Normally I don't blog about professional shows. I pretty much figure they don't need my attention, and I'd rather give it where it might not get the attention. But something has occurred to me that is somewhat troublesome. Despite the recent insurgence of movie musicals, Hollywood still seems to be afraid of them. Beginning with Baz Lurhman's flashy--if somewhat hollow--Moulin Rouge, a re-telling of Camille utilizing popular music from the 50s through the present day, it seemed there was an audience for super-charged musical numbers allowing the heroes and even the villains to pour their hearts out through song. Rob Marshall's Chicago found a way to comment on the action through song, the way the stage show does with its vaudevillian musical numbers, by employing dream sequences for the stage-struck Roxie Hart. Dreamgirls didn't have an all-out real-time musical number until almost halfway through the first act with the song "Family," though the music was handled very well after that. It wasn't until Hairspray, Sweeney Todd and Mamma Mia! that we saw no-holds-barred musical numbers in a film, and even those had their fair share of flaws.
This brings us to the latest project by Chicago director/choreographer Rob Marshall. He seems to be systemmatically going through the works of the great choreographers of the American Musical Theatre, starting with Fosse, now Tommy Tune, and rumor has it that Michael Bennett's Follies (which already has some elements of fantasy in it) may be next up. So, for a man who obviously has such reverence for these great men who told stories so beautifully through song and dance, why does he seem ashamed of the musical sequences in his latest project, Nine? Why has he hidden them, once again, in dreamland? And why are they so painfully under-choreographed and--even worse--filmed as though the dancing were unimportant? The musical sequences in Nine, which at one point were of great importance to the plot and to the central character Guido Contini, have been bannished to the inside of Guido's head where words that were sung to him in previous incarnations are now imaginary.
I will say that musical numbers like "Be Italian" and even parts of the unimpressive new "Cinema Italiano" served their purposes beautifully on screen. But even the devestating "My Husband Makes Movies," performed by the infinitely talented Marion Cotillard, lacked the power that the number should have, and does have on stage when it is sung in earnest by woman trying to express to vulturous journalists her simultaneous admiration and disappointment in her husband's craft.
And yet, the unashamed, unabashed musical production number does not seem to be quite as dead as the creators of Nine would have us believe. I've noticed them popping up more and more in non-musical entertainment. What sparked me to write this post was something I saw this week on my favorite current sitcom, How I Met Your Mother. When Barney Stinson, the infamous playboy of the series portrayed by musical theatre star Neil Patrick Harriss, must decide between the opportunity to have sex with a hot bartender (his first) or his closet-full of suits (his first love), his thoughts go something like this:
Now, this musical sequence, while much more satisfying than almost all of the production numbers in Nine, is still a fantasy sequence, the likes of which Rob Marshall is so fond of. In general, dance and musical sequences are supposed to bring out the essence of what a character is feeling, beyond the capacity of mere words. This was brilliantly utilized in the only musical sequence in the non-musical film 500 Days of Summer in the scene after Tom (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) spends his first night with Summer (Zooey Deschanel):
So, if artists still find the use of musical numbers effective, and if audiences still seem to react positively to them, why do films like Nine feel the need to hide their musical numbers? It seems to me that audiences will react positively to anything, if it's given to them honestly and without any excuses. The second a musical begins to make excuses for its musical numbers, it begins to lose its audience, as Nine has also proven so far. Perhaps Rob Marshall should take advice from one of his own characters in Nine (ironically from one of the more lacklustre numbers in the film) and just allow himself to provide good, harmless entertainment without gussying it up.
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Queens Midsummer no more yeilding but a dream
The Secret Theatre is one of the best kept secrets in Queens. It took me nearly twenty minutes to find the place. Once you can deecipher betwee 44th Road, 44th Street, 44th Avenue and 44th Drive, you come to the arts building that houses The Secret Theatre (located on 23rd Street between 44th Road and 44th Avenue). But The Secret Theatre is not actually in said arts building, it's down the alley just right of the arts building. And there are two productions running concurrently, so make sure you go into the correct theatre.
However, it's all worth is for the production of William Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream which is playing in the theatre closest to the street (go up a small set of stairs to the plateau that forms the entrance to the theatre) produced by The Queens Players and directed by Katherine M. Carter.
The cast of A Midsummer Night's Dream
Ms. Carter's production was sleek without being cheap, chic without being gaudy and an all-around good time. Employing a design reminiscent of Peter Brooks' "white box" Midsummer, Carter takes us to a dreamlike no-man's land. So dreamlike, in fact, that all of her performers are dressed in pajamas! This white set (complete with flowing white columns) serves the multi-faceted purpose of indicating every setting of the play, with the help of the beautifully whimsical light design from Lisa Hufnagle.
The play concerns the forbidden love between Lysander, an Athenian youth, and Hermia, whose father Egeus wants her to marry Demetrius, beloved for Hermia's childhood friend Helena. Make sense so far? To escape the harsh Athenian law, Hermia and Lysander flee through the forest, pursued by Demetrius who is, in turn, pursued by Helena. Also in the forest are a motley crew of handymen-turned-actors, lead by Peter Quince, rehearsing a play of Pyramus and Thisbe. Got that? All of these mortals find themselves entangled in the marital feud of Oberon and Titania, the king and queen of the fairies. And, in the morning, Theseus (of the Minotaur myth) will wed Hippolyta (Queen of the Amazons, from later on in the same myth). Follow?
In the central roles of the lovers, James Parenti and Katie Braden (as Demetrius and Helena) provide the more slapstick and sex-driven humor to the more pastoral and domestic humor of Joe Mullen and Angelica Duncan (as Lysander and Hermia). This does not mean, however, that the slapstick is not provided by all. Mullen must, at one point, catch Duncan as she propells herself horizontally across the stage toward a cowerring Braden.
Next up are the mechanicals, a ragged bunch of actor-wannabes, provide a far less romantic brand of comedy than the lovers. Lead by Timothy J. Cox as Peter Quince, whose power is often usurped by the dramatic Nick Bottom, played by Chris Kateff, this is about the sorriest band of crude actors with the biggest hearts anyone could ask for. The performance of Pyramus and Thisbe in the last scene of the play--always a highlight of any production--is spot on campy, ridiculous and completely honest.
Tiffany Denise Turner, Chris Kateff, Trish Phelps and Sarah King
Finally, the fairies. Mischevous creatures who take joy in screwing with mortals. The first we meet is Jeni Ahfield, deliciously malicious in the role of Robin Goodfellow, better known as Puck, quickly followed by the imposing Randy Warshaw as Oberon and the devestatingly elegant Tiffany Denise Turner as his Queen Titania. Rounding out the fairies are the delightful Trish Phelps and Sarah King (who provides beautiful ukelele music throughout her scenes with her queen).
The production is whimsical and farcical, but not bagatelle. In its seriousness, in its humor, in its honesty, it is a delight from beginning to end.
A Midsummer Night's Dream runs at The Secret Theatre, 44-02 23rd Street, LIC through January 3rd. Tickets can be purchased through OvationTix.
However, it's all worth is for the production of William Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream which is playing in the theatre closest to the street (go up a small set of stairs to the plateau that forms the entrance to the theatre) produced by The Queens Players and directed by Katherine M. Carter.
The cast of A Midsummer Night's DreamMs. Carter's production was sleek without being cheap, chic without being gaudy and an all-around good time. Employing a design reminiscent of Peter Brooks' "white box" Midsummer, Carter takes us to a dreamlike no-man's land. So dreamlike, in fact, that all of her performers are dressed in pajamas! This white set (complete with flowing white columns) serves the multi-faceted purpose of indicating every setting of the play, with the help of the beautifully whimsical light design from Lisa Hufnagle.The play concerns the forbidden love between Lysander, an Athenian youth, and Hermia, whose father Egeus wants her to marry Demetrius, beloved for Hermia's childhood friend Helena. Make sense so far? To escape the harsh Athenian law, Hermia and Lysander flee through the forest, pursued by Demetrius who is, in turn, pursued by Helena. Also in the forest are a motley crew of handymen-turned-actors, lead by Peter Quince, rehearsing a play of Pyramus and Thisbe. Got that? All of these mortals find themselves entangled in the marital feud of Oberon and Titania, the king and queen of the fairies. And, in the morning, Theseus (of the Minotaur myth) will wed Hippolyta (Queen of the Amazons, from later on in the same myth). Follow?
In the central roles of the lovers, James Parenti and Katie Braden (as Demetrius and Helena) provide the more slapstick and sex-driven humor to the more pastoral and domestic humor of Joe Mullen and Angelica Duncan (as Lysander and Hermia). This does not mean, however, that the slapstick is not provided by all. Mullen must, at one point, catch Duncan as she propells herself horizontally across the stage toward a cowerring Braden.
Next up are the mechanicals, a ragged bunch of actor-wannabes, provide a far less romantic brand of comedy than the lovers. Lead by Timothy J. Cox as Peter Quince, whose power is often usurped by the dramatic Nick Bottom, played by Chris Kateff, this is about the sorriest band of crude actors with the biggest hearts anyone could ask for. The performance of Pyramus and Thisbe in the last scene of the play--always a highlight of any production--is spot on campy, ridiculous and completely honest.
Tiffany Denise Turner, Chris Kateff, Trish Phelps and Sarah KingThe production is whimsical and farcical, but not bagatelle. In its seriousness, in its humor, in its honesty, it is a delight from beginning to end.
A Midsummer Night's Dream runs at The Secret Theatre, 44-02 23rd Street, LIC through January 3rd. Tickets can be purchased through OvationTix.
Monday, September 14, 2009
Festival Season
Sorry I'm a little late with this one. Things have gotten busy since Festival Season has begun! The New York Fringe Festival has come and gone, and I saw two fascinating piece of theatre.
I've probably raved enough about the Five Flights Theater Company, who started out with their ensemble theatre piece Don't Step on the Cracks, which they took to the Woodstock Fringe Festival last summer along with You Are Cordially Invited..., before arriving at the New York Fringe Festival this summer.
The 5 Flights Theater Company
So, since my adoration for the work of this ensemble is no secret, I'll just spend a little time going over the highlights of this new streamlined, one-act Don't Step. The segment which probably always punches the biggest wallop for me is the monologue "Goodnight Moon," written and performed by Jake Bartush. spoken to the moon, a young man thanks a fellow student for bringing his parents back into his life after the suicide of the fellow student. Bartush's performance has only gotten better the more he's done this show. And the monologue itself is as fine a piece of writing as you'll find in any of the best audition books.
It was fascinating to come back to the character of "Nanny," portrayed by Laurel Casillo in Adam Delia's sketch about a young man coming to terms with his grandmother's Alzheimer's disease, since the company did an entire play (written by Casillo and Delia) around this character. Ms. Casillo is in fine form and still as transformative as ever.
What struck me this time as it hasn't before is the honesty and sincere commeraderie with which Nick Hepsoe and Will Lacker perform Eryck Tait's scene "O Captain, My Captain," in which Hepsoe's character deals with the fall of a favorite superhero. In the past the comedy of this scene has seemed to come from its absurdity, but this time it came from the integrity behind the words and the intensity of the emotions.
The piece was expertly reformed and reshaped for this theatre and this new one-act format by Eryck Tait. I said to my companion after the show, "I don't think I'll ever get tired of seeing this show."
The other Fringe show I saw was a semi-autobiographical tale of coming of age--and simply coming--in Israel called Sex and the Holy Land by Melanie Zoey Weinstein. Trapped between the land of "sex farce" and "coming of age story," Sex and the Holy Land has some very fascinating potential. The play deals with Lili (Weinstein), a Long Island Jewess who travels to Israel with her best friends Chaya (Ruby Joy) and Or (Sarah-Doe Osborne) to find... something. There are parts that are wonderfully written and characters that are beautifully formed, though overall the play fails to deliver what it promises. It would seem that the play suffers from too much autobiography and not enough play, to the extent that the playwright has been cast as herself. A little bit of distance might do both playwright and play a great service.
But, to the successes of Sex and the Holy Land first. Probably the most affective convention Ms. Weinstein uses comes in the form of three Jewish mothers (played to exhaustive hilarity by Goldie Zwiebel, Michelle Slonim and Susan Slatin) who embody not only Lili's mother, but the mother or grandmother of anyone who's ever been guilt-tripped.
The play also comes with some beautifully grounded performances, mostly from Ms. Joy and Ms. Osborne who portray Lili's best friends. When the three are together, we understand why they all came. We see the bond that they share that brought them to the Holy Land together. Apart, there are strengths and weaknesses to the character. While Ms. Joy plays Chaya with subtle intensity, the character's basic motive--searching for sex to replace a missing father figure and uncertain belief in God--tends to come across as rather flat. One wishes that the play offered Ms. Joy the opportunity to really show what she's obviously capable of. However, when not following Lili, the play tends to lean in the direction of Or, also somewhat sex crazed, but devoted, for most of the play, to Dan the Man (Gabriel Sloyer), an American Jew who trained and fought in the Israeli army. Ms. Osborne really gets to show off her chops and her range when her character accidentally finds herself in a bind not easily broken. She shows us that this is a girl who likes fun, but knows when the fun has to end. Mr. Sloyer, portraying Or's army boyfriend, is no slouch either. His scenes with the women of the play are genuine and often touching, with a healthy dose of humor.
The staging by Lee Gundersheimer is often clever, though sometimes too much so for its own good, calling attention to its own cleverness. Still, the transitions were smooth and graceful, often resulting in striking stage pictures. Utilizing just a sheet and benches, Gundersheimer was able to create the beach and the desert, an airplane and a nightclub, and--most striking--Jeruselem's Western Wall.
Michelle Slonim (Jewish Mother 2), Goldie Zwiebel (Jewish Mother 1), Susan Slatin (Jewish Mother 3); Sarah-Doe Osborne (Or), Gabriel Sloyer (Dan the Man), Melanie Zoey Weinstein (Lili), Ruby Joy (Chaya)
The question becomes "Is this a play for people who are not Jewish or Israeli?" Looking at the overarching themes and goals for the main characters, it ought to be. If it could find a way to stick with its specificity without being about Judaism (the way that a play like Fiddler on the Roof or Agnes of God can be specific to a culture without being about its religion) then it can be, but at present there were too many alienating moments for those of us who are not Jewish (or at least don't identify that closely with that portion of our heritage). Since Lili herself doesn't seem to know exactly what she's trying to find in Israel, it's hard for us in the audience to follow her journey with much interest beyond the curiosity of "What's going to happen next?"
Unfortunately, though, the most alienating moment had nothing to do with Judaica at all. The climax of the play--and I use that phrase both figuratively and literally--comes when Lili is finally able to find her orgasm (possibly the thing she was looking for all along?), which comes with awkward tableaux and silly projections. If the moment was supposed to symbolize the release of Lili's hold on herself and her ability to let go and enjoy life, then the staging did not reflect that, which is a shame.
But sometimes, the good overrides the not-as good, and perhaps this play's niche audience spoke in praise loud enough, because the play has been chosen for the Fringe Festival's Encore Series, performing from September 11-22, so there's still a chance for you, faithful reader, to catch it and decide for yourself.
I've probably raved enough about the Five Flights Theater Company, who started out with their ensemble theatre piece Don't Step on the Cracks, which they took to the Woodstock Fringe Festival last summer along with You Are Cordially Invited..., before arriving at the New York Fringe Festival this summer.
The 5 Flights Theater Company
So, since my adoration for the work of this ensemble is no secret, I'll just spend a little time going over the highlights of this new streamlined, one-act Don't Step. The segment which probably always punches the biggest wallop for me is the monologue "Goodnight Moon," written and performed by Jake Bartush. spoken to the moon, a young man thanks a fellow student for bringing his parents back into his life after the suicide of the fellow student. Bartush's performance has only gotten better the more he's done this show. And the monologue itself is as fine a piece of writing as you'll find in any of the best audition books.
It was fascinating to come back to the character of "Nanny," portrayed by Laurel Casillo in Adam Delia's sketch about a young man coming to terms with his grandmother's Alzheimer's disease, since the company did an entire play (written by Casillo and Delia) around this character. Ms. Casillo is in fine form and still as transformative as ever.
What struck me this time as it hasn't before is the honesty and sincere commeraderie with which Nick Hepsoe and Will Lacker perform Eryck Tait's scene "O Captain, My Captain," in which Hepsoe's character deals with the fall of a favorite superhero. In the past the comedy of this scene has seemed to come from its absurdity, but this time it came from the integrity behind the words and the intensity of the emotions.
The piece was expertly reformed and reshaped for this theatre and this new one-act format by Eryck Tait. I said to my companion after the show, "I don't think I'll ever get tired of seeing this show."
The other Fringe show I saw was a semi-autobiographical tale of coming of age--and simply coming--in Israel called Sex and the Holy Land by Melanie Zoey Weinstein. Trapped between the land of "sex farce" and "coming of age story," Sex and the Holy Land has some very fascinating potential. The play deals with Lili (Weinstein), a Long Island Jewess who travels to Israel with her best friends Chaya (Ruby Joy) and Or (Sarah-Doe Osborne) to find... something. There are parts that are wonderfully written and characters that are beautifully formed, though overall the play fails to deliver what it promises. It would seem that the play suffers from too much autobiography and not enough play, to the extent that the playwright has been cast as herself. A little bit of distance might do both playwright and play a great service.
But, to the successes of Sex and the Holy Land first. Probably the most affective convention Ms. Weinstein uses comes in the form of three Jewish mothers (played to exhaustive hilarity by Goldie Zwiebel, Michelle Slonim and Susan Slatin) who embody not only Lili's mother, but the mother or grandmother of anyone who's ever been guilt-tripped.
The play also comes with some beautifully grounded performances, mostly from Ms. Joy and Ms. Osborne who portray Lili's best friends. When the three are together, we understand why they all came. We see the bond that they share that brought them to the Holy Land together. Apart, there are strengths and weaknesses to the character. While Ms. Joy plays Chaya with subtle intensity, the character's basic motive--searching for sex to replace a missing father figure and uncertain belief in God--tends to come across as rather flat. One wishes that the play offered Ms. Joy the opportunity to really show what she's obviously capable of. However, when not following Lili, the play tends to lean in the direction of Or, also somewhat sex crazed, but devoted, for most of the play, to Dan the Man (Gabriel Sloyer), an American Jew who trained and fought in the Israeli army. Ms. Osborne really gets to show off her chops and her range when her character accidentally finds herself in a bind not easily broken. She shows us that this is a girl who likes fun, but knows when the fun has to end. Mr. Sloyer, portraying Or's army boyfriend, is no slouch either. His scenes with the women of the play are genuine and often touching, with a healthy dose of humor.
The staging by Lee Gundersheimer is often clever, though sometimes too much so for its own good, calling attention to its own cleverness. Still, the transitions were smooth and graceful, often resulting in striking stage pictures. Utilizing just a sheet and benches, Gundersheimer was able to create the beach and the desert, an airplane and a nightclub, and--most striking--Jeruselem's Western Wall.
Michelle Slonim (Jewish Mother 2), Goldie Zwiebel (Jewish Mother 1), Susan Slatin (Jewish Mother 3); Sarah-Doe Osborne (Or), Gabriel Sloyer (Dan the Man), Melanie Zoey Weinstein (Lili), Ruby Joy (Chaya)
The question becomes "Is this a play for people who are not Jewish or Israeli?" Looking at the overarching themes and goals for the main characters, it ought to be. If it could find a way to stick with its specificity without being about Judaism (the way that a play like Fiddler on the Roof or Agnes of God can be specific to a culture without being about its religion) then it can be, but at present there were too many alienating moments for those of us who are not Jewish (or at least don't identify that closely with that portion of our heritage). Since Lili herself doesn't seem to know exactly what she's trying to find in Israel, it's hard for us in the audience to follow her journey with much interest beyond the curiosity of "What's going to happen next?"
Unfortunately, though, the most alienating moment had nothing to do with Judaica at all. The climax of the play--and I use that phrase both figuratively and literally--comes when Lili is finally able to find her orgasm (possibly the thing she was looking for all along?), which comes with awkward tableaux and silly projections. If the moment was supposed to symbolize the release of Lili's hold on herself and her ability to let go and enjoy life, then the staging did not reflect that, which is a shame.
But sometimes, the good overrides the not-as good, and perhaps this play's niche audience spoke in praise loud enough, because the play has been chosen for the Fringe Festival's Encore Series, performing from September 11-22, so there's still a chance for you, faithful reader, to catch it and decide for yourself.
Monday, August 24, 2009
"Something Witty" This Way Comes
There's blood on my program from the show I saw last Friday night, and I'm not sure whose it is. You see, there were four zombies in the show, and I chatted afterward with all of them, so it could be any one.
The show I saw was called Hilarity/Belly Laughs and Snorts and it was an evening of short comedies produced by the newly formed 'Something Witty Productions,' headed by Alicia Rachel Becker and Dana Hunter (who recently appeared together in the wildly funny Happy Hour at the 45th Street Theatre).
Among the many performances in the nine absurdist comedies presented, many of them were admirable, but there were a few stand-outs. The absolute stand-out of the evening was Donna Brookbanks performance in Anne Breslaw's "Middle School Dance," directed by Alicia Rachel Becker. The piece seemed to be more guided than scripted as Ms. Brookbanks went through the motions of trying to find a dance partner among those in attendance (only to wind up dancing with a married man... eek!) and reminding us of all the awkwardness we'd like to pretend we didn't actually go through when we were pre-teens.
Phoebe Halkowich's performance in David Alex Andrejko's "Edgewise" was another stand-out, a tour-de-force performance as a self-centered, babbling Manhattanite. She should win a prize for memorization alone.
Also notable was Sarah King's wonderful performance in Joe Tracz's less than wonderful play "Death Comes for a Wedding," as an old woman who's ready to make a choice for herself for once. The quality of that play was especially disappointing given how wonderfully stylized his other play, "American Werewolf in Equus," was (both gracefully directed by Katherine Carter).
Both of the Artistic Directors got a chance to strut their stuff, as well. First, opening the second half of the show, Alicia Rachel Becker (under the direction of Maggie Levin) played a bi-polar new wife to husband Anthony Lobrasco in Brett Hursey's play "Scrambled." The play dealt with the question of fidelity when a man buys his co-worker a box of tampons. Though, for Ms. Becker, there seemed to be no question. As she scrambled the eggs, and with them her mind, she seemed certain that her time had run out when another woman's time had come.
Brett Hursey's other play, "The Stand-In," featured Dana Hunter as a desperate actress auditioning opposite a sock puppet. The key, it seems, to the comedy in this piece is the honesty and sincerity with which Ms. Hunter gave her all in this audition opposite the absurdity of Kyle Wood's performance as a manic director and Matthew Groff's performance as Xocko.
The evening came to a close with a play by Dusty Wilson called "Fortnight of the Living Dead." Danny Tenzer lead Adam Schneider and Brandon Waters in a fight against the--you guessed it--zombies that had overtaken their city. The plan, however, is foiled when the talented and attractive Allison Tebbano seduces each one of the party one by one, ending in a blood-lust orgy. Take that, Megan Fox. Tom Bonner's direction of the piece kept it in a healthy reality that the audience could both recognize and dread. Truth be told, I'd probably let Allison Tebbano eat my brains, too.
The producers kept their word with this one. There was certainly hilarity, there were certainly belly laughs, and I definitely heard a couple of snorts from the woman behind me.
The show I saw was called Hilarity/Belly Laughs and Snorts and it was an evening of short comedies produced by the newly formed 'Something Witty Productions,' headed by Alicia Rachel Becker and Dana Hunter (who recently appeared together in the wildly funny Happy Hour at the 45th Street Theatre).
Among the many performances in the nine absurdist comedies presented, many of them were admirable, but there were a few stand-outs. The absolute stand-out of the evening was Donna Brookbanks performance in Anne Breslaw's "Middle School Dance," directed by Alicia Rachel Becker. The piece seemed to be more guided than scripted as Ms. Brookbanks went through the motions of trying to find a dance partner among those in attendance (only to wind up dancing with a married man... eek!) and reminding us of all the awkwardness we'd like to pretend we didn't actually go through when we were pre-teens.
Phoebe Halkowich's performance in David Alex Andrejko's "Edgewise" was another stand-out, a tour-de-force performance as a self-centered, babbling Manhattanite. She should win a prize for memorization alone.
Also notable was Sarah King's wonderful performance in Joe Tracz's less than wonderful play "Death Comes for a Wedding," as an old woman who's ready to make a choice for herself for once. The quality of that play was especially disappointing given how wonderfully stylized his other play, "American Werewolf in Equus," was (both gracefully directed by Katherine Carter).
Both of the Artistic Directors got a chance to strut their stuff, as well. First, opening the second half of the show, Alicia Rachel Becker (under the direction of Maggie Levin) played a bi-polar new wife to husband Anthony Lobrasco in Brett Hursey's play "Scrambled." The play dealt with the question of fidelity when a man buys his co-worker a box of tampons. Though, for Ms. Becker, there seemed to be no question. As she scrambled the eggs, and with them her mind, she seemed certain that her time had run out when another woman's time had come.
Brett Hursey's other play, "The Stand-In," featured Dana Hunter as a desperate actress auditioning opposite a sock puppet. The key, it seems, to the comedy in this piece is the honesty and sincerity with which Ms. Hunter gave her all in this audition opposite the absurdity of Kyle Wood's performance as a manic director and Matthew Groff's performance as Xocko.
The evening came to a close with a play by Dusty Wilson called "Fortnight of the Living Dead." Danny Tenzer lead Adam Schneider and Brandon Waters in a fight against the--you guessed it--zombies that had overtaken their city. The plan, however, is foiled when the talented and attractive Allison Tebbano seduces each one of the party one by one, ending in a blood-lust orgy. Take that, Megan Fox. Tom Bonner's direction of the piece kept it in a healthy reality that the audience could both recognize and dread. Truth be told, I'd probably let Allison Tebbano eat my brains, too.
The producers kept their word with this one. There was certainly hilarity, there were certainly belly laughs, and I definitely heard a couple of snorts from the woman behind me.
Friday, August 21, 2009
Competition Season!
It's so exciting! There are all of these amazing competitions going on in and around NYC, giving a vast variety of amazing performers the chance to strut their stuff and show off. I've been able to make it to some of these competitions and I'm very happy to say that the competition is tight. It's very hard to try to figure out who's going to win these.
I'm going to start with the MetroStar Talent Challenge. This is a competition that's been going on at the Metropolitan Room. I found out about the competition because of one of the Top Five contestants, Danielle Grabianowski. I was amazed by the talent! Of the three women in the top five, I will say with no hesitation that any one of them could easily take the win. I'll start by talking about Liz Lark Brown. Ms. Brown is one of the two "Kissin' Kazoo Sisters" who often perform with Joe Iconis:
(she's the taller one with the darker lipstick)
Ms. Brown opened her set with the lyric "The saddest thing about having one leg..." (paused long enough for the crowd to snicker appropriately) "... is that having one leg isn't the saddest thing about me!" She used this song of loneliness and physical disproportion to lead her into a beautiful rendition of "Sleepy Man" (God, but I wish I had a video of this to show you!), and that's not even the most impressive part. Her dulcet tones in "Sleepy Man" worked as the perfect set-up for her next line: "That song is dedicated to someone who has passed on." (Awwww!) "He's not actually dead, he's just dead to me." Count that among one of the biggest and longest laughs I've ever heard in any theatre. Her versatility from comic to dramatic and back again--add that to her incredibly impressive vocals--makes her a must-see cabaret performer.
Next, I'll mention Carole Bufford, who opened her bluesy set with "Gimme a Pigfoot":
Ms. Bufford is a trained musical theatre performer who chose to focus on that age-old American institution, the blues, for her set the night I was there. She runs the gamut from outlandish to subtle all within each song. She has a sense of humor that brings out the sincerest human emotions in every song she sang. And she's got a range to match. She also looks (as I'm not sure you can tell from the angle of that video) like Betty Boop, so it's lucky for her Ms. Boop will be coming to Broadway in a new musical next year!
Now, I'll talk about my friend Danielle Grabianowski. Danielle has one of the most unique voices I've ever heard. Listen to her BroadwayDemo, and I'm sure you'll agree. She seems very rooted in pre-1950s music (though she did mention that one of her latest influences is Regina Spektor). Her vocal quality and her understanding of the musical structure of those early years of American music make her a stand-out among many of today's cabaret singers. I was lucky enough to hear her sing what the judges referred to as possibly the definitive rendition of one of my favorite songs, "Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?" It's this quality that won Danielle the title of 2008 1930s Idol last summer, another competition which she judged this year.
1930s Idol is an annual competition held in honor of Dorothy Parker's birthday. She would be 116 years old this year, and as Bill Zeffiro aptly puts it in his song "Happy Birthday, Mrs. Parker" I'm sure she doesn't wish she was here. But those of us who attended the finals last night were very glad we were there! A number of impressive performer sang their little hearts out--a la Depression Era crooners--in order to win the title of 2009 1930s Idol.
The first runner-up for the evening was the always entertaining and wildly funny Ritt Henn:
Mr. Henn could not sing one of his own compositions for the competition, but instead, wowed us with his hilarious rendition of "Has Anybody Seen My Gal?" accompanying himself on ukelele and slap-bass. His comparisons of the bass (which stands even taller than he does) to his gal (mentioned in the song as being 5' 2", which would come about to Mr. Henn's shoulder) tickled the audience and obviously tickled the judges, as well.
The 2009 audience favorite was the amazing Merrill Grant:
Ms. Grant, a Shirley Temple fanatic, has an uncanny ability to mimic the vocal stylings of the 1930s in a way that doesn't sound mocking nor unintentionally comic, but sincere and nostalgic for an era long gone. I'm sure she was voted so high by the audience because she truly brought us all back to a time of black and white, toes tapping and Busby Berkely beauties.
The 2009 1930s Idol champion was the 2008 first runner up, Sigali Hamberger--who does not have any video or audio up anywhere. If you see her, tell her to remedy this. Ms. Hamberger brought the 1930s style sex to the evening, starting with her somewhat shocking and very funny rendition of "Primative Man" and concluding with a sultry "Do It Again" by the Gershwin brothers, surely steaming up at least a few sets of spectacles in the room (I was wearing my contact lenses which, to my knowledge, do not steam up). Among Ms. Hamberger's prizes was her own evening at Big Night Out, so we'll have to come back and see what she drums up when she has an entire hour to fill!
I would be remiss if I did not mention the other two of 1930s Idol's Top Five, the stunning and sweet Julie Leedes and the sassy and brassy Sierra Rein, both of whom gave the other contestants a good run for their money.
Well, competition season is not yet over, and we are getting right into the thick of festival season. I will be back next week with news from the NY Fringe Festival and I look forward to seeing what comes out of the NY Musical Theatre Festival next month. I'll also be sure to let you know who wins the MetroStar Talent Challenge, and perhaps I'll see you there next Monday night!
I'm going to start with the MetroStar Talent Challenge. This is a competition that's been going on at the Metropolitan Room. I found out about the competition because of one of the Top Five contestants, Danielle Grabianowski. I was amazed by the talent! Of the three women in the top five, I will say with no hesitation that any one of them could easily take the win. I'll start by talking about Liz Lark Brown. Ms. Brown is one of the two "Kissin' Kazoo Sisters" who often perform with Joe Iconis:
(she's the taller one with the darker lipstick)
Ms. Brown opened her set with the lyric "The saddest thing about having one leg..." (paused long enough for the crowd to snicker appropriately) "... is that having one leg isn't the saddest thing about me!" She used this song of loneliness and physical disproportion to lead her into a beautiful rendition of "Sleepy Man" (God, but I wish I had a video of this to show you!), and that's not even the most impressive part. Her dulcet tones in "Sleepy Man" worked as the perfect set-up for her next line: "That song is dedicated to someone who has passed on." (Awwww!) "He's not actually dead, he's just dead to me." Count that among one of the biggest and longest laughs I've ever heard in any theatre. Her versatility from comic to dramatic and back again--add that to her incredibly impressive vocals--makes her a must-see cabaret performer.
Next, I'll mention Carole Bufford, who opened her bluesy set with "Gimme a Pigfoot":
Ms. Bufford is a trained musical theatre performer who chose to focus on that age-old American institution, the blues, for her set the night I was there. She runs the gamut from outlandish to subtle all within each song. She has a sense of humor that brings out the sincerest human emotions in every song she sang. And she's got a range to match. She also looks (as I'm not sure you can tell from the angle of that video) like Betty Boop, so it's lucky for her Ms. Boop will be coming to Broadway in a new musical next year!
Now, I'll talk about my friend Danielle Grabianowski. Danielle has one of the most unique voices I've ever heard. Listen to her BroadwayDemo, and I'm sure you'll agree. She seems very rooted in pre-1950s music (though she did mention that one of her latest influences is Regina Spektor). Her vocal quality and her understanding of the musical structure of those early years of American music make her a stand-out among many of today's cabaret singers. I was lucky enough to hear her sing what the judges referred to as possibly the definitive rendition of one of my favorite songs, "Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?" It's this quality that won Danielle the title of 2008 1930s Idol last summer, another competition which she judged this year.
1930s Idol is an annual competition held in honor of Dorothy Parker's birthday. She would be 116 years old this year, and as Bill Zeffiro aptly puts it in his song "Happy Birthday, Mrs. Parker" I'm sure she doesn't wish she was here. But those of us who attended the finals last night were very glad we were there! A number of impressive performer sang their little hearts out--a la Depression Era crooners--in order to win the title of 2009 1930s Idol.
The first runner-up for the evening was the always entertaining and wildly funny Ritt Henn:
Mr. Henn could not sing one of his own compositions for the competition, but instead, wowed us with his hilarious rendition of "Has Anybody Seen My Gal?" accompanying himself on ukelele and slap-bass. His comparisons of the bass (which stands even taller than he does) to his gal (mentioned in the song as being 5' 2", which would come about to Mr. Henn's shoulder) tickled the audience and obviously tickled the judges, as well.
The 2009 audience favorite was the amazing Merrill Grant:
Ms. Grant, a Shirley Temple fanatic, has an uncanny ability to mimic the vocal stylings of the 1930s in a way that doesn't sound mocking nor unintentionally comic, but sincere and nostalgic for an era long gone. I'm sure she was voted so high by the audience because she truly brought us all back to a time of black and white, toes tapping and Busby Berkely beauties.
The 2009 1930s Idol champion was the 2008 first runner up, Sigali Hamberger--who does not have any video or audio up anywhere. If you see her, tell her to remedy this. Ms. Hamberger brought the 1930s style sex to the evening, starting with her somewhat shocking and very funny rendition of "Primative Man" and concluding with a sultry "Do It Again" by the Gershwin brothers, surely steaming up at least a few sets of spectacles in the room (I was wearing my contact lenses which, to my knowledge, do not steam up). Among Ms. Hamberger's prizes was her own evening at Big Night Out, so we'll have to come back and see what she drums up when she has an entire hour to fill!
I would be remiss if I did not mention the other two of 1930s Idol's Top Five, the stunning and sweet Julie Leedes and the sassy and brassy Sierra Rein, both of whom gave the other contestants a good run for their money.
Well, competition season is not yet over, and we are getting right into the thick of festival season. I will be back next week with news from the NY Fringe Festival and I look forward to seeing what comes out of the NY Musical Theatre Festival next month. I'll also be sure to let you know who wins the MetroStar Talent Challenge, and perhaps I'll see you there next Monday night!
Friday, May 22, 2009
Drag Racing
More theatre reviews to come very shortly!
Mimi as The Virgin Mary in "A Very Mary Christmas"
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
A quick shout-out
This isn't so much a review as a shout-out for some of my friends. As some of you know, I'm a regular at a bi-weekly cabaret/open-mic called Big Night Out hosted by The Fabulous Jennifer Wren and Musical Genius Bill Zeffiro. Bill and Jenny have recently found themselves homeless as the fantastic Reprise Room is no longer since Dillon's/Purnima has shut down (damn recession!). BNO will continue, however, on the East Side, for the time being. The last show I saw at BNO (ironically their first anniversary and also their last night at Dillon's) featured the music of composer John Meyer, and what an evening it was! It was an intimate affair, featuring the composer himself alongside Summer Broyhill (Hairspray), Bill Zeffiro and Jennifer Wren (complete in Judy drag). I cannot speak more highly for this terrific team and the wonderful shows they put on--and will continue putting on, despite their recent set-back. BNO resumes on May 7.
I also have to applaud the work of Peter Napolitano and Mark Janas at The Algonquin Salon, which meets every Sunday evening in the lobby of the Algonquin Hotel. I have not been able to attend for several weeks, but found myself with some time to spare in the area of 44th and 6th this past Sunday, so I dropped in. I'm so glad I did. The atmosphere that Peter created, along with his guest host Hector Coris and Gonquette Sierra Rein was fun and sophisticated. It's also worth mentioning that The Salon, as well as Peter himself and many Salon/BNO regulars are up for some pretty big MAC Awards. Very exciting.
I urge you all to check out the cabaret scene in NYC, especially the open-mics, because that's where the new talent is coming out of the woodwork to strut their stuff. And if you're not from NYC (as I have devoted readers all over the country), next time you're in town, do slate some time for Big Night Out and The Algonquin Salon. You won't be sorry.
In other news, there is so much theatre coming up. Brand new for this blog: in the right-hand margin I list the shows that I've heard about coming up and that I plan on seeing and reviewing for you all. Scheduling may not permit me to get to all of them, but if you have any interest, just drop me an e-mail and I'll give you all of the information. And, as usual, if you or someone you know is in a show that's coming up, please e-mail rigano.reviews@gmail.com with all of the information and I'll post the show here and do my best to come and see it (comps are always welcome).
I also have to applaud the work of Peter Napolitano and Mark Janas at The Algonquin Salon, which meets every Sunday evening in the lobby of the Algonquin Hotel. I have not been able to attend for several weeks, but found myself with some time to spare in the area of 44th and 6th this past Sunday, so I dropped in. I'm so glad I did. The atmosphere that Peter created, along with his guest host Hector Coris and Gonquette Sierra Rein was fun and sophisticated. It's also worth mentioning that The Salon, as well as Peter himself and many Salon/BNO regulars are up for some pretty big MAC Awards. Very exciting.
I urge you all to check out the cabaret scene in NYC, especially the open-mics, because that's where the new talent is coming out of the woodwork to strut their stuff. And if you're not from NYC (as I have devoted readers all over the country), next time you're in town, do slate some time for Big Night Out and The Algonquin Salon. You won't be sorry.
In other news, there is so much theatre coming up. Brand new for this blog: in the right-hand margin I list the shows that I've heard about coming up and that I plan on seeing and reviewing for you all. Scheduling may not permit me to get to all of them, but if you have any interest, just drop me an e-mail and I'll give you all of the information. And, as usual, if you or someone you know is in a show that's coming up, please e-mail rigano.reviews@gmail.com with all of the information and I'll post the show here and do my best to come and see it (comps are always welcome).
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