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by Karen Tortora-Lee on April 4, 2011
Gay Plays for Straight People (and also gay people) is comprised of two plays which will play in rep brought to you by the new theatre company Purple Rep founded by playwrights Larry Kunofsky and Mariah MacCarthy. The plays - Kunofsky’s The Un-Marrying Project and MacCarthy’s The All-American Genderf*ck Cabaret – will run from April 8-30 at The Paradise Factory (64 East 4th Street between 2nd Ave and Bowery).
Larry and Mariah took some time to answer my questions and give me some straight answers (and also some not-just-straight answers) about what they’re passionate about, how they explore the fuckupedness of both genders, what it means, exactly, to be “un-married”, and how they intend to keep blending it all up in an effort to keep it Purple. Read on …
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by Karen Tortora-Lee on March 30, 2011
These women of the arts hail from different disciplines, but they all have an indomitable spirit and a luminescent spark that makes them amazing human beings who are out there every day, doing amazing work.
Today we continue our series with Jenn Boehm.
The first time I saw Jenn she was standing on the stage at the Planet Connections Festivity Awards Ceremony receiving thunderous applause from the Off-Off Broadway community along with hoots and hollers that filled the theatre that night. She graciously accepted the love. Right away I thought “Gosh, I have no idea who this woman is … but I better get to know her!”
Luckily, I was able to make that “gosh” a reality and while I’m sure there’s much more to learn about Jenn, I’m pleased to say that I’m in a position to do just that. What I can say is that Jenn is many things to many people, but seemingly an endless inspiration to most. Currently she’s the c0-artistic director and managing director of Looking Glass Theatre and has a hand in everything they do from the internship program to each season’s productions.
Well, that’s no small potatoes. Or wait … is it? You see - little did I know Jenn’s story starts not on the boards but in the barns … Jenn came to theatre by way of the farm. Oh, with a stop in pro football along the way. (What?) I better let her explain. Take it away, Jenn -
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by Geoffrey Paddy Johnson on March 23, 2011
There are several occasions during Mimic when performer Raymond Scannell’s kohl-lined eyes look directly out into the audience and rake through the crowd with a malevolent glitter. The moments induce goose bumps, and a magnetic tug that would have you surrender all resistance and follow him willingly towards the heart of darkness he is hinting at in his self-penned monologue.
Seated at a gloss black piano, on a minimally dressed stage, Scannell dazzles with a torrent of language, effortlessly synchronized piano glissandi, and flashes of mimicry brilliance. Julian Neary, however, the character he is playing, the talented mimic of the title, is altogether a more anemic soul, and his audience attentiveness falters throughout a self-absorbed, self-dramatizing narrative. Julian’s eyes glaze over frequently as he recalls parts of his story, and he turns regularly away to face a mirror hanging alongside him. Given his prevailing narcissistic nature, and his present quest, after years as a successful entertainer, to separate a true self from his assumed characters, Julian’s self-absorption is perhaps appropriate. But an hour plus in the company of even the most diverting of narcissists can be taxing and, reflexively, an audience who fail to find anything that reminds them of themselves in that duration, are bound to get restive.
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by Antonio Miniño on March 6, 2011
The Body Politic at 59E59
We asked the producers of The Body Politic at 59E59 to entice us in 59 words to check out their last performance today.
The Off-Broadway debut of At Hand Theatre Company has received some great mentions and satisfied audience members. They think The Happiest Medium readers would like it because:
The number one reason you should see The Body Politic is because it is a fun, clever, romantic comedy. The second big reason is because it closes on Sunday, March 6th! The third reason you should check it out is to see the amazing cast of Matt Boston, Eve Danzeisen, Brian Dykstra, Daren Kelly, Michael Puzzo and Leslie Hendrix!
Final performance Sunday, March 6th at 3:15pm
59 East 59th Theaters are located at 59 East 59th Street, New York, NY
Tickets $35.00 (59E59 Members $24.50)
BUY TICKETS
IN PERSON: 59E59 Theaters Box Office
59 East 59th Street (betw. Park & Madison)
BY PHONE: 212-279-4200
ONLINE: www.59E59.org
59E59 Member E:Line 212-753-5959 ext. 104
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by Antonio Miniño on February 1, 2011
Tessa LaNeve
Tessa LaNeve is the Literary Manager and Director of The Primary Stages and Anne Einhorn School of Performing Arts. She was kind enough to answer some questions in the middle of auditions for their next semester and planning DETENTION, a new performance series she will speak more of.
What is ESPA? When was it formed and with what goal?
The Primary Stages Marvin and Anne Einhorn School of Performing Arts (ESPA) developed organically from a collection of in-house playwriting classes at Primary Stages to a formalized multidisciplinary institution with fully formed departments in acting, writing, and directing. Since its 2007 inception, the school has housed over 1100 students and boasted a faculty of award-winning professional artists. The school has refined actors who have been seen on and off-Broadway, developed writers whose work has won awards and received workshops and productions, and ultimately crafted emerging artists on their road to professional success. With the naming of the school in 2010, ESPA emerged as a leading educational institution, offering an extensive array of opportunities for students to collaborate and showcase themselves on the New York stage.
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by Karen Tortora-Lee on December 27, 2010
When I was a little girl there was nothing I wanted to see more than Mummenschanz at the Bijou Theatre. To me it appeared to be a magical, strange show that made no sense yet appealed to me in ways I couldn’t put into words. Which was possibly the point, as Mummenschanz was a completely wordless production of a string of vingettes using a form of theatre that eclipsed mime but obviously paved the way for Blue Man Group.
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by Karen Tortora-Lee on November 1, 2010
It’s not every day that The Henson Foundation takes an interest in your work – but then again, it’s not every day that man takes flight either.
The first time man conquered the air was when Alberto Santos-Dumont flew the first controlled airship. Despite the fact that – at the time – Santos-Dumont was one of the most famous men in the world, his legacy – and his story – has been overshadowed by that of the Wright Brothers.
This is where Tony Chiroldes comes in. For years now, Chiroldes has been perfecting the art of telling this particular story as meticulously as the man himself worked to perfect the art of flying. Chiroldes’ play, Before Icarus Fell, has made a long journey, but this week it alights briefly at the Studio Theatre at Theatre Row.
Tony took a moment during this busy week to tell me about his journey . . .
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by Karen Tortora-Lee on November 1, 2010
“A good review is never good enough . . . a bad review is devastating . . .”
Critical Mass (written by Joanne Sydney Lessner and directed by Donald Brenner) exposes a dirty little secret of reviewers: for some critics, reviewing is a bloodsport. For those critics who are out for blood, the review itself is an arena for them to not only grind their ax, but to then wield it in an effort to deliver that final blow that will not only cripple an artist’s confidence but – in some cases – kill their entire career as well. Some critics approach their job with a delicious sense of malevolent relish – the more they dislike what they are seeing, hearing, reading or otherwise reviewing the higher they construct their dark tower from which to throw their prey, waiting in anticipation for that satisfying SPLAT at the end of the long fall.
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by Karen Tortora-Lee on August 20, 2010
Carl Andress
One of the first interviews I ever did as an “official” theatre reviewer was with Carl Andress who was not only charming and lovely but also heaps of fun to chat with. Back then he was directing Charles Busch and Kathleen Turner in The Third Story which was a show that highlighted the talent of everyone involved. I have nothing but enormous respect for Carl as a director.
Well, I’m happy that I have another reason to interview this wonderful gentleman because Carl Andress is at it again, teaming up with Charles Busch to do The Divine Sister. We recently sat down to talk about the fun of doing an homage to some of Hollywood’s best nuns, and the great actresses who played them.
Along the way, Carl also explains what it’s like to do theatre for the pure joy of it, he give some advice to the Fringe crowd on the smartest way to get a show produced these days, and he enlightens me about a simple little device that has changed his life . . .
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by Sarah V. Schweig on June 6, 2010
Who would you bring to Othello? Someone you love? Someone you once loved?
Summer. Not exactly the time of year a New Yorker wants to venture into Hell’s Kitchen on a Friday night. Tourists. Bad smells. Bad-smelling tourists. Every out-of-towner at this time of year wants to get drunk, screw one another, and go to musicals. And the Friday I was slated to see Oberon Ensemble’s production of Othello, directed by Cara Reichel, was no exception.
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