from the archives of: www.newyorkcool.com
Toxic Audio in LOUDMOUTH
Featuring Jeremy James, Shalisa James,
Michelle Mailhot-Valines, Rene Ruiz & Paul Sperrazza
Mon, Wed, Thurs, Fri @ 8PM
Sat @ 3PM & 8PM
Sun @ 3 & 7 PM through June 27th, 2004
Wed mats @ 2PM begin June 2
Tues @ 8PM begin June 15
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 ‘Bring
Me To Life’. 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
The York's Theatre Company's
The Musical of Musicals - The Musical!
Monday - Saturdays @t 8:00PM
Sat @ 2:30pm
May 24th - July 31st
St. Peter's Theatre
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 Junita");
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 the director and the 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 Weberesque 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 on-stage 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!
Tickets
are $55. Students tickets are available on the
day of the performance for $20, subject to availability. Tickets
are available by calling Smarttix at (212) 212-868-4444,
at smarttix.com.
Saint
Peter's Theatre | 619
Lexington Avenue
Jollyship the Whiz-Bang: Sleepless
Fishes
(An electro-accordion pyrate puppet sea odysse
Fridays at 10PM
May 14th - August 13th
&
Tudley's Reef: Whiz-Bang Variety Night
First Thursday of the month @ 10PM Starting June 3rd
Bowery Poetry Club
Reviewed by Jennifer Miranda
Holmes
Jollyship
the Whiz-Bang: Sleepless Fishes is a zany trip
on a pirate ship with a rock opera soundtrack
and some crazy crass little puppets. Sound like
fun? You bet! The creators and collaborators are
a team of adorable, fun-loving and witty guys
that will win you over from the sound-check to
the final song. This is a punk show mixed with
a little Punch and Judy puppet on puppet action.
The story revolves around Tommy a young clown
who is rescued from a carnival slave ship by pirates.
He becomes the favorite of the ship's captain,
a crazy pirate with a green face who educates
little Tommy with a hilarious song entitled "Kill
it if it don't got feet" where he suggests
that creatures that are "different"
ought to be destroyed. Tommy doesn't want a life
of killing and cruelty so he befriends a mollusk
called Glenn who also happens to be a movie producer
for an "experimental romance". Glenn
introduces Tommy to Dudley, the film's star, a
drooling reef with wiggly eyes brought to life
brilliantly by Raja Azar the show's co-creator.
It turns out that the pirate is secretly in love
with Tommy, but to find out what happens you will
have to see the show. The dialogue is hysterical
and this, combined with fabulous comic timing
on the part of the performers, left the audience
screaming with laughter .
The music is infectious with catchy and creative
lyrics such as "Dirty dirty dirty, scurvy
scurvy scurvy: Pirates love" and "You
can't sleep with the fishes, because the fishes
don't sleep". The songs had people literally
dancing in their seats and were performed with
incredible charismatic energy by the group, led
by the show's co-creator Nick Jones.
The puppets are fantastic and full of personality
and the set is casually effective and fun.
The show is so inventive and such a good time;
it is the epitome of what good off-the-wall New
York theater ought to be. Sail as fast as you
can to the Bowery Poetry Club and bring lots of
friends, this event is not to be missed!
Tickets are $10
and can be purchased at the door or at
http://www.virtuous.com. There will be weekly
drink specials sponsored by Michter's Straight
Rye Whiskey.
Starting June 3rd, Whiz Bang will host a monthly
variety show, Tudley's Reef: Whiz-Bang Variety
Night Every first Thursday of the month
starting June 3rd at 10:00 PM also at the Bowery
Poetry Club. Acts will range from acrobats, aerialists,
puppets, out of town musical guests, and other
boisterous performances. Events will also include
record releases, video debuts and many special
guest appearances.
Ticket to Tudley's Reef are $5.00 and can be purchased
at the door or at
http://www.virtuous.com. For more information
on the above events, please call 212-614-1224
(no reservations), or visit
http://www.bowerypoetry.com and
http://oojamadome.org/pirates.html
Bowery
Poetry | Club
308 Bowery
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
