Twisted is the latest great ensemble piece to come from the Horse Trade group and once again they deliver a show that lives up to its name. From outlandishly twisted to deviously twisted to simply subtly twisted, each of these five one-acts is served up with a twist.
Going to see The Temperamentals at the end of Pride Month was as deeply stirring as watching a reenactment of the signing of the declaration of independence on July 4th, if not more so. Because, while the history of how America fought and won its independence is a story that is well worn, the story of how, long before the Stonewall Riots, a group of men fought for their own personal freedom is one I’d never even heard about before seeing this amazing play.
The Civil Rights movement didn’t happen in one fell swoop; it progressed bit by bit and built on itself event by event. Brown v. The Board of Education beget Rosa Parks and the Montgomery Bus Boycott which paved the way for Martin Luther King, Jr. Similarly, the Gay Rights Movement didn’t burst forth, fully formed, in one great disco-as-wreaking ball through the walls of the Stonewall Inn. By definition, it simply couldn’t. Rather, it started off years earlier with Harry Hay, Rudi Gernreich, and a manifesto which became The Mattachine Society. The Temperamentals is the play which tells their story.
"The Office"--Cast of Richard Hymes-Esposito's THIS ISN'T PARADISE (Photo Credit: NuansArt.com)
This Isn’t Paradise is so much like Glengarry Glen Ross that it could have been written by David Mamet himself. That is … if David Mamet had fallen down a well and lost his memory. And his ability to write a play. And when he crawled out of the well all he found in his pocket was a wad of cocktail napkins with scribbles on them which said Follow up on that real estate story … Don’t forget all that trademark cursing … and the trademark misogyny. Then Mamet took all the cocktail napkins and gave them to the guy who wrote Gigli and said Here, finish this up for me.
Photo by: Jane Srisarakorn
The lovely Kat Asharya from my favorite fashion (music, pop culture, et al) blog NGFM.com talks about her film making, what’s in store for NGFM and where she goes for a BLT.
Name: Kat Asharya
Occupation: Filmmaker/writer/blogger
Borough/Neighborhood: Harlem/Morningside Heights
In Memorium
This was supposed to be a review for reasons to be pretty (written by Neil LaBute, directed by Terry Kinney, starring Thomas Sadoski, Marin Ireland, Steven Pasquale and Piper Perabo). A very late review, no doubt, but not every reviewer has the luxury of seeing a Broadway show while it’s still in previews. Sometimes a reviewer needs to wait until someone wins an extra pair of tickets and graciously passes them along to her … which is how I came by my tickets. So, if you’re looking for a review I’m going to direct you to a terrific review of reasons to be pretty by David Stallings of The Fab Marquee. If you’re looking for my reasons why good shows can’t survive on The Great White Way these days, then please keep reading …
It all started last week when I got this call:
Article by Stephen Tortora-Lee
After more than 20 years of being out of commission the High Line is “back on track” in New York’s collective consciousness. The High Line has been transformed from an abandoned elevated freight railroad track into a beautiful aerial park with plenty of room for New Yorkers to relax and enjoy native greenery, rolling benches, an outdoor auditorium, outdoor art installations and an interactive water cooled sidewalk (All photos courtesy of Inhabitat’s story on the High Line’s opening). One of the most significant aspects of this new development is that community activism helped create and shape this unique re-use of abandoned industrial infrastructure; helping to give easy access to this sprawling, comforting greenway in New York.
… my mom grounded me for getting a speeding ticket … so I peed in her shampoo …
… I only make friends with ugly people …
… I am sleeping with 2 married men … I am a married man myself …
… I will die NEVER having been loved …
… I dread coming home to my daughter and husband every day …
Wow. Heavy stuff. Stuff I did not make up. Stuff that can be found on a confessional website where people unloaded their deepest secrets anonymously. Secrets that were then gather up, assembled, and made into Bigger than I, written collectively by Counting Squares Theatre, directed by Nick Sprysenski and currently playing at UNDER St. Marks.
Guest blogger Karla Vizcarra gives us eight reasons to hit up Ernest Concepcion’s solo art show.
Ode to odin, oil and ink on canvas, 48" x 60," 2006.
There are approximately 8 reasons why you have to go to see this show (If you only need one, see number 8).
I tend to like it best when language is used precisely … I get annoyed when I’m trying to say that something is futile and all I can think to say is hopeless. I care about nuance; futile and hopeless may live in the same neighborhood of language, but they’re blocks away from each other, in my mind. The other day I came across someone who used “alas” in place of “luckily” (“I really needed some frozen yogurt and alas! I suddenly saw a Pinkberry.” Whaaaat???). It upset me so much that I had to write to a friend and complain.
So the idea of being hit by a car and losing my power of precise speech (a condition called Aphasia) is as awful, to me, as, say … the star quarterback being told he’ll walk with a limp for the rest of his life. Unthinkable. Devastating.
Which brings us to Night Sky by Susan Yankowitz – directed by Daniella Topol and currently playing at The Rose Nagelberg Theater at Baruch Performing Arts Center.
Anna (Jordan Baker) is a busy lady … she’s an astronomy teacher who ponders the great wonders of the universe on a daily basis; she’s been recognized by her peers for her work, she’s an intellectual. Her signifiacant other, Daniel, (Jim Stanek) is a singer of opera, and her teen-aged daughter Jennifer (Lauren Ashley Carter) is … well, we’ll get to Jenny-Jen-Jennifer later.
I love that Ciara Elend loves Queens. She shares this love through chocolate bars, tshirts andteaching others to create. Her vintage style designs are unique, urbane and totally soft to the skin. (My well worn Sunnyside tshirt can attest to that.) She’s community minded and eco-conscious to boot.
Name: Ciara Elend
Occupation: Graphic Artist
Borough/Neighborhood: Live in Sunnyside, have art studio in L.I.C.
Tell us a little about Ciara Couture and Queensbound… how did you get started? My American-made graphic tees fuse unique modern graphics with old-school block printing techniques. I currently offer two graphic tshirt collections.
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