by Karen Tortora-Lee on May 13, 2010
COMPANY XIV (photo by Cristina Ramirez Hirst)
Can you die from too much beauty? Probably not. But if you could, I came close to doing so as I watched Company XIV “A mixed media Neo-Baroque dance-theatre company” spin Le Cirque Féerique (The Fairy Circus) into being in front of my dazzled eyes last weekend. The show consists of a series of fairy tales choreographed and directed by Austin McCormick, written and adapted by Austin McCormick and Jeff Takacs, and conceived by Austin McCormick and Zane Pihlstrom and runs till June 6th.
In an unassuming building on Bond Street in Brooklyn where Company XIV makes their home you will find the most unusual matrix of Music, Mystery, and Magic. That’s right, I said Brooklyn. And hold on to your hats, folks, because in the next few paragraphs I’m also going to say things akin to “Frog Prince”, “Madonna”, “Cinderella”, “Carmen”, and “Balloons”. Yes – it’s THAT kind of show.
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by Karen Tortora-Lee on May 13, 2010
There are two kinds of die hard New Yorkers. Those who were born here and will never leave, and those who came here to escape small towns . . . and will never leave. If you’re reading this, chances are you’re one of those two, and if you’re the latter then Barrier Island will remind you of home, but may also remind you how far from home you’ve come.
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by Karen Tortora-Lee on May 11, 2010
I always imagined that my perfect husband would be a native New Yorker, probably a few years older than me. He would be working at a media company of some sort, have the same obsession with pop culture that I do, he would be neat (or neatish . . . definitely not a slob), always on time, probably of Italian decent, probably a little too into gender stereotypes (but I’d learn to live with it). I imagined him as a dog person – maybe he even owned one already. I also assumed he probably would never take me to the theatre and I’d wind up going alone, or not going at all once I was married.
That was my list.
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by Karen Tortora-Lee on May 9, 2010
The Happiest Medium would like to wish all the Moms, all the children of moms, and all the fans of TV Moms a happy day today.
Feeling Nostalgic for Carol Brady, or even Peg Bundy? Then check this out:
June Cleaver, Claire Huxtable, Peg Bundy and Carol Brady
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by Karen Tortora-Lee on April 22, 2010
Harlem
Langston In Harlem - photo by Melinda Hall
by Langston Hughes
What happens to a dream deferred?
Does it dry up
like a raisin in the sun?
Or fester like a sore—
And then run?
Does it stink like rotten meat?
Or crust and sugar over—
like a syrupy sweet?
Maybe it just sags
like a heavy load.
Or does it explode?
Right now, for just a few weeks more, you can treat yourself to the vibrant poetry of Langston Hughes, the lush music of Walter Marks, and the talented voices of the ensemble cast of Langston in Harlem because this musical is going on at Urban Stages until May 2nd. (Play by Langston Hughes, Walter Marks and Kent Gash, music by Walter Marks, lyrics by Langston Hughes music production by Barry Levitt, choreography by Byron Easley and directed by Kent Gash).
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by Karen Tortora-Lee on April 20, 2010
Full disclosure – I went to Heathcliff Entertainment’s production of The House of Yes (written by Wendy MacLeod and directed by Brandt Reiter) full of anticipation. The movie of the same name (based on MacLeod’s play) had long been my litmus test; if someone loved the film as much as I did, then I knew we’d be friends. If someone didn’t get it . . . well, let’s just say we didn’t exchange holiday cards after that.
So seeing one of my favorite movies in its original form on stage was, I knew, going to be great fun for me. And this production, starring Jonathan Blakeley as Marty, Tommy Heleringer as Anthony, Marcia Everitt as Mrs. Pascal, Zoë Swenson as Jackie-O, and Hilary Bettis as Lesly lived up to my expectations and more. Still, this is a story with a lot of bite so before you go I suggest you arrive prepared. (Don’t worry, no spoilers ahead).
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by Karen Tortora-Lee on April 17, 2010
I haven’t seen a really good on-stage comedy in a while, so when I heard about No Tea Production’s latest show called Poppycock (written and directed by Jeremy Mather) playing at Under Saint Marks I can definitely say I was excited to see what the evening had in store.
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by Karen Tortora-Lee on April 11, 2010
I think it’s happened to all of us; there’s that one great memory – a perfectly time phrase at just the right moment, or a they’ll-never-believe-this experience you shared with someone, or a you-had-to-be-there anecdote that left the two of you shaking with laughter. Years later you bring up the treasure to your partner in crime with a face-splitting grin: “Hey, remember the time we . . .” only to be greeted with a blank stare. They shake their head, look confused, eyes are vacant . . . no, no . . . they can’t remember. Are you SURE it was them? You start retelling the whole thing in earnest, hoping something will spark their memory but suddenly even though it’s just like yesterday for you, for your friend the moment is gone and might as well have never happened. It leaves you with almost the opposite of deja vu, not a “this happened before” moment, but a “did it really happen?” moment. Now imagine a world where everyone is losing their language; words they said to you just moments ago suddenly become meaningless to them. And if the word becomes meaningless so does the concept. And therefore, so does the conversation. And soon, possibly the whole delicate framework of your relationship begins to lose its meaning. And you can’t do a thing to make them remember . . . so you might as well have experienced it all alone. For all intents and purposes, the whole history of your existence is lost.
Click Here To Read My Interview With Playwright Sarah Myers
Stepping foot into The Realm (written by Sarah Myers and directed by Jessica Fisch) is a little like that experience, and a little like no experience you’ve ever had.
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by Karen Tortora-Lee on April 2, 2010
Mark Twain
There’s a lot of promise in a show entitled “The Mark Twain You Don’t Know” – the expectation of an evening of eye opening hidden gems, new facets to an old chestnut like Twain, and deeper burrowing into the stories that have been given such broad brushstrokes over the years that we think we know them because we read the cliff notes. There’s also a lot of realization in the title – it make you stop and think for a moment . . . sure, I can picture Twain in my head. (Or is that Einstein? Or Colonel Sanders?) But aside from Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn, what else do I really know about him? I had the feeling that what I didn’t know about Twain could fill a book. Or, as luck would have it, a 2 hour one-man-show written, edited and performed by American-born Melbourne actor Chris Wallace now going on at the Richmond Shepard Theatre.
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