"The Egg Play" at The New York International Fringe Festival
“The Egg Play” By Candice Benge Directed by Cara Phipps Reviewed by David Roberts, Chief Critic Theatre Reviews Limited
A scene from one of Heinrich von Kleist’s works fires up the conflicts in Candice Benge’s remarkable “The Egg Play” now playing at The Studio at the Cherry Lane Theatre as part of the New York International Fringe Festival. Scholars describe Kleist as “a Romantic by context, predilection, and temperament [who] subverted clichéd ideas of Romantic longing and themes of nature and innocence and irony, instead taking up subjective emotion and contextual paradox to show individuals in moments of crises and doubt, with both tragic and comic outcomes, but as often as not his dramatic and narrative situations end without resolution.” That’s the meat of “The Egg Story” in a nutshell.
Except: Candice Benge does not mix her metaphors. Emotions broil when Bethany (Gloria McDonald) discovers her husband Robert (Stephen Frothingham) has provided his sperm (his male eggs as it were) for the fertilization of one of their mutual friends (a daughter of sort) Clare’s eggs. All the extended metaphors eggs can be eject from the bodies, psyches, and souls of Bethany (who hates to be called that), Robert, and Clare as they are forced to confront the one story that counterpoints the three stories they each insist are the truth of what happened: who are the fathers of the babies and why did neither come to term? One misstep, one false memory and a doorbell reminds them there will be no exit from their moments of crisis and doubt until they face the facts of what actually happened. Of course, false memory is not always the problem in story-telling. When the doorbell interrupts the trio’s quest for truth (that will “set them free”), Clare (Amelia Van Brunt) realizes that “memory isn’t false just because you didn’t know.”
It is what is known and what is not known that keeps Kath, Robert, and Clare in perpetual storytelling purgatory. Go ask George and Martha (hold that thought) whether the fiction of their lives and the stories they tell one another and strangers to subvert the truth ever successfully create health and wellbeing in life and relationship. They know, as do the characters in “The Egg Story” that humans will stay stuck (somewhere) until the truth of their lives wins out.
It would be interesting to know whether Ms. Benge had Edward Albee’s “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf” in mind when writing “The Egg Story” (re-enter George and Martha from above) although as the characters here often repeat, “It doesn’t matter.” But the themes of honesty and truth and the pain of confronting that truth (whether it’s Benge’s ‘egg’ or Albee’s ‘baby’) resonate in both.
What we do know is that this director powerfully directs this capable cast of three in a journey through the mazes of truth, falsehood, memory, and emotion which connects with the journeys of everyone who has the pleasure to see this well-crafted play.
Gloria McDonald, Stephen Frothingham, and Amelia Van Brunt unselfishly share their finely honed craft to bring the audience, at last, to the wall where once sat one of the most famous of all eggs Humpty Dumpty (though not an egg in all versions of the nursery rhyme). And unless truth does win out over dissemblance, there will be a fall and a brokenness that no one can “put together again.” Have Bethany, Robert, and Clare been forthright enough to escape the consequences of such a fall (think the Fall)? Or, as Kleist would suggest, will this conflict end without resolution? See this distinguished play to find out before it heads off to Chicago.
THE EGG PLAY
Presented by Transient Theater and The New York International Fringe Festival. Written by Candice Benge. Directed by Cara Phipps. Technical direction by Stormy Pyeatte; sound design by Marlon Meikle.
WITH: Stephen Frothingham (Robert), Gloria McDonald (Bethany), and Amelia Van Brunt (Clare).
All performances take place at The Studio at Cherry Lane Theatre, 38 Commerce Street (7th Avenue and Hudson Street) in New York, NY. Tickets are available at www.fringenyc.org or 866-468-7619. $15 in advance, $18 at the door. Senior and Fringe Junior tickets available at the door for $10. Running time: 1 hour 10 minutes with no intermission.
Remaining Show Dates Tuesday, August 14th @ 5:15 pm Wednesday, August 15th @ 8:45 pm Thursday, August 16th @ 6:45 pm
Permalink | Posted by David Roberts on Tuesday, August 14, 2012
"Have I Got A Girl For You" at The New York International Fringe Festival
“Have I Got A Girl For You” Written by Josh Mesnik Directed by Sara Sahin Reviewed by Joseph Verlezza Theatre Reviews Limited
When you read a story, it is the intent of the author to provide words that trigger the imagination of the reader to invent real, three dimensional characters whose conflicts move the plot forward. When a playwright provides a script for the stage, words are entrusted to the actor, whose interpretation manifests a character providing the audience with the suspension of disbelief. The interruption of this process creates the major problem with “Have I Got A Girl for You” starring Josh Mesnick who also penned the autobiographical comedy of sorts, now entertaining patrons of the New York International Fringe Festival at the La Mama First Floor Theater.
The story of a gay man working as an assistant at an upscale female escort service with a has been escort/centerfold pin up model at the helm serves up some funny situations providing ample laughs during the 75 minute romp. The parallel to the infamous screenplay “All About Eve” is clever but not sustainable in part due to the transparent characters of Josh and Gina played respectively by Josh Mesnick and Danielle Di Vecchio. The puzzling non-dimensional, flat performances of these proficient actors sabotage the plot, providing only sitcom laughter, and eradicating any emotional connection to the audience. Simply put, you just don’t care.
One exception is the fine work of Kim Morgan Dean who is extremely capable of bringing to life not one but multiple characters with ease and economic flexibility. Perhaps if the audience connected a bit more, the end of this story might have played out differently, which possibly could have been what the playwright had intended. For now, if you are looking for a light sitcom-like comedy, it is worth a shot.
HAVE I GOT A GIRL FOR YOU
Presented by The New York International Fringe Festival. Directed by Sara Sahin. Scenic design by David L. Arsenault; costume design by Nicole Wee; lighting design by Peter Bragg; sound design by John Hobbs.
WITH: Kim Morgan Dean (Female track); Josh Mesnik (Josh); Jonathan Seymour (Male Track); and Danielle Di Vecchio (Gina).
All performances take place at The First Floor Theatre @ La MaMa, 74 East 4th Street (between Bowery and 2nd Avenue). Tickets are available at www.fringenyc.org or 866-468-7619. $15 in advance, $18 at the door. Senior and Fringe Junior tickets available at the door for $10. Running time: 1 hour 20 minutes with no intermission.
Remaining Show Dates Monday, August 13th @ 3:45 pm Thursday, August 16th @ 7:00 pm Sunday, August 19th @ 9:30 pm Saturday August 25th @ Noon
Permalink | Posted by David Roberts on Monday, August 13, 2012
"Bite the Apple" at The New York International Fringe Festival
“Bite the Apple” By Linda Manning Directed by Katherine M. Carter Reviewed by David Roberts, Chief Critic Theatre Reviews Limited
Six Brothers Grimm Fairy Tale heroes, all women in this case, invite the audience to just “bite the apple” and move beyond the truths other people place in their heads and connect with their own truths, their own understanding of who they are. Who are these other people intent on re-programming minds? Think self-absorbed mothers, wolves (feral and human), princes, queens with low self esteem, careless parents, and inattentive brothers. Obviously that is only the short list.
Part adaptation, part re-telling, and part re-imagining, Linda Manning’s new play “Bite the Apple” persuades the audience members to reconnect with their stories, identify where their journeys have derailed, and reaffirm that each of them is “worth saving.” And although this appeal is made through the lives of fictional women to “non-fictional” women, its urgent entreaty is for all who have ears to hear and eyes to see.
As Sophia Petrillo (the late Estelle Sher-Gettleman) used to say on The Golden Girls, “Picture this!” Waiting for her husband back outside a club on their twentieth anniversary, Cinderella (Diana Henry) meets Little Red-Cap (Amy Young) who has just had anonymous sex with the belle of the ball’s missing husband (standing up!) in a nearby dark alley. Their “happily ever after stories,” in Manning’s adaptation, converge in the encounter they both have had with the Wolf (musician) in the club. Barely escaping from this charmer’s clutches (and not so sure they really want to), the two run off. Cinderella returns only to meet Little Snow White (Annette Arnold) and they share their stories of how things have turned out after the story book has closed and multitudes of children fell off to undisturbed sleep (or nightmares). In a continuing fairy tale relay, one story connects with another in an explosion of emotion: Cinderella inadvertently awakens Little Briar Rose (Jessica Arinella) who later meets Rapunzel (Linda Manning) who ultimately is reminded by Gretel (Diana Zambrotta) that Rapunzel needs to change her clothing to something black so they can attend Hansel’s funeral.
Yes, Linda Manning can make this stuff up and indeed it does not get much better than this well-constructed play which is directed by Katherine M. Carter with economy, vision, and sensitivity. The aforementioned actors bring their respective characters to life and those lives have dimension and depth and connect to the audience in powerful conscious and non-conscious ways. The characters’ choices remarkably counterpoint with the choices women have made and how those choices have affected their lives, their self-esteem, their interests, and their careers. Cinderella’s little glass slippers (here expensive Italian designer high heels with lethal steel support rods) serve as rhetorical trope – here an extended metaphor – for the kinds of empowerment needed to re-story lives that have not turned out as happy as they were intended to.
The show’s title “Bite the Apple” refers in situ to Little Snow White’s ability to bite the apple without the recurring fear of being poisoned (although, who knows, some risks are more dangerous than others) and with the renewed determination to be “a good parent.” However, the original forbidden fruit consumer Eve hovers about The New Ohio Theatre and this heavenly production reminding the audience of one of the most compelling “happily ever after” stories know to humankind. And that way that bite turned out is yet another story.
See “Bite the Apple.” Watch it, listen to it, see it, hear it, savor it, and continue to chew on its core until you know “which version of you is the right one.”
BITE THE APPLE
Presented by The Other Mirror and The New York International Fringe Festival. Written by Linda Manning. Directed by Katherine M. Carter. Scenic design by Sheryl Liu; costume design by Caitlin Cisek; sound design by Kortney Barber.
WITH: Jessica Arinella (Briar Rose); Annette Arnold (Snow White); Diana Henry (Cinderella); Linda Manning (Rapunzel); Amy Young (Red); and Diana Zambrotta (Gretel).
All performances take place at The New Ohio Theatre, 154 Christopher Street in New York, NY. Tickets are available at www.fringenyc.org or 866-468-7619. $15 in advance, $18 at the door. Senior and Fringe Junior tickets available at the door for $10. Running time: 1 hour 30 minutes with no intermission.
Remaining Show Dates Tuesday, August 14th @ 3:00 pm Thursday, August 16th @ 4:15 pm Saturday, August 18th @ 8:00 pm
Permalink | Posted by David Roberts on Monday, August 13, 2012
"Songs of Love: A Theatrical Mixtape" at The New York International Fringe Festival
“Songs of Love: A Theatrical Mixtape” Written and Directed by Nat Cassidy Reviewed by David Roberts, Chief Critic Theatre reviews Limited
When a musical opens with one character rehearsing the number of ways one can “expletive deleted” (but you know the word) food, one anticipates an “All About Eve” bumpy ride. And “Songs of Love: A Theatrical Mixtape” does not disappoint in providing that uncomfortable ride. Eventually, in the selfsame opening scene, the same voracious actor substitutes “making love” which comes late in the metaphorical mélange of the vernacular used for participating in that “romantic” activity. He then proceeds to play for his companion his mixtape which will, ostensible, explain the meaning of love.
The most impressive scene in Nat Cassidy’s mixtape (made for the audience with love) was the tableau fashioned when the two actors who had finished their scene prepared the stage for the following scene: with only Nat Cassidy singing and playing guitar, the two spread a blanket on the stage, placed two champagne glasses on the blanket and, with no words, exited stage left. One wished for more such artistic sounds of silence in this New York International Fringe Festival offering.
Near the conclusion of this mixed-up mixtape, someone in the cast has the temerity to judge the performance as “a bit heteronormative.” That it was which, in any serious production in 2012, is inexcusable and needs to be addressed. Enough said.
SONGS OF LOVE: A THEATRICAL MIXTAPE
Presented by Tin Drum Productions and The New York International Fringe Festival. Written and directed by Nat Cassidy. Lighting designed by Kia Rogers; musical direction by Alexis Thomason.
WITH: Matt Bailey; Abby Royle; Tarantino Smith; Alexis Thomason; Kristen Vaughan; and Ben Williams.
All performances take place at The Players Theatre, 115 MacDougal Street in New York, NY. Tickets are available at www.fringenyc.org or 866-468-7619. $15 in advance, $18 at the door. Senior and Fringe Junior tickets available at the door for $10. Running time: 1 hour with no intermission.
Remaining Show Dates Tuesday, August 14th @ 7:00 pm Tuesday, August 23rd @ 9:45 pm Friday, August 24th @ 9:45 pm Saturday, August 25th @ 2:15 pm
Permalink | Posted by David Roberts on Sunday, August 12, 2012
"Canon in D Minor" at The New York International Fringe Festival
“Canon in D Minor” at The New York International Fringe Festival By Jessica Liadsky Directed by Rachel Slaven Reviewed by David Roberts and Joseph Verlezza, Chief Critics Theatre Reviews Limited
All things Johann Pachelbel become all things Jessica Liadsky in her “Canon in D Minor” currently playing at La MaMa’s First Floor Theatre as part of the New York International Fringe Festival. A canon is a musical composition in which three voices play the same music, entering in sequence. There is a fourth voice, the basso continuo which supplies harmonic structure to the whole. This is the ostinato. Pachelbel’s now popular 1694 canon remained unknown until it was discovered and first published at the close of World War I in 1919.
Three actors play the same music of friendship, loss, and forgiveness entering in a brilliantly choreographed sequence: the friendship of Katherine and Beth; the loss Beth feels when her friend Kath commits suicide; and the forgiveness of self which occurs when the “music of friendship” dissolves the denial, anger, bargaining, and guilt of bereavement into the less obvious fourth voice ostinato of forgiveness.
The creative process remains a mystery. What is known is that when creative minds align and collaborate on a specific project the end result is nothing less than brilliant. A confirmation of this theory is “Canon in D Minor” whose synchronicity brings the audience to its feet with an emotionally charged performance. No part of this collaboration can be singled out for its outstanding contribution for, like a canon itself, it would be nothing without the sum of its parts.
The three actors, Suzy Jane Hurt, Eryn Murman, and Brittany Parker brilliantly navigate the stage with precise, purposeful, and intelligent choreographed movement. Alone they are remarkable, each striking a different chord, amazingly able to morph into characters with the slightest facial nuance or physical shift in posture. Together as one, they inhabit the souls of their characters and their hearts beat with the rhythm of spoken word. All are truly captivating. At one point they share the stage with the voice of a single violin, quickly joined by another (skillfully played by Sarah Hund and Elena Moon Park) immersing the audience into an emotional kaleidoscope that is spellbinding. They are directed, conducted, and inspired by Rachel Slaven who deftly exposes the profound and sensitive work written by Jessica Liadsky. These critics thank the cast and the creative team for engaging our minds, touching our hearts and reminding us how powerful the experience of the theatre can be.
Sometimes musicphiles focus intensely on structure, rhythm, tempo, and timbre when listening to music. Perhaps “Canon in D Minor” re-teaches us to allow ourselves to be “lost in the melody of friendship and swallowed in the song of forgiveness.”
We see “Canon in D Minor” sharing a Broadway stage in tandem with another of Jessica Liadsky’s plays. Hopefully, the Manhattan Theatre Club is one step ahead of that vision.
CANON IN D MINOR
Presented by The New York International Fringe Festival and Emily Hammond. Directed by Rachel Slaven. Lighting designed by Amanda Clegg Lyon; sound designed by David Corsello.
WITH: Suzy Jane Hunt; Eryn Murman; Brittany Parker; and violinists Sarah Hund and Elena Moon Park.
All performances take place at The First Floor Theatre @ La MaMa, 74 East 4th Street (between Bowery and 2nd Avenue). Tickets are available at www.fringenyc.org or 866-468-7619. $15 in advance, $18 at the door. Senior and Fringe Junior tickets available at the door for $10. Running time: 55 minuteds with no intermission.
Remaining Show Dates Sunday, August 12th @ 7:00 pm Sunday, August 19th @ 5:45 pm Monday, August 20th @ 5:00 pm
Permalink | Posted by David Roberts on Sunday, August 12, 2012
"Standby: The Musical" at the New York International Fringe Festival
“Standby: The Musical” at the New York International Fringe Festival Music by Keith Robinson and Amy Baer Book and Lyrics by Alfred Solis and Mark-Eugene Garcia Directed by Marc Eardley Reviewed by Joseph Verlezza Theatre Reviews Limited
After many years and thousands of shows at the New York International Fringe Festival, the common denominator of performance success seems to fall into the “Hit or Miss” category: one experiences all levels of performance, production values and direction. That being said, go see “Stand By: The Musical” if you are so inclined but be forewarned that, like the actors on stage, you will spend 90 minutes waiting for something to happen. The theme is old and tired, the concept has been featured in earlier productions in a variety of genres that have been far superior (“It’s A Wonderful Life,” Steambath”, “Here Comes Mr. Jordan,” to name a few). Here, the lyrics seem trite and the music is less than memorable.
Unfortunately, the greatest achievement in this production, either by fault of the actors or the director, is the ability to portray each character with unabashed stereotypes, succeeding in making each of them appear shallow and pedestrian. The staging is stagnant and sophomoric. One exception to note is the performance of Jillian Gottlieb as Samantha, who seems to connect with her fellow travelers in “Limbo” (literally and figuratively) and avoid the aforementioned pitfalls: she delivers her musical numbers with exceptional vocal prowess. Additionally, Matthew Corr transcends the script and successfully renders the sensitive intelligent character of Andrew. As time passed viewing this production, I began to think I was on “Stand By” waiting for it to end.
Presented by The New York International Fringe Festival. Directed by Marc Eardley. Scenic and prop design by Marissa Bergman; lighting designed by Diana Bayne; musical direction by Keith Robinson and Rob Cookman; musical staging by Leasen Almquist.
WITH: Mike Bakes; Seth Blum; Matthew Corr; Jillian Gottlieb; Ashley Picciallo; and Michael-Anthony Souza.
All performances take place at The Players Theatre, 115 MacDougal Street in New York, NY. Tickets are available at www.fringenyc.org or 866-468-7619. $15 in advance, $18 at the door. Senior and Fringe Junior tickets available at the door for $10. Running time: 1 hour with no intermission.
Remaining Show Dates Tuesday, August 14th @ 2:30 pm Saturday, August 18th @ 12:00 Noon Wednesday, August 22nd @ 5:00 pm Thursday, August 23rd @ 7:00 pm
Permalink | Posted by David Roberts on Sunday, August 12, 2012
"My Mind Is Like An Open Meadow" at 59E59 Theater C
“My Mind Is Like An Open Meadow” Written by Erin Leddy Directed by Jonathan Walters Reviewed by David Roberts, Chief Critic Theatre Reviews Limited
Somewhere between so-called sanity and the demon dementia lies a mental meadow where a stream of consciousness generates affirmations and queries that attempt to make sense of birth, aging, death, and what might exist beyond.
Affirmations (when lucidity reigns) like “I know what tomorrow brings and it won’t be pretty and it won’t be easy.” And queries (when dementia creeps up) like, “I used to sit on the edge of the bed with a stocking and say, how do you put this on?”
Erin Leddy brings these affirmations and queries to life in her “My Mind Is Like An Open Meadow” a solo performance based on recordings of her grandmother with whom she lived in 2001. These recorded memoirs, though terribly personal, powerfully elicit responses from audience members who connect with the emotional power of Ms. Leddy’s tandem performance with the recorded words of her grandmother Sarah.
Leddy teases the audience at the beginning of her performance with a bittersweet song about humanity being “drops in the ocean, boundless as the sea.” However, any thought that this might be just another sentimental romp through family history is excised when Sarah’s words boom from the box situated at the up stage right corner of 59E59’s Theater C. Sarah’s thoughts about forgetfulness counterpoint Erin’s in a haunting scene:
“Forgetfulness … The name of the author is the first to go followed obediently by the title, the plot, the heartbreaking conclusion, the entire novel which suddenly becomes one you have never read, never even heard of. Long ago you kissed the names of the muses goodbye and watched the quadratic equation pack its bag, and even now as you memorize the order of the planets, something else is slipping away, a state flower perhaps, the address of an uncle, the capital of Uruguay.”
Audience members leaned forward in their seats during this scene, not only because of the skill with which it unfolded, but also because each person was connecting to those “has anyone seen my keys” moments when we “have [those] total blanks of people that [we] know so well.” The brilliance of this performance is in its universality, its ability to counterpoint with every fear, every worry that we just might be “at the end of our road.”
Erin’s decision to surround herself with an extensive creative team has paid off. Far too many “solo artists” try to do it all: write, perform, direct, choreograph, etc. and the results are mediocre and missing the mark of magic. Here, in “My Mind Is Like An Open Meadow,” there is nothing but magic.
Perhaps the most magical moment comes when Sarah recites Edna St. Vincent Millay’s “Renascence.” Erin allows the audience to “see” this performance from not only the audience but from upstage. I will not tell you how that happens and encourage you to do all you can to see how for yourself. During the recitation of the poem, the audience understands fully what Sarah has been attempting to share: “I saw and heard, and knew at last the How and Why of all things past.” There will be a time, perhaps, when our memories are all that’s left.
The line between reality and all that does not constitute reality is fragile, thin, and ephemeral at times. In those moments when we still know how (figuratively) to put our stockings on, we need to share our stories from “our trunks of memories” and learn to cherish the moments we have together “before we must part ways.” Erin and Sarah teach us much about that line and what lies on either side. They do it in ways that at times approach perfection.
MY MIND IS LIKE AN OPEN MEADOW
The cast features Erin Leddy and Sarah Braveman.
Presented by Hand2Mouth Theatre, “My Mind Is Like An Open Meadow” is directed by Jonathan Walters. The design team includes Christopher Kuhl (set and lighting design), Anna Cohen (costume design), and Casi Pacilio (sound design). The choreographer is Jane Paik. Original music composed by Ash Black Bufflo (Knitting Factory Records).
The performance schedule through Sunday August 19 is Tuesday – Thursday at 7:30 PM; Friday and Saturday at 8:30 PM; and Sunday at 3:30 PM. Performances are at 59E59 Theaters (59 East 59th Street, between Park and Madison Avenues). Tickets are $25 ($17.50 for 59E59 Members). To purchase tickets, call Ticket Central at (212) 279-4200 or go to www.59e59.org.
Permalink | Posted by David Roberts on Tuesday, August 7, 2012
"The Girl of the Golden West" at the New Ohio Theatre
“The Girl of the Golden West” Words and Direction by Jeremy Bloom Music and Additional Words by Catherine Brookman, Ellen O’Meara, and Joe White Reviewed by David Roberts, Chief Critic Theatre Reviews Limited
What could possibly go wrong when a group of talented actors and musicians put together the world premiere of “a soulful new musical ode to the unexplored expanse of our nation’s forgotten periphery and the baffling potential of what might have been?” “The Girl of the Golden West,” described by the creative team as a musical based on “a play-turned-novel-turned-Puccini-extravaganza,” chronicles the story of the only female in the Gold Rush town of Cloudy Mountain, California. Intriguing concept!
Bringing this concept to the stage has limited success at the New Ohio Theatre/2012 Ice Factory Festival. In his 1785 poem “To A Mouse, On Turning Her Up In Her Nest With A Plough,” Robert Burns penned his oft-quoted phrase, “The best-laid schemes o' mice an 'men Gang aft agley.” What is agley (awry) in the production of “The Girl of the Golden West” is the inability of the audience to hear what is being said and sung on stage! Exposition is important in a musical like this: the audience must know who these characters are and why they all arrive at the Polka at the same time. It is essential to know the details of why Ramerrez is seeking revenge and why the Sherriff is jealous of the attention he gets from The Girl.
Starr Kwofie is easily heard and understood. Tom Hennes is barely audible, especially when the director has him facing away from the audience (which happens all too often). Catherine Brookman can also be easily heard and understood but when she sings duets or group numbers, her voice overpowers the others. It is puzzling how a group of musicians can pay so little attention to issues of volume and balance.
“The Girl of the Golden West” could be a significant piece of theatre and still might be if the sound issues are addressed. Additionally, when Brian Rady plays Nina, it would be more powerful if he just used the fan to indicate the switch to and from Nick. Using stereotypical gestures for Nina is trite and simply invites silly audience giggling. There was a lot of giggling and tittering at Wednesday’s performance. When the audience could hear a line or two, they decided to laugh.
I thoroughly enjoyed the 2012 Ice Factory Festival. I only wish I had better things to say about this ultimate offering in the series.
THE GIRL OF THE GOLDEN WEST
World premiere produced by Randy&Bloom and presented by the New Ohio Theatre/Ice Factory 2012. Words and direction by Jeremy Bloom; music and additional words by Catherine Brookman, Ellen O’Meara, and Joe White; additional music by Lucas Segall.
Featuring: Catherine Brookman (The Girl), Starr Kwofie (Sherriff Jack Rance), Tom Hennes (Johnson/Ramerrez), Ellen O’Meara (The Sydney Duck/Band), Brian Rady (Nick/Nina), Lucas Segall (Happy Haliday/Band), and Joe White (Handsome Charlie/Band).
Performances of “The Girl of the Golden West” continue through August 4. Performances are Wednesdays - Saturdays at 7pm. Tickets are $18 for adults and $12 for students/seniors and can be purchased online at http://www.NewOhioTheatre.org or by calling SmartTix at 212-868-4444. For more information on the festival visit http://www.NewOhioTheatre.org, and for up-to-the-minute festival updates, join the conversation on Twitter, at @IceFactoryFest.
Permalink | Posted by David Roberts on Thursday, August 2, 2012
"3 by Poe" at 59E59 Theater C
“3 by Poe” Performed by Richard Smithies Reviewed by David Roberts, Chief Critic Theatre Reviews Limited
In preparation for his participation in the 2012 Edinburgh Festival Fringe (August 3 – 27), Richard Smithies performed his “3 by Poe” at 59E59’s East to Edinburgh Festival.
Smithies performs Poe’s “The Cask of Amontillado” as Montresor who cleverly works out his revenge against Fortunato by walling him up in the catacombs beneath his home. He then performs “The Tell-Tale Heart” as the “mad” murderer of the old man with the vulture eye. Finally, Smithies chooses to perform Poe’s lesser known (of the three) “Hop Frog” as the short story writer himself.
The accomplished actor successfully characterizes Montresor, the murderer, and Poe using vocal inflection, vocal modulation, facial expressions, and gestures. All three performances feature distinct costumes.
The time between costume changes creates awkward moments for the audience left sitting in the dark. Music, projections, video clips, anything pertinent to Poe would fill this void and keep the audience in the mood for more madness.
Mr. Smithies’ choice to read “Hop Frog” from printed sheets of paper made the final of the “3 by Poe” ineffective. If the story is not memorized, then it should be read from a period tome or handwritten pages.
Ultimately, it is Edgar Allan Poe’s stories that are the stars here. Like the beat of the tell-tale heart, Poe’s words reverberate throughout 59E59 Theater C even from under the floorboards beneath our seats.
All the best in Edinburgh, Richard. You will enjoy every moment.
Permalink | Posted by David Roberts on Monday, July 30, 2012
"The Sensational Josephine Baker" at The Beckett Theatre - Theatre Row
“The Sensational Josephine Baker” Written and Performed by Cheryl Howard Directed by Ian Streicher Reviewed by Joseph Verlezza Theatre Reviews Limited
In the opening scene of “The Sensational Josephine Baker” it is 1975 backstage in a dressing room at the Bobino Theater in Paris, France. It is here that we find a terrified Ms. Baker frantic and unsure about stepping on stage to embark on a comeback concert series which she hopes will reclaim her status as a shining star in the French theater world and at the same time relieve her financial burdens and avoid bankruptcy.
We are quickly transported to her childhood as she grasps at the memories of her beloved grandmother’s support and love that give her the strength and courage to combat her fear of rejection. As the life of Josephine Baker unfolds Cheryl Howard reveals her ability and talent as an accomplished actor, carefully delineating a mélange of characters with ease, perception and economy. She embodies each with vocal and physical nuance as she seamlessly takes a turn from one to the other. She is flawless. It was also a pleasure to find that during musical numbers Howard did not try to imitate Baker’s voice, which certainly would have resulted in an evening of bad Karaoke, but rather employed a physical resemblance to the character. Relying on her own keen vocal ability, she was able to produce an enjoyable musical theater experience which unfortunately marred only by the use of the canned music of a six piece band.
Josephine Baker, without a doubt, was also an incredible woman and a force to be reckoned with, being a major influence during the Civil Rights Movement in the U.S. and also being instrumental as an integral part of the French Resistance during World War II. She had also adopted 12 children of different ethnicities which she called the “Rainbow Tribe.” Although this production is able to scratch the surface of this remarkable life, it needs to provide more insight into the private troubled existence versus the flamboyant public image.
This production is an admirable attempt to shed some light upon the celebrated life of an icon which was tragic, intriguing, and constantly fighting inner turmoil while wearing her exterior with style and poise. No easy task. As an evening of entertainment at the theater you may dismiss the shortcomings which may exist and sit back and enjoy the many sensational moments that Cheryl Howard delivers. As a post note, treat yourself to dinner next door to the theater at Chez Josephine a restaurant which is owned and established by two of Baker’s sons as a tribute to their mother.
THE SENSATIONAL JOSEPHINE BAKER
Presented by Emerging Artists Theatre. Written and Performed by Cheryl Howard. Directed by Ian Streicher. Musical Direction by Loren Van Brenk. Scenic Design by Tim McMath. Costume Design by Nicole Wee. Lighting Design by Benjamin Swope. Choreographed by Racky Plews.
Performances run through Saturday, September 8, 2012 at The Beckett Theatre – Theatre Row, 410 West 42nd Street (www.theatrerow.org). Show times are: Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 7pm; Wednesday and Saturday at 2pm; and Sunday at 3pm. Tickets are $69.25 and can be purchased by calling Telecharge at 212-239-6200 or online at www.Telecharge.com. For all discount offers visit www.broadwayoffers.com or call 212-947-8844. Special $20 Rush Tickets are offered for every show to any ticket buyer for available seats 20 minutes before show time.
Permalink | Posted by David Roberts on Monday, July 30, 2012
"Death Boogie" and "Varieties of Religious Experience" at 59E59 Theatre C/"Le Cabaret Grimm" at the 45th Street Theatre
One in a Stew Two Down the Rabbit Hole “Death Boogie” and “Varieties of Religious Experience” at 59E59 Theater C “Le Cabaret Grimm” at the 45th Street Theatre Reviewed by David Roberts, Chief Critic Theatre Reviews Limited
Lewis Carroll would have been proud. Grace Slick should be proud. Both figure (indirectly to be sure) in the three performances this critic viewed on Saturday July 28: two part of the amazing East to Edinburgh Festival at 59E59 Theaters, one part of the New York Musical Theatre Festival.
Darian Dauchan performed his “Death Boogie” at the East to Edinburgh Festival at 59E59 for one performance on July 28. This well-constructed and challenging spoken word performance piece enjoyed the accompaniment of The Mighty Third Rail. Dauchan’s “Death Boogie” follows the fictional story of the endearing Victor Spartan whose blue collar daytime life counterpoints perfectly his night time dream-state forays into the kind of worker revenge anyone part of the 99% can identify with. If one listens carefully, one can hear Victor rapping a plaintive duet with another fictional character “under the thumb,” namely Disney’s “Alice in Wonderland” version of the White Rabbit who protests his harried existence with, “I run and then I hop, hop, hop. I wish that I could fly. There's danger if I dare to stop and here's the reason why: You see, I'm overdue, I'm in a rabbit stew, can't even say "Goodbye", "Hello." I'm late, I'm late, I'm late!” We are, all of us, in a rabbit stew crying out to be welcomed to “the land of change.”
The standout performance of the trio was that of Adam Strauss in his haunting “Varieties of Religious Experience,” in its penultimate performance at the 59E59 East to Edinburgh Festival performance. William James’ “The Varieties of Religious Experience: A Study in Human Nature” has always been a favorite of this critic who also enjoys teaching William’s brother Henry’s “What Masie Knew,” also dealing with a study of human nature.
Part guru, shaman, imam, priest, rabbi, massage therapist, and trusted psychedelic vendor of pharmacopeia, Adam Strauss ushers his sometimes bedazzled audience to an experience of mystery and wonder (fro and to) of precious perception.
Strauss bravely discloses his variety of battles with OCD and his performance is sparked by his discovery that mushrooms (i.e., ‘’schrooms” for those with eyes to see and ears to hear) can cure OCD after one “treatment!” However, it does not matter whether anyone in the audience suffers from OCD or not in order to engage with Strauss’ performance. Most have experienced bad and broken relationships, anxiety, a variety of waves that we attempt to keep from breaking over us. We are all hungry for relief from a variety of pain.
We seek that relief, that surcease, that moment of clarity when we can take the deep breath of acceptance of self and survive the ominous wave (which will indeed come). And in that acceptance, we recognize we are on the way to wholeness or brokenness or wholeness in brokenness or brokenness in wholeness – all equally significant symbols of healing and at least momentary well being and perfection. In other words, the ultimate Sholgin Rating Scale of ++++ (Plus Four). Thank you, Adam, for our journey down the rabbit hole: The following is dedicated to you and to all of us on our way to perfection.
“White Rabbit” on Jefferson Airplane’s “Surrealistic Pillow.” Written by Grace Slick in 1966 when she was still with The Great Society. Enjoy!
One pill makes you larger And one pill makes you small And the ones that mother gives you Don't do anything at all Go ask Alice When she’s ten feet tall
And if you go chasing rabbits And you know you're going to fall Tell them a hookah smoking caterpillar has given you the call Call Alice When she was just small
When the men on the chess board get up and tell you where to go And you just had some kind of mushroom And your mind is moving slow Go ask Alice I think she'll know
When logic and proportion Have fallen sloppy dead And the white knight is talking backwards And the Red Queen's "Off with her head!" Remember what the dormouse said
Feed your head Feed your head
Finally, Liars and Believers “Le Cabaret Grimm” presents truths garnered from the Brothers Grimm and their collection of German fables and folk tales. Presented in vaudeville-cabaret-burlesque style, the fables counterpoint the vicissitudes of the human psyche and experience. One wonders why the setting was French rather than German: “Willkommen” seems more appropriate than “Bonjour” when spinning tales from the German countryside and experience. And why were the “boys and girls” so clean with glistening, well-kept costumes? This is gritty, down-and-dirty cabaret, not a fashion show at the mall. That said, all the performers here shine with youthful energy and do their very best to bring human tales of longing, loss, and laughter to life.
In short, “Death Boogie” and “Varieties of Religious Experience” chronicle the deep struggles humankind experiences on the road to “perfection.” “Le Cabaret Grimm,” the second journey down the rabbit hole, re-fables some of the darker bumps we encounter on the way.
Permalink | Posted by David Roberts on Sunday, July 29, 2012
"A Letter to Harvey Milk" at the Alice Griffin Jewel Box Theatre
“A Letter to Harvey Milk” Book by Jerry James, Music by Laura Kramer, Lyrics by Ellen Schwartz Directed by David Schechter Reviewed by David Roberts, Chief Critic Theatre Reviews Limited
Retired Kosher butcher and widower Harry Weinberg (Jeff Keller) awakens his dead wife Frannie (Cheryl Stern) with his horrific nightmares. She hangs around (unfortunately) for the entirety of the musical “Letter to Harvey Milk” and it is through Harry’s conversations with the foil character Fannie that the plot of “A Letter to Harvey Milk” unfolds.
Harry signs up (reluctantly) for a writing course at his Community Center with Jewish lesbian Barbara Katsef (Leslie Kritzer) who recently experienced the loss of love. When Barbara asks Harry to help her preserve stories, she has no idea what she is asking him to do.
Barbara encourages Harry to write about what his normal day is like, what his work day was like, what a day was like when he was a boy and encourages him to focus on what he sees, what he feels, and what he remembers. After initially resisting, Harry begins to remember and begins to “see” and feel images he thought were buried in the past forever: his deep friendship with Harvey Milk (Michael Bartoli); his experiences in a Nazi Concentration Camp with his friend Yussl (brilliantly played by Ravi Roth).
What fascinates the audience about Harry is his deep affection for Barbara and his concern that she is too open about her sexual status and his equally deep affection for his slain friend Harvey Milk. Harry feels it was Harvey’s openness about his sexual status that resulted in his assassination: “Why did you have to be shot for being a fegelah?” To speak or not to speak Yiddish is a recurring theme throughout the musical.
Through a series of flashbacks, conversations with Barbara, and conversations with dead wife Frannie, the audience discovers the reason for Harry’s nightmares and his concerns for Barbara and why Frannie doesn’t what Harry to tell Barbara anything she “does not know.”
Jerry James unfolds exposition carefully, craftily, stealthily, so that just at the moment the audience believes it knows what’s next, James takes them down a different path. The reason for Harry’s letter to Harvey Milk is finally disclosed. When Harry was in the Concentration Camp, he met a gay prisoner whom he befriended and eventually slept with. This friend was killed after refusing to allow Harry to come to his defense, telling Harry he had to live to tell their story.
“A Letter to Harvey Milk” is an endearing musical with a book based on Leslea Newman’s short story of the same title. The ensemble cast handles the script and the music with ease and the performance is a celebration of the movement from silence to speaking out about all the things that matter from all the memories we treasure. It is unfortunate that James (and/or Newman) choose to have Frannie casually and humorously mention Hitler and the Nazis in reference to their deplorable acts of violence and the murder of gay men in the concentration camps. Even Harry knows that is too much.
A LETTER TO HARVEY MILK
WITH: Michael Bartoli; Sarah Corey; Jeff Keller; Leslie Kritzer; Michael Padgett; Ravi Roth; Cheryl Stern.
Presented by the New York Musical Theatre Festival and U Shld Kno Productions at The Alice Griffin Jewel Box Theatre, 480 West 42nd Street, New York, NY. Performance Schedule: Saturday July 28 at 5:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m. For ticket information call 212-352-3101 or visit www.nymf.org
Permalink | Posted by David Roberts on Saturday, July 28, 2012
"Swing State" at 45th Street Theatre
“Swing State” Book and Lyrics by Dana Yeaton Music by Andy Mitton Reviewed by David Roberts, Chief Critic Theatre Reviews Limited
This critic’s ability to access anything redemptive in “Swing State” was sabotaged by the characterizations of the show’s characters Neil and Bonnie, played exquisitely by Jed Resnick and Morgan Weed.
Theatre Reviews Limited offers is readers and subscribers the unique opportunity to confront theatre from its Gay POV (point of view) reports on current theatre offerings. This is an important way to deconstruct a script or book of a musical as well as the performance itself.
Although “Swing State” attempts to reach a common ground where Neil and Bonnie understand one another and accept their differences, neither character is likeable enough to care whether they bond or not. Neil is a self-loathing gay man who is willing to face a crowd of homophobic evangelical Christians to build his Chiropractic practice. Bonnie is a kindergarten teacher who would risk employment to proselytize innocent five-year-olds!
One understands Bonnie is guilt-ridden after having an abortion and that Neil has come home to Ohio to “heal the enemy.” One does not understand the need to watch Bonnie torture Neil as well as herself only to sit on a swing set (a huge swing set) in the swing state of Ohio and proffer each other words of redemptive wisdom at the musical’s end.
Had Neil jumped off the swing and run, the musical might have made sense. Or perhaps I should have run out of the theatre when a few of the show’s groupies laughed when Bonnie conspired to torture children’s minds.
If readers care to see this musical, it is part of the NYMF and information can be had at nymf.org
Permalink | Posted by David Roberts on Friday, July 27, 2012
"The Apocalyptic Road Show" at The New Ohio Theatre
“The Apocalyptic Road Show” Written by John Clancy Directed by Peter Clarke Reviewed by David Roberts, Chief Critic Theatre Reviews Limited
Around 95 or 96 C.E., John of Patmos managed to piss off the Roman government. That was not difficult to do. But John wouldn’t let the Jesus thing rest and continued to proclaim “good news” all over Pilate’s place. So the Romans threw him in the hoosegow on Patmos Island, guarded him well (as well as they guarded that earlier tomb one would think) and put John who might have been out of his mind out of their mind. Undaunted, this John knew he had to keep up the preaching to the folk back home so they wouldn’t return to their past pagan days worshipping the Sun (no, not the “Son” – clever, huh?) He knew the Romans knew little about apocalyptic literature (Daniel, Ezekiel, Enoch and the millennialist early Christian lot) so he wrote a letter to the newly converted back home on the continent in language the guards and the censors wouldn’t understand: dreaded horses delivering dreaded messages to hopefully awaken the faithful to follow once more “the Way.” The Romans thought he was a nut and faithfully delivered the epistle to its intended audience. John’s good news was that the Roman government was flimsy stuff and their evil ways would not last. The Romans, in fact, had a great fall or two, but there were plenty of autocracies (right up to the present).
Fast forward two thousand years and another John (of sound mind) riffs that revelatory letter Revelation. This time, though, this John tells it as it is: there’s not a whole lot of good news to deliver and the faithful, well, that’s another story indeed. The news to those faithful this time is delivered by two of the most fascinating characters: Gdjet, a revivified but worn Norma Desmond type and Lulu, a Velma-type character who could have just finished a round of “What Ever Happened to Class” with “Chicago’s” merciless Mama.
Through a delightful series of pre-paradise interviews with Gdjet and Lulu, visits from the Four Horsemen (and women) of the Apocalypse, and burlesque-type vignettes. Gdjet and Lulu’s task is to inform the audience that the cosmos has come to its end. This night will be the last night and at 8:12 p.m. it’s “light out” for good.
To prepare for the end of days, Gdjet and Lulu rehearse what’s wrong with creation. Lulu laments, “The fact of an invisible, all-powerful Creator and Judge in the Sky who doesn’t seem to like us very much.” And of this all-powerful One’s creation of humans, Gdjet complains, “Right. Born-to-die, itty-bitty, completely ineffectual copies of…the Great Original. Kind of a crap deal, really.” Things have not gone well since humanity crawled out of Eden after it pissed God off.
The visits of the Horsemen and the burlesque scenes (missing only placards and an easel to announce them) counterpoint Gdjet’s and Lulu’s pre-entry-into-Paradise interviews. The former dramatically showcase the continued “fall of humankind” and the latter – the interviews – highlight humanity’s heinous hubris.
The audience chuckles throughout the rehearsal of the worst humankind have had to offer since day one. And this laughter at horrific events is expected. In his 1905 “Jokes and Their Relation to the Unconscious,” Sigmund Freud explored why people laugh at seemingly inappropriate times. We laugh at what we otherwise would collapse under. For example, we laugh at Lulu’s repugnance at “fat bastards” and “disabled” who are always in your way with their electric carts. Truth is, of course, Gdjet and Lulu have shown us here – and throughout “The Apocalyptic Road Show” – for who we really are: compassionless, spineless hypocrites who think the same things they do about the same people we secretly abhor.
Famine, Conquest, War, and Death (ultimately) ride through to remind the audience of some of humanity’s worst moments from their particular expertise and point of view. In the end, after Death’s Norma Desmond-esque performance and after the “click” and the “creak” that signal the end, the hosts count down to the end and to “lights out” when only the good will awaken in Heaven. Gdjet and Lulu and very few other righteous souls will be there. There won’t be any bastards or poor people in Heaven, according to Gdjet’s and Lulu’s understanding, and certainly no non-whites. But after a couple countdowns and a blackout, the audience is still at “the loading dock” of the theatre where Gdjet and Lulu confess that “nothing is going to happen tonight.”
Gdjet and Lulu make a bittersweet appeal to those they never thought they would see again:
“To pretend that everything is fine, that we are good that this means something, that it’s not all just a howling void ten thousand times beyond our ken, that when it ends (and it will end) it will have added up to something, that when it ends (and it will end) we will have left a mark on something, that it mattered, that we mattered, every agonizing instant, every choice and each betrayal, we’ll pretend that in the end we did the best we could.”
In a significant way, Gdjet and Lulu expressed sacrificial love and the death of their fantasy about Heaven is a death for our “sins,” a redemptive moment, a crashing of the gates of hell, so we might view the possibility of meaningful, productive lives at least one more time.
Who said class, fine morals, and good breeding, and decency no longer exist? Thank you Gdjet and Lulu. And thank you John Clancy for this brilliant and challenging gift of theatre.
THE APOCALYPTIC ROAD SHOW
Written by John Clancy. Directed by Peter Clerke. New York Assistant Director, John Clancy. Musician and Composer, Tim Brinkhurst. Set and Costume Design by Ali Maclaurin. Lighting Design by Fred Uebele. Sound Operator, Briana James.
WITH: Catherine Gillard and Nancy Walsh.
Presented by Clancy Productions in Association with The Occasional Cabaret as part of the Ice Factory Festival 2012 at the New Ohio Theatre’s new West Village space at 154 Christopher Street between Greenwich and Washington Streets in New York City.
Performances are Wednesdays - Saturdays though July 28 at 7pm. Tickets are $18 for adults and $12 for students/seniors and can be purchased online at http://www.NewOhioTheatre.org or by calling SmartTix at 212-868-4444.
Permalink | Posted by David Roberts on Friday, July 27, 2012
"Living with Henry" at the PTC Performance Space
“Living with Henry” Book, Music, and Lyrics by Christopher Wilson Reviewed by David Roberts, Chief Critic Theatre Reviews Limited
“Living with Henry” is a touching and challenging musical about living with HIV/AIDS and how that profoundly changes the way the individual perceives the self, friends and family. The musical deals ultimately with how one learns to live with HIV/AIDS. Clad in black and the visible persona of HIV/AIDS, Henry (Dale Miller) counterpoints every thought and action the musical’s protagonist Michael (Ryan Kelly) has.
Members of some Original American nations teach us that one must fully embrace one’s illness before healing can begin. At the musical’s end, Michael is reconciled to no longer having a significant other in his life. He allows his mom (Mary Kelly) and his best friend Jenni (Lizzie Kurtz) to embrace him and support him and, most importantly, Michael reconciles with Henry, the persistent virus that has “roomed with” Michael from the time he contracts HIV after unprotected sex with Matthew (John Edwards). But before that, the musical deals with Michael’s denial, his refusal to take the medication prescribed by his physician, his anger, his acting out, and his stubborn refusal to accept the changes in his life brought on by his disease.
Some of the book gets “preachy” (at times annoying) particularly when Christopher Wilson feels need to provide lengthy exposition about HIV/AIDS, its treatment, its effect on its victims, its stigma. This, however, is a small price to pay for a book, lyrics, and music which overall are fresh, imaginative, and original.
What makes theatre in general, and “Living with Henry” specifically, magical is that effective theatre connects with the audience in unusual ways. “Living with Henry” is about the complexities of living with HIV/AIDS. It is also about the complexities of dealing with any serious, life-threatening illness or dealing with anything one feels makes one an “outsider.”
There is much we need to address in life. The real journey begins when we have the opportunity (as Michael does) to “meet our change” head on and accept the responsibility to move on. When Michael approaches Matthew to apologize and accept the responsibility for what happened between them, Michael takes the first step toward reconciling with himself and steps onto the road toward significant and lasting healing.
Unfortunately, there is not much new here thematically and “Living with Henry,” despite the valiant efforts of its cast, director, and creative team, does not match up to its predecessors who have dealt with the same topics more profoundly. But it is definitely worth seeing.
LIVING WITH HENRY
Book, Music, and Lyrics by Christopher Wilson. Directed and Choreographed by Donna Marie Baratta. Scenic, Costume and Lighting Design by Jennifer Goodman; Musical Direction by James Higgins.
WITH: John Edwards; Gavin Hope; Mary Kelly; Ryan Kelly; Lizzie Kurtz; and Dale Miller. Presented by New York Musical Theatre Festival and Beyond Boundaries at PTC Performance Space, 555 West 42nd Street, New York, NY. Performance Schedule: Friday July 27 at 9:00 p.m. and Sunday July 29 at 1:00 p.m. For ticket information call 212-352-3101 or visit www.nymf.org
Permalink | Posted by David Roberts on Thursday, July 26, 2012
"Foreverman" at the PTC Performance Space
“Foreverman” Book, Music, and Lyrics by Brett Boles Directed by Stephen Nachamie Reviewed by David Roberts, Chief Critic Theatre Reviews Limited
When one thinks of eternal life, one usually enters the morally ambiguous paths between a religious afterlife (reward-punishment based) and the other-than-religious afterlife of the undead. There have not been, until now, many other choices real or imagined. “Foreverman” provides an alternative to a wait at the pearly gates or a warm welcome at the gates of hell or the gates to Castle Dracula. Brett M. Boles’ “Foreverman” proffers time travel, power, magic, and something very human as a viable alternative.
Boles spins a musical tale that bends the mind, the meaning of time, place, humanity, mortality, and infinity. And this tale succeeds with brilliant wit and a poignant sub-plot that involves a doting gardener named Hawkins (Larry Cahn) and his great-great-great-grandfather’s journal. (Hopefully, your interest has been piqued!)
In 1676 friends Will (Omar Lopez-Cepero) and Jack (Adam Monley) stumble on the ingredient missing in their elixir that extends life forever. No more death; no more sorrow, or crying, or pain (allusion to Revelation 21:4). Will and Jack disagree about their discovery’s applicability for all of humankind. Although Will views their discovery a panacea for all that ails humanity, Jack disagrees, siding with what he sees as humanity’s right to life and its right to death. Both take the elixir (as does Mrs. Morgan, Will’s housekeeper and guardian).
Fast forward to the Timeson Estate (and Laboratory) in 1849. Will and Mrs. Morgan return home only to discover that Jack is nearby at Fairwright Manor where he cares for Anna Fairwright. Also now in the 1840’s is Fiona (Kelly McCormick) who received only half of the elixir’s contents and is dying.
The action of the musical travels smoothly back and forth between the two centuries to provide the exposition need by the audience to clarify the conflicts extant in both 1676 and 1849. The concept of the musical is engaging. Boles goes beyond Mary Shelley and Bram Stoker, even beyond 18th century alchemy, to create a passionate story of enduring friendship, jealousy, love, betrayal, confession, forgiveness, and redemption.
The cast of “Foreverman” forever blesses the audience not only with professionalism and outstanding voices, but also with the kind of understanding of character and the embodiment of character sorely missing on the stage in far too many current productions.
Omar Lopez-Cepero (Will Timeson) and Adam Monley (Jack Mercer) bring the sons of Adam to Cain-and Abel-strength altercation. Kelly McCormick (Fiona Fairwright) bridges the two-century time gap with grace. Larry Cahn (Hawkins) and Karen Elliott (Mrs. Morgan) succeed in portraying two lovers lost in space and time and generation: this is the beautiful sub-plot alluded to above). Glory Crampton’s Anna Fairwright commands the stage when she is present even though the audience sees her only bed-ridden and dying. And Nat Chandler (Lord Fairwright) skillfully portrays a grief-stricken husband who suddenly needs to deal with infidelity and betrayal.
Kudos to the orchestrators Stephen Ferri, Andrew Fox, and Adam Michael Kaufman and the six-piece band under the musical direction of Natalie Tenenbaum: together they bring Brett Boles’ score to glorious heights. Natalie Tenenbaum, Jon Balcourt, Rob Jacoby, Joseph Brent, Jordan Jancz, and Zac Coe provide a sound that matches a full pit orchestra.
There is a definite future for “Foreverman.” The creator and creative team have worked hard to bring the musical to this level of near-perfection and this important current production will give them the information they need to move this project forward. On the Broadway stage, there will be room for stock characters that can provide opportunities for more ensemble numbers (maybe even some ghosts). We will see more of “Foreverman.” For now, do not miss it before the Festival ends.
FOREVERMAN
Book. Music, and Lyrics by Brett M. Boles. Directed by Stephen Nachamie. Scenic Design by John McDermott; Costume Design by Anne Liberman and Barry Doss; Lighting Design by Susan Nicholson; Projection Design by Mark Costello; Orchestrations by Stephen Ferri, Andrew Fox, and Adam Michael Kaufman; Musical Direction by Natalie Tenenbaum.
WITH: Larry Cahn, Nat Chandler, Glory Crampton, Karen Elliott, Omar Lopez-Cepero, Kelly McCormick, and Adam Monley.
Presented by Foreverman, LLC and the New York Musical Theatre Festival at PTC Performance Space, 555 West 42nd Street, New York, NY. Performance Schedule: Wednesday July 25 at 1:00 p.m. and Saturday July 28 at 1:00 p.m. For ticket information call 212-352-3101 or visit www.nymf.org
Permalink | Posted by David Roberts on Thursday, July 26, 2012
"Eat $h*t: How Our Waste Can Save the World" at 59E59 Theater C
“Eat $h*t: How Our Waste Can Save the World” At 59E59 Theater C By Shawn Shafner Directed by Leah Lehman Reviewed by David Roberts, Chief Critic Theatre Reviews Limited
Mr. Poop’s pitch to Karl and Wanda at Ice2Eskimos Marketing Agency is nothing new. When this critic visited Machu Picchu a couple of years back, our informative and shameless guide pointed out the bathrooms in the rooms of this amazing pre-Columbian 15th-century Incan artifact and detailed how the Incas wasted not human waste: it was used for whatever it could possibly have been used for in the 15th century.
That said, Akilah Arthur, Rachel Chatham, Rhea Lehman, Shawn Shafner, and Croft Vaughn make a convincing, often hilarious, argument for saving the world with human waste in the quirky “Eat $h*t: How Our Waste Can Save the World” which just completed its run at the East to Edinburgh Festival at 59E59 in New York City.
My guess is the proposal to save the planet by recycling human waste will end up in the same “In Box” as saving the planet by ending war and a myriad of social justice issues such as Equal Marriage. Our Congress and Administration seem unwilling to step up and do what is right. Seeing the planet spin out of control (cf. William Butler Yeats) seems the thing to do for corporate and religio-political America. But whom can we blame but an apathetic citizenship that has witnessed the most impressive wasting away of freedoms and rights in the last thirty years than at any point in our history as a nation? Go figure, Mr. Poop.
Best of luck in Edinburgh: you will have the time of your lives.
Tickets to each EAST TO EDINBURGH show range from $12 - $20 ($8.50 -$14 for 59E59 Members). Tickets can be purchased by calling Ticket Central at 212-279-4200 or online at www.59e59.org.
Permalink | Posted by David Roberts on Monday, July 23, 2012
"A Man for All Times: W. E. B. DuBois" at 59E59 Theater C
“A Man for All Times: W. E. B. DuBois” Written and Directed by Alexa Kelly Featuring Brian Richardson At 59E59 Theater C Reviewed by David Roberts, Chief Critic Theatre Reviews Limited
In 1951, just eight days before his eighty-third birthday, W. E. B. DuBois is charged with being a foreign agent. Disheartened and discouraged at America’s unwillingness to seek paths of peace instead of war, DuBois thunders, “Wake up America! Your liberties are being stolen before your very eyes. Wake up Americans, and dare to think and say and do; dare to cry no more war!” Brian Richardson’s electrifying portrayal of William Edward Berghardt DuBois, here and throughout his performance, is a privilege to experience. Richardson is able to tell DuBois’ story with conviction and style. He understands who DuBois was, how he spoke, how he moved, how he used every rhetorical device to persuade his listeners of the importance of social justice.
DuBois struggled with the “line of color” throughout his life in the United States. This “Veil” never lifted for him and he became an expatriate spending his last years in Accra, Ghana where he died on August 27, 1963. After his death his wife Shirley read the epilogue DuBois wrote on June 26, 1957. Embodying DuBois with perfection, Richardson lists those things for which DuBois lived his passion-filled life:
“My Birthday is a national holiday on Mainland China, my homeland knows me not. At the ripe age of 98, I can honestly say that I have dedicated my life to the following goals: Abolition of poverty, No exploitation of labor, free medical care for all, free education for all, job training, and jobs for all, and no dogmatic religion.”
As Bryan Richardson shares this touching epilogue, he is stooped, holding a cane, a completely different DuBois than he was at 16, 29, or 39. This brilliant actor knows, as he delivers these lines, what is going through the minds of every member of the audience: America has yet to wake up, yet to dare to think or say or do, yet to dare to cry no more war. There are far too many Americans living below the poverty line. Governors across the United States are doing all they can to bust unions and reverse all advances made by labor. There is not only no free medical care for all in America; there is no medical care for all at an affordable rate. We still have no idea how to properly educate our children in the United States; our drop-out rates from high schools are alarming and far too many good teachers are retiring to avoid the bureaucratic abuse from local and federal governments. Our unemployment rates skyrocket and we seem on the brink of financial disaster. Finally, we consistently allow dogmatic religion to interfere with the legislative process. The Roman Catholic Church is doing all it can, spend all it can, lobby all it can to prevent Equal Marriage from becoming law.
What would DuBois say if he were alive today? The same thing he said at the close of his epilogue: “These [goals] are not crimes. Without them to nation can be free. We have nothing to lose but our chains.” This nation is not really free and we seem to prefer our chains to our true freedom. Hopefully, the legacy of DuBois can reawaken us to the passion we need to overcome.
Alexa Kelly’s well-written script is compelling. But it is Brian Richardson’s understanding of rhetoric that moves the script to dazzling success.
A MAN FOR ALL TIMES: W. E. B. DUBOIS Written and directed by Alexa Kelly.Featuring Brian Richardson.
The final performances of “A Man for All Times: W. E. B. DuBois” are on Tuesday July 24 at 7:00 p.m. and Wednesday July 25 at 7:00 p.m. at 59E59 Theaters (59 East 59th Street, between Park and Madison Avenues). Tickets to each EAST TO EDINBURGH show range from $12 - $20 ($8.50 -$14 for 59E59 Members). Tickets can be purchased by calling Ticket Central at 212-279-4200 or online at www.59e59.org.
Permalink | Posted by David Roberts on Monday, July 23, 2012
"Miss Mary Dugan" at The Wild Project
“Miss Mary Dugan” By Manuel Igrejas Directed by Karin de la Penha At The Wild Project Reviewed by David Roberts and Joseph Verlezza Theatre Reviews Limited
Manuel Igrejas teases the audience with an intimate glimpse into the life of Miss Mary Dugan (Bryan Webster) who rules the gay social circuit in Cedar Chips, New Jersey. He dazzles his subjects with outrageous epicurean events where the only thing missing is someone by his side. The lonely, awkward, unpolished (and mysterious) boy next door might be the ingredient he has been searching for to make the recipe of his life complete.
The son of the undertakers next door to Mary Dugan challenges his “comfortable life” of de-spotting his flatware and ogling the hunky and “straight” UPS driver. Kevin Pecinka (Craig Fox) rattles Mary and makes his crab cakes no longer the tastiest item on his menu. Having depended on “fantasy, delusion, and vodka” for sustenance, Dugan’s diet and demeanor promises to improve after meeting this boy next door. Or do they ever meet?
Assuming Mary (aka Ty Pendelberry) actually meets Kevin, they struggle with the fantasy each has of the other. Is Miss Mary too afraid to assume a younger man could truly love him? Would he do something inappropriate? Is Kevin too afraid to assume an older man could man could truly love him? Would he do something inappropriate? These fantasies merge into a new reality in which Miss Mary and Kevin share a life in Miss Mary’s house sharing their resources to make a family.
It is possible, however, that everything the audience sees on stage is in Miss Mary Dugan’s mind, that it is all a rehearsal of his fantasy. Certainly there are directorial and lighting conventions that suggest this possibility. But whether reality or fantasy (and how do these in essence really differ?) the story Miss Mary spins is compelling and life-affirming. Playwright Igrejas and director de la Penha “conspire” to stage “Miss Mary Dugan” with delicious ambiguity. Whether reality or fantasy, Mary and Kevin’s story counterpoints with the fantasy of each audience member and his/her desire for unconditional and non-judgmental love.
Bryan Webster’s Mary Dugan and Craig Fox’s Kevin bring Igrejas’s script to life with a brilliance and grace that might compel the audience member to buy a condo in Cedar Chips on the other side of the Pecinka Funeral Home just to chill with Mary and Kevin. These two actors know how to ply their craft and create rich, honest, multi-dimensional characters.
The playwright Manuel Igrejas and director Karin de la Penha succeed in portraying the struggle of gay life without falling into stereotypes that plague so many gay-themed (or other) productions. Their “Miss Mary Dugan” attacks an authentic situation and is able to reveal the universal pitfalls of insecurity and promiscuity only to move on to matters of the heart. To the mix add two brilliant performances that bring these two characters to life, moving the audience to the level of heartfelt hope for a cathartic and redemptive ending.
This production has the perfect mix of humor, insight, and understanding, producing flawless great gay theatre. The one fault is that when leaving the theatre these critics already missed our new found friends and could only wish we could return for a second act. But, for now, Miss Mary Dugan and Kevin Pecinka will live in our hearts.
MISS MARY DUGAN
By Manuel Igrejas. Directed by Karin de la Penha. Stage Management and Sound Design by Natalie Qing Zhang.
CAST: Bryan Webster (Mary Dugan) and Craig Fox (Kevin Pecinka).
Presented by Fresh Fruit: The International Festival of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Arts & Culture. At The Wild Project, 195 East 3rd Street (between Avenues A and B), New York, New York, NY. Remaining performances are on Wednesday, July 25 at 8 p.m. and Saturday, July 28 at 4 p.m. Tickets are $18.00 and can be purchased online at www.freshfruitfestival.com.
Permalink | Posted by David Roberts on Monday, July 23, 2012
"The Beautiful Beautiful Sea Next Door" at The Gloria Maddox Theatre
“The Beautiful Beautiful Sea Next Door” By Annah Feinberg Directed by Barbara Harrison At The Gloria Maddox Theatre Reviewed by David Roberts, Chief Critic Theatre Reviews Limited
Riffing, or re-telling a mythological tale is not an easy task and the effort is fraught with potential pitfalls. One misstep and the riff reeks of missing the mark. Annah Feinberg’s concept of reimagining the relationships between Poseidon, Medusa and Pegasus as an attempt to “understand the awesome complexity of our reality” is commendable and fascinating. The concept here is more admirable than its execution on the opening night of “The Beautiful Beautiful Sea Next Door.”
Poseidon fathered more than fifty children including Pegasus after Poseidon’s tryst with Medusa on the floor of a temple to Athena. Some of Poseidon’s sexual conquests involved other deities; however, some of his children were the results of sexual conquests involving mortals. A creature that lives on both land and sea and is indiscriminate in his appetite for sexual conquest is the perfect choice for a play that attempts to “dramatize tension internal to each of us between our self-hating weirdness and our self-hating normalcy.”
Apparently, the character of the Hairdresser in the play is the extended metaphor for “understanding the awesome complexity of our reality.” Unfortunately, the choices made in the portrayal of this character slammed on my brain’s brakes and I stopped caring about what was transpiring on stage with the rest of the characters or their important conflicts. I do not know whether Ms. Feinberg envisioned the Hairdresser to be replete with the horrific stereotypes actor Aaron Berk exhibited or whether it was the egregious mistake of director Barbara Harrison. I choose not to believe that it was the choice of Mr. Berk.
Whoever conspired to characterize the Hairdresser in this way, the result was the kind of bullying Jay Stull alludes to in his dramaturgic note. In short, the stereotyped portrayal bordered on being offensive not only to any gay audience members, but hopefully to all audience members.
The rest of the cast performed admirably although the characters remained flat throughout and never moved beyond caricatures. Nick Lehane’s charming performance most closely approached embodying the angst experienced in the process of separation and individuation.
There was probably more to enjoy in “The Beautiful Beautiful Sea Next Door.” However, this critic had to spend too much precious cogitation on the character of the hairdresser to allow him to experience anything else.
Final thought. Family and friends of cast and creative team attending an opening night (or any night) of a performance need to respect the culture of the theatre: come on time; quietly take your seat; stay OFF of the sacred space of the set; reserve time AFTER the performance to meet, greet, hug, and kiss everyone in sight. This nonsense (including one family/friend parading around with an umbrella bedecked drink after entering the theatre 10 minutes late) might have spoiled everyone else’s chance to sit in the dark and risk having disbelief suspended.
THE BEAUTIFUL BEAUTIFUL SEA NEXT DOOR
“The Beautiful Beautiful Sea Next Door” is presented by EBE Ensemble. Artistic Director: Eric Alba; Executive Producer: Cynthia Rogers; Producer: Meredith Dixon; Director: Barbara Harrison; Associate Director: Jay Stull; Scenic Design: Adam Kaynan; Costume Design: Amanda Jenks; Lighting Design: Tsubasa Kamei; Sound Design: Joshua B. Jenks; Props Design: Lauren Genutis; Fight Director: Turner Smith; Stage Management: Julia Borowski; Wardrobe Supervisor: Mary Margaret Powers; Casting Director: Rachel Maran; Publicist: Paul Siebold/Off Off PR.
CAST: Michael Altieri (Poseidon); Aaron Beck (Hairdresser); Yasha Jackson (Medusa); Nick Lehane (Pegasus).
“The Beautiful Beautiful Sea Next Door” will run at the Gloria Maddox Theatre, 151 West 26th Street, 7th Floor, in New York City for eleven performances on the following schedule: Tuesday-Saturday at 8pm; Saturday, July 28 at 3pm and Sundays at 3pm. Tickets are $18 and can be purchased by visiting www.brownpapertickets.com.
Permalink | Posted by David Roberts on Sunday, July 22, 2012
"Miss Lilly Gets Boned" at the New Ohio Theatre
“Miss Lilly Gets Boned” By Bekah Brunstetter Directed by David F. Chapman At The New Ohio Theatre Reviewed by David Roberts, Chief Critic Theatre Reviews Limited
“Miss Lilly Gets Boned” is a brilliant and imaginative retelling of the myth of creation and the supposed “fall of humankind” after it scrambled (understandably) after the desire to know the difference between right and wrong. This pursuit, having annoyed the creator, resulted in the banishment of humankind from their Elysian field into a life of work, hardship, uncomfortable child birth, and the annoying sense that getting boned was wrong. Although this critical strategy for “reading” the performance of “Miss Lilly Gets Boned” – the mythological strategy – might seem limited, it and a dose William Butler Yeats helps sort out the significant message of Bekah Brunstetter’s remarkable and multi-layered script.
On the surface (the very surface most of the audience hee-hawed its way through the night this critic attended) “Miss Lilly Gets Boned” is exactly about devout Sunday School Teacher Miss Lilly (Jessica Dickey) getting boned and subsequently dumped -- oddly enough not only by her student Jordon’s father Richard (aka “Dick”) but by the very God she prays to every night. Once, while praying for the partner God has promised, Lilly confesses to “feeling very – warm. All the time. Down – there. Warm in a lonely way. A throbbing lack thereof.” Needing a sign that Richard is the one, she asks God to give her a clue, to “throw her a bone.” Just after this petition, the clouds open and a large bone drops onto the bed.
Counterpointing Lilly’s tale is that of Harold, the imprisoned elephant who -- in revenge for his parents’ death at the hand of poachers -- kills Richard’s wife and his son Jason’s mother. This darker tale reverberates with Lilly’s to expose the truth about humankind and the world it inhabits; namely, that “Things fall apart; the center cannot hold; mere anarchy is loosed upon the world, the blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere the ceremony of innocence is drowned; the best lack all conviction, while the worst are full of passionate intensity” (W.B. Yeats “The Second Coming”).
No one in “Miss Lilly Gets Boned” knows the danger of this fallen race more than ten-year-old Jordan (David Rosenblatt) who warns everyone “The others are coming. They no longer want to follow the rules.” The others are the other elephants who, like, humans are sick and tired of following the rules. Lilly is tired of following the rules. And that’s the rub really: after the fall and the breaking of rules things have been running amuk (or amok). Lilly’s sister Lara understands that best of the lot in Lilly-land and has best dealt with it with the most sophistication. You see Lara has HPV which she got from Nick.
While teaching her spinning class, Lara makes it all clear: “That’s it. Pedal. Ride your bike. That’s right, with your feet. I could tell you to imagine a road, but I’d be lying to you, People, we are inside right now. We are not on a road, we are inside of air conditioning. And you know what? I don’t know why you’re following me. I’m not good. But neither are any of you, but we are all here because we are trying, God bless us, we are. Also you know what? Nick back there – Hi Nick – he has HPV. In his balls.”
So that’s it really. Jordan and Lara know just as Yeats knew that “some rough beast, its hour come round at last, slouches toward Bethlehem to be born.” Maybe the beast is a disgruntled elephant. We will know soon.
The cast of “Miss Lilly Gets Boned” is at one and at rest with their characters, with each other, and – perhaps most importantly – with Brunstetter’s brilliant script. James Ortiz has crafted Harold the elephant with the ability to convince the audience he is a real elephant. Brian Belcinski, Adam Blodgett, and Aaron McDaniel are the bones, sinews, heart and soul of Harold and move him about the stage with believability and grace. Harold’s “doctor” Sanam Erfani sets the stage for the action of the play and makes the flashback compelling at the end. Jessica Dickey embodies Lilly beautifully exposing her fears, her hopes, and her disappointments in ways the audience connects to on a deep level. David Rosenblatt’s performance as the questioning, grieving, lonely Jordan is spot on. Liz Wisan is able make Lara beyond believable: her scene in the spinning class is brilliant. And Chris Thorn makes Richard’s grieving transparent and the underlying rage and fear come alive. Finally, David F. Chapman directs this important work as though Brunstetter’s script were his very diaphragm.
Kudos to Studio 42 and Ice Factory 2012 for bringing this work of genius to the stage. It will obviously have a life beyond this one and I long to see it again.
MISS LILLY GETS BONED
Directed by David F. Chapman. Produced by Eileen Lalley. Costume Design by Brenda Abbandandolo. Scenic Design by Caite Hevner. Light Design by Gertjan Houben. Puppet Design and Choreography by James Ortiz. Sound Design by Jill BC Du Boff. Properties Design by Sarah Dowling.
WITH: Brian Belcinski; Adam Blodgett; Jessica Dickey; Sanam Erfani; Aaron McDaniel; David Rosenblatt; Chris Thorn; and Liz Wisan.
Presented by Studio 42 and Ice Factory 2012 at the New Ohio Theatre’s new West Village space at 154 Christopher Street between Greenwich and Washington Streets in New York City.
“Miss Lilly Gets Boned” opened on June 18 and continues through July 21. Performances are Wednesdays - Saturdays at 7pm. Tickets are $18 for adults and $12 for students/seniors and can be purchased online at http://www.NewOhioTheatre.org or by calling SmartTix at 212-868-4444. For more information on the festival visit http://www.NewOhioTheatre.org, and for up-to-the-minute festival updates, join the conversation on Twitter, at @IceFactoryFest.
Permalink | Posted by David Roberts on Friday, July 20, 2012
"Wh@ If" at the June Havoc Theatre
“Wh@ if?” The June Havoc Theatre Reviewed by David Roberts Theatre Reviews Limited
Somewhere in the self-named new musical mindfuck “Wh@ if?” there is indeed a musical. The difficulty at this stage of its development is finding it. The most significant impediment to discovering the meaning in this new musical by Jeremy F. Richter is being able to hear anything the actors are saying or singing. It is incomprehensible how a director could not tell his cast they are inaudible. Where was he sitting in rehearsals and why wasn’t he listening from the back of the theatre?
“Wh@ if?” is a musical which sports not a play within a play but a fantasy within or parallel to a reality. The reality is playwright Jared Finn’s hearing a male voice in the background of his cell conversation with his girlfriend Kari on New Year’s Eve, The fantasy (aka the ‘mindfuck’) is the story he creates in his head to identify the mystery male.
There is brilliance in this project. There were lyrics early on (when, straining, one could hear them) which were chilling. Duets, duets dueling other duets, solos, full-cast songs are featured throughout. One has the sense something important could be happening but there is no way to know sitting in sounds of silence.
Without being able to engage in what was transpiring on stage, it was difficult to discern when the fantasy began and when it ended or whether the reality and Jared’s reimagining of it co-existed on stage.
This critic wishes there were more positive things to say about this new work. Hopefully these comments will encourage the director to find time before the next performance to work closely and carefully with his cast so they understand better who their characters are, how they relate to one another, and what they need to do to convey this to the audience. Whatever “Wh2 if?” is, it is complicated and probably important. Hopefully the director will make it all work so this musical can have the successful future it deserves. This includes a program with a song list.
WH@ IF?
Wh@ if? is presented by the Independent Theater Collective in association with The Midtown International Theatre Festival. Director: Michael Aulick; Musical Director: Jeremy F. Richter; Sound Designer: Spencer Thomas; Publicist: Paul Siebold/Off Off PR.
Michael Aulick directs a cast of five including Jeremy Zoma (Jared), Katie Zaffrann (Kari), Dale Andrew Sampson (Landon), Mallory Hawks (Renae), and Nick Reynolds (Aaron).
Wh@ if? will run at the June Havoc Theatre, 312 West 36th Street, 1st Floor, in New York City for four performances on the following schedule: Saturday, July 21st @ 7pm; Friday, July 27th @ 9:15pm; Thursday, August 2nd @ 9:15pm; Friday, August 3rd @ 9:15pm. Tickets are $18 for adults/$15 for students and seniors. Visit midtownfestival.org or call 866-811-4111.
Permalink | Posted by David Roberts on Thursday, July 19, 2012
"Multiple Plotchanalities" at the Dorothy Strelsin Theatre
“Multiple Plotchanalities” Written and Performed by Dina Ninette Plotch Reviewed by David Roberts Theatre Reviews Limited
Thirty year old Dina Plotch describes herself as “infantilized, over privileged, and indecisive.” It would appear from her engaging “Multiple Plotchanalities” that Ms. Plotch is privileged (what’s the point of ‘over?’). However, it does not appear that she has been infantilized. Dina simply has not made the choices needed to complete her process of separation and individuation from (in this case) her overly protective mother. But she is indecisive and it is her inability to make choices she can accept and affirm that causes Dina the most discomfit in her life.
The audience learns of Dina’s dilemma through a series of vignettes which carefully develop Dina’s character. The strength of this performance piece is in the process of characterization Plotch chooses to “tell her story.” We learn about Dina first through what others say about her: her Valley Girl friend; her mother; her Indian bikini wax provider; her Latina co-worker; even Russian Olga who cleans the women’s room where Dina had a post JDate meltdown. Dina Plotch portrays each of these intriguing characters well. They are written with precision and passion but lose some of their definition when Plotch gives them physical presences. It is not that her embodiments are not effective; it is just that they could be more effective if they were more differentiated.
From those who know her, Dina’s background and personality are clearly revealed: the exposition needed by the audience is cleverly provided not in self-revelatory monologues but through this brilliant parade of personalities. From them we learn that Dina needs to get over her breakup with Josh (her boyfriend/fiancé of ten years!); learn to make choices and stand by them; and begin to move on with her life as an independent, competent human being. Dina does not need JDate to give her life purpose and hope.
Dina’s decision to do just that comes clear in the final scenes from “Multiple Plotchanalities.” In these scenes, Dina provides what was and is and is to be with her life through first-hand accounts. We learn about Dina through what she says about herself. We learn that she intends to make choices and accept them and move on with her life. Although Dina discovers how much she is like her mother – both independent women who approach life with a purpose – she also discovers she can live without her, without Josh, without dependencies and encumbrances which crush her spirit.
“Multiple Plotchanalities” is empowering not only for Dina but for anyone who will allow its message to permeate their souls and tantalize their minds.
MULTIPLE PLOTCHANALITIES
Written and Performed by Dina Ninette Plotch; Directred by Leslie Collins; Light and Sound Design by Chris O’Neil.
Multiple Plotchanalities is presented by the Midtown International Theatre Festival and will run at the Dorothy Strelsin Theatre, 312 West 36th Street, 1st Floor, in New York City for five performances on the following schedule: Thursday, July 19th at 9pm; Tuesday, July 24th at 7:30pm; Saturday, July 28th at 8:30pm; Tuesday, July 31st at 7:30pm; and Friday, August 3rd at 7:30pm.
Tickets are $18 for adults, $15 for students and seniors and can be purchased by visiting http://www.midtownfestiv al.org or by calling 866-811-4111.
Permalink | Posted by David Roberts on Thursday, July 19, 2012
"Hell: Paradise Found" at 59E59 Theater B
“Hell: Paradise Found” At 59E59 Theater B Reviewed by David Roberts Theatre Reviews Limited
What happens when God meets Lucifer on the Fallen Angel’s turf to discuss the eternal resting place of an attorney whose last meal of Sushi put him in a coffin? That’s the stuff of Seth Panitch’s “Hell: Paradise Found” currently running at 59E59 Theater B in New York City.
This crafty re-telling of the biblical stories of creation, fall, and redemption is engaging, very funny, and often challenging to conventional understandings of the “rewards and punishments” of the good or not-so-good life on earth. Panitch directs his brilliant cast (of which he is a part) with such skill that the audience is unaware of anyone “calling the shots.” Movement is fluid, the cast moves easily in and out of the various roles they play, and scene changes are flawless.
All of this allows the script to unfold with clarity and the conflicts of the characters drive a multi-layered plot into a frenzy of faithless foolery. But not faithless really. Just unconventional faith not found in organized religions of any description. “Hell: Paradise Found” explores the true faithfulness of integrity (which finally busts Simon Ackerman out of the throes of heaven’s gate); creativity; and non-conformity. Hell’s intake Interviewer (none other, it turns out, than the Dapper Devil himself) says it best: “Who do you suppose goes to Heaven, anyway? Anyone. Anyone goes to Heaven. Anyone who follows another lead, anyone who defers to another explanation, anyone who believes because they are told to believe.”
Hell is the place to be with the likes of Shakespeare, Sinatra, Mother Maria Theresa, Vlad the Impaler, Don Juan, Elvis: a mixed bunch to be sure but a bunch bent of self-determination and non-conformity. Ackerman’s attempt to decide where he should eternally reside is a brilliant extended metaphor for one’s journey toward a personal and meaningful spiritual center.
The play’s talented ensemble cast makes the journey pleasurable and fun. Matt Lewis’s Simon Ackerman is as unsure about the benefits of Heaven as an attorney could be. Seth Panitch’s Interviewer could cajole anyone into the gates of hell. Chip Persons’s Vlad the Impaler shares a tale about how he came to drink blood with panache. Dianne Teague’s God is the right mix of compassion and righteous anger and serves as the perfect foil for Panitch’s Devil. Peyton Conley exhibits Gabriel’s tomfoolery with such grace one begins to actually love the archangel. Lawson Hangartner manages to give life to three very different characters: his disinterested-in-sex Don Juan is simply brilliant. Alexandra Ficken’s Lizzie Borden successfully explains how her attorney failed to get her the hung-jury she needed. Stacy Panitch’s portrayal of Mother Maria Theresa reeks with scrumptious disrespect. The competent creative team costumes and lights these actors and helps them move about in delicious dizzying dance.
Whoever said God and the Devil couldn’t agree on the fate of a supplicant? Find out how they do before July 22 and you will be glad you did.
HELL: PARADISE FOUND
Written and directed by Seth Panitch. Scenic and Light Design by Brian Elliott. Costume Design by Tiffany N. Harris. Composer and Arranger, Raphael Crystal. Compser, Tom Wolfe. Dialect Coach, Allison Hetzel. Choreography by Stacy Alley.
WITH: Matt Lewis (Simon Ackerman); Seth Panitch (The Interviewer); Chip Persons (Lucifer/Vlad the Impaler); Dianne Teague (God); Peyton Conley (Gabriel/Sinatra/Shakespeare); Lawson Hangartner (Adam/Don Juan/Elvis); Alexandra Ficken ( Eve/Lizzie Borden); and Stacy Panitch (Maria Teresa).
HELL: PARADISE FOUND is at 59E59 Theaters (59 East 59th Street, between Madison and Park Avenues).
HELL: PARADISE FOUND began performances on Tuesday, July 10 for a limited engagement through Sunday, July 22. The performance schedule is Tuesday – Thursday at 7:15 PM; Friday and Saturday at 8:15 PM; and Sunday at 3:15 PM. Tickets are $18 ($12.60 for 59E59 Members). To purchase tickets, call Ticket Central at (212) 279-4200 or go to www.59e59.org.
Permalink | Posted by David Roberts on Wednesday, July 18, 2012
"He's Not Himself" at the PTC Performance Space
“He’s Not Himself” By Marc Silverberg
Where can one find film noir, dining room farce (without slamming doors), a femme fatal, gangster movie stars, sleazy bank robbers, a Dick Tracy cop, a foot traffic officer, and some pulp fiction (not the movie)? In the “mother of all dime mystery novels” called “He’s Not Himself” which just finished its run as part of the New York Musical Theatre Festival 2012.
This intriguing and well-conceived new musical comedy succeeds in many ways: it has some interesting music; it is often quite funny; and it is engaging. The current cast and creative team seem to have done all they collectively can to bring the musical to a needed new level. The Festival has been successful at getting an audience for this piece and giving its creative team an opportunity to tweak and to revise and to listen and to plan for the future.
And the future is the rub! The future will be the challenge for this quirky competent musical and it is going to take all the willpower Marc Silverberg has to let it go and watch it grow to success. At this point, Mr. Silverberg has to pull together a new creative team and re-cast the show. He knows that as does his dedicated and competent current creative team and cast. Much of what falters in the current piece seems to be connected to the direction of the work. Actors get close to understanding their characters but, ultimately, they do not and appear as copies of their true selves. It would seem the director could have challenged the actors more to reach more multi-layered, nuanced performances.
Additionally, the score itself needs to be re-orchestrated and some songs might need some re-writing. The book needs to be carefully re-worked without losing its current power. That said, “He’s Not Himself” has the potential for a successful future Off-Off Broadway or perhaps Off Broadway run. I look forward to reviewing this new musical comedy in its next incarnation. Kudos to the current cast members for giving this work their dedication and energy and craft. Keith Panzarella can deliver a mean scat and Carly Voight brightens the stage whenever she appears.
HE’S NOT HIMSELF
Book, Music, and Lyrics by Mark Silverberg. Directed by Michael Pantone. Sets, Costumes, and Props Design by Laurie Gamache. Lighting Design by Sean Beach. Musical Direction by Stephanie Wells.
CAST: Keith Panzarella (Gene Bauer); Carly Voight (Bonnie James); Marc Silverberg (Benny the Banker); Dexter Thomas-Payne (Detective Tom Vito); and Taylor Sorice (Kay McAdams).
Permalink | Posted by David Roberts on Wednesday, July 18, 2012
"Made for Each Other" at 59E59 Theater C
“Made for Each Other” By Monica Bauer Performed by John Fico
Monica Bauer’s “Made for Each Other” is a charming and challenging performance piece brought to life with skillful grace by John Fico at 59E59’s “East to Edinburgh” Festival. Transcending the themes of most gay theatre (and those themes are important), “Made for Each Other” is a multi-layered piece which challenges all audience members with universal and powerful themes.
Sorting out meaning in a well-written, well-performed script replete with characters, conflicts, settings, and themes that connect to a broad spectrum of audience members is less than an easy task. But these characters – alive, about-to-die, and already dead – challenge the audience to deal with the importance of truth, honesty, love and the loss of love, loss of and restoration of self-worth, and the joy of experiencing undeserved grace.
There are four characters in “Made for Each Other,” all played by John Fico: Vincent, his mother, his love interest Jerry who cares for his mother, and Jerry’s grandfather who “lives in his head.” To attempt to unravel the conflicts here would be not only difficult but revealing too much to the potential audience member. It is enough to know that Vincent falls in love late in life with a man ten years his junior who cares for Vincent’s mother in a facility for Alzheimer’s patients. Fico lives these characters with amazing perceptiveness and skill.
It is enough to say that Vincent almost loses Jerry’s love and almost loses his own life. Realizing anew the importance of truth saves Vincent, honors his mother’s pain and past, rekindles Jerry’s sense of worth, and frees Jerry’s dead grandpa to enjoy the peace and quiet of the afterlife. This critic hopes that is enough to get you to this important piece of theatre.
MADE FOR EACH OTHER
By Monica Bauer. Performed by John Fico. Directed by John Fitzgibbon.
The final performances of “Made for Each Other” will be on Wednesday July 18 at 7:00 p.m. and Friday July 27 at 9:00 p.m. at 59E59 Theaters (59 East 59th Street, between Park and Madison Avenues). Tickets to each EAST TO EDINBURGH show range from $12 - $20 ($8.50 -$14 for 59E59 Members). Tickets can be purchased by calling Ticket Central at 212-279-4200 or online at www.59e59.org.
Permalink | Posted by David Roberts on Tuesday, July 17, 2012
"I Heart Hamas" at 59E59 Theater C
“I Heart Hamas” Written and Performed by Jennifer Jajeh Directed by W. Kamau Bell At East to Edinburgh, 59E59 Theater C
It is difficult to be who one knows one is when others look for and often demand some alternative identity. Who we are and what we are continue to be issues not only important to us, but apparently to others as well. Others want to know our national origins, our true colors, our sexual statuses, our comings and our goings. Even after we tell them, the questions do not end. “Are you gay?” “Um. Yes.” “Are you sure?” Yes!” “How did that happen?” And so on and on and on. But that is my challenge with curious others and this review is not about my challenges.
Early in “I Heart Hamas,” writer and performer Jennifer Jajeh comments on those who are always curious about who she is and what she is: “But that’s not what you really mean when you ask me ‘what are you?’ You want to know where I’m from. That I’m Palestininan. And then maybe how I feel about that. Or rather how you feel about that.”
How others fee about Jennifer is complicated by what perceptions they have of her and she provocatively titles her performance piece with a challenging title which plays into the common perception that all Palestinians are dangerous. It is this perceived danger that makes the question about identity the most challenging and this fear intersects perceptions of all persons regardless of race, ethnicity, sexual status, or age.
The questions fearful persons ask, and demand answers of, cause pain, suffering – and perhaps most importantly – ager bordering on rage. Jennifer Jajeh’s “I Heart Hamas” skillfully uses all the rhetorical devices – logos, pathos, ethos – to attempt to help the audience understand the challenge of being who one is in a world filled with questions generated by fear and misunderstanding.
Jennifer gave her final East to Edinburgh performance on Sunday July 15 and she is no her way to the Festival. She will do well.
Permalink | Posted by David Roberts on Tuesday, July 17, 2012
"Captain Ferguson's School of Balloon Warfare" at 59E59 Theater C
“Captain Ferguson’s School for Balloon Warfare By Isaac Rathbone Directed by Philip Emeott Performed by David Nelson
Like U. S. Army Captain Thomas Ferguson, most sentient beings have dreams they wish to see fulfilled before they expire. Ferguson’s dream during World War I was to “use all [his] knowledge and training to help bring peace and democracy to the world. It was [his] dream to fly the American Flag high above every nation of the globe. In a balloon.” For Captain Ferguson this would “bring victory down from the heavens like the grand angel armies of God.”
As is the case with many dreams, they involve risk, determination, and a dose of hubris. In war as in peace, new ventures – based on dreams – are risky but there are those like Captain Ferguson who know when the time comes to transfer the dream to new explorers. In “Captain Ferguson’s School for Balloon Warfare,” Ferguson, aware that he and his balloon companies are in danger, unties himself and goes to new heights to do the surveillance needed to save the ground artillery from ambush. His balloon is detected by the enemy, his balloon is brought down, and Ferguson’s life and dream end in front of the enemy’s firing squad. As is the case with many dreams, they sometimes require the ultimate sacrifice.
David Nelson’s performance as Captain Ferguson is controlled when it needs to be and fluid when appropriate. In a character-driven piece like “Captain Ferguson’s School for Balloon Warfare, it is important that Nelson be able to successfully explore a wide-range of emotion and physicality. Nelson meets those requirements and exceeds them. His Ferguson is multi-dimensional, authentic, and believable. One actually cares about the Captain and his dream and his death.
The themes in “Captain Ferguson’s School for Balloon Warfare” transcend military considerations. Ferguson’s quest is the quest of all creative, imaginative people who challenge conventional wisdom and conventional understandings of creativity. His battles with his generals are the innovative mind’s battles with a variety of bureaucracies: corporations; political/governmental constructs; religious dogma and organization; even intrapersonal fear.
Some considered Ferguson’s fantasy to be folly. Sometimes what seems like folly is really sacrificial, redemptive love.
CAPTAIN FERGUSON’S SCHOOL FOR BALLOON WARFARE
Featuring David Nelson. Written by Isaac Rathbone. Directed by Philip Emeott. Creative Team: Costumes by Raquel Zarin; Sound Design by Andrew Puccio and Zach Williamson; Lighting Design by Jennifer Rathbone; Set Design by Bradleyville Creative Industries.
The final performance of “Captain Ferguson’s School for Balloon Warfare” will be on Friday July 20 at 59E59 Theaters (59 East 59th Street, between Park and Madison Avenues). Tickets to each EAST TO EDINBURGH show range from $12 - $20 ($8.50 -$14 for 59E59 Members). Tickets can be purchased by calling Ticket Central at 212-279-4200 or online at www.59e59.org.
Permalink | Posted by David Roberts on Monday, July 16, 2012
"Trouble" at the Alice Griffin Jewel Box Theatre
“Trouble” Book by Michael Alvarez Music, Lyrics and Vocal Arrangements by Ella Grace Directed by Michael Alvarez Reviewed by David Roberts at the Alice Griffin Jewel Box Theatre Saturday July 14, 2012
Trouble is brewing at The Alice Griffin Jewel Box Theatre, all to be found in the production of “Trouble” currently playing in Manhattan as part of The New York Musical Theatre Festival. Billed as “A New Rock Musical,” this misbegotten production is neither new nor musical. To wit:
There’s trouble with the book. There’s trouble with the music, the lyrics, and the vocal arrangements. There’s trouble with the direction and the work of the creative team. Finally, there’s trouble with the cast that does not seem to connect with themselves, with each, other, or with the audience.
Further, there’s trouble with an abundance of derivative music reminiscent of several past familiar and successful Broadway rock musicals.
Kudos to Matthew J. Riordan and Daniel Quadrino who bring the relationship between Chris and Joe to life with honest and fresh performances.
I have spared the remainder of the young energetic cast by not mentioning any of them, placing the full blame on the creators of this troublesome production. I have also not mentioned any performance details hoping that the reader will not find her or his way into this cauldron of trouble.
Permalink | Posted by David Roberts on Monday, July 16, 2012
"Monster" at Atlantic Stage 2
“Monster” The Atlantic Stage 2 Reviewed by David Roberts on Friday July 13 at 7:30 p.m.
“Monster, “Neal Bell’s reimagining of Mary Shelley’s “Frankenstein,” was commissioned by the La Jolla Playhouse in 2002 and produced that same year by the Classic Stage Company in New York. Its most recent incarnation is part of PTP/NYC’s 2012 Season at Atlantic Stage 2.
This current production, carefully and tenderly directed by Jim Petosa, serves Bell’s script well; in fact, this production manages to successfully explore many of the nuances and psychosexual themes inherent in the script. This review will focus on a psychosexual “reading” of the production, specifically from a gay point of view.
Traditional Queer Theory interpretations of Shelley’s “Frankenstein” are well established and some of these are relevant to a deeper understanding of Bell’s “Monster.” These include the possibility that Victor has unconscious homoerotic desires that he tries to fulfill in his creation of his creature. In Shelley’s “Frankenstein,” the Creature, aware of his not being wanted, runs away to find himself and the bifurcated personality is never united. In “Monster,” once made visceral, this desire becomes abhorrent: Victor does not have the ego strength to allow himself to accept who he is in the face of the homophobia surrounding him so he “banishes” the Creature, leaving him to fend for himself in the hopes he will perish in the woods. In either imagining, the conflict between true self and societal expectation is apparent. Bell’s retelling, as staged by PTP/NYC, is far more powerful and this attempt to deny the self is resolved at the end of the play.
Consciously or unconsciously, the brilliant PTP/NYC production of Neal Bell’s “Monster” richly explores a psychosexual “reading” of the text. The performances bristle with sensuality and skillfully explore the psychological crevices of the script. Early in the performance, Clervall recounts to Victor a recent dream in which Victor kisses him. Victor quickly approaches Clervall, deeply kisses him and says, “Don’t waste a dream on what you can have!” In this scene, as in all others, Joe Varca (Victor) and Christo Grabowski (Clervall) exhibit a level of craft rarely seen on stage today: they are not afraid of their characters; they are not afraid of what their characters need to say or do; they are not afraid to do whatever they as actors need to do to bring their characters’ conflicts to life.
The predominate trope in “Monster” is the extended metaphor of the dream. Victor dreams of accepting himself and creates a Creature to fulfill that dream. Dreams have lives of their own and the Creature eventually sorts out his own dream which at times is in conflict with the dream of his creator (think any significant creation myth). Victor asserts that “dreams want to live,” but are often “made and abandoned.” In the course of the performance, Victor’s dream and his Creature’s dream become one: neither ever truly gives up on “winning” the love of the other. John Zdrojeski’s portrayal of the Creature’s longing to be loved by Victor is haunting and a performance this critic will not soon forget. When Zdrojeski’s Creature asks, “Why am I alive,” and “Why did he give me a cock,” he expresses humanity’s attempt to comprehend the very purpose of creation itself.
There are components of the heteronormative construct of society that support the recognition and acceptance of one’s gay sexual status. These components are found in the rich character of Justine who is aware that her employment status is “at will” and she can be dismissed at any time. She knows that she, like the Creature (Victor’s sexual status), is an outcast in society. Therefore Justine can “tease” both creator and creature into mutual acceptance. Paula Langton’s portrayal of Mother is serviceable; however her performance as Justine is electric! Langton knows precisely who Justine is and the sacrifices Justine needs to make so Victor can finally dream his dream. It is instructive to see what happens when the crafts of teaching and acting collide brilliantly in stage performance. The classroom and stage experience of Paula Langton and her fellow academic Ken Cheeseman counterpoint powerfully with the established and developing craft of their younger cast members. Whether Cheeseman is portraying Father or Foster, he generously allows his fellow actors the space they need to shine.
At “Monster’s” end, Victor and the Creature (the self and the denial of self) conspire at first to destroy themselves and their angst. The choice to destroy fails at first because “the spark won’t last.” Finally, however, the inspiration (spark) to move beyond dreaming it to just doing it wins out: the spark ignites the fuel and Victor and the Creature burst into flame (kudos to lighting designer Mark Evancho!). Self and denial of self immolate not to be destroyed but, Phoenix-like, to be re-born, recreated as a healthy and whole person fully accepting Victor’s sexual status. Joe Varca and John Zdrojeski play this scene with perfection, cuddling and huddling together ready to experience the pangs of their new birth.
There seems to be only one concern with this production of “Monster” and that lies in the character of Elizabeth as understood and portrayed by Britian Seibert. Elizabeth is the ultimate antagonist for Victor. Just as Justine’s sexually charged antics tease Victor to self-acceptance, Seibert’s Elizabeth should aggressively challenge Victor’s status. This seems to be the only place where Petosa’s direction and Seibert’s performance do not support the overall production. Perhaps both director and actor need to re-examine their choices here. Elizabeth, after all, is constantly challenging Victor’s lack of interest in her. This character is a metaphor for all of those societal challenges which aggressively – often abusively – assault the gay individual’s authentic sexual status. These traits of aggressiveness and abusiveness are character traits missing from Seibert’s understanding of her character.
This aside, the cast, including Seibert, otherwise brilliantly maneuver their way through Neal Bell’s challenging and provocative script. My partner’s review below will continue to encourage you to visit this outstanding production before it moves on.
Production and performance information will follow Joseph's review below.
Permalink | Posted by David Roberts on Sunday, July 15, 2012
"Monster" at Atlantic Stage 2
“Monster” The Atlantic Stage 2 Reviewed by Joseph Verlezza on Friday July 13 at 7:30 p.m.
If you absolutely enjoy good theatre that is not burdened by the high-tech visual theatrics being used for the last several years to attract audiences that have come to lack imagination, I urge you to see PTP/NYC’s production of Neal Bell’s “Monster.” It is performed on a dark, eerie, empty stage that is inhabited by inanimate black geometric shapes and a cast of energetic and sensitive actors who manage to create life as they deal with death. They utter Neal Bell’s carefully reimagined version of “Frankenstein” with sharp clear performance and passion. Visually stunning, this company’s performance creates theatre that compels the audience to see what is not really there – a rare occurrence in contemporary theatre and a significant achievement for PTP/NYC. This production will move you in a way only live theatre can. I strongly suggest that you turn off your television set, your iPad, your smart phone and go to Atlantic Stage 2 and allow this dazzling production to magically twist your mind and touch your heart.
MONSTER By Neal Bell Directed by Jim Petosa Assistant Director: Tim Spears
The cast includes Ken Cheeseman (Foster/Father), Christo Grabowski (Walton/Clervall), Paula Langton (Mother/Justine), Joe Varca (Victor), Noah Berman (Will/Cat), Britian Seibert (Elizabeth) and John Zdrojeski (Creature).
The creative team includes Hallie Zieselman (Set Design), Mark Evancho (Lighting Design), Aubrey Dube (Sound Design) and Adrienne Carlile with Christine Han (Costume Design).
Monster performances continue on Sat 7/14 at 7:30pm, Tue 7/17 at 7:30pm, Wed 7/18 at 7:30pm, Thu 7/19 at 7:30pm, Sat 7/21 at 7:30pm, Sun 7/22 at 2:30pm, Thu 7/26 at 7:30pm, Fri 7/27 at 7:30pm, Sat 7/28 at 2:30pm, Sun 7/29 at 7:30pm. Running time for Monster is 1 hour and 50 minutes including one intermission.
All performances at The Atlantic Stage 2, located at 330 West 16th Street between 8th & 9th Avenues in New York City. Tickets are $25 for adults and $15 for students/seniors and can be purchased online at http://www.TicketCentral.com or by calling 212-279-4200. For more information visit http://PTPNYC.org.
Permalink | Posted by David Roberts on Sunday, July 15, 2012
"Serious Money" at Atlantic Stage 2
“Serious Money” Atlantic Stage 2 Reviewed on Thursday July 13 at 7:30 p.m.
Caryl Churchill’s “Serious Money,” currently playing as part of the PTP/NYC 2012 Season at Atlantic Stage 2, received enormous acclaim after its original 1987 opening. Its felicitous appearance just after the 1987 market crash catapulted the play into immediate appeal and relevance. However, though the Seven Deadly Sins continue to flourish, the specific content of “Serious Money” somewhat reduces its original power to engage.
Despite global financial disaster, the money-changers still believe that greed is good. More than a sufficient number of entrepreneurs agree with Jacinta Condor (brilliantly played by Jeanne LaSala Taylor) that helping out the poor and needy is not as important as accumulating wealth. Obviously sex, drugs, and-rock-and roll continue to fuel the fires of the 1% not involved in Occupy Wall Street. Governments still eradicate those who dare not to submit to totalitarian technique just as the government “took out” Jake Todd (Mat Nakitare). It seems most of humanity would prefer to be “on the right side of exploitation.” But this critic wishes PTP/NYC had chosen a product that might have addressed the Monster more aggressively. It is understood that Churchill chooses to “refrain from moral proscription and sentimentality.” However, perhaps it is time to make some commitment, some stand against the myriad of Monsters that have the “unquenchable thirst for more power.” Agreed, the audience member can make that decision after experiencing “Serious Money.” It might be more powerful if that decision was made by the actors on the stage. Sometimes it is all right to take a stand in the creative process. In other words, Churchill’s wish to remain “on the fence” might no longer be workable. This critic understands the rhetorical importance of ambiguity. The issue is the viability of maintaining an ambiguous stance in the face of global financial despair.
That said, PTP/NYC’s extraordinarily committed 2012 cast does all it can to bring “Serious Money” to life. There is not a moment when the Atlantic Stage 2 is not pulsing with energy. Cheryl Faraone’s tight direction allows the large cast to move on, off, and about the stage with considerable grace and ease. Alicia Evancho’s choreography is more than practical: it is fun and pleasant to watch. Some cast members deliver the poetry of the work better than others with Alex Draper (playing Billy Corman) perhaps understanding how best to accomplish the task. Overall, PTP/NYC’s “Serious Money” succeeds in engaging its audience in the consideration of relevant and challenging matters. It is well worth seeing before it closes on July 29th.
SERIOUS MONEY
The cast includes David Barlow, Megan Byrne, Alex Draper, James O. Dunn, Tara Giordano, Brent Langdon, Jeanne LaSala Taylor, Mathew Nakitare, Aubrey Dube, Gillian Durkee, Alicia Evancho, Charles Giardina, Meghan Leathers, Molly O’Keefe, Haley Robinson and Lucy Van Atta.
The creative team includes Carol Christensen (Musical Direction), Alicia Evancho (Choreography), Hallie Zieselman (Set Design), Mark Evancho (Lighting Design), Allison Rimmer and Aubrey Dube (Sound Design) and Jule Emerson with Jordan Jones (Costume Design). Cheryl Faraone directs.
Serious Money runs through July 29. Remaining performances take place on Sat 7/14 at 2:30pm, Sun 7/15 at 2:30pm, Fri 7/20 at 7:30pm, Sat 7/21 at 2:30pm, Sun 7/22 at 7:30pm, Tue 7/24 at 7:30pm, Wed 7/25 at 7:30pm, Sat 7/28 at 7:30pm, Sun 7/29 at 2:30pm. Running time for Serious Money is 2 hours and 20 minutes including one intermission.
All performances are at Atlantic Stage 2, 330 West 16th Street in New York, New York. Tickets are $25 for adults and $15 for students/seniors and can be purchased online at http://www.TicketCentral.com or by calling 212-279-4200. For more information visit http://PTPNYC.org.
Permalink | Posted by David Roberts on Friday, July 13, 2012
"Picture Incomplete" at The 45th Street Theatre
“Picture Incomplete” Featuring Trent Armand Kendall New York Musical Theatre Festival The 45th Street Theatre Thursday July 12, 2012
It is always a joy to see Trent Armand Kendall on stage. It is a special treat to see him back on stage with his electrifying “Picture Incomplete,” now part of the 2012 New York Musical Theatre Festival. Kendall’s Storyteller brings in his cast of characters (all played by Kendall) to affirm the strength and endurance of the human spirit as no other actor can. The Story begins (and ends) very late in the evening in front of the Storyteller’s West 104th Street, New York City apartment building while he celebrates turning 40. The Storyteller becomes both an Everyman and, with his cast of characters, a Greek Chorus – creating the storyline and commenting on the plot at the same time. Kendall tells stories, sings, dances, performs acrobatics (twice, at least), and does everything he can to engage his audience in the process of becoming who they truly are.
In a world bent on competition, completion, finished products, and “growing up,” “Picture Incomplete” is the celebration of the process and not the end product. In other words, the story itself is more important than the resolution/denouement. Trent equips his audience for the journey, not the journey’s end. The Storyteller, Clarence, Sista Goins, Mavis, Dr. Nigel St. Clements, Grandpa, Righteous Reverend, De Ron, and Fred Jr. are concerned only with the process of becoming, celebrating the incompleteness which is all of us. Perhaps most interesting is the unseen character Fred Jr. whose celebration of being gay delights and challenges Mavis time after time. It is refreshing to see an actor take the risk needed to empower young men (and women) to embrace their sexual status and emerge from fear into the light of becoming.
Sometimes simple pieces of advice help make the journey bearable when the going gets rough. Kendall is not afraid of spinning out well-worn phrases when he knows they connect deeply with the psyche of his audience. “Keep movin,’ you still have a chance.” “Just get through today, let tomorrow worry about itself.” “Be what you should be not what you are!” The careful observer sees audience members respond with overt and covert signs of affirmation when these and other self-help mantras are spoken or sung.
Kendall’s voice has deep, rich tones and he knows how to control his voice and successfully convey the message he so deeply believes in. His band (Damon DueWhite on drums and percussion; Emanuel Gatewood on bass; and Adam Klipple on keyboard) is the perfect complement to Kendall’s vocal craft.
Competently directed by Greg Ganakas, “Picture Complete” delivers its ultimate message with grace and passion and conviction: “It is worth the fight to know why you are here. It is worth the fight.” Confessing he is the poster boy of incompleteness, Trent Armand Kendall empowers those “with eyes to see and ears to hear” to exit the theatre with renewed hope for humankind and one’s place in that fabric of becoming. Let the people say, “Amen.”
PICTURE INCOMPLETE
Featuring Trent Armand Kendall. Book and Additional Lyrics by Trent Armand Kendall. Music and Lyrics by Michael Polese. Costume Design by Samuel Ciardi; Choreography by Brian Harlan Brooks; Musical Direction and Arrangements by Adam Klipple. Performances continue at the 45th Street Theatre, 354 West 45th Street in Manhattan on Wednesday July 18th at 1:00 p.m. and Saturday July 21st at 9:00 p.m. For ticket information call 212-352-3101 or visit www.nymf.org
Permalink | Posted by David Roberts on Friday, July 13, 2012
"Michael Pope is Gay for Pay" and "Dirty Barbie and Other Girlhood Tales" at 59E59 Theater C
“Michael Pope is Gay for Pay” Reviews by David Roberts and Joseph Verlezza “Dirty Barbie and Other Girlhood Tales” Review by David Roberts East to Edinburgh Festival, 59E59 Theater C Tuesday July 11, 2012
Two Storytellers with Different Endings
The 8th Annual East to Edinburgh Festival is being hosted at 59E59 Theaters through Sunday July 29. The productions opening the festival, “Michael Pope is Gay for Pay” and Dirty Barbie and Other Girlhood Tales,” feature two seasoned and competent storytellers who use their craft to share two tales of journeys of the body, mind, and human spirit. Kris Kristofferson/Fred Foster’s lyric in “Me and Bobby McGhee,” immortalized by Janis Joplin, captures the essence of both one-person performances: “Freedom’s just another word for nothin’ left to lose, and nothin’ ain’t worth nothin’ but it’s free.”
“Michael Pope is Gay for Pay” Review by David Roberts, Theatre Reviews Limited: At 30, Michael Pope has nothing left to lose. Jobless, with a mere $28.97 in his bank account, Pope answers an ad in the “Village Voice” for men who know how to use a phone. “Michael Pope is Gay for Pay” chronicles the true story of his providing stimulating phone sex for gay men and those straight women who fantasize being with them. Oddly, there is no mention of the straight men who also use such provocative services when bored with their seemingly heteronormative lives. The audience gets to listen in on Pope’s “top” (the half Chinese, half Scottish Devon) as he satisfies his callers as no other theatre of the absurd phone prostitute could. Michael Pope’s tale is sometimes quite fascinating and gathers strength when Pope is sharing something of his true self and the New York City of his youth. When the story centers on Pope as the “Crazy White Boy” and on the pre-Bloomberg New York City “packed tight with liars, perverts, and cheats,” the audience connects with Pope and his spirit of survival. Unfortunately, the stories of Pope as Devon are not as engaging because the audience cannot see Michael Pope in those stories. Normally, an actor’s sexual status is not relevant to his or her performance. In the case of “Michael Pope is Gay for Pay” it is essential to know whether the storyteller is straight, gay, or unsure. For example, when Pope describes his gay bear of an employer, he uses stereotypical gestures and voice (not acceptable for a straight man to do). When he describes his two fellow phone sex providers, he indicates they are gay but fails to include himself in that same category. Pope shares that he was engaged to a woman who left him. If he is gay, his story is powerful in a way that is different than if he is straight. Finally, Michael Pope shares that he has a variety of “albatross around his neck” issues. He describes himself as drinking excessively, he has a film he seems never to finish, and his Crazy White Boy days seem not to have ended. The audience wonders: has Michael finished that film? Is he working? Does he still drink to excess? Has he established any significant relationships? Audience and critic want more of Michael and we do not think that is too much to ask.
Review by Joseph Verlezza, Theatre Reviews Limited: As an actor, Michael Pope is audience friendly, often comical, an engaging storyteller. As the writer of the piece he also chooses to perform, he somewhat misses the mark. Phone sex is basically erotic verbal prostitution: once speaking to the client, one becomes part of the sexual act which, hopefully, results in payment at completion. The audience learns from Michael how his erotic encounters satisfy his clients; however, the audience never knows what effect the encounter has on Michael. After a long night of endless calls, what is Michael thinking as he lies alone in bed? The audience can only wonder. If it is important to tell this story, it is just as relevant for Michael to let his audience know who he is. After all, this audience did not make a phone call.
MICHAEL POPE IS GAY FOR PAY. Written and performed by Michael Pope. Directed by Brianna Olson. Remaining performance on Saturday July 14 at 7:00 p.m.
“Dirty Barbie and Other Girlhood Tales” Review by David Roberts, Theatre Reviews Limited: In the intriguing and successful “Dirty Barbie and Other Girlhood Tales,” writer and performer DeeDee Stewart chronicles her life from 1978 until 1994. The daughter of a physically abusive alcoholic father (and later an equally abusive alcoholic mother), Stewart uses her persuasive storytelling skills to capture what life was like for a co-dependent girl trying to find her way through the battlements of abuse, low self-esteem, loneliness, and teenage angst. The power of this performance is the trope (here an extended metaphor) of the myth and mores of Stewart’s various Barbie dolls (and one also co-dependent Ken). Picture child psychotherapy with dolls ramped up to the frenzied and fractured pace of seeing one’s life pass before one in under 60 minutes. Of the scenes and stories which comprise “Dirty Barbie,” perhaps the most engaging are “How Southern Women Saved My Life,” “The Real Christmas Cards,” the scene with Ken and DeeDee, the penultimate scene regarding her feelings about her mother, and “Barbie Lives” the final scene. Despite DeeDee’s tumultuous history with her mother, she confides that “[her] mother made regrettable choices, but I never went to bed without a kiss. Mother’s Day doesn’t bother me, but her birthday hits me like a brick every year, even when I plan that it won’t. It’s hard to explain why she was the perfect mother for me.” It is in Stewart’s skill of utilizing the rhetorical trope of antithesis that her performance finds power and enables the audience to engage with her wonderfully honest assessment of what it means to have to grow up despite all the odds. Thanks to DeeDee Stewart, other girls (and boys) will keep playing with Barbie and women and men will tell their stories.
DIRTY BARBIE AND OTHER GIRLHOOD TALES. Written, directed, and performed by DeeDee Stewart. Script and performance coach: Bree Luck. Remaining performances on July 12 and 14 at 9:00 p.m.
Performances are at 59E59 Theaters (59 East 59th Street, between Park and Madison Avenues). Tickets to each EAST TO EDINBURGH show range from $12 - $20 ($8.50 -$14 for 59E59 Members). Tickets can be purchased by calling Ticket Central at 212-279-4200 or online at www.59e59.org.
Permalink | Posted by David Roberts on Thursday, July 12, 2012
The Bad and the Better at The Peter Jay Sharp Theater
The Bad and The Better By Derek Ahonen Directed by Daniel Aukin Reviewed by David Roberts, Chief Critic Theatre Reviews Limited
After the 2011 Occupy Wall Street protests at Zucotti Park in lower Manhattan went viral and spawned nationwide and worldwide protests against the one percent who controlled the globe’s wealth and resources, many disenfranchised individuals and groups joined the movement against excessive wealth and claimed to be one of the remaining “ninety-nine percent.”
Ostensibly Derek Ahonen’s “The Bad and the Better” deals with the themes so powerfully exposed by the Occupy Wall Street movement: greedy developers displacing neighborhoods at risk; law and order reigning in anarchy in the streets; loyalties unmasked as betrayals; and honesty heralded by hypocrisy. If many of those themes counterpoint those in Shakespeare’s tragedies, it is no mistake: think “Hamlet” during the final moments of the play.
“The Bad and the Better” is a genre-driven (hardboiled fiction a la Daly, Hammett, and Chandler) masterpiece of writing and acting. Although a plot summary might draw the reader to become audience member, Ahonen’s play is more about cerebral acrobatics than successfully discovering “who done it.” Because ultimately – and this is the rub – it does not really matter who “done” it or to whom it is “done.” What matters most is what the audience member discerns to be right or wrong.
For example, once one gets cozy with the one percent of the world’s disenfranchised, one finds oneself cuddling up to one of the plays more despicable characters Eugene Moretti (David Lanson) who brags at his acceptance speech: “Thank you New York! This confirms the people. The power of the people. The people I am powerful for. Cause you know… I am not an agent of… you know… an agent of the… I’m not an agent… I don’t represent athletes. I represent people. I’m your agent New York. You can call your agent up and I’ll get you great deals. I’m a deal maker. And I’m gonna get to work tomorrow making some deals that are gonna make sure you get the best 99 percent contracts you can possibly get. That’s right. I’m an agent who only takes one percent. I’m a 1 percenter New York. And I’m gonna get you 99 percent deals. Just call me Agent Eugene Moretti: Dealmaker for the people.”
There is no moral comfort zone in Ahonen’s delightfully challenging and complex script. Perhaps Edmond (Chris Wharton) expresses it best: “You don’t know the difference between the bad and the better. You’re gray from head to toe.” It is that tantalizing gray area where the gray matter meets the challenge.
What the Amoralists strive to demonstrate (not teach) is what Edmond realizes midway through the play. This realization is not only daunting; it is life-changing. Whether we know it or not, the only way to confront Lang’s (William Apps) “world we live in” is to come to terms with the fact that all morality (even that which we learned at our mother’s/father’s knee) is de facto ambiguous. Not only is it senseless to attempt to decide what exactly is “right” and what is “wrong.” It is imperative sentient beings begin to question the very meaning of those terms: are they needed? Are they instructive? Why were they constructed and by whom?
Many of us can deal with a modicum of moral ambiguity. In order to survive the twenty-first century, all of us need to deal with moral ambiguity to the max. The Amorialists can help us. “The Bad and the Better” is a good place to start. See it. Let it seep into places of thought unvisited for perhaps a very long time.
THE BAD AN THE BETTER Presented by The Amoralists. Written by Derek Ahonen. Directed by Daniel Aukin. The creative team includes Alfred Schatz (Set Design), Natalie Robin (Lighting Design), Philip Carluzzo (Sound Design), Moria Clinton (Costume Design), Matthew Pilieci (Assistant Director), Whitney Dearden (Stage Manager), Judy Merrick (Prop Master) and Danica Novgorodoff (Artwork).
The cast is comprised of twenty-six actors and features Amoralists ensemble members Byron Anthony, William Apps, Selene Beretta, James Kautz , Nick Lawson, Sarah Lemp, Sarah Roy, Anna Stromberg, Jordan Tisdale, and Vanessa Vache. The cast also includes first time Amoralists actors Clyde Baldo, Reuben Barsky, Penny Bittone, Regina Blandon, Ugo Chukwu, Wade Dunham, Edgar Eguia, Chris Lanceley, David Lanson, Judy Merrick, David Nash, Cassandra Paras, James Rees, Dan Stern, Kelley Swindall, and Chris Wharton.
Performances are Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30pm, and Saturdays and Sundays at 2pm. Performances are at The Peter Jay Sharp Theater, 416 West 42nd Street between 9th and 10th Avenues in New York City. Tickets are $49.95 and can be purchased online at www.TicketCentral.com or by calling 212-279-4200. The running time is 2 hours and 25 minutes including one intermission. The theater is accessible from any train to Times Square/West 42 Street. For more information, visit www.TheBadandtheBetter.com.
Permalink | Posted by David Roberts on Friday, June 22, 2012
Tiny Dynamite at 59E59 Theater C
Tiny Dynamite By Abi Morgan Directed by Matt Torney At 59E59 Theater C Reviewed by David Roberts, Chief Critic Theatre Reviews Limited
Guilt-ridden by something he said that changed his life, the life of his boyhood friend Anthony and a woman they both loved, Lucien periodically reclaims Anthony from “the gutter,” cleans him up, vacations him, wines and dines him, and hopes to heaven unresolved memories will not spoil the fun of unresolved confession, forgiveness, and redemption.
In his most recent attempt to take care of Anthony, Lucien takes him to a vacation retreat where they cryptically re-visit whatever it was that happened years past that sent Lucien to success and Anthony to despair. Complicating the cryptic cacophony is a visit from Madeleine who reminds them of the woman from the past who (perhaps) committed suicide by jumping off a bridge.
Throughout “Tiny Dynamite,” Lucien and Anthony experience memory moments which result in a “kapow” from one or the other or, sometimes, both. “Kapow!” A perhaps tiny dynamite explosion of a shared moment of joy or grief. “Kapow” also has an urban meaning: the sound made during an especially powerful bitch slap. Lucien and Anthony harbor a haunting disrespect for one another. Disrespect not worthy of proffering man-sized punches but more subtle (and often more damaging) bitch slaps. Lucien and Anthony have damaged each other and bandaged each other all their lives and each knows there has to be an end to all the damaging and all the bandaging. They know there must be an ultimate kapow, and ultimate bitch slap to life’s unforgiving curb.
Christian Conn (Lucien), Blake DeLong (Anthony), and Olivia Horton (Madeleine) grace Maruti Evans’ boards with considerable skill and, under Matt Torney’s tight direction, do all they can to vivify Abi Morgan’s intensely metaphorical and allusive script. Despite its often arcane nature, “Tiny Dynamite” is accessible to the audience and counterpoints with the myriad of difficult memories and relationships that huddle there in the dark. We all have had experiences that have shaped us in ways we often do not fully understand. We know what guilt is and the difficulties we have achieving satisfactory redemptive moments. Those who ostensibly love us have hurt us deeply and we often strike out in pain and recycle hurt.
What is missing from “Tiny Dynamite” is a sense that the characters really care for one another: care enough to love or care enough to hate. Therefore it is difficult for the audience to care about them as much as it should. Were Lucian, Anthony, and Madeleine more “connected,” the audience could more profoundly connect to their experiences. Despite that difficulty, “Tiny Dynamite” is a stunning piece of performance and worth the look.
TINY DYNAMITE is presented by the Origin Theatre Company (George C. Heslin, Artistic Director). Written by Abi Morgan. Directed by Matt Torney. Set and Lighting Design by Maruti Evans; Costume Design by Nicole Wee; Sound Composer, Will Pickens. With Christian Conn (Lucien); Blake DeLong (Anthony); and Olivia Horton (Madeleine).
TINY DYNAMITE began performances on Thursday, June 7 for a limited engagement through Sunday, July 1. The performance schedule is Tuesday – Thursday at 7:30 PM; Friday and Saturday at 8:30 PM; and Sunday at 3:30 PM. Please note there are added Saturday matinee performances on June 23 and June 30 at 2:30 PM. Performances are at 59E59 Theaters (59 East 59th Street, between Park and Madison Avenues). Tickets are $25 ($17.50 for 59E59 Members). To purchase tickets, call Ticket Central at (212) 279-4200 or go to www.59e59.org.
Permalink | Posted by David Roberts on Saturday, June 16, 2012
The Hunchback Variations at 59E59 Theater B
The Hunchback Variations 59E59 Theater C Reviewed by David Roberts, Chief Critic Theatre Reviews Limited 09 June, 2012
If Beethoven’s Diabelli Variations are thirty-three variations on a Waltz by Anton Diabelli, what would Mark Messing and Mickle Maher’s “The Hunchback Variations” be? When my students grapple with dense text, I remind them to consider the title of the text they are attempting to deconstruct.
Absurdist pieces of theatre like “The Hunchback Variations” do not have to “be about” anything: they can just “be.” However, the carefully constructed chamber opera counterpoints significant meaning throughout its eleven variations (exactly one-third the number in Diabelli’s Variations).
Previous critics who have had the pleasure of seeing this chamber opera since 2001 have presented sufficient evidence of why its premise is absurd: although Victor Hugo, Emily Dickinson, and Anton Chekhov could have shared afternoon tea (if the men could get Emily out of her house), Ludwig Van Beethoven could not have joined all three of them (he missed the opportunity by a mere three years if having tea with the infant Dickinson would be appealing). Quasimodo, being a fictional character, could not have had tea with any of the above and certainly could not have collaborated with Beethoven on finding a sound for the “sound of a string snapping, slowly and sadly dying away” since both were deaf.
That business out of the way, a return to meaning is appropriate. What makes Messing and Maher’s opera brilliant is that the real character Beethoven serves as the foil character for the fictional character Quasimodo. Quasimodo would have loved Chekhov’s “The Cherry Orchard.” His tale of unrequited love and the loss of Esmeralda perfectly counterpoint Mrs. Ranevsky and her family’s loss of their cherry orchard and estate to a man of the rising Russian middle class. Both fictional characters (Ranevsky and Quasimodo) and their creators (Chekhov and Hugo) experience not only loss but experience the turmoil of political upheaval and change.
So it is not surprise that Quasimodo’s reflections contain references to his “culture’s perpetual murmur of scorn,” class differences (his small and muddy house compared to Beethoven’s “very nice, large apartment), crises of faith and belief, experiences of “ruin, grief, and a vacuum,” and a catalog of existential musings (“Where is the room for keeping all the nothings?”).
Finally, back to the title. In musicology, variations are formal techniques where material is repeated in an altered form. These alterations or changes include melody, harmony, rhythm, timbre, counterpoint, and orchestration – or any combination of these devices. Quasimodo relates his concerns to Beethoven and the audience in eleven unique variations created skillfully by Mark Messing and Mickle Maher, performed flawlessly by Larry Adams (Quasimodo) and George Andrew Wolff (Beethoven) and accompanied perfectly by cellist Paul Ghica and pianist Christopher Sargent. Mr. Adams’ Quasimodo, at the close of the eleventh variation, allows the event of his rehearsals with Beethoven (“true horror!”) to release him from his despondency and grief by saying good-bye to his Esmeralda. When he sings, “Oh my darling, my precious, my beautiful orchard! My life, my youth, my happiness … Goodbye … Goodbye,” Quasimodo has discovered the sound he has been searching for. The sound of the string snapping, as some critics have suggested, is for him the “auditory symbol of forgetting.”
Quasimodo’s discovery of the healing nature of forgetting can be the self-same discovery for the audience. His variations encourage us to examine our own variations, our own retellings of our complex and confounding stories. If Quasimodo can allow the seventy-minute event called “The Hunchback Variations” to teach him the path to redemption and release, so can we who experience this remarkable performance piece.
THE HUNCHBACK VARIATIONS
Based on the play by Mickle Maher, with music by Mark Messing, libretto by Mr. Maher and directed by and featuring George Andrew Wolff and Larry Adams. Produced by Chicago’s Theater Oobleck and Brian W. Parker, THE HUNCHBACK VARIATIONS began performances on Friday, June 1 for a limited engagement through Sunday, July 1. The performance schedule is Tuesday – Thursday at 7:15 PM; Friday at 8:15 PM; Saturday at 2:15 PM and 8:15 PM; and Sunday at 3:15 PM. Performances are at 59E59 Theaters (59 East 59th Street, between Park and Madison Avenues). Tickets are $35 ($24.50 for 59E59 Members). To purchase tickets, call Ticket Central at (212) 279-4200 or go to www.59e59.org.
Permalink | Posted by David Roberts on Sunday, June 10, 2012
I Am a Tree at St. Clement's
“I Am a Tree” Theatre at St. Clement’s Reviewed by David Roberts Theatre Reviews Limited 06 June 2012
In 1926 Hart Crane wrote “Garden Abstract,” a kind of re-telling of one of the creation myths in the Old Testament. In Crane’s re-telling, the Eve-like “she” bypasses temptation, punishment, and expulsion from the Garden by “dreaming herself the tree.” She becomes the tree. She avoids any and all male contact and judgment.
Here is the poem in its entirety.
The apple on its bough is her desire,— Shining suspension, mimic of the sun. The bough has caught her breath up, and her voice, Dumbly articulate in the slant and rise Of branch on branch above her, blurs her eyes. She is prisoner of the tree and its green fingers.
And so she comes to dream herself the tree, The wind possessing her, weaving her young veins, Holding her to the sky and its quick blue, Drowning the fever of her hands in sunlight. She has no memory, nor fear, nor hope Beyond the grass and shadows at her feet.
The subject of Hart Crane’s poem is not unlike the protagonist in “I Am a Tree,” written and performed by Dulcy Rogers at Theatre at St. Clement’s in Manhattan through Saturday June 30. Both are haunted by memory, both motivated by fear, both bereft of hope. And both -- the subject of the poem and Dulcy Rogers’ Claire – ultimately free themselves of debilitating memories, transcend the grip of fear, and exchange hope for reality. And both “dream themselves” trees.
Claire’s quest is to know something of her mother who was torn from her by her stolid scientist father when she was six. Claire’s memories of her mother include a possibly bi-polar parent whose “hysteria” caused Claire’s father to institutionalize her to prevent her from harming Claire. Now pregnant and experiencing her own brand of instability, Claire is fearful her child will inherit mental illness and she decides to reach out to her three aunts to discover what happened to her mother and why she was “put away.”
Rogers’ one-woman show follows Claire’s quest as she meets (and portrays) her mother’s three sisters: Aurelia, Lillian, and Lou. Each of these relatives reveals something of her mother to Claire but Claire completes her visitations without the information she so desperately seeks. She only knows her mother through the experiences of others.
It is only when she takes Aurelia’s advice (the aunt who “claims to be a fir tree) and visits her mother that she no longer claims fear as motivation. When Claire meets her mother, she experiences the kind of release that she has sought all her life. She accepts the “fun” Lillian urges her to enjoy.
But why, if she was not prevented by her father from visiting her mother, did it take Claire almost thirty years to visit her mother if she was so concerned about her mental status? Moreover, when she finally arrives at her mother’s asylum door and sees a caring letter from her father to her mother, does she not achieve the kind of forgiveness of him that would truly result in a life free from fear and guilt?
Ms. Rogers seems not to need to address these important questions in her otherwise engaging solo performance. Although Claire claims to leave her mother’s presence “healed” and no longer has to worry about inheriting her mother’s diagnosis of “hysteria,” she fails to address her father’s concern for her mother, concern all three of her aunts denied existed.
Claire, though she stretches her arms to the side in Aurelia’s tree pose, is still a captive of fear. She has not – at least by the time the audience leaves St. Clements’s – confronted her fear of her father’s authoritarian persona. Unlike Hart Crane’s Eve-like protagonist, Claire has not yet re-created her universe to be free from what she remembers her father to be.
“I Am a Tree” is clearly a work in progress. Dulcy Rogers has continued to revisit and refine her solo piece. Perhaps it is time to return to her original intent to perform the piece with more than one actor. This critic cannot imagine an audition in New York City would not discover an Aurelia, a Lillian, and a Lou that would bring Claire’s troubled world to an even more stellar performance level.
This said, “I Am a Tree” is a performance treat and should be seen before it closes on June 30.
I AM A TREE
Written and performed by Dulcy Rogers and directed by Allan Miller. Produced by United Pies, Inc, in association with The Elephant Theatre (Los Angeles). I AM A TREE began performances on Friday, May 25 for a limited engagement through Saturday, June 30. The performance schedule is Thursday - Saturday at 8:00 p.m.; and Sunday at 3:00 p.m. Performances are at Theatre at St. Clement’s (423 West 46th St., between 9th and 10th Avenues). Tickets are $40. To purchase tickets, call OvationTix at 212-352-3101 or visit www.theatermania.com.
Permalink | Posted by David Roberts on Saturday, June 9, 2012
Murder in the First at 59E59 Theater A
Murder in the First 59E59 Theater A Reviewed by David Roberts, Chief Critic Theatre Reviews Limited 09 June 2012
In this corner (downstage right): the Accused. In the opposite corner (downstage left): the Advocate. Refereeing the fight (upstage center): Justice. One would assume justice would prevail in any serious altercation, whether in the ring or in the courtroom. Not so for Willie Moore (Chad Kimball) an Alcatraz prisoner who is facing the death penalty for murdering a fellow inmate and has spent three years in solitary confinement.
Although his public defender Henry Davidson (Guy Burnet) eventually gets Willie’s first degree murder charge reduced to involuntary manslaughter, Willie is returned to Alcatraz and to solitary confinement where he commits suicide. Willie did not want this reduced sentence; he wants to plead guilty to murder in the first and receive the death penalty so he will not have to go back to Alcatraz. He knows Milton Glenn (Jim Lorenzo) will have him beaten again. Near the end of his trial, Willie admits he would rather be executed than go back to Alcatraz.
Knowing Willie’s fears, why does Henry fight so hard to have Willie’s sentence reduced? Perhaps he wants notoriety: he wants to wins his first case: a courtroom victory against a formidable foe like the State of California. Perhaps he wants to win back his former fiancée Mary McCasslin (Larisa Polonsky). Henry, however, desires much more than this.
Henry wants the injustices of Alcatraz to end. He wants justice for Willie and all prisoners who find themselves abused within the penal system. It is perhaps this goal that keeps Henry from seeing reality. Despite having given Willie courage to face his return to Alcatraz, despite knowing it might be impossible to have Willie transferred to a safer prison, despite doing what he believes to be best for his client, Henry ultimately knows Willie will die.
Henry sacrifices Willie for the better good of exposing the horrors behind the walls of Alcatraz. This sacrifice is salvific and Willie knows he is being sacrificed for a cause greater than the reduction of his sentence. When Willie says, “[He] ain’t goin’ nowhere,” he means he knows he will not survive a return to Alcatraz.
This Christological allusion is what gives “Murder in the First” its real power. Playwright Dan Gordon has created an extended metaphor of what it means to have something to believe in and what it means to be willing to do whatever is necessary to hold to that belief. Henry believes in justice. Willie believes in the importance of living without fear despite the cost. Willie’s march into the hell of Alcatraz challenges the audience members to identify their own important causes and confront their own debilitating fears.
Despite its unevenness, the cast of “Murder in the First” delivers its message of redemption in a compelling way. Chad Kimball as Willie brings the stage to life whether he is speaking or whether he is silently sitting in his cell. Joseph Adams’ Houlihan is the best and the worst of print and broadcast media portraying a reporter trying to promote a cause as he promotes himself in the process. Guy Burnet (Henry) literally glows in his scenes with Chad Kimball. Burnet is at his best when Kimball teases Henry to the surface. Director Michael Parva brings his team to creative climaxes throughout the performance. The sparks would fly more intensely if the performances were more even and all reached the caliber of Messrs. Kimball, Adams, and Burnet.
“Murder in the First” is compelling theatre worth seeing. It is ultimately about what it means to be redeemed and what it means to be a redeemer: something, perhaps, worth knowing in an unjust and punitive world.
MURDER IN THE FIRST is at 59E59 Theaters (59 East 59th Street, between Madison and Park Avenues). It is produced by The Directors Company, in association with Chase Mishkin, Barbara & Buddy Freitag, and Invictus Theater Company.
MURDER IN THE FIRST began performances on Friday, May 25 for a limited engagement through Sunday, July 1. The performance schedule is Tuesday - Thursday at 7:00 PM; Friday at 8:00 PM; Saturday at 2:00 PM and 8:00 PM; and Sunday at 3:00 PM and 7:00 PM. Please note, there is no 7:00 PM performance on Sunday, July 1. Performances are at 59E59 Theaters (59 East 59th Street, between Park and Madison Avenues). Tickets are $60 ($42 for 59E59 Members). To purchase tickets, call Ticket Central at (212) 279-4200 or go to www.59e59.org.
Permalink | Posted by David Roberts on Saturday, June 9, 2012
"The Event" at The New Ohio Theatre
The Event Performed by David Calvitto Writted and Directed by John Clancy 9th Annual Solo Nova Arts Festival The New Ohio Theatre
Reviewed by David Roberts, Chief Critic Theatre Reviews Limited 07 June, 2012 7:00 p.m.
Shakespeare enjoyed commenting on the process of playwriting and performance in his plays. The careful reader can hear Shakespeare’s dramaturgy within Hamlet’s comments to the actors visiting Elsinore. Hardly a tragedy, comedy, or history proceeds without the Bard using the stage to share his unique views on producing, acting, directing, and viewing theatre. Shakespeare, Aristotle long before him, Uta Hagan long after, all contributed to identifying and naming the conventions of the thing we call the theatre.
It would seem that “The Event” is such a comment on all things theatre: acting, directing, stagecraft, even reviewing. If only “The Man” did not smile so much (telling the strangers in the audience he was, in fact, smiling). If only he did not assert that all was expendable. If only while celebrating moments of clarity and calm, he did not allude to the apocalyptic warning that we are becoming “unmoored.”
This might be a good time for this critic, this professional observer, to identify an allusion to “The Second Coming,” that haunting post Civil War, pre World War II poem by William Butler Yeats. Professional observers of theatre do not mention Yeats much anymore but, in this case, this stranger in the audience has no choice. The speaker in “The Second Coming” observes:
Things fall apart; the center cannot hold; Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world, The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere The ceremony of innocence is drowned; The best lack all conviction, while the worst Are full of passionate intensity.
Perhaps that is “the rub.” “The Event” is ultimately about not just what happens on stage but how that connects to what happens when the lights dim and the strangers in the audience scramble out into some real or artificial light, out into some real or artificial darkness. The Man reminds the strangers – smiling, sometimes not – that all he and we shared for a mere sixty minutes is ultimately “too large for language to catch and haul aboard.” That said, John Clancy manages to construct a script that conveys that certainty with exceptional skill and grace.
One of the strangers sitting in the dark, a professional observer, smiles and determines that the Man is brilliant. But the professional observer is certain the Man has heard that before: that very word used in the past to evaluate his participation in the Event. Further, the professional observer knows the actor portraying the Man will either welcome that assessment, or dismiss it, or – perhaps worse – be indifferent to it. That would be for the professional observer the worst possible outcome. But he and the Man both do what they must do, and move on.
“The Event” for an hour masks the Man and when the Event is over, the mask must come off. It has to: that is one of those coveted conventions of theatre. The Man cannot even assume a pseudonym like ‘Bob’ or ‘Walter.’ He, sans mask, will be (as he always was) David. This David subtly, craftily, deliberately decides to connect. That connection reminds us that though “we are all playacting,” we with Yeats, with masks off, must eventually gather somewhere to see “what rough beast, its hour come round at last, slouches towards Bethlehem to be born.” That connection is David’s and John’s wonderful gift to their audience. Go to The Ohio Theatre and receive that gift, unwrap it, and pass it on.
“The Event”
Presented by the terraNOVA Collective at The New Ohio Theatre, 154 Christopher Street (between Greenwich and Washington) in Manhattan. The schedule of remaining performances for “The Event” is: Sunday June 10 at 8:30 p.m.; Tuesday June 12 at 7:00 p.m.; Friday June 15 at 9:00 p.m.; and Saturday June 16 at 2:00 p.m. For ticket information and a list of all Arts Festival performances visit www.terravovacollective.org
Permalink | Posted by David Roberts on Saturday, June 9, 2012
HERE I GO at 59E59 Theater C in Manhattan
"Here I Go" Reviewed by David Roberts Chief Critic Theatre Reviews Limited
On 12 January 2012, Steve Baldwin wrote in his Blog BrooklynParrots.com “Almost a year ago, I wrote of the remarkable appearance of Wild Parrots in Harlem. Just today, I received word from a correspondent in Harlem that these parrots (the same kind that have lived here in Brooklyn for many years) made a noisy appearance in Harlem yesterday. The parrots appear to be dining on leaf buds, which is their favorite thing to eat when the weather gets cold.
“The obvious question is this: where are these parrots nesting? Nobody seems to have the answer, making this story a definite Manhattan Mystery. What we do know is that these wild Quaker Parrots (AKA Monk Parakeets) have attempted for many years to establish a foothold on Manhattan Island, and have been repeatedly rebuffed by the authorities. Perhaps this time round the Wild Parrot occupation will survive any such attempts to evict these intrepid creatures.”
The intrepid Monk Parrots who produced HERE I GO at 59E59 Theaters have successfully occupied Manhattan and there is no chance that anyone will be able to rebuff or evict this creative production team or easily ignore what they “make.” Monk Parrots and their work are, thankfully, here to stay.
HERE I GO is a brilliantly conceived and executed performance work that truly crosses artistic boundaries. David Todd’s text/libretto stands on its own as an engaging piece of short fiction which is oddly reminiscent of Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s “The Yellow Wallpaper.” In HERE I GO, the protagonist Lynette (at age 60) reflects on her life before, during, and after “The Man.” After Dolly Parton’s biggest fan Lynette “loses” him (did he die or just “march away?), she “notices the absence of him:
“That is all I can notice now is the lack. The place where you always sat where you aren’t. The times you always spoke and now you don’t. The ashes that I used to dump out that aren’t in the tray. Those things don’t even exist if you think about it. They’re just missing things, not for real, but I notice them anyway.”
Whether Lynette’s “Man” died or simply marched away, she is grieving and her profound bereavement plays out before the audience in kaleidoscopic vignettes which are at once visually demanding and (often) psychologically disturbing. Todd’s text and the actors’ counterpoint with that text challenge the audience to grapple with the incredible resilience of the human spirit. Lynette, in her newfound loneliness, rehearses all that has drawn her into and then repelled her from the “soothing” thoughts of suicide. How does the human spirit survive profound neglect, unintentional and intentional physical, emotional, and spiritual abuse? How, specifically, has Lynette (at 60, 26, 16, and 8) been able to achieve not “running out of steam” or “running herself into the ground” and persevere through “all the cruelties” she was accused of?
The ensemble cast splashes the images created by Lynette’s self-therapeutic sessions of memory with an expertise that almost defies belief. Under Luke Leonard’s direction, Michael Howell, Natalie Leonard, Jessica Pohlman, Mariah Ilardi-Lowy and Gates Loren Leonard live out Todd’s script as it is skillfully and often hauntingly given voice by Julie Nelson.
Lynette’s journey connects with members of the audience all on their own journeys into self-discovery and self-reliance (no matter how fragile). Those journeys are not always pleasant and often accompany us into the same dark places Lynette’s significant other “never needed to go into.” But, as Lynette knows, those dark places are “still parts of [us]” and probably “the best parts.”
Ultimately, the type of journey Lynette experiences in her reflective grief is redemptive and salvific. It feeds. It nourishes. Before the performance begins, the audience is “fed” Vanilla Wafers, one for each member served in a small plastic cup. At the performance’s close Lynette herself serves the self-same wafers to the front row of the audience. This time, however, these “wafers” are those of the Eucharist, the redemptive body of Lynette’s death and resurrection. As she passes priest-like, one can almost hear her say, “Take, eat, in remembrance of my journey given for you.” Shocking? Hopefully. Brilliant? Without the slightest doubt.
Go see this significant gem of a performance. Risk being fed. Perhaps you will never again fear the music (whatever that is for you) that prevents you from joining in and dancing the dance of existence. At least one Manhattan Mystery has been solved.
CAST: Michael Howard (The Man); Natalie Leonard (Lynette, age 60); Jessica Pohlman (Lynette, age 26); Mariah Ilardi- Lowy (Lynette, age 16); Gates Loren Leonard (Lynette, age 8); and Julie Nelson (The Voice of Lynette).
PRODUCTION TEAM: Made by Monk Parrots. Luke Leonard (Director and Production Designer); David Todd (Playwright); Shaun Patrick Tubbs (Associate Director); Eric Nightengale (Lighting Designer and Technical Director); Jennifer Skura (Costume Designer); and John Harmon (Light Operator).
HERE I GO is at 59E59 Theaters (59 East 59th Street, between Madison and Park Avenues).
HERE I GO began performances on Tuesday, May 22 for a limited engagement through Sunday, June 3. The performance schedule is Tuesday – Thursday at 7:30 PM; Friday at 8:30 PM; Saturday at 2:30 PM; and Sunday at 3:30 PM. Performances are at 59E59 Theaters (59 East 59th Street, between Park and Madison Avenues). Tickets are $25 ($17.50 for 59E59 Members). To purchase tickets, call Ticket Central at (212) 279-4200 or go to www.59e59.org.
Permalink | Posted by David Roberts on Friday, May 25, 2012
"Here I Go" Opens at 59E59 Theatre C
Cowgirls and country music come to 59E59 Theaters with HERE I GO
New York, New York April 26, 2012—59E59 Theaters (Elysabeth Kleinhans, Artistic Director; Peter Tear, Executive Producer) welcomes Monk Parrots with the world premiere of HERE I GO, written by David Todd and conceived and directed by Luke Leonard. HERE I GO begins performances on Tuesday, May 22 for a limited engagement through Sunday, June 3. Press opening is Thursday, May 24 at 7:30 PM. The performance schedule is Tuesday – Thursday at 7:30 PM; Friday at 8:30 PM; Saturday at 2:30 PM; and Sunday at 3:30 PM. There is an added performance on Saturday, June 2 at 8:30 PM. Performances are at 59E59 Theaters (59 East 59th Street, between Park and Madison Avenues). Tickets are $25 ($17.50 for 59E59 Members). To purchase tickets, call Ticket Central at (212) 279-4200 or go to www.59e59.org.
HERE I GO hitches its horse to the emotional rollercoaster of classic country music. Dolly Parton’s biggest fan Lynette, a cowgirl in her 60s, has lost her husband. After mixing a final batch of her famous banana pudding, Lynette prepares to commit suicide to rejoin him. Will she go?
The cast includes Mariah Ilardi-Lowy, Joey LePage, Gates Leonard, Natalie Leonard, Michael Howell, Julie Nelson, and Jessica Pohlman.
The production designer is Luke Leonard. The lighting designer is Eric Nightengale. Sound design is by Michael Howell.
Luke Leonard (Director/Production Designer) is Producing Artistic Director of Monk Parrots. He has written, directed, and designed fourteen shows in New York since 1997 and created three original works in 2011 for his company, Monk Parrots. Directing credits include: David Lang and Mac Wellman’s opera, The Difficulty of Crossing a Field (nominated for eight 2010 Austin Critics’ Table Awards including “Best Opera” and ranked No. 4 on Austin Chronicle’s "Top Ten Theatrical Wonders of 2010"), and the first Italian translation of Israel Horovitz’s The Indian Wants the Bronx presented in several cities across Italy. Current directing/designing projects include Benjamin Britten's The Turn of the Screw for Opera Moderne at Symphony Space on May 26, 2012 and a new opera with nationally-acclaimed artists Kirk Lynn and Peter Stopschinski. He is a recipient of a 2011 Lower Manhattan Cultural Council Swing Space Artist Residency and holds a Master of Fine Arts in Directing from The University of Texas at Austin and a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Acting from Brooklyn College.
David Todd’s (Playwright) plays have been performed or developed in NYC at theaters including SoHo Rep, The Directors Company, HERE, NY Theater Workshop, the Ontological at St. Mark’s Church, and Nada Show World, and in regional theaters in DC, Portland, and Chicago. His journalism has appeared in The Villager and Downtown Express, and his fiction in Crowd and The Brooklyn Rail. Playwriting residencies include Hangar Theater (Ithaca), Classic Studio (NYC) & Chicago Dramatists. He earned his MFA in Dramatic Writing at NYU and his PhD at the University of Illinois at Chicago. As an instructor, he has taught at colleges including SUNY Stony Brook and NYU.
Permalink | Posted by David Roberts on Thursday, May 24, 2012
"Clybourne Park" Extended Another 4 Weeks
Producer Jordan Roth announced today that the Pulitzer Prize-winning and Tony Award-nominated “Best Play” Clybourne Park, now playing at the Walter Kerr Theatre, has extended its run by popular demand, adding another 4 weeks to the previously announced 16-week engagement. Tickets are now on sale for all performances through August 12th.
Nominated for 4 Tony Awards including “Best Play” (Bruce Norris), “Best Direction of a Play” (Pam MacKinnon), “Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Play” (Jeremy Shamos), “Best Scenic Design of a Play” (Daniel Ostling), and winner of the 2011 Pulitzer Prize and Olivier Award, Clybourne Park is the wickedly funny and fiercely provocative new play about race, real estate and the volatile values of each. Clybourne Park explodes in two outrageous acts set 50 years apart. Act One takes place in 1959, as nervous community leaders anxiously try to stop the sale of a home to a black family. Act Two is set in the same house in the present day, as the now predominantly African-American neighborhood battles to hold its ground in the face of gentrification.
Bruce Norris’s Clybourne Park received its world premiere at Playwrights Horizons in 2010 followed by a critically acclaimed pre-Broadway engagement at Center Theatre Group/Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles. Under the direction of Pam MacKinnon, the highly praised original cast includes Crystal A. Dickinson, Brendan Griffin, Damon Gupton, Christina Kirk, Annie Parisse, Jeremy Shamos and Frank Wood.
The design team features Daniel Ostling (Scenic Design), Ilona Somogyi (Costume Design), Allen Lee Hughes (Lighting Design), and John Gromada (Sound Design). Clybourne Park is produced by Jujamcyn Theaters, Jane Bergère, Roger Berlind/Quintet Productions, Eric Falkenstein/Dan Frishwasser, Ruth Hendel/Harris Karma Productions, JTG Theatricals, Daryl Roth, Jon B. Platt, Center Theatre Group, in association with Lincoln Center Theater.
Tickets, which range from $30.00 to $127.00 (premium seating ranges from $137.00 to $199.00) are available via telecharge.com, by calling (212) 239-6200/(800) 432-7250, or at the Walter Kerr Theatre box office (219 West 48th Street). Groups of 10 or more can be purchased through telecharge.com or by calling (212) 239-6262 in New York or (800) 432-7780 outside the NY Metro area. A limited number of $30.00 General Rush tickets are available the day of performances. Tickets can be purchased at the Box Office beginning at 10 am.
Permalink | Posted by David Roberts on Wednesday, May 23, 2012
Neil LaBute's "The Heart of the Matter" at the Lucille Lortel Theatre
MCC Theater (Robert LuPone, Bernard Telsey, William Cantler, Artistic Directors; Blake West, Executive Director) today announced that Playwright-in-Residence Neil LaBute has written an all new ‘shorts’ series, The Heart of the Matter, for four special benefit performances that will take place June 13, 14, 15 and 16, 2012 at 7:00 p.m. at the Lucille Lortel Theatre (121 Christopher Street, NYC). The staged reading will feature actor Krysten Ritter (ABC’s “Don’t Trust the B---- in Apartment 23,” AMC’s “Breaking Bad”), with additional cast members to be announced shortly. Carolyn Canter, who recently directed Regrets at Manhattan Theatre Club and MCC’s production of LaBute’s In a Dark Dark House, will direct. Proceeds will support MCC Theater’s Playwrights’ Coalition program, free PlayLab reading series and literary development activities.
When acclaimed playwright-provocateur Neil LaBute turns his acid wit to affairs of the heart, one thing is certain…there will be blood! Passion, emotion, sexual negotiation, and infidelity all converge in this collection of recent one-act plays, each featuring a pair of lovers in crisis. A four-performance benefit event in the vein of LaBute’s Filthy Talk for Troubled Times staged at MCC in 2010, The Heart of the Matter is an attempt to comprehend the true nature of love (or at least the fallout it can leave behind).
Tickets are now on-sale for this event, priced between $39 and $99, and may be purchased by visiting www.mcctheater.org or by calling (212) 352-3101. The Thursday, June 14 performance will include an exclusive post-show reception with members of the company. Specially-priced tickets for this celebration can be purchased by contacting the MCC Development Department at (212) 727-7722 ext. 232 or by visiting www.mcctheater.org.
MCC Theater – founded in 1986 as Manhattan Class Company – is committed to developing and producing new work that challenges artists and rewards audiences. Our mission is carried out through an annual season of world, American, and New York premieres, literary development programs for emerging writers, and ground-breaking education programs that enable more than 1,200 New York City high school students to find - and use - their own unique voice each year through the creation and performance of original theater pieces. Notable MCC Theater highlights include: the 2008 Tony Award-nominated Reasons to Be Pretty by Neil LaBute, The Pride, Fifty Words, the 2004 Tony-winning production of Bryony Lavery’s Frozen, Neil LaBute’s Fat Pig; Rebecca Gilman’s The Glory of Living, Marsha Norman’s Trudy Blue, Margaret Edson’s Pulitzer Prize-winning Wit, Tim Blake Nelson’s The Grey Zone, Alan Bowne’s Beirut, The Submission, winner of the inaugural Laurents/Hatcher Foundation Award for new American plays, and last season’s newly reworked and fully re-imagined production of Carrie, the musical. Over the years, the dedication to the work of new and emerging artists has earned MCC Theater a variety of awards.
Permalink | Posted by David Roberts on Wednesday, May 23, 2012
Spider-Man Hero Seats Available Year Round
“SPIDER-MAN Turn Off The Dark” BROADWAY’S MOST POPULAR NEW SHOW CELEBRATES AMERICA’S REAL HEROES AND THEIR FAMILIES WITH “SPIDER-MAN HERO SEATS” U.S. ARMED SERVICES, POLICE, EMS, AND FIREFIGHTERS ELIGIBLE FOR SPECIAL HERO PRICE! New York, NY (5/22/12) – Producers Michael Cohl and Jeremiah J. Harris announced today that SPIDER-MAN Turn Off The Dark, Broadway’s most popular new show, is offering “Spider-Man Hero Seats”, specially priced tickets for America’s Real Heroes and their families. All branches of the Armed Services and Military Service Personnel (active, reservists, retired, and veteran), police officers, EMS and firefighters are all eligible to receive up to four “Hero Seats”. These tickets will be available year round beginning today, in honor of Fleet Week.
“Hero Seat” tickets are available at the Foxwoods Theatre box office (213 West 42nd Street) only with valid services ID, and can be purchased for day-of performance or up to two weeks in advance. “Hero Seats” are priced as follows: Tuesday – Thursday, $39/Friday – Sunday, $49. Tickets are subject to availability.
SPIDER-MAN Turn Off The Dark is Broadway’s most popular new show, and one of the most famous theatrical events in history. In the past year, the production has been seen by more than 1 million audience members from around the world. It features music and lyrics by 22-time Grammy® Award-winners Bono and The Edge, direction by Philip William McKinley (The Boy From Oz), and a book co-written by Julie Taymor, Glen Berger (Underneath The Lintel) and Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa (Fantastic Four and Spider-Man comics, “Big Love”). Scenic Designer George Tsypin and Costume Designer Eiko Ishioka are winners of Outer Critics Circle Awards and were recently nominated for Tony® Awards for their work on SPIDER-MAN Turn Off The Dark.
The world’s most recognizable super hero leaps off the comic book pages and onto the Broadway stage in SPIDER-MAN Turn Off The Dark. Peter Parker’s ordinary teenage life takes a turn for the extraordinary when he’s bitten by a genetically altered spider and suddenly finds himself endowed with incredible superpowers. Parker quickly learns that with great power comes great responsibility as he tries to juggle the demands of high school and home life, while battling the Green Goblin and his band of super villains as they try to take down New York City and destroy everything Peter holds dear – including the beautiful girl-next-door, Mary Jane Watson. This high-flying groundbreaking and history-making production brings this story – inspired by more than fifty years of Marvel comic books – thrillingly to life!
Tickets for SPIDER-MAN Turn Off The Dark are priced from $79.50 - $159.50, and can be purchased at Ticketmaster.com or by calling (877) 250-2929. Tickets are also available at the Foxwoods Theatre box office (213 West 42nd Street), which is open Monday through Saturday, 10:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m. and Sunday, 12:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.
SPIDER-MAN Turn Off The Dark now plays the following performance schedule: Tuesday through Thursday at 7:30 p.m., Wednesday at 1:30 p.m., Friday and Saturday at 8:00 p.m., Saturday at 2:00 p.m., and Sunday at 3:00 p.m.
Permalink | Posted by David Roberts on Tuesday, May 22, 2012
You Are in an Open Field at HERE
You Are in an Open Field HERE
My urban high school students would have issues with “You Are in an Open Field.” They would not dislike it; they would just resist it. I, on the other hand, embraced this quirky musical which opened on May 3 at HERE. Is the difference in my students’ response and my response one of aesthetics or of gaming sophistication? The difference is: my students do not want to transition to a game-less existence. I have made that journey and prefer to remain in as game-free an environment as possible.
The show’s title refers to a line from “Zork,” one of the first (1977 – 1979) interactive computer games. According to the “Zork Trilogy Instruction Manual” the computer game is set in "the ruins of an ancient empire lying far underground." The player is a nameless adventurer "who is venturing into this dangerous land in search of wealth and adventure." The goal is to return from the "Great Underground Empire" alive with the treasures, ultimately inheriting the title of Dungeon Master.
The creators and cast of “You Are in an Open Field” use the computer game as a trope (in this case, an extended metaphor) for the possible escape from the ruins of the twenty-first century to a utopia free of the catalogue of games that have all but anesthetized humankind: greed; war; racism; sexism; homophobia (and on and on and on).
Under Christopher Dippel’s direction, this trope works with success most of the time. Kevin R. Free and the performance’s co-creators Eevin Hartsough, Marta Rainer, and Adam Smith, work hard on stage with the Carl Riehl’s live hip hop band to seduce the audience into their vision of a saner, kinder future. Sometimes lacking is the kind of connection between them which would clinch the audience’s belief in their worthy cause: the final reboot into the new adventure.
Near the end of the musical, Kevin shares the vision of this adventure: “When I take a step into the world to make my own adventure, my reward is in the stepping and not in some hidden treasure. Protagonist, antagonist: both live inside of me. Still in each new quest I learn that my treasure isn’t free.” This is something worth believing in.
Whichever open field we ultimately choose – our own open field or some Zork-inspired game field – we will all transition to whatever afterlife we imagine through some electronic portal: morphine pump; dialysis machine; respirator; cryogenic pod. And all of these will be programmable by some game master, some boss, replete with LED lights and (electronic sounds.) And all of this will transport us ultimately through sounds of silence into new open fields where there will be no tears, no crying, no beeps, no need to reboot or re-start. All we will need to do is “be” in a timeless, spaceless, open field. The kind of game we should be playing while we are still here. The kind of game the Neo-Futurists envision and construct on stage at HERE.
The show is written by Kevin R. Free, Eevin Hartsough, Marta Rainer and Adam Smith. Music by the Neo-Futurists' frequent collaborator Carl Riehl who will be leading a live hip hop band. Christopher Dippel directs.
YOU ARE IN AN OPEN FIELD begins performances on Thursday, April 26 for a limited engagement through Saturday, May 19. The performance schedule is Thursday – Saturday at 7 PM, with added performances on Monday, April 30; Wednesday, May 9; Monday, May 14; and Wednesday, May 16 all at 7 PM. Press Opening is Thursday, May 3 at 7 PM. The regular ticket price is $18. Performances are at HERE (145 6th Avenue, enter on Dominick, one block south of Spring Street). For tickets, which will be on sale beginning on March 19, call Ovation Tix on 212-352-3101 or visit here.org. For more information, visit www.nynf.org.
Permalink | Posted by David Roberts on Saturday, May 5, 2012
The Morini Strad at 58E59
Why would violin virtuoso Erica Morini, at the age of ninety-one, seek out the relatively unknown violin maker and repairer Brian Skarstad to maintain her priceless Davidoff Stradivarius? This is ostensibly the subject of Willy Holtzman’s new play “The Morini Strad” now in performance at 59E59 Theaters. This final offering in Primary Stages’s 2011/2012 Season is a brilliant fictional retelling of an historical slice from the lives of these two intriguing characters.
The answer to the question posited above comes after ninety-five delicious minutes of near flawless acting by Mary Beth Peil (Erica) and Michael Laurence (Brian). Ms. Peil and Mr. Laurence enter the ring of artisan (Brian) vs. artist (Erica) and spar for the coveted prize of unconditional and non-judgmental love. With each verbal punch, Erica and Brian release each other’s repressed and suppressed “music.” Erica is able to work through her anger at the male-dominated classical music industry which never gave her the recognition she deserved, and Brian is able to confront what he really wants to do with his life and craft.
Although it is somewhat easy to understand why Brian would be enthralled with the feisty Erica (especially when he faces the prospect of receiving a life-changing commission if he sells Erica’s Strad), it is less transparent why Erica would court Brian’s favor, especially since he assumes “violinists were necessary evils.” And that is the delectable secret of this play. Erica wants something for Brian that even he does not admit. It is only through her transforming life, death, and spiritual resurrection that Brian is able to achieve his life purpose, his “music.” Indeed, Erica’s passion heals all wounds visible and invisible.
Despite its distinguished performances and accomplished writing, “The Morini Strad” is not without a minor shortcoming. If there is any issue with the play it would be the presence of the much talented Ms. Stuart. She, or any violinist, is not necessary and actually detracts from the mental gymnastics/workout between the two protagonists (who serve as one another’s antagonist). Let the two actors do the work they can do to “hear” the violin music and “see” it as well. This is in no way to diminish the talent of this young violinist; it is to affirm that she simply is not needed. “The Morini Strad” is a script that can be trusted. And both Mary Beth Peil and Michael Laurence are actors whose craft can be trusted.
When Erica re-lives her Carnegie Hall debut (or any other memorable performance) from her hospital bed, the audience does not need a physical stand-in to understand the importance of that event. Erica could get up from the hospital bed and stand before the audience (the real audience, not the projected one) and listen with the audience to the sheer brilliance of that performance in recording. Let the suspension of disbelief happen! Trust the material; trust the actors; trust the audience! Also, when the stage hands assist Erica into her hospital bed near the end of the play, why not wear white coats and be physicians and nurses? And when Brian planes his block of wood at the very end of the play, why not caress that wood in the same way he caressed the Morini Strad?
This amazing piece of theatre closes on April 28th. See it before then; in fact, see it more than once, There is a treasure trove of meaning to be unearthed.
The Morini Strad
Presented by Primary Stages (Casey Childs, Founder and Executive Producer, Andrew Leynse, Artistic Director, Elliot Fox, Managing Director) in association with Jamie deRoy, Barry Feirstein, and Dan Frishwasser. Written by Willy Holtzman. Directed by Casey Childs. Set design by Neil Patel; costume design by David C. Woolard; lighting design by M. L. Geiger; original music and sound design by Lindsay Jones; projection design by Jan Hartley. Prodiction Stage Manager: Sarah Melissa Hall. Plays a limited engagement through April 28 at Primary Stages at 59E59 Theaters, 59 East 59th Street, between Park and Madison Avenues. Performances are Tuesday through Thursday at 7:00 PM, Friday at 8:00 PM, Saturday at 2:00 and 8:00 PM with Sunday matinees at 3:00 PM on April 8. Tickets are $65.00 and may be purchased by calling Ticket Central at 212-279-4200, online at www.primarystages.org or in person at the 59E59 Theaters Box Office.
With
Michael Laurence (Brian), Mary Beth Peil (Erica), and Hanah Stuart (Violinist)
Permalink | Posted by David Roberts on Tuesday, April 3, 2012
The Morini Strad at 58E59
Primary Stages (Casey Childs, Founder & Executive Producer; Andrew Leynse, Artistic Director; Elliot Fox, Managing Director) concludes its 27th season with the New York premiere of The Morini Strad, a new play by Willy Holtzman (Sabina). Directed by Casey Childs, the cast features Michael Laurence (Krapp39, Broadway’s Talk Radio, Opus at Primary Stages), Tony® nominee Mary Beth Peil (“The Good Wife,” “Dawson’s Creek,” The King and I), and celebrated violin soloist Hanah Stuart (Chicago Symphony Hall, Zankel Hall). The production features a set design by Neil Patel, costume design by David C. Woolard, lighting design by Mary Louise Geiger, original music and sound design by Lindsay Jones, and projection design by Jan Hartley.The limited engagement plays through April 28 at Primary Stages at 59E59 Theaters. Opening night is April 3rd.
Permalink | Posted by David Roberts on Thursday, March 29, 2012
Eternal Equinox at 59E59
I’d give anything for an evening with Virginia Woolf. I’m not so sure about making that same commitment to her sister Vanessa Bell – at least not as Vanessa is portrayed by Hollis McCarthy in the current Grove Theatre Center production of “Eternal Equinox” at 59E59 in Manhattan.
Ms. McCarthy’s Vanessa is the epitome of the emotional tyrant: she bullies her Bloomsbury buddy Duncan Grant (who though apparently gay fathers their daughter) into maintaining his commitment to her and her artistic craft. Not only has she slept with him but she has slept with his love interest George Mallory who stops by for a visit to convince Duncan to accompany him on his next Everest expedition.
This uber-talented cast cannot seem to make Joyce Hokin Sachs’s script work. Of the lot, Michael Gabriel Goodfriend (Duncan) is the most compelling with Christian Pedersen (George) and Vanessa Bell doing their best with what they are given. It is difficult to know precisely why. Why could an audience interface with the personae of three intrinsically significant historical characters and honestly not care about any of them? We do not care whether Duncan stays with Vanessa or leaves her. In fact, we hope he rings up young “country stock” Hodges for another romp in the country. Nor do we care whether George returns from Everest in one piece. We simply do not care. But we do wonder what Virginia might be doing.
It is not difficult to traverse “Eternal Equinox’s” themes of abandonment, love lost, emotional tyranny, psychological projection, and emotional and spiritual regret. What is difficult is to understand why these talented actors cannot convince the audience to connect to even the smallest shred of their intertwining lives. Perhaps we can only blame the director Kevin Cochran who should have been able to pull this complicated and well-written script into some semblance of objective reality.
Though it was fun to see the joy Duncan and George experienced when they stripped down and romped off to a swim, one wonders why it took so long for that joyful moment to occur. And why, oh why, do experienced actors have to – when they bare all – have to dash off stage as though their beauty and joy somehow needed to be hidden? If actors cannot be comfortable in the nude, they should not get nude!
An equinox is a time when, as Vanessa says, “the world hangs in a balance.” I presume an eternal equinox would be such a balance unresolved. The balance between Vanessa, Duncan, and George remains unresolved. It seems to be resolved in Vanessa’s tyrannical torture that whips Duncan into emotional and artistic submission. This is not a satisfactory resolution for this critic. Someone needs to take the blame. My bet is on the director who should have been able to stir these talented actors’ back stories into a fractured frenzy. Meantime, I long for that reunion with Virginia. Just saying.
ETERNAL EQUINOX
The performance schedule is Tuesday – Thursday at 7:30 PM; Friday at 8:30 PM; Saturday at 2:30 PM and 8:30 PM; and Sunday at 3:30 PM through Saturday March 31. Performances are at 59E59 Theaters (59 East 59th Street, between Park and Madison Avenues). Tickets are $25 ($17.50 for 59E59 Members). To purchase tickets, call Ticket Central at (212) 279-4200 or go to www.59e59.org.
Permalink | Posted by David Roberts on Wednesday, March 28, 2012
Spring Alive at Dixon Place
“Fasten your seatbelts – it’s gonna to be a bumpy night!” Bette Davis’s character Margo Channing utters this now famous phrase in the 1950 film “All About Eve.” The quote has often been corrupted and misquoted as “Fasten your seatbelts; it’s going to be a bumpy ride.” In either incarnation, the quote is an apt metaphor for the difficult journey life presents as humankind attempts to make some meaningful sense of the self, the other, and the world.
The quote might also be an apt metaphor for describing “Spring Alive,” the self-described ecstatic journey home on stage now through March 25 at Dixon Place in Manhattan. Creator and performer of the journey Spring Groove constructs her performance will the good intentions of not only rehearsing her own successful navigation through the bumps in her journey to self discovery but also providing a template for the audience members to attempt their own liberation. But as Robert Burns aptly noted, “the best-laid schemes o' mice an' men, gang aft agley.”
The first indication full lap and shoulder restraints will be needed is the prolonged marketing assault launched by a member of Dixon Place’s staff. Such shameless pitches for monetary support prior to any performance are unfair to the performer and the audience and should be banned. Ms. Groove cannot be held responsible for this first bump.
However, the second bump comes from Ms. Groove’s own director who decides he needs to energize the audience with a second shameless pitch for audience and monetary support and issue a warning that the audience, throughout the next ninety-plus minutes, will be required to actively participate in the performance. Several seat belts, including my own, instinctively tighten. The bumpiness of the performance itself is indeed the result of several choices made by Spring Groove and her creative team.
Although Ms. Groove successfully chronicles her journey from spiritual torpor to spiritual renewal, she often appears self-serving in that attempt. The show’s twelve songs are connected by a book conceived by Spring Groove and Huck Hirsch. In these spoken interludes the audience learns that Ms. Groove’s spiritual journey from Broadway back home was peppered with busking gigs which gave her sufficient income to travel to and from Europe at least twice, study yoga in the Bahamas, attend an exclusive and costly ashram, entertain her Long Island parents in Italy, and celebrate Thanksgiving with her parents in Venice Beach where she is the only single person at the table. Why wouldn’t a busker on her spiritual journey invite her Venice Beach homeless friend (whose Thanksgiving dinner is a can of tuna opened with a bayonet) to be her guest?
Even the performer’s appeal to pathos is problematic. Ms. Groove repeatedly invites her audience to participate in antiphonal Sanskrit Mantras: first “Om namo bhagavate vasudevaya,” a Mukti, or liberation, Mantra; second “Om Gam Ganapataye Namaha,” a Mantra to Lord Ganesha which aids in spiritual progression (transcending into higher states of consciousness) and effects healing in the physical and energetic bodies; and, finally “Om Dum Durgayei Namaha,” an appeal to the Divine Protectress Durga whose sight can produce ecstacy and a variety of beautiful forms. All of these sacred Mantras can lead the seeker to profound spiritual awakening but only when the postulant volunteers to chant and humbly awaits transformation.
The Mantras in “Spring Alive” are highly rehearsed performances including dancers entering “on cue” with ecstasy-ridden faces and movements which belie any sincerity of divine revelation. At one point near the end of the performance, these same dancers enter with a large “mattress” upon which Ms. Groove sits swami-like and invites her audience and her dancer-devotees to “sing along” to the projected words of the Mantra.
Each person’s quest for spiritual awakening is authentic and sacred. There is no doubt that Spring Groove’s journey home is authentic and inspiring. It is not evident, however, that “Spring Alive” is the most effective medium for sharing that journey. It’s slickness deters from its persuasiveness and its rehearsed shine (band members with closed eyes and uplifted faces) leaves little room for the spontaneity of the elusive spirit of rebirth.
This said, some will find this performance a powerful vehicle for change. Spring Groove’s appeal for the audience to help one another and to allow the light within each person to shine and to become the light each person is made with a sincere hope for personal and corporate transformation. She sends her audience forth to seek authentic change. If only we were not cajoled into piling out onto the stage to dance bedecked with circular glow sticks and torn-paper remnants of our worldly stress.
Back to those bumps: ultimately, not all that is bumpy is bad. As Ms. Groove reminds us early on, some of those bumps are opportunities for growth. She is correct. Go ask Ganesha. _____
SPRING ALIVE ONE Healing Arts COMPANY and Demos Bizar Entertainment present SPRING ALIVE! a world premiere concert experience starring Broadway performer and recording artist Spring Groove (Broadway: Grease, Saturday Night Fever). Musical Director Alex Navarro leads a band, including musicians Greg Burrows, David Finch, Jordan Jancz, and Deepak Ramapriyan with singers Sherz Aletaha and Saum Eskandani. The dancers are Akil David, Jennifer Knox, Catherine Poppell and Richard Riaz Yoder. Performances for SPRING ALIVE! will be held from March 2-25, 2012 on Fridays & Saturdays at 8pm and Sundays at 7pm at Dixon Place, 161 Chrystie Street (between Delancey and Rivington) in Manhattan’s Lower East Side. Tickets for SPRING ALIVE! are $25 and can be purchased by visiting https://web.ovationtix.com/trs/pr/903605 or by calling 212-352-3101. For more information on SPRING ALIVE!, visit www.onehealingartscompany.com. For more information on Spring Groove, visit www.springgroove.com.
Permalink | Posted by David Roberts on Saturday, March 17, 2012
CEOExpress
