Tuesday, October 22, 2013

Natasha, Pierre... This title is way too long




Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812


First off, I think this title is way too long. Try selling it to a friend, “Yes you should go see Natasha, Pierre… Shoot I forget the rest of it, but yea it’s a cool show about War and Peace.” Catch my drift? I never had to read this Tolstoy’s dense novel. BUT, the show, written by Dave Malloy does a good job of clearly explaining the silly Russian love triangle. Here are my thoughts about the play:
 

Likes:


  • Creation of ambiance=Impeccable. As the host led me to my table, I was flabbergasted by the awesome decor. The show takes place in a TENT on B’Way. Set designer Mimi Lien transformed the white walls by draping them in red curtains, hanging elaborate Russian paintings, filling the room with tiny tables and  Tiffany lamps and a wrap-around stage that can be viewed from all corners of the tent.
  • Costumes had a great steam-punk vibe that I really dug. The cut up corsets, layered gloves, multiple rings, curly cue up dos and beautiful dresses gave me something to admire when the songs were lacking. (Disclaimer: I was frustrated that the opening number I saw a couple of actors fidgeting with their costumes. Maybe this is a pet peeve of mine, but it definitely brought me out of the ‘experience.’)
  • Innocence to Magic: I liked the way Rachel Chavkin, director, seamlessly had the actors enter and exit from all sides of the tent. Phillipa Soo never lost the mystical innocence of coming to a new city, Moscow and the imagination of undying love. The help of the set and costume design aided the enchantment of evening

Dislikes:


  • Music variety: Overwhelmed by the different types of music used to portray the story of WAR AND PEACE. It ranged from Rock, classical, folk, techno, to absurd ‘ha-has’.
  • Passé ensemble members: What the heck were these guys doing in this play? They looked super unenthusiastic and bored to be a part of this show. I mean come on... Friday night, and y’all are doing a B’WAY show in a tent. GET PUMPED!
  • Deception by the food and the time: On the internet it looks like you get a meal with the purchase of your extremely overpriced ticket. BUT no, you can purchase perogies for 20 dollars. (Note: You only get 4) Or how about cocktail, straight up Vodka for 16 dollars. I understand you’ve got to pay the crazy amount of employees you have that need to get the orders in the 30 minutes before the start of the show, but this was just a bit obscene. The show was almost 3 hours. (longer) From the time you stand in line around 7:45 to the time you get out 10:50, the show exhausts you, instead of invigorating you.

 
I was excited for some SITE SPECIFIC IMMERSIVE THEATRE but this is really just a DINNER THEATRE in the middle of Times Square. Save your money. Buy some Vladimirs at your local liquor store and go see Marie Antoinette at Soho Rep starring Marin Ireland for some HEIGHTENED PERIOD DRAMA.  (I saw it at Yale Rep, highly recommend it.)
 

Looking forward to seeing:
 
è  The Goddess, Starring my friends Tricia Alexandro, Rick Busser and Michael Kingsbaker

è  SALESMEN: A mediation on Masculinity and American Real!, Featuring my friends Patrick Schied, Hugh Trimble and Nick Smerkanich

è  DANI GIRL by EPBB (YAY free dinner and theatre, cough cough)
 

Shout-outs:

è  Other Desert Cities, Starring lovely Jessica O’Hara-Baker

è  Ms.Bovary, Produced by dear Katie Lindsay
 
è  The Rest of Your Life, Featuring Mackenize Lansing

 

Thursday, October 10, 2013

SLAUGHTERHOUSE-FIVE


Kurt Vonnegut's SLAUGHTERHOUSE-FIVE at FringeNYC Encore Series 
 
Shamless self promotion = Can't write a critique about this one... 'cause I'm in it.
Here are some stills from the production: We open tonight at Players Theatre (115 Macdougal Street)
 
Thursday, October 10 @ 7:00 pm
Friday, October 11 @ 7:00 pm
Saturday, October 12 @ 8:00 pm
Saturday, October 12 @ 10:00 pm
Sunday, October 13 @9:00 pm
 
 


(Quinn Coughlin and Jamie Effros- Eye doctor scene)

(Jamie Effros and Rachel Berger- Honeymoon scene)

(Lena Hudson and Jamie Effros- Learning about Kilagore Trout scene)
 
(Zane Roberts, Christopher Travlos and Quinn Coughlin- Cinderella scene)

(Bruce Bluett- Blue Fairy Godmother scene)

(Jamie Effros, Anni Weisband, Zane Roberts, Rachel Berger and Christopher Travlos- Party scene)
 
(Jamie Effros and Anni Weisband- Montana's pregnant scene)
 
Coming up. I will be seeing NATASHA, PIERRE AND THE GREAT COMET OF 1812 next Friday. Looking forward to a Russian Site-Specific Tent Party about the novel War and Peace! The following week, I got my free ticket to see Exit Pursued by Bear's production of DANI GIRL (Synopsis: When Dani, a precocious nine year old, loses her hair to leukemia, she embarks on a magical journey in order to get it back. Simultaneously hilarious and heartbreaking, DANI GIRL is a tale of life in the face of death, hope in the face of despair, and the indomitable power of the human imagination.) 
 
 

Friday, August 30, 2013

THE AMORALISTS, it's a cult: a huge theatre company doing huge things

This past weekend I saw The Amoralists’ production of The Cheater’s Club written and directed by Derek Ahonen at Abrons Arts Center (deep into the Lower East Side). Known for their large casts and big team of artists, this theatre company was founded by AMDA grads (American Musical and Dramatic Academy) on November 2006. Their mission statement goes like this:

"The Amoralists are a theatre company that produces work of no moral judgment. Dedicated to an honest expression of the American condition, our ensemble explores complex characters of moral ambiguity, plumbing the depths of the social, political, spiritual and sexual characteristics of human nature. "

My recent introduction to this theatre company was a real pleasant surprise. Impressed by such a full-scale production with backing solely through personal donors and amused that a ticket cost FIFTY DOLLARS!  I was very grateful for the free ticket from my friend who had auditioned for the Amoralists and since they liked him, graced him with two free tickets! Hint: Audition for more theatre companies, which in turn (if you’re good enough) gets you free tickets to their productions.

The Cheater’s Club 
Liked:
Their ability to make me scared in a live theatre event. This equals success in my eyes. Yes the play is a comedy. Four spouses leave their significant others in order to have a ‘no strings attached’ weekend at a haunted Inn. I was caught in the anticipation of the action. For example wondering where the grim reaper character will appear….
High quality set design. I really felt like I was at a Broadway production with the level of construction. The two-story Inn had four specific rooms, a hidden down stairs, a trap door, and a detailed bar. And a piano! 


Disliked:
Cinematic elements… I’ll explain myself. The more I think about it, it’s not the set designer’s fault that he needed to focus the audience from the massive plot it was the playwright’s fault. The overwhelming story takes place in a bar, hotel lobby, four different hotel rooms, hotel basement, a graveyard, and an ambiguous theatre. There was too much going on...
Inconsistency of accents... There were Russian, Irish, Italian, Spanish, New York, Southern and more... I found that the accents being thrown around that weren’t fully realized.  

Mixed feelings:

Shout-outs to my FringeNYC people

  • Thoughtful and well crafted direction by Max Reuben of Sheeple
  • Seductive and charming acting by Michael Kingsbaker in This is a Play About Artists
  • A little birdy told me that Padraic Lillis won best direction for his play Bully. Congrats!
  • Amazing directing by Dan Cooley in the production of BANG BANG YOU’RE DEAD
  • Malachy Silva played a very convincing crazy man in Strange Rain
  • Sweet and beautiful Margy Love killed it in Adventures of Boy and Girl
  • The whole production team of Slaughterhouse-Five… looking forward to the extension! Here are the details: www.bit.ly/SH5encore

Huge shout out to Patrick Scheid for writing his own one- man show on Nietzsche’s Zarathustra called Zara Notes performed at HERE arts center and killing it, plus for sharing his ticket with me!


Coming soon… Mama’s critique of Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike

Saturday, July 6, 2013

Women and Their Feet

ANN Review: Three amazing women on their feet!

What a coincidence that the night I go and see ANN, the Democratic Senator from Texas, Wendy Davis becomes a social media sensation by advocating for women’s health filibustering a restrictive abortion bill. Davis was on her feet for 11 hours straight. These are the shoes she wore. 

130703-wendy-davis-shoes-kohn-tease

That same night, Gloria Steinem (American feminist, journalist, social and political advocate) gave a talk back about her relationship with Ann Richards. She also discussed the politics of current women’s rights. I felt so lucky to be in the audience of this historic event. Three Amazing women on their FEET!  

To be honest, I had never heard of Ann Richards before. Who was this woman? Turns out she was a pretty revolutionary lady. Most people consider Ann Richards the first female Governor of Texas, since the legitimate first governor Miriam ‘Ma’ Ferguson is often discounted for being a proxy while her husband, James ‘Pa’ Ferguson was being impeached. During Ann’s time in office, she reformed the Texas prison system, instituted the Texas Lottery system and attempted to make funding more equitable in the Texas school system. She’s most known for her charismatic personality, her care-free sense of humor and her notorious whispy hair-do. 
                File:Ann Richards.jpg                   
                                             Ann Richards                                     Holland Taylor
     
Holland Taylor wrote and created this one woman show about Ann Richards. I believe she successfully gives us a taste of Ann’s personality. Set in present time, Taylor crafts the opening as a graduation speech to an imaginary private college, then seamlessly into her office on the Hill, then to her post-governorship in New York, then back to her direct address to graduating seniors. 

What I liked about ANN:

Holland Taylor’s amazing ability to keep the audience engaged by being purely spontaneous, especially during her scenes when she’s in her ‘on the hill‘ office. She manages to juggle holding an imaginary phone conversation, talk to her secretary (well done voice over by Julie White), ignore the screaming public outside Richard’s window, sign documents on her desk, apply red lipstick, sew the fringe on her Texas flag and CARRY A ONE WOMAN SHOW! She gracefully conquers her Governor duties while doing 10 other things at the same time. 
  
What didn’t work for me:

The first act was way too long. I’ll admit I fell asleep within the first 10 minutes but quickly came back to life once she was in her office (it could have been the New York heat and not Taylor’s acting). Taylor kept establishing that she was playing Ann Richards who was giving a college graduation speech, except it went on and on. I understand the set-up. Direct address immediately engages the audience, breaking the fourth wall, but there was no new information being passed out, so I literally passed out. 

In conclusion, I appreciated that I Holland Taylor didn’t make me feel stupid for not knowing anything about Ann Richards. The well crafted script helped me follow Ann’s career path to becoming governor. Taylor seems to have written a beautiful eulogy to Ann. The final image after Taylor’s bow is a 12 foot portrait of ANN that comes down from the ceiling as Taylor blows Ann kisses of gratitude. Ann’s life was cut short by cancer. I can now add to my list of heroes Wendy Davis, Gloria Steinem, Ann Richards and Holland Taylor. Thank you for the Magic of theatre...

Shout outs:

Michael Kingsbaker's company The Shelter who produced Lily & Kosmo Live about a young girl’s adventure into space told in the style of an old time radio show. 


Kinky Boots: Huge shout out to the fabulous drag queens who carried the show! I give it a solid B. I saw it with my dad in high hopes that it would live up to its TONY for BEST MUSICAL, but, it lacked the heart for me to care about the characters. I still don’t know what was missing, but something was missing...  

Monday, April 22, 2013

All my (solo) ladies... now put your hands UP!

All my (solo) ladies... now put your hands UP!

Did you know that there were/are at least five one woman shows on BROADWAY/OFF-BROADWAY this spring! Why hasn't this been discovery been on the cover of NYTIMES! Viva la feminity in the 21st century theatre. Granted, I don't know how much commerical appeal these ladies have, they sure do have the ability to give some tour de force performances! (I can only speak for Benko and Shaw. Hopefully deals will pop up to be able to review all of these shows!)

Tina Benko in Jackie at the Women's Theatre Project (unfortunately closed March 31st)

Kathryn Hunter in Kafka's Monkey at Baryshnikov Arts Center (short run April 3rd-17th)

Fiona Shaw in Testament of Mary at the Walter Kerr Theater (Now until June 16th)

Bette Midler in I'll Eat You Last at the Booth Theater (Opens April 24th until June 30th)


Holland Taylor in ANN at the Lincoln Center's Vivian Beaumont Theater (Now until September 1st)



Quick Synopsis:

Jackie is based on the life of Jackie Kennedy Onassis. Kafka's Monkey is an adaptation of Franz Kafka's 1917 story, "A Report to an Academy," an allegory of Jewish assimilation.  The Testament of Mary follows Mary's relationship with Jesus (kind of). ANN is a portrait of Ann Richards, the legendary former governor of Texas. I'll Eat You Last is an inside view into the life of casting agent/business manager Sue Mengers. What do all these women have in common?

The common thread is that these women have been SENTENCED TO A LIFE OF PERFORMING.

In Jackie's case, she has to uphold the perfect wife, First Lady image. Through her use of cocaine and feigned smile, she masks her loathing of Kennedy's affair with Monroe. Tina Benko, who plays Jackie, did an amazing job with the slam poetry style of writing. She contorts her body into awkward positions, through the infamous Jackie white glove wave to the wide-eyed cheeky smile, you can tell that 'Jackie' is performing for the American people. 

In Franz Kafka's case, we see a woman dressed up in a suit going from ape-like characteristics to becoming a 'human'. I believe that Baryshnikov Arts Center description sums it up: "This resourceful ape is as desperate and determined as a Beckett tramp, longing for home and freedom yet settling for the dubious comforts and pseudo-freedom of the theater."

In Mary's case, her son is following a path she doesn't deem appropriate. Frustrated by the attention from his followers, Mary tries to avoid the limelight. This is further exemplified by Mary's final declaration to the audience, on her Jesus's death and life,  "It was not worth it." She too had to perform her exaltation for a son she wanted to be just normal. 

In Sue Menger's case, she performs her way to the top of the theatre and film business. She became the talk of the town, using crude language and brash comments to get the best performers to sign with her.

In Ann Richards case, she defies what a typical Governor from Texas should be, by being a Democrat and a Feminist. Held up in a critical public eye, she charms her confederate citizens to vote her into the executive branch of the state government.

In conclusion, these strong-willed, powerful women prove that sometimes we have to perform our way to the top, or sometimes we don't want to be at the top (in the case for Mary) but we wear our masks in order to show devotion to what the public wants: A nuclear American family, A savior, An 'ideal human,' A gossiper and A fighter. I'm proud to be a female artist apart of the Millennial Generation, if we already have 5 one woman shows now, think of what our future holds...



Shout-outs: Not quite solo, but should be highly considered:

Tina Paker in Women of Will and Ruthie Ann Miles in Here Lies Love though they are not "one woman shows" they lean in that direction. Will examines Shakespeare's female characters. Love follows the riseand fall of Filipina First Lady Imelda Marcos, in a dance club setting! 

*** One man shows currently on Broadway: Alan Cumming in Macbeth and Nathan Lane in The Nance

Monday, April 15, 2013

An Alien Visitation!



There's been an alien visitation to Shows Your Mama Wouldn't Know About! Guest writer, Ben Firke reviews Annie Baker's The Aliens... 

If you don’t know already, Annie Baker has become one of the most exciting young playwrights working in theater today. She has won an Obie, debuted plays at prestigious Off-Broadway theaters such as Playwrights Horizons, and published four of her works as The Vermont Plays, all achievements unusual for a 31-year-old playwright in the 21st Century. Christopher Isherwood, one of the New York Times’ chief theater critics, routinely cites her as one of the preeminent playwrights of her generation. So it’s no surprise that theater companies across the country have begun producing her work, including the Red Orchid Theater in my current home base of Chicago. 

The Aliens is one of Baker’s best-known plays. The subject matter is fairly universal: a glimpse into the daily lives of three creative “slacker” types who hang out behind a coffee shop in rural Vermont. While the narrative is far from some sort of East Village, avant-garde, Artaudian mind-fuck, Baker still makes many strong, even radical, creative choices. The Aliens moves along at an almost glacial pace, often punctuated by uncomfortable silences that would make Harold Pinter squirm in his seat if he were alive (her notes in the published version claim that “at least a third––if not half––of this play is silence”). The characters––especially Jasper and KJ, an aspiring novelist and musician, respectively––very rarely express themselves or their intentions in clear, concise dialogue. They ramble and get confused and bullshit both themselves and other. But underneath the pauses, inarticulate picnic-table philosophizing, and occasionally, KJ’s offbeat songs, lies a rich and arresting story of how regular people in small-town America realize themselves. Or, as KJ says near the end, “make it,” whatever “it” may be. 

At the start of the play, the 30somethings KJ and Jasper are sitting at a picnic table. Jasper smokes a cigarette; KJ stares into space. Cue the first of many interminable, uncomfortable silences. Then KJ sings, a cappella, a haunting melody incongruously wed with absurd lyrics about time machines and his status as a “triple-dimensional superstar.” It is clear that this is their routine, which is thrown into flux with the appearance of Evan, a shy 17-year-old in his first week of employment at the café. While they greet Evan initially with suspicion (and gently ridicule his timid attempts to ask them to move to the front less he get in trouble with his boss), Jasper and KJ eventually befriend Evan, who spends more and more of his breaks with the pair. 

The next two hours are full of meandering discussions of wind farms, Charles Bukowski, former high school teachers, and the jingoism of the Fourth of July. All of these scenes become engrossing to the point of near-hypnosis. Rather than impose some artificial structure or external plot engine on the trio––in the form of a clear-cut villain, a mission or quest, or some sort of ticking-time-bomb “macguffin” hunt ––Baker instead allows the internal struggles of these characters to come out through the innocuous small-talk. The effect is similar to sunrays poking through Venetian blinds: what little light does shine through still illuminates the world for the audience. 

The best term to describe the effect, and Annie Baker’s work in general, is “quietly bold.” It’s a big risk to include so many silences and for all her characters to deceive or self-deceive, exemplified by Jasper’s declarations of happiness and relief upon being dumped. However, Baker trusts her audience to know that there’s a difference between purposive ambiguity and accidental vagueness, and between “not talking” and “nothing happening.” I regret I cannot accurately describe what it’s like to see this––you can only see if for yourself, and the play’s text requires three extremely talented actors to make sure “silence” does not equal “slog” (the Red Orchid’s cast was great, by the way). But that’s what makes live theater so important––to see, in the flesh and in real time, the disconnect between what’s being said (or kept silent) and what a character truly wants. 

While my analysis to this point focused on the theory and craft behind Baker’s work (feel free to blame my liberal arts college brainwashing; I know I sure do), it’s important to emphasize that this play is REALLY FUNNY. Like, gut-busting, belly-laugh, roll-around-awkwardly-in-your-tiny-theater-seat hilarious. The songs are a highlight, as are the numerous former band names that KJ and Jasper rattle off when describing their two-man freak folk group. Evan deserves a place in the canon of Painfully Shy, Sensitive, and Awkward Teenagers (Comedic Division), right up there with the many iconic roles of Michael Cera and Anthony Michael Hall. And the silences, many of which involved KJ stroking his beard and staring slack-jawed into space, would routinely induce guffaws from the crowd. While The Aliens deals with the more serious aspects of these characters’ lives as well, its acknowledgement that boredom, ennui, and even loss are excellent fodder for comedy as well as tragedy makes the play worth your trouble from an entertainment perspective. The awkward tension between funny and sad also serves to compliment and elucidate the more serious stuff, which I will explain below. 

[GIANT SPOILER ALERT AHEAD––SKIP THE NEXT PARAGRAPH IF YOU’RE WORRIED ABOUT THAT SORT OF THING.]

The most dramatic example of Baker’s unique storytelling comes about halfway through the second act. By this time, Jasper has been dead for weeks of an accidental heroin overdose, but KJ has neglected to tell Evan (and by extension, the whole audience). Before he can tell Evan the truth, Jasper relates a story about a childhood obsession with repeating the word “ladder.” One night, he says, his mother held his hand when putting him to bed, and told him to say the word as loudly and as long as he wished. Jasper then demonstrates, repeating “ladder” over and over, but soon is reliving the moment, saying only “ladder” for minutes––which, in stage time, feels like an eternity––building to a crescendo. This is self-evidently ridiculous, and the audience began to laugh about 20 seconds in. But after a while, the “ladders” keep coming, and it is clear that there is something seriously troubling the affable, chubby hippie we met in the first act. KJ eventually bursts into tears and stops when he cannot continue anymore. When I read the play about a month before seeing it, I knew this moment was the emotional crux of the show, but on a purely intellectual level. In performance this genuinely strange scene was moving to me and the entire audience, many of whom wept along with KJ. Neither the character nor the playwright explain why KJ told the story or become so consumed by it, nor do they explain what it means. They don’t have to––everyone in the audience just knew and felt what KJ’s confrontation with the word “ladder” was. 

[PHEW––SPOILER ALERT OVER. IF YOU’RE STILL HERE, THE CONCLUSION’S BELOW.]

Plays about “everyday life” or “ordinary people” are not new, and Annie Baker is not the first playwright to reveal more about her characters through silence or obfuscating their “true” thoughts. What makes her worthy of her recently bestowed Playwriting National Treasure status is her ability to create nuanced, complex characters that still appeal to everyone. Her portraits are detailed and specific, each character’s dialogue and worldview idiosyncratic and entirely “theirs.” And yet, all three of The Aliens’ characters struggle to be happy, to belong, and to be recognized––experiences known to, well, pretty much everyone. While Baker is fearless in her inclusion of unusual, experimental, starkly theatrical moments in a mostly “realist” work (seriously, SO MANY “ladders”), this comes from her disciplined commitment to placing character at the foreground of everything. Her title may invoke extraterrestrials, but Annie Baker is such a special discovery for American theater because she creates and presents characters fictional characters that are, for two hours, real humans.

Sunday, March 24, 2013

Really Really... stressed out about the "me" generation...


Really, Really

written by Paul Downs Colaizzo (who's 27 years old...Dang!)
directed by David Cromer (I loved his Our Town and Tribes)

I have mixed feelings about this show and it's hard to put fingers to keyboard to make sense of it all. It's almost been a week since I saw the production... Maybe it's been the recent hype about rape-culture in America, especially with the Ohio State University stuff... oy.

here's a great article my roommate forwarded to me about Nouveau Feminism for our generation and how it relates to rape in the news:

http://bellejarblog.wordpress.com/tag/feminism/

Things I liked:
* Surprised by Zosia Mamet's performance. I was expecting her high pitched fast talking Shoshana GIRL's characterization instead was shocked by her monotone deep voice. Even her hunched over physicality marked a specific actor choice. Work it Zosia!
* Set seamlessly changing. At first I was shocked to see stage hands maneuvering the infamous couch and wooden frame, but the scene changes grew on me. They became a relief from the intense dramatic moments. The couch was set differently for every scene even if they were in the same space, which helped me connect that we must look at this story from all different angles.
* Clever playwriting techniques. I loved that a couple of times the characters talked directly to the audience, especially in Grace's speech to Future Leaders. I thoroughly enjoyed the final address to the audience by all the future selves of the characters.

Things I think could have been better:
*When Zosia acted in a heightened moment in the play she would yell, it lowered her status and seemed like a cheap actor choice. I think she could have found a stronger way to portray her frustration in the scenes.
* Blocking... sometimes I couldn't see an actor's face. Is this a choice Mr.Cromer? In the second scene an actor is slouched on the couch hidden to the left side of the audience... poetic or just poor staging...
* Jumpy. The play jumps from scene to scene. I guess this is a personal problem. I want a good old fashioned play set in modern times that doesn't have to jump from one place to the other. I think this is due to our cinema enriched lifestyles. I do appreciate the fact that the show seemed to span a 2 day period instead of trying to be an epic movie where people have whole lifetimes on stage...

I would recommend this show to young actors. There are plenty of good MONOLOGUES for young women. I hope to snatch a couple of them myself.

Maybe my problem with the play is that I am apart of this "Me Generation" and it scares ME to death that I'm losing what it means to be Human.  Ben Brantley calls us, millennials, living on the set of “Lord of the Flies” with smartphones." I don't want my hand glued to my phone, or my eyes stuck to Facebook statuses, or my mind relentlessly worried about how to advance my social positioning...

Tuesday, March 12, 2013

Be Merry and Drink while you see some CREATIVE theatre pieces this St. Paddy's Weekend! (Did I mention FREE BEER too?!)

The Pocahontas, and/or America Museum by Little Lord (a theater company)

Written and adapted by Michael Levinton and Laura von Holt
Directed by Michael Levinton


Performances March 5-23, Wednesdays – Saturdays at 8pm
The Bushwick Starr
207 Starr Street
Brooklyn, NY 11237

With over 400 years of history, legend, and pop culture as its sources, Little Lord reconstructs the American myth of Pocahontas in their fifth full-length stage work, Pocahontas, and/or America. Taking up the mantle of the early 19th-century dramatists who invented the American theater, Pocahontas, and/or America recreates our country’s origins through the lens of the immortal Indian princess, belle sauvage, Pocahontas. Using contemporary historical accounts, 19th-century melodramas, YMCA Indian Guides, archaeological research, and more, Little Lord digs into disputed histories to find out if it’s still even possible to make a patriotic piece of theater.

Part historical pageant, part roadside attraction, Little Lord corrupts over 400 years of fact and fiction to grant America the founding myth we all deserve.

http://www.littlelordpocahontas.com/

I will be attending this Wednesday 3/13. (Discounted Tickets are available on Wednesdays for Artists). Shout out to my friend Kaitlin Nemeth, a Muhlenberg grad., who is the stage manager for this production!



Foreplays 2013: Spring Fever by Fullstop Collective

Co-Produced by Inception to Exhibition
 Thursday, March 14
Friday, March 15
Performance @ 8pm, Doors Open @ 7pm
Galapagos Art Space
16 Main Street
Brooklyn, NY 11201
Metro: A, C to High St; 2, 3 to Clark St; F to York St
Tickets are $17 in advance/$20 at the door
$15 with the code ITE


HORNY ORDERLY A Symphony of Sex and Sorrow
written by J. Julian Christopher
directed by Leta Tremblay
assistant directed by Anna Strasser
featuring:
Lindsey Austen, Katelyn Collins, Charity Schubert, Gwen Sisco, and Hannah Vaughn

H.E.
written by Nic Grelli
directed by Trent Anderson
featuring:
Joey Lozada and Christopher Norwood

SPRING FLING ’98
written by Sarah Bernstein
directed by Lillian Meredith
featuring:
Emily Daly, Sam Plattus, Harrison Unger, and Kristie Wortman

THE FEVER
written by Alexandra Bassett and Claytie Mason
directed by Wheaton Simis
featuring:
Brian Dunlop, Matt McDonald, Cari McHugh, Lillian Meredith, Nessa Norich, and Christopher Norwood

Featuring Musical Guest: Boy Girl Party

And preshow performance by: Diana Oh is GOING ROGUE at 7:30pm each night

For more information and tickets:
www.fullstopcollective.org
www.galapagosartspace.com
 Shoutout to Lillian Meredith and Emily Daly!



Mass by Daivd Ian Lee presented by On the Square Productions

Directed by Candace Cihocki
 

Mass by David Ian Lee
Monday March 18th at 7:30pm
as part of our Write...
Angle Reading Series
Speyer Hall at University Settlement
184 Eldridge Street
$10 at the door
Kay Hitchens abandons her life for an adventure, and finds what she's looking for in Leo, a brilliant cosmologist who believes a mutation in Kay's genetic code can unlock all secrets of creation. In an abandoned corner of the Arizona desert, Kay and Leo confront life-threatening forces -- and the unexpected arrival of Kay's husband, Tom -- in a search for meaning at the edge of time and at the end of all things. Also, there are orgasms.
 

Featuring: Duncan Burgin, Mike DiSalvo*, Kane Prestenback* & Logan Tracey*

* Actors Appearing courtesy of Actors Equity Association
 
www.OntheSquareProductions.com
 
Shoutout to Rachel McPhee Benson and Jackie LaVanway, who greeted me with open arms to this concrete jungle!
 
 
 
TinyRhino Productions by UglyRhino Productions

TinyRhino: Hangover Edition is the perfect remedy for your post-St. Patty’s Day hangover. Come join us for six brand new plays that take “the hair of the dog” very, very seriously.

**TinyRhino is: The Theatrical Drinking Game.**

Monday, March 18th @ 8pm
at The Brooklyn Lyceum
Tickets are $10 and include one FREE beer!

It is also UglyRhino's take on the ten-minute play festival. Every month we commission six playwrights to write new plays, each including the same five dramatic elements. If you join us for TinyRhino, you'll be given a list of these elements. They might show up at any time, in any...
order, and with any frequency. When they do show up, do you know what that means?! DRINK!!

Every TinyRhino also features live music, drink specials and giveaways, and a cocktail hour following the performance.

~THIS MONTH'S ELEMENTS~
someone uses the phrase "hair of the dog"
someone asks for medicine
someone eats a McRib
someone draws on someone else
someone complains about the light

~THE PLAYWRIGHTS~
Jon Bass
Boo Killebrew
Emily Lazzaro
Eric Lockley
Catya McMullen
Susan Soon He Stanton

~THE DIRECTORS~
Axel Avin Jr.
Lee Sunday Evans
Noelle Ghoussaini
Adam Scott Mazer
Jason McDowell-Green
Lillian Meredith

**GUEST CURATOR: Craig Mungavin**
http://uglyrhinonyc.com/

Shoutout to Nicole Rosner and Danny Sharron, both of whom I met at Old Vic/New Voices Site Specific Workshop! They are now spreading UglyRhino to L.A., (Bi-Coastal Company baby). Also, Nicole is opening up a show that started as an idea  we collaborated on at the workshop, called Mindspin.  Congrats!

Saturday, March 9, 2013

Mama's first critique


Mama's Critique of BELLEVILLE

I went to see Belleville on the advice of my daughter Rachel. Belleville is described as a Hitchcock type of play in the review, but that was not quite what I experienced. The only Hitchcock aspect is that the play takes many twists and turns, and one won’t be able to guess how it unfolds from the first scene.

Things I liked. The dialogue was so realistic and authentic. It seemed as if the actors were just naturally
speaking to one another. The play reveals powerful stories of how this couple seemed to communicate
at times, but at other times they didn’t communicate at all. To me, the story was about, how sometimes
relationships are based on what we want the other person to be, rather than on what they really are.
I also liked the brutal honesty that they displayed in some scenes, regardless of how hurtful the words
might be.

Things I wasn’t sure if I liked. There was quite a bit of semi nudity that I found a little uncomfortable.
Maybe I projected my worry, that if my daughter were half clothed, would I be able to handle it. There
were themes that dealt with drugs and alcohol, smoking pot, and porn. As someone from the baby
boomer generation, I’m not always comfortable with these things especially when done in excess,
although I would be naïve to think that these activities are uncommon.

Would I recommend this play? To my friends in their 50’s and 60’s---yes. To people in their 20’s, 30’s,
and 40’s---yes, definitely. To my mother—probably not unless she liked things that were edgy.

Was I glad I saw it? Yes, I loved 4000 miles and I think Amy Herzog is a great playwright. The actors
in Belleville were terrific and I was very moved by the play and at times even stunned. While I like to
see plays like this that are insightful, provocative and pithy, I can’t watch too many serious plays one
after another. So, I like to intersperse plays like Belleville with plays that are light, fun and feel good, even musicals.

~Mama

(Mama doesn't know how to post on the website, yet. Eventually we'll get technologically savvy enough were she can do it all by herself!)

Thursday, March 7, 2013

(DE-construct) your notion of theatrical realism

(DE-construct) your notion of theatrical realism with Theatre Reconstruction Ensemble's production of

SET IN THE LIVING ROOM OF A SMALL TOWN AMERICAN PLAY

Last night, I got one of the only ticktes available to see SET IN THE LIVING ROOM... at the Soho Rep's Walkerspace. My mind was blown by the precision and specificity of this performance. Kudos to TRE's playwright-in-residence, Jaclyn Backhaus, for her ability to create a play where it evolves seemlessly from a "first read-through rehearsal" into a "realistic play of the 21st century." I also want to commend John Kurzynowski (TRE's artistic director) for creating an ACCESSIBLE as well as ENGAGING experimental theatre show. If only the show were runnning a couple more weeks, I would see it again to pick up pieces that I still have lingering questions about. I applaud Kurzynowski for keeping the action moving even if the stage directions were being read aloud and the actors were instensely staring at each other. The play is packed with layers upon layers of symbolism, like an onion, each layer exposes another layer that leaves me questioning something else about the themes and the production.

One sentence synoposis: I believe the play is about... a theatre company putting up a classic American play, until the lines get blurred and the actors become the characters and the play becomes the audience's reality.

The mission of the play:
Direct quote from playbill, "By examining different methods of acting developed in that era (30s, 40s, 50s), various works written for and about the American theater, and our own struggle to create and present a new 'classic American drama,' we seek to create a unique original process of building a theatrical event that expresses our ensemble's relatiosnhip to 'American realsim' as an abstract notion inherent in what we now consider the American stage, as presented by a group of men struggling to identify with such canonical methods and break through them in order to create new forms of theatricality."


Moments I wish were more developed:

1. I wish the play developed Penny's relationship to her mother. The majority of the time, the play centers around the father/son dynamic leaving Penny's mystery absence from performing onstage a bit unclear.

2. I wish the father's dramatic climax scene was kept in the same vein as the rest of the show.  Throughout the play, the actors seemed to specifically choose a counter action to what the stage manager reads, to layer the performance. But at this climatic point in the play, we (the audience) is forced to follow Frank's (the father)  emotional journey, which seemed like a complete stretch for this young actor to play, like he was grasping for tears that never exsisted for him.

I look foward to TRE's project this fall 2013, SALESMEN: A MEDITATION ON MASCULINITY AND THE AMERICAN REAL!

http://www.reconstructionensemble.org/


On a different note: Go see WOMEN OF WILL if you are a Shakespeare buff and a feminist! It will knock your socks off! There are a bunch of discounted tickets available under 20 bucks! Tina Packer is a legend who shouldn't be missed!

Sunday, March 3, 2013

I've beaten the famed NYTIMES theatre critic, Isherwood, in telling you why you should go see BELLEVILLE and THE FLICK.

Here's a quotation:

‎"I feel like I’m flogging a dead horse at this point, but I would urge you to check out Amy Herzog's 'Belleville' at New York Theatre Workshop and Annie Baker’s 'The Flick' at Playwrights Horizons if you’re looking for noteworthy new plays to see in the next couple of months." - Charles Isherwood


Check out the article below:

http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/02/28/charles-isherwood-answers-questions-about-the-spring-theater-season/?ref=theater

Tuesday, February 26, 2013

EXIT, PURSUED BY A BEAR (EPBB)

Ok everyone grab hold of your seats! This is a theatre experience you don't want to miss. You want to be in the insiders crowd...this is your ticket! And for FREE! All you have to do is KNOW ABOUT IT! Right now go on Facebook and like Exit, Pursued By a Bear and also go to their website: http://www.epbb.orgd

Three weeks ago I received an email from EPBB, that a new play was being produced. So I snatched up my ticket fast for this event and the play is called:

Greater Angels

by Jason Williamson

directed by Ed Sylvanus Iskandar

Taking the trek down to Bowling Green (NYC, not KY) was quite the hike, but the short wait outside the creepy loft building, which was filled with pure entertainment, flowing alcohol, delicious vegetarian chili, and smart direction was well worth it! The maximum capacity seemed to be about 30 people, so I felt like a queen mingling amongst the inner circle of NY THEATRE! The humble actors also poured wine as they greeted you into the space and served me dinner during the intermission.  

Critique time, I'm still a bit unsettled by the writing and I cannot tell if it is the time period, melodramatic Civil War heightened language or the need to make everything melodramatic because it's the Civil War... do you catch my drift... (granted this could be the three glasses of wine that Jonathan David poured me *my big actor crush). Anyways I was held captivated by the story because the actors were literally an inch away from me. Yet if this was presented on an Off-Broadway stage... I think I would have passed out from the two glasses of wine my love had poured for me before even making it to intermission. 

But that said, the crisp transitions kept the play moving, as well as the beautiful costumes, that kept me in the 'period' of the show. I can't wait to wine and dine at my next EPBB event! I hope that more of these theatre salon experiences pop up around NYC! I see it with my own college community, sharing work amongst Muhlenberg alumni, through the FISHBOWL COLLECTIVE!  Most of EPBB are Carnegie Mellon alumni! 

My next show this week is called:

Women of Will 

By Tina Pack

Directed by Eric Tucker

Here's a short synopsis from the website: A combination of riveting scenes and trenchant analysis, Women of Will, The Complete Journeyexplores themes of love, loss, freedom, control, violence and power through the heroines of Shakespeare’s text. Using performance and discussion, Packer traces the chronological evolution of Shakespeare’s female characters, and examines Shakespeare’s own journey and growth as a writer.


Tuesday, February 19, 2013

Review: The Flick vs Belleville

I have to say that Belleville wins the prize on this one. Granted these are two very different shows my heart leans towards the psychological thriller rather than the indie "real-life" drama.

I think the concept of The Flick could be a disaster in itself, the monotony of daily life running a dilapidated movie theater in Mass., but Gold found a way to make the repetitive movements interesting and Baker strengthened the characters relationships as the play went on... but I got frustrated with the quote-un-quote ribbon on top ending. I didn't need to have everything perfectly tied up, I wanted a French ending verus the perfectly 'kind of happy' American one.

Belleville's plot initially didn't excite me, since I'm not really a sucker for scary movies, but the writing kept an element of suspense, which is totally different from a cinematic quality. This play has already had a run at the Yale Rep with 3 of the same 4 actors. You can tell how comfortable they are, whether it be with each other, the text, the setting, or the direction, which allow for the realism to set in and the layered suspense to unfold.

I'm no Ben Brantley, a theatre critic for the NYtimes, just my humble opinion.

on a different note y'all should check out some great stuff my friends are involved with:

Abstract Nude a live-stream digital play by Gwydion Suilebhan, directed by Joey Brenneman

http://virtualarts.tv/wiredartsfest/abstract-nude-by-gwydion-suilebhan/

features: Anni Weisband (True False Theatre) and Cameron Perry (friend from KY)


Set in the Living Room of a Small Town American Play, by Jaclyn Backhaus
directed by John Kurzynowski, with Theater Reconstruction Ensemble


features: Patrick Scheid (buddy from Muhlenberg College)



Friday, February 15, 2013

Don't miss these shows this Valentine's weekend!

* The Vagina Monologues presented by Co-op Theatre East directed by Ashley Marinaccio, all proceeds go to Sanctuary for Families
(Ashley and I did the site specific workshop together and this production of The Vagina Monologues will be set in a private apartment! Very intimate and provocative... awesome )

performance dates and times:

February 15th at 8:00 pm
February 16th at 2:00 and 8:00 pm 


here's the Facebook link: 
https://www.facebook.com/events/326161924161305/
here's where to buy tickets:
http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/321592 


* Olé! presented by Theater in Asylum conceived and directed by Paul Bedard
(This features my fellow True False Theatre company's actor in residence Ben Otto)

This is the last weekend to attend the performance at Under St. Marks Theater

here's the link:
http://www.theaterinasylum.com/ole.html

Thursday, February 14, 2013

Upcoming shows I'm planning to see:

* The Flick  by Annie Baker directed by Sam Gold at Playwrights Horizon

* Belleville by Amy Herzog directed by Anne Kauffman at the New York Theatre Workshop

(Fun fact: Sam Gold and Amy Herzog are married. Awesome power couple.)



Shows I want to attend (but cannot make any promises due to time & money):

* The Foundry's Company Good Person of Szechwan by Bertolt Brecht directed by Lear deBessonet at La MaMa E.T.C

* Really, Really by Paul Downs Colaizzo directed by David Cromer at the Signature Theatre

* Hit the Wall by Ike Holter directed by Eric Hoff at the Barrow Street Theatre



Coming soon, you don't want to miss this:

* Roadkill conceived and directed by Cora Bissett, text by Stef Smith at St. Ann's Warehouse

(Get tickets now! This is a site-specific piece so there is limited seating. I did a site specific/immersive theatre workshop through Old Vic New Voices, which was led by Cora. She is an amazing actor, director, artist, singer. The play is set in an apartment! I believe that immersive theatre is going to blow up in the next couple of years, just look at the success of Sleep No More.)



Muhlenberg Plug (my alma mater):

* Shrink: Puppet Therapy by Doppelskope at the People's Improv Theatre, http://www.doppelskope.com/, Thursday February 21, 2013

* The Radiant by Shirley Lauro directed by Melanie Moyer Williams at the 14th Street Y, http://redferntheatre.org/red_fern_theatre_home.asp

(I'm performing in this show which opens Feb 23 thru Mar 10)



Curious about these projects, although they are bit mainstream:

* Rigoletto by Giuseppe Verdi directed by Michael Mayer at the Metropolitan Opera

(Mayer won a Tony for his direction of Spring Awakening)


* I'll Eat You Last: A Chate with Sue Mengers by John Logan directed by Joe Mantello and starring
Bette Midler

(Here's the NYTIMES article aboutit: http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/01/07/bette-midler-to-play-super-agent-sue-mengers-on-broadway/)




Wednesday, February 13, 2013

Welcome, to Shows Your Mama Wouldn't Know About,

Why this blog?
So, my mama suggested I start a blog about cool theater found in NYC that's not necessarily on the public radar, everything else besides commercial theater. After a handful of successful recommendations, mama thought I had a knack for picking out some good plays. Going off of her word, here I am attempting to create a resource for other mamas out there as well as young hopefuls who've just moved to the city and want to see something that is beautiful, thought-provoking and inspiring.

Who am I?
My name is Rachel Berger. I am an aspiring theatre artist in the biggest theatre capital of the world, New York City. I graduated from Muhlenberg College with a B.A. in Theatre and French. After graduation, I spent a year as an acting apprentice at the Ensemble Theatre of Cincinnati. Now, I'm trying to survive in the concrete jungle, interning at the New York Theatre Workshop, starting up a new theatre company called True False Theatre, auditioning for shows around the Island, and finding time to make money whether it be bartending, waitressing, babysitting, dogwalking...

Why trust my opinion?
Just ask my mama...