Colin
Campbell's
GOLDEN PROSPECTS: A LOS ANGELES MELODRAMA
August 2004
NYFringe Festival
"An
unfortunate family journeys west in 1901
in search of the American Dream, but finds…
Los Angeles. Opium! Pornography! Prostitution!
Disfigurement! Asphyxiation! Apoplexy!
Fun for the whole family."
Reviewed
by Wendy R. Williams
Golden
Prospects is a classic melodrama complete
with stalwart heroes, damsels in distress
and cape-wearing, mustache-twirling villains.
This show is a hoot, and brilliant to
boot. Colin Campbell is a very good writer,
but he is an even better director.
In theater,
casting is everything and Mr. Campbell
chose an incredible cast: Colin Campbell
(himself), Max Faugno, Dennis Fox, David
Furr, Katie Firth, Karl Herlinger, Suli
Holum, Vin Knight, David Libby (original
music and piano), Rebecca Lowman, Trey
Lyford and Jordin Ruderman, Every one
of these talented actors totally got it.
They skillfully used their bodies and
voices to depict the heightened style
demanded by melodrama. They didn't just
say their lines, they moved their lines.
One of
my director friends has a funny joke.
He asks,"What is the difference between
a joke and a bus?" The punch line
is, "If a bus is late, it is still
a bus." Prospects has many funny
moments - some examples are their campy
amputations, cruel seductions and the
hyper-pronunciation of words like Los
Angeles and cruel (cru-well). In comedy,
timing is everything, and Golden Prospects
is timed like a stopwatch. Comic timing
is a gift from the gods that can be developed
but not taught. It is an inborn talent,
like perfect pitch. Here they were, twelve
actors who had been blessed by the comic
gods and goddesses, not one but twelve.
I review a lot of off-off-Broadway shows,
and I have never before seen this many
gifted comedic actors all on one stage.
The costumes
(by Melissa Schlactmeyer) were beautiful
and appropriately period - a lot of fun
capes, carnival barker costumes, white
period dresses, etc. The show is hilarious
in this bare bones presentation, but would
be even funnier if time and money had
allowed for a lighting designer, set designer
and sound designer who possessed the same
campy, outrageous sense of humor as Mr.
Campbell. This show could also use some
beer as well as some popcorn - so the
audience has something to throw as they
hiss and boo.
Golden
Prospects has one more show on August
29th @ 2:45 PM. at the Linhart Theater,
440 Lafayette Street, 3rd Floor
(Astor Place / 4th Street). Tickets
are $15. For tickets visit www.FringeNYC.org
or call in New York: 212.279.4488 or Outside
New York: 1.888.FringeNYC
James
Christy Jr's
NEVER TELL
August 2004
NYFringe Festival
Reviewed by Jeffrey N. Gangemi
Currently
winding down its 6th year, the New York
Fringe Festival has quickly grown into
the largest multi-arts festival in North
America. With more than 200 companies
from all over the world performing for
sixteen days in more than twenty venues,
its website proudly declares that this
gala of the arts attracts a "young,
educated, culturally adventurous audience."
An estimated 60% of attendants fall between
the ages of 18 and 35. Investigating further,
I am beginning to feel like I'm onto something
here. I find myself shouting, "This
isn't just any demographic! This is my
demographic!" I begin to wonder what
this play called "Never Tell,"
a collaboration of father-son team James
Christy Jr. (Playwright) and James Christy
Sr. (Director), might offer a person of
my demographic.
As
I sweat my way to the 4th floor of 380
Broadway, the name Access Theatre starts
to seem a misnomer. My expectations are
high, but I don't know if they're this
high. Not three minutes inside the lobby,
the volunteer doorman is already giving
me rave second-hand reviews of the show.
Next, the playwright himself proudly tells
me that his production has been extended
for two more days beyond the end of the
festival. "Wow!" I think to
myself, "I'm impressed already."
But, at the same time, I can't help wondering,
"If you continue beyond the fringe,
where exactly does that leave you?"
I am hoping I will soon be privy to that
information.
According
to the playwright, "Never Tell"
presents, "in a vivid series of ironically
comic and emotionally explosive scenes,
a contemporary of friendship and betrayal."
Ten minutes into the action, it occurs
to me that I'm experiencing something
more here; this play ventures even deeper
- into the depths of the human psyche
and its different methods of communicating
truth. From technology to art to verbal
interaction, extending to love and all
the acts it entails, the characters communicate
with each other in any number of ways.
Through the action and dialogue, Christy
ponders how a person's concept of truth
and his modes of communication contribute
to his eventual happiness and success
in sex and relationships.
Furthermore,
in "Never Tell," I found an
exceedingly well-crafted sequence of monologues
and dramatic interchanges with just the
right amount of humor woven in. The work
delves into the complex and convoluted
web of relationships between five young
New Yorkers. Manny, a mentally unstable
everyman, hopes to change his life (and
the world) with a computer program that
can predict human behavior. Will, an artist
and curator, gains notoriety through an
art installation that includes documentary
style footage of a rape. Will's wife,
Anne, and her best friend, Liz, engage
in unhealthy relationships with men for
different reasons. And finally, the enigmatic
and improbable Hoover exposes all of their
problems, enabling a final resolution.
For
me, contemplating Hoover's actions and
the motives behind them is the highlight
of the play. No doubt, the ease and humor
with which actor Josh Weinstein delivers
his performance are a major factor. But
moreover, Christy's writing easily conveys
the multiplicity of emotions at work between
the characters. Manny's desperation and
paranoia, Will's audacity, Liz's helplessness,
along with Hoover's wit and deceptiveness
are all given, through monologue and dialogue,
appropriate attention and background as
to simplify an otherwise complex series
of interactions.
Each
time I check in with myself, I find my
brain performing cartwheels. One moment
I'm laughing. The next I'm horrified.
Through it all, I am unmistakably enjoying
myself, despite the darkness that lurks
just below the characters' skin, eating
away at them from the inside out.
As
I make my way home from the theatre, I
feel like I'm bringing a bit of the Fringe
Festival back to Brooklyn with me. And
after regaining my senses, they're all
in agreement. This is a great play. Congratulations
to James Christy Jr. on a very promising
debut.
Never
Tell has two more shows - Monday August
30th @ 8:00 PM
Tuesday August 31st @ 8:00 PM - at the
Access Theater, 380 Broadway. Tickets
are $15. For tickets visit www.FringeNYC.org
or call in New York: 212.279.4488 or Outside
New York: 1.888.FringeNYC
Matthew Holtzclaw's
Cane's Bayou
The NYC Fringe Festival
"Don't say sad
stuff like that when I'm buzzing,"
Lila Baggot
Reviewed
by Stephanie Alberico
What a
relief! I attended my first play at the
Fringe Festival and it was delightful.
I had no idea what to expect, but was
pleasantly surprised by "Cane's Bayou,"
a play by Matthew Holtzclaw.
"Bayou" is a small production
about the hardships of life in the rural
south. It was a riot. Drinking,nudity,
cursing and offensive one-liners makeup
the entire play. Nonetheless, it also
dealt with the harsh realities of autism.
Gary Michael McElroy, who plays Cane,
portrays an autistic adult. His performance
was touching and spellbinding. Only six
actors are actually in the play, but they
all did a wonderful job. The redneck accents
and jokes were impressive, believable
and hilarious.
These cast
members were tight-knit and worked extremely
well together.
Their individual and ensemble performances
proved their closeness as a cast. They
had obviously worked together before and
complemented each other on stage. The
atmosphere was comfortable and confident,
which made it seem authentic and real.
This play was not your normal play. "Cane's
Bayou" offers an alternative to the
norm and reveals an unusual experience
for any audience. There were no big production
scenes, minimal props, and no real costume
changes. This allowed for some actual
"acting," because it forced
the actors to keep the audience's attention
only through their characters. The set
had a couch, a blanket, a table, and a
phone. These same props served as the
set for Luther and Cane's trailer, Gamey's
truck, a bar, and Graceland Construction.
Luther, played by Matthew Holtzclaw, is
a quiet, nervous, unsure character who
takes care of his retarded brother, Cane.
Luther can't catch a break and by the
advice of his boss, Ol' Boot, played by
Delano Dunn, goes to a bar to meet women.
This is where he meets Lila Baggot.
Lila, played by Rachel Plotkin, is the
blonde, skinny love interest of
Luther. She works at the bakery at Winn-Dixie
and is a loud drunk. The play moves forward
with ease and comedy, as the actors chug
Natural Light and crack jokes about the
lifestyles of rednecks.
Gamey, played by Tony Larkin, is Lila's
hateful brother who is always
accompanied by his sidekick, Hunter, played
by Matt Hobby. Gamey takes a liking to
Cane, but continues to harass Lila about
everything. Cane and Luther's complicated
relationships are the main focus of this
play. Most of the drama occurs in the
haunted swampy grounds of Cane's
Bayou. Cane's girlfriend is also retarded
and her name is Bang-Bang, played by Betsy
Winchester. She has also mastered the
art of playing an autistic female.
"Cane's Bayou" is light and
funny. The story and the string of events
did not seem to matter as much as the
humor and the characters. If you need
a break from the hyped-up, extravagant
and expensive Broadway plays, this is
definitely the play to go see.
"Cane's Bayou" is presented
by The Matchbook Theatre Company. Tickets
can be purchased at www.FringeNYC.org
or call 212-279-4488 (in New York) or
1-888-FringeNYC (outside New York). All
tickets $15. "Cane's Bayou"
runs August 17th-August 25th at Schaeberle
Studio/Pace University.
Christopher
Durang's
Beyond Therapy
Dillons
Reviewed
by Wendy R. Williams
Christopher
Durang (Betty's Summer Vacation, Sister
Mary Ignatius Explain It All for You)
is one of my favorite playwrights and
Durang's "Beyond Therapy" is
one of my favorite plays. "Therapy"
opened on Broadway in 1982 with Dianne
Wiest and John Lithgow in the roles of
Prudence and Bruce. Unfortunately I was
unable to attend due to an extended childhood.
So on Saturday August 14th, I happily
went to see "Beyond Therapy"
performed by The Source Works Theater
Company. And all I can say is, "Wow!"
Director
Mark Cannistraro did an amazing job with
this show. First, he chose a wonderful
cast: Kurt Bauccio as Bruce, Tom Daddario
as Dr. Stuart Framingham, Matt Fraley
as Andrew, Brad Letson as Bob, Forba Shepherd
as Mrs. Charlotte Wallace and Marlene
Wallace (also amazing in True West) as
Prudence. Most off-off-Broadway shows
have a few good actors and one or two
so-so actors that the good ones have to
drag behind them to the very end. That
is certainly not the case with this troupe.
Everyone on stage was absolutely hysterical.
The actors were obviously having a blast,
depicting every bizarre personality disorder
known to man.
The set
was very simple. Dillons is a supper club/cabaret
space and can only accommodate "suitcase"
plays. But nevertheless, I was totally
taken into the bizarre world of these
crazy characters. All the scenes were
impeccably timed and I really have absolutely
no criticism of anything.
Christopher
Durang is a very funny absurdist playwright.
I can just imagine him writing his plays,
sitting in front of his computer, cracking
himself up as he comes up with this insanity.
Saying to himself, "Really should
I? Will they be too……oh, why
not? Hee, hee, hee!"
There are
only supposed to be two more Therapy sessions,
August 21st and 28th at 8PM, so everyone
needs to rush over to Dillons at 245 West
54th Street and see the show before it
closes. And if you miss it, perhaps you
can ask the cast to come to your home
and perform the show for you. I don't
know what the price would be, but whatever
it is, it would be worth it. After all,
this is New York and we can all use a
little therapy.
ALL GOOD THINGS:
The Story of the Remains
August 2004
The NYC Fringe Festival
They were
magic. They were how you told a stranger
about rock' n' roll." Jon Landau,
Crawdaddy
"All
Good Things: The Story of the Remains"
is a play about a Boston "boy band"
that was popular in the sixties during
the time of the English invasion (aka
The Beatles). Here is a quote from their
press release: "They were signed
by Columbia Records. They played on Ed
Sullivan. They opened for The Beatles!
They never had a hit. What went wrong?"
All "All
Good Things" is directed by David
Roth, with a book by Michael Eric Stein
and music and lyrics by The Remains. It
stars Ryan Link, Anthony Rand, Clayton
Fletcher, Jay Greenberg, Daniel Hall,
Jay Strauss, Dorothy Abrahams, Dina Drew,
Melanie McCarthy, Michelle Pruett, Elliott
Mayer, Michael James Stamberg, Jason Summers
and Daryl Wein. Here is an interesting
note from their press materials: The original
members of the Remains were from Westport,
Connecticut, as is the director, David
Roth.
The Remains were formed in the early sixties
at Boston College by Barry Tashian, William
Briggs and Vernon Miller. They then persuaded
Chip Damiani to join as their drummer.
The band became a hit in New England with
their signature "bottom heavy"
rock, so much so that they decided to
quit college and move to New York. This
move was much to the chagrin of their
affluent Westport parents, who were expecting
much more from their sons. Once in New
York, they encountered repeated cycles
of feast and famine as exhibited by playing
on the Ed Sullivan Show. Playing Sullivan
was a huge honor which did not pay off
in fame and fortune, because the show's
producers insisted that they mute their
heavy sound. They also had good luck in
getting a record contract, but bad luck
when another group recorded the same single
at the same time. All of this up-and-down
cycle culminated when after touring with
the Beatles (minus drummer Damiani), they
were left in Los Angeles forced to get
minor gigs to earn enough money to fly
home. And soon afterwards, they disbanded.
When watching
the show, I could not help but think about
fame and fortune and wonder what would
have happened for The Remains if they
had not quit and stayed on to fight another
day. I have a copy of their CD and the
music is great. But they were Boston College
boys (by way of Westport, Connecticut
Boston College boys), and a life of failure
and poverty must have been unthinkable.
When
you see a show at The Fringe, you see
a skeleton, an idea of what a show could
be. "All Good Things" is no
different. It is a show about a rock band,
staged in a gymnasium without proper sound
or lighting - a first look for everyone,
including the writer, director, and cast.
There were some very talented actors and
musicians on stage (Ryan Link is always
a favorite) and a very poignant story
of lost possibilities. So I was left with
the same question about the show that
bedeviled the Remains themselves. Is there
something here, something that should
go on, something worth investing more
time, money, energy? And the answer is
yes, there is something here, something
that should go on, a story worth telling,
something that is worth putting up again
and again - seeing what it looks like,
making changes, allowing it to grow, allowing
it to Remain. Rock on!
Lance
Werth's
High Cotton
The NYC Fringe Festival
"High
Cotton," produced by Meredith Lucio
(Tex-in-the-City) and directed by Joseph
P. McDonnell (director of the Fringe debut
of Urinetown), has enjoyed a great run
at this years Fringe Festival, playing
to full appreciative houses. High in the
Cotton is the cast: Claire Alpern (Lurlene),
Eric C. Bailey (The Willets), Ivanna Cullinan
(Cordelia), Cole Kazdin (Jean), Roland
Johnson (Grand Dandy/Grand Mandy), Peter
Maris (Flint), and Flotilla DeBarge (Partition).
The plot
is a simple melodrama, a loose retelling
of King Lear with a twisted ending and
lots of fluff added just for the fun of
it. There is the father, Grand Dandy,
and his three daughters Cordelia (the
drunk), Lurlene (the religious nut) and
Jean (the sexy bombshell). The other members
of the household are Flint (the hunky
handyman) and Partition (the saucy maid).
All of these characters are tossed together
and soaked in the home-made Southern hooch
that is "High Cotton."
The script
is pure camp and it is served up expertly
by the performances of the two veteran
character actors: Flotilla DeBarge (the
black maid) and Eric C. Bailey (several
official-sounding men). They both had
amazing timing with all their lines and
could elicit laughs by simply walking
on stage.
The beauty
of the Fringe Festival is its function
as an incubator, giving many shows their
first chance to play in front of a live
audience, a chance to "let her rip."
In any comedy, the audience is a member
of the cast and they have their own lines,
their laughs. Comedy cannot exist without
an audience. And High Cotton, with the
help of the Fringe Festival, is now well
out of the box and out there strutting
its campy stuff in front of full houses.
So let the show go on, cuz the Cotton
is high and the living is easy.
Tracy
Lett's
"BUG"
Tuesdays
- Fridays at 8 PM
Saturdays at 3 and 8 PM
Sundays at 3 and 7:30 PM.
Opens Sunday Feb 29th at 3PM
Open Run
The Barrow Street Theatre
Reviewed
by Wendy R. Williams
Tracy Lett's "Bug" is one bugged-out show. Filled
with varmints and crawling with vermin,
it is one of the best shows I have seen
off Broadway.
As you enter the theater there is a wonderful advertisement in the
ticket office warning that the show
contains nudity, violence and cigarette
smoking. And the show certainly contains
a lot of nudity and violence, but it
is so fast paced the characters have
little time to smoke until the very
end - but I don't want to give away
too much too soon.
The eerie theme is launched in the beginning when we see the drugged-out
Agnes (the wonderful Shannon Cochran) standing in the doorway of a
seedy Oklahoma City motel, casually smoking a cigarette, listening
to the trucks whizzing by as an ignored phone rings in the background.
She then leaves the door wide open while she looks for something to
drink in the bathroom. This directorial choice is a great metaphor
for the rest of the story, for Agnes is always forgetting to "shut
the door."
Soon her
lesbian friend RC (the talented Amy Landecker)
arrives with Peter (the amazing Michael
Shannon) in tow. When RC leaves,
she leaves Peter (as a present?), and once
Peter is in the door, he never leaves.
And with Peter come the bugs, with the
bugs comes the paranoia and with the paranoia
comes the apocalypse.
Tracy Letts
has written a very provocative script that
is both scary and darkly funny. And Dexter
Ballard has done a great job directing;
he really knows how to use the space between
the lines. The lighting (Tyler Micoleau)
and set (Lauren Helpern) were right on
the money; I have stayed in those motels
and they nailed it. The talented
cast also features Reed Birney, who does
a clever turn as the smiling Dr. Sweet
(a clever choice of a name) and Michael
Cullen who portrays Agnes's ex-husband
Goss. Mr. Cullen does a fabulous
job playing the menacing and perplexed
Goss. So go see Bug, it's "buggin'."
"Bug"
is running a the new Off-Broadway 199-seat
Barrow Street Theatre, 27 Barrow Street
(at 7th Avenue), New York, NY 10014. (1/9
to Christopher St./Sheridan Square, or
A/C/E/F/V to West 4th Street.) Tickets: tickets
are $35-$60 at Telecharge
212-239-6200 or
www.telecharge.com
or Barrow Street Theatre box office two-hours
prior to every performance. Group
sales and box office at 212-243-6262.
Websites: visit: www.Bugtheplay.com
The
Barrow Street Theater | 27 Barrow Street
| West Village
Tony & Tina's Wedding
Thursday, Friday, and Saturday at 7:00 pm
Saint Luke's Church
It's a party, and you're invited.
"I'm holding out
for Pigs in a Blanket"
- Valentina Vitale
Reviewed
by Diedre Kilgore
A joining
of a union between Tony Nunzio and Valentina
Vitale
Every Thursday through Saturday night at 7:00. The ceremony begins
at St. Luke's Church, 308 West 46th Street
The Cast
of that night: Joli Tribuzio, Johnny Tammaro
(swing), Laura Escalante (swing), Scott
Voloshin, Danielle Monteznos (swing), Craig
Thomas Rivela, Amy Broder (swing), Deno
Vourderis, Cindy Kostello (swing), Rhett
Kalman, Daniella Gernoble (swing), Mark
Nassar, Janine Molinari (swing), Joe Leone
(swing), Abraham Sparer (swing), Henry
Caplan, Susanna Hairy (swing), Danny Bruckert,
Ernie Curcio, Matthew Knowland, Miriam
Daly, Mike Lavelle, James Kluz and Sam
Solovey (who recently guest starred in
the Apprentice)
I had a
little time to kill before meeting up
to see "Tony & Tina's Wedding"
with my fabulous clothing designer friend
Eric Landgren, so I ducked into Pomaire,
my favorite Chilean restaurant in Manhattan.
Knowing I would be fed during the show,
I opted to just nibble on a marvelous
ceviche appetizer while sampling various
South American cocktails. What.
Hunger pains
at bay accompanied by a nice little buzz,
I felt rejuvenated. I met Eric outside
of St. Lukes Church where we were literally
ushered inside. Unsure whether we should
sit on the Groom or Bride's side, we were
fortunately rescued by the usher who realized
that we were friends of the Bride, huh?
We took our places and were immediately
accosted by a nun with Touretes. Not the
kind of Tourettes people constantly accuse
ME of having, but the kind that makes one
twitch uncontrollably. Eric and I loved
this nun, but unfortunately, I didn't catch
her name. Sorry about that, funniest nun
in the world. You see, here's the thing.
That night, there were about 10,000 understudies
performing, and it was a little difficult
for me to keep track of everyone, but I
did my best. My apologies to anyone I may
have left out. Understudy or not, they
all did a fantastic job.
"But
back up a minute", you might be saying
to yourself, "I thought this show
was cancelled?"
Well, it
was, until Big Apple Entertainment got
a hold of it and has brought it back to
life. Back by popular demand, the longest
running show Off-Broadway, "Tony
& Tina's Wedding" is here again,
and for those of you finding yourselves
in Las Vegas, it's running there too.
So get out there and relish in the outlandish
drama of an Italian wedding gone nutso
(I learned all of my Italian American
sayings from The Fonz).
"Tony
and Tina's Wedding" was just recently
made into a movie, starring Joseph McIntyre
and Mila Kunis (That 70's Show) which
screened this year at the Tribeca Film
Festival. From what I understand, the
film falls short in its attempt to re-create
a story that was originally intended as
an audience-interaction piece. I can understand
why. The whole charm (and point) of watching
Tony & Tina's Wedding is that you,
as an audience member, are included in
the festivities. You get to know the characters
and they get to know you, and you don't
really feel like you're watching a play
as much as finding yourself thrown into
the middle of a twilight zone that features
an extremely trashy, bizarre Italian wedding.
There are
two locations, when you go to see this
show. The first is at St. Luke's Church,
where the wedding takes place, then everyone
parades a block down restaurant row with
the cast to the reception hall located
under Sophia's Restaurant. The journey
alone between the two venues is loads of
fun, especially while watching the reactions
from the people on the street, who often
times, seem to truly believe that we are
a giant group of trashy wedding people.
It's hilarious to watch the actors scream
inappropriate things to the people on the
street and witness the looks of disdain
on the passersby's faces. It certainly
puts you in a dimension outside of reality.
At the reception,
the fourth wall becomes completely non-existent,
melding dimensions, making you feel eerily
comfortable yet a bit out of your skin
at the same time. But just when Eric and
I started to get a little edgy and confused,
alcohol was served. What a great show!
The characters not only include you in
their worlds but will even lean over at
times and tell you secrets. The production
is truly an ensemble piece with a circus
of activity and is therefore difficult
to get the full experience of the show
from only one viewing. From where I was
sitting however, I was really taken with
the bridesmaids, played by Danielle Montezinos,
Laura Escalante and Amy Broder; one was
very pregnant, one was a complete slut,
and the other had a major attitude problem.
Other standout performances included the
father of the groom, played by Mark Nassarand
who would blurt out offensive things at
the most inappropriate times, accompanied
by his sleazy girlfriend fabulously played
by Janine Molinari, who kind of reminded
me of a bizarre cross between Pat Benatar
and Joan Jett. After having said this,
depending on where you are, you get a completely
different experience than the people sitting
across the room from you. Not to mention
that the majority of what you're seeing
is improvised, so the vibe definitely changes
with each production. At this reception,
you not only get liquored up, you get fed.
The food even tastes like wedding reception
food. Eric was all about the pasta smothered
in white sauce, until he saw an attractive
man sitting at another table that forced
him to have creative visions of other things
one could smother in a white sauce. The
whole experience was like an acid trip
where you find yourself inside of an eerie
cartoon, but at the same time, everything
feels so very real.
Running Time: 2 hours 45 min - Price: $85 - $125
$125 VIP seating -- you will be seated in the best seats, and treated
like family! 212-352-3101
Saint
Luke's Church| 308 West 46th Street
Toxic Audio in LOUDMOUTH
Featuring Jeremy James, Shalisa James,
Michelle Mailhot-Valines, Rene Ruiz & Paul Sperrazza
August 10th - September
5th
Visit www.toxicaudio.com for
further details
Review By
Liberation Iannillo
Having seen
this show twice it’s still hard to
definitively describe what the Toxic Audio
experience is like. Of course being such
an enigma works in their favor. Using only
their voices, Toxic Audio delivers a show
that is a unique combination of singing
and comical performance art. The five talented
vocalists that make up this group perform
their music and sound effects using nothing
but their voices. At first thought this
may not sound all that impressive, but
after hearing vocalist Paul Sperrazza flawlessly
recreate a DJ booth, complete with a scratching
records and various song samples, all created
by his voice, all at the same time, you’re
left thinking, “Did I just hear that?” That
is Toxic Audio.
The group,
comprised of Jeremy James, Shalisa James,
René Ruiz, Paul Sperrazza and Michelle
Mailhot Valines, perform a number of songs
varying from The Beatles’ ‘Paperback
Writer’ to Evanescence’s ‘Wake
Me Up Inside’. The latter, which
Shalisa James sang lead vocals, was so
powerful that I had to remind myself constantly
that her flawless voice was not accompanied
by musical instruments, that it was her
fellow vocalists bringing the house down.
Toxic Audio opened with Til’ Tuesday’s ‘Voices
Carry’ which was performed with such
heartfelt emotion that you would think
the song was their own. One of the standout
pieces in the show by far is Paul Sperrazza’s
performance of Michael Jackson’s ‘Thriller’.
In fact, Sperrazza’s surreal, fluid
body movements and near perfect comic timing
unintentionally make him the star of the
show.
I can’t
remember the last time I saw a show that
I raved about it to anyone who would listen
to me. The one and only problem I had with
the show was that at times it was so overly
miked’ that you couldn’t capture
the clarity of the voices.
Toxic Audio
has performed throughout the United States
and recently won the 2004 Drama Desk Award
for Unique Theatrical Experience. This
is definitely one of the best shows running
and my only regret is that it’s not
longer.
www.toxicaudio.com
Houseman Theater
| 450 West 42nd Street | BTW 9th Ave & 10th
Ave
