David Lawson’s solo show, VCR Love, had a limited engagement recently at The Brick Theater.  Bold and innovative, this show explored the consequences, both positive and negative, of the increasing availability of porn in American society as seen through his own experiences.

The story begins with Lawson’s first “exposure” to explicit nudity at the impressionable age of 11 (a quick calculation based on context would put the year at 1995) when Lawson saw his first pair of naked female breasts which made an appearance in the seminal classic Animal House.  The mental sensations of this discovery along with the struggle to replicate this initial thrill move him through the next few years of his life from stolen Victoria’s Secret catalogs to taping the “good parts” of MTV like Fiona Apple and Mariah Carey in there slinky skimpies.   “It meant more because of the time I spent waiting for those precious moments on tv, and it would now be preserved forever”. VCR love, indeed.

Lawson follows this up with the exploits he and his friends, Ben and Keith, went on at the age of 14 in search of the forbidden.  From stealing naked yoga videos, to waiting a few hours for their 56.6 k modem to download a 2 minute video on Ben’s parents computer, to calling as many random 1-800 sex lines they could think of  and listening before the charges would kick in.  Did this ruin them or did it lead them to appreciate things more in a simpler time? Because of the investment and the camaraderie of the shared experience something was present then that isn’t as common with porn in this day and age.

Lawson argues for and against the benefits of the modern ease of finding outlets for titillation by pointing at the diversity needed in order to stand out in a saturated marketplace.  It is this which has led to the rise of any imaginable niche through a few carefully crafted keywords at your favorite porn watering hole.  Be it ‘furry’, ‘she-male’ or ‘french threesomes’ the personalization of your predilection offers an ease and even the oddly solipsistic connection that being able to reach out anonymously can be.

For the uninitiated Lawson delves into the world of online porn with stories such as his friend’s “double reverse role-play” with his own sister as they meet in a chat room, each thinking the other is the opposite sex of what they actually are.  He includes anecdotes of viewing the masturbatory habits of strangers that is prevalent on a new social video network known as Chatroulette and other even more “interesting” sites.

Sasha Grey

In the end he advocates that all this is good, pointing to the benefits of becoming a better lover through being able to express more creativity by being truly open about what is most private with his new girlfriend  - who also has an interest in porn.  He relates a touching story of how he found out she liked porn – he said she looked just like Sasha Grey (a famous adult film actress) and she said,”That’s the nicest thing anyone’s ever told me.”  That she not only knew the name but also that she found it a complement was what opened a special time of sharing between the two of them.

Now they can talk about different things they’ve seen or would like to try.  Lawson sees this as a way we all could benefit from this modern anonymous catalogue of human sexuality that is available right in our own homes.  By using these tools we could all become better, more capable lovers, engaging in more educated and interesting conversations about sex.  We would not have to be as afraid to talk about these issues in mixed company and not have these barriers that are so strong between the sexes when it comes to … well … sex.

All in all, VCR Love is a good night of comedy.  It takes you from the past to the present with a lot of good storytelling.  Great for a one man comedy night (even moreso than perhaps a theatrical piece).

Since 2/3rds of the audience were women on the night I attended, I’d say Lawson’s prediction of internet porn creating more transparency and more exploration may already be coming to pass.  So go ahead and do your part to help make the world a better place and bring your mixed company to the next production of VCR Love on March 23rd at the Lounge at Dixon Place or perhaps David’s next play Turning Atomic Tricks playing at the Parkside Lounge (March 10) and at  Simplestudios (March 11).  Find out more information from his personal web site at dtlawson.com,

~~~

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I’d say that Mark Gindick had me at “hello” with his one-man comedy performance Wing-Man (directed by Barry Lubin) but he actually never said “hello”.  In fact, he didn’t say anything.  For a solid hour Mark Gindick doesn’t really say a word  but as surely as he arrives on the scene with a rose and a heart-shaped box of candy there’s no mistaking that he’s there to win your heart.  And frankly, were I not happily married I’d readily have given my heart (and a kiss – but more on that in a minute) to this man as easily as I gave him my laughter — because Mark Gindick just happens to be that engaging, magnetic and sweet.  And frankly, if anyone deserves your love, it’s him.

Ultimately every performer – be it clown, comedian, singer or Shakespearean actor – is looking for love when they walk out into the spotlight.  The love will come back to them in a few different forms  … the audience will applaud or laugh or cheer or sing along but that’s all just different ways of showing their love and acceptance.  The way the performer asks for that love is usually cloaked behind a script, a song, a story … but it’s still there. Gindick’s Wing-Man, however, cuts closer to the bone.  When Mark takes the stage he makes no pretense that he is there for any other reason than to acquire your love which – you can just tell – he will cherish and nurture.  He goes about winning your heart by making you laugh.  Over and over and over again.

It’s odd to see a performer, especially one billed as a clown, who can pluck at your core so exquisitely while making you laugh so powerfully.  Yet Gindick does it – solidly – from the moment he steps onto the stage till the moment he retreats – wrapped in bubble wrap having just done a tap dancing routine that sounded like a 21-gun salute thanks to the pop-pop-pop of the audience gamely popping along on their own sheets of bubble wrap.

The piece begins as Gindick -in pure clown style – pulls a kissing booth from a suitcase and goes about setting it up.  He adds some sultry bosa nova music to entice the would-be paramour, then leans back and waits.  And waits … and, well, you get the picture.

Soon enough he finds a radio station offering something to aid his pursuit and within moments a case of BAD-ASS arrives – full of everything he needs to get the girl.  It’s full of amazing bad-ass things (just opening the lid produces a flash of disco lights) which he immediately puts on.  A leather jacket, goggles … this kit means business.   The pocket of the jacket is filled with further bad-ass things: scissors (for running with), pop rocks and coke  (for mixing together … AND SWALLOWING!) Oh, this clown will stop at nothing to create the full effect.

Bit after bit shows off Gindick’s extraordinary talent at not only physical comedy but his broad range of styles.  One moment he’s playing furious air guitar, the next he’s channeling Gene Kelly.  Throughout it all he’s telling a story so richly textured that you’re actually saying “awwww” through your laughter, you’re on his side but he’s so hapless that you can’t help finding the humor in the situation … and of course that’s becuase you’re supposed to be finding it.  This is, after all, a clown’s story.

Director Barry Lubin spoke with me earlier about Wing-Man and explained his process when directing this piece; he said of Gindick “Mark is a sweet, wonderful, naturally funny, naturally loving and lovely guy. He makes himself vulnerable each time he is in front of an audience not because he manufactures that vulnerability, but because it is real. Mark wants our love and we love him for that”.  It’s clear that Lubin used Gindick’s natural earnestness to bring this piece to even higher levels; allowing the organic vulnerability to create space for the laughter.  And while that space is large, it is quickly filled … you barely have time to catch your breath before the laughter bubbles up again.

Eventually the various scenes lead to a satisfying conclusion in which Gindick pulls out all the stops (and the previously mention bubble wrap) and dances up a storm.  If you’re looking for a man who will make you laugh, entertain you and steal your heart look no further than Wing-Man.

Just two shows – last night and tonight.  I highly recommend you get over to The Brick and see this while you can.

~~~

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Related Posts:

• Mark Gindick Explains The Serious Business Of Clowning Around
• Barry Lubin: From Grandma To Wing-Man
• Neon Lights – Brighter Than The Sun … And Twice As Funny (Amuse Bouche – NY Clown Theatre Festival)
• Morro And Jasp GONE WILD – No More Stops Left To Pull Out (Amuse Bouche NY Clown Theatre Festival)
• VCR Love – Where Do You Go When You’re Alone?

I don’t even know how to start explaining how or why Neon Lights (created and performed by Chris Manley and Jeff Seal) became the show that had me laughing so hard that I was literally wheezing.  Truthfully, if I gave you a rundown of everything they did in their act it would sound like I’m describing a show where two crazy lunatics mostly run around the stage for around an hour performing foolish antics, emitting crazy noises, flipping themselves around like pinballs and telling nonsensical stories – all for a laugh.  But you know how some people open their mouth to hit a high note and it sounds like a screech – but when Pavarotti did the same thing it was magic?  Yeah. That’s Neon Lights.  Somehow, they’ve found the magic.  Or – as they would tell you – the Magik.

Make no mistake.  As wild as Manley and Seal get you can see the layers of mastery encoded in everything they do.  There is no doubt that they’ve practiced, worked and reworked their craft to such a fine point that they are now able to let it fly with abandon, knowing they’ll hit the mark … the same way Annie Oakley knew she’d shoot a hole through that playing card from 90 feet away.  It’s all in the timing.

Manley and Seal start out at an almost unbelievably fast pace as they burst into the venue – they don’t let up, they don’t miss a beat, and they have the type of comic repartee that is reminiscent of a trapeze act – we can only watch in awe as they throw the jokes higher and higher and then be amazed each time they land safely at the intended mark.

This team plays brilliantly off each other, but generously gives each other the floor to showcase a talent.  For instance, Jeff Seal does an amazing impression of a Mime impersonating Robert DeNiro pretending he’s rollerblading.  And Chris Manley keeps the audience amused far longer than you’d expect with nothing but his Hello Kitty calendar and some month-by-month commentary.  It shouldn’t work – nothing about a grown man standing alone on stage with a calendar describing the pictures should work – but it had the audience howling with laughter.

Director Danny Manley knows how to let this duo break the speed limit but then also understands when it’s time to slow down the pace to give both the performers as well as the audience a chance to catch up – as well as catch their breath.  Luckily the slower bits contain just as many laughs, minus the turbo charge.

Hanging out with Neon Lights is like spending a night with your really good friends when you’re slightly buzzed and suddenly everything is funny – absolutely everything – and you’re laughing so hard that you get a stitch in your side.  Later, you may not remember exactly what it was that made you laugh so hard – and you may get blank stares when you try to explain it to people who weren’t there, but you know that these guys gave you one of the best nights of your life.

Yesterday was opening night.  Tonight – closing night.  I seriously don’t think you’ll find a better way to spend your Sunday — so get your tickets now.

~~~

Related Posts:

• Wing-Man Soars (Amuse Bouche – NY Clown Theatre Festival)
• Morro And Jasp GONE WILD – No More Stops Left To Pull Out (Amuse Bouche NY Clown Theatre Festival)
• VCR Love – Where Do You Go When You’re Alone?
• Barry Lubin: From Grandma To Wing-Man
• Mark Gindick Explains The Serious Business Of Clowning Around

Morro and Jasp Gone Wild is what happens to two teen sisters when, on their way to the beach for Spring Break, they take a wrong turn and find themselves with a wrecked car, a trunk full of props, a book outlining Maslow’s Theory of Hierarchy some possibly mood altering substances, and the threat of being eaten (or possibly just cuddled) by a wild animal.

So, a quick run-down on Morro (Heather Marie Annis) and Jasp (Amy Lee) for the uninitiated  – (“the uninitiated” being anyone who didn’t happen to catch their show Morro and Jasp do Puberty at last year’s Clown Festival).  They are sisters.  They are squarely plunked down on opposite ends of the spectrum: Jasp is a girly wide eyed innocent who dreams of have a romantic … dare I say romantical … encounter at the beach a la Sandy from Grease with the boy of her dreams while her sister, Morro is a hard core tom boy rock and roll party girl who couldn’t care less about romance.  She just wants to drink some smuggled beer, and have some fun with her team as they compete in a “Save the Fish” volleyball tournament.  While both sisters have different reasons propelling them they share the same frenzied desire to get to the beach.  To GO WILD.  It’s just your basic teen story of raging hormones as two sisters live the dream, mark off the milestones, and let the chaotic hilarity ensue when it all goes wrong.  Except, you know … they’re clowns.

 

So the question is – are young, eager, exploring clown girls-gone-wild any different than non-clown girls on Spring Break?  And the answer is …um … yeah.  First of all, they’re clowns.  Secondly, their version of “Gone Wild” is COMPLETELY DIFFERENT than what you’re thinking.  Under Byron Laviolette’s direction when clowns go wild by the end of it they’re covered in banana mush, beer, water, mushroom mush and … oh I’m sure other things.  Things I’m not necessarily sure I’d like to understand.  Also, when clowns go wild they ask for audience participation, apparently.  A LOT of it.  But we’ll get to that in a minute.

The road trip starts off like any classic road trip … with a radio battle.   With little more than a few volleys we get an immediate snapshot of who these gals are … Jasp is all Spice Girls / Cher while her sister Morro is Nirvana cranked loud and accompanied by crafty air-guitar.  When Jasp does a fantastic word for word sing-along of TLC’s Waterfalls (not the easy part … not the part we all know … the TRICKY part) and Morro remarks “How do you know that???” we get a perfect snapshot of Jasp as she replies “I spent a few days in my room learning it and I’m going to teach it to you and all your friends on this trip”.  This is an absolutely brilliant moment; clown nose or not we’ve just been given an E-Z Pass to the toll booth of this girl’s heart.

The fight  for radio dominance soon gives way to full on flashback as the girls recount the moment that got them to this trip.  Quicker than you can say “rest stop” the gals get themselves into a jam when they crash the car in the middle of nowhere with nothing but beer, Maslow, suitcase items, and condoms to help them out of their jam.  Hell, their little cell phone doesn’t even work.  Good thing they can borrow yours.

As the evening progresses each performer’s style crystallizes; Lee’s Jasp is a sweet, intellectual wide-eyed type of funny and she comes with a few bells and whistles which are crowd pleasers (a moment when she throws her voice is so astonishing that the audience was brought up short in full-on admiration).  Annis’ Morro is much more of a physical comic; she bends and twists to exaggerate her point and seems to continually find herself the recipient of an action which requires her to throw herself on the floor.

There’s a solid chemistry between the two performers, they trust each other on stage – that’s obvious – and play well off each other.  What would have made Morro and Jasp Gone Wild a slicker production for me would have been more of that interaction and far less audience participation.  Actually – NO audience participation would have given the show much better pacing.  Every time the lights went up it was like hitting a speed bump.

I find it’s always a mixed bag when audience members are asked to take center stage.   There are always three ways this can go.  1: The person chosen winds up being a total dud – gamely playing along, but a dud all the same – and whatever momentum the performance had has now been lost.   Or 2: the person chosen winds up being so self-conscious that they begin to over act, mugging wildly like a little caged bee which forces the actual performer to backpedal just to keep the bit running on course.   Best case scenario would be option 3: the person chosen just happens to know how to be a prop, nothing more, and assists the actors well enough so that the story moves forward.  Once their part is done, they meld back into the audience seamlessly without thinking everyone is staring at them (no one is).

The performance I caught had someone from each category.  I couldn’t help feeling that at those moments the talented women whose performances I was enjoying had just been hijacked by … well … audience members.

Still there is no doubt that the team of Morro and Jasp are laugh-out-loud funny; they have a way of making somewhat taboo things completely acceptable to laugh at and there were times I couldn’t believe that things which usually have me rolling my eyes were bringing forth huge, unladylike like brays of laughter.  And really, in the end, that’s the most important thing.  Some things will hit, some things might miss, but overall Morro and Jasp Gone Wild delivers as promised.  If you’re looking for wild … you’ll find it here.

~~~

Related Posts:

• Wing-Man Soars (Amuse Bouche – NY Clown Theatre Festival)
• Neon Lights – Brighter Than The Sun … And Twice As Funny (Amuse Bouche – NY Clown Theatre Festival)
• VCR Love – Where Do You Go When You’re Alone?
• Barry Lubin: From Grandma To Wing-Man
• Mark Gindick Explains The Serious Business Of Clowning Around

Remember the days before DVR and instant streaming NetFlix when, if you wanted to watch TV you sorta had to watch whatever was on?  Yeah . . . good times.

An afternoon of  TV was an eclectic mixed bag of cooking shows, public access chat fests and random syndicated sitcoms. Now imagine that it’s the future – the end of the world  . . .and there IS NO TV.  Except there is.  Well, kinda.  That is . . . there are these two gals, see?  And they’re the only gals left alive.  And they find you there one day and they figure they’ll entertain you by putting on the TV.  But you read the part about them being the only gals left on the planet, right?  So TV is an eclectic mixed bag of . . . cooking shows, public access chat fests and random syndicated sitcoms.  I’ve seen the future, and it is my past — eerily similar to  Saturday, May 21, 1988 . . . the day my first boyfriend broke up with me and I spent the day staring at the TV and chain smoking Virginia Slims.  But I digress.

Channel One stars the team James and JF (Emily James and Ishah Janssen-Faith) who also created this piece.   No doubt about it, these two ladies have winning comedic timing, both alone and together.  They each come to the party with a arsenal of characters in their sack and each personification is as convincing as it is varied.  There’s Latin Spitfire, Monica (Janssen-Faith), host of “He’s Your Man Now”, who likes to play something she calls a “game show” which is really nothing more than a prank call to her ex-lovers’ current girlfriends.  There’s German Heidi (James) who orders her assistant Nicole around in between a cleverly hacked apart “Love The One You’re With” which she sings while accompanying herself on the accordion.  There’s Karla (JF), the chef who creates a miraculous dish made of  . . . okay . . . she chops stuff up and throws it in a pan.  And there’s Happy Deepdown (James) who’s  just so . . .well, gosh darn-it, this chick is Happy.  And man, can she channel that spirit that’s inside of you and catch it with that little dream catcher she waves around.

James and JF play well off each other as well as with the audience.   They interact with their viewers often, and while your participation may vary they know how to work their group to get the desired outcome.

Some bits could be tightened up a bit, there are a few pacing issues, and every so often something bizarre happens that, when I saw the show, evoked titters rather than full on gaffaws since the audience wasn’t sure  if something was being played seriously or for laughs.  (A clue – this is Clown Fest).  Over all, however, even at their corniest (a very long good bye . . . see ya . . . peace out . . .) these two have a twinkle in their eye and a jaunt in their step that draws you in and makes you want to spend time with them.  Or, you know . . . about an hour.

Only 3 performances – and I saw the 2nd one . . .  meaning last one is tonight, kiddies.  So lay down the remote and tune in to the one channel that the future has left for you – Channel One.

~~~

Related Posts:

• Hula Hell Is Miss Saturn – The Whirling Dervish Of Fun (Clown Festival)
• VCR Love – Where Do You Go When You’re Alone?
• Wing-Man Soars (Amuse Bouche – NY Clown Theatre Festival)
• Neon Lights – Brighter Than The Sun … And Twice As Funny (Amuse Bouche – NY Clown Theatre Festival)
• Morro And Jasp GONE WILD – No More Stops Left To Pull Out (Amuse Bouche NY Clown Theatre Festival)

Miss Saturn (Photo by Paule Saviano)

Hula Hell Is Miss Saturn? you ask?  Or, to rephrase a bit . . . Who The Hell Is Miss Saturn? you ask?

That’s me giving you an assist on how to parse the title, since (quite frankly) until Miss Saturn herself shouted it from backstage it wasn’t quite as punny to my ear. That’s okay – I’m sure Miss Saturn (given name: Jennifer McGowan) is fine with me facilitating her in this instance, since a lot of her act relies on the audience’s willingness to actively participate in a good half of the performance.  If you’re up for the task, Hula Hell is a helluva good time.

Less of a ‘show’ and more of an ‘experience’ Hula Hell comes off like an hour spent with that favorite babysitter – the one who did everything in her power to make sure that while you were with her you were thoroughly amused.  Saturn works her butt off to make sure everyone in the audience is engaged, happy, loosened up, and just having a hoopy good time.  Heck, she even gifts everyone in the audience with an invisible hula hoop of their very own that she first lets you test drive from the comfort of your own seat.  She seems to have an endless bag of tricks and when all else fails (or falls) she relies on the broad back of her considerable personality to carry the audience over to the next  hula scenario.  The result is charmingly homespun.

My only complaint (and I do have one) is that when Miss Saturn actually gets down to hula hooping she’s amazing at what she does, and I could have done with a lot more of it – and a lot sooner.  In fact, Miss Saturn doesn’t really move past crazy stunt hoops and funny spiels (A Contest ladies and gents!) until very close to the end when (quite frankly) having not really seen too many skills I wasn’t sure what to expect.

Photo by Paule Saviano

But then!!  . . . When all those hoops are whizzing, whirling, spinning and swirling -  it’s a thing of beauty.  This is one gal who has perfected the art – and her gravitational pull is so strong that she has these rings doing things I didn’t think were possible.  Which is not to say I’m only asking for serious hooping here – when she did a bit that involved spinning madly while an audience member chased her around adding more and more hoops to the dozens she was already spinning on her body I was laughing so hard that I actually had blurry vision.  (Does this happen to anyone else?)

So – without a doubt – I’m a new devoted follower.  I’m just suggesting that from a pacing standpoint, getting a taste a little earlier in the game would have engaged me sooner.  (Though Saturn coming out into the audience and personally introducing herself to everyone before climbing right between me and my husband and becoming part of our “sandwich” did go a long way in getting us all pretty familiar!)

Miss Saturn herself is enticing, magnetic, attractive and alluring – a field of gravity unto herself.  So it’s no wonder hoops run rings around her almost of their own accord.  Similarly, her gravitational pull draws in the audience – though she works her considerable charms to make sure everyone gets a bit of a shout out.  I left Hula Hell Is Miss Saturn not only entertained, but feeling as if I’d made a friend.

This show did, perhaps, exactly what it was intended to do – it put Miss Saturn on my radar, got me excited about hula hoops again, and made me want to find out where I can see her perform again.  So while this show itself may come off a little less polished and a little more folksy than others, it sure does answer the question it poses.  I left knowing EXACLY Hula Hell Miss Saturn is – she’s a Freakin Force of Nature.  And having seen her on a day that a tornado touched down in Brooklyn – that’s saying a lot.

~~~

Related Posts:

• There’s Only One Channel – Channel One (Clown Festival)
• VCR Love – Where Do You Go When You’re Alone?
• Wing-Man Soars (Amuse Bouche – NY Clown Theatre Festival)
• Neon Lights – Brighter Than The Sun … And Twice As Funny (Amuse Bouche – NY Clown Theatre Festival)
• Morro And Jasp GONE WILD – No More Stops Left To Pull Out (Amuse Bouche NY Clown Theatre Festival)

So excited to report that if you didn’t get a chance to see Last Life you now have 2 more chances since the show has been extended! Make sure to get to one of the last 2 performances of this outrageous, strange, wonderful show!

Last Life
Presented by Big Time Action Theatre
Fight Directed by Rod Kinter
Directed by Timothy Haskell

In a borderless, burnt out world the few remaining inhabitants are at the end of a long, indefinable war. The survivors, not knowing what they are even fighting for, vow to destroy each other and wrest control for what remains. The new fightsical from the creator of Road House: The Stage Play starring Taimak (of the legendary fight film, The Last Dragon).

~~~

Related Posts:

• An Interview With Fight Fest Curator Timothy Haskell
• Last Life Just Won’t Die – And That’s A Good Thing
• Fight Fest: Wham, Bam, Thank You “Last Life”
• VCR Love – Where Do You Go When You’re Alone?
• Wing-Man Soars (Amuse Bouche – NY Clown Theatre Festival)

Life isn’t all fun and games – every now and then you’ve gotta take a swing at someone … even if it’s only in your mind.  And face it, once you’re off the playground, it usually is all in your mind.  (Take THAT Mister Tourist with your 3 kids and your huge knapsack blocking the subway door!  YES, you CAN transfer for the #2 train at 14th. Now quit asking everyone and get outta my way!)  So what’s a gal to do?  Sure, you can go lose yourself in a movie with a multi-million dollar budget, but when you know all that punching and kicking and brawling is probably being handled by stunt doubles who know how to play to the right camera angles, it’s hard to really feel that emotional satisfaction.  You want to put yourself in a story where you can not only imagine yourself as the hero, sucker punching and bitch slapping your way through Act One, but where you can actually see guys falling to the ground and feel the vibration of it in your seat.  You want to go to a festival that fills the pow-wham-socko void that I know I’ve been feeling.

Well, you’re not the only one.  The Brick Theater, Inc. in association with Art Meets Commerce has heard your silent plea and starting December 1st they will be presenting Fight Fest – a rock ‘em sock ‘em good time that, in some opinions, gives this cheery holiday season exactly what it needs – a place where you can vicariously shake out that punch that’s been rolling up your fist all day.

I got a few minutes from Timothy Haskell — curator of the Festival as well as director of Last Life (which was written by Eric Sanders who gave me a scary good time last winter at The Wendigo).  You may have seen Timothy’s name plastered all over those Nightmare: Vampires posters this past Halloween season.

I couldn’t wait to ask Timothy some questions about what Fight Fest was all about … but first …

KTL: First of all, I just have to tell you that during the last few months, that poster for Nightmare Haunted House scared the hell out of me.  Before we get into Fight Fest, can you tell me a little bit about that project?

TH: Nightmare just completed its sixth year. It started in the LES in 2003 at CSV [The Clemente Soto Vélez Cultural & Educational Center] on Suffolk Street. This past season it moved to NOHO at 623 Broadway.  It is a big, theatrical, truly scary Halloween attraction.  40,000 people walked through it this past season.  Every year it is themed differently, this year it was Nightmare Vampires, next year will be Nightmare Superstitions.  It started off as a very small, very theatrical spook house that ran for only 7 days.  It has become increasingly popular and now runs for 37 days from the end of September through the first week of November.  The sets, props and special effects are much more lavish now, but the spirit of it is the same.

KTL: Fight Fest – what a great idea for a festival.  In the past year I’ve gotten a lot of head-shots in the press kits and actors are always featuring “stage combat” prominently on their resumes.  It’s to the point where I look for it first, now —  or when I see 2 people sparring I always think “ahh … Stage Combat”.  Is that what Fight Fest is celebrating?  Or is it really something else totally?

TH: People are incorporating stage combat into their productions more and more now because it adds a level of excitement to the theatre that audiences are craving.  I have always said that most people would rather spend their money on a bad action movie then a good play, so bringing some of those populist ideas to such an intimate setting brings in a  whole new audience that gets excited by such things.  It has become very important for actors to have these skills whether it be for the movies or for the stage, but the fight directors have been largely unrecognized.  These productions don’t exist without them.  This festival in many ways is a celebration of this new, electric, populist theatre that people are very excited about, as well as an opportunity to acknowledge all of the brilliant fight directors who are the driving forces behind them.  I know with my production, the very clever Rod Kinter offers so much more than kicks and punches to  a bunch of fights.  He is telling a story.  Sometimes with humor or sadness, or what have you but it is always incredibly visceral. I couldn’t do it without him, nor could any of these other productions without their fight directors.

KTL: You’re not only the curator of the Festival, but you’re directing one of the productions as well – Last Life (written by Eric Sanders).  So, chicken and egg style – which came first?  Did you want to do the show and then realized you could build a festival around shows like this one?  Or did you decide on the festival and then find Last Life just happen to fit the bill?

TH: Michael Gardner and I have been discussing doing a festival of this nature for a couple of years now. Along with the great folks at Vampire Cowboys we finally said “we are going to do this” and we did.  I decided I wanted to help mount a festival first, but that doesn’t mean that my idea for Last Life didn’t predate it.  I had this show in my head for awhile, but not necessarily to be done in some festival that i was going to produce.  It seemed like the right time to do it, of course, so here it is.

KTL: How hard has it been pulling double duty as curator as well as director?  It sounds like you’d never sleep while getting this all together.

TH: To be honest, this has been a slow burn.  Helping get the word out and building the audience for the fest has been more time consuming as of late of course, but the curating happened at the beginning of the summer, so it has never been too overwhelming.  I am very happy with the shows we have selected and perhaps the most overwhelming thing will be seeing them all because I absolutely plan on doing that.

KTL: Last Life is billed as a “Fightsical”.  First of all – LOVE that.  Just the word alone send rapid fire images through my brain – starting with the rumble in West Side Story.  So one has to ask – is a fightsical a fighting musical?

TH: It’s funny because I coined the phrase a number of years ago when I did Road House.  In fact David Cote from Time Out NY helped me narrow it down (I think I was also thinking brawlpera or brawlsical). at the time no one had really attempted to do a  production with quite so much fighting in it.  There were plays with battles, always have been, but none where the m/o of the production was fisticuffs.  Road House had so many fights in it that it felt like they were cropping up every 5 minutes or so, breaking the dialogue, bridging scenes and characters in very much the same way musical numbers do in a musical.  But in this there is no singing or dancing to be had.  Just bloody noses and broken bones.

Timothy Haskell and Taimak Guarriello (Photo by Ariella Goldstein)

KTL:  Ahhh.  I see.  Well, when you put it that way, it really makes sense.  So, this fightsical, Last Life,  features Taimak of “The Last Dragon”.  You’ve worked with him on Road House. Did that make him your natural number one choice as fightsical go-to guy?

TH: Not necessarily. I have done several shows since then, most recently with The Jaded Assassin which holds the record for the amount of fight choreography in it (over 50 minutes), but he was just right for this role.  He is very good in these parts, excellent actually, so in that sense I always consider him, but he still has to be right for the part and for his role in Last Life he absolutely is.

KTL: Do you think you’ve hit the wall with the “fightsical” concept … or do you have other mashups inside you that you’re just waiting for the right moment to unleash?

TH: Every time I do one it is completely different.  I am always exploring a different way to tell the story.  This time the style is very real.  This isn’t as much of a comedy as some of the plays I have done in the past.  I am also working with an incredible playwright in Eric Sanders who totally gets what I am trying to do here. This one is brutal and visceral and in-your-face.  We have challenged ourselves to create the realist fights seen on stage, nothing sensationalized.  I think it will prove to be quite shocking. People are ok with cartoonish fighting, and that is what I have mostly done until now, but this is truth in fighting.  No one wins a fight in this play who couldn’t win it in real life and we use that vocabulary to inform the moves.  I don’t always do fight plays. The last play I did was a two-fister, a very serious drama called Stitching. My next play will not be a fight play, either, but even within that genre there are an infinite number of possibilities.

KTL: Last Question – Bonus Round.  It’s an open question – you can tell me anything you want to tell me.  It can be more about Last Life, something about the Festival in general, or you can take this moment to plug your next project or your favorite cause.  The mic is all yours —

TH: I am working on a one-person show called Sex You (I’m Gonna) starring Nathan Phillips opening in January at Norwood.  Come and check it out if you want to see a play I direct with no fighting. But it is still brutal (brutally funny :-))

KTL: Well, I know what a busy man you are, so I really appreciate you giving us a little background on Fight Fest and Last Life.  Thanks for taking some time to answer my questions and good luck with the Festival!

For anyone interested in more information, we’ll be reviewing some of the Fight Fest shows (including Last Life) but you can find out more by checking out the official website for dates and show times.

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• “Last Life” Gets In Two More Shots
• Last Life Just Won’t Die – And That’s A Good Thing
• Fight Fest: Wham, Bam, Thank You “Last Life”
• Ye Elizabeths – 5 Things To Know About The Show Before You Go (2012 Planet Connections Festivity)
• VCR Love – Where Do You Go When You’re Alone?