Apple Core Theater Company Presents
www.applecoretheatercompany.org

A MODEST SUGGESTION

Written by KEN KAISSAR

Starring
JEFF AUER, BOB GREENBERG, ETHAN HOVA
RUSSELL JORDAN, JONATHAN MARBALLI, ROBERT W. SMITH

Directed by WALTER J. HOFFMAN
Set Design: JARED RUTHERFORD
Lighting Design: JORDAN ACOSTA
Costume Coordinator: DAVID L. ZWIERS
Artwork: ADAM KAYNAN
Publicity: KAMPFIRE FILMS PR
Technical Consultants: JOHN BARAN, CHANDLER WILD
Producing Artistic Director, ACTC: ALLISON TAYLOR

The Studio Theatre @ Theatre Row
410 West 42nd Street (between Ninth & Tenth Avenues)
(212) 239-6200 or www.telecharge.com
May 10 – May 27, 2012

In Ken Kaissar’s A MODEST SUGGESTION four everyday men have gathered to determine the answers to questions that could affect the fate of mankind. Should pizza be allowed in school cafeterias? Should airport screening devices be allowed to light up our private parts? And should one race be obliterated?

These gentlemen (Jeff Auer, Jonathan Marballi, Russell Jordan, and Bob Greenberg) take their jobs very seriously, and at times you find yourself wishing that racism, genocide, and atrocities against mankind were as thoroughly discussed as in this play. Their victims (Ethan Hova and Robert W. Smith) probably have other ideas about the process.

Kaissar has used history to present a bizarre proposal, injected it with current-day realty, tempered it with humor and absurdity, and then fed it back to us in a 75-minute thought-provoking play. A MODEST SUGGESTION not only makes you question what you know, it also makes you wonder how you gained the knowledge in the first place.

- Laurie Lawson -

Ying Le
presents
the New York premiere of

CHLAMYDIA DELL’ARTE: A SEX-ED BURLESQUE

Written & Performed by GIGI NAGLAK & MEGHANN WILLIAMS

Music Composer & Sound Designer: JOHN GLAUBITZ
Lighting Design: EVAN ROBY
Video & Puppetry Design: MEGHANN WILLIAMS
Production Stage Manager: KATIE PIDGEON
Producer: Ying Le
Associate Producer: JOHN NEHLICH
Production Assistant: PHOENIX SKYE MAULELLA
Graphic Design: AMY SCHEIDEGGER
Press Representative: HELLER HIGHWATER PR

Los Kabayitos Theater
The Clemente Soto Velez Cultural and Educational Center
107 Suffolk Street
2nd floor
New York, NY 10002
(800) 838-3006 or www.SexEdBurlesque.com
May 15 through May 20, 2012

This minimalist burlesque is “the talk” presented in song, dance, and video. Not the tv show, silly. “The talk” about the birds and the bees. The talk you may never have gotten. That one. This version is graphic, specific, clever, and outrageous.

GIGI NAGLAK and MEGHANN WILLIAMS show-and-tell on birth control, menopause, sexual identity, and things nice girls just don’t talk about. Whipped cream, chocolate icing, ballet, and Shakespeare figure prominently, so it is a cultural evening as well. Their girl-next-door energy and charm play marvelously well against the sex-ed content.

Between topics, the audience is treated to video clips of women talking about “the talk”, “the first time,” and other landmark moments in their sex lives. These segments are laugh-out-loud funny, but at the same time sweet. It’s a great evening for female bonding. Just don’t forget to wash between your toes. GIGI and MEGHANN will tell you why.

--Karen D’Onofrio--

Jones Street Productions LLC presents
An Industry Reading/One Performance Only of

MOOLAH
Written by ARJE SHAW

Starring JOE PANTOLIANO and MARIO CANTONE
Directed by CHARLES MESSINA

The Triad Theatre
www.triadnyc.com
158 West 72nd Street, NYC
May 7, 2012


Here are things you must do immediately:

1. Start saving your pennies so that we can all send them to Joe Pantoliano and Mario Cantone to entice them to always be the co-stars of this play.

2. Light candles, say prayers, summon the planets – whatever works for you – to have Arje Shaw’s MOOLAH produced in a theatre near you soon.

MOOLAH takes the usual crime family drama and infuses it with priceless “mob” philosophy, wise-guy humor, one-liners that will have you guffawing, and a little bit of 80’s music. Did I mention that the two characters are insanely hilarious? They put the fun in dysfunctional. Ant’ny (Pantoliano) is a fast-talking, two-faced self-professed gambler. His younger cousin Sunny (Cantone) is a gay hit man who runs a hair salon by day and whacks people after work in his spare time (“cut by day, clip by night”). As they wait for the much-feared Carmine who is coming to seek retribution for a scam gone bad, these two desperate family members pull out every con in the book in a wild attempt to save their lives.

The high-energy lunacy of Mario Cantone coupled with the comedic fluidity of Joe Pantoliano performing the witty, wordy gems written by Arje Shaw make MOOLAH a delightful spectacle to behold. Here’s hoping you get to behold it in the very near future.

- Laurie Lawson -

Stage Left Studio
presents

STABILIZED NOT CONTROLLED

Written and Performed by FRANK BLOCKER
Directed by JEFFREY EDWARD PETERS

Set Design: EDWARD MORRIS
Movement and Staging: KATHY KELLY CHRISTOS
Vocal Coach: AMY JONES

Stage Left Studio
214 West 30th Street
6th Floor
New York, NY 10001
May 20 through June 24, 2012
www.StageLeftStudio.net

Oh my gawd, these people are crazy. Be glad you don’t live in this building. Jackie O’Nasa inhabits the basement. Lorna Breedlove, former groupie, current chain-smoker and 12-step guru, is in 2E. And the landlord, “Killer Joe”, turns off your heat, makes your pets disappear, and is never far from his next court appearance. But hey, Manhattan is the place to be. No one is leaving this building. Well, not while they’re alive, anyway.

Frank Blocker takes his creation and races from character to character and place to place at lightning speed, dragging us along with our hair flying behind us. And we love it. The building’s denizens were created largely from Blocker’s observations of the New Yorkers around him. These people are eccentric but ring true, making the show a giant “in” joke for anyone who has rented in the city.

Go! Enjoy!

--Karen D’Onofrio--

HOME IN HER HEART
A Workshop Production
By MARGARET MORRISON
Directed by CHERYL KING

With
MARGARET MORRISON as Jimmie LeRoy
ERICKA HART as Claire Hicks

Piano Solos arranged and performed by CYNTHIA HILTS
Sound Design by CHERYL KING & JOE HUTCHESON
Set, Costumes & Props: CHERYL KING & MARGARET MORRISON
Technical Director: ELLEN ROSENBERG

Stage Left Studio
214 West 30th Street (between Seventh & Eighth Avenues)
(212) 838-2134
April 23 – June 26, 2012

Jimmie (Margaret Morrison) and Claire (Ericka Hart) are not your average couple. Jimmie, an older white lesbian who performs as a man, has created a liaison with Claire, a younger black pianist/songwriter. Together they have shared a stage in London for three years. They are also lovers. It’s 1939 in Morrison’s HOME IN HER HEART, and one can only begin to imagine the obstacles these two have faced in order to be together. And now as the war closes in and familial responsibilities call, their return to the United States presents what may be the ultimate challenge.

In a well-constructed blend of courage, love, rebellion, and self-preservation, the dilemma and discrimination faced by all couples that fail to conform to “the norm” are brought to the forefront and interwoven into the daily lives of Jimmie and Claire. As each struggles with the conflict between desire and reality, Morrison makes us realize that each woman in her play, and perhaps all women universally, is left to determine how she will make a HOME IN HER HEART.

- Laurie Lawson -

The Riot Group
presents
the world premiere of

SOPHIE GETS THE HORNS

Written by ADRIANO SHAPLIN
Directed by REBECCA WRIGHT

Featuring
KRISTEN BAILEY, STEPHANIE VIOLA, ADRIANO SHAPLIN,
MARY TUOMANEN, & DREW FRIEDMAN

Set: CAITLIN LAINOFF
Lights: MARIA SHAPLIN
Production Stage Manager: BAYLA RUBIN
Assistant Director: McFEELY SAM GOODMAN
Costume Supervisor: KATHERINE FRITZ
Sound: ADRIANO SHAPLIN
Minotaur Head: MARIA SHAPLIN
Photography: Kate RAINES/PLATE3 PHOTOGRAPHY
Press Rep: DAVID GIBBS/DARR PUBLICITY

Incubator Arts Project
131 East 10th Street (at 2nd Avenue)
New York, NY 10003
(866) 811-4111 or www.IncubatorArts.org
May 4 through May 20, 2012

Coming-of-age is always a struggle. Even at an elite liberal arts college, at the dawning of the internet, these four students are stumbling in the dark to define themselves. Add a professor with seemingly lofty ideals, and the intricacy of the interpersonal relationships becomes a Gordian knot.

This intriguing work is in part autobiographical and was inspired by real events surrounding the formation of The Riot Group. The four college freshmen slowly reveal their inner selves at open-mics, in their class on ancient rituals, in their dorm rooms, and outside in the dark of night. Professor Shallembarger becomes a catalyst. The spirit of Sylvia Plath hovers over it all. When truths become apparent, not everyone survives the ordeal.

The Riot Group has produced an entertaining, bittersweet snapshot of youth transitioning to adult. Anyone who has ever been 18 will understand and appreciate it.

--Karen D’Onofrio--

Ground Up Productions presents
www.GroundUPproductions.org

PRATFALLS
Written by HOLLY WEBBER

Starring

VINCENT VERHAEGHE, KATE MIDDLETON
AMELIA WHITE, MATTHEW BALDIGA

Directed by JENN THOMPSON
Scenic & Lighting Design: TRAVIS McHALE
Costume Design: AMANDA JENKS
Sound Design: TOBY JAGUAR ALGYA
Production Stage Manager: DEVAN ELISE HIBBARD
Marketing: THE PEKOE GROUP
Producer: MARK THORNTON
General Manager: PHILIP RUVELAS

Abingdon Theatre Complex
312 West 36th Street (between Eighth & Ninth Avenues)
(212) 868-2055 or www.theatermania.com
April 27 – May 19; Opening Night – April 29, 2012

Holly Webber’s award-winning comedy (Playwrights First Award 2008) is set on a Brooklyn rooftop in 2003. PRATFALLS uses comedy as both a conveyer and cover up of this unpredictable and often difficult thing we call life.

Roy (Victor Verhaeghe of Boardwalk Empire fame) is a frequently unemployed stand-up comedian and actor who has a one-night stand with the elusive and secretive Elena (Kate Middleton). Comedy brought them together and a series of unexpected circumstances keep them on a constant collision course. Frances (the delightful Amelia White) is the salty senior citizen, and Matthew Baldiga rounds out the cast as the superintendent’s nephew. Together these characters cope with reality the best they can.

There are several humorous moments in PRATFALLS – oddly enough the least amusing are when Roy is practicing his comedy routine. The repartee and quirkiness of the characters are what create chuckles and laughs. Vulnerability and the universal search for love and friendship are what tug at your heartstrings. Webber does an admirable job of combining the two aspects to create a captivating work of entertainment in PRATFALLS.

- Laurie Lawson -

ADRENALIN HEART

ADRENALIN HEART

Written by Georgia Fitch
Directed by Paula D’Alessandris
Light, Set, Puppet Design and Construction by Federico Restrepo
Costume Design by Denise Greber

Starring: Mia Moreland and Lain Gray

Press Representative: Heller Highwater

Mind the Gap Theatre at Space on White
81 White Street
www.mindthegaptheater.com
www.theatermania.com 212.352.3101
Thursday – Saturday, 8pm, April 26th – May 20th

When Leigh, a British Catholic social worker and single mother of two, meets Angel, a handsome black and educated drug dealer, her life is turned upside down in this tense drama.

We are exposed to their inner thoughts in separate monologues. With minimal props, these two marvelous actors act out an erotic love affair that is doomed from the beginning. Here we witness how relationships are not always what they seem or what each partner expresses.

These are two people who have been “around the block”, tripping over themselves to obtain intimacy. It is an expose on the disconnectedness in modern relationships, the urge to escape, the longing for companionship and the growing variety of devices to numb oneself.

As Leigh becomes more involved in Angel’s life, she deserts her children, who are taken by the authorities, and she ends up in rehab. Angel grows weary of Leigh’s dependency on him (“I’d eat glass for you!” she says) and he feels the need to move on. He quits Leigh and moves onto the next high and a new woman.

In this very small, intimate space, these two actors successfully lure you into their tired, empty lives. One scene in particular after they snort smack, they seamlessly and believably fall into such a high that you feel you have fallen with them. These very talented professional actors leave you feeling on edge and sad about the loss of meaning and the loss of love.

- Gloria Talamas -

Barefoot Theatre Company Presents
www.barefoottheatrecompany.org

EAVESDROPPING ON DREAMS
By RIVKA BEKERMAN-GREENBERG

With
LYNN COHEN, STEPHANIE ROTH HABERLE, AIDAN KOEHLER
MIKE SHAPIRO, CHRISTOPHER WHALEN

Directed by RONALD COHEN
Set Design by NILUKA HOTALING
Lighting Design by ERIC NIGHTENGALE
Costume Design by VICTORIA MALVAGNO
Assistant Costume Design by JENNIE WEST ALEXANDER
Sound Design by ADAM STONE
Graphic Design by ADAM DALTON
Casting Director: JUDY KELLER CASTING
Choreography: VICTORIA MALVAGNO
Press Representative: SAM RUDY MEDIA RELATIONS
Assistant Stage Manager: KRISTINA MUELLER
Production Stage Manager: MICHAEL DENIS

The Cherry Lane Studio Theatre
38 Commerce Lane
(212) 352-3101 or www.barefoottheatrecompany.org
April 20 – May 19; Opening Night – April 29, 2012


Rivka Bekerman-Greenberg’s EAVESDROPPING ON DREAMS depicts the effects of the holocaust on three generations of women. Rosa (Lynn Cohen) is haunted by her memories of the Lodz ghetto and Auschwitz. Her daughter Renee (Stephanie Roth Haberle), having been protected by her mother, lives out the memories she suspects her mother has. What she doesn’t know, she imagines. And her 25-year-old daughter Shaina (Aidan Koehler) has suspended her current life in order to search for her past. Mike Shapiro and Christopher Whalen portray the male characters, both antagonists and victims, in this tragic story. Together the cast does an impressive job of telling the tale.

The issues addressed are universal. How do we deal with our pasts? Using a wound as a metaphor, do we continue to pick at the scab, or do we let it be and accept there will be a scar that never goes away? When do we move on or do we ever? And if we move on, does that mean that we don’t remember the event? The search for the balance between past and future is constant. Although the emotions are raw in EAVESDROPPING ON DREAMS, at times the story line drags, almost as if you are listening to someone recount their personal dream, or in this case, a nightmare. Not that interesting unless maybe you are in the dream. The common bond that unites the audience to the story is the pain, confusion, and courage of existence.

- Laurie Lawson -

Theater for the New City
in association with the cell
presents
The Hive’s production of
A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S (QUEER) DREAM

Adapted from Shakespeare’s classic
Directed by Matthew A. J. Gregory

Featuring
DANILO BARBIERI, RON BOPST, CHRIS CRITELLI, LORI ELKERDAWY, SAMUEL T. GAINES, FERNANDO GAMBARONI, DAVID GOMEZ, MEGHAN GRACE O’LEARY, SHIRA GREGORY, TALYA GROVES, KYLE HEGGARTY, MEGGAN HEROD, SARAH KAUFFMAN,
GABRIEL MALO, TOMMY McKIERNAN, MARISSA PARNESS, GLENN QUENTIN, GUY RADER, MICHAEL RAVER, ASHTAIN ROTHCHILD, and ALAN WINNER

Scenic Design: JUSTIN COUCHARA
Costume Design: ELIZABETH GROTH
Lighting Design: NICK GONSMAN
Sound Design: STEPHANIE RIDDLE
Shadow Puppet Design: JOSEPH JONAH THERRIEN
Choreographer: JEN LITTLEFIELD
Fight Choreographer: SCOTT BARROW
Production Manager: SCOTT ANDREWS
Stage Manager: LAUREN WILLIAMS
Press Rep: KATE ROSIN/KAMPFIRE PR

Theater for the New City
155 First Avenue (between 9th & 10th Streets)
New York, NY 10003
(212) 868-4444 or www.smarttix.com
April 25 through May 19, 2012

No Girls Allowed in Shakespeare’s day. Men played the female roles on stage. In this production, the same is true. With the twist that ladies play men’s roles. Touché, 1590. Fairies and Amazons, indeed.

Using a play that is already packed with identity confusion, this adaptation amps it up with sexually ambiguous dancers, lovers, and supernatural beings. Two ladies are in love and father angrily disapproves. One man is in love with another, but his affections are spurned. The King of the Fairies has issues with “his” (ahem) Queen. A perfect fit for the modern world, cleverly executed and brilliantly funny.

The Shakespearean language is preserved. The set is sparse. Costumes are sometimes today’s trendiest, sometimes ethereal moonbeam creations, and frequently barely there. The shadow puppets do naughty things. It’s Midsummer Night, after all. Out in the forest, under the moonlight, anything may happen. Things beyond even Shakespeare’s dreams.

--Karen D’Onofrio--

Glenn M. Stewart, Mitchell Maxwell, Carol Castelli Present

THE CITY CLUB
www.TheCityClubBroadway.com

Book by GLENN M. STEWART
Music and Lyrics by JAMES COMPTON, TONY DE MEUR, TIM BROWN

Starring

KRISTEN MARTIN, ANDREW PANDALEON
ANA HOFFMAN, PETER BRADBURY, KENNY BRAWNER

With

AUTUMN GUZZARDI, KAITLIN MESH, PATRICK O’NEILL, ROBERT J. TOWNSEND
EMILY TYRA, KELCY GRIFFIN, NIKKIELI DEMONE

The City Club Band
Musical Director/Trumpeter: JONATHON LYNCH
Piano: KENNY BRAWNER
Bass: VINCENT FAY
Reeds: MIKE MIGLIORE
Drums: FRANK PAGANO

Director: MITCHELL MAXWELL
Music Supervision/Orchestration: JAMES COMPTON
Choreography: LORIN LATARRO

Scenic Design: ROB BISSINGER
Costume Design: DAVID C. WOOLARD
Lighting Design: DAVID F. SEGAL
Sound Design: CARL CASELLA
Fight Director: RICK SORDELET
Hair & Wig Design: CHARLES G. LaPOINTE
Casting: MICHAEL CASSARA, CSA
Music Director: JONATHON LYNCH
Music Coordinator: JOHN MILLER
Production Stage Manager: JASON A. QUINN
Production Manager: JUNIPER STREET PRODUCTIONS
Marketing: BRYLYN MARKETING
Press Agent: JUDY JACKSINA COMPANY, INC.
General Management: CAROL CASTELLI
Advertising: HOFSTETTER & PARTNERS/AGENCY 212

Minetta Lane Theatre
18 Minetta Lane (one block south of West 3rd between MacDougal & 6th Avenue)
www.TicketMaster.com or (877) 250-2929
Opening Night: April 23, 2012

After a sensational premiere at the Edinburgh International Festival, THE CITY CLUB can now be enjoyed Off Broadway at the Minetta Lane Theatre. Written by an American and British team (Composer/Lyricists James Compton, Tony DeMeur, and Tim Brown; Author Glenn M. Stewart), this musical intertwines blues and jazz to depict the sensuality, lure and excitement of music. In 1934 in an undisclosed location, murder and corruption perform a deadly dance with romance and sex. Club owner Chaz (Andrew Pandalleon) is attempting to shirk his father’s shady legacy and open a club of pure music and opportunity. Easier said than done, everyone, fueled by personal motives, has an interest in the operation of the club.

In an undeniable atmosphere of a smoky music club (scenic design by Rob Bissinger), you are going to be transported back to the 1930’s with fantastic costumes (David C. Woolard), songs, production dance numbers that put Dancing with the Stars to shame (amazing choreography by Lorin Latarro), and some mean piano playing and singing by Kenny Brawner. The talent runs rampant, and it is difficult to decide where to focus on stage. Luckily the cast is so competent that they perform together flawlessly, and at some point every character becomes your favorite. Quite an accomplishment. THE CITY CLUB is where you want to be for a quality evening of musical entertainment. Treat yourself and see this one.

- Laurie Lawson -

THE SHELTER PRESENTS: ART
FOUR SHORT PLAYS

Co-Artistic Directors: MEGHAN E. JONES & MICHAEL KINGSBAKER
Executive Director: DAVE LANKFORD
Creative Director: JONATHAN ASHLEY
Associate Scenic Designer: BRANDON HARDY
Lighting Designer: JAKE FINE
Sound Designer: ANDY COHEN
Stage Manager: ANDREW SLATER

Transitional Pieces devised by and featuring MELINDA SMART

Flamboyan Theatre
(at the CVS Cultural Center)
107 Suffolk Street
New York, NY
(212) 260-4080 or www.theshelternyc.org
April 19 through April 29, 2012


GLYPH
By MICHAEL SEAN McGUINNESS
Director: CATYA McMULLEN
Assistant Director: ALEXIS DAVIS
Fight Director: TEEL JAMES GLENN
Costume Designer: CHARLOTTE LILY GASPARD

Starring
TANIA VERAFIELD, ANDY HASSELL, CHRIS CARDONOA, ALEC A. HEAD

Back in the cave-man days, thugs with spears ruled the day and won the women. Then fancy words began to entice the ladies. Only one cure for that. Brute force resolved the issue, and simultaneously created art. The voice was silenced, but not the thought.

This snapshot of ancient humanity may or may not explain the first artist. It does demonstrate that the artist’s mind can work via any medium and is impossible to extinguish. Intriguing and insightful, GLYPH mixes gallows humor with the harsh realization that anything beautiful comes at a price.



MARK MAKES ART
By MEGHAN E. JONES
Director: PACO LOZANO
Assistant Director: EMILY ROBIN FINK

Starring
BETH JASTROCH & DAVE LANKFORD

Ah, that ever-hilarious topic, the Troubled Child. Mom and Dad face off over junior’s little notebook, full of intense drawings signifying madness. No, wait. The sketches are actually evidence of genius and should be displayed! Art is either a symptom or a cure. Or maybe it’s something else entirely.

Witty yet searing dialogue illuminates two individuals with decidedly different viewpoints and separate agendas. Little Mark’s art serves as a catalyst in his parents’ relationship, for better or worse.




ROBOT GIRL
By MICHAEL BERNSTEIN
Director: BETH JASTROCH
Assistant Director: MORGAN McGUIRE

Starring
OLIVIA KILLINGSWORTH

ROBOT GIRL knows the art of noise, of shouting, of crying out in the wilderness. She is very alone and very vocal. A performance artist without an audience is truly a creature in distress. She paints on hillsides hoping someone will see. She screams into the two-way radio, trying to terrify the static into a voice from somebody, somewhere. Not even an echo responds.

Olivia Killingsworth is a frightening dynamo in the name of art. ROBOT GIRL, perhaps the last human survivor on Planet Earth, will continue to create until she breathes her last lonely breath.



THIS IS A PLAY ABOUT ARTISTS
By GINGER KEARNS
Director: NICOLE ROSNER
Assistant Director: STEPHANIE RINGSTAFF
Choreographer: DANI VIALPANDO

Starring
GINGER KEARNS, MICHAEL KINGSBAKER, and IAN BELL

Visual Artist versus Vocal Artist, Woman versus Man, Lover versus Lover. Just two people, sort of. Two people with many facets and quite a large dose of anger and sarcasm to unload upon each other. The fundamental dispute comes down to this: whether art lives only in the present or can also exist in that mausoleum of the past called “museum”.

This full one-act play runs the gamut and does a fine job of it. Heart fights art. Poetry raises its voice and struggles to control. Attraction struggles to throw off the shackles and find inspiration. There is even a short black-and-white film to tell a bit of the story. It is very French, dark, and tragic, yet cleverly humorous. Very…artsy.

--Karen D’Onofrio--

OPEN HEARTS
Written and Performed by MIRIAM KULICK
www.miriamkulick.com
Directed by GRETCHEN CRYER

Studio Theatre at Theatre Row
410 W. 42nd Street (between 9th and 10th Avenues), NYC
Tickets: www.telecharge.com or (212) 239-6200
Information: www.theatrerow.org

Performances are April 19th, April 20th, April 27th and April 28th at 7:30PM

Stage Manager MATTHEW CABBIL
Lighting Designer MARIE YOKOYAMA
House Manager DOUG WILLIFORD
Publicity SCOTTI RHODES

The playbill for OPEN HEARTS describes the piece as, “about the willingness to make changes no matter our ages, to let go of those no longer with us, to forgive our past mistakes, and to live our lives in truth, no matter the obstacles.” In about an hour, Miriam Kulick, channeling seven different characters ranging in age from 8 to 90, conveys that message.

OPEN HEARTS opens with an introduction to Sadie Nussbaum on her 90th birthday. She is a spirited woman who lives alone in New York City, and through her, the audience is introduced to her circle of family and acquaintances, both living and deceased. In short order, we meet Sadie’s daughter Deborah, calling her mother not to wish her a happy birthday, but to tell her she will be travelling to Darfur, Deborah’s girlfriend, Henrietta, Sadie’s nephew, Peter, maintenance man, Fernando, a Middle Eastern refugee/survivor, Anwar, and Sadie’s 8-year old granddaughter, Greta. All have faced hardships, and all are survivors. The evening comes together in the telling of their stories.

Ms. Kulick succeeds in conveying seven distinctive personalities with little more than a modification of voice and manner. There are no full costume changes, and the scene changes are accomplished through a dimming then rising of the lights, and perhaps a change in hairstyle, yet the sense is that a unique presence has entered the stage. OPEN HEARTS is filled with humor, but it is certainly the kind of humor born, if not of tragedy, of having overcome sadness and loss.

- Kessa De Santis -

Making Books Sing presents the Off-Broadway premiere of the musical
www.MakingBooksSing.org

THE BUTTERFLY

Book & Lyrics by BARBARA ZINN DRIEGER
Music by CHARLES GREENBERG
Based on the book “The Butterfly”
Written & Illustrated by PATRICIA POLACCO

Featuring

CARLY PAIGE BARON, ALEX GOLEY, MAREE JOHNSON
JOHN LITTLE, GREG RODERICK, COURTNEY SHAW

Directed by BRAD MALOW
Music Direction by TIM ROSSER
Keyboard: TIM ROSSER Violin: WHITNEY LaGRANGE

Production Stage Manager: KIMBERLY JADE TOMPKINS
Sets & Props Design: GINO NG
Lighting Design: ARIEL J. BENJAMIN
Costume Design: LESLIE BERNSTEIN
Sound Design: CHARLES COES
Technical Director: DREW FRANCIS
Photography: CAROL ROSEGG
Casting: MICHAEL CASSARA, CSA
Puppet Design: PUPPET JUNCTION
Press Representative: DALE HELLER, SAM RUDY MEDIA RELATIONS

Theater 3
311 West 43rd Street (off Eighth Avenue), Third Floor
(212) 573-8791, X13, or www.makingbookssing.org
April 14 – 29, 2012

I’m not sure how Barbara Zinn Krieger manages to put on such stellar presentations, but I know whenever I see Making Books Sing involved I’m buying a ticket. As Founder and Artistic Director, Krieger takes contemporary children’s books and creates some of the best theatre around. She has done it again with Patricia Polacco’s THE BUTTERFLY, and believe me, you don’t need a child to enjoy it.

In this beautiful story two young girls (Carly Paige Baron, Courtney Shaw), one Jewish and the other French, are affected by the Nazi occupation of their town. While portraying the outrageous history of this troubling time, there are acts of heroism, courage, and love that inspire us to believe that we can make a difference and maybe even change the course of current events – always a timely message. Acting and singing their hearts out, Maree Johnson, John Little and Alex Goley round out this impressive cast, and one is more talented than the other.

THE BUTTERFLY is as close to perfection as theatre can get – a mesmerizing story line, an awesome cast, fantastic songs with dramatic music, and clever props. This is a slice of history done right, and the book has truly been made to sing – an experience you shouldn’t miss.

- Laurie Lawson -

La MaMa
presents

POOR BABY BREE IN
I AM GOING TO RUN AWAY

Conceived and Performed by BREE BENTON

Consulting Director: DAVID SCHWEIZER

Musical Direction & Piano: FRANKLIN BRUNO
Viola: KAREN WALTUCH
Trombone & Tuba: JACOB GARCHIK
Costume: RAMONA PONCE
Photography: CAROL LIPNIK
Lighting Board Operator: SARAH RAE MURPHY

The Club at La MaMa
74A East 4th Street (between 2nd Avenue & The Bowery)
New York, NY 10003
(212) 475-7710 or www.lamama.org

April 13 through April 29, 2012

Photo by Tamaralee Shutt

Poor Baby Bree is a waif from another era. She lives in the days of silent movies and Victorian melodrama, a time of innocence yet brutality. She wants to run away with the circus, and succeeds. But the reality is not the spun-sugar world of her dreams. She must move on to other pursuits, shall we say.

BREE BENTON created this tragi-comic story using 15 archival songs from the golden age of Vaudeville. She has performed as Poor Baby Bree since 2005, after years of collecting period sheet music and studying vaudeville and its performers. These are not songs that are familiar to the modern audience. They are sweet and dusty and dated and wonderful.

Baby Bree’s performance is spot-on. Full of melodramatic gestures and words like “woild” and “goil”, a toddler Mae West merges with a pre-school Judy Garland to recreate the bygone world of our great-grandmothers. Her transformation from ornery kid to broken blossom is seamless, full of humor, and a joy to watch.

--Karen D’Onofrio--

Stage Left Studio Presents
Left Out Festival 2012

THAT PLAY
A Solo Macbeth
www.solomacbeth.com

Starring TOM GUALTIERI
Written by TOM GUALTIEREI & HEATHER HILL
Directed by HEATHER HILL
Original Music & Sound by ERIN HILL
Lighting by ELLEN ROSENBERG
Costume Consultant: SARA JAMES
Press: THE JACKSINA CO.

Stage Left Studio
214 West 30th Street (between Seventh & Eighth Avenues)
www.stageleftstudio.net
April 14 – 25, 2012


Tom Gualtieri is a force (and the only force) to be reckoned with in THAT PLAY: A Solo Macbeth. He and co-writer/director Heather Hill have taken Shakespeare’s Macbeth and turned it on its classic ear, poking holes with witty asides, interactive exercises, and modern drollery. In a mere 90 minutes, the story of the doomed King of Scotland unfolds, complete with battles, witches, ghosts, and a slew of noblemen/women and servants. And the common thread is the genius of Gualtieri who magnificently portrays every one of them! Man, woman, child, living or dead, he is dauntless in his enactment of The Bard’s tragedy. ‘Tis a sight to behold. So go behold THAT PLAY: A Solo Macbeth.

Part of The Left Out Festival 2012, a celebration of LGBT theatre, all net proceeds will be donated to Bailey House (www.BaileyHouse.org).

- Laurie Lawson -

La Mama E.T.C in association with Voyage Theatre Company
Presents

OBAMA 44
A thriller by MARIO FRATTI

Featuring

JULIA MOTYKA, THOMAS POARCH, RICHARD UGINO
DENNIS OSTERMAIER, ROB SEDGWICK

Directed by WAYNE MAUGANS
Assistant Director: CHARLES BALES
Technical Director: MARK TAMBELLA
Stage Manager: EMILY GOFORTH
Scenic Designer: TATSUKI NAKAMURA
Costume Designer: PERI GRABIN LEONG
Sound Designer: IEN DeNIO
Lighting Designer: PAUL BARTLETT
Casting Consultant: MARK HALL AMITIN
Lighting Board Operator: JACK REYNOLDS

La Mama E.T.C.
74A East 4th Street (between Bowery & Second Avenue)
(212) 475-7710
March 29 – April 15, 2012

Maja (Julia Motyka) loves President Obama. She enthusiastically tells anyone who will listen and is vigorously working toward his re-election in Mario Fratti’s OBAMA 44. And everyone seems to love Maja whose sexual appeal is undeniable and only enhanced by her straight-shooting candidness. This makes it all the more mysterious when she turns up murdered.

Fratti cleverly weaves romance, politics, and murder in his latest venture. Surrounded by men – Thomas Poarch and Dennis Ostermaier as boyfriends and her wealthy brother Rob Sedgwick – the pull between desire, control, and money don’t seem to faze the enthusiastic Maja. Until it does, and then a detective (Richard Ugino) is left to put all the pieces together. OBAMA 44 is a play that celebrates honesty, and yet that honesty may be the very thing that brought about the end of a young woman’s life.

- Laurie Lawson -

VINEYARD THEATRE Presents

NOW. HERE. THIS.

Book by HUNTER BELL & SUSAN BLACKWELL
Music & Lyrics by JEFF BOWEN

Based on collaboration by
HUNTER BELL, MICHAEL BERRESSE, SUSAN BLACKWELL
HEIDI BLICKENSTAFF, JEFF BOWEN & LARRY PRESSGROVE
With

HUNTER BELL, SUSAN BLACKWELL, HEIDI BLICKENSTAFF, JEFF BOWEN

Directed and Choreographed by MICHAEL BERRESSE
Vocal Arrangements: JEFF BOWEN & LARRY PRESSGROVE
Orchestrations: LARRY PRESSGROVE & ROB PREUSS
Musical Direction: LARRY PRESSGROVE
Music Coordinator: HOWARD JOINES
Scenic Design: NEIL PATEL
Costume Design: GREGORY GALE
Lighting Design: JEFF CROITER & GRANT YEAGER
Sound Design: ACME SOUND PARTNERS
Projection Design: RICHARD DiBELLA
Production Stage Manager: MARTHA DONALDSON
Production Manager: DAVID NELSON
Press Representative: SAM RUDY MEDIA RELATIONS

The Vineyard
108 East 15th Street
(212) 353-0303 or www.vineyardtheatre.org
Opens March 28, 2012


Every moment is a treasure in Hunter Bell’s and Susan Blackwell’s NOW. HERE. THIS. Brought to you by the (title of show) team and based on the teaching of Trappist Monk Thomas Merton, clever and creative do not even begin to describe this marvelous production. Fresh, funny lyrics and music by Jeff Bowen assist this talented group in exploring the mysteries of the universe and the age-old questions of the meaning of life. Any Trappist Monk worth his salt will tell you to live in the present and enjoy the life you have been given. In their attempt to follow these instructions, we are taken to a museum of natural history to explore birds and bees and turtles and fish – oh my! – as well as anecdotally to defining childhood moments for each character.

The presentation is innovative, the technology is awesome, the humor runs rampant, and the results are hilarious. Heidi Blickenstaff, with a voice that will knock your socks off, joins Bell, Blackwell, and Bowen in this entertaining journey. Warning: This cast is so gifted that they can take you from raucous laughter to poignant tears within a heartbeat. NOW. HERE. THIS. leaves the audience appreciative of the miracle of life and the connections we make. It also confirms that while attempting to live in the present we learn that the past is always present. And even so, opportunities that allow us to share a theatrical experience this superb make it all worthwhile. Don’t miss this one!

- Laurie Lawson -

Theater for the New City
Crystal Field, Executive Director
presents

JUST SEX

Written by BRANDT JOHNSON

Directed by ALEX KILGORE

Starring
BRANDT JOHNSON, ALEX KILGORE, TASHA LAWRENCE, and MEGHAN MILLER

Stage Manager: LIZ ELISE RICHARDS
Assistant Stage Manager: LOUIS B. CROCCO
Lighting Designer: NICHOLAS HOUFEK
Set Designer: JOHN McDERMOTT
Costumes: DAWN KELLY DUNNING
Fight Choreographer: ROBERT WESTLEY
Marketing Consultant: RED RISING MARKETING
Press Representative: SAM RUDY MEDIA RELATIONS

Theater for the New City
155 First Avenue
New York, NY 10003
(212) 254-1109 or www.theaterforthenewcity.com
March 27 through April 15, 2012

Cybersex is “just sex” according to this married couple and their loose-cannon pal. Hubby seeks younger lady, wife seeks hot guy, friend seeks pretty much anything with a pulse. Separate computers, various screen names, sexual encounters with strangers. It passes the time and pleases the senses. But gradually things get rather complicated, and from there it’s a mess.

This brilliant comedy is never over-the-top. It is cleverly phrased and nimbly played as theory versus reality. What is supposed to be “just sex” unwinds madly into “what have we gotten ourselves into?”

The surprises are many and the ending is superb. A tasty, racy, bite of the forbidden that can be enjoyed guilt-free.

-Karen D’Onofrio-

URBAN ODYSSEY
Created by Federico Restrepo and Denise Greber
Directed by Federico Restrepo
Choreographed by Federico Restrepo
Music Composed by Elizabeth Swados
Written by Elias Khoury
Light, Set, Puppet Design and Construction by Federico Restrepo
Costume Design by Denise Greber
Starring: Federico Restrepo, Penelope J. Armstead-Williams, Ching-I Chang, Maura Donohue, Denise Greber, Gilbert Reyes, Kayla Schetter
Musicians: Kari Bethke, John Sully, Martin Wallace
Press Representative: DARR Publicity
LaMama
66 East 4th
www.smarttix.com, 212.868.4444
March 22 – April 8, 2012

Preview video http://vimeo.com/36521948

Photo by Lee Wexler/ImagesForInnovation.org

URBAN ODYSSEY is a multimedia show that intends to portray the loneliness and strain of assimilation that immigrants face in America, based on personal experiences of Federico Restrepo. The story is told through dance, visual theatre, actors in mask, puppet costumes and marionettes as created, directed, designed and choreographed by Mr. Restrepo, an immigrant from Columbia. The music, composed by Liz Swados is simultaneously haunting and enchanting.
A “memory machine," portrayed as a Sage in a recumbent bicycle, appears to enlighten us between acts. One of the messages is that all words are circular and no matter how hard we try to break the circles, we end up in new circles.
The story is told in many scenes that include businessmen in masks sucking the air out of a world globe; an immigrant leaving his home; traveling by boat; arriving at customs; being interrogated; experiencing Manhattan; trying to find work; longing for home; forgetting familiar faces from his homeland; starting anew; getting a lucky break; and having it taken away by politicians and banks (as the Sage said, “Words are circular”). One immigrant’s displaced life is depicted - as he arrives at Customs - as half man-half horse (i.e., a workhorse), while the voice over questions his actions and rationalizes his motives.
Another immigrant arrives with her tent in a bag and remains isolated on the fringes and unable to fit in even with other immigrants. We are meant to feel the experiences and thoughts of immigrants from diverse backgrounds, and feel their fear, alienation and efforts to realize their American dreams.
The story seems a bit too dispersed, abstract and lacking passion. Were it not for some explanation in the program, it is hard to grasp the message. Nevertheless, you are left feeling sympathetic about the struggles immigrants face daily. The puppetry is clever and imaginative, as is the dancing, choreography and actors. The puppets run large and small, some twice the size of humans, big faces dancing, doors and windows dancing, all made from different materials.
- Gloria Talamas -

WHO LOVES YOU, BABY?

Starring TOM DiMENNA

Featuring HENRY KAISER

Written by HUNTER NELSON

Directed by TAYLOR NEGRON

Musical Arrangements/Accompaniment by ALEX LEONARD

The Huron Club
Soho Playhouse
15 Vandam Street (off 6th Avenue)
New York, NY 10013
www.sohoplayhouse.com
January 18 through April 15, 2012

Telly Savalas just can’t let go. He’s back with a posthumous lounge act that kills, baby kills. Low-key, working those bedroom eyes, he thinks today’s world is a yawn. He has a few video clips to prove his point. He wants to show you how it’s done.

Do not miss this show. It is an amazing recreation of a cult star at his 1970s best. Laugh-out-loud funny, yet subtle; brilliantly written and played. You’ll love it, baby.

-Karen D’Onofrio-

Rocky from da Bronx Productions
in cooperation with Dirtbag Productions presents
DATING, DEPRESSION and DIRTBAGS…A Love Story
Written and Performed by ELZA ZAGREDA
Directed by JOAN KANE

March 21 through 31, 2012

Stage Left Studios
214 West 30th Street, 6TH Floor, NYC
Tickets: www.smarttix.com or (212) 868-4444
Information: www.elzazagreda.com

Lighting ELLEN ROSENBERG
Publicity SCOTTI RHODES

In about an hour, Elza Zagreda conveys the story of meeting the man of her dreams, marrying him, enduring infidelity, ailments, loss and ultimately divorce, and coming out the other side in her new solo endeavor, DATING, DEPRESSION and DIRTBAGS…A Love Story. Referring to her now ex-husband only as dirtbag (dirt for short), Zagreda is not shy about exposing her still raw wounds, hoping, one imagines, to find some measure of healing in the process.

DATING, DEPRESSION and DIRTBAGS presents a woman who is strong, but in transition. Able to describe and invoke her Albanian family with love and pride, often with humor, the sense that having wed an adulterer was somehow a flaw in her character that would disappoint her family seeps to the surface long before the words are spoken. Clearly still in the process of grieving, Ms. Zagreda more than once toward the denouement of the evening acknowledged her family and friends for helping her get through.

While painting a dismal portrait of her ex, Zagreda does not spare herself scrutiny. She ranges from describing her younger self as fat (you’d never know to see her now), to recounting a drunken rage where, in the midst of hurling a $5000 television at her ex, she suffered what seemed an especially relevant loss to her, damage to a Chanel necklace, to detailing such humiliations as being left-back in pole dancing class. As written, the point of view of this piece is sometimes so tied to Ms. Zagreda’s memory, and remembrance triggered by memory, that an exact place in time in the timeline can elude the audience. As an overall narrative it has an expected arc, but some of the finer points that could bring a piece like this to the next level are not there yet.

Moments are touching and others are funny, but one gets the sense that it may as yet be too soon for the writer/performer to present with abandon such painful events from her past with a level of separation that would make DATING, DEPRESSION and DIRTBAGS more performance piece and less confessional. One has to say, though, that opting for this form of public catharsis can be the basis for great work. When the nerves are less raw, anticipate material culled from this experience that is the basis for truly witty and insightful theater.

- Kessa De Santis -

MY OCCASION OF SIN

Written by Monica Bauer
Directed by Frances Hill

Starring: Rosebud Baker, Janice Hall, Royce Johnson, Scott Robertson and Danielle Thompson

Press Representative: Springer Associates PR

Urban Stages
259 West 30th Street
www.smarttix.com, 212.868.4444
March 16 – April 15

MY OCCASION OF SIN is set in the midst of catastrophic race riots, influenced by real events in the author’s hometown of Omaha, Nebraska. The play revolves around rescuing George, a music storeowner, who refuses to leave behind his accordion for the music that has taken the new generation by storm - rock and roll.

At the urging by his wife and students, George reluctantly hires a young black musician, Luigi, to teach the new music and to stock his store with guitars and drum sets. Business begins to pick up and George is happily jamming with his newfound musician friend. His wife, though, cannot hide her prejudices, and ignore the reactions of the church ladies to their new employee, setting off a chain reaction of mistrust for Luigi.

The race story is also told by intermittent, yet brief appearances from a young black teenager, who tells of her own experiences of being invisible in a white world. Though, in the end, she pays the ultimate price for sticking her neck out. This was a historic and changing time, but the play focuses on two music families in a microcosm of what transpired in the late 1960s.

Although a slice of history still relevant today, other than Royce Johnson’s standout performance, the acting, dialogue and production left much of the potential on the table.

- Gloria Talamas -

MTWorks
and producer Martha Goode
in collaboration with the Indo-American Arts Council
present
the world premiere of

PARTS OF PARTS & STITCHES

Written by RITI SACHDEVA

Directed by CAT PARKER

Starring
ERIC PERCIVAL, ANTONIO MININO, DEANNA McGOVERN, DATHAN B. WILLIAMS, MARIAM HABIB, BUSHRA LASKAR, IMRAN W. SHEIKH, ASHOK KUMAR, SERGEI BURBANK, SHETAL SHAH, PURVA BEDI, ANIL RAMANI, JASPAL BINNING, SARAH BASKIN

Producer/Sound Designer: MARTHA GOODE
Associate Producer: JESSICA THORNHILL
Scenic Designer: GEORGE ALLISON
Costume Designer: KAREN ANN LEDGER
Lighting Designer: CARL FABER
Production Stage Manager: SARAH ELIZABETH FORD
Press Agent: KATIE ROSIN, KAMPFIRE PR
Marketing Liaison/Vocal Coach: DAVID STALLINGS
Outreach Coordinator: LAURIE PRENDERGAST
Composer & Singer/Sound Designer: AROOJ AFTAB
Composer/Sound Designer: GISELA FULLA-SILVESTRE
Choreographer: NAVDEEP TUCKER
Dialect Coach: SANJIV JHAVERI
Assistant Director: TAYLOR LARSEN
Assistant Set Designer: DAN KRAUSE
Assistant Stage Manager: LONDON GRIFFITH
Graphic Designers: LINDSAY MOORE & ANTONIO MININO

Theater at 14th Street
14th Street Y
334 E. 14th Street
New York, NY 10003
(866) 811-4111 or www.mtworks.org
March 15 through March 31, 2012


In India’s Punjab region, 1947 was a time of radical change. Great Britain was pulling out of India, and part of the plan was “partition”: to split the country into Hindu India and a newly created Moslem country called Pakistan. The results were 1 million massacred and 15 million displaced, as the land-grab became a slaughter.

Against this upheaval, a wedding takes place. The families are joyous and do not see beyond their village to the approaching violence. The bride is beautiful and innocent, the groom is a charming young man, and they are very in love. They are Hindu, with many trusted life-long friends and neighbors who are Muslim. Their differences of religion have never been an issue. That is about to change, with a vengeance.

This well crafted and even-handed play is in great part based on real incidents from the lives of author Riti Sachdeva’s close family members. It gives an insightful portrayal of individual relationships put to the test by a world gone mad. It’s a bird’s-eye view of life and death. Sadly, that bird is a vulture.

-Karen D’Onofrio-

The Cell presents

THE IRISH CELL
A Night of Irish One-Acts

BLOOD
by LARRY KIRWAN
&
DANCING AT LUNACY
by SEAMUS SCANLON

Director: KIRA SIMRING
Stage Manager: ALISON ANDERESEN
Scenic Designer: JOSEPH CROGHAN
Costume Designer: RACHEL GUILFOYLE
Sound Designer: STEPHANIE RIDDLE
Lighting Designer: GERTJAN HOUBEN
Technical Director: SCOTT ANDREWS
Fight Director: TIM ELLIOT
Dramaturg: SAMANTHA KEOGH
Dialect Coach: AMY JO JACKSON
Casting Director: JASON NAJJOUM
Publicist: KATIE ROSIN

The Cell
338 West 23rd Street (between 8th & 9th Avenues)
New York, NY 10011
1-800-838-3006 or www.brownpapertickets.com
March 1 through March 17, 2012


BLOOD

Starring
CIARAN BYRNE, JED PETERSON, PAUL NUGENT,
and SPENCER LEOPOLD-COHEN

In 1913 Ireland, freedom calls and internal strife reigns. James Connolly, left-wing atheist, champions the working man. Padraig Pearse and Sean McDermott represent the right wing of the movement. Events are coming to a head. Then Connolly disappears for three days. History does not record what happened, but playwright Larry Kirwan gives us an historically possible, even probable, answer. The three men argue through the issues and past their own egos to a nationalist solution, uneasy but united.

This is not dry history. This is a battle. A battle fought by worthy men, and marvelous actors. The play itself is an inspired insight into a blank period in the struggle for Irish independence, well researched and beautifully executed.

--Karen D’Onofrio—

DANCING AT LUNACY

Starring
BRETT ARESCO, TODD PATE, PAUL NUGENT, PHILIP CALLEN,
SPENCER LEOPOLD-COHEN, and CIARAN BYRNE

Do not think this is a comedy. It is dark, violent, and challenging. Another tour-de-force production, it is set in 1984 Belfast, during the intense period of hunger strikes and bombings. In an illegal drinking club, IRA members of varying ages gather in secret to sort out their issues. In contrast to the idealism of early patriots, these men have a savagery and a wild disregard for what is now termed collateral damage.

Enter McGowan, absolutely the biggest arsehole terrorist you would ever not want to meet. Young and lean, he turns up the punk music, dances, insults everyone, and he has a gun. A loaded gun. Which he loves to play with and point at others. This does not end well.

While humor threads through this play, the overall tone is murderous madness. First-time playwright Seamus Scanlon has created a brilliant snapshot of a grim moment in time, acted to frightening perfection.

--Karen D’Onofrio--

LA MAMA Presents
www.lamama.org

TALKING BAND
HOT LUNCH APOSTLES

Written by SIDNEY GOLDFARB

With

WILL BADGET * NICHI DOUGLAS * ELLEN MADDOW * ED ROSENBERG III
TINA SHEPARD * LOUDON WAINWRIGHT * JACK WETHERALL
Special Appearance: LINDA TARDIF, MICHAEL GREEHAN, ROSIE

Directed by PAUL ZIMET
Music by ELLEN MADDOWN, HARRY MANN, SYBILLE HAYN
Costume Design by KIKI SMITH
Set Design by LENORE DOXSEE
Production Stage Manager: LISA McGINN
Assistant Director: TOBY VERA BERCOVICI
Strip Choreography Consultant: JAMES TIGGER! FERGUSON
Assistant Costume Design: JILL ST. COEUR
Assistant Lighting Design: NATALIE ROBIN
Tech Director: MARK TAMBELLA
Master Electrician/Light Board Operator: JUAN MERCHAN
Crew: JACK REYNOLDS, MIGUEL VALDERAMA, ANNIE ARTHUR
MANUEL QUIQUE, JOSE PRIETO, BRAIN GLOVER
Sound: TIM SCHELLENBAUM
Marketing: DISCOVERING OZ
Press Representative: SAM RUDY
Managing Director: SAM CHASE

La Mama Ellen Stewart Theatre
66 East 4th Street
(212) 475-7710 or www.lamama.org
Opening Night: March 08, 2012

Just heard that 50 million people are unemployed and the country is being taken over by religious zealots. No, it wasn’t NBC Nightly News. It was Sidney Goldfarb’s HOT LUNCH APOSTLES which debuted 29 years ago! How prophetic. I wonder if Mr. Goldfarb has any lottery numbers he’d like to share?

Presented by The Talking Band, this is a raucous and rowdy look at the underworld of traveling carnival strippers and a tarnished example of giving the people what they want. You begin your seedy journey by walking the carnival runway where you will encounter characters like Gobble Girl, Bear Woman, The Dead Band, games and food galore. Inside as the play unfolds, you learn that the carnival is adjusting to the times. Losing money with its regular exotic sex acts, they have decided to take on Bible story enactments, and what results is a collision and collaboration of religion and sex that is hilarious.

And just in case you think this is all tomfoolery, some of the Bible enactments are actually touching. The cast has much to do with that – Grammy-winner Loudon Wainwright, Jack Wetherall (“Queer as Folk”), Will Badgett, Talking Band founders Ellen Maddow and Tina Shepard, along with NicHi Douglas and Ed RosenBerg - make this wild ride worth taking. HOT LUNCH APOSTLES – get on board and hang on tight!

- Laurie Lawson -

Stage Left Studio
presents
the Off-Off Broadway premier of

RENEGADE PRINCESS

Written and Performed by
ANN MARIE HOUGHTAILING

Publicity by JUDY JACKSINA-THE JACKSINACO
Original Direction by TANYA TAYLOR RUBINSTEIN
Board Operator ELLEN ROSENBERG

Stage Left Studio
214 West 30th Street (between 7th & 8th Avenues)
6th Floor
New York, NY
www.StageLeftStudio.net
March 1 through March 10, 2012

This one-woman show starts with life as a breeze and rounds the corner to life as storm. A happy young couple move to Japan. They dive into the culture, resulting in many laughs on their part, and on the part of their puzzled friends and neighbors. Then they decide to have a baby “made in Japan”. He’s a handful, they don’t care. Well, they care, but it’s all good.

Phase 2. Back to the U.S. and graduate school for her, law school for him, and all the madness of marriage, parenthood, studies, and chronic lack of sleep. Another baby, another move. Then the clouds blow in. They realize they have “grown apart”. Our Renegade Princess is now a guilt-ridden single working mother of two boys.

Ann Marie Houghtailing takes the audience up and down her rollercoaster life, sharing a heart full of laughs and a few tears. She is riding her life with her hands in the air, smiling.

--Karen D’Onofrio--

Alchemy Theatre Company of Manhattan
In association with
Playwrights’ Playground of NYC
Presents

FLIGHT
A new play by MICHEL WALLERSTEIN

Starring

MADDIE CORMAN, MARIA TUCCI & JONATHAN WALKER

Directed by PADRAIC LILLIS
Scenic & Costume Design: LEA UMBERGER
Lighting Design: SARAH SIDMAN
Sound Design: ELIZABETH RHODES
Casting: LAURA STANCZYK, CSA
Press Representation: KEVIN P. McANARNEY
Advertising/Marketing: DR ADVERTISING
Production Stage Manager: CARLY LEVIN
Assistant Stage Manager: CATHERINE LYNCH
Production Supervisor: PRODUCTION CORE

DR Theatre
103 East 15th Street (off Union Square)
(212) 239-6200 or www.telecharge.com
Opening Night: March 7, 2012

Michel Wallerstein’s FLIGHT beautifully blends the ugly realities of dementia and the Holocaust with just enough fantasy to make the story line palatable and powerful. Andrew (Jonathan Walker) is searching for the truth of his identity from his mother Judith (Maria Tucci) who has spent much of her life avoiding her own troubled history. It’s a race against time as dementia is rearing its unpredictable head. Linda, Social Director of the Assisted Living Facility (Maddie Colman), is attempting to ease the transition from life as Judith knows it to what she terms a “parallel life” with unflagging optimism.

This work is nothing short of a masterpiece. Wallerstein has taken brutal aspects of life and injected them with glimpses of humor, hope and inspiration. Courageously exploring how we deal with painful memories and harsh conditions, he showcases the resiliency of the human spirit and the cleverness of the human mind as we survive and even thrive. A better cast could not have been chosen to tell his story. In 90 minutes FLIGHT keeps you totally spellbound from beginning to end, teases all your emotions, and leaves you proud to be a part of the human race. It’s a definite winner.

- Laurie Lawson -

DICTATORS FOR HIRE

Written by JOE BECK
Directed by PHILIP WALLER

Starring:

Philip Waller, Amy Losi, Sanjay Sahni, Tom Watson, Brandye Kemp

Mary McBain, Kat Lee, Pamela Bell and Bradley Sumner.

Press Representative: Bunch of People Press & Publicity

Roy Arias Studios
300 West 43rd Street
MidWinter Madness Short Play Festival
www.LocalTheatreNY.com.
29 Plays/88 Performances/21 Days
February 13th – March 4th
www.smarttix.com * 212.868.4444

This one act play, one of the offerings during the second annual MidWinter Madness Festival, is a spoof on reality shows. A temp agency is facing rising rents and unable to make ends meet in a sinking economy. The manager, in desperation, calls on Jimmy McMillan, former candidate for governor of New York running under the “Rent is Too Damn High Party,” to enlist his help.
The unyielding landlord is none other than Donald Trump. Jimmy devises a plan, along with Trump’s assistant, to set up a reality show at the agencies offices backed by The Donald. The premise is that the agency will be able to guarantee jobs for all applicants by soliciting perceived deposed celebrity dictators like Sarah Palin, Joan Rivers and Barney Frank. Things go awry when Muammar Gaddafi’s son, Saif, comes in seeking a job.
I’m sorry to say that the show, although rife with possibilities, was often humorless. The script could have been more creative and the acting frequently missed its mark. Maybe one of the others shows at the Midwinter Festival would be worth your while.
- Gloria Talamas -

Working Theater presents the Off-Broadway premiere of

CALL ME WALDO
By ROB ACKERMAN

Featuring

MATTHEW BOSTON, BRIAN DYKSTRA, RITA REHN & JENNIFER DORR WHITE

Directed by MARGARETT PERRY
Set & Lighting Design: DAVID L. ARSENAULT
Sound Design: DON TINDALL
Costume & Props Design: HANNAH KOCHMAN
Press: SAM RUDY MEDIA
Production Supervisor: PRODUCTION CORE
Production Stage Manager: TRISHA HENSON
Assistant Stage Manager: REBECCA SPINAC

June Havoc Theatre
312 West 36th Street (between Eighth & Ninth Avenues)
(212) 868-4444 or www.smarttix.com
February 14 – March 11; Opening Night – 02/22/12

What do you do when an everyday assistant electrician begins channeling Ralph Waldo Emerson? The choices are obvious – either lock him away or join in the fun. Rob Ackerman’s CALL ME WALDO is by all standards a party. As the spirit of the American essayist who espoused independence and freedom invades the essence of the characters, the humor multiplies. The preposterous farces are linked together by the common bond of man (and woman) aspiring to a higher awareness.

There is much to like about this 95-minute comedy. The cast is impressive. Brian Dykstra is the quintessential “knuckle dragger,” and Matthew Boston transforms into Emerson at the drop of a phrase. Their female counterparts (Rita Rehn and Jennifer Dorr White) bolster the fast-paced action with zeal. An amazing set (David L. Arsenault) and props (Hannah Kochman) transform the stage from a construction site to a bedroom and then on to a hospital ward and several other locales. And as a bonus you get a personal look at the life of Ralph Waldo Emerson. Go see CALL ME WALDO – you will definitely laugh and you might even be inspired.

- Laurie Lawson -

Mad Dog Theatre Company
Presents

THE THRILL OF THE CHASE

Written by Philip Gawthorne

Directed by Joel Waage
In Association with the Drilling Company

Production Stage Manager: Sarah Gleissner
Fight Director: Paul Molnar
Scenic Design: Joseph Jesse
Lighting Design: Josephe Bennett

Starring: Kevin O’Callaghan, Ryan Barrentine, Nicole Samsel, Jenna D’Angelo

Press Representative: Heller Highwater PR

The Drilling Company Theatre
236 West 78th Street
February 16 – March 4
212-868-4444
www.maddogbarks.com


THE THRILL OF THE CHASE is the story of an angry, wealthy, selfish young man, who is determined to run with a partner in his self-destructive quest. Charlie’s likely cohort would be Nicky, his roommate and lifelong friend from their altar boy days. In contrast, Nicky is shy, vulnerable, hard working, and happy to be mundane; to work hard, get married and have children. Charlie wants to “ride the wave” and be an “emotional predator”, at others' expense. His vengeance upon women stems from a dysfunctional upbringing, and he is aware of the roots underlying his selfish survival mentality. “You can’t trust a Debbie," Charlie says at the start of the play, referring to his current girlfriend, but also to every woman unfortunate enough to cross his path.

When Nicky talks about getting married, Charlie feels betrayed and determined to thwart Nicky’s plans, to save him from a mediocre life. He convinces the subservient Nicky to engage in a bet that wreaks havoc on all involved, including Nicky’s fiancé and Charlie’s new female friend. In his relentlessness, Charlie manages to bring out the worst in his good-natured friend.

The playwright exposes the inherent struggle that he feels most men confront –of living a boring, safe, domestic life vs. a wilder, animalistic one, with no apologies. The play succeeds in making you feel uncomfortable; the actor shines at making you dislike him. It also exposes the thin veneer of civility we take for granted.

- Gloria Talamas -

BE CAREFUL! THE SHARKS WILL EAT YOU!
www.sharkswilleatyou.com

Written and performed by JAY ALVAREZ
Directed by THERESA GAMBACORTA
Lighting by ELLEN ROSENBERG

Stage Left Studio
214 West 30th Street (between Seventh & Eighth Avenues)
www.stageleftstudio.net
01/15, 02/19, 02/26, 03/11 & 03/18 @ 2PM
02/24. 02/25, 03/05, 03/06, 03/15 & 03/16 @ 7:30 PM

If a boat carrying 25 people had not courageously set sail under a moonlight Cuban sky in 1964, America would be missing one hell of a fine actor. Jay Alvarez tells the story of his father Humberto’s amazing feat of escaping Castro’s Communist Cuba against all odds in BE CAREFUL! THE SHARKS WILL EAT YOU! And he does it brilliantly. Perfectly capturing the sultry nightlife of Havana against a political revolution, Alvarez recounts the memories of a small boy forced on a boat, the anguish of a mother sending her older children to a land where they will be safe, the determination of a father to save his family, and the friends who helped them along the way.

BE CAREFUL! THE SHARKS WILL EAT YOU! is a mesmerizing story told by a multi-talented actor who actually experienced the ordeal. Your blood pressure will rise as the tension mounts during the escape, your heart will break as a family leaves the only home they have ever known, and you will celebrate the triumphant voyage as it ends (and begins) on a Florida shore. Jay Alvarez, welcome and thank you for gracing our country with your history and your talents.

- Laurie Lawson -

Ma-Yi Theatre Company in association with
www.ma-yitheatre.org
Vampire Cowboys Theatre Company presents
The Off-Broadway debut of

THE INEXPLICABLE REDEMPTION OF AGENT G
By QUI NGUYEN

Featuring
NEIMAH DJOURABCHI, JOH HOCHE, BROOKE ISHIBASHI
BONNIE SHERMAN, TEMAR UNDERWOOD

Directed by ROBERT ROSS PARKER
Set & Lighting Design: NICK FRANCONE
Costume Design: JESSICA WEGENER SHAY
Original Music & Sound Design: SHANE RETTIG
Video Design: MATT TENNIE
Film & Animation Direction: ROBERT ROSS PARKER
Puppet Design: DAVID VALENTINE
Choreography: JAMIE DUNN
Production Stage Manager: DANIELLE BUCCINO
Production Manager: KATHERINE GLORIA THARP
Public Relations: SAM RUDY MEDIA RELATIONS
Producer: SUZETTE PORTE

Beckett Theatre @ Theatre Row
410 West 42nd Street (between Ninth & Tenth Avenues)
(212) 239-6200 or www.telecharge.com
February 7 – March 4; Opening Night: 02/14/12


The beauty of a Qui Nguyen production is that you have no idea what’s coming but you are guaranteed to enjoy it when it gets there. THE INEXPLICABLE REDEMPTION OF AGENT G is no exception. Based around a loose plot, Agent G returns to Vietnam after 10 years to avenge the deaths of his family and friends. The plight of the playwright to complete this work corresponds to the struggle of Agent G as he seeks revenge.

But the plot is not what’s going to keep your eyes riveted to the stage. It is the multi-media, multi-sensory, multi-talented action that is a non-stop romp through the realms of plausibility and preposterousness. Enhanced with magnificent choreography and fight scenes, a bit of kung-fu, ninjas, puppets, hip-hop music, dance-offs, sword fights, glorious costumes, and left-field humor, THE INEXPLICABLE REDEMPTION OF AGENT G is one impressive piece of work. So suspend your idea of what a play should be, rev up your imagination, and go enjoy this inexplicable entertainment. It’s a blast from beginning to end.

- Laurie Lawson -

Seth Rudetsky’s DISASTER!
www.disastermusical.com
Written by Seth Rudetsky & Jack Plotnick

Directed/Choreographed by Denis Jones
Original Concept by Seth Rudetsky & Drew Geraci with additional material by Drew Geraci

Music Direction: Steve Marzullo
Stage Manager: Tom Kosis
Costumes: Brian Hemesath
Set: Colin McGurk
Lights: Shannon Epstein

Starring: Zak Resnik, Carrie Manolakos, Paul Castree, Seth Rudetsky, Kevin Loreque, Clif Thorn, Saum Eskandani, Lauren Kennedy, Clark Oliver, Anika Larsen, Kathy Fitzgerald, Tom Riis Farrell, Lacretta Nicole, Jennifer Knox, Spring Groover, Sherz Aletaha, Drew Geraci, Barry Busby

Musicians: Sonny Palandino on Piano; Matt Brown on Guitar; Marc Schmeid, on Bass; Greg Joseph on Drums
Press Representative: Springer Associates

The Triad Theatre
158 West 72nd Street
One Performance Remaining – February 26th, 7pm

What a fun way to spend an evening. DISASTER! is a farce that relies heavily on the top 40 hits of the 70s like “All Right Now”, “Knock on Wood”, “Baby Hold On” and “I Am Woman” and disaster movies like Airport ‘75 and Poseidon Adventure. What Seth Rudetsky does so cleverly and wittingly is to create a story line that spoofs the lyrics of the songs with clichés from the movies of that era into one hilarious plot.

The story takes place at Studio 54, a new floating casino and club on the Hudson River. We are introduced to a host of colorful characters as they arrive for the grand opening. Each one is more dramatic than the next and all looking for love.
Chad, who works at the casino, had been left at the altar by Marianne, a Cosmo reporter doing a feature story on the casino and sings “Alone Again, Naturally”. A professor doing experiments on the soil is looking for “Hot Stuff” and is convinced an earthquake is imminent. Meanwhile, the casino is not built to code and the casino owner keeps evading him. At the end of the disastrous evening, as the survivors are being airlifted, they break into a chorus of “Sky High” and “Staying Alive!”
The evening is filled with surprises and other stereotypes from the disco era. Plus the Triad is an intimate nightclub setting for this show. The only remaining performance is February 26th so hurry and get your tickets!

- Gloria Talamas -

LA MAMA
and
TWO-HEADED CALF
present
the world premiere of

YOU, MY MOTHER

Part 1: Music by RICK BURKHARDT
Words by KRISTEN KOSMAS

Part 2: Music by BRENDAN CONNELLY
Words by KARINNE KEITHLEY SYERS

Directed by BROOKE O’HARRA
Words performed by
BETH GRIFFIN, LARYSSA HUSIAK, MIKE MIKOS, and KATE SOPER

Music performed by
YARN/WIRE
Percussion: IAN ANTONIO
Piano: LAURA BARGER
Percussion: RUSSELL GREENBERG
Violin: JOSHUA MODNEY
Cello: MARIEL ROBERTS
Keyboard: NING YU

Scenery and Lights: CHRIS KUHL and JUSTIN TOWNSEND
Costumes: ALICE TAVENER
Slide Projection Design: AHRAM JEONG and YOONKYUNG LIM
Choreography: BARBARA LANCIERS
Production Management: LISA McGINN
Technical Direction: KATE STACK
Assistant Direction: HYE YOUNG CHYUN
Slide Operation: ELENA GAGEANU and RHEDD MORTON JANKEL
Assistant Lighting: CHRIS THIELKING
Draper: ANNA LIGHT
Assistant Master Electrician: JENNIFER CARLSON
Additional Costume Support: ESTELLE DRENT
Press Representative: DAVID GIBBS/DARR PUBLICITY

Ellen Stewart Theatre at La MaMa
66 East 4th Street
New York, NY 10003
(212) 475-7710 or www.LaMaMa.org
February 9 through 20, 2012

The pianists stand and pluck the strings. The percussionists rasp, drag, scrape. The strings find notes between notes. The actors enter, tethered by tin-can-and-string phones.

This chamber opera in two parts travels through the elusive, muddled world of mother-child communication and lack thereof. Within layer upon layer of sound, music, voice, light, and movement, Mother and her three adult children recall a past built on the shifting sands of time. Mother listens mainly to herself. The children try to get through to her, but despite all the noise, the tones, the voices, she doesn’t hear. Mother, grinning, shrieking like a death’s-head, rambles on. In the end, there may be a breakthrough. Where there is so much hope, the sounds must congeal into meaning.

Amid this true sensory immersion, there are quite a few laughs. Anyone who has had a childhood and a mother can find resonance in this intriguing production.

-Karen D’Onofrio-

Barbara Ligeti & Wishing Well Productions
By special arrangement with The Cherry Lane Theatre present

PSYCHO THERAPY
www.psychotherapytheplay.com

By FRANK STRAUSSER

Starring

ANGELICA PAGE, JEFFREY CARLSON, JAN LESLIE HARDING, LAURENCE LAU

Scenic Designer: MICHAEL V. MOORE
Costume Designer: AMANDA BUJAK
Lighting Designer: JEFF CROITER
Sound Designer: AMY ALTADONNA
Composer: ALLISON LEYTON-BROWN
Fight Director: RICK SORDELET
Production Stage Manager: MARCI SOLNICK
Advertising & Marketing: THE PEKOE GROUP
Press Representative: SAM RUDY MEDIA RELATIONS
Casting Consultant: JEFFREY PASSERO
General Manager: LA VIE PRODUCTIONS
Production Supervisor: PRODUCTION CORE
Associate Producer: CHRISTINE DE LISLE

The Cherry Lane Theatre
38 Commerce Street
(212) 352-3101 or www.psychotherapytheplay.com
January 17 – February 25; Opening Night – 02/7/12

In these modern times of constant self-analysis and hedonistic pursuit, it is a neurotic necessity to have your own personal therapist. This is the role that Jan Leslie Harding plays in Frank Strausser’s PSYCHO THERAPY. Dr. Nancy Winston (Harding) provides counseling and sage advice as she fights off her own food obsessions and deals with an errant teenage daughter. But when new patient Lily (Angelica Page) shows up for her first session of couples’ therapy alone, the doctor’s skills are tested. And when the couple becomes a threesome, the audience is treated to a fast-paced sophisticated comedy with laugh-out-loud scenarios.

The preposterous premise is made believable by the superb cast (the aforementioned Harding and Page along with Jeffrey Carlson and Laurence Lau as the male protagonists) whose comedic timing defines flawlessness. Luckily Strausser has given them hilarious characters and marvelous lines to perfect. Treat yourself to an appointment of PSYCHO THERAPY – it’s a blast!

- Laurie Lawson -

White Fence Productions
present
HOLY CHILD
By JOE LAUINGER

Roy Arias Studios Off-Off Broadway Theatre
300 W. 43rd Street at 8th Avenue, 5th Floor, NYC
February 2 – 11, 2012
Tickets: www.theatermania.com or (212) 352-3101

Directed by SUE GLAUSEN
Lighting Designer LAURA WILLIAMS
Stage Manager JESSICA PECHARSKY MORALES
Assistant Stage Manager SEBRENA MASON
Sound Design T.J. NEWTON
Set & Props PAUL MONTAGNA
Publicity SCOTTI RHODES

Cast
Bernie DiCamillo – Dono Cunningham
Lucille/Peggy/Sister/Marlo/Virgin Mary/GPS – Annie Paul
Vic DiCamillo – Paul Montagna
Father Thomas DiCamillo – John Blaylock
Pasquale (Patsy) DiCamillo – Jerry Ferris

HOLY CHILD is a dark comedy about the reunion of the four DiCamillo brothers. The first act takes place in the private room of an Italian restaurant, where the brothers are gathering on the eve of one of them being sent to an institution of sorts called Holy Child.

The youngest brother, Bernie, arrives first and is quickly revealed to be the sibling most removed from the family, though as each brother makes his entrance, a new layer of relationship dynamic is added. The reasons for the tension are never made explicit, but the individual personality conflicts reveal themselves through the dialogue. Each brother more or less represents a type. There is Bernie, the successful lawyer who has essentially abandoned his birth family, Vic, the loudmouth older brother, Father Thomas, the alcoholic priest set to be shipped off to Holy Child, and Patsy, the married man dating a teenage student.

The reunion quickly turns heated, and tragic, and the aftermath is played out in Act II. The arc of the second act is not quite as smooth as Act I, playing out in six scenes of varying impact. Annie Paul, who plays all of the female roles, lightens it up as a cheeky GPS voice, and as Sister Annunziata, a ruler-bearing nun who takes none of the brothers’ nonsense. Another scene, in which she portrays a yoga-posturing Virgin Mary does little to enhance the plot, but this was a rare misstep in the script.

I did expect there to be a revelation of some sort about Bernie, and why he has so completely cut himself off from his family, and perhaps something to explain Father Thomas’ downfall or Patsy’s move from infidelity to pedophilia, but disclosure never comes. So, I was left to enjoy HOLY CHILD for what is does offer, which is some clever banter that does invoke some laughs.

The production area is limited, even intimate, at the theater at Roy Arias Studios, but the design and direction of HOLY CHILD give the impression of a more open space because there are no set walls constricting the action. Period music and quick transitions keep the pace moving.

Joe Lauinger’s HOLY CHILD succeeds at presenting a complex family dynamic through a darkly comic filter. The source of the conflicts and some of the characters’ darker traits is never clearly revealed, but one never gets the sense that this is a play aimed to psychoanalyze its players. The goal would seem to be to laugh in spite of the foibles and the situation, instead of thinking too much about how these four guys got to where they are in the first place.

- Kessa De Santis -

LA MAMA
presents
the world premiere of

STOPPED BRIDGE OF DREAMS

Written, Directed, and Designed by JOHN JESURUN

Featuring
BLACK-EYED SUSAN, PRESTON MARTIN,
CLAIRE BUCKINGHAM, and IKECHUKWU UFOMADU

With
SANGHI CHOI, OLIVE DAWLEY, BEN FORSTER, and DANIEL PINHEIRO

Lighting: JEFF NASH
Costumes: JAMES REILLY
Technical Director: JESSE RICKE
Music: JIM COLEMAN, DAN KAUFMAN
Projection Consultant: RICHARD CONNORS
Sound Design: KUMI ISHIZAWA
Set Realization: JUN MAEDA and MARK TAMBELLA
Assistant Directors: KEVIN HOURIGAN, RYAN AMADOR
Telepresence and Multi-Media Production: CULTUREHUB
Digital Air Effects: DAYTON TAYLOR
Production Stage Manager: SARAH HOLCMAN
Website Design: BEN WILLIAMS
Production Interns: JAMIE BILLINGS, JUSTIN FISCHER,
JASON MARX, ALEX THRAILKILL

Ellen Stewart Theatre at La MaMa
66 E. 4th Street
New York, NY 10003
(212) 475-7710 or www.LAMAMA.org
January 20 – February 5, 2012

This cross-media storytelling surrounds both cast and audience in a soft shroud of shadow and light. Thus all are transported on an unnamed flying craft, around and around endlessly, like the pictures on an Oriental scroll of stories.

The airborne pleasure palace is operated by mother and son who exist both in the present and in 17th century Japan. Layered with video on floating screens, live internet feed, and ambient sound, their voyage is not pleasant, their staff unhappy. Yet they go on in infinite conflict and confusion, hauntingly replaying the anxiety and dislocation of modern life.

Award-winning playwright John Jesurun has tapped into the works of 17th century Japanese poet Saikaku Ihara to weave this dream-reality through space and time, breathing life and atmosphere into the ghosts of the mind.

-Karen D’Onofrio-

The Negro Ensemble Company, Inc., Charles Weldon, Artistic Director,
In celebration of the 45th Season
Presents

THE PICTURE BOX

By CATE RYAN

Starring

ARTHUR FRENCH, ELAIN GRAHAM
JENNIFER VAN DYCK, MALACHY CLEARY, MARISA REDANTY

Directed by CHARLES WELDON
Set Design: PATRICE DAVISON
Costume Design: MARK R. CASWELL
Lighting Design: VES WEAVER
Production Stage Manager: FEMI SARAH HEGGIE
Assistant Stage Manager: JACQUI CASTRO
Sound & Lights: FEMI SARAH HEGGIE
Props Master & Wardrobe Mistress: JACQUI CASTRO
Master Carpenter: ANTHONY DAVISON
Scenic Design: CHRIS CUMBERPATCH
Casting: DEBORAH BROWN
Press Representative: KEVIN P. McARNARY
Executive Director: LESLIE LEE
General Manager: BEVERLY SUMMERS
Company Manager: ANTHONY JONES

Beckett Theatre @ Theatre Row
410 West 42nd Street (between Ninth & Tenth Avenues)
(212) 239-6200 or www.telecharge.com
Opens January 15, 2012


Cate Ryan’s THE PICTURE BOX takes place in Florida just before the historical election of President Obama. Carrie (Jennifer Van Dyck) has returned to her childhood home to finalize its sale after her mother’s death. The black man responsible for much of her upbringing (the accomplished Arthur French) and his wife (Elain Graham who is a breath of fresh air in every scene) have stopped by to lend support as both family and friends. Racial and cultural differences are introduced into the mix by the white couple buying the house (Malachy Cleary, Marisa Redanty). A perfect divergence – the potential election of a black man on the horizon and the concern of white homeowners about the proximity of the black neighborhood.

Although THE PICTURE BOX is slow paced – almost like a Sunday visit with your grandparents, there is an endearing genuineness and geniality between the long-time acquaintances that captures your interest. And while the abrasiveness of prejudice and small thinking that invades their world seems a bit over the top, after closer examination you realize that it unfortunately is not that rare after all.

THE PICTURE BOX is a gentle reminder that lives are made of memories, both good and bad, and that moving forward is the only way we can go. Not always an easy journey, but hopefully you have picked up people along the way that make it worth your while.

- Laurie Lawson -

The Builders Association
Presents

SONTAG: REBORN
as part of the Under the Radar Festival
Based on the book by Susan Sontag and Edited by David Reiff

Directed by Marianne Weems
Sound Design: Dan Dobson
Video Design: Austin Switser
Set Design: Joshua Higgason
Lighting Design: Laura Mroczkowski
Costume Design: Andreea Mincic
Makeup Design: Dick Page

Starring: Moe Angelos

Press Representative: The Public Theatre

The Public Theatre
425 Lafayette Street
www.publictheater.org, 212.967.7555
Closes January 15, 2012

Susan Sontag had an intellectual capacity for literature and writing from a very young age. Fortunately, she kept journals that provide a peek into her thoughts at various stages of her life. The young Sontag kept journals “to create myself”.

The script is an interplay between the younger Sontag on stage, and her older self projected upon a screen above, revisiting the journal later in life. The video depicts a familiar image of the elder Sontag, with signature skunk stripe in her hair and a cigarette in hand.

The script details her juvenile anguish and growing pains. The avowed lesbian had early difficulties accepting her sexual persuasion. We learn how she was influenced and educated, and all the books she was reading. “Books are my friends, my fortress.” “A book is a wall I hide behind.” Unfortunately, the play ends as she is emerging as a writer.

She is consumed with “what is it to be young in years and suddenly wakened to the anguish, the urgency of life?” At one point, Sontag admits, “Childhood was a terrible waste of time.” I agree with her assessment and feel that a more interesting script would have concentrated on the older Sontag. SONTAG: REBORN left you wanting to learn more about this fascinating character.
- Gloria Talamas -

Interart Theatre and Royal Family Productions
Present

DEDALUS LOUNGE

by Gary Duggan
directed by Chris Henry

Stage Manager: Heather Hogan
Dialect Coach: Amy Stoller
Set Design: Paul Smithyman
Lighting and Projection Design: David Bengali
Costume Design: Jeffrey Potter-Watts
Sound Design: Jeanne Wu
Choreographer: JoAnn M. Hunter

Original Songs: Anthony Rapp & Daniel A. Weiss
Original Songs Arranged and Performed by Daniel A Weiss

Starring: James Kautz, Anthony Rapp, Dee Roscioli
Featuring: Heather Phillips, Curtis Howard

Press Representative: Springer Associates

Interart Theater Annex
500 West 52nd Street
January 8 – 30, 2012
http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/215254


The setting is a small, dank bar in Dublin called DEDALUS LOUNGE where three college friends meet regularly for a few drinks, and commiserate as they reflect on loneliness and unrealized dreams.

Neither of them has achieved what they set out to do in life. Danny tries to emulate Queen’s lead vocalist Freddie Mercury, Daragh is a shoplifting bad boy who avoids real work, Delphine is having an affair with a married man, and seeks comfort in her recent promotion to a dead end job.

There are story telling moments- narrative style - by each character, as well as bursts of frenzied Freddie Mercury impersonations, with the bartender and barmaid dancing and singing along.

This is a dark tale that takes place over the Christmas holidays when emotions are raging. The three friends, with their lives of desperation, turn to each other for solace but end up engaging in casual sex and deceit. This is a story told times before that could have been captivating, but neither the script nor the actors offered anything new or exciting.

- Gloria Talamas -

Vineyard Theatre & Naked Angels Present
www.vineyardtheatre.org and www.nakedangels.com

OUTSIDE PEOPLE
By ZAYD DOHRN

With

MATT DELLAPINA, NELSON LEE, LI JUN LI, SONEQUA MARTIN-GREEN

Directed by EVAN CABNET
Set Design: TAKESHI KATA
Costume Design: JESSICA WEGENER SHAY
Lighting Design: BEN STANTON
Sound Design: JILL BC DuBOFF
Production Stage Manager: CHARLES M. TURNER III
Production Manager: DAVID NELSON
Press Representative: SAM RUDY MEDIA RELATIONS
Casting: HENRY RUSSELL BERGSTEIN, CSA

Vineyard Theatre
105 East 15th Street (between Union Square East & Irving Place)
www.vineyardtheatre.org or (212) 353-0303
December 21-January 29; Opening Night – January 10, 2012


What a masterpiece of drama and conflict is Zayd Dohrn’s OUTSIDE PEOPLE. Set in Beijing, China, against today’s pounding pulsing environment, four culturally and racially diverse individuals meet and interact. There’s the White American nerd Malcolm (Matt Dellapina), the Americanized Chinese executive David (Nelson Lee), his African-Chinese girlfriend Samanya (Sonequa Martin-Green), and the disgraced Chinese Xiao Mei (Li Jun Li) looking for a way out of her predicament.

Highly humorous with an underlying poignant theme of how difficult we often make existence, the talented cast superbly executes this work in both English and Chinese. Not to worry if you don’t speak Chinese – part of Dohrn’s brilliance is to leave a few interactions nebulous so that you are free to create your own interpretation. Enhanced by fantastic sets (Takeshi Kata), lively sound (Jill BC DuBoff), and tight direction by Evan Cabnet, this 90-minute offering is over way too quickly and leaves you wanting to know more about each character.

Go see OUTSIDE PEOPLE. It turns the way we look at others and ourselves inside out.

- Laurie Lawson -

Here presents

CHIMERA
as part of the Under the Radar Festival

Conceived and Created by Suli Holum and Deborah Stein

Production Stage Manager: Lisa McGinn
Set Designer: Jeremy Wilhelm
Lighting Designer: James Clotfelter
Video Design: Room 404 Media
Costume Design: Tara Webb
Sound Designer: James Sugg
“Chimera Dance” Composer: Troy Herion

Press Representative: Seven17

Featuring: Suli Holum

Here Arts
145 Sixth Avenue
212.352.3101
www.here.org
http://www.undertheradarfestival.com/index.php?p=462

Jennifer Samuels, in her search to determine the nature of her son Brian’s genetic heart condition, learns that she is a chimera, a rare disorder where her body contains two distinct sets of DNA. (In ancient mythology, a chimera is a monstrous fire-breathing creature, composed of the parts of multiple animals.) Essentially, she is her own twin, resulting in unavoidable problems.

In this one-actor play, superbly executed by Suli Holum, we learn about one woman’s struggle for identity and her difficult decision to leave her child. This play explores the uncertainties of who we really are, given the advances of modern science and technology. "What is a person?," both Jennifer and Brian question throughout the play.

Building from a stark white setting, leaving much to the imagination, CHIMERA unfolds into a high-tech imagery and sound expedition that creates a modern day mythology.

- Gloria Talamas -

La Mama Presents

LA MAMA CANTATA

Written, Composed and Directed by Elizabeth Swados
Musical Direction and Arrangements: Kris Kukul
Stage Manager: Michael Ulreich
Production Manager: Matt Gehring
Costume Consultant: Molly Deale

Featuring: Max Bisantz, Catherine Brookman, Starr Busby, Michael Castillejos, Nicholas Caycedo, Charnele Crick, Rachael Duddy, Roe Hartrampf, Tom Hennes, Josephine Huang Preston Martin, Grace McLean, Alicia Olatuja, Jeanna Philips, Maya Sharpe, Edwin Sutton, Shaina Taub, Hannah Whitney.
Musicians: Yukio Tsuji, Jeremy Chatzky, Matt Hankle

Press Representative: Sam Rudy Media Relations

Ellen Stewart Theatre at La Mama
66 East 4th Street
December 29th and 30th, 2011

In this tribute to Ellen Stewart, the founder, artistic director and producer of La Mama Theater Club, we are taken on a musical journey of this vibrant woman’s long and magnanimous life. The cantata begins with her move to New York from Louisiana via Chicago with a stint at Saks Fifth Avenue and ultimately to the creation of La Mama Theater in the basement of an East Village Building.
The cast of 18 vastly talented young actors sings the story of this larger than life visionary, who helped establish the off-off Broadway scene despite the prejudices she faced, and her lack of experience and resources. She began the theater with an ambition to give fledgling playwrights a place to show their work, and turned it into an international cultural institution.
If you did not know Ellen Stewart, this performance gives a lively and rich sense of her talent, temperament and eccentricities leaving you wishing you were an intimate part of her company. Kudos to the entire cast and especially to Preston Martin, one of the six actors who portrays Ellen.
Moving, loving, touching; you get to see the influence of this woman first-hand in the eyes and hearts of those left behind. Stern with high expectations (“Do your job!”), yet nurturing and giving (“I am the vine and you are the branches”). She was there to fuel your creativity and feed your soul.
The composer, Liz Swados, who worked with Ellen for many years, created this inspiring piece mostly from Ellen’s words as told to her and others. I feel privileged to have seen this limited run and encourage La Mama directors to restage this for a longer run so that others can share this experience and learn of Ellen Stewart’s contributions to theater.
-Gloria Talamas-

New Stage Theatre Company
Presents the world premiere of

HYPNOTIK:  THE SEER WILL DOCTOR YOU NOW

Conceived and Directed by lldiko Nemeth
Written by Ildiko Nemeth, Colm O’Shea and Marie Glancy O’Shea

Featuring: Dana Boll, Adam Boncz, Kaylin Lee Clinton, Markus Hirnigel, Denice Kondik, Sarah Lemp, Laurence Martin, Brandon Olson, Fabiyan Pemble-Belkin, Jeanne Lauren Smith, Peter B. Schmitz, Chris Tanner, Paula Wilson and Kat Yew

Choreography: Julie Atlas Muz
Costume Design: Jessica Sofia Mitrani
Set Design: Ildiko Nemeth
Original Music:Jon Gilbert Leavitt
Lighting Design: Federico Restrepo
Sound Engineer: Paul Radelat
Set Construction: Kertek Construction
Costume Construction: Kate Janysn Thaw, Marguerite Lochard
Press Representative: DARR Publicity

Theatre for the New City
155 First Avenue
www.SmartTix.com
212.868.4444
December 21, 2011 – January 15, 2012

HYPNOTIK is loosely based on the life of Eric Jan Hanussen (a Weimar Republic clairvoyant and occultist). The evening takes place at the infamous Palace Theatre where a showman clairvoyant brings his subjects to the stage, assuring them freedom from their inner most secrets and desires. Under his spell, his subjects reveal their dismal and evil desires. When no liberating moment follows, a revolt occurs when the shameless Seer loses control and his subjects confront him with his own images.

What could have been wild, outrageous and disturbing, turns out rather flat and sketchy. The acting is uneven and often unconvincing, and the production somewhat sloppy. HYPNOTIK is anything but mesmerizing.

- Gloria Talamas -

Other Side Productions and 28bars Productions
Presents the premiere of

ACCIDENTALLY LIKE A MARTYR
Written and Directed by Grant James Varjas

Production Stage Manager: Michael Friedlander

Featuring: Keith McDermott, Kevin Boseman, Brett Douglas, Cameron Pow, Chuck Blasius, Ken Forman and Grant James Varjas

Scenic Design: Clifton Chadick
Lighting Design: Brian Tovar
Sound Design: Roger Anderson
Costume Design: Melinda Basaca
Fight Coordinator: Ben Newman
Poster/Logo Design: Alex Munson
Press Representative: Sam Rudy Media Relations

Paradise Factory
64 East 4th Street
https://web.ovationtix.com/trs/pr/890255
December 17, 2011 – January 7, 2012

Ah!, look at all the lonely people, sighs Charles, the witty, aging gay man who provides much of the mockery amongst the denizens at this Lower East Side gay bar. What bonds this group is a shared sense of loss in love and loneliness as they turn to alcohol and drugs to numb themselves. The title of this play - ACCIDENTALLY LIKE A MARTYR - is taken from a Warren Zevon song about romantic loss, missed opportunities and happier times.

Six characters of varying ages, backgrounds, and Jukebox tastes (disco, opera, Barry Manilow), meet regularly at a bar. Snide barbs, witty comments, and glimpses of human revelation carry the plot adeptly. The banter between them opens old wounds and cuts new ones, as they struggle to feel part of a family of friends during the holidays.

ACCIDENTALLY LIKE A MARTYR explores the position in which many gay men now find themselves – survivors of a plight that continues to take its toll, with humor and derision their coping mechanisms.

-Gloria Talamas-

Royal Family Productions
Presents

RAPP READS RAPP IN A READING OF NOCTURNE
By Adam Rapp
Read by Anthony Rapp

Press Representative: Springer Associates

Nocturne, named for Grieg’s haunting piano melody, is a grief-laden monologue. This elegant script, written by Adam Rapp, comes alive through a studied and heartfelt performance by his brother, Anthony Rapp. The story begins when a 17-year old young man admits to killing his nine-year old sister in a ’69 Buick Electra with faulty brakes, and picks up 15 years later, when he recounts the inconsolable sorrow in loving detail.

He paints the picture of their little blonde house with a Formica kitchen and with no scratches on the beautiful Steinway, which he played competitively up until the time of the accident.  The accident is the final crack that breaks the thread that holds the family together. The mother spends her days in a home for the depressed. The father, unable to cope, threatens to kill his son, who shortly after escapes to New York. In New York, he finds solace in books, takes a hand at writing, and publishes a novel about a 17-year old who accidentally kills his sister. For all involved–alone and debilitated–grief never goes away, it only changes with time.

When his dying father beckons him home, he sees a copy of his book on the old Steinway. “Nocturne was your best competitive piece”, the kindest words his father has ever expressed. Awkwardly, they forgive each other, allowing one to let go and the other to move on. Such grief is bearable for the listener when the language is so rich, the metaphors so moving and the performance so skillful.

Symphony Space
2537 Broadway
December 12, 2011, 8pm

-Gloria Talamas-

Broken Watch Theatre Company
Presents the premiere of

SEX GOOD; MONEY BAD

Written by Michael Weller and Directed by Tony Speciale and Drew Decorleto
Production Stage Managers: Jenna Lazar/Adam Samtur

Featuring: Ethan James Duff, Halley Wegryn Gross, Michael Vitaly Sazonov, Sam Tsoutsouvas, Jeff Ward

Set Design: Daniel Zimmerman
Lighting Design: Alison May
Costume Design: Marina Reti
Prop Design: Ashley Cavadas
Graphic Design: Jay Cooper
Tech Director: Kevin Rees
Press Representative: Springer Associates

The Workshop Theater Mainstage
312 West 36th Street, 4th Floor
https://web.ovationtix.com/trs/cal/180
December 8 – 18, 2011

This comedy in two acts gets you laughing and shocks your senses. Act One and Two are seemingly unrelated, occurring four decades apart. Innocence during the summer of love is contrasted with detached sexuality in the present. Near the end of Act Two, we see the common thread between the Acts that reveals an element of surprise.

In Act One, Frank and Perry are roommates who are coming into manhood and focused on losing their virginity. The centerpiece is a large poster of their hero and bad boy, Jimmy Dean, which neither of them measures up to. Yet, when a bad-boy stranger barges in uninvited, a cascade of events occurs, which changes their lives.

In Act Two, a grad-school playwright (Nick) is visited by a Russian mobster (Akim), who shows up to collect on Nick’s poker playing debts. Akim is intrigued by Nick’s studies and peppers him with questions about playwriting, including the key aspects of the current play they are in together. When the mobster reveals his true identity, which connects him to Act One, we are entwined in a play within a play within a play.

“Sarcasmic!” Akim insists should open Nick’s play. First dismissed as bad English, it becomes a vehicle to help Nick overcome his writing block.

-Gloria Talamas-

Human Animals
presents
The World Premiere of

POST OFFICE

Written by DAVID JENKINS
Directed by JOSIE WHITTLESEY

Featuring
DAVID GELLES, ANNEY GIOBBE, and ERIC HOFFMANN

Set: ALEXIS DISTLER
Lighting: SETH REISER
Costumes: CAROLYN HOFFMANN-SCHNEIDER
Sound: ADAM HINIKER and JEFF MEYERS
Stage Manager: JEFF MEYERS
Assistant Stage Manager: KRISTIN LOUGHRY
Producers: JENNY MERCEIN and KRYSTEL LUCAS
Dramaturge: RYDER THORNTON

The New Ohio Theatre
154 Christopher Street
New York, NY
December 6 through December 17, 2011

This intriguing play pits Post Office veteran Denny against newbie James as they sort the mail and try to sort out their lives. Denny’s all about the job. He takes it seriously and expects James to do likewise. James tries, but he’s young. He’s new. And he isn’t sure if he has chosen a noble career or a dead-end job.

Enter a Waif Woman worthy of Tennessee Williams. She lives on Denny’s route, which James has taken over. Denny is sidelined by medical issues and is not happy that James is taking care of “his” people. Denny would be really really unhappy if he knew what James was up to during working hours.

The actors are brilliantly real and the script is crisp and clean. This tale of mail and men is stimulating and enjoyable as well as timely.

-Karen D’Onofrio-

Soho Playhouse Presents

THE CANTERBURY TALES remixed

Written and Performed by BABA BRINKMAN
Music and Turntablism by MR. SIMMONDS
Directed by DARREN LEE COLE

Production Design: ERIK PEARSON
Associate Projection Designer: DON CIESLIK
Projection Assistants: ERIK BRINKMAN, ASHER JAY
Lighting Design: ROME BROWN
Production Stage Manager: NICOLE PRESS
Production Manager: JON JOHNSON
Press by SPRINGER ASSOCIATES/JOE TRENTACOSTA
Special Thanks to RICK EVERETT, WENDELL HARRINGTON, PAUL VERSHBOW

SoHo Playhouse
15 Vandam Street
(866) 811-4111 or www.SoHoPlayhouse.com
November 23 – January 8; Opening Night: December 4, 2011


Let me confess right off the bat that I am not a fan of Hip Hop. That being said, I absolutely loved THE CANTERBURY TALES remixed. The talents of creator and performer Baba Brinkman are awesome. He does not shut up for one minute during the entire performance, and that’s a good thing.

The Canadian Hip Hop artist slips between centuries with the greatest of ease bringing you the classics interjected with today’s culture – movies, Ebonics, slang, dance, innuendo, rap, and hysterical humor. Assisted by the impressive turntablism of Mr. Simmonds and oh-so-creative videos designed by Erik Pearson, Brinkman breathes modern-day life into Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales, specifically the Pardoner, the Merchant, and the Wife of Bath. The epic poems of Gilgamesh and Beowulf also receive a few renovations.

THE CANTERBURY TALES remixed is a one-of-a-kind production and brings an innovative and entertaining aspect to the classics. Culture has never been such fun!

- Laurie Lawson -

No Anita No Productions and Tom Keegan
Under the auspices of FRACTURED ATLAS
Present the world premiere of

FRIENDS AND RELATIONS

By Marc Castle
Directed by Adam Fitzgerald

Production Stage Manager: Jessa Nicole Pollack

Featuring Dan Amboyer, Joel T. Bauer, Nigel DeFriez, Matt Golden, Vince Nappo, Ben Roberts and Christopher Sloan.

Scenic Design: David L. Arsenault
Lighting Design: Travis McHale
Costume Design: Erica Evans
Sound Design: Ian Wehrle
Press Representative: KPM Associates

The June Havoc Theater
312 West 36th Street
Tickets: http://www.artful.ly/store/events/42
http://www.friendsandrelationstheplay.com
Run Time: Two Hours

FRIENDS AND RELATIONS is an insightful play about gay life in the years before and after the AIDS epidemic. The play weaves back and forth from the late 1970s to the mid-80s, telling the story of friendships and relationships of seven gay men.

The central character, Miles, is engaging but controlling. Corey, insecure and dependent; Dean, the aspiring movie star; Bobby, his insignificant other; Byron, the born-again therapist; Glen, the hysterical pill popper; and Ross, the flaming black and white movie buff, who is magnificent as comic relief in a story that deals with death and dissolution.

The play revolves around the on-and-off-again relationship between Miles and Corey, and Mile’s family of friends (his support group), all with their own relationship issues.

“With great joy comes great pain,” Byron says towards the end of the play after learning his ex-lover Glen has died of AIDS; in the larger sense he is describing the end of sexual freedom. Miles, who boasts of never crying, is driven to tears from discontentment in love. Dean retreats to his heterosexual relationship.  This play thrusts us into the sobering, anxious 80s, and reminds us of how AIDS radically altered people’s lives and behavior.

- Gloria Talamas -

The Shelter Presents
www.theshelternyc.org

FAIRY TALE

Executive Director: DAVE LANKFORD
Co-Artistic Directors: MEGHAN E. JONES & MICHAEL KINGSBAKER
Creative Director: JONATHAN ASHLEY
Assistant Scenic Designer: BRANDON HARDY
Lighting Designer: JAKE FINE
Assistant Lighting Designer: JESSICA BLACK
Sound Director: ANDY COHEN

Dinner for the Queen
By Meghan E. Jones, inspired by Snow White by the Brothers Grimm
Director: Jonathan Ashley
Assistant Director: Emily Robin Fink
Featuring
MELINDA SMART, MICHAEL BERNSTEIN, STEPHEN ALAN WILSON

R.I.P. Captain Wendel
By Andy Hassell, inspired by Rip Van Winkle by Washington Irving
Director: Beth Jastroch
Assistant Director: Stephanie Ringstaff
Featuring
CHRIS CARDONA, ALEC A. HEAD

3 Sisters and a Carnie
By Beth Jastroch, inspired by Three Billy Goats Gruff, a Norwegian fairy tale
Director: Michael Kingsbaker
Assistant Director: Paco Lozano
Featuring
TANIA VERAFIELD, GINGER KEARNS, AUBREY BALL, EDWIN SEAN PATTERSON

Kate
By Michael Bernstein, inspired by Donkeyskin by Charles Perrault
Director: Meghan E. Jones
Assistant Director: Morgan McGuire
Featuring
RACHEL CORA, MICHAEL SEAN McGUINNESS

Terror on Haxos 9
By Jonathan Ashley, inspired by Hansel and Gretel by the Brothers Grimm
Director: Ovivia Killingsworth
Assistant Director: Belle Caplis
Featuring
LAINE BONSTEIN, NICK STEVENS

45th Street Theatre
354 West 45th Street (between Eighth & Ninth Avenues)
www.theshelternyc.org
Opening Night: December 04, 2011


The Shelter is an ensemble of writers, directors, and actors who collaboratively develop original works for the stage. In their world premiere of FAIRY TALE, they have taken classic stories, injected them with steroids, and reformed them in an adult world. The results are innovative, clever, creepy, and humorous.

Dinner for the Queen is an erotic food foray seasoned with vanity and revenge, while Terror on Haxos 9 presents food as a science-fiction source of destruction. R.I.P. Captain Wendel and Kate deal with tragedies all too familiar in today’s society. And 3 Sisters and a Carnie, inspired by Three Billy Goats Gruff, is the hands-down winner in the comedy category. Even the scene changes between each presentation are amusing and entertaining.

FAIRY TALE is 90-minute adventure where imagination and creativity flow freely, talent is abundant, and you walk away pleased that you have had the experience.

- Laurie Lawson -

The Camisade Theater Company
Presents the world premiere of

DERBY DAY

Written by Samuel Brett Williams and Directed by Michole Biancosino
Production Stage Manager: Patrick Bernard Clayton

Featuring Jared Culverhouse, Malcom Madera, Jake Silbermann and Beth Wittig with Frank Simms as the voice of the radio announcer.

Producer: Liam Joynt
Set Design: Alfred Schatz
Lighting Design: Shawn E. Boyle
Costume Design: Erin Schultz
Sound Design: Amit Prakash
Fight Choreography: Alberto Bonilla
Fight Choreography Assistant: Elizabeth Ingram
Make-Up: Christopher Halladay
Press Representative: DARR Publicity

The Clurman Theater
Theater Row Complex
410 West 42nd Street
212.239.6200. www.telecharge.com
Run time: 75 minutes
November 30th – December 17th

 
Picture by Paul Gagnon

The Ballard brothers gather together on DERBY DAY to “celebrate” the death of their father. The eldest brother, Frank, provides the luxury box where he and his brothers, Johnny and Ned, spend the afternoon betting, cursing, drinking, fighting and revealing ugly family secrets.

They dream of a better life, free from their abusive father and the shadow he has cast on them. They want to believe their bets will pay off, change their luck, and allow them to start anew. All three have a history of failed relationships, including amongst themselves, multiple ex-wives and estranged children. The audience witnesses the pitiful baseness of lives that were doomed from the start in this generational cycle of violence and addiction.

The highlights in this dark comedy occur in the collective animation as the horses race by, and with Becky, the waitress, who also dreams of a better life for her young son, thereby suffering the brothers’ (and other rogue patrons’) lowlife behavior.

Though this play could benefit from depth and sophistication, it is successful in exposing you to grave dysfunction, leaving you uncomfortable, but grateful for civility.

- Gloria Talamas-

The Accidental Repertory Theater
presents the world premiere of

THE GOOD MORNING AMERICA JOHNNY JOHNSON DREAM SHOW

Written and Directed by JOHN STRASBERG

Production Stage Manager: JIM DiPAOLA

Featuring
DENNIS DAVIES, BEVERLIX JEAN-BAPTISTE, RUTH GUMERA, JODI MONACO, JACQUELINE JACOBUS, AUDREY LAVINE, FERELITH YOUNG, ANNE PASQUALE, NICK BALDOCK, KEITH HERRON, BOB JESTER, STEPHEN DYM, VIRGINIA ARMITAGE, JAVIER MACHADO, HOMA HYNES, WES SEALS, and MIKE ROCHE

Producer: H. CLARK KEE
Set Design: CHIMMY ANNE GUNN
Lighting Design: MARIKA KENT
Sound Design/Original Music: OSTINATO PRODUCTIONS
Costume Coordinator: ELIZABETH CARUSO
Press Representative: SPRINGER ASSOCIATES

The Living Theatre
21 Clinton Street (between Houston and Stanton)
New York, NY 10002
(212) 868-4444 or www.SmartTix.com
November 20 – December 18, 2011

It is the Day of the Dead, wickedly so for Johnny Johnson. One of the guests on his news show this morning is a medium, and a pretty good one, by the look of it. The first visitor from beyond is Johnny’s late mother, airing her gripes. Margaret Sanger and the Virgin Mary wander in to add their two-cents’ worth. That’s only the beginning for poor Johnny, who’s not sure whether he’s asleep or awake.

These spook celebrities and many more speechify on issues of health care, birth control, the “American Dream,” the Communist witch hunt, the Nazis, and the concept of truth. Between channelings, our quirky medium swigs liberally from her flask, and kindly passes it around. After all, alcohol is a spirit, too.

Johnny finally gets a grip on things. Whether or not to wake up and tell the truth is his decision, if he so chooses.

-Karen D’Onofrio-

All For One Theater Festival, Inc.
presents

HAPPINESS

Written and Performed by HEATHER HARPHAM

Festival Lighting Designer: GRAHAM KINDRED
Festival Production Manager: CORINNE WOODS
Festival Technical Director: CHRISTOPHER JENSEN
Associate Producer: MEGAN KOLB
Outreach Coordinator: KATE HARE
General Management: TOWN SQUARE PRODUCTIONS, INC.
Executive Director: MICHAEL WOLK
Press Agent: THE JACKSINA COMPANY, INC.

Theatre 80 St. Marks
80 St. Marks Place (west of First Avenue between 7th & 9th Streets)
New York, NY
www.AFOfest.org
November 18 & 20, 2011

Heather Harpham lived the dream…and the nightmare. She went from glowing mother to more or less raving madwoman in just one day. That newborn baby girl was perfect. Then that newborn baby girl was not perfect. Thus began a struggle with medical science, hope and despair, fear and happiness.

Harpham’s dance background is evident in her swirling, writhing moves on the stage. She evokes her experience with mime, rhythmic beats of her feat, vocal pops, and a rap song of her creation, while recreating the voice of the little girl who is her world. Anyone who has loved a child will love this show.

-Karen D’Onofrio-

All For One Theater Festival, Inc.
in association with
Double Play Connections
and
Doing Life Productions
presents

unFRAMED

Written and Performed by IYABA IBO MANDINGO

Directed by BRENT BUELL

Original Lighting Designer: ISABELLA F. BYRD
Choreographer: MARGARET LISTON
Festival Lighting Designer: GRAHAM KINDRED
Festival Production Manager: CORINNE WOODS
Festival Technical Director: CHRISTOPHER JENSEN
Associate Producer: MEGAN KOLB
Outreach Coordinator: KATE HARE
General Management: TOWN SQUARE PRODUCTIONS, INC.
Executive Director: MICHAEL WOLK
Press Representative: KATIE ROSIN, KAMPFIRE PR
Press Agent: THE JACKSINA COMPANY, INC.

Theatre 80 St. Marks
80 St. Marks Place (west of First Avenue between 7th & 9th Streets)
New York, NY
www.AFOfest.org
November 17 & 20, 2011

Spoken word flows into poetry and back as the canvas of life is colored in by Iyaba Ibo Mandingo, once named Kenny. Kenny grew up in the Third World island of Antigua, darting in and out of the turquoise ocean, grabbing mangoes right off the tree, shooing the flies away as his grandmother cooked. He learned her recipes, learned to tailor from his grandfather, learned love from his mother, learned suspicion and loss from his father.

Then came the jolting move to the U.S. No gold in the streets for the blackest black boy in town, the one with the funny accent, broad nose, big lips. American blacks ridiculed him as he strove to find himself. Finally dreadlocks began to grow from the roots of truth he found in his soul.

Never maudlin, always powerful, and wonderfully full of love, unFRAMED paints an unforgettable portrait of the journey to simple wisdom via a very complicated road.

-Karen D’Onofrio-

All For One Theater Festival, Inc., Presents

GOOD MORNING, ANITA HILL…

Written and Performed by DEB MARGOLIN
Direction and dramaturgy by MERRI MILWE
Abrams Artists Agent: MORGAN JENNESS
Festival Fighting Designer: GRAHAM KINDRED
Festival Production Manager: CORINNE WOODS
Festival Technical Director: CHRISTOPHER JENSEN
Associate Producer: MEGAN KOLB
Outreach Coordinator: KATE HARE
General Management: TOWN SQUARE PRODUCTIONS, INC.
Press Agent: THE JACKSINA COMPANY, INC.
Executive Director: MICHAEL WOLK

Theatre 80 St. Marks
80 St. Marks Place (8th Street just west of First Avenue)
www.AFOfest.org

Big shout-out to Deb Margolin for the timely reminder of the Anita Hill/Clarence Thomas hearings that took place in 1991. In GOOD MORNING, ANITA HILL…, based on Ginny Thomas’ early morning call to Ms. Hill earlier this year, Margolin addresses the humiliation, the rage, and the frustration that accompanied what some consider a huge blight on the American justice system. Just one look at Hill’s anguished face brings it all back.

She ties the event into today’s current affairs. Deftly defining courage (thoughts in alignment with actions) and tragedy (stooping to the level of the oppressor), she throws in much humor, videos of then (hearings) and now (Dancing with the Stars), and personal anecdotes. And just when you think this could never happen again, we are affronted with stories of sexism (Herman Cain and Joe Paterno) where justice takes a back seat to business as usual.

GOOD MORNING, ANITA HILL…displays the multi talents of Deb Margolin. Editing of the execution of her many thoughts and an underlying theme tying them all together would make sure that the message isn’t lost.

- Laurie Lawson -

All For One Theater Festival, Inc.
presents

SHADOWBOXING

Written and Performed by GRANT SULLIVAN

Directed by SAL ROMEO

Festival Lighting Designer: GRAHAM KINDRED
Festival Production Manager: CORINNE WOODS
Festival Technical Director: CHRISTOPHER JENSEN
Associate Producer: MEGAN KOLB
Outreach Coordinator: KATE HARE
General Management: TOWN SQUARE PRODUCTIONS, INC.
Executive Director: MICHAEL WOLK
Press Agent: THE JACKSINA COMPANY, INC.

Theatre 80 St. Marks
80 St. Marks Place (west of First Avenue between 7th & 9th Streets)
New York, NY
www.AFOfest.org
November 12 & 19, 2011

This intensely personal story puts the audience squarely in the boxing ring with Grant Sullivan as he punches his way through life. The youngest of five boys, he grew up getting pushed around. Finally one day he found his strength and became a boxer. In a world where power equals respect, his fortune was made. He was fighting all his demons, literally and figuratively. And he found that, in the end, fighting yourself is the hardest fight of all.

Shadowboxing is raw and powerful, like its star. All is physical and straightforward. Victory means success. Defeat cannot enter his vocabulary. Block it out, block the punches, dance around to avoid the pain. Just keep being a moving target and things will be fine. The lucky ones keep on moving. The unlucky ones get tired, lose their footing, take a fall. We cannot foresee Sullivan’s fate. It takes even him by surprise.

-Karen D’Onofrio-

All For One Theater Festival, Inc.
presents

23 FEET IN 12 MINUTES

Written by MARI BROWN

Performed by DEANNA PACELLI

Co-Created by MARI BROWN and DEANNA PACELLI

Directed by PAMELA BERLINE and DAVID TRAVIS

Festival Lighting Designer: GRAHAM KINDRED
Festival Production Manager: CORINNE WOODS
Festival Technical Director: CHRISTOPHER JENSEN
Associate Producer: MEGAN KOLB
Outreach Coordinator: KATE HARE
General Management: TOWN SQUARE PRODUCTIONS, INC.
Outreach Coordinator: KATE HARE
Executive Director: MICHAEL WOLK
Press Agent: THE JACKSINA COMPANY, INC.

Theatre 80 St. Marks
80 St. Marks Place (west of First Avenue between 7th & 9th Streets)
New York, NY 10003
www.AFOfest.org
November 12 & 15, 2011

23 feet in 12 minutes. That’s how fast the water rose in New Orleans when Hurricane Katrina hit. Seven characters recount their challenges, tragedies, and triumphs during the brutal storm. The inadequacy of emergency help, the slowness of rescue efforts, and the struggle to survive dominate in the dark, dangerous hours in search of a safety.

Deanna Pacelli takes us where we really don’t want to go, yet we go willingly. We are proud of these people, we want them to be all right. The simple, the educated, and the in-between--all find an inner strength and a physical endurance that we can barely comprehend.

-Karen D’Onofrio-

All For One Theater Festival
presents

SUMMER IN SANCTUARY

Written and Performed by AL LETSON

Directed by ROB URBINATI

Original lighting Consultant: ANDREW YU
Festival Lighting Designer: GRAHAM KINDRED
Original Video Designer: JARED MEZZOCCHI
Original Costume Consultant: KAREN ANSELM
Festival Production Manager: CORINNE WOODS
Festival Technical Director: CHRISTOPHER JENSEN
Associate Producer: MEGAN KOLB
Outreach Coordinator: KATE HARE
General Management: TOWN SQUARE PRODUCTIONS, INC.
Executive Director: MICHAEL WOLK
Press Agent: THE JACKSINA COMPANY, INC.

Theatre 80 St. Marks
80 St. Marks Place (west of First Avenue between 7th & 9th Streets)
New York, NY 10003
www.AFOfest.org
November 11 & 13, 2011

This autobiographical play has power, emotion, social commentary, humor, and brilliance. Told through monologue, poetry, and multimedia, it takes us on a journey from middle-class black America in New Jersey to the economically challenged suburbs of north Florida. That’s where Al Letson learns to put down his fear of defeat and pick up the torch of hope.

Al quickly becomes aware that he is an outsider in his new world. He works to fit in, and ultimately enters the gladiatorial arena of teaching. He strives to win, even when winning simply means not losing. A cheery little white lady enlists him to teach writing at her Sanctuary. Four young men become an ongoing project, and a tough one. Then he faces off with the young ladies and their Miss Attitude leader, an equal challenge. It will take all his strength and creativity to make a difference.

Never preachy, always realistic, this play is an amazing tour-de-force both in its writing and performance.

-Karen D’Onofrio-

All For One Theater Festival
presents

SCARED SKINNY

Written and Performed by MARY DIMINO

Directed by CHRISTINE RENEE MILLER

Theatre 80 St. Marks
80 St. Marks Place (west of First Avenue between 7th & 9th Streets)
New York, NY 10003
www.AFOfest.org
November 11 & 19, 2011

Mary is scared! Don’t touch dogs, they’re full of germs. Don’t sit in sand, you’ll get an infection you-know-where. And those boys in kindergarten are after only one thing. With all this baggage, a girl can’t survive without a little self-medicating: cookies, cupcakes, pies, and daily cannolli. The result is predictable, a chubby child who becomes an overweight adult.

Mary deals with it. College brings, at last, romance, a kiss, and a series of incredibly useless boyfriends. Then life takes some turns, and it becomes about somebody else. She rises to the situation after overhearing the comments of, as she puts it, “two Guidos”. Time to step up and face her fears. At last.

Fringe award-winner Mary Dimino knocks us out with her humor and insights. She’s 100 lbs. lighter in body, but massive in heart and spirit. And she knows that’s what counts.

-Karen D’Onofrio-

22Q Entertainment LLC
and
GO AlleyCat Productions
in association with
Joe Coots
present
the world premiere of

IT IS DONE

Written by ALEX GOLDBERG

Directed by TOM WOJTUNIK

Starring
CATIA OJEDA, MATT KALMAN, and EAN SHEEHY

Sound Design: COLIN WHITELY
Lighting Design: CHRISTOPHER THIELKING
Production Design: TIM McMATH
Stage Manager: AMANDA-MAE GOODRIDGE
Assistant Stage Manager: LISA HAEDRICH
Movement Consultant: RYAN KASPRZAK
Associate Producer: JOE COOTS
Press Representative: JOE TRENTACOSTA/SPRINGER ASSOCIATES

The Mean Fiddler Bar & Grill
266 W. 47th Street (between 8th Avenue & Broadway)
New York, NY
www.itisdonetheplay.com
November 7 – December 5, 2011

The bar is “perpetually open.” No, not the Mean Fiddler, but the pub within the pub, the isolated bar within a bar where the play takes place. This is a “site-specific” play, meaning the actors move among the audience. That makes things twice as much fun. It also makes things a little scary.

Jonas stumbles in from the storm. The bar is empty except for Hank, the lecherous bartender. No way to phone for help. It turns out this god-forsaken place is a dead zone. At least there’s plenty of liquor. Then a lovely lady wanders in, also stranded. Let the games begin.

This play is a fun ride. We are forced to wonder who these people are and what will happen to them before It is Done.

-Karen D’Onofrio-

Freshly Squeezed Creative Juices Theatre Company Presents

GUTS
A Multi-Media Fantasia
www.gutstheplay.com

By LIAT RON

Performed by LIAT RON
Directed/Produced by SHOSHONA CURRIER
Associate Producer: KELCIE BEENE
Set Design/Props: ERIC BEAUZAY
Costume Design: SYDNEY MARESCA
Lighting Design: JASON JEUNNETTE
Video Design: KAZ PHILLIPS SAFER
Production Stage Manager: ZHENESSE HEINEMANN
Technical Director: SEAN BAUER
Press Representative: KATIE ROSIN/KAMPFIRE PR

9th Space
160 First Avenue at 9th Street
(866) 811-4111 or www.9thspace.org
November 3 – November 20, 2011


Liat Ron lays it all out in her semi-autobiographical GUTS, A Multi-Media Fantasia. Her character, Hellthy, is having an identity crisis as she tries to find a country, a purpose, a career, and a sole mate. Ron allows us to roam the corridors of her mind while she works it all out, digging about in her enormous sandbox – a fantastic set designed by Eric Beauzay. With the assistance of videos by Kaz Phillips Safer, a cast of characters and objects, a little belly dancing, and a grueling workout, the story unfolds. Full of humor and poignant moments, she captivates and charms with her raw honesty. The manner in which she addresses eating disorders is awe-inspiring, as well as hysterical.

While bringing this production to the stage required a great deal of GUTS, pulling it off required even more talent. No problem – Liat Ron is loaded with that.

- Laurie Lawson -

Harry Diesel Productions
presents

BOY GETS GIRL

Written by REBECCA GILMAN
Directed by MICHAEL MENGER

Starring
KATE DULCICH, TALISA FRIEDMAN, DAVID HUDSON, KELLIE JOHNSON,
WILLIAM PEDEN, GREGORY RYAN, ROBERT W. SMITH

Stage Manager: CONNOR R. DAVIS
Scenic Design: DAVID MENARD
Lighting Design: MAX DOOLITTLE
Costume Design: JESSA-RAYE COURT
Sound Design: SHAUN GUNNING

The Access Theatre
380 Broadway (at White Street)
4th Floor
New York, NY
(866) 811-4111 or www.theatremania.com
November 3 – 20, 2011
Opening Night November 5, 2011

Theresa is a career woman in New York. Independent, intelligent, looking for a relationship. She goes on a blind date set up by a friend. Tony’s a nice guy, just not her type. A little needy, perhaps. She breaks it to him gently that she’s just not interested. Her work is very demanding, she says. It takes up all her time. That’s when Tony shows his dark side. And it’s very very dark.

Laughs alternate with fear in this play. The characters are very real. Real enough to make the hairs stand up on the back of your neck. As Tony’s quest to get the girl intensifies, Theresa becomes more brittle on the subject of female exploitation. She refuses to put up with it in any form, real or imagined.

As this ugly courtship reaches its finale, Theresa comes to terms with the inevitable. She also softens a bit, as she sees that we all are vulnerable to the twists and turns of fate.

-Karen D’Onofrio-

the cell, Nancy Manocherian, and Kira Simring
present
the encore production of

HEROES AND OTHER STRANGERS

Written and Performed by ZAC JAFFEE

Directed by CHRISTIAN HAINES

Stage Manager: SCOTT ANDREWS
Lighting Designer: LEE TERRY
Sound Designer: YVETTE JACKSON
Original Music: LUKE WESTBROOK
Publicist: KATIE ROSIN

the cell
338 W. 23rd Street
New York, NY 10011
(800) 838-3006 or www.thecelltheatre.org
November 3 – November 19, 2011

Zac Jaffee is a real Everyman. His performance in “Heroes and Other Strangers” takes us back to 1971, when San Francisco was the happening place, the place to run away to when reality was too real. As Lenny, he leads us on a trip in every sense of the word.

Lenny works in a camera shop, and loves to see things through all available lenses: fish-eye, wide-angle, zoom. What he doesn’t see so clearly is his own purpose in life. Then purpose is thrust upon him. An angry father ships him to Frisco to find two missing girls. During his earnest, if clueless, search, he meets the denizens of Hippiedom, including “Fountain”, “Motor Mike”, and “The Man”. Soon he doesn’t know if he is the picture or the camera.

It’s easy to see why Jaffee was awarded an Overall Excellence Award for Solo Performance at the New York International Fringe Festival. He is the guy we dated in high school, our college roommate, the boy next door--quirky, likeable, and brilliant.

-Karen D’Onofrio-

East 3rd Productions Presents

VERSE CHORUS VERSE

By RANDALL COLBURN

Starring

LORRAINE RODRIGUEZ-REYES, FORBES MARCH, KRISTY POWERS
JOSHUA COOMER, MICHAEL MALLARD, MICHAEL BRYAN HILL, SINGH BIRDSONG

Directed by RICARDO RIETHMULLER
Set Designer: MICHAEL MALLARD
Lighting Designer: ERIC NIGHTENGALE
Sound Designer: B. SIDIQ ALEXANDER
Costume and Makeup Design: JENNIE WET ALEXANADER
Composer: ZOE SARNAK
Stage Manager: CHARLES COSANO
Assistant Stage Manager: MATTHEW BRIERLEY
Dramaturg: MEROPI PEOPONIDES

Cherry Lane Theatre
38 Commerce Street
(212) 352-3101 or www.ovationtix.com or www.barefoottheatrecompany.org
Opening Night: October 29, 2011


It’s 2014, 20 years after the death of Kurt Cobain, the Godfather of Grunge music, in Randall Colburn’s VERSE CHORUS VERSE. Although the Grunge movement is dead for all practical purposes, ex-Grungers roam the West Coast looking for the remnants of music full of angst, despair, dissonance, and distortion.

As we follow Polly (Lorraine Rodrigues-Reyes) in her efforts to prove that Cobain was murdered, we see the underground of a gritty and raw world where drugs and pain flow freely. What Colburn masterfully brings to life is the ironical nature of a music born of pain that continually inflicts and sometimes encourages pain upon its proponents. Music speaks to many in different voices. In VERSE CHORUS VERSE those voices are rebellious, angry, and sadistic/masochistic. Kurt Cobain’s death – suicide, murder or euthanasia?

- Laurie Lawson -

Stage Left Studio
presents

THE VEGAS PROJECT

Lived, Survived, Written, & Performed by
THERESA GAMBACORTA

Directed by
CHERYL KING

Sound Design: KELLY E. HARNETT
Original Music: SHAUN ROBINSON
Lighting Design: ELLEN ROSENBERG
Graphic Design: WILLIAM LoCASTO

Stage Left Studio
214 West 30th (between 7th & 8th Avenues)
6th Floor
New York, NY
www.StageLeftStudio.net
September 14 – October 23, 2011


Dad isn’t just ashes in an urn. He’s a dinner companion, good-luck charm, party honoree, and post-mortem Las Vegas tourist par excellence. The guy has it made, being wheeled around the town in a carry-on suitcase. It’s his daughter who has all the worries.

Mom has decided to take Dad on one last vacation. She brings along her friend, Sharon, and insists that daughter Theresa join them for the festivities. Theresa finds this all macabre, if not insane. But Mom must be obeyed. And Theresa has a few issues of her own to resolve, although she denies it.

The talented Theresa Gambacorta portrays a multitude of characters in this funny yet sentimental retelling of her Sin City adventures, where she encounters not only her past, but her present and her future.

-Karen D’Onofrio-

Neighborhood Productions
presents
The World Premiere of

PRISON LIGHT
The everyman inside of us.

Written by AUSTIN FLINT

Starring
SARA BUFFAMANTI, BERNARDO CUBRIA, DANIELLE SLAVICK, CHAD HOEPPNER, MEG MacCARY, TUOMAS HILTUNEN

Directed by ALICE REAGAN
Scenery Design: ANDREEA MINCIC
Costume Design: RAMSEY SCOTT
Lighting Design: ELLIE RABINOWITZ
Sound Design: ELIZABETH RHODES
Assistant Director: EMILY KAPLAN
Stage Manager: KAITLIN NEMETH
Press Agent: KATIE ROSIN/KampfirePR
Creative Line Producer: AMANDA FELDMAN

The Dorothy B. Williams Theatre-Here
165 6th Avenue (entrance on Dominick Street)
New York, NY 10013
(212) 352-3101 or www.here.org
October 20 – 30, 2011

Parker hears the voices of two prisoners calling out in the night. But only he hears them. He writes letters, desperate to free them. He ignores his wife, dreads his day job, fears for the prisoners’ safety. He seldom sleeps, a driven man. He feels that time is running out.

As he gets closer and closer to finding the prisoners, he has doubts. They may be evil, undeserving of freedom. They may turn out to be dangerous. His fear and confusion are not helped by the demands of his life: rent to pay, demanding boss, needy mate.

Stressed to the limit, he struggles to see the purpose of it all. And, finally, he finds a way to free himself and the demons that haunt him.

-Karen D’Onofrio-

BAIT N’ SWISH
By DAVID SISCO

Starring
TOM GUALTIERI & DAVID SISCO

Directed by LAURA JOSEPHER
Lighting & Sound: ELLEN ROSENBERG
Sound Design: DAVID SISCO
Press: JUDY JACKSINA CO. INC.

Stage Left Studio
214 West 30th Street (between Seventh & Eighth Avenues), 6th Floor
www.StageLeftStudio.net
Thursdays & Fridays, October 13 – November 18


For those of you straight folks who have uttered in total frustration “I’m considering being gay” after yet another failed relationship, not so fast! Tom Gualtieri and David Sisco are here to tell you that gay relationships are no day at the beach.

In Sisco’s hilarious BAIT N’ SWISH you experience the frenzied agony of Gay Bait speed dating in New York City, as well as the small town everybody-knows-your-name underworld of gay Boise, Idaho. The laughs throughout are plentiful due to some sophisticated humor and the undeniable talents of Gualtieri and Sisco. These guys roll through 49 characters, one funnier than the other. Accents, genders, ages, body languages, and speech impediments – no problem. They only serve as a showcase for the actors’ versatility.

If you want to laugh for two hours straight (no pun intended), BAIT N’ SWISH is the place you need to be.

- Laurie Lawson -

Vineyard Theatre presents

THE LYONS
By NICKY SILVER

With
MICHAEL ESPER, KATE JENNINGS GRANT,
DICK LATESSA, LINDA LAVIN
BRENDA PRESSLEY, GREGORY WOODDELL

Directed by MARK BROKAW
Set Design: ALLEN MOYER
Costume Designer: MICHAEL KRASS
Lighting Designer: DAVID LANDER
Original Music & Sound Design: DAVIE VAN TIEGHEM
Fight Director: THOMAS SCHALL
Production Stage Manager: ROY HARRIS
Production Managers: BEN MORRIS, DAVID NELSON
Press Representative: SAM RUDY MEDIA RELATIONS
Casting: HENRY RUSSELL BERGSTEIN, CSA

Vineyard Theatre
108 East 15th Street
(212) 353-0303 or www.vineyardtheatre.org
09/22 – 11/11/ 2011; Opening Night: October 11, 2011


Nicky Silver’s THE LYONS puts together four distinct and often hilarious characters who attempt to function as a family. And all the fun is in the failure. The frank and foul-mouthed Dick Latessa is the dying patriarch who delivers his lines with the beyond-caring abandon of a man who realizes his life is about to end. The lovely Linda Lavin is perhaps the most sardonic and salty matriarch ever to grace a stage. You have no choice but to love her. The offspring of these two (Kate Jennings Grant, Michael Esper) quite naturally come with their own sets of bizarre behavior. Under the sharp direction of Mark Brokaw, this family keeps you laughing throughout and at times even manages to inspire and provide a glimpse of hope.

Silver is a master at combining the quirks, the insanity, the flaws, and the humanity that hides beneath our public personas and often gets us through the difficult times. THE LYONS is a family you won’t soon forget.

- Laurie Lawson -

The New York Musical Theatre Festival and Moldy Fig Productions, LLC
In association with Dennis L. Franklin and Royanth Productions present

CENTRAL AVENUE BREAKDOWN

Book by KEVIN RAY & JOSH SOHN
Music and Lyrics by KEVIN RAY
Additional Story by SUELLEN VANCE
Created by KEVIN RAY

Starring

JOSH TOWER, ALBERT CHRISTMAS, NICOLE POWELL, KEN ROBINSON
RODRICK COVINGTON, REBECCA LaCHANCE, LOU STEELE, JENNIE L. HARNEY
THADDEUS McCANTS, ANNE MARIE VICK, EILEEN PATTERSON, BRITTON SMITH

Directed & Choreographed by CHRISTOPHER WINDOM
Musical Direction & Arrangements by JUSTIN HORNBACK
Scenic Design: SAMUEL FROESCHLE
Costume Design: JANELL BERTE
Lighting Design: CORY PATTAK
Sound Design: CARL CASETTA
Casting: JAMIBETH MARGOLIS, CSA
Publicity: SPRINGER ASSOCIATES PR
Stage Manager: BECCA PICKETT
Assistant Choreographer: LIZ PICCOLI
Fight Director: SHAD RAMSEY
Assistant Stage Manager: CAROLINE ENGLANDER
Assistant Scenic Designer: FELIX BROW-WESTBROOK
Marketing Intern: T.J. SCIAFANI
Wardrobe & Wig Design: KARINE IVEY

The Peter Norton Space
555 West 42nd Street (between Tenth & Eleventh Avenues)
(212) 352-3101 or www.nymf.org
October 10 -16, 2011

CENTRAL AVENUE BREAKDOWN begins with a cacophony of sounds, hard-to-hear lyrics, and flurry of actions. You find yourself surreptitiously looking for the exit, but within five minutes it all comes together – perhaps similar to the fluid notes of a jazz creation. Suddenly you are totally involved with the jazz movement in 1940 Los Angeles and the Marcel family who have based their hopes and dreams on it.

This is an ambitious musical that follows the excitement of a constantly-reinvented music form and all the joys and tragedies that go into that creation. Through brothers Bill (Ken Robinson) and Jim (Rodrick Covington) the clash between traditional and modern jazz is portrayed. And while the music is beautiful, the underbelly is often raw and ugly.

What makes CENTRAL AVENUE BREAKDOWN an outstanding piece of work is an extremely talented cast, fluid dream-like choreography by Christopher Windom, songs by Kevin Ray that move the plot along and develop the characters, and a candid glimpse of the inside world of jazz. A sultry seduction song (“Black Monday”), a chilling “Woke Up Dead,” and a haunting “99.9” are just musical cherries on top of this delicious treat.

- Laurie Lawson -

The New York Musical Theatre Festival
and
Jeffrey & Elizabeth Passero
present

KIKI BABY
A Musical Comedy

Book by LONNY PRICE & KITT LAVIOE

Music by GRANT STURIALE

Lyrics by LONNY PRICE & GRANT STURIALE

Featuring
HELEN-JEAN ARTHUR, JENN COLELLA, ADAM HELLER, LOUIS HOBSON, MEGAN LAWRENCE, ERIC LEVITON, STACIE MORGAIN LEWIS, JILL PAICE, STEVE ROSEN, JENNIFER LAURA THOMPSON, JIM WALTON

Scenic Design: JAMES NOONE
Costume Design: WADE LABOISONNIERE
Lighting Design: MARC JANOWITZ
Sound Design: ALEX NEUMANN
Casting: JEFFERY PASSERO
Technical Director: WILLIAM WARD
Publicity: KATIE ROSIN
Music Coordinator: HOWARD JOINES
General Manager: BRIERPATCH PRODUCTIONS
Production Stage Manager: TIMOTHY R. SEMON
Orchestrations: MICHAEL STAROBIN & STEVE COHEN
Musical Director: MARK HARTMAN

Choreographed by JOSH RHODES

Directed by LONNY PRICE & MATT COWART

The Theater at St. Clement’s
423 West 46th Street (between 9th & 10th Avenues)
New York, NY
(212) 352-3101 or www.nymf.org
October 5 – October 16, 2011

Oh, baby. This child is a charmer. She’s very tall for a four-year-old, but never mind. She introduces her memoirs amid the tenement life of sometime, somewhere. Her mother is hard-working, the Irish couple is kindly, the opera singer sings, and grandma doesn’t say much.

Alas, Kiki’s fortunes change. Good for the pocketbook, bad bad bad for Kiki. The tenement becomes a Kiki-centric microcosm where nothing’s really “wrong”. It’s just business. More is never enough. Bring on the lollipop-candy-and-doll wranglers.

As so often happens in real life, Dad comes home and tries to spoil the fun. Impossible. Kiki is kicking butt and it is not wise to get in the way of those tiny little patent-leather toes. Take it away, kid!

Jenn Colella is not to be missed as Kiki. Life imitates art as she steals the show.

-Karen D’Onofrio-

The New York Musical Theatre Festival
and
Ulmer Theatricals
present
the world premiere of

DATE OF A LIFETIME
One date. Eight minutes. Two lifetimes.

Book and Lyrics by CARL KISSIN

Music by ROBERT BAUMGARTNER, JR.

Featuring
FARAH ALVIN and JAMIE LaVERDIERE

Directed by JEREMY DOBRISH

Choreographer: WENDY SEYB
Musical Director: ROBERT BAUMGARTNER, JR.
Stage Manager: ANDREA JO MARTIN
Assistant Stage Manager: JEAN MARIE HUFFORD
Producer: LIZ ULMER
Associate Producers: JESSY GROSSMAN and FRANK AVELLINO
Scenic & Prop Design: SUSAN BARRAS
Lighting Design: JEFF CROITER
Sound Design: G. ALAN BUSCH
Costume Design: JULIA LOCASCIO
Assistant Director: WALTER RYON
Production Manger/Technical Director: SETH MARION
Production Assistant: KATIE KAVETT
Spotlight Operators: LAUREN CURRY and ROBERT MENDOZA
Band: ROBERT BAUMGARTNER, JR., MIKE ROSENGARTEN, JULIE DANIELSON,
KURT GELLERSTED
Publicity: KATIE ROSIN, KAMPFIRE FILMS
Dramaturg: LAURA BUTCHY

The McGinn/Cazale Theatre
2162 Broadway (between 76th & 77th Streets)
4th Floor
New York, NY
(212) 352-3101 or www.nymf.org
October 3 – October 16, 2011


“Rotate-a-Date” offers singles the opportunity to meet strangers momentarily. Strangers looking for love, for lifetime commitment, perhaps for a one-night stand. Katie and Marvin are looking for the real deal, but neither holds out much hope. They predict another evening of failure, of meeting miserable, intolerable people. But they’re dressing-up anyway.

Their pessimistic optimism is highly contagious and wonderfully entertaining. When their eyes meet, they dream of their future together. He has his own version, of course. She replies with hers. And both are tempted to believe. Really believe.

This lovely look at love never stops entertaining. Great singing, wonderful wordplay, and delightfully surprising use of scene and prop design mark this production. It is easily the 21st century equivalent of “The Fantasticks” in its exploration of romance.

-Karen D’Onofrio-

The New York Musical Theatre Festival
and
Monkey in a Tuxedo Productions,
In association with John Von Herget Productions
present
the world premiere of

JUST LIKE MAGIC

Book and Lyrics by CHRISTOPHER W. BARNES
Book by CAMERON COLE
Music by RYAN MERCY

Starring CHRISTOPHER T. MAGICIAN and RYAN LIPNICKY

Directed by ELIZABETH LUCAS

Music Director: MICHAEL JAMES ROY
Lighting Design: KIA ROGERS
Light Board Operator: PAIGE REINIS
Spotlight Operator: JASON SCHULOF
Associate Producer: JOHN VON HERGET
Videographer: MADUKA STEADY
Publicist: KATIE ROSIN

Producer: STEVE CUNNINGHAM

TBG Theater
312 West 36th Street (between 8th & 9th Avenues)
(212) 352-3101 or www.nymf.org
Manhattan
October 7, 8, & 13, 2011

Magic and puppets aren’t just for kids any more. JUST LIKE MAGIC includes an accompanist who looks like he has to be back at the halfway house by midnight, and, toward the end, there’s a homicide. This ultra low-budget musical moves beyond kid territory with its topical references and the clever wordplay of Christopher T. Magician.

Yes, there is audience participation. But don’t be afraid. The psychotic break at the end will not involve you. Probably.

This production has plenty of good laughs and is sweet and ornery at the same time. Enjoy!

-Karen D’Onofrio-

Steve Margetis
and
Ethos Performing Arts
present
the New York premiere of

THE FAMILY ROOM
One Family. Five Therapists.

A Dramedy by ARON ELI COLEITE

Directed by GWENYTH REITZ

Featuring
DAVID M. PINCUS, NANCY STONE, JACQUELINE SYDNEY, JONATHAN TINDLE, COCO MEDVITZ, LEAH BARKER, and TYLER LEA

Artistic Director: CHRISTOS ALEXANDROU
General Manager: FOTIS MICHELIOUDAKIS
Casting Director: IOANNA CHASTA
Set Design: JIAN JUNG
Lighting Design: JEANETTE OI-SUK YEW
Costume Design: AMANDA SEYMOUR
Sound Design: CULLEY JOHNSON
Assistant Director: MATTHEW WILLIAMSON
Technical Director: KEVIN REES
Stage Manager: SHELBY TAYLOR LOVE
Master Electrician/Assistant Lighting Designer: NICOLE GREENE
Photography: COCO MARTIN
Publicity: DAVID GIBBS, DARR PUBLICITY
Graphic Design: ADAM TANKELL
Illustration: JACK ROWLAND
Production Assistant: CHRISTINA PAHOULIS

Arclight Theater
152 West 71st Street (between Broadway and Columbus Avenue)
Manhattan
(800) 838-3006 or www.BrownPaperTickets.com
September 30 – October 23, 2011

The therapists’ therapists have therapists. David is 15 and doesn’t want a therapist. He wants a father and a mother. His self-destructive behaviors are a bid to get their attention, but all he gets is more therapy. Mom and dad can’t separate work from home.

David’s quest for real human connection leads to Jennifer, another lost soul. While they share a brief bit of happiness, his parents separate and the war is on. Everyone looks for new ways to hurt each other. Only when the talk stops do the feelings begin. Intimacy is something beyond words.

A fine ensemble cast and clever staging make this walk toward self-awareness an enjoyable one.

-Karen D’Onofrio-

The New York Musical Theatre Festival
and
J&B Productions
present

JANE AUSTEN’S PRIDE AND PREJUDICE, A MUSICAL
A story of “First Impressions” and second chances…

Book, Music, and Lyrics & Additional Choral arrangements by LINDSAY WARREN BAKER
Book, Music, Lyrics, Orchestrations & Arrangements by AMANDA JACOBS

Featuring
DARREN BLUESTONE, JACQUE CARNAHAN, DOUG CARPENTER, DONNA LYNNE CHAMPLIN, SARAH DACEY CHARLES, BRIAN C. CURL, KAITLYN DAVIDSON, JOE GRANDY, KEITH KIRKWOOD, JOHN JACOB LEE, ANNE LETSCHER, GREGORY MAHEU, PATRICIA NOONAN, REBECCA PITCHER, MARGARET LOESSER ROBINSON, MATTHEW SCHNEIDER, MICHAEL SCOTT, MEGAN STERN, JENNIFER WAISER,
MARGUERITE WILLBANKS

Scenic Design: JOSH ZANGEN
Costume Design: COLLEEN KESTERSON
Lighting Design: ZACH BLANE
Sound Design: SHANNON SLATON
Casting: MICHAEL CASSARA CASTING
Publicity: HELLER HIGHWATER PR
Production Supervisor: PRODUCTION CORE
Production Stage Manager: SARAH MELISSA HALL
General Manager: LA VIE PRODUCTIONS
Music Director: TIMOTHY SPLAIN
Choreographer: JEFFRY DENMAN

Directed by IGOR GOLDIN

Signature Theatre
The Peter Norton Space
555 West 42nd Street (between 10th & 11th Avenues)
Manhattan
(212) 352-3101 or www.nymf.org
September 29 – October 11, 2011

This is a knockout production of PRIDE AND PREJUDICE wrapped in a new premise. Jane Austen’s publisher wants another book from her. Quickly, please. She resurrects the manuscript of something she wrote ten years before, titled “First Impressions”. She’s not sure it has any merit, but perhaps she can revise it. She’s learned a bit more about love in the interim, she believes. She gives herself and the book a second chance.

As the characters enter her mind, they enter the stage. Ms. Austen goes so far as to delete dialogue in the middle of its being spoken, quiz her creations, and order one rather obnoxious fellow to leave the stage. The characters sometimes get a little testy with their author or cast annoyed glances her way if the story isn’t going as they wish. Excited, challenged, and surprised by her characters, she creates a classic.

With enchanting music and an array of intriguing characters well played, this is a lovely interpretation of the book and a delightful portrayal of its author.

-Karen D’Onofrio-

The New York Musical Theatre Festival
Presents
The New York Premiere of

THE BIG BANK

http://www.thebigbank.net

A Musical Comedy by THE SELIGMANN BROTHERS

Directed by DAVID GLENN ARMSTRONG

Featuring
KLEA BLACKHURST, PIPER GOODEVE, CARLY ROSE SONENCLAR, STACEY TODD HOLT, DANIEL MARCUS, BRYAN THOMAS HUNT, CON O’SHEA, JAMES PATTERSON,
ALEX PUETTE

Scenic Design/Production Manager: JOSH IACOVELLI
Costume Design: DUSTIN CROSS
Lighting Design: CHRIS ROBINSON
Casting: MICHAEL CASSARA CASTING
Production Coordinator: DERRIAN TOLDEN
Publicity: SPRINGER ASSOCIATES
Assistant Stage Manager: MICHAEL ALIFANZ
Stage Manager: ANDREA WALES
Associate Producer: JESSICA GERSTLE
General Manager: DONNA TRINKOFF
Choreographer: DANIEL HALEY
Musical Director/Additional Arrangements: JOHN BELL


The Theater at St. Clement’s
432 W. 46th St. (between 9th & 10th Avenues)
Manhattan
(212) 352-3101 or www.nymf.org
September 27 – October 4, 2011

THE BIG BANK is not a friendly bank. It is staffed by mad men and run by a mad woman. They want to grab your assets. The mere thought sends them into ecstasies. Remember, “loan” is a four-letter word.

Now it’s time to repo more stuff: the flower shop of a weepy florist and the humble storefront of a radical Marxist ecologist. Unfortunately, one of the bankers has an illness. It’s a conscience. And he falls in love with the flower girl. And the radical Marxist ecologist didn’t live through the 1960s for nothing. He knows how to make bombs. The result of all this conflict is, well, explosive.

The dynamo here is bank boss Klea Blackhurst. She is not just the Devil in a red dress, she is T-Rex in heels. And she is delicious in this role!

-Karen D’Onofrio-

The New York Musical Theatre Festival
and
La Vie Productions
Present

THE KID WHO WOULD BE POPE
A New Musical Comedy

Book, Music, and Lyrics by TOM MEGAN and JACK MEGAN
Directed by GABRIEL BARRE

Featuring
ERIC ANDERSON, KYLE BRENN, LEAH GREENHAUS, MATTHEW GUMLEY, ALISON JAYE HOROWITZ, JAMES JUDY, JILLIAN LOUIS, BEN RADCLIFFE, NOAH RADCLIFFE, RACHEL RESHEFF, SARAH SAFER, TINA STAFFORD

Scenic Design: DAVID ESLER
Costume Design: ISABEL RUBIO
Lighting Design: JEFF CROITER
Sound Design: SHANNON SLATON
Casting: MICHAEL CASSARA CASTING
Publicity: HELLER HIGHWATER PR
Stage Manager: MARCIE A. FRIEDMAN
Production Manager: SARAH HALL
Dramaturg: MIKE COHEN
Musical Director/Arrangements: JEFFREY LODIN

The Theatre at St. Clement’s
423 West 46th Street (between 9th & 10th Avenues)
Manhattan
(212) 246-7277 or www.nymf.org
September 26 – October 7, 2011


When being an altar boy just isn’t enough, aim for Pope! Totally makes sense when you are 11 years old and in love with a nun. No, Billy’s not in love with the very questionable Sister Rudy. The sweet Sister Katherine has won his heart. And that’s a big problem when you’re the new kid at Our Lady of Perpetual Motion elementary school. But don’t worry. There’s no problem this gang can’t sing its way out of.

The ultra-talented cast meet up with Orthodox angels, a lecherous Cardinal, the Pope, and a few miracles. In that innocent world where the mere sharing of chocolate milk makes you friends, there’s nothing that can’t be paid for with a really big bake sale. The kids head for Rome and a confrontation with His Holiness. There, at last, Billy sees the light at the end of the cannoli.

This happy brilliant musical take on the Catholic School Experience is a joy.

-Karen D’Onofrio-

Cheryl King Productions
Cheryl King, Artistic Director
presents

The World Premiere of

GRAPEFRUIT

An Autobiographical Comedy by SALLY LAMBERT

Starring CHERYL KING

Directed by THERESA GAMBACORTA

Sound Design: Joe Hutcheson
Publicity: Judy Jacksina

Part of the 2011 Women at Work Festival

Stage Left Studio
214 West 30th Street (between 7th & 8th Avenues)
6th Floor
New York, NY
(212) 838-2134 or www.StageLeftStudio.net
September 28-November 2, 2011

This tiny tornado of a play lasts only 60 minutes, but spans a lifetime.

Sally Lambert was an opera star and playwright until a grapefruit got in the way. She died last year, just before this play was to debut with her telling her own tale. Cheryl King has done a masterful job of taking up the role. This is a comedy about tragedy, pulled off brilliantly.

We begin with Sally coming out of the anesthetic. The news isn’t great. Then we join her on a voyage through her life’s adventures, successes, and dramas. She laughs and we laugh. We are laughing to scare the devil, and we all know it. But we are laughing, and that’s what matters.

-Karen D’Onofrio-

Bill Norrett/Cyrano Players, Inc. Presents

KITHLESS IN PARADISE

By MOLLY MORONEY

With

LIZ FORST, BRIT HERRING, BOB MANUS
TRACY NEWIRTH, DAVID WIRTH, JILL MELANIE WIRTH

Directed by NIKI FLACKS
Scenic Design: RAUL ABREGO
Costume Design: REBECCA LUSTIG
Lighting Design: JOSHUA SCHERR
Sound Design: KIMBERLY CARBONE
Production Supervisor: PRODUCTION CORE
Production Stage Manager: KRISTINE AYERS
Marketing & Advertising: THE PEKOE GROUP
Publicity: SPRINGER ASSOCIATES
Associate General Manager: DIANE ALIANIELLO
General Manager: CESA ENTERTAINMENT, INC.

Lion Theatre @Theatre Row
410 West 42nd Street (between Ninth & Tenth Avenues)
(212) 239-6200 or www.telecharge.com
September 13 – October 9; Opening Night – 09/20/11

Molly Moroney’s KITHLESS IN PARADISE has an underlying theme that rich people have problems too. The wine they use to assuage them is a little more expensive, but hey, they are just trying to cope. And concern over how to protect $20 million can be just as traumatic as trying not to liquidate the last of a 401K pension plan.

Tim and Janice (David Wirth, Liz Forst) are the hosts of get-togethers with longtime friends Phil and Polly (Brit Herring, Tracy Newirth) and Ken and Sandy (Bob Manus, Jill Melanie Wirth). As the vintage wine flows, secrets are revealed, relationships are tested, and values are questioned. There is much humor throughout although heavy subjects like end-of-life issues, fidelity, marriage, and friendship are exposed and explored.

Put KITHLESS IN PARADISE on your list of plays to be seen. The writing is sharp, the direction by Niki Flaks is flawless, and the acting is superb. Bring your kith and your kin – they’ll like it too!

- Laurie Lawson -

To Celebrate the 100th Birthday of Tennessee Williams

The White Horse Theater Company
www.whitehorsetheater.com
presents

SUDDENLY LAST SUMMER

by TENNESSEE WILLIAMS

Directed by CYNDY A. MARION

Starring
ELIZABETH BOVE, LACY J. DUNN, CAROL ANN FOLEY, LUE’ McWILLIAMS, HAAS REGAN, HEATHER LEE ROGERS, DOUGLAS TAUREL

Set Design: JOHN C. SCHEFFLER
Lighting: DEBRA LEIGH SIEGEL
Costumes: DAVID B. THOMPSON
Incidental Music/Composer/Arranger: JOE GIANONO
Sound Design: COLIN WHITELY
Dramaturge: VANESSA R. BOMBARDIERI
Assistant Director: MICHELLE KARST
Stage Manager: ELLIOT LANES
Assistant Stage Manager: SURAYAH DAVIS
Fight Choreographer: MICHAEL G. CHIN
Dialect Coach: JULIE FOH
Scenic Design Execution: RANDALL PARSONS
Postcard/Cover Illustration: SERENA HUANG
Postcard/Cover Design: MELISSA LIN
Master Electrician: SHAWN M. WYSOCKI
Prop Construction: NELLY REYES
Marketing & Promotions: THE PEKOE GROUP – AMANDA PEKOE, KERRY MINCHINTON, JESSICA FERRIERA, MARISSA CORONADO, BETH CHROBAK, JASON MURRAY, GREGORY FULLUM
Press Representative: KATIE ROSIN/KampfirePR


The Hudson Guild Theatre
441 W. 26th Street (between 9th & 10th Avenues)
New York, NY
(212) 868-4444 or www.smarttix.com


The aging southern ingenue, the kindly gentleman, the mentally questionable young lady, the needy relatives. They are all meeting in the garden. All greedy, all feeding on each other. Even the plants are cannibals. It’s an abattoir out there.

SUDDENLY LAST SUMMER is the wicked brew for which Tennessee Williams is infamously famous. He rips off the pretty little outside to reveal the ugly reality on the inside. People are like the venus flytrap, luring the unwary to their doom. Some people are the flies, of course. There have to be flies.

The deceptively charming Mrs. Venable, deliciously played by Elizabeth Bove, wants to force Cathy to be lobotomized. A simple request, for the girl’s own good. Of course, should that request be denied, she will be forced, reluctantly, to cut off everyone’s money supply.

It all hinges on what really happened last summer. Cathy was the eye witness. Cathy must be silenced. And Cathy’s not the silent type. My my. Is it getting too warm in here, or is it me?

-Karen D’Onofrio-

SPICA 8 PRODUCTIONS
presents

THE WOMAN STANDING ON THE MOON
A world in pieces; where the way we hope may be the greatest threat of all.
www.thewomanstandingonthemoon.com

By JAMES HAIGNEY

Starring
JAMES PATRICK EARLEY, TAYLOR FLOWERS, CHRISTA KIMLICKO JONES, STEVEN LAING, SARAH SAUNDERS, DIANA STAHL

Directed by BERNARD CUMMINGS

Scenic Designer: CHRISTOPHER THOMPSON
Costume Designer: HANADI KHURMA
Lighting Designer: GREG SOLOMAN
Sound Designer: SCOTT O’BRIEN
Projection Designer: KEVIN R. FRECH
Stage Manager: JULIE BUSCH
Assistant Stage Manager: KAITLIN ROBERTSON SPRINGSTON
Assistant Lighting Designer: ZACH PIZZA
Properties Master: LAUREN MADDEN
Charge Scenic Artist: KYLE BRIDWELL
Publicity Representative/Marketing Consultant: KATIE ROSIN/KAMPFIRE PR
Fight Choreographers: BERNARD CUMMINGS, TAYLOR FLOWERS, SARAH SAUNDERS
Fight Captains: TAYLOR FLOWERS, SARAH SAUNDERS
House Manager: MIRIAM IBRAHIM


The Theatre at 30th Street
Urban Stages
259 W. 30th Street (near 8th Avenue)
New York, NY
(212) 868-4444 or www.smarttix.com
September 15 – October 2, 2011


They just want the pain to stop. Mary submerges herself in a new boyfriend and the making of her documentary. Ex-husband David crawls into binge drinking. The G.I. wraps himself in Jesus. Yet their pain increases, it does not diminish. The G.I.’s wife offers comfort to them all, but they can’t or won’t believe her. This powder-keg of emotion needs only a spark to ignite hellfire

THE WOMAN STANDING ON THE MOON in the title refers to a vision from the Book of Revelation. The play reveals much. The actors brave the depths of emotion to show that anger, fear, superstition, and religion can be a lethal mix. That the hunt for a villain, for someone to blame, is a war unto itself, whether on the intimate scale of domestic life or on the world stage of battle.

This production, born of the artistic vision of author James Haigney and skillfully directed by Bernard Cummings, shows us that deliverance to be found, albeit with great sacrifice.

-Karen D’Onofrio-

Madeline Austin, S. D. Wagner, and Carrie Schoenfeld
Present
the World Premiere of

THE INVESTED

By SHARYN ROTHSTEIN

Featuring

MICHAEL DANIEL ANDERSON, BILL CWIKOWSKI, CHRISTINA HAAG, JUDITH HAWKING, THOMAS HILDRETH, and TURNA METE

Directed by RON CANADA

Scenic Designer: LAUREN HELPERN
Lighting Design: TRACI KLAINER POLIMENI
Projection Designer: PAMELA TRAYNOR
Costume Design: EMILY DeANGELIS
Composer and Sound Design: TOBY JAGUAR ALGYA
Casting Director: BRETTE GOLDSTEIN
Properties Master: PATTI KALIL
Production Stage Manager: SARAH NOCHENSON
Assistant Stage Manager: KATE DICKINSON
Press Agent: DALE HELLER
Associate Producer: STERNMAN PRODUCTIONS
Associate Producer: SCOTT BENEDICT
Technical Director/Wardrobe Supervisor: DAVE CHONTOS
Production Electrician: LAURA SCHOCH
Assistant Lighting Designer: WILLIAM G NOGUCHI
Electrics/Projection Crew: GEOFF MOONEN
Electrics/Sound: CHRIS STAEBELL
Production Assistant: MARY BLEVINS

The 4th Street Theatre
83 E. 4th Street (between Bowery & 2nd Avenue)
New York, NY 10003
(800) 838-3006 or www.nytheatre.com
September 14 – September 24, 2011


It’s all about seduction. The characters in THE INVESTED are seduced by greed, profit, power, and sex. Whatever gets them what they want. Until the price becomes too high and someone, something, must be sacrificed.

Catherine is head of wealth management at MetroBank. Her climb up the ladder has stalled abruptly one step from the top. In swaggers Bill Enoch to take charge and bend everyone to his will with his imagined charm. Lies lead to betrayal, corruption, and the precarious financial pyramid rocks their world. Catherine has ethics and loyalty, but must fight herself to decide which course of action to follow. Because no matter what her decision, she will have betrayed someone. Possibly herself.

Using the shadow of recent Wall Street debacles, Sharyn Rothstein has painted an intimate scene of the conduct that leads to downfall. Brisk pacing, great acting, and razor-sharp direction by Emmy award winner Ron Canada.

-Karen D’Onofrio-

Mary’s Hideaway LLC Presents

PLAY IT COOL
A New Musical

Conceived by LARRY DEAN HARRIS
Book: MARTIN CASELLA & LARRY DEAN HARRIS
Lyrics: MARK WINKLER
Music: PHILLIP SWANN
Additional Music by Jim Anderson, Michael Cruz, Marilyn Harris
Emilio Palame, Larry Steelman

Starring

SALLY MAYES, MICHAEL BUCHANAN, CHRIS HOCH
ROBYN HURDER, MICHALE R. McGUIRK

Directed by SHARON ROSEN
Choreographed by MARC KIMELMAN
Set Design: THOMAS A WALSH
Lighting Design: DEB SULLIVAN
Costume Design: THERESE BRUCK
Sound Design: CARL CASELLA & PETER FITZGERALD
Hair/Wig Design: JOSHUA SPEED SCHWARTZ
Production Stage Manager: JANE POLE
Music Supervisor/Arrangements: JOE BAKER
Music Director: DAVID LIBBY
Casting Consultant: MICHAEL CASSARA, CSA
General Manager: ROY GABAY
Advertising & Marketing: HHC MARKETING

BAND

Music Director, “Smokey,” Piano – DAVID LIBBY
Bass – DAN FABRICATORE
Drums – DAN GROSS

Acorn Theatre @ Theatre Row
410 West 42nd Street (between Ninth & Tenth Avenues)
(212) 239-6200 or www.telecharge.com
Opening Night: September 14, 2011

Everybody has something to hide at Mary’s Hideaway, but what PLAY IT COOL, A New Musical conceived by Larry Dean Harris, isn’t hiding is that this is a first-rate production. Full of great jazz music (music by Phillip Swann, lyrics by Mark Winkler) and the compelling story line of gay lifestyles in the 1950’s including all the secrecy and danger, this is one of those gems that you hope to discover each time you visit an Off-Broadway show.

The amazing Sally Mayes is nightclub owner Mary, and her love interest is Lena (Robyn Hurder). Told in the style of a noir mystery, Henry the cop (Michael F. McGuirk) is the narrator who is bothered by Hollywood agent Eddie (Chris Hoch) and bewitched by runaway Will (Michael Buchanan). This talented group sings and dances and acts their hearts out. A fantastic set by Thomas A. Walsh and authentic costumes by Therese Bruck set the atmosphere for Mary’s Hideaway – a place you are definitely glad you visited. PLAY IT COOL is total entertainment from beginning to end.

- Laurie Lawson -

 Knife Edge Productions

in association with SwineStars Productions

presents the revival of 

TAPE 

By STEPHEN BELBER

Directed by SAM HELFRICH 

Starring

DON DiPAOLO, NEIL HOLLAND, THERESE PLAEHN 

Scenic Designer: LAURA JELLINEK

Lighting Designer: KATE ASHTON

Costume Designer: NANCY LEARY

            Sound Designer: JACK KENNEDY

Production Stage Manager: HEATHER ARNSON

 Production Manager: CHIP MILLER

Press Representative: DAVID GIBBS

Graphic Designer: DAVID BLAIS

Executive Producer: NEIL HOLLAND

Producer: DON DiPAOLO

 June Havoc Theatre

Abingdon Theatre Arts Complex

312 W. 36^th  Street (between 8^th & 9^th Avenues)

(212) 868-2055 or www.TapeNYC.com

September 9-September 24; Opening Night September 13, 2011

 Photo by Sal Cacciato 

A dingy motel room in Lansing, Michigan, is hell by definition. But Vince makes it way worse in TAPE. He has come in all the way from Oakland, California, to meet up with high-school pal Jon, carrying a duffle bag full of hate, resentment, and regrets. He has picked this moment, a moment of personal achievement for Jon, to open a can of teen angst ten years in the brewing. 

This play is the poster child for “guys are immature”. Vince plays mind games, Jon plays mind games. Who is after what, and why? These two themselves may not even know. Enter Amy, the last corner of the high school triangle and the critical piece of the puzzle.

Little Miss Amy takes no prisoners. After getting her bearings, or trying to, she gives as good as she gets and forces the so-called men to face a very brutal thing— the truth. 

-Karen D’Onofrio-

Rachel Reiner Productions, LLC presents

DALLY WITH THE DEVIL
A play by VICTOR L. CAHN

Featuring

ELIZABETH A. DAVIS, ELIZABETH NORMENT, ERIKA ROLFSROD

Directed by ERIC PARNESS
Set Designer: JISUM KIM
Costume Designer: MICHELLE EDEN HUMPHREY
Lighting Designer: PAMELA KUPPER
Sound Designer/Composer: NICK MOORE
Props Master: LAUREN MADDEN
Assistant Costume Designer: ASHLEY SWEETMAN
Production Stage Manager: SEAN McCAIN
Assistant Stage Manager: VERONICA GRAVELINE
Press Representative: JOE TRENTACOSTA, SPRINGER ASSOCIATES PR
Marketing Consultant: MARIE REYNOLDS
Casting Director: STEPHANIE KLAPPER
Casting Assistants: TYLER ALBRIGHT & LAUREN O’CONNELL
Production Manager: NICOLE GODINO
Technical Director: MATT VIERA
Logo Designer: BILLY MITCHELL

Beckett Theatre @ Theatre Row
410 West 42nd Street (between Ninth & Tenth Avenues)
(212) 239-6200 or www.telecharge.com
September 10 – October 8; Opening Night – 09/14/11

Charlotte (Erika Rolfsrud) is a political blogger in Victor L. Cahn’s DALLY WITH THE DEVIL. She is being courted by two officials from opposing campaigns (Elizabeth Norment, Elizabeth A. Davis) for her significant influence. Of course we are talking politics here, so she is being asked to besmirch the reputation of the opposing team instead of touting the accomplishments of the home team. Amidst a beautiful beach setting that screams peacefulness (designed by Jisum Kim), these three acrimonious ladies develop sparring relationships that include bribes, threats, lies, and hidden truths. Each must raise or lower their personal bars of integrity.

The acting is crisp, as is the message in DALLY WITH THE DEVIL. Unfortunately, it is full of cliché lessons: “What goes around, comes around;” Don’t throw stones if you live in a glass house;” “What’s good for the goose is good for the gander;” “All’s fair in love, war, and politics;” etc. With the last decade where we have been forced to experience dysfunctional politics, media spin, and out-and-out lying, we probably could add a few more that we learned the hard way.

- Laurie Lawson -

The Play Company
presents

INVASION!

By JONAS HASSEN KHEMIRI

Translated from the original Swedish by
RACHEL WILLSON-BROYLES

Featuring

FRANCIS BENHAMOU, NICK CHOKSI, ANDREW RAMCHARAN GUILARTE,
BOBBY MORENO

Directed by ERICA SCHMIDT
Set Design: ANTJE ELLERMANN
Costume Design: OANA BOTEZ-BAN
Lighting Design: MATTHEW RICHARDS
Sound Design: BART FASBENDER
Casting: JUDY HENDERSON, C.S.A.
Fight Choreography: J. STEVEN WHITE
Production Stage Manager: LARRY K. ASH
Artistic Associate: MELISSA HARDY
Production Supervisor: PRODUCTION CORE
Press Representative: SAM RUDY MEDIA RELATIONS

The Flea Theater
41 White Street (between Church and Broadway)
Tribeca
(212) 352-3101 or www.playco.org
September 9 – October 1; Opening Night September 13, 2011



2011 OBIE Award winner INVASION! is back with a vengeance. Who is Abulkasem? What’s in a name? Four actors take that ball and run with it, morphing from rap to CIA to desperate refugee in rocket time, keeping the audience involved and on its toes with surprises and tour-de-force acting.

INVASION! has been tweaked since its February debut and is better than ever. With its themes of fear and outside threat, it is certainly timely. But it rocks its themes with a real sense of speed. No preaching here. Only action and a romp for us all.

Adventurous doesn’t cover it. Unique insight into our modern world of nameless fear by Swedish-Tunisian playwright Khemiri. Or does fear have a name? Abulkasem?

-Karen D’Onofrio-

Red Meat Entertainment
In association with The Present Company
As part of the 15th Annual New York International Fringe Festival
Present the East Coast Premiere of

CARNIVAL KNOWLEDGE:
LOVE, LUST, AND OTHER HUMAN ODDITIES

Written and Performed by NAOMI GROSSMAN
www.naomigrossman.net

Directed by RICHARD EMBARDO
Choreographer: RODRIGO GUZMAN
Sound Designer: KELLEY RODGERS
Scenic Designer: STEVEN K. BARNETT & APRIL LAWRENCE
Lighting Designer: STUART FABEL
Authorized Company Representative: HADI TABBAL
Stage Manager: JACKIE MARUSCHAK
Board Operator: KIM NEGRETE & ALEXANDRA CAMPOS
Publicist: DALE HELLER (HELLER HIGHWATER)
Graphic Designer: JOSHUA FONG
Press Photographer: DAVID MELTZER & MAIA ROSENFELD

The Kraine Theater
85 East 4th Street (between Bowery & Second Avenue)
www.FringeNYC.org
8/18 @ 7pm; 8/19 @ 8:45pm; 8/20 @ 3pm; 8/24 @ 2:30pm; 8/26 @ 6:15pm


LA Weekly Theatre Award Nominee Naomi Grossman’s CARNIVAL KNOWLEDGE: LOVE, LUST, AND OTHER HUMAN ODDITIES is a sexual romp with a carnival atmosphere. In her one-woman show, she is looking for that one man who is going to complete her life. And she shamelessly shares all the frog kissing she has done in her search. From yoga teachers and Argentinean soccer teams to a nice Jewish boy and a man in a chicken suit, kinky sexual adventures and daring dating disasters abound.

The comedy of Carnival Knowledge is raw and gritty. And Grossman’s characters have no problem pulling it off as she juggles weenies and twists her flexible body into yoga poses, tango steps and sexual positions. In fact they revel in the sordid details. And that’s the good news/bad news aspect of this work. She’s a talented actress who can hold your attention with her characterizations and storytelling. But after nine dating episodes, the stories become repetitive in theme. Nonetheless, Grossman is both humorous and poignant, and you cannot deny her courage and honesty in Carnival Knowledge.

- Laurie Lawson _

At Play Presents

HERMAN KLINE’S MIDLIFE CRISIS
www.HermanKlinesMidlifeCrisis.com

A new play by JOSH KOENIGSBERG

Featuring

ADAM LEFEVRE, KATHERYN KATES, BOBBY MORENO, MARY QUICK

Directed by SHERRI EDEN BARBER
Scenic Designer: ANNE ALLEN GOELZ
Costume Designer: WHITNEY LOCHER
Sound Designer: ZANE BIRDWELL
Lighting Designer: JEFFREY SMALL
Assistant Lighting Designer: CHRISTOPHER STAEBELL
Production Stage Manager: CARLY LEVIN
Press Representative: DALE HELLER/SAM RUDY MEDIA RELATIONS
Stage Manager: CATHERINE LYNCH

The Beckett Theatre @Theatre Row
410 West 42nd Street (between Ninth & Tenth Avenues)
(212) 239-6200 or www.telecharge.com
August 7th – September 3rd; Opening Night: August 14, 2011


I’m not sure I can think of enough superlatives to describe Josh Koenigsberg’s HERMAN KLINE’S MIDLIFE CRISIS but I’m going to try because I really don’t want you to let this U.S. Premiere slip by. The character-rich production is both hysterical and poignant, often simultaneously. A sublime cast makes the absurd believable and the credible ridiculous, all the while tugging at your heartstrings and tickling your funny bone.

Dr. Herman Kline (Adam Lefevre) is having a midlife crisis, and his wife (Katheryn Kates) is beginning to suspect there is a problem. Young Ernie (Bobby Moreno) and Lauren (Mary Quick) are in the middle of their own crises, and as the four collide, Koenigsberg intertwines their lives to expertly convey the human condition and its tussle with mortality from all perspectives. You will absolutely be in love with each character no matter how conflicting their agendas may be. Put your crisis on the shelf and go see HERMAN KLINE’S MIDLIFE CRISIS – it’s a masterpiece!

- Laurie Lawson -

MY MOTHER'S ITALIAN, MY FATHER'S JEWISH, & I'M STILL IN THERAPYThe Midtown Theater presents

STEVEN SOLOMON’S
MY MOTHER’S ITALIAN, MY FATHER’S JEWISH,
& I’M STILL IN THERAPY

Written by and Starring STEVE SOLOMON
Directed by ANDY ROGOW
Executive Producers – STEVE SOLOMON & ABBY KOFFLER
In association with The Midtown Theater
Personal Management: I’M IN THERAPY, INC.

The Midtown Theater
163 West 46th Street (between Broadway & Sixth Avenue)
(212) 977-3884 or www.MidtownTheater.net
August 5 – August 31; Opening Night – August 10, 2011


Steve Solomon is back in town with the second installment of MY MOTHER’S ITALIAN, MY FATHER’S JEWISH & I’M STILL IN THERAPY. And he’s still funny. In a cabaret-like setting at The Midtown Theater, he shares amusing anecdotes about his childhood, revelations about his relatives, interesting insights about the condition of the world today, and of course funny- sometimes-bordering-on-hysterical familial stories. He does this with a variety of voices and sound effects.

Solomon is a one-man tour-de-force who revels in chaos and a slightly warped perspective of reality. Some of the humor is predictable and all of it definitely is for the mature crowd, but when he hits, it’s a touchdown, hole-in-one home run. For those who want guaranteed laughs, MY MOTHER’S ITALIAN, MY FATHER’S JEWISH & I’M STILL IN THERAPY is the way to go.

- Laurie Lawson -

Cause Celebre presents
www.causecelebre.info
The New York Premiere of

TENNESSEE WILLIAMS'

THE PRETTY TRAP
(the one-act version of “The Glass Menagerie”)

Starring KATHERINE HOUGHTON
With
ROBERT ELI, LOREN DUNN, NISI STURGIS

Directed by ANTONY MARSELLIS
Scenic Designer: RAY KLAUSEN
Lighting and Sound: BERNIE DOVE
Costumes: DAVID TOSER
Production Stage Manager: ANITA ROSS
Stage Manager: C. RENEE ALEXANDER
Assistant to the Producer: BRENDAN HILL
Public Relations: SRINGER ASSOCIATES PR
Accounting: IRA SCHALL
Legal Counsel: M. GRAHAM COLEMAN, Esq.

Theatre Row Acorn Theatre
410 West 42nd Street (between Ninth & Tenth Avenues)
(212) 239-6200 or www.telecharge.com
August 2nd – August 21st; Opening Night: August 3, 2011

THE PRETTY TRAP is Tennessee Williams’ one-act version of his now-classic “The Glass Menagerie.” This is a lighter rendering of the well-known story of Amanda Wingfield and her determination to secure a future for her painfully-shy daughter Laura. Make no mistake – there is still pathos and desperation that surround the Wingfield family, but Williams injects a touch of humor every now and then, as well as a brighter ending.

Katherine Houghton, who starred with her aunt Katherine Hepburn in “Guess Who’s Coming To Dinner,” takes on and conquers the Amanda role of the perennial Southern belle. Charming and effervescent, she infuses hope into the dismal and bleak St. Louis flat impressively designed by Ray Klausen. Nisi Sturgis is the wistful Laura, as fragile as the glass animals she collects. Loren Dunn and Robert Eli provide the male counterparts. The reality is that no one does it like Tennessee. THE PRETTY TRAP is a glimpse into the genius of the master, and this is a version of a masterpiece. Definitely worth seeing.

- Laurie Lawson -

Cause Celebre Presents
www.causecelebre.info
The World Premiere of

THE SHOEMAKER

By SUSAN CHARLOTTE

Featuring
DANNY AIELLO
With
ALMA CUERVO * LUCY DeVITO * MICHAEL TWAINE

Directed by ANTONY MARSELLIS
Producers: DANNY AIELLO, SUSAN CHARLOTTE
Co-Producers: LOUIS BALDONIERI, MARY DAVIS
Scenic Designer: RAY KLAUSEN
Lighting and Sound: BERNIE DOVE
Costumes: DAVID TOSER
Production Stage Manager: ANITA ROSS
Stage Manager: C. RENEE ALEXANDER
Public Relations: SPRINGER ASSOCIATES PR
Marketing: TRACEY MILLER & ASSOCIATES
Assistant to the Producer: BRENDAN HILL
Accounting: IRA SCHALL
Legal Counsel: M. GRAHAM COLEMAN, Esq.

Acorn Theatre@Theatre Row
410 West 42nd Street (between Ninth & Tenth Avenues)
(212) 239-6200 or www.telecharge.com
July 14 – August 14; Opening Night – July 24, 2011

For those of you familiar with the one-act play of THE SHOEMAKER or the film version (A Broken Sole), don’t think that you can pass up this expanded version of the powerful play written by Susan Charlotte and directed by Antony Marsellis. This poignant piece of work has been made even more powerful by combining the past and present.

Academy Award Nominee Danny Aiello is THE SHOEMAKER, an Italian Jew haunted by the death of his family in the Holocaust. Sent to America to be safe during turbulent times, his modest shoe repair shop is a metaphor for a man trying to soothe his troubled soul. The shoes take on the personalities of their owners and are treated with dignity and respect that should be afforded their human versions. Memories from a traumatic past come flooding back as September 11th unfolds in the Hell’s Kitchen shop.

Aiello sets forth a formidable portrayal of a man grappling with the past and fearing the future as his “safe and secure” present crumbles before his eyes. It is so authentic that it takes your breath away. His stunning performance is enhanced by co-stars Alma Cuervo, Lucy DeVito, and the offstage voice of Michael Twaine, along with an extraordinary set by Ray Klausen and haunting music (designed by Bernie Dove). THE SHOEMAKER is back and more compelling than ever. Don’t miss it.

- Laurie Lawson -

NEW GEORGES
www.newgeorges.org
Susan Bernfield, Artistic Director
Sarah Cameron Sunde, Associate Director
Jaynie Saunders Tiller, Managing Director
presents

THE GERM PROJECT
ALICEGRACEANON by KARA LEE CORTHRON
Directed by KARA-LYNN VAENI
EVENING ALL AFTERNOON by ANNA ZIEGLER
Directed by BEATRICE TERRY
THIS IS NOT ANTIGONE by KATHRYN WALAT
Directed by PORTIA KRIEGER
GOLDOR $ MYTHICA: A HERO IS BORN by LYNN ROSEN
Directed by SHANA GOLD

June 11 through July 9, 2011
3LD Art & Technology Center
80 Greenwich Street (just south of Rector)
Tickets: www.smarttix.com or (212) 868-4444

Set NICK FRANCONE
Lights JEANNETTE OI-SUK YEW
Sound MARCELO ANEZ and ASA WEMBER
Video PIAMA HABIBULLAH and JARED MEZZOCCHI
Costumes JESSICA WEGENER SHAY
Props/Set Assoc. RACHEL SCHAPIRA
House Bands MIKE FERRARO & THE YOUNG REPUBLICANS and THE HOUSE OF LEAVES
Production Stage Managers MARCIE A. FRIEDMAN/AMY FRANCIS SCHOTT
Press Rep/Production Photos JIM BALDASSARE

ACTING COMPANY:
CAROLYN BAEUMLER, MAGGIE BOFILL, JUAN JAVIER CARDENAS
JORGE CHACON, JACKIE CHUNG, MATTHEW-LEE ERLBACH, ANNA KULL
PETER LEVINE, GARRETT NEERGAARD, THOMAS PECINKA, CHARISE CASTRO SMITH, JENNY SEASTONE STERN, and DANNY WOLOHAN

Photo by Jim Baldassare

THE GERM PROJECT is described as “a response to the trend in the American theater toward smaller new plays.” Part of the response was to commission four playwrights to create new works “of scope and adventure.” The germs of the project are the scenes from these would-be larger works that include the most theatrically dramatic and difficult parts, in an attempt to prove that bigger, more complex plays are, indeed, produce-able.

The result, THE GERM PROJECT, is a high-energy event featuring performers fully committed to their piece of the project. The germs are from plays that cover such subjects as an imagined world where the anonymous author of “Go Ask Alice”, Grace Slick and Alice (from Wonderland) share the stage, dangerous adolescent love, a new take on classical mythology and a Dungeons and Dragons-driven romance that sparks an event out of television’s “Wicked Attraction”, and often feature accompaniment by the house band.

Each director makes the most of the limited stage area by extending the action vertically, and the production elements for each of the four segments comes together, if not seamlessly, well enough to showcase the produce-ability of each idea. The sets are simple by necessity, forcing the focus on other elements, and here care was taken to develop costumes, sound design and lighting that enhance the performances. The transition between germs is accompanied by live action and video mini-intermissions that serve to mark time and maintain the evening as a cohesive whole.

Definitely creative, it is not so clear whether these germs would be successful as larger plays, but as snapshots, they work as a virtual tasting menu of what the company has to offer. THE GERM PROJECT represents an innovative approach to the current trends in theater, and leaves the viewer wondering what comes next, and most likely, wanting more.

- Kessa De Santis -

Hit and Run Productions
in association with
Aching Dogs Theater
presents
YOU’LL BE HAPPY WHEN I’M DEAD
by BILL RUTKOSKI


June 8 through June 19, 2011

Crowne Theater of the Producers Club
358 W. 44th Street between 8th and 9th Avenues
Reservations: (212) 868-4444 or www.smarttix.com

Director & Sound Designer DON CREEDON
Producing Artistic Director of Aching Dogs Theatre PAMELA SCOTT
Director of Hit & Run Productions, Inc. ARI TAUB
Lighting Design MEGAN L. PETI
Lighting and Sound Technician ROSEMARIE DESAPIO
Stage Manager YUDELKA HEYER
House Manager JESSICA FONTAINE
Publicity SCOTTI RHODES

Cast
Dorothy – Nina Rochelle
Bob – Bill Rutkoski
Jimmy – Mike Rutkoski
Sunny – Joan Porter
Karen – Pamela Scott

YOU’LL BE HAPPY WHEN I’M DEAD presents the sort of family dynamic that most of us can relate to on one level or another, but could only wish provided fodder for humor. This is a story we have seen in many different iterations before, and this particular outing is playwright and actor Bill Rutkoski’s take on the familiar aging-parent-becomes-a-challenge-to-adult-children plot.

In this case, the parent is the widowed Dorothy, who is periodically visited by two of her sons, Bob and Jimmy, who take her to medical appointments and attempt to see to her well being while trying to overcome ongoing family conflicts and the inevitability of physical deterioration due to chronic illness. Doesn’t sound like it would be funny, but it is at the most successful points in the play, mainly due to the talents of Nina Rochelle, who plays Dorothy, and Joan Porter, as sister Sunny. As written, the scenes with Sunny do not quite mesh with the rest of the play, and are almost extraneous to the plot, which is unfortunate, because they do provide some witty repartee. Dorothy dancing and singing injects some liveliness too. The interactions between Dorothy and eldest son Bob have some juice, mainly due to the fallback position of Dorothy as overbearing, meddling and even vitriolic mom, but the dialogue between the brothers has the feel of eavesdropping on mundane conversation, where the topics do not stray much from what is in the freezer that can be cooked for dinner, and favorite scenes from “Planet of the Apes”.

Overall, YOU’LL BE HAPPY WHEN I’M DEAD does not cover any new ground, but does fulfill the Aching Dogs Theater function of showcasing the talents of its members. The performance I attended was on a brutally hot day in New York City, but the house was full, and the laughs from the crowd did not stop - testament to the fact that there is value for an audience in seeing something familiar that aims to please.

- Kessa De Santis -

Theater for the New City presents

QUARTET
The Gay World

ACTORS
A.I.D.S
DINA AND ALBA
PIGGY BANK

By MARIO FRATTI

Featuring

WAYNE MAUGANS, SARAH DOE OSBORNE, KENNETH W. ZIEGLER
PAUL CAIOLA, JASON BEAUBIEN
JENNIFER LAINE WILLIAMS, MELANIE ROSE WILSON
MICHAEL SIROW, VICTORIA WATSON, DENNIS WIT

Directed by STEPHAN MORROW
Set Design by MARK MARCANTE
Lighting Design by ALEXANDER BARTENIEFF
Scenic Artists: LYTZA COLON & DAVID “AEN” MANSLEY
Stage Manager: DAHEE KIM
Board Operator: SARAH HARRIS

Theater for the New City
155 First Avenue at 10th Street
(212) 254-1109 or www.theaterforthenewcity.net
June 2nd – 19th; Opening Night: June 5th, 2011


Mario Fratti has come up with four unique gay-themed plays in QUARTET. And he has woven them together with an underlying premise that everybody has a con. In Actors a devoted father devises a scheme that will satisfy both him and his daughter. An institution attempts to bribe a dying man in A.I.D.S, while a straight man provides the proposition in Dina and Alba. Piggy Bank is the most forthright and honest in duplicity as a prostitute scams her customers.

Fratti seems to delight in supplying a last-minute twist in each of these plays. He answers no questions definitively but leaves you wondering what the protagonist will do. A superb cast breathes life into complex and likable characters making QUARTET a source of entertainment from beginning to end.

- Laurie Lawson -

Resonance Ensemble presents
www.ResonanceEnsemble.org

Where there’s a will…

SHAKESPEARE’S SLAVE
A new dark comedy by STEVEN FLECHTER

Featuring

DAVID L. TOWNSEND, ROMY NORDLINGER, STEVEN POUNDERS
NANCY NEGRANT, ZACK CALHOON, CHRIS CERASO
LUCILLE DUNCAN, SHAUN BENNET WILSON, STEWARAT WALKER

Directed by ERIC PARNESS
Scenic Designer: SARAH B. BROWN
Costume Designer: MARK RICHARD CASWELL
Sound Designer: NICK MOORE
Props designer: LAUREN MADDEN
Fights Director: DAN RENKIN
Production Stage Manager: REECCA ZUBER
Dramaturg: HALEY WARD
Dialect Constultant: LINDA JONES
Assistant Director: AMANDA SPECTOR
Assistant Props Designer: KYLE BRIDWELL
Assistant Stage Manager: EMILY HAMBURGER
Wardrobe Supervisor: DEENA LUCE
Master Electrician: VADIM LEDVIN
Press Representative: JOE TRENTACOSTA/SPRINGER ASSOCIATES PR

The Clurman @ Theater Row
410 West 42nd Street (between Ninth & Tenth Avenues)
(212) 279-4200 or www.ticketcentral.com
May 22nd – June 18th; Opening Night: May 29, 2011


Steven Flechter took a possible scenario – what if William Shakespeare had a writer’s block? – and came up with a dark comedy entitled SHAKESPEARE’S SLAVE. In this amusing work London’s most famous playwright portrayed by David L. Townsend has fallen upon hard times that include much drink and little money due to a gambling problem. As he struggles to complete his Henry IV play, a female slave (Shaun Bennet Wilson) provides just the inspiration needed to get on with the writing.

Part morality play and part campy Shakespearean drama, SHAKESPEARE’S SLAVE is full of feisty characters, sophisticated humor, fantastic period costumes (Mark Richard Caswell), simple sets (Sarah B. Brown), and period music (Nick Moore). The cast does an impressive job with rich and plentiful dialogue. Plentiful may be the operative word here. Everything – soliloquies, fight scenes, plot development – is a tad too long. A good twenty minutes could be cut off this work and it would still be entertaining. But that being said SHAKESPEARE’S SLAVE is an interesting concept brought to life. It runs in conjunction with H4, based on Shakespeare’s Henry IV, Part 1 & 2. Check listings for dates and times of both plays.

- Laurie Lawson -

3 Graces Theater Co. Presents
www.threegracestheater.org
The 10th anniversary production of

AS IT IS IN HEAVEN
By ARLENE HUTTON

Featuring

MARGOT AVERY, KELLI LYNN HARRISON, KATE KEARNEY-PATCH,
CARLA CANTRELLE, ANNIE McGOVERN, RACHEL CANTOR,
KATHLEEN BISHOP, DeWANDA WISE, MEGAN TUSING

Directed by LUDOVICA VILLAR-HAUSER
Dramaturg: MAXINE KERN
Musical Director: PHILLIP BETTENCOURT
Costume Designers: SHELLEY NORTON and VENEDA TRUESDALE
Sound Designers: JOHN D. IVY and ARTEM KULAKOV
Lighting Designer: JOSHUA SCHERR
Technical Director: JOSHUA WUNDERLICH
Press Agent: KATIE ROSIN, KAMPFIRE MARKETING & PR
Producers: ELIZABETH BUNNELL, KELLI LYNN HARRISON
ANNIE McGOVERN and CHELSEA SILVERMAN

Cherry Lane Studio Theater
39 Commerce Street
(212) 239-6200 or www.telecharge.com
May 20 – June 11, 2011

It is appropriate that I reviewed this on May 21st, the latest date of prediction for the end of the world. According to Arlene Hutton’s AS IT IS IN HEAVEN, the existence of civilization has been threatened repeatedly throughout history, both figuratively and literally. Set in a Kentucky Shaker community in 1838, the status quo of rigid rules and proper living is being challenged by newcomers who insist that they see angels. Heaven and earth, tradition and new, and young and old clash as the longstanding questions of religion come into play.

AS IT IS IN HEAVEN has a talented cast that does the best it can with the concept of Shaker life for females. But it is almost painful to watch them apologize for “sins,” suppress human emotions, and pretend to have fun in mundane activities. Even the Shaker music and dance can’t save this production. Perhaps for those with a fascination for Shaker life this would be a worthwhile visit; unfortunately for the rest of us, it is a visit best left unmade.

- Laurie Lawson -

Tifft Productions LLC presents

THE SPHINX WINX
A New Musical Comedy
www.TheSphinxWinx.com

Book and Lyrics by
PHILIP CAPICE, ANNE HITCHNER, KENNETH HITCHNER, JR., ROBERT KEUCH
Music by KENNETH HITCHNER, JR.

Starring
ERIKA AMATO, REBECCA RIKER, BRUCE SABATH, BRET SHUFORD
BETH CHERYL TARNOW, RYAN WILLIAMS

Directed by
MATTHEW HAMEL

Set Design: ROBERT ANDRES KOVACH
Costume Design: GAIL BALDONI
Lighting Design: ANNMARIE DUGGAN
Sound Design: DAVID M. LAWSON
Casting: CLEMMONS/DEWING CASTING
Marketing & Advertising: THE PEKOE GROUP
Press Representative: SAM RUDY MEDIA RELATIONS
Orchestrations: DOUG KATSAROS
Production Stage Manager: HEATHER HOGAN
Company Manager: BETH REISMAN
Production Supervisor: PRODUCTION CORE
Dramaturg: ERIC C. WEBB
General Manager: LA VIE PRODUCTIONS
Associate Producers: TIME & JUDY RUDDERROW
Executive Producer: R. ERIN CRAIG
Music Direction/Arrangements: JEFFREY LODIN
Choreography: TARA JEANNE VALLEE

The Beckett Theatre @ Theatre Row
410 West 42nd Street (between Ninth & Tenth Avenues)
(212) 239-6200 or www.telecharge.com
May 3rd – July 24th; Opening Night – May 18, 2011

THE SPHINX WINX is deliciously silly and clever enough to pull it off. The new musical comedy tells the “real” story of Cleopatra and Marc Antony with book and lyrics by Philip Capice, Anne Hitchner, Kenneth Hitchner, Jr. (who also did the music), and Robert Keuch. A scorned Cleopatra (Erika Amato), a love-smitten bungling Julius Caesar (Bruce Sabath), a show-stopping handmaiden (Rebecca Riker), and 15 other characters all superbly performed by the six-member multi-talented cast bring this production to laughable life.

Innovative choreography (Tara Jeanne Vallee) and songs with a 1940’s musical feel, along with updated references to current events, keep the audience thoroughly entertained throughout. The creative period costumes by Gail Baldoni are impressive, and oh yeah, there’s a sphinx that winks. Never has the bending of history been such fun! THE SPHINX WINX – a 90-minute extravaganza of pure delight!

- Laurie Lawson -

Wednesday Repertory Company
www.wedrepco.com
presents

PAY AS YOU EXIT
a night of original one act plays

Roy Arias Payan Theatre
300 W. 43rd Street at 8th Avenue, 5th Floor, NYC
May 5 - May 15, 2011

Tickets: www.brownpapertickets.com/event/171084 or (212) 726-1315

Artistic Director BRUCE ORNSTEIN
Stage Manager/Lighting DAVID ALAN COMSTOCK

Wednesday Repertory Company
Nicole Banchevska, Daniel Barkin, Lucia Bellini, Matthew Dunehoo Jasmin Gabrielle, Whitney Harris, Mike Ivers, Dirk Keyser, Keli Laing Amanda Brook Lerner, Eden Marryshow, Darya Mars, Mia Mountain Jeremy Pacshall, Vincent Quintiliani, Annelise Rains
Paul David Sibblies, Shane Tunney, Anwar Uddin, Nathaniel Wade Jesse Wakeman, Brooke L. Williams and Dan Lane Williams

Wednesday Repertory Company (Wed Rep Co), founded in 2010, is presenting its second annual showcase, PAY AS YOU EXIT through May 15. The event features an evening of nine original short plays that range in tone and content from the dark and violent to the sexually charged and the comedic, but all of which seek to explore relationships in everyday settings. Fast-paced and diverse, the evening offers a glimpse into the Company’s range of talent.

Among the specific topics broached, PAY AS YOU EXIT touches upon sexual experimentation (Two 5’s Don’t Make A 10 by Mike Ivers), mafia intrigue (How Do You Feel? by Bruce Ornstein) and the magic of tarot cards (Three Of Smokes by Matthew Dunehoo), among other subjects, like theft, blackmail, violence and role play. Taken as a whole, the evening offers the Company an opportunity to showcase a varied group of writing, directing and acting skills, and the audience a window into things to come.

Fans of the one act as well as those who enjoy plays with an eye more toward the unconventional than the traditional will find something in this program. Though not all hits, the plays of PAY AS YOU EXIT deliver as advertised, and live up to the Company’s mission statement declaration that the primary goal, “is to share our passion and love for the theatre with our audience, as we confront the human condition in today’s world.”

- Kessa De Santis -

Barefoot Theatre Company Presents
http://www.barefoottheatrecompany.org

The New York Premiere of
TEETH OF THE SONS

By JOSEPH SOUSA

Featuring
WILL ALLEN, CASANDERA M.J. LOLLAR, SHAYNA PADOVANO
JOSEPH SOUSA, DONALD P. FLORES (u/s)

Directed by NICOLE HARAN
Scenic Design: JOSH IACOVELLI
Costume Design: VICTORIA MALVAGNO
Lighting Design: NILUKA HOATALING
Sound Design: FRANCISCO SOLORZANO
Original Music: CORY BRUCE
Graphic Design/Photography: JOHN BEVERLY, EQUUS.INK
Assistant Stage Manager: MICHAEL PIERRE LOUIS
Associate Producing Director: CRISTINA FERNANDEZ
Advertising/Marketing: MARK G. CISNEROS, SAMANTHA FONTANA
Press Representative: SAM RUDY MEDIA RELATIONS
Production Stage Manager: CHARLES CASANT
Production Management: BAREFOOT THEATRE COMPANY

The Cherry Lane Theatre (Studio Theatre)
38 Commerce Lane
www.barefoottheatrecompany.org
April 20 – May 14; Opening Night: April 27, 2011

The family in Joseph Sousa’s TEETH OF THE SONS puts the special touches in extreme dysfunction while presenting totally believable characters with whom you can occasionally empathize. Credits go to both the playwright and the excellent cast.

What TEETH OF THE SONS beautifully portrays is how one deals with the mishaps and tragedies of childhood while navigating the treacherous road of adulthood. Sam (Will Allen) is irresponsible but so charming that he gets away with imperfection for which others would be held accountable. His brother Jacob (Joseph Sousa) has turned to religion as both a crutch and an answer for the unexplainable. Casandera M.J. Lollar and Shayna Padovano are the ladies in their lives along with a never-seen Nana. As this family uneasily and sometimes violently confronts its pain, new life is on the horizon, both figuratively and literally.

I am always impressed with Barefoot Theatre Company’s productions, and TEETH OF THE SONS is no exception. Although I am unclear about the meaning of the title (The past bites? Childhood impressions sink their teeth into you and won’t let go? Whatever.), this is definitely a production worth seeing.

- Laurie Lawson -

VAMPIRE COWBOYS THEATRE COMPANY
www.vampirecowboys.com
in association with
Incubator Arts Project
www.incubatorarts.org
presents
THE INEXPLICABLE REDEMPTION OF AGENT G
Written by QUI NGUYEN
Directed by ROBERT ROSS PARKER

St. Mark’s Church-in-the-Bowery
131 E. 10th Street (at 2nd Avenue), Manhattan
(212) 352-3101

March 24 through April 16, 2011
Thursdays – Sundays at 8:00 PM

Scenic & Lighting Design NICK FRANCONE
Costume Design JESSICA WEGENER SHAY
Original Music & Sound Design SHANE RETTIG
Puppet Design DAVID VALENTINE
Fight Direction ADAM SCOTT MAZER, QUI NGUYEN
Video Design MATTHEW TENNIE
Film & Animation Direction ROBERT ROSS PARKER
Production Stage Manager DANIELLE BUCCINO
Choreographer JAMIE DUNN
Assistant Stage Manager AMY VONVETT
Assistant Director DAN ROGERS
Producers ABBY MARCUS, DANIEL RECH
Press Representative JIM BALDASSARE

Cast
William Jackson Harper – The Playwright
Jon Hoche – Tien, Dihn, Pimp, Gookie Monster, David
Bonnie Sherman – Molly, Sexy White Girl, Abby
Paco Tolson – Hung
Amy Kim Waschke – Huy, San

Photo by Jim Baldassare

Fans of the Vampire Cowboys will be treated to an adept merging of the familiar and the new should they attend this latest endeavor, THE INEXPLICABLE REDEMPTION OF AGENT G. As the program notes inform the audience (“A New Chapter Begins”), the Cowboys are deviating from the tried and true and “…taking our irreverent esthetic to uncharted territories for us.” Good news for the audience, the things left behind do not include the group’s talent and collaborative acumen. What does seem apparent is that the group is seeking a sort of theatrical maturity, yet at the same time have not abandoned the penchant to challenge the status quo.

The plot of REDEMPTION seemingly revolves around Agent G, a Vietnamese expatriate returning to his homeland with his fiancée to confront painful memories of a past that includes suffering, loss, murder and cannibalism. In reality, the live action onstage serves to be more or less a window into the mind of writer Qui Nguyen, and his battling sensibilities about art, culture and heritage.

The limited stage area is no hindrance to Robert Ross Parker’s taut direction. The set design by Nick Francone consists primary of large block letters spelling out Vietnam in a v shape that points toward the back of the stage. In this way, and in terms of the action and direction of the script, much about the production embraces to the comic book sensibilities that both Parker and Nguyen have built their success on.

Unabashedly self-aware, this REDEMPTION employs devices untried in other Vampire Cowboys plays. The first hint of departure from the formula comes early in the live action, and just after a signature video preview. Following an opening action sequence reminiscent of any number of Vietnam-centric films (including the requisite Rolling Stones musical accompaniment), the captured character, The Playwright, is introduced. It is quickly and repeatedly evident that playwright Qui Nguyen is a focal point of action, in the guise of on-stage “doppelganger” William Jackson Harper as The Playwright. Pretentious in less skilled hands, this is only the tip of the sword for the Vampire Cowboys’ leap into new perspectives, and introspection.

Amid the humor, Nguyen hints at some darker insights, as actors continually step out of character to question The Playwright’s intentions for THE INEXPLICABLE REDEMPTION OF AGENT G. He is slammed for not making this play more like a Vampire Cowboys play, he is taunted by memories of college professors urging him to make his work more Vietnamese, and is even subjected to his actors reading mediocre reviews of Nguyen’s early work. The actors breaking character in this play-within-a-play sort of way works, to a point, but the devise is used once or twice too often, and did not prepare me for the sobering dénouement.

Dark clouds aside, what worked best in THE INEXPLICABLE REDEMPTION OF AGENT G is the finely honed ability to at once parody and embrace popular culture while challenging political correctness. From the opening battle sequence, to a bawdy revisiting of a Katy Perry tune, to the Jim Henson-inspired Gooky Monster, to a fierce contest of words with an actor portraying the much lauded stage and screenwriter David Henry Hwang, it is clear that Qui Nguyen has more than a few things he wants to say. In most situations, he is able to find the funny, which makes what could be bleak reality go down that much easier.

- Kessa De Santis -

Theatre East Presents

THE SOLDIER DREAMS
By DANIEL MACIVOR

Featuring

NICK CIANFROGNA, WILLIAM FRANKE, HEATHER HILL
BRYAN JARRETT, CHRISTA KIMLICKO JONES, DENNY LAWRENCE
HELEN MERINO, JOSEPH MITCHELL PARKS

Directed by JUDSON JONES
Production Stage Manager: MEGAN O’BRIEN
Assistant Stage Manager/Running Crew: VIBE NORMANN
Scenic Designer: LEA ANELLO
Lighting Designer: JESSICA M. BURGESS
Composer/Sound Designer: SCOTT O’BRIEN
Press Representative: KEVIN P. McANARNEY/KPM ASSOCIATES

The Lion Theatre @ Theatre Row
410 West Broadway (between Ninth & Tenth Avenues)
(212) 239-6200 or www.telecharge.com
Opening Night: March 29, 2011


David (Nick Cianfrogna) is a soldier in the constant war that homosexuals find themselves engaged in, sometimes willingly and sometimes not – a war for rights and the pursuit of happiness and basic freedoms often denied. He is in a coma in Daniel MacIvor’s THE SOLDIER DREAMS, but as a line in this poignant play says “Even when the soldier dreams, the war goes on.”

David dreams of a secret life as family members and loved ones gather round his bedside and attempt to come to terms with his imminent death, as well as with each other. A diverse group portrayed by a talented cast, they still manage to agree on two things – if David had his way they would all be dancing and this man managed to impact each individual life in a special and unique way.

THE SOLDIER DREAMS is an honest and touching drama that in a mere 80 minutes reminds us how distinctive each life is and how we all intertwine and touch one another. MacIvor seems to be asking why we have to impose values and rules on those who we perceive as different. Life is a battle that we all must fight at one time or another. Let’s fill it with shared moments, pleasant encounters, and most importantly, dreams and dancing.

- Laurie Lawson -

Making Books Sing Presents
www.makingbookssing.org

THE NEW FAMILY MUSICAL
SKY BOYS
The Building of the Empire State Building

Book and Lyric by BARBARA ZINN KRIEGER
Music by CHARLIE GREENBERG
Based on the book “Sky Boys”
By DEBORAH HOPKINSON
With illustrations by JAMES E. RANSOME
Published 2006 by Schwartz & Wade Books

With

JESSICA ANGLESKHAN, ZACHARY CLAUSE, MICHAEL HADARY
KEITH HERRON, MICHAEL MANN, AARON RIESEBECK

Directed by BRAD MALOW
Choreographed by LORIN LATARRO
Music Direction by TIM ROSSER
Production Stage Manager: ELIS C. ARROYO
Percussion: LAURA JORDAN
Keyboards: TIME ROSSER and BRAD GARDENER
Set & Props Design: GINO NG
Lighting Design: DOUBLAS COX
Costume Design: LESLIE BERNSTEIN
Sound Design: GIOVANNA SGARIAT
Production Management: JUNIPER STREET PRODUCTIONS
Photography: CAROL ROSEGG
Castings: CINDI RUSH CASTING
Graphic Design: SUSAN FENDER
Press Representative: DALE HELLER, SAM RUDY MEDIA RELATIONS

Running from February 7th through March 21st
In Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens, The Bronx, and Staten Island
For information about performances and tickets
Call Making Books Sing at 212-573-8791, ext. 238 or
Visit www.makingbookssing.org


Based on the book “Sky Boys” by Deborah Hopkinson, Barbara Zinn Krieger has made an informative and entertaining story about the erection of our historic landmark with SKY BOYS, The Building of the Empire State Building. Focusing on the contribution made by Native American Indians and combined with music by Charlie Greenberg and the impressive efforts of a talented cast, this musical becomes a delightful slice of history for all family members.

There is much with which to be impressed in SKY BOYS. Simple lyrics introduce the Depression, the hope represented by the Empire State Building, and the camaraderie of the workers while they faced danger every day. The actual construction process of the building is included in songs which perfectly move the plot along. A tribute to the Mohawk culture is performed in song and dance. Much care has been taken to assure authenticity to both the era and circumstances. And it is all successfully done in an hour!

Performances will be taking place in all five boroughs. Find out when it’s in your neighborhood and treat yourself and your family to this experience. SKY BOYS, The Building of the Empire State Building, is a fantastic way to celebrate the 80th anniversary of the Empire State Building.

- Laurie Lawson -

The Flea Theater Presents
Creation Production Company’s

A WORLD APART
Written by SUSAN MOSAKOWSKI
Directed by JEAN RANDICH

The Cast

ANTOINETTE LaVECCHIA, AMELIA WORKMAN, ANDY PARIS

Set Design: LEE SAVAGE
Costume Design: JENNIFER MOELIER
Lighting Design: MARK BARTON
Sound Design: ROBERT MURPHY
Stage Manager: MICHELLE KELLEHER
Assistant Director: ERIC MERCADO
Assistant Lighting Design: RYAN SEELIG
Technical Director: DANIEL ZS. JAGENDORF
Assistant Costume Design: NAN PERDITA & MICHELLE TARANTINA
Prop Master: MAIREAD MAGUIRE
Press Representative: JIM BALDASSARE
Graphic Design: EDEN NGUYEN

The Flea Theater
41 White Street (between Broadway and Church Street)
212-352-3101 or www.theatermania.com
February 4 through February 26

Photograph by Jim Baldassare

Susan Mosakowski’s A WORLD APART questions the true meaning of spirituality and the best use of religious teachings. Mother Augustina (Antoinette LaVecchia) is at a spiritual dilemma as she wonders whether she can adequately lead her nuns when she is unaware of how the outside world works. Does her cloistered life afford her the luxury of thinking and not doing? Along comes Father Daniel Byrne (Andy Paris) who has already figured out the answer to that question; he feels he can best serve the world and spread spirituality by leaving the priesthood. Sister Cornelia (Amelia Workman) serves as the impetuous and impertinent arbitrator in this delightful tete-a-tete.

Is God in the thought or the action? Are thoughts and actions inclusive or exclusive? Do desires of the flesh necessarily dilute the spirituality of the mind? Although no definitive answers are offered, the characters are engaging, the plot is thought-provoking, and you leave glad you have experienced A WORLD APART. Kudos to Mark Barton’s lighting design and Lee Savage’s set design which create an ethereal atmosphere perfect for the discussion of larger-than-life aspects.

- Laurie Lawson -

IRT Presents
www.irttheater.org

CARNIVAL ROUND THE CENTRAL FIGURE
Written by DIANA AMSTERDAM

Cast (in alphabetical order)

CARLA BRISCO, TED CAINE, JANNA EMIG, BRANDON KYLE GOODMAN
RAYMOND HILL, STEPHANIE HSU, DAVID MICHAEL KIRBY, SHANE LeCOCQ
CHRISTINE ROWAN, KORI RUSHTON, REBECCA SCHOFFER, LIVIA SCOTT
CYNTHIA SILVER, DANNI SIMON, ED STELZ, JOHN EARLY

Directed by KAREN KOHLHAAS
Producer: KORI RUSHTON
Managing Producer: JAKI SILVER
Music Director: DAVID JAMES BOYD
Lighting Design: ERIC SOUTHERN
Scenic Design: WALT SPANGLER with JISUM KIM and MELISSA SHAKUN
Costume Design: KATJA ANDREIEV
Stage Manager: VERONICA GRAVELINE
PR Public Relations: SPRINGER ASSOCIATES

IRT Theatre
154 Christopher Street # 3B
www.irttheater.org or 212-352-0255
January 13-30; Opening Night: January 17, 2011

You have to applaud the courage of Diana Amsterdam for writing CARNIVAL ROUND THE CENTRAL FIGURE. The Central Figure is a 38-year-old man dying in the middle of the stage throughout the entire play, and the Carnival is the various rites, people, and beliefs we drag out during calamities such as this. This is an honest, and at times brutal, look at the effects of death, not only on the dying but also on the survivors. She addresses a question that may have no answer – where do we draw the line between hope and reality? Steeped in the belief that without hope there is nothing, when do we the living call it a day and address the needs of the those that are dying? And is this a service or a disservice to those whose lives are about to end?

Amsterdam offers no clear answer. What she gives you is an first-rate cast of quirky characters, some impressive music, both sides of the death coin, and excellent debate points. Would I recommend that you run out and buy a ticket to CARNIVAL ROUND THE CENTRAL FIGURE? If you can approach death from a cerebral point of view and you enjoy truly unique productions, this may be your cup of tea.

- Laurie Lawson -

WAKKA WAKKA
www.wakkawakka.org
and
NORDLAND VISUAL THEATRE
In cooperation with RIKSTEARET
present
BABY UNIVERSE: A Puppet Odyssey
Written and Directed by Kirjan Waage and Gwendolyn Warnock

December 1, 2010 through January 8, 2011

Baruch Performing Arts Center
55 Lexington Avenue (enter on 25th Street east of Lexington Avenue)
Tickets: (212) 352-3101 or www.theatermania.com

Performances Wednesdays through Saturdays at 8:00 p.m., and Sundays at 2:00 and 7:00 p.m.
Additional performances: Tuesdays, December 21 and 28 at 8:00 p.m., and Friday and Saturday, January 7 and 8 at 10 p.m.
There will be no performances on December 24, 25, 26, 31, and January 1 and 2

Original Puppets by KIRJAN WAAGE
Costume and Mask Designer GWENDOLYN WARNOCK
Creative producer and U.S. Executive Producer GABRIELLE BRECHNER
Directing Consultant DANIEL GOLDSTEIN
Composer LARS PETTER HAGEN
Video Artist NAHO TARUISHI
Lighting Designer KATE LEAHY
Sound Designer BRETT JARVIS
Set Design by WAKKA WAKKA and JOY WANG
Press Representative JIM BALDASSARE

Puppeteers: Melissa Creighton, Andrew Manjuck, Peter Russo, Kirjan Waage, and Gwendolyn Warnock

Photo by Jim Baldassare

BABY UNIVERSE: A Puppet Odyssey is an original theater piece featuring over 30 puppets, animated video projections, and a Stephen Hawking inspired robot that literally greets attendees at the theater. This production marks the U.S. premiere. The story is set on a planet of the future, presumably Earth, on the verge of destruction. The sun is dying, and few people remain, but scientists are desperately attempting to preserve humanity through the “birth” of baby universes in the hope that one will survive and provide a new planet to inhabit.

The central character here is baby universe 7001, portrayed by a variety of puppets and projections. It is quickly apparent that this baby may be the one to thrive, and also that danger looms. BABY UNIVERSE is a place where many of the babies have seemingly run off, dashing hopes for survival as the local station Apocalypse Radio broadcasts increasingly gloomy news.

As with any successful puppet-based performance, BABY UNIVERSE wins over the audience by not only telling an interesting story, but by employing puppeteers who are adept at humanizing their charges. From the curious baby universe 7001, to a bawdy barfly band of planets to an angry, dying sun, personality comes through, and evolves. Baby universe 7001 has the widest arc, going from infancy through a “terrible twos” stage where he throws a tantrum over wearing a hat, to developing enough to return to his mother in time to save the world.

The narrative of BABY UNIVERSE does not touch on the social, religious or moral aspects it implies with any depth, but the telling is fast-paced and steady, running at about 65 minutes in total. While not intended as a children’s show, content is appropriate for those 7 and up, and older children will likely appreciate the production. I attended with an 8 year old who thought it was, to quote, amazing.

Wakka Wakka delivers what it promises with BABY UNIVERSE: A Puppet Odyssey. It is a unique look at a world of the future presented by a tight ensemble to great effect with engrossing visuals.

- Kessa De Santis -

The Drilling Company
www.drillingcompany.org
presents
The Kitchen Theatre Company’s
www.kitchentheatre.org
BRIAN DYKSTRA’S HO!
Written and performed by Brian Dykstra
Directed by Margarett Perry

The Drilling Company Theatre
236 W. 78th St., between Broadway & Amsterdam, NYC

November 27 - December 19, 2010
Monday & Wednesday - Saturday at 7:30pm, Sundays at 3pm
(No shows Dec. 1-2 or 5-11)

Tickets: (866) 811-4111 or www.TheaterMania.com
Additional Information: www.briandykstra.net, www.margarettperry.com

So, what do the Jolly Green Giant and Santa Claus have in common? Think on it for a few, and a hint of an idea will likely come to you, but if you head to The Drilling Company Theatre between now and December 19, all will be revealed about 30 minutes into Brian Dykstra’s HO!, an off-center addition to the droves of holiday, or more specifically, Christmas fare.

HO! is comprised of two holiday-themed tales, presented in Mr. Dykstra’s signature solo style. While the first act introduces a litigious Santa, seeking to brand all colors, words and expressions associated with Christmas, under penalty of lawsuits, intimidation and, worst of all, homes bypassed by St. Nick on the biggest night of the year, the second is an ultimately heartwarming tale of a tree named Sammy, and the homeless New Yorkers who give his life real meaning.

Dykstra’s alternately sarcastic and traditional tales about Christmas give HO! balance. The show, presented on a small stage, feels full by the sheer will of holiday regalia. Foremost is of course the almost non-stop rhythmic presentation of the tales themselves. Mr. Dykstra did not miss a beat the night of the first premiere, when some technical difficulties were worked into the performance with comic skill. With a snarky wink and a nod, he reeled the audience in the moment he appeared on stage, and for the rest of the night.

For those who are less enamored of the season than happy to just get through it, HO! is the type of show you may just enjoy. If you go for the Grinch before Jimmy Stewart, and just cannot get enough of seasonal lore like David Sedaris’ Holidays on Ice, HO! could be just that new item to add to your holiday repertoire. Celebrating the season by looking through a slightly off-kilter lens, it takes a satirical yet adoring approach to the genre.

- Kessa De Santis -
 

Pan & Ana Yang Present

GAZILLION BUBBLE SHOW
The Next Generation
www.gazillionbubbleshow.com

Featuring

DENI YANG, FAN YANG, ANA YANG or JANO YANG

Created and staged by FAN YANG

Set Design: FAN YANG
Lighting Design: DAVID LAU
Laser Design: DENI YANG
Bubble Effects: ALEX CHEUNG
Theatrical Effects: GARY & STEPHANIE CRAWFORD, EITC
Spotlight Operation: CHARLEY NUNEZ
Laser Production: LORD & ABLE LASER
Sound Director: NAMOA TUPOU
Original Music: WORKSPACE CO., LTD.
Production Manager: DAVID LAU
Show & Technical Director: ALAN KHO
Audience Development: KATRIN KAUSEK
Press Representative: JOE TRENTATCOSTA/SPRINGER ASSOCIATES PR

New World Stages Theatre
340 West 50th Street (between Eighth & Ninth Avenues)
(212) 239-6200 or www.telecharge.com
Friday @ 7; Saturday @ 11, 2 & 4:30; Sunday @ 12 & 3
Opening November 5, 2010


How could you not have fun at the GAZILLION BUBBLE SHOW? Bubbles and smoke and lasers – oh my! Deni Yang (or another member of his family) can make a bubble do amazing things, and no matter what age you are, it is absolutely impossible to resist the urge to pop a bubble when it floats your way. And just when you think you have seen almost anything a bubble can do, there is an amazing laser show amidst (non-toxic) fog and tons of bubbles. Seventy-five minutes of awe-inspiring bubble art makes the GAZILLION BUBBLE SHOW a great way to revisit the wonders of childhood.

- Laurie Lawson -

Barefoot Theatre Company
www.barefoottheatrecompany.org
2010-2011 Season
Presents

The World Premiere of

EMERGENCY USED CANDLES

Written and Performed by
CHIARA MONTALTO

Directed by VICTORIA MALVAGNO

Production Design: TOM LENZ
Costume Design: VICTORIA MALVAGNO
Lighting Design: JOSH IACOVELLI
Sound Design: ERIC NIGHTENGALE
Graphic Design/Photography: JOHN BEVERLY, equus.ink
Dramaturgy: NICOLE HARON
Production Management: BAREFOOT THEATRE COMPANY
Press Representation: SAM RUDY & DALE HELLER
Production Stage Manager: PALMA DELLAPORTA
Understudy/Asst. Stage Manager: SAMANTAH FONTANA

The Cherry Lane Theatre (Studio Theatre)
(Not a production of the Cherry Lane Theatre)
38 Commerce Street
(212) 239-6200 or www.telecharge.com
November 3-20, 2010

What a beautifully poignant piece Chiara Montalto has created with her EMERGENCY USED CANDLES! In a one-woman tour de force she tells of the relationship with her grandfather at the end of his years where she became his caretaker. Set in Brooklyn, she not only “does” a perfect grandfather, she throws in a few neighborhood boyfriends that luckily got away.

The symbiotic bond between the two generations is filled with laughter and tears, wit and wisdom, and undeniable love and respect. In her tender tribute to her grandfather, Montalto touches a common heartstring in us all. Not a dry eye in the house after viewing EMERGENCY USED CANDLES, and this makes for an extremely satisfying theatre experience. Treat yourself to this 75-minute delight.

- Laurie Lawson -

Around the Block/Al Doblar La Esquina
presents
LA MANAJATA BEQUIXED
by Carlos Jerome
Directed by Gloria Zelaya


Theater at 64 East 4th Street
between Bowery and 2nd Avenue, Manhattan
Tickets: www.brownpapertickets.com or (800) 838-3006
Information: www.aroundtheblock.org

October 27 – November 14, 2010

Production Management R. DARIO CRUZ and CARLOS JEROME
Assistant Director R. DARIO CRUZ
Lighting Design and Management ALEX MOORE
Set Design KACIE HULTGREN
Sound Design and Management ALFREDO MARIN and R. DARIO CRUZ
Press Representative SCOTTI RHODES PUBLICITY

Cast
Iris – Stephanie Garay
Juana (Juanita) Gutierrez – Illiam Carrillo
Youngblood – Jeffrey Hernandez
Valdo/Mr. Harris/Jethro – Barry Sacker
Bernie the Burner – Thomas Eddy Moran
Ron the Rod – Phillip Filiato
Mary (Candy) Turner – Thais Walsh
Haydee – Maria Teresa Silva
don Quick (Donald Saavedra?) – R. Dario Cruz
Sancho (Panza?) – Sam Gordon
Mamá Juana Gutierrez – Xiomara Cintron
Teenage Juanita – Daisy Guevara

LA MANAJATA BEQUIXED is the product of Around the Block (ATB)/Al Doblar La Esquina, a local “not-for-profit organization dedicated to cultivating arts and technologies in urban communities, particularly lower income neighborhoods of New York City.” ATB involves local residents in the group’s programs, with a goal of developing artistic and/or technological expression without prerequisite experience.

With that said, the actual production of Carlos Jerome’s LA MANAJATA BEQUIXED is not the most polished piece of theater off-off-Broadway, but it is a production that is filled with enthusiastic performances and a narrative that seeks to convey the magical of the every day. Set in Hoboken, NJ in the 1990’s the play tells the story of a psychologist (Juanita) debating whether to support an impending strike, her childhood friend (Mary), searching for a professor who has mysteriously disappeared, and the various characters they encounter. Among the group, there are gangsters who threaten the locals, Juanita’s union organizer boyfriend, Sancho, a prime target for the gangsters, and a poetic stranger called don Quick, who Mary takes for her missing professor, but who clearly is, or believes he is don Quixote.

The magic never quite takes over enough to know if this don Quick is mad or something more supernatural, and the tone shifts from poetic to modern-day preachy, but overall the story is coherent and the action fluid. Juanita rediscovers, or has reignited for her, the passions of her youth, and the force behind the cause brings the community together. More important, however is that ATB provides a vehicle for the artists and technicians involved to tell stories about people from struggling communities by people who may be from struggling communities.

- Kessa De Santis -

FRIENDS

Presented by The Donis Group
A Play by PETER L. LEVY

Starring

JUDY SPIEGEL and HARLAN TUCKMAN

Directed by JERRY DONIS

Production Stage Manager: APRIL ANN KLINE
Set Designers: ERIC STEDING & JACQUES ROSAS
Lighting Designer: STEVE O’SHEA
Original Music Composer: CHRIS SABOL

Theater 3 at The Mint Space
311 West 43rd Street (between Eighth & Ninth Avenues), 3rd Floor
(212) 315-9703
Opening Night: 10/14/10


Ruth Appfelbaum (Judy Spiegel) meets Max Horowitz (Harlan Tuckman) on a Central Park bench in Peter L. Levy’s FRIENDS. A relationship of sorts – cantankerous, amicable, confrontational, and co-dependent – is quickly established. Max, an intellectual crossword puzzle creator, is experiencing hard times, and Ruth has arranged her reality with a multitude of dreams as the foundation. Somehow this unlikely couple ends up co-habiting in Ruth’s apartment. Besides her rule of “No hanky panky,” there are many issues to be resolved in this affiliation.

While peppered with wry humor and accents that are sometimes a bit disconcerting, Levy’s dialogue is brutally honest. Max describes himself as “old, creaky, and disappointed.” The betrayal of the body, the loneliness of long life, the lack of purpose, and the financial difficulties are all candidly examined in this work. The possibility of taking yet another leap of faith is examined, with the only sure answer being that it doesn’t get any easier with age. And yet Levy manages to instill rays of sunshine and hope, in part through Irving Berlin’s Puttin’ On The Ritz, and Spiegel and Tuckman do an admirable job of presenting the dilemma of these two improbable FRIENDS.

- Laurie Lawson -

Workshop Theater Company
presents
INTERCHANGE
By KEN JAWOROWSKI


WorkShop Theater Company
Main Stage Theater
312 W. 36 St. bet. 8th and 9th Aves., 4th floor
Tickets and information: (866) 811-4111 or http://workshoptheater.org/mainstage/2010/Interchange

October 7 – October 30, 2010

Directed by THOMAS COTÉ
Scenic Design CRAIG NAPOLIELLO
Sound Design DAVID SCHULDER
Lighting Design YURIY NAYER
Costume Design CATHERINE SIRACUSA
Stage Manager JOHN NEHLICH
Fight Director GIOVANNI VILLARI
Publicity SCOTTI RHODES

Cast
Frank – Daniel Damiano
Don – Gerry Goodstein
Professor Unsworth – Jeff Paul
Victor – David M. Pincus
Job Rep/Woman/Marcie – Shaun Bennet Wilson
Letty – Cecily Benjamin
Marie – Wende O’Reilly
Janson – Riley Jones-Cohen
Simon – Sean Singer
Professor Belleville – Liz Amberly

INTERCHANGE is in the genre of the converging-plot drama. Seemingly disparate characters and lives intertwine and converge, with life-changing results for more than one. Here, writer Ken Jaworowski has made strides at presenting characters that are more individual than archetypal. There are no all-good or all-bad characters here, no villains or heroes, though there are some make genuine efforts for good, and others that are not difficult to dislike.

At the start of INTERCHANGE, the audience is introduced to Don, a bit of a curmudgeonly character who has just been asked by his dying son, Frank, to soften up when he has to care for his grandson. Don takes this request seriously, and when he is later asked by a colleague, Letty, to travel out of town, a series of unfortunate choices result. Letty and her boss, Marie, are self-serving characters. Letty initially seems more sympathetic, but there is simply not enough nuance to the character to sustain that.

While the Don plot is unfolding, the audience is also juggles plot threads about a recently-paroled white collar criminal, Victor, who is struggling to find work and the various women in his life (all portrayed by Shaun Bennet Wilson); a young man, Simon, who is convinced that Victor’s crimes killed his father and seeks revenge; and about the timid Professor Unsworth, quietly pursuing the affections of colleague Professor Belleville.

Some of this is unsettling, particularly the unraveling of Victor, and the eventual encounter he has with Don. However, the Professor Unsworth thread is both sweet and touching, nicely played by actor Jeff Paul, and injecting some redemptive humanity into a play with some very dark facets of life being presented front and center.

Mr. Jaworowski presents some interesting material through his characters in INTERCHANGE. Perhaps what is most disquieting is that the darkest scenes, and most ruthless behavior is actual occurring in real life, everyday, all around us. So, while not escapist entertainment, INTERCHANGE is definitely food for thought.

- Kessa De Santis -

MA-YI Theater Company
www.Ma-YiTheatre.org
Ralph B. Pena, Artistic Director and Jorge Z. Ortoll, Executive Director
Presents

MICROCRISIS

By MICHAEL LEW

Featuring

JACKIE CHUNG, DAVID GELLES, WILLIAM JACKSON HARPER
LAUREN HINES, ALFREDO NARCISOM, SOCORRO SANTIAGO

Directed by RALPH B. PENA
Choreography: DAX VALDES
Set Design: CLINT RAMOS
Costume Design: THERESA SQUIRE
Lighting Design: JAPHY WEIDEMAN
Sound Design: SHANE RETTIG
Production Stage Manager: DAVE POLATO
Production Manager: GREGG BELLON
Public Relations: SAM RUDY MEDIA RELATIONS
Producer: SUZETTE PORTE

HERE
145 Sixth Avenue (enter on Dominick, 1 block south of Spring)
www.here.org or 212-352-3101
September 28 – October 24, 2010

If you are looking for a substandard production with so-so performances, Michael Lew’s MICROCRISIS is NOT the show for you. This dark comedy masterfully takes the economic recession and sets it on its head with a hilarious view of self-serving greed and the shortsightedness of our actions. Amidst clever set designs by Clint Ramos and creative choreography by Dax Valdes, a talented cast of six sublimely portrays what happens when an unscrupulous investment banker abuses the practice of “microcredit” where loans are provided to Third World countries to spur on economic and social change.

MICROCRISIS, while addressing serious financial disasters in a wildly wacky manner, is a character-driven play. Jackie Chung, David Gelles, William Jackson Harper, Lauren Hines, Alfredo Narciso, and Socorro Santiago take those characters, in some case several, and tweak them to within an inch of their comical essence in a manner that cannot fail to impress. As you watch seemingly small infractions evolve into an international calamity, Ralph B. Pena’s rapid-pace direction and the sophisticated sarcasm of Michael Lew make MICROCRISIS a theatrical gem. Not to be missed.

- Laurie Lawson -

.22 CALIBER MOUTH
www.22calibermouth.com

Book, Music & Lyrics by LAUREN ROBERT
With Additional Music & Lyrics by TIMOTHY WARMEN

Musical Director: MARK FIFER
Directed by STEVEN PETRILLO
Publicity/PR/Marketing by THE JACKSINA COMPANY, INC.

The Cast

LAUREN ROBERT
RITA REHN, T. OLIVER REID, PATRICK RICHWOOD, TIMOTHY WARMEN

The Band

MARK FIFER, LOUIS TUCCI, ALEX WYATT, DILLON KONDOR

The Actors Temple Theatre
339 West 47th Street (between Eighth & Ninth Avenues)
June 29th @ 7 PM; June 30th @ 3 PM


Somewhere on the Lower East Side in the late 1970’s two bruised and battered souls (Lauren Robert, Timothy Warmen) reluctantly and apprehensively hook up. Relationships are a tricky business, and these two world-weary veterans use words to connect, protect, and deflect their fragile existences in .22 CALIBER MOUTH.

In this original new musical created for the stage, the action takes place in bars, on benches, and in beds through dialogue and songs. There’s a raw emotion that weaves through each offering whether it’s a bright and bouncy Risky B’Niss or a powerful All I Can Do or a poignant Want What I Need. The tough-talking Robert has composed songs that reflect reality complete with all its tragedy and humor, and then with a beautiful voice that rises to the rafters she executes them with passion and pathos. A .22 CALIBER MOUTH and a set of lungs to match give this production great stage potential.

- Laurie Lawson -

Dragonchase Productions presents

NAKED IN A FISHBOWL
www.nakedinafishbowl.com

Featuring

KATHARINE HELLER, BRENNA PALUGHI, LYNNE ROSENBERG
LAUREN SEIKALY
D’ARCY EROKAN, DALIYA KARNOFSKY, MOLLY KNEFEL

Directed by HUGH SINCLAIR
Stage Manager: TERRA VETTER
Video Production: SWEET VICTORY ENTERTAINMENT
Publicity: JOE TRENTACOSTA, SPRINGER ASSOCIATES PR


The SoHo Playhouse
15 Vandam Street (between Sixth Avenue & Varick)
(212) 691-1555 or www.sohoplayhouse.com
June 7th – August 9th, Mondays @ 7 PM

I would love to tell you what NAKED IN A FISHBOWL is all about, but that is part of its charm. Three years ago Katharine Heller, Brenna Paughi, Lynne Rosenberg and Lauren Seikaly created an improvised sitcom live right on stage. Audiences loved it, and they were awarded the Outstanding Ensemble Award. Now every Monday night through August 9th, they are doing it all over again at The SoHo Playhouse.

So I can’t tell you the plot because it evolves on stage, but I can tell you that these gifted ladies will make you laugh. You can see their brains churning as they come up with amusing one liners and preposterous stories in a style so natural that you wonder how much reality is mixed in with the storytelling. NAKED IN A FISHBOWL is an hour of pure delight, clever creativity, and talent on tap.

- Laurie Lawson -

Daryl Roth Presents

LOVE, LOSS, AND WHAT I WORE
By NORA EPHRON and DELIA EPHRON
Based on the book by ILENE BECKERMAN

Current Cast

PENNY FULLER, RACHAEL HARRIS, DIANE NEAL
SHERRI SHEPHERD, COBIE SMULDERS

Directed by KAREN CARPENTER
Scenic Designer: JO WINIARSKI
Wardrobe Stylist: MATT SHEA
Lighting Designer: JEFF CROITER
Sound Designer: WALER TRARACH
Casting: TARA RUBIN CASTING
Make-Up Design: MARIA VEREL
Advertising: ELIRAN MURPHY GROUP
Press Representative: C&M CO
Marketing: LEANNE SCHANZER PROMOTIONS INC.
Production Stage Manager: NANCY ELIZABETH VEST
Production Manager: SHANNON CASE
Associate Director: ADAMJOHN HUNTER
General Manager: ADAM HESS
Associate Producer: ALEXANDER FRASER
Associate General Manager: JODI SCHOENBRUN CARTER

Westside Theatre
407 West 43rd Street (between Ninth & Tenth Avenues)
(212) 239-6200 or www.telecharge.com


Who would have thought that such a simple idea would hit a universal feminine nerve? Nora Ephron and Delia Ephron have taken a book by Ilene Beckerman and created an off-Broadway hit in which actresses are clamoring to appear. LOVE, LOSS, AND WHAT I WORE hilariously depicts how clothing can mark momentous events in a woman’s life. The first bra, prom and wedding dresses, a status sweater that promises gang entry, a ridiculously expensive purse, boots, and an array of apparel evoke tears, laughter, frustration, and almost any other emotion you can think of.

The vignettes are hilarious and sometimes poignant, the actresses accomplished, and the long-forgotten childhood memories flow freely. What an absolute treat is LOVE, LOSS, AND WHAT I WORE! I wonder if men harbor secret memories of their first jock straps?

- Laurie Lawson -

THE ACCIDENTAL PERVERT
www.TheAccidentalPervert.com

Written and Performed by ANDREW GOFFMAN
Directed by CHARLES MESSINA

Choreographer: SHERRI NORIGE
Audio/Visual Designer: ANDREW WINGERT
Dramaturge: LISA LENTINI
Scenic Designer/Technical Director: ANTHONY AUGELLO
Dialogue Coach: STANLEY HARRISON
Graphic Designer: ROBERT TALLON
Press Representative: JUDY JACKSINA
Voice-Overs: JIM DAILAKIS/MARY DIMINO
House Manager: CARLO RIVIECCIO
Production Coordinator: GINA FERRANTI
Lighting Designer: JOSH LACOVELLI
Creative Assistant: CHRISTY BENANTI/ALAN GORDON

The Players Theatre
115 MacDougal Street (between Bleecker and West 3rd Streets)
212-352-3101


How can you take a box of video cassette recordings, all of a pornographic nature, and turn them into the basis of an Off-Broadway play? I don’t have the answer but Andrew Goffman sure does. He manages to do just that in his hilarious THE ACCIDENTAL PERVERT. In this true-life odyssey, he stumbles upon his father’s hidden collection at the tender age of 11 and thus begins a 15-year obsession with all things sexual. Goffman doesn’t scrimp on the details of his XXX adolescence, topping off his poignant honesty with heaping dollops of humor that go way beyond the obvious innuendos and sexual suggestions. Not only does he reveal the trials and tribulations of a young boy learning about sex from all the wrong people, he also acknowledges the resultant effects of such a one-dimensional view of women.

THE ACCIDENTAL PERVERT could have been sad, could have been raunchy, and could have been something we’ve seen a hundred times before. It is none of that, and this is due to the amazing showmanship and skills of Goffman. He sings, he dances, he reminisces, he re-enacts, he impersonates, and most importantly he keeps you thoroughly entertained. Director Charles Messina keeps the pace rapid, and Goffman provides a night to remember.

- Laurie Lawson -

Kevin McCollum, Robyn Goodman, Jeffrey Seller, Vineyard Theatre and the The New Group Present

AVENUE Q
www.avenueq.com

Music and Lyrics by ROBERT LOPEZ and JEFF MARX
Book by JEFF WHITTY
Based on an Original Concept by ROBERT LOPEZ and JEFF MARX
Puppets Conceived and Designed by RICK LYON

with
SALA IWANATSU, NICHOLAS KOHN, MAGGIE LAKIS, ANIKA LARSEN
SETH RETTBERG, DANIELLE K. THOMAS, CULLEN R. TITMAS

Directed by JASON MOOR
Music supervision, Arrangement & Orchestration by STEPHEN OREMUS
Choreographer: KEN ROBERTSON
Set Design: ROBERT LOPEZ
Costume Design: MIRENA RADA
Lighting Design: HOWELL BINKLEY
Sound Design: ACME SOUND PARTNERS
Animation Design: ROBERT LOPEZ
Incidental Music: GARY ADLER
Casting: CINDY TOLAN
General Manager: DAVENPORT THEATRICAL ENTERPRISES
Production Manager: TRAVIS WALKER, AUTONOMOUS PRODUCTION SERVICES
Production Stage Manager: CHRISTINE M. DALY
Press Representative: SAM RUDY MEDIA RELATIONS
Marketing: SCOTT A. MORE

Stage 3 at New World Stages
340 West 50th Street (between Eighth & Ninth Avenues)
(212) 239-6200 or www.telecharge.com
Opening Night: October 21, 2009


Yay! Tony Award-winning AVENUE Q (2004 Best Musical, Best Score, Best Book of a Musical) is back! This is a musical play so clever, so satirical and so thoroughly entertaining that it should always be playing somewhere. Right now it is on Stage 3 at New World Stages, and audiences are just as enthusiastic as they were when it was discovered Off-Broadway and when it made a well-deserved 2500+ performance trip to Broadway. Fantastic puppets designed by Rick Lyon bemoan economic difficulties, prejudice, love problems, and dreams deferred. And you’ll have a blast while they do it with songs by Robert Lopez and Jeff Marx like “It Sucks To Be Me,” “The Internet Is For Porn,” and “Everyone’s A Little Bit Racist,” and a humorous book by Jeff Whitty.

Breathing life into Lyon’s puppets are Sala Iwamatsu, Nicholas Kohn, Maggie Lakis, Anika Larsen, Seth Rettberg, Danielle K. Thomas and Cullen R. Titmas. Fast-paced direction by Jason Moore and skillful animations by Lopez enhance this sharp, on-the-money presentation. Put AVENUE Q on your list of places to visit. You won’t be sorry.

- Laurie Lawson -

Foster Entertainment & Simon Morley Present

PUPPETRY OF THE PENIS
www.puppetryofthepenis.com

Created by
SIMON MORLEY & DAVID FRIEND

Featuring
RICH BINNING
CHRITOPHER J. CANNON

Guest Comedians
RACHEL FEINSTEIN, GIULIA ROZZI, AMY SCHUMER

General Manager: FOSTER ENTERTAINMENT/JENNIE CONNERY
Lighting Design: AL ROUNDTREE
Stage Manager: MARCI SKOLNICK
Camera Operator/Understudy: CHRISTOPHER GOODWIN
Press Agent: SPRINGER ASSOCIATES PR
Advertising & Marketing: THE PEKOE GROUP

45 Bleecker Street Theatre
(212) 239-6200 or www.telecharge.com
August 4 – 30, 2009; Opening Night: August 08, 2009


PUPPETRY OF THE PENIS is a perfect example of what happens when guys have too much time on their hands. The wild and wacky team of creator Simon Morley and performing partner David Friend came up with this show of genital origami. With very few props and absolutely no clothes, Rich Binning and Christopher J. Cannon prod, poke, stretch, swing, bend, and play with their penises throughout the production creating sea monsters, hamburgers, birds, musical instruments, and a myriad of other characters. Since its debut in 1998, this immediate hit has been seen by over 1 million people in 14 countries. It has been translated into three languages, played non-stop on HBO’s “Real Sex” since 2002, had DVD releases throughout the world, and even published a “how-to” book.

And now the comedic insanity has returned to New York. To add to the frenzy, the show opens with a guest comedian (Rachel Feinstein, Giulia Rozzi, Amy Schumer), as if you needed warming up for a show that features penises. As soon as PUPPETRY OF THE PENIS begins, you can expect to be smiling, chuckling, laughing and even wincing from beginning to end. You leave being grateful that you’re not the person responsible for giving these guys an erection. I can’t imagine what they do to make that happen!

- Laurie Lawson -

MAN underdog and DARYL ROTH
Present

THE TEMPERAMENTALS
www.thetemperamentals.com

by JON MARANS

Featuring

THOMAS JAY RYAN                 MICHAEL URIE
TOM BECKETT            MATTHEW SCHNECK            SAM BRESLIN WRIGHT

Directed by JONATHAN SILVERSTEIN
Set & Costume Design: CLINT RAMOS
Lighting Design: JOSH BRADFORD
Sound Design: DANIEL KLUGER
Musical Consultant: AARON DAI
Press Representative: KEVIN P. McANARNEY/KPM ASSOCIATES
Assistant Set Designer: CRAIG NAPOLIELLO
Assistant Costume Designer: NICOLE WEE
Production Stage Manager: SAMONE B. WEISSMAN
Company Manager: PORTER PICKARD
Assistant Director: JAMES STOVER
Assistant Stage Manager: PALOMA PILAR

TBG Theater
312 West 36th Street (between Eighth & Ninth Avenues)
(212) 868-4444 or www.smarttix.com
Extended through August 23, 2009


You don’t need me to tell you how great Jon Marans’ THE TEMPERAMENTALS is. Since its original opening on April 30, 2009, it has been consistently sold out, reopened (06/10/09), and now extended through August 23rd.

Based on the lives of communist Harry Hay (Thomas Jay Ryan) and Viennese refugee designer Rudi Gernreich (Michael Urie), the story is fascinating. Long before Stonewall, these two men were instrumental in creating the first gay rights organization known to a select few as the Mattachine Society. The other founders were Chuck Rowland (Tom Beckett), Bob Hull (Matthew Schneck), and Dale Jennings (Sam Breslin Wright).

It was a time of secrecy, danger, prejudice, and shame for homosexuals in the 1950’s. And yet these courageous men stood up to all of those perilous forces, while trying to create careers, change politics, and pave the way for other gay men and women. Assisted by a superb ensemble cast and a director (Jonathan Silverstein) who magnificently blends all the elements into a compelling documentary, THE TEMPERAMENTALS is a slice of history that you don’t want to miss.

- Laurie Lawson -

Cheryl King Productions presents

SOUTHERN GOTHIC NOVEL
www.SouthernGothicNovel.com
Written and Performed by FRANK BLOCKER

Directed by CHERLYL KING
Originally Staged by GABRIEL SHANKS
Publicity by JUDY JACKSINA and CO.
Light and Sound Board Op – ELLEN ROSENBERG

Stage Left Studio Theatre
438 West 37th Street (between Ninth & Tenth Avenues)
212-868-4444 or www.SmartTix.com
January 7 – June 24
Opening Night: January 21, 2009


If anybody can bring back the art of storytelling, it will be Frank Blocker in Cheryl King’s SOUTHERN GOTHIC NOVEL. With unflagging energy, Blocker takes on 17 (at last count) characters, including a very convincing persona of a June bug, in this mystery/romance story set in Aberdeen, Mississippi. Dripping with Southern drawls and colloquialisms, he throws his body into the story of missing girls, a dark intriguing stranger, a good ole boy, and a young woman ready to fall in love at the drop of a hat, or in this case the smack of a salon door. And with the help of a simple block of wood, the only prop on stage, he pulls it off.

In SOUTHERN GOTHIC NOVEL you are caught up in the humorous yet authentic character-driven plot of a highly preposterous nature. Coming from a small Maryland town where there is still only one Chinese restaurant and everyone has a nickname that makes no sense, I can attest to the accuracy of King’s account of Southern living. And Blocker is a sight to behold and hear.

- Laurie Lawson -

DAVID ELZER, PETER SCHNEIDER, MARVELOUS NYC, LLC
Present

THE MARVELOUS WONDERETTES
www.marvelouswonderettes.com

Written by ROGER BEAN

With

FARAH ALVIN, BETH MALONE, BETS MALONE, VICTORIA MATLOCK

Directed by ROGER BEAN
Choreography by JANET MILLER
Production Stage Manager: ANDREW SEAL
Production Manager: MICHAEL CASSELLI
General Manager: ROY GABAY
Set Design by MICHAEL CARNAHAN
Costume Design by BOBBY PEARCE
Lighting Design by JEREMY PIVNICK
Sound Design by CRICKET S. MYERS
Music Director/Supervisor: BRIAN WILLIAM BAKER
Casting by JAY BINDER/JACK BOWDAN
Publicity/Marketing: THE KARPEL GROUP

Westside Theatre (Upstairs)
407 West 43rd Street (between Ninth & Tenth Avenues)
(212) 239-6200 or www.telecharge.com
Opening Night: September 14, 2008


It’s 1958, and THE MARVELOUS WONDERETTES have been called upon to provide the musical entertainment for Springfield High School’s Senior Prom. And entertain they do! Farah Alvin, Beth Malone, Bets Malone, and Victoria Matlock comprise the harmonious quartet, and each is equally adorable, as well as heavily endowed with an impressive singing voice. Amidst crinolines and streamers, dream catchers (remember those?) and Chipmunk cheers, life stories unfold. And they are definitely amusing but the real delights of this musical journey are the fantastic songs. Remember “Lollipop,” “You Don’t Own Me,” “Mr. Sandman,” “Dream Lover,” and all the great tunes that made up our childhoods? If those are a little too early for your blood, come back for The Marvelous Wonderettes’ Ten-Year Reunion in the second act.
Serious attention has been given to detail in this production. Sets, props, and costumes help transport you back to a time when music was totally aural (no videos) and all important to the development of young adults. Writer/Director Roger Bean has captured the angst and enchantment of a simpler time, a time so enjoyable that it can easily make fun of itself. Through a decade of music THE MARVELOUS WONDERETTES opens the floodgates of memories and makes you glad that you’re old enough to remember. With a smile on your face from beginning to end, your biggest dilemma will be controlling decibel levels as you join in the fun and sing along. A feel-good experience for sure.

- Laurie Lawson -

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