Category Archives: Off Off Broadway

Chicken & Biscuits

Comedy, Off Off Broadway, Play, streaming May 8, 2023 Leave a comment

Theatre Squared continues to make their season available to a nationwide audience with a lively recording of their opening night of Douglas Lyons’ family dramedy Chicken & Biscuits.   It’s another cohesive and enjoyable ensemble production from the Fayetteville, AK based non-profit and winner of a special 2022 Obie Award. 

I saw a Zoom reading of the work in March of 2021.  As was typical of that time and medium, it was messy, but I enjoyed the interrelationships and the realistic tension between characters.  In its final form, the story unfolds almost entirely in one-on-one conversations, so it doesn’t flow so much as interconnect.  Many of the rough edges have been sanded down so that the understandable conflicts are aired and settled at an almost unnatural pace.   But the comedic exchanges and not-so-gentle ribbing remain in place.  Whether you will find this satisfying or frustrating depends on how much you value resolution over the journey to get there.

Baneatta and Beverly are two dramatically different sisters brought together by the death of their much-loved father.  It is clear from Baneatta’s opening prayer that the siblings are poles apart in style, attitude, and social position.  Quite simply, they drive each other crazy.  They even compete over who can feel more grief over the loss of a parent.  A gap between expectation and reality divide the other family members as well: mothers and children, sister and brother, partners and parents.  But the snipes stem more often from wanting the target to have the best life possible rather than deliberate viciousness.  As one character observes, “miscommunication ruins a lot of love.” 

Director Denise Chapman digs as deeply as she can to find the heart and humanity of each personality.  The vivacious cast brings a warm energy to the entire proceeding.  Robert Denzel Edwards is a stand out as Kenny, in part because his character is given the most vivid speech about his inner life.  With his sincere ability to listen, Edwards helps Justin Mackey as his white Jewish boyfriend Logan and Candace Jandel Thomas as Ken’s wounded sister Simone shine in their scenes togethers.  In another sequence, Maura Gale as Brianna covers 40 years of emotional history, providing a strong core to the plot and perhaps the toughest role.  She plays well against Kathy Tyree and Tameka Bob, respectively keeping Baneatta and Beverly in their defined lanes.  Michael A Jones lends solemnity as Baneatta’s husband Reggie, while Jordan Taylor sits on the other end of the spirit seesaw as Beverly’s Tik Tokking daughter La’Trice.

Photography at Theatre2 of Kathy Tyree and Tameka Bob in Chicken & Biscuits, Fayetteville, Arkansas on April 4, 2023.

As usual for T2, the artistic team supports the overall vision while keeping budget in mind.  Working almost entirely in black, costumer designer Devario D. Simmons gives us terrific textural queues about each character’s dominant qualities.  Marie Laster’s airy church set dominated by a rose window, illuminated cross and arched doorways creates a flexible space that is defined and refined by Athziri Morales’s soft lighting.  

According to American Theatre Magazine, Chicken & Biscuits was the 2nd most performed play across the USA in the 2022-23 season (right behind Clyde’s by Lynn Nottage).  The banter and relatability make for a pleasant viewing experience and sometimes that’s just what’s needed in these psychically exhausting times.  It runs though May 14 at TheatreSquared (477 W. Spring St., Fayetteville).  Live performances are at 7:30pm Tuesday through Saturday with 2pm matinees on Saturday and Sunday.  Digital streamers are available for 24 hours beginning at noon Central Time on the selected date.  Customer service is first rate.  Tickets run from $20-$54 and can be purchased by calling (479) 777-7477 or by visiting theatre2.org.

Manifesting Mrs. Marx

Festival, Off Off Broadway, Play May 16, 2022 Leave a comment

Though you have no doubt heard of economist/revolutionary Karl Marx, his gifted and loyal wife has been all but erased from history.  Encyclopedic entries of her life are usually reduced to her lineage, marriage, and the early death of her children.  You will learn something more of Johanna “Jenny” Von Westphalen Marx by watching Manifesting Mrs. Marx, but that is not its ultimate goal.  Still evolving three years after it was performed at the famous Edinburgh Fringe, the piece is the brainchild of actress/musician/producer Clara Francesca who employs a wide range of techniques to shape the story.  In less than an hour, she puddle jumps from Von Westphalen’s biography to the constrictions of the patriarchy to the struggles of creative process itself. 

Jenny had her own distinct views of social revolution and the suppression of the working class.  But she was also a writer of criticism which makes it particularly fitting to have her character critique parts of her own performance.  The work is unconventional in that Ms. Francesca plays not only herself, Mrs. Marx, and characters in Marx’s world, but also against herself as the unseen writer who is heard over the theater’s speakers creating the script in real time.  This allows the actress to simultaneously narrate and comment on the story.  She is both the center of the work and being controlled by it, an apt metaphor for the constrictions faced by early feminists like Jenny Von Westphalen that continue into present day. 

Laurence Olivier Award winning director Guy Masterson wisely keeps the focus on his talent, placing her in drab shapeless clothing against a dark backdrop.  Ms. Francesca is given only a chair, a microphone and a “bag of tricks,” which suits an actress this playful, expressive, and bright.  Her physical comedy is likely to make you think of another Marx — Harpo — especially in a segment where she brattishly defies her writer who is giving her too many instructions.   She also uses her well-tuned voice to manipulate her audience, poking fun at “the pace of perfection” in measured dulcet tones and then rapidly firing off some of Jenny’s pent up frustrations.

Manifesting Mrs. Marx is a broad rather than deep experience.  But while it’s hard to retain much of the detail, the impact of the performer’s energy and passion lingers.  It is making its New York City debut as part of the The New York Theater Festival at the Teatro Latea at 107 Suffolk Street on the Lower East Side of Manhattan. Three performances have been scheduled: Wednesday, May 18, at 4PM; Friday, May 20, at 6:30 PM; and Sunday, May 22, at 1PM.  It will be paired with a second short play to create an 85 minute event.  Tickets are $25 for advanced purchase general admission, $30 at the door, and $45 for VIP seating (https://innovationtickets.com/product/manifesting-mrs-marx/).   

The Elephant in the Room

Off Off Broadway November 22, 2021 Leave a comment

Some people who have suffered trauma shut themselves away to deal with their pain.  Melanie Greenberg chose to turn her experiences into a one-woman show featuring original lyrics and humorous storytelling.  Her solo piece, The Elephant in the Room, covers her very personal journey in search of her “tribe.”  Her twisted and often tortured path from severely depressed childhood to performance-oriented adulthood took her to a family of well-meaning Texan Christians, a sadistic psychiatric center, a rotation of therapists and medications, and a ceremony featuring Ayahuasca, a drink made from a psychoactive plant.  Though her story contains some chilling chapters, she delivers it very matter-of-factly.  Balanced with genuine warmth and uplifting song snippets, what could be deeply disquieting becomes quite entertaining.

Greenberg sings her well-crafted lyrics with precision.  The music is based on the Broadway shows that helped preserve her sanity and sense of humor over the years.  Knowledge of Chicago, Little Shop of Horrors, Grease and Little Mermaid would add to your appreciation of the work, but that is not essential for enjoying the tunes.  The actress/singer is to be admired for how well she organizes her reflections on an injurious childhood, the many appalling attempts at treatment, and a psychedelic trip gone wrong.  Though she returns to her memory of a captive elephant who was brought to a child’s birthday party as entertainment (the animal for whom the work is titled), she is really more like the proverbial fish out of water: perpetually treated as unsuited to traditional society.

Greenberg is joined onstage by her charming musical director and occasional contributor Bill Zeffiro, the winner of several cabaret awards.  Her director Joanie Schultz is also a close friend and may have consequently used too gentle a hand.  Greenberg’s stories are vivid and filled with distinct details, but many are told at the same energy level rather than given variation.  Sadly, no explanation is provided for Greenberg’s fanciful satin dress with a huge black sequence snake wrapping itself around her body.  The recorded performance was done with a single camera at an unusual angle and it could have used some more balanced sound mixing.  Even so, it was obvious that the show has promise.

Melanie Greenberg is a gifted storyteller with a great deal to say.  She is worthy of attention, with infectious vivacity and a genuine sense of compassion for her struggling younger self.  Despite her casual manner, it seems likely that a certain amount of personal distancing is required to actually enjoy hearing the darker aspects of The Elephant in the Room.  The piece debuted at United Solo Fest at Theatre Row and is now traveling to other intimate venues.  The next performances are December 3, 10, and 17 at The Apple Tree Inn in the Berkshires, all the better to hunker down and continue the conversation with fellow audience members.  Tickets are $25 and can be purchased at https://www.sevenrooms.com/experiences/appletreeinn/the-elephant-in-the-room-7597649199.  Runtime is approximately 80 minutes.

Quiet Enjoyment

Off Off Broadway, Play, Uncategorized October 26, 2019 Leave a comment

Inspired by true events experienced by literary agent, author and playwright Richard Curtis, Quiet Enjoyment is a lighthearted comedy about a stressful experience: the title transfer of a New York City co-op.  As part of a bruising divorce settlement, Peter Chasen is signing over his $5M apartment to his ex-wife Juliana for $1.  It’s the first closing conducted by Meredith Cudlip and she wants it to be perfect.  With all her preparation, the transaction should flow and take approximately 20 minutes.  Instead, a series of events conspire to drag out the proceedings, leading to heated exchanges, underhanded dealing, and a few sexy memories.

The idea for this work percolated in Curtis’s mind for a number of years before being committed to paper.  The good news is that you are almost certain to laugh during the nearly 100 minutes of runtime.  Curtis has seemingly taken informal lessons from a number of masterful sources including Noel Coward’s witty banter and Groucho Marx’s physical shtick.  The drawback to this approach of blending comedic styles is they don’t tickle the same funny bones.  At any given point, a third of the audience is having a blast while the remainder sit stone faced.  Judging from the lopsided reaction, the most divisive element is Megan Simard’s Karma.  While Ms. Simard commits her heart and soul and several other flexible body parts to the role, she can’t bring her lines above the level of hippy chick caricature.  The character doesn’t seem to fit the rest of the piece any more than Karma’s wild presence fits the tightly controlled proceedings. Her presence literally in the middle of the conference table pushes the needle from humorous to absurd.

On the other end of the creative spectrum is Samantha Mercado Tudda’s Meredith Cudlip.  Ironically nicknamed Merry, she’s an anal-retentive and ambitious associate who makes zany entertainment spring from dry real estate language.   More broad but equally skillful is Paula Gates who takes on the roles of Peter’s harried assistant Tammy and Meredith’s overbearing boss, Martha Pusey.  Though the actress plays both similarly, the stand-up comedy chops she displays in her first scene elicit a special round of applause when she makes her second entrance.  (Someone needs to get this women her Equity Card pronto.)  At Friday’s performance, Jamie Lee Kearns was suffering from laryngitis.  She might consider vocal lessons to retain that Demi Moore-esque  purr which further enhanced her interpretation of Peter’s competent and sexy ex Juliana.  As for Peter himself, Mark A Daly has great timing but doesn’t project the magnetism that would more obviously stir so many loins.  Kris Paredes and Mario Claudio round out the cast as Jules’s sister, confident and lawyer, Dana  and Peter’s obnoxious lawyer with bladder issues, Abraham Bimsky.  (If it isn’t obvious from this paragraph, playwright Curtis has a particular flair with names.)

QUIET ENJOYMENT by Richard Curtis - L to R Samantha Mercado Tudda (MERRY), Mario Claudio (BIMSKY) _ Megan Simard (KARMA), Photo by Mozinya Productions

Samantha Mercado Tudda (MERRY), Mario Claudio (BIMSKY) and Megan Simard (KARMA), Photo by Mozinya Productions

Director Marcus Gualberto does a fine job with the rapidly moving exchanges, especially given the confined space.  He is aided in making the most of the 62 seat house by choreographer Ruth Guimerà.  The versatile Mercado Tudda also provided the appropriate costumes.  Lighting is employed to highlight areas of the set where physical barriers (doors, partitions etc.) would likely be used for a rendition with a bigger budget.

A shaker full of delicious ingredients that don’t quite blend, Quiet Enjoyment is a pleasant enough diversion for $25.  Richard Curtis certainly has an ear for comedy and his dedicated cast makes the most of what’s on the page. This production is registered with the New York Innovative Theatre Awards. It plays through November 3 at the Playroom (151 West 46th Street, between 6th and 7th) on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays at 7PM with a special performance on Monday, October 28.  Tickets are available at https://QuietEnjoyment.BrownPaperTickets.com and by calling 1-800-838-3006. In person purchases may be made at the theater half hour prior to performance.

The Glass Menagerie

Off Off Broadway, Play, Uncategorized October 11, 2019 Leave a comment

With its simple narrative, The Glass Menagerie has always lent itself to reinterpretation.  For those unfamiliar with the Tennessee William’s classic, the play centers on the Wingfield family.  Many years before the opening scene, Mr. Winfield abandoned his wife Amanda and their two children Laura and Tom, now in their 20s.  A former Southern belle who proclaims to have had a fleet of suiters, the socially skillful Amanda is overly focused on her children and the molding of their lives.  Having suffered childhood illness, Laura is so painfully shy she has no friends or career prospects.  Her one joy is her collection of glass animals.  Tom has had to set aside his dream of being a writer and works at a shoe warehouse in order to pay rent on their shabby St. Louis apartment.  Amanda is determined to find a suitable husband for Laura in order to provide for their future and perhaps free Tom for a better life.

Told from Tom’s viewpoint and relayed as his recollection of events, The Glass Menagerie is referred to as a memory play.  Tom himself cautions the audience that what they see may not be precisely what happened. Plot points are therefore more representational than factual. The much anticipated visit from the Gentlemen Caller who may sweep Laura away can stand in for any elusive wish.  Laura’s much discussed disability is represented as a psychological wound as often as it is depicted with a physical leg brace.  

In the current iteration staged by Austin Pendleton and Peter Bloch, the recurring theme of illusion takes center stage.  It is emphasized in Tom’s love of movies, Amanda’s revisionist past, and Laura’s hazy self-image.  The piece opens with Tom performing slight of hand.  Many props remain illusionary, with the entire cast miming everyday actions such as drinking coffee and smoking a cigarette in an intentionally unrealistic manner.  The essential Gentleman Caller’s visit seemingly haunts the lives of the family, hanging over the room as fully as the father’s portrait which stares down from the back wall.  

Glass Menagerie

Alexandra Rose and Ginger Grace in Glass Menagerie at The Wild Project

While it is an intriguing approach, the production’s gauziness makes it difficult to latch on to the characters.  The relationships feel flattened by their hallucinatory essence.  As is described in the script, Gentleman Caller Jim is the most three dimensional, brought to appealing life by Spencer Scott.  But the other performers are left nearly bloodless.  Pendleton/Bloch collaborator Matt de Rogatis’s Tom shows brief flashes of frustration.  When he is downstage speaking directly to us, Amanda and Laura are often upstage as if in his thought bubble. But he too is sometimes crammed upstage and many of his character-defining moments are therefore obscured. Frequently placed behind a scrim literally separated from everyone and cloaked in shadows, this Laura (a single-noted Alexandra Rose) floats like a phantom through her scenes.  Most significantly Amanda (a fiery Ginger Grace ) is strongest when she is alone on stage, leveraging what’s left of her Southern charm to sell magazine subscriptions.

The deliberate ghostlike features work far better as an integral part of the production design.  Steven Wolf’s lights are initially neatly focused on Laura’s collection of glass animals, slowly broadening to reveal the tattered set. Gothic furniture designed by Jessie Bonaventure is missing limbs and top off with glass elements lending them an air of incompleteness. The father who abandoned his wife and children eerily looms over their plight in a large photographic projection.  Sean Hagerty original haunting music from unseen dance halls along with discomforting sounds effects orchestrated by Allison Hohman emphasize the nature of memory and complete the spectral landscape.

A curiosity best suited to fans of the play, The Glass Menagerie is running at The Wild Project (195 East 3rd Street, between Avenues A & B) though October 20.  Runtime is 1 hour and 45 minutes without an intermission. Tickets are $35 and are available through Brown Paper Tickets at 1-800-838-3006 or by visiting  www.theglassmenagerieplay.com.

TornKid at Lady Fest

Off Off Broadway, Play, Uncategorized August 10, 2019 Leave a comment

As the name would suggest, Lady Fest theater festival in New York shines a light on womanhood in all its wondrous forms.  In the supportive atmosphere of The Tank, female and female identifying artists are provided the opportunity to be heard by youthful spirits of all ages.  Currently on stage in the smaller of the two houses is Tornkid, a multimedia fable for the times, presented in partnership with Baltimore Asian Pasifika Arts Collective (BAPAC).  Written by Katelynn Kenney, the script vividly illustrates the emotions underlying the immigrant experience, using Southeast Asian and Pacific Indigenous creation stories as a springboard to explore the quest for belonging.

Struggling to fit in with both traditional Asian family life and the typical school experience of American children, Tornkid literally tears themselves in two.  Sadly, their other half runs off with the voice, pointing out that Tornkid hasn’t really made use of it.  Refusing to be doomed to a life of silence, Tornkid journeys through mystical lands, determined to be reunited with the parts of themselves that have been lost.

Use of the inclusive pronoun “they” to describe Tornkid is significant since exploring identity is essential to both the story and the storytelling technique.  Tornkid is pulled apart by two distinct ways of being as well as an environment that constantly shifts between comforting and strange.  The actors, too, morph identities as they move from role to role, often employing intriguing masks created by Tara Cariaso and Aaron Elson of Waxing Moon Masks.

The experience is similar to the ones frequently offered at The New Victory on a Saturday afternoon.  Typical of myths, the story is very episodic, though the through-line is strong.  A dragon-headed magical guide addresses the audience directly, explaining that we are the ancestors.  She elicits our help at critical junctures, encouraging us to participate by adding claps, slaps and clicks and other sound effects.  Metaphors are creatively made concrete by most of the characters.  Each interaction makes Tornkid stronger and brings the goal into clearer focus.

tornkid(76)

Tree Spirit in a previous workshop of TornKid

Surasree Das lends tremendous warmth and stirs compassion as she pantomimes her way through Tornkid’s unusual journey.  Her most powerful encounters are with a Tree Spirit and a Sea Warrior, two fantastic puppets created by Jess Rassp and given voice by Elizabeth Ung who also provides unique hand-decorated costumes.  The narration supplied by the Magic Teller is sometimes stilted, but actress Kim Le sweetly and enthusiastically engages with the audience.  Marela Kay Minosa and Mika Nakano round out the cast, playing a half dozen roles between them.

Co-directors Cara Hinh and Donna Ibale don’t yet have the knack for arranging movement appropriately in 3/4 round, staging too much of the action for the center section.  But this is a minor distraction with so much creativity clearly in evidence.  The puppet movements are nicely choreographed and literally extend the actors performances. There are also wonderful props by Pauline Lamb which draw on childlike images.  Sounds not provided by the audience are designed by C. Swan-Streepy with the mystical atmosphere capped off by Miranda Poett’s lighting.

BAPAC’s inaugural production, this second iteration of Tornkid delivers an upbeat message in an inventive way.  This worthy work is being hosted at The Tank (312 W 36th Street) a nonprofit that strives to remove economic barriers for emerging artists.  Remaining performances of this workshop production are Saturday, August 10 at 3 PM and 7 PM and Sunday, August 11 at 3 PM. Lady Fest runs through Wednesday, August 28.  Tickets range from $0 – $25.  For a complete performance calendar and to purchase tickets in advance visit www.thetanknyc.org/ladyfest.

Square Go

Off Off Broadway, Play, Uncategorized June 15, 2019 Leave a comment

Get ready to go toe to toe with two terrific actors in the fast moving and highly entertaining Square Go. (A “Square Go” is a Scottish term for an all-out fist fight.)  Max has made an unfortunate remark that received the wrong kind of attention from local bully-in-chief Danny Guthrie.  Now he’s been challenged to fight it out in the playground.  Max’s best friend, the affable and slightly dim Stevie, stands firmly at his friend’s back  But his support will be limited to the moral kind.  The audience is therefore invited to participate in Max’s preparation for an almost certain pummeling at Danny’s bigger and more experienced hands.  As we contribute our cheers and a hand or two, we learn the key turning points that led to this undesirable moment in Max’s short life. 

Several components put this slice-of-life tale in a class above most two-handers.  The writing by Kieran Hurley and Gary McNair is poignant, humorous, and well edited.  Both Daniel Portman (Poderick Payne on Game of Thrones) and Gavin Jon Wright (Black Watch with the National Theatre of Scotland) turn in wonderfully layered performances. Wearing boxing shorts and tank tops which fully display bodies that obviously did not just emerge from the New York Sports Club next door to the theater, they perfectly capture the awkwardness of their youthful characters.  

What stands out even more is the viewpoint, with the action moving seamlessly from a school, to various locations around small-town Scotland, to inside the characters’ heads, to inside the theater.  The entire creative process used to tell the story is imaginative and well executed.  The setting is a simple square imbedded on the floor.  The rest of the background is filled in with a soundscape and lighting.  The lights designed by Peter Small, props developed by Martha Mamo, and original soundtrack provided by members of Frightened Rabbit are integral to Wright’s remarkable portrayal of multiple characters.  Portman has the tougher job of bringing variation to the more straightforward role of the downtrodden Max.   

Daniel Portman and Gavin Jon Wright in SQUARE GO part of Brits Off Broadway at 59E59 Theaters. Photo by Carol Rosegg

Daniel Portman and Gavin Jon Wright in SQUARE GO. Photo by Carol Rosegg

Director Finn Den Hertog, who won a Scotsman Fringe First Awards for this production, has staged the entire piece within the square with the audience on all four sides just like a wrestling arena.  The energy builds from the close proximity and the physical containment of the actors.  The players’ interactions with the audience  — which can often be awkward — are carefully crafted and skillfully managed.  There’s no room for bad moods or poor sportsmanship from the crowd.  You’ll be required to keep your feet out of their space and your head in their game.

Arriving at a time when toxic masculinity is being reevaluated by all genders, Square Go presents a universal story in a singular fashion.  Though the details of Max’s journey may be particular to him, the experience of trying to find one’s place in the world is one that everyone can understand.  Performances run through June 30 in Theater C at 59E59.  Tickets are $25 ($20 for members) and seating is general admission. Running time is 60 minutes, with no intermission.  To purchase or for more information, call the 59E59 Box Office at 646-892-7999 or visit www.59e59.org.

EPIC Players’ Little Shop of Horrors

Musical, Off Off Broadway, Uncategorized June 6, 2019 Leave a comment

The American Theatre Critics Association (of which I am a member) promotes theater as a resource to communities throughout the country.  EPIC Players takes this goal a step further by opening the craft to an underserved company of performers.  An acronym for Empower, Perform, Include and Create, this talented troupe is neuro-diverse: composed of actors over the age of 16 who are on the spectrum of autism.  Casting calls are open, though priority is given to company members. Rehearsals are conducted over an extended period, which allows the cast and crew to co-create a particularly supportive environment.  The results are not only empowering for the artists, but expansive for the audience as well.

With its sprawling cast and blended genre of horror and comedy, Little Shop of Horrors is a masterful choice for EPIC’s current season.  The story follows Seymour Krelborn and Audrey, two fragile outsiders working in a skid row flower shop, and presents them with wit and affection.  The pair is brought together by a demanding plant named the Audrey II, who has troubling intentions.  The music is by Alan Menken with lyrics and a book by Howard Ashman, the team behind Beauty and the Beast and Aladdin.  While the work can be viewed as a piece of social commentary, it is unquestionably a wildly good time.

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EPIC Players’ Nicole D’Angelo and Ben Rosloff in Little Shop of Horrors

Equity member Ben Rosloff performs the underestimated Seymour with the gentleness this lead role requires. Slipping into Audrey’s leopard prints is Nicole D’Angelo, who replicates Ellen Green’s ultra-high-pitched speaking voice and sweet singing style.  Her sadistic boyfriend is played with glee and a touch of menace by Dante Jayce, who also makes the most hysterical entrance.  Michael Buckhout takes on flower shop owner Mr. Mushnik with appropriate slapstick asides.  In many productions, the Audrey II is represented by a series of ever-larger puppets.  Here, a booming Nick Moscato appears to be having a blast portraying the full grown plant, which heightens the character’s ability to engage.  The chorus of street urchins has been expanded to five expressive and funny singer/dancers (Imani Youngblood, Justin Phillips, Aria Renee Curameng, Melissa Jennifer Gonzalez and Kathryn Cristofano) who enliven every moment they are on stage.  Music is performed by a live four piece band under the direction of keyboardist Jonathan Ivie.  Whitney Blythe, Gianluca Cirafici, Brianna Freeman, Jessy Leppert, Samantha Elisofon, Nick Amodio, Gideon Piankor, and Eric Zimmer are the supporting players with Andrew Kader, Kim Carter, Meggan Dodd, and Amaker Smith making up the ensemble.

The performance I attended was a final dress rehearsal and there were a few timing and technical issues.  Even with those difficulties, the production sparkled with imagination.  Directed by EPIC’s Executive Artistic Director Aubrie Therrien with assistance from Max Baudisch and Zach Lichterman, the staging makes fabulous use of the Black Box space.  Aisles and overhead platforms are filled with residents of the downtown streets and Audrey II’s many admirers.  You might even be offered a bag of “cocaine” or gifted with an Audrey II plant clipping.  Clever costumes by Cat Fisher include Audrey II’s enticingly and colorful garb.  The effective set by Tim Catlett is topped with projection screens that enhance the play with classic horror clips and horticulture documentaries.

This production of Little Shop of Horrors radiates joy from its very roots, serving to shatter any preconceived notions held by uninitiated theater-goers.  Noise canceling headphones are available for sensitive audience members, and anyone needing a break is invited to decompress in the lobby.  Runtime is 94 minutes with one 10 minute intermission.  It plays  through Sunday, June 16 in the Black Box Theater at the Sheen Center on Bleecker Street.  Tickets are $27-$57 and can be purchased at https://ci.ovationtix.com/34409/production/1007814?performanceId=10390542.  EPIC — a 501c3 non-profit — holds auditions year round and provides professional development classes and workshops free of charge to all who are accepted.  You can also support their work by visiting https://www.epicplayersnyc.org/support.

Original Sound

Off Off Broadway, Play, Uncategorized May 25, 2019 Leave a comment

Danny — a spunky young Puerto Rican musician with a knack for creating earworms — uploads his diss track poking fun at pop phenom Ryan Reed.  Stumbling across the piece, the blocked Ms. Reed isn’t so hurt that she can’t seize the opportunity to steal Danny’s best song and recorded it for her new album.  Their heated decisions set in motion Original Sound, an engaging and emotional play with music by Adam Seidel. The events were inspired by his previous job as a Chicago-based hip-hop journalist.  In order to keep his work to a tight 95 minutes, Seidel can’t completely avoid the inclusion of music industry tropes.  Anyone who keeps up with that world will see echoes of recent headlines, from the cathartic 22-years-in-the-making Verve settlement to the unexpected collaboration of Lil Nas X with Billy Ray Cyrus to gain acceptance in a different genre.  Yet Seidel also skillfully mines even more interesting territory covering the potentially destructive role of power in the creative process.  What happens when your so-called self-expression is no longer your own?

OriginalSound

Jane Bruce and Sebastian Chacon in Original Sound; photo by Russ Rowland

The strong back beat of the plot is built atop the complex relationship that develops between Danny and Ryan.  Neither is completely in the wrong, which sets up a fascinating dynamic.  The supporting characters each heighten important story elements.  Danny’s sister Felicia attempts to be supportive.  He more easily receives encouragement from his friend Kari, a business school dropout who strives to keep him safe in an exploitative industry.  Ryan is backed by her well-intentioned manager Jake and a team of unseen studio producers and executives.  A sign of the script’s sophistication is that it is possible to experience both hope and sadness at the end of their shared journey.

Sebastian Chacon brings genuine warmth and exuberance to Danny.  (It is fitting to witness the young actor leave the theater with headphones on and a skateboard tucked under his arm.)   He is beautifully balanced by singer-songwriter and actress Jane Bruce’s Ryan, by turns stubborn, guarded, and freed by music.  Anthony Arkin plays Jake with credible matter-of-factness.  Countering is Lio Mehiel’s sensitive interpretation of Kari, though it seems a missed opportunity not to present the character as non-binary.  The production’s shortcoming is not providing Cynthia Bastidas and Wilson Jermaine Heredia enough to work with in their critical turns as Danny’s sister and father.

Director Elena Araoz generally keeps the energy high, all the better to shock the audience with quieter moments. The spirited scene is set by Justin Townsend, who cleverly echoes the look of LPs  further enhanced by lighting designer Kate McGee’s dance floor elements.  An array of imaginative t-shirts and power booties are provided by Sarita Fellows.  But it is the music that appropriately takes center stage in the production’s design. Both Chacon and Bruce perform the songs live.  The catchy hits are written by Daniel Ocanto, Ms. Bruce and Mr. Seidel.  An improvised solo was originally created by musical artist Armen Dolelian from diverse influences.  Additional sound design is provided by Nathan Leigh.

Like a tune recorded by multiple artists, each player in Original Sound goes through variations of their own central theme.  It makes for a stirring experience for lovers of emerging works.  Original Sound plays through June 8th in The Studio at the Cherry Lane Theatre in Greenwich Village.  Set 3/4 round in this small house, there are no bad seats.  Tickets are $55-$85 and are available by visiting CherryLaneTheatre.org, by calling 866-811-4111 or by visiting the Cherry Lane Theatre Box Office. 

The Owl Girl

Off Off Broadway, Play, Uncategorized March 17, 2019 Leave a comment

Many writers have examined tensions in the Middle East, a particularly thorny issue.  Playwright Monica Raymond does so with a poetic eye in her new work, The Owl Girl.  Taking the conflict to an absurdist extreme, she distills the historic schism down to two families — one Arab and one Israeli — and places them in the same dwelling.  Both can reasonably claim ownership of the home.  Zol and Leedya were raising their teenagers, Joze and Anja, in the house when they were all sent to a camp in the West Bank.  Rav and Ora then purchased the property for their family, which includes daughter Stel and young son Capi.  

Stel still feels the spirits of the other children in her room, where she chooses to keep two marks on the wall that indicate Joze and Anja’s heights at the time they were forced to leave.  Meanwhile in the camp, Joze has also started to feel a draw, eventually convincing his father to give him the key to the old front door so he can visit one last time.  He happens to choose a night when Stel is home alone and the two form an instant connection.  Stel invites Joze to come back, but when he does, his parents and sister follow.  Rav, Ora, and Capi return, and the eight decide to share the space as a cultural experiment.

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Yaara Shilony and Julian Alexander as Stel and Joze in The Owl Girl

Raymond employs a number of metaphors to make her points about battles ideological, cultural, and territorial.  The most graphic of these symbols is the Owl Girl of the title. Anja stopped developing at the age of 13, literally stunted by losing her place in the world.  Stuck in exile, she fell under the spell of her rage-filled grandmother. Since Anja hasn’t matured into a woman, she tries on a number of animal personas, settling on the owl.  These birds represent power and destruction in her culture, but also possess vision and insight.  Returned to her rightful station, she not only starts menstruating, but swoops about the house, eventually sprouting literal wings in order to gain a better vantage point.

Ms. Raymond has been developing this piece for 15 years, and some sections flow with the passion she obviously feels for her subject.  Her understanding of the thin line that can exist between enemies is well articulated, at one point represented by a literal string running down the kitchen.  Her use of magic helps her reveal emotions that can be difficult to articulate.  But she defuses her message by adding too many layers.  There are aggressive chess matches, a hellish hidden room, and a jar of mysterious ointment.  Then in the middle of the second act, Raymond introduces a subplot involving the lust Rav feels for Anja.  Eventually, like a child’s painting, the metaphors are so thick that they turn muddy.    

The Owl Girl is presented by THML, a majority female-run theatre company that promotes stories by and about women.  It is therefore unsurprising that the exchanges that have the most rhythm are the ones between the two mothers. They share a frustration with their sexists husbands and are both raising challenging younger children. Ora and Leedya bond as almost any two women will eventually do, finding common ground and poking a little fun at their differences.  Director Bryan Raanan Kearney who plays Ora has good timing and provides some comic relief.  The other relationships don’t work at least in part because many of the actors are miscast.  One in particular is the wrong age and ethnicity and has not gained mastery over an unnecessary accent. The exception is Julian Alexander, who brings a delightful softness and sense of wonder to Joze.

Having  received awards from the Castillo Theater, Peacewriting, Portland (Maine) Stage, and the Jewish Plays Project, The Owl Girl is a promising work that still needs to find a clear voice.  It is playing through March 20 at The Center at West Park, upstairs in the Balcony Theater.  Tickets are $30 and can be purchased at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-owl-girl-tickets-53977563345.