The Happiest Medium » 2012 FRIGID NEW YORK FESTIVAL

The Rope In Your Hands: Katrina, In Their Own Words (2012 FRIGID NEW YORK FESTIVAL)

Katelyn Manfre — Sun, 04 Mar 2012 01:54:56 +0000

For those of us tucked up in the Northeast part of the country, Hurricane Katrina is a distant memory, a tragedy of nearly a decade ago. But for those still feeling the effects down South its presence is constant. Siobhan O’Louglin gives a voice to the personal stories in her solo show, The Rope in Your Hands (playing at The Red Room). Through thirteen different first-hand survivor accounts, O’Loughlin deftly moves through the before and after of one of the most devastating disasters in recent memory.

From street performers to university personnel, preachers to clean-up volunteers, the French Quarter to the Ninth Ward, O’Loughlin’s interviews span race, class, and age to bring a fully realized account of the storm and its aftermath. Morphing gracefully into each character, with specific physicality and well-practiced speech patterns, O’Loughlin is a joy to watch.

One can only imagine the mammoth undertaking that came with interviewing and mining the dramatic pith from each of her subjects. The story she tells is cohesive and focused, with a chronology and structure the audience can easily follow. She works her way up to the storm itself, and rather than dwelling too much on the actual rainfall or breaking of the levees (images oft-played on the news), she tells of the evacuations, the forethought, the packing up and shipping out for those who survived.

And then there is the aftermath: the cleanup, the re-building, the government aid (or lack thereof). Here is where O’Loughlin’s point of view begins to surface. The overarching opinion of her subjects is that the government did not do enough to help the survivors, that there should not have been a wait for food, water, and medicine. As one of her characters puts it, “When you see a man drowning in the middle of a lake, and you have a rope in your hands, you don’t debate about whether or not to throw it to him. You throw the rope, pull him out, and then debate about it.” Using the words of activists, homeowners, and cleanup volunteers, O’Loughlin shines a light on the still-in-progress re-building of one of America’s most vibrant cities.

One of the most striking elements of the testimonies is how much love and pride these people have for their city. They do not leave and start life somewhere else. Instead they come back, slog through the gutting of their homes, and try to recreate the color and wonder of the city they know exists somewhere. O’Loughlin, too, feels the same ownership over her characters, and each is presented with respect, grace, humor, and humility. It is a terrific feat, bringing that many voices to life, but she achieves it, and recognizes the importance of their words. After all, sometimes the easiest way to heal is by telling your story, and knowing that someone is listening.

~~~

The Rope in Your Hands

Written and performed by Siobhan O’Loughlin

Directed by Danielle Skraastad

Mar 03, 11:00PM

Mar 04, 6:30PM

$10.00 / $12.00

The Red Room

Click Here for FRIGID FESTIVAL tickets

Hangover:

Mar 09, 2012

$20.00

The Kraine Theater

Click Here for FRIGID HANGOVER tickets

Fear Factor: Canine Edition – Puppy Love (2012 FRIGID NEW YORK FESTIVAL)

Katelyn Manfre — Sun, 04 Mar 2012 01:36:34 +0000

John Grady loves the show “Fear Factor.” He has his theories and his predictions about how the insane game show will play out, and is especially drawn to the “Couples Edition,” where young die-hards compete, and, predictably lose, to the old married pair with many anniversaries to their name. Despite his intrigue and obsession with these thrill-seeking duos, Grady has only had one serious relationship in his life: with Abby, his Bernese mountain dog.

In Fear Factor: Canine Edition (running at The Kraine Theater), Grady tells the hilarious and heartbreaking story of his life with Abby, and some of the moments that bonded them forever. Intercut with an account of Abby’s last days before she had to be put down at the age of 13, Grady’s stories are beautiful and impassioned, but told simply, with ease and humor.

Highlights include: an experiment with “Doga” (dog yoga), that lead to them subsequently being filmed for Animal Planet, Abby’s time as a therapy dog in a Chicago hospital, and many a romp in the Tomkins Square Park dog run. I dare you to not fall in love with this creature by the end of Grady’s account.

What Grady gets at is the beauty at the core of any relationship, the synergy between two souls–human, canine, or anything in between–and how important it is to any life. What he may have lacked with women, Grady made up for tenfold with Abby; a need, a mutual dependence, a deep-rooted love. This bond helped them make it to the end of Abby’s life, and helped Grady come to terms with losing her.

Grady finally muses that his life with Abby was a series of “Fear Factor” challenges, peppered by a few actual running and rushing and barely-making-it-out-alive moments. It’s here that we see his original theory: the young, brash couples on the TV show never make it past the first few rounds. They are foolhardy and not adapted to one another just yet. But the reason the older couples–soft-spoken and fully trusting of one another–always win, is that they have already begun to run the gauntlet of life together, and they get what it takes to make it as a pair. John Grady and Abby had the same mentality, which is why, even in the final moments of Abby’s life; it was love and care, not fear that was truly the factor.

~~~

Fear Factor: Canine Edition

Written by: John Grady

ONE OF THE FRIGID HANGOVERS

Hangover: Mon 3/5 @ 8:30pm

FRIGID Hangovers will run March 5-10 at The Kraine Theater (85 East 4th Street between 2nd Avenue and Bowery). Tickets ($18-$20) may be purchased online at www.FRIGIDnewyork.info or by calling Smarttix at 212-868-4444.

Musical Pawns: Lost Music And Direction, Found Voices (2012 FRIGID NEW YORK FESTIVAL)

Diánna Martin — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 22:55:30 +0000

Part historical odyssey, part musical, Musical Pawns centers on the career work of Russian composer David Nowakowsky, a brilliant contemporary of Tchaikovsky and Wagner, whose works have been lost for nearly 100 years. Guarding his unpublished manuscripts for decades were his Grandson and then Great-Grandson, and the play also follows their life as Jews in war-torn Nazi Germany. When their lives were suddenly always on the line, it was difficult to protect themselves, much less protect these 2,500 + works of a musical master.

The production as a play itself is difficult to follow. Much of this is due to the fact that the narration and scenes switch back and forth between past and present – and variations in time on the past. Combine this jumpy timeline with the case of actors playing several different roles and the result is unnecessarily complicated. The choppy time-line is further marred by a schtick – beginning with very verklempt generalized depictions of Jewish yentas, lawyers, and even the great-grandson of Nowakowsky (played albeit with feeling by Emanuelle Zeesman). I was confused by much of it, and I usually can figure these things out pretty quickly.

Sean Hauk

During some of these interludes, the only solace I found was in the voices of the actors on stage, which were absolutely incredible. I was honestly blown away by the vocal talent of the performers. Mostly a cappella, they brought a beauty and honesty to the works which the play was based on, that made me care – whereas I might not have before. One particular section in which I was truly taken away on a journey was during a scene when Nowakowsky’s grandson (Sean Hauk) and his wife (Meredith Zwicker) had a dance piece as they said goodbye for an unknown period of time to wait out the dangers of the war. It was moving and I wished that there were more moments such as that in the entire production.

There are many gems such as that scattered throughout the production that highlight the talents of the cast, and if they would focus more on using these as a method of storytelling, you would have more lovely music and dance, and less schtick and confusion … and maybe a better way to marry fact and fiction in a creative process.

~~~

Musical Pawns

Company: Lost Music Productions

Directed by: Lindi G. Papoff

Mar 02, 8:30PM

Mar 04, 2:30PM

$16.00

The Kraine Theater

~~~

The 2012 FRIGID NEW YORK FESTIVAL will run February 22-March 4 at The Kraine Theater & The Red Room (85 East 4th Street between 2nd Ave and Bowery) and UNDER St. Marks (94 St. Marks Place between 1st Ave and Ave A). Tickets to all shows may be purchased online at www.FRIGIDnewyork.info or by calling Smarttix at 212-868-4444.

Aerial Allusions: A Ladder To Nowhere (2012 FRIGID NEW YORK FESTIVAL)

Diánna Martin — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 20:14:32 +0000

Performance art pieces, in general, can be thrilling to behold, whether they break new ground, or simply retrace the steps made by others in new and innovative (or deeply personal and fascinating) ways. The idea of combining dance, theatre, and clown with music to portray emotional journeys and the struggle of gender roles sounds so exciting! And it could be…if Aerial Allusions was a different show.

From the moment Jaz Morneau began his opening monologue/stream of consciousness (I wasn’t sure if it was improvised or written) I was worried. His diatribe on the world at large was better set for an Occupy New York symposium for 20-somethings than an art piece on gender dynamics. What followed was a brief, entertaining moment of dance work by Azana, and it seemed that perhaps it was moving along toward something with burlesque overtones – which would have been enjoyable. In fact, most of the moments when Azana danced solo were interesting to watch, and it might have been much better production overall. Unfortunately the piece tries so hard to make a statement about the human condition and our lack of empathy for the opposite sex, that it gets in its own way via monologues/streams of consciousness that are uninteresting and without passion behind them. It ends up coming off as a pretentious piece that is a shadow of what talent Azana seems to have in her movement (as shown by the tormented dance scene that she has after being beaten, which was actually quite lovely). The rest of the production, outside of the above mentioned scene, simply mimicked the first half, with the gender roles reversed.

I wanted very much to like this show, and I know the performers were dancing their hearts out. For that I give them credit. It is the presentation of the piece, which was strangely dispassionate for dance performance art, cobbled together with the illusion that what they have said is somehow enlightening, that I question.

~~~

Aerial Allusions

Company: AGAWA SAPPHIRE

By Azana Productions

Mar 03, 2:30PM

$15.00

The Kraine Theater

~~~

The 2012 FRIGID NEW YORK FESTIVAL will run February 22-March 4 at The Kraine Theater & The Red Room (85 East 4th Street between 2nd Ave and Bowery) and UNDER St. Marks (94 St. Marks Place between 1st Ave and Ave A). Tickets to all shows may be purchased online at www.FRIGIDnewyork.info or by calling Smarttix at 212-868-4444.

Stripper Lesbians: When Baring It All Is Academic (2012 FRIGID NEW YORK FESTIVAL)

Karen Tortora-Lee — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 16:26:28 +0000

When you read that the title of a play is as blatant as Stripper Lesbians you might be led to believe that what you are about to see is nothing more than a show which has women in various states of undress (personally or professionally), making out a lot. However, read further to “Rising Sun Performance Company” and your perspective quickly changes. Sure, the show is sexy, shows a lot of skin, and has no problem exploring the more intimate moments of the relationship, but Rising Sun’s inherent intelligence as an ensemble ensures that your skin is served up with a side of thoughtful, though-provoking drama which explores the title rather than exploits it.

So, who are these stripper lesbians of the title?

First there’s Evan (Amanda Berry). She strips, of course, but identifies herself first and foremost as a woman’s studies major. After all, she wouldn’t even be stripping if she wasn’t writing her senior thesis (cleverly titled “Stripper Lesbians”) as an insider’s exposé on what it’s like to be dating a sex worker.

Stripper Lesbians At Work (Amanda Berry and Samantha Cooper)

By her side -at home and at work- is Aisha (Samantha Cooper) who strips because that’s what she’s good at. There’s no ironic twist to her chosen career, no air quotes when she uses the words, no parenthetical or ellipsis or slash after the title, no ”I’m just doing this for now” attitude. Aisha is a stripper’s stripper and she makes no excuses about it. She’s ambitious at that, weighing the option of posing for Playboy because posing means more traffic to the club – and more traffic means the ability to command a higher salary. Evan may be the one going after the fancy education which requires a thesis to obtain, but Aisha is the one getting a graduate degree from the school of hard knocks.

Always popping up between the pair is DJ (Joe Beaudin). He’s not just an ex-boyfriend (and current roommate) of Evan’s but also serves as a type of Greek Chorus of the play. It is DJ’s job to wag a finger, shine a spotlight, underline with a highlighter and repeat for emphasis. Not that he doesn’t have his own subplot; in a show-stopping, scene stealing audition he takes the text from Our Bodies, Ourselves and turns it inside out, invoking the spirit and mannerisms of prostitutes to hilarious effect. In a play which centers on women’s viewpoints and is punctuated with women’s sexuality it is a wonderful moment when Beaudin can have the stage to himself and showcase his own talents without distraction.

Things come to a head when DJ pushes things to a place where, ultimately, they probably would have ended up anway … he just got them there sooner. More Devil that Devil’s Advocate he nonetheless ultmately feels he’s doing the right thing even if it is for the wrong reason.

A poinant epilogue ends the play, and we are shown that while these two young women were vastely different the feelings between them were real.

Playwright Kate Foster has done a strong job of taking the already difficult moments of a new relationship and placing them in a unique setting. She beautifully highlights that first crack in the ice when passion abates for a moment and two people step back and begin to notice their difference of opinion, their diverging paths and their incongrouous goals.

There are no heroes here, just flawed human beings. Each character has distinct complexities which Director Jeff Woodbridge coaxes out and deftly presents. All three characters exist in a tug-of-war where their discord amounts to another wrinkle in the fabric of their relationships. Each character is learning how to continue on with integrity while maintaining a climate of support for someone they care about.

In the end this story isn’t about stripper lesbians, but rather about two young women who are trying to protect the identities they treasure most dearly while still living up to the person they would like to be in their partner’s eyes. It is the conundrum of weighing what is more important – how you see yourself, or how you want others to see you? And, regardless of how much of your body you expose throughout the day, at the end of it, can you truly say you’re comfortable in your own skin?

~~~

Stripper Lesbians

Company: Rising Sun Performance

Directed by: Jeff Woodbridge

Mar 03, 3:30PM

$15.00

The Red Room

~~~

The 2012 FRIGID NEW YORK FESTIVAL will run February 22-March 4 at The Kraine Theater & The Red Room (85 East 4th Street between 2nd Ave and Bowery) and UNDER St. Marks (94 St. Marks Place between 1st Ave and Ave A). Tickets to all shows may be purchased online at www.FRIGIDnewyork.info or by calling Smarttix at 212-868-4444.

Man Saved By Condiments: Some Time Alone To Ketchup (2012 FRIGID NEW YORK FESTIVAL)

Karen Tortora-Lee — Wed, 29 Feb 2012 23:08:42 +0000

Man Saved By Condiments by Mary Jo Pehl is a dramatization of the true story of a man whose car went off a bridge while he was on his way to work. With a broken hip, no cell phone and no one aware of where he was, he survived for five days by eating snow and the packets of condiments he found strewn around the floor of his garbage heap that passes for a car.

The solo show, directed by Bill Stiteler, starts off a bit clumsily as every thought is expressed aloud by Steve (Tim Uren) for the sake of the constructs of the play. While the back story explains that in order to stay sane the man talks to himself the device is somewhat forced for the sake of theatricality. It also doesn’t help that Steve is somewhat unlikable and not particularly introspective. He’s got a chip on his shoulder and (as bits of his life are revealed through the various moments when he’s either talking to himself, chatting with squirrels or railing at God) there’s not much redeeming about him.

Middle aged, living with his mother, a fan of “my man W”, he can’t commit to his girlfriend, seems to think he’s better than his other security guard co-workers because he’s studying to be an EMT, and (though facing possible starvation) throws out international non-dairy creamer exclaiming “What am I, gay or something? Better throw those out before the guys find me!” Let’s just be grateful that the icepick he used to scrape peanut butter out of the bottom of the jar of Skippy wasn’t a girly shade of pink or he might have thrown that out the window as well. He is, of course, heterosexual enough to take the opportunity to try to “ease his pain” as he imagines Faith Hill approaching him in a see-through tube top and giving him mouth to mouth with her perfect lips … that is until he discovers that his broken hip keeps him from indulging in any type of self pleasuring. Which I, for one, was grateful.

“This is way too long to just sit here and think,” he muses, and for a moment it looks like this one-note show is not going to provide anything more but this man sitting in his car, talking to himself in real time, with no particular story arc. Things take a turn for the better when he begins to assess his life and we are given an opportunity to see the deeper notes of both this trapped man as well as Tim Uren who is finally able to imbue the unlikable Steve with some redeeming qualities. Relating a story (to a passing squirrel) about how he almost choked on a piece of bacon gives Uren a chance to woo the audience. Steve reflects on how, alone, he found himself choking and was terrified that he would die alone. Attempting to give himself the Heimlich maneuver by throwing himself over a piece of furniture he finds himself hesitant to mar his mother’s Sears sofa. Not only does the moment feel exquisitely ironic -a man hearkening back to a moment when gluttony almost caused his death during a time when he now may die of starvation- but this also gives a richly colored snapshot into the life of a man who is terribly lonely, regretful at how things didn’t work out, and just not ready to die.

Once this scene happens and the wall comes down Steve as a character becomes far more accessible and Uren brings forth moments which produce a lump in your throat as the simple humanity of this man is coaxed out further and further. However, it is not much longer after this moment when Steve’s car is found and a quick off-stage “Hey are you okay down there” soon lead to “What is this, non-dairy creamer? What are you, gay?” It’s an unnecessary call back and only serves to remind the audience that whatever “ah-ha” moment may have happened to Steve during his ordeal is going to be left in the car along with the empty ketchup packets.

Although director Bill Stiteler does his level best to work with the obviously talented Uren to deliver as many emotional peaks as possible, the bottom line is that this is a rather slim story with not much bite.

~~~

Man Saved by Condiments!

Company: Theatre Alro

Directed by: Bill Stiteler & Matthew Foster

Mar 02, 11:00PM

Mar 03, 9:30PM

$14.00

The Red Room

~~~

The 2012 FRIGID NEW YORK FESTIVAL will run February 22-March 4 at The Kraine Theater & The Red Room (85 East 4th Street between 2nd Ave and Bowery) and UNDER St. Marks (94 St. Marks Place between 1st Ave and Ave A). Tickets to all shows may be purchased online at www.FRIGIDnewyork.info or by calling Smarttix at 212-868-4444.

Big Girls Don’t Cry: Laughing On The Outside (2012 FRIGID NEW YORK FESTIVAL)

Katelyn Manfre — Wed, 29 Feb 2012 07:09:51 +0000

Canadian import Rachelle Elie enjoys being a woman. She especially enjoys her run-of-the-mill feminine pastimes: trying on sparkly dresses with eye makeup to match, dancing seductively to Ke$ha on a fur carpet, and hydrating with imported bottled water. She’s married to an Obstetrician/Gynecologist, has two lovely sons, and is, for all intents and purposes, living the dream.

Served with a side of audience discomfort, Elie’s solo show, Big Girls Don’t Cry (playing at The Red Room), is an insightful, if slightly off-putting insight into the psyche of the Modern Woman. Elie appears in what looks like a doll’s dress that lost a fight with a Bedazzler, knee-highs and platform slippers. She gapes and gasps her way through her basic biography, stopping every so often to sing or dance in a non-sequitur celebration of her womanhood. Questions are posed to the audience, and as she stares hard into each person’s eyes, she dares us to not be jealous of her in all her sparkle, and the beautiful life she has.

Rachelle Elie in Big Girls Don't Cry (photo by David Leyes)

But Elie’s not bragging. She’s smarter than that. The comedienne, with a strong background in dance, drama, and clowning, is actually a social commentator. And though her thesis statement isn’t shared until well into the piece (followed, of course, by an in-your-face gangster rap), we are fortunate enough to watch her slowly unravel her vacant St epford persona throughout. The moments where things come apart–noted easily by the rugged octave drop in Elie’s voice–are the most vibrant, the most alive.

This is performance art. Interactive and thought-provoking, Elie will get in audience member’s faces, crack jokes at their expense, and bring them into her wacked-out world. But it’s a world we are only too fortunate enough to be in. Elie’s message stems from her time working in Kenya, the founder of an artists’ collective. She slowly works these Kenyan women into her story, and they become the pin that finally pops the bubble. These are women that don’t get to worry about lip-gloss or Ke$ha. And while not beating us over the head with the message, Elie reminds us of our good fortune; how lucky we are to be big girls in the here and now.

~~~

Big Girls Don’t Cry

Company: Crowning Monkey Productions

Written by: Rachelle Elie

Mar 01, 6:30PM

Mar 03, 6:30PM

Mar 04, 2:00PM

$16.00

The Red Room

~~~

The 2012 FRIGID NEW YORK FESTIVAL will run February 22-March 4 at The Kraine Theater & The Red Room (85 East 4th Street between 2nd Ave and Bowery) and UNDER St. Marks (94 St. Marks Place between 1st Ave and Ave A). Tickets to all shows may be purchased online at www.FRIGIDnewyork.info or by calling Smarttix at 212-868-4444.

Initium / Finis: Bold From Beginning To End (2012 FRIGID NEW YORK FESTIVAL)

Michelle Augello-Page — Sun, 26 Feb 2012 03:30:57 +0000

Initium / Finis is “a sensual tale of violence and revolution born in a futuristic metropolis. Theatre Reverb combines media, red-light cabaret, live music, Judeo-Christian and Hindu myth, and classical Indian dance-theatre to envelop spectators in a lush sci-fi noir.” This Frigid Festival performance is an excerpt from a larger work, which will be two hours in length and is scheduled to be presented in 2013.

Initium / Finis is an ambitious project, carried by Kristin Arnesen’s performance throughout, as the story expands in many layers, as well as many directions, including an interesting sci-fi premise, sub-plots of intrigue, and cabaret-style entertainment. The play is supported by live music, visual images and written information in montages of video, and the use of screens to paint pictures with light and shadow. Kristin Arnesen pulls all of these elements and more into a riveting performance; she is a delight to watch on stage as she illustrates the story, demonstrating her evident talents as a performer.

There are many visually stunning moments throughout this play. In the beginning sequence, a video montage of the beginning of creation, as told through Hindu myth, is displayed as backdrop on the screen. In front of the screen, Kristin Arnesen performs a ritualistic dance, retelling the myth in the spirit of classical Indian Dance-Theatre. Her facial expressions tell the story as much as her body does, engaging the audience with allure and humor, taking them through both light and dark. Towards the end of the dance, a scroll of canvas screen is held in front of her, illustrating the remainder of the myth in song and shadowed movement, creating a mesmerizing effect.

A series of cabaret-style performances are woven into the play and comprise some of the most interesting and engaging moments throughout; the role of fetishistic entertainment in this futuristic metropolis is demonstrated and explored, and Kristin Arnesen shines, revealing her amazing ability to hold the audience in her thrall, rapt, willing to go wherever she is going to take them. Initium / Finis is a multi-sensory, funny, serious, erotic, and fascinating piece of theater, which takes the audience on a journey into the complex landscape of a futuristic world.

~~~

initium / finis

Company: Theatre Reverb

Written by: Kristin Arnesen

Radoslaw Konopka

Feb 28, 8:00PM

Mar 02, 8:00PM

Mar 03, 2:00PM

$15.00

The Red Room

~~~

The 2012 FRIGID NEW YORK FESTIVAL will run February 22-March 4 at The Kraine Theater & The Red Room (85 East 4th Street between 2nd Ave and Bowery) and UNDER St. Marks (94 St. Marks Place between 1st Ave and Ave A). Tickets to all shows may be purchased online at www.FRIGIDnewyork.info or by calling Smarttix at 212-868-4444.

Judge, Yuri, & Executioner: The Verdict Is In (2012 FRIGID NEW YORK FESTIVAL)

Michelle Augello-Page — Sat, 25 Feb 2012 16:48:48 +0000

Judge, Yuri, & Executioner is a simple, straightforward, character-driven play, and therein lies its brilliance. Written by Ed Malin, directed by DeLisa White, and starring Mac Rogers, this play is the work of three formidable talents. Incredibly strong writing and stellar acting carry the play forward, captivating the audience with wit, humor, and intelligence, as the character of Zach searches his past to find meaning in his present, illuminating the narrative with wonderfully told and expertly woven stories from his life.

Mac Rogers (photo by Lauren Arneson)

The play begins in the audience, with Zach descending towards the stage, stopping and laboring to catch his breath, moving slowly, carefully; though Mac Rogers is young, he captures the feeling of being a man of advanced age. On stage, he appears in the light wearing a leather collar, a leopard print robe, and fishnet stockings. He surveys the stage, holding some rope, looking for a place in which to hang himself. We soon discover that Zach is an 85 year old masochist whose lover has left him. He is in despair, wondering if he, a kinky senior citizen with a penchant for dominant older women, will ever be able to find happiness again.

He decides to leave a note, and thus the play unfolds, revealing Zach’s journey of self-discovery, exploring the path of his life by examining his deepest desires, as he searches for a reason to continue living. Judge, Yuri, & Executioner is an exceptional play; it is theater stripped to its barest essentials: excellent acting, strong writing, head, heart and soul. You won’t want to miss this one!

~~~

Judge, Yuri, & Executioner

Starring Mac Rogers

Directed by DeLisa White

Written by Ed Malin

Feb 26, 12:30PM

Mar 01, 9:30PM

Mar 03, 8:00PM

$8.00 / $10.00

Red Room Theater

www.temeritytheatre.org

~~~

The 2012 FRIGID NEW YORK FESTIVAL will run February 22-March 4 at The Kraine Theater & The Red Room (85 East 4th Street between 2nd Ave and Bowery) and UNDER St. Marks (94 St. Marks Place between 1st Ave and Ave A). Tickets to all shows may be purchased online at www.FRIGIDnewyork.info or by calling Smarttix at 212-868-4444.

Daughters Of Lot – A Lot Going On (2012 FRIGID NEW YORK FESTIVAL)

Karen Tortora-Lee — Sat, 25 Feb 2012 03:06:27 +0000

“This is not your father’s burlesque show,” intones host Atlanta Georgia (Marlena Kalm) to the assemblage who stare at the three preening women who are outfitted in sky-high heels, racy bodices and flirty skirts of the schoolgirl-gone-bad-kilt and tutu variety. With glittery winks and flicking hips these three women ooze dangerous sex appeal and edgy one-liners (I’m like a happy meal … I come with toys). They are daring and flirty and dirty and in control – demanding that the squeamish leave the building so that they can get on with the show. “We know how you like it …” they taunt, “And we know why you keep it a secret from Wifey.”

Welcome to Daughters of Lot (written by Alexis Roblan and directed by Rachel Kerry) where the Bible Belt meets the Garter Belt, where Feminism has as many meanings as Eskimos have words for snow and where women run the gamut from young and innocent to young and jaded. If you’re looking for a man here you’ll find him only when he’s being channelled by one of the women, when he’s being serviced (unseen) by one of his daughters backstage, or when you look to your left at the guy sitting next to you.

Daughters of Lot (L-R: Naomi Bland, Rebecca Gray Davis, Marelena Kalm | Photo credit: Nicholas Grant)

As Atlanta plays ringmaster to One (Stav Meishar) and Two (Caitlin Mehner) the three women proudly bring forth a daring exhibit: the real daughters of Lot who arrive like relics, wrapped in artifacts, inside big dresses but they are nonetheless excited to be there once they get over the rift in the fabric of time.

There’s a lot going on here so let me boil it down to the most important take-aways. Three narratives are presented and intertwined but they all deal with one theme and all weigh the same issues to see how the scales balance: is Woman a victim or is she the victor? (It should be noted that “Atlanta” means “balance”.)

Story one is the very constructs of the play: burlesque and all its forms – from the theatrical to the modest and reserved. Regardless of attire a woman teases and beguiles — offers up her most private moves and rituals for an audience. By doing so has she conquered them? Or is she theirs to use up and toss aside? Second story: The actual story of Lot’s daughters. There has always been some debate as to who did what to whom after they fled Sodom & Gomorrah. Mother, turned to salt, could no longer service their father. Did the daughters take it upon themselves to “know” their father … to save the human race? Or did the father simply continue a practice he’d started long before they fled? Then there’s the third story of Atalanta (or Atlanta – there are 2 versions which are told to the daughters of Lot). The story is basically one of a young maiden who is not interested in marriage and plays at being a boy to get away from her suitors. A race is held – the winner will get her hand. She enters the race herself hoping to claim herself at the end, only to get distracted by some apples (maaaaagic apples). Long story short, in the end she marries the guy who won the race. Happy ending? That’s a matter of perspective. In fact – it’s all a matter of perspective. Which is the one big theme: victim or victor?

Two (Caitlin Mehner) holds down Atlanta (Marelena Kalm) as One (Stav Meishar) jeers | Photo credit: Nicholas Grant

Throughout the hour Daughter 1 (Naomi Bland) and Daughter 2 (Rebecca Gray Davis) play the straight man, as it were, and allow Atlanta and crew to zip them (and us) through a cliff notes version of what it feels like for a girl, always driving home the point of balance. Bland and Davis do a wonderful job at convincingly portraying newly-hatched women who are window shopping in the Mall of Female Stereotypes where each conceivable brand of woman is, in turn, either celebrated or bashed. However, no matter what lessons Atlanta and her One and Two can provide for the Daughters the story of Lot must play out as it should. While the idea of who the aggressor is - at least from this tale’s context – seems fixed, the question of their perspective having been polluted becomes a weightier question thanks to the new stories that have been interwoven with theirs.

This play was originally longer and cut to fit FRIGID’s 1 hour time-frame, which I knew going in. I’m not sure that Daughters of Lot works best as a one hour show; possibly making it even a bit shorter might have worked, though when taking out important moments it’s difficult to know which will resonate with the audience and which won’t – and ultimately you want to leave the audience with a thoughtful piece of theatre, not a hacked-up poetry reading, so it’s impossible for me to say what- other than the original format -would best serve this play. I would very much enjoy seeing the full, uncut version in order to experience the original pacing and impact.

When these women announce at the top of the show that this is not your father’s burlesque show – and not for the squeamish – they’re correct. I doubt there was a man in the audience who expected to be challenged so directly by women wearing so little. I could tell it made some of them uncomfortable. Frankly, this story should have made people uncomfortable starting a long time ago. Go back and read the original if you need a refresher and then go see Daughters of Lot for a new perspective.

~~~

Daughters of Lot

Company: Brain Melt Consortium

Directed by: Rachel Kerry

Molly Ballerstein

Feb 25, 5:30PM

Feb 28, 9:00PM

Mar 02, 5:30PM

Mar 04, 4:00PM

$15.00

The Kraine Theater

~~~

The 2012 FRIGID NEW YORK FESTIVAL will run February 22-March 4 at The Kraine Theater & The Red Room (85 East 4th Street between 2nd Ave and Bowery) and UNDER St. Marks (94 St. Marks Place between 1st Ave and Ave A). Tickets to all shows may be purchased online at www.FRIGIDnewyork.info or by calling Smarttix at 212-868-4444.

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