The Happiest Medium » Linnea Covington

Final Schedule Announced for Fringe Encore Series

Karen Tortora-Lee — Wed, 29 Aug 2012 20:23:13 +0000

There’s one more chance to see some of the most exciting Fringe Shows of the 2012 festival! Beginning September 7th, the FringeNYC Encore Series will present 19 “Best of The Festival” shows in rotating repertory at SoHo Playhouse and The Huron Club (both located at 15 Vandam Street between 6th Avenue & Varick) as well as at The Players Theater (115 MacDougal Street between Bleecker and Houston Streets). Tickets are $18, available at 212-691-1555 or www.SohoPlayhouse.com
Below is the complete list – see which ones we reviewed to help you decide which show you’ll see … or see them all!

ALL MY CHILDREN
Writer: Matt Smith / Director: Bret Fetzer.
Max Poth takes “what-might-have-been” to extremes. He tracks down the now-grown children of long-ago girlfriends, and tells them he’s their real father (knowing that he’s not). A strange lark takes on a life of its own.
Huron Club. 9/12 at 8PM; 9/14 at 7PM; 9/16 at 5PM; 9/17 at 8PM

What we said: ” …this is sophisticated, sharp, and wise comedy, delivered by an actor at the top of his game. Miss it and you lose.” [read the full review by Geoffrey Paddy Johnson]

BELOW
Writer: Tess Howsam / Director: Karyn Joy DeYoung.
“Something’s dead.” Driven into a world of uncertainty, disease, and darkness, a group of survivors dwelling beneath an abandoned toxic metropolis are suddenly threatened by the arrival of a child-like stranger. Will they survive this new assault?
SoHo Playhouse. 9/8 at 8PM; 9/15 at 3PM; 9/23 at 8PM; 9/29 at 8PM

CANON IN D MINOR*
Writer: Jessica Liadsky / Director: Rachel Slaven.
Beth is lost after her best friend takes her own life in their final year of school. She glides the bow of her violin through the music that connected them in this tender and poetic story of friendship and forgiveness.
SoHo Playhouse. 9/15 at 8PM; 9/19 at 8PM; 9/27 at 7PM; 9/29 at 5PM; 9/30 at 5PM.

DANNY VISCONTI IS HILL-BENT: MY NIGHT WITH HILLARY CLINTON
Writer: Danny Visconti with Adam Wachter / Director: Connor Gallagher.
Hillary Rodham Clinton is Danny Visconti’s idol. After a chance meeting with the Secretary of State, Danny is immediately sucked into a scandalous night of booze, strippers, and prank-calling Michele Bachmann…all set to music!!
Huron Club. 9/10 at 8PM; 9/15 at 5PM; 9/27 at 7PM; 9/29 at 3PM; 9/30 at 8PM.

5 LESBIANS EATING A QUICHE*
Writer: Evan Linder and Andrew Hobgood / Director: Sarah Gitenstein.

It’s 1956 and the Susan B. Anthony Society for the Sisters of Gertrude Stein are having their annual quiche breakfast. Will they be able to keep their cool when Communists threaten their idyllic town? “Sharp, smart and hysterically funny.” – Time Out Chicago.
SoHo Playhouse. 9/12 at 9:30PM; 9/23 at 5PM; 9/25 @ 8PM; 9/27 at 9PM; 9/28 at 9PM; 9/30 @ 8PM.

GAY CAMP*

Writer: Philip Mutz and Susan-Kate Heaney / Director: Phillip Fazio.
It’s gay. It’s camp. It’s Gay Camp! ‘Confused’ campers Josh and Anton are sent to be ‘cured’ at Camp Acceptance. Prepare for a deliciously evil headmaster, gay Twister, Santorum surprises, and more innuendos than you can shake a dildo at!
The Players Theatre. 9/21 at 10PM; 9/22 at 10PM; 9/27 at 10PM; 9/28 at 10PM.

HAVE I GOT A GIRL FOR YOU*
Writer: Josh Mesnik / Director: Sara Sahin.
How does a newly sober gay musical theatre actor get his life on track? He gets a job running a female escort agency of course! The hilarious true story of the most unlikely new member in the oldest profession.
The Players Theatre. 9/13 at 10PM; 9/14 at 10PM; 9/15 at 7:30PM; 9/21 at 7:30PM; 9/22 at 7:30PM.

INDEPENDENTS*
Writer: Marina Keegan, Music by Stephen Feigenbaum, Lyrics by Mark Sonnenblick / Director: Charlie Polinger.
Strapped for cash, burnout crewmembers of an antique tallship become Revolutionary War reenactors. Armed with a less-than-potent combination of Wikipedia and marijuana, they face disaster in this folk musical about friendship, adulthood, and whatever those three-cornered-hats are called.
SoHo Playhouse. 9/7 at 7PM; 9/8 at 5PM; 9/11 at 8PM; 9/14 at 9PM; 9/18 at 8PM; 9/21 at 7PM.

LENNON IN DENMARK
Writer: Vibeke Hastrup & Frede Gulbrandsen / Director: Frede Gulbrandsen.
An encounter between a young woman and John Lennon in a remote part of Denmark forever changes her life. But for the better? A journey of love, forgiveness, being stuck and letting go. It’s never too late to begin again.
Huron Club. 9/15 at 3PM; 9/16 at 8PM; 9/18 at 8PM; 9/20 at 7PM

MAHMOUD*
Writer: Tara Grammy and Tom Arthur Davis / Director: Tom Arthur Davis.
One Iranian actress, three characters: an Iranian engineer-cum-taxi driver, a fabulously gay Spaniard, and a pre-teen Iranian-Canadian girl. Their stories intertwine in unexpected ways in this personal and hilarious story. Learn more about Iranians, and maybe even yourself.
Huron Club. 9/22 at 8PM; 9/23 at 3PM; 9/25 at 8PM; 9/29 at 5PM; 9/30 at 5PM.

What we said: ”The stories begin to draw together and broader themes of cultural displacement, immigration, racism, and homophobia come into focus under a wider banner of -’what price personal liberty?’ ” [read the full review by Geoffrey Paddy Johnson]

NIGHTFALL ON MIRANGA ISLAND

Writer: Justin Moran and Jonathan Roufaeal, Music by Adam and Matt Podd / Director: Justin Moran, Music Direction: Adam and Matt Podd.
Somewhere off the coast of Guatemala: our swashbuckling hero, Declan Bruntfodder, has finally tracked the legendary pirate captain Vicious Martin LaFoe to his hideout on the lawless Miranga Island in a quest to find his sister kidnapped ten years ago.
The Players Theatre. 9/8 at 7:30PM; 9/13 at 7:30PM; 9/15 at 10PM; 9/28 at 7:30PM; 9/29 at 7:30PM

PIECES*

Writer: Chris Phillips / Director: Brian Zimmer
When an openly gay Hollywood power player is brutally murdered, his body parts distributed around the city of Beverly Hills, Los Angeles Public Defender Rory Dennis is assigned the defense of Shane Holloway, the damaged young man accused of the crime. While unlocking Shane’s past, Rory is forced to confront his own scorching ambivalence about his place in a community to which he’s lost almost all connection.
SoHo Playhouse. 9/7 at 9:30PM; 9/9 at 8PM; 9/12 at 8PM; 9/13 at 7PM; 9/16 at 8PM; 9/17 at 8PM.

What we said: ” … Pieces works as entertainment and as drama with teeth. Go, for pity’s sake, while you can. You should consider yourself lucky to be so bitten.” [Read the full r eview by Geoffrey Paddy Johnson]

PULP SHAKESPEARE*
Writer: Ben Tallen, Aaron Greer, Brian Watson-Jones &Jordan Monsell / Director: Jordan Monsell
“This lively and imaginative re-invention” (LA Weekly) imagines what it might be like had the cult film “Pulp Fiction” been written by William Shakespeare. Set in Elizabethan England, Pulp Shakespeare weaves the story of a pair of murderers, their boss’s alluring wife, and a desperate knight, all brought to life by a cast of acclaimed Los Angeles Shakespearean actors.
SoHo Playhouse. 9/19 at 8PM, 9/20 at 9PM, 9/22 at 3PM, 9/24 at 8PM, and 9/26 at 8PM.

What we said: ” … between the smooth directing skills, the flawless cast, and a darn good script, Pulp Shakespeare was hilariously engaging, and made me want to revisit the movie. “ [read the full review by Linnea Covington]

RATED M FOR MATURE
Writer: Greg Ayers / Director: Paul Dobie
Inspired by real events. This hard-hitting dark comedy follows Eric, a troubled teen bullied to the breaking point. He’s able to find refuge in an online game but when his computer is taken away, who will pay the price?
SoHo Playhouse. 9/10 at 8PM; 9/14 at 7PM; 9/16 at 5PM; 9/20 at 7PM; 9/22 at 5PM.

SALAMANDER STARTS OVER*
Writer: Armando Merlo, Director: Leigh Ann Pedra
The words every teenage punk dreads: All-Boys Catholic School. But this isn’t your average preparatory education. Eccentric teachers. Militant coaches. Dance-fighting students. Add these with the love of a Cuban mother and see how Salamander starts over.
Huron Club. 9/7 at 7PM; 9/9 at 8PM; 9/13 at 7PM; 9/15 at 8PM; 9/19 at 8PM; 9/28 at 7PM.

STANDBY – THE MUSICAL

Writer: Book and Lyrics by Alfred Solis, Music by Keith Robinson and Amy Baer, additional book and lyrics by Mark-Eugene Garcia / Director: Marc Connor Eardley
Five travelers, haunted by troubled pasts, await the flight of their lives. Their unresolved baggage lands them on standby, where the end of the line is the beginning of a journey to redemption in the afterlife.
The Players Theatre. 9/7 at 7:30PM; 9/14 at 7:30PM; 9/20 at 7:30; 9/27 at 7:30PM; 9/29 at 10PM.

SUPER SIDEKICK: THE MUSICAL

Writer: Gregory Crafts, music and lyrics by Michael Gordon Shapiro / Director: Steve Knight, Music Director: Stephen Bent
Adventure! Romance! Ninja koalas! Sorcerer Slurm has captured the greatest hero in the kingdom! Can lowly sidekick Inky save the day? “…perfect for small children, with audience participation, a perfect hour run-time and catchy musical numbers” -L.A. Theatre Review
SoHo Playhouse. 9/8 at 1PM; 9/9 at 1PM; 9/15 at 1PM; 9/16 at 1PM; 9/22 at 1PM; 9/23 at 1PM; 9/29 at 1PM; 9/30 at 1PM.

What we said: ” … with the fast pace, audience participation, and fun characters, if you have children this play is right up their alley. But, even as a grown woman I found it humorous, saucy, and a lot of fun. [read the full review by Linnea Covington]

THIS TOO SHALL SUCK
Writer: Matt Graham

A merry romp through performance anxiety, professional Scrabble, stand-up comedy and the psych ward, Matt Graham’s one-man traumedy reveals his transformation from drunken bum into reclusive cat lady/professional gambler. How bad can it suck?
Huron Club. 9/11 at 8PM; 9/21 at 7PM; 9/23 at 8PM; 9/24 at 8PM

THE ZEBRA SHIRT OF LONELY CHILDREN*
Writer: Matthew Trumbull / Director: Matthew Freeman
In this comic monologue, Trumbull stumbles through a world of urn catalogs and last-minute eulogies. It explores the bond between Trumbull and his useful-minded father, Jonathan, a dying Minnesota engineer who donates his cadaver to science.
SoHo Playhouse. 9/8 at 8PM; 9/16 at 3PM; 9/23 at 5PM; 9/26 at 8PM; 9/29 at 8PM.

* Denotes FringeNYC Overall Excellence Award Winner.

Snow White Zombie: Apocalypse – The End Is Nigh In Fairy Tale Land (Fringe Festival 2012)

Linnea Covington — Fri, 17 Aug 2012 16:27:38 +0000

The spread of fairy tale themed and zombie-filled story lines have saturated the market over the last few years. We have The Walking Dead, Snow White and the Huntsman, Grimm, Once Upon a Time, Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, and now, Snow White Zombie: Apocalypse, premiering at the 2012 New York Fringe Festival.

If you haven’t seen it, go, and hurry as if the end is truly coming. Every moment of Brenton Lengel’s play proves worth it. Produced by State of Play Productions, this 90-minute show starts out with Little Red Riding Hood, who soon gets taken by the Big Bad Wolf, who turns her into a zombie. Cue Prince Charming, played by Adam La Faci, and his lady fair, Rapunzel, played by Parker Leventer. Both are there to kick some living dead ass. They do this well, though much credit goes fight choreographer Lisa Kopitsky and her assistant Adam Alexander. Without these two the action scenes – and the characters in them – would have fallen flat.

Eventually, the team of fairy tale crusaders comes across a woman in the woods. “She’s dead, look at her skin, it’s as white as snow,” says a disgusted Rapunzel, after Charming kisses the corpse. But wait! Spoiler: it’s not a dead body; it’s Snow White, played by Lucia Brizzi, who now claims Charming as her own. The two women couldn’t be more different. Rapunzel is strong, bitter, and brave; and Snow White is weak, fluttery, and optimistic. The latter could have been annoying; instead, with great comedic timing the personalities balance perfectly.

Another plot line I enjoyed was Prince Charming; apparently, he actually is the same prince that gets all the fairy tale princesses. This isn’t his fault, he finds, when faced with Prince Dashing, played by David Marshall. Since Dashing is also a ladies’ man, Charming learns that wooing women is both their special power. Dashing uses his gift to steal Rapunzel and Snow White, Charming uses his to seduce a man-eating female bear, played by Simon Feil, who also did a stellar job as the Woodsman.

Each character touches on aspects of their actual fairy tale counterparts. Rapunzel talks about how she lost her hair and twins, Hansel and Gretel make an appearance, iron really does kill fairies, and Snow White is petrified of apples. They make references to just about every fair tale, even ones that aren’t in Grimm like The Princess Bride. No matter what their part, everyone in the cast had me completely entertained for over an hour. I also had no idea how it would end. Let’s just say it surprised me, but I won’t tell. So, go see it already, just make sure to wear your zombie-proof coat.

~~~

Snow White Zombie: Apocalypse
State of Play
Writer: Brenton Lengel
Director: Jessica Creane
Snow White awakens to true love’s kiss 28 days after the zombie apocalypse. Now she must end the plague with Prince Charming — and his axe-wielding lover Rapunzel. Blood, sex, kung fu, gender politics…fairy tales as usual.
1h 40m   Local   Manhattan, New York
Drama   Comedy
Staycation: Fantasy Island Excursion   Sci-Fi Tech SuperHero Camp
www.stateofplaytheatre.com/shows/current-show-snow-white-zombie/
VENUE #01: The Living Theatre
Sat 11 @ 10  Wed 15 @ 2  Sun 19 @ 3:45  Fri 24 @ 5:30  Sat 25 @ 9

Bite The Apple – To Bite Or Not To Bite? (Fringe Festival 2012)

Linnea Covington — Thu, 16 Aug 2012 15:54:23 +0000

I am all for the fairy tale fun we have been having in the last couple of years. There has been a melody of interesting takes on Snow White, Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood, the Wicked Witch, and so on, both on the screen and in literature. So, why not a play about six of Grimm’s hottest heroines?

Only, in Bite The Apple by Linda Manning, the princesses and damsels are in a different type of distress—middle age. Cinderella, played by Diana Henry, has the great shoes but her Prince Charming has deserted her out of boredom. Red, played by Amy Young, is a gutter punk no longer getting pursued by the wolf, but chasing him instead. Snow White, played by Annette Arnold, remains a child trapped in a 40-year-old body, so afraid of everything, that she abandons her kids. Manning’s own character Rapunzel, has gone completely crazy without her prince or her twins, and has locked herself in a tower of her own making. Finally, Gretel, played by Diana Zambrotta, is still sweet, but now alone since Hansel died. While all these ideas sound like a story, the actual production left me feeling, well, nothing.

At first, it had mystery as Red and Cinderella seemed like older versions of their younger counterparts. They weren’t happy, but neither had they digressed beyond the basic character. Things had fallen apart and their happy ending wasn’t working out the way they had hoped. Once we moved on to Briar Rose, commonly referred to as Sleeping Beauty, things got a little off. Why was she so unhappy in the castle? How did she fall asleep under the tree? We never find out. As for Rapunzel, I had to look back into the program to figure out who she was. The only sign given was the desert setting, but even that fell flat. The circumstances that made her go off her rocker were never made clear, but we do know she managed to pull out of the sandy spot in her head long enough to talk to Gretel. As for that character, I didn’t see the growth or story, save for her rescuing her brother.

For the amount of time the play had, there was a lot that could have been done. Instead, I often felt uncomfortable in my seat watching these women deteriorate, which, could be what Manning had in mind. Still, what I experienced was more out of restlessness than emotion. It’s not that I seek the happily ever after, more, I didn’t buy the stories strewed before me. Save for Cinderella and Red, the rest of the play went nowhere.

~~~
Bite the Apple
The Other Mirror
Writer: Linda Manning
Director: Katherine M. Carter
Cinderella is a past-her-prime trophy wife, Red Ridinghood lurks outside bars waiting for the wolf, and Snow White wants to kill her kids. Your favorite fairytale princesses are clearly beyond their “happily ever after,” which path do they take from here?
1h 30m   Local   Manhattan, New York
Drama   Comedy
Staycation: Literary Lane   In Someone Else’s Shoes
www.theothermirrortheatre.com
VENUE #14: New Ohio Theatre
Sat 11 @ 9  Sun 12 @ 12  Tue 14 @ 3  Thu 16 @ 4:15  Sat 18 @ 8

Pulp Shakespeare – The Bard Would Be Proud (Fringe Festival 2012)

Linnea Covington — Wed, 15 Aug 2012 14:54:41 +0000

Occasionally an idea comes around that makes you think, how was this never done before? With Pulp Shakespeare, directed by Jordan Monsell, I had such a moment, and yes, it’s exactly what you are thinking; the 1994 movie Pulp Fiction done in the manner of William Shakespeare.

Now, this could have gone wrong, but I am pleased to report that between the smooth directing skills, the flawless cast, and a darn good script, Pulp Shakespeare was hilariously engaging, and made me want to revisit the movie. It started just as I remembered it, with the couple in the diner. But instead of modern day profanity, they spewed words that I barely knew the meaning of, but were perfect for the Elizabethan era.

After the first scene, we come to the main characters, who you may remember, are Julius Winfield and Vincent de la Vega, respectively played by Dan White and Aaron Lyons. Both channeled their movie counterparts beautifully (Samuel Jackson and John Travolta), and if we were actually in England in the late 1500s, they would have been terrifying. As it was, the whole play turned into a comedy, as iconic scenes from the movie unfolded with campy fodder for the actors, all of whom played their roles well. Aside from White and Lyons, another performer who really stood out was Christian Levatino, who played the Butcher. At times, you could actually see Bruce Willis in his performance as he madly stalked around the stage. And yes, he totally quoted, “Zed is dead,” and the audience erupted in cheers, laughter, and applause.

Pulp Shakespeare ran for about an hour and a half, meaning they cut some of the scenes from the movie. However, nothing was missed. We still had the part where Vincent dances with Mia Wallace, played by Hannah Beck, in the club, and the pair mix their modern dance moves with some classic Elizabethan ones. There is plenty of violence too, but instead of guns, they have broad swords and daggers. Even without props, props to the fantastic cast and crew for producing a one-of-a-kind performance.

~~~

Pulp Shakespeare
Her Majesty’s Secret Players
Writer: Ben Tallen, Aaron Greer, Brian Watson-Jones, and Jordan Monsell
Director: Jordan Monsell
What if William Shakespeare had written Pulp Fiction? This wildly entertaining parody pays homage to the films witty dialogue and colorful characters, while staying firmly grounded in the language and rhetoric of Shakespeare’s time.
1h 30m   National   Los Angeles, California
Comedy   Drama
Staycation: Literary Lane   Fantasy Island Excursion
www.pulpshakespeare.com
VENUE #12: Cherry Lane Theatre
Sun 12 @ 4  Tue 14 @ 8:30  Sun 19 @ 5:30  Thu 23 @ 9:15  Fri 24 @ 2

Disney Rejects Perform MisSpelled (Fringe Festival 2012)

Linnea Covington — Wed, 15 Aug 2012 14:14:17 +0000

Have you ever seen something so comically bad you are almost happy you saw it? In two hours, D’Jamin Bartlett’s MisSpelled channels the missteps and bloopers of an Ed Wood movie, mixed with a Disney vibe and theater camp feel. Sounds like a lot? With nine cast members, about twice that many characters, and 15 original songs by composer Mark Bornfield—it is.

First, the songs. Given that most of the tunes focus on love and sound like a Whitney Huston cover band from the early 1990s, it’s not surprising to find Bornfield has accompanied the famous singer on the stage before. Despite this, the synthesized-heavy songs felt more cheesy than tender, and lacked the finesse of any diva, especially when the cast broke out in song with, Don’t Choke That Chicken, which they complemented with a rubber version of the bird.

One line in that song went something like this, “don’t choke that chicken, even if you put him in a pot.” This confused me given that one of the best characters, Sadie, the Jewish mother, played wonderfully by Rosalind Harris, made a batch of Jewish medicine, aka, chicken soup. Sadie also had the best song of the bunch, Sadie’s Seder, which incorporated everything you love about a stereotype, complete with song, and dance. Unfortunately, this didn’t follow through and we never got to see her dinner, which I am convinced would have been a riot.

This plot line falls in with Sadie’s son David, played by Brance Cornelius, who had fallen in love with a young and pretty witch named Celeste, played by the stunning Lauren Hoffmeier. They couple met after Celeste’s mother, the queen of the witches, played by Bartlett, accidently placed a love spell on her daughter. After that, the plot line ultimately revolves around Celeste’s kingly father trying to break the young couple up, and the two families coming to terms with marriage between a Jewish mortal family, and a rich witch family. There was an unconvincing bad warlock in the mix played by Paul Craffey, who kept forgetting his lines and was as menacing as Tim Gunn.

Perhaps this show would be best cut in half, or at least tightened up so the story line flowed better. Of course, it would help if the actors had more practice too, that way the audience wouldn’t be forced to watch unsynchronized dance numbers and players who don’t know what they are doing. Maybe in her heyday, Bartlett could have pulled this off, but now, in 2012, the whole thing reads more like a grade school assignment for adults.

~~~

MisSpelled
Borkenstein Productions
Writer: D’Jamin Bartlett and Mark BornfieldTBA
Choreographer: Shirley Johnston
A Gothic tale of power in the wrong hands at the wrong time. Warlocks and witches scheme to further the cause of true love. A Light-hearted view of what happens when a warlock’s daughter falls for a mortal piano player.
2h 20m   National   Hollywood, Florida
Musical   Comedy
Staycation: Ride the Rollercoaster of Love   In Someone Else’s Shoes
www.markbornfieldmusic.com
VENUE #12: Cherry Lane Theatre
Sat 11 @ 3:15  Sat 18 @ 8  Tue 21 @ 5:15  Sat 25 @ 2:15  Sun 26 @ 3:15

Cowboy Mouth Lives Again In The East Village

The Happiest Medium — Sat, 16 Jun 2012 21:08:53 +0000

The Happiest Medium review by guest contributor, Linnea Covington.

The first trick to getting into Cowboy Mouth is handed to you by a sullen looking lobster standing on a dingy street corner in the East Village. With a glassy-eyed stare the human crustacean thrusts a bag of plastic-wrapped fortune cookies towards you. Inside each delicate confection is your instruction. Hence, the madness begins as you enter the red door.

Inside the room is a bed. On the bed is a couple, sleeping, rolling around, moaning, and what not. As you choose from one of the many mismatched sofas or chairs spread around the front of the room, another choice befalls you—should you, or should you not, take from the box of cheap Burgundy wine? I choose a sip and then no more, but regardless it’s there, it’s free … it’s part of the show.

Cowboy Mouth featuring Geoffrey Pomeroy as Slim, Diana Beshara as Cavale, Matthew Mark Stannah as Lobster Man (Photo credit Leah Benavides)

Now, you’re ready for Cowboy Mouth, a play that first made its appearance in 1971 when it was written and performed by punk-poetess Patti Smith and dramatist Sam Shepard, who were having an affair at the time. The current run by One Old Crow Productions successfully takes on the intense, three-person ballad in a whirlwind of tense, raw emotions so pure that at points I wanted to cover my ears and close my eyes.

The play takes part in the apartment of a skinny rocker named Cavale where she and her man Slim drink, eat, fuck, do drugs, play music, and fight. A lot. Slim has left his family for the tiny muse and Cavale is finding her own path after a stint in a mental hospital. They’re both crazy, though, and throughout the play it’s not clear who is real. Is Cavale, adeptly played by Diana Beshara, a figment of Slim’s imagination? Is he truly trapped there? Or is it his own mind that has imprisoned him in the dream of rock n’ roll fame? Geoffrey Pomeroy plays the angst-ridden Slim and the chemistry which he and Beshara share on stage makes you wonder if in fact they are a real life tortured couple, living in a dirty flat in the East Village just as Smith and Shepard were. This is, after all, Smith and Shepard’s real story.

As the pair fight and throw things at each other the pure poetry that is so much the baseline for Smith’s personality gets interwoven in the dialogue, which the two spew out as if it’s in their blood. Beshara too has an essence of Smith, whether it’s because of her wiry frame, mess of black tresses, or ability to look manly, feminine, ugly, and beautiful all at the same time.

As for that forlorn lobster at the beginning of my journey, he (played by Matthew Mark Stannah) makes his way on to the stage, never saying a word but conveying everything with a glance. It’s the combination of these intense actors under the direction of Leah Benevides that have made this room in the Village a mirror to the past as they create a space that one could easily see Smith and Shepard inhabiting all those years ago when they first came out with the show.

Cowboy Mouth featuring Diana Beshara and Geoffrey Pomeroy (Photo credit Leah Benavides)

~~~

One Old Crow Productions presents a site-specific production

COWBOY MOUTH

by Sam Shepard and Patti Smith

directed by Leah Benavides

Playing in an apartment above Lucky Cheng’s (24 1st Avenue at 2nd Street)

June 7-22, 2012

June 7 & 8, 11-14, & 20 & 21 at 8pm,

Friday, June 15 & 22 at 8pm and 10pm

Sunday, June 10 & 17 at 5pm.

Tickets $15

Click Here to purchase

Missed Connections: An Exploration Into The Online Postings Of Desperate Romantics (2012 FRIGID NEW YORK FESTIVAL)

The Happiest Medium — Wed, 29 Feb 2012 04:43:03 +0000

The Happiest Medium Review by guest contributor Linnea Covington

Whether you’re M4W, W4M, M4M, or W4W, there is something for everyone in Missed Connections: An Exploration Into The Online Postings Of Desperate Romantics. The play consists of five actors—Jennifer Jean Anderson, Ricky Dunlop, Lauren Roth, Jake McKenna, and Julia Mattison—five Kindles, a handful of accents, and a whole lot of sass. The premise proved simple: scour Craigslist for the best and the worst missed connections postings. For those of you who don’t know what a ‘missed connection’ is, it’s an electronic posting on a website that people do when they see someone and 1) didn’t manage to talk to them, or 2) lost contact with them. It also has become the sort of place where people send long, steamy rants as a sort of digital therapy.

Most of the show is improv, each actor takes turns reading headlines and then another player dramatizes the situation. McKenna, who just returned from the 12th national tour of the musical CATS, did one scenario where a man watches a girl go to town on a Snickers bar. Only, he did it in a flawless Jamaican accent. Laughter ensued, a reaction that continued throughout the skit. Anderson also mastered the art of comedic voices and many of the characters she played were from the South or lived in a trailer park. Not that you know they are hicks, but it’s the clever persona she gives them that makes you believe they are. In the same vein, guest actress Mattison (who is making her Broadway debut in Godspell) perfected the neurotic female-male voice, an excellent choice when reading the part of the creepy man watching his neighbor undress. Yes, people really post things like that.

Save for Mattison, the show was created by the performers and presented for the first time last April. Other guests have included Suellen Vance and another Godspell actor, George Salazar. The best thing about the show is its improv nature and getting to hear the outlandish things these people say. I mean, how many M4M, “I want your balls on my face” posts can there be? Based on this play, a lot. Lucky for the team behind the show, they will always have fresh material as long as Craigslist continues on and people use public forums to express themselves. Thank goodness.

~~~

Missed Connections: An Exploration Into The Online Postings Of Desperate Romantics

Company: Royanth Productions

Directed by: Ricky Dunlop

Mar 01, 10:30PM

Mar 04, 1:00PM

$14.00

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.

Drowning Ophelia: She Gets On Swimmingly (2012 FRIGID NEW YORK FESTIVAL)

The Happiest Medium — Tue, 28 Feb 2012 18:14:22 +0000

The Happiest Medium Review by guest contributor Linnea Covington

The term “rock musical” can mean a variety of things, most of them not very good. But in Zack Powell and JD Cannady’s Drowning Ophelia, the musical aspect is all part of the story and the story rocks on its own. Cannady, who wrote the book, manages to create a convincing drama surrounding Ophelia, Shakespeare’s forlorn noblewoman who has the bad luck of loving Hamlet. She also drowns herself, which is exactly how she ended up in purgatory, singing away the time with her band the Clowns and waiting for the day Hamlet shows up.

Eliza Morris as Ophelia

Eliza Morris takes the reigns of the title roll and does so with a finesse that makes you believe she could be Ophelia. As she sings her heart out, her powerful voice carries out the emotional impact of the songs while clearly conveying the lyrics. No stranger to the works of the bard, Zack Powell is responsible for writing such catchy tunes as “Dead and Gone,” “My Dear Ophelia,” and “What You Need.” While they do prove a bit kitschy, the tunes communicate not only Ophelia’s passion for Hamlet, but clever lines from the original play dots the lyrics like in the first ditty, “Wash Over Me,” when she belts out, “tell me what to be—or not to be.”

Powell also takes up an instrument as band member Touchstone along with Tommy Malouf as Feste and Patrick Boylan as Puck. All three do an excellent job as Morris’ backup, offering her relationship advice and threatening to beat up a tweaked out Hamlet (played by Micky O’Sullivan) when he finally makes an appearance. Hamlet, for all he is worth, gets excited to see the charismatic, sexy Ophelia and while she waxes poetically about their past, he ogles her charming figure. Morris plays the part of smoldering temptress with just the right about of cockiness and flirtation to make it believable. The audience, like her band mates, fall in love before the first song even finishes, a pretty good trick for a 400-year-old dead girl.

~~~

Drowning Ophelia: A New Rock Musical

Company: RIFF Collective

Directed by: JD Cannady

Mar 01, 6:00PM

Mar 02, 9:00PM

Mar 04, 1:00PM

$15.00

UNDER St.Marks

~~~

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.

Afternoon Tea With Jane Austen: Cups And Chronicles (2012 FRIGID NEW YORK FESTIVAL)

The Happiest Medium — Sun, 26 Feb 2012 04:27:41 +0000

The Happiest Medium Review by Guest Contributor Linnea Covington

Afternoon Tea With Jane Austen (Photographer credit: Chris J. Hing)

Most little girls grow up reading the works of Jane Austen, be it Emma, Sense and Sensibility, or Pride and Prejudice. Some boys also read her stories, but usually that’s a school assignment. But, no matter how you digest this early 19th Century author, one thing remains consistent – you never learn much about her actual life. In Tali Brady’s one-woman play Afternoon Tea With Jane Austen, the Montreal-based actress and playwright attempts to share this history with you.

It’s an excellent way to become acquainted with Austen, and while Brady wrote a wonderfully fluid play chock full of personal details, fetching narratives, and historical information about the author, she doesn’t always execute her role as Austen well. The show started out slow as she bumbled around the who’s-who in Austen’s family, and even though she said herself that it was boring, it still shouldn’t have been. This isn’t because of the subject matter but more of Brady reciting her lines like she’s dictating instead of storytelling.

Luckily, this vibe doesn’t maintain through the entire play. When Brady talks about Austen’s love life and the process she went through to write and publish her books, pure excitement shone through and Brady’s acting became convincing. The same thing happened when she spoke multiple characters’ parts and when she accompanied her tale with the few and far between sound effects—a tool I think would help calm her obvious nervousness.

Despite the energy fluxes in the show, Brady earned kudos for tackling an hour-long play and taking the stage alone. She managed to perk up near the end and demonstrate the intriguing character that is Jane Austen without completely dulling the audience. For example, did you know Austen had been in love only once and later in life turned down a chance at a compatible marriage preferring to remain a spinster rather than marry without feeling? No? Neither did I. Bits of information like that tickled me.

Ultimately though, next time, given it’s about having tea with an author, I would like to see Brady actually drink tea out of the cup and do it like a lady instead of like someone doing shots. I mean, what would Mr. Darcy say?

~~~

Afternoon Tea with Jane Austen

Company: Orange Wine Productions

Directed by: Bruce Lambie

Feb 27, 9:30PM

Feb 29, 6:30PM

Mar 02, 9:30PM

Mar 04, 3:30PM

$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.

Scratch & Pitz Burlesque and Variety Hour – Seven Act Scratch (2012 FRIGID NEW YORK FESTIVAL)

The Happiest Medium — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 19:25:55 +0000

The Happiest Medium Review by Guest Contributor Linnea Covington

If you have ever had dreams of your dolls coming to life and doing a sexy strip tease, this show is for you. Produced by two-time FringeNYC winning performer and playwright Cyndi Freeman with storyteller Brad Lawrence, both whom are burlesque performers, Scratch & Pitz Burlesque and Variety Hour proved a comical hour of pretty girls, awkward men, song, and a tantalizing strip-off between our heroine and the Devil. That’s right, the Devil. Played by Lawrence, who goes by Handsome Brad in the burlesque world, the Devil comes on stage dressed to the nines with the intention of garnering a few souls for his collection. What he didn’t reckon was facing off against Cherry Pitz, played by Freeman, a pink puffy-wigged aspiring variety show host who is a combination of Lady Gaga and Fran Drescher with just a splash of Jersey Shore.

The show starts out with the basic rules of burlesque, helpful hints for those who haven’t ever seen this type of show and might not know what to do. Just remember, as Lawrence belted out, “If you see something, say something.” After that the hoots followed and for good reason—the show is chock full of fun, sexy acts and the performers obviously were having a good time. Which brings me to the only thing off about the show – most of them looked like they were about to bust out laughing. Of course we did a few times but especially in the ventriloquist scene with BTK Band dancer Amelia Bareparts and Moth GrandSlam champion Peter Aquero. Hands down this was the best act as Bareparts played the dummy, guided by a fat, socially inept man who is trying to blossom through the power of his wooden doll. The scene runs so smoothly that while you know Bareparts is a real live girl, at times you can’t help but wonder. Things take a turn for the naughty after the Devil enters the scene and our poor ventriloquist gets more than he bargained for. Thank goodness.

Other acts include a lion-taming bit (featuring Bareparts again) with Lucille Ti Amore. Mary Cyn got a turn as Cherry Pitz and the Devil’s daughter, which features a deviant dress change as daddy’s sweet little Chastity strips down to become mommy’s little Chaz ala the Bono family style. She might not look like a man in the end but Cyn sure looks hot in leather shorts, an outfit she sure didn’t sport in her ballerina days. The show is also peppered with acts by BTK Band’s Rory Scholl, a folk musician who belts out tunes about an abusive woman (or was that his guitar?) that treated him badly…hard to tell but either way hilarious.

As a producer and performer with Hotsy Totsy Burlesque, Freeman got into burlesque late in the game, about 10 years ago in fact when she was in her late 30s. Now 47, she displays the same pizzazz and energy as her younger counterparts but mixes in a sophisticated plot line. The narrative she and Lawrence presented on stage not only proved whimsical and fun, but actually told a story. But don’t be fooled: it’s definitely a sweet, sassy, and sexy story.

~~~

Scratch & Pitz: Burlesque Variety Hour

Company: Heroics in Hotpants

Directed by: Cyndi Freeman & Brad Lawrence

Feb 26, 7:00PM

Feb 29, 10:30PM

Mar 02, 4:00PM

Mar 03, 8:30PM

$10.00

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.

The Happiest Medium » Linnea Covington

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