Andrew Block and John Pollono in association with
Rogue Machine Theatre and The New York International Fringe Festival FringeNYC
A Production of the Present Company
Present

LOST AND FOUND
www.LostandFoundplay.com
By JOHN POLLONO

With
REIKO AYLESWORTH, JONATHAN BOCK, DANA DOMENICK, JOEY GAMBETTA
JOHN KRUPP, GERALDINE LIBRANDI, JOHN POLLONO, CASEY PREDOVIC

Directed by ANDREW BLOCK
Assistant Director: KATY BURNS
Associate Producer: RODNEY LADINO
Casting: CINDI RUSH CASTING
Scenic Design: CHRISTA KELLY
Lighting Design: TONY LEPORE
Costume Design: ANNE LOMMEL
Production General Manager: STEVEN DeLUCA, MARTIAN ENTERTAINMENT
Press Representative: JOE TRENTACOSTA, SPRINGER ASSOCIATES

Venue #14: The Cherry Pitt
155 Bank Street
www.ticketweb.com
August 16-27, 2010


What a gem of a play is John Pollono’s LOST AND FOUND! In a Boston family where “being a cop is a genetic obligation,” a family gets a visit from a mysterious stranger (Jon Krupp) and suddenly thirty-year-old issues intertwine with the present day lives of the Brancato klan. Mother Eva, impeccably portrayed by Geraldine Librandi, harbors a secret while guiding her unruly children (Dana Domenick, John Pollono) after the death of her husband. With the entrance of the stranger, folks whose lives were pretty straightforward and predictable find themselves dealing with love lost and rediscovered, homophobia, self esteem, misconceptions, and grief.

The beauty of LOST AND FOUND is that the writing is exquisite, keeping you laughing throughout with sophisticated humor and fascinating characters. Until it doesn’t, and you surprisingly find yourself fighting back tears and sniffling. Hysterical and poignant, let’s hope we find a production of this play again soon. It should be shared with as many people as possible.

- Laurie Lawson -

The New York International Fringe Festival
In Association with Small Pond Entertainment
presents
SCARED SKINNY
Written and Performed by MARY DIMINO
Directed by CHRISTINE MILLER

Tom Noonan’s Paradise Factory
64 E. 4th Street between 2nd Avenue and Bowery
Friday, August 13th at 7PM
Saturday, August 14th at 3PM
Sunday, August 15th at 5PM
Tuesday, August 17th at 9:30PM
Thursday, August 19th at 9:30PM
Saturday, August 21st at 5PM
Reservations www.FringeNYC.org
Information www.scared-skinny.com

Assistant Director LISA MILINAZZO
Stage Manager REBECCA DAVIS
Lighting Designer KIA ROGERS
Press Representative SCOTTI RHODES

As an eight year old girl growing up in Queens, New York, Mary Dimino asked a Ouija Board if she would ever be skinny. The word “skinny” in Ms. Dimino’s young mind conjured images of everything good in life, or at least images of the things the young Dimino thought she lacked. Being skinny would bring friends, love and happiness.

In her one-woman show SCARED SKINNY, Mary Dimino explores her weight gain, and loss, her often unsuccessful early relationships that all seemed to have a tinge of the bizarre to them, as well as her family life with a presentation that feels so genuine that it is tough not to find her engaging. The “scared” in the title comes partly from Dimino’s professed heritage of fear. Considered a miracle child after her mother suffered a stillbirth and several miscarriages translated into overprotective parenting, and warnings about many an external thing. Traffic, men, sandboxes, the possibility of finding a razor blade in a Halloween apple, were all presented, perhaps with daily reminders, as dangers of the outside world.

Dimino’s recollections of her childhood, and how this impacts her as an adult, reminds us that we all are, in a sense, the sum of our experiences. Beaming grin, even at the most self-deprecating moments, I came away thinking what a shame it is that this woman avoided much social interaction during the time she was at her heaviest. She recalls fad diets, exercise gadgets purchased after late-night infomercial viewing, and some interesting dating history, all with the focus on the funny in the situation. Not so funny are the losses of beloved family members, and the night she overhears two local men discussing her appearance in the most demeaning terms. Though Dimino’s story has much to do with weight, there are some more universal experiences she recounts that make this show relatable to a larger audience.

SCARED SKINNY is ultimately a story of self acceptance and of personal victories. Probably not so different than the experiences of many people, what makes Dimino’s journey worth hearing about is her narrative and presentation. With just a few props and lighting changes, the focus is on her and her words. In this context, that was just fine.

- Kessa De Santis -

Algonquin Productions
Presents
PROTECTED
Written and Directed by TIMOTHY SCOTT HARRIS
at
The New York International Fringe Festival
A Production of The Present Company

Connelly Theatre
220 E. 4th Street between Avenues A and B
Friday, August 13th at 9:15PM
Saturday, August 14th at 2:30PM
Sunday, August 15th at 9:45PM
Thursday, August 26th at 2PM
Friday, August 27th at 2PM
Reservations www.FringeNYC.org
Information www.PROTECTEDthePLAY.com

Stage Manager MICHAEL PALMER
Lights DUANE PAGANO
Crew DUNCAN PFLASTER
Production Coordinator CARRIE EDEL ISAACMAN
Press SCOTTI RHODES

Cast
Langley – Jeff Paul
Mirna –Cam Kornman
Matt – Matt Walker
Debra – Dee Dee Friedman
Cruthers – Bill Tatum

In PROTECTED, we meet Langley Peterson, just seven weeks into his new life in Albuquerque, New Mexico as a participant in the Witness Protection Program, and unable, or unwilling to unpack his boxes and give the new life a try. Trying to blend in but make as little contact as possible, the paranoid Langley is unwittingly followed home and visited by a co-worker, and is the recipient of nosy neighbor hospitality and perhaps matchmaking. His one tie to the old life is in Cruthers, who has trained Langley to be in the Protection Program, and pops in for a last visit to cut him loose and keep him in line.

The gist of the reason that Langley is on the lam has something to do with being an accountant who steals from the mob to pay for his wife’s medical treatments after the insurance company cuts her coverage. Here I felt a tinge of influence from television’s “Breaking Bad” in terms of the motivation for the actions of the central character, and an attempt to make the character’s actions sympathetic. The similarities end there. PROTECTED is ultimately lighter, less immediately violent fare, with the danger seemingly more in the minds of characters and what they fear in the shadows, or in the shadows of their past, or of our collective past, with references to events like September 11.

Though PROTECTED centers around Langley’s transition and attempted acclimation to a new life, as the mundane daily routine unfolds, the play reveals more layers of all the characters, particularly Debra, one of the neighbours. She has OCD. Umbrella always open to block the sun, a fear of touching doorknobs or anything not clean, unable to sleep if a plate has not been washed, Langley is none the less drawn to her, perhaps because in his small new universe there is no one else around except Mirna (Debra’s mother), and Matt (co-worker by day, female impersonator on the stage at night). Perhaps, too, Langley recognizes his own loneliness and need to feel protected in Debra.

An unlikely scenario, PROTECTED has respectable production values given the Fringe Festival’s fast-paced and rotating schedule. A few set pieces provide the framework of Langley’s house. Of particular importance are the door and the doorframe where he hangs a bell and unsuccessfully attempts to add locks and other security features. In the first act, he is securely behind this barrier to his past to current lives. By act 2, he has ventured outside, both physically and in his actions. Not so subtle or intuitive, but not every show needs to be.

- Kessa De Santis -

The York Shakespeare Company Presents

THE PUNISHING BLOW
An Illustrated Lecture Delivered by Order
of the Orange County Criminal Court
By RANDY COHEN

Performed and Directed by SETH DUERR
Production Stage Manager: PAUL BREWSTER
Scenic Designer: STEPHEN K. DOBAY
Lighting Designer: JIMMY LAWLOT
Press Agent: KAMPFIRE PR
Original Music Composer: ANDY PRIEBOY
Slide Designers/Photographers: ROBERT McBROOM, NICOLA SHEARA

The Clurman @ Theatre Row
410 West 42nd Street (between Ninth & Tenth Avenues)
(212) 239-6200 or www.telecharge.com
August 13 – 28, 2010

Somehow you find yourself in the middle of a Community Service obligation when you visit THE PUNISHING BLOW at The Clurman Theatre. Professor Leslie (Seth Duerr) has been assigned to speak to an unsuspecting audience at the Orange County Public Library on the subject of racial intolerance. Charged with a hate crime, Duerr relates the history of anti-Semitism using the life and times of Daniel Mendoza, the 82nd most influential Jew on someone’s list, as the foundation of his historical rendering. With his tongue firmly planted in his cheek, sarcasm and condescension run rampant, and slowly details of this angry professor’s life weave their way into the story.

Four-time Emmy Award-winning Randy Cohen has provided many opportunities for humor in this unusual work, and Duerr’s flawless performance hits every beat and nuance. THE PUNISHING BLOW - masterful writing, masterful execution. How many times do you hear that about a history lecture?

- Laurie Lawson -

The Midtown International Theatre Festival Presents

ASIAN BELLE
A Solo Show by MICHELLE GLICK
Written and Performed by MICHELLE GLICK
www.michelleglick.com

Director: CHRISTINE RENEE MILLER
Producers: NAMAKULA, PHILIPP WOLTER
Lighting/Sound & Stage Manager: GUINEVERE PRESSLEY
Production Coordinator: VICKIE LAZOS
Publicity: JUDD HOLLANDER, BUNCH OF PEOPLE PRESS & PR
Artwork: RICK TOSCANO, ANDREA CHEN
Photography: DOUA MOUA

Dorothy Strelsin Theatre
312 West 36th Street (between Eighth & Ninth Avenues)
(866) 811-4111 or www.midtownfestival.org
07/15 @6 PM; 07/17 @ 3 PM; 07/23 @ 8 PM; 07/24 @ 5 PM; 08/01 @ 4 PM

Michelle Glick’s ASIAN BELLE is a high-energy performance that begins with a cartwheel and ends with a little get-down music. In between Glick humorously relates her childhood in Alabama, made particularly trying by being the offspring of a Vietnamese war bride and a Southern father. Sandwiched between two worlds, she wanted nothing more than to fit in with everybody else. Her attempts were thwarted by typecasting, people’s assumption that she couldn’t speak or understand English, and her religion (there’s no room for Buddha in a Christian Bible School). A proud mother and an eventual embracing of her heritage, along with a sense of humor, got her through the rough times.

Glick takes on a variety of roles in this production and is convincing in all of them, regardless of gender and age. Her strength and vulnerability are exposed, and both serve to make her story more engaging. After 60 minutes you feel as if the ASIAN BELLE has become a new and cherished friend.

- Laurie Lawson -

Massimine/Roylman/Presentations and Ruben Brache
In Association with Jason Goldstein and Matthew Kagen
As part of the Midtown International Theatre Festival
Present

LOVERS
A Bold New Musical
www.LoversMusical.com

Book, Music and Lyrics by CHRISTOPHER MASSIMINE

Featuring
WILL TAYLOR and COURTNEY HAMMOND

The Band
EVAN JAY NEWMAN (Piano), JESSE BRICKEL (Drums)
DAN ERBEN (Guitar), ANDRES FELIPE GONZALEZ (Bass)

Directed by CHRISTOPHER M. CZYZ
Music Director: EVAN JAY NEWMAN
Set Designer: MATTHEW KLAN
Costume Designer: ASHLEY ROSE HORTON
Lighting Designer: KAYLA J. GOBLE
Sound Designer: WILL PICKENS
Production Stage Manager: ROBYN GABRIELLE LEE
Production Assistant: AKEEM BAISDEN-FOLKES
Assistant to the Director: JOE BUERELIN
Publicity: THE JACKSINA COMPANY
Casting: MKA CASTING

Beckett Theatre @ Theatre Row
410 West 42nd Street (between Ninth & Tenth Avenues)
(212) 279-4200 or www.TicketCentral.com
07/15 @ 8 PM; 07/21 @ 8 PM; 07/24 @ 9 PM
07/38 @ 2 PM; 08/01 @ 2 PM

Christopher Massimine’s LOVERS declares itself a “bold new musical,” and indeed it is. A story of two mutually-attracted individuals (Will Taylor, Courtney Hammond) that eventually become mismatched, their love affair begins and ends with betrayal. As these two enthusiastically plan their futures together, over an eight-year span life got in the way.

There’s much to be impressed with in this musical – great chemistry between Taylor and Hammond; innovative music with a fusion of pop, rock, and jazz; powerful lyrics that probably move the plot along; and some admirable acting. Unfortunately at this viewing there was a problem with the sound. At times the music overpowered the lyrics, and in the case of Hammond most of her words were lost. Taylor, who was audible, easily won the hearts of the audience. One can only hope that, if heard, Hammond would have been as effective. LOVERS – a great attempt with a technical glitch, literally and figuratively.

- Laurie Lawson -

SWEET, SWEET MOTHERHOOD
A New Play by JEREMY KAREKEN
Written in collaboration with LEE M. SILVER

Featuring

CAROLINE COONEY and MICHAEL DE NOLA

Directed by MICHAEL BIGELOW DIXON
Scenic Design: RAY NEUFELD
Costume Design: KARI LOVE
Lighting Design: CHRISTOPHER BROWN
Sound Design: BRUCE ELLMAN
Video Design: ZOE WOODWORTH
Production Stage Manager: EMILY JAMES DURNING
Graphic Illustration: GRETCHEN VAN LENTE
Production Attorney: RON KAREKEN
Press Representative: JIM BALDASSARE
Associate Producer: SARA BISMAN
Producer: MATTHEW KREINER
Consulting Producer: RACHEL FORD
Assistant Director: MARGARET WEINERT
Assistant Director: HANNAH FOGLER

HERE
145 Sixth Avenue (one block south of Spring Street)
(212) 352-3101 or www.here.org
July 8 – 31; Opening Night: July 11, 2010

Photo by Jim Baldassare

SWEET, SWEET MOTHERHOOD is based on an experiment gone awry – or not, based on your personal opinion. Written by Jeremy Kareken in collaboration with Professor Lee M. Silver, the action takes place in an East Coast University. Professor Henry Stein (Michael De Nola) is a renowned biotechnology researcher who is greatly admired for his out-of-the-box theories and down-to-earth presentation. Even his flexible boundaries are pushed when graduate student Shelley McAnn (Caroline Cooney) bursts into his office with a unique proposal for a senior thesis. She’s bold, she’s brash, and she’s full of life – literally and figuratively.

Amidst biological theories of cloning and animal behavior, the definition of motherhood is explored. DNA, maternal instincts, sperm and egg manipulation, and bizarre coupling all leave room for the possibility of motherhood. Kareken allows all aspects to be examined through the wild but undoubtedly intelligent characters. De Nola’s and Cooney’s presentation are on target and endearing. In the end SWEET, SWEET MOTHERHOOD answers no questions but leaves the audience with a great deal to discuss afterwards.

- Laurie Lawson -

American Thymele Theatre
Stephen Diacrussi, ATT Founder, Producing/Artistic Director
presents
ALCESTIS
by Euripides
as part of ATT’s 2010 NEW YORK EURIPIDES SUMMER FESTIVAL SERIES
Translated and Edited by Richmond Lattimore
Directed by Lorca Peress

July 6 - 10, 2010, NYC
East River Park Amphitheatre 7/6 and 7/7
Naumburg Bandshell 7/8
Marilyn Monroe Theatre 7/9 and 7/10
www.AmericanThymeleTheatre.YOLASITE.com

Stage Manager GEOFFREY NIXON
Original Music by KOSTAS KOURIS
Scenery, Mask and Property Designer ALAN M. BOLLE
Costume Designer MARIA NIORA
Sound Design JOSH ALLEN
Press Representative SCOTTI RHODES PUBLICITY

CAST
Apollo – Paul Mischeshin
Death – Frederick Mayer
Coryphaeus – Goran Ivanovski
First Elder – John Rice
Second Elder – Michael Honda
Third Elder – Perri Yaniv
Fourth Elder – Julian M. Sapala
Fifth Elder – Steven Ungar
Handmaid to Alcestis – Jessica Levesque
Admetus – Christopher Ryan
Alcestis – Denise Fiore
Eumelus – Luke Vedder
Sister of Eumelus – Emilly Medina
Hercules – Harry Oram
Pheres – Zenon Zeleniuch
Servant to Admetus – Anthony Michael Stokes


This season, American Thymele Theatre is presenting ALCESTIS as part of their New York Euripides Summer Theatre Festival in two outdoor venues in addition to two performances at the Marilyn Monroe Theatre. The play has been staged with classic sensibilities, including the Chorus of Elders of Pherae in Thessaly, and a full cast outfitted with traditional costumes and masks.

The story of ALCESTIS ostensibly focuses on the title-character’s choice to give her life so that her husband, King Admetus, shall live, but most of the action revolves around Admetus. After offending Artemis, Admetus has been condemned to death. Apollo intercedes on Ademtus’ behalf, persuading Death to take another in the King’s place. Enter Alcestis.

The character Alcestis has little to do here except come onstage on the verge of death, give farewells to her young children, and exact a pledge from her husband not to remarry, before she dies. Like most of the players in ALCESTIS, the title role is emoted more than it is acted. In most plays this would not work, but in the realm of Greek tragedy, where the lives of mortals are often directed at the whims of the gods, and the intent of the tales is often much larger than the players, it is not entirely unexpected that the characters tend more to the one-dimensional than the rounded. They are meant to be archetypal.

Of the group presented in ALCESTIS, Admetus is the least appealing. Having allowed his wife to die in his place, he rails against both of his own parents for not offering to die for him. His father, Pheres, confronts Ademtus at Alcestis’ funeral, rather dressing him down, and making accusations against his son’s character. The unexpected hero of the bunch turns out to be a seemingly untimely and over-imbibing houseguest, Hercules. Eventually restoring the household, Hercules’ presence evokes a humorous monologue by the Servant (Anthony Michael Stokes). This provides the most lighthearted moment in this tragedy that is clearly on the cusp of the tragicomic.

The production I attended, at the indoor Marilyn Monroe Theatre, was the smallest of the spaces that the play was staged on for this Festival. Given the sparse sets, and with few sound or lighting changes employed to effect the mood, the focus of the direction was almost fully on the actors and the words, making great use of the Chorus of Elders and their staffs. Tied up with a relatively happy ending, ALCESTIS is an interesting tale certainly open to modern interpretation from various philosophical perspectives.

- Kessa De Santis -

.22 CALIBER MOUTH
www.22calibermouth.com

Book, Music & Lyrics by LAUREN ROBERT
With Additional Music & Lyrics by TIMOTHY WARMEN

Musical Director: MARK FIFER
Directed by STEVEN PETRILLO
Publicity/PR/Marketing by THE JACKSINA COMPANY, INC.

The Cast

LAUREN ROBERT
RITA REHN, T. OLIVER REID, PATRICK RICHWOOD, TIMOTHY WARMEN

The Band

MARK FIFER, LOUIS TUCCI, ALEX WYATT, DILLON KONDOR

The Actors Temple Theatre
339 West 47th Street (between Eighth & Ninth Avenues)
June 29th @ 7 PM; June 30th @ 3 PM


Somewhere on the Lower East Side in the late 1970’s two bruised and battered souls (Lauren Robert, Timothy Warmen) reluctantly and apprehensively hook up. Relationships are a tricky business, and these two world-weary veterans use words to connect, protect, and deflect their fragile existences in .22 CALIBER MOUTH.

In this original new musical created for the stage, the action takes place in bars, on benches, and in beds through dialogue and songs. There’s a raw emotion that weaves through each offering whether it’s a bright and bouncy Risky B’Niss or a powerful All I Can Do or a poignant Want What I Need. The tough-talking Robert has composed songs that reflect reality complete with all its tragedy and humor, and then with a beautiful voice that rises to the rafters she executes them with passion and pathos. A .22 CALIBER MOUTH and a set of lungs to match give this production great stage potential.

- Laurie Lawson -

Dragonchase Productions presents

NAKED IN A FISHBOWL
www.nakedinafishbowl.com

Featuring

KATHARINE HELLER, BRENNA PALUGHI, LYNNE ROSENBERG
LAUREN SEIKALY
D’ARCY EROKAN, DALIYA KARNOFSKY, MOLLY KNEFEL

Directed by HUGH SINCLAIR
Stage Manager: TERRA VETTER
Video Production: SWEET VICTORY ENTERTAINMENT
Publicity: JOE TRENTACOSTA, SPRINGER ASSOCIATES PR


The SoHo Playhouse
15 Vandam Street (between Sixth Avenue & Varick)
(212) 691-1555 or www.sohoplayhouse.com
June 7th – August 9th, Mondays @ 7 PM

I would love to tell you what NAKED IN A FISHBOWL is all about, but that is part of its charm. Three years ago Katharine Heller, Brenna Paughi, Lynne Rosenberg and Lauren Seikaly created an improvised sitcom live right on stage. Audiences loved it, and they were awarded the Outstanding Ensemble Award. Now every Monday night through August 9th, they are doing it all over again at The SoHo Playhouse.

So I can’t tell you the plot because it evolves on stage, but I can tell you that these gifted ladies will make you laugh. You can see their brains churning as they come up with amusing one liners and preposterous stories in a style so natural that you wonder how much reality is mixed in with the storytelling. NAKED IN A FISHBOWL is an hour of pure delight, clever creativity, and talent on tap.

- Laurie Lawson -

FAMILY DINNER

By MICHELE WILLENS

Featuring
MARY ELLEN ASHLEY, WILLIAM BRODERICK, LILY CORVO
RICK DESLOGE, JOHN HAGGERTY, MARY McGLOIN, THOMAS McKIERNAN
NANCY NAGRANT, MARSHALL PAILET, DANIEL POLLACK, PATRICK RIVIERE

Directed by JAMIBETH MARGOLIS
Production Stage Manager: JAMIE ROG
Assistant Stage Manager: SERGE LOBATCH
Scenic Designer: JOSH ZANGEN
Assistant Scenic Designer: SEAN JENNINGS
Lighting Designer: JOEL E. SILVER
Assistant Lighting Designer: MELISSA MIZELL
Costume Designer: JANELL BERTE
Sound Designer: DREW LEVY
Publicist: SAM RUDY MEDIA RELATIONS

Beckett Theatre @ Theatre Row
410 West 42nd Street (between Ninth & Tenth Avenues)
(212) 279-4200 or www.ticketcentral.com


Michele Willens’ FAMILY DINNER takes us inside a Southern California home in 1963. Music, costumes, and scenic designs authenticate the time period, and the characters bear out the politics and mores of 47 years ago. As the family gathers around the kitchen table in a nightly ritual, all seems well on the surface. But as with all families, underlying currents of stifled dreams, addictions, tragedies, unspoken words, and resolutions run throughout the family dynamics.

In the second act, we revisit the family over four decades later. Warning: actors from the first act portray these aged or new characters, and it takes a few minutes to adjust. But this cast is so talented that they easily pull it off as cell phones ring, Blackberries are consulted, meals are eaten on the fly, and the conversations are more open. Many changes have taken place, but the undercurrents remain and the resultant repercussions are evident. Family ties are stretched, snapped, questioned, and eventually reformulated, and this delightful production ends as it began – with a FAMILY DINNER.

- Laurie Lawson -

Daryl Roth Presents

LOVE, LOSS, AND WHAT I WORE
By NORA EPHRON and DELIA EPHRON
Based on the book by ILENE BECKERMAN

Current Cast

PENNY FULLER, RACHAEL HARRIS, DIANE NEAL
SHERRI SHEPHERD, COBIE SMULDERS

Directed by KAREN CARPENTER
Scenic Designer: JO WINIARSKI
Wardrobe Stylist: MATT SHEA
Lighting Designer: JEFF CROITER
Sound Designer: WALER TRARACH
Casting: TARA RUBIN CASTING
Make-Up Design: MARIA VEREL
Advertising: ELIRAN MURPHY GROUP
Press Representative: C&M CO
Marketing: LEANNE SCHANZER PROMOTIONS INC.
Production Stage Manager: NANCY ELIZABETH VEST
Production Manager: SHANNON CASE
Associate Director: ADAMJOHN HUNTER
General Manager: ADAM HESS
Associate Producer: ALEXANDER FRASER
Associate General Manager: JODI SCHOENBRUN CARTER

Westside Theatre
407 West 43rd Street (between Ninth & Tenth Avenues)
(212) 239-6200 or www.telecharge.com


Who would have thought that such a simple idea would hit a universal feminine nerve? Nora Ephron and Delia Ephron have taken a book by Ilene Beckerman and created an off-Broadway hit in which actresses are clamoring to appear. LOVE, LOSS, AND WHAT I WORE hilariously depicts how clothing can mark momentous events in a woman’s life. The first bra, prom and wedding dresses, a status sweater that promises gang entry, a ridiculously expensive purse, boots, and an array of apparel evoke tears, laughter, frustration, and almost any other emotion you can think of.

The vignettes are hilarious and sometimes poignant, the actresses accomplished, and the long-forgotten childhood memories flow freely. What an absolute treat is LOVE, LOSS, AND WHAT I WORE! I wonder if men harbor secret memories of their first jock straps?

- Laurie Lawson -

Pascal Productions presents
The world premiere of

MODOTTI

Playwright and Director: WENDY BECKETT

Starring
MARCO GRECO, JACK GWALTNEY, STACEY LINNARTZ
ANDY PARIS, DEE PELLETIER, ALYSIA REINER
JOSH TYSON, MARK ZEISLER

Scenic Designer: JOHN McDERMOTT
Costume Designer: THERESA SQUIRE
Lighting Designer: LAUREN PHILLIPS
Sound Designer: RAY THOMAS/IAN WEHRLE
Projection Designer: BRETT HEATH
Casting Director: JUDY HENDERSON CSA
Marketing Director/Publicist: KATIE ROSIN, KAMPFIRE PR
Production Stage Manager: WILLIAM H. LANG
Production Supervisor: PETER R. FEUCHTWANGER, PRF PRODUCTIONS
General Manager: ADAM FITZGERALD

Acorn Theatre @ Theatre Row
410 West 42nd Street (between Ninth & Tenth Avenues)
(212) 279-4200 or www.ticketcentral.com
June 9th – July 3rd; Opening Night: June 11, 2010


Wendy Beckett highlights the brief but turbulent life of Tina Modotti in the world premiere of MODOTTI. Spanning the time period of 1920 to 1942 the play covers the politics and passion of this photographer/silent film actress/activist/communist subversive portrayed by Alysia Reiner. It is obvious that Beckett has done a great deal of research to establish the time period and the political environments of the US, Mexico and Spain. Costumes by Theresa Squire and projections by Brett Heath enhance the authenticity.

Enticed by a revolution and artistic freedom, Modotti goes to Mexico with two of her partners (Andy Paris, Jack Gwaltney), meets another there (Josh Tyson), and begins a life-long relationship with Diego Rivera (Marco Greco). Although at times it seems that she is “playing” politics, her involvement is sincere. And no matter where she ends up, there is always an attempt to meld art and politics. I suppose if you are going to “do” art, you may as well make it as meaningful as possible.

MODOTTI is a noble attempt to make audiences familiar with this unique and dedicated character. The first act is an effective set up of a controversial on-the-edge life; the second is more of the same. More men, more politics, more danger. The repetition is unnecessary, adds little that we didn’t know from the first act, and makes this work a bit too long.

- Laurie Lawson -

The Playwrights Realm
Katherine Kovner, Artistic Director
Presents

CHRISTOPHER WALL’S

DREAMS OF THE WASHER KING
Directed by GIOVANNA SARADELLI

CAST
STEVIE RAY DALLIMORE, REYNA DE COURCY
CARLA HARTING, BEN HOLLANDSWORTH

Producing Director: STEPHANIE YBARRA
Scenic Design: DAVID NEWELL
Costume Design: AMY CLARK
Lighting Design: TRACI KLAINER
Sound Design: CHARLES COES
Fight Director: MICHAEL ROSSMY
Props Designer: ANDREA STEINER
Production Stage Manager: JOANNE E. McINERNEY
Assistant Stage Manager: KAT WEST
Casting Director: PAUL DAVIS, CALIERI CASTING
Production Manager: PETER DEAN

Cherry Lane Studio Theater
38 Commerce Street
(212) 239-6200 or www.playwrightsrealm.org
June 4th – 26th; Opening Night: June 10, 2010

Christopher Wall’s DREAMS OF THE WASHER KING is both poignant and haunting as a tragic incident is relived over and over. It mirrors the human tendency to wonder “What if?” and to bemoan “If only I had…” Four characters weave back and forth through time wondering if anything could or should have been done to change the outcome.

In the first act Wall introduces a mother and son (Carla Harting, Ben Hollandsworth) whose lives are changed when a father and daughter (Reyna De Courcy, Stevie Ray Dallimore) become their new neighbors. Although the story line is never really clear, the complexity and sincerity of the relationships are enough to keep you interested. And you are beginning to sense that something awful has happened. The second act confirms your apprehension.

DREAMS OF THE WASHER KING grapples with the human fantasy that we can control destiny. Can one small act change the course of our lives? Or are we fated to complete a predetermined path? This work presents the dilemma in an innovative and memorable manner.

- Laurie Lawson -

THE ACCIDENTAL PERVERT
www.TheAccidentalPervert.com

Written and Performed by ANDREW GOFFMAN
Directed by CHARLES MESSINA

Choreographer: SHERRI NORIGE
Audio/Visual Designer: ANDREW WINGERT
Dramaturge: LISA LENTINI
Scenic Designer/Technical Director: ANTHONY AUGELLO
Dialogue Coach: STANLEY HARRISON
Graphic Designer: ROBERT TALLON
Press Representative: JUDY JACKSINA
Voice-Overs: JIM DAILAKIS/MARY DIMINO
House Manager: CARLO RIVIECCIO
Production Coordinator: GINA FERRANTI
Lighting Designer: JOSH LACOVELLI
Creative Assistant: CHRISTY BENANTI/ALAN GORDON

The Players Theatre
115 MacDougal Street (between Bleecker and West 3rd Streets)
212-352-3101


How can you take a box of video cassette recordings, all of a pornographic nature, and turn them into the basis of an Off-Broadway play? I don’t have the answer but Andrew Goffman sure does. He manages to do just that in his hilarious THE ACCIDENTAL PERVERT. In this true-life odyssey, he stumbles upon his father’s hidden collection at the tender age of 11 and thus begins a 15-year obsession with all things sexual. Goffman doesn’t scrimp on the details of his XXX adolescence, topping off his poignant honesty with heaping dollops of humor that go way beyond the obvious innuendos and sexual suggestions. Not only does he reveal the trials and tribulations of a young boy learning about sex from all the wrong people, he also acknowledges the resultant effects of such a one-dimensional view of women.

THE ACCIDENTAL PERVERT could have been sad, could have been raunchy, and could have been something we’ve seen a hundred times before. It is none of that, and this is due to the amazing showmanship and skills of Goffman. He sings, he dances, he reminisces, he re-enacts, he impersonates, and most importantly he keeps you thoroughly entertained. Director Charles Messina keeps the pace rapid, and Goffman provides a night to remember.

- Laurie Lawson -

RESONANCE ENSEMBLE
www.ResonanceEnsemble.org
Eric Parness, Artistic Director; Rachel Reiner, Managing Director
Present

THE GLASS HOUSE
By JUNE FINFER

Featuring

HARRIS YULIN, DAVID BISHINS, JANET ZARISH, GINA NAGY BURNS
JOIE BAUER, JAMES PATTERSON, CHRIS SKERIES

Directed by EVAN BERGMAN
Scenic Designer: JO WINIARSKI
Costume Designer: VALERIE MARCUS RAMSHUR
Lighting Designer: PAMEL KUPPER
Sound Designer: NICK MOORE
Production Designer: DANIEL HEFFERNAN
Props Master: SARAH B. BROWN
Consultant: KYLE BERGMAN
Stage Manager: D.C. ROSENBERG
Assistant Stage Manager: DEOGGREY NIXON
Production Manager: JOE DORAN
Technical Director: GARY LEVINSON
Master Electrician: FLORA VASSAR
Press Representative: SPRINGER ASSOCIATES PR/JOE TRENTACOSTA
House Manager: CHRIS BRUCARO
Artist: BILLY MITCHELL
Photographer: JON KANDEL

The Clurman@Theatre Row
410 West 42nd Street (between Ninth & Tenth Avenues)
(212) 279-4200 or www.ticketcentral.com
Opening Night: May 16, 2010


As part of Resonance Ensemble’s “Building Character” series, Henrik Ibsen’s THE MASTER BUILDER is running in conjunction with June Finfer’s THE GLASS HOUSE, which impressively portrays the relationship between architect Mies van der Rohe (sublimely played by Emmy-nominated actor Harris Yulin) and Edith Farnsworth (Janet Zarish). Architect Philip Johnson (David Bishins) and artist Lora Mars (Gina Nagy Burns) provide creative sparks and moral obstacles for van der Rohe, and often the quest for perfection and the need for functionality become an entangled dance of genius egos.

As van der Rohe brings his innovative vision to life by building a house for Edith, the pull between the artist and the patron becomes apparent. Van der Rohe creates and Edith sacrifices her integrity for his dream. The compromises grant her entry into the world of creative genius, and her house of glass becomes the symbol and ultimate consummation of her relationship with the architect. At least until reality finally steps in. Architect Johnson also joins the tug of war as he creates his own house of glass, and Lori Mars provides the lure of the creative artist.

THE GLASS HOUSE is based on actual events and characters that are totally fascinating. The cast is superb in their presentations of multi-faceted personalities. Costumes (Valerie Marcus Ramshur) and music (Nick Moore) delightfully set the era for the 1940’s, and set designs and scene changes (Jo Winiarski) are cleverly executed. THE GLASS HOUSE is an artistic rendering of a slice of history that is both entertaining and informative.

- Laurie Lawson -

VINEYARD THEATRE
Douglas Aibel, Artistic Director & Jennifer Garvey-Blackwell, Executive Director
Presents

THE METAL CHILDREN
Written & Directed by ADAM RAPP

With
BETSY AIDEM, CONNOR BARRETT, SUSAN BLOMMAERT, GUY BOYD
BILLY CRUDUP, DAVID GREENSPAN, HAILEY WEGRYN GROSS
JESSY HODGES, PHOEBE STROLE

Scenic Design: DAVID KARINS
Costume Design: JESSICA PABST
Lighting Design: BEN STANTON
Original Music and Sound Design: DAVID VAN TIEGHEM
Wig and Makeup Design: ERIN KENNEDY LUNSFORD
Production Stage Manager: JENNIFER RAE MOORE
Production Manager: BEN MORRIS
General Manager: REED RIDGLEY
Press Representative: SAM RUDY MEDIA
Casting: HENRY RUSSELL BERGSTEIN
Associate Artistic Director: SARAH STERN

Vineyard Theatre
105 East 15th Street
212-353-0303 or www.vineyardtheatre.org

Opening Night: May 19, 2010


Tony-winner Billy Crudup is the unlikely hero in Adam Rapp’s THE METAL CHILDREN. Tobin Falmouth (Crudup) has written a young adult book that has been banned by the local school board in a small town. Urged on by his agent, the always delightful Obie Award-winning and scene-stealing David Greenspan, Tobin pays the community a visit to defend his book. What ensues is a thought-provoking tug of war between freedom, religious beliefs, censorship, and responsibility.

Rapp takes this multi-faceted controversy and wraps it in humor. The first act is full of sophisticated hilarity punctuated by clever lines and over-the-top characters. The message becomes a little muddled in the second act but it’s not devoid of its moments. A right-on-target school board meeting will have you looking over your shoulder for the dreaded home room teacher. At times a bit too didactic, THE METAL CHILDREN must be applauded for presenting both sides of the freedom/censorship coin. Portrayed by an impressive cast, the characters are a believable blend of humanity and each possesses a valid interpretation of the problem. Comprehensive and amusing equals an entertaining night of theatre.

- Laurie Lawson -

Oliver Parker!
By Elizabeth Meriwether

Directed By:
Evan Cabnet

Cast:
(In alphabetical order)
Johanna Day………………………………….………………………..Willa Cross
John Larroquette…………………………………..…………………………Jasper
Monica Raymund……………………………………………………………Agnes
Michael Zegen………….……………………………………………Oliver Parker

John Larroquette is an “actor’s actor” as he brings life to dying, guilt-ridden alcoholic Jasper in Elizabeth Meriwether’s new play “Oliver Parker! “ at the Cherry Lane Theatre. He and the small ensemble cast of Michael Zegen, Johanna Day, and Monica Raymund bring empathy and energy to several sad souls crossing paths in search of sex, companionship and drugs. There are laughs and tears, giggles and groans as old advises young about how to love a woman – or at least treat her decently enough to get laid!

Zegan portrays 17-year old preppy, rich-kid Oliver who cares for and about his 60-year old friend Jasper, the family’s former chauffeur and Viet Nam vet. The two share an old secret that binds them together and tears them apart and contributes to what each man is today. Oliver’s youthful energy is in sharp contrast to Jasper’s emotional exhaustion and physical degeneration. Jasper’s body language screams pain. It hurts to look at him with his grizzled, gray beard, slovenly clothes, and dirty socks. We see a pathetic derelict but occasionally a bit of proud soldier/gentleman Jasper appears, and when he does, redemption happens.

“Oliver Parker!” is presented by the stageFARM, an off-Broadway theatre company dedicated to producing relevant new work by emerging playwrights.

“Oliver Parker!” opens May 17, 2010 and plays through June 6, Tuesday – Saturday at 8 pm and Sunday at 5 pm at the Cherry Lane Theatre, 38 Commerce Street, in Greenwich Village, Manhattan. Tickets are $37.50 and are available by visiting telecharge at 212-239-6200 or www.telecharge.com or www.thestagefarm.org .
--------------------------------

Set Design Costume Design Lighting Design Sound Design
Lauren Halpern Jessica Shay Ben Stanton Zane Birdwell

Prop Design Production Stage Manager Production Management
Faye Armon Charles M. Turner, III La Vie Productions
James E. Cleveland

Technical Director Casting Press Representative
Joel Howell Calleri Casting Sam Rudy

- Faye A -

IAAM Productions and Aching Dogs Theater
present
GUY WALKS INTO A BAR
Written and Directed by DON CREEDON

Producer’s Club Grand Theater
358 W. 44th Street (between 8th and 9th Avenues)
Tickets: (212) 352-3101, (866) 811-4111 or www.theatermania.com

May 5th - May 8th & May 12th - May 15th at 8PM
Matinees May 9th & May 16th at 3PM

Managing & Promotions Director PAMELA SCOTT
Production Stage Manager DERMOT KENNY
Lighting Design SHAUN SUCHAN
Lighting/Sound Operator ROSEMARIE DE SAPIO
Costume Design BROOKE COHEN
Publicity SCOTTI RHODES
Cast
Joe – Walter Michael De Forest
Sam, Sal, Shea, Steve – Bill Rutkowski
Decco, Dommo, Dodo, Dessie – Wayne Stills

Don Creedon’s GUY WALKS INTO A BAR is an hour-or-so-long four-scene play that follows a central character, Joe, as he ventures into 4 different bars in New York City. These outings are “recently” per the playbill, and seemingly spotlight different points within a few years after the dissolution of Joe’s marriage.

The gimmick, or recurring theme, is that Joe happens into a bar, his mind set on meeting a woman or women, and instead interacts with two men who talk circles around him and one way or another impact his strategy of the moment. What is not clear is the timeline here. At first it seems to be linear starting with Joe’s trial separation and quickly moving to him already being divorced, but by the fourth barhop, that is not so certain. There are other peculiarities, like the notion that Joe would not recognize the husband of a woman he has been having an affair with since meeting her on her wedding day five years earlier, and following the couple to their honeymoon destination. Just separated, a five year affair, just how long is it between these “recent” trips to local watering holes?

Gaps aside, GUY WALKS INTO A BAR is pretty standard fare of the modern quest for love, despite incessant complaints about women, and the unending supply of bad advice offered by imbibing strangers. Joe tries blind/internet dating, speed dating, affairs and Ladies Night, but only when he tries to be himself does he seem to have a chance at a happy future.

The action fairly smoothly transitions from one location to another (the set does not change, only the costumes and names do), and the onstage trio manage to eke out a few laughs. Mostly though, there is a sense of Joe’s desperation, and that there is no simple solution in sight.

- Kessa De Santis -

MultiStages
presents
HELL AND HIGH WATER,
or Lessons for When the Sky Falls
Written by Jamuna Yvette Sirker
Directed by Lorca Peress

Hudson Guild Theatre
441 W. 26th Street (between 9th and 10th Avenues, Manhattan)
April 1 – 18, 2010
Tickets: Smarttix (212) 868-4444 or www.smarttix.com

Production Design JAN HARTLEY
Lighting Design ALEX MOORE
Scenic Design LORCA PERESS
Choreography JENNIFER CHIN
Sound Design JOSH ALLEN
Katrina-Hiroshima Wig Design JOHN DALLAS
Costume and Mask Design ELLIE D’EUSTACHIO
Stage Manager GEOFFREY NIXON
Production Stage Manager DENISE R. ZEILER
Press Representative SCOTTI RHODES PUBLICITY

CAST
Lady Mississippi – Richarda Abrams
Teacher Alice – Anna Lamadrid
Bag L – Joyce Griffen
Actor Eddie – Paul Christian Mischeshin
Nurse Claire – Frances Chewning
Phil – Cary Hite
Katrina-Hiroshima – Frederick Mayer
Restaurant Dave – Russell Jordan
Restaurant Beaux – Ross Degraw

A survivor of Hurricane Katrina, playwright Jamuna Yvette Sirker has conjured up a Greek-tragedy inspired sensibility to tell a handful of tales of the recent American tragedy. The characters presented in HELL AND HIGH WATER run the gamut from the mundane to the mythical, and each serves to focus on a facet, or a face, of disaster.

As the play opens, the day is just another in New Orleans, but some of the characters sense the ominous, birds migrating early, storm warnings, and even visitations from another world. Lady Mississippi, a local celebrity songstress of sorts, comes in singing and happy, but Teacher Alice immediately sees a spirit in the form of Bag L. We are introduced to a slew of locals, slowly, going about their routines, until the storm comes, and the chaos of Katrina-Hiroshima, and the many aspects of Katrina and the aftermath the character represents, takes over to the tune of the Beatles’ Helter Skelter.

At times, the action is hyperbole, focused on what must have been the perception of the “refugees” of the storm, forced to navigate the bureaucracy in the aftermath of the devastation. Sirker’s own notes in the playbill probably describe it best, “…the structure reflects the very nature of my experience; it takes the form of a hurricane.”

Director Peress and the ensemble cast have embraced the hurricane style of the play’s structure, which can at times be unsettling, but is certainly a story that needs to be told, and through the filter of someone who was there, and not just reporting on it.

- Kessa De Santis -

THE CLOCKWORK THEATRE
www.theclockworktheatre.org
Celebrates Fifth Anniversary Season
With the U.S. Premiere of

G.B.S.

By JASON HALL

Starring

CURRAN CONNOR & JASON JACOBY

Directed by JAY ROHLOFF
Scenic Designer: JOSH WINDHAUSEN
Lighting Designer: TARYN L. KENNEDY
Costume Designer: MARY C. HUNT
Sound Designer: DALE BIGALL
Technical Director: VINCENT M. VIGILANTE
Production Stage Manager: JUDY BOWMAN CASTING

Kirk Theatre @ Theatre Row
410 West 42nd Street (between Ninth & Tenth Avenues)
(212) 279-4200 or www.TicketCentral.com
March 20 – April 10; Opening Night: March 28, 2010


I am rarely disappointed by The Clockwork Theatre but I was still taken by surprise by Jason Hall’s fantastic G.B.S. Hall has provided rich, multi-faceted characters that sublimely capture the inevitable rivalry and eternal bond between siblings.

And two better actors could not have been enlisted to get this job done. Brothers Rich (Curran Connor) and Sam (Jason Jacoby) have not seen each other in years but the illness of their father now requires that they resume their family roles. Hall has managed to hilariously encapsulate their relationship on an adventurous ride from the airport to the hospital with a few stops in between to physically-fit ex-wives, former sexual dalliances, and the always-present small town donut shop. Perfect delivery of witty and poignant lines with tight direction by Jay Rohoff make G.B.S. 90 minutes of pure delight.

- Laurie Lawson -

VAMPIRE COWBOYS THEATRE COMPANY
www.vampirecowboys.com
presents

ALICE IN SLASHERLAND

Written by QUI NGUYEN
Directed by ROBERT ROSS PARKER

HERE
www.here.org
145 Sixth Avenue, Manhattan
(between Spring and Broome Streets, enter on Dominick Street)
(212) 352-3101
March 18 through April 10, 2010
Thursdays – Sundays at 8:30 PM

Scenic & Lighting Design NICK FRANCONE
Costume Design JESSICA SHAY
Original Music & Sound Design SHANE RETTIG
Fight Direction QUI NGUYEN
Puppet Design DAVID VALENTINE
Video Design MATTHEW TENNIE
Production Stage Manager DANIELLE BUCCINO
Asst. Stage Manager MARINA STEINBERG
Producer ABBY MARCUS
Press Representative JIM BALDASSARE

Cast
Carlo Alban – Lewis
Sheldon Best – Edgar/Duncan/Gareth
Tom Myers – Jacob/T-Bone/Burnout/Tommy/Sheriff Dunwoody
Bonnie Sherman – Margaret
Andrea Marie Smith – Tina/Hurt/Matilda
Amy Kim Waschke – Alice

Photo by Jim Baldassare

A staple of the downtown theater scene, the Vampire Cowboys are back, and this time around, in ALICE IN SLASHERLAND, the world is in jeopardy, and only an unlikely gang of good guys can hope to save us. The valiant band of crusaders includes awkward teens, a “girl” called Alice, and a talking teddy bear. Left to their own devices to combat a handful of fanciful foes, including a lascivious Lucifer, faceless ghouls, emissaries, and other zombie-like creatures of our nightmares, these kids use wits, wiles, fear and even a handy racket to fight off imminent death. To write much more than that about the plot of would practically be repetitive, but this is not the sort of show one goes to for complicated story lines. This is comic strip aesthetics come to life, and all that matters is that the ride be fun.

As I not only hoped, but expected, the creative partnership of Nguyen, Parker and crew have delivered another installment of guilty pleasures (replete with a retard joke) and humor-injected action. From the moment the lights dim, the fun begins with one of the Cowboys’ clever reminders to turn cell phones off (this time around, courtesy of a short horror flick). Attentions quickly turn to the live action, some introductory mayhem, and to the seemingly mundane existence of a kid named Lewis (Carlo Alban) hoping to confess his love to the girl of his dreams (Bonnie Sherman) at a Halloween party. Things do not go as planned with the girl, the party, or the rest of the ensuing days, as Lewis unintentionally opens a portal to Hell, and embarks on adventures very far from the Lewis Carroll variety.

ALICE IN SLASHERLAND, while derivative, is a respectable addition to the multimedia genre. There is a masked bogeyman named Jacob (Tom Myers, in multiple roles), who comes the closest to resembling a rabbit in his faceless slasher ensemble, but other than that, and an emissary named Alice, all similarities to Wonderland will be left at the door. Even a video interlude that purports to tell the actual story of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland has only a superficial resemblance to the classic. This play has very little to do with falling down a hole, but much to do with staying out of the pit.

Not quite as steeped in non-stop stage combat as some Vampire Cowboys productions, SLASHERLAND maintains a respectable foothold in the realm of action that require some kicks, gymnastics, and site gags. Talking teddy Edgar (puppeteered and portrayed by Sheldon Best) provides some great moments, and there is plenty of spewed blood, and even an hilarious moment of air “guitar” after a prolific killing spree. The stark but appropriate set features trees that look like assemblages of pieces of wood that have been slashed with surgical precision and put back together. Costumes are good. Acting is funny and witty. Fight direction and stage direction work hand in hand.

I had a great time at ALICE IN SLASHERLAND, as did the rest of the audience, based on their reactions. It was the first time I laughed the whole week, and once the show got started, it was hard to keep the smiles contained.

- Kessa De Santis –

Alternative Theatre Company and The Actors’ Playhouse present
www.AlternativeTheatreCo.org

JOE MARSHALL’S

THE GAYEST CHRISTMAS PAGEANT EVER!

Written and Directed by JOE MARSHALL

Featuring

ALEXANDRA DICKSON, CHRIS VON HOFFMAN, BEN JONES
KYMBERLIE JOSEPH, DORIAN McGHEE, EVAN SCHULTZ
EMILY SCHRAMEL, HEATHER SHIELDS, JAMES STEWART, RACHEL WRIGHT
JAMEY NICHOLAS, JOHN PAUL VENUTI, BRYAN ZOPPI, JASON B. SCHMIDT
ADAM WENSTOCK, RYAN WRIGHT, BLAINE PENNINGTON, JONATHAN CHANO
BEN JONES, CHRIS VON HOFFMAN, ALVARO SENA, CRYSTAL COTTON,
ELYSE BEYER, REE DAVIS, KERSHEL ANTHONY, MICHAEL MUNOZ

Assistant Director: ARLONDA WASHINGTON
Stage Manager: JENNY WALETZKY
Lighting and Scenic Designer: DUANE PAGANO
Costume Designer: RACHEL DOZIER-EZELL
Wardrobe Supervisor: SETH M. GAMBLE
House Manager: SENAY WALTON
Sound Designer: JOE MARSHALL
Marketing & Advertising: THE PEKOE GROUP/AMANADA PEKOE,
KERRY MINCHINTON
Press Representative: SPRINGER ASSOCIATES PR/JOE TRENTACOSTA
Co-Produced by THE ACTORS’ PLAYHOUSE, ADRIAN MAYNARD,
JOE MARSHALL

The Actors’ Playhouse
100 Seventh Avenue South
(212) 279-4200 or www.ticketcentral.com
November 13th – January 3rd; Opening Night – 11/29/09
Fridays & Saturdays @ 8 PM; Sundays at 5 PM


The title says it all in THE GAYEST CHRISTMAS PAGEANT EVER! It ain’t Shakespeare, but then you really wouldn’t expect it to be. Playwright Joe Marshall has taken every stereotype and politically incorrect concept that he can think of and thrown them into this wacky celebration of one of our sacred holidays. From the depths of a gaseous organ player to the heights of a pooping Santa tree topper and a gay Hispanic Jesus, envelopes are pushed and prodded and sometimes just out and out exploded. Amidst sophomoric and slapstick comedy, sophisticated gems and wit can be found. Behind the scenes activities, as well as the Christmas story itself, are relayed by diversified absurdity. With clever costumes, creative props, and reworded Christmas carols, you are bound to find yourself chucking throughout THE GAYEST CHRISTMAS PAGEANT EVER!

- Laurie Lawson -

Accidental Repertory Theater presents
www.accidentalrep.org

BRECHT ON BRECHT
An Improvisation by GEORGE TABORI

The Company
VIRGINIA ARMITAGE, JUDY KRAUSE, AUDREY LAVINE
JERRY MARSINI, ANNE PASQUALE, ROBERT ROWE, LOUIS VUOLO

Directed by JOHN STRASBERG
Musical Director: ROSS PATTERSON
Production Stage Manager: SEAN DEMERS
Press Representative: JIM BALDASSARE

Accidental Repertory Theater
555 Eighth Avenue (between 37th & 38th Streets), Suite 403
(646) 435-7867 or www.smarttix.com/
October 29 – November 21, 2009; Opening Night: November 1, 2009

Photo by Jim Baldassare

The pairing of Accidental Repertory Theater Founder and Artistic Director John Strasberg and Bertolt Brecht in the Theater’s first public production, BRECHT ON BRECHT, could be considered serendipitous. Strasberg encourages creativity in a variety of forms, and playwright/poet/director/writer Brecht valued the process that provoked thinking rather than obtaining answers. Take the works, letters, and musical interludes of Brecht, throw in improvisations by Hungarian playwright and director George Tabori, and this production becomes an evolving and shifting work in progress.

With a talented and flexible cast, some of whom ingest chocolate, knit, and tip a water bottle throughout the production, the wry sense of humor and totally unique perspective of Brecht comes to life. In “So Many Questions” his sardonic views enhanced by pride quickly disintegrate into despair and depression. And “Barbara’s Song” becomes a Brecht-style ode to Bad Boys, while “Surabaya Johnny” rips your heart out with its raw emotion. As with all improvisation, there are hits and misses. But with BRECHT ON BRECHT there are mostly hits. This is theatre at its most real and at times its best.

- Laurie Lawson -

Rachel Reiner Productions LLC presents

EMBRACEABLE ME
www.embraceableme.com

By VICTOR L. CAHN

Starring SCOTT BARROW and KEIRA NAUGHTON

Directed by ERIC PARNESS
Set Design: SARAH B. BROWN
Lighting Design: CAROLYN WONG
Costume Design: SIDNEY SHANNON
Sound Design: NICK MOORE
Casting Director: STEPHANIE KLAPPER CASTING
Press: JOE TRENTACOSTA/SPRINGER ASSOCIATES PR
Marketing Coordinator: CHRISTINA FALLONE
Stage Manager: LYNDSEY GOODE
Assistant Director: REBECCA KAHANE
Graphic Design: BILLY MITCHELL

Kirk Theatre @ Theatre Row
410 West 42nd Street (between Ninth & Tenth Avenues)
212-279-4200 or www.ticketcentral.com
October 23 – November 14, 2009; Opening Night – October 28, 2009

Victor L. Cahn’s EMBRACEABLE ME is a clever little love story. Edward (Scott Barrow) and Allison (Keira Naughton) have known each other for years, and this is their story. It is told from both perspectives with asides to the audience. Full of memories, personal insights, agreements and truces, there is an obvious history and chemistry between the two.

Cahn keeps the dialogue sophisticated, witty and emotionally reachable for the audience. Succinct direction by Eric Parness moves this eternal courtship along with just the right amount of time progression and friendly storytelling. Barrow and Naughton, although operating from different ends of the spectrum, are thoroughly engaging and believable. There’s nothing to dislike about EMBRACEABLE ME. It’s an eighty-minute gentle gem.

- Laurie Lawson -

Kevin McCollum, Robyn Goodman, Jeffrey Seller, Vineyard Theatre and the The New Group Present

AVENUE Q
www.avenueq.com

Music and Lyrics by ROBERT LOPEZ and JEFF MARX
Book by JEFF WHITTY
Based on an Original Concept by ROBERT LOPEZ and JEFF MARX
Puppets Conceived and Designed by RICK LYON

with
SALA IWANATSU, NICHOLAS KOHN, MAGGIE LAKIS, ANIKA LARSEN
SETH RETTBERG, DANIELLE K. THOMAS, CULLEN R. TITMAS

Directed by JASON MOOR
Music supervision, Arrangement & Orchestration by STEPHEN OREMUS
Choreographer: KEN ROBERTSON
Set Design: ROBERT LOPEZ
Costume Design: MIRENA RADA
Lighting Design: HOWELL BINKLEY
Sound Design: ACME SOUND PARTNERS
Animation Design: ROBERT LOPEZ
Incidental Music: GARY ADLER
Casting: CINDY TOLAN
General Manager: DAVENPORT THEATRICAL ENTERPRISES
Production Manager: TRAVIS WALKER, AUTONOMOUS PRODUCTION SERVICES
Production Stage Manager: CHRISTINE M. DALY
Press Representative: SAM RUDY MEDIA RELATIONS
Marketing: SCOTT A. MORE

Stage 3 at New World Stages
340 West 50th Street (between Eighth & Ninth Avenues)
(212) 239-6200 or www.telecharge.com
Opening Night: October 21, 2009


Yay! Tony Award-winning AVENUE Q (2004 Best Musical, Best Score, Best Book of a Musical) is back! This is a musical play so clever, so satirical and so thoroughly entertaining that it should always be playing somewhere. Right now it is on Stage 3 at New World Stages, and audiences are just as enthusiastic as they were when it was discovered Off-Broadway and when it made a well-deserved 2500+ performance trip to Broadway. Fantastic puppets designed by Rick Lyon bemoan economic difficulties, prejudice, love problems, and dreams deferred. And you’ll have a blast while they do it with songs by Robert Lopez and Jeff Marx like “It Sucks To Be Me,” “The Internet Is For Porn,” and “Everyone’s A Little Bit Racist,” and a humorous book by Jeff Whitty.

Breathing life into Lyon’s puppets are Sala Iwamatsu, Nicholas Kohn, Maggie Lakis, Anika Larsen, Seth Rettberg, Danielle K. Thomas and Cullen R. Titmas. Fast-paced direction by Jason Moore and skillful animations by Lopez enhance this sharp, on-the-money presentation. Put AVENUE Q on your list of places to visit. You won’t be sorry.

- Laurie Lawson -

New York Musial Theatre Festival and Love Productions Records present

CROSS THAT RIVER
A New Musical About the Black West
www.crossthatriver.com

Book by ANDREW CARL WILK
Music and Lyrics by ALLAN HARRIS
Based on a story by ALLAN & PATRICIA HARRIS

Featuring
WHITNEY BASHOR, WENDY LYNETTE FOX, BRANDON GILL
ALLAN HARRIS, JOSEPH MELENDEZ, TONY PERRY
SOARA-JOYE ROSS, CHARLES E. WALLACE, TIMOTHY WARMEN

Directed by ANDREW CARL WILK
Musical Staging: DONNA McKECHNIE
Musical Director/Arrangements: DAVID JOHN MADORE
Production Design: ANNE PATTERSON
Lighting Design: MATT FREY
Sound Design: TIMOTHY BRANNIGAN
Projection Design: MICHAEL CLARD
Casting: HEATHER MEISNER WILK, ELIAS TRAY
Production Manager: ROBERT A. SHERRILL
Assistant Director: JEREMIAH MAESTAS
Stage Managers: ROBERT BENNETT, DONALD WILLIAM MYERS
General Manager: GEOFF COHEN
Associate Costumer: CHARLOTTE PALMER-LANE
Publicity: SAM RUDY MEDIA RELATIONS
Associate Choreographer: JAMES KINNEY
Producer: PATRICIA HARRIS
Theatrical marketing: KEITH CUTLER
Historical Consultant: HENRY LOUIS GATES, JR.
Coordinating Producer: NORMAN BERETTA

Cross That River Band
Conductor: DAVID JOHN MADORE
Keyboard 1: DAVID JOHN MADORE
Keyboard 2: EVAN JAY NEWMAN
Guitar: BRUCE UCHITEL
Violin: ALAN GRUBNER
Bass: PAUL BEAUDRY
Drums: ADRIAN HAPHAM


TBG Theatre
312 West 36th Street (between Eighth & Ninth Avenues), 3rd Floor
(212) 352-3101 or www.nymf.org or www.crossthatriver.com
10/12 @ 8 PM; 10/13 @ 1 PM; 10/14 @ 4:30 PM
10/16 @ 8 PM; 10/17 @ 1 PM, 10/18 @ 4:30 PM

CROSS THAT RIVER, A New Musical About the Black West, is a musical journey about the lives of slaves, cowboys, and free men and women in America. Through blues, soul, gospel, folk, and country music, we follow the development of Blue (Allan Harris, composer and actor) from slave to cowboy. An impressive band conducted by Musical Director David John Madore, musical staging by Donna McKechnie, and a book by Director Andrew Carl Wilk enhance the passage.

There is so much to praise about this production. A story that includes brutal reality of which few are aware, a courage and perseverance displayed by a talented cast (Harris, Whitney Bashor, and Tony Perry are a few of the show-stopping singers), an intense love interest (Wendy Lynette Fox), racism, patriotism, spirituality, and the list goes on. CROSS THAT RIVER is one of those rare gems that keep theatergoers visiting Off-Broadway. A delight to discover, one can only hope that we have not seen the last of this musical masterpiece.

- Laurie Lawson -

WorkShop Theater Company
www.workshoptheater.org
presents
NEXT YEAR IN JERUSALEM
by Dana Leslie Goldstein
Directed by Robert Bruce McIntosh

WorkShop Theater Company
4th Floor Main Stage
312 W 36th Street, NYC

Performance schedule: October 8 -10, 15 -17, 22 -24, and 28-31 at 8PM Sunday matinees on October 11, 18 and 25 at 3PM
Information and reservations: (212) 695-4173 x 5#
Tickets: www.theatermania.com

Scenic and Lighting Design DUANE PAGANO
Costume Design ANNE E. GROSZ
Sound Design DAVID SCHULDER
Production Stage Manager MICHAEL PALMER
Press Representative SCOTTI RHODES

Cast
Faustine Mendel – Jodie Bentley
Abraham Mendel – Burt Edwards
Young Abraham Mendel/Ari – Jake Robards
Anna Mendel – Elyse Mirto
Anna Netter – Sarah Romanello
Rachel Mendel Netter – Dee Dee Friedman
Lee Netter – Timothy Scott Harris

Dana Leslie Goldstein’s NEXT YEAR IN JERUSALEM opens WorkShop Theater Company's 2009/2010 season on a high note. A touching, sometimes funny new dramatic work set in modern-era New York, with flashbacks to Poland 1939, Israel 1948 and Brooklyn 1960, the play has some poignant moments.

The play centers on the Mendel family. Patriarch Abraham Mendel, faced with his own mortality, reflects on the choices of his youth. As Abraham, actor Burt Edwards is a force to be reckoned with. Seeming genuinely conflicted in his interactions with his two very different children, Abraham feels real. The play is structured with the typical good child/bad child family dynamic to add some tension to the mix. The stalwart older daughter, Rachel, seethes just below the surface, as the freer, wilder Faustine just cannot seem to get under control, drinking and talking too much, and stopping just short of a strip-tease at Seder. The formula works here, thanks to some good acting, including Jake Robards in a dual role as a young, conflicted Abraham, and as Ari, a potential suitor for Faustine.

The play deviates from the central action with plot complications involving the disintegrating marriage of Rachel and husband Lee, who also work together in Abraham’s business. If extraneous, one of the scenes between Dee Dee Friedman’s Rachel and Timothy Scott Harris’ Lee is also appropriately sad and played with authenticity. Diverting a bit from the central arc of the play, but well executed.

NEXT YEAR IN JERUSALEM is a fine addition to this season on stage. It offers a relatable and moving portrait of a family. Robert Bruce McIntosh’s direction steady direction complements Ms. Goldsteins’s play, allowing for the various time periods to co-exist without confusion or chaos on the stage, and for the characters to take on a life beyond the page, engaging the audience from the moment the action begins.
- Kessa De Santis -

THE HAPPY EMBALMER
Book, Music and Lyrics by
MARK NOONAN & NICK ODDY

Featuring
NOAH ABERLIN, CANDI BOYD, TITUSS BURGESS, JOE COOTS
TONY DAUSSAT, BRIAN GALLAGHER, STEVEN HAUCK, LARA JANINE
CEDRIC LEIBA, JR., JOHN JEFFREY MARTIN, KEVIN MICHAEL MURPHY
NATALIE NEWEMAN, DANIEL REICHARD, MEGAN SKIORA
CHRISTOPHER SPAULDING, TIFFANY SUDOL

Directed and Choreographed by KELLY DEVINE
Music Director: SONNY PALADINO
Music Coordinator: HOWARD JONES
Scenic Design: JO WINIARSKI
Costume Design: PAUL CAREY
Lighting Design: JASON LYONS
Sound Design: WALTER TRARBACH
Production Design: AUSTIN SWITSER
General Management: DEMOS TSILIKOUDIS/CHELSEA KACZMAREX
Publicity: DALE HELLER
Production Stage Manager: MATT DICARLO

Acorn Theater @ Theatre Row
410 West 42nd Street (between Ninth & Tenth Avenues)
(212) 279-4200 or www.ticketcentral.com
(212) 352-3101 or www.nymf.org
10/06 @ 8 PM, 10/07 @ 5 PM, 10/08 @ 9 PM, 10/09 @ 1PM, 10/10 @ 5 & 9 PM


Mark Noonon and Nick Oddy’s THE HAPPY EMBALMER is an official selection of the 2009 New York Musical Theatre Festival (www.nymf.org ). Even though it teeters between crude and clever, sexy and silly, it is easy to see why this is a choice work. The preposterous plot of an embalmer who brings corpses back to life goes down easily with lively music and great choreography. A high-energy production with fast-paced direction by Kelly Devine and an impressive cast studded with proven stars (Daniel Reichard from Jersey Boys, Tituss Burgess from The Little Mermaid, and Megan Sikora from Curtains) make this worthy of your attention.

In spite of its funeral home setting, THE HAPPY EMBALMER is full of absurdity and humor. As Embalmer Edward (Reichard) discovers his special talents, he re-meets the love of his life (Sikora), is kidnapped by a Dali Llama (Burgess) and his protégé (Cedric Leiba, Jr.), seduced by the money of a Texas funeral home owner (Joe Coots), and wooed by a Russian professor (Steven Hauck). And still there is room for a love story, a few life lessons, and plenty of laughs. THE HAPPY EMBALMER will make you happy – go see it.

- Laurie Lawson -

Ditto Productions
Presents
HUGHIE
by Eugene O’Neill

American Theatre of Actors
Sergeant Theatre, 4th Floor
314 W 54th Street (between 8th and 9th Avenues)
Tickets: www.smarttix.com

October 1st thru October 3rd and October 8th thru October 10th
All performances are at 8PM

Directed by AARON GONZALEZ
Set Design CLAIRE KAROFF
Lighting Design RUS SNELLING
Projection Design AARON GONZALEZ
Stage Manager KIERSTEN ARMSTRONG
Press Rep SCOTTI RHODES

starring
David Tawil and Dean Negri


Eugene O’Neill’s, short, two-character play called HUGHIE is making a brief appearance at the American Theatre of Actors this month. This latest revival, rather than being a star vehicle, is being staged in the cozy, no-frills Sergeant Theatre in a spare production.

Featuring David Tawil as the legend-in-his-own-mind, Erie Smith, and Dean Negri as a fantasizing hotel night clerk, Charlie Hughes, this incarnation paints Erie as desperate and Charlie as disinterested almost to the point of disengaging the audience as well.

In these times of doing more with less, set designer Claire Karoff presents some set pieces, most notably the implied framework of a revolving door and elevator bank, that highlight the impoverished reality just underneath the big talk and grandiosity presented by Erie, a man desperately revisiting the glory of his past, wearing a suit that doesn’t quite fit, and still hoping that the real sucker is someone besides himself.

The strengths of O’Neill’s HUGHIE do resonate despite the flaws. After all, this is essentially a play about despair and indifference that leads to a brief moment of understanding, and here the two actors do achieve some common ground in the final moments. Definitely, a curiosity, if nothing else.

- Kessa De Santis -

The Clockwork Theatre presents
www.theclockworktheatre.org
The World Premiere of

UNDERGROUND
By JAMES McMANUS

Featuring

DOUG NYMAN, MARIANNA McCLELLAN, TINA ALEXIS ALLEN
PHILLIP J. CUTRONE, LARRY GREENBUSH, PETER IASILLO JR. & JAY ROHLOFF

Directed by OWEN M. SMITH
Original Music: JOE PEPE
Scenic Designer: JOY ROHLOFF
Lighting Designer: VINCENT VIGILANTE
Costume Designer: JOCELYN MELECHINSKY
Sound Designer: DALE BIGALL
Technical Director: VINCENT VIGILANTE
Production Stage Manager: MICHELL HINES
Press Representative: JOE TRENTACOSTA/SPRINGER ASSOCIATES

The Beckett Theatre @ Theatre Row
410 West 42nd Street (between Ninth & Tenth Avenues)
(212) 279-4200 or www.ticketcentral.com
September 20 – October 17, 2009; Opening Night: 10/04/09

In a West Virginia town, Bones (Doug Nyman) and his girlfriend Mindy Lee (Marianna McClellan) are planning their escape from the coal mines by becoming Country & Western singers. James McManus’ UNDERGROUND personalizes the lives of coal miners and presents a poignant, multi-faceted glimpse into a dark and sometimes dangerous life. Beneath the earth you meet the men (Jay Rohloff, Phillip J. Cutrone, Larry Greenbush, and Peter Iasillo, Jr.) bonded by both blood and circumstances. They are raunchy, resigned, and just regular guys trying to make a living for themselves and their families. Tina Alexis Allen rounds out this superb cast as the mother and wife of two of the miners.

On a fantastic set designed by Rohloff, you descend into the earth with these guys where their personalities and courage light up the darkness and above ground you reach for the stars with Bones and Mindy Lee. Original music by Joe Pepe keeps the dream alive, even when tragedy drastically alters the priorities. If you haven’t thought of coal miners and the sacrifices they and their families make on a daily basis, McManus’ UNDERGROUND will take care of that in short order. There is optimism and innocence throughout that makes this a very compelling play.

- Laurie Lawson -

Choice Theatricals in association with
Vital Theatre Company Present

IN THE DAYLIGHT
A New Play by TONY GLAZER

With
SHARON MAGUIRE, ASHLEY AUSTIN MORRIS, JAY PATERSON
CONCETTA TOMEI, JOSEPH URLA

Directed by JOHN GOULD RUBIN
Scenic Design: CHRISTOPHER BARRECA
Costume Design: ANDREEA MINCIC
Lighting Design: THOM WEAVER
Sound Design: ELIZABETH RHODES
Fight Director: QUI NGUYEN
Casting Director: McCORKLE CASTING, LTD.
Production Stage Manager: MEREDIT DIXON
Press Representative: SPRINGER AND ASSOCIATIES/JOE TRENTACOSTA
General Manager: CJM PRODUCTIONS/CHERYL DENNIS
Production Supervisor: PRF PRODUCTIONS/PETER R. FEUCHTWANGER

McGinn Cazale Theatre
2162 Broadway (between 76th – 77th Streets), 4th Floor
(212) 579-0528 or www.vitaltheatre.org
September 8 – October 11, 2009; Opening Night: September 20, 2009


Tony Glazer’s new play, IN THE DAYLIGHT, is all about family. Six years after the death of his father Dr. William Feingold (Jay Patterson), best-selling author Marvin (Joseph Urla) returns home to dispose of ashes. He is welcomed back into the fold by his sister (Sharon Magure) and mother (Concetta Tomei). Before you start thinking puppies and apple pie, there’s a lot of anger, magnificently portrayed by the droll and sardonic Tomei, secrets (Magure’s specialty), and the lingering memories of Daddy Dearest. Against a stark background of black and white, this colorful family wrestles with the past. Into the fray a ditzy fan/stalker of Marvin’s (Ashley Austin Morris) enters. The set is on a slant so that after entering the front door there is an inevitable descent (into madness or hell perhaps). Outside a storm rages, but it is not competition for the stormy events inside.

Glazer has provided edgy characters, a maze of a plot with enough twists and turns to keep even the most jaded theatre goer surprised, and an amusing and fascinating glimpse inside one family. IN THE DAYLIGHT both applauds and bemoans the thickness of blood.

- Laurie Lawson -

Lyric Productions and Adam Blanshay present

HIS GREATNESS
www.hisgreatnessplay.com
Inspired by a potentially true story about playwright Tennessee Williams
A new play by DANIEL MACIVOR

Featuring
PETER GOLDFARB, DAN DOMINGUES, MICHAEL BUSILLO
Voiceovers: SHEILA HEAD, CHRISTA KIMLICKO JONES

Directed by TOM GUALTIERI
Set Design: TANIA BIJLANI
Lighting Design: SETH REISER
Costume Design: CIERA WELLS
Original Music & Sound Design: DANIEL KLUGER
Graphic Design: STEPHANIE LAYTON
Production Stage Manager: MARY KATHRYN BLAZEK
Stage Manager: ALEXIS CALDWELL
Assistant Stage Manager: MELISSA MAGLIULA
Production Assistant: SEAN BARRETT
Press Representative: DALE HELLER

Soho Playhouse
15 Vandam Street
(212) 279-4488 or www.fringenyc-encoreseries.com
09/17 @ 7 PM; 09/19 @ 2 PM; 09/20 @3 PM; 09/23 @ 3 PM; 09/25 @ 7 PM


Daniel MacIvor’s HIS GREATNESS was so well-received at the 2009 New York International Fringe Festival that it was selected to be a part of the FringeNYC Encore Series and can be seen for the limited appearances listed above. Anyone fascinated and enamored by playwright Tennessee Williams (and aren’t we all?) will definitely want to check this out. Although not gospel, this “potentially true” story takes place in a Vancouver hotel room. The cast of characters include the salty and sometimes self-destructive Williams (Peter Goldfarb), his loyal and trusted assistant of many years (Dan Domingues), and a Canadian street hustler (Michael Busillo). They gather on the eve of a play’s debut at a time when the river of new ideas has dried up for playwright.

Award-winning MacIvor gives us an amusing and poignant inside glimpse into one of America’s legendary playwrights. His characters are well-rounded, multi-faceted, and believable. It would have been easy to trash the Tennessee-like author, but acknowledgement of his genius and his place in literary history is maintained. HIS GREATNESS is a fair and complex “potentially true” tribute to Mr. Williams. Well done.

- Laurie Lawson-

Joyce Johnson Deep End Productions
And little victor productions present

FATHERS & SONS
A Power Play by RICHARD HOEHLER

Featuring

RICHARD HOEHLER and EDWIN MATOS, JR.

Directed by CHRIS DOLMAN
Stage Manager: EMILY JAMES DURNING
Scenic Designer: TODD EDWARD IVINS
Costume Designer: JONATHAN KNIPSCHER
Lighting Designer: MICHAEL ABRAMS
Original Music Composer, Sound Designer: SCOTT O’BRIEN
Press Representative: SAM RUDY MEDIA RELATIONS
Marketing Director: OH! OST & HUGHES CREATIVE CONSULTANTS
Photographer: ROB BENCHLEY

Lion Theatre @ Theatre Row
410 West 42nd Street (between Ninth & Tenth Avenues)
(212) 279-4200 or www.ticketcentral.com
Opening Night: September 17, 2009


Richard Hoehler’s FATHERS & SONS is a play within a play. As a playwright (Hoehler) and his young protégé (Edwin Matos, Jr.) rehearse for opening night, their relationship and those of the plays’ characters are exposed and explored. This is definitely a case of life copying art and vice versa. Straight and gay, mentor and mentee, father and son, uncle and nephew, stepfather and stepson – all have underlying common traits and longings. After life’s harsh lessons the fathers want a second chance to redeem themselves in the eyes of the angry young sons who feel they have been neglected and ignored. Both old and young are held back by their insecurities, the difficulties of filling a role for which they were not prepared, and the requirements of their circumstances. And in some cases the roles are interchangeable and at times indistinguishable.

Both Hoehler and Matos, Jr. are superb in all the roles they assume. The anger of the son figures becomes repetitious at times but is believable. Tight direction by Chris Dolman keeps the audience on course, and the scenarios are easily differentiated by the skills of the actors and something as simple as the changing of a shirt. What is poignantly and some times humorously obvious is that the bond between the two is inevitable, even when one party is missing; mercurial; and often fueled by unfulfilled desires. FATHERS & SONS celebrates and laments the depth and diversity of male relationships like no other play I’ve seen.

- Laurie Lawson -

Firebone Theatre presents

EMILY
An Amherst Remembrance

By CHRIS CRAGIN

Featuring
ELIZABETH A. DAVIS
JENNY LEDEL, MISTY FOSTER VENTERS
JARED HOUSEMAN, CHRISTOPHER BONEWITZ

Assistant Manager: HAYLI HENDERSON
Stage Manager: LAYSE FROSCH
Assistant Stage Manager: MOLLY MURPHY
Scenic and Lighting Designer: RACHELLE BECKERMAN
Sound Design: JOSH LIEBERT
Costume Designer: VICTORIA DEPEW
Dramaturge: CAITLIN LEE
Choreographer: KIMI NIKATDOH
Technical Consultant: SARAH KATTAU
Assistant Scenic Designer: DREW LUPSON
Sound Board Operator: ANTHONY TRENTINELLA
Master Electrician: TOM WILSON
House Managers: JORDAN RICHARDS and REBECCA BRANSCOM

Kirk Theatre at Theatre Row
410 West 42nd Street (between Ninth & Tenth Avenues)
(212) 279-4200 or www.ticketcentral.com
September 11 – 27, 2009; Opening Night: September 16, 2009


When I agreed to review Chris Cragin’s EMILY, An Amherst Remembrance, I knew that Emily Dickinson was one of the first revolutionary and renowned American female poets. But when someone asked me “What did she write?” I embarrassingly confess I did know the title of one poem. Maybe something about Amherst? I had heard rumors that she led a reclusive life but again possessed no details.

Cragin brilliantly portrays Emily’s life from the age of 17 to 29 in reverse chronological order. And in retrospect, this play becomes a tour de force. You see the reclusive, creative Emily as an introduction, and through each regressive act hints of what became are revealed. Elizabeth A. Davis is an imposing Emily, fragile yet steadfastly holding on to her love of poetry and defying the mores of 19th Century culture to escape the mundane and move toward the meaningful. Jenny Ledel, Misty Foster Venters, Jared Houseman, and Christopher Bonewitz are the significant others in this isolated genius’ life, and they do an impressive job with each role.

In EMILY a multi-faceted person who revered and sacrificed for her poetry is revealed. Cragin inspires the audience to not only appreciate Ms. Dickinson but to long for even more information about this legendary and courageous talent.

- Laurie Lawson -

The New York International Fringe Festival
August 14-30, 2009


Sewer Socialist Productions
Presents
TIME'S SCREAM AND HURRY
Written and Directed by Paul Hoan Zeidler

Cherry Lane Theatre Studio
38 Commerce Street, NYC
August 15-24, 2009
Reservations: www.FringeNYC.org

Lighting Designer ANDREW MERRIWEATHER
Sound Designer CHRIS GAME
Props Designer MATT MAENPAA
Press Representative SCOTTI RHODES PUBLICITY

Starring
Carlita Penaherrera, J.J. Pyle and Charles Pacello

TIME’S SCREAM AND HURRY is aptly described in the press release as “an urban drama that tells three separate stories of characters… who either instigate or find themselves a part of violence so deeply affecting, that each is compelled to make a surprising and life-altering choice.” While the stories themselves are very different, there is a thread of not quite despair, but darkness, that runs through them. Each of these are characters defined by their relationships to other people or defined by particular aspects of their lives. Although the tone is cohesive, and each story has promising elements and similar construction (each act is a one-person performance), the three segments are not equally effective, with the third of the program in desperate need of editing.

In the first installment, we meet Carlita Penaherrera as a spirited West L.A. teenager known only as “So-So’s Sister”. So-So and her sister have had a life full of challenges and circumstances that have forced them to take on adult responsibilities, whether they are fully aware of them or not. Ms. Penaherrera, as the sister desperate for attention and unconditional love, delivers an engaging performance. Her story of loss – loss of life, loss of innocence, loss of hope – rings authentic, if sad.

The centerpiece of the evening features J.J. Pyle as “Match Girl”, a woman who attempts to rationalize her penchant for self-mutilation by fire and inability to maintain a relationship by explaining how she was picked on in the playground. Of course, we don’t buy the simple psychology, but never do learn of the genesis. In this way, “Match Girl” is like so many people on the fringes in big cities like New York, where they can easily fit in and lead productive lives, all the while, getting their “perv on” in private.

Our final friend of the evening is Charles Pacello as “The Good Boyfriend”. There is a gripping story in this act fighting to get out. It loses some steam in a set-up that implies the tale relayed will be about something far more innocuous and fluffy. Another problem is that this “good” boy doesn’t necessarily come off as that likeable a guy, and he really should.

Throughout TIME’S SCREAM AND HURRY, the characters come up with fortune cookie philosophical summaries and other pithily worded observations that result in a stylized effect. While each part is big on words, the third act suffers the most from needing editing. With some reworking and streamlining, this could be something that has the resonance I am sure the writer/director intended.

- Kessa De Santis -


Performance Schedule: Saturday, August 15th at 7:45PM, Monday, August 17th at 4PM, Thursday, August 20th at 3:45PM, Friday, August 21st at 2PM, Monday, August 24th at 8PM, and Saturday, August 29th at noon. Running time is 2 hours. Tickets are $15.

Foster Entertainment & Simon Morley Present

PUPPETRY OF THE PENIS
www.puppetryofthepenis.com

Created by
SIMON MORLEY & DAVID FRIEND

Featuring
RICH BINNING
CHRITOPHER J. CANNON

Guest Comedians
RACHEL FEINSTEIN, GIULIA ROZZI, AMY SCHUMER

General Manager: FOSTER ENTERTAINMENT/JENNIE CONNERY
Lighting Design: AL ROUNDTREE
Stage Manager: MARCI SKOLNICK
Camera Operator/Understudy: CHRISTOPHER GOODWIN
Press Agent: SPRINGER ASSOCIATES PR
Advertising & Marketing: THE PEKOE GROUP

45 Bleecker Street Theatre
(212) 239-6200 or www.telecharge.com
August 4 – 30, 2009; Opening Night: August 08, 2009


PUPPETRY OF THE PENIS is a perfect example of what happens when guys have too much time on their hands. The wild and wacky team of creator Simon Morley and performing partner David Friend came up with this show of genital origami. With very few props and absolutely no clothes, Rich Binning and Christopher J. Cannon prod, poke, stretch, swing, bend, and play with their penises throughout the production creating sea monsters, hamburgers, birds, musical instruments, and a myriad of other characters. Since its debut in 1998, this immediate hit has been seen by over 1 million people in 14 countries. It has been translated into three languages, played non-stop on HBO’s “Real Sex” since 2002, had DVD releases throughout the world, and even published a “how-to” book.

And now the comedic insanity has returned to New York. To add to the frenzy, the show opens with a guest comedian (Rachel Feinstein, Giulia Rozzi, Amy Schumer), as if you needed warming up for a show that features penises. As soon as PUPPETRY OF THE PENIS begins, you can expect to be smiling, chuckling, laughing and even wincing from beginning to end. You leave being grateful that you’re not the person responsible for giving these guys an erection. I can’t imagine what they do to make that happen!

- Laurie Lawson -

Evill July Productions and Drs. Naomi and Avraham Kadar present

MOTHER
www.mothertheplay.com

By LISA EBERSOLE

Starring

BUCK HENRY & HOLLAND TAYLOR

LISA EBERSOLE, HASKELL KING, KEITH RANDOLPH SMITH, DAVID ROSENBLATT

Directed by ANDREW GROSSO
Set Design: SANDRA GOLDMARK
Costume Design: BECKY LASKEY
Lighting: BRIAN JONES
Sound Design: DANIEL KLUGER and BRANDON WOLCOTT
Press: SAM RUDY MEDIA PRODUCTIONS
Production Stage Manager: ANDREA WALES
Assistant Stage Manager: KATHLEEN LONGAZEL

The Wild Project Theater
195 East 3rd Street
(212) 352-0255 or www.theatermania.com
July 8 – August 1; Opening Night: July 15, 2009


Set in an upscale West Virginia resort, Lisa Ebersole’s MOTHER takes place on December 29, 2009, as an eccentric and definitely dysfunctional family celebrates a holiday dinner. Let the button-pushing begin! The meal is full of tedium, humor, repressed anger that bubbles up, love in spite of the madness, and poignant moments. Kind of like family get-togethers everywhere.

MOTHER is a hit-and-miss play with more hits than misses. In addition to a slice of life that isn’t always interesting, it keeps you off kilter and often presents more questions than answers. But it stars Buck Henry and Holland Taylor backed by a cast (Ebersole, Haskell King, Keith Randolph Smith, and David Rosenblatt) that holds its own amidst these talented two multiple-Award-winning stars. The sets by Sandra Goldmark make you want to book a reservation at this swanky resort as soon as the play is over. And for an additional $5, you can get on-stage seating at café tables and a glass of Prosecco. Lastly MOTHER is a mere 75 minutes. I’ve had uncomfortable family functions that have lasted way longer than that!

- Laurie Lawson -

The Midtown International Theatre Festival
www.midtownfestival.org
and Thisbe Productions
present

SEAL SONGS
www.sealsongstheplay.com
by Jennifer Fell Hayes
Directed by KathyGail MacGowan


WorkShop Theater Company
Jewel Box Theater
312 W. 36th Street, 4th Floor East between 8th and 9th Avenues
Tickets: (866) 811-4111

July 13 through 31, 2009

Set Designer BRIAN KALIN
Stage Manager, Lighting & Sound ACENZA MONTALBANO
Press & Publicity SCOTTI RHODES

Performed by
Katie Atcheson and Richard Kent Green

SEAL SONGS is an hour-long play structured as two “songs” (DEEP WATER, followed by OVERBOARD) set in the same location, but separated by 30 years. Built on familiar themes of longing, loss and fixation, the two halves range from the mundane to the fantastic, but without flash or fanfare.

Katie Atcheson and Richard Kent Green are charming and engaging as Nora/Selena and Alan/Peter. In DEEP WATER we meet Nora and Alan, two damaged souls who seemed destined to unite until life steps in. Nora is fascinated by seals and loves her view of the sea and classical music. Alan shares a love of the classics and does odd jobs around the house. Alas, it was not meant to be.

Fast forward 30 years, and we meet Alan’s jilted grandson, Peter, and a curious creature plucked from the sea called Selena in OVERBOARD. Again, our duet play star-crossed and would-be lovers, this time with a more mystical twist.

An hors d’oeuvre of an offering, SEAL SONGS is just the right length and combination of talent and experimentation for a theater festival like MITF. With limited room, spare sets, a backstage that practically extends into the audience and a frenzy of activity just out the door, this one doesn’t quite resonate, but it doesn’t strike a sour chord either.

- Kessa De Santis -

Performance schedule: Monday, July 13th at 8:30PM, Friday, July 17th at 7:45PM, Sunday, July 19th at 12:15PM, Thursday, July 23rd at 6:45PM, Saturday, July 25th at 5:15PM, and Friday, July 31st at 7PM.

Alchemy and Labyrinth Theater Company
Present

SWEET STORM
By SCOTT HUDSON

With
JAMIE DUNN & ERIC T. MILLER

Directed by PADRAIC LILLIS
Scenic & Costume Design: LEA UMBERGER
Lighting Design: SARAH SIDMAN
Sound Design: ELIZABETH RHODES
Production Stage Manager: JESSICA J. FELIX
Casting: JUDY BOWMAN CASTING
Production Supervisor: JAMES E. CLEVELAND/LA VIE PRODUCTIONS

Kirk Theatre at Theatre Row
410 West 42nd Street (between Ninth & Tenth Avenues)
(212) 279-4200 or www.ticketcentral.com
Extended through July 26, 2009


Every now and then you find a jewel Off Broadway. And what a delight it is. Well, Award-winning Scott Hudson’s SWEET STORM is so dazzling and gem-studded that you could make an entire necklace out of the 75-minute production.

The premise is slightly absurd. Set in a 1960’s small Florida town, Bo (Eric T. Miller) and Ruthie (Jamie Dunn) are acknowledging their honeymoon in a tree house during a forceful storm. The anxious-to-please Bo has created the tree house as a gesture of love for the easily-overwhelmed Ruthie, and all is not going as planned for the first night of nuptials. As the evening progresses, the couple reveals hopes and fears, past mistakes and future dreams, and questions everything from love and marriage to faith and beliefs. Dunn and Miller are superb in bringing you two of the most lovable-yet-flawed characters to ever grace a stage. Direction perfection by Padraic Lillis and a fantastic set by Lea Umberger enhance their performances, and SWEET STORM is indeed a sweet theatre experience. Do whatever you have to do and get a ticket to this stand-out play.

- Laurie Lawson -

MAN underdog and DARYL ROTH
Present

THE TEMPERAMENTALS
www.thetemperamentals.com

by JON MARANS

Featuring

THOMAS JAY RYAN                 MICHAEL URIE
TOM BECKETT            MATTHEW SCHNECK            SAM BRESLIN WRIGHT

Directed by JONATHAN SILVERSTEIN
Set & Costume Design: CLINT RAMOS
Lighting Design: JOSH BRADFORD
Sound Design: DANIEL KLUGER
Musical Consultant: AARON DAI
Press Representative: KEVIN P. McANARNEY/KPM ASSOCIATES
Assistant Set Designer: CRAIG NAPOLIELLO
Assistant Costume Designer: NICOLE WEE
Production Stage Manager: SAMONE B. WEISSMAN
Company Manager: PORTER PICKARD
Assistant Director: JAMES STOVER
Assistant Stage Manager: PALOMA PILAR

TBG Theater
312 West 36th Street (between Eighth & Ninth Avenues)
(212) 868-4444 or www.smarttix.com
Extended through August 23, 2009


You don’t need me to tell you how great Jon Marans’ THE TEMPERAMENTALS is. Since its original opening on April 30, 2009, it has been consistently sold out, reopened (06/10/09), and now extended through August 23rd.

Based on the lives of communist Harry Hay (Thomas Jay Ryan) and Viennese refugee designer Rudi Gernreich (Michael Urie), the story is fascinating. Long before Stonewall, these two men were instrumental in creating the first gay rights organization known to a select few as the Mattachine Society. The other founders were Chuck Rowland (Tom Beckett), Bob Hull (Matthew Schneck), and Dale Jennings (Sam Breslin Wright).

It was a time of secrecy, danger, prejudice, and shame for homosexuals in the 1950’s. And yet these courageous men stood up to all of those perilous forces, while trying to create careers, change politics, and pave the way for other gay men and women. Assisted by a superb ensemble cast and a director (Jonathan Silverstein) who magnificently blends all the elements into a compelling documentary, THE TEMPERAMENTALS is a slice of history that you don’t want to miss.

- Laurie Lawson -

Cheryl King Productions presents

SOLE SURVIVORS
JOURNEY ACROSS BORDERS

Written and Performed by MICHELLE VEST
Directed by TANYA TAYLOR RUBINSTEIN
Light/Sound by ELLEN ROSENBERG
With
MARIACHI FLOR DE TOLOACHE
Mireya Ramos, Shae Fiol, Veronica Valerio, Antonio Vidal

Stage Left Studio
438 West 37th Street (between Ninth & Tenth Avenues), 5A
(212) 868-4444 or www.smarttix.com
June 3, 4, 5, & 8, 2009


For those of you who think you have the immigration problem all figured out, Michelle Vest has a few things of which she’d like you to be aware. In her SOLE SURVIVORS Journey Across Borders, she holds a glaring and unrelenting light up to the reality of just what people are willing to do to have a shot at the American Dream.

There’s the American woman who exploits the situation but she does it compassionately, the tortured San Salvadorian who sacrifices his family to build a better life, the young Mexican woman who uses sex to distract from the pain of not being with her son, and the tough hombre who thinks he has the secret of success mastered until one fateful moment. These are not a pretty tales. Vest does an impressive job of telling them using a touch of disbelief on the American’s part and a poignant combination of cynicism, anguish, determination and desperate hope for the immigrants. She becomes each character with convincing conviction. In between the vignettes, the Mariachi Flor de Toloache plays Mexican music, at times almost maniacal in its contrasting upbeat tempo.

SOLE SURVIVORS Journey Across Borders dares to give you another perspective of the “immigration problem,” and it does so amazingly well. Challenge your beliefs and walk in the immigrants’ shoes for one brief hour with Michelle Vest.

- Laurie Lawson -

Power Productions New York, Inc.
And The National Aphasia Association
www.aphasia.org

Present

NIGHT SKY
www.NightSkyThePlay.com
A Play by SUSAN YANKOWITZ

With

JORDAN BAKER and LAUREN ASHLEY CARTER
DAN DOMINGUES, TUCK MILLIGAN, MARIA-CHRISTINA OLIVERAS, JIM STANEK

Directed by DANIELLA TOPOL
Set Design: CAMERON ANDERSON
Costume Design: KATHERINE ROTH
Lighting Design: PETER WEST
Original Music/Sound Design/Music Direction
THE BROKEN CHORD COLLECTIVE
Casting: GEOFF JOSSELSON
Advertising: ELIRAN-MURPHY GROUP
Press Representative: SAM RUDY MEDIA RELATIONS
Company Manager: BETH REISMAN
Production Stage Manager: CARLOW MAISONET
Technical Supervisor: RANDALL ETHEREDGE
General Manager: LA VIE PRODUCTIONS LLC

Baruch Performing Arts Center
55 Lexington Avenue @ 25th Street
(212) 352-3101 or www.theatermania.com
May 23 – June 20, 2009; Opening Night: June 02, 2009


Every now and then a play decides to take on multi-realms of existence – physical, mental, and spiritual – and, in the most fortunate of instances, they successfully come together. That is the case with Susan Yankowitz’s NIGHT SKY. Using physicist Stephen Hawking’s premise that the two remaining mysteries are the brain and the cosmos, Yankowitz introduces us to aphasia, a condition rendering its victim unable to speak in conventional manners. With a touch of irony, she inflicts it upon her main character Anna, a cerebral astronomer poignantly and forcefully portrayed by Jordon Baker.

Several clever parallels between the cosmos and the brain exist throughout NIGHT SKY. Chaos reigns in Anna’s life as she struggles to keep many balls in the air – her fiancé’s (Jim Stanek) opera career, her daughter’s (the delightful Lauren Ashley Carter) teenage development, her colleague’s (Tuck Milligan) educational pursuits, and her own sanity. After the accident, the gaps and disorder, much like the Black Holes of the universe, exist in her mind as she struggles for the right word,. A world once easily explained and manipulated by words is now stripped down to the basics as Anna and her family attempt to communicate without the use of familiar language. Baker will break your heart with her attempts, and Carter will optimistically remind you of the possibilities as youth is wont to do.

NIGHT SKY is a heavenly journey that reaches to celestial heights as it firmly plants your feet on the ground and reminds you what is really important. Treat yourself to a very impressive work and see this one.

- Laurie Lawson -

Resonance Ensemble
www.ResonanceEnsemble.org
Eric Parness, Artistic Director * Rachel Reiner, Managing Director
Presents

REFLECTIONS
An Evening of Short Plays
Directed by ERIC PARNESS

COMPROMISE
By Ian Strasfogel
Featuring
Christine Verleny, Bill Fairbairn, David Arthur Bachrach

CATASTROPHE
By Samuel Beckett
Featuring
David Arthur Bachrach, Nicole Godino, Grant James Varjas

THEIR TOWN
By Alvin Eng
Featuring
Todd Butera, Bill Fairbairn

SWAN SONG
By Anton Chekhov
Featuring
Bill Fairbairn, David Arthur Bachrach

WHAT HAPPENED THEN
By Michael Feingold
Featuring
Grant James Varjas, Todd Butera, Nicole Godino

Scenic Designer: SARAH B. BROWN
Costume Designer: COLLEEN KESTERSON
Lighting Designer: PAMELA KUPPER
Original Music Composer/Sound Designer: NICK MOORE
Stage Manager: JENNA LAZAR
Assistant Stage Manager: KRIS ROBERTS
Production Manager: JOE DORAN
Production Electrician: FLORA VASSAR
Artist: BILL THOMPSON, TNT GRAPHICS, INC.

Lion Theatre at Theatre Row
410 West 42nd Street (between Ninth & Tenth Avenues)
(212) 279-4200 or www.ticketcentral.com
May 16 – June 6, 2009; Opening Night: May 21, 2009

REFLECTIONS: An Evening of Short Plays, lives up to its title by contemplating various phases of life and death through art. In Ian Strasfogel’s COMPROMISE the conflict between producer (commercialism) and director (artistic) is explored as the playwright Samuel Beckett looks on. In Beckett’s CATASTROPHE he uses the format of a director to expose the manipulation and oppression of political dogma. THEIR TOWN by Alvin Eng is a take on Thornton Wilder’s Our Town as characters struggle with atonement (or “at-one-ment”) for their past lives. An aging actor tries to justify his existence through theatrical accomplishments in Anton Chekhov’s SWAN SONG, and in Michael Feingold’s WHAT HAPPENED THEN the interconnectedness and co-dependency of humans are displayed through a spell-binding story of coincidences and misfortune.

All of the plays in REFLECTIONS are directed by Eric Parness, and out of the five there are hits and misses. THEIR TOWN and SWAN SONG are a tad too long and rambling. With COMPROMISE and CATASTROPHE you are left to your own devices when it comes to interpretation, and that’s not necessarily a bad thing. WHAT HAPPENED THEN is perhaps the most straightforward in storytelling. I would be hard-pressed to name an actor that wasn’t overly proficient in his/her role, and each work in its own way makes you pause and think. And that is quality that REFLECTIONS: An Evening of Short Plays reaches for and achieves.

- Laurie Lawson -

The Mirror Repertory Company
Producing Artistic Director/Founder Sabra Jones McAteer
Presents

THE SHANGHAI GESTURE
Written by JOHN COLTON
Adapted by MARSHA SHEINESS

Starring

TINA CHEN
With

HYOSUN CHOI, HELEN COXE, JOHN FITZGIBBON, NADIA GAN, VICTORIA GUTHRIE
JOHN HAGGERTY, MARCUS HO, ERIN KRAKOW, ROBERT LYDIARD
ELENA McGHEE, LARRY PINE, JACEY POWERS, SETH POWERS
ALLEN LEWIS RICKMAN, NICK SAKAI, TOSHIJI TAKESHIMA, SABRINA VEROCZI
RICHARD P. WATSON, ROGER WU, JO YANG, ROB YANG

Directed by ROBERT KALFIN
Executive Producer: MARILYN S. MILLER
Scenery: MICHAEL ANANIA
Costumes: GAIL COOPER-HECHT
Lighting: PAUL HUDSON
Music/Sound Effects: MARGARET PINE
Fight Staging: B.H. BARRY
Aerial Design: 2nd SPECIES, LLC
Production Manager: ADURO PRODUCTIONS
Casting: McCORKLE CASTING, LTD.
Press Representative: SHIRLEY HERZ ASSOCIATES, INC.
General Manager: NIKO COMPANIES, LTD.

Julia Miles Theatre
424 West 55th Street (between Ninth & Tenth Avenues)
(212) 239-6200 or www.telecharge.com
April 21 – May 17, 2009; Opening night – April 30, 2009


In John Colton’s THE SHANGHAI GESTURE, the Mirror Repertory Company has managed to snag Golden Globe and Emmy nominee Tina Chen and veteran actor Larry Pine for its production of this classic play. Mother Goddamn (Chen) has survived being sold into sex slavery and in 1926 China is the powerful owner of a brothel that caters to society’s upper class. Her success is being threatened by wealthy entrepreneur Sir Guy Charteris (Pine) who is forcing the brothel to close at the end of the Chinese New Year. His daughter (Sabrina Veroczi), seeking a glimpse of a forbidden world, enters into Madam Goddamn’s brothel, and a diabolic plot for revenge and manipulation begins. At a New Year’s dinner from hell, cultures clash, myths are shattered, secrets are revealed, and lives are destroyed.

Although not as shocking as it was 80+ years ago, there are some eternal central themes – class, culture, race, the psychology of oppression, revenge and survival – that are relevant to today’s concerns. And this is a fine production of THE SHANGHAI GESTURE. An effective cast, great costumes and sets, and tight direction by Robert Kalfin enhance the fiendish activities. The one criticism lies with Chen’s hesitation or stumbling over the many lines her role requires. Being embarrassingly unilingual myself, I am reluctant to mention this, but it is a distraction. To her credit, it still obvious that she an outstanding performer and brings a special element to a classic piece of work.

- Laurie Lawson -

Maieutic Theatre Works presents
www.MTWorks.org

JACQUELINE GOLDFINGER’S

THE OATH
A Southern Gothic Tale

Starring

SARAH CHANEY, ANTHONY CREP, LOUISE FLORY
ROBIN MADEL, DIANNA MARTIN & MARUREEN O’BOYLE

Directed by CRISTINA ALICEA
Producer: JULIE GRIFFITH
Scenic Designer: BLAIR MIELNIK
Costume Designer: JESSICA HOOKS
Assistant Costume Designer: MAGALI POIRIER
Lighting Designer: DAN GALLAGHER
Sound Designer: MARTHA GOODE
Stage Manager: RAISA NOELLE
Production Manager: JARID SUMNER
Dialect Coach: BARRIE KRENIK
Hair and Make Up: MELANIE RANDOLPH
talkback 05/10: DR. ANN MARIE YALI
Marketing/Press Representative: ANTONIO MININO

The ArcLight Theatre
152 West 71st Street (between Broadway & Columbus Avenue)
(212) 352-3101 or www.theatermania.com
April 23 – May 10, 2009; Opening Night: April 25, 2009


All families have secrets, but the family in Jacqueline Goldfinger’s THE OATH seems to have more than their share. Somewhere in the Florida swamps, two sisters (Sarah Chaney, Louise Flory) along with their easy-going delightful housekeeper (Dianna Martin) attempt to uphold the standards and reputation of their well-respected Reverend father. Amidst the desperation of a town plagued by an extended drought, a new preacher (Anthony Crep) comes on the scene and is quickly welcomed into the murky atmosphere of the Reverend’s home. Robin Madel and Maureen O’Boyle nicely round out this cast of quirky characters.

As long-guarded secrets unravel and each character is tested, Goldfinger deftly weaves the concepts of survival and integrity throughout the plot. Are religious beliefs and practices possible during times of severe stress, or does mere survival take precedence over all else? Are hope and truth incompatible? Or does one enhance the other? We know that people call on religion in times of distress and praise its virtues during plentiful conditions, but what about the in-between times where folks have to make impossible choices? THE OATH presents the quandary of maintaining a spiritual life in the middle of harsh and brutal times – a timely piece of work for sure that reminds us that nothing is black and white, decisions we make have long-term effects, and religion has many different uses.

- Laurie Lawson -

Nicu’s Spoon Presents
www.spoontheater.org

TIBET DOES NOT EXIST
By DON THOMPSON

Featuring

SCOTT DAVID NOGI, PETER QUINONES, OLIVERCONANT
SARA THIGPEN, SAMMY MENA, KATIE LABAHM
SUSANNAH McLEOD, TIM ROMERO

Directed by PAMELA BUTLER
Stage Manager: ALVARO SENA
Lighting Designer: STEVEN WOLF
TD & Scenic Carpenter: JOHN TREVELLINI
PR Representative: KATIE ROSIN, KAMPFIRE PR
Costume & Props Designer: S. BARTON-FARCAS
Lights & Running Crew: NICOLE VERAS

Spoon Theater
38 West 38th Street (between Fifth & Madison Avenues), 5th Floor
866-811-4111 or www.spoontheater.org
April 8 – 26, 2009; Opening Night: April 11, 2009


In Don Thompson’s TIBET DOES NOT EXIST he brings together a motley group of people, all of whom are masters of words, to present his idea that all of life is a state of mind. When Tibetan monk Rinpoche (Peter Quinones) meets Yale professor Walsh (Scott David Nogi) and his cohorts, everyone has a theory about the meaning of life. While the verbose Walsh thinks economics is the key, awestruck Professor Levi (Oliver Conant) selects sex over Professor Taylor’s (Sara Thigpen) psychology as the answer. Clashes and parallels – frenetic vs. calm, spirituality vs. realism, enlightenment vs. survival – abound in this educated, opinionated group. The cast does a fine job of presenting them.

And while there are plenty of laughs in TIBET DOES NOT EXIST, Thompson manages to tell the tragic story of a country that in reality no longer exists. He makes a compelling argument that the state of mind of Tibet lives on and in fact, in these troubling times, is being called upon more and more. Somehow he has taken a political and historical debate and managed to make it timely, captivating, and informative. Well done!

- Laurie Lawson -

ABINGDON THEATRE COMPANY
Jan Buttram, Artistic Director
Samuel J. Bellinger, Managing Director
Present

LOVE DRUNK
By ROMULUS LINNEY

Featuring

AUSTIN PENDLETON and KRISTINA VALADA-VIARS

Directed by KELLY MORGAN
Set Design: JEFF PAJER
Costume Design: DEBORAH CANEY
Lighting Design: TRAVIS McHALE
Sound Design: KEVIN LLOYD
Stage Manager: CAITLIN FERREIRA/MARK WALLACE
Casting Director: WILLIAM SCHILL
Associate Artistic Director: KIM T. SHARP
Press Representative: SHIRLEY HERZ ASSOCIATES

Abingdon Theatre Arts Complex
www.abingdontheatre.org
312 West 36th Street (between Eighth & Ninth Avenues)
212-868-4444 or www.smarttix.com
March 28 – April 19, 2009; Opening Night: April 5, 2009

In Romulus Linney’s LOVE DRUNK an older man (Austin Pendleton) picks up a young girl (Kristina Valada-Viars) in a town bar and brings her back to his Appalachian cabin. What ensues is a sexual tête-à-tête full of suspense, fantasies, out-and-out lies, and a few moments of connection and peace. Two more unlikely people to find anything in common could not be easily found. Kudos to the actors for making this scenario believable. While Wilbur (Pendleton) conducts his seduction as if he is afraid to take anything seriously, Karen (Valada-Viars) refuses to see the humor in anything. And yet an uneasy bond is formed. Memories are resurrected, buttons are pushed, limits are exceeded, desires are fulfilled, and expectations are crushed.

Both characters could be accused of being LOVE DRUNK, one to experience the rush, the other to numb the pain. And therein lays the beauty of this work. Linney reminds us that no matter how different we may appear to be from one another, as humans we share universal emotions that influence our actions, fuel our dreams, and cause our pain.

- Laurie Lawson -

A Looking Glass Theatre Space Recipient presents
An I Ate What? Theatre Company Production
www.iatewhattheatre.com

JUST SHUT UP AND SMILE

Written & Performed by SIMONA BERMAN
Directed by DIANA BASMAJIAN
Costume Designer: CAT(HERINE) FISHER
Stage Manager: MIKEY DENIS
Lighting Designer: DAVID MONROY
Press Agent: KATIE ROSIN/KAMPFIRE FILMS PR

The Looking Glass Theatre
422 West 57th Street (between Ninth & Tenth Avenues)
(212) 307-9467
March 16 – April 3, 2009; Mondays & Fridays @ 8 PM; Saturdays @ 5 PM


Simona Berman is one talented lady! You wonder what she can do to keep you entertained for an entire 75 minutes all by herself. Not to worry. In her JUST SHUT UP AND SMILE she takes you from the superficial worlds of nail salons and plastic surgery procedures to the horrific realities of an Afghanistan battle field and the religion-draped realm of a self-cutter. She comes armed with a humorous cast of characters, a bevy of accents, and several costume changes as she explores the feminine psyche.

Such a natural is Berman that you feel as if you are privy to a rambling steam of thoughts, but she is masterfully guiding you from the absurd to the poignant and sometimes back again in the same vignette. Tight direction by Diana Basmajian allows Berman to pack powerful punches in a short period of time. JUST SHUT UP AND SMILE is a multi-faceted presentation of the inner workings of an array of fascinating females and will work all your emotions. Definitely an unusual and entertaining evening of theatre that shouldn’t be missed.

- Laurie Lawson -

Studio 42 presents

GAUGLEPRIXTOWN
The American Premiere of a play by ANDREW MUIR

Featuring

DEVON BERKSHIRE, TONY ROACH, KURT UY

Directed by DAVID F. CHAPMAN
Scenic Design: MARTIN ANDREW
Costume Design: BOBBY FREDERICK TILLEY
Lighting Design: PETER HOERBURGER
Sound Design: SHARATH PATEL
Production Manager: DAVID OGLE
Press Representation: THE JACKSINA COMPANY, INC. – JUDY JACKSINA
Production Stage Manager: CHRISTY THEDE

The Kirk Theatre at Theatre Row
410 West 42nd Street (between Ninth & Tenth Avenues)
(212) 279-4200 or www.ticketcentral.com
March 19 – April 4; Opening Night: March 22, 2009


Andrew Muir’s GAUGLEPRIXTOWN (pronounced goh-ghul-priks-toun) is based on the real-life murder of two-year-old James Bulger in 1993. The kidnapping and eventual killing was committed by two 10-year-olds making it all the more ghastly. The abduction was caught on tape and it received international press. The two ten-year-olds were caught and spent 8 years in Juvenile Detention before they were released at the age of 18.

Muir’s work is based on the imagining of these two child-killer adults (Tony Roach, Kurt Uy) meeting after they have served their time. And to enhance the tension (as if there was not enough in reliving the horrific crime), he has added a female (Devon Berkshire). In a semi-fantasy world, the men attempt to fish, a boring mundane activity peppered with references to death and traces of cruelty. GAUGLEPRIXTOWN shows the criminals floating in a world of memories only they share.

What Muir has failed to do is give us a reason why we should view this work. The fact that at times the performances are profound does not justify their existence. As haunting as it may have been, even if the killers found God in Juvenile Detention and came up with a plan for world peace, it is not worth having an audience relive their vicious and senseless crime. GAUGLEPRIXTOWN is a nightmarish flight of the imagination probably best left unrealized.

- Laurie Lawson -

Workshop Theater Company presents
www.workshoptheater.org

SHE SAID, SHE SAID
A new play by KATHRYN CHETKOVICH

Featuring

ASHLEY ANDERSON, DEE DEE FRIEDMAN, JULIANNE CARPENTER
SHELLEY McPHERSON, MARK HOFMAIER, TOM BERDIK

Directed by PETER SYLVESTER
Set Designer: MARK SYMCZAK
Lighting Designer: DUANE PAGANO
Costume Designer: CYNTHIA D. JOHNSON
Sound Designer: PETER CARPENTER
Production Stage Manager: MICHAEL PALMER
Technical Director: JOHN SISSON
Production Management: AKIZ PRODUCTIONS
Production Assistant: JESSICA BAIRD
Press Agent: JIM BALDASSARE
Graphics, Photography & Multimedia: AKIZ PRODUCTIONS

WorkShop Theater
312 West 36th Street (between Eighth & Ninth Avenues), 4th Floor
(212)352-3101 or www.theatermania.com
March 12 – April 4; Opening Night: March 16, 2009

Kathryn Chetkovich’s SHE SAID, SHE SAID deals with the age-old quandary of relationships and loyalty. In this well-executed work inter-related liaisons between friends, relatives, and lovers are tested when an allegation of rape is proffered. Do brothers blindly support one another (Mark Hofmaier, Tom Berdik) or should fiancées come first (Julianne Carpenter)? And that’s just one side of the coin. Life-long friends (Carpenter, Ashley Anderson, Dee Dee Friedman, and Shelley McPherson) must stick together, right? And where do the truth and the ramifications of the choice we make fit in?

Somehow Chetkovich has managed to present multi-faceted characters that present all the questions above, and to the cast’s credit, these confused and conflicted people become so real that they are sure to remind us of folks we already know. What it doesn’t present are the answers to any of the questions, and that makes it even more believable. SHE SAID, SHE SAID is a delightful and thought-provoking slice of reality that will have you weighing options long after you have left the theater.

- Laurie Lawson -

Robin Phillips presents the Off-Broadway Premiere of

SCHOOLING GIACOMO
www.schoolinggiacomo.com

By RICHARD EDWIN KNIPE, JR.

Featuring

KEVIN TROTTA/JOE DeSPIRITO, JORDAN ADELSON/JUSTIN ADELSON
HUGH SCULLY, ALANNA HERAGHTY, DOMINIQUE ALVARADO
ANDREW LIONETTI/GLENN JOHN ARNOWITZ, GEORGE PETKANUS
RICK APICELLA, ROBIN PECK/MARIAN McCABE, KEVIN NAGLE

Directed by RICHARD EDWIN KNIPE, JR.
Set Design by DANA KENN
Lighting Design by DONALD KIMMEL
Lights and Sound by XENA PETKANUS
Choreography by MORGAN KNIPE

The American Theatre of Actors
314 West 54th Street (between Eighth & Ninth Avenues)
888-220-6284 or www.schoolinggiacomo.com
March 6 – April 26; Opening Night – March 15, 2009


I was pretty sure I would be leaving during intermission. I had just survived three grueling flights of stairs because the elevator was out of order only to find that most of the seats in the theater were broken, including mine. In addition the theater was stuffy. But much to my surprise, SCHOOLING GIACOMO by award-winning playwright Richard Edwin Knipe, Jr. kept me in my seat of ill repair throughout the entire play. And what’s more, I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it.

A stellar cast tells the story of Giacomo, a young Bronx boy, raised by an informal Italian village that consisted of three uncles, a godfather-type “businessman,” a dysfunctional mother, and surrounding neighbors. While the godfather offers Old World advice peppered with hysterical street talk, the three uncles constantly argue over finite points of no value to anyone except to prove one party right and the other wrong. The humor is rich and laced with deep ethnic undertones. More than once the audience broke into spontaneous applause. The time frame alternates between 1969 and the present, confirming that some life lessons last a lifetime.

SCHOOLING GIACOMO is an entertaining work of both humor and insight, so impressive that it deserves a better theater. Until it gets one, it is worth sacrificing a bit of comfort for a truly outstanding play.

- Laurie Lawson-

The Clockwork Theatre Presents
www.theclockworktheatre.org

The U.S. Premiere of

CHERRY SMOKE
By JAMES McMANUS

Featuring

MARIANNA McCLELLAN, DOUG NYMAN, KATE ROGAL & JAY ROHLOFF

Directed by JADE KING CARROLL
Scenic Designers: JAY ROHLOFF & VINCENT VIGILANTE
Lighting Designer: TARYN KENNEDY
Costume Designer: OLGA MILL
Sound Designer: IAEDEN HOVORKA
Technical Director: MICHAEL ZIMMERMAN
Production Stage Manager: OWEN M. SMITH
Produced by special arrangement with Samuel French, Inc.

Kirk Theatre at Theatre Row
410 West 42nd Street (between Ninth & Tenth Avenues)
(212) 279-4200 or www.ticketcentral.com
February 21 – March 14; Opening Night – February 27, 2009

Amidst a rustic set designed by Jay Rohloff and Vincent Vigilante that perfectly portrays the remnants of better days and yet still stands, Award-winning playwright James McManus’ CHERRY SMOKE unfolds. In squalor and histories of betrayal and abuse four characters clash and co-mingle and at times provide the impetus for plowing through lives that could generously be defined as difficult. Tight direction by Jade King Carroll and a superb cast make these borderline personalities both likeable in their vulnerability and admirable in their perseverance against all odds.

Fish (Jay Rohloff) is a pugilistic entrepreneur who has spent a great deal of his young life in jail. His girlfriend Cherry (Marianna McClellan), on her own since age ten, believes in magic and has no doubt that she and Fish are destined to be together. And although Cherry and Fish “make each other work,” occasionally she wishes they could be a little more stable like Fish’s brother Duffy (Doug Nyman) and his wife Bug (Kate Rogal).

Equate cherry smoke with rose-colored glasses or Blanche DuBois’ paper lanterns. It filters, disguises and takes off the edge. Undeniably Fish and Cherry do actually make magic and create a smokescreen, but sometimes there just isn’t enough cherry smoke in the world to dull reality. The beauty of McManus’ work is the universal theme of love and the courage and coping mechanisms that humans use to survive. CHERRY SMOKE is a brilliant play about two lost souls who come together and create something special for a brief time. I wouldn’t miss this one if I were you.

- Laurie Lawson -

Platform Theatre Group presents

CHRISTINE JORGENSEN REVEALS

Conceived and Performed by BRADFORD LOURYK
With ROB GRACE

Directed by JOSH HECHT
Set Designer: WILSON CHIN
Lighting Designer: JOSH BRADFORD
Video Designer: KEVIN R. FRECH
Sound Designer: ROBERT KAPLOWITZ
Costume Designer: MARY PING
Wig Designer: JASON P. HAYES
Production Dramaturge: CHRISTIE EVANGELISTO
Production Manager: TRAVIS WALKER/AUTONOMOUS PRODUCTION SERVICES
Production Assistant: ANNETTE ADAMSKA
General Press Representation: THE JACKSINA COMPANY, INC.
Marketing Consultant: HHC MARKETING, HUGH HYSELL, PAUL ZAHN

The Lion Theatre at Theatre Row
410 West 42nd Street (between Ninth & Tenth Avenues)
(212) 279-4200 or www.ticketcentral.com
February 19 – March 15, 2009
Opening Night: February 26, 2009


Drama Desk Award winner Bradford Louryk gives an absolutely flawless performance as Christine Jorgensen in his brilliantly conceived CHRISTINE JORGENSEN REVEALS. Born as George Jorgensen, Jr., it is a small wonder that she became the most publicized person in the world in the 1950’s. Media and the general public could not get enough of the first American transsexual. History was being made, regardless of your personal feelings, and those alive during the time were invited to become a part of it - at least for 51 minutes of the only taped interview that was ever allowed by the famous lady.

The precision of this production is awesome. Louryk lip-syncs every word, breath, and the oh-so-rare hesitations and speech corrections with amazing accuracy. And this is while he remains in character and full dress. It takes seconds for you to totally forget that this isn’t Jorgensen in reality. And when it is over, you wish that it was because this was a woman of great courage and foresight. Her candor and droll sardonic wit demand that you hang on every word. It is easy to see that the interviewer, Mr. Russell, is forced to respect her and at times even finds himself in a flirtatious mode. Realizing that we are talking about the 1950’s, he must also be given credit for his reporting of a sensational news item without exploiting the source of sensation.

Bradford Louryk gives life to the voice of a revolutionary and heroic individual in CHRISTINE JORGENSEN REVEALS. You want to personally thank him for so beautifully portraying this valuable part of history that someone had the prescience to preserve. Amidst original footage and songs of the Fifties, you can be a part of the experience. What an opportunity!

- Laurie Lawson -

Razors Edge Productions presents

ZOMBIE
www.zombietheplay.com

By BILL CONNINGTON
Adapted from the novella by JOYCE CAROL OATES
Directed by THOMAS CARUSO

Scenic Designer: JOSH ZANGEN
Lighting Designer: JOEL E. SILVER
Sound/Graphic Designer: DEIRDRE BRODERICK
Press Representative: DAVID GIBBS/DARR PUBLICITY
Production Assistant: NAOMI ANHORN

Studio Theatre at Theatre Row
410 West 42nd Street (between Ninth & Tenth Avenues)
(212) 279-4200 or www.ticketcentral.com
February 18 – March 29; Opening Night – February 21, 2009

Bill Connington’s ZOMBIE will not get the “Must See, Run Don’t Walk” kind of reviews that some plays receive. It’s about the inner workings of the mind of a serial killer hell-bent on creating a zombie to meet his sexual and social needs. It’s graphic, raw, brutal, and frighteningly honest. Quentin P’s (Connington) demeanor is calm and matter of fact when he is describing his hideous crimes. In fact, even his rage seems controlled, making one wonder why couldn’t that control be applied to his sexual urges. But as he proudly reveals through the recounting of his exploits, it was not.

So why do we want to see ZOMBIE? Well, first of all, the play is based on a novella by Joyce Carol Oates, one of the most accomplished authors of our times who specializes in making characters that invade your psyche and stay with you long after the book has been closed. Secondly, the play picked up a few awards at the 2008 NY International Fringe Festival. And then there’s always Connington’s performance which is impressive in its ability to take pure evil and display its human qualities. If you are looking for answers or solutions or even a touch of understanding, then ZOMBIE is not for you. But if you seek a not-run-of-the-mill subject and a brilliant portrayal of a despicable psychopath, give it a try.

- Laurie Lawson -

Oberon Theatre Ensemble presents
www.oberontheatre.org

AMERICAN RAPTURE
The Lonely Soul of a Crowded Nation
Directed by ALEX DINELARIS

Spin Cycle by ALEX DINELARIS
Blind Date (Voices) by ALEX DINELARIS
Rain (Ghosts) by ALEX DINELARIS
Judging Jacqueline (Memories) by ALEX DINELARIS
Forgiven by ALEX DINELARIS
Hello Out There by WILLIAM SAROYAN

Featuring

DONOVAN PATTON, BRAD FRYMAN, WILLIAM LANEY, LAURA SINER
MAX DARWIN, JANE CORTNEY, CHRISTINE VERLENY, VINCE GATTON
STEWART WALKER, DIANNA MARTIN, GABE BETTIO

Stage Manager: DEE DEE KATCHEN
Scenic Designer: KATHRYN VEILLETTE
Lighting Designer: JESSICA HINKLE
Assistant Lighting Designer: IAN JURGENSE
Costume Designer: KATHLEEN McALLISTER
Press Agent: ANTONIO MININO, KAMPFIRE PR

The Beckett Theater at Theatre Row
410 West 42nd Street (between Ninth & Tenth Avenues)
(212) 279-4200 or www.ticketcentral.com
February 14 – March 1, 2009

Two time Drama Desk nominee Alex Dinelaris brings together six plays (five of his own and one of his mentor and source of inspiration William Saroyan) under the oh-so-perfect subtitle of The Lonely Soul of a Crowded Nation. AMERICAN RAPTURE brilliantly finds the common thread of humanity and aloneness. Whether strangers at a crossroad, old acquaintances at a reunion or the inner critics that constantly jab and spar within the confines of our heads, the characters are just eccentric enough to be lovable and the dialogue inspires emotions and empathy with amazing proficiency. The cast is sublime, and each work is mesmerizing in its own right.

The plays are raw and gritty and do not fear the view from the underbelly of existence. And they both rejoice and bemoan the theme of a lonely soul sharing the desperation, fear, hope and resiliency of life. On a psychiatrist’s couch, in a confession box, or a jail cell – no matter the location, lonely souls connect and disconnect and reconnect again. AMERICAN RAPTURE is running in conjunction with Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing. If you only have time or finances for one master, I recommend going with Dinelaris. The plays that comprise The Lonely Soul of a Crowded Nation are awe-inspiring.

- Laurie Lawson -

Living Image Arts Theater Company Presents
www.LivingImageArts.org

EMILIE’S VOLTAIRE
A New Play by ARTHUR GIRON

An 18th Century Sexual Symphony
A True Story

Starring
MICHAEL MEDIEROS and AMY LYNN STEWART

Directed by KEVIN CONFOY
Set: JITO LEE
Lights: JAKE DEGROOT
Costumes: CAROL PELLETIER
Sound: GEOFFREY ROECHEER
Design Coordinator: SCOTT HAY
Graphic Design: JAY BALLESTEROS
Production Stage Manager: TREASA O’NEILL
General Press Representative: THE JACKSINA COMPANY
Representation: GOTHAM ARTISTS AGENCY

The Beckett Theatre at Theatre Row
410 West 42nd Street (between Ninth & Tenth Avenues)
(212) 714-2442 or www.ticketcentral.com or (212) 279-4200
Opening Night: January 30, 2009


What happens when the minds of two seekers of knowledge, one a challenger of life and the other a hedonistic rule breaker, meet? The result is a tumultuous, fascinating 16-year love affair that is wonderfully portrayed in Arthur Giron’s EMILIE’S VOLTAIRE. This true story of the relationship between Francois Marie Arouet de Voltaire (Michael Medeiros) and Gabrielle Emilie Le Tonnelier De Breteuh (Amy Lynn Stewart) was a bond fueled by obsession, philosophy, and a genuine love. Although they brought out the passion of each other in unconventional ways, they forged a connection that defied and withstood moral, social and legal conventions. Both lived on the edge of danger – he pursued for his inflammatory ideas and she for her sexual pursuits and financial travesties – and quite likely this inspired their creativity and accomplishments.

Medeiros and Stewart capture the multi-faceted affiliation between a prolific philosopher/artist and a scientific translator with aplomb and ability that is succinctly directed by Kevin Confoy. The captivating EMILIE’S VOLTAIRE is an inside look at genius and the underlying emotions that feed it. Definitely a bit of history you’re pleased to discover.

- Laurie Lawson -

Kind Strangers & The Soho Playhouse Present

BLANCHE SURVIVES KATRINA IN A FEMA TRAILER NAMED DESIRE

Written and Performed by MARK SAM ROSENTHAL
Directed by TODD PARMLEY

Set Design: Kelly Tighe
Lighting Design: SONIA BAIDYA
Costume Design: ANGELINA MARGOLIS
Sound Design: SCOTT ROSENTHAL/BERNARD FOX
Production Stage Manager: KATE AUGUST
Propmaster: DAVID YARRITU
Sound Assistant: IEN DeNIO
Wig Designs: J. JARED JANAS/ROB GREENE
General Manager: DARREN LEE COLE
Production Manager: JON MICHAEL JOHNSON
Graphic Design: DAVID ORTON
Production Photography: STEPHEN GELB
Photography & Web Design: MATTHEW McMULLEN SMITH
Press Representative: SPRINGER ASSOCIATES PR/JOE TRENTACOSTA

The Soho Playhouse
15 Vandam Street (off Sixth Avenue)
(212) 691-1555 or www.sohoplayhouse.com
January 15 – March 15; Opening Night – January 25, 2009


Well, it’s going to take more than a few strategically placed paper lanterns to get Blanche DuBois through her latest disaster. In Mark Sam Rosenthal’s BLANCHE SURVIVES KATRINA IN A FEMA TRAILER NAMED DESIRE the fragile Southern belle is awash in the aftermath of Louisiana’s devastating and deadly hurricane of 2005. Picking up where Tennessee Williams’ A Streetcar Named Desire ends, Blanche’s bizarre journey begins at the Superdome (or as she terms it “the shelter of last resort”) and winds through cheap motels, Federal Assistance agencies, Popeye’s, and eventually her very own FEMA trailer.

Rosenthal does not allow the lovely Blanche to break character, and this is where the hilarity comes in. Rather than resorting to cheap shots and slapstick routines, the comedy is sophisticated with droll metaphors, clever comparisons, left-handed racism that doesn’t offend, and a quaint lady-like reserve. He does don a few wigs, and with the use of humorously-appropriate music at just the right time, the story of Blanche Survives Katrina In A FEMA Trailer Named Desire becomes a masterful blend of elements creating both a poignant and amusing tragedy.

- Laurie Lawson -

Cheryl King Productions presents

SOUTHERN GOTHIC NOVEL
www.SouthernGothicNovel.com
Written and Performed by FRANK BLOCKER

Directed by CHERLYL KING
Originally Staged by GABRIEL SHANKS
Publicity by JUDY JACKSINA and CO.
Light and Sound Board Op – ELLEN ROSENBERG

Stage Left Studio Theatre
438 West 37th Street (between Ninth & Tenth Avenues)
212-868-4444 or www.SmartTix.com
January 7 – June 24
Opening Night: January 21, 2009


If anybody can bring back the art of storytelling, it will be Frank Blocker in Cheryl King’s SOUTHERN GOTHIC NOVEL. With unflagging energy, Blocker takes on 17 (at last count) characters, including a very convincing persona of a June bug, in this mystery/romance story set in Aberdeen, Mississippi. Dripping with Southern drawls and colloquialisms, he throws his body into the story of missing girls, a dark intriguing stranger, a good ole boy, and a young woman ready to fall in love at the drop of a hat, or in this case the smack of a salon door. And with the help of a simple block of wood, the only prop on stage, he pulls it off.

In SOUTHERN GOTHIC NOVEL you are caught up in the humorous yet authentic character-driven plot of a highly preposterous nature. Coming from a small Maryland town where there is still only one Chinese restaurant and everyone has a nickname that makes no sense, I can attest to the accuracy of King’s account of Southern living. And Blocker is a sight to behold and hear.

- Laurie Lawson -

The Roundtable Ensemble presents
www.roundtableensemble.org

SILENT HEROES
Written by LINDA ESCALERA BAGGS

With
DIONNE AUDAIN * JULIE JESNECK * KELLY ANN MOORE
SARAH SAUNDERS * ROSALIE TENSETH * LISA VELTEN SMITH

Directed by ROSEMARY ANDRESS
Produced by JOSHUA P. WEISS
Scenic & Lighting Design: NICK FRANCONE
Costume Design: KEVIN HUCKE
Sound Design & Music: JONATHAN SANBORN
Press Representative: JIM BALDASSARE
Stage Manager: HENRY CHENG
Technical Director: SEAN MANUEL
Production Manager: ANDREA GHERSETICH

Theatre 54 @ Shetler Studios
244 West 54th Street (between Eight Avenue & Broadway), 12th Floor
212-696-6699 or 800-838-3006
January 8 – 24 (Wed, Thu, Fri & Sat @ 8 PM)
Opening Night: January 11, 2009

Linda Escalera Baggs’ SILENT HEROES is a long overdue story about the invisible and forgotten victims of military life – the families. In a stark room at a Beaufort, SC, airplane hanger, six wives of Marine Corps aviators wait to learn whose husband has died in the line of duty. In a macabre musical chair dance, at the end of the evening one wife will leave without a husband.

Baggs has done a brilliant job of capturing the many facets of life in 1975. The Vietnam War has just ended; “hippies” are turning the culture upside down; racism is finally being questioned; and the class/rank/status of military life is still an inflexible system that must be obeyed. And with the help of a sublime cast, just as brilliant is her depiction of the wives. There are no storybook marriages in this hanger, and as the tension mounts while each wife contemplates becoming a widow, private foibles, fears, and difficulties are exposed. And no matter how quirky the stories and revelations, there is an underlying constant respect for the courage of these spouses. Without parades, medals, ranks or pay raises, they sacrifice on a daily basis, giving up their sense of security so we can maintain ours. SILENT HEROES will bring a tear to your eye and a warmth to your heart.

- Laurie Lawson -

MATTHEW PUTMAN and MARINE PUTMAN present

PERDITA

Written and Performed by PIERRE-MARC DIENNET

Directed by LINSAY FIRMAN
Scenic Design: NICK FRANCONE
Lighting Design: LES DICKERT
Original Music & Sound Design: SHANE RETTIG
Costume Design: BLYTHE QUINLAN
General Management: CESA ENTERTAINMENT, INC.
Production Manager: DANIEL R. NAISH
Production Stage Manager: ANNIE DEARDORFF
Associate General Manager: MICHAEL HEITZLER
Advertising: ELIRAN MURPHY GROUP
Marketing: ARIA ARTS CONSULTING
Press Representative: KEVIN P. McANARNEY

Lion Theatre at Theatre Row
410 West 42nd Street (between Ninth & Tenth Avenues)
(212) 279-4200 or www.ticketcentral.com
Opening Night: November 18, 2008


What is a son to do when his mother is an international hero? Well, in the case of Perdita Huston’s son, you become an accomplished playwright and an impressive actor. In his play PERDITA, Pierre-Marc Diennet has captured the courage, humor and even annoying habits of a mother who wasn’t always around. As a world-renown journalist and human rights activist for women in third world countries, Diennet was forced to share his mother and often fend for himself. Through mastery of a plethora of languages and dialects, he relays the fascinating and poignant story of a woman ahead of her time, a woman who fought for the oppressed and demanded change. All change comes at a cost, and the pride and sacrifices of a son are brilliantly interwoven in the story of PERDITA. This inspirational work is timely and should serve to remind us that behind every hero there are human beings sharing their loved ones and forgoing their personal needs. Diennet has created a candid tribute to his famous mother worthy of our attention.

- Laurie Lawson -

The Irish Repertory Theatre
www.irishrep.org
Charlotte Moore, Artist Ciaran o’Reilly, Producing Director

Henrik Ibsen’s

THE MASTER BUILDER

Adapted by FRANK McGUINNESS

Starring
HERB FOSTER * KRISTIN GRIFFITH * LETITIA LANGE
JAMES NAUGHTON * CHARLOTTE PARRY
DOUG STENDER * DANIEL TALBOTT

Directed by CIARAN O’REILLY
Set Design: EUGENE LEE
Costume Design: LINDA FISHER
Lighting Design: MICHAEL GOTTLIEB
Sound Design: ZACHARY WILLIAMSON
Wig & Hair Design: ROBERT-CHARLES VALLANCE
Props Master: RICH MURRAY
Assistant Director: HELENA GLEISSNER
Production Stage Manager: PAMELA BRUSOSKI
Assistant Stage Manager: JANICE M. BRANDINE
Casting Director: DEBORAH BROWN
Press Representative: SHIRLEY HERZ ASSOCIATES
General Manager: JEFFREY CHRZCZON

The Irish Repertory Theatre
132 West 22nd Street (between Seventh & Sixth Avenues)
(212) 255-0270, ext. 11
Opening Night: October 23, 2008


Once again Henrik Ibsen deftly portrays the problems of every-day man in THE MASTER BUILDER. In Frank McGuinness’ adaptation of this classic work, the complexities of Halvard Solness (given an effective interpretation by two-time Tony Award winner James Naughton) come to light with the visit of Hilde (Charlotte Parry), an admirer that he hasn’t seen for the last ten years. Solness, blustering and egotistical, has craftily constructed not only architectural wonders but his life of success and the resultant penalties. He dominates his wife (Kristin Griffith), manipulates his smitten female secretary (Letitia Lange), thwarts the career of his promising apprentice (Daniel Talbott), and ignores the dying wishes of his co-worker (Herb Foster). In Solness’ world, success comes at cost, and he has willingly paid with happiness and fulfillment. Hilde comes along, viewing him from the initial eyes of a twelve-year-old girl, inspiring him to tackle new obstacles and demanding that he honor the promise he made to her.

THE MASTER BUILDER stands the test of time because it deals with the gray areas of life. Ibsen skillfully reminds us that no one is all good or all bad, no deed is totally altruistic or selfish, and that man is often forced to shape reality to fit his perspective. The Irish Repertory Theatre does the Master Playwright proud in this production.

- Laurie Lawson -

COP NY & Show Born Productions present

BALLERINA WHO LOVES B-BOY
www.BallerinaWhoLovesBboy.com

Created and Directed by HEEILL CHOI
Writer: HEEILL CHOI

Cast
EXTREME CREW
Hyosung An, Nyunghoon Baek, Da Heen Choi, Eunju Chu, Moonwoo Han,
Youngkwang Joung, Chibae Kim, Chungki Kim, Daegeon Kim, Hongkwon Kim,
Juho Kim, Junseok Kim, Kunhung Kim, Min Kung Kim, Minwoong Kim,
Myounghun Kim, Soobin Kim, Bonglin Ko, Yongchan Lee, Sun Tae Lim,
A. Rum Park, Eunjung Park, Eun Hae Yoo

Producer: SANGHYUN LEE
Executive Producer: TAE SIK OH & DAN MARKLEY
Set Design Consultants: WILSON CHIN & JI-YOUN CHANG
Lighting Design: JAEWAN CHOI
Lighting Design: JI-YOUN CHANG
Video Design: SEE YOUN KWAK
Music Director: JIM SUNG AN
Choreography: EX COMMUNICATIONS/JAE WOO KIM
Press Representative: SPRINGER ASSOCIATES PR
Advertising & new Media Services: ART MEETS COMMERCE

37 Arts
450 West 37th Street (between Ninth & Tenth Avenues)
(212) 307-7171 or www.Ticketmaster.com
October 1 – December 21: Opening Night: October 22, 2008

In a second-story studio dignified ballerinas gracefully practice until they are rudely interrupted by a rowdy, fun-loving group of street dancers using the sidewalk below as their practice area. Heeill Choi brings together the free style of break dancing, amazingly performed by the 2007 B-boy World Champions Extreme Crew, and the elegance and emotion of ballet in BALLERINA WHO LOVES B-BOY. And a culture clash of this magnitude has never been such fun!

Ninety minutes of non-stop music, both pulsating and poignant, accompany the flexibility of body parts that almost defy reality. Coordination and choreography become one as a loose story of love in an unlikely scenario unfolds. In a circus-like atmosphere, creative costumes and dance routines keep the audience in a constant state of frenzy as they join in the fun of the production. By the time BALLERINA WHO LOVES B-BOY is over, you’ll swear you have lost pounds just by observing this high-energy extravaganza. If clapping, stomping and shouting, and dancing in your seat burns calories, you probably have!

- Laurie Lawson -

INTERNATIONAL CULTURE LAB Presents
www.intlculturelab.org

OUTSIDE INN

By ANDREAS JUNGWIRTH
Translated by GABRIELE SCHAFER

With

ROGER GRUNWALD, MARKUSE HIRNIGEL
JENNY LEE MITCHELL, KAREN SIEBER

Directed by MELANIE DREYER
Stage Manager: KARIN ADNERSON
Dramaturg/Assistant Stage Manager: NICK FRACARO
Set Design: STEPHANIE MAYER-STALEY
Costume Design: PEI-CHU SU
Lighting Design: E.D. INTEMANN
Video Design: AUSTIN GUEST
Sound Design: NICHOLAS CRANO
Production Manager: VADIM MALINSKIY
Producing Assistants: THEODORA LOUKAS, KRISTA PARSONS

59E59 Theater
59 East 59th Street (between Park & Madison Avenues)
(212) 279-4200 or www.ticketcentral.com
October 1-19, 2008


Andreas Jungwirth’s OUTSIDE INN is a multi-dimensional mystery that spans three continents. Paul’s (Markus Hirnigel) life is not particularly working when he inadvertently participates in a death. Instead of returning to his wife (Jenny Lee Mitchell) and his unsatisfactory life in Germany, he flees to a motel close to the Arizona-Mexico border. He takes with him his mistress (Karen Sieber) who is being chased by memories of a crime committed by her husband (Roger Grunwald) in Namibia. All four characters are left to deal with uncertain futures and pasts that will haunt them for a lifetime. The lack of belonging to a conventional existence, as well as the mental contortions necessary to develop a workable perspective of the world, make OUTSIDE INN an apt title.

Superb execution by the cast, quick-paced direction by Melanie Dreyer, and an interesting combination of intrigue, sex and humor make this a captivating 80-minute work. But the real stars in OUTSIDE INN are the creativity and diversity of both languages and multi-media aids. Stock market banners run across the set, bits of dialogue are projected, and subtitles are used when German is spoken. Inventive props are utilized to create the ambiance needed to distinguish between time frames and continents. OUTSIDE INN is an impressive first project for the International Culture Lab, and we look forward to seeing future endeavors.

- Laurie Lawson -

DAVID ELZER, PETER SCHNEIDER, MARVELOUS NYC, LLC
Present

THE MARVELOUS WONDERETTES
www.marvelouswonderettes.com

Written by ROGER BEAN

With

FARAH ALVIN, BETH MALONE, BETS MALONE, VICTORIA MATLOCK

Directed by ROGER BEAN
Choreography by JANET MILLER
Production Stage Manager: ANDREW SEAL
Production Manager: MICHAEL CASSELLI
General Manager: ROY GABAY
Set Design by MICHAEL CARNAHAN
Costume Design by BOBBY PEARCE
Lighting Design by JEREMY PIVNICK
Sound Design by CRICKET S. MYERS
Music Director/Supervisor: BRIAN WILLIAM BAKER
Casting by JAY BINDER/JACK BOWDAN
Publicity/Marketing: THE KARPEL GROUP

Westside Theatre (Upstairs)
407 West 43rd Street (between Ninth & Tenth Avenues)
(212) 239-6200 or www.telecharge.com
Opening Night: September 14, 2008


It’s 1958, and THE MARVELOUS WONDERETTES have been called upon to provide the musical entertainment for Springfield High School’s Senior Prom. And entertain they do! Farah Alvin, Beth Malone, Bets Malone, and Victoria Matlock comprise the harmonious quartet, and each is equally adorable, as well as heavily endowed with an impressive singing voice. Amidst crinolines and streamers, dream catchers (remember those?) and Chipmunk cheers, life stories unfold. And they are definitely amusing but the real delights of this musical journey are the fantastic songs. Remember “Lollipop,” “You Don’t Own Me,” “Mr. Sandman,” “Dream Lover,” and all the great tunes that made up our childhoods? If those are a little too early for your blood, come back for The Marvelous Wonderettes’ Ten-Year Reunion in the second act.
Serious attention has been given to detail in this production. Sets, props, and costumes help transport you back to a time when music was totally aural (no videos) and all important to the development of young adults. Writer/Director Roger Bean has captured the angst and enchantment of a simpler time, a time so enjoyable that it can easily make fun of itself. Through a decade of music THE MARVELOUS WONDERETTES opens the floodgates of memories and makes you glad that you’re old enough to remember. With a smile on your face from beginning to end, your biggest dilemma will be controlling decibel levels as you join in the fun and sing along. A feel-good experience for sure.

- Laurie Lawson -

The New York Musical Theatre Festival
www.nymf.org
Matt Williams & Emily Miller
Present

WARD 9
A NEW DANCE PLAY
www.Ward9.info

Story by MATT WILLIAMS & GREGORY VICTOR
Music by LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN
Text by SYLVIA PLATH

Featuring

MATT BAKER, ALEX BRADY, KATE CHADWICK, TREY GILLEN
DAVID GUGGINO, TIFFANY HOWARD, KELLY JACOBS, TRAVIS MAGEE
JOHN PAOLILLO, ASHLEY ANN RUSS, MICHAEL SCIRROTTO
and SAL MISTRETTA

Directed by MARK ROBINSON & MATT WILLIAMS
Choreographed by MATT WILLIAMS
Scenic Consultant: EDWAWRD PIERCE
Costume Design: REBECCA BERNSTEIN
Lighting Design: SUSAN NICHOLSON
Sound Design: MATT WILLIAMS
Projectionist/Photographer: CHRIS KATEFF
Casting: PAUL HARDT/STUART HOWARD & ASSOC.
Sound Engineer: PAUL BREWSTER
Press: KEVIN P. McANARNEY/KPM ASSOC.
Assistant to Mr. Williams: JENNIFER TINSLEY-WILLIAMS
Stage Manager: MICHELLE DUNN
Assistant Stage Manager: CARLO MAISONET
Assistant Choreographer: CHRISTOPHER LIDDELL
Artwork & Web Design: ANDREW RASMUSSEN & MARK ROBINSON

Manhattan Movement and Arts Center
248 West 60th Street (between Amsterdam Avenue & 11th Avenue)
(212) 352-3101 or www.nymf.org
09/18 @ 8 PM; 09/20 @ 5 PM; 09/21 @ 1 PM & 7 PM


WARD 9, A NEW DANCE PLAY, is a creatively unique and thoroughly entertaining musical where not a word is spoken. The story by Gregory Victor and Matt Williams is like “One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest” set to the music of Ludwig van Beethoven. The major difference in this institution is that its residents are celebrities who all went over the edge at one time – Van Gogh, Bobby Fischer, Sylvia Plath, Nijinsky, Vivian Leigh, Howard Hughes, and Ludwig himself. And of course there is a diabolical Nurse Ratched and her assistants. Simplistic but just right costumes by Rebecca Bernstein allow the audience to easily distinguish the characters. Ms. Plath provides a bit of the written text, and Chris Kateff’s projections and photographs weave the scenes together.

Ward 9 delightfully blurs the line between madness and genius. With a background of resounding classical music, the choreography of Williams is distinct, clever, and sublimely expressive. Dancers cavort with wild abandon, like you used to suspect your toys did once you fell asleep, and conversely writhe in pain during treatments as the establishment attempts to squelch the insanity. But somehow the genius manages to resurrect itself again and again. This is a high-quality production that mesmerizes from beginning to end, making Ward 9 one of the best $20 investments you’ll ever make.

- Laurie Lawson -

The Clockwork Theatre presents
www.theclockworktheatre.org

A NUMBER
By CARYL CHURCHILL

Featuring SEAN MARRINAN & JAY ROHLOFF

Directed by BEVERLY BRUMM
Scenic Designer: LARRY LASLO
Lighting Designer: BENJAMIN C. TEVELOW
Costume Designer: JACELYN MELECHINSKY
Sound Designer: JASON SEBASTIAN
Casting: TODD THALER CASTING
Assistant Director: DOUG NYMAN
Technical Director: VINCENT VIGILANTE
Production Stage Manager: STEPHANIE CALL
Press Representative: HARRISON HARVEY

Beckett Theatre on Theatre Row
410 West 42nd Street (between Ninth & Tenth Avenues)
(212) 279-4200 or www.ticketcentral.com

September 6-26, 2008; Opening Night – September 12, 2008


Caryl Churchill’s new play, A NUMBER, is set some time in the future and deals with the subject of cloning. A decision made by Salter (Sean Marrinan) has been discovered by his son (Jay Rohloff who plays a few versions of himself). Churchill attempts to address the motives, ramifications and future applications of this controversial procedure in her short play.

Written in the style of Mamet’s casual conversation of unfinished sentences and interrupted thoughts, the form remains true to normal communication. The only difference is that usually when two people converse at least one of them knows what they are talking about. The audience in this case is left to wonder what the heck is going on most of the time. And to further complicate matters, we are never told why Salter made his cloning decision in the first place, why the fodder for the clones was banished, and what lessons if any were unearthed in this process. A little mystery is enticing; constant confusion is frustrating. In what could have been a futuristic, thought-provoking work, the only question A NUMBER leaves the audience with is a bewildered “Huh?”

- Laurie Lawson -

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