Roger Rosenblatt ‘s
Ashley Montana Goes Ashore In the Caicos...
Or
What Am I Doing Here?
Wednesday - Saturday at 7pm
Matinee 3pm Saturday
October 6 - November 19
The Flea
Shore thing
Reviewed on
October 15, 2005 by Adam Ritter
In February 1991 salivating
tongues the world over were baited by the azure
allure of Sports Illustrated's annual swimsuit
edition featuring cover model Ashley Montana
(A.K.A. Ashley Richardson). If any eyes fought
their way over to the subtitle of that issue,
it's doubtful that much thought of it ensued.
Set against a backdrop that imbued serenity
and seduction it said simply "Ashley Montana
Goes Ashore in the Caicos."
Somebody managed to skim that rubric though,
keenly dissecting and disseminating all its
possible inferences and intentions. Playwright
Roger Rosenblatt was that somebody and his new
production of the same name (Or: What Am
I Doing Here?) plays through November 19th
at the Flea Theater in Tribeca.
Accurately described as "piercingly funny
vignettes" Ashley is a staccato
of stimulation; epiphanies in the form of song,
dance, performance and reflection. Indeed, more
things Horatio than are dreamt of in your philosophy!
The question's not what this play is about,
but rather what's wrong with the Amish? These
diversely non sequitur sketches, having perhaps
been adapted from a manic episode or better
yet a series of them, are brought to life by
a dynamic quartet of accomplished performers.
With their collective voice and limber bodies
they etch a multiverse of ideas, pathos and
laughter. Much laughter.
Scenes blend succinctly through a faint dull
of lighting and swift stool arrangement, the
comedy and drama unfolding randomly in a blur
reminiscent of improvisational theater. One
moment reveals richly talented (Tony and Emmy
winner) Bebe Neuwirth's satirical serenade "Nothing
rhymes with Ashcroft but my heart". In
another, the wonderfully spastic James Waterston
monologues the Grim Reaper's mission statement
and just as quickly is a vacuous politician
tossing talking points to his control group
including the gem, "When I was born, Ben
Franklin was DEAD! How does that make you feel?"
Jenn Harris laments the downward spiral her
relationship has taken with the bi-polar bear
that watches her in the kitchen and then is
a hilariously dazed Ashley Montana seeking shore
in the Caicos soon after. (Tony and Emmy nominee)
Jeffrey DeMunn ponders the invention of time
as a concept or a life spent not doing much…that
is, not eradicating famine or disease or bigotry,
those little things that scatter in the chaos
of hectic lives.
Ensemble pieces are greater than the sum of
their parts, and we are treated to well-choreographed
pieces touching on a great many topics, including
among them the monotonous replication of news
coverage contrasted with "Things you never
see on a bathroom wall" ( e.g. I love my
boss! Or Sick my duck!)
This fantastic foursome swoons to the siren
call of Jim Simpson, Obie-winning director of
seventy-some productions at this venue as well
as work in film and television.
The Flea is about as intimate a setting as you
will find, and certainly none other quite compare
with so masterfully talented a cadre of performers
as those who have plied their trade at this
theater. The perfect touch is Flea's Friendly
staff who will make you feel welcome, and who
may advise you, lest you forget to spread the
good word, that should your cell phone ring
during the performance, go ahead and answer;
tell your friends exactly where you are. And
you should.
Tickets are $15 and may be purchased by calling
212-352-3101
or visiting www.TheaterMania.com.
The Flea Theater White
Street
(between Broadway & Church Streets)
( accessible from the A,C,E,N,R,Q,W,6,J,M,Z
to Canal or 1,9 to Franklin Street).
Elephant Larry
presents…
Boom
Saturdays: September 24, October 1, 8, 15, 22,
29; @ 8:00PM
The PIT
Reviewed on April 23, 2005 at 9:00 p.m. by Caroline
Smith
What’s
more refreshing than snorting out loud because
you’re laughing so hard? I guarantee that
that distinctive noise hardly escapes your trunk
at other amateur stand-up nights around the
city. This doesn’t even happen while you’re
watching SNL on a good night. But on April 23rd,
I joined the circus with award-winning sketch
comedy group, Elephant Larry, and laughed like
a hyena. New Yorkers in general need to laugh
like this.
These guys were
electrifying. The funny tune that opened the
show only had a snowball effect for the remainder
of the hour. The audience loved the immediate
energy that this group brought and their outbursts
of chuckles echoed every wild and outrageous
sketch. Clever jokes aside, I had the impression
that these were five little boys having fun.
That comes with knowing, collaborating, and
surrounding oneself all the time with each other’s
talent. And I was right. All five elephants
were once members of Cornell University’s
sketch comedy group, Skits-O-Phrenics. After
graduation, their laughter moved to NYC and
BOOM! history was made. Check out their
success.
July-August 2004:
Elephant Larry presents two shows as part of
the New York International Fringe Festival.
June 2004: Elephant
Larry wins the Audience & Jury Awards at
the Bass Red Triangle Comedy Tour.
June 2004: Elephant
Larry named Backstage Comedy Best Best of 2004.
February 2004:
Elephant Larry begins their three month sold-out
run of All Aboard the U.S.S. Boatship.
October 2003:
Winner of Sketch Fights at Caroline’s
Comedy Club, awarded the title of “New
York’s Best Comedy Writers.”
May 2003: Finalist
for “Best Sketch Comedy Group” at
the ECNY’s (Emerging Comics of New York
Awards).
In all honesty,
this review has already been written. There
is no bragging necessary for this talented group.
But what I can say is that I admired the group’s
collaboration and originality. Not only were
you listening to jokes, but also you were having
a multi-media and smile-inducing experience.
Colorful, random video skits enhanced the live
skits on stage.
It’s true
that there’s a quirky and absurd quality
to the makeup of this group, but this helps
define and stretch the term, “sketch comedy.”
The city is hungry for this kind of energy.
They’re quick, smart, and keep the ball
moving. Sketches influenced by puns and “What
Year Is It?”, to name a couple, grabbed
you. But ending with the “Earth Rap”
made our hearts and laughter BOOM from our chests.
Elephants never forget and neither should you,
so get to The PIT and start your roaring. These
guys rock.
The Elephants:
Geoff Haggerty, Stefan Lawrence, Chris Principe,
Jeff Solomon, and Alexander Zalben
Tickets $8.
Call 212.563.7488 For Reservations or Contact:
917.309.5965
info@elephantlarry.com/
www.elephantlarry.com
The
People’s Improv Theater (The PIT)|154
W 29th Street
(Between 6th and 7th Avenues)
Photo Evan Sung
Frank J. Avella's
The Bubble
Tuesday - Saturday @ 8PM
Sunday Matinees at 3PM
Special Saturday Matinee, October 8th at 2PM
Previews: September 27th & 28th
September 29th-October 16th
Bank Street Theatre
Reviewed by
Wendy R. Williams
Frank J. Avella’s
The Bubble asks the question: If I
let my imagination roam, can I create a world
that includes lots of sex, nudity and Guenia
Lemos? And the answer is yes. Yes you can and
yes you did.
The Bubble is a fun romp into the creative
process – a visit into a playwright’s
imagination and a look at the internal television
screen that all writers see when they imagine
the world of their play. The play has fun with
the questions of who are my characters, what
do they want from each other and what do I do
when my characters become alive and want to
take over my play? And how many of them can
I ask to take off their clothes in the fulfillment
of my artistic vision?
All the actors in The Bubble do great
jobs portraying their characters. Of especial
note was the aforementioned Guenia Lemos, who
portrays three characters ranging from the horny
bisexual director, to a crabby but horny Brazilian
grandmother to a hot horny Brazilian hoochie
Mamma (a role Guenia embodies in her personal
life). Wind Klaison was hysterical as the stroke-afflicted
Zoe. Joe Pistone was also great in the role
of the playwright and his character has really
great pajamas. Tom Patterson is very talented
and he also looked great, even though he did
not have any pajamas.
Frank J. Avella has created a fun clever romp
in the sexual bedroom of the mind; pillorying
gay sex, straight sex and gay/straight sex.
And did I mention there is nudity?
The cast includes Joe Pistone (Edward Burns’
THE GROOMSMEN and 10TH & WOLF with James
Marsden), Guenia Lemos (THE CLEAN HOUSE), Wind
Klaison, Marie Lazzaro, Tom Patterson, Justin
D. Quackenbush & Brian Townes (2005 Fringe
Festival). With Set & Lighting Design by
Jody C. Ratti and Original Music by Joe Morse
(THE PERSIANS, New York Times: “Inventive,”
“Brilliant”)
Tickets are $25 and $20. 212-868-4444 or smarttix.com
or www.newcockpitensemble.com
Bank Street
Theatre | 155 Bank Street | NYC
(between Washington and West Streets),
A,C,E or L to 14th And 8th Ave.
Andrea
Reese's
Cirque Jacqueline
A One-Woman Play About Jacqueline Kennedy
Onassis
A Red Cross Benefit, 2005
Reviewed on October 10, 2005 by Caroline
Smith
She changed the White House.
Yes, she was a devoted wife and mother to
her children, but who really knew the charming
brunette behind her trademark Chanel sunglasses?
Jackie O. is a legend. In
a show written and peformed by her mirror
image, Andrea Reese, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis’
life bloomed on a tiny Off-Broadway stage.
For those who know little
about Jackie, Reese’s dainty movements
suggested a rose of a woman who stemmed from
royalty. Conversely, Jackie O’s doting
father was an alcoholic and her mother was
a woman hardened by the circumstances. Consequently,
Jackie’s childhood was framed by her
mother’s learned advice, “Your
choice of a husband is the most important
decision you’ll ever make.”
But young Jackie had dreams
of being in the circus. Do fairy tales really
do come true? Well, wouldn’t you know
it; she ended up in the biggest circus of
them all –
The White House. Reese takes us back to Jackie’s
first meeting with John F. Kennedy and we
are right there with her, gushing over his
charismatic Boston accent. And at the moment
of his assassination, Reese portrays a woman
who died when he died.
Reese has a beautiful understanding
of the woman who sustained the polished, public
persona but who, when the cameras weren’t
rolling, was hurting to the core. Moreover,
this show reveals a Jackie O. who is merely
someone like you or I yearning to be loved.
The men in her life had faded. In a scene
when Reese is improvising a dance with JFK,
she whispers, “Jack, don’t ever
leave me…”
Reese played a woman withering
from the overwhelming media attention especially
after the death of her husband. In one scene,
the mask she wore of herself cleverly mocked
the element of “togetherness”
of the wife of the former President. Privacy
was something Jackie learned over time and
coveted. Throughout a domino effect of tragic
events, Jackie remained a mother to her children,
first and foremost. She was determined to
give Caroline and John-John a normal life.
Everything that happened
to her: her husband’s affair(s), his
death, her marriage to Aristotle Onassis,
and then finally her own battle with cancer
were all pearls on the string she wore around
her neck. Reese is a skilled actress and honored
Jackie O.’s unshakable charm. It’s
unfortunate that I am too young to remember
the real person, but Reese evokes a woman
who, through all heartaches, genuinely loved
her life. There is something to be said about
that.
Andrea Reese is wonderful.
She has read up on every book and the inflection
in her voice down to the wave in her wrist
will give you the chills. In short, I left
the theatre feeling a little bit closer to
a role model.
Cirque Jacqueline is directed
by Charles Messina.
The Triad Theatre / 158
W. 72nd St. / Ph: 212-352-3101
www.Jackieoshow.com for ticket info/photos/contacts
Closes April 21, 2005
Rob Nash’s
Holy Cross Sucks!
Ars Nova
Wednesdays- Saturdays 8pm
Through October 1st.
Ars Nova
Reviewed by Yolanda Shoshana
In the 1980’s,
films such as Sixteen Candles and
The Breakfast Club captured the essence
of 80’s high school life. And it is
in the spirit of those classic teen films
that Rob Nash performs in Holy Cross Sucks!,
a one man show.
Holy Cross Sucks! is the final installation
of Nash's one man comedies that includes Freshman
Year Sucks, Sophomore Slump,
Junior Blues and Senioritis.
Holy Cross Sucks! The show follows
a group of friends through their four years
of high school at Holy Cross in Houston. The
colorful characters in the show (all performed
by Nash) will certainly remind everyone of
their high school days. There is "The
Virgin," "The Homo," "The
Punk," "The Nerd," "The
Fat Kid," and of course, "The Slut"
(no high school would be complete without
that character).
Nash plays all of the thirty
characters in the show himself and literally
can change characters in the blink of an eye.
Normally with solo shows, the performer changes
or adds costume pieces as a way to change
characters. It was refreshing to see Nash
take a different approach. He did not change
costumes or add costume pieces. The only costume
was jeans and a shirt. He used his body and
voice to change characters and it worked perfectly.
Holy Cross Sucks!
brings an honest slice of life to the theater
stage. When thinking about high school, traumatizing
memories can pop up. Holy Cross Sucks!
will definitely take you back to those
days, but this time you will come out smiling.
It is the kind of show that everyone
can relate no matter what status they had
in high school.
Tony award nominee Jeff
Calhoun is the director that teamed with Nash
in bringing the teen comedy to life The creative
scholastic design is provided by Wilson Chin
and the music that takes us back to the sound
of the rockin’ 80’s is by sound
designer Jorge Muelle.
Nash’s work has also
been produced at regional theaters such as
VORTEX in Austin, Stages in Houston, and Carolina
Theater in Durham. Nash also performs “stand
up” and has been seen on VH-1 and Comedy
Central.
Tickets are $20. To purchase
tickets call SmartTix at 212-868-4444 or www.SmartTix.com
Ars
Nova |511 West 54th Street
(Just off 10th Avenue)
John Fisher's
Joy
Monday 8:00PM
Wednesday 8:00PM
Thursday 8:00PM
Friday 8:00PM
Saturday 5:00PM & 9:00PM
Sunday 3:00PM & 7:00PM
Open Run
Actors' Playhouse
Reviewed
on August 11, 2005 by Frank J. Avella
How unoriginal
would it be to hail Joy, the new
romantic comedy by John Fisher, as a joyous
experience. But, alas, it is. At curtain,
despite the bittersweet ending, my face
was hurting from all the smiling I was doing.
Joy
is set in San Francisco and Fisher loves
the city almost as much as Woody Allen loves
New York. The plot focuses on a gaggle of
friends who, during the course of a year,
find their own type of "joy" in
romantic situations and how some nurture
and others destroy.
Joy
begins with a sweet musical rendition of
"Zing Went the Strings of My Heart"
by Gabriel (Christopher Sloan) followed
by the central character, Paul (Paul Whitthorne),
addressing the audience with the provocative
philosophy that gay sex is the best sex.
Paul is a
writer-wannabe who has penned a dissertation
that asserts that Jesus was gay. He meets
and falls for Gabriel, an undergrad on the
verge of coming out. Simultaneously, Paul’s
straight-curious friend, Kegan (January
LaVoy) falls for Gabriel’s lesbian
friend Elsa (Ryan Kelly). AND, Paul’s
professor, Corey (Ken Barnett), has a fling
with Kegan’s former bi-boytoy, Christian
(Ben Curtis). Toss Daryl (Michael Busillo),
Elsa’s possibly-gay Navy friend, into
the mix and the plot begins to stew.
Although
the Paul-Gabriel relationship is at the
center of Joy, the heart of the
play belongs to the Elsa-Kegan connection.
Both are fully developed and realized characters
and it’s a sheer joy to watch them
together onstage.
Ryan Kelly
is a particular revelation as Elsa. (And
those of us who can’t get enough of
this gifted new face should make certain
to catch her scene stealing, star-making
performance in the upcoming indie film gem
Dorian Blues, due in theatres in
late September). Kelly is charming, assured
and apprehensive, sometimes in the same
moment. Her performance appears effortless,
yet she enchants. January LaVoy matches
her scene-for-scene. These two need a spin-off!
Ben Curtis
is hilarious in what could have been a one-dimensional
turn as the admittedly "pansexual"
dude and the image of him standing holding
a giant sunflower is priceless!
Michael Busillo
is absolutely captivating as Daryl so we
can easily believe the turn the plot takes
because of him. Christopher Sloan and Ken
Barnett are very effective in their roles
as well.
Paul Whitthorn
has the most difficult task as the overbearing
Paul and becomes victim to a forced plot
machination at a drag party and Joy
does bog down a bit when it introduces what
seems like contrived conflict between Gabriel
and Paul and, in turn, makes Paul an unlikable
mess.
But this
tightly directed (by Ben Rimalower) and
nicely written work can be forgiven that
since it ultimately provides the audience
with the ‘joy’ of sharing in
these marvelous characters’ inner
journeys...if only for a fleeting while...
Tickets $65.
212-239-6200 or 800-432-7250 www.telecharge.com
Actors'
Playhouse Theatre |100 7th Avenue South|
New York, NY 10014
The Secret
of NAMT
National Alliance for Musical Theatre (NAMT)
17th Annual FESTIVAL OF NEW MUSICALS
September 25 - September 26, 2005
Dodger Stages
Written by
Adam Ritter
September 2005 marks the twentieth anniversary
of the National Alliance for Musical Theater.
NAMT is an organization committed to preserving
the sometimes maligned sanctity of musical
theater, and according to their website,
they are the only national organization
exclusively devoted to such an endeavor.
Each year for the past seventeen, NAMT selects
a handful of promising new musicals and
showcases them in an invitation-only autumnal
festival. Featured works include the toil
of both seasoned and novice playwrights
and performers.
Members and industry professionals scour
a lattice of theatrical selections, free
to attend one or all for a sneak peek at
what could potentially become tomorrow's
award-winning Broadway smash. Thoroughly
Modern Millie, winner of six Tonys,
was one of NAMT's eight 1996 selections.
These abridged yet richly diverse vignettes
are couched in exposition; a preamble from
production representatives stippled with
post-performance audience feedback that
is volunteered in the brief window between
wonderfully passionate performances.
And how do they fare at discovering talent?
Since 1989 NAMT has introduced 170 musicals,
more than 75% of which have gone on to production
and touring.
This go-round, Dodger Stages sparked with
the charged anticipation of NAMT's overwhelmingly
supportive patrons. Selections this year
include such titles as The Funkentine
Rapture (pronounced funk-en-teen),
I Love You Because, Party Come
Here, A Little Princess, River's
End and Meet John Doe (based
on the Frank Capra movie).
Often a dismissed art form, musical theater
owes a debt of gratitude to the persistent
efforts of their faithful fans at NAMT.
The York's Theatre Company's
The Musical of Musicals - The Musical!
Open Run
The New Dodger Stages
Reviewed by Wendy
R. Williams
The
Musical of Musicals - The Musical! is a hysterically
funny musical satire depicting a simple story,
about an ingénue who cannot pay her rent,
told in the style of five musical comedy greats:
Rodgers and Hammerstein (Corn); Stephen
Sondheim (A Little Complex); Jerry Herman
(Dear Abby); Andrew Lloyd Webber (Aspects
of Juanita); and Kander and Ebb (Speakeasy).
All of this fun was written by Eric Rockwell (Music
and Co-Writer Book) and Joanne Bogart (Lyrics
and Co-Writer Book), who also appear in the show.
The very talented Pamela Hunt is both director
and choreographer of the show.
The show works on many
levels. First there is a marvelous cast:
Lovette George (the ingénue who can't pay
her rent); Craig Fols (the slightly foolish hero
who will pay her rent); Joanne Bogart (the wise
older woman); and Eric Rockwell (the villain/piano
player). They all have great voices and
to-the-nanosecond comic timing. They were
also great fun to look at. Their costumes
were simple, variations on black cabaret-type
attire, but their faces were amazing. Lovette
George, in particular, could give Jim Carrey a
run for his money in a "Who's got the best rubber
face?" competition.
Then there are the jokes - total howlers for audience
members familiar with the various composers, but
still funny enough to elicit a laugh from a musical
comedy novice. After I saw the show I was
talking about it with a relative who has performed
in musical comedies since she was a child.
I told her she had to see it, because she would
probably like it even more than I did because
she would get some of the more obscure musical
comedy references. She then asked me if
her six-year-old daughter would like it.
I thought for a moment and said, "Yes, she would.
She would not get the insider jokes, but the performers
are so funny and the musical numbers are so wonderful
that she would like it anyway." But before
you make reservations for a first grade class,
let me add one caveat: I know this kid and
she adored Phantom and Little Shop.
All the different
segments work. The show starts with a dead-on
send up of Rodgers and Hammerstein set amid the
corn fields of August, then moves on to a cynically
twisted scene set in an apartment house in the
dark world of Sondheim. Next it was time
to idolize-a-diva in the Jerry Herman scene. I
have seen many middle-aged community theater divas
ham it up as Mame, so those jokes killed me. A
total Phantom junkie, I loved the Andrew
Lloyd Webber piece. The night I attended, when
it was time for the Webber piece, someone in the
audience groaned and said, "He deserves to be
skewered." But they sure did laugh during the
scene and all the Webberesque songs were beautiful.
The show ends with a very witty Kander and Ebb
segment, with the final bits sung in many different
languages. Life is so very Cabaret!
The York Theater
has an excellent road show on their hands.
Musical has a simple set and most of
the music is supplied by an onstage piano.
This show could easily be performed in a large
cabaret space. Throughout the country there
are people who cut their theatrical teeth on musicals,
and they will be a perfect audience for this show.
I only hope that if it tours, it tours with this
cast. Bravo!
Reviewers note:
I saw this show last July at the York Theater
and wrote the review at that time. I saw it again
on opening night February 10th and it was even
more fun than the first time.
Tickets are $55
and $59.50 (Friday and Saturday evenings) and
are available through Telecharge at (212) 239-6200
or at the Dodger Stages Box Office. For information
visit www.musicalofmusicals.com.
Dodger Stages,
Stage Five |340 W 50th St
The Stage Version of
Rebel Without a Cause
Thursdays-Saturdays @ 8pm
Sundays @ 2pm
Mondays @ 8pm
October 6-30th
The Lion Theatre at Theatre Row Live
Fast, Die Young
Reviewed by
Adam Ritter
It was the Pandora's Box
of angst, frustration and rebellion. The fire that
it lit was not stolen from Zeus, but rather was
a smoldering flame that eternally nipped at the
heels of society before bursting free. Rage, before
rage was cool.
Disenfranchisement is so common today it's cliché.
Perhaps it's fitting then, in the skeptics' age
of litigation and self-loathing that we hearken
back to those embryonic buds of 1955 when the world
was younger and outrage was a secret identity you
kept hidden in the back of your closet.
Rebel without a Cause was the battle hymn
to a generation; a masterpiece that birthed a legend
in the combustible enigma of James Dean and which
has now been reincarnated theatrically through October
30th, 2005 at The Lion Theater.
The gang, including friends, lovers and nemeses,
are all here; Anti-hero Jim Stark, girlfriend Judy,
Officer Ray, derelict menace Buzz Gunderson and
of course the impetus for the development of Lithium
pill technology, the puppycidal John "Plato"
Crawford, as high strung and vulnerable as ever.
Jim (Joshua Coleman) is the sensitive soul you remember,
desperate to matter in a world where misery is the
only evidence of living. Confusion and shame are
merely dressing on the window of his anguish. Mother
Stark (Adeline Drescher) has imposed a nomadic life
on her family, electing to escape troubles rather
than face them. In the shadow of his wife, Mr. Stark
(Stan Andrew) is the penultimate king of hearts,
nebbishly mild-mannered and ever so cautious not
to cross the bridge into decision-making territory.
Dragging a powder-keg of dysfunctional baggage,
the Starks hit a new town and that means newer problems.
The welcoming committee includes the likes of Buzz
(Major Dodge) and his goons, one of whom is actually
named Goon. Boys will be boys sure, but some boys
will cut a bitch and really, who needs the hassle?
Cowering in the background there's always Plato
(Allie Mulholland). Sometimes he's in his happy
place, but often he's far from it. The latter is
showcased in the repeated abuses he and Jim suffer
at the hands of those rotten street thugs Buzz,
Crunch and Goon. This conflict perpetuates the storyline.
Enter the smolder.
In the course of one fateful night, a weary Jim
must summon the will to be the man he hopes he is.
It's one of those character defining stands commonly
found in Lifetime Movies. And you know that old
saying still holds true; just when you begin earning
street cred through knife fights and chicken runs,
the bottom falls out on you.
Plato alas, hasn't much courage to summon, so he
goes a more traditional route (by contemporary standards).
While the novelty has all but worn off now, in 1955
it was still passé to mow down classmates
in a hail of bullets. Plato, victim no more, was
the OG.
Rebel's stage retelling will no doubt remind
you of the classic scenes from which it was inspired.
These actors work hard in territory that feels familiar,
and in this production, expect to see more renovation
than innovation.
Tickets: $50. Call (212) 279-4200 or visit www.ticketcentral.com
For more info on the play visit www.rebelwithoutacause.net
Running time: 1 hour & 45 minutes
THE LION THEATRE at Theatre Row
410 West 42nd Street (between 9th and 10th Avenues)
Trains: A, C, E, 1, 2, 3, 7, 9, N, Q, R, S, W to
42nd Street
Matt Okin's
Soul Searching
Sundays @ 3PM & 7:30PM
September 7th-October 2nd, 2005
Theater For The New City
Soul Searching Examines Spirituality
and Life
Reviewed by Meredith Mannino
Soul Searching is a “rock
opera,” rich with expressive lyrics that illustrate
the personalities and perspectives of the main characters.
The on-stage presence of the band, which features
the music of Okin‘s collaborator Avi Kunstler,
is very appealing. The score is obviously influenced
by acoustic music and the tunes are very catchy.
I found myself humming some Soul Searching
ditties for days!
This workshop production could
ultimately become a blow-your-mind show. A workshop
performance run is essentially a work-in-progress
in which the artistic director and artists make
changes with each night’s performance. By
the process of frequent tweaks to the show, script
adjustments, song and music revisions, and/or staging
modifications, the show’s production company,
Black Box Entertainment, says it’s attempting
to bring Soul Searching "to the highest
level possible.”
Eytan Bayme, an associate producer
at Black Box Entertainment and assistant director
of Soul Searching, played the small but
sparkling part of the waiter. I loved watching him
sexily flit about the stage. His dark features and
lean build made me say, “yum.”
Soul Searching is a story
about a young, single Jewish woman with a successful
career, who feels compelled to marry a male mate,
but (in an effort to preserve her integrity) refuses
to settle for the wrong guy. In Act I, we see Brenda,
played by Shelley Dague, in the throes of blind
date hell. Brenda’s married girlfriends are
eagerly thrusting suitors upon their indie gal pal,
fixing her up with a colorful array of Jewish men.
The three supporting actresses burst into solos
as they encourage Brenda to give their hand-picked
dating prospects a chance, each adamantly instructing
her to “log off of J-Date!”
Supporting actresses Danielle
Faith Leonard (Rachel) and Faye Meyer (Becky) were
quite talented. Sara, played by Elizabeth Woodard,
was the least dazzling of the actresses. She seemed
a bit stiff, but perhaps in a more suitable role
she could really shine. Perhaps the fact that her
character had such a miserable marriage, influenced
her stage presence and performance.
The male cast was also solid.
I was especially engaged with the cherubic and fun
Russell Feder as Alan. His rockin’ pick-up
song to Brenda entitled, “In a Man,”
was hysterical. All of the male actors: Aaron Grant
as Mo; Richard Lurie as Peter; UK native Max Roll
as Michael; Avery Pearson as Rabbi Perl; and Stewart
Schneck as the old soul character Howard; gave successful
portrayals of New York Jewish men.
All the players seemed to truly
enjoy performing and projected enthusiasm.
Because Jewish culture is such
an important and vital component of the history
of New York City, Soul Searching is a great
choice for a not too heavy serving of thought provoking
entertainment. I’d recommend the show to people
from all different backgrounds, culture, and ethnicities.
Writer and director Okin explains that his work
reflects the current state of all spiritual communities,
“with the idea that at this time in history,
people within such communities keep spreading apart
instead of unifying.”
Soul Searching is directed and
written by Matt Okin, creator of the interactive
show A Match Made in Manhattan. Okin is
a dramatic writing graduate of NYU's Tisch School
of the Arts.
Tickets: $15. Call 212.254.1109
or www.theaterforthenewcity.net
Theater For The New City
|155 First Avenue (between 9th & 10th Streets)
|
