by Michelle Augello-Page on May 7, 2012
Actress and Comedian Livia Scott hosts this monthly variety show, where dead celebrities are brought back to life and stellar guest performances contribute to the experience of Livia’s Castle of Enchantment at the UCB Theater East.
I attended Livia’s Castle of Enchantment on Tuesday, April 24, and was pleasantly taken on a whirlwind as Livia morphed into the dead celebrity of the evening: Mike Wallace. Livia’s portrayal as Mike Wallace was as respectful as it was funny and had the crowd laughing throughout the show, highlighting her skills in stand-up, improv, and impersonation.
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by Stephen Tortora-Lee on February 29, 2012
What do cell phones, natural disasters, and the industrial revolution have in common? LOL: The End (written and performed by Michi Ilona Osato, Una Aya Osato, and Yoshimasa “Sen” Osato) sets out to investigate how the world got to where it is, starting with Man’s earliest domination over nature in order to create shelter, and ending with the isolation that can occur as Man becomes more and more enmeshed in the virtual world of hand-held devices. Though there are less than a dozen words squeaked out in this dense multimedia interaction (which includes curated new media samples from YouTube, ultramodern kabukesque pieces of clowning, and interpretive dance) the message of this show is still clearly vital, diversified, and meaningful.
The central push of this piece is to show how our scramble for comfort is never-ending and essentially the more we have the more our smaller problems require higher costs to avoid them. The end of the world has never been so engrossing as with the physical comedy and funny dramatic redirections of the audience by Michi as the personification of Greed with its quest to maintain power over others. She sets us in our place while we have pity for Una’s embodiment of the innocence of the havenots around the world and throughout history.
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by Stephen Tortora-Lee on February 26, 2012
Because Frigid slots are limited to 60 minutes some shows have needed to trim their original running time. Cutting down some of the material can sometimes break a beautifully crafted piece, as you just can’t fit it all in. Not so for Emleigh Wolf who has been bringing The Terrible Manpain of Umberto MacDougal to various audiences on numerous occasions over the last few years, often in small 5-20 minutes sketches at open mics and other venues. At its current Frigid run at UNDER St. Marks, Wolf really shines as these short skits are able to be united and lengthened. While always humorous, putting Umberto in a full narrative with a beginning, a middle, and a triumphant end makes The Terrible Manpain of Umberto MacDougal something that I think we can all identify with by the conclusion of the performance.
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by Karen Tortora-Lee on February 16, 2012
Wendy Herlich is many things, but “awkward” is not one of them. In her new show An Evening of Awkward Romance currently playing at The Tank Ms. Herlich proves that she is not only a gifted writer with the ability to create short sketches which manage to be sweet, funny and (yes) awkward all at once, but she is also a deft comedic actress who can play any number of roles ranging from whimsical to deadpan with equal results: an audience that finds itself erupting in laughter as one scene after the next plays out.
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by Karen Tortora-Lee on December 14, 2011
Three heavy hitters have teamed up on Broadway to give audiences an evening of kinship wrapped in contention with Relatively Speaking: three one-act comedies which cover various forms of familial remedy, rivalry and racket. Four-time Oscar winner Ethan Coen, two-time Oscar nominee Elaine May and multiple award winner Woody Allen each offer up their views on the subject, resulting in short plays which each bear the distinct mark of their unique brand of writing; all delivered under the deft direction of John Turturro.
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by Antonio Miniño on March 3, 2011
Candy Simmons in Scarlet Woman
Simple: if you love a good murder mystery and film noir you will enjoy Scarlet Woman. Matthew Well’s play has more twists and turns than a twizzler, and actresses Candy Simmons and Megan Hill love chewing on that licorice!
Carmine (one of the characters played by Candy Simmons), is a woman who can’t get a recent fire out of her mind, except she can’t really remember the details! Off she goes to find out who killed her father. Her clue? One of his former lovers who sends her off on a wild noir chase to another lover… and that lover to another… and another… you get it. Megan Hill does a great job at physically transforming into the different smokey ladies and even a couple of dandies.
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by Karen Tortora-Lee on August 19, 2010
1001 Nights
Sometimes you just need a break from all the Fringe going on all around you. Alternately, maybe you’re just looking for some good guacamole and chips with a side of laughs. Or you just want to hang out with your friends at the bar downing some beers with the cozy feeling of a room full of happy people laughing their butts off in the next room at something you can’t quite hear. Whatever you’re into, I suggest you find the answer at The Creek and The Cave – a surprising find (for me, at least) in the shadow of the Pulaski Bridge in Long Island City, Queens.
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by Karen Tortora-Lee on January 26, 2010
If you haven’t already had a chance to check out Groundling alum Holly Mandel’s IMPROVOLUTION! now’s a great time to 1) give yourself a great night of improv 2) support people who really need it during a time of need. Because This Friday, Jan 29 @ 8pm Improvolution will be holding their next Improv Lovefest which will not only be a night of long form improv but also be a FUNDRAISER FOR HAITI where 100% of the money collected will be donated to the American Red Cross to help their efforts there … a TRUE Lovefest!
For more information, check out http://www.improvolution.org
~~~
Groundling alum Holly Mandel’s
IMPROVOLUTION!
It’s Your Show. We Just Perform It.
This Friday, Jan 29 @ 8pm
Producer’s Club, 358 W44th @9th Ave
Tickets are $7
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by The Happiest Medium on November 2, 2009
The next Improv Jam will be with IMPROVOLUTION’S finest!
A night of improvised games, scenes, long form, instant characters, experimental theater…and more fun fun fun!
Starring:
Holly Mandel * Anthony Minto * Darrin Giglio * Orli Ben-Dor * Radhika Vaz * TJ Kenneally * Paul Pinizzotto * David Frenkiel * Barry Sacker * Mike Drummey
Directed by: Holly Mandel
- – -
Producers Club
358 W 44th St / 9th Ave
Friday November 6 at 8:00pm
$7
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