Theatre Is Easy

New Reviews at Theasy.com

2010-02-22T12:46:00.002-05:00

Read Tzipora's review of A Play On War at
http://theasy.com/Reviews/aplayonwar.php

Read Dan's review of A Little Night Music at
http://theasy.com/Reviews/alittlenightmusic.php

New Reviews at Theasy.com

2010-02-19T14:25:00.002-05:00

Read Steve's review of Palestine at
http://theasy.com/Reviews/palestine.php

Read Zak's review of The Hidden Sky at
http://theasy.com/Reviews/thehiddensky.php

Read Nancy's review of Playing Cricket at
http://theasy.com/Reviews/playingcricket.php

Read Abby's review of FAT BITCH! at
http://theasy.com/Reviews/fatbitch.php

New Reviews at Theasy.com

2010-02-15T09:46:00.001-05:00

Read Darron's review of Sex & Violence at
http://theasy.com/Reviews/sexandviolence.php

Read Molly's review of Black Angels Over Tuskegee at
http://theasy.com/Reviews/blackangelsovertuskegee.php

New Reviews at Theasy.com

2010-02-11T12:47:00.001-05:00

Read Aaron's review of Dog & Wolf at
http://theasy.com/Reviews/dogandwolf.php

Read Tzipora's review of Clothes For A Summer Hotel at
http://theasy.com/Reviews/clothesforasummerhotel.php

Daddy

2010-02-06T11:30:00.001-05:00

Read David's review of Daddy at
http://theasy.com/Reviews/daddy.php

Caroline, Or Change

2010-02-04T23:31:00.000-05:00

Read the review of Gallery Players' Caroline, Or Change at
http://theasy.com/Reviews/carolineorchange.php.

New Reviews at Theasy.com

2010-02-03T21:22:00.003-05:00

Read the review of Tea With Chachaji at
http://theasy.com/Reviews/teawithchachaji.php.

Read the review of Karen Finley's The Jackie Look at
http://theasy.com/Reviews/thejackielook.php.

Visit the new Theatre Is Easy at theasy.com!

2010-01-30T10:00:00.001-05:00

Read the Theasy review of Broadway's Time Stands Still at http://theasy.com.

reviewed by Dan on 1.30.10

New Theasy!

2009-09-28T21:17:00.002-04:00

The new Theasy is up and running!
Please visit
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for NYC theatre reviews and info.
Thanks for visiting the site!

A Steady Rain (Schoenfeld Theatre)

2009-09-25T07:35:00.000-04:00

By Dan

5 POINTS OR LESS
the hot ticket of the season • Daniel Craig and Hugh Jackman • pulpy cop drama-not for kids • almost every show will be sold out • don’t feel bad if you miss it

BOTTOM LINE: Contrary to all the hype, you don't need to see this; it is fine, but you’ve probably seen it before.

Every so often there seems to be a Broadway play that quickly becomes “event theatre”- a show that sells out every show, draws huge crowds, and soon becomes the hot ticket of the season. Julia Roberts in Three Days of Rain, the pairing of Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick in The Odd Couple - these shows had no trouble selling tickets, even though the productions themselves weren't really all that great.

And now we have A Steady Rain, with Daniel Craig and Hugh Jackman. In its first full week of previews, it grossed more money than any straight play in Broadway history. It is likely it's mostly sold out for its entire 12-week run. Seats in the rear orchestra are being sold for premium prices ($276-$376 per ticket) and once it opens on September 29th, tickets may be extremely hard to come by, at any price. At this point, it appears as if spending $125 on a ticket (which is already expensive for most people) won’t even get you a good seat, it will just get you in the theatre. So…is it worth it? Should you pay premium prices to see this play? No. And if your dates are flexible, or you are a student, or you’re willing to stand, you may not need to. More on that in a bit. First, the play.

In A Steady Rain, Craig and Jackman are Chicago beat cops. The play opens with the men sitting in chairs on a bare stage with two lights hanging over them, as if they are in an interrogation room. They tell a story that begins innocuously enough: the two men are partners and best friends. But the tale quickly turns dark and violent. You may have heard that the play is a series of monologues, or that each cop tells their own (different) perspective of what happened. Neither is exactly true; the two men share the storytelling, as if they are both in the same room telling a listener/interrogator what happened. They occasionally interact with each other, but for the most part, each contributes to the joint story.

Throughout the story, the two men deal with various elements of the Chicago underworld. The tone of A Steady Rain recalls movies like Mystic River and Gone Baby Gone. As with these movies, in which the turns of plot are so integral to one’s experience, it is best to see the A Steady Rain knowing as little as possible about the story.

The writing is decent, and certainly evokes the intended atmosphere. Whenever the cops venture out into the seedier areas of the city, a backdrop appears. While these backdrops look great, they aren’t necessary; I couldn’t help thinking that their main purpose was to fill the large stage and justify the high ticket prices. Jackman and Craig are both good. I didn’t love either performance, because I think both characters have the potential to be more complex and layered.

A Steady Rain was produced in Chicago last year, with no stars and in a much smaller theatre. Frankly, I wish I had seen that production. Broadway is a business, and this production of A Steady Rain will make pots of money for everyone involved. But let’s not kid ourselves: Craig and Jackman are both fine, but there are many actors in New York who could play these roles just as well, if not better. To be fair, my seat was in the rear mezzanine, so I missed the more subtle aspects of their performances. So if you can easily afford spending $125 and can find a decent orchestra ticket, it might be worth it. With only two actors on stage, this play is really all about intimate storytelling, something that you won’t get by sitting in the last row of the Schoenfeld Theatre.

But unless money is no object, don’t get swept up by all the hype and feel the need to drop $300 on a ticket. If you’re a student, there are $31.50 student rush tickets available at the box office (see below). I’ve heard that $29.50 standing room tickets will also be available once the show opens (technically, standing room is only sold when the show is sold out, but that won’t be an issue here). Just know that lots of other non-students will also be angling for these standing room tickets, so the competition may be fierce. But at 90 minutes, it isn’t a bad show to stand for. And both student tickets and standing room are sold the day of the show, which means there will always be a few tickets to be had.

Just don’t feel too bad if you miss the show. A Steady Rain is a decent night of theatre, but it isn’t “must see” theatre. While I was never bored, I also wasn’t excited. This is a pretty standard cop drama: pulpy, seedy, dark, and violent. You’ve seen it before. Maybe not with Daniel Craig and Hugh Jackman live on stage, but trust me, you’ve seen it before.

(A Steady Rain plays a limited engagement at the Schoenfeld Theatre, 236 W. 45th St, through December 6th. Performances are Tuesday at 7pm, Wednesday through Saturday at 8pm, with matinees on Wednesday and Saturday at 2pm, and Sunday at 3pm. Running time is 90 minutes with no intermission. Regular price tickets are $66.50- $140, and premium tickets are $276.50- $376.50. $29.50 standing room tickets are available at the box office if the performance is sold out (it will be)- they will probably go on sale a few hours before the performance, but lines will form earlier. Student rush tickets (generally last row of the mezzanine) are $31.50; these are either 1 or 2 per ID (depending on availability), and are available the day of the show when the box office opens. IMPORTANT: the box office will sell you a student ticket, but will hold it until 30 minutes before the show, and you will need to show your student ID to pick it up then. Visit telecharge.com to buy tickets and asteadyrainonbroadway.com for more information.)

Fathers and Sons

2009-09-22T14:43:00.002-04:00

By Steve

5 POINTS OR LESS
exploration of male roles and relationships • “traditional” and “non-traditional” father/son issues • good discussion material for parents of adolescent males • play within a play • strong performances

BOTTOM LINE: Two actors, one older and one younger, perform six connected scenes exploring various contemporary male relationships including father/son. Fathers & Sons is an earnest attempt to promote mutual understanding between men of different backgrounds, sexual orientations, classes, and generations.

Richard Hoehler has a lot to say about male relationships in his play Fathers & Sons, and he says it with gusto. The play is ambitious and passionate, and has an earnestness that to my mind makes it ideal for family audiences, especially those with adolescent males. Hoehler is an educator who conducts writing and acting workshops for NYC high school students, and you can sense his affinity for teaching in every moment of Fathers & Sons. Parents who are looking for theater that is both entertaining and instructive will find that this play raises tantalizing questions about what it means to be a father, a son, and a man in 21st century America.

Two actors (Hoehler and Edwin Matos, Jr.) portray six pairs of men, each a variation of father/son. Scene by scene, they explore the dynamics of male relationships: power, control, responsibility, abandonment – and love. The scenes are presented as rehearsals for a play called "Fathers & Sons," and the actors seem to be playing versions of themselves. “Richard” is an actor/writer/teacher who has agreed to coach “Edwin,” a talented but undisciplined young man. When Richard gets the chance to present the play to a representative of the Public Theater, the stakes are raised. This is his big chance for recognition in the professional theater. But is Edwin up to the task?

The scenes they perform, while often peppered with humor, take on serious issues of contemporary male identity: a stepfather and stepson compete for primacy in a poor household; a Latino son preparing for college must tell his proud but illiterate father that his presence at an important interview could damage his chance for a scholarship; an acting teacher and his student become sexually intimate only to face unexpected consequences the next morning; a loving but overwhelmed uncle must insist that his learning-disabled nephew move out of his apartment and into a group home; a father who has spent years in prison and who is now dying appeals for forgiveness from his embittered son. The connective tissue is the relationship between Richard and Edwin, fraught with similar tensions. Mutual need forces each to grapple with his understanding of the other man—and himself.

The production is tightly directed by Chris Dolman and both actors give strong performances. Ironically, Hoehler the playwright gives Matos the better roles and material. Richard confesses in the play that he has always been afraid of success and that it’s “easier saving souls in the South Bronx than competing in the Big League” of the New York theater. I was particularly struck by his jaundiced take on the actor’s life, which includes auditions for “don’t-blink-or-you’ll-miss me parts on Law & Order Special Bullshit Unit.” Hoehler is believable in his roles. Matos is truly compelling.

The theme of Fathers & Sons is ageless: how do men learn to express love for each other in a world that seems to demand competitive toughness above all else? These characters struggle to choose love and forgiveness over anger and blame, and for that they--and Hoehler--deserve our praise.

(Fathers & Sons will perform through October 4, Wednesday-Saturday evenings at 8pm and Sunday matinees at 3pm, at the Lion Theatre, 410 West 42nd Street. Tickets are $25 through Ticket Central online at ticketcentral.com or by calling 212-279-4200. For more info visit FathersandSonsOnstage.com)

The Hole (The Layre/Theatre at St. Clements)

2009-09-20T11:45:00.000-04:00

By Le-Anne

FIVE POINTS OR LESS:
Full frontal male nudity and shirtless guysA bunch of sex stuffs (You even get to see a good number of the sex positions you know and love acted out in the background during a sentimental song. Ahh...how romantic...)A musical comedy for adults onlyDefinitely not PC

BOTTOM LINE: If you like musicals, drag shows, and some good ol' gratuitous silliness then you’ll like this show.

Kaitlin Monte, Joey Murray & Scott Martin in The Hole.

Eager to see The Hole, I entered the lobby of The Theatre at St. Clements and was greeted by a beautiful body in a tiny black Speedo. Immediately, I knew what I was getting myself into. “Must be a family show,” I nodded to myself, “a big, gay, drug-filled, prostitute-loving, naked-man-baring, innuendo-laden, melodramatic, family show.” More or less, I was right. By more, I mean there was much more chiseled man-body to be seen. And by less, I mean less than a teeny, tiny Speedo was worn. Oh! And, I almost forgot, there’s singing, lots and lots of singing. The Hole, filled with many mostly-naked men, one crazy little lesbian, and a bitchy drag queen, is not incredibly deep but it’s a good time.

Glam rock Nicky, (Joey Murray), is a struggling actor living in the city. His best friend, Nadia, (Kaitlin Monte), is a prostitute, enabler, and isn't going to win mother of the year anytime soon. They get wasted and pop on down to their favorite East Village club of debauchery, The Hole, where Didi (Stephanie Spano), who is crazy-mad-in-horny-love with Nadia, is spinning. Nicky’s arch nemesis, Phil, (Alex Michaels), aka “Queen LaQueefa,” is performing that night. From there, things get a little absurd. Well, actually, things got absurd long before that when Nadia “forgot” she had a baby (no one even noticed that she was pregnant in the first place). The absurdity continues when they check the baby (Xavier Rice) at the door with the Tourette Syndrome coat check boy (Ari Gold) then, after they watch LaQueefa’s drag show, they spill an 8-ball of coke on the bathroom floor, on which various people proceed to have various forms of sex in various positions, then some people die and go to gold lamay heaven. The end.

Murray (who also wrote the book) is a solid performer. Charming with great comedic timing, he knows how to run with a campy joke. My favorite moments were the glimpses of sincerity that slipped into his performance. Spano simply steals the show with her earnest, heart wrenching, rendition of the song “One Heart, One Bitch.” The girl’s got pipes and acting chops to boot. I mean, she made the question, “Can I land on your landing strip?” sound like the most romantic proposal in the world, come on! Michaels as Phil/Queen LaQueefa is superb. Like the recently late, always great, Patrick Swayze as Vida in “To Wong Foo Thanks For Everything, Julie Newmar,” Michaels plays LaQueefa as a woman, not a man playing a woman. (And, girl, his make-up is flawless!)

The music, by Robert Baumgartner Jr., (additional lyrics by Heidi Heilig), is fun with some tight composition and a handful of damned good songs, especially the group numbers, “Ready to Go,” “Fucking Disaster,” Phil’s “Guttersnipe, Nightlife” and the aforementioned, “One Heart, One Bitch.” This show isn’t going to change anyone’s life but I don’t think it’s meant to. The performances are great, the story is nonsensical fun, and the music is good (great band, by the way including Justin Hosek on bass, Kurt Gellersted on guitar, Andrew Potenza on drums, and Baumgartner on keyboard).

In this play, no one is safe and nothing is sacred. It’s a ridiculous musical comedy that sometimes, even though it’s done well, borders on a little too much camp, (much like LaQueefa advises Nicky about his eyeliner, less is more, darling). Nevertheless, in the end, The Hole is one hell of a fun time. (I know, I know. I couldn’t resist!)

(The Hole is no longer running.)

LAUNCH PARTY TONIGHT!

2009-09-19T09:08:00.003-04:00

Later today we will launch the brand new re-designed Theatre Is Easy! And we're having a party to celebrate! Join us at Wharf Bar and Grill, 587 Third Avenue between 38th and 39th Street, NYC, from 8-midnight. And check back to theatreiseasy.com or theasy.com soon to see the new site!

World Premiere of EN by dance troupe COBU (Theater for the New City)

2009-09-19T05:56:00.001-04:00

By Le-Anne

5 POINTS OR LESS:
rhythmic dance show • jaw-dropping talent • limited engagement!  (But they tour throughout the country so check out their website.) • fun for the whole family (There was even a toddler sitting in front of me and she was loving it!) • insanely talented (Did I say that already?)

BOTTOM LINE: A truly unique style - a fusion of funk, hip hop, tap, and traditional Japanese taiko drums. If you like shows like STOMP, Fuerzabruta, Cirque Du Soleil, etc., though it's quite different from them, you'll like this. Outstanding talent, it is apparent that the word “mediocre” is not in COBU’s dictionary.

Last night, I watched some of New York City’s top athletes perform. No, it was not the Yankees. Not the Mets. It did not happen on a field, on a court, or in a ring but on a stage. Armed with sticks, drums, and taps on their feet, COBU tore it up in their world premiere of EN. COBU, (which means “Dance like drumming. Drum like dancing” in Japanese), combine traditional taiko drums, tap dancing, and martial arts with hip hop flavor to create an experience like no other. The energy they create is electrifying. If you think of traditional Japanese performance as slowly moving people in silk robes and white make-up and if you think of tap dance as cheesy smiles and 42nd Street, then you best think again and let the ladies of COBU show you how it's done. An impressive set, lighting design and costumes, together with stellar choreography and explosive talent, EN is a show not to be missed.

The mood is set immediately upon entering the theatre. Something strangely East meets West, old meets new, refined yet raw is suggested by Yukinobu Okazaki’s striking set design. A towering white circle with Japanese symbols painted in black, flanked by angular archways made of wood ripped from the Old West, and surrounded by perfect, shiny, taiko drums lays the foundation for what is about to take place.

The theatre goes pitch black, then slowly a glimmer of light. Is it the reflection of water or could it be the glint of a fire growing? The light dances, slowly intensifying, as does the sound of a single drum pounding. The silhouette of five dark figures can barely be seen. They seem to come from nowhere, or everywhere, as does the sound of the lone drum. Then in a flash of light and sound a sixth figure appears as a symphony of beats begin. The lighting designs of Ayumu “Poe” Saegusa highlight the sounds and the dance beautifully, as if the light is another dancer on the stage. The dancers are adorned in a various costumes that are a mix of traditional fabrics and robes, with New York T-shirts, bits of fur, and funky hair styles. The look of the show mirrors the sounds of the performance: hip, fun, sexy, fresh, rooted in strength and tradition.

Using the taiko drums, tap, body clap, shamisen (a Japanese three-stringed instrument, similar to a guitar), voice, and even sign language, twenty different songs are shared throughout the evening. COBU creates something magical. With passion and soul they hoof, stomping their feet, and cut and thrust through the air with their drumsticks. In the song titled “Combat,” martial arts stick fighting adds another element to the beating of the drums and taps. One song, titled “Dorcus,” (where the taiko drums are placed horizontally), even managed to draw a tear or two from my eye. The beat of the drum reaches deep within, reverberating within the body, deep in the chest cavity, the taps race the heartbeat, the sticks hit the air. Then, without warning, during the briefest moment of silence I felt something wet on my cheek. I have no idea why. But, as Yako Miyamoto, (creator of COBU and performer/choreographer of EN), told me in a recent interview it’s not about knowing, it’s about feeling. And there is no right or wrong way to feel.

I wish COBU had a permanent home in NYC. EN is exactly the type of show that could easily become an NYC staple, the show that one brings out-of-town guests to see for a real “New York” experience. Working seamlessly together, the ensemble consists of Miyamoto, Hana Ogata, Yuki Yamamori, Micro Fukuyama, Haruna Hisada, Nozomi Gunji and supporting member Yoko Ogawa. Each member brings a unique individuality to the show yet the group clearly shares the beat of one heart. They are ridiculously strong (seriously, one of the most physically demanding shows I have ever seen), body and soul. A wonderful collaboration of spirit and fun, this COBU makes EN a show not to miss.

(EN plays September 19th at 8pm and September 20th at 3pm and 7pm. They will return to New York to play the Madison Avenue Festival on December 6th. Performances are at Theatre for the New City, 155 First Avenue between 9th and 10th Streets. The show runs 80 minutes. Tickets are $30 and can be purchased at theatremania.com or by calling 212-352-3101. For more information on COBU, visit www.COBU.us.)

MilkMilkLemonade (The Management, Horse Trade Theater)

2009-09-18T16:39:00.000-04:00

By Kitty

BOTTOM LINE: Gross childhood song. Delicious adult play.

Jennifer Harder and Nikole Beckwith in MilkMilkLemonade. Photo by John Alexander.

Glittery dance numbers. Talking chickens. A creepy, wheezing grandmother and a thugged-out spider who lives under the porch. This is my kind of show. Watching MilkMilkLemonade is like taking in an episode of Sesame Street hosted by the guy from Blue's Clues singing Schoolhouse Rock tunes while tripping on LSD. Bizarre and beautiful and as poignant as it is silly-hilarious, Joshua Conkel's literary journey through farmhouse frustration en route to gorgeous, glitzy go-getting is both heartfelt and humorous.

Our hero, Emory (the lovable Andy Phelan), is a young man struggling to survive as a sparkling. showbiz-obsessed homosexual in No-where-ville, USA, under the poor and misguided tutelage of his emphysema-suffering Nanna (the disturbingly convincing Michael Cyril Creighton). No one understands Emory's desire to abandon the confines of rural life in pursuit of his dream to become the ultimate song and dance man in the neighboring city of Mall Town. No one, that is, except Linda the chicken (the engaging Jennifer Harder), who also entertains her own dreams of escaping the chicken shredder to become the Andrew Dice Clay of comedic poultry.

As fantastical as some of the script-based elements of MilkMilkLemonade may be, it is the strength and talent of the cast that brings the sparkle and pizazz to this piece. From the narrator, Lady in a Leotard (the wide-eyed and whimsical Nikole Beckwith) to nasty next door neighbor Elliot (the absolutely incredible Jess Barbagallo), the cast commits to each moment and makes each one so real, that as an audience member, one is reminded that those feelings of awkward pre-teen alienation are not so deeply hidden as just below the surface of one's protective adult veneer.

(The Management and Horse Trade Theater Group Present MilkMilkLemonade by Joshua Conkel through September 26th, every Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 8pm at UNDER St. Mark's, 94 St. Mark's between 1st Ave and Avenue A. Tickets are $18 and are available at www.smarttix.com.)

Groovaloo (Joyce Theatre)

2009-09-17T20:02:00.004-04:00

By Molly

5 POINTS OR LESS
freestyle hip hop • based on the real life stories of the dancers involved • a dance show with a spoken word backdrop • incredibly athletic • the best hip hop dancers around

BOTTOM LINE: A really incredible dance show unlike anything you've seen before.

The Groovaloos are are a dance company from LA. They are hip hop dancers with diverse backgrounds who came together a while back as a community of freestyle dancers who liked to jam with one another. They are perhaps the most talented group of hip hop dancers out there, at least as far as I'm aware. You've probably seen them on TV in one way or another, as they've been featured on several of those reality talent shows over the past couple of years. Their autobiographical show, Groovaloo, has grown and changed since its inception in 2003, and it now comes to New York to play at the Joyce Theater after a successful run in LA. After it's brief stay in New York (it only plays though September 27th), Groovaloo will tour the country beginning January 10, 2010.

Performance-wise, Groovaloo is an athletic, energy packed ninety minutes that gets the audience's attention and doesn't let go. Each of the 14 dancers is better than the next and with men and women of all cultural backgrounds, the cast is totally captivating. Each dancer gets a solo moment and as the show reveals itself, the audience learns each dancer's story and how they got to where they are now. Although there are many featured moments for each dancer where they can break and freestyle and do their own thing, there are also many synchronized and choreographed moments where some or all of the dancers perform the same steps or tricks in smaller groups or as bigger production numbers. The variety keeps the production moving along at a nice pace.

The highlights of Groovaloo are pretty consistently the amazing dance moves pulled off by the cast. You may have seen someone spin on their head, but have you ever seen someone spin on their head for 10 rotations, no hands, and then go right into another cool move? Back handsprings are pretty average, but you've probably never seen someone do six in a row, in place, right into a back flip after performing several minutes of strenuous choreography. It's like gymnastics on speed, with lots of funk and rhythm. And of course, the dancing is cool too. Both the choreography and the tricks make these performances hard to believe.

Groovaloo is a heartfelt show. It's easy to see how much love these dancers have for one another, as well as for their art. They are passionate and their energy radiates through the audience. You are on their side as you witness their struggle to achieve the dreams. Toward the end, the story gets a little tragic, and then the camaraderie truly becomes palpable. After all, it's a true story about the people you are watching (well, most of them anyway, some of the original cast are no longer in the show).

For a dance show and an inspirational production, Groovaloo is a tremendous experience. As a theatrical production, it's a little obvious thematically speaking. Basically, it's A Chorus Line, except with hip hop. It's formulaic to be sure, but it's also true and sincere. For a first production, Groovaloo is a hit. I have to be honest though, I am really excited to see another show from this company, maybe something with fictional content that uses storytelling with dance in a theatrical way, something that pushes the limits of a narrative on stage. I think with the artistic vision of these performers and the storytelling potential, they could create a tremendous show. I don't believe Groovaloo is the peak for this company and I am excited to see what projects lay ahead. They certainly have the ambition and the talent to take them anywhere. But for now, do yourself a favor and check out Groovaloo. It's an incredible dance production with some of the hottest dancers around.

(Groovaloo plays at The Joyce Theater, 175 Eighth Avenue at 19th Street. Performances are through September 27th, Tuesday and Wednesday at 7:30, Thursday and Friday at 8pm, Saturday at 2pm and 8pm and Sunday at 2pm and 7:30pm. Tickets are $10-$59 and are available at joyce.org or by phone at 212.242.0800. For more show info visit groovaloo.com.)

And Sophie Comes Too (SoHo Playhouse)

2009-09-17T09:50:00.000-04:00

By Scott

BOTTOM LINE: You should go with Sophie.

And Sophie Comes Too, a sell-out hit at this year’s Fringe Festival, has just moved to the SoHo Playhouse for a well deserved post-Fringe extended run as part of the Fringe Encore series. Sophie boasts a sharp script by Meryl Cohn, crisp direction by Mark Finley and a top notch cast, refreshingly all on the same page. Sophie tells a delightful story investigating, among other things, the complexity of familial relationships, the disparity between our internal and external lives, the search for self, and near-death experiences. The play navigates itself quite well through scenes that alternate between funny and ridiculous to touching and thought provoking. My only criticism is that the play ran out of steam about ten minutes before it actually ended and the last few “fade to blacks” were wrongly assumed to be the end. But when the play actually did end, I was glad I went along for the ride…and I was glad Sophie came too!

(And Sophie Comes Too plays as part of the Fringe Encore Series at SoHo Playhouse, 15 VanDam Street between 6th Avenue and Varick. Remaining performances are Monday, September 21 at 7pm, Wednesday, September 23 at 8pm and Saturday September 26 at 10:30pm. Tickets are $18 and are available at fringenyc-encoreseries.com or by calling 866.468.7619. For more show info visit tosos2.org.)

Theasy Interview with COBU founder Yako Miyamoto

2009-09-16T17:03:00.007-04:00

By Le-Anne

After speaking with Yako Miyamoto, the artistic director, founder, and creator of rhythmic dance company, COBU, I can’t tell you how excited I am to see COBU’s newest show, EN. Miyamoto is not only the creator of COBU but she is also a current cast member of the off-Broadway hit Stomp. It’s been said of COBU’s previous shows that one does not need to understand English nor Japanese to understand the show. Miyamoto’s zest for life and ability to communicate through nonverbal expression is a testament to that. It is clear that this talented artist has a great passion for life and her work, and she shares that with the world through COBU.

How did you come up with the name COBU?
Cobu has two words. “Co” means “drumming” and “Bu” means “dancing.” My combination means, “Dance like drumming. Drum like dancing.” The two words together express my style. “Cobu” has a different meaning too. [It means] “cheer up the people.” In Japanese one word has one meaning but two words [put] together has [sic] a different meaning. So, [just] like [with] drumming and dancing, [when you put them] together [you] cheer up everyone!

What inspired you to form COBU?
I started to play the tradition Japanese taiko drums since I was eight years old in Japan and I went to New Zealand to play taiko at ten years old. I want to express Japanese soul and Japanese culture. Young people [think] Japanese culture is so old. It’s not cool. But I feel Japanese tradition is kind of hot! And American culture is so cool. Traditional is traditional [but] it’s not my style. Hip hop is hip hop [but] it’s not my style. I want to combine all of them. Hip hop culture together [with] the traditional culture.

Kind of bridge the gap between the different cultures?
Yeah. [Everyone has] different feelings but [we all] feel the same beat.

East meets West?
Yes, but it starts with West.

What made you want to form your own company?
I just performed by myself. And after a show, a girl, (now fellow COBU ensemble member, Hana Ogata), saw me and she said, “I want to perform with you” and I was like, “OK, we can play together and do competition.” I didn’t say, “OK I want to come to America and make an artistic, rhythmic, group.” Not like that.

Why did you come to America?
At university I started tap dancing. But I couldn’t find a teacher so I came to New York City to take a class from Savion Glover. And I was like, “OK, this is great!” Before I met tap dance I was just dancing with music but [now that I know] tap dance I can dance with my [own] music. That was a great experience.

Did you meet your company members in Japan?
No, everybody asks me. But we met in New York City.

How many company members are there?
Six.

All women?
Yep, all women.

Is it always women?
About five years ago we had a boy but now it’s all women.

Is that on purpose or is it just how it happened?
It just happened. But the last four years we’ve been all women. It’s a great feeling.

Do you hold open auditions? How do you acquire new company members?
Sometimes, once a year, we have an audition. But I don’t announce a lot. I just announce at the preview of my own show. So if they see my show and they really want to do it, just call to get an audition.

How many years has COBU been together as a company?
Ten years. Since, January 1st, 2000...wow, that’s a long time!

So you formed COBU before you were in the cast of Stomp?
That’s right.

Did somebody see COBU and ask you to be in Stomp?
Somebody sent me an e-mail. He saw a COBU show and [said], “You should be in the stomp.” I got the audition information from him. Then I took an audition. Finally, after the audition [I found out] he was just an audience [member]. He is not on the Stomp staff or crew.

Are you still performing in shows with Stomp while you are working on COBU shows?
Yes, I’m doing both of them.

Now, did you learn hip hop in the States or in Japan?
I was at Keio University in Japan, actually my major was chemistry. [That is when] I realized that I loved hip hop dancing. From age 18 to 22 I was a hip-hop dancer. I danced in music videos. Hip hop music has a “psch psch psch psch” beat that sounds for [sic] me like taiko drumming. That, “bosch chka bosch chka bosch” sound. I love taiko drumming. I love taiko drum beats but I didn’t feel exactly like “oh, this is it [for me].” [I wanted to use] taiko drumming [with] that hip hop beat with tap dance. Tap beat is like, “...” (ummm...insane beat-boxing that this interviewer can’t even begin to figure out how to type phonetically!)

(I’m left speechless, clearly in awe of this incredible display of rhythmic talent. We both simply laugh together.)
I’m not good at explain [sic] my work, even in Japanese. I [have difficulty] explaining with words. I just beat to explain something.

The form of expression that you use to tell a story is through sounds and not words. Do you find it difficult to express what you do in words?
Yes. I can hear [the] drum. To explain something, I express through my feeling and I choose my beat. My beat can feel something. So, I choose to make a beat. Make a rhythm. That’s easier for me.

Speaking of stories, you have the world premiere of you show, EN, coming up soon. What is EN about?
It is a story but not like, “I went to the park....” Not like that. I have a fixed performance with my group, it’s the same cast, same beat, same rhythm but every night is a little different, their feeling is [sic] different. It’s alive. And after [each] show each audience [member] has a different feeling. People send me emails [telling me what they took from the show]. I’m one part of the dance but each audience [member] have [sic] their own part of the dance and each performer has one part of the dance. I choreographed the show but I can’t control [the story].

There is no set story because the story is different for everyone?
Yes. After the show, we have a question and answer sheet. The audience write what [they] feel. Sometimes [they are] in [the] same theatre [at the] same show but they feel exact different feelings. Just listen, “poh chk poh chk chk chk poh chk poh.” [Some people hear that and] they feel [like] crying, [for other people] something inside [them] is smiling, some of them feel it’s like a bird in the sky, and some of them feel like I am crying. Everybody’s got a different way and a different feeling and they can have it all from [watching] my show. It’s such a good experience for me. Every time [I perform], the audience shows me a lot of things.

By the way, did you finish your chemistry degree?
No. Not yet.

Well, it seems like you’re doing OK without it!

(EN plays September 17th at 8pm, September 18th at 3pm and 8pm, September 19th at 8pm and September 20th at 3pm and 7pm. Performances are at Theatre for the New City, 155 First Avenue between 9th and 10th Streets. The show runs 80 minutes. Tickets are $30 and can be purchased at theatremania.com or by calling 212-352-3101. For more information on COBU, visit www.COBU.us. Check back to Theasy soon for a review of the show.)

Lizzie Borden-The Rock Musical (The Living Theatre)

2009-09-14T01:05:00.013-04:00

by Julie

5 POINTS OR LESS
impressive powerhouse vocals • high energy rocking • a well-blended mix of headbanging punk, flowing-folk and rock ballads, but all played very loudly • one hour and forty minutes with one intermission

BOTTOM LINE: Lizzie Borden’s insane rock vocals and infectious energy will blow you away (if the volume doesn’t first). I seriously enjoyed this one, a cult classic in the making.

This rock musical takes you back to 1892 in Fall River, Massachusetts, when a young Lizzie Borden was accused of brutally killing her father and stepmother. You know, “Lizzie Borden took an axe, gave her mother forty whacks, When she saw what she had done, gave her father forty-one.” The musical dives deeper into the story with a full rock band, explaining her older sister's similar motives, exposing Lizzie’s unexpected relationship with her neighbor, and providing a cheeky punked-out maid who takes care of the two young girls in place of their seemingly careless parents.

Jenny Fellner plays the young Lizzie Borden, a fragile girl who likes to talk to pigeons and fool around with her neighbor in the attic. Throughout the play, she flawlessly transitions from the innocent slow-on-the-uptake Lizzie, to the psycho, dark, getting-away-with-murder Lizzie. This chick rocks. She is way fierce. She belts notes that will make your hair stand on end. The chemistry between Fellner and the neighbor, played by Marie-France Arcilla, is great; I loved their relationship. There was none of that “yea, we’re lesbians and it’s hard” crap that you might expect between two chicks. Instead, Arcilla delivers an unapologetic and haunting love song, “Will You Stay,” the most outstanding of the show’s many highlights.

Things really get stirred up in the Borden house when Lizzie’s older sister Emma, played by Lisa Birnbaum, decides to skip town for a few days after planting some “killer” ideas into Lizzie’s head. Emma and Lizzie aren’t too fond of their abusive father and money-grubbing stepmother. This part of the story could be a little meatier. I didn’t really understand if he was sexually abusive, or if the Borden girls just wanted all of Daddy’s money for themselves, or why they hated the stepmother so much. They might have sucked, but enough to deserve 40-41 whacks? But, for all intents and purposes, I don’t care. I mean, it’s a rock musical, it’s not Chekov, and you know they’re going down, the question is how. And how they died…well it’s pretty much the COOLEST DEATH SCENE EVER. It’s the perfect combination of driving rock music, blood, and wailing dissonant vocals from Carrie Cimma. Totally awesome.

The actors / script had a hard time finding the pace in the beginning of the show, but by the forth number Lizzie Borden takes off and doesn’t stop. You’ll headbang along with “Why Are All The Heads Off!?” and become entranced by “Shattercane and Velvet Glass.” There are some very Spring Awakening-esque moments: actors standing behind mikes to deliver lines and songs, very organic choreography, full rock band onstage, mixing period and postmodernism blah blah… and aside from some “Emma, where’s your skirt?” moments, I thought Lizzie Borden achieved these concepts better then Spring Awakening. It works really well in the cozy Living Theater setting.

Lizzie Borden is a really good time. The costumes are fierce, the vocals from all four ladies are fierce, the visuals are fierce and the rock music is fierce as long as you are prepared for rock concert volume (as my date pointed out “freaking drummers, man”). They had free peanut M&Ms at the bar in the theater, and it’s two acts with an intermission in one hour and forty minutes, what's not to love?

(Lizzie Borden is playing at the Living Theatre, 21 Clinton street in the Lower East Side through October 17th. Performances are Thursday through Saturday at 8pm, and Fridays & Saturdays at 10:30. Tickets are 25$ and can be purchased at www.theatermania.com. For more information, go to www.lizziebordentheshow.com).

Psych (Tongue In Cheek Theater)

2009-09-13T08:00:00.003-04:00

By Molly

BOTTOM LINE: A respectable production of a deceptive story that will keep you questioning reality.

Psych, by Evan Smith, was first produced by Playwrights Horizons in 2001. Although it was well-received and published after its run, it's not necessarily on the spectrum of shows that are often revived. Although the script isn't perfect (some plot points don't line up very well), it's a captivating story with interesting characters. Smith's tale of a girl who just can't please people despite tirelessly trying keeps the audience guessing who is manipulating whom.

This production, by Tongue in Cheek Theater, is a respectable re-interpretation of the script. With just one act and no intermission, the tension builds in a steady climb and keeps the audience's attention throughout. The ending doesn't give closure (as you learn to expect from the play's opening narration), but it does bring the story together in a satisfying way.

Sunny (Jake Lipman) is a twenty-something New Yorker who works as a dominatrix and wants to go to grad school for psychology. Her good friend from college, Molly (Brynne Kraynak), comes to stay with her while she looks for jobs in the city. Sunny seems doomed from the minute she starts applying to grad school: it seems everyone is out to get her despite her sweet demeanor and ambitious personality. As the story unfolds and her relationships become more tumultuous, the audience is left to wonder who is a victim and who is really, well, psychotic.

Tongue in Cheek Theater does a great job bringing the characters to life with ample conflict, especially between Sunny and Molly as their friendship goes sour. Lipman is the people-pleasing girl next door who occasionally tries way too hard; she finds the balance between kind and creepy and lets her character waver uncomfortably between the two. Kraynak creates the most believable character in the story and the audience is immediately on Molly's side as she navigates the frustrations of a dissipating friendship.

The Theatre 54 performance space at Shetler Studios is a tiny blackbox that provides an intimate experience. It's tough to produce a show that truly rings truthful though, when the audience is basically up the actors' noses. And as Psych is a conversation-driven piece (not much action) with word manipulation and misunderstandings being the basis for the conflict in the first place, all that talking and reflecting can provide a pretty inactive play. In such a tiny space, the only two things that could really transport the audience to another world are really bold directing choices or consistently incredible acting. This production, although solid, doesn't have either of the two aforementioned qualities. As a result, the play feels more like a really polished staged reading (with costumes and tech) than a full-blown production. And don't misunderstand, that's not a bad thing at all, it's just something to know before going to the theatre. You might not be able to lose yourself in the story, but you will enjoy the production regardless.

Psych is a well-written play and a really fun tale to experience. Tongue in Cheek does a commendable job presenting the story in an intriguing way that leaves the audience guessing. Director Jason Bohon keeps the pacing tight so there is always something happening to push the story further (and also muddy the details the audience once thought they knew as fact). With entrances and exits in three of the four corners of the playing space, the movement flows on stage and off and you can sort of get swept up in the back and forth of the action altogether. And as the drama unfolds, it makes it all the more fun to play along and guess what will happen next.

(Psych plays at Theatre 54 at Shetler Studios through September 19. Performances are Wednesday through Saturday at 8pm. Tickets are $20 in advance or $25 at the door and are available at smarttix.com or by calling 212-868-4444. For more show information visit tictheater.com.)

The Bereaved (Partial Comfort)

2009-09-12T08:00:00.000-04:00

By Molly

5 POINTS OR LESS
super funny • great dialogue • modern family drama stretched beyond any normal realm • nudity and lots of it • only 70 minutes, no intermission

BOTTOM LINE: Effing funny and freakishly relatable (at first anyway). This play is a prime example that high-quality downtown theatre does still exist.

If one were to see a play called The Bereaved, written by a playwright named Thomas Bradshaw, one might expect a solemn tale, perhaps a depressing story about death or coping with loss. One could not be more wrong. The Bereaved is indeed a story about death, a broken family, and coping with tragedy. But it's also hysterically funny in an "I can't believe that just happened" kind of way. The audience laughs in spite of itself, and very quickly the humor trumps anything intrinsically sad.

The premise is really quite depressing. Carol (McKenna Kerrigan) is a high-powered Manhattan attorney slash wife and mother. She suffers a heart attack and spends the subsequent weeks in the hospital. During that time, she makes sure to finalize plans for her family so that when she dies (she's not optimistic about her recovery) her part-time professor husband Michael (Andrew Garman) and 15-year old son Teddy (Vincent Madero) will be cared for. As Carol anticipates the end, her family and best friend Katy (KK Moggie) try to cope with the situation. And it's perhaps in those coping mechanisms that they lose sight of any responsible decision.

The Bereaved is an appreciated theatrical mindfuck that keeps the audience's attention-you think you're seeing one play and it turns out to be another. As the characters disengage from reality you wonder if they were always bat shit extremists or if their situation is a result of their trauma. The tale Bradshaw weaves builds geniusly: at the beginning the story is relatable, albeit on an extreme level. But as it unfolds, the characters unhinge and their antics, once quirky, exaggerate to the unpredictable. This provides for tremendously fun storytelling as the absurdity escalates and the audience wonders what could possibly happen next.

Although Bradshaw's script is worthy of accolades on its own, the biggest reason The Bereaved is so successful is because the cast is all-around fantastic. The actors deftly develop characters that are all too real and then ride the wave as story progresses. They all have excellent comic chops and the comedy is intentionally played through an understated demeanor. And most importantly, the entire cast remains committed, whether they are naked or not (and there is a lot of nudity). These actors can no doubt justify everything their characters do in this play and as a result, the audience believes them wholeheartedly.

It's to Bradshaw's credit that the audience is kept laughing, but May Adrales deftly directs the play, bringing everything together and keeping it grounded despite the growing ridiculousness. Adralas gives everyone in the cast a time to shine and with every character weighted equally, she creates a truly ensemble piece of theatre.

I don't usually gush about plays I see, especially about new plays off-off-Broadway. But Partial Comfort does good work and The Wild Project is quality downtown venue, and most importantly, The Bereaved is a really well-done production. It's not perfect yet (the ending is a little abrupt) but I sincerely hope it gets the acknowledgement it deserves, and hopefully another run in the future.

(The Bereaved plays at The Wild Project, through September 26. Performances are Wednesday through Saturday at 8pm. Tickets are $15 and are available by calling 212.352.3101 or at ovationtix.com. Wednesdays are pay what you can. For more info visit partialcomfort.org.)

The Credeaux Canvas (The Bridge Theatre)

2009-09-11T09:15:00.005-04:00

BOTTTOM LINE: A beautiful play by an exciting new theatre company.

The newly formed The Seeing Place Theatre Company’s mission statement proclaims they "want to produce theatre we all want to believe in,” and they fully succeed with their inaugural production of Keith Bunin’s The Credeaux Canvas. It tells the tale of a group of twentysomethigs who are striving to fulfill their dreams while struggling to pay the rent in a dumpy lower east side apartment. It seems like a classic New York Story: struggling artists, a fledgling singer, and a floundering real estate agent trying to find himself wax over what it means to be happy in this often brutal city. From written tests to get menial food service jobs to surviving on ramen noodles prepared in dishes washed in the bathtub these three are getting by fine until one of them is left out of his extremely wealthy father’s will and hits rock bottom. His plan is to have his extremely talented roommate paint a forged nude portrait of his girlfriend to try to pawn off for millions to a wealthy, seemingly clueless, socialite and the results will test the boundaries of their relationships and drastically alter their lives forever.

This is a great play. Anyone who is paying the bills by doing a job that they might hate a little or knows someone who is in a similar situation will find more than enough to relate to in this production. And let’s face it, that is pretty much anyone in New York City. The discoveries about what it means to be in your late twenties facing a future that might not, in fact, be full of the endless possibilities that we hopes for as children are poignant are handled very well under the direction of Lillian Wright, who also does double duty as scenic designer creating a very efficient and inventive set for the intimate stage at the Bridge Theatre. The performances are terrific as well. Brandon Walker and Anna Marie Sell fearlessly tackle their challenging roles; Joseph Mancuso is heartbreaking in his portrayal of a man desperate to have a family and be successful; but the unexpected star of the production is Jerilyn Wright who steals the one scene she appears in by creating moments of such truth and heartache with perfect ease and grace.

This is what off-off Broadway theatre is about. A great play. A good cast. A small intimate venue. The work is good and the message meaningful. The Seeing Place Theatre succeeded with their mission to produce theatre that this writer wants to believe. They are definitely a company to watch and I’m excited to see what this company has in store for the future. If you are looking for a moving night at the theatre, check out The Credeaux Canvas. I warn you, it is definitely a drama, so don’t go if you are looking for a light-hearted romp. But if you are just looking for a damn good play this is for you. It has love, angst, greed, art, cool music, and a little bit of tasteful nudity. What’s not to love?

(The Credeaux Canvas performs September 11th at 8pm, September 12th 2pm and 8pm, and September 13th at 3pm at The Bridge Theatre, 244 W 54th Street, 12th floor. Tickets are $18, available at http://www.brownpapertickets.com. For more info: http://www.seeingplacetheater.com/.)

The Pride of Parnell Street

2009-09-08T21:38:00.000-04:00

By Steve

5 POINTS OR LESS

poignant story told in monologues to the audience • authentic Irish dialects • brilliant, seamless acting • heartbreak laced with humor • disturbing and moving

BOTTOM LINE: A contemporary Dublin couple relates a harrowing story in alternating monologues. This is theatrical storytelling at its best. You won’t believe that 100 minutes could go by so fast and move you so deeply.

No one does despair like the Irish. Luckily, no one does humor quite like the Irish, either. From Samuel Beckett to Frank McCourt, the great Irish writers deftly express the dual nature of life, mingling tears and laughter almost in the same breath. And their famous “gift of gab” makes them superb storytellers. Sebastian Barry’s new play The Pride of Parnell Street is a compelling addition to the canon.

A man (Joe) lies on a bed as the audience take their seats. Lights come up on a woman (Janet) who begins speaking. Within moments we are spellbound. For this woman is telling us her story. And even if her accent is sometimes hard to understand and her vocabulary full of strange words (the program includes a glossary of Dublin slang) we listen as if our lives depend on it. Because hers seems to. The elements are familiar: poverty; drunkenness; the death of a child; sudden, shocking violence. Despair pervades everything, like the relentlessly falling rain outside the window in the back wall of the set. Yet we find ourselves laughing, listening to this litany of sorrow. We are laughing because, like these characters, we have to. We must laugh or die. Even optimistic, “anything-is-possible” Americans know what it is to dance on the edge of the abyss.

The simple, tragic story unfolds in alternating monologues told by Janet and Joe, a married couple who haven’t seen each other in 9 years. Physically and emotionally separate, each recounts the nightmarish events that tore them apart. Joe has been through drug abuse and prison. Now he lies in a charity hospital, wracked with guilt and regret. Janet is outwardly unscarred. But even she admits, “My heart has never mended neither. I’ve been going about with a broken heart, the whole time.”

Ultimately this play is several love stories. There is the love between Janet and Joe, tested beyond normal human endurance. There is their shared love of Dublin: “We didn’t have much of a life maybe but it was a Dublin life, and every Dublin life is a life worth living, let me tell you.” Finally there is the love of life itself, even when it’s been disfigured by pain and disappointment. In the face of death, Joe rails against the dying of the light: “It’s not like I don’t care, I do care about it. I can’t see how any living breathing person wouldn’t. Because I want to fucking live…I want to fucking live.”

The production is skillfully directed by Jim Culleton, Artistic Director of Dublin’s Fishamble Theatre Company. Except for a few visual flourishes (water figures prominently) he keeps the production simple and focused on the actors. And what actors they are. Mary Murray and Aidan Kelly inhabit their roles so completely that we don’t see acting at all. We see—and hear—life.
Thankfully, Barry finds an authentic way to temper the suffering of Janet and Joe with tenderness, grace and forgiveness. The Irish understand better than anyone that every loving act is a miracle. So is this show.

(The Pride of Parnell Street plays at 59E59 Theaters, 59 East 59th Street between Madison & Park. The show plays through October 4: Tuesday at 7:15pm, Wednesday through Friday at 8:15pm, Saturday at 2:15pm and 8:15pm and Sunday at 3:15pm and 7:15pm.The show runs 1 hour 40 minutes with no intermission. Tickets are $35. For tickets call Ticket Central at 212-279-4200 or online at www.ticketcentral.com. For more information visit www.59E59.org.)

Spinning the Times (59E59)

2009-09-07T21:28:00.006-04:00

By Nancy

5 POINTS OR LESS
five solo character studies written by five Irish women playwrights • each story is inspired by the news • great opportunity to get to know multiple playwrights • well-acted and directed • unique concept that works

BOTTOM LINE: Insightful and poignant monologues inspired by the New York Press. Each one is a separate character study, distinct but tied together by the show’s concept. Simply staged and well acted, the show proves that the Irish live up to their reputation for spinning a good yarn out of any material, including the Post.

Spinning the Times, an Origin Theater Production that is part of the First Irish Festival, is an opportunity to taste the work of five women playwrights from Ireland. A world premiere, each of the five writers was tasked with creating a monologue specifically for this show, based on a story plucked out of the New York news media. As is often the case with theater inspired by news headlines, each piece has political overtones, some more subtle than others. However, issues never overshadowed the individuals portrayed on stage. Instead, each piece is a window into the way character is shaped by context.

Rosemary Jenkinson’s The Lemon Tree, explores a day in the life of Kenny, a protestant teenager in Belfast who usually spends his time drinking in the park with his buddies and picking fights with Catholics. When Kenny is cajoled into attending a church benefit with his mother, held on behalf of struggling Palestinians, he begins to gain insight into the futility of ethnic conflict, only to come home to find that his house has been set on fire by rival Catholics.

The Luthier, written by Lucy Caldwell, is a quiet and moving piece about a young Palestinian man who has lost his family and closest friends in the conflicts with Israel. Though he has lived through mind-numbing tragedy, he connects to all of humanity, including Jews, through their music, and finds peace in the craft of instrument repair.

Miracle Conway, by Geraldine Aron, is a comedic piece that deconstructs the desperation of celebrity obsession. The piece follows the psychological unraveling of a would-be murderess who becomes convinced that her famous employer should be liberated from his marriage.

The most intriguing monologue of the evening, Gin in a Teacup, is the portrait of a Persian American woman who finds meaning, history and identity in vintage clothes. The piece is a lovely exploration of the depth of meaning behind seemingly frivolous pursuits, as well as the limits of personal and collective reinvention.

Finally, the evening comes full circle with Fugue by Belinda McKeon, about another young Irishman affected by the ongoing ethnic conflict in Belfast. Forced to flee Ireland to protect his family, he lands in New York City only to be displaced again—this time by a greedy landlord who sets his apartment building on fire to collect the insurance money.

Across the board, the five monologues in Spinning the Times are interesting, well-written and insightful. Director M. Burke Walker keeps the staging simple, placing the emphasis on the internal life of the characters rather than external trappings and stagecraft. If you like solo performance and if you are interested in getting to know Irish playwrights of the moment, this is the show for you.

(Spinning the Times plays at 59E59 Theaters, 59 East 59th Street between Madison & Park. The show plays through September 20th, Tuesday at 7:30pm, Wednesday through Saturday at 8:30pm, and Sunday 3:30pm. The show runs 1 hour 30 minutes with no intermission. Tickets are $25 (members $17.50). For tickets, visit www.ticketcentral.com. For more information visit www.59e59.org.)

A Lifetime Burning (Primary Stages)

2009-09-01T07:00:00.000-04:00

By Le-Anne

FIVE POINTS OR LESS
great ensemble • furniture and architecture is another character • a fictional story based on a true story about a woman who fictionalizes her “true” story • more important than the plot, it’s an interesting study in relationships and truth • flashbacks

Jennifer Westfeldt, left, and Christina Kirk in A Lifetime Burning. Photo by Sara Krulwich.

BOTTOM LINE: An interesting, well-told story of relationships, life, and the truth therein. A woman makes up her own story in an attempt to salvage her life.

Have you ever wished you could reinvent yourself? Have you contemplated what your life would be like if only this or that had or hadn’t happened to you? A fruitless wonder...that is of course...unless you succeed. Cusi Cram’s A Lifetime Burning stars Jennifer Westfeldt as Emma, a young, spoiled but troubled woman who decides to reinvent her life and call it a memoir, and Christina Kirk as Tess, her older sister, who calls her out on it. The play opens in a gorgeous, modern, newly decorated loft (thanks to a hefty advance from a book publisher) with a stunned, stuttering Tess berating Emma for her bold-faced lies. From there we learn that truth is stranger than fiction. Loyalty, truth and the questions of normalcy in life are all included in Cram’s compelling story. With excellent performances and expert direction, A Lifetime Burning is a play to ponder.

The plot is loosely based on the real-life scandal of Margaret Seltzer, a woman who wrote a critically acclaimed memoir of her life as a mixed ethnicity gang member in South Central L.A., raised by foster families and gang-bangers. Shortly after its release, Seltzer’s sister contacted the publisher and revealed the entire memoir as fiction. In A Lifetime Burning, Emma is a trust-fund baby who volunteers as a tutor for underprivileged youths. When Emma takes their truths and makes them her own, Tess is outraged, asking Emma what she thinks will happen when everyone discovers the truth? Emma retorts with “What is truth?” An existential conundrum that sends Tess reeling.

Cram’s dialogue quips along and is loaded with observational and social humor as well as depth. For example, at one moment Emma proclaims she is an “alcorexic,” a modern woman who spends her caloric intake drinking alcohol rather than eating, then later she shares the disheartening realization that she can’t even make up a happy ending for herself. Another example is when one character poignantly points out that memoirs became more popular than novels when the American imagination failed. It is Cram’s naturalistic dialogue and keen awareness of not only social modes but human psychology, the ups and downs, that make her characters so well-rounded.

Bringing those characters to life beautifully are the four stellar actors that make up the ensemble. Kirk and Westfeldt are yin and yang in flaxen hair and designer duds. A perfect balance, bouncing off one another, matching but never overpowering until one of them goes in for the win. When Kirk is on fire, Westfeldt is cool. When Westfeldt is teetering, Kirk is as steady as a sniper. While they exhibit anger toward each other, there is a sisterly love that both fuels and quenches the fire of their rivalry.

Rounding out the story are Raul Castillo as Alejandro and Isabel Keating as Lydia Freemantle. Castillo grounds the cast in something more somber and simple. While his character’s upbringing is untamed and represents something the opposite of trust-funds and refined living, Castillo is quiet, solid, and strong. This is a stark contrast to the sisters who although they are as cultivated as can be, yell at each other, have unstable lives, and are fragile even though they hide it quite well from each other. Keating, on the other hand, is as cool as a cucumber. The modern, self-sufficient, epitome of success, she is everything the two sisters wish they were and nothing that they are. Waltzing in like the Queen of England and meaning it, Keating owned the stage with a such a commanding presence that even the designer Zeisel coffee table bowed to her. Her comedic timing is flawless and she brings an underplayed humor to lighten weighty moments.

Director Pam MacKinnon seamlessly weaves between the present and flashbacks within the story. Details such as which wine bottle exists in the present and which wine bottle is a figment of the past are so specific that the dreamlike state of flashback and memory moments are as clean as a dissolve on film, (aided by a beautiful lighting design by David Weiner). MacKinnon’s decision to have the characters remain on stage as they watch the memories unfold is powerful and surreal, while still being grounded in realism. Her pacing is to be applauded. She handles this script with such ease that you forget that there was a director shaping it all because everything was so clean and never seemed premeditated.

A quality production, A Lifetime Burning is a play told by a collaborative team of great storytellers. We all acquire a million stories in each of our pasts that create the memories of life. A life of truth in lies and lies in truth, “half love, half hope, half true” (lyrics from One Less Reason’s, A Lifetime Burning). Each story of the past gives way to the next, creating the moments, maybe even the memoirs, of a person’s life. “All our yesterdays have lighted fools the way to dusty death. Out, out, brief candle,” - but until then, as Cram testifies, it remains a lifetime burning.

(A Lifetime Burning plays at Primary Stages, 59E59 Theaters, Theatre A, 59 East 59th Street between Madison & Park. The show plays through September 5, Tuesday at 7pm, Wednesday through Saturday at 8pm, also Wednesday & Saturday at 2pm. The show runs 1 hour 15 minutes with no intermission. Tickets are $60. For tickets and more info visit www.primarystages.org).

FringeNYC Encore Series

2009-08-31T11:46:00.006-04:00

Fringe fans rejoice! All of those sold-out shows you couldn't fit in your schedule are back for a second go-around, as part of the FringeNYC Encore Series.

From September 10 through September 26, you can see 19 of the top selling Fringe shows at 2 venues: Soho Playhouse at 15 Vandam and The Actors' Playhouse at 100 Seventh Avenue South. Visit fringenyc-encoreseries.com for the full schedule and see below for the list of shows in the series. All tickets to Encore shows are $18.

Viral
The Boys Upstairs
Contemporary American's Guide to a Successful Marriage
His Greatness
And Sophie Comes Too
Complete
Sex and the Holy Land
Notes on the Land of Earthquake and Fire (a Theasy favorite)
Devil Boys From Beyond
I Can Has Cheezburger, the MusicaLOL (a Theasy favorite)
MoM
Powerhouse (a Theasy favorite)
Zipperface
Terranova
Tales From the Tunnel
Willy Nilly
Muffin Man
The K of D
Jesus Ride
Dolls

Burn the Floor (Longacre Theatre)

2009-08-28T07:00:00.000-04:00

By Molly

5 POINTS OR LESS
sultry • sparkly • sweaty • ballroom dance

BOTTOM LINE: Just like Dancing With the Stars. With more dancing. And fewer C-Listers.

Let's say you're a major celebrity like oh, Elton John. And let's say it's your 50th birthday and you've recently become a big fan of contemporary ballroom dancing. Maybe you like the sparkly costumes. So your peeps decide to honor your special day by hiring amazing dancers to create a show for you to be performed at your soiree. Now let's say you're a power-player with money who happens to be a guest at Sir Elton's birthday party. And you see this show and you think "this is both awesome and potentially lucrative." You put your monacle back in your eye, take out your checkbook and adapt the show into a worldwide hit called Burn the Floor.

I'm not totally positive that's how it all went down, but suffice to say this show got its roots in 1997 in Sir Elton's honor. After a decade of developing and re-working, it has played in England and pretty much traveled the rest of the world on various tours. Burn the Floor has now set up shop at Broadway's Longacre Theatre for a limited engagement through January 2010.

Twenty smokin' dancers perform ballroom and latin dance routines, supported by two vocalists and a five piece band. Although the numbers don't follow a specific pattern or theme, the playbill does a nice job of introducing what ballroom dance actually is and clarifying what each type of dance is, technically speaking. Through the production you see the cha cha, the waltz, the rumba, the samba, the salsa, the tango, the paso doble, the quickstep, the lindy and swing. Each dancer is paired with another and the duos perform together through most of the show. Actually, each pair has danced together for quite a while and existed as a ballroom team before being cast in this production. The comfort and chemistry between partners is evident. And each team is from a different country so there is a certain variety between performances.

As the lights came up for intermission, my friend asked "so where's the buffet?" Although maybe a little harsh, I think the cruise ship analogy is pretty accurate for this show. Don't get me wrong, the performances in Burn the Floor are outstanding, but the depth of the production is somewhat lacking. Burn the Floor is about entertaining its audience, and maybe a little about educating the public about ballroom dance. But that's pretty much it. There isn't a story. There isn't a larger message. There isn't a visceral connection between stage and house on any emotional level. The dancers perform kick-ass choreography at 110% commitment and the audience has a good time watching it. (And my fellow audience members definitely enjoyed themselves). Not that there's anything wrong with theatre for the purpose of mindless entertainment, but just don't go in expecting something more. It's a fun, sexy dance show.

And that brings me to the adult portion of this review. Burn the Floor isn't scandalous, but it's definitely sexified. From little costumes to gyrating hips to smoldering bedroom eyes to sweat flying from one oiled up body to another, this show is full of flesh. One really can't complain about watching twenty toned bodies for two hours, but I feel I should at least mention it. And actually, it has a "mature" advisory. I personally think it's appropriate for anyone, but if you're sensitive about that sort of thing, better you should know in advance.

I had a good time at Burn the Floor. It's not groundbreaking theatre and it doesn't have much original production value, but it's a solid dance show with really phenomenal talent. Ballroom dance doesn't get much attention on a commercial level, so modern ballroom with an emphasis on creative nuances in choreography is a pretty exciting genre to experience, and one that is relatively hard to come by for an audience member. If you are looking for an easily accessible, upbeat Broadway experience, Burn the Floor is a great option. And if you are a dancer or are interested in dance, it's a good opportunity to see some exciting choreography.

(Burn the Floor plays at the Longacre Theatre, 220 West 48th Street. Performances are Tuesday at 7pm, Wednesday at 2pm and 8pm, Thursday and Friday at 8pm, Saturday at 2pm and 8pm and Sunday at 3pm. The show runs 2 hours and 15 minutes with one intermission. Tickets are $59.59-$111.50. For tickets and more show info visit burnthefloor.com.)

Abraham Lincoln’s Big, Gay Dance Party (FringeNYC)

2009-08-27T13:01:00.000-04:00

By Dan

BOTTOM LINE: Really good for the Fringe with some great moments, although it is a bit long, a bit uneven, and potentially a bit over-rated.

Abraham Lincoln’s Big, Gay Dance Party is the paradigmatic Fringe title. You have the feeling that it could be a silly, gimmicky mess, or else it could be surprisingly interesting. It veers much more to the latter is an incredibly thoughtful show. But there are gimmicky elements as well, and I think these prevent Abraham Lincoln’s Big, Gay Dance Party from being the theatrical achievement it aims to be.

Since Abe is known for being honest - let’s be real, the title Abraham Lincoln’s Big, Gay Dance Party is about as accurate as the phrase “Holy Roman Empire”- the show is not a dance party, or really any kind of party, it isn’t really about Abraham Lincoln, and it isn’t even particularly gay (yes, there some brief moments of dancing Abes, but this is a minor diversion). The play is centered around the trial of a schoolteacher in Illinois, arrested for presenting a pageant in which she had her young students tell that Abraham Lincoln was homosexual. Except Abraham Lincoln’s Big, Gay Dance Party isn’t really about this trial, nor is it about whether or not Abe was gay. Rather, it is about how different people experience these events. After a brief prologue, there are three acts, told from the points of view of three people: the prosecutor, the defense attorney, and the famous journalist who comes into town to cover the story.

As one might expect, we learn more about the events with each act and missing information in one act is filled in with the next one. However, by the third act, much of the material starts becoming old. Because an audience member decides the order of the three acts, they need to work in any order. While this seems interesting in theory, I think the play would have been more successful if playwright Aaron Loeb decided the order for us, allowing him to determine what was revealed when. As it is, we have heard enough about certain events in the first two acts to make watching them unfold in the third act less interesting than they should be. (I suspect this is the case no matter the order one sees). Also, I noticed a few inconsistencies from one act to the other that might be avoided if the order were pre-determined.

I’m also not sure about the choice of the three main characters. I would have liked a story about the journalist, the prosecutor, and the teacher. The inclusion of the defense attorney turned this into a story of political maneuvering (both she and the prosecutor are scheming to become governor). And while I appreciate that this wasn’t a didactic tale about “an issue,” I would have liked more of the play that I saw in the part about Anton, the journalist (played by the superb Mark Anderson Phillips). His scene in the cornfield with Jerry (an equally superb Michael Phillis) was the best scene in the play, extraordinarily touching and intimate without being at all preachy. In fact, this scene was so surprising to me because much of what had come before had been a bit campy, especially Anton’s sidekick Esmerelda (played by Velina Brown, who also plays the defense attorney).

I think one of the biggest problems with this play was the uneven tone. It didn’t seem to know if it wanted to be campy, silly fun, or else a serious, thought-provoking piece. Certainly, something can have aspects of both, but I sensed a certain identity-crisis here. Whereas a silly campy Fringe show might demand a convoluted plot filled with shocking twists and turns, a multi-faceted character piece that aims to show several points of view would do better to simplify, simplify, simplify.

There is a lot worth seeing here, even if it is a bit long at two and a half hours. Among other things, Abraham Lincoln’s Big, Gay Dance Party has a great set design. Bill English’s set consists of three panels in which the different set pieces are hidden. Along with a cornfield curtain, this set is the savviest I have ever seen in the Fringe (a festival that severely limits design elements). Not only does English’s set work well, it also looks good, and even has a few surprises.

Abraham Lincoln’s Big, Gay Dance Party was sold out even before the first performance, so tickets to the remaining show will certainly be hard to come by. I’d bet given its success, it will reappear at the Fringe Encores series. I’m not sure that Abraham Lincoln’s Big, Gay Dance Party lives up to the hype implied by its early sell out, but it is a solid piece of theatre that I’m glad I saw.

(Abraham Lincoln’s Big, Gay Dance Party plays at the HERE Arts Center- Mainstage Theater, 145 6th Avenue- enter on Dominick, one block south of Spring. The show is approximately 2 hours 30 minutes long, with two brief intermissions. The final performance is Saturday 8/29 at 7:15 pm. For tickets and show info visit www.abrahamlincolnsbiggaydanceparty.com and for more FringeNYC info visit fringenyc.org.)

The Boys Upstairs (FringeNYC)

2009-08-27T00:54:00.005-04:00

by Dan

BOTTOM LINE: A fairly standard gay play (which means light and superficial). It's good for a laugh or two, but all the more disappointing because it tries (and fails) to be so much more.

As a 31-year old gay man living in Hell’s Kitchen, I would seem to be the ideal target for The Boys Upstairs (a play about a group of gay guys, all in their mid 20s to early 30s, living in Hell’s Kitchen). And while it isn’t fair to expect that a light gay comedy will portray life as it is, I still wish that The Boys Upstairs had shown me, in some way, a bit more of the heart and soul of the life I know. Because while the writing is often funny, the play as a whole left me cold.

The Boys Upstairs takes place in the midtown apartment of two roommates, Josh and Seth. Their good friend Ashley basically lives there as well, since his real apartment is so far uptown he often crashes on the couch, along with whatever trick he has found for the evening. At the beginning of the play a new guy, Eric, has moved in downstairs (thus the title). He’s attractive, and appears to be straight, so all three guys instantly fall in lust with him. Throughout the play Josh (ostensibly the main character) tries to deal with Seth’s boyfriend (who he doesn’t like), with Ashley’s parade of men, and with his own insecurities and relationship hang-ups. And of course, since this is a gay living room comedy, all of this takes place amidst a plethora of cocktails and morning-after stories.

I’m all for fabulousity - I love a great cocktail and a night out with the boys. The trouble is, as much as this team claims (in their production notes) that this play is about something serious and meaningful, it really isn’t. I didn’t care about any of the characters. Any 20 or 30-something living in Manhattan will tell you that finances are a huge concern. So how could I care about Josh, a trust fund kid who can afford to let his friend live with him for a tiny portion of the rent? Why didn’t playwright Jason Mitchell write about two guys who couldn’t go out every night, and couldn’t order in breakfast, or takes cabs to go shopping, or jet off to some Caribbean island? Wouldn’t this struggle have been more interesting?

This critique aside, The Boys Upstairs aims to be a play about friendship. But I didn’t see any friendship on stage. I saw people who had fun together, but that isn’t friendship. Friendship may occur amidst cocktails and quips, but it isn’t limited to them. Since I didn’t buy the friendship of Josh, Seth, and Ashley, everything they did ultimately seemed shallow. Late in the play, Ashley does something upsetting to Josh. But this “event” (I’m being vague on purpose) is all resolved way too quickly. Another thing that really bothered me was the series of questions Josh twitters during the scene changes, which seem to be Mitchell’s way of telling the audience what he wants them to take away from his play. This device is so obvious and heavy-handed that I cringed every time a scene ended, in preparation for what was to come.

There are many good things about The Boys Upstairs (a show that has a good chance of getting in the Fringe Encores series, which may be the only way to see it, as the two remaining shows are sold out). The five guys in the cast are all attractive (an important thing in this kind of play), and all are good actors. I especially liked Kristen-Alexzander Griffith as Ashley, the most outlandish of the three friends. Ashley could have easily been a clichéd, one-note character; to Griffith’s credit, Ashley was actually the deepest character in the play. He’s much more Emmett from Queer as Folk than Jack from Will and Grace, even though Ashley is the most flamboyant, has the funniest lines, and does the most outlandish things, there is actually a real person there. Also good is David A. Rudd, who plays all of the boyfriends, dates, and tricks; my favorite was a Don’t Tell Mama employee who hilariously speaks in showtune-ese for his entire scene. Josh Segarra was cute, likeable, and fairly believable as the somewhat unbelievably hard-to-read Eric. Less appealing were Nic Cory as Josh and Joel T. Bauer as Seth. It isn’t that they were bad, they just didn’t compensate for the superficialities of the script the way that Griffith did.

It may be that ironically, I am actually not the appropriate audience for this kind of show: many audience members seemed to be twenty years older than the boys onstage, and there were certainly lots of laughs. To be fair, there were more than a few lines that made me laugh out loud, and I was never bored. Certainly, this seems to be a crowd-pleasing show, and although I wasn’t satisfied, I can certainly see how many others will laugh a lot and enjoy their time with The Boys Upstairs.

(The Boys Upstairs plays at the Soho Playhouse, 15 Vandam Street between Varick and 6th Avenue. The show is approximately 1 hour 35 minutes long. Performances are Thursday 8/27 at 5 pm and Friday 8/28 at 7 pm. For tickets and show info visit TheBoysUpstairs.info and for more FringeNYC info visit fringenyc.org.)

Citizen Ruth (FringeNYC)

2009-08-22T17:36:00.002-04:00

By Dan

BOTTOM LINE: The kind of musical I expect from the Fringe: Citizen Ruth shows some promise, and features a strong cast, but it’s a bit long, and doesn’t let the audience invest emotionally.

If you must see a 2009 Fringe musical based on or inspired by a film directed by Alexander Payne, then see Citizen Ruth. Not because Citizen Ruth is a terrific work of art, but because Vote! (the Fringe musical that tries to be the movie Election) is really pretty bad. While Citizen Ruth is a bit too long, and lacks a truly sympathetic character necessary for a musical, its positives ultimately balance out its negatives. If this sounds like faint praise, it is - I didn’t love Citizen Ruth, and there were times that I didn’t even like it. But I understand that creating a new musical is difficult; given the potential complexity of this material, Citizen Ruth is a decent first attempt.

Ruth Stoops is a homeless drug addict who is arrested (again); when the judge finds out that she is pregnant (again), he tells her he’ll go easier on her if she has an abortion. A particularly passionate group of Pro-lifers pays her bail, and brings her home, so they can persuade her to keep the baby. Eventually a pro-choice group gets their hands on her, and the battle begins.

From what I can tell, the musical follows the plot of the movie (which I haven’t seen) fairly closely. Both sides come off as fairly selfish, and it is clear that everyone seems to care more about the debate than they care about Ruth. But my main trouble with this musical is that I didn’t care much about Ruth either. This is not the fault of Garrett Long, who does an excellent job as the confused, used and abused Ruth. Long perfectly captures the way Ruth is pulled back and forth throughout the show, without ever once letting us forget that Ruth is, in her own way, an incredibly strong woman. Rather, the problem is in the way that Ruth is written - she doesn’t tell us, or anyone else, much about herself. She has two solos, “God Help Me” and “What About What I Want,” but they are unmelodic, unrhymed, whiny, and annoying (as opposed to the rest of the score, which is not this at all). In a musical, the audience often gets to know a main character through her songs. But these two solos are so obnoxious that I quickly tuned out, so Citizen Ruth became less about a troubled woman (an interesting subject for a musical) and more about an overly familiar debate (not so interesting for a musical).

From the laughter and applause in the almost sold-out theatre, it seems that many people did not mind this. The supporting cast (all of whom play several characters) is great; my favorites included Zack Collona as the way-too-sunny kid Matthew Stoney, Marya Grandy as the crazily intense Nurse Pat, Dennis Stowe as the hilariously annoyed Larry Jarvik, and the always dependable Annie Golden as the (admittedly random) chick rock star Jesse Dove. The costumes also deserve a mention. Unlike many Fringe shows (which tend to have merely suitable costumes that seem to have come from the actors’ closets), Clint Ramos’s costumes really help with character development. While there were some unnecessary projections, and the ever-present headset mics (which never work properly in Fringe shows - when will people learn?), these are minor flaws in an otherwise well-staged production.

And other than a few of Ruth’s songs, much of the score is worth a listen. Citizen Ruth remains light-hearted throughout, especially for a musical about abortion. While I didn’t laugh as hard as those around me, there were some funny moments, and I was never confused. My main problem was that I wanted to be more emotionally involved in the story (because I wasn’t, the second act began to get monotonous, and the ending was extremely sudden and unsatisfying). These critiques aside, if you are interested in politically-engaged new musicals that will also make you laugh, you might want to visit Citizen Ruth.

(Citizen Ruth plays at the Minetta Lane Theatre, 18 Minetta Lane, between 6th Avenue and MacDougal Street. The show is approximately 2 hours long, with one brief intermission. Performances are Sunday 8/23 at 10:30 pm and Monday 8/24 at 7:30 pm. For tickets and show info visit citizenruth.info and for more FringeNYC info visit fringenyc.org.)

America’s Next Top Bottom: Cycle 5! (FringeNYC)

2009-08-22T15:08:00.003-04:00

By Dan

BOTTOM LINE: The first show I’ve seen with a literal “bottom line.” This is an improvisational comedy contest - the humor is dumb, dumb, dumb, but also very funny.

America’s Next Top Bottom: Cycle 5! is not a meditative look on the interrelationships of American gay men in the first decade of the 21st century, nor is it a reflection on the mores of sexual practices in a community that seems to be torn between seemingly conflicting desires for normalcy and queerness. Believe it or not, America’s Next Top Bottom: Cycle 5! is actually a comedy show in which the audience votes on which of seven flamboyant men will become America’s Next Top Bottom.

If you’re turned off already, then you probably don’t need to continue reading. But if you’re even mildly intrigued, then you’ll be glad to know that this fifth installation of America’s Next Top Bottom (the first four cycles occurred at the Celebration Theatre in Los Angeles) is frequently hilarious, largely improvisational, and very, very, very dumb (and I mean that as a compliment).

After introducing the seven contestants, a series of games and elimination challenges whittles the contest down to three finalists, and then the audience chooses a winner by voting with ballots that come in the program. There are different games in each show; the night I went, one challenge involved Teddy Teddy pulling a random prop from a bag and then asking each contestant to use it in a “talent contest” (you have to….juggle these Barbie dolls!) Yes, it all sounds very silly, and it is. But it is also very high energy, and at only about an hour, ends before it has the chance to get monotonous.

Drew Droege plays host Trina Sugg, a Franzia-drinking stressed-out mother who is thrilled to be bringing the show to “Broadway New York.” Trina Sugg, and her co-host Teddy Teddy (Pete Zias does this take-off on club kid Kenny Kenny) are the funniest people on stage, always ready with random asides that often made me laugh out loud. Much of the show is improvised; for example, the contestants didn’t seem to know what games to expect, which helped create the atmosphere of a contest. And as with a lot of improvisational comedy, the people on stage often make each other laugh as well.

If I have any critique, it is that some of the contestants rely too heavily on overly familiar racial stereotypes; for instance, I preferred “Corky Adaire” (a professional seat filler) to “Harajuku Sulu” (an Japanese guy with a hard-to-understand accent). But the show succeeds because it doesn’t just rely on the wackiness of these personas, but on the humor found in good improvisational comedy.

America’s Next Top Bottom isn’t overtly sexual, and there is no nudity, although the cast is liable to say anything. And while the audience seemed to be primarily full of gay men, this isn’t necessarily a gay show. Rather, this show will appeal to anyone who enjoys really dumb humor, like watching someone do ballet to Kelis’s “Milkshake”, or make up a poem from the words “New Jersey,” “grapefruit,” and “canary”. Or to put it another way - if you like Drew Droege as the voice of “Feathers” in the cult web show Planet Unicorn, you’ll find him hilarious in America’s Next Top Bottom: Cycle 5!

(America’s Next Top Bottom: Cycle 5! is unfortunately no longer running in the Fringe Festival. For show info visit americasnexttopbottom.com and for more FringeNYC info visit fringenyc.org.)

Live Broadcast (FringeNYC)

2009-08-22T12:15:00.002-04:00

By Ben

BOTTOM LINE: Smart subject matter, strong moments, a work in progress.

Live Broadcast has a lot of potential. The premise is extremely compelling – what happens when a successful actor from middle-America goes on a national talk show to debate real issues with a liberal congresswoman? Does he choose to speak his mind or does he let the pressures of his own industry force him to keep his mouth shut?

This show is very much on the fringe of something that could continue to grow as the artists involved continues to develop it. It isn’t until the end of the first act that we start to see the story get away from a lot of talking and the action pick up as the stakes of the characters become clear. The second act is almost like a completely different show. The actor and politician go head to head on live TV with the host and his agent very much on edge. Real issues and strong points of view are put out there and the actors show sharp vigor for the material.

There are a lot of good things happening with this show. After getting past a lot of the initial exposition, the actors do get to sink their teeth into their characters. We have 4 archetypical characters: an actor, a politician, an agent and a news talk show host with a bit of an ego. When the natural conflicts that arise with these characters come up, it’s very cool and very true to watch. Most of this happens in the second act and the actors do a fine job of playing these roles when the heat picks up. It’s almost like a completely different show when we are actually watching the live broadcast. There is more that can happen and exploring these issues as this play does is refreshing to watch. It will make you think a lot of about entertainment and our country.

I believe with continued work, collaboration and development with this piece it could become a real fantastic piece of theater worthy of a full production. It’s just not there yet for most audiences, but I will say that if you are curious about the show and the premise, by all means check it out. There is a nice production value and, as I said at the beginning, it has a ton of potential.

(Live Broadcast plays at The New School for Drama, 151 Bank Street. The final performance is Sunday, August 23rd at noon. Tickets are $15. For more show info visit livebroadcastplay.com and for more FringeNYC info visit fringenyc.org.)

Baby Wants Candy (FringeNYC)

2009-08-21T12:32:00.009-04:00

By Zak

BOTTOM LINE: Hour long, completely improvised musical that is quite possibly the most fun you’ll have at the Fringe Fest this year.

So I think that pretty much sums up what you will experience at the kick ass new improv show, Baby Wants Candy. A group of actors take a suggestion from the audience and think up an hour long musical right there on the spot. Hilarity ensues.

I had a great, great, time at Baby Wants candy. It’s hard to say a lot about the show because it will be completely different each night, but I'll metion a little about opening night. With the suggestion “A Scotsman in Thailand,” the group of actors came up with a tale of a young Scottish man who leaves his island home to find love in the red light district of Thailand and encounters gay backpacks, fame hungry female pimps, cross gender whores, a sexual compulsive who travels the world, and cute kittens. That’s right. Cute Kittens.

And yet some how it all made sense. I laughed more than I have at any other improv show I’ve seen in the city. The entire cast was incredible, but I was in particular awe of the vocal stylings and biting wit of Eliza Skinner. Thomas Middleditch played a young Thai whore and a gay backpack (at one point in the same scene) with the skill that trumps anything that you will see on Saturday Night Live or The Upright Citizen’s and I wouldn’t be surprised to see popping up all over film and television very soon. He is definitely someone to watch. Much of the success of Baby Wants Candy can also be contributed to the phenomenal band who improvises an entire musical score as well. The styles ranged from hip hop, far east flavor, power ballads, to Scottish folk dance and they never missed a beat.

I really think that Baby Wants Candy is great. After the Fringe Fest run, it will continue performances in the fall at The Barrow Street Theatre. I know that I will definitely be attending that run in the fall, that is, if I don’t go back to see it again this year at the fringe festival. If you are looking for a wonderfully entertaining night, go see Baby Wants Candy. Seriously. Go See It.

(Baby Wants Candy plays at The Players Theatre, 115 Macdougal Street. Performances are Friday 8/21 at 11:00pm, Saturdayd 8/22 at 2:00 pm, Thursday 8/27 at 6:00pm and Saturday 8/29 at 1:00 pm. Tickets are $15. To purchase tickets or for more info visit babywantscandy.com and for more info on FringeNYC visit fringenyc.org.)

just don't touch me, amigo (FringeNYC)

2009-08-20T23:39:00.000-04:00

By Ben

BOTTOM LINE: An awesome solo show...funny, sharp and downright edgy at times.

This show was fantastic. Now it's possible one might think that solo shows at the Fringe are to be avoided like the plague. But this one sounded intriguing. It's billed as “a comedy about a foreigner who just doesn’t get that his loneliness is such a turn off.” Wow, I’m glad I went.

Fernando Gamborani has incredible charisma and depth in his character driven story. He takes you on a hilarious ride through the metamorphosis of a foreigner from South America coming to New York with naïve ambitions that are damn funny when put on stage and expressed so innocently. What happens as this character evolves and interacts with other New Yorkers is hilarious; it exposes some biting truths.

Scenes that seem typical at first go much deeper to make you laugh at how fickle people can be in this city, especially when it comes to how we treat each other. Dates, job interviews, run-ins at a coffee shops: we have these interactions where we judge one another so quickly. It’s a treat to watching Gamborani play both sides so brilliantly. My personal favorite scene was when his character goes in for a job interview and takes on corporate culture.

The show moves fairly quickly without losing your attention and wraps up in a fairly decent time before you get bored. It’s an example of a good solo show and I do recommend it highly to anyone who wants to check it out.

(just don't touch me, amigo plays at Manhattan Theatre Source, 177 MacDougal between 8th and Waverly Place. Performances are Saturday 8/22 at 9:15pm, Wednesday 8/26 at 3pm and Thursday 8/27 at 9:30pm. Tickets are $15. For more show info visit justdon'ttouchmeamigo.blogspot.com and for more FringeNYC info visit fringenyc.org).

A History of Cobbling (FringeNYC)

2009-08-18T08:00:00.000-04:00

By Dan

BOTTOM LINE: A short, bizarrely funny play that both entertains and stays with you.

I fully admit - I only went to see A History of Cobbling because my friend thought it sounded interesting. On my own, I probably wouldn’t have noticed it, as it is one of those plays that tends to get lost amongst other, flashier titles in the Fringe catalog. But I’m very glad I went. A History of Cobbling may be one of the more interesting plays I’ve seen in a long time, because it strides that fine line between fantasy and reality, between the ridiculous and the mundane.

The play takes place in the kitchen of Michael and Loraine’s home, as they discuss the surprising event of the day: on a deserted city street, Michael met a foot high English cobbler. Justin T. Klose and Cameron Reed, who also co-wrote the play, are Michael and Loraine. Both are excellent, and create complex characters that have lot more going on than it might at first seem. Reed’s somewhat daffy Loraine is especially delightful, and her speech is peppered with a lot of malapropisms that are as funny as they are unexpected.

All too often playwrights feel the need to tell the audience everything through dialogue; in A History of Cobbling, Klose and Reed wisely avoid this temptation. While Michael and Loraine are at first surprised by the presence of the foot high people, their conversation begins to ramble, and they are soon speaking about the most random subjects. And weirdly, it reminded me of many conversations I’ve had with my partner, in which something that at first seems shocking quickly becomes ordinary, and the talk moves on to the everyday events that are the bulk of most relationships. In other words, A History of Cobbling reminds us that relationships are built on things like grocery lists. But this isn’t just a typical play about a normal couple. In this strange little world, Michael and Loraine have a lot that they don’t talk about, and these elephants in the room become more and more evident as the play progresses.

I think everyone will read something different into this play; for me, it is about the need to keep going in the face of loss, and that while the desire to forget might seem to translate into an inability to remember, memories have a way of resurfacing in the most unexpected places. If this implies that A History of Cobbling is serious and somber, don’t be fooled. I laughed a lot during this piece; at times I had no idea why things were funny, since much of what goes on is so very odd. I enjoyed myself tremendously, and would recommend this to anyone looking for an entertaining play that doesn’t hit you over the head, but has enough substance to give you something to think and talk about after it is over. In a sense, A History of Cobbling is a lot like the cobbler Michael meets - short, a bit surreal and bizarre and strange, and much more affecting than it might at first appear.

(A History of Cobbling plays at the Soho Playhouse, 15 Vandam Street between Varick and 6th Avenue. The show is approximately 45 minutes long. Performances are Thursday 8/20 at 8:30 pm, Friday 8/21 at 3:30 pm and Tuesday 8/25 at 5:45 pm. For tickets and show info visit www.myspace.com/ahistoryofcobbling and for more FringeNYC info visit fringenyc.org.)

I Can Has Cheezburger: The MusicLOL! (FringeNYC)

2009-08-18T07:00:00.001-04:00

By Dan

BOTTOM LINE: A sweet, fun, and often hilarious musical that may well be one of the must-sees of this year’s New York Fringe Festival.

ICanHasCheezburger.com is a popular website that basically consists of photos of cats accompanied by funny captions, many of which are grammatically incorrect (this “lolspeak” both parodies internet slang, and serves endearingly as the “thoughts” and “words” of the cats in the pictures.) Why on earth would it occur to anyone to make a musical out of such material? I have no idea, but fortunately for us, it occurred to Kristyn Pomranz and Katherine Steinberg, and the result is I Can Has Cheezburger: The MusicLOL!

I Can Has Cheezburger: The MusicLOL! is quintessential Fringe - a very silly musical made from unlikely source material. But while some shows seem to rely solely on a strange premise or enticing title (the cynic in me feels that the more interesting the title, the less interesting the show), I Can Has Cheezburger: The MusicLOL! actually delivers. It is incredibly sweet, and often hilarious.

The show begins with one woman showing her friend (and the audience) the ICanHasCheezburger.com website. All the while, her own cat lusts after the cheeseburger sitting on her desk. She decides to take a picture of him, and soon he is uploaded into internet world (where he is called Lolcat, and can now talk and sing), on his quest to find his true love, a cheeseburger. Along the way, Lolcat meets various characters, including Drop (another cat who also hopes for a cheeseburger), Lolrus (a walrus who yearns for a bucket), and Jodie (a mouse who wants someone to love). The characters are all inspired by ICanHasCheezburger.com and its related websites, and the show is frequently augmented by projections of the photos found there.

To be sure, these photos (and their captions) are essential to the show. Without them, the show wouldn’t be so funny (and most likely, it wouldn’t make much sense). The projections are extremely well-timed and well-placed. (Important - make sure to sit close enough so that you can see the top of the screen and fortunately there is a projection up when you walk in so you’ll be able to tell). Indeed, the biggest laughs come from the various photos; one could argue that the projections are really the core of the show, and everything else is just filler. But ultimately, I think the show works because both halves (the projections and the book-score-performances) work together incredibly well. I’d argue that each half depends on the other.

The cast is uniformly good. Seth Grugle is adorable as Lolcat- the “everycat” of the piece. Vincent DiGeronimo is also great as the cuddly Lolrus, although I had a difficult time understanding many of the lyrics in his songs. And then there is Bryan Welnicki, who plays Drop, a cat who sits under a box waiting for a cheeseburger to fall from the sky. He only has one song, but Welnicki gives my favorite performance in the show.

I also loved the story to this musical. Yes, this is a standard “quest” plot line (in this case, the quest is a Cheezburger). But if it isn’t sophisticated, it doesn’t need to be; the story held my interest, and I even liked the ending. If anything needs work, it is the score. While many of the songs have clever lyrics, the music is not very interesting. I enjoyed Jodie’s solo “Someone to Eat Cheese With” (Carly Zien has maybe the strongest voice in the cast), and the closing number “Tasty Taste of Love” is a terrific finale, and the best song of the show. But aside from these two exceptions, most of the music is more or less forgettable. In fact, I think that with better music, this show could be incredibly successful in a commercial off-Broadway engagement.

But even with a mediocre score, I had a great time at I Can Has Cheezburger: The MusicLOL! I laughed a lot, and had a smile on my face the entire time. Judging by the response of the (sold out) audience around me, lots of other people liked it as well. This is one of the few Fringe shows I’d recommend to everyone- if you are open to having a silly, light-hearted good time, you’ll enjoy this. And it isn’t just for cat lovers (although I must admit that yes, I wrote this review with a cat on my lap). I wouldn’t be surprised if it returned for the Fringe Encores series in September. But in case it doesn’t, try to make one of the remaining three performances (and buy soon!). Most Fringe shows have something worthwhile about them. But very few provide as much pure enjoyment as I Can Has Cheezburger: The MusicLOL!

(I Can Has Cheezburger: The MusicLOL! plays at the Cherry Lane Theater, 38 Commerce Street between 7th Avenue & Hudson Street. The show is approximately 1 hour 20 minutes long. Performances are Tuesday 8/18 at 6:15 pm, Wednesday 8/26 at 9:15 pm, and Friday 8/28 at 4:45 pm. For tickets and show info visit icanhascheezburgerthemusiclol.com and for more FringeNYC info visit fringenyc.org.)

Powerhouse (FringeNYC)

2009-08-18T00:25:00.003-04:00

By Ben

BOTTOM LINE: Outstanding. If you've ever thought the Fringe was sub-par, go see this show.

Holy crap, that was awesome. From the moment it begins this show does not skip a beat. It was tight. Wow. Honestly every element of Sinking Ship Productions' Powerhouse was perfect and brilliantly creative. It’s really what live theater can be that no other medium can match.

Powerhouse tells the story of Raymond Scott, a composer from the 1930’s whose unique style of jazz and swing music hit the airwaves and became the soundtrack for the classic Warner Brothers Cartoons. Erik Lochtefeld's compelling performance as Scott, from his simple entrance to his tragic end, never loses the audience's empathy for this man’s obsessed life and human flaws. The ensemble work that rounds out the rest of the cast fills the stage with energy and great acting. They dance, use puppetry and create a world of characters that you’ll love to watch every moment of.

Did I say puppetry? You bet I did. Kick booty puppetry. Wasn’t even expecting it, but when the puppetry is used it the play becomes so animated (no pun intended) and alive that it just gets better and better. Eric Wright is both a cast member and the puppets' designer. The puppets are created in a fashion I’ve never seen and they are worth the price of admission to simply see the work the ensemble does with them. My hat is off to the cast, as well, for their ability to never let the energy drop and fly around the stage with such exhilaration. The show also includes set pieces so unique and creative they serve as a reminder of how cool theater can be.

And that’s just it. This was a brilliant, exciting piece of theater. Live theater can be such a blast with great artists working together on every level to make something spectacular like this show.

This show had better be picked up and staged in a New York theater so the world can see it beyond the Fringe. As for you, my dear reader, find out if tickets are available and SEE THIS SHOW!

(Powerhouse plays at The Connelly Theatre, 220 East 4th Street between Avenues A and B. Performances are Wednesday 8/19 at 2:45pm, Saturday 8/22 at 2:15pm, Sunday 8/23 at 7pm and Friday 8/28 at 9:30pm. For tickets and show info visit sinkingshipproductions.com and for more FringeNYC info visit fringenyc.org.)

Natural History (FringeNYC)

2009-08-17T07:00:00.002-04:00

By Ben

BOTTOM LINE: Strong acting, creative directing and smart writing carry beyond what initially seems to be a clichéd premise to reveal an engaging emotional story of a modern day young woman.

Natural History is a very strong piece. I did not know what to expect going in to the show at the Soho Playhouse, but I was pleasantly surprised by Sweeter Theater Productions new play. At first, I thought this was a typical piece of obvious Fringe Theater: a young woman standing behind a velvet rope on display at the Museum of Natural History? Really?

It turns out to be a well-written and sharply directed modern day anywoman tale that is quite moving. Each scene got better and more intriguing as the show went on walking a smart balance between dark humor fun and emotionally gripping truths. The actors Robyn Frank, Andrea Gallo, Simon Kendall and Franny Silverman deserve a nod for their ability to deliver truthful, compelling characters that I loved seeing evolve on stage.

Nothing is over the top in Natural History. A few nods to the audience are a bit fun, and it's a quality piece of live theater overall. I’d love to see more work done by the Sweeter Theater Production team and if you have a chance to do see this one at the festival, go for it.

(Natural History plays at the Soho Playhouse, 15 Vandam Street between 6th Avenue and Varick. Performances are Wednesday 8/19 at 5:30, Friday 8/21 at 5pm, Tuesday 8/25 at 10pm and Saturday 8/29 at 3:45pm. Tickets are $15. For tickets and more information visit sweetertheatre.com and for more info about FringeNYC visit fringenyc.org).

Willy Nilly (FringeNYC)

2009-08-17T07:00:00.000-04:00

By Molly

I was excited to see Willy Nilly a new satiric musical parody of the Charles Manson family in the style of the protest musical Hair. The script itself is pretty funny and it does a fine job representing the Manson murders. There are many entertaining references (i.e. the Roman Polanski character is Poland Romanski) and it illustrates a far-out crazy time with an emphasis on crazy (i.e. zany, loony, off-your-rocker whackjobs).

I'm going to assume that this show, written by Trav S.D. (who is also in the cast), is in its early development stages. Although it tells a solid, easy to follow story, the ending just sort of peters out and the moment to moment action is frequently unclear. Although the framework is there, Willy Nilly is kind of just a big, silly acid trip, minus the acid.

I'd recommend seeing this show if gratuitous silliness is your thing, and/or if you're really, really wasted. As silliness is not always my thing, I was pretty turned off by the nature of the presentation. Don't get my wrong, I love satire, especially when it's ironic, snarky and smart. But silliness for the sake of itself rubs me the wrong way. And I never felt like Willy Nilly was being funny for its audience. Rather, it just seemed like the cast, having a rocking good time indeed, could've had as much fun in a basement with a karaoke machine.

And unfortunately the silliness was used as a crutch many times throughout the show. Tedious music? Mediocre performances? Inability to sing the high notes in the song? It's ok, look at how silly we are!!! Throw in a dozen or so STD references and the smart humor gets overshadowed.

If the production can hone in on what this show's about and lift the quirky spoof from its haze of
uninspired (and mostly unfunny) humor, there's probably a really good show waiting. Hell, the premise alone is prime for mockery and the story stands on its own, even more so since the audience knows it's non-fiction.

(Willy Nilly plays at Dixon Place, 161A Christie Street between Rivington and Delancy. Performances are Friday, 8/21 at 5pm, Sunday 8/23 at 2:45pm and Friday 8/28 at 7pm. Tickets are $15. To purchase tickets and for show info visit pipermckenzie.com and for FringeNYC info visit fringenyc.org.)

How Now, Dow Jones (FringeNYC)

2009-08-17T01:31:00.006-04:00

By Dan

BOTTOM LINE: A newly revised version of a semi-obscure 1968 Broadway musical, How Now, Dow Jones is worth seeing, especially if you’ve ever felt that “they sure don’t make ‘em like that anymore.”

Many shows at the Fringe are new works, hoping to gain notice through the festival and have future lives, like Urinetown famously did (a show that started at the Fringe and went on to run for several years on Broadway). How Now, Dow Jones is one of the first shows I’ve heard of that is doing the reverse - after a run on Broadway back in 1968, and six Tony award nominations (and one win), How Now, Dow Jones is now seeking additional attention at the Fringe.

More specifically, this is a revamped, significantly edited version of the How Now, Dow Jones that appeared on Broadway forty years ago. Director Ben West added three songs and some unused dialogue, and he eliminated four major characters, five musical numbers, and the entire ensemble. So a standard two act musical with large production numbers has become a short one-act piece that seems to focus more on the main characters.

Of course, without having seen the full-length version, it is difficult to know how this revised version compares. Kate is frustrated because her fiancé won’t marry her until the Dow Jones hits 1,000. Charley feels like killing himself because he fails at everything he tries. While it is clear from the outset that these two will wind up together, I felt that this main story got lost sometimes, and that the stakes weren’t really high enough until much later on in the piece.

That said, I really enjoyed this short, sweet musical. Cristen Paige plays Kate, and is perfectly suited to this kind of “old-school” material; her “Walk Away” is a standout. And as Charley, Colin Hanlon is extremely charming and affable. While there was something about him that seemed very 2009 (as opposed to Paige, who manages to appear very 1968), Hanlon’s “Gawk, Tousle and Shucks” is a delight, with Hanlon’s goofy “aw shucks” faces making the song a high point in the show. The rest of the cast members are great as well, although some seem a little young (so that the most age-appropriate actor seems too old, in comparison). And with one exception, all of them project well with very little amplification. It is a relief to see a musical that doesn’t rely on those annoying headset mics that seem so ubiquitous these days.

The one obvious thing missing from this How Now, Dow Jones is the large production numbers, especially “Step to the Rear.” (Check out bluegobo.com to see Tony Roberts and company sing it on the 1968 Tony Awards. The choreography is by Michael Bennett, who was brought in when the show was out of town but requested to remain uncredited.) The song remains in the show; understanding that it is the most hummable song in the score, West saves it for the end. While the eight-person cast does a great job with it, there still seems to be something missing - it is still an eight-person cast doing a full production number. I think this final song would have succeeded more if it had been the only dance number in the show. There are a few times when the duo of “Dow” (Shane Bland) and “Jones” (Dennis O’Bannion) dance around the stage, as if to make up for the lack of a full dance ensemble. While they are fine dancers, these two simply can’t replace a twenty-person chorus.

Nevertheless, I highly recommend seeing How Now, Dow Jones. It is fun, has great music that is likely unfamiliar to even the most avid fan of musical theatre, and at 75 minutes, is almost over too soon.

(How Now, Dow Jones plays at the Minetta Lane Theatre, 18 Minetta Lane, between 6th Avenue and MacDougal Street. The show is approximately 1 hour 15 minutes long. Performances are Monday 8/17 at 10:30 pm, Tuesday 8/18 at 8 pm, Thursday 8/20 at 8:15 pm, and Sunday 8/23 at 5:45 pm. For tickets and show info visit HowNowDowJones.com and for more FringeNYC info visit fringenyc.org.)

VOTE! A New Musical (Fringe NYC)

2009-08-16T11:07:00.004-04:00

It's time for a Theasy Point/Counterpoint!!

Zak - POINT

I had a good time at VOTE! A New Musical. There’s a lot of buzz surrounding this new musical about a high school election, due in part to its star-packed cast with a slew of Broadway performers (most notably Bailey Hanks, Winner of MTV’s “Legally Blonde the Search for Elle Woods and Broadway star Deidre Goodwin who had appeared in eight Broadway shows including A Chorus Line, Chicago and Nine and also the film version of Chicago.

VOTE! Follows three candidates on their road to the highest elected office in the land at typical American high school. While it might appear to just be a fluff piece about the inner workings of high school politics, VOTE! does briefly try to pose some bigger questions about our country’s political system. It’s lighthearted fun. VOTE! Doesn’t take itself to seriously and the nearly 400 audience members on opening night seemed to enjoy it. The score, written by Steven Jamail, is catchy and well crafted and the cast gives it their all and delivers solid performances across the board. All and all, worth a trip to the polling booth at the Minetta Lane Theatre to catch VOTE!

Dan - COUNTERPOINT

I decided to see VOTE! for one reason: it featured Deidre Goodwin. And to that extent, I got what I came for. Goodwin is terrific, and somehow manages to sell her one song “Hands of a Surgeon,” even though it makes absolutely no sense and has nothing to do with the plot of the musical (I think the song is about mnemonic devices, or about how Goodwin’s character could have been a surgeon but decided her talent was teaching, or maybe just about giving Goodwin a chance to wail). And Goodwin even gets a chance to dance, although it is only at the very end of the show, and for not nearly as long as I would have liked.

I just wish the rest of the musical had been even a quarter as entertaining. Maybe it isn’t fair to expect Fringe musicals to be fully realized, professional productions. But at the very least, I’d hope they would make sense. As best as I could tell, VOTE! is about a high school election for student council president (parallels to the far superior movie Election abound). But Muffin, the main character (gamely played by Bailey Hanks), doesn’t really seem to care much about winning the election. In fact, she doesn’t really participate in the campaign process at all; she seems to prefer looking at and thinking about airplanes. Apparently she wants to be a stewardess? I’m not sure why, or why we should care, but as there were several songs, and even a bit of choreography, that made reference to airplanes, I’m pretty sure Muffin likes them.

VOTE! isn’t awful; the energetic cast is a lot of fun and two cast members I found myself watching a lot were Daniel Robinson and Robbie Fowler. And some of the music is hummable, especially the final song. However, some lyrics could use work, such as “I want to be the villian’s girl, I tried to be good but it made me want to hurl.”

But VOTE! doesn’t work as a musical, unless the point is just to showcase a bunch of random, unconnected songs. For the most part, the book makes absolutely no sense. And when I could figure out what was going on, I didn’t care, because there is little, if any, character development. The production relies on a lot of unnecessary set pieces - why is there a huge blackboard that says “Return Your Textbooks?" And I even found some elements a bit offensive - why can’t the attractive blond cheerleader also be intelligent (spoiler - she cheats). And why does Nikki, the black girl, have to sing a song about how her main goal in life is to be “Just Black Enough?” The song comes out of nowhere, and implies that only black people need be concerned with racial politics.

The whole show just seemed to be thrown together, as if a bunch of high school students developed a musical in a week, each writing a different scene. There is promise here, but the material needs a lot of work. If you’re itching to see Deidre Goodwin perform, VOTE! might be worth checking out. But there are over 200 shows at FringeNYC this year, so if your time is limited, I’d look elsewhere.

(VOTE! A New Musical performs at The Minetta Lane Theatre, 18 Minetta Lane between MacDougal and 6th Avenue. Remaining performances are Sunday 8/23 at 3pm and Wednesday 8/26 at 5:30 pm. Tickets are $15. For more show info and tickets visit votethemusical.com and for more FringeNYC info visit fringenyc.org.)

A Time to Dance (FringeNYC)

2009-08-16T09:18:00.004-04:00

By Molly

In solo-show, A Time to Dance, Libby Skala channels her quirky great-aunt Elizabeth (Lisl) Polk and tells the story of her life. Through Skala, we see Lisl grow from remarkable little girl to self-assured old lady and learn about her life and accomplishments along the way. From a childhood in Vienna, a move to New York, a relocation back to Denmark and then Austria after Hitler's invasion, followed by a final transfer back to the States, its clear that Lisl's energy and spirit guided a pretty incredible life.

Skala got the idea for this show after interviewing Lisl for a play she was writing on her grandmother (Lisl's sister), actress Lilia Skala. According to the program notes, Lisl just wanted to talk about herself during the interviews and after reviewing the tapes, Skala realized she had a pretty great story as well.

The biggest strength in A Time to Dance is the charismatic connectedness Skala offers the audience. As the show is about a woman's love for dance, Skala flits around the stage and makes movement paramount to the show's message. The action on stage is interesting from the minute it begins and I personally never lost interest in Lisl's story. It seemed like those around me were also pretty engrossed.

Now, I think most people have quirky relatives with great stories, particularly those who survived the world wars and lived to tell about it. Lisl's life is fascinating but I was also interested in the subject matter beyond the character. Lisl's modern dance background and work as a notable dance therapist really fascinated me and to be honest, I was hoping to learn more about those facets of her life. A Time to Dance doesn't really delve into the technical side of Lisl's life in dance. It's really just the story of this phenomenal person's joie de vie, and certainly one worth telling.

(A Time to Dance plays at the Theatres on 45 Bleecker, 45 Bleecker Street. Performances are Tuesday 8/18 at 8pm, Thursday 8/20 at 9:45pm, Friday 8/21 at 3pm and Monday 8/24 at 9:45pm. For tickets and show info visit libbyskala.com and for more FringeNYC info visit fringenyc.org.)

notes on the land of earthquake & fire (FringeNYC)

2009-08-15T10:15:00.006-04:00

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.)

Puppetry of the Penis (45 Bleecker)

2009-08-14T13:51:00.002-04:00

By Dan

FIVE POINTS OR LESS
Silly, silly, silly • full frontal male nudity • great for groups of women • best experienced with a drink (or three)

BOTTOM LINE: Dumb, juvenile fun...two men form their genitals into different shapes. You were expecting something different?

I somehow won a pair of tickets to Puppetry of the Penis, so I finally got my chance to check out this show, which had a decent run in New York several years back. The general gist of the show is in the title - two men perform the “art of genital origami” pulling, shaping, and twisting their “tools” into various shapes including food, the signature Hamburger; animals, the Sea Anenome; and modes of transportation, the Roller Skate).

What can I say? It is what it is, juvenile, but potentially fun. The two young men (Rich Binning and Christopher J Cannon- both in their 20s) are perfect for this show. They embrace the silly humor, and quickly make the audience feel comfortable. This is not an erotic show at all, nor should it be. But yes, the puppeteers are naked for almost the entire show. As they narrate and prepare the various “dick tricks,” a video camera is aimed at the results, magnifying each trick so that everyone in the audience can see it. (Watch out for the aisles though - there are poles that may obscure your view of the screen).

There were a good number of people there on the Wednesday night I went- mostly women, some of whom had brought men along with them. There were also several pairs of (presumably) gay men. And this makes sense - the show probably appeals to those who don’t mind spending some time looking at two naked (and attractive, which surprised me!) men play with themselves. The women seemed to laugh a lot more, I’m assuming because the “tools” are somewhat foreign, and so the “tricks” seemed more strange and surprising.

At one point, Rich and Chris asked if any man in the audience wanted to try a trick with them, and to my surprise, a guy went on stage; he dropped his pants and made the Hamburger! I can’t be sure, but he didn’t look like a plant to me - his face was a bit flushed, and he looked both excited and embarrassed, “I can’t believe I’m doing this.”

The show is 90 minutes long, but the first 30 minutes is taken up by one of three female comedians. I saw Amy Schumer, and although she was funny for a few minutes, I thought she soon lost the audience. I’m guessing the comedy is meant to be a warm up to the main event, but for my friend and I, it actually did the opposite...we were having less fun during the intermission than we were when we first walked in. Hopefully the other two women are better; if not, you can always get a drink during intermission. Or to avoid the comedian altogether, you can hire the puppeteers for private parties (I’m not kidding).

(Puppetry of the Penis plays at 45 Bleecker (just east of Lafayette Street). Right now, tickets are on sale through September 13. Performances are Tuesday at 7pm, Wednesday through Friday at 8pm, Saturday at 7pm & 9:30pm, and Sunday at 7pm. Tickets are $39-$59. The show is about 90 minutes, with one intermission. Visit telecharge.com to buy tickets, and puppetryofthepenis.com for more info. Between September 8th and September 20th you can also try the “20 at 20” program ($20 tickets 20 minutes before the show). See 20at20.com for details.)

The Bacchae (Shakespeare in the Park)

2009-08-13T02:05:00.007-04:00

By Dan

5 POINTS OR LESS
free theatre in Central Park • a boring production of a (potentially) thrilling text • probably won’t be a hot ticket

BOTTOM LINE: Even though it is free, I’d suggest skipping this. If you’ve seen The Bacchae before, you’ve probably seen a better production. If you haven’t, this production shouldn’t be the first one you see.

There are some good things about the Public Theater’s production of The Bacchae, now playing in Central Park. It is free. It is outside. It is about 90 minutes, no intermission. And most likely, you won’t need to camp out overnight to get a ticket (like many did earlier this summer to see Twelfth Night). Are there bad things? Well, you have to sit through this boring, boring production.

It isn’t that The Bacchae, by Euripedes, is a boring play, or even that the ancient text is in any way difficult to understand. Dionysus (a god) gets upset at King Pentheus (a mortal, and also his cousin) for refusing to worship him, so he drives Agave (the king’s mother) and a bunch of other women crazy. Agave tears her son apart, limb from limb, and then is heartbroken when she comes to her senses and sees that she is holding her dead son’s body parts in her hands. There is lots of ecstatic, even orgiastic behavior here: madness, violence, and tons of blood. This is a play that could be many things (raw, sexual, sensual, earthy, disgusting, tragic, frightening, seductive) but boring should not be one of them. Unfortunately, even though I knew it was a short one-act play, I couldn’t wait for it to be over.

My biggest problem with this production is the Chorus of twelve women. I feel bad for the actors- they have to remain on stage the entire time, singing slow, monotonous music (it reminded me of something a cantor in church might sing). Other characters also sing, but the score (composed by Phillip Glass) is never appropriate for this piece. The choral singing is accompanied by “movement”- the women prance around the stage performing random gestures that seem completely disconnected from the actual text. These chorus sections sap what little energy there is from this production. Plus, the women are saddled with some of the ugliest costumes I’ve seen on stage in a long time (bright orange and yellow MC Hammer pants!). Unfortunately, this is just one example of the inexplicable costume choices. If someone can figure out why Teiresias ends the show in black sequined pants, please let me know.

But there are additional problems. In my opinion, Jonathan Groff is miscast as Dionysus. Dionysus should be seductive and sexual, someone who draws us in to worship him. But here, Groff comes off as a whiny schoolboy (especially at the beginning, when he complained that no one would worship him). This worked well in Spring Awakening (he starred as Melchior), but not so great here. A few other names people might recognize: Anthony Mackie (recently seen in The Hurt Locker) plays Pentheus, and André de Shields plays Teiresias, the blind prophet. Both are fine in their roles, but neither stands out in a way that held my interest. (I didn’t like Mackie’s cross-dressing scene at all - he goes from hesitant to put on a dress to super campy in about 5 seconds. But I blame director Joanne Akalaitis for this.)

In fact, this production seems so misguided that I’m guessing Akalaitis had some kind of driving concept in her head (perhaps a desire to go back to the performance style of the Ancient Greeks, combined with Dionysus as a Christ-figure?), one that caused her and Glass to ignore the show as an audience member might see it. In any case, this concept is not communicated to the audience at all. So all of the choices appear extremely random, and because there is nothing exciting to watch, boredom sets in very quickly. I felt like I was watching a PBS lecture on Ancient Greek theatre. Or like I was in a church, watching a Sunday school class put on the play. I actually found the program (with extensive dramaturgical notes) more interesting than the production.

If after all of this, you still want to see The Bacchae (it is free, after all), the good news is that it probably won’t be difficult to get tickets. I got to the park about 6:30pm and waited on the standby line. Even though it seemed as if I was fairly far back in the line, I got a ticket. While this was my first time waiting on the standby line, I’ve heard that if you’re there by 6 or 6:30 (5:30 to be really safe), you probably shouldn’t have any trouble getting in. (Caveat: if you are going with someone else, you won’t be guaranteed two tickets together, since the standby line is only 1 per person). And because I really don’t think this will be a hot ticket, I can’t imagine the line will get worse. Of course, you could also go to Central Park when they do their initial distribution at 1pm. (And again, I don’t see the need to get on this line super early in the morning).

(The Bacchae runs through August 30th. Added performance (stand-by line only): August 24. No performance: August 25. The show plays at the Delacorte Theater, located in Central Park at 81st Street, Tuesday through Sunday at 8 pm. It is approximately 90 minutes with no intermission. Normal ticket distribution is 1pm at the Delacorte (2 tickets per person). Tickets are handed out to the stand-by line starting at 7:30pm (these are 1 per person). Tickets are also available through the virtual line, and there are a few days of outer borough distribution - see www.publictheater.org for more info.)

New York Int'l Fringe Festival 2009

2009-08-12T18:45:00.004-04:00

It's August - that means it's time for thousands of performers to descend upon lower Manhattan for a giant theatre festival celebrating artists from all over the world. The New York International Fringe Festival is notorious for offering myriad options of productions ranging from silly musical comedies to serious dramas to dance to clowning to puppets to performance art...and pretty much everything in between.

This year, FringeNYC is billing itself as "New York's best staycation." Well, if you take advantage of the festival's offerings (nearly 200 shows), there is certainly a lot to do below 14th Street from August 14th through August 30th. And $15 tickets make FringeNYC extra recession-friendly.

If today's FringeNYC press preview at the Minetta Lane Theatre taught me anything about this year's festival, it's that satire is in and so are the 1950's. Nine shows performed at today's preview and although they represent a mere sampling of the festival, they indicate goofy good times and some solid new theatre, too. Here are some of the previewed shows that your Theasy writers are excited to see.

• Scattered Lives
beautifully choreographed Japanese swordfighting set to traditional music as well as rock...the athleticism and grace are impressive and the bad-ass-ness is reminiscent of the Kill Bill movies

• Devil Boys From Beyond
a self proclaimed "outrageously insane comedy" involving cross-dressing camp at its goofiest...from Ridiculous Theatre Company

• The Event
a comedic, self-referential one man show about what it's like as an actor on a stage and the relationship made with the audience during a performance

• Vote!
a new musical about high school student council...this show includes a large cast and Broadway names and is sure to be a hot ticket

• Far Out
a new musical spoof of 1950's B-movies about alien invasions

Other FringeNYC shows Theasy will be reviewing include How Now Dow Jones, The History of Cobbling, America's Next Top Bottom, Citizen Ruth, The Boys Upstairs, Abraham Lincoln's Big Gay Dance Party, A Time to Dance, Willy Nilly, Natural History, Just Don't Touch Me Amigo, Live Broadcast, Powerhouse, and others.

Check back to theatreiseasy.com throughout the next two weeks for FringeNYC coverage, reviews and information. And let us know if you see anything good! For more information about FringeNYC, visit their website at fringenyc.org.

Joan Rivers - She's baaaack!

2009-08-10T07:00:00.001-04:00

By Scott

BOTTOM LINE: You'll laugh.

Hey, I just read that Joan Rivers is doing stand-up at the Laurie Beechman Theater at the West Bank Café from August 4 – 20. I caught her act several months ago at the Cutting Room and she was hoot and a half! Check out that review here. And, if you are so inclined, check out Joan’s newest shtick and newest face live at the Laurie Beechman Theater at the West Bank Café, 407 W 42nd St (between Ninth and Tenth Aves, downstairs). Joan performs Tuesday, August 11 @ 8pm; Wednesday, August 12 and 19 @ 8pm; Thursday, August 20 @ 9pm. Tickets are $30: www.spincyclenyc.com or 212 352 3101.

Los Grumildos (HERE Arts Center)

2009-08-09T14:57:00.000-04:00

By Kitty

BOTTOM LINE: Debachery, decadence and disco balls.

This is my Amsterdam fantasy. Inside the basement space of the HERE Arts Center, Peruvian artist Ety Fefer builds a kooky cabaret whose guests include demented dollhouse denizens, rodent hybrid rock stars, and insects with spiky shells to match their gold spiked heels. These creatures drink, sing, smoke and make love in a world resembling that of a European cabaret club circa 1940 complete with red lighting, simulated cigarette smoke and a soft, swing jazz soundtrack.

Los Grumildos, though described as "kinetic theatre", is more a play in the philosophical sense. Human beings are replaced by puppets. Movement is manipulated by strings. Ideas are conveyed and emotions shared in the assembling of the atmosphere rather than in spoken word.

Yet, it seems a disservice to classify Los Grumildos as simply an art installation. Strangely, there is a sense of "different every night." Each creature possesses its own inner life and even though they are retarded by their plasticine parts, they are free in their personal expression and seem to bring a different energy with each look.

(Los Grumildos' bizarre magic has finished its short run at HERE Arts Center in New York. However, Ety Fefer continues to tour her puppets throughout the United States and Europe. To learn of future installations, visit www.grumildos.com.)

THE AMORALISTS (August Featured Theatre Company)

2009-08-02T11:34:00.018-04:00

By Le-Anne

Recently, I had the good fortune of sitting down with the members of the up-and-coming theatre company, The Amoralists. (See the Theasy review of The Pied Pipers of the Lower East Side. The show has been extended through Aug. 17th). The four American Academy of Dramatic Arts alumni had a lot to say. They are an interesting bunch with a lot of great stories and innovative ideas. Here is a mere sampling of what they shared.

The company’s been around since December of 2006, but Meghan you just recently joined the team this year?
JAMES KAUTZ - She’s seen all of our shows, as a friend.
MEGHAN RITCHIE - I’ve known them for years. I’m a big fan and I was Derek’s assistant director in the fall.
DEREK AHONEN - We have a different assistant director for each show. Then there’s a good chance that somebody can come in and collaborate with us. We had our first intern on this last show. She worked out great.
MATTHEW PILIECI - We’re expanding as a company by working with friends, people who know how we work, and have worked with us before.

How did the company begin?
AHONEN - On a trip to LA we were debating whether to move out to LA or stay here...
PILIECI - and what the hell to do with our lives.
AHONEN - We took a couple grand and drove to Vegas with the hopes of winning fifty thousand dollars to start a company.
KAUTZ - We were absolutely convinced that we were gonna win.
PILIECI - We already had it spent.
KAUTZ - What our productions were gonna be, all that kind of thing. We walked into the first casino, Matt walks up to a roulette table, throws fifty dollars down, bets it on black.
PILIECI - Lost it.
KAUTZ - And that set the tone for the weekend.
PILIECI - We spent the rest of the weekend losing more money and drinking apple martinis. (laughter)
KAUTZ - Then on the drive back we all kinda looked at each other and were like “Fuck it. Let’s just start this.”

Matthiew Pilieci, James Kautz, Derek Ahonen. Not pictured: Meghan Ritchie. Photo by Krissy Rowe.

What were your first steps when you came back. Was it a slow process?
AHONEN- Not really. We got back and we dove in head first. I had a play. It was just a matter of getting the money together.

What was the play?
AHONEN - While Chasing The Fantastic. It’s probably the most experimental thing we’ve done in the sense that it jumped around in time and played with the boundaries of reality as opposed to the other things we’ve done which have been so straight forward, in your face, and confrontational. It went really well but no one saw it.
PILIECI - Our friends saw it.
KAUTZ - We made every possible mistake you could.

Like what?
PILIECI - Getting a nonexclusive space, number one.
AHONEN - Wrong PR people.
PILIECI - We got PR people that are used to dealing with, like, banks.
AHONEN - They had no theatre connections. Out of our own frustration, we made a contact with some company that you had to pay twenty dollars to get a review.
PILIECI - And when we got it, we thought we were stars!
KAUTZ - Then we did our homework.
AHONEN - We followed the press for shows we liked and were like, “Who’s doing press for them?”

The Amoralists have gained a lot more press recently.
AHONEN - Yeah. The bigger the press the more people it brings in. But it doesn’t matter what level it’s coming from. When the reviewer is fair and objective then it’s great.
KAUTZ - Reviews are a beautiful way to get people to see your play. That’s all we really want. We want people to come and see these shows.

In 2007 they were pretty hard on you and in 2009 almost every review is glowing. AHONEN - We’ve had a couple harsh reviews this summer.
PILIECI - New York press is real harsh.
KAUTZ -Love us or hate us, you gotta feel something for us. When we first started, we were fully prepared for that.

The Pied Pipers is not really part of the PS 122 season.
RITCHIE - We’re a rental.
AHONEN - Shoshona Currier (PS 122 Programming Associate) had seen [the original production of The Pied Pipers] and we talked to her about coming in there with a play and she was really open to it.

Some reviewers have criticized The Pied Pipers for the use of nudity, political views, and for being didactic or even pedantic at times.
PILIECI - Are you calling the nudity pedantic?
(laughter)
AHONEN - Some people make up their mind that they’re not gonna like a piece, then they pick out flaws. Nothing’s perfect. We’re not writing perfect plays.
KAUTZ - I was in a bar two nights ago and the bartender was talking about The Pied Pipers and he was like, “So that’s kind of The Amoralist view, right? The very radical, leftist, kind of view? That’s your thing? All your plays are about that?” And I looked at him and I’m like, “No, not at all. Most of our plays have nothing to do with politics.” There’s all kinds of social, American, commentary in all of them. That’s a thread.
AHONEN - The play that we did after The Pied Pipers, the first time, is a drama about a family of cops whose matriarch was murdered. They’re tough, right-winged, racists, everything the Pied Pipers are not.

What do you think about the articles out there that say “they’re ready for Broadway?”
PILIECI - Unfortunately, Broadway’s a star vehicle right now.
KAUTZ - I’d be afraid of putting our work in the hands of some “Money Man” who wants to change or control things. This play is not gonna work if [Matt doesn’t] come out naked, with an erection.
AHONEN - It wouldn’t work without the erection?! The whole thing wouldn’t work at all? (laughter)
PILIECI - The whole thing!
(laughter)
AHONEN - It’s hanging in the balance of Matt’s unit.
PILIECI - Somebody would take this to Broadway and fire me and you.
KAUTZ - And hire Matt Damon and Ben Affleck and we’re fucked.
PILIECI - Broadway, off-Broadway, off-off Broadway. It doesn’t matter as long as the product is good.
RITCHIE - A lot of off-Broadway stuff is really great. Broadway is just so difficult to market that it’s not necessarily the big goal for a lot of companies [like ours], at the moment. Unless you’re a big musical, it’s a really difficult place to be.

What is the big goal?
AHONEN - A bigger audience base. We’d love to have our own, permanent, theatre.
RITCHIE - And not have to go buy things off our own credit cards. It would be nice to have a good size budget.
AHONEN - The reason that we extended [The Pied Pipers] - we sold out the last two weeks and we didn’t know anybody [in the audience], we’re like, “You don’t close a show that’s selling out.” We have our own product and if it could make money...
KAUTZ - That’s the thing that I’m most excited about - people are coming [to see Amoralists’ shows].

How did you come up with the name The Amoralists? Not to be confused with Immoralists, which is...
KAUTZ - Completely different. And it seems like some of the reviews may have confused the two.
PILIECI - Yeah.
AHONEN - We were originally gonna call our company Seventies Film On Stage but then we worried people were gonna think we’re doing "Serpico". But it’s the qualities in those movies. PILIECI - You know "Dog Day Afternoon?" That’s kinda us.
AHONEN - We started off as Tribe For The Huddled Masses.
(RITCHIE chuckles)
AHONEN - Which was cool for us but it’s a not really a good name for a theatre company. Everything that we [came up with] was too limiting, or too weird, or too long. One day, Matt was like “What about The Amoralists?”
PILIECI - I wanted it to sound like a band!

It really just came out of the blue like that?
KAUTZ - Well, no, we figured out what we liked about “Dog Day Afternoon” or “Taxi Driver” or all these other movies. What was it about the characters that was so fascinating? It was this human quality presented in a way that wasn’t judgmental.
PILIECI - It was amoral.

Do you find that a lot of things nowadays are judgmental?
PILIECI- I feel like our society, in general, is very quick to judge. And that goes across the board from art to people.
KAUTZ - Art is then produced to cater to that and to profit from that.
PILIECI- And we try to get away from that a little bit.

For more info check out The Amoralists on MySpace, Facebook, and at www.theamoralists.com.

Want your theatre company to be featured on Theatre Is Easy? Email molly@theatreiseasy.com for more information.

This is Your Ridiculous Life!!! (Castillo Theatre)

2009-07-25T11:25:00.004-04:00

By Zak

5 POINTS OR LESS
improv • comedic therapy • short but sweet

BOTTOM LINE: an improv show with a therapeutic twist

There are a lot of improv comedy shows in the city. You could witness Tina Fey and her "30 Rock" friends ham it up at The Upright Citizen’s Brigade, for example. Or you could check out top notch comedy up-and-comers from "The Office" and "Flight of the Concords" entertaining weekly at The People’s Improv Theatre. But if you are looking for something a little different, check out the folks yukking it up in the long running improv show at The Castillo Theatre.

Most improv shows consist of a team of actors who field suggestions from the audience and create funny scenes on the spot. This is Your Ridiculous Life takes this premise further by employing a real life therapist who conducts an impromptu therapy session with audience volunteers and then the actors act out scenes and scenarios from the “patient’s” life. If audience participation isn’t your thing, don’t worry, they won’t force anyone to come up and there and face the doctor unless you volunteer.

All right, I’m sure that this scenario could not work to it’s full potential all the time since it is entirely reliant on the guest “patients” that are interviewed. However, the night that I attended This is Your Ridiculous Life, my friend was chosen from the audience to have her life acted out on stage. And I have to say, it was hysterical. One of the reasons it was so good is that she gave very specific details about her life that were referenced in the scenes acted out by the actors. It didn’t hurt that her life is extremely entertaining as well. The troupe of actors captured her unique personality and created scenes that were extremely funny, not just for people who knew her, but for the entire audience. So, they really hit it out of the park. The other person that was selected from the audience was not nearly as interesting. For one thing he was really young, and had to be really pushed to give specific detail about his life, which to be completely honest, wasn’t very interesting. So if you are chosen, be specific when you are talking about your life. It’s funnier for all of us. Also, remember that the show is called This is Your Ridiculous Life, so if your life is not at least a little ridiculous, let someone else get up there and have a crack at it.

That being said, I still had a really great time. The show is short, running just over an hour so you don’t have that much time for the novelty of the concept to wear off. If you are looking for a quick laugh and an interesting take on improv, this could be the show for you. If you are in major withdrawals from the long television absence of "Whose Line is It Anyway" or maybe can’t afford your regular therapy sessions in these hard economic times, This is Your Ridiculous Life might be just what the doctor ordered.

And if comedy isn’t your thing, check out the political play reading series every Monday night or the film series every Thursday night in August. Check out www.castillo.org for more information.

(This Is Your Ridiculous life will play next on August 8th at 7:00pm. The Castillo theatre is at

543 West 42nd Street, between 10th and 11th Avenues. Tickets $15; Seniors and Students $10

www.castillo.org or call 212-941-1234.)

Celebs on Broadway, 2009-2010

2009-07-23T22:29:00.005-04:00

By Molly

It's no surprise that Broadway producers like to cast celebrities in their shows. If your show, let's say, is a dramatic British play about horses that wouldn't attract the average tourist (ehem Equus), throw a naked Harry Potter on the stage and voila, you just made additional millions. (And this is good because Harry Potter probably doesn't get naked for cheap). To no one's surprise, the 2009-2010 Broadway season is stacked with celebrities. Here's who you can expect to see, for better or for worse. Let the celeb worship/bashing begin! (And I suppose it's only fair to remind you that many of these celebs are stage actors with credible resumes).

John Stamos, Gina Gershon
Bye Bye Birdie (musical, revival)
Performances begin September 10, 2009
Henry Miller's Theatre

Daniel Craig, Hugh Jackman
A Steady Rain (drama, new)
Performances begin September 10, 2009
Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre

Jude Law
Hamlet (Shakespearean classic)
Performances begin September 12, 2009
Broadhurst Theatre

Sienna Miller
After Miss Julie (drama, revival)
Performances begin September 18, 2009
American Airlines Theatre

Carrie Fisher
Wishful Drinking (one-woman show, new)
Performances begin September 22, 2009
Studio 54

Julia Stiles, Bill Pullman
Oleanna (drama, revival)
Performances begin September 29, 2009
John Golden Theatre

James Spader, Kerry Washington
Race (drama, new)
Performances begin November 17, 2009
Ethel Barrymore Theatre

Alicia Silverstone, Laura Linney
Time Stands Still (drama, new)
Performances begin January 5, 2010
Samuel J. Friedman Theatre

Evan Rachel Wood, Alan Cumming
Spider-man: Turn Off the Dark (musical, new)
Performances begin February 25, 2009
Hilton Theatre

Nathan Lane, Bebe Neuwirth
The Addams Family (musical, new)
Performances begin March 4, 2010
Lunt-Fontanne Theatre

Bird House (KNF Co.)

2009-07-16T22:43:00.005-04:00

By Molly

5 POINTS OR LESS
an imaginative story • existential and thought-provoking • very artistically presented • puppets • cool set design and projection design that meshes two contrasting worlds

Christina Shipp and Cotton Wright in Bird House.

BOTTOM LINE: A fairytale fantasy world about growing up (with puppets).

I'm sorry I'm writing this review a little late, because it gives you less time to see Bird House, a captivating new play by Kate Marks currently running at Theatre 3. The short 12 performance run concludes Sunday, July 26th. If you have an inkling to see an artsy (but not fartsy) play with an expressive, "downtown" vibe, Bird House might be your perfect fit.

Bird House is the story of Louisy and Syl, two friends of indeterminate age (let's say young adults) who live together in a treehouse. They live on the Bright Side, the part of the world where things are cheery and peaceful. Syl (Christina Shipp) feels restless and decides to go be a hero on the Lop Side, the other side of the world where a war-ravaged society tries to perservere. Louisy (Cotton Wright) is abandoned by her only friend, and through her lonliness must resume her life and move on.

Bird House is a warped fairy tale, kind of like the Mad Hatter's teaparty. It's sort of nonsensical. It's sort of light and fun. But there's a layer of something darker and unsettling resting underneath. Although it's a story about youthfulness, it's probably not for kids. There are moments of humor to be sure, but there is something deep and poignant at its core.

Marks' script is enthralling. The way she arranges her words and creates these characters is meticulously stylized. She writes in an almost poetic way, where the words themselves are important, not just what is being said. And the world she's created is something unique in and of itself; although little is ever explicitly defined and the audience must interpret the play in their own way, the stylistic vocabulary is undeniably marvelous. It's easy to dive right in to the tale.

Heidi Handelsman's direction keeps the contrast between the Bright Side and the Lop Side crystal clear. Capable actors and puppeteers draw the audience in deeper. Sets, lighting and projections (Sara C. Walsh, Rebecca M. K. Makus and Alex Kock, respectively) keep the audience glued to the story. For a new play off-off-Broadway, I am extremely impressed by the professionalism of the production.

I wish Bird House offered a little more distinction into what was happening specifically, rather than being so open-ended and up for interpretation. Its existentialism was exciting to experience during the show, but I would've liked a little more closure at the end. It's always nice to feel like you've shared a theatrical experience with your fellow audience members rather than being isolated in your own mind. But that is a minor complaint compared to the solid production value and magical story that Bird House has to offer. I'm definitely excited to see what's next from both Marks and producers KNF Co.

(Bird House plays at Theatre 3, 311 West 43rd Street, 3rd Floor. Performances run through Sunday, July 25th: Thursday through Saturday at 8pm and Sunday at 3pm. Tickets are $18 and can be purchased at theatremania.com or by calling 212.352.3101. For more show info visit birdhousetheplay.com.)

Suspicious Package: Rx (The Brick Theater)

2009-07-16T20:21:00.007-04:00

By Dan

5 POINTS OR LESS
interactive theatre/walking tour/video game • great for teenagers, dates, and small groups • great for the summer-you aren’t stuck inside on a nice afternoon • for anyone and everyone (except perhaps the extremely self-conscious) •    GO!

BOTTOM LINE: HIGHLY recommended for everyone; if you can follow instructions, you’ll have a great time.

Describing something as “Interactive Theatre” might seem off-putting to some, evoking images of audience participation in which you might be brought on stage and made to do silly things, or else a kind of cheesy feel-good experience in which everyone claps along in time to music. But as someone who does not like most kinds of audience participation, to the point where I refuse to clap in time when certain musicals ask the audience to do so, Suspicious Package: Rx is a different kind of interactive theatre.

Suspicious Package: Rx has a cast of 6, and ALL are audience members. But don’t worry...you aren’t “performing” for anyone else; rather, you “experience” this show rather than simply watch it. The experience begins at the Brick Theater, where Creator/Director Gyda Arber meets with the group of six people. Everyone is assigned a role (Colonel, Chemist, Secretary, Computer Whiz, Doctor, Executive) and gets a costume piece. Arber has everyone introduce themselves, and asks each one a question designed to get you into character. I was the Computer Whiz, and she asked me to talk about any ways in which I was nerdy (of course I had many to choose from!)

Then Arber gives everyone a Zune Media Player (its like a video iPod) to guide you through the experience. Periodically, you receive instructions about where to go and what to do (“Facing the Brick theatre, turn to your left and walk up the stairs ahead of you”). Interspersed with this are video flashbacks that fill in your backstory, and audio “inner dialogue” that tells you about what “you” are thinking. At times, you will wind up in the same location as one or more of the other participants, and you’ll be given lines to read (this is the theatre aspect).

The key thing is that each person’s experience is different. The media players are coordinated; you might walk away from someone else in the group, only to meet up with them at some point later on, and have a scene together. Then you might leave and go somewhere else, and speak with another character. As the experience goes on, you learn more about the story and the characters. (Without giving too much away, Suspicious Package: Rx is a sci-fi dystopia, set in 1960's Williamsburg, with survivors of a recent plague taking an antidepressant drug.)

I had a terrific time at Suspicious Package: Rx, as did my friend (who normally does not like theatre, especially on a beautiful summer afternoon). We enjoyed the experience of walking around, following the directions, and then all of a sudden talking to another character. And because we didn’t know much about the plot, we also had to work to piece together the different pieces of the story, trying to figure out what exactly was going on. All was clear by the end, but I would definitely return again to experience a different character (you get to choose your character when you reserve).

Do I have any criticisms? The acting and costumes in the video footage was fairly amateur, although this didn’t matter at all. And the more amateur look kind of fits in with the entire experience, since the “cast” of each show is of course decidedly amateur. And there were a couple times when I anticipated some directions. For instance, I was told to walk to an establishment. I walked there, went inside and sat down. I watched some video footage, and then heard the instructions “go inside and sit down”- turns out I had entered and watched a dialogue I wasn’t really supposed to have seen. It didn’t ruin anything, and these slight deviations from the script are a part of any piece of live theatre. But I’d advise following the directions as closely as possible. And keep in mind that not knowing what is going on is part of the experience.

Note- if you’re extremely self-conscious, you might feel a bit strange. You wear a small costume piece throughout the show, and occasionally have conversations with other people in public places that might seem weird to those who aren’t part of the experience. Of course, this is NY, so most people walking the streets of Williamsburg won’t bat an eye. At the end, the table next to us started listening in on our conversation. Turns out they had finished the experience an hour earlier. But of course, we didn’t know that at the time, so it suddenly felt like we had a real audience.

I highly recommend Suspicious Package: Rx. While it isn’t scheduled to run much longer, Arber told me they were thinking of extending the show. She also said she would do it by appointment, so if you have a group of six people, you can probably arrange a time with her. If you have a group of 4 people, ask Arber about the original Suspicious Package, which has a film noir theme. If you’re looking for something fun to do this weekend, definitely check it out.

(Suspicious Package: RX plays at the Brick Theater, 575 Metropolitan Avenue, in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. ½ a block from the Lorimer stop of the L train. All tickets $20, including a post-show beverage. Reservations Required. The entire experience runs about an hour. Tickets available through theatermania.com (212-352-3101 or 1-866-811-4111). For more information visit www.suspiciouspackageshow.com. Right now, you can only buy tickets for July 18th, 19th and 25th, but you might be able to arrange additional experiences by contacting Gyda Arber directly: gyda@bricktheater.com.)

Two off-off-Broadway extensions

2009-07-15T07:03:00.000-04:00

Just a quick note to let you know that 2 shows Theasy recently covered and loved are extending their runs off-off-Broadway...

The Pied Pipers of The Lower East Side
Extended through August 17, 2009 at PS 122
From The Amoralists Theatre Company, this love story is about young idealists living above a vegan restaurant in NYC. Read Le-Anne's glowing review here.

(Shows take place on Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Mondays at 7:30pm, and Sundays at 5:30pm. Tickets are $25, $15 for students/seniors and $10 for P.S. 122 members, and can be purchased online at www.ps122.org or by calling 212-352-3101. Warning: Explicit sexual content and utopian ideals – no one under 17 will be admitted. Running time is 2 hours and 45 minutes including two intermissions. For more information visit www.TheAmoralists.com.)

Thank You For Being A Friend
Extends through August 23, 2009 at The Kraine Theatre
This unauthorized musical parody inspired by the beloved TV sitcom “The Golden Girls,” features book by Nick Brennan, lyrics by Luke Jones and music by Jeff Thomson. Read Scott's enthusiastic review here.

(Shows take place Sundays at 8pm. The Kraine Theater is located at 85 East 4th Street between 2nd & 3rd Avenues. Tickets are $20, available at 212-352-3101 or SpinCycleNYC.com.)

Summer Best Bets!

2009-07-14T20:02:00.011-04:00

Summer is a good time for Broadway. Although it's a bit off a tourist trap, you can find good deals at the TKTS booth and ticket discounts online (since nothing much opens in the summer, there aren't many super-hot, sold-out shows). Here's what Theasy recommends!

BEST BETS SUMMER 2009

Take A Date: Rock of Ages
There is nothing sexier than 80s hair bands and drinking beer during a Broadway show.
Visit broadwaybox.com for future discount codes.

Take Your Parents: Jersey Boys
Tickets are hard to come by, but this story of The Four Seasons is a seriously parental crowd pleaser.
No discount codes, sorry!

Take A Theatre Novice: 9 to 5: The Musical
Light, silly, cheesy entertainment that doesn't require work from the audience.
Use discount code 3BBOX to save 35%.

Take A Theatre Snob: Mary Stuart
This British import boasts some of the best acting on any New York stage.
Use discount code QSBBX615 for $55/$65 tickets.

For A Laugh: 39 Steps
A quick paced salute to Hitchcock movies, this four person play is hilariously clever.
Use discount code 39BX0407 to save over 50%.

For A Cry: Next to Normal
A new groundbreaking musical reminiscent of Spring Awakening and Rent.
Use discount code NNBBX0420 for up to $38 off.

For Brilliant Storytelling: The Norman Conquests
Ayckbourn's play-in-three-parts is British humor at its absolute finest.
Use discount code NCBXEONM to save up to 40%.

Before It's Too Late: Avenue Q
This 2004 Tony Winner for Best Musical closes September 13th. Its R-rated puppet madness is not to be missed.
Use discount code AQBBX0313 to save up to 40%.

Therese Raquin (PTP/NYC at Atlantic Stage 2)

2009-07-09T22:44:00.005-04:00

By Molly

5 POINTS OR LESS 
hauntingly scary • based on a novel written in the 1800's • hyper-sexual but no nudity • artistically interpretive story telling (in a good way)

BOTTOM LINE: A very theatricalized presentation of a very creepy story.

Potomac Theatre Project's 2009 summer repertoire include two plays that propel the company's mission: they are highly theatrical and thought-provoking work of contemporary social and cultural relevance. One of these offerings, Therese Raquin, is all of the above in the style of a somewhat cracked-out horror flick. It offers a lot to its audience and indulges anyone with a penchant for both theatre and scary movies.

Adapted from a novel by Emile Zola that was written in the 1800's, Therese Raquin takes place in Paris and tells the story of tortured soul, Therese (Lily Balsen). Raised by her aunt (Helen-Jean Arthur) and having grown up with her sickly cousin Camille (Willie Orbison), Therese is somewhat maladjusted to begin with. When she is an adult, she marries Camille as was always the intended plan. Camille is whiney and pathetic and Therese quickly tires of him. Enter Laurent (Scott Janes), an old family friend whom Therese instantly falls for. They begin an intense affair and then decide they're sick of having a secret relationship so they take drastic action to get rid of Camille. Cue Psycho shower scene music.

This production is overly theatrical and indulgently verbose at first. I have to say I was confused by the morose presentation at the beginning of the play; I mean, the story was sad, but it wasn't immediately unsettling (unless you think marrying your first cousin is unsettling but that's a different story). So just as I was questioning the tone of the play in accordance with the action, and just as I was wondering when they would stop talking and do something, the drama pushed forward and the story was on a fast and wonderful track to crazy-town. The set-up made sense and I was happily on the ride. By the end, the artistic choices worked perfectly and I felt a little bad that I wasn't more trusting from the start.

Therese Raquin is acted convincingly well. Balsen makes a terrifying Therese (who really just wants to be happy). Arthur is fantastic as Therese's aging aunt. With strategic direction that utilizes the four main characters and four other characters (who serve as a makeshift Greek chorus), director Jim Petosa paints an eerie picture. Considering the stage consists of only two chairs and up to eight actors, Petosa specifically blocks the scenes in ways that fill out the space and pin-point the story in clever and accurate ways. Awesome lighting design contributes to this overall visual effect as well. There is a disturbing chill in the air.

Much of Therese Raquin is over-written and I'd bet this has more to do with the story's original roots rather than this adaptation by Neal Bell. The result (plus the over-theatrical storytelling utilized for the production) gives the show a kind of highbrow vibe. It probably wouldn't make a neophyte an instant fan of the theatre. This show is for those who already like watching live theatre (in all its pretentious glory). And if you are also a fan of horror movies, then this show is definitely for you.

(Therese Raquin plays through July 26th at Atlantic Theatre, Stage 2, 330 West 16th Street between 8th and 9th Avenues. Remaining performances are Sat 7/11 at 7:30pm, Sun 7/12 at 2pm, Thu 7/16 at 7:30pm, Fri 7/17 at 7:30pm, Sat 7/18 at 2pm, Sun 7/19 at 7:30pm, Tue 7/21 at 7:30pm, Wed 7/22 at 7:30pm, Sat 7/25 at 7:30pm, Sun 7/26 at 2pm. Running time is 2 hours and 5 minutes including intermission. Tickets are $20 and $10 for students/seniors and can be purchased at TicketCentral.com or at 212-279-4200. For more show info visit PotomacTheatreProject.org.)
Stan Barouh if a photo is used. Thanks.

Photo: Willie Orbison (rear) as Camille Raquin, Helen-Jean Arthur as Madame Raquin and Lily Balsen as Therese Raquin. Photo by Stan Barouh.

9 to 5: The Musical (Marquis Theatre)

2009-07-04T10:39:00.007-04:00

By Molly

5 POINTS OR LESS
music and lyrics by Dolly Parton • who doesn't love Allison Janney? • new musical based on the movie • optimistic and energetic

Stephanie J. Block, Megan Hilty and Allison Janney plot their boss's demise in 9 to 5.

BOTTOM LINE: Check your theatre pretension at the door.

Dolly Parton's sassy new musical, 9 to 5 (based on the 1980 movie of the same name), is about three ballsy ladies sticking it to their chauvinistic boss, Mr. Hart. Parton starred in the movie as Doralee, the big-boobed Texan with a brain. The other two women, Violet and Judy, were played by Lily Tomlin and Jane Fonda, respectively. Though not a particularly challenging story, 9 to 5 is an uplifting tale of girl-power and ultimately women's rights. And due to its cheery, happy-ending nature, it translates pretty effectively to the stage.

For what it's worth, 9 to 5 is an enjoyable musical theatre experience. Directed by the Joe Mantello (Wicked, Assassins) and choreographed by Andy Blankenbuehler (In the Heights, The Wiz at Encores!), the show is as schnazzy as you would expect from a theatre extravaganza with Parton at the helm. It delivers glitzy Broadway pizazz and still maintains that down-home, inside-jokey, fun-loving spirit that Parton is all about.

The three leading ladies, Allison Janney as Violet, Megan Hilty as Doralee and Stephanie J. Block as Judy, are all incredible performers perfectly suited to be playing these roles. Janney gets the humor in Violet, and Hilty and Block have Broadway-diva voices. They certainly make a solid threesome. Marc Kudish as Mr. Hart is also well-cast; he is a despicable caricature whom the audience loves to hate.

9 to 5 has been relatively snubbed by the theatre community since it opened in the spring. Both in reviews and at the Tony Awards, this show hasn't received much positive attention considering it's a big, expensive production with big, impressive names attached. It has, however, received a great audience response and when I saw the show on a Tuesday, the house was packed and the audience was having a blast. 9 to 5 is very silly, pretty low-brow, and certainly not a theatrical challenge...but that doesn't mean it's not a good time. Despite feeling underdeveloped and overproduced, 9 to 5 delivers an entertaining evening for any audience member looking for an uplifting night out. And sometimes that's all you need. I can easily put on my critic pants and tell you everything that I feel is wrong with 9 to 5, but it feels unnecessary to go there with this show.

Parton's music and lyrics are exuberantly sincere and the score itself is pretty decent on the whole. "9 to 5," the title track from the movie, is also the opening number in the musical and plays throughout the production between scenes. And 9 to 5 is all about the music. Sure, it's musical theatre, but this show provides a consistent barrage of production numbers, power ballad solos and hamonic trios. And the entire cast is talented, capable and fun to watch.

9 to 5 is a giddy theatrical spectacular and great escapist entertainment. It's a good pick for out-of-towners who want to experience Broadway but aren't theatrically inclined. Anyone with a penchant for classical theatre or anyone who watches theatre with an analytic eye should be warned that this show is a fun romp and not much more. You won't enjoy yourself if you give it too much thought. But if you're looking for an upbeat evening out, 9 to 5 is worth experiencing.

(9 to 5 plays at the Marriot Marquis Theatre, 1535 Broadway between 45th and 46th Streets. Performances are Tuesday at 7pm, Wednesday at 2pm and 8pm, Thursday and Friday at 8pm, Saturday at 2pm and 8pm and Sunday at 3pm. Tickets are $75-$125 and can be purchased at ticketmaster.com or by calling 1800.982.2787. Win tickets for $36 by entering the lottery held at the 9 to 5 box office. Click here for lottery info. Visit 9to5themusical.com for more show info.)

Twelfth Night (Shakespeare in the Park)

2009-07-01T01:00:00.000-04:00

By Le-Anne

5 POINTS OR LESS
Audra McDonald - yes • Hamish Linklater - yes • original music • Anne Hathaway holds her own and will definitely please her fans and create new ones • see it

Anne Hathaway and Raul Esparza in Twelfth Night. Photo by Sara Krulwich (NY times).

BOTTOM LINE: Totally worth the wait in line. (Besides, the waiting in line is half the fun and a unique NYC experience.)

I can think of no better way to spend a summer evening in New York City than enjoying a night of free, expertly produced, Shakespeare at Central Park’s Delacorte Theatre. Revered as one of the nation's premier producers of Shakespeare’s works, the Public Theatre continues the tradition this summer with Twelfth Night. In keeping with their practice of garnering a broader audience by using high profile names, Academy Award nominee and one of tinsel town’s young favorites, Anne Hathaway (Rachel Getting Married, The Devil Wears Prada, The Princess Diaries), headlines as Viola. Additional box office pull comes from four-time Tony Award winning actress Audra McDonald (Master Class, A Raisin in the Sun, television’s “Private Practice”) as Olivia, and three-time Tony Award nominee Raul Esparza (Company, Speed The Plow) as Orsino. The cast is littered with even more recognizable names and faces and to my pleasure they are mostly stellar.

Hathaway, while given top billing, is perhaps the weakest link in a platinum chain. That being said however, given the fact that this is her first large-scale stage production and she’s opening with A) Shakespeare and B) a cast chock full of incredibly experienced, many classically trained, award winning stage actors, you simply have to give the girl credit for her gutsiness. The lady’s got balls, ummm...no pun intended.

Hathaway’s character, Viola, is forced to cross-dress as a man after being shipwrecked, losing her twin brother to the angry sea, and landing on the shores of Illyria. Because the noblewoman of the land Olivia (McDonald) is mourning the loss of her own brother, she refuses to meet any strangers. Therefore, Viola’s only choice is to disguise herself as a young man, named Cesario, and work for the nobleman of the land, Orsino (Esparza), who is busy pining over Olivia. Things get sticky when Viola realizes she has fallen in love with Orsino (who is under the impression that she is a young man) and even stickier when Olivia develops a crush on Viola (disguised as Cesario).

Meanwhile, Olivia’s servant Maria (Julie White, Tony Award winner for The Little Dog Laughed), clown Feste (David Pittu, LoveMusik and The Coast of Utopia), Sir Toby Belch (Jay O. Sanders, Pygmalion and Loose Ends), and his friend Sir Andrew Aguecheek (Hamish Linklater, The Public’s 2008 summer presentation of Hamlet, TV’s The New Adventures of Old Christine), conspire to make Olivia’s straight-laced steward Malvolio (Michael Cumpsty, Sunday in the Park with George) look like a fool.

Seriously, with a cast like this guided by established Broadway director Daniel Sullivan, how can this show go wrong? Okay, I take that back a little. It’s Shakespeare filled with “names” so lots can go wrong...but it doesn’t! This entire ensemble is outstanding. McDonald is fantastic. A more enjoyable Olivia I have never seen. Her nuances, facial expressions, reactions and use of the text are one of a kind. She proves her already award-winning chops in this. Linklater also deserves special mention. His distinctive voice, use of his lanky frame to exhibit superb physical humor, and his comedic prowess are simply expert. Both McDonald and Linklater may have spoiled me for any future Olivias or Aguecheeks.

Stealing the show along with McDonald and Linklater are White, Sanders and Cumpsty. Also, fight director Rick Sordelet (remember him from Theasy’s Caligula review last winter?) shows off some awesome, clever, and exciting fight choreography. Lastly, original music arranged by Greg Pliska provides an opportunity for McDonald, Esparza, and Pittu to showcase their award winning pipes and incidentally, in case you didn’t hear her sing when she recently hosted SNL, Hathaway also has a beautiful singing voice to share with the audience.

Hathaway is charming, attractive, smart, and even though she cries a bit too much for my taste, she holds her own. Even by the end of the performance, she was ten-times stronger than at the beginning. I have full confidence that this actress will grow tenfold again by the time the production closes. What’s wonderful for Hathaway is that she is in such great company, she has no choice but to join their high ranks, and she is a strong enough actress to do so. One of the great things about live theatre is that you, the audience, truly grow right along with the actor(s) on stage and by the end of the show everyone, on stage and off, is just a little bit older and wiser.

If you have never seen Shakespeare performed before this would be an excellent place to start. If you’ve only seen so-so, or bad Shakespeare done before, then it’s high time you wait in line for some free tix.

(Twelfth Night, or What You Will runs now through July 12th. Added performance: July 6
No performance: July 4, Limited ticket distribution: June 16, July 9. The show plays at the Delacorte Theater (located in Central Park at 81st Street) Tuesday through Sunday at 8 pm. It is approximately 3 hours with one 15 min. intermission. For tickets, wait in line at the Delacorte Theater or register at www.publictheater.org. Arrive early!)

Broadway updates

2009-06-29T18:08:00.002-04:00

FYI: August: Osage County and Irena's Vow both closed last weekend and Avenue Q announced it will close September 13, 2009. I was apparently oblivious about August closing, so apologies for not announcing that any sooner. The show will tour soon with Estelle Parsons as Violet Weston, matriarch of the dysfunctional Weston Clan. A movie version of August is also in the works.

- Molly

CHEAP SEATS! Broadway Discounts July 2009

2009-06-27T10:20:00.011-04:00

Cheap(er) theatre for the first part of July! Use these codes...

Mary Stuart (play, historical drama)
read review here
$55/$65 orchestra seats - use promo code QSBBX615
through August 16, 2009

Rock of Ages (jukebox musical)
read review here
$60 orchestra seats - use promo code FLAG09
through July 7, 2009

The Norman Conquests (play, British comedy)
read review here
$60 for one play, $185 for all three plays - use promo code NCBXEONM
through July 25, 2009

Next to Normal (rock musical)
read review here
$70/$85 orchestra seats - use promo code NNBBX0420
through July 5, 2009

Avenue Q (funny musical)
read review here
$59 orchestra seats - use promo code JULY09
through July 10, 2009

For other discount codes visit broadwaybox.com.

Irena's Vow to close Sunday June 28

2009-06-24T17:49:00.008-04:00

By Molly

Irena's Vow, the new Broadway play starring Tovah Feldshuh, will close Sunday, June 28th. Based on the true story of Irena Gut Odpyke, a Polish Catholic woman who helped hide Jews in Germany during World War II, Irena's Vow is definitely a compelling story. Theasy writer Le-Anne saw the show in May...read her review here.

Since I just saw Irena's Vow (better late than never) this post is pretty tardy. But with five remaining performances I think it's worth putting a mention out there for those who might have a chance to see it. Irena's Vow is a sincere and moving portrayal of life in Germany during the Holocaust. Aside from certain shortcomings in the production, the audience leaves with a powerful sense of understanding and enlightenment about that time and about who Irena Gut was. The production, led by the gifted Feldshuh, is inspirational because it is inspired. It's clear that everyone on that stage is there to tell an important story, and a true story at that; they aren't just entertaining an audience of 900 and then collecting a paycheck. Irena's Vow does a great job of preserving a true story and presenting it with integrity and respect.

I can't say I'm that surprised that the production is closing (biographical dramas about World War II don't provide the same summer escapism that other Broadway shows offer). But I do think Irena's Vow holds a solid place in the theatre world and it is certainly worth seeing while you still can. Its message is important and you'll be glad you got to experience this story.

(Irena's Vow plays at the Walter Kerr Theatre, 219 West 48th Street. Remaining performances are Thursday, June 25th at 8pm; Friday, June 26th at 8pm; Saturday, June 27th at 2pm and 8pm; and Sunday, June 28th at 3pm. Tickets are $41 - $98 and student tickets are available at the box office same day for $25. Standing room tickets are also available. For tickets visit telecharge.com and for show info visit irenasvow.com.)

Paved Paradise Redux: The Art of Joni Mitchell (Abrons Art Center Henry Street Settlement, TWEED TheaterWorks)

2009-06-23T01:00:00.001-04:00

By Le-Anne

5 POINTS OR LESS

so much more than a “Drag” show • great performance • beautiful renditions of beautiful songs in a live concert setting • powerful • fun

John Kelly as Joni Mitchell. Photo by Paula Court.

BOTTOM LINE: If you like Joni Mitchell or if you like a good concert, you’ll probably like this show.

Okay, so I’m a little embarrassed to say that before this weekend the only familiarity I had with Joni Mitchell was from the movie Love Actually and every once in a while I’d find out that a song I heard on the radio was a cover of a Joni Mitchell song - like Counting Crows version of “Big Yellow Taxi." I don’t remember which, if any, Joni Mitchell songs were in “Love Actually,” (I only remember that Emma Thompson’s character is a big Joni fan), and since “Big Yellow Taxi” is not in Jonn Kelly’s Paved Paradise Redux: The Art of Joni Mitchell, (apparently it was in the original production but is absent in the redux), I must admit, that I went into this experience at the Abrons Arts Center Henry Street Settlement a veritable (gasp!) Joni Mitchell virgin. I walked out however, a newfound fan, not only of Ms. Mitchell but of Mr. John Kelly as well.

Kelly embodies Mitchell in this concert-like performance, not as a drag queen but, more accurately, as an actor taking on the role of a character named Joni Mitchell. Kelly as Mitchell is neither campy nor busy impersonating a female, he is simply honest in his portrayal. Though I was not familiar with Mitchell’s particular “isms” before, by the time the show was over I was pretty certain that Kelly was spot-on. If nothing else the uproarious laughter from the audience (clearly laden with Joni fans) was a good indicator. Thanks to Youtube, I can confirm that Kelly does indeed do Ms. Mitchell justice. His little quirks, such as specific facial expressions and a rambling way of telling anecdotes that trail off unfinished are not gimmicky but, more so, funny because it’s true. For example, when Kelly went up on a lyric he cleverly, and without skipping a beat, apologized and said, “I wasn’t flying,” he said, “I was driving,” before he restarted the song he continued, “I was imagining myself in a plane -- in the third plane from the left...” he trailed off and began the song again. Even though I knew nothing of how Mitchell behaves, (before checking out several Youtube clips), it was clear that Kelly’s choices were grounded in something real. Kelly performs with comfort. He clearly respects his muse, as well as his audience, and his performance is genuine.

Speaking of performance, this man’s voice is outrageous. Kelly sings Mitchell’s songs in their original key and hits even the highest notes with ease. He slides effortlessly back and forth between earthy, warm notes to fluid, high notes that seem to hit the clouds. Note that this reviewer, a mezzo-soprano, wonders if she could hit them so easily herself. Kelly has a beautiful counter tenor that has that strange, seductive quality that tends to accompany such androgynous voices. Kelly’s rendition of “Amelia” - my new favorite song for the moment - brought tears to my eyes, and his “4th of July - Night Ride Home,” is particularly moving. Another song, “Circle Game,” which closes the first act, was complete with disco ball as the audience was asked to join in and sing along.

Like Mitchell, Kelly plays the dulcimer and the guitar, and even enjoys a cigarette during the “concert.” Adding to the concert are Vincent Van Gogh (Paul Ossola) on bass and Georgia O’Keefe (Zecca Esquibel, also Musical Director) on piano and keyboards. The lighting design (Ben Kato) truly sets the mood of a live concert. Strong colors, streaks of light through a smokey haze, backlighting and a beautiful silhouette effect at the end of the show when Kelly disrobes, transforming before his audience from Joni to John, really takes the breath away (a bit of a spoiler alert, I know, but this moment is just beautiful). While the element of surprise is nice, it is so touching that I am confident that knowing about it ahead of time will not make it any less powerful.

Joni Mitchell, herself, is said to be one of John Kelly’s biggest fans. After seeing Kelly’s performance, now I am a fan of both of them. If you are a Joni Mitchell fan you should check out Mr. Kelly’s homage. If you are, like I was, rather unfamiliar with Ms. Mitchell but you enjoy a good concert and a genuine performance, by all means, hop on down to the Abrons Arts Center and check out John Kelly in Paved Paradise Redux: The Art of Joni Mitchell. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to log on to iTunes and purchase my first Joni Mitchell album!

*Special Note: The producer, TWEED TheaterWorks extends a special invitation to Dine al Fresco with Joni, “well not exactly with Joni -- and not exactly Joni -- but...” they have announced that, “they are in cahoots with several high end food trucks -- including Vincent’s Pizza (from Union Square) and The Big Gay Ice Cream Truck, among others, to show up and feed the hungry throngs. There is an open air plaza [at the Abrons Arts Center] with tables and chairs and diners are encouraged to show up at 6:30PM AND HAVE DINNER AL FRESCO BEFORE THE SHOW (there is indoor space in case of inclement weather!)”

(PAVED PARADISE REDUX: THE ART OF JONI MITCHELL runs through June 27, Thursday through Sunday at 8pm. Abrons Arts Center is located inside Henry Street Settlement at 466 Grand Street. The show is approx. 1 hour 45 minutes with one 10 min. intermission. Tickets are $20 on Thursday & Sunday, $25 on Friday & Saturday. For information and reservations call 212-352-3101 or www.TheaterMania.com. For more info visit www.abronsartscenter.org.)

FUBAR or Interesting, Incredible, Amazing, Fantastic (59E59 Theaters, Project Y Theatre Company)

2009-06-21T01:00:00.000-04:00

By Le-Anne

5 POINTS OR LESS
solid production • cool use of photography/multi-media • kinda serious • character study • note performance times (shows start at 15 minutes after the hour)

Jerry Richardson, Lisa Velten Smith, Stephanie Szostak in FUBAR. Photo by Felix Photography.

BOTTOM LINE: Has a sort of TV feel, especially in the sense that I didn’t care as much about the story as I did about the characters’ stories.

It’s the turn of the new century and the question remains: Is it the same as it ever was? Or are we, as a society, totally FUBAR (F***ed Up Beyond All Recognition)? Themes galore surface in Karl Gajdusek’s FUBAR or Interesting, Incredible, Amazing, Fantastic, presented by Project Y Theatre Company as part of the Americas Off-Broadway Festival at 59E59 Theaters. Addiction, self-doubt, self-recognition, suicide, money, technology, fear, random acts of violence, infidelity, sex, cyberspace, drugs, and love are all explored in this at times confusing, somewhat disjointed, character driven story.

It’s the late '90s. The internet is still relatively foreign, alternative is the new mainstream, and ecstasy was the “it” drug of choice among ravers, college freshman and middle-aged PhD's alike. David (Jerry Richardson) is a six-figure-internet-guru-turned-amateur-photographer, while his wife, Mary (Lisa Velten Smith) is a physician who is apparently spiraling through depression. Their rocky marriage is tested when they move to San Francisco after Mary’s mother, an original flower child, commits suicide. We don’t know why Mary’s mother killed herself but we do know that she was a victim of domestic violence. We also know that she shot herself but not before packing up all of her belongings and labeling the boxes with things like “Virginity,” “For Mary,” “For David” and “Unforgivable Tchotchkes.”

In their new home of San Francisco, David reconnects with his high school buddy Richard (Ryan McCarthy) over some ecstasy at a rave. The two bond over drugs, old times, and their mutual adoration for Sylvia (Stephanie Szostak), the newest type of bohemian, who engages in cyber sex, lots of drugs, and is a muse for David’s new-found passion. Richard shares with David the thought that you go to bed thinking you are beautiful then you wake up in the morning, look in the mirror, and see what you really look like. He asks David, “Where is the mirror that shows who you really are?” Richard, we find out, is an author (the book he is currently writing is about self-recognition), but really, he’s an upper class drug-dealer.

While all this is going on, Mary is a victim of a random act of violence. She gets pummeled while taking a walk, just after laughing at the site of a big, beautiful, house burnt to the ground and thinking to herself “maybe I’ll get one of those delicious wraps.” After that, she takes boxing lessons from DC (Dan Patrick Brady) so she can learn how to hit something.

After leaving the theatre, I couldn’t help but feel like I had just Netflixed the first season of a new cable series called “FUBAR,” sat down, and watched the entire box set from beginning to end. Even though Gajdusek touches on some topical themes, the story itself is lackluster. It is a bit convoluted and even teeters on trite towards the end. His characters, however, are increasingly interesting. In particular, cast members Richardson and Szostak really honored Gajdusek’s characters with depth and variety. Richardson, with his quirky sense of humor, has a Ron Howard appeal that makes him ever likable while Szostak’s quintessential European cutie delivers with unabashed honestly that is both funny and discerning.

The characters in FUBAR, along with some stunning visual imagery (especially the stirring photographs taken by Eduardo Felix Placer that are intermittently projected on the walls), are what make this play interesting. The characters ask themselves, each other, and ultimately the audience many questions. In the end they prove that we as a people - despite a changing world filled with technology, violence, fear, and an ever present disapproval of what we, the people of the new millennia, have become - are the same as we ever were.

(FUBAR or Interesting, Incredible, Amazing, Fantasic plays at 59E59 Theaters, 59 East 59th St., through June 28th. Performance times are Tuesday at 7:15pm, Wednesday through Saturday at 8:15pm and Sunday at 3:15pm. The show is 2 hours and 20 minutes, with one intermission. Tickets are $18 ($12.60 for 59E59 Members) and can be purchased online at www.ticketcentral.com or by calling 212-279-4200. For more info visit www.59E59.org.)

The Wiz (City Center)

2009-06-20T01:00:00.000-04:00

By Molly

5 POINTS OR LESS
take the kids • a good production of a bad musical • potentially headed for Broadway •  the In the Heights creative team • "Ease on Down the Road" will be stuck in your head for days

Ashanti and James Monroe Iglehart in The Wiz.

BOTTOM LINE: Alvin Ailey meets Disney on Broadway meets the sale rack at JC Penney.

The Wiz is an urban musical version of The Wizard of Oz with an all-black cast that originally opened on Broadway in 1975. The production did well in the '70s, playing for four years and spawning a movie version starring Diana Ross as Dorothy and Michael Jackson as the Scarecrow. It was revived on Broadway in 1984 and received a less stellar response...it closed after only two weeks. And here-in lies the problem with The Wiz: you better have an incredible production because in the end, it's just not a very good show.

This new version, playing through July 5th at City Center, is a part of the Encores series with the potential for a future Broadway run. Encores employs high caliber casts and creative teams to produce musical revivals. With somewhat minimal sets and a limited three week run, the point is to put a staged but unfinished version of the show up in front of an audience and to see the response and potential future for the production. For example, the 2007 Broadway production of Gypsy with Patti LuPone started at Encores and then played a spectacularly successful run on Broadway. I'm not sure The Wiz will make the transfer, but I'd love to see this cast together again. For all the ways the production misses the boat there are some truly wonderful moments as well.

The Wiz utilizes the In the Heights team (Thomas Kail directed, Andy Blankenbuehler choreographed, and Alex Lacamoire is musical director). This is a solid decision since both musicals are happy and hopeful with an urban vibe; they also both focus on the idea of what it means to be home. To their credit, Kail, Blankenbueher and Lacamoire do a great job with the material. They have a tremendous cast and orchestra, so performance-wise the show really cooks. The weakest link is Grammy winning pop star Ashanti, as Dorothy. This is her stage debut and it's pretty apparent that she's not an actress. But she has a lovely voice and the kids in the audience were going crazy (I guess anything that gets kids to the theatre can't be all bad). Luckily, Ashanti is surrounded by a fantastically talented cast including Tony winner LaChanze at Aunt Em (The Color Purple), Orlando Jones as the Wiz, and a whole slew of other singers and dancers that round out a stellar ensemble.

The story itself is very presentational and formulaic so each scene introduces a new character who gets a fun solo to sing. In a lot of ways, it's like watching bad-show-tune night on American Idol (if such a night existed). With the exception of 'Ease on Down the Road,' the rest of the music is pretty forgettable, even with a talented cast singing their respective faces off. Two songs that don't suck are the wicked witch's gospel-esque diva number called 'No Bad News' and the gorgeous ensemble song 'Everybody Rejoice' which was actually written by Luther Vandoss.

Blankenbuehler's choreography is creative and the dancers certainly perform it with grace and athleticism. As a dance show, The Wiz impresses. The staging is tough with Encores though, because the orchestra is showcased on stage (which, don't get me wrong, is incredibly cool and well-deserved). The result is that the cast of 30 is forced to maneuver around a large, winding staircase and platform. I'm not sure if this is part of the reason the pacing of the show is off or if it is the fault of book and the score, but the scene changes are often disjointed.

It's not that this production of The Wiz is bad. It's entertaining, energetic and brimming with talent. For what it's worth, it's a great kids show as well. It just lacks the wow moments needed to revive an insipid musical and make it new again. But it's worth seeing while it's playing this summer, especially if you have a personal connection to the musical or the movie.

(The Wiz plays through July 5th at City Center, 130 West 56th Street. Tickets are $25-$110. For the performance schedule and to purchase tickets visit nycitycenter.org/tickets.)

Hamletmachine (Castillo Theatre)

2009-06-18T01:00:00.000-04:00

By Zak

5 POINTS OR LESS

edgy • intriguing • unconventional

BOTTOM LINE: Avant-gard theatre that pushes the envelope and challenges the audience.

Something pretty interesting is brewing at The Castillo Theatre with their newest interpretation of Heiner Muller’s Hamletmachine. The Castillo is one of only a handful of theatres in the country who regularly produces the work of Muller (a protégé of Bertold Brecht) who strived to transform the theatre for a new social use. Hamletmachine, written in 1977 in East Germany, is a postmodernist drama which borrows from Shakespeare, T.S. Eliot, and Jean-Luc Godard and deals not only with the ideas of communism and feminism, but the idea of being trapped in any time or situation.

With only about ten pages of dialogue, the play has been interpreted in vastly different ways throughout the years defying every convention of theatre. Some could argue that a play set at the end of East German communism is a little out of date, but Austrian director Eva Brenner says, “The only way to get rid of the play is to leave it behind, to work our way out of the despair it articulates….brush off the costumes, turn on the lights, look at each other and ask what do we do together next.” Brenner does just that but abandons the conventional interpretation of the play, creating a unique ensemble piece that keeps the audience entranced for a captivating seventy minutes.

So, I don’t usually give quite that much background about a particular play, but I think it’s important for this one. It truly is a theatrical experience that is unlike anything you have probably ever seen. The actors perform throughout the entire theatre space and even greet audience members in the lobby by creating window art that depict people’s perceptions of Hamlet, communism, and the like. There isn’t a “conventional” plot in this interesting piece. It’s more like watching a hip, living modern art instillation. You might not fully understand everything that you are watching, but you will probably be intrigued.

The play has pretty good street cred with a fancy European director and the uber-captivating actress Yap Sun Sun, direct from Vienna. That’s not to say that the Americans in the cast don’t represent as well. Anneka Fagundes, John Boonin, and Melvin Shamby Jr. are particularly engaging and throw themselves into the text with fierce abandonment. You feel like you are watching European protest theatre as it is meant to been watched. While I didn’t love every choice that was made, I did have a true “experience” at the theatre. I was very pleasantly surprised. It’s hard to say more because everyone will take away something vastly different from this play. Some will think it is bizarre, others will flip for it. It definitely is not for everyone. If Mamma Mia is your idea of high art, you should probably skip Hamletmachine. If you like to be challenged at the theatre and see something different, check out this show.

(Hamletmachine plays at The Castillo Theatre, 543 West 42nd between 10th and 11th Avenues,

through June 28th. Performances are Friday and Saturday at 7:30pm and Sunday at 5:00pm. Tickets are $35 with $10 tickets for students and seniors. To purchase tickets and for more info visit castillo.org.)

hospital 2009, episode one (Axis Company)

2009-06-17T01:00:00.001-04:00

By Kitty

BOTTOM LINE: Be sure to make some space in your head

Hmm. Or maybe, hmm? Such was my response to Axis Company's opening weekend performance of hospital 2009. hospital, now in its tenth year, is a serial play that explores the cerebral inner workings of a terminally comatose man. Each annual cycle employs a different scenario as a metaphor to illustrate the man's dissension into darkness. This year finds him floating in a small escape pod in outer space having accidentally detached himself from his mother ship. He is not certain as to how or why these events have occurred and what's more, he is not entirely convinced that these events have happened at all for in his dream-like state, he experiences vague flashes of his Earth-bound life which persuade him otherwise. Unfortunately, the audience is left just as confused and aimless as the play's main character. Maybe that's the point...?

Despite an interesting premise, a capable cast and a style-savvy creative team, hospital 2009 is a tough sell. The script lacks clarity, the characters are deficient in definition and the dialogue is so heavy with outer space techno speak, it is nearly impossible to follow the movement scene to scene or even sentence to sentence. In addition, the relationships between characters are so aggravatingly ambiguous that the audience is left asking themselves, "Who are these people and why should I care about them?"

At times, it feels as if hospital 2009 isn't really concerned about what the audience thinks, feels or even understands. Other than the set up outlined in the production's program, hospital does not attempt to aid the audience in the navigation of the script's complex storyline nor does it encourage the investment into what they do know about the characters and the circumstances surrounding them. Strange elements appear unexpectedly, but because they are never fully explained, rather than adding interest, depth or comedy, they instead create a component of superfluous frivolity which leaves the audience resentful of the production's pretension.

Regardless of hospital 2009's shortcomings, the production value is noteworthy. Axis Company's space, located in the beautiful West Village, sports an ultra-modern design complete with chrome accents, leather furniture and flat-screen television monitors embedded in the walls. The theater itself, a basement space, possesses perfect dimensions, comfortable audience seating and superior technical capabilities. As soon as one steps into the space, it feels as though one has taken a field trip to the city planetarium, an effect which serves the production well considering the celestial location of this year's installment.

(hospital 2009 includes 4 episodes and plays through July 25 at One Sheridan Square. Performances are Thursday through Saturday at 8pm. For the complete schedule visit axiscompany.org. Tickets are $12, student and senior tickets are $6. To purchase tickets call 212.807.9300.)

The Popdose Interview with Brian Yorkey

2009-06-15T21:29:00.006-04:00

By Molly

(I interviewed Brian Yorkey, playwright and lyricist of the new Broadway musical Next to Normal, for popdose.com last month. He had a lot of great insight about creating a new musical and even though the article is pre-Tony Awards and therefore a little outdated, I think it's still worth sharing. Hope you find it interesting.)

Brian Yorkey is not an asshole. The playwright of the new Broadway musical Next to Normal would never write disparaging comments on a blog post critical of his show. He actually welcomes intellectual discussions about Next to Normal and is much more humble than proud. So it was obviously disconcerting when he discovered an impostor was posting offensive comments as “Brian Yorkey” on a handful of websites this past spring as Next to Normal opened on Broadway.

That’s actually how I met Brian. Faux-Yorkey posted a snotty comment on my review of Next to Normal (on popdose.com) and Brian contacted me to do some apologetic damage control. Since the Internet feeds the fire of anonymous trash-talking, it’s hard to know Faux-Yorkey’s intentions. Deeply defensive of any semi-negative feedback about the show, he (or she) is either a creepy, obsessive fan or rather someone with whom the show resonates strongly. Writing a critically acclaimed rock musical about mental illness is sure to attract a passionate following, after all.

Next to Normal is a breakthrough original musical, receiving astonishing praise from both critics and fans. The show opened at the Booth Theatre in April and is up for a whopping 11 Tony Awards, including Best Musical, at this year’s awards. (Editor's note: Next to Normal won Tony Awards for Best Original Score, Best Leading Actress - Alice Ripley, and Best Orchestrations).

The show details the life of bipolar mother Diana, played by Alice Ripley, and how her debilitating mental illness effects both her and her family. The touchy subject matter is delicately and passionately deconstructed while a thumping rock score accompanies the characters’ struggles. It’s certainly an emotional musical, and one that offers a connection to its audience as everyone takes the journey together.

When I sat down with Brian to discuss his experience writing the book and lyrics for Next to Normal, I expected his insight to be almost transcendent, in accord with how the musical elicits such a passionate reaction from its audience. Instead, he told me about his experience with the show’s composer, Tom Kitt, and their journey from when it began as a 10-minute piece at the BMI Musical Theatre Workshop a decade ago. Called Feeling Electric at the time, Brian and Tom wanted to write an edgy final project for the workshop, contrasting from their otherwise traditional peers in the class (and their otherwise traditional work). They were fresh out of college and ready to work on their craft; the subsequent 11 Tony nominations a decade later prove that talent and artistic ingenuity have to start somewhere.

Next to Normal’s journey from 10-minute piece to full-length Broadway musical was somewhat arduous, given all the people that were involved from its inception. The creative team was purely interested in telling the story and discovering the characters and their relationships. Unlike other theatrical endeavors that are about selling the show to a paying audience, Next to Normal didn’t have its sights set so commercially high, at least not at first. And that probably has a lot to do with what makes it so intimately resonant. When you don’t have to add schmaltz and sparkles to make your audience feel like they’re getting their money’s worth, you are at liberty to do what’s best for the story. Then, if a ticket is worth a Broadway price, you’ve not only done your job well, but you haven’t sold out to get there. It’s a sad rarity in theatre these days, especially with ticket prices so astronomically high.

I was curious to hear from Brian what it’s like to write a truly original musical, given that most of the new theatre out there is based on a story previously told in another form (movie, album, comic, etc). Brian admitted it’s “exponentially harder to write an original musical. Musicals that go wrong can be ridiculous because it’s a ridiculous artform. People bursting into song can be ridiculous. But musicals that go right can be sublime.” He was quick to quote Spinal Tap: “it’s a very fine line between clever and stupid.”

Currently 19 musicals are playing on Broadway. Next to Normal finds itself in the company of only two other complete originals (Avenue Q and In the Heights). Sure, there are other original musicals on Broadway, but they’re all based on a story or idea that has previously been told (Wicked, Shrek and 9 to 5, for example). In the 2008-2009 Broadway season, 14 new musicals opened. Of those 14, only four were completely original (Next to Normal, Story of My Life, [title of show] and 13). The only one of those shows still running is Next to Normal.

What is it about original musicals that make them so few and far between? Are people out of ideas? Are previously told stories simply an easier sell? Brian was quick to remind me that adaptations have always graced the Broadway stage, and that maybe “original musicals are the exception rather than the rule.” Really, Next to Normal wasn’t written to be a new, innovative comment on society or the art of theatre. Brian quotes Harold Prince, saying “You don’t set out to break new ground, you set out to write a show.” He adds, “Rent, Falsettos, Tommy, Hair…[Next to Normal] wouldn’t be there without those shows.”

Best-case scenario, Brian hopes that Next to Normal sets a precedent for original musicals in the future. He hopes producers can look at the success of the show and think that maybe it’s possible to develop an ambitious, challenging, new musical and make money at the same time. He believes the success of Next to Normal can prove that you don’t have to resort to sweet, lighthearted productions in the interest of making bank — and sometimes the risk can be worth the reward.

Will the production be around for a while, tour the country and play regionally? It seems likely. Brian counts Spring Awakening as a sort of kindred spirit of Next to Normal. Spring Awakening is the rock musical that won the 2007 Tony Award for Best Musical and has since had much success touring America. It is a unique, non-traditional show, based on a controversial story from the late 1800s. Like Next to Normal, Spring Awakening employs taboo topics (i.e. teens doing it) although Next to Normal doesn’t have the gratuitous nudity of the aforementioned musical — but Brian would put Next to Normal’s Aaron Tveit’s butt against Spring Awakening’s Jonathan Groff’s anyday.

Really, Brian hopes Next to Normal will strike a chord with typical American families because he sees the problems his characters go through as not-too-rare occurrences that many people cope with on a daily basis. He believes with the accessibility of Tom’s music and the relatability of the story, Next to Normal will have much success in the Midwest and other parts of the country. And at best, he hopes that kids who deal with mental illness in their own families will be able to connect with the story and feel comfort knowing they’re not alone.

Completely modest and full of appreciation for the success of his show, Brian still finds his 11 Tony nominations hard to believe. He himself is up for two awards: Best Book of a Musical and Best Original Score, although collecting two Tonys for his mantle is not his Tony fantasy. He’d actually just like to have an in-depth conversation will Dolly Parton about whatever’s on her mind and then have someone take a picture of them together. He’d also like to chat with Sir Elton. And it would be great if his tux was slimming. Of course, he’d like Next to Normal to win Best Musical, and he’d also like it if Alice Ripley, Bobby Spencer and Jen Damiano could win their respective Best Actor/Actress awards — and if Aaron Tveit could also win in a write-in vote. When asked about winning the Tonys he’s personally up for, he humbly admits he might not even vote for himself in those categories — but adds that he won’t turn them down if, in fact, he wins.

Sole Survivors (Stage Left Studio Theatre)

2009-06-14T20:39:00.003-04:00

By Natasha

Editor's note: Sole Survivors was presented at Stage Left Studio Theatre June 3rd through June 7th. It will play next at the North 4th Theatre (4904 Fourth Street NW, Albuquerque, New Mexico) from July 17th through August 1st. Tickets are $15. For more information, visit www.vsartsnm.org or phone 505-344-4542. The show will be performed Friday, July 17th, Saturday, July 18th, Friday, July 24th, Saturday, July 25th, Friday, July 31st, Saturday, and August 1st at 8:00pm.

Michelle Vest’s Sole Survivors is an intriguing and heartbreaking look at the complex issue of immigration. Vest portrays four fascinating characters and frames the monologues with a mariachi band, Flor de Toloache, playing songs while she transforms into her next character. (When the show plays in New Mexico, the band will be Mariachi Sonidos del Monte.) Flor de Toloache is an amazingly talented ensemble featuring Mireya Ramos, Shae Fiol, Veronica Valerio, and Antonio Vidal. Veronica Valerio particularly shines with her gorgeous, velvety voice full of pain and intrigue. I have to say it was refreshing for me to see an almost all-female mariachi band. The juxtaposition of Flor de Toloache’s music and Vest’s monologues works perfectly and allows the audience to embrace the spirit of the immigrant soul.

Vest’s characters all have a fascinating story to tell. Her first character is a man that explains how he became a coyote; his experiences with the death and violence suffered by illegal immigrants is bone-chilling. The second character is a vibrant, young mom that crosses the border but must leave her son behind. The next character is a day worker; his story demonstrates how the brutal struggle to survive can sometimes make us forget our humanity. And the last character is a sweet professor from El Salvador who must work in a kitchen in the U.S.; he is waiting to reunite with his family after eleven years. Each character is portrayed with precision and heart. This play needs to be seen, especially in a time of economic recession, when scapegoating immigrants is rampant.

Vest’s show ran at Cheryl King’s Stage Left Studio Theatre, a charming and intimate space perfect for one person shows. The theater is the only solo show repertory theatre in New York and offers a wonderful opportunity for artists like Michelle Vest to get exposure. Go to www.stageleftstudio.net to learn about her upcoming shows.

The Brick Theater's Antidepressant Festival

2009-06-13T11:04:00.003-04:00

The Brick Theater in Williamsburg, Brooklyn kicked off its month long Antidepressent Festival last week. All performances are at The Brick, 575 Metropolitan Avenue between Union and Lorimer. For show descriptions visit bricktheater.com/antidepressant. Here is the line-up for the festival...

Adventure Quest
June 6 at 5:30pm, June 17 at 8pm, June 25 at 7pm, July 4 at 5pm

Afternoon Playland
June 6 at 11pm and June 21 at 5:30pm

…and the fear cracked open.
June 10 at 8pm, June 18 at 9:30pm, June 21 at 8pm and June 27 at 8pm

Big Girls Club (The Happy Dance Dance Princess Show)
June 7 at 8pm, June 12 at 8pm, June 23 at 8pm and July 4 at 2pm

Booze, Sports and Romance
June 14 at 5pm and June 20 at 10pm

Cabaret Terrarium
One Night Only: June 14 at 7pm

Exit, Pursued by Bears
June 14 at 2pm, June 19 at 7:30pm, June 21 at 2pm and July 1 at 7:30pm

Glee Club
June 7 at 2pm, June 12 at 10pm, June 20 at 5pm and June 28 at 3pm

How to Fight Depression When You Don’t Even Know its Symptoms
June 11 at 9:30pm and June 13 at 5:30pm

Infectious Opportunity
June 7 at 5pm, June 9 at 8pm, July 1 and July 3

Le Mirage
June 13 at 7pm, June 20 at 7pm and June 24 at 7:30pm

Red Rover
June 20 at 2pm

Samuel and Alasdair: A Personal History of the Robot War
June 6 at 5:30pm, June 27 a 2pm, June 28 at 7pm and July 2 at 7:30pm

Schaden, Freude and You: A 3 Clown Seminar
June 26 at 7pm and June 27 at 10pm

Suspicious Package: Rx
June 13 at 3pm, June 14 at 4pm, June 20 at 4pm, June 21 at 4pm, June 27 at 4pm and June 28 at 3pm

The Tale of the Good Whistleblower of Chaillot’s Caucasian Mother and Her Other Children of a Lesser Marriage Chalk Circle
June 6 at 3pm, June 16 at 8pm, June 19 at 9:30pm and June 25 at 9:30pm

WILM 690: Pirate Radio
June 11 at 7:30pm and June 13 at 3pm

Your Lithopedion
June 13 at 9pm, June 18 at 9:30pm, June 26 at 9:30pm and June 30 at 8pm

The Pied Pipers of the Lower East Side (The Amoralists Theatre Company, PS 122)

2009-06-11T17:28:00.009-04:00

By Le-Anne

5 POINTS OR LESS
mucho nudity! not for the kiddies! (under 17 not admitted) • smart • funny • a tad long, but well executed • promising and exciting playwright that I hope to see more from in the future.

Matthew Pilieci, Mandy Nicole Moore, and James Kautz in The Pied Pipers of the Lower East Side. Photo courtesy of Larry Cobra.

BOTTOM LINE: A balls-out, must-see (no pun intended).

Why is it when penises and vegan food are thrown into the mix everything is taken just a little less seriously? Not so with up and coming playwright Derek Ahonen’s The Pied Pipers of the Lower East Side, presented by The Amoralists Theatre Company (although many laughs are had at the exposure of said body part and the mention of things like “unturkey” sandwiches). Ahonen explores utopian ideals brought on by an obvious conflict with the dystopian world our society is fearfully plummeting toward, with broad humor and even broader views. A detailed design, stellar cast, and bold direction bring to life this necessary story of four struggling friends.

The meticulous set (by Al Schatz) and costumes (by Ricky Lang) are a throw-back to the '60s and early '70s, a clear representation of a time when utopian ideals had perhaps their largest resurgence since Marx. The Pied Pipers of the Lower East Side takes place over the course of a week in a small apartment. Billy (James Kautz), Wyatt (Matthew Pilieci), Dear (Sarah Lemp) and Dawn (Mandy Nicole Moore) are a sexually open foursome, who are in a committed relationship with each other and live together above a vegan restaurant in present-day NYC. They each have their individual struggles, addictions, and fears which are challenged first when Billy’s younger brother Evan (Nick Lawson) - your typical Midwestern, close-minded, frat boy - comes for a visit and next when they are dealt a hard blow from friend, employer, and landlord Donovan (Malcolm Madera) that upends their lifestyle.

The entire ensemble of actors is electric. Kautz plays a sad man behind blue eyes that is touching and complex. Pilieci’s comedic timing is perfection and he displays great range from fearless aggression to heartbreaking vulnerability. I fell in love a little bit with Moore whose doe-eyed ingenue is wistful and moving while Lawson does an excellent job of fulfilling a stereotype without succumbing to it’s pitfalls. Lemp has a likability about her that is a must for the hard-as-nails matriarch of the tribe and Madera rounds out the cast with simplicity and rapid-fire comedic delivery. Ahonen has a delicious ability to weave subtle hypocrisy into his characters. It makes some of the characters' personalities less appealing while it makes others unexpectedly more appealing and in the end it makes each one of the characters infinitely more interesting.

When you check out The Pied Pipers, I promise you will have your daily allotment of penises, butts, boobs, and bushes. I’ve mentioned this in past reviews but I’ll say it again: I am not one for gratuitous sex and unnecessary nudity, violence, or words (i.e. anything for shock-factor, it’s just not my bag). This show, however, had more roughness, sexuality, and naked bodies than I have seen on stage in a long time and not once was it distracting or unnecessary. Ahonen (who also directed the show) deserves a giant kudos, as does his cast, for understanding the difference between artsy-fartsy and skill.

I am also not one for hippie-dippy-tree-hugging-free-loving-why-can’t-we-all-just-get-along-ing. Puhlease. Stop. Enough already. Somehow this play avoids this trap yet manages to explore existential, philosophical, ecological, moral, and social questions without being heady or pretentious. Ahonen, both as director and playwright, bombards the senses and the mind with thought-provoking challenges that race through this reviewer's head on an almost daily basis. He creates one of those "you kinda had to be there" experiences. That being said, I suggest you go ahead and be there.

(The Pied Pipers Of The Lower East Side plays at PS 122, 150 1st Ave (at East 9th St.) through June 28th. Performance times are Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Mondays at 7:30pm and Sundays at 5:00pm with an added show on Wednesday June 24th at 7:30pm. Tickets are $25, $15 for students/seniors and $10 for PS 122 members, and can be purchased online at www.ps122.org or by calling 212-352-3101. No one under 17 will be admitted. Running time is 2 hours and 45 minutes including two intermissions. For more info, visit www.TheAmoralists.com)

2009 Tony Awards wrap-up

2009-06-10T07:26:00.002-04:00

By Molly

The three boys who play Billy in Billy Elliot: the Musical celebrate after winning the award for Best Lead Actor in a Musical.

Well, the Tony Awards aired last Sunday night and there weren’t any surprises of note. Everyone who was supposed to win took home their respective awards and aside from the teleprompter being apparently really hard to read, the night pretty much went as planned. Billy Elliot won almost all of the awards it was up for, including the coveted Best Musical prize. God of Carnage won the award for Best Play, as expected. Neil Patrick Harris proved to be a decent Tonys host, not terribly cheesy but still endearing to Grandmas in Ohio. And the G-rated entertainment offered more musical performances this year including the tours of Legally Blonde, Jersey Boys and Mamma Mia (because that's apparently what people want).

Other highlights included NPH's blatant mockery of Jeremy Piven's "mercury poisoning" (his reason for dropping out of Speed-the-Plow earlier this year) and Frank Langella's snarky "I'm not mad I wasn't nominated for a Tony" rant. Winners were genuinely gracious and most, like Gregory Jbara (who won the Best Featured Actor in a Musical award for Billy Elliot), gave truly thoughtful speeches. It was also pretty great that The Norman Conquests won Best Revival of Play, even though none of the four actors who were up for acting awards won (that's okay, it really is an ensemble show).

There were a lot of unfortunate things about the Tonys, too. First of all, Bret Michaels sang with Rock of Ages in the opening performance (a pretty great idea) but got injured exiting the stage by some moving scenery (seriously, he fractured his nose). I feel bad for Bret; I mean, there were a whole lot of people on stage in that opening clusterfuck. Another issue I'm bothered by is that the creative awards (including Best Choreography, Best Book of a Musical, and all of the designer awards) don't get to be announced during the live broadcast. Instead, they are announced at a small, less significant ceremony beforehand. I understand people might not care which play had the best lighting design, but the broadcast had the 48,000th tour of Mamma Mia performing for god's sake. Another Tony problem: CBS mixed up the Mary Stuart ladies (Janet McTeer and Harriet Walter) when showing their close-ups as the Best Leading Actress in a Play nominees were announced. I know they're British and starring in a drama but come on, there are five people in the category, get it right.

For the full list of Tony winners, visit tonyawards.com.

Theasy's WIN A TONY (GUESSING CONTEST) results...

2009-06-08T01:00:00.002-04:00

John Stamos presents the award for

MOST CORRECT PREDICTIONS IN THE WIN A TONY! (GUESSING CONTEST)
to

Benjamin
Rosen-White

Congratulations Benjamin! You correctly predicted 21 winners out of the 27 awards given out at the 2009 Tony Awards. We are humbled by your Broadway knowledge! You are the proud owner of five pairs of tickets to the five FringeNYC shows of your choice.

Thanks to everyone who participated!

Dan Talks Tonys

2009-06-06T02:27:00.007-04:00

Part 3- Everything Else

In this third and final installment, I’ll go through my thoughts on the remaining awards, and then I’ll rant a bit about the upcoming broadcast, and why I think the Tony Award Broadcast is needlessly becoming dumber and dumber each year. But first…

DESIGN AWARDS
This is only the fifth year in which there have been separate design awards for plays and musicals, and only the second in which an award has been given for sound design. So whereas in 2004 there were only three design categories, now there are eight. The winners in these categories are often the hardest to predict. But for those who want to win a Tony contest (like the one on Theatre is Easy - enter here - the design categories can be crucial.

Of course, it is hard to know how people vote. It isn’t that I think voters are mindless when they vote for design awards, it is just that there is so much to take in when you see a play once. While I believe that many voters try to select the most deserving nominee, I think sometimes it is hard to figure out who that is. Sometimes, they just vote down the line for whatever is the big show of the season. This happened in 2001 with The Producers (I am STILL annoyed about this, the lighting for Jane Eyre was far superior). And last year, South Pacific won all four musical design awards, but in this case, I felt it deserved them. Since Billy Elliot has been nominated for all four musical design awards, a sweep is possible. On the other hand, design awards are often a place where voters can award a show that they liked, but didn’t vote for anywhere else. For example, last year The 39 Steps (which is somehow still running) won two Tony awards, for Lighting and Sound Design. Voters may also vote based on the designer’s history at the Tonys: for example, costume designer Jane Greenwood received her 16th Tony nomination this year for Waiting for Godot, and has never won. (And I doubt she’ll win this year). But that would mean voters say to themselves “Michael Yeargan should win Best Scenic Design of a Play,” as opposed to saying “Joe Turner’s Come and Gone should win Best Scenic Design of a Play.” (It would also mean they know who has and who hasn’t won a Tony.)

It could be that voters “vote down the line” more with musicals than with plays. Or it could be that because scenic and costume design is more “concrete” (you can spot it in a photograph, for example), voters are more likely to actually vote based on the designs. In comparison, lighting and sound design have less tangible “products,” and so perhaps in these categories, voters just go with the show they liked the best. It’s worth mentioning that the Tony website, tonyawards.com, has this year started what will hopefully be an ongoing feature: a three minute clip of every nominated show (play, musical, and special event). The clips I saw seemed to provide a good sample of each nominated production. So if you want to make some informed guesses in the design categories, it might be worth checking these videos out.

Here are my best guesses as to who will win the design awards. But some of these categories are really tough to call.

BEST SCENIC DESIGN OF A PLAY
I’m guessing 33 Variations here—it has the most intricate set, and I can still remember those sheets of paper flying through the air as the set was moved. (Also nominated: Exit the King, Joe Turner’s Come and Gone, and The Norman Conquests).

BEST COSTUME DESIGN OF A PLAY
Tough category. Rule out Blithe Spirit. Exit the King has regal costumes, and a bit absurdist. Waiting for Godot has the Susan Lucci of costume design (Jane Greenwood). But I’ll go with Mary Stuart, if only because the concept (women in Victorian dresses, men in modern suits) was so brilliant. Plus, I think voters will want to reward this show with something.

BEST LIGHTING DESIGN OF A PLAY
Again, tough call. I’d rule out Equus, simply because it closed. But it’s a toss up between the other three. Joe Turner’s Come and Gone has Brian MacDevitt, who has three Tonys already. 33 Variations has a beautiful overall aesthetic, which could help it stand out. And Mary Stuart has rain.

BEST SOUND DESIGN OF A PLAY
I’d go with Exit the King, if only because it has the most memorable “effects.” Equus also had some great “effects” (the scraping of horse hooves was particularly haunting). But again, it closed. (Also nominated: Joe Turner’s Come and Gone and Mary Stuart).

BEST SCENIC DESIGN OF A MUSICAL
The set for Billy Elliot isn’t pretty, but it moves around in interesting ways. And it’s big, which is always a plus. I’d actually give it to [title of show], for daring to only have four chairs and a keyboard, but I’m perverse like that. (Also nominated: Guys and Dolls, Next to Normal, and Pal Joey).

BEST COSTUME DESIGN OF A MUSICAL
Hopefully this will be the category that will prevent a Billy Elliot design sweep. Many are predicting Tim Hatley’s designs for Shrek will win, but I also wouldn’t count out Michael McDonald’s gorgeous costumes for Hair, which are clearly visible to the audience since the performers often come right up near you. (Also nominated: Rock of Ages).

BEST LIGHTING DESIGN OF A MUSICAL
Kevin Adams is nominated twice here, and while his designs for Next to Normal were good, I hope he wins for Hair - the lighting in that show is stunning. But Billy Elliot is also a possibility. (Also nominated: West Side Story).

BEST SOUND DESIGN OF A MUSICAL
Hair has people running out into the audience, and Next to Normal has an orchestra scattered around the stage: both seem like big challenges sound-wise. I’d actually vote for Rock of Ages...as loud as the music was, I could also hear every single word and sung lyric, even during the loudest guitar riff. But while I thought the sound design to Billy Elliot was atrocious (rarely do I notice sound design this much!), I’m betting it has a good chance of winning.

BEST SPECIAL THEATRICAL EVENT
Ok, so this is the one category in which I didn’t see ANY of the nominees. Does this mean I have nothing to say? Ha! Liza's at The Palace is a sure winner here, and while I still regret not trekking out in the snow to see Liza Minnelli’s show this winter, I’m looking forward to an entertaining acceptance speech. Her closest competition would seem to be Will Ferrell’s show You're Welcome America- A Final Night with George W. Bush. At least, this is the show that did the best at the box office. But Ferrell isn’t someone Tony voters care much about, especially since he refused (repeatedly, I heard) to host the Tony awards this year (Neil Patrick Harris is hosting this year). The other two nominees are Slava's Snowshow- a holiday transfer of a Russian clowning spectacle, and Soul of Shaolin- a Chinese martial arts spectacle. Both may have been nice shows. But they aren’t Liza, and as one might say, Liza IS the Tonys!

The Snubs
It’s worth briefly reviewing some of the people and shows that didn’t receive nominations this year. Almost every one was from a show that closed in 2008 or January 2009. And while shows that don’t run into the spring often don’t do as well in the Tonys, the sheer quality of the Fall shows, and the almost total lack of nominations, is particularly noticeable this year. In fact, not counting the special theatrical events, only three shows that closed in or before January received any nominations- [title of show] received one, and Dividing the Estate and Irving Berlin’s White Christmas each received two.

While I didn’t see Impressionism, A Man For All Seasons, Hedda Gabler, The Philanthropist, Accent on Youth, or Cirque Dreams, they all received mixed to negative reviews, so I’m not surprised that none of them received nominations. Two of the worst shows I saw this season, To Be or Not To Be and Desire Under the Elms, also did not receive any nominations (although some people, including New York Times reviewer Charles Isherwood, apparently loved Desire Under the Elms). Some feel that Tovah Feldshuh and James Barbour should have been nominated for their performances in Irena’s Vow and A Tale of Two Cities. I found Feldshuh’s performance a bit over-the-top, but I agree that Barbour probably should have been nominated (instead of Contantine Maroulis). Likewise, I think Daniel Radcliffe made an astounding Broadway debut in Equus, and should have been nominated for his performance. And Mercedes Ruehl, probably the best part of The American Plan, also should have been nominated.

It was a great year for play revivals, so I guess it is inevitable that some revivals were undeservedly shut out, most notably The Seagull (which I missed) and All My Sons (which I loved). But all four plays nominated for Best Revival opened in the spring, by which time both The Seagull and All My Sons had closed. Apparently Casey Mulligan was excellent in The Seagull, and All My Sons had several Tony-worthy elements, including performances by Dianne Wiest, John Lithgow, and Patrick Wilson, and direction by Simon McBurney.

Likewise, I thought two musicals, both of which closed by the beginning of January, deserved more attention from the nominating committee. While many did not like 13, the musical with a thirteen-member teenage cast, I thought it an extremely well done, exciting new musical. If nothing else, Jason Robert Brown should have been nominated for his score. I also thought Aaron Simon Gross’s performance Tony-worthy- certainly better than any of the kids from Billy Elliot. And while [title of show] received one nomination for its book, I think it should have also been nominated for Best Score, Featured Actress (Susan Blackwell), and Best Musical. And I wonder, if it had been running on Broadway in the spring, if it wouldn’t have received more nominations.

The Tony Awards Broadcast
To quote from a recent press release: “The Tony Awards telecast on Sunday, June 7th will feature performances by each of the Tony-nominated Best Musicals and Best Musical Revivals, including: Billy Elliot, The Musical; Guys and Dolls; Hair; Next to Normal; Pal Joey; Rock of Ages; Shrek the Musical; and West Side Story. Additionally, The Tony Awards will feature special performances from three touring shows – Jersey Boys, Legally Blonde The Musical and Mamma Mia!”

Ugh. I’m all for performances from the season’s musicals. I still remember watching one of my first Tony awards, and seeing the cast of Falsettos perform “The Baseball Game.” These early musical performances, from shows I had never even heard of, riveted me. Unfortunately, the CBS execs, especially head exec Les Moonves, have decided that people are ONLY interested in watching musicals. And so the more musical performances, the better, which is why space is being given in the broadcast to performances from touring shows. The design awards are not shown on television...you can only see them by logging onto the Tony website’s live feed for the “Creative Arts Awards.” Also part of this segment are the awards for Orchestrations, Choreography(!), Book of Musical(!!), and Revival of a Play(!!!). I am appalled by this. (It happened last year too). If the Academy Awards can find a way to fit in the award for Best Animated Short Film, shouldn’t the Tony Awards be able to fit in Best Revival of a Play?

CBS is clearly trying to “boost” ratings by stacking the broadcast with performances, and thus getting rid of the “boring stuff.” However, the Tony awards is NEVER highly rated. No one who isn’t already planning on watching is going to tune in because the touring cast of Legally Blonde is performing. I believe that the Awards show that takes place in Radio City Music Hall should be shown in its entirety. One could argue that the American public doesn’t care about orchestrations. But how do we know, if we don’t let audiences learn about them? What if there was a short speech before the award was presented that explained what an orchestration is (like in the Academy Awards)? Why must television programming always be dictated by what executives think audiences want to see?

Perhaps one could argue that the Academy Awards are more star-studded. And although everyone can see movies, only a small handful travel to New York to see a Broadway show. So maybe a comparison between the two awards shows isn’t exactly fair. But what CBS forgets is that people aren’t just interested in seeing familiar performances. I always watched the Tonys growing up because it would give me insight into the hidden, magical world of “Broadway.” And not just musicals - I remember watching one year and repeatedly hearing a five-word phrase “Angels in America: Millenium Approaches.” I had no idea what it was about, but I was fascinated. I don’t believe that American audiences aren’t interested in plays - I think they are, but they aren’t given the chance. I believe that things like the Tony award broadcast make it seem like Broadway is all big and flashy musicals. Broadway theatre is many things, and big flashy musicals are only one part. But in recent years, the Tony Award broadcast has become increasingly dumber, in a futile effort to draw in more audiences. But I don’t think CBS will ever draw in more viewers this way, I think they have the wrong strategy. I think the only way they can increase viewership is to put back in all of the “boring stuff,” because I’d argue that this is the one thing not available anywhere else. I think viewers actually want to be challenged. Many people will never watch the Tonys. A much smaller group will always watch. And I believe that the group in the middle, the ones who might watch if the show is good, are tired with an awards show that has so little to do with celebrating achievement. They want to learn more about theatre (including things like lighting design), but have given up on the Tonys as a source for this.

Ok- rant over. Now go watch the Tonys.

The 63rd Annual Tony Awards
The Tony Awards will be broadcast live in HD, from Radio City Music Hall on CBS, Sunday, June 7th, 8:00 – 11:00 p.m. (ET/PT time delay). The 2009 Tony Awards are presented by the Broadway League and the American Theatre Wing. To view the live Tony Awards pre-telecast, featuring the Creative Arts Awards, please log onto www.TonyAwards.com at 7:00 p.m. (EST) on Sunday, June 7th.

For the first time ever, fans in the New York area are invited to watch the Tony Awards simulcast in Times Square. Live from Radio City Music Hall, the Tony Awards will be simulcast on the Clear Channel Spectacolor HD Screen, from 7:00 p.m. – 11:00 p.m. and will feature the pre-telecast Creative Arts Awards and the Tony Awards broadcast. Seating will be provided in Duffy Square.

WIN A TONY! (GUESSING CONTEST) 2009

2009-06-05T02:00:00.000-04:00

It's time for Theasy's annual

WIN A TONY! (GUESSING CONTEST)

Visit theatreiseasy.com/tony to enter. Predict who will win for each category at this year's Tony Awards and submit your answers. The person with the most correct guesses wins a Fringe Festival VIP Fiver...five pairs of tickets for the 2009 FringeNYC shows of the winner's choice! (FringeNYC is the largest multi-arts festival in North America...visit fringenyc.org for more information). Winner also received the admiration and respect of all of us at Theatre Is Easy.

The contest is open until 2pm on June 7th and the Tony Awards air at 8pm on June 7th. Contest winner will be announced on Theasy on June 8th.

Good luck!

Theatre Is Easy

American Hwangap (Ma-Yi Theater Company and The Play Company)

2009-06-05T01:00:00.001-04:00

By Le-Anne

5 POINTS OR LESS
Korean-American Family that all can identify with • if you like stories like "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" you'll like this • solid production • great writing • attention Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles fans: James Saito, AKA Shredder is in this. You should see this, if for no other reason that to say that you saw Shredder in an awesome play

James Saito and Peter Kim in a scene from American Hwangap. Photo by Matt Zugale.

BOTTOM LINE: A relatable, comedic, drama about an American family looking to be one again.

Every family's got one. One relative. One event. One circumstance. One thing (or some things) that makes it tick and makes it both unique and utterly normal at the same time. In American Hwangap, new playwright Lloyd Suh illustrates the dramas of a typical American family through a specifically Korean celebration but creates a story that everyone can identify with. This production of American Hwangap, produced by Obie-award-winning companies, The Play Company and Ma-Yi Theater Company, is simple and touching with a sense of humor.

The play centers around the return of an absent father on his Hwangap. Hwangap is the Korean expression used to recognize one's 60th birthday. Before the birth of modern medicine, not many people lived to see their 60th birthday so it is a celebration of a long life. It also marks the end of the zodiac, completing the circle of one's life and the rebirth of another life within one's life. For Min Suk Chun (James Saito) it is a chance to begin his life again, with his family in America. Min Suk left his wife and three children in suburban Texas fifteen years ago to go back to Korea, something that has deeply affected his wife and children in very different ways. His homecoming is bittersweet as are his relationships with his family members.

A soft accent and subtle moments lost in translation abound but doesn't overpower this story. Saito is honest, never gimmicky, in his portrayal of the returned immigrant. He has a charming way of inserting profundity to the simplest of observations. During along overdue father/son moment with his youngest, Ralph (Peter Kim), Min Suk, referring to a video game that Ralph broke in anger earlier, shares "I think these objects have it coming to them." Saito's comedic timing is perfect and he delivers moments like this with such simplicity and honesty that one is sure that Suh has hidden pearls of wisdom somewhere in there.

Suh's voice is modernly poetic, colloquial, and humorous. Within exchanges of dialogue that seem light an inconsequential he hides some of life's deepest stuff. In one particular poem about a puppy which Ralph, a 29-year-old, slightly imbalanced, science fiction poet still living in his mother's basement, reads from his journal, he describes the sweetness, cuteness, and loyalty of this puppy then concludes, "he licked my hand. And then he pooped." Fantastic. Kim's handling of the tricky character of Ralph is smart and wonderfully delicate.

Director Trip Cullman's pacing is spot on, as are his choices. There are several moments in the play that could be played either as jokes or as weighty, poignant moments - Cullman struck an excellent balance. Cullman's staging is simple, making great use of the minimalist set (Erik Flatmo). The ensemble is solid. Each actor brought something very specific to how his/her character fits into the family as well as how they don't fit together. The family dynamic created on stage is interesting to witness, and maybe even recognize, at times.

American Hwangap presents a family story that is relatable and real. A story full of hurt and laughs, with a lot of issues made simple, and a lot of simple things made into issues. It is about one American family with a hope of repairing mistakes made, and maybe even the chance at a new beginning.

(American Hwangap performs at The Wild Project, 195 East 3rd Street, through June 7th. Tues.- Sat. at 8pm; Sat at 3 pm; Sun at 4pm. The show is 90 min.'s with no intermission. Tickets are $25 and can be reserved by calling 212-352-3101. Discount tickets available at http://www.blogger.com/www.broadwaybox.com. For more info visit www.playco.org and/or http://www.blogger.com/www.mayitheatre.org.)

Dan Talks Tonys

2009-06-02T12:45:00.005-04:00

Part 2- The Musicals

There were ten new musicals and four revivals on Broadway this season, and I saw all but two. I missed Irving Berlin’s White Christmas, a holiday special that some suspect was brought to Broadway (at a financial loss) simply to give it additional credence in its more lucrative regional life. And I haven’t yet seen the revival of Guys and Dolls, although I’ve heard it is not worth the time. But I’ve seen everything else (yes, I even saw The Story of My Life, which didn’t run long enough to be Tony-eligible). My favorite musicals of the season are Next to Normal (which received 11 nominations) and [title of show] (which sadly only received one, for Hunter Bell’s book). And while I don’t think Billy Elliot will completely sweep the awards this year, I think it will do quite well, and will likely win in categories I don’t think it deserves, starting with…

BEST MUSICAL
I don’t think Billy Elliot should win here, because while some aspects were quite wonderful (the direction, and perhaps the book), the total product was surprisingly disappointing. But voters love big musicals, and from what I can tell, most people seem to enjoy this show, and don’t mind the bland score as much as I did. If there is an upset, it will be Next to Normal. On certain days, when I’m feeling especially optimistic, I think this might be possible. I certainly wouldn’t count it out (and if it happens, it could be a tie-breaker in Tony contests). But I’m betting that Billy Elliot, with its 15 nominations, will win Best Musical. The other two nominated musicals, Shrek and Rock of Ages, have almost no chance, especially because some feel one (or both) took the slot(s) that should have been given to either 9 to 5 or [title of show].

BEST REVIVAL OF A MUSICAL
This one is kind of a no-brainer. Pal Joey was an excellent revival, but it closed on March 1st. And while I am very glad I saw it, I think the musical itself is more for musical theater buffs, whereas the other three nominees are more popular shows that will appeal to a wider audience. I haven’t seen Guys and Dolls, but many say it was only nominated for Best Musical Revival because there is a clause that says the nominating committee MUST fill all of the slots in a category when possible. So since there are only four musical revivals, they all automatically receive nominations. (It’s the same reason the apparently hideous revival of Grease was nominated last season.) This leaves West Side Story and Hair. Before I saw them, I thought they might be about evenly matched. But after seeing both in the past few weeks, it is clear that Hair will win this category hands (and pants?) down. West Side Story might be a better musical on paper, but this isn’t what wins a Best Musical Revival. West Side Story has sets that seem to be taken from a regional, or even college production, and direction that is relatively uninspired. It isn’t that it is a bad production...it is almost impossible to ruin West Side Story and this is a solid production. But there isn’t much that is special about it other than a few performances (if I return to West Side Story it will really be to see Karen Olivo again...see Featured Actress category). Hair, on the other hand, has been hailed as a minor revelation, a production that brings out the best qualities of the musical, and shows the magic that can be found therein. And I agree. I will almost definitely return to see Hair again because of the overall experience.

BEST BOOK OF A MUSICAL
Supposedly the book of a musical is one of the hardest things to write, and is often the first thing blamed when the musical suffers. It is also kind of difficult to quantify; it is more than just the words people speak when they aren’t singing. I think of a musical’s book as the structure, and the outline for what happens so even when a musical is sung-throughout there is still a book. This year, the four nominated books are from Billy Elliot, Next to Normal, Shrek, and [title of show]. Even though David Lindsay-Abaire has a Pulitzer, I think his book for Shrek is the first to rule out, not because it isn’t good, but because in a category like this, voters need to feel drawn to a show, and I think Shrek is the one show with the least emotional pull. Next to Normal is pretty much sung-through, and while that shouldn’t make a difference, I think it might hurt here. Many think Billy Elliot is the likely winner, because it is the big show of the season. Personally, I’m hoping for Hunter Bell to win for [title of show]. While the show closed in October, I wouldn’t be surprised if this was one of the big upsets of the evening. There’s a line on the recording where Bell sings “What if this show won a Tony award?” I’m hoping voters want to find out.

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE (MUSIC AND LYRICS) WRITTEN FOR THE THEATRE
By all rights, I don’t think Billy Elliot should even have been nominated (I would have picked the scores to both [title of show] and 13 over this one.) But it IS a score with music by Elton John, and it IS the big new musical of the season, so it could certainly win. The trouble is, the score to Billy Elliot is, to put it simply, bad. And I have a feeling I’m not the only one who thinks so. And because people will expect Billy Elliot to win a bunch of awards, voters may use this category to award another show. So who will win? Shrek’s score has music by Jeanine Tesori (who has been nominated three times already, and who should have won a Tony for Caroline, or Change) and lyrics by David Lindsay-Abaire (who won the Pulitzer prize for Rabbit Hole). And the score is (surprisingly?) quite good; it's intelligent and funny and maybe even a little bit subversive. But the show as a whole is just pleasant...you leave the theatre thinking “that was nice.” And this is why Shrek may not win anything. It is the same with 9 to 5. The score was written by Dolly Parton, and overall, I think she did a fine job. I am looking forward to listening to the score again (the album hasn’t been released). However, I’m not sure that Dolly’s immense fan base overlaps much with the Tony voters. So Next to Normal is Billy Elliot’s biggest competition. In my opinion, Next to Normal has the best score of the year. The show is almost entirely sung-through, and the score does an incredible job in creating the complex characters on stage.

BEST DIRECTION OF A MUSICAL
At the Academy Awards, the winner for Best Director often (but not always) wins for directing that year’s Best Picture. The same thing generally happens with musicals at the Tonys, with the difference that in the Tonys, there are two “Best Musicals”- the new musicals and the revivals. So given that Billy Elliot and Hair will most likely win these respective categories, this category is basically between Stephen Daldry (who directed Billy Elliot) and Diane Paulus (who directed Hair). Kristin Hanggi did a decent enough job with Rock of Ages, and probably is one of the key people responsible for making it as good as it is, but I have as much chance of winning this award as she does. And as much as I love Next to Normal, my biggest problem with it is the direction. Michael Greif (who also directed Rent - boy does he love his scaffolding!) probably contributed a lot in the developmental process of this piece, so I guess one might justify the nomination for that reason. But his direction always seems serviceable to me, with occasional moments where I think “why on earth did he have them do that?” Whereas Diane Paulus staged perhaps the best ending of any musical this season (and those last ten minutes or so of Hair are ALL her). I’d love to see her win for this reason alone. But I suspect Stephen Daldry will win here, and as much as I thought Billy Elliot was just ok, I have to admit Daldry’s direction is excellent.

BEST CHOREOGRAPHY
Given that Billy Elliot is a show about dancing, and that it is the big show of the season, and that there is a lot of solo dancing and group dancing and flying in the air dancing, does anyone else have a chance? I don’t think so. Randy Skinner’s choreography in Irving Berlin’s White Christmas was reportedly quite good (I didn’t see it). Karole Armitage’s work in Hair fit the piece well, which means it is less showy than the dancing in Billy Elliot. And Andy Blankenbuehler, who deservedly won this award last year for In the Heights, did some of the same things again (i.e. dancing that isn't featured center stage, but occurs more atmospherically) in this year's 9 to 5. All fine choreography. But I bet even if Jerome Robbins had risen from the dead and re-choreographed West Side Story, he still would lose to Peter Darling and Billy Elliot.

BEST ORCHESTRATIONS
This is one of those awards that most people (including, I suspect, many Tony voters) don’t quite know how to judge. The orchestrator’s work varies depending on the composer, and the right orchestration can turn a simple melody into a thrilling moment in the theatre. However, where does the score stop and the orchestration begin? I suspect rather than thinking through this, many voters simply go with either their pick for Best Musical, or their pick for Best Score. (Occasionally musical revivals have new orchestrations that are nominated, but that didn’t happen this year). If they do, Shrek and Irving Berlin’s White Christmas have little to no chance, leaving Billy Elliot and Next to Normal. My personal pick is Next to Normal; the orchestrations turn what could have been a more traditional “rock” sound into something much more complex. But I have a feeling Billy Elliot may have better chances.

BEST PERFORMANCE BY A LEADING ACTRESS IN A MUSICAL
Everyone I know is crossing their fingers that Alice Ripley wins on June 7th (ok, what can I say, I know a lot of theatre queens). Ripley’s performance in Next to Normal is one of the best performances this season, man or woman, play or musical. It is so difficult to play a crazy person realistically, that is, not go overboard with the craziness, and Ripley’s genius is that she simultaneously shows both the unhinged, bipolar person, and the completely rational (in her mind, at least) person who is battling that illness. Ripley was nominated once before with Emily Skinner...the two women played the Siamese twins Daisy and Violet in Sideshow. (Emily, when will you return to Broadway?) And since this is the only acting category in which Billy Elliot has no nominees, Ripley’s chances look good. I’d guess her biggest competition is Allison Janney (who we all love, of course). Janney is quite good in 9 to 5 (in the Lily Tomlin role), but she isn’t the strongest singer, and that may hurt her. Pal Joey’s Stockard Channing was wonderful, but the show closed already. Sutton Foster was also good in Shrek - funny, quirky, a bit of a tomboy - but she’s already won a Tony and now just seems to get nominated every time she does a Broadway musical (for roles in which she is funny, quirky, and a bit of a tomboy), so I don’t think people will vote for her. And while Josefina Scaglione is lovely as Maria in West Side Story, she doesn’t remain etched in one’s memory days after the show the way that Ripley or Janney or even Channing do. So c’mon Alice Ripley!

BEST PERFORMANCE BY A LEADING ACTOR IN A MUSICAL
This year, it was ruled that all three boys who share the role of Billy would be considered together. And it was also ruled that voters only needed to see one of them perform. While both of these rulings make sense (otherwise, it would mean needing to see Billy Elliot three times), it means that those who vote for the three kids will be voting for performers they haven’t seen. This nomination really asks voters to vote for a role, rather than a performance. The role of Billy is exciting to watch: a 10-12 year old boy dances all over the stage. But I’d contend that the boys who do the role in five years will be just as exciting - it is the role that is the star here - the choreography and the sight of a kid dancing it. While I think voters will be suckered in by the draw of youth (the mindset of “yay, I love when kids win awards!”) I think all of the other nominees deserve the award more. American Idol alum Constantine Maroulis is surprisingly good in Rock of Ages. Gavin Creel in Hair is terrific (although I liked castmate Will Swenson even better). Brian d’Arcy James somehow manages to humanize Shrek the ogre, even through all of that makeup. And while some feel that James was better than J. Robert Spencer in Next to Normal (James did the role of Dan at Second Stage, but left the show to star in Shrek), I think Spencer perfectly captures the ordinariness of his character, a father and husband who wants desperately to live a normal, even boring, life. So yeah, when this award is announced, I fully expect to be annoyed, but hey, that’s commercial theatre for you.

BEST PERFORMANCE BY A FEATURED ACTRESS IN A MUSICAL
Ok, it is really hard for me to be objective with this category this year. I worked with Karen Olivo several years ago, and love her in everything she is in. And she is an incredibly warm, loving person to boot. I’m trying not to jinx her chances by getting my hopes up too much, but I DO think she has a good chance at winning. Her performance as Anita is one of the best parts in the current revival of West Side Story. So since I can’t be objective, who else is nominated? There are two women from Billy Elliot: Carole Shelley (Billy’s grandmother) and Haydn Gwynne (Billy’s dance teacher). Of these two, Gwynne has the better chance, if only because her role is larger. I think she is Karen’s biggest competition. Martha Plimpton’s rendition of “Zip” was a highlight of Pal Joey, and while this is the third year in a row she has been nominated, I don’t think the role was enough of a standout to make up for the fact that the show isn’t running anymore. And finally, there’s Next to Normal’s Jennifer Damiano. While I’m thrilled she is nominated (because I love the show), I think this is a case where the nomination is the prize.

BEST PERFORMANCE BY A FEATURED ACTOR IN A MUSICAL
Enough with Billy Elliot already! This category also has two nominees from that showm Gregory Jbara (who plays the father) and David Bologna (who plays Billy’s soon-to-be-gay friend Michael). Or rather, Bologna is one of the two kids who plays Michael...the other one (Frank Dolce) isn’t nominated. Apparently, while the producers made a special petition to get all three Billys considered together, they didn’t do the same for the two Michaels, so because Bologna did the show opening night, he is the only one eligible for the nomination. The two kids are still splitting performances, so it is conceivable that many Tony voters won’t even see Bologna in the role. Whatever...if someone from Billy Elliot wins this category it will be Gregory Jbara, who I loved in Dirty Rotten Scoundrels and who also gave my favorite performance in this show. Which isn’t to say I think he should win (although he has a good chance). I’m rooting for Will Swenson, who played Berger in Hair. Easily the best performance in that show, Swenson perfectly encapsulates the spirit and energy and innocence and playfulness that Hair is all about. But I wouldn’t count out Marc Kudisch or Christopher Sieber either. Both are well-known Broadway stalwarts who have been nominated in this category before (Kudisch for Thoroughly Modern Millie and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, and Sieber for Spamalot). Kudisch is perfectly cast as the lecherous boss (the Dabney Coleman role) in 9 to 5. And Sieber gives probably the most unforgettable performance in Shrek...as Lord Farquaad he spends almost the entire performance on his knees. So this is another tough category, and I’m honestly not sure who I’d pick if I were taking part in the Theasy Tony Guessing Contest (where you can win 5 pairs of tickets to the NYC International Fringe Festival- enter here) Good Luck!

Stay tuned for Part 3- Everything Else