Theatre Shorts

By Byrne Harrison

The Writers Guild of America presented Tony and Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Edward Albee with the Evelyn F. Burkey Award in Manhattan Feb. 20.

Wednesday, February 24th is Arts Day in Albany. Find out how to get involved here.

Tommy Femia will star in Norma Doesmen, a parody of Sunset Boulevard.

Queens Theatre in the Park and Bristol Riverside Theatre, in association with Neil Berg and Adam Friedson, will present a new production of the award-winning musical revue Closer Than Ever directed by Richard Malty. Jr. and starring original cast members Sally Mayes and Lynne Wintersteller from April 16-25.

Philadelphia Theatre Company announces that two-time Tony Award-nominee and film actress Kathleen Turner will star in the world premiere of Red Hot Patriot: The Kick-Ass Wit of Molly Ivins by Margaret Engel and Allison Engel.

To celebrate the extension of Yisrael Campbell's Circumsize Me, Ben's Deli on W. 38th Street unveiled The Circumsize Me BRIS-ket Sandwich, sliced brisket and cole-slaw on rye bread with a pickle (with the ends cut off, naturally) and chopped liver on the side.

Willard Morgan's Saint Hollywood extends through March 20th.

The Gerald Lynch Theater at John Jay College presents Zombie, an unflinching look into the disturbed mind of a serial killer, written and performed by Bill Connington, adapted from the novella of the same name by Joyce Carol Oates. The show was a big hit at the 2008 FringeNYC Festival.

Karen Finley extends her Kennedy/Obama inspired new work, The Jackie Look, through March 27 at the Laurie Beechman Theater.

The No Name Theater Company has a new website.

Scott Mason, a Dame Edna look-a-like from Delaware, was named the Dame’s Honorary Understudy in All About Me by judges Michael Riedel of the NYPost, NY1’s Frank DiLella and The Village Voice’s Michael Musto. Also on hand were guest judges Michael Feinstein and Dame Edna’s manager Barry Humphries. Judge for yourself.



The Gingold Theatrical Group's Project Shaw St. Patrick's Day Gala is March 17th. Featuring an all-star cast playing all the WRONG roles: KATE BALDWIN · MICHAEL CERVERIS · GEORGE S. IRVING · CHARLOTTE MOORE · KATE MULGREW · JANE POWELL · MICHAEL RIEDEL DIANE STILWELL WEINBERG · TOM VIOLA with irish musicians, songs, dances and larks.

At their March 26th benefit, the Astoria Performing Arts Center will be honoring Assembly Member Michael Gianaris and Jack Rainey, Vice President, Government and Community Banking, TD Bank, for their contributions to the arts and the Astoria community.

The Play Company will bring together some of NYC's top chefs and theater artists for its seventh annual gala CABARET GOURMET 2010 -- a unique evening hosted by Bryan Batt, the beloved Broadway performer and star of the hit television series MAD MEN, with featured performance by Tony-nominee Barbara Walsh and savory and sweet dishes prepared by chefs from several of the city's most celebrated restaurants.

Ma-Yi Theater Company - the Off-Broadway, Obie Award-winning company dedicated to producing new works about the Asian-American experience - will present the world-premiere of Michi Barall's play RESCUE ME (A Post-modern classic with snacks) , an adaptation of Euripides Iphigenia in Taurus. The cast of eight includes the Obie Award-winning actor and playwright David Greenspan (Myopia, She Stoops to Comedy, Boys in the Band), Jennifer Ikeda (Top Girls, Seascape), Julian Barnett, Leon Ingulsrud, Postell Pringle, Paco Tolson, Oni Monifa Reneee Brown and Katherine Partington.

Casting continues for the upcoming Broadway production of Lucy Prebble’s Enron, directed by Rupert Goold. Noah Weisberg, Rightor Doyle, Ian Kahn, Mary Stewart Sullivan, Madisyn Shipman and January Lavoy join the already announced Norbert Leo Butz and Stephen Kunken.

Aaron Louis (Producing Director, 3LD Art & Technology Center) in association with New Georges and The Essentials, will present the world premiere of The Diary of a Teenage Girl, written by Marielle Heller, adapted from the hit graphic novel of the same name by Phoebe Gloeckner, and directed by Sarah Cameron Sunde and Rachel Eckerling in a multi-media production. The cast includes Marielle Heller, Jon Krupp, Michael Laurence, Mariann Mayberry, and Nell Mooney.

Sin, a mystical comedy, based on Isaac Bashevis Singer’s short story “The Unseen,” adapted by Mark Altman, will have it’s world premiere at the Baruch Performing Arts Center’s Rose Nagelberg Theatre.

The Crucible by Arthur Miller is opening at The Gallery Players in Park Slope very soon.

The New York Neo-Futurists' The Soup Show opens on March 4th.

The Amoralists, the company behind The Pied Pipers of the Lower East Side, have announced their new season. On tap are the world premiere of Happy In The Poorhouse, written and directed by Derek Ahonen, the Off-Broadway premiere of Amerissiah, written and directed by Derek Ahonen, and the New York premiere of Ghosts in the Cottonwoods, written and directed by Obie Award-winner Adam Rapp.

What if Shakespeare wrote The Big Lebowski? Well, The Two Gentlemen of Lebowski has sold out it's entire run, so unless you have a ticket, you may never know.

Tony Award winner Betty Buckley has joined the cast of the new Off-Broadway comedy White's Lies, which begins previews at New World Stages March 22. She joins a cast that includes the previously reported Scott Patterson, Peter Scolari, Christy Carlson Romano, Rena Strober and Jimmy Ray Bennett. Producers of the Ben Andron play, which officially opens April 12, are Aaron Grant, Jana Robbins, Jeremy Handelman; Bob Cline directs.

The Rodgers and Hammerstein Organization has announced the Christmas 2010 release of "The Sound of Music" on Blu-ray, which will include bonus and interactive material.

Review - For the Love of Broadway!, Betty Buckley at Feinstein's

By Byrne Harrison

I have a confession to make.

I've been a fan of Betty Buckley for years. "Eight is Enough"? Loved her. "Carrie"? Great. "Oz"? Terrific. "The Happening"? Best thing in the movie.

So you're saying, that's not really much of a confession.

Well, here it is. I'd never really heard her sing. I missed her Broadway shows, and I don't have any of the cast albums. I've never made it to one of her cabarets. So Betty Buckley the actress? Love her. Betty Buckley the Broadway diva? Can't really say.

That's why I was excited to see her new cabaret act For the Love of Broadway! at Feinstein's at Loews Regency. In this show, the title of which was chosen by a fan submission contest on Twitter, Ms. Buckley responds to fan requests that she perform more Broadway material and a little less jazz.

What she comes up with is a wonderful mix of classic and modern Broadway, from Rodgers & Hammerstein to Robert Lopez and Jeff Marx of Avenue Q. And she nails these songs. She brings her amazing intensity to pieces like Jacques Brel and Rod McKuen's "If You Go Away" and "Come to Me, Bend to Me/This Nearly Was Mine," combining the Lerner & Loewe and Rodgers & Hammerstein classics. But she's equally at ease showing her puckish side with "You've Got Possibilities" from Charles Strouse and Lee Adams' It's a Bird... It's a Plane... It's Superman (which involved audience participation), and with the marvelously amusing "When I Belt," written by John McDaniel and Eric Kornfeld specifically for this show.

As expected, Ms. Buckley is a brilliant and nuanced singer. What amazes me most, however, is just how well she connects with her audience. While I know it wasn't the case, I felt as if she were singing the entire show directly to me. I imagine most of the audience felt the same way. It's not just because Feinstein's is an intimate space; Ms. Buckley is just that aware of the house.

The next generation of cabaret performers should get tickets immediately; it will be like a master class on performance. Everyone else should go just because it's a great evening with a very talented performer, featuring songs you know and love.

For the Love of Broadway
Performed by Betty Buckley
Music director/arranger: Kenny Werner
Musicians: Tony Marino (bass), Billy Drewes (reeds and percussion)

Feinstein's at Loews Regency
540 Park Avenue

Tuesdays through Thursdays - 8:30PM
Fridays and Saturdays - 8 PM and 10:30 PM

Through February 27th

What to Do: February 22nd - 28th

By Byrne Harrison

Lots of shows opening this week, thanks to FRIGID New York. Also a number of "one night only" events. Take your pick. There's no reason to spend another night in front of the TV.

Monday, Feb. 22
Broadway Backwards 5 - Never underestimate the power of a pronoun! With women singing men’s songs and men singing women’s – and the original pronouns intact – a song can mean something entirely new. Featuring host Florence Henderson, Nick Adams (A Chorus Line), Martine Allard (The Tap Dance Kid, Tony Award nom.), Dan Butler (NBC’s "Frasier", The Only Thing Worse…), Gary Beach (The Producers, Tony Award), Tituss Burgess (Guys and Dolls), Mario Cantone ("Sex and the City", Laugh Whore), Len Cariou (Sweeney Todd, Tony Award), Robert Cuccioli (Jeckyll & Hyde, Tony Award nom.), Raul Esparza (Company, 4-time Tony Award nom.), Tony Goldwyn ("Ghost", Promises, Promises), Ann Harada (Avenue Q, 9 to 5), Hunter Ryan Herdlicka (A Little Night Music), Aaron Lazar (A Little Night Music, The Light in the Piazza), Michele Lee (Seesaw, How to Succeed…, 2-time Tony Award nom.), Julia Murney (The Wild Party, Wicked), Becki Newton (ABC’s "Ugly Betty", Girl Crazy at Encores!), Tonya Pinkins (Caroline or Change, Jelly’s Last Jam, Tony Award), Lee Roy Reams (42nd Street, Tony Award nom.), Seth Rudetsky (The Ritz, Sirius Radio, Broadway Chatterbox), Lea Salonga (Miss Saigon, Tony Award), Douglas Sills (The Scarlet Pimpernel, Tony Award nom.), Bruce Vilanch (Hairspray), and over 50 Broadway singers & dancers.



Love N' Courage - 7th Annual Benefit for Theater for the New City's Emerging Playwrights Program. Hosted by Charles Busch and Julie Halston, honoring Eli Wallach and Anne Jackson and Martha Coigney's service to the arts.

Featuring Performances by F. Murray Abraham, Chuck Cooper and other stars from Finian's Rainbow, Tammy Grimes (accompanied by David Lewis), Phoebe Legere, Romulus Linney, Marian Seldes, Elaine Stritch, Betsy von Furstenberg, Eli Wallach and Anne Jackson, and Tango Dancers Anna Amadei and Daniel Fetecua-Soto.

As part of their Matt Crowley reading series, The Transport Group (currently producing Crowley's The Boys in the Band) presents Remote Asylum. One night only.

Broadway by the Year kicks off its 10th anniversary season with Broadway Musicals of 1927 starring Marc Kudisch, Kate Baldwin, Christine Noll, Christopher Fitzgerald, Chad Kimball, Noah Racey, Jeffry Denman, and Alexander Gemignani.

If you find yourself in Glendale, CA, drop by the Alex Theatre to see a one-night-only production of High Spirits, Hugh Martin and Timothy Gray's rarely produced musical version of Noel Coward's Blithe Spirit.

Tuesday, Feb. 23
GraceNotes presents Prescription Strength Theater featuring The Benefits of Elsewhere by Patrick Link and Susan's Medical Blog by Sharyn Rothstein (3Graces Theater Co. - The Milagro Theater at CSV)

As part of their Matt Crowley reading series, The Transport Group presents A Breeze From the Gulf. One night only.

Wednesday, Feb. 24
Aristophanes’ The Bohemians by Gabe Miner (Second Best Bed Productions and FRIGID New York 2010 - Kraine Theater)

Four Quarters by Christopher Heath (Agony Productions and FRIGID New York 2010 - Kraine Theater)

Medea by Euripides (No.11 Productions and FRIGID New York 2010 - Kraine Theater)

price by David Fierro (Secret Weapon Theatre and FRIGID New York 2010 - Kraine Theater)

Kill The Band by Kelly Dwyer (Killer Killy Productions and FRIGID New York 2010 - UNDER St. Marks)

LATE NIGHTS WITH THE BOYS: confessions of a leather bar chanteuse by Alex Bond (The Lopsided Company, Inc. and FRIGID New York 2010 - UNDER St. Marks)

Ramblings of a Gentleman Scumbag by John Murdock ((a) muse Collective and FRIGID New York 2010 - UNDER St. Marks)

tenderpits by Anthony Johnston (sh+sh=gold and FRIGID New York 2010 - UNDER St. Marks)

Fishbowl by Mark Shyzer (Mark Shyzer and FRIGID New York 2010 - The Red Room)

IT OR HER by Alena Smith (Alena Smith and FRIGID New York 2010 - The Red Room)

Mechanically Separated Meat by Jeff Belanger and Amanda Sage Comerford (International BTC and FRIGID New York 2010 - The Red Room)

Nobody’s Token by Nobody’s Token (Nobody’s Token and FRIGID New York 2010 - The Red Room)

YANK! A World War II Love Story, opens at the York Theatre. Music by Joseph Zellnik, Book and Lyrics by David Zellnik. Featuring Nancy Anderson (Wonderful Town), Jeffry Denman (White Christmas), Ivan Hernandez (Romantic Poetry), Bobby Steggert (Ragtime), and Andrew Durand (Spring Awakening), Zak Edwards (No No Nanette at Encores!), Todd Faulkner (PBS' "Wordscape"), Denis Lambert (A Chorus Line), Joseph Medeiros (Guys and Dolls), David Perlman (Calvin Berger), Christopher Ruth (Happy Days: The Musical), and Tally Sessions (South Pacific).

Thursday, Feb. 25
SIGNS OF LIFE: A Tale of Terezin, book by Peter Ullian, lyrics by Len Schiff, and music by Joel Derfner (Amas Musical Theatre in association with Snap-Two Productions)

Aurelia and Imago by Brianna Stark (Brianna Stark and FRIGID New York 2010 - Kraine Theater)

Let That Sh*t Go by Live Blaggard (Live Blaggard and FRIGID New York 2010 - Kraine Theater)

Onomatopoeia by Phillip Gerba (Onomatopoiea productions and FRIGID New York 2010 - Kraine Theater)

The Bike Trip by Martin Dockery (Martin Dockery and FRIGID New York 2010 - Kraine Theater)

1/4 Life Crisis by Alison Lynne Ward (8 Monkeys Production and FRIGID New York 2010 - UNDER St. Marks)

Floundering About (in an age of terror) by David Lawson (David Lawson and FRIGID New York 2010 - UNDER St. Marks)

No Traveler by Penny Pollak ((a)muse collective and FRIGID New York 2010 - UNDER St. Marks)

Vodka Shoes by Leslie Goshko (Leslie Goshko and FRIGID New York 2010 - UNDER St. Marks)

Crack’d by Catherine Montgomery (the performance tube and FRIGID New York 2010 - The Red Room)

GREEN MAN by Don Nigro (Pageant Wagon and FRIGID New York 2010 - The Red Room)

My Life of Crime by Stephanie Stephenson ((ral-u-pop) Theatre and FRIGID New York 2010 - The Red Room)

T-O-T-A-L-L-Y! by Kimleigh Smith (KIMLEIGH and FRIGID New York 2010 - The Red Room)

Drag theatre company Shim Mamsir Productions presents it's inaugural outing - She'll Be Dying at the Bowery Poetry Club. This is the first in a series of wholly unauthorized staged readings of plays, films,TV movies, sitcoms and after school specials -- all presented with a drag twist. The reading stars high-voltage drag talents Sweetie, Mimi Imfurst, Bianca DelRio, Bianca Leigh, Lavinia Co-op and Dallas Dubois.

Cooper Union commemorates the 150th Anniversary of Abraham Lincoln's "Right Makes Might" speech in the same room and from the same lectern he used in 1860. Noted Lincoln scholar Harold Holzer (author of Lincoln at Cooper Union) will narrate the evening. Selections of the speech will be read by Governor Mario Cuomo, and actors Tony-nominee and Obie-winner Kathleen Chalfant (Angels in America, Wit,) Tony, Obie, and Drama-Desk honoree André DeShields (The Wiz, The Full Monty,) Oscar-winner Richard Dreyfuss and Broadway and film actor Stephen Lang. The event is the concluding program in the Great Evenings in The Great Hall series that began in April 2009 as a celebration of The Cooper Union's 150th anniversary.

Friday, Feb. 26
2-Man No-Show by Ken Hall, Isaac Kessler and Mark Andrada (ZeekTech Productions and FRIGID New York 2010 - Kraine Theater)

Uncorseted by Patrick di Battista with Anne Laffoon (LaGoDi Productions and the Shark Tank Players and FRIGID New York 2010 - Kraine Theater)

Bonne Nuit Poo Poo by Theatre Reverb (Theatre Reverb and FRIGID New York 2010 - UNDER St. Marks)

Legs and All by Summer Shapiro and Peter Musante (Summer Shapiro & Peter Musante and FRIGID New York 2010 - UNDER St. Marks)

Roll With It by Maggie Nuttall (Nuttall Productions and FRIGID New York 2010 - The Red Room)

Saturday, Feb. 27
pornStar by Chris Craddock (Fancy Molasses and FRIGID New York 2010 - The Red Room)

THE SAME SEX-TACULAR! featuring John Flynn, Michael Hartney, Marcus Bishop-Wright, Tim Dunn, Shayna Ferm, Jeff Hiller, Corey Johnson, Kate McKinnon, Megan Neuringer at the Upright Citizen's Brigade Theatre

Sunday, Feb. 28
As part of their Matt Crowley reading series, The Transport Group presents The Men from the Boys (Crowley's follow up to The Boys in the Band). One night only.

The Off Broadway Alliance will hold the first in a series of planned seminars focusing on the culture, business and history of Off Broadway theater. The seminar, titled "The Bad Boys of Off Broadway", will feature playwrights Adam Rapp (Red Light Winter, Stone Cold Dead Serious, Essential Self-Defense) and Christopher Shinn (Dying City, Now Or Later, What Didn't Happen) and participants to be named. David Cote, theatre editor and chief drama critic for Time Out New York, will serve as moderator.

From the Blogosphere

Legendary New York playwright Doric Wilson has been guest blogging at the New York Innovative Theatre Awards Foundation blog.

Adam Rothenberg interviews Mary Testa and Derrick Trumbly.

Sarah Roberts sent a friend on an adventure - seeing Kate Baldwin and Matt Cavenaugh's recent performance at the Kennedy Center.

Broadway Bullet has a new podcast up featuring two of my favorite companies - the New York Neo-Futurists and At Hand Theatre Company.

Leonard Jacobs at The Clyde Fitch Report has a great article about Christopher Carter Sanderson, the founding artistic and producing director of Gorilla Repertory Theatre of Gorilla Repertory Theatre, who is auctioning his arm (just to be tattooed, that is) for $5,000,000 on eBay. The money will go toward producing all of Shakespeare's acknowledged plays in 2012. You can bid here, if you have several million lying around. Leonard also has an interview with Najla Said.

Chris Caggiano finally makes it to the Winter Garden Theater. But does he like what he finds there?

Patrick Lee of Just Shows to Go You has an interview with Bobby Steggart who is gearing up for YANK!

Ken Davenport talks about what producers should study while they're in school.

Jesse North introduces Stage Rush TV!

Kevin Daly waxes sentimental about The King and I.

Zach Calhoun introduces us to J. Holtham.

Interview - Playwright Gabrielle Fox

By Byrne Harrison

Award-winning playwright Gabrielle Fox has had her plays produced throughout New York City, and in Westchester, Putnam, and Orange Counties. Theatres include the American Theatre of Actors, Baruch Performing Arts Center, Where Eagles Dare Studios and the Axial Theatre. One of her plays was recently made into a film and is currently in post-production. She has recently taken up directing as well. Gaby is a member of Polaris North and the Dramatists Guild.

What was your first theatrical experience and how was it?

My mother is an actress and I grew up running lines with her and sitting in on rehearsals and fell in love with the process and the rhythms of the dialogue, the importance of the words. Sitting in the bleachers of the Jones Beach Theatre during rehearsals of The Music Man felt like my own private performance and I loved being part of that world. I tried acting here and there, (most recently a zombie extra in a failed TV pilot - I make a mean zombie!), but I’ve always been more comfortable behind the scenes creating the world for the characters rather than living in those worlds. Growing up in Westchester in a school that brought us to the theatre almost every year was also wonderful. The music of A Chorus Line still gives me chills!

What is your theatrical background?

My training in the theatre has been mostly hands on. I’ve studied with Tony Howarth at the Axial Theatre in Westchester for years. He’s taught me the importance of how to both give and receive criticism. How to recognize the feedback that rings true to the vision of the story and characters and what doesn’t. I’ve also taken acting classes so that I can understand a character from the actors’ perspective and to understand what they might be looking for from the playwright. Nothing beats learning on the job. Working with directors and actors and watching the play grow through collaboration is magical (most times!). There are many times when the director and actors have added so much to the play that I forget that it was once mine. For me, it’s been really important to see theatre, read plays and learn and be inspired by them. There is nothing, absolutely nothing like live theatre.

Tell me a little bit about your plays. Where do you get your inspiration as a writer?

I don’t really look for inspiration, usually I’ll hear a bit of dialogue or come across a setting that I think would be interesting on the stage or an interesting situation for characters to live in. It usually starts with a very simple idea or action and then the characters take over; they dictate the play and its direction. If they don’t, it’s not working, and I’ll move on to the next idea. When I start writing a play, it is rarely from the beginning. The play always seems to start in the middle and I have to work my way to the beginning and the end. I don’t try to focus on themes, or style but I’ve been told that my plays are character driven, usually touch on the themes of loneliness and involve the struggle to connect. The most important plays that I’ve seen or read have impacted me on a gut level and that’s what I strive for in my work.

What are the best and worst things about working in theatre in New York?

I love, love, love New York. There is so much theatre everywhere and the energy is contagious. There is such an enormous number of talented people to work with and learn from that it is never boring. The worst part is that it’s so easy to get lost in the shuffle and trying to get produced can be a roller coaster but it’s the best roller coaster ride there is!

If you could send some advice back in time to yourself in high school or college, what would it be?

What are you waiting for! Do it now! Oh and my favorite quote “Be bold and mighty forces will come to your aid.”

I understand you'll have a show in this year's Planet Connections Theater Festivity. Tell me a little something about the play.

Yes! I was accepted into the Planet Connections Theatre Festivity. I’ll be presenting Fox Tales: An Evening of One Act Plays. It will include my one acts THE GRAVEYARD SHIFT, WINFLUENCE, and GOOD FRIDAY. This is something I’ve wanted to do for awhile and I’ll be working with a wonderful cast and director. The festival will begin in June and Fox Tales will have 6 performances (dates TBD) I can’t wait for these characters to be together all in one place. Each play has 2 characters each and they come from very different worlds and find they have more than they realized in common. The settings for each play couldn’t be more different - a graveyard, an office, and a Christian theme park. Should be fun!

What's else is on tap for you in 2010?

I started off the year with DARCY & DUKE in the Short Play Lab at Where Eagles Dare Studios. This March, my play SISTERS FOR LIFE will be presented at Westchester Community College as part of Women’s History Month and will kick off a panel discussion with presenters and students. And hopefully lots more. I’m putting the finishing touches on a full length version of THE TALK and THE BROWNSTONE and hope to have staged readings of them both in the near future.

Want to find out more about Gaby Fox? Send her an e-mail to join her mailing list. She'll keep you up-to-date on her theatrical adventures.

Interview - Alex Bond of LATE NIGHTS WITH THE BOYS

By Byrne Harrison
Photos provided by Kampfire Films PR
Leather bar chanteuse photo by John Walker

Alex Bond is an actress, writer, and comedienne whose favorite roles include - Off-Broadway: Clara, Chi Chi & Marie in Flamingo Court (Off-Broadway); Regional: Betty in The Foreigner (a role originated by her aunt, Sudie Bond), Kate in Sylvia, and Amanda in Private Lives. She adds that national commercials have been a nice source of income from time to time.

Cabaret work in Dallas, TX in the late 70’s was the inspiration for her novel “LATE NIGHTS WITH THE BOYS: confessions of a leather bar chanteuse." The book honors those days and the marvelous men who became her “Dallas family of friends.”

Ms. Bond had her essay about surviving two skull fractures published in the Nov/Dec 2006 issue of the "Hastings Center Report." It is entitled "Where No One Can Lead You." Ms. Bond is proud to be a TBI survivor.

Ms. Bond is a member of AEA, SAG, AFTRA, IATSE 764 and the Dramatists Guild.

She resides in New Jersey with her husband.

You have a fascinating resume, including stand-up, cabaret, film, TV and theatre. When did you first get involved in the performing arts and what was your first love?

The good thing about pushing sixty is that you have been around long enough, and perhaps lucky enough, to try out most areas of Show Biz. My journey began in Louisville, KY when I was three years old. I would sit in front of the TV set (a fairly new invention) and watch a pas-de-deux on the Bell Telephone Hour and say “I’m gonna be a ballerina” with my decidedly Southern accent. Music always has inspired me to move or sing or write. So dance was my first love. I was fortunate to have a mother who treated me to piano lessons and ballet class. When I was twelve years old I worked on losing that accent, and I did my first school play. I played Howay in Mrs. McThing, a Mary Chase play. I was the male lead (I went to an all-girls school). As I exited after my first scene, I got exit applause. I was shocked and thrilled, and I got teary-eyed as I grabbed onto the newel post at the top of the stairs to the back stage area. The prompter asked if I was okay, and I replied, “I’ve never been better!” and I walked back out on stage for my next scene. The acting bug bit me at that very moment, and its venom has been coursing through my veins ever since. As I have aged, and some areas of the biz have become less penetrable, I have found other fascinating areas in which I can create. I have been blessed with a loving husband (coming up on our 25th anniversary) who has encouraged me to try “everything”: writing, singing, acting, stand-up. I’m one lucky Ole Broad!

What is your professional background?

From the time I graduated college I considered acting to be my profession. There are so many wonderful teachers, mentors, colleagues, friends who have added to my professional and personal life. I studied acting with Michael Howard, to whom I am extremely grateful. I am still finding “aha” moments from his tutelage. He taught me to observe, to be still and watch and listen. It is still a favorite exercise.

Tell me something about your play "LOPSIDED," about 8 breast cancer survivors. What inspired you to write it?

I wrote “LOPSIDED” in 2001, shortly after 9-11. As all of us were, I was shaken by the event and moved by the strength New Yorkers showed in its wake. It was also a time when breast cancer awareness was more in national focus. I was inspired by the power of support groups which give us strength when life seems so dark. A friend asked me to create a fund-raiser event for Hackensack University Medical Center Breast Cancer Awareness, and I wrote a series of monologues for various characters. I placed those characters in a former firehouse basement in NYC and “LOPSIDED” emerged. I collaborated with Steven Yuhasz, the marvelous director, and produced the play at ATA on 54th Street. The play is dedicated to my Aunt Sudie who was a breast cancer survivor.

David Carson and you will be doing readings from your book, "LATE NIGHTS WITH THE BOYS: confessions of a leather bar chanteuse," at this year's FRIGID New York Festival. Tell me a little something about the book and the show.

Imagine Armistead Maupin and Fannie Flagg swapping stories ala Gurney’s Love Letters with a bit of Spalding Gray thrown in.

But to be clear, we are not a show. We are a book reading. And I might add, that can be an art form in and of itself. David brings his wonderful presence to my tales of Dallas, 1977 as we transport our listeners to a wild and magical time before AIDS, but not before ignorance and prejudice.

LATE NIGHTS WITH THE BOYS was a Selection at the 2009 Fresh Fruit Festival, Winner 2008 Best Literary Staging Award (San Francisco Fringe Festival), and Winner 2007 Producer’s Pick Award (DFW Fringe Festival).

Do you have any words of advice for students who are planning a career in theatre?

Honor your friendships; think balance; work hard; take care of your instrument; be generous on stage and off.

Be respectful of everyone on a show: actors, writers, directors, producers, designers, stagehands, wardrobe, ushers, musicians, doormen/women, box office, custodial staff, vendors; they are all part of the team that makes theatre magic. (I know this because I have worn most of those hats during my life in the theatre.)

What else do you have planned for 2010?

After the book readings for the FRIGID I will be portraying the role of Susie in the world premiere of a new play by David Stallings entitled BARRIER ISLAND from April 30-May 22, 2010 at Center Stage on 21st Street. The play will be directed by Cristina Alicea and produced by MTWorks. And as a bonus for me, David Carson will be playing my husband, the character of Nate, in that production. After May 2010, only the theatre gods know!

To find out more about Alex and LATE NIGHTS WITH THE BOYS: confessions of a leather bar chanteuse, visit her website or the LATE NIGHTS WITH THE BOYS site.

Interview - Playwright Duncan Pflaster

By Byrne Harrison
Photo provided by Duncan Pflaster

Duncan Pflaster is a multi-award-winning playwright who has been doing theatre in NYC for 11 years, most famously his Big Epic Naked Shakespearean Fairy Tale Play Prince Trevor Amongst the Elephants. He also writes music, plays ukulele, and (occasionally, if his arm is twisted) acts.

When did you first get involved in theatre?
I grew up in South Florida; my mother Grace was a local actress and was instrumental in my first involvement in theatre. The first real play I did was at age 6, a production with Royal Palm Children’s Theatre of Winnie-the-Pooh, in which I played Christopher Robin. I was the youngest member of the cast—all the actors playing my stuffed animals were college-age or older.

What is your theatrical background?
For a long time I thought I would be a professional actor. I studied acting at New World School of the Arts in Miami, with Carol Cadby and David Kwiat as my main teachers (and took my only playwriting class, taught by Eric Bedenbaugh); I was kicked out after a year—they told me I’d never be an actor if I stayed at the school. I went on to Florida Atlantic University, where I had the opportunity of a wonderful class taught by Visiting Eminent Scholar Zoe Caldwell, whom I can’t credit enough with my understanding of text and how actors relate to it. I wrote my first full-length play as a joke—in the mid-90s, I was acting pretty consistently at Florida Playwrights' Theatre in Hollywood, FL, and one night, while drinking after a show, a friend said, "Wouldn't it be funny to do a drag queen Alice in Wonderland?" and a year later I finished Wilder and Wilder and it went onstage almost immediately at FPT (with me as The Queen of Hearts), first as a late-nite show, then when there were problems with the mainstage show which had to close, my play ran at 8pm for a couple of weekends. I try not to act much these days (I very rarely consider auditioning- I'm tempted by Sondheim musicals, clown roles in Shakespeare, and sometimes my friends’ plays) since it’s so hard to work 9-5, rehearse in the evenings, and still find time to do the writing that I consider my true vocation. I really don’t have much training in writing plays (aside from simply writing and producing them), so it’s ironic that it’s become my main focus.

What is your best theatrical memory?
I’d have to go with the production of Prince Trevor Amongst the Elephants that I wrote and directed in the Midtown International Theatre Festival in 2008. A spectacular cast of 12 who were all good and nice people on top of it. Show was great, we got some great reviews (as well some of the worst reviews of my life), and were nominated for nine MITF awards, eventually winning three: Outstanding Production, Outstanding Comedy Script, and Outstanding Lead Actor (Carlos Rafael Fernandez, who played Prince Trevor). Such a joy.

What are the best and worst things about working in theatre in New York?
Best: The amount of amazing talent there is available to work with; I keep meeting wonderful performers I want to cast in my plays. Worst: The number of competing productions makes it very easy for a play to get lost in the crowd.

Do you have any advice for students who are planning a career in theatre?
To be cynical for a moment: find a school that has a “mafia” in New York. So much of NYC theatre is not a meritocracy; it’s based on luck and who you know. Often people will give a leg up to folks who went to the same school, so it’s a good idea to make one’s own luck and stack the deck in your favor. Non-cynical answer: Learn as much as you can about all aspects of theatre, not just the element that’s your focus. If you can essentially put up a play on your own, you're in a great position to work; you never know what you might be called upon to do (and maybe get paid for!).

What's next for you in 2010?
I'll be doing my 10-minute play (they kiss) in the February 26-27 Short Play Lab at Where Eagles Dare, curated by Jonathan Wallace (The Play Plays- all plays about the experience of doing theatre), and then in March I'll be doing a few short plays at the Digable Arts Festival in Jersey City. After that, a few things are tentatively scheduled, pending official confirmation- I’ll be adapting and directing a production of Shakespeare’s Timon of Athens for Howling Moon Cab Company, starring Clara Barton Green in the titular role, this Spring. I hope to have new plays in both Planet Connections Theatre Festivity (The Thyme of the Season, my sequel to A Midsummer Night’s Dream) and the Midtown International Theatre Festival (The Starship Astrov: Chekhov in Outer Space!) this Summer.

To find out more about Duncan, visit his website or his theatre blog.

Review - The Talk (John Chatterton Presents, Inc.)

By Byrne Harrison

Presented as part of the Short Subjects (continued) project at Where Eagles Dare, an outgrowth of the Short Subjects in the Midtown International Theatre Festival, Gabrielle Fox tackles some weighty topics in her play The Talk.

The play centers on a couple, David (Paul Geiger) and Michelle (Pilar Witherspoon), their son, Jake (Evan Robert Smith), and David's best friend, Marty (Michael Boothroyd). David and Michelle are merely going through the motions of their marriage, and each blames the other - David no longer seems interested in Michelle, Michelle is too busy with her job. Of course, the truth is deeper than that, which Jake discovers when he catches David and Marty during a tryst at the house.

Michelle is devastated and vows to keep Jake away from David by any means necessary. She also forbids Marty from seeing her son, although he has been like a third parent to Jake, filling in for Michelle and David when they've been too busy for their son. In order to make this happen, she embarks on a scorched earth campaign against David, making vile public accusations against him.

As would be expected from an incubator series called Short Subjects, The Talk is a very short piece, however playwright Gabrielle Fox has written a surprisingly tight play. Although she ties up all the loose ends into a satisfying ending that provides a strong message about individual needs versus the needs of a family, the play seems rushed. Fox has taken on a number of challenging topics - sexuality, infidelity, revenge, and childhood trauma, to name but a few - that seem somewhat too tightly packed in her short play. While I often lament the number of plays where the playwrights seem to drag out topics that don't justify full-length treatment, Fox's play could easily be expanded and some of the topics explored in depth. In addition, a longer format would allow better development of the relationships between the characters, specifically the triangle involving David, Michelle, and Marty. Of the three, Michelle is the most fully realized character; a little fleshing out would benefit David and Marty.

Troy Miller's direction is adequate, though not up to his usual high standards. He seems to have given his actors more rein than normal, and though Witherspoon is up to the challenge, the others at times falter, not allowing certain scenes to have the full emotional impact that they should. Overall, however, the production has more strengths than weaknesses, and I'm sure we will be seeing The Talk again in the future.

It's encouraging to see the types of work that John Chatterton Presents, Inc., is bringing to stage. The Talk is exactly the type of timely and though-provoking work that should be getting produced.

The Talk
Written by Gabrielle Fox
Directed by Troy Miller
Stage Manager: Jason Xaysittiphone

Featuring: Paul Geiger (David), Pilar Witherspoon (Michelle), Michael Boothroyd (Marty), Evan Robert Smith (Jake), Rich Flight (Ray)

Where Eagles Dare Studios
347 W. 36th St., 13th Floor

Friday, November 13 - 9 PM
Saturday, November 14 - 7 PM
Sunday, November 15 - 3 PM
Friday, November 20 - 7 PM
Saturday, November 21 - 7 PM

Review - Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead (T. Schreiber Studio)

By Byrne Harrison
Photo by Gili Getz

Two minor characters playing a small, albeit important part in the story of Hamlet - Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. We know them as schoolmates of Hamlet, somewhat interchangeable courtiers, and spies brought to court by Hamlet's uncle Claudius. Tom Stoppard brings them front and center in Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, and while it's easy to describe the play as the story of Hamlet as told from the point of view of these two minor characters, it is so much more than that. Stoppard's play is a meditation on the nature of life and each person's place in it. Is there a purpose to our daily struggle? Are we merely minor players whose lives are guided by others? Or is it all chance, with no rhyme or reason?

Eric Percival (Rosencrantz) and Julian Elfer (Guildenstern) make a winning team as the bemused courtiers. Percival's Rosencrantz seem constantly bewildered as he tries to comprehend the situation he finds himself in. Elfer's Guildenstern wants to make sense of what is happening around him, but finds himself unable to do so. Rounding out the major players is Erik Jonsun, who does a terrific turn as The Player, the leader of the band of tragedians who will eventually perform "The Murder of Gonzago" for Claudius and the court - the play wherein Hamlet catches the conscience of the king. While the rest of the cast does an excellent job, the play truly crackles when Jonsun's Player is involved.

Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead features strong direction by Cat Parker, who makes great use of George Allison's elegantly understated set. Played in the round, Parker utilizes the entire space, often surrounding the audience with players, effectively incorporating them into the production.

Other production elements are well done, including Eric Cope's lighting design, Andy Cohen's sound, and especially Karen Ledger's excellent costume design.

T. Schreiber Studio once again does what it does best - producing outstanding performances of challenging and entertaining plays.

Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead
Written by Tom Stoppard
Directed by Cat Parker
Scenic Designer: George Allison
Costume Designer: Karen Ledger
Lighting Designer: Eric Cope
Sounds Designer: Andy Cohen
Dialect/Vocal Coach: Page Clements
Fight Choreographer: Michael Hagins
Technical Director: Mark Chieda
Dramaturge/Assistant Director: Cristina Lundy
Stage Manager: Michael Denis
Production Coordinator: Barbara Kielhofer
Production Assistant: Oliver Sterlacci
Publicist: Lanie Zipoy

Featuring: Eric Percival (Rosencrantz), Julian Elfer (Guildenstern), Erik Jonsun (The Player), Tim Weinert (Hamlet), Doug Williford (Claudius), Tootie Larios (Gertrude), Marguerite Forrest (Ophelia), Tom Lawson, Jr. (Polonius), Esteban Benito (Tragedian), Meghan Brown (Tragedian), Horacio Lazo (Tragedian), James O'Brien (Tragedian), Janine L. Pangburn (Tragedian), Diane Terrusa (Tragedian), Aki Tsuchimoto (Tragedian), Therese Tucker (Tragedian), Rodney Allen Umble (Tragedian)

T. Schreiber Studio
151 West 26th Street, 7th Floor

October 15 - November 22, 2009
Thursday through Saturday at 8 PM
Sunday matinees at 3 PM

New York Neo-Futurist Benefit

Review - The Blood Brothers Present . . . The New Guignol (Nosdive Productions)

By Byrne Harrison

Just in time for Halloween, the Blood Brothers are back with a new evening of horror. After their most recent two shows featuring their take on pulp/noir and the works of Stephen King, their 2009 show returns to the Grand Guignol roots of the original 2006 production that started off this series. The New Guignol rips its terror from the headlines and reminds us that the scariest thing that we can encounter is other people, not the supernatural horrors and bogeymen that are the creations of our own imaginations.

Using real stories as their jumping off point, and proving it by showing copies of the newspaper articles from which they are drawn, The New Guignol presents tales of incest, beheadings (two, in fact), obsession, jealousy . . . well, all the things the Blood Brothers thrive on.

Featuring short plays by Danny Bowes, James Comtois, and Mac Rogers, The New Guignol returns to its Grand Guignol roots by focusing on the gore and savagery of the stories. This takes the form of incestuous rape, the aforementioned beheadings, cannibalism, and the usual brain spatters and gory knifings that we've come to expect from these shows. I will admit, though, that despite the subject matter, this year's production seemed rather less bloody than the previous ones. Ghoulish as it sounds, I wanted a lot more blood, not merely for the shock value, but for the opportunity to admire the special effects. That's not to say that Stephanie Cox-Williams skimped in her special effects design work this year (for the record, the effects were very well done - especially a rather gruesome C-section), it's just that there could have been a lot more of it.

The strongest play of the evening is Biological Mother by Mac Rogers. This tight, well-acted play about a young man seeking his birth mother, and the terrible secrets he unearths, is the most solid of the evening's shows. It features taut direction by Pete Boisvert and some strong performances, particularly Cotton Wright, Jessi Gotta and Marsha Martinez. Among the other strong performances are Becky Byers and Robert Leeds in James Comtois' A Room With No View and Jessi Gotta again in Comtois' creepy The Itch.

Overall, some of the best moments of the show (and this is true of the previous Blood Brothers productions, as well) are those featuring Pete Boisvert and Patrick Shearer as the ghoulish Blood Brothers. Shearer excels as the erudite and well-spoken sociopath, oozing charm and menace. Boisvert's strength is in playing the more bestial brother in a way that inspires both laughs and fear.

As with the best horror, there has to be a little bit of a twist to shake things up a bit. In The New Guignol, the twist involves incorporating the audience into the show. It's not something so mundane as audience interaction; that's not really the Blood Brothers' style. But this clever and chilling "There but for the grace of God go I" moment, ends the evening on a decidedly creepy note.

The Blood Brothers Present . . . The New Guignol
Written by: Danny Bowes (Steve, Nothing We Can Do), James Comtois (A Room With No View, The Itch, Dominique), Mac Rogers (An Introduction to the New Guignol, On This Bus Forever, Biological Mother)
Directed by: Pete Boisvert (An Introduction to the New Guignol, Biological Mother), Patrick Shearer (An Introduction to the New Guignol, Nothing We Can Do, On This Bus Forever), Abe Goldfarb (A Room With No View), Matt Johnston (The Itch), Stephanie Cox-Williams (Steve), Rebecca Comtois (Dominique)
Stage Managers: Stephanie Cox-Williams and Dana Rossi
Costume Designer: Sarah Riffle
Costume Designer (A Room With No View): Madame Rosebud
Lighting Designer: Daniel Winters
Makeup Designer: Leslie Hughes
Scenic Designer: Arnold Bueso
Sound Designer: Patrick Shearer
Special Effects Designer: Stephanie Cox-Williams
Fight Choreography: Stephanie Cox-Williams and Patrick Shearer
Original Music: Larry Lees
Press Agent: James Comtois
Graphic Production: Pete Boisvert
Video Production: Marc Landers
Program Editor: Dana Rossi
Producers: Pete Boisvert, James Comtois, Rebecca Comtois, Stephanie Cox-Williams, Patrick Shearer

Featuring: Ryan Andes (Lee, Young Man), Becky Byers (Elisabeth, Passenger 2), Rebecca Comtois (Joyce, Woman), Jessi Gotta (Gail Woman), Stephen Hesket (Toby, Nurse 1), Robert Leeds (Josef, Voice, Passenger 2), Marsha Martinez (Shannon, Young Woman, Nurse), Ben VandenBoom (Solider, Nurse, Cop), Cotton Wright (Andrea, Doctor)

The Brick Theater
575 Metropolitan Avenue
Williamsburg, Brooklyn

October 28-31, 8 PM

Review - Laika Dog in Space (New York Neo-Futurists)

By Byrne Harrison

There is a reason that the New York Neo-Futurists keep winning NY Innovative Theater Awards. To find out what that reason is, one only needs to attend a performance of their latest offering, Laika Dog in Space.

A breathtakingly original piece, Laika Dog in Space has at its core the story of Laika, a dog sent into space on Sputnik 2 in 1957 to find out if a living creature could survive launch. She was the first animal in space, and Earth's first space fatality. Added to this true story are elements from the late '60s television show "The Prisoner," and Antoine de Saint Exupéry's "The Little Prince." Featuring music, choreography, puppetry, audience interaction, cooking, a game show, an interactive set, and so much more, Laika isn't so much a play as it is a self-contained universe that the audience inhabits, not unlike Laika in her spaceship.

From the moment doors open at the Ontological-Hysteric Theatre, the audience members find themselves onstage. Encouraged by the three performers, Rob Neill, Eevin Hartsough and Jill Beckman, they can explore Lauren Parrish's interactive set. They can read about other famous dogs, learn a little Russian, send postcards, watch videos, and any number of other things. It's like being a kid on a really cool field trip.

Unlike plays that have a story that from point A to point B, Laika is hard to describe. It is more of a meditation about Laika, the space race, loneliness and community, and the fears and joys of modern life. That said, it is better simply to experience the show. Suffice it to say that the acting is strong, Dave Dalton's direction is outstanding, and the show is immediate and engaging. Featuring some great tunes from the Cake Monkeys (Carl Riehl - composer/accordian/keyboards, Gene Caprioglio - lead guitar, Devlin Goldberg - drums, and Scot Selig - bass), Laika will engage all your senses.

Laika Dog in Space is New York theatre at its best - engaging, creative and entertaining. Not to mention the fact that the actors make some pretty good borscht that they share with the audience at the end of the show.


Laika Dog in Space
Director: Dave Dalton
Writer/Performers: Rob Neill, Eevin Hartsough, Jill Beckman
Composer/Performer: Carl Riehl
Assistant Director/Stage Manager: Christopher Diercksen
Technical Director/Set Design: Lauren Parrish
Calm Voice/Sound Operator: Kara Ayn Napolitano
Costumer/Props: Meg Bashwiner
Choreography: Lauren Sharpe
Video Technician: Timothy Caldwell

Band (Cake Monkeys)
Lead Guitar: Gene Caprioglio
Accordion/Keyboards: Carl Riehl
Drums: Devlin Goldberg
Bass: Scot Selig

Animation
Laika Day - Adam Smith
The Visit -Travis Whitty and Erik Holman
Poem - Kyle Anderson
Poem: "Dog in Space" © Michael Waters
Short Film Director/Editor: Chris Stocksmith

Dioramas: Alicia Harding, Jen Leavitt, Lauren Sharpe, Adam Smith, Connor Kalista

Managing Director Intern: Charline Tetiyevsky
Marketing: Jen Leavitt
Marketing: Erica Livingston
Graphic Designer: Justin Tolley

Ontological Theater
St. Mark's Church
131 E. 10th Street at 2nd Ave.

Closed

Review - Next Year in Jerusalem (WorkShop Theater Company)

By Byrne Harrison

There are any number of plays out there about families with a strong patriarch and the children that forever seem to be causing him grief. Perhaps the emphasis is on the father, perhaps one of the children. Perhaps it's a comedy, perhaps a drama. But either way, it has been covered numerous times.

That's what makes Dana Leslie Goldstein's latest incarnation of Next Year in Jerusalem, her prize-winning play about three generations of a Jewish family in New York, a pleasant surprise. It feels at once new and exciting, but there is also something comfortable about it. These are not characters you have seen before, but they are familiar nonetheless, and that familiarity makes it easy to slip on this play like a favorite shirt. With Goldstein's strong writing and the cast's remarkable work, it would be hard not to care for the Mendels and the story that spins out over the course of the play.

Abraham Mendel (Burt Edwards and Jake Robards as the old and young versions, respectively) has lost many things over the course of his life. He fled Europe at the start of WWII with his brothers, taking Anna (Elyse Mirto), his young wife. to Palestine. After the birth of Israel, the event he had most longed for, he left it behind at the insistence of his pregnant wife who wanted the safety of America for her children. In America he lived for those children, building lives for them that he thought would be safe and permanent.

Though his children, bohemian Faustine (Jodie Bentley) and housewife Rachel (Dee Dee Friedman), love him, the lives he has created for them seem stifling. Rachel, trying to please her father, marries Lee (Timothy Scott Harris) and has a daughter (Sara Romanello). Faustine, not one to be told what to do, rebels against her father, becoming a lingerie model living in the East Village. Abraham is shamed by her life, only grudgingly admitting that independent and hardheaded Faustine is more than a little like him.

Things come to a head at Abraham's Passover dinner, leading to great changes for the entire family.

Next Year in Jerusalem features Dana Leslie Goldstein's strong writing and a well-told story. Production values are good, particularly Duane Pagano's versatile set and lighting, and Anne E. Grosz's costumes. Acting is strong across the board, with particularly good performances given by Burt Edwards as Abraham, Dee Dee Friedman as the tightly wound Rachel, and Jodie Bentley as Faustine. Jake Robards, in dual roles as Young Abraham and Ari, an Israeli lawyer with whom Abraham sets Faustine up on a date, is outstanding. His scenes, especially as Ari debating with Abraham or flirting with Faustine, are some of the best in the play.

An excellent production of a very good play, Next Year in Jerusalem is well worth a look.

Next Year in Jerusalem
Written by Dana Leslie Goldstein
Directed by Robert Bruce McIntosh
Scenic and Lighting Design: Duane Pagano
Costume Design: Anne E. Grosz
Sound Design: David Schulder
Production Stage Manager: Michael Palmer
Coordinating Producer: Anne Fizzard
Assistant Producer/Prop Master: Laura Hirschberg
Run Crew: Jeff Berg, Dan Patrick Brady, David Palmer Brown, Shaun Bennett Wilson
Marketing Assistants: Stacey Tavor, Anna Wood
Group Sales: Christine Verleny
Postcard/Poster Design: Todd A. Johnson Design
Press and Production Photography: Gerry Goodstein

Featuring: Jodie Bentley (Faustine Mendel), Burt Edwards (Abraham Mendel), Jake Robards (Young Abraham/Ari), Elyse Mirto (Anna Mendel), Sara Romanello (Anna Netter), Dee Dee Friedman (Rachel Mendel Netter), Timothy Scott Harris (Lee Netter)

WorkShop Theater Company
Main Stage
312 W. 36th St., 4th Floor East

October 8-31
Thursdays-Saturdays at 8 PM
Sundays at 3 PM
Wednesday October 28th at 8 PM

For reservations, call 212-695-4173 x5#

Jonny Porkpie's Bad Ideas Presents Shocks & C*cks

"They said it couldn't be done... they said it shouldn't be done... so we're doing it!"

For the first time ever in the history of bump and grind at 70 North 6th Street, burlesque gets cocky when the boys take over Jonny Porkpie's Bad Ideas. For those who have always loved everything about burlesque except the attractive naked women, this is the show for you, because on Monday, October 12 at 10pm, Bad Ideas goes 100% beefcake with Shocks & C*cks all nude all dude revue.

"Don't get me wrong," said Porkpie, "Like all of the events in the 'Bad Ideas' series, this is going to be a fantastic show starring some of the most talented performers in burlesque. It's just that none of them are, you know, women."

"And variety!" Porkpie continued, waving his hands in the air. "This show has magic... hula hooping... freaks from the sideshow... performers imported from overseas... gay men, straight men, and everything in between... the only aspect in which there's no variety whatsoever is the gender of the performers."

On October 12, come for the talent and stay for the full frontal nudity as you witness burlesque skills that only boys can do -- like the tri-tassel twirl and the "windmill" -- in a show that promises to be fun for all genders. Featuring host Jonny Porkpie; the man magic of Albert Cadabra; hunky hoopstar Ferro; bravado boylesque by Hard Corey; the original Mr. Exotic World Tigger!; and two fine blokes imported from the UK: the heartfelt British Heart; and "Sealboy" Mat Fraser.

Jonny Porkpie's Bad Ideas:
Shocks & C*cks all nude all dude revue
Monday, October 12 @ 10:00pm
Public Assembly
70 North 6th Street
Williamsburg

Admission: $10 - tickets available at the door

Review - Hughie (Ditto Productions)

By Byrne Harrison

At his best, Erie Smith, the protagonist of Eugene O'Neill's Hughie, is a small-time, wannabe wise guy living on the shadowy fringes of the glamorous life in Manhattan. At his worst, he's a washed up nobody spending what little money he can hustle on booze, women and gambling.

Most nights as he drags himself home to his fleabag hotel, he's at his worst.

Rather than seeing himself as the loser he is in the harsh light of the shabby lobby, he's lucky enough to see himself reflected in the eyes of Hughie, the night clerk. As he spins tales of his adventures - throwing dice and winning the jackpots, bringing home the Follies girls, being in on the big deals - he basks in Hughie's admiration, and for a little while, he can believe that he is the high-roller he wants to be.

But now Hughie is dead.

Coming in from a three-day bender, Erie wants nothing more than to stave off a little of the loneliness and frustration. Unable to fully engage the new night clerk, Erie starts talking. Effectively a long monologue, this one-act play slowly spins out the tale of a dissolute life and its effects, and a friendship that made it almost bearable.

For Hughie to be effective, the actor playing the lead must be engaging at all times. David Tawil succeeds admirably. Cocky and sure one moment, lost in a bitter place the next, Tawil shows a great understanding of the ebb and flow of this character, and gives an outstanding performance.

The role of Charlie, the new night clerk is more problematic. He is primarily a sounding board, and most of his few moments of dialogue are his thoughts about Erie, rather than actual engagement with Erie. Director Aaron Gonzalez helps the audience follow this by using projections on a wall behind Charlie to indicate that he is having "internal monologue" moments. While these projections are used to great effect in the beginning of the play to set the mood and time period for the audience, they seem a little intrusive in these introspective moments. When combined with Dean Negri's overly forceful acting during these internal monologues, the result is unsettling.

Hughie features a minimal set by Claire Karoff, which includes some cleverly crafted set pieces - an elevator and a revolving door. Rus Snelling's moody lighting design is effective.

A touching play about profound isolation and crushed dreams, O'Neill's Hughie is brought to life admirably in this production.

Hughie
Written by Eugene O'Neill
Directed by Aaron Gonzalez
Set Design: Clair Karoff
Lighting Design: Rus Snelling
Projection Design: Aaron Gonzalez
Stage Manager: Kiersten Armstrong

Featuring: David Tawil (Erie Smith) and Dean Negri (Charlie Hughes)

American Theatre of Actors
Sergeant Theatre
314 W. 54th Street, 4th Floor

Thurs.-Sat., October 1-3, 8-10
8 PM

Tickets available through SmartTix