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.

"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.

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!

Drag Racing

This is a quick shout-out for my friend Mimi Imfurst. Mimi is a drag queen whose holiday events "A Very Mary Christmas," "Mary: Like a Virgin" and "O, Holy Shit! It's Christmas" have been making controversial headlines for the past three years. She appears weekly in several cabarets and clubs throughout the city, and now she's entering RuPaul's Drag Race. Give this fierce and fiesty queen the national attention she deserves, and go vote for her. You can vote once every 24 hours, right here.

More theatre reviews to come very shortly!

Mimi as The Virgin Mary in "A Very Mary Christmas"

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).

The Best of All Possible Weekends

I have been remiss in my duties and for that, my most devoted reader, I apologize. In my last blog I promised a write-up of my then upcoming whirlwind weekend of theatre, and that weekend has come and gone with no write-up. But, a whirlwind weekend it was!

I'll start off with NYU Steinhardt's new production of the enigma known as Leonard Bernstein's Candide. It is known as "Leonard Bernstein's Candide" because his score for the musical (first billed as a "comic operetta") is the only element that has remained in the several productions that have felt the hands of Lillian Hellman, Dorothy Parker, Felicia Bernstein, John LaTouche, Richard Wilbur, Hugh Wheeler, Stephen Sondheim, Hal Prince, John Caird and Lonny Price. The only other name that seems to come with every production is that of the novella's original author, Voltaire, and even he disappears sometimes. We can add to that list of names William Wesbrooks, who directed the production I saw down on West 4th Street at the Frederick Loewe Theatre.

This production, as Lonny Price's recent concert production did, forsook the trappings of time and place with the addition of more modern-day elements in production and costuming (including a sling-shot in the opening scene). However, where Price's production mixed the old with the new in an odd no-man's-land, Wesbrooks made it clear that his production took place in the here and now. While this goes along with Voltaire's original intent of current social satire, one wonders how strong the similarities truly are if we need to be shown them (and it brings to mind Lillian Hellman's blatant use of the Spanish Inquisition to represent the House UnAmerican Activities Committee in her original 1956 production).

Still, the productionproved a rousing one with many stand-out performances. Starting with that glorious Overture marvelously conducted by Michael Ricciardone and played by an onstage orchestra of 32 pieces (oh, that NYU might loan some of its musicians to the Roundabout Theatre Company) the evening proved to be one of extremely high energy. Crystal Mosser's manic performance of the other most-famous piece of music in the show, "Glitter and Be Gay" received one of the longest ovations I've had the pleasure of participating in.

The problems of Candide often lie in the second act once the characters and complications have been established, yet more misfortune must befall our hero before the conclusion. This production, I'm sorry to say, was unable to escape these problems. Starting off with a somewhat misplaced "Paris Waltz" (here labeled as "The Governor's Waltz") the second act of this show ran into more confusion than is perhaps necessary for Candide (including a new scene set in Cuba, credited to a dead Hugh Wheeler).

However, as with most productions of Candide (including Hal Prince's opera house production, the war-horse that this new production is based on) it is the performances and the music that carry the show. Marvin Avila was beautifully stylized with a voice that bathed the audience in innocence as the title character. Ms. Mosser's Cunegonde was a refreshing change from the mostly doe-eyed ingenues I've seen play the role, giving her bi-polar nature a much richer form with heavy accent of the depressive side. (Though, given the modern setting of the show, one wonders why Dr. Pangloss didn't give her a Prozac and tell her to shut up.) And to Dr. Pangloss. Paul Sandberg gave a fine performance as both Dr. Voltaire (of the realism camp) and Dr. Pangloss (of the optimism camp--this production omitted, as many do, the third philosopher Martin of the pessimism camp). The finest performance of the evening, however, belonged to Katharine Heaton as Cunegonde's faithful servant, the one-buttocked Old Lady. Ms. Heaton has a rich mezzo voice and spot-on comic timing. One rarely finds the combination of a well-trained opera singer and a true comedienne, and we often settle for one or the other with this role.

All-in-all, a very enjoyable evening at the theatre, and I cried--as I do--during the finale, "Make Our Garden Grow." It should be noted that the children sitting with the family next to me also seemed to enjoy themselves immensely. Bravo, NYU.

On to the other evening of theatre (actually going in reverse order). Are there seriously those of you who read this blog who have yet to attend a Five Flights show? Get on their mailing list, because you are missing delightful and insightful new theatre.

The newest installment from this exciting company derived from the idea that it is impossible to utilize super-heroes in live theatre. The effects ("woosh," "crunch," and "blammo," for example) are too necessary and only work on the page or the screen. So, Will Lacker set out to create a super hero drama in which the "boom"s and the "blast"s happen off-stage, while the drama unfolds onstage.

The result was The Custodian, the story of a janitor who--tired of cleaning up after super heroes--takes matters into his own hands. Eryck Tait is the title character who offers a surprisingly honest arc from beginning to end, surprising only considering the zany antics going on around him. His roommate Remy (Nick Hepsoe) plays video games all day and night, girlfriend (ex-girlfriend?) Wanda (Carlyn Kautz) is shacking up with Remy's childhood buddy Fing (Adam Delia) and there's a hostage super hero sidekick (Steve Yates) in his living room.

Early on, the play seems to take place in Manhattan as we know it. The trials and tribulations of the characters are familiar to us. The only things that seem out of place are the earthquakes (we'll later find out that those are caused by The Incredible Hulk). However, Lacker quickly employs the use of The Professor (Kacy Rice), a British know-it-all who pops up to explain the more archaic details of the story, to push the play from quirky to out-right ridiculous. Ms. Rice also appeared as a TV news anchor and a radio DJ, offering glimpses of life outside the apartment. (In other news, Ms. Rice's 21st birthday happened to land on the night of the performance I attended. Happy Birthday, Kacy!)

The ridiculous nature of the play and the honesty with which it was presented was truly a new great feat hurdled by the Five Flights Theater Company. And, true to Lacker's intent, there was only one special effect in the show (it could either be described as a "splat" or a "sploosh," or perhaps a combination thereof).

The best of all possible weekends spent with the best of all possible shows.

I Get a Tap Out of Wallkill HS

I have another whirlwind weekend of theatre coming up, and I’ll be sure to be back here with information on what’s certain to be an entertaining and thought provoking couple of shows (including NYU Steinhart’s production of the Leonard Bernstein classic Candide and a new play by bourgeoning pioneers Five Flights Theatre Company). Still, I’d be remiss if I left out the show I saw last weekend at Wallkill High School in upstate New York.

Now, I don’t have any real connection to Wallkill or its students. I’m not from the town, I didn’t attend or work at the school and I did not know anyone in their production of Cole Porter’s Anything Goes. Well, that last part isn’t completely true: my brother, Paul, was the choreographer for this production, which is what brought me to Wallkill in the first place. But I did not feel any real responsibility to the players or staff going in.

Coming out, however, I had a huge grin on my face, the kind that comes from eating something really sticky and sweet or from seeing pure shameless musical comedy. For those of you who don’t know, Anything Goes is one of those pre-Oklahoma musicals that seldom pretends to have much of a plot, and even more seldom that the songs have anything to do with the plot (as a matter of fact, the only plot driven song in the show—an ode to Public Enemy #1—is hardly a minute long). It’s a vehicle for big voices, show-stopping numbers, great comic timing and tapping. Lots and lots of tapping.

To see these young performers dancing their feet off you’d never guess that all but a small handful had never taken a tap lesson before. Perhaps this is nothing more than a vain testament to the talent of the choreographer, my brother. But I truly think that there is little that could have gotten those kids tapping as they were (four of the girls did wings!) if the students themselves did not have the talent to learn and perfect those steps in the few months’ time they had to rehearse.

I must commend director Liz Bailey on her crisp and sophisticated staging of show, and for her educationally sound and experience-savvy policy of employing understudies for all of the major roles. The night I attended, the actress playing Reno Sweeney was too ill to perform. Elise Macur, her understudy, went on at the very last minute (I get the impression she was still zipping up as the overture played) and gave a solid performance in a demanding role made famous by the likes of Ethel Merman and Patti LuPone.

Additional kudos is owed to John Dunigan as Moonface Martin, Public Enemy #13, who managed to steal almost every scene he was in from everyone except for Abe Bliden who managed to hold his own in the role of Sir Evelyn Oakley. Crooners Sara Lobdell and Tyler Keeno, in the roles of the lovers hope Harcourt and Billy Crocker, leant just the right amount of gravity to their renditions of Porter favorites “It’s De-Lovely” and “All Through the Night.”

Good job, Wallkill HS. You’re the top!