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by Karen Tortora-Lee on May 3, 2012
There is a very telling moment which comes two thirds of the way into Mariah MacCarthy’s play The Foreplay Play which is currently being produced by CAPS LOCK THEATRE at a site-specific location (WAY off-off Broadway) in Williamsburg. This dramedy about the tension which builds between two couples as they tentatively (and sometimes not so tentatively) lay the foundation for a night of orgiastic bliss has many titillating moments, but the one which encapsulated this show for me was probably the least sexual of the night.
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by Karen Tortora-Lee on March 8, 2012
Even casual readers of The Happiest Medium know that when it comes to Company XIV and Austin McCormick I am reduced to a screaming fan-girl. I am older, of course -not a girl, so my screaming is done on the inside (most of the time), but when it comes to this neo-baroque dance ensemble everything about them makes my heart race, my temperature elevate and my eyes tear up. Every time I walk through the doors of the theatre at Bond Street I shiver with antici ————————-pation about what will greet me – for here I have seen the most dazzling pieces of multi-media theatre I have ever experienced. EVER.
This week Company XIV has been holding a workshop where Austin McCormick, Laura Careless and guest instructors have been showing gifted dancers the Company XIV way. I will be moderating a discussion with Austin from 1.15pm-3pm tomorrow, Friday, March 9 at the Company XIV studio at 303 Bond Street, Brooklyn. If you’re free, come on down. If you’re busy – break your plans. Because after you read this, you’ll want to see this man in person.
I was lucky enough to be able to sit in on the workshop Tuesday afternoon and even though I was there for hours the time flew and my mind raced as I was captivated by what I saw unfold before me. This opportunity was like a dream come true – akin to (I can only imagine) being able to go to spring training if you love baseball. It’s watching your idol, your hero, behind the curtain, in the process of creating magic in a way that few ever get to experience.
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by Stephen Tortora-Lee on March 3, 2012
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.
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by Karen Tortora-Lee on November 5, 2011
Temperatures were rising last night at the first evening of the two part celebration for Doc Wasabassco’s 7th Anniversary Extravaganza. The blazing hot belles were ravishing, revealing and resplendant as they strutted, sauntered and slowly stripped their way across the stage of The Bell House last night.
But that was only part of it.
As promised the place was crammed with every type of seductive, suggestive, steamy, spicy, slinky thing you could imagine. Lady Scoutington warmed up the crowd on the main stage with some get up and go-go dancing while out in front Peekaboo Pointe was Pole Dancing and doing things I’d only heard of whispered about in certain circles. She was mesmerizing to say the least.
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by Geoffrey Paddy Johnson on November 4, 2011
With the rise (and rise) of circus performances in the mold of Cirque de Soleil, western audiences have become more familiar with the astounding acts of physical ability acrobats can achieve, and also increasingly with an old school notion of razzle-dazzle to accompany such acts. Sets and costumes have evolved to elaborately frame these displays and a light narrative or theme is invoked to suggest continuity and order. The circus, in the last two decades, has evolved dramatically. Indeed it is safe to say that spectacle is established as the ruling aesthetic for Hollywood, and now Broadway.
Honing close to a tradition that reaches back centuries and, more formally, under the auspices of a state initiative established by the People’s Republic of China in 1950 – when twentieth century political propaganda was at a hysterical pitch internationally – where do such innovations now leave an outfit like The National Acrobats of the People’s Republic of China? This year The National Acrobats are conducting an inaugural tour of the United States (timing, you should understand, would be one of their strong points) and a lucky audience at a performance given at the Brooklyn Center for the Performing Arts were given an opportunity on Saturday, October 29th,to assess.
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by Karen Tortora-Lee on November 3, 2011
If you’re any kind of regular reader of THM then you know that around here we sure love Burlesque. Lucky us! Living in New York City as we do, there is no shortage of fantastic Burlesque performers who constantly and consistently have us hooting and hollering and calling out for more.
Doc Wasabassco by Leland Bobbe
If you, too, are a lover of Burlesque then the name Doc Wasabassco is not new to you. You’ve no doubt seen the Wasabassco name plastered across any number of posters, or perhaps have seen the man himself as he introduces one of his amazing shows.
This weekend marks the Seventh Anniversary of Wasabassco Burlesque. To celebrate, Friday, November 4th and Saturday, November 5th Brooklyn-based Wasabassco Burlesque will present over 40 of Wasabassco’s favorite performers, with over six hours of risqué entertainment guaranteed to blow the roof off The Bell House in Brooklyn.
Among other things there will be a stocking fashion show, a pole dance show-within-a-show, performances by the Outer Borough Brass Band along with striptease, hula hooping, fire eating and more.
Doc Wasabassco took some time to answer a few of my questions before I head out to the big event which begins tomorrow.
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by Karen Tortora-Lee on September 25, 2011
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.
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by Karen Tortora-Lee on September 25, 2011
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.
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by Karen Tortora-Lee on September 24, 2011
Barry Lubin as Grandma
I’ve known Grandma The Clown for as long as I’ve known the Big Apple Circus. Grandma is as much a part of that circus arena as the sawdust and the trapeze rigging. But it wasn’t until I saw the PBS documentary CIRCUS that I got to know Barry Lubin – the man underneath the gray wig and pearls. Meeting Barry Lubin through the six part series was a wonderful way to see exactly how much work goes into making people laugh year after year. It’s no easy job, and the life of a clown is serious business.
Last week I spoke with Mark Gindick about Wing-Man which opens tonight and plays this weekend as part of The Brick’s Amuse Bouche 2011: A NY Clown Theatre Festival Hors d’Oeuvre. Today I follow up that interview by speaking with Barry, who directed the show. I’m thrilled that he was able to share his story with us and give us a glimpse into his world. Read on to find out what it takes to be Mark’s Wing-Man, how Barry makes a 20,000 person venue feel intimate, and how getting out of his own way is when the magic happens. Continue Reading…
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by Karen Tortora-Lee on September 18, 2011
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.
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