The Happiest Medium » FRIGID New York 2011

Mendacity – Not An Easy Topic (FRIGID New York 2011)

Antonio Miniño — Sun, 06 Mar 2011 06:54:54 +0000

Ali Kresch in Mendacity (Photo by Lauren Rayner)

Ali Kresch delivers a collage of expressions in Mendacity, (written & directed by Lauren Rayner) an experimental visually striking solo performance with a poignant and healing look into the uncomfortable yet significant and much needed subject of rape and the self destruction that could sadly ripple after. Ms. Rayner sharing her own personal stories of sexual assault for the stage is undeniably no small feat. She has also interviewed other women to develop this show that is described as a word-collage. This is a very accurate description for the show, as Ms. Kresch repeats certain words to reiterate their meanings in her story and the way different inflections create different emotions. Unfortunately this a compelling show does not make. There is no driving plot-line to keep us fully focused or to appreciate the important message Ms. Rayner is trying to convey.

Ali Kresch in Mendacity (Photo by Lauren Rayner)

Yet if I was to walk into Mendacity at the Museum of Modern Art as an installation art piece it would enrapture the audience and get the message across. I wonder if the Kraine Theater was a disservice to the piece and how effective would it have been, rather, in Under St. Mark’s which is another one of the FRIGID venues. It’s a tricky decision to make when the show is selling out and receiving extra performances. To find fault on this piece is very uncomfortable because of the cause it is tied to and what it tries to communicate. I found myself rooting for every second, moment and kernel of what was being created on stage to work.

Restricted in a small black PVC tube structure, Kresch shows us her physical dexterity as she uses movement to narrate her stories as complimenting images are projected behind her. The choreography is the standout of the show, creating an urgency to her words and a vulnerability that might have otherwise been stifled. Best moments of Mendacity are when other characters are brought into the mix and we get to see Kresch skilfully portray different personas. Sprinkling more of these moments would help the show tremendously.

Mendacity would be a great piece for the high-school and college circuit; an admirable work with potential.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

~~~

Mendacity

Written & Directed by Lauren Rayner New York, NY
Presented by Blame Your Fate Productions New York, NY

MENDACITY – newly added performance March 11th at 8:30pm at The Kraine Theater, 85 East 4th Street in New York City.

FRIGID New York Festival 2011 runs February 23-March 6 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 ($10-$16) may be purchased online at www.FRIGIDnewyork.info or by calling Smarttix at 212-868-4444. All shows will run 60 minutes long or less.

Hi, How Can I Help You? – Just Another Night In The Dungeon (FRIGID New York 2011)

Karen Tortora-Lee — Sat, 05 Mar 2011 05:48:21 +0000

Hi, How Can I Help You? Featuring Scout Durwood (Photo by Helene Delillo)

I’m not going to talk big and act like I know the first thing about what it’s like to work in a New York City Sex Dungeon – or even to step foot through the front door of one for that matter. For all I know, Scout Durwood’s solo show Hi, How Can I Help You? which takes place in the lounge area of a dungeon during the down time between clients on the eve of the 2008 election could be completely representational of every domination house in every city across America. Or, it could be complete fabrication. Truth is, I don’t know.

So I’m going to deal with what I do know here – and that is that Ms. Durwood is an extremely likable, engaging, sometimes goofy, sometimes heartbreaking performer who knows how to rock a huge pair of stiletto platforms while still managing to be funny, soulful, and entertaining.

Part of Ms. Durwood’s shtick is to present the craziness that is the silly world of the women in between their sessions – the cattiness that goes on as they talk trash about each other’s backgrounds, social status and habits, the personal lives that co-mingle in the air along with their cigarette smoke in the smoking room – be it one girl’s obsession with her boyfriend, another’s heartbreak over her ex-girlfriend or anything else that crosses the minds of these women in between clients who seem to be fewer and farther between thanks to strict crackdowns.

Durwood has done a good job of creating an atmosphere of controlled chaos, and without a doubt she has ways of keeping each character unique and distinguishable by giving each of the girls a specific tic, accent, stance or twang. However, as all the girls she represent move through the dungeon and have side conversations and then rejoin each other it’s oftentimes hard to follow who is saying what to whom. There are a few moments when the show might be better serviced if this was a two person show and Durwood had a second in command to play off of.

Having said that, the story may be at a disservice but at no point do you tire of watching Ms. Durwood do her thing. There’s an inherent charm to her delivery that’s simply winning; and that charm is pumped into ever one of her characters at all times.

When she really has the audience in the palm of her hand is when she slows down and lets a character sink in by way of monologue. When the owner, Lisa, for instance “interviews” the new girl by way of telling her own life story Durwood’s true acting chops come forth and she is astonishing as she recounts, as Lisa, how her husband first got into S&M which lead her to discovering this life. Similarly, Durwood’s vocal talents do well with all the bells and whistles (or rather the looper, the kazoo, the ukulele and the recorder) but it’s when, as Jane, she allows her voice to ring out pure and clear as she accompanies herself with nothing but slaps to the palms and thigh that she is at her most heartbreaking – singing a song called “Whiskey on The Brain” about missing a lost love who drinks too much. The moment was so powerful that it stopped the show for me and, I’m sure, for others.

Overall, Hi, How Can I Help You is very entertaining with moments of true brilliance. Ms. Durwood is skilled, funny, talented and most of all, knows how to get the audience wrapped around her finger. My only hope would be to see some of the craziness of this show streamlined a bit so that more of these characters can be fully realized.

~~~

Hi, How Can I Help You?

Written by Scout Durwood & Directed by Lucile Baker Scott

Presented by Mighty Little Productions Brooklyn, NY

The Kraine Theater (85 East 4th Street) $12
Thu 2/24 @ 10:30pm, Sun 2/27 @ 7pm, Tue 3/1 @ 9pm, Fri 3/4 @ 4pm, & Sat 3/5 @ 8:30pm

FRIGID New York Festival 2011 will run February 23-March 6 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 ($10-$16) may be purchased online at www.FRIGIDnewyork.info or by calling Smarttix at 212-868-4444. All shows will run 60 minutes long or less.

Pretty-n-Papi, The Pickle To My Fluff? (FRIGID New York 2011)

Antonio Miniño — Sat, 05 Mar 2011 03:44:42 +0000

Papi holds Pretty Big (Pretty-n-Papi featuring Leah James Abel & Olivia Hallie Lehrman (Photo by Dana Reichma)

In Pretty-n-Papi (written by Leah James Abel, Cody Schreger, and Olivia Lehrman) Ms. Pretty Smart is pretty ready for her pretty man to walk into her life, but things aren’t looking that bright for this girl in the love department so she decides to start online dating, why not! Haunted by a radio commercial of “Princess Charmony,” she surfs the web on her ginormous macbook and creates a profile, username: PrettySmart. Princess Charmony (played dare I say charmingly by Rebecca Houlihan) hooks up our poor Ms. Smart with loser after loser in search for the man of her dreams, someone she can grow old with and eat pickles dunked in Fluff. Maybe she needs to rethink her ideals? No worries, there are enough fish out in the sea; or I should say in the audience as her dates are forcibly and uncomfortably picked from theatregoers who are just looking to watch a show.

It seems the days of just connecting from your seat, making sure you turn off your cell-phone and keeping quiet are over. The “now” thing (or should I say “retro” thing) is to be part of the action. The fourth wall is smashed into a million bits to the extent that one of the actresses shoves carrots into an audience members mouth. Once the audience is interrogated by Ms. Pretty (played with spunk by Olivia Hallie Lehrman), she reenacts what her life would be like if she ended up with one of these bad connections.

All three actresses are very skilled at showcasing their comedic and physical talents but the show ends up being messy. The actresses do their best at not tripping over used props on the floor and at transitioning smoothly from one scene to the next, yet without much success. Sadly the underdeveloped material and staging of Pretty-n-Papi is not up to par with the superior cast.

Although Pretty-n-Papi was not my cup of tea, I’m sure Princess Charmony will keep trying to match them with their ideal audience.

~~~

Pretty-n-Papi

Written by Leah James Abel, Cody Schreger, and Olivia Lehrman

Presented by Awkward at Best Brooklyn, NY

UNDER St. Marks (94 St. Marks Place) $14

Thu 2/24 @ 6pm, Sun 2/27 @ 7pm, Mon 2/28 @ 6pm, Fri 3/4 @ 7:30pm, & Sat 3/5 @ 2:30pm

FRIGID New York Festival 2011 runs February 23-March 6 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 1sr Ave and Ave A). Tickets ($10-$16) may be purchased online at www.FRIGIDnewyork.info or by calling Smarttix at 212-868-4444. All shows will run 60 minutes long or less.

Boat Load – Come On Board (FRIGID New York 2011)

Geoffrey Paddy Johnson — Fri, 04 Mar 2011 23:49:20 +0000

Boatload (photo by Stars And Hearts)

In Boat Load the boat of the title is a metaphor representing the creative muse of Gary Bazman, an underachieving actor who has stayed too long in his small hometown. The load is the passenger list, a lifetime of Gary’s familiars – father, mother, girlfriend, professional contacts, friends, imaginary characters, even his cat, Mr. Tangerine. Gary, the boat, and its load, are all represented by writer/performer Jayson McDonald on a stage that is bare but for a single straight-backed chair. The ensuing hour of actorly tale telling will have your head spinning as you try to keep up with the action and not lose yourself in McDonald’s riveting performances.

As the action begins Gary’s metaphorical boat is heading for a metaphorical iceberg.

He is facing a dead end in a thus-far dead end career path. He sees himself cast in the role of a woodland fairy princess, as part of a lackluster children’s entertainment called “The Enchanted Forest of the Bears”. He is made to skip and lisp and wear fairy wings. Really, he was made for better things. His girlfriend is breaking up with him on account of multiple betrayals. And his only faithful ally, his cat, is critically ill. Enter the opportunity, finally, to get on in life in the form of a high-profile performance showcase. All he needs is $1000 to participate. But wouldn’t you know, that’s exactly how much it will cost for an operation to save Mr. Tangerine’s life? Exactly!

It’s a set-up that’s as admirable in its simplicity as is the form of presentation breathtakingly complex in the hands of performer McDonald and his director, Jeff Culbert. Their story zags and zigs (probably in that order) through a narrative about a narrator telling an autobiographical story that will be used by the narrator in the narrative proper. Follow? And the narrator, an actor, plays all the characters himself in the story, usually deploying a gentle satire that is inadvertently satirizing himself. It’s all fiendishly clever, and that might well be enough, but it’s put across in a performance that’s as perfectly pitched as it is comically adroit. McDonald takes on at least ten roles in the telling. It unfolds at a cracking pace, though the performer has fun speeding up and slowing down the scenes as he pleases. Somehow he discovers time for imaginary flights of fancy, audience interaction, in-coming meta-narrative cell phone calls, and a guided tour of Gary’s small hometown, itself a potted biography and a forlorn note on small town decay.

McDonald’s miming of stage props – doors, drinks, packing-tape – is as physically convincing as is the arch implication that such incidents of actorly illusionism are pedantic and smug. He throws them to us with a moue of disdain and lazily self-generated sound effects (“click”, “snip”). Monologue too, you know, can be tedious and self-important he suggests (witness the impatient speed-up and slow-down of pace), never more obviously when, as contrast, he offers us, for minutes on end, the silent facial responses of one character to another’s unheard speech. Soundlessly we absorb all the information we require of the speaker in this brief, exceptional display. Our impatiences with theatrical convention are his impatiences with theatrical convention. He knows because he has to write the stuff, and deliver the stuff. But, he has a tale to tell, so…

It might all become a snide and brilliant insider joke if McDonald wasn’t so marvelously adept at conjuring feeling and life in the characters, comical and flawed as they are. His characterization of Gary’s depressed and emotionally remote mother, elsewhere dismissed to comic effect as “the Black Cloud”, is genuinely haunting as she dazedly collages feminine hygiene and healthcare packagings to create a portrait. “See, the pill is the head.” His mother recounts a recurring dream where she is treading water in a vast ocean and is visited by a passing cruise ship. Her family, friends, and doctor are all there on board, but not, as she hopes, to rescue her; merely to say hi as they pass by. Gary is not the only one with a metaphorical cruise ship operating in his imagination.

Will Gary somehow make the $1000 he needs from his shoestring existence? Will his showcase audition be accepted if he does? Will he get back with his girlfriend? Will Mr. Tangerine perish, and in so doing, teach Gary a valuable lesson? McDonald will let you know in his own unique way, and at the same time let you know what he thinks of neatly played out conclusions. The final scene sees the action slow to a natural pace, very natural. And after all the comical skewering and witty banter, we are left with an image that could not be more simple and casually heartfelt.

McDonald is a seasoned performer and writer with a string of accolades behind him in his native Canada, where he is well known on the festival circuit. His Boat Load is a mature and complex piece of comical theater, enacted by a performer at the top of his craft. Any one who enjoys comedy or theater will be absorbed and laugh. If you could purchase just one ticket in this year’s Frigid Festival season, you could not do better than this one. Go.

~~~

Boat Load

Presented by Stars and Hearts London, ON Canada

The Red Room (85 East 4th Street) $14

Fri 2/25 @ 6:30pm, Sat 2/26 @ 3:30pm, Mon 2/28 @ 8pm, Fri 3/4 @ 9:30pm, Sat 3/5 @ 11pm, & Sun 3/6 @ 3:30pm

FRIGID 2011 will run February 23-March 6 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 1sr Ave and Ave A). Tickets ($10-$16) may be purchased online at www.FRIGIDnewyork.info or by calling Smarttix at 212-868-4444. All shows will run 60 minutes long or less.

Saving Tania’s Privates, The Bravura of Ms. Katan (FRIGID New York 2011)

Antonio Miniño — Wed, 02 Mar 2011 17:53:14 +0000

Saving Tania’s Privates (photo by Joe Jankovsky)

Theatre magic doesn’t happen every day or in every show. Those instances when time stops and you are transported from every day life into the world of a writer or a performer are happening right now at the FRIGID New York festival in a basement theater called Under St. Marks. The mastermind behind all this power brought to the stage is Tania Katan with Saving Tania’s Privates. A personal, witty, no-nonsense recount of a Jewish lesbian’s challenge with cancer since the age of 21.

Saving Tania’s Privates featuring Tania Katan (Photo by Josiah Epstein)

The play starts with an invasive TSA airport pat down by a male security officer; Tania suggests the female security officer must be uncomfortable with the fact that she looks like a boy and has no breasts. Thus we are automatically introduced to the subject at hand and how it will be handled in the next 58min (give or take). Along the way we meet Tania’s bf gay, her colorful parents, her lump-spotting girlfriends, and the doctors and nurses who have affected her life over the course of a decade. Her body has her living like she’s running a 10k marathon, with constant check ups, training, running and stopping to grasp air. Each person in her life has given her a different perspective and obstacle as to how to live her life while always maintaining herself triumphant against a pesky body. I would hate to take away from the wonderful discoveries in this piece, so I will refrain from describing too much of what I hope you will go experience on your own.

Theatre has always welcomed stories of bravery, survival and struggle with dis-ease. There is a delicate balance between using the theatrical medium as a way of therapy while still conveying a message, and luckily Ms. Katan has created a raw personal comedy dealing with a serious subject matter with gusto and zero sentimentalism. She is here for the craft, not to replace the shrink’s couch. A lot of this success has to do with her crisp script and knack for storytelling. She has given us permission to laugh at her trials as we view before us not a cancer survivor, but a woman who has decided to grab life by the horns and ride that smelly bull – and oh how wonderful it feels when you can stay on top even if only for small intervals. This is the magic of the play, this is the strength of Ms Katan.

Bravo Ms. Katan, bravo! If you only have a chance to see one show at the FRIGID this year, make Saving Tania’s Privates the one – you wont regret it. While you’re at it order her memoir My One-Night Stand With Cancer, I have!

~~~

Saving Tania’s Privates

Written & Performed by Tania Katan Presented by AJ Epstein Presents Seattle, WA UNDER St. Marks (94 St. Marks Place) $12 Wed 2/23 @ 7:30pm, Fri 2/25 @ 9pm, Sat 2/26 @ 1pm, Tue 3/1 @ 6pm, Wed 3/2 @ 7:30pm, & Sat 3/5 @ 10pm

FRIGID New York Festival 2011 will run February 23-March 6 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 1sr Ave and Ave A). Tickets ($10-$16) may be purchased online at www.FRIGIDnewyork.info or by calling Smarttix at 212-868-4444. All shows runs 60 minutes long or less.

Inside Straight: The Twisty Path Of Personal Investigation In A Modern Age (FRIGID New York 2011)

Stephen Tortora-Lee — Wed, 02 Mar 2011 04:12:42 +0000

Inside Straight - Johnny AceImage by Ivan Farkas

In poker terms an inside straight means you have everything you need to get all the cards in your hand in order except you’re missing the one in the middle. In actor/writer George Ridgeway’s Inside Straight the play/docudrama/solo show illustrates that as we progress through the second decade of the 21st century, we as individuals, may be reaching out into realms of information security just so we might stay a step ahead of being played ourselves. As the internet moves from 2.0 to 3.0 and New York and other megacities such as London are moving toward becoming Panopticon-ready, and RFID’s are being used for tracking our pets or even ourselves, Johnny Ace (George Ridgeway) enters the scene.

Virtual Doorman (Image by Ivan Farkas)

Johnny Ace was a Detective on the NYPD before graduating to becoming a private eye on his own. Now they call him an “information engineer”. In this day and age, there no longer needs to be someone bringing in a case to be solved, a good information engineer has an eye for what might be worth something, and the connections to track down what it means.

Inside Straight begins with a protest rally filled with high-heeled corporate women, except for one who is wearing running shoes. Using intuition and research skills moves our investigation from an overview of how omnipresent cameras are in our lives nowadays, to a virtual doorman and we stream by an internet evangelist expounding on the virtues of Connectivity to his minions scattered across the world, and back to the girl in running shoes who may just use those shoes for running as the web of interest surrounding her begins to suffocate her normal existance.

Internet Evangelist (Image by Ivan Farkas)

George Ridgeway plays several characters, each giving a brief rundown about various aspects of our supper-connected world. Johnny Ace acts as the connector in this sea of connections as well as narrator throughout. While watching this show it comes off as a piece of near-future science fiction, but since George Ridgway’s biography includes a journalistic background investigating many of the same issues covered in this play it is likely there are many bits of truth mixed up in this grab bag of insightful monologues. We can see director Letty Cruz’s influence as the piece moves effortlessly from scene to scene educating the audience as it entertains us in a detective story that couldn’t have been imagined even 5 years ago.

For those who feel like they’re being watch, only to have friends chide them about their paranoia, Inside Straight will justify those feelings. And for those of us who never worried much about it, after seeing this show you’ll be looking at this city through new eyes.

~~~

Inside Straight

Written by George Ridgeway & Directed by Letty Cruz

Presented by Thousand Eyes Productions New York, NY

UNDER St. Marks (94 St. Marks Place) $15Fri 2/25 @ 6pm, Sat 2/26 @ 10pm, Wed 3/2 @ 6pm, Sat 3/5 @ 5:30pm, & Sun 3/6 @ 2:30pm

FRIGID New York Festival 2011 will run February 23-March 6 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 1sr Ave and Ave A). Tickets ($10-$16) may be purchased online at www.FRIGIDnewyork.info or by calling Smarttix at 212-868-4444. All shows will run 60 minutes long or less.

I Love You (We’re F*#ked) (FRIGID New York 2011)

Geoffrey Paddy Johnson — Tue, 01 Mar 2011 23:16:23 +0000

Kevin J Thornton stars in I Love You (We're F*#ked) Photo by Chris Wage

Kevin J. Thornton nimbly takes the stage at 4 in the afternoon for another performance of his one-man show, I Love You (We’re F*#ked). “It’s early in the day, isn’t it?” he asks. “I feel like I’ve just gotten up.” And looking at him, with a slight rawness around the eyes and a gracefully rumpled quality to his stage ensemble, you could quite believe it. But there’s nothing of the grouch, morning or otherwise, about Kevin. His speaking voice is low, calm, almost velvety; the sort of voice that could induce a tranquil confidence even as it asks you to ensure that your seat belt is fastened, your table tops are stowed, and your seats are in an upright position, as the captain will shortly be attempting a crash landing. Standby.

Kevin J. Thornton, ladies and gentlemen, is that rarest of the rare amongst stand-up comedian songsters. Kevin J. Thornton is seriously relaxed. That poise, that apparent ease of manner, will divest you of all your mundane frets and anxieties (not the least of which might be “is this going to be funny?”). You are in the metaphorical hands of a gifted masseur who knows very well how to de-stress those kinked little places, revisit old sites of tension, and tickle you in an intimate, respectful way.

This show has a nostalgic quality about it, mixed with a tale of heartbreak and disillusionment, as Kevin revisits his favorite era, the 80s (Ricky Schroeder and Silver Spoons; Prince and the Revolution; Duran Duran), reminisces, and recounts the details of the break-up of his last big relationship. The humor is knit into his delivery; there is no arduous stoking towards a punch line. With a guitar and a harmonica, his own penned songs punctuate the fluid, free associative, story telling. He is spontaneous and reactive, elastically able to step outside the act and throw you another peculiarity, then return to “the script” without adjusting the cruise control. Recalling my role as a reviewer, I felt myself straining to sense the proverbial pea of discontent in my theater seat, and remembering briefly some lines from another great 80s cultural instigator, Alan Parker’s “Fame”, and the mantra of the ballet tutor, I wanted to shout “the sweat, Kevin, where’s the sweat?”

When there is sweat, or something with a ragged edge in the act, it comes in the form of Kevin’s singing voice, which can extend to some pretty growly bass notes as he rings the emotion from his unquestionably resonant songs. The delivery is full-hearted and affecting, the spontaneous applause immediate and appreciative. “Thank you,” Kevin enjoins, “that is entirely the correct response.” It is the smooth-voiced airline steward speaking once more, and Thornton-service has been resumed.

Really, it’s almost impossible to taste any medicine with this artful spoonful of sugar.

Has Kev just got everyone too easily in the palm of his hand? “New York, it’s a tough crowd,” he shrugs, when a tale involving microphone fellatio simulation and stage stool anal penetration (convincing), while he lectures on the correct ethical standards regarding exploitation of youthful (for the record let’s say they’re nineteen) wide-eyed admirers, fails to elicit anything more than a heightened purring sound from his audience. “That one was pretty controversial in Tucson.” There’s a bit of a glide in everything he does. A comfortably out gay man, Kevin’s brand of humor is fresh and unassuming, not clubby and bitter. He’s got the hard knocks, the alcohol issues, the tattoos. But as familiar and all as these might be, he’s got a gentler, breezier take on things and, OMG! a little bit of heart about it all. Kevin could sell his grandmother that tale about ass-f*#king, he’s that clever, and that nice. He’s just precious.

Recommended.

~~~

I Love You (We’re F*#ked)

Presented by 55BC Nashville, TN

UNDER St. Marks (94 St. Marks Place) $15

Thu 2/24 @ 10:30pm, Sat 2/26 @ 4pm, Sun 2/27 @ 4pm, Fri 3/4 @ 9pm, & Sun 3/6 @ 1pm

FRIGID New York Festival 2011 will run February 23-March 6 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 1sr Ave and Ave A). Tickets ($10-$16) may be purchased online at www.FRIGIDnewyork.info or by calling Smarttix at 212-868-4444. All shows will run 60 minutes long or less.

ONEymoon – Is ONE Enough? (FRIGID New York 2011)

Antonio Miniño — Tue, 01 Mar 2011 04:52:33 +0000

Christel Bartelse in ONEymoon (photo by Shawn McPerson)

The road to self can be a very bumpy one – even bumpier is the road to finding your other half – unless that other half is yourself? The need for that special someone is the favorite topic of most of our happiest mediums, being the center crux in hundreds of books, movies and theatre. Written by Jimmy Hogg & the bubbly Christel Bartelse, ONEymoon is an entertaining if sometimes convoluted look into finding solitary happiness and going all the way – so far as to marrying oneself and taking oneself to a lush tropical “all you can drink” Caribbean honeymoon – with sexy bartender included!

Most of the play is set at Ms. Bartelse’s wedding and honeymoon. Love or dread audience interaction, this is how we are soon transformed into her wedding guests, family members and wedding crashers; at certain points audience members are brought on stage to read colorful toasts to the newly self-wed. We are also witness to some not so great online dating adventures that would make anyone decide to say no to the dating experience.

ONEymoon has simple yet compelling moments where the story soars. When our sad if not courageous heroin tries to replace a smoke detector and struggle to the point of resignation, and when she performs her intoxicated tap dance in attempts to seduce a stranger are two instances that come to mind as quite effective. Other moments seem to be there to merely entertain, which is understandably needed in a solo-show, yet I encourage Ms. Bartelse to play around in finding other mundane instances that she can turn into vulnerable stage magic. A lot of time was spent in recreating more than familiar wedding traditions and mishaps that did little to get to the core of the story: Can we be happy by ourselves, or do we need that ideal mate?

There is a smart witty quality to her writing (for instance trying to read Anna Karenina and not being able to retain the hefty story with the island distractions and later referencing her suicide) yet jumping from wedding to honeymoon and back was another disservice to the story, a most popular and oft-used style by emerging writers that does not prove to always be effective and polished when dealing with a solo-show.

Do not fret, all is saved by the gravitas of Ms. Bartelse’s performance, she captivates the audience with her genuine spunk, desperation and clear portrayal of a woman in search of self happiness. Her love and dedication to the piece is evident and that is to be admired and celebrated.

~~~

ONEymoon (A Honeymoon for One)

Created & performed by Christel Bartelse
Presented by Dutch Girl Productions Toronto, ON Canada
UNDER St. Marks (94 St. Marks Place) $16
Wed 2/23 @ 6pm, Sat 2/26 @ 7pm, Sun 2/27 @ 2:30pm, Mon 2/28 @ 7:30pm, Wed 3/2 @ 10:30pm, & Thu 3/3 @ 6pm

FRIGID New York Festival 2011 runs February 23-March 6 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 1sr Ave and Ave A). Tickets ($10-$16) may be purchased online at www.FRIGIDnewyork.info or by calling Smarttix at 212-868-4444. All shows will run 60 minutes long or less.

The Happiest Medium Is Partnering With FRIGID New York Festival 2011

Karen Tortora-Lee — Mon, 31 Jan 2011 15:40:40 +0000

If this is the first time you’re hearing of FRIGID then you’re either new to THM, new to New York, new to off-off-Broadway theatre in general, or just not paying attention.

The Annual FRIGID New York Festival, presented by Horse Trade Theater Group, is now in its 5th year but I promise you this will be the most exciting one yet. Why? Because this year The Happiest Medium is proud to be partnering with the Festival bringing you in-depth (and very entertaining) Q&As with each of the participating shows, reviewing as many as our hardworking contributors can cover, and moderating a kick-ass Virtual Rock Paper Scissors Tournament. If you’ve never seen one of those in action, you’ll want to stay tuned. These guys are SERIOUS about what they throw.

So what exactly is FRIGID?

“FRIGID New York is an open and uncensored theatre festival that gives artists an opportunity to let their ingenuity thrive in a venue that values freedom of expression and artistic determination. In true support of theatre on the fringe of the mainstream, 100% of box office proceeds will go directly to the artists. Riding the fringe of winter FRIGID will kick off the annual North American Fringe Circuit with a bang!

FRIGID 2011 will run February 23-March 6 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 ($10-$16) may be purchased online at www.FRIGIDnewyork.info or by calling Smarttix at 212-868-4444. All shows will run 60 minutes long or less.”

I couldn’t have said it better myself. And, since someone else said it already – I didn’t have to. So, keep watching this space – and let the FRIGID Festival excitement begin!

The Happiest Medium » FRIGID New York 2011

Mendacity – Not An Easy Topic (FRIGID New York 2011)

Related Posts:

Hi, How Can I Help You? – Just Another Night In The Dungeon (FRIGID New York 2011)

Related Posts:

Pretty-n-Papi, The Pickle To My Fluff? (FRIGID New York 2011)

Related Posts:

Boat Load – Come On Board (FRIGID New York 2011)

Related Posts:

Saving Tania’s Privates, The Bravura of Ms. Katan (FRIGID New York 2011)

Related Posts:

Inside Straight: The Twisty Path Of Personal Investigation In A Modern Age (FRIGID New York 2011)

Related Posts:

I Love You (We’re F*#ked) (FRIGID New York 2011)

Related Posts:

ONEymoon – Is ONE Enough? (FRIGID New York 2011)

Related Posts:

The Happiest Medium Is Partnering With FRIGID New York Festival 2011

Related Posts: