notes on the land of earthquake & fire (FringeNYC)

By Zak

BOTTOM LINE: A solid, well acted witty take on the business of making movies and the price you pay for success.

I love the Fringe Fest because you never know what you are going to see. I wasn’t planning on seeing notes on the land of earthquake & fire, but I am so glad that I did. notes… is described as a vicious new play by Jason Schafer, who penned the screenplay for the motion picture Trick, and it does not disappoint. It tells the story of a struggling Hollywood assistant who will do whatever it takes to break into the business, including looking after his boss’s teenage girl, reading mountains of scripts for no credit, and fielding a mysterious half naked stranger who shows up at his door.

A lot of plays that pop up at FringeNYC are in their first or second incarnation and have a few kinks here and there that are worked out along the way. That is not the case with this very enjoyable piece. It is very clear that this play has already been a finalist for the O’Neil Theatre Conference because it is extremely polished and is propelled along beautiful by the very talented cast. Most notably is Ian Scott McGregor, who practically never leaves the stage, and plays the put-upon everyman who wants to rise above his dead-end job, with such sincerity and humor that every person in the audience identifies and empathizes with this talented actor.

So, needless to say, I enjoyed myself. I had a great time and think that most people will as well. If you are looking for a smart play with great performances about the lengths we go to in order to achieve success, then go see notes on the land of earthquake & fire.

(notes on the land of earthquake & fire plays at The Players Theatre, 115 Macdougal Street.
Performances are Sunday 8/16 at 1:00pm, Wednesday 8/19 at 5:30pm, Monday 8/24 at 10:00pm and Saturday 8/29 at 5:45 pm. Tickets are $15. To purchase tickets or for more info visit earthquakeandfire.com and for more info on FringeNYC visit fringenyc.org.)