“Sick City Blues” at FringeNYC 2014 at the Connelly Theater (Closes on Friday August 22, 2014)
“Sick City Blues” at FringeNYC 2014 at the Connelly Theater (Closes on Friday August 22, 2014) Written by Jake Shore Directed by Jake Shore Reviewed by Joseph Verlezza Theatre Reviews Limited
“Sick City Blues” Is a new play by Jake Shore being presented as part of the NY International Fringe Festival that has the ability to captivate an attentive audience. It is a crime drama with twists and turns laced with f… ing Mamet style vulgarity which at times seems gratuitous when not lending authenticity to character definition. The plot is clever and complicated relying on the audience fill in the blanks and think in order to have that “ah hah” moment, a novelty that rarely exists in today’s bombastic theatre world. It consists of short vignettes and long monologues that are sewn together with a strong thread and tight stitch, creating tight seams that connect the complex plot. It is interesting, intriguing, involved and produces characters with absolutely no integrity in the underground world of crime. In other words it appears to be real.
The cast buys into the material which helps create the reality and they effectuate their characters’ purposes with honest and vivid definition. Stephen Heskett (Martin) gives a bold performance, easily producing a commanding presence and mastering the vulgar cadence as if it were poetry. Adam Files (Ray) captures desperation and survival and turns them into an attractive attribute rather than an evil personification. Gavin Starr Kendall (Sal) is hard, raw and unpredictable which produces his dangerous and callous persona. Justin Colon (Vinny) is calm, calculating and frivolous in his attempts to play with the big boys. Cara Moretto (Mary) inflicts her own fear, unstable, vulnerable and searching for a safe place, riddled with wrong choices. This proves to be a good collaboration of talented artists.
SICK CITY BLUES
“Sick City Blues” is presented by Backyard Productions in Association with The Present Company (Elena K. Holy, Producing Artistic Director). Directed by Jake Shore.
The cast of “Sick City Blues” includes Justin Colon, Adam Files, Stephen Heskett, Gavin Starr Kendall, and Cara Moretto.
For performance schedule, ticketing information and more information about the presenting company, please visit www.FringeNYC.org. For mobile ticketing, please visit www.FringeonTheFly.com. The running time is 1 hour and 20 minutes with no intermission.
Permalink | Posted by David Roberts on Monday, August 18, 2014
CEOExpress
