Mr. Ramsey), Stephen Sherman (Dallas Hitchens), Wynne Anders (Dolores).
Baruch Performing Arts Center
55 Lexington Avenue
February 9 – March 2Tues. and Fri. 7 PM; Sat. 2 PM; Sun. 8 PM
Visit http://www.theatermania.com/ for tickets.
The year is 1969. Vietnam is getting ugly. Students are rioting. Even in Claymont, a small town outside of Wilmington, change is in the air. For Dallas Hitchens, change means being kicked out of college, kicked out of his house, and moving in with his neighbors, the Greenglasses. For Neil Greenglass, it’s art, the possibility of attending Berkeley on a scholarship, and experiencing his first real crush . . . on the older, rebellious Dallas. Dallas encourages Neil’s artistic ability, he plays the big brother to him, and when his draft notice arrives, forces Neil to devise a drastic plan to keep Dallas close.
Written by Kevin Brofsky, Claymont could easily be dismissed as just another gay coming-of-age play. That would be a mistake, not only because it sells the play short, but also because Neil’s budding homosexuality is not the main point of the play. For Neil, that’s just one of many complications in his life – he’s unpopular, his father is an invalid, his family is poor, he’s artistic and misunderstood. His lesson is that life can be crushingly painful and unfair, but there is beauty, love and sacrifice – which might not sound like a good thing, but has rewards of its own.
The acting is generally good, though Wynne Anders as Dolores Hitchens, Dallas’ mom, and Rebecca Hoodwin as Neil’s Grandma, come dangerously close to caricature. Luckily, Hitchens and Hoodwin both know where to draw the line, and their characters- a Robert Harling-esque Southern chatterbox and an Old World bubbie, respectively- never quite go over-the-top. Jason Hare proves once again that he has a particular talent for playing teenagers. His Neil is almost so many things - gay, an artist, in love, free from high school – and Hare plays that sense of possibility so well. Stephen Sherman’s Dallas is an enigma. A young man who doesn’t want to go to war, he nonetheless sabotages every chance he has of staying out of it. Sherman does a fine job playing Dallas’ confusion at this self-destructive impulse and in keeping him from becoming just a charismatic rebel. Glory Gallo brings so much to the table as Shayna, Neil’s long-suffering mom. Her wonderfully nuanced performance is excellent and her scenes with Neil at the end of the play are at turns heartbreaking and amusing.
It is worth noting that this is Emerging Artists’ first production in Baruch Performing Arts Center. Now that the designers have a large, some might say cavernous, space in which to work, they are really getting an opportunity to show what they can do. Tim McMath’s set for Claymont doesn’t disappoint. It makes full use of the large space and captures the aesthetic of the late ‘60s suburbia without going overboard. It’s also a clever bit of staging having Dallas’ basement bedroom higher than the rest of the set. The actors make it work nicely by “descending” a flight of stairs then stepping up into the room. All in all, a nice effect.
While this production of Claymont seems to drag at times and generally feels overly long, it features good acting and a couple of really nice, touching moments.
Directed by Derek Jamison
Stage Manager: Jennifer Granrud
Set Designer: Tim McMath
Property Master: Stephanie Wiesner
Lighting Designer: Joyce Liao
Sound Designer: Ned Thorne
Costume Designer: Meredith Neal
Technical Director: Patrick T. Cecala II
Press Agent/Marketing Director: Katie Rosin
Properties Intern: Ellys R. Abrams
Stage Crew: Tera Vetter, Alison Carroll
Sound Board Operator: Jin Hamano
Featuring Aimee Howard (Sharon Letts), Glory Gallo (Shayna), Jason Hare (Neil), Rebecca Hoodwin (Grandma), Ron Bopst (Mr. Ramsey), Stephen Sherman (Dallas Hitchens), Wynne Anders (Dolores).
Baruch Performing Arts Center
55 Lexington Avenue
February 9 – March 2Tues. and Fri. 7 PM; Sat. 2 PM; Sun. 8 PM
Visit http://www.theatermania.com/ for tickets.
Sunday, February 17, 2008
Review - Providence (Maieutic Theatre Works)
Stage Buzz Review by Byrne Harrison
Despite the prodigious amounts of Off-Off Broadway theatre produced in New York each year, it’s rare to find a genuinely strong production that features a compelling story and is both well-acted and well-directed. Fortunately for all of us, the Maieutic Theatre Works production of Cody Daigle’s Providence, currently playing a limited run at the View Theatre of the Roy Arias Theatre Center, is such a show. This taut, emotional play about love, guilt, and resilience is not to be missed.
Providence tells the story of two men brought together by a shared tragedy – a deadly plane crash. Mark (Douglas Scott Sorenson), a young gay schoolteacher, lost his best friend, Sara (Kathryn Ekblad). Neil (Anthony Crep) lost his wife, Jo (Ally Wirth). Drawn together by a pain they can’t share with even the most sympathetic friends, the two meet, trying to find some solace. Both have their moments of strength and of crippling guilt, but their unlikely friendship helps them move forward and heal.
This is not to imply that this play is only about the men. Both Sara and Jo have stories to tell. Most of their scenes are told in flashback, which thanks to some crisp directing on the part of Ian Crawford, moves seamlessly from present to past and back again.
Crisp could well be the unifying principle of this play. Daigle’s dialogue is tight and realistic. Crawford’s directing is strong and clear. Craig M. Napoliello’s spare, simple set is clean and bright. The sound, lighting, and costume design (Duncan Cutler, Rebecca Makus, and Angela Curcuru, respectively) reinforce the crisp feel of the production. The only thing that isn’t crisp, that is messy and oh so real, is the raw emotion and power provided by Sorenson, Crep, Ekblad, and Wirth. The Zen-like canvas on which these emotions are displayed, only serves to make them that much stronger.
The acting is excellent. Sorenson shows good range with his character and terrific chemistry with the talented Ekblad. Crep and Wirth are outstanding as the married couple. Their opening scene, clearly set after a particularly bad fight, is squirmingly realistic. Wirth in particular excels in showing Jo’s flinty strength, which makes the final scene, the only scene between Jo and Sara, so much more poignant. All four actors are to be commended for their splendid work. Every moment of this play feels immediate and real.
It’s sad to say, but plays like Providence don’t come around often. Even less common are productions of this caliber. Maieutic Theatre Works has created a beautiful and touching work of art. It is not to be missed.
Directed by Ian Crawford
Producers: M. Antonio Miniño and Julie Griffith
Associate Producers: Cristina Alicea and David Stallings
Set Designer: Craig M. Napoliello
Costume Designer: Angela Curcuru
Lighting Designer: Rebecca Makus
Sound Designer: Duncan Cutler
Stage Manager: Ashley Kosier
Sound Board Operator: Kevin Swanlund
Production Assistant: Carolina Almont
Press Agent: Katie Rosin/Kampfire Films PR
Poster/Postcard Designer: Felipe Leon
Featuring Douglas Scott Sorenson (Mark Langer), Anthony Crep (Neil Gray), Kathryn Ekblad (Sara Kass), and Aly Worth (Jo Gray).
The View Theatre, Roy Arias Theatre Center
300 W. 43rd Street, 5th Floor
February 7-24Thurs.-Sat. 8 PM; Sunday 3 and 7 PM.
Visit http://www.theatermania.com for tickets.
Despite the prodigious amounts of Off-Off Broadway theatre produced in New York each year, it’s rare to find a genuinely strong production that features a compelling story and is both well-acted and well-directed. Fortunately for all of us, the Maieutic Theatre Works production of Cody Daigle’s Providence, currently playing a limited run at the View Theatre of the Roy Arias Theatre Center, is such a show. This taut, emotional play about love, guilt, and resilience is not to be missed.
Providence tells the story of two men brought together by a shared tragedy – a deadly plane crash. Mark (Douglas Scott Sorenson), a young gay schoolteacher, lost his best friend, Sara (Kathryn Ekblad). Neil (Anthony Crep) lost his wife, Jo (Ally Wirth). Drawn together by a pain they can’t share with even the most sympathetic friends, the two meet, trying to find some solace. Both have their moments of strength and of crippling guilt, but their unlikely friendship helps them move forward and heal.
This is not to imply that this play is only about the men. Both Sara and Jo have stories to tell. Most of their scenes are told in flashback, which thanks to some crisp directing on the part of Ian Crawford, moves seamlessly from present to past and back again.
Crisp could well be the unifying principle of this play. Daigle’s dialogue is tight and realistic. Crawford’s directing is strong and clear. Craig M. Napoliello’s spare, simple set is clean and bright. The sound, lighting, and costume design (Duncan Cutler, Rebecca Makus, and Angela Curcuru, respectively) reinforce the crisp feel of the production. The only thing that isn’t crisp, that is messy and oh so real, is the raw emotion and power provided by Sorenson, Crep, Ekblad, and Wirth. The Zen-like canvas on which these emotions are displayed, only serves to make them that much stronger.
The acting is excellent. Sorenson shows good range with his character and terrific chemistry with the talented Ekblad. Crep and Wirth are outstanding as the married couple. Their opening scene, clearly set after a particularly bad fight, is squirmingly realistic. Wirth in particular excels in showing Jo’s flinty strength, which makes the final scene, the only scene between Jo and Sara, so much more poignant. All four actors are to be commended for their splendid work. Every moment of this play feels immediate and real.
It’s sad to say, but plays like Providence don’t come around often. Even less common are productions of this caliber. Maieutic Theatre Works has created a beautiful and touching work of art. It is not to be missed.
Directed by Ian Crawford
Producers: M. Antonio Miniño and Julie Griffith
Associate Producers: Cristina Alicea and David Stallings
Set Designer: Craig M. Napoliello
Costume Designer: Angela Curcuru
Lighting Designer: Rebecca Makus
Sound Designer: Duncan Cutler
Stage Manager: Ashley Kosier
Sound Board Operator: Kevin Swanlund
Production Assistant: Carolina Almont
Press Agent: Katie Rosin/Kampfire Films PR
Poster/Postcard Designer: Felipe Leon
Featuring Douglas Scott Sorenson (Mark Langer), Anthony Crep (Neil Gray), Kathryn Ekblad (Sara Kass), and Aly Worth (Jo Gray).
The View Theatre, Roy Arias Theatre Center
300 W. 43rd Street, 5th Floor
February 7-24Thurs.-Sat. 8 PM; Sunday 3 and 7 PM.
Visit http://www.theatermania.com for tickets.
Friday, February 15, 2008
Fundraiser - Ten Grand Productions
Ten Grand Productions hosts
a “Grand Night Out”
at The Grand Saloon
Ten Grand Productions invites the theatrical community to wet its whistle while meeting directors, actors, designers, producers, writers and a whole other mess of folk down at The Grand Saloon on February 15th from 7pm – 10pm.
All y’all are welcome, outlaws included. But don’t tell the sheriff.
The Grand Night Out will feature an open bar from 7pm -8pm so come early and drink often!
Admission is a $15 donation. An “artist’s discount” of a $10 donation will be offered if you bring a headshot/resume, performance flyer/postcard, original script, or business card.
The Grand Saloon is located at 158 East 23rd Street between Lexington and Third Avenues.
All proceeds from the Grand Night Out will benefit Ten Grand’s upcoming theatrical projects.
Ten Grand is a company of theatre professionals driven by the creation and development of new work and innovative interpretations of classic texts. We share an investment in the community’s social consciousness by promoting charitable work that stands side by side with our artistic endeavors.
For more information, please visit www.tengrand.org.
Friday, December 14, 2007
Review - Too Much Light Makes the Baby Go Blind Best of 2007 (The New York Neo-Futurists)
Stage Buzz Review by Byrne Harrison
Each performance of a play is, by its very nature, a unique experience. Perhaps an actor will be moved by an audience’s reaction and discover something new about his character. A prop may be missing. A line may be flubbed. Perhaps a techie has a hangover. Every little thing affects the show. However, most productions strive to make these differences to be as minor as possible.
The same cannot be said of Too Much Light Makes the Baby Go Blind, the long-running brainchild of Greg Allen, who created the show in Chicago and helped created the New York version. True to his ideal, the New York Neo-Futurists strive to live up to the motto, “If you’ve seen one Neo-Futurist show, you’ve seen one Neo-Futurist show.” While this is great from an audience’s standpoint, it makes for a difficult review.
TMLMTBGB is frantic. And funny. And thoughtful. It’s voice, and rhythm, and dance. It’s yoda dolls, Bichon Frisés, and water balloons. It is 30 plays in 60 minutes. And for two weekends in December, it is the best of 2007.
To choose the best of 2007 must be a daunting task. The New York Neo-Futurists are prolific. In the approximately three years that they’ve been performing in New York, they’ve premiered 1122 plays. Granted, a long Neo-Futurist play is probably still under 5 minutes. But that is impressive regardless. The Neos have narrowed the year’s offerings down to 45 plays. 15 plays are the same in the two weekends of the Best of 2007. There are 15 other plays for the first weekend and a new batch of 15 for the second. 30 plays any given night. If you come to the show both weekends, you’ll still see new things.
What I find most intriguing about TMLMTBGB is that the plays aren’t simply sketch comedy. Sure, there are plenty of funny ones. But the ones that are most interesting and resonate the most with me are the introspective pieces. While there is no guarantee that these will be performed in the last two performances of the Best of 2007, keep an eye out for The Truth About Mormons, a play by Christopher Borg about growing up Mormon and gay, Before it floats away I try to remember it all, a haunting, non-verbal piece by Joe Basile, and my favorite of the evening, Erica Livingston’s This Is Not A Panic Attack, in which the other actors help the audience visualize what a panic attack feels like to her.
The audience favorites tend to be the humorous plays, especially those that incorporate music, dance, and audience participation. Among the best of these are Joey Rizzolo’s brilliant Spoiler Alert, a catchy little song that gives away the secrets of everything from ‘Citizen Kane’ to the final Harry Potter novel, Jeffrey Cranor’s … on arguing Kantian metaphysics over espresso with a Bichon Frise, that is more or less, just what it claims to be, and Salaam-E-Ishq for SRK, by Eevin Hartsough, a marvelous dance and audience participation play that gets better each time I see it.
Though there are only two more shows left in the Best of 2007, the New York Neo-Futurists will be back on January 4th with new shows. If you miss tonight’s or tomorrow’s performances, do yourself a favor and go see a show as soon as you can. Too Much Light Makes the Baby Go Blind is one of the most exciting and interesting nights of theatre in New York.
[Ed. – The Neo-Futurists rarely attribute their plays to individual performers in their programs. The attributions above are based in part on the New York Neo-Futurists Too Much Light Makes the Baby Go Blind Best of 2007 chapbook, assumptions made based on the casting, their website (http://www.nynf.org), and discussions with individual members of the company.]
Created by Greg Allen
Written, Directed and Performed by The New York Neo-Futurists
Technical Director: Lauren Parrish
Featuring The New York Neo-Futurists: Jenny Williams, Justin Tolley, Joey Rizzolo, Rob Neill, Erica Livingston, Sarah Levy, Jacquelyn Landgraf, Eevin Hartsough, Ryan Good, Kevin R. Free, Jeffrey Cranor, Christopher Borg, Joe Basile.
The Kraine Theater
85 East 4th Street
Friday and Saturday at 10:30 PM through December 15th
Each performance of a play is, by its very nature, a unique experience. Perhaps an actor will be moved by an audience’s reaction and discover something new about his character. A prop may be missing. A line may be flubbed. Perhaps a techie has a hangover. Every little thing affects the show. However, most productions strive to make these differences to be as minor as possible.
The same cannot be said of Too Much Light Makes the Baby Go Blind, the long-running brainchild of Greg Allen, who created the show in Chicago and helped created the New York version. True to his ideal, the New York Neo-Futurists strive to live up to the motto, “If you’ve seen one Neo-Futurist show, you’ve seen one Neo-Futurist show.” While this is great from an audience’s standpoint, it makes for a difficult review.
TMLMTBGB is frantic. And funny. And thoughtful. It’s voice, and rhythm, and dance. It’s yoda dolls, Bichon Frisés, and water balloons. It is 30 plays in 60 minutes. And for two weekends in December, it is the best of 2007.
To choose the best of 2007 must be a daunting task. The New York Neo-Futurists are prolific. In the approximately three years that they’ve been performing in New York, they’ve premiered 1122 plays. Granted, a long Neo-Futurist play is probably still under 5 minutes. But that is impressive regardless. The Neos have narrowed the year’s offerings down to 45 plays. 15 plays are the same in the two weekends of the Best of 2007. There are 15 other plays for the first weekend and a new batch of 15 for the second. 30 plays any given night. If you come to the show both weekends, you’ll still see new things.
What I find most intriguing about TMLMTBGB is that the plays aren’t simply sketch comedy. Sure, there are plenty of funny ones. But the ones that are most interesting and resonate the most with me are the introspective pieces. While there is no guarantee that these will be performed in the last two performances of the Best of 2007, keep an eye out for The Truth About Mormons, a play by Christopher Borg about growing up Mormon and gay, Before it floats away I try to remember it all, a haunting, non-verbal piece by Joe Basile, and my favorite of the evening, Erica Livingston’s This Is Not A Panic Attack, in which the other actors help the audience visualize what a panic attack feels like to her.
The audience favorites tend to be the humorous plays, especially those that incorporate music, dance, and audience participation. Among the best of these are Joey Rizzolo’s brilliant Spoiler Alert, a catchy little song that gives away the secrets of everything from ‘Citizen Kane’ to the final Harry Potter novel, Jeffrey Cranor’s … on arguing Kantian metaphysics over espresso with a Bichon Frise, that is more or less, just what it claims to be, and Salaam-E-Ishq for SRK, by Eevin Hartsough, a marvelous dance and audience participation play that gets better each time I see it.
Though there are only two more shows left in the Best of 2007, the New York Neo-Futurists will be back on January 4th with new shows. If you miss tonight’s or tomorrow’s performances, do yourself a favor and go see a show as soon as you can. Too Much Light Makes the Baby Go Blind is one of the most exciting and interesting nights of theatre in New York.
[Ed. – The Neo-Futurists rarely attribute their plays to individual performers in their programs. The attributions above are based in part on the New York Neo-Futurists Too Much Light Makes the Baby Go Blind Best of 2007 chapbook, assumptions made based on the casting, their website (http://www.nynf.org), and discussions with individual members of the company.]
Created by Greg Allen
Written, Directed and Performed by The New York Neo-Futurists
Technical Director: Lauren Parrish
Featuring The New York Neo-Futurists: Jenny Williams, Justin Tolley, Joey Rizzolo, Rob Neill, Erica Livingston, Sarah Levy, Jacquelyn Landgraf, Eevin Hartsough, Ryan Good, Kevin R. Free, Jeffrey Cranor, Christopher Borg, Joe Basile.
The Kraine Theater
85 East 4th Street
Friday and Saturday at 10:30 PM through December 15th
Saturday, December 8, 2007
Review - Scapin (Turtle Shell Productions)
Stage Buzz Review by Byrne Harrison
From the moment the audience steps into the Turtle’s Shell Theater, director Shawn Rozsa plunges them into the neon-bright world of Itty Bitty Italy, the village that serves as the setting for Scott McCrea’s new translation of Molière’s Scapin. There are vibrant colors everywhere; it is, after all, the feast of San Piccolo, the patron saint of Itty Bitty Italy. There is the set that doesn’t quite define what space belongs to the actors and what belongs to the audience. And then there is the wise-cracking Musician who welcomes you in and entertains you until the play. It’s a pre-show that practically jumps up and yells “Benvenuto!”
It is also exactly what McCrea’s translation calls for. Rozsa knows that an audience needs to be warmed up for a show like this. It’s hard to come in off the chilly streets and be ready for in-your-face slapstick. This pre-show entertainment allows the audience to steal away from the New York winter outside and bask in Itty Bitty Italy’s warm and welcoming glow.
Scapin follows a pretty standard classical storyline. Two young men, scions of the richest families in town, have fallen in love with women their rapacious fathers would never approve of. Young, rich, and handsome, they are unfortunately not the brightest bulbs, so it’s up to Scapin, the wily servant, to save the day. There will, of course, be sight gags and naughty humor. Secret identities and shocking revelations. Heck, they’ll even throw in some puppets for good measure.
The cast of Scapin does a marvelous job. Most notable is Spencer Aste as the vulpine Scapin. Silver-tongued and not at all trustworthy, Scapin is a wonderful character and Aste seems to have a great deal of fun playing him. As the miserly fathers, John Freimann and Roger Grunwald create grotesque and amusing caricatures, each with wonderful idiosyncrasies – Freimann with a stoop and a weirdly bum leg, the fan-wielding Grunwald with a voice that is equal parts Leslie Jordan and Truman Capote. Though the roles of the young lovers are underwritten, the four actors playing them, Nico Evers-Swindell, Matt Luceno, Maya Rosewood, and Catherine Wronowski, each have several moments to shine . . . and sigh and swoon and pine as all comedic young lovers must. Also praise-worthy is the juggling, guitar-playing, balloon-animal making Jay Painter, who greets the audience and keeps them entertained before the show and during intermission (he also plays a Porter and provides incidental music and sound effects during the play). His wide, toothy grin and willingness to do anything for a laugh are remarkable.
Production values are strong. Keven Lock’s bright and electrically vibrant sets perfectly frame A. Christina Giannini’s ‘70s-inspired (and one suspects vintage, in some cases) costumes. Eric Larson’s lighting shows everything off to great advantage.
Scapin does have its share of slow moments, and like many other slapstick comedies, relies heavily on the audience being really into the show. In addition, there are the usual line flubs, costume malfunctions, and prop problems that are part of live theatre. To their credit, the cast does a good job of covering when needed.
One final note - for the more adventurous audience members, there are a dozen or so seats onstage. While I am generally happiest safely tucked behind the fourth wall, I nevertheless enjoyed being in one of those seats for Scapin. Granted, I didn’t have to deal with an actor’s crotch in my face like one of the other hapless audience members, but there was a certain buzz at being up there during an exciting and energetic show like this.
Producer/Artistic Director: John W. Cooper
Directed by Shawn Rozsa
Translation by Scott McCrea, from the play by Molière
Scenic Designer: Keven Lock
Lighting Designer: Eric Larson
Costume Designer: A. Christina Giannini
Sound Designer: David Roy
Stage Manager: Neal Kowalsky
Assistant Stage Manager: Monet C. Fleming
Marketing and Publicity Director: Jeremy Handelman
Production Assistant; Chrissy Capobianco
Associate Sound Designer: Adam “Zee” Zorn
From the moment the audience steps into the Turtle’s Shell Theater, director Shawn Rozsa plunges them into the neon-bright world of Itty Bitty Italy, the village that serves as the setting for Scott McCrea’s new translation of Molière’s Scapin. There are vibrant colors everywhere; it is, after all, the feast of San Piccolo, the patron saint of Itty Bitty Italy. There is the set that doesn’t quite define what space belongs to the actors and what belongs to the audience. And then there is the wise-cracking Musician who welcomes you in and entertains you until the play. It’s a pre-show that practically jumps up and yells “Benvenuto!”
It is also exactly what McCrea’s translation calls for. Rozsa knows that an audience needs to be warmed up for a show like this. It’s hard to come in off the chilly streets and be ready for in-your-face slapstick. This pre-show entertainment allows the audience to steal away from the New York winter outside and bask in Itty Bitty Italy’s warm and welcoming glow.
Scapin follows a pretty standard classical storyline. Two young men, scions of the richest families in town, have fallen in love with women their rapacious fathers would never approve of. Young, rich, and handsome, they are unfortunately not the brightest bulbs, so it’s up to Scapin, the wily servant, to save the day. There will, of course, be sight gags and naughty humor. Secret identities and shocking revelations. Heck, they’ll even throw in some puppets for good measure.
The cast of Scapin does a marvelous job. Most notable is Spencer Aste as the vulpine Scapin. Silver-tongued and not at all trustworthy, Scapin is a wonderful character and Aste seems to have a great deal of fun playing him. As the miserly fathers, John Freimann and Roger Grunwald create grotesque and amusing caricatures, each with wonderful idiosyncrasies – Freimann with a stoop and a weirdly bum leg, the fan-wielding Grunwald with a voice that is equal parts Leslie Jordan and Truman Capote. Though the roles of the young lovers are underwritten, the four actors playing them, Nico Evers-Swindell, Matt Luceno, Maya Rosewood, and Catherine Wronowski, each have several moments to shine . . . and sigh and swoon and pine as all comedic young lovers must. Also praise-worthy is the juggling, guitar-playing, balloon-animal making Jay Painter, who greets the audience and keeps them entertained before the show and during intermission (he also plays a Porter and provides incidental music and sound effects during the play). His wide, toothy grin and willingness to do anything for a laugh are remarkable.
Production values are strong. Keven Lock’s bright and electrically vibrant sets perfectly frame A. Christina Giannini’s ‘70s-inspired (and one suspects vintage, in some cases) costumes. Eric Larson’s lighting shows everything off to great advantage.
Scapin does have its share of slow moments, and like many other slapstick comedies, relies heavily on the audience being really into the show. In addition, there are the usual line flubs, costume malfunctions, and prop problems that are part of live theatre. To their credit, the cast does a good job of covering when needed.
One final note - for the more adventurous audience members, there are a dozen or so seats onstage. While I am generally happiest safely tucked behind the fourth wall, I nevertheless enjoyed being in one of those seats for Scapin. Granted, I didn’t have to deal with an actor’s crotch in my face like one of the other hapless audience members, but there was a certain buzz at being up there during an exciting and energetic show like this.
Producer/Artistic Director: John W. Cooper
Directed by Shawn Rozsa
Translation by Scott McCrea, from the play by Molière
Scenic Designer: Keven Lock
Lighting Designer: Eric Larson
Costume Designer: A. Christina Giannini
Sound Designer: David Roy
Stage Manager: Neal Kowalsky
Assistant Stage Manager: Monet C. Fleming
Marketing and Publicity Director: Jeremy Handelman
Production Assistant; Chrissy Capobianco
Associate Sound Designer: Adam “Zee” Zorn
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
Review - Sister Cities (T. Schreiber Studio)
Stage Buzz Review by Byrne Harrison
It’s hard to imagine anything that could be done to make the T. Schreiber Studio production of Colette Freedman’s Sister Cities any better. From the moment the audience enters the theatre and sees George Allison’s amazing set, to the last word before the lights come down (a humorously used vulgarity, in case you are wondering) this funny and touching play is a treasure.
Carolina, Austin, Dallas, and Baltimore are half-sisters, each with the same mother, Mary, and different fathers. The children’s names were Mary’s idea; she wanted to name them after their birth cities (though she admitted that she messed up with her eldest, Carolina - the concept wasn’t quite fleshed out when she was born). Austin, a novelist who is living with her mother, has called her sisters home after Mary’s suicide. The girls, who are not particularly close, are left to deal with the aftermath of her death, the lies that they’ve been telling each other and themselves, and one huge secret that is best not given away here because its revelation is remarkably powerful and central to the entire play. Suffice it to say, the truth will set them free, but it will be painful.
The five women in the cast do an outstanding job with their roles. Though only briefly in the play, Judith Scarpone as Mary effectively displays her character’s complex emotions dealing with a crippling disease, and in her scenes with Maeve Yore’s Austin, shows a steely resolve wrapped in motherly pride. Yore is excellent as the writer, forced to watch her mother’s decline and become Mary’s unwilling confidante as she plans her suicide. The other three characters could easily have become stereotypes – Carolina, the uptight lawyer, Dallas, a prissy schoolteacher, and Baltimore, the wild child – but thanks to superb writing and nuanced performances on behalf of the actors (Ellen Reilly, Emberli Edwards, and Jamie Neumann, respectively), these characters instead appear fully realized and interesting. Where Yore, Reilly, Edwards and Neumann truly excel is in creating a realistic family dynamic. There is a complicated mix of love, jealousy, self-pity, seething anger, and humor on display as the characters push each other’s buttons like siblings often do. The actresses mine these emotions to great effect.
Sister Cities features effective direction by Cat Parker, and strong technical aspects by George Allison (set), Karen Ann Ledger (costumes), Andrea Boccanfuso (lights), and Chris Rummel (sound). In particular, there is a nice, almost cinematic, touch with the sound when the pre-show music (James Taylor’s ‘Carolina In My Mind’) transitions from the main speakers into a small onstage radio. It was well-executed and effectively pulled the audience right into the scene.
This is the third production that I have seen at T. Schreiber Studio, and it’s certainly no mystery to me why each performance I’ve attended has had a sold-out house. The plays are well-chosen, as is the cast, and the technical aspects are always particularly well done. If you’ve never seen a T. Schreiber Studio production, you certainly should, and Sister Cities is a great one to start with.
Written by Colette Freedman
Directed by Cat Parker
Scenic Designer: George Allison
Costume Designer: Karen Ann Ledger
Lighting Designer: Andrea Boccanfuso
Sound Designer: Christopher Rummel
Production Coordinator: Gina Roché
Stage Manager/Fight Coordinator: Eliza Jane Bowman
Assistant Director: Frank Mihelich
Set Decorator: Carolyn Mraz
Technical Director: Rohit Kapoor
Production Photographer: Gili Getz
Publicist: Katie Rosin
Featuring Emberli Edwards (Dallas), Jamie Neumann (Baltimore), Ellen Reilly (Carolina), Judith Scarpone (Mary), and Maeve Yore (Austin).
T. Schreiber Studio
151 W. 26th Street, 7th Floor
Through November 18th
It’s hard to imagine anything that could be done to make the T. Schreiber Studio production of Colette Freedman’s Sister Cities any better. From the moment the audience enters the theatre and sees George Allison’s amazing set, to the last word before the lights come down (a humorously used vulgarity, in case you are wondering) this funny and touching play is a treasure.
Carolina, Austin, Dallas, and Baltimore are half-sisters, each with the same mother, Mary, and different fathers. The children’s names were Mary’s idea; she wanted to name them after their birth cities (though she admitted that she messed up with her eldest, Carolina - the concept wasn’t quite fleshed out when she was born). Austin, a novelist who is living with her mother, has called her sisters home after Mary’s suicide. The girls, who are not particularly close, are left to deal with the aftermath of her death, the lies that they’ve been telling each other and themselves, and one huge secret that is best not given away here because its revelation is remarkably powerful and central to the entire play. Suffice it to say, the truth will set them free, but it will be painful.
The five women in the cast do an outstanding job with their roles. Though only briefly in the play, Judith Scarpone as Mary effectively displays her character’s complex emotions dealing with a crippling disease, and in her scenes with Maeve Yore’s Austin, shows a steely resolve wrapped in motherly pride. Yore is excellent as the writer, forced to watch her mother’s decline and become Mary’s unwilling confidante as she plans her suicide. The other three characters could easily have become stereotypes – Carolina, the uptight lawyer, Dallas, a prissy schoolteacher, and Baltimore, the wild child – but thanks to superb writing and nuanced performances on behalf of the actors (Ellen Reilly, Emberli Edwards, and Jamie Neumann, respectively), these characters instead appear fully realized and interesting. Where Yore, Reilly, Edwards and Neumann truly excel is in creating a realistic family dynamic. There is a complicated mix of love, jealousy, self-pity, seething anger, and humor on display as the characters push each other’s buttons like siblings often do. The actresses mine these emotions to great effect.
Sister Cities features effective direction by Cat Parker, and strong technical aspects by George Allison (set), Karen Ann Ledger (costumes), Andrea Boccanfuso (lights), and Chris Rummel (sound). In particular, there is a nice, almost cinematic, touch with the sound when the pre-show music (James Taylor’s ‘Carolina In My Mind’) transitions from the main speakers into a small onstage radio. It was well-executed and effectively pulled the audience right into the scene.
This is the third production that I have seen at T. Schreiber Studio, and it’s certainly no mystery to me why each performance I’ve attended has had a sold-out house. The plays are well-chosen, as is the cast, and the technical aspects are always particularly well done. If you’ve never seen a T. Schreiber Studio production, you certainly should, and Sister Cities is a great one to start with.
Written by Colette Freedman
Directed by Cat Parker
Scenic Designer: George Allison
Costume Designer: Karen Ann Ledger
Lighting Designer: Andrea Boccanfuso
Sound Designer: Christopher Rummel
Production Coordinator: Gina Roché
Stage Manager/Fight Coordinator: Eliza Jane Bowman
Assistant Director: Frank Mihelich
Set Decorator: Carolyn Mraz
Technical Director: Rohit Kapoor
Production Photographer: Gili Getz
Publicist: Katie Rosin
Featuring Emberli Edwards (Dallas), Jamie Neumann (Baltimore), Ellen Reilly (Carolina), Judith Scarpone (Mary), and Maeve Yore (Austin).
T. Schreiber Studio
151 W. 26th Street, 7th Floor
Through November 18th
Thursday, October 25, 2007
Review – The Blood Brothers Present . . . Pulp (The Blood Brothers and Nosedive Productions)
Stage Buzz review by Byrne Harrison
The Blood Brothers are back. After last year’s successful production, The Blood Brothers Present . . . An Evening of Grand Guignol Horror, the ghoulish Brothers Blood (Patrick Shearer and Pete Boisvert) have returned bringing panic, terror, wit and gore to a city that can’t seem to get enough of it. This year’s production, a perfect lead in for Halloween, features three short plays sandwiched between gory vignettes. Not everything in Pulp works, but the show features many more hits than misses.
The theme of this year’s production is ‘pulp,’ as in the pulp fiction of the ‘40s and ‘50s. Two of the three short plays hit this style dead on. The first, Best Served Cold by Mac Rogers, is a suspenseful tale of a woman’s revenge on the woman who stole her man. Set in a diner late at night, and narrated by the delightfully cold Patrick Shearer, Best Served Cold shows the confrontation between wronged Marybeth (Anna Kull) and Brianne (Jessi Gotta), the diner owner and woman who ran away with Nick (Marc Landers) and all Marybeth’s money. The play is tight, clever and suspenseful and is very deftly directed by Patrick Shearer and Pete Boisvert. The acting is outstanding, with particularly high marks going to Gotta and Kull.
The other play that hits the nail on the head is James Comtois’ Listening to Reason - a fun little play, full of malice and threat, but with a tidy surprise-ending. In this one, Marc Landers is back playing a serial killer who preys on young women. Hounded by the police and by Patrick Shearer, who again narrates and seems to be inside the killer’s head (one hesitates to call so malicious a voice ‘his conscience’), he takes shelter in the apartment of Miss Greene (Jessi Gotta). Unlike most of the women who venture onstage in a Blood Brothers play, Miss Greene lives. Comtois’ twist is excellent and brings to mind the old mysteries on ‘Alfred Hitchcock Presents.’ Jessi Gotta is, once again, particularly good, and Listening to Reason gives Marc Landers a chance to shine as the brutish killer.
The third play in Pulp is a disappointment. Dead Things Kill Nicely, by Qui Nguyen, ignores the pulp genre entirely and tries for comic horror, along the lines of the recent Evil Dead: The Musical. The story, a young girl (Gyda Arber) “saved” from zombies by crazy woman, Story (Stephanie Cox-William), and her creepy son, Rhyme (Pete Boisvert), is okay, and could actually have been fun. Unfortunately, it was hampered by forced dialogue spoken in accents that would have made the Monty Python boys wince. It was also the only one of the three main plays not using a narrator. Stylistically, this made it stick out. While this was my least favorite piece of the evening, it did feature a truly creepy turn by Pete Boisvert as the gravel-voiced Rhyme – so named because he speaks in nursery rhymes. He does such a marvelous job, Rhyme is guaranteed to make an appearance in your next nightmare.
Surrounding the three main plays are four vignettes that have less to do with Pulp and more to do with the Blood Brothers. These are the gory, creepy little tales to disgust and delight the audience. The first of these, Metaphor by James Comtois, features the entire Blood family – Shearer again, as the more literate of the Brothers, Boisvert, as the other brother, and Stephanie Cox-Williams as Gramma Blood. In this vignette, Shearer explains the similarities between theatre and surgery, using his brother as a handy visual aid. The second piece, a comic, and bloody magic show called Something Up His Sleeve, features Brian Silliman as the Magician, with Anna Kull as his hapless assistant. The two creepiest pieces follow. In the first, Bugs In My Skin, Michael Criscuolo plays a young man who comes to appreciate his little multi-legged insect friends to the point of wanting to turn himself into one. Not only is it freakishy disturbing, but it features some excellent directing by Stephanie Cox-Williams. The final vignette is a brutal piece about torture featuring Arber and Kull called What Color Is The Sun?
It is worth mentioning that the bloody special effects in The Blood Brothers Present . . . Pulp are more sophisticated than last year’s, and as such, are much more fun to watch. While there is no guarantee that Nosedive will continue this to bring back the Blood Brothers and their gory stories, if this is an indication of what they can do after only two years, I can only imagine what the Blood Brothers could be with a couple more years, and many more corpses, under their belts. The Blood Brothers Present . . . Pulp closes soon – don’t miss it.
Written by James Comtois, Mac Rogers, Pete Boisvert, Patrick Shearer, Qui Nguyen
Directed by Rebecca Comtois, Patrick Shearer, Pete Boisvert, Stephanie Cox-Williams, Matt Johnston
Production Manager: Stephanie Cox-Williams
Stage Manager: Jessica Lazar
Board Operator: Mike Caputo
Fight Choreographer: Qui Nguyen
Lighting Designer: Phil Shearer
Makeup Designer: Leslie Hughes
Sound Designer: Patrick Shearer
Original Music: Larry Lees
Press Agent: James Comtois
Producers: Pete Boisvert, Rebecca Comtois, Stephanie Cox-Williams, Patrick Shearer
Associate Producers: James Comtois, Marc Landers
Featuring Gyda Arber (Serena, Molly, First Victim, Croceus), Michael Criscuolo (Tired Driver, Man, Police Officer), Jessi Gotta (Brianne, Miss Greene), Anna Kull (Marybeth, The Assistant, Second Victim, Tormina), Marc Landers (Nick, Killer), Brian Silliman (Officer Clancy, The Magician, Brad, Mr. Tucker), Pete Boisvert (Brother Blood, Rhyme), Stephanie Cox-Williams (Gramma Blood, Story), Patrick Shearer (Brother Blood)
The 78th Street Theatre Lab
236 W. 78th Street, 2nd Floor
Through Saturday, October 27th
The Blood Brothers are back. After last year’s successful production, The Blood Brothers Present . . . An Evening of Grand Guignol Horror, the ghoulish Brothers Blood (Patrick Shearer and Pete Boisvert) have returned bringing panic, terror, wit and gore to a city that can’t seem to get enough of it. This year’s production, a perfect lead in for Halloween, features three short plays sandwiched between gory vignettes. Not everything in Pulp works, but the show features many more hits than misses.
The theme of this year’s production is ‘pulp,’ as in the pulp fiction of the ‘40s and ‘50s. Two of the three short plays hit this style dead on. The first, Best Served Cold by Mac Rogers, is a suspenseful tale of a woman’s revenge on the woman who stole her man. Set in a diner late at night, and narrated by the delightfully cold Patrick Shearer, Best Served Cold shows the confrontation between wronged Marybeth (Anna Kull) and Brianne (Jessi Gotta), the diner owner and woman who ran away with Nick (Marc Landers) and all Marybeth’s money. The play is tight, clever and suspenseful and is very deftly directed by Patrick Shearer and Pete Boisvert. The acting is outstanding, with particularly high marks going to Gotta and Kull.
The other play that hits the nail on the head is James Comtois’ Listening to Reason - a fun little play, full of malice and threat, but with a tidy surprise-ending. In this one, Marc Landers is back playing a serial killer who preys on young women. Hounded by the police and by Patrick Shearer, who again narrates and seems to be inside the killer’s head (one hesitates to call so malicious a voice ‘his conscience’), he takes shelter in the apartment of Miss Greene (Jessi Gotta). Unlike most of the women who venture onstage in a Blood Brothers play, Miss Greene lives. Comtois’ twist is excellent and brings to mind the old mysteries on ‘Alfred Hitchcock Presents.’ Jessi Gotta is, once again, particularly good, and Listening to Reason gives Marc Landers a chance to shine as the brutish killer.
The third play in Pulp is a disappointment. Dead Things Kill Nicely, by Qui Nguyen, ignores the pulp genre entirely and tries for comic horror, along the lines of the recent Evil Dead: The Musical. The story, a young girl (Gyda Arber) “saved” from zombies by crazy woman, Story (Stephanie Cox-William), and her creepy son, Rhyme (Pete Boisvert), is okay, and could actually have been fun. Unfortunately, it was hampered by forced dialogue spoken in accents that would have made the Monty Python boys wince. It was also the only one of the three main plays not using a narrator. Stylistically, this made it stick out. While this was my least favorite piece of the evening, it did feature a truly creepy turn by Pete Boisvert as the gravel-voiced Rhyme – so named because he speaks in nursery rhymes. He does such a marvelous job, Rhyme is guaranteed to make an appearance in your next nightmare.
Surrounding the three main plays are four vignettes that have less to do with Pulp and more to do with the Blood Brothers. These are the gory, creepy little tales to disgust and delight the audience. The first of these, Metaphor by James Comtois, features the entire Blood family – Shearer again, as the more literate of the Brothers, Boisvert, as the other brother, and Stephanie Cox-Williams as Gramma Blood. In this vignette, Shearer explains the similarities between theatre and surgery, using his brother as a handy visual aid. The second piece, a comic, and bloody magic show called Something Up His Sleeve, features Brian Silliman as the Magician, with Anna Kull as his hapless assistant. The two creepiest pieces follow. In the first, Bugs In My Skin, Michael Criscuolo plays a young man who comes to appreciate his little multi-legged insect friends to the point of wanting to turn himself into one. Not only is it freakishy disturbing, but it features some excellent directing by Stephanie Cox-Williams. The final vignette is a brutal piece about torture featuring Arber and Kull called What Color Is The Sun?
It is worth mentioning that the bloody special effects in The Blood Brothers Present . . . Pulp are more sophisticated than last year’s, and as such, are much more fun to watch. While there is no guarantee that Nosedive will continue this to bring back the Blood Brothers and their gory stories, if this is an indication of what they can do after only two years, I can only imagine what the Blood Brothers could be with a couple more years, and many more corpses, under their belts. The Blood Brothers Present . . . Pulp closes soon – don’t miss it.
Written by James Comtois, Mac Rogers, Pete Boisvert, Patrick Shearer, Qui Nguyen
Directed by Rebecca Comtois, Patrick Shearer, Pete Boisvert, Stephanie Cox-Williams, Matt Johnston
Production Manager: Stephanie Cox-Williams
Stage Manager: Jessica Lazar
Board Operator: Mike Caputo
Fight Choreographer: Qui Nguyen
Lighting Designer: Phil Shearer
Makeup Designer: Leslie Hughes
Sound Designer: Patrick Shearer
Original Music: Larry Lees
Press Agent: James Comtois
Producers: Pete Boisvert, Rebecca Comtois, Stephanie Cox-Williams, Patrick Shearer
Associate Producers: James Comtois, Marc Landers
Featuring Gyda Arber (Serena, Molly, First Victim, Croceus), Michael Criscuolo (Tired Driver, Man, Police Officer), Jessi Gotta (Brianne, Miss Greene), Anna Kull (Marybeth, The Assistant, Second Victim, Tormina), Marc Landers (Nick, Killer), Brian Silliman (Officer Clancy, The Magician, Brad, Mr. Tucker), Pete Boisvert (Brother Blood, Rhyme), Stephanie Cox-Williams (Gramma Blood, Story), Patrick Shearer (Brother Blood)
The 78th Street Theatre Lab
236 W. 78th Street, 2nd Floor
Through Saturday, October 27th
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
Announcement - The Blood Brothers Present: Pulp
The Blood Brothers Present: Pulp
featuring
Gyda Arber, Michael Criscuolo, Jessi Gotta, Anna Kull, Marc Landers, Brian Silliman
Listening To Reason
by James Comtois
Directed by Matt Johnston
Dead Things Kill Nicely
by Qui Nguyen
Directed by Pete Boisvert & Patrick Shearer
Best Served Cold
by Mac Rogers
Directed by Pete Boisvert & Patrick Shearer
The 78th Street Theatre Lab
October 11-13, 18-20, 25-27, Thursday through Saturday, 8 p.m.
“For sheer playful fun, make this gory confection your Halloween treat.” - Time Out New York
“Sheer, merry sadism, sexual savagery, and witty humor.” - The Off-Off-Broadway Review
A deranged psycho killer, deaf to pleas for mercy, tries one last-ditch effort to dodge the cops through the reluctant help of one terrified hostage. Molly, a young teen looking for a quick snog in the woods, now has to cover a zombie hicky. And Brianne has to keep Marybeth from pulling the trigger for just eight more minutes, but learns that, when talking for one’s life, time has a way of slowing down.
This is The Blood Brothers Present: PULP, Nosedive Productions’ follow-up to last year’s Blood Brothers Present: An Evening of Grand Guignol Horror. James Comtois (The Adventures of Nervous-Boy), Qui Nguyen (Men of Steel, Living Dead in Denmark) and Mac Rogers (Universal Robots, Hail Satan), New York indie theatre scene’s hottest — and let’s face it, sickest — playwrights write three original works inspired by the pulp horror comics and short stories of the 1940s and ‘50s.
The Blood Brothers Present: PULP features graphic violence and strong sexual situations and is recommended for adults only.
The Blood Brothers Present will be performed at the 78th Street Theatre Lab (236 West 78th St. at Broadway) October 11-13, 18-20, 25-27 (Thursday through Saturday). All shows are at 8 p.m. and tickets are $18. Subway: 1 to 79th Street; A to 81st Street; or 1 2 or 3 to 72nd Street.
For tickets call 212-352-3101 or visit http://www.theatermania.com/.
featuring
Gyda Arber, Michael Criscuolo, Jessi Gotta, Anna Kull, Marc Landers, Brian Silliman
Listening To Reason
by James Comtois
Directed by Matt Johnston
Dead Things Kill Nicely
by Qui Nguyen
Directed by Pete Boisvert & Patrick Shearer
Best Served Cold
by Mac Rogers
Directed by Pete Boisvert & Patrick Shearer
The 78th Street Theatre Lab
October 11-13, 18-20, 25-27, Thursday through Saturday, 8 p.m.
“For sheer playful fun, make this gory confection your Halloween treat.” - Time Out New York
“Sheer, merry sadism, sexual savagery, and witty humor.” - The Off-Off-Broadway Review
A deranged psycho killer, deaf to pleas for mercy, tries one last-ditch effort to dodge the cops through the reluctant help of one terrified hostage. Molly, a young teen looking for a quick snog in the woods, now has to cover a zombie hicky. And Brianne has to keep Marybeth from pulling the trigger for just eight more minutes, but learns that, when talking for one’s life, time has a way of slowing down.
This is The Blood Brothers Present: PULP, Nosedive Productions’ follow-up to last year’s Blood Brothers Present: An Evening of Grand Guignol Horror. James Comtois (The Adventures of Nervous-Boy), Qui Nguyen (Men of Steel, Living Dead in Denmark) and Mac Rogers (Universal Robots, Hail Satan), New York indie theatre scene’s hottest — and let’s face it, sickest — playwrights write three original works inspired by the pulp horror comics and short stories of the 1940s and ‘50s.
The Blood Brothers Present: PULP features graphic violence and strong sexual situations and is recommended for adults only.
The Blood Brothers Present will be performed at the 78th Street Theatre Lab (236 West 78th St. at Broadway) October 11-13, 18-20, 25-27 (Thursday through Saturday). All shows are at 8 p.m. and tickets are $18. Subway: 1 to 79th Street; A to 81st Street; or 1 2 or 3 to 72nd Street.
For tickets call 212-352-3101 or visit http://www.theatermania.com/.
Review – The Lady Swims Today (WBISI Productions)
Stage Buzz Review by Byrne Harrison
A backwater resort on the Chesapeake Bay. A shady businessman who promises quick, but not easy, money. A mysterious message, “The lady swims today.” All of these, combined with a handful of locals whose greed overwhelms their good sense and the women who threaten to ruin it all, are on display in H.G. Brown’s The Lady Swims Today at the TADA Theatre. This tight crime drama is a pleasure to watch.
The most striking feature of The Lady Swims Today is the most readily apparent, the marvelous set created by designer Joseph Spirito. It truly captures the feel of the bar of the down-on-its-luck Carney Hook Marina Motel and provides an excellent backdrop to showcase the locals: George (Gordon Silva), the bartender; Harley (Jack Rodgerson), a dockworker and wannabe piano player; and Mal (Rob Sheridan), a former contraband runner who is trying to make a respectable living running the motel with his wife, Beverly (Vivienne Leheny). George and Harley seem to fit the bar perfectly, a little worn and a bit seedy. Mal and Beverly fit in a little less; they’re the dressed up version of what the bar could be. There are also three outsiders at the motel: Joyce Stevens (Kate Udall), Beverly’s old friend, now a reporter; Alice (Kelli K. Barnett), Harley’s ‘dancer’ girlfriend; and the most out of his element, Eddie Hajazi (Robert Funaro), the midlevel hood who is looking for some payback. This payback involves piracy and could net over $2 million. But for it to work, he needs help.
The Lady Swims Today is a fun ride, slowly unfolding, unveiling complication after complication as it builds towards its conclusion. Director Stephen Sunderlin does an excellent job with the pacing, maintaining a coiled tension in most of the scenes that drives the action to a number of explosive moments, the best of which feature Eddie and Joyce, two characters who are much more alike than they’d care to admit.
The acting in this production is strong, though certain actors shine. Vivienne Leheny, in addition to being an excellent as Beverly, has a remarkable voice, clear as crystal whether in a whisper or a shout. Rob Sheridan’s Mal is a character clearly at war with himself. For his wife’s sake, he wants to keep clean, but every new day brings frustrations and setbacks. He clearly wants a moment of his old life back, even though that life also repulses him. Robert Funaro as Eddie is slick and in charge. Funaro occasionally comes across a little stiff, though he is excellent in the more dramatic moments or when interacting with the female characters. It’s clear that Eddie is a lady’s man; Funaro seems to have a great deal of fun playing with this aspect of his character.
With an engrossing story, excellent acting, and deft direction, The Lady Swims Today is an impressive thriller that is sure to entertain.
Written by H.G. Brown
Directed by Stephen Sunderlin
Scene Design: Joseph Spirito
Costume Design: Vanessa Leuck
Lighting Design: Brett Maughan
Stage Manager: Joanna Leigh Jacobsen
Assistant Stage Manager: Connie Baker
Assistant Director: Avriel Hillman
Fight Choreographer: Jim Bender
General Manager: Tom Smedes
Press Representative: Jim Randolph
Photographer: Roger Gaess
Web & Print Designer: Keith Paul
Featuring Gordon Silva (George Santos), Robert Funaro (Eddie Hajazi), Jack Rodgerson (Harley Davis), Rob Sheridan (Mal Peters), Vivienne Leheny (Beverly Sharon Peters), Kate Udall (Joyce Stevens), Kelli K. Barnett (Alice Bender)
TADA Theatre
15 W. 28th Street
Through Sunday October 21st.
For tickets visit www.theladyswimstoday.com or call 212-352-3101
A backwater resort on the Chesapeake Bay. A shady businessman who promises quick, but not easy, money. A mysterious message, “The lady swims today.” All of these, combined with a handful of locals whose greed overwhelms their good sense and the women who threaten to ruin it all, are on display in H.G. Brown’s The Lady Swims Today at the TADA Theatre. This tight crime drama is a pleasure to watch.
The most striking feature of The Lady Swims Today is the most readily apparent, the marvelous set created by designer Joseph Spirito. It truly captures the feel of the bar of the down-on-its-luck Carney Hook Marina Motel and provides an excellent backdrop to showcase the locals: George (Gordon Silva), the bartender; Harley (Jack Rodgerson), a dockworker and wannabe piano player; and Mal (Rob Sheridan), a former contraband runner who is trying to make a respectable living running the motel with his wife, Beverly (Vivienne Leheny). George and Harley seem to fit the bar perfectly, a little worn and a bit seedy. Mal and Beverly fit in a little less; they’re the dressed up version of what the bar could be. There are also three outsiders at the motel: Joyce Stevens (Kate Udall), Beverly’s old friend, now a reporter; Alice (Kelli K. Barnett), Harley’s ‘dancer’ girlfriend; and the most out of his element, Eddie Hajazi (Robert Funaro), the midlevel hood who is looking for some payback. This payback involves piracy and could net over $2 million. But for it to work, he needs help.
The Lady Swims Today is a fun ride, slowly unfolding, unveiling complication after complication as it builds towards its conclusion. Director Stephen Sunderlin does an excellent job with the pacing, maintaining a coiled tension in most of the scenes that drives the action to a number of explosive moments, the best of which feature Eddie and Joyce, two characters who are much more alike than they’d care to admit.
The acting in this production is strong, though certain actors shine. Vivienne Leheny, in addition to being an excellent as Beverly, has a remarkable voice, clear as crystal whether in a whisper or a shout. Rob Sheridan’s Mal is a character clearly at war with himself. For his wife’s sake, he wants to keep clean, but every new day brings frustrations and setbacks. He clearly wants a moment of his old life back, even though that life also repulses him. Robert Funaro as Eddie is slick and in charge. Funaro occasionally comes across a little stiff, though he is excellent in the more dramatic moments or when interacting with the female characters. It’s clear that Eddie is a lady’s man; Funaro seems to have a great deal of fun playing with this aspect of his character.
With an engrossing story, excellent acting, and deft direction, The Lady Swims Today is an impressive thriller that is sure to entertain.
Written by H.G. Brown
Directed by Stephen Sunderlin
Scene Design: Joseph Spirito
Costume Design: Vanessa Leuck
Lighting Design: Brett Maughan
Stage Manager: Joanna Leigh Jacobsen
Assistant Stage Manager: Connie Baker
Assistant Director: Avriel Hillman
Fight Choreographer: Jim Bender
General Manager: Tom Smedes
Press Representative: Jim Randolph
Photographer: Roger Gaess
Web & Print Designer: Keith Paul
Featuring Gordon Silva (George Santos), Robert Funaro (Eddie Hajazi), Jack Rodgerson (Harley Davis), Rob Sheridan (Mal Peters), Vivienne Leheny (Beverly Sharon Peters), Kate Udall (Joyce Stevens), Kelli K. Barnett (Alice Bender)
TADA Theatre
15 W. 28th Street
Through Sunday October 21st.
For tickets visit www.theladyswimstoday.com or call 212-352-3101
Friday, October 5, 2007
Reading - Come Again (WorkShop Theater Company)
On Sunday October 7 the WorkShop Theater Company’s “Sundays at Six” series presents a free reading of
COME AGAIN
a comedy in five sexual acts
by Rich Orloff
four wonderful actors
Richard Kent Green*, Gary Mink*, Tracy Newirth*, Kari Swenson Riely
in five short plays set in one hotel room about five different combos:
- a married couple with conflicting scoring methods
- a threesome with a guy who’s still learning where to put what
- a lesbian couple who decide to strip away pretenses
- two swinging couples sharing one check
- a woman alone who gets tied up in a game of dare
- a married couple with conflicting scoring methods
- a threesome with a guy who’s still learning where to put what
- a lesbian couple who decide to strip away pretenses
- two swinging couples sharing one check
- a woman alone who gets tied up in a game of dare
stage directions read by Tanya Marten*
Note: These plays contain mature themes and immature characters
*members, Actors Equity
Performance times and dates are subject to change.
Please call (212) 695-4173 to confirm.
Reading - The Book of Ted (WorkShop Theater Company)
The WorkShop Theater Company presents a free reading.
1960. Late Summer. Ted and Mary have a great marriage, great friends and a great life. If only it weren’t for this pesky hurricane…Another beautiful day in the heart of the fabulous Florida Keys!
THE BOOK OF TED
by David Schmitt
featuring
C. K. Allen Frank Biancamano* Ken Glickfeld* Milton James*Joshua Knapp Cam Kornman* Jim Nugent* Linda Segal*
*Member, Actors’ Equity Association
directed by Scott C. Sickles
Thursday thru Saturday
October 11 thru 13 at 8:00 p.m.
Performance times and dates are subject to change.
Please call (212) 695-4173 to confirm.
Friday, September 28, 2007
Review – Austentatious (From the Top Productions and the New York Musical Theatre Festival)
Stage Buzz Review by Byrne Harrison
There are two shows called Austentatious currently playing at the Julia Miles Theater. One of them is a horrifyingly bad adaptation of Jane Austen’s ‘Pride and Prejudice’ being put on at a local community theatre by a group of mediocre thespians. The other is the fun musical about the birth of that production with music and lyrics by Matt Board and Joe Slabe, and book by Board, Slabe, Jane Caplow, Kate Galvin and Luisa Hinchliff. The former is as deliciously terrible as the latter is clever and amusing.
Austentatious the musical follows the birth of Austentatious the play being performed by the Central Riverdale Amateur Players. Their long-time creative director has left to do bigger and better things – dinner theatre – leaving the company without a leader. Hoping to fill that gap is Emily (Stacey Sargeant), a dancer/playwright/behind the scenes director, who has written Austentatious and is staging it with the help of Dominic (Stephen Bel Davies), a pretentious, wannabe director who has little knowledge of the theatre and even less of ‘Pride and Prejudice’ (he owns the DVD and is shocked to discover they made a book out of it).
The production is plagued by problems from the beginning. Only five people show up for the audition: Emily, who plans to star in the show she’s written; Jessica (Lisa Asher), a veteran of the Central Riverdale Amateur Players; Blake (Paul Wyatt), a young man with a bit of a drug habit who is using the play to get out of his group therapy sessions; and a couple, Lauren and David (Amy Goldberger and George Merrick) – she plans to play Elizabeth and he’s there to help her, not to audition. David, of course, ends up as Mr. Darcy, while Emily is cast as Elizabeth by her boyfriend, Dominic. Watching over them all is Sam (Stephanie D’Abruzzo), the stage manager. She is above the egos and the in-fighting. She only wants to see the show succeed.
What follows is a little bit of Waiting for Guffman with some Noises Off thrown in. Along the way there are some wonderful songs, a love story, a full-fledged meltdown by the overworked and underappreciated Sam, and a dance-off between Elizabeth Bennet and her sister, the Pirate Queen, on 42nd Street in New York City (seriously). It’s a fun, silly, crazy adventure that culminates in an awful, but wildly amusing production of the play.
For a musical, however, Austentatious seems a little light on music. Board and Slabe’s songs are good, especially Sam’s “I Manage,” David’s sweet “By the Book,” and the full company number “Tech,” which shows the technical rehearsal before the play opens. But several of the songs merely peer into the characters’ inner lives and motivations, which is interesting, I suppose, but in most cases doesn’t cover anything that the book and the actors themselves haven’t conveyed.
In addition, it’s worth noting that the most hilarious portion of the musical, the actual performance of Austentatious has no musical numbers, other than the dance-off.
Acting is solid throughout the production, with particularly good work by Stephanie D’Abruzzo, Stephen Bel Davies, and Paul Wyatt.
Austentatious, like most of the musicals in the festival, shares its space with other productions. Given that limitation, set designer Jesse Poleshuck and lighting designer Jeff Croiter do an excellent job. Also commendable is Sarah Maiorino’s costume design. The costumes for the play within the play were marvelous, and the street clothes worn by the actors seemed to fit each one’s personality to a tee.
Austentatious is a fun musical with a few flaws that might bother critics, but probably won’t interfere with your enjoyment of the show. It’s well worth a look.
Music and Lyrics by Matt Board and Joe Slabe
Book by Matt Board, Jane Caplow, Kate Galvin, Luisa Hinchliff, and Joe Slabe
Directed by Mary Catherine Burke
Musical Director: Matt Castle
Choreographer: Rhonda Miller
Asst. Choreographer: Jennifer Littlefield
Stage Manager: Leah McVeigh
ASM/Prop Master: Marianne Ward
Scenic Design: Jesse Poleshuck
Lighting Design: Jeff Croiter
Lighting Programmer: Ku’uipo Curry
Costume Design: Sarah Maiorino
Costume Assistant: Elizabeth Ektefaei
Technical Supervisor: Nathan Watson
Set Construction: No Time for Love Productions, Ken Larson Company
Publicity: Sun Productions, Inc.
Producing Consultant: David Carpenter
Featuring Lisa Asher (Jessica), Stephen Bel Davies (Dominic), Stephanie D’Abruzzo (Sam), Amy Goldberger (Lauren), George Merrick (David), Stacey Sargeant (Emily), Paul Wyatt (Blake)
Featured Musicians: Matt Castle (Piano), Christopher Downes (Bass), Michael Klopp (Drums)
Julia Miles Theater
424 W. 55th Street
Closes Sunday, September 29th
There are two shows called Austentatious currently playing at the Julia Miles Theater. One of them is a horrifyingly bad adaptation of Jane Austen’s ‘Pride and Prejudice’ being put on at a local community theatre by a group of mediocre thespians. The other is the fun musical about the birth of that production with music and lyrics by Matt Board and Joe Slabe, and book by Board, Slabe, Jane Caplow, Kate Galvin and Luisa Hinchliff. The former is as deliciously terrible as the latter is clever and amusing.
Austentatious the musical follows the birth of Austentatious the play being performed by the Central Riverdale Amateur Players. Their long-time creative director has left to do bigger and better things – dinner theatre – leaving the company without a leader. Hoping to fill that gap is Emily (Stacey Sargeant), a dancer/playwright/behind the scenes director, who has written Austentatious and is staging it with the help of Dominic (Stephen Bel Davies), a pretentious, wannabe director who has little knowledge of the theatre and even less of ‘Pride and Prejudice’ (he owns the DVD and is shocked to discover they made a book out of it).
The production is plagued by problems from the beginning. Only five people show up for the audition: Emily, who plans to star in the show she’s written; Jessica (Lisa Asher), a veteran of the Central Riverdale Amateur Players; Blake (Paul Wyatt), a young man with a bit of a drug habit who is using the play to get out of his group therapy sessions; and a couple, Lauren and David (Amy Goldberger and George Merrick) – she plans to play Elizabeth and he’s there to help her, not to audition. David, of course, ends up as Mr. Darcy, while Emily is cast as Elizabeth by her boyfriend, Dominic. Watching over them all is Sam (Stephanie D’Abruzzo), the stage manager. She is above the egos and the in-fighting. She only wants to see the show succeed.
What follows is a little bit of Waiting for Guffman with some Noises Off thrown in. Along the way there are some wonderful songs, a love story, a full-fledged meltdown by the overworked and underappreciated Sam, and a dance-off between Elizabeth Bennet and her sister, the Pirate Queen, on 42nd Street in New York City (seriously). It’s a fun, silly, crazy adventure that culminates in an awful, but wildly amusing production of the play.
For a musical, however, Austentatious seems a little light on music. Board and Slabe’s songs are good, especially Sam’s “I Manage,” David’s sweet “By the Book,” and the full company number “Tech,” which shows the technical rehearsal before the play opens. But several of the songs merely peer into the characters’ inner lives and motivations, which is interesting, I suppose, but in most cases doesn’t cover anything that the book and the actors themselves haven’t conveyed.
In addition, it’s worth noting that the most hilarious portion of the musical, the actual performance of Austentatious has no musical numbers, other than the dance-off.
Acting is solid throughout the production, with particularly good work by Stephanie D’Abruzzo, Stephen Bel Davies, and Paul Wyatt.
Austentatious, like most of the musicals in the festival, shares its space with other productions. Given that limitation, set designer Jesse Poleshuck and lighting designer Jeff Croiter do an excellent job. Also commendable is Sarah Maiorino’s costume design. The costumes for the play within the play were marvelous, and the street clothes worn by the actors seemed to fit each one’s personality to a tee.
Austentatious is a fun musical with a few flaws that might bother critics, but probably won’t interfere with your enjoyment of the show. It’s well worth a look.
Music and Lyrics by Matt Board and Joe Slabe
Book by Matt Board, Jane Caplow, Kate Galvin, Luisa Hinchliff, and Joe Slabe
Directed by Mary Catherine Burke
Musical Director: Matt Castle
Choreographer: Rhonda Miller
Asst. Choreographer: Jennifer Littlefield
Stage Manager: Leah McVeigh
ASM/Prop Master: Marianne Ward
Scenic Design: Jesse Poleshuck
Lighting Design: Jeff Croiter
Lighting Programmer: Ku’uipo Curry
Costume Design: Sarah Maiorino
Costume Assistant: Elizabeth Ektefaei
Technical Supervisor: Nathan Watson
Set Construction: No Time for Love Productions, Ken Larson Company
Publicity: Sun Productions, Inc.
Producing Consultant: David Carpenter
Featuring Lisa Asher (Jessica), Stephen Bel Davies (Dominic), Stephanie D’Abruzzo (Sam), Amy Goldberger (Lauren), George Merrick (David), Stacey Sargeant (Emily), Paul Wyatt (Blake)
Featured Musicians: Matt Castle (Piano), Christopher Downes (Bass), Michael Klopp (Drums)
Julia Miles Theater
424 W. 55th Street
Closes Sunday, September 29th
Thursday, September 27, 2007
Review – The Brain From Planet X (Kritzerland, Inc. and the New York Musical Theatre Festival)
Stage Buzz Review by Byrne Harrison
Science fiction films from the ’50s and ’60s have provided marvelous fodder for parodists. Their bright-eyed optimism, cheesy special effects and unabashed anticommunist messages seem to be especially fertile ground – witness such shows as Little Shop of Horrors, The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Zombie Prom, and Reefer Madness (okay, not technically sci fi based, but it has the right vibe). Also consider Mystery Science Theater 3000, a show created to mock these over-earnest, over-acted films.
For The Brain From Planet X, writers Bruce Kimmel and David Wechter have created a show that is, at its best, a kitschy send-up of those sci fi groaners. Unfortunately, due primarily to a weak book, static direction by Kimmel, some lame borscht belt one-liners and sight gags, and a rather uncomfortable audience participation segment, the show never really lives up to its full potential.
The Brain From Planet X, predictably, deals with an invasion from outer space. It’s 1958 and aliens have set their sights on the San Fernando Valley. They won’t stop until all mankind is enslaved. The Brain (Barry Pearl), with sidekicks Yoni (Alet Taylor) and Zubrick (Cason Murphy) in tow, has the ultimate weapon, a Mind-Bending Ray, that saps the will from anyone who gets zapped by it. Only the Bunson family - good, upstanding, God-fearing Americans - stand in their way. Can the Bunsons stop the invasion and save mankind? Probably. But it’s the how and when that make it fun.
The show is certainly not without its charms. Foremost among these are Bruce Kimmel’s delightful songs. The opening number “The Brain from Planet X” gets the show off to a rousing start, aided by some able choreography by Adam Cates. Kimmel shows good range throughout the show with such songs as “Good Girl/Bad Girl,” “The World of Tomorrow,” his ironic look at the future from the standpoint of the ’50s, the fun and Sondheim-styled “Things Are Gonna Be Changing Around Here,” a duet featuring Amy Bodnar and Rob Evan, and the wild, though totally inappropriate for the show, “The Brain Tap,” a tap dance number which sounds like it could easily find a home in The Drowsy Chaperone.
Even the book has its moments. The role of the Narrator (played with mock seriousness by Benjamin Clark) is spot on. From his notice that a nurse is standing by to assist those whose constitutions might too weak for a show this terrifying to his explanation of the wonder of Feel-O-Rama (a brilliant touch by Kimmel and Wechter), he pokes fun at the terrific excesses of these films. Indeed, when the dialogue is following or even slightly mocking the overwrought dialogue from the ’50s films, it works. It’s when the show veers toward total camp, cheesy one-liners, and novelty songs that it loses steam.
Even when the book doesn’t come through, the acting goes a long way toward making up for it. Of particular note are Merrill Grant as Donna Bunson, the good girl who really wants to be bad, Alet Taylor as the man-hungry space alien, Yoni. The pixyish Grant shows off her athletic ability and comic timing in “Good Girl/Bad Girl,” while trying her best to seduce her beatnik boyfriend (Paul Downs Colaizzo). Taylor shines at several points, most notably during her song “I Need An Earthman.” Chad Harlow deserves praise for his work as Private Partz, a non-speaking role that he plays with much aplomb. A mere roll of his eyes is enough to get the audience laughing.
Also worth noting is the herculean effort put forth by Barry Pearl as the Brain. Covered from neck to feet by a black sheath and wearing a gigantic brain helmet (one of many wonderful costumes designed by Jessa-Raye Court) so he appears to be a giant floating brain, he nonetheless manages to be dynamic and amusing.
The Brain From Planet X has its share of flaws, but if you are a fan of the old sci fi movies it sends up, or just want to enjoy some good music, it’s worth checking out. If you have a low tolerance for cheesy one-liners, this one probably isn’t for you.
Book by David Wechter and Bruce Kimmel
Music and Lyrics by Bruce Kimmel
Directed by Bruce Kimmel
Choreographed by Adam Cates
Scenic Design: Heather Wolensky
Costume Design: Jessa-Raye Court
Lighting Design: Jason Scott
Sound Designer: Sara Even
Orchestrations: Larry Moore
Additional Vocal and Dance Arrangements: Lawrence Goldberg
Technical Director: Travis Walker
Stage Manager: Rachel Maier
Music Direction/Conductor: Lawrence Goldberg
Casting: Michael Cassara Casting
Publicist: Sun Productions, Inc.
General Management: Martian Entertainment, Carl D. White, Lauren P. Yates
Featuring Amy Bodnar (Joyce Bunson), Benjamin Clark (Narrator/Professor Leder), Paul Downs Colaizzo (Rod), Rob Evan (Fred Bunson), Merrill Grant (Donna Bunson), Chad Harlow (Private Partz/Ensemble), Joe Jackson (Ensemble), Naomi Kakuk (Ensemble), Cason Murphy (Zubrick), Denise Payne (Ensemble), Barry Pearl (The Brain), Richard Pruitt (General Mills), Alet Taylor (Yoni), Erin Webley (Ensemble), Steven Wenslawski (Ensemble)
Featured Musicians: Lawrence Goldberg (Keyboard 1), Brian Cimmet (Keyboard 2), Greg Thymius (Reeds), Marc Schmied (Bass), Aaron Russell (Drums)
Acorn Theatre
410 W. 42nd Street
Closes Sunday, September 30th, see www.nymf.org for schedule and tickets
Science fiction films from the ’50s and ’60s have provided marvelous fodder for parodists. Their bright-eyed optimism, cheesy special effects and unabashed anticommunist messages seem to be especially fertile ground – witness such shows as Little Shop of Horrors, The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Zombie Prom, and Reefer Madness (okay, not technically sci fi based, but it has the right vibe). Also consider Mystery Science Theater 3000, a show created to mock these over-earnest, over-acted films.
For The Brain From Planet X, writers Bruce Kimmel and David Wechter have created a show that is, at its best, a kitschy send-up of those sci fi groaners. Unfortunately, due primarily to a weak book, static direction by Kimmel, some lame borscht belt one-liners and sight gags, and a rather uncomfortable audience participation segment, the show never really lives up to its full potential.
The Brain From Planet X, predictably, deals with an invasion from outer space. It’s 1958 and aliens have set their sights on the San Fernando Valley. They won’t stop until all mankind is enslaved. The Brain (Barry Pearl), with sidekicks Yoni (Alet Taylor) and Zubrick (Cason Murphy) in tow, has the ultimate weapon, a Mind-Bending Ray, that saps the will from anyone who gets zapped by it. Only the Bunson family - good, upstanding, God-fearing Americans - stand in their way. Can the Bunsons stop the invasion and save mankind? Probably. But it’s the how and when that make it fun.
The show is certainly not without its charms. Foremost among these are Bruce Kimmel’s delightful songs. The opening number “The Brain from Planet X” gets the show off to a rousing start, aided by some able choreography by Adam Cates. Kimmel shows good range throughout the show with such songs as “Good Girl/Bad Girl,” “The World of Tomorrow,” his ironic look at the future from the standpoint of the ’50s, the fun and Sondheim-styled “Things Are Gonna Be Changing Around Here,” a duet featuring Amy Bodnar and Rob Evan, and the wild, though totally inappropriate for the show, “The Brain Tap,” a tap dance number which sounds like it could easily find a home in The Drowsy Chaperone.
Even the book has its moments. The role of the Narrator (played with mock seriousness by Benjamin Clark) is spot on. From his notice that a nurse is standing by to assist those whose constitutions might too weak for a show this terrifying to his explanation of the wonder of Feel-O-Rama (a brilliant touch by Kimmel and Wechter), he pokes fun at the terrific excesses of these films. Indeed, when the dialogue is following or even slightly mocking the overwrought dialogue from the ’50s films, it works. It’s when the show veers toward total camp, cheesy one-liners, and novelty songs that it loses steam.
Even when the book doesn’t come through, the acting goes a long way toward making up for it. Of particular note are Merrill Grant as Donna Bunson, the good girl who really wants to be bad, Alet Taylor as the man-hungry space alien, Yoni. The pixyish Grant shows off her athletic ability and comic timing in “Good Girl/Bad Girl,” while trying her best to seduce her beatnik boyfriend (Paul Downs Colaizzo). Taylor shines at several points, most notably during her song “I Need An Earthman.” Chad Harlow deserves praise for his work as Private Partz, a non-speaking role that he plays with much aplomb. A mere roll of his eyes is enough to get the audience laughing.
Also worth noting is the herculean effort put forth by Barry Pearl as the Brain. Covered from neck to feet by a black sheath and wearing a gigantic brain helmet (one of many wonderful costumes designed by Jessa-Raye Court) so he appears to be a giant floating brain, he nonetheless manages to be dynamic and amusing.
The Brain From Planet X has its share of flaws, but if you are a fan of the old sci fi movies it sends up, or just want to enjoy some good music, it’s worth checking out. If you have a low tolerance for cheesy one-liners, this one probably isn’t for you.
Book by David Wechter and Bruce Kimmel
Music and Lyrics by Bruce Kimmel
Directed by Bruce Kimmel
Choreographed by Adam Cates
Scenic Design: Heather Wolensky
Costume Design: Jessa-Raye Court
Lighting Design: Jason Scott
Sound Designer: Sara Even
Orchestrations: Larry Moore
Additional Vocal and Dance Arrangements: Lawrence Goldberg
Technical Director: Travis Walker
Stage Manager: Rachel Maier
Music Direction/Conductor: Lawrence Goldberg
Casting: Michael Cassara Casting
Publicist: Sun Productions, Inc.
General Management: Martian Entertainment, Carl D. White, Lauren P. Yates
Featuring Amy Bodnar (Joyce Bunson), Benjamin Clark (Narrator/Professor Leder), Paul Downs Colaizzo (Rod), Rob Evan (Fred Bunson), Merrill Grant (Donna Bunson), Chad Harlow (Private Partz/Ensemble), Joe Jackson (Ensemble), Naomi Kakuk (Ensemble), Cason Murphy (Zubrick), Denise Payne (Ensemble), Barry Pearl (The Brain), Richard Pruitt (General Mills), Alet Taylor (Yoni), Erin Webley (Ensemble), Steven Wenslawski (Ensemble)
Featured Musicians: Lawrence Goldberg (Keyboard 1), Brian Cimmet (Keyboard 2), Greg Thymius (Reeds), Marc Schmied (Bass), Aaron Russell (Drums)
Acorn Theatre
410 W. 42nd Street
Closes Sunday, September 30th, see www.nymf.org for schedule and tickets
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