Off-Off Blogway

20 Best Shows of 2011

2011-12-31T08:54:00.004-05:00

1. I don't believe in outer space (William Forsythe Company @ BAM)

2. KIN (by Bathsheba Doran; directed by Sam Gold @ Playwrights Horizons)

3. The Method Gun (Rude Mechanicals @ Dance Theater Workshop)

4. A Small Fire (by Adam Bock; directed by Trip Cullman @ Playwrights Horizons)

5. Radio Play (Reggie Watts & Tommy Smith @ Performance Space 122)

6. Invasion! (by Jonas Hassen Khemiri; directed by Erica Schmidt for Play Company @ Walkerspace)

7. Go Back To Where You Are (by David Greenspan; directed by Leigh Silverman @ Playrights Horizons)

8. The Inexplicable Redemption of Agent G (by Qui Nguyen; directed by Robert Ross Parker for Vampire Cowboys @ Incubator Arts Project)

9. Our Lot (by Kristin Newbom and W. David Hancock; directed by May Adrales for Clubbed Thumb @ Here)

10. The Cherry Orchard (adapted from Chekhov by John Christopher Jones; directed by Andrei Belgrader @ Classic Stage Company)

11. Now the Cats With Jewelled Claws (by Tennessee Williams; directed by Jonathan Warman @ LaMama)

12. Veux Carre (by Tennessee Williams; directed by Elizabeth LeCompte for The Wooster Group @ Baryshnikov Arts Center)

13. The Tempest (by William Shakespeare; directed by David Herskovits for Target Margin @ Here)

14. 2 Kilos of Sea (Deganit Shemy & Company @ Baryshnikov Arts Center)

15. Your Brother, Remember? (Conceived, directed, edited, performed by Zachary Oberzan for Under The Radar @ Dixon Place)

16. Here At Home (by Eric Bland; directed by Shannon Sindelar for 31 Down @ Bushwick Starr)

17. Born Bad (by Debbie Tucker Green; directed by Leah C. Gardiner @ Soho Rep)

18. The Bardy Bunch (by Stephen Garvey; directed by Jay Stern for FringeNYC @ LaMama)

19. Sweet and Sad (written and directed by Richard Nelson @ The Public Theater)

20. Walk Across America for Mother Earth (by Taylor Mac; directed by Paul Zimet for Talking Band @ LaMama)

Best of 2011: #1 - I don't believe in outer space

2011-12-30T12:09:00.001-05:00

Extra credit always goes to the first time I discover a new company/artist, and this was the case with William Forsythe Company and I DON'T BELIEVE IN OUTER SPACE this year at BAM. The piece was at once weird and uncomfortable and funny in the way it created its own reality on stage at the Opera House in Brooklyn. Forsythe created a series of images, with both props and bodies that were playful at times and threatening at other times highlighted by the way he used Gloria Gaynor's "I Will Survive" which at times had the audience giggling and at times silent. Special thanks to the friend who recommend I see this.

Best of 2011: #2 - Kin

2011-12-29T23:36:00.002-05:00

Bathsheba Doran's play KIN was a rich treat. The attention to detail was perfectly matched by Sam Gold's excellent production performed by a perfect ensemble. KIN unfolded across various locations, included seemingly random characters and situations all woven together beautifully, all coming together like a picture slowly coming into focus. KIN was an amazing experience and an excellent play. Kudos to Playwrights Horizons for producing this kind of theater.

Best of 2011: #3 - The Method Gun

2011-12-28T12:03:00.002-05:00

The Austin-based Rude Mechanicals brought their show, THE METHOD GUN, to NYC for an all-too-brief run at Dance Theater Workshop (now New York Live Arts). To be completely honest, about half-way through METHOD GUN, I felt lost and disengaged, however by the end, with the big coup de theatre and lovely denouement I was completely won over and a little misty-eyed. I would see this show again in a minute!

Best of 2011: #4 - A Small Fire

2011-12-27T16:43:00.001-05:00

Adam Bock's A SMALL FIRE was a big triumph. He took what could have been a melodramatic disease-of-the-week premise and lifted it to extensional proportions. It also didn't hurt that it was given a sublime production at Playwrights Horizons with a cast that included Michele Pawk and Reed Birney and possibly the best direction that Trip Cullman has done to date.

Best of 2011: #5 - Reggie Watts' RADIO PLAY

2011-12-26T13:09:00.002-05:00

Dark and musical, Reggie Watt's RADIO PLAY at Performance Space 122 was a surreal experience; like a 1940's radio play on acid. There was no real "plot" to speak of, but Watt's and a cast of four performed vignettes with vocal precision and confidence. Even now I can't really tell you what it was all about, but it was quite a trip and it stuck with me enough to land at #5.

Best of 2011: #6 - Invasion!

2011-12-25T08:20:00.000-05:00

The Play Company's INVASION! started off with an unforgettable bang - the kind of thing you wish would happen more often in the theater and it freaked the audience out. At the performance I attended, I thought a known theater journalist was actually going to strike what turned out to be one of the actors. And the rest of the play lived up to the bravura beginning. The play was so tuned in to contemporary America that it is hard to believe it was written by the Swedish playwright, Jonas Hassen Khemiria. Since I don't speak or read Swedish, special acknowledgement must go to Rachel Willson-Broyles for what must be a masterful translation. Long live Abul Kasem!

Best of 2011: #7 - Go Back To Where You Are

2011-12-24T11:44:00.000-05:00

David Greenspan's GO BACK TO WHERE YOU ARE was completely delightful love note to the theater. The sheer fact that Greenspan was able to pack so much intelligence, humor and time-trippy fun into sixty minutes is a feat unto itself. The ensemble, including Greenspan, was sublime and I was lucky enough to catch the wonderful Mary Shultz in the show before she had to depart early for personal reasons. And as complex as the play was, director Leigh Silverman did a terrific job making everything flow beautifully. Thanks to Playwrights Horizons for their dedication to David Greenspan.

Best of 2011: #8 - The Inexplicable Redemption of Agent G

2011-12-23T08:59:00.000-05:00

The awesome Vampire Cowboys took their geek aesthetic to a new level in 2011 with THE INEXPLICABLE REDEMPTION OF AGENT G. Produced with Incubators Arts Project, AGENT G introduced a more complex dramaturgy by introducing autobiographical elements of author Qui Nguyen as well as Nguyen himself as a character (although played by someone else) and even playwright David Henry Hwang as another character. The result was an even richer experience than previous VC shows.

Best of 2011: #9 - Our Lot (Clubbed Thumb)

2011-12-22T11:20:00.003-05:00

Every year, the excellent Clubbed Thumb presents three new works in fully staged productions for what they call Summerworks. One of this year's selections was OUR LOT co-written by Kristin Newbom and W. David Hancock and it was totally hypnotic (in a great way). Three children gather to clean out the belongings of their late step-father who kept collections of items in carefully labeled plastic bins (John Lennon, Julia Child, Charles Darwin). The set-up is brilliant - the stored items were usually more personal than (and in many instances were barely related to) the container they were in. I loved this play and it deserves a longer return engagement.

Best of 2011: #10 - The Cherry Orchard (CSC)

2011-12-21T13:57:00.001-05:00

There is a lot to love about Classic Stage Company's production of THE CHERRY ORCHARD: John Christopher Jones' colloquial adaptation, Dianne Wiest's innocent but radiant Ranevskaya, Juliet Rylance's heartbreaking Varya, Roberta Maxwell's wacky Charlotta, Alvin Epstein's spot-on Fiers. It's still running so do try to catch it.

Best of 2011: #11 Now The Cats With Jewelled Claws

2011-12-20T23:35:00.003-05:00

Another Tennessee Williams' play received an imaginative production this year, this time from director Jonathan Warman. Actually, it was the New York premiere of NOW THE CATS WITH JEWELLED CLAWS, a one-act from Williams, uncharacteristically set in New York City and had a cast that included cult stars Everett Quinton and Mink Stole and the fabulous Erin Markey. This show was a gem indeed.

Best of 2011: #12 - Wooster Group's VIEUX CARRÉ

2011-12-19T08:05:00.000-05:00

Tennessee Williams late play, VIEUX CARRÉ was tackled by The Wooster Group in 2011 with the Group's usual mix of physicality and technology. Whereas their Hamlet was Scott Shepherd's "show" this was very much Ari Fliakos' moment in the spotlight as Williams' alter-ego.

Best of 2011: #13 - The Tempest (Target Margin)

2011-12-18T19:01:00.000-05:00

In May, the invaluable Target Margin presented Shakespeare's last play, THE TEMPEST, at Here Arts Center, for which they built their version of The Globe. It was a spirited and magical production that I wish more people had the pleasure of seeing.

Best of 2011: #14 - 2 Kilos of Sea

2011-12-17T17:44:00.002-05:00

Originally presented as a site-specific work performed in a church courtyard as part of the River To River Festival, 2 KILOS OF SEA was re-imagined for an all-to-brief run at Baryshnikov Arts Center. It was a playful dance piece by Deganit Shemy & Company that was both theatrical and fun.

Best of 2011: #15 - Your Brother, Rembmber

2011-12-16T10:50:00.000-05:00

Theater doesn't get more personal than YOUR BROTHER, REMEMBER? Splicing together childhood home-made films with 80s films, Zachery Oberzan's piece for the Under The Radar festival managed to be both hilarious and very touching.

Best of 2011: #16 - Here at Home

2011-12-15T11:56:00.000-05:00

31 Down's HERE AT HOME was and aurally and visually stimulating piece about the impact of war. It was Eric Bogosian meets Sarah Kane with terrific performances by D. J. Mendel and Hollis Witherspoon. The lighting/video projections were amazing. Director Shannon Sindelar is someone to watch.

Best of 2011: #17 - Born Bad

2011-12-14T12:07:00.001-05:00

Soho Rep brought us the US premiere of playwright Debbie Tucker Green with BORN BAD, a lyrical, hour-long "poem" of a play what was solidly acted by a terrific and dedicated ensemble of five and beautifully directed by Leah C. Gardiner. Hopefully we will see more of this young British playwright.

Best of 2011: #18 - The Bardy Bunch (FringeNYC)

2011-12-13T08:24:00.000-05:00

THE BARDY BUNCH was The Brady Bunch vs The Partridge Family vis a vie Shakespeare. Marcia Brady as Juliet. David Partridge as Romeo. Jan as Ophelia. Mrs. Brady as Lady Macbeth. And on and on. Clever choreography. Brisk direction. THE BARDY BUNCH was the perfect Fringe show!

Best of 2011: #19 - Sweet and Sad

2011-12-12T11:37:00.000-05:00

Written and directed by Richard Nelson, SWEET AND SAD is the second of three personally-political plays set on a specific day during each of the years they are presented at The Public Theater. This one was set on the tenth anniversary of the attacks of September 11th, 2001. The ensemble work so beautifully together you have a hard time believing they have not known each other for years. I look forward to the final installment which will be set on election night 2012.

Best of 2011: #20 - Walk Across America for Mother Earth

2011-12-11T19:55:00.001-05:00

Taylor Mac's WALK ACROSS AMERICA FOR MOTHER EARTH at LaMama was gloriously-hippy love fest!

2011 FringeNYC Encore Series

2011-08-29T12:11:00.000-05:00

SOHO PLAYHOUSE:

After Anne Frank
"...though Anne Frank died before I was born, she keeps re-appearing in my life
teaching me new things about being Jewish and being part of the human family."
A funny and touching memoir from Carol Lempert, the creator/performer of the
FringeNYC hit That Dorothy Parker.
Sat 9/10 @ 4:30pm, Sat 9/17 @ 4, Wed 9/21 @ 8pm, Fri 9/23 @ 9:30pm

facebook me
6 MILLION teenage girls are on Facebook. Get ready for a shockingly real look
into our lives as we navigate our adolescence online...where status is more than
an update. It's 10pm. Do you know who your daughter is?
Sun 9/11 @ 2pm, Sat 9/17 @ 2pm, Sun 9/18 @ 2pm, Sat 9/24 @ 9:30pm, Sun 9/25 @
2pm

The More Loving One
An underage sex trial shakes up the lives of two couples--- one gay, one
straight--- on a summer weekend in a steamy college town. A sharp and
provocative new comedy about the uncertainties of lust and commitment.
Sun 9/11 @ 7:30pm, Wed 9/14 @ 9pm, Tue 9/20 @ 8pm, Thu 9/22 @ 9:30pm, Mon 9/26 @
8pm

Fourteen Flights
Two pilots on the brink of madness. Up in the air, clear skies. But down on
the ground, their personal lives spiral out of control. Will they reach the
horizon or crash and burn?
Mon 9/12 @ 8pm, Tue 9/13 @ 8pm, Thu 9/15 @ 9:30pm, Fri 9/16 @ 9pm, Sun 9/18 @
7:30pm

PigPen Presents The Mountain Song
2010 FringeNYC Overall Excellence winners and runaway hit PigPen Theatre Co.
return with "The Mountain Song". A carpenter must travel over mountains, rivers,
and deserts to attend his daughter’s wedding… without a clue as to where it's
taking place.
Wed 9/14 @ 7pm, Sat 9/17 @ 9:30pm, Sun 9/19 @ 8pm, Sat 9/24 @ 5pm, Sun 9/25 @
7:30pm

HURON CLUB @ SOHO PLAYHOUSE:

Paper Cut
A lonely secretary escapes her bleak reality by bringing to life black&white
photos from old film magazines. But as the story unravels, her romantic tale
becomes a Hitchcock nightmare! An award winning performance of paper and object
theater.
Fri 9/9 @ 7pm, Sat 9/10 @ 5pm, Sun 9/11 @ 7:30pm, Mon 9/12 @ 8pm, Tue 9/13 @
8pm

You Only Shoot The Ones You Love
Find out how acclaimed playwright Jeffrey Sweet found a second family in
improvisational comedy, including a crazy uncle named Del Close, and
inadvertently became the illegitimate grandfather of the Upright Citizens
Brigade. With special regards to the Cossacks for not quite killing my
grandmother.
Fri 9/9 @ 9:30pm, Wed 9/14 @ 7pm, Thu 9/15 @ , Fri 9/16 @ 10pm

Bongani
In post-apartheid South Africa, Bongani hurtles toward destruction. Corinne,
from an activist Jewish family, thinks she can rescue him, and her struggling
country. Bongani thinks she should rescue herself. The mesmerizing tale of a
love that could never be.
Sat 9/17 @ 4:30pm, Sun 9/18 @ 5pm, Mon 9/19 @ 8pm, Wed 9/21 @ 8pm

Who Loves You Baby?
Directed by Taylor Negron, this comic lounge act celebrates the romantic musings
of 70's icon, Telly Savalas, who has returned from the grave to give the
cynical hipsters of today a good kick in the pants.
Sun 9/18 @ 7:30pm, Tue 9/20 @ 8pm, Thu 9/22 @ 8pm, Sun 9/25 @ 7:30pm

PLAYERS THEATRE:

I Will Be Good
A southern girl raised to conform dares to be different. Surviving scandal and
depression, stalked by God, this ex-belle makes a witty, poignant journey from
successful executive to struggling artist that resonates with all. A good story
about bad behavior.
Fri 9/9 @ 7pm, Sun 9/11 @ 4pm, Sat 9/24 @ 5pm, Sun 9/25 @ 6pm

Araby
Joyce's Dubliners come to life in popular song: 15 stories in 15 songs. Soaring
voices and chamber ensemble transform gut-wrenching vignettes into tales of
redemption. From eastern-flavored Araby to gospel pastiche Grace to The Dead,
beauty, joy and catharsis beckon.
Sat 9/10 @ 5pm, Sun 9/11 @ 6pm, Sun 9/18 @ 7pm, Mon 9/19 @ 7pm

Felony Friday
A notorious crime boss is locked up with the city's worst. He has a visitor, the
man he murdered 48hrs earlier. Justice is blind, but the devil sees all.
Starring Jon Amos (of TV's Good Times).
Sat 9/10 @ 7:30pm, Sun 9/11 @ 8pm, Tue 9/13 @ 7:30pm, Thu 9/15 @ 9:30pm

Pearl's Gone Blue
The 1940's South. Even the Gospel church is hot. But that's nothing compared to
the temperature rise when bluesman Beau comes to town. Sellulah Pearl's got her
sights on more than his guitar. But who will sing the last note?
Fri 9/9 @ 9:30pm, Fri 9/16@ 9:30pm, Mon 9/19 @ 9pm, Sun 9/25 @ 8pm

The Legend of Julie Taymor,or The Musical That Killed Everybody!
World premiere rock musical comedy based on the rise and fall of director Julie
Taymor and the behind-the-scenes scandals of Spider-Man. Will the biggest
Broadway musical in history be saved... or become a Greek tragedy?
Wed 9/14 @ 7pm, Thu 9/15 @ 7pm, Fri 9/16 @ 7pm, Sat 9/17 @ 7pm, Sat 9/17 @
10:30pm

Parker & Dizzy's Fabulous Journey to the End of the Rainbow
If Wizard of Oz had a foursome with Star Wars, Thelma & Louise and Da Vinci
Code, its offspring would be this hilarious musical adventure. Dead bodies! Drag
queens! Clones! The gay holy grail! May the Fierce be with them.
Wed 9/14 @ 9:30pm, Sun 9/18 @ 9pm, Wed 9/21 @ 9pm, Fri 9/23 @ 7pm, Sat 9/24 @
10pm

COBU - Dance like Drumming, Drum like Dancing
Founded by YAKO MIYAMOTO, from the hit STOMP and the Hollywood movie "COBU 3D",
this all-girl "TAIKO" drum group mixes traditional with funk and hip-hop for
performances like you've never seen before. Come feel their girl power and
heart beat!!
Sat 9/17 @ 5pm, Sat 9/24 @ 3:30pm

Noir
Right or wrong, what does it matter? Only the movies are black and white.
Sun 9/18 @ 4pm, Tues 9/20 @ 7pm, Thu 9/22 @ 7pm

Jersey Shoresical: A Frickin' Rock Opera
MTV's reality phenomenon "Jersey Shore" gets the rock opera treatment in this
brand new musical parody. Behind all the fist pumping and fighting, it turns out
all these guidos and guidettes really care about is love, family, and gettin'
it in.
Wed 9/21 @ 7pm, Thu 9/22 @ 10pm, Fri 9/23 @ 10:30pm, Sat 9/24 @ 8pm, Sun 9/25 @
4pm

FringeNYC 2011 Announces Overall Excellence Award Winners

2011-08-28T11:22:00.000-05:00

Overall Production/Play:

PigPen Presents The Mountain Song
The More Loving One

Overall Production/Musical:

Yeast Nation
Pearl's Gone Blue

Performance:

Jennifer Barnhart (The Legend of Julie Taymor,or The Musical That Killed Everybody!)
Ryan Barry (In the Summer Pavilion)
Miles Cooper (Elysian Fields)
Patrick Byas (Sammy Gets Mugged)
Casey McClellan (My Name Is Billy)
Brian Charles Rooney (Winner Takes All)
Lauren Hennessy (Ampersand: A R&J Love Story)

Playwriting:

Nicholas Billon (Greenland)
A.D. Penedo (The Three Times She Knocked)
Bella and the Pool Boy (Dennis Flanagan)

Music Composition:

Chris Rael (Araby)
Dusty Brown (The Ballad of Rusty and Roy)

Ensemble:

Jersey Shoresical
The Bardy Bunch: The War of the Families Partridge and Brady
Stimulated!
Crawling with Monsters

Costume Design:

Stephanie Alexander (Le Gourmand, or Gluttony!)
Mark Richard Caswell (Parker and Dizzy’s Fabulous Journey to the End of the Rainbow)
Tara DeVincenzo (Technodulia Dot Com)

Directing:

Greg Foro (Hamlet)
Joshua Kahan Brody (Fourteen Flights)
Alaska Reece Vance (The Disorientation of Butterflies)

Solo Performance:

Donna/Madonna
The Day the Sky Turned Black
Be Careful! The Sharks Will Eat You!
Paper Cut
Heroes and Other Strangers

Dance:

Wallstories
When the Sky Breaks 3D

Video Design:

Cinty Ionescu (Nils' Fucked Up Day)

TheaterMania Audience Favorite Award:

COBU - Dance like Drumming, Drum like Dancing

Winners of the 2011 FringeNYC Overall Excellence Awards, as selected by an independent panel of nearly 50 theater professionals.

John Jesurun @ Coffeehouse Chronicles

2011-06-14T16:28:00.001-05:00

Multimedia Artist, John Jesurun, is next up at Coffeehouse Chronicles at LaMama.

Jesurun is the creator of such works as Deep Sleep, Shatterhand Massacree, the Chang in a Void Moon series and Slight Return, which Ludlow Lad saw at LaMama and it remains one of his favorite things he's ever seen.

Don't miss this!

Coffeehouse Chronicles
John Jesurun (#102)
June 25, 2011 at 3pm
The Club @ LaMama
Free!

Coming Soon: HOW THE DAY RUNS DOWN

2011-06-06T07:18:00.002-05:00

Merge Our Town with Dawn of the Dead and you have a slight idea of what happens when a small town is overrun by the undead.

Best described as Our Town with zombies, with Thornton Wilder's Stage Manager moving between the different townspeople's stories to describe not their mundane sorrows and joys, but their encounters with, and last stands against, the zombie horde. The juxtaposition of Wilder's play, which is all about the continuity of communal life in the face of individual deaths, with a plot that posits that not only the town but all of humanity is doomed, makes for a heartbreaking story.

Nicu’s Spoon Presents
How the Day Runs Down
by John Langan
directed by S. Barton-Farcas

July 6 – 24 2011

Spoon Theater
38 West 38th Street, 5th Floor

$15-18

For Tickets & Info: www.spoontheater.org

New Blog: THEATER OF THE TIMES

2011-05-26T19:37:00.002-05:00

So, now that THE NEW YORK TIMES is charging for content, Ludlow Lad has started a new blog recapping theater reviews from The Paper of Record in a new blog:

THE THEATER OF THE TIMES

Enjoy!

Last Chance: Here At Home & The Tempest

2011-05-25T14:40:00.004-05:00

This weekend is the closing for two excellent shows that Ludlow Lad can highly recommend.

31 Down's HERE AT HOME is an hypnotic and disorienting piece about war. It is expertly directed and designed.

And Target Margin is finish off their 20th Anniversary Season with Shakespeare and THE TEMPEST complete with a Globe-like reconstruction and an original score.

Both shows are worth checking out before they disappear.

The NON-Broadway Drama Desk Award Winners

2011-05-23T23:50:00.003-05:00

Being an non-Broadway show nominated for a Drama Desk Award is sort of like being invited to Thanksgiving dinner, but being forced to sit a the Children's Table. Off Broadway shows are eligible for Drama Desk Awards, are often nominated, but seldom win.

So here are the NON-Broadway Drama Desk Award Winners for 2011:

Outstanding Book of a Musical:

Adam Mathias, See Rock City & Other Destinations

Outstanding Music in a Play:
Wayne Barker, Peter and the Starcatcher

Unique Theatrical Experience:

Sleep No More

---

Congratulations and see you next year!

The 2011 OBIE Awards

2011-05-16T22:20:00.002-05:00

The winners of the 2011 OBIE Awards were announced tonight at Webster Hall. And the winners are:

Best New American Play
The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity by Kristoffer Diaz (Second Stage)

Lifetime Achievement
Repertorio Espanol and its co-founder and artistic director, René Buch

Performance
F. Murray Abraham, sustained excellence of performance
André Braugher, The Whipping Man (Manhattan Theatre Club)
Michael Chernus, In the Wake (Public Theater)
Ethan Hawke, Blood from a Stone (The New Group)
Hamish Linklater, The School for Lies (Classic Stage Company)
Laurie Metcalf, The Other Place (Manhattan Class Company)
Thomas Sadoski, Other Desert Cities (Lincoln Center Theater)
Scott Shepherd, Gatz (Elevator Repair Service / Public Theater)
Brenda Wehle, The Intelligent Homosexual's Guide to Capitalism and Socialism With a Key to the Scriptures (Signature Theatre / Public Theater)
Charlayne Woodard, The Witch of Edmonton (Red Bull Theater)

Playwriting
Samuel D. Hunter, A Bright New Boise (Partial Comfort Productions)
Jonas Hassen Khemiri, Invasion! (The Play Company)

Direction
Austin Pendleton, Three Sisters (Classic Stage Company)
Roger Rees and Alex Timbers, Peter and the Starcatcher (New York Theatre Workshop)
Leigh Silverman [pictured right], In the Wake (Public Theater) and Go Back to Where You Are (Playwrights Horizons)

Design
Jill BC Du Boff, sustained excellence of sound design
Donyale Werle, sustained excellence of set design

Special Citations
Design and choreography, Sleep No More (Punchdrunk Theatre) Felix Barrett, Livi Vaughan, Beatrice Minns, Maxine Doyle, Stephen Dobbie, Euan Maybank, and David Israel Reynoso
Young Jean Lee, We're Gonna Die (13P / Joe’s Pub)
debbie tucker green and Leah C. Gardiner, Born Bad (Soho Rep)

Obie Grants ($2,500 to each theater)
Metropolitan Playhouse
Wakka Wakka

The Ross Wetzsteon Award
Belarus Free Theatre

SILENCE! The Musical! - It's Baaaaaaaaak!

2011-05-13T13:29:00.004-05:00

Originally produced at the New York International Fringe Festival in 2005, Silence! The Musical! is back for a commercial run in NYC. The always-hilarious Jenn Harris is also back as Clarice Starling (the Jodi Foster part) and Brent Barrett will play Hannibal Lecter.

Silence! The Musical! will run June 24 - August 13 at Theater 80 St. Marks.

Fridays at 8pm
Saturdays at 8pm &10:30pm

Tickets are: $48, $38 and $25

For Tickets and Info: www.silencethemusicalnyc.com

Clubbed Thumb Summerworks 2011

2011-05-06T14:02:00.003-05:00

The terrific Clubbed Thumb Summerworks has announced this summer's three shows:

ENFRASCADA
by Tanya Saracho
directed by Jerry Ruiz
In which Alicia tries to make time go backward, ensnarling her expressive friends, their conjurers and a lot of jars. with Flora Diaz, Annie Henk, Anna Lamadrid, Jessica Pimentel, Christina Pumariega
June 5, 6, 7, 9, 10, 11 at 8:30 PM TICKETS

OUR LOT
by Kristin Newbom & W. David Hancock
directed by May Adrales
In which three siblings clear out their dead step-dad's trash. Or is it their legacy? And who gets the haunted van? with Joanna P. Adler, Nathan Hinton, Mariann Mayberry, Paul Niebanck
June 12, 13, 14, 16, 17, 18 at 8:30 PM TICKETS

CIVILIZATION (ALL YOU CAN EAT)
by Jason Grote
directed by Seth Bockley
In which ambitious gurus, entertainers, wage slaves and a giant pig let their appetites get the better of them. with Jeff Biehl, Reyna de Courcy, Judith Hawking, Melissa Miller, Andres Munar, Melle Powers, Tony Torn
June 19, 20, 21, 23, 24, 25 at 8:30 PM TICKETS

2011 Lucille Lortel Award Winners

2011-05-02T06:15:00.002-05:00

Outstanding Play
The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity
Produced by Second Stage Theatre;
Written by Kristoffer Diaz

Outstanding Musical
Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson
Produced by The Public Theater and Center Theatre Group
in association with Les Freres Corbusier;
Music and Lyrics by Michael Friedman, Book by Alex Timbers

Outstanding Solo Show
Mike Birbiglia's My Girlfriend's Boyfriend
Produced by Ron Delsener and Mike Lavoie;
Written and Performed by Mike Birbiglia

Outstanding Revival
Angels in America: A Gay Fantasia on National Themes
Part 1: Millennium Approaches,
Part 2: Perestroika
Produced by Signature Theatre Company;
Written by Tony Kushner

Outstanding Director
John Collins, Gatz

Outstanding Choreographer
Steven Hoggett, Peter and the Starcatcher

Outstanding Lead Actor
Christian Borle, Peter and the Starcatcher

Outstanding Lead Actress
Laurie Metcalf, The Other Place

Outstanding Featured Actor
Thomas Sadoski, Other Desert Cities

Outstanding Featured Actress
Kristen Schaal, The Coward

Outstanding Scenic Design
Donyale Werle, Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson

Outstanding Costume Design
Gabriel Berry, The Coward

Outstanding Lighting Design
Ben Stanton, The Whipping Man

Outstanding Sound Design
Mikhail Fiksel, The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity

Special Awards
Lifetime Achievement Award: Lynne Meadow

Service to Off-Broadway Award: Gary Glaser

Outstanding Alternative Theatrical Experience:
Gatz - Produced by The Public Theater

The Non-Broadway 2011 Drama Desk Nominations

2011-04-29T10:28:00.005-05:00

So here are all the non-Broadway Drama Desk Nominees for this year:

Outstanding Play
Jon Robin Baitz, Other Desert Cities
Adam Bock, A Small Fire
Samuel D. Hunter, A Bright New Boise

Outstanding Musical
In Transit
See Rock City & Other Destinations
The Kid

Outstanding Revival of a Play
Three Sisters

Outstanding Revival of a Musical
Hello Again

Outstanding Actor in a Play
Charles Busch, The Divine Sister
Geoffrey Rush, The Diary of a Madman
Michael Shannon, Mistakes Were Made
Paul Sparks, Dusk Rings a Bell

Outstanding Actress in a Play
Stockard Channing, Other Desert Cities
Laurie Metcalf, The Other Place
Michele Pawk, A Small Fire

Outstanding Actor in a Musical
Christopher Sieber, The Kid

Outstanding Actress in a Musical
NONE

Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play
Christian Borle, Peter and the Starcatcher
Boyd Gaines, The Grand Manner
Logan Marshall-Green, The Hallway Trilogy
Zachary Quinto, Angels in America

Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play
Lisa Emery, The Collection & A Kind of Alaska
Julie Halston, The Divine Sister
Sarah Nina Hayon, A Bright New Boise
Celia Keenan-Bolger, Peter and the Starcatcher
Linda Lavin, Other Desert Cities

Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical
Bob Stillman, Hello Again

Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical
Jill Eikenberry, The Kid

Outstanding Director of a Play
Trip Cullman, A Small Fire
Davis McCallum, A Bright New Boise
Kirjan Waage and Gwendolyn Warnock, Baby Universe

Outstanding Director of a Musical
Joe Calarco, In Transit
Jack Cummings III, Hello Again
Jack Cummings III, See Rock City & Other Destinations

Outstanding Choreography
Scott Graham and Steven Hoggett, Beautiful Burnout
Steven Hoggett, Peter and the Starcatcher
Siudy, Between Worlds

Outstanding Music
Brad Alexander, See Rock City & Other Destinations

Outstanding Lyrics
Rick Crom, Newsical The Musical -- Full Spin Ahead
Jack Lechner, The Kid
Adam Mathias, See Rock City & Other Destinations

Outstanding Book of a Musical
Kristen Anderson-Lopez, James-Allen Ford, Russ Kaplan and Sara Wordsworth, In Transit
Adam Mathias, See Rock City & Other Destinations
Michael Zam, The Kid

Outstanding Orchestrations
Mary-Mitchell Campbell, Hello Again
Bruce Coughlin, The Burnt Part Boys
Lynne Shankel, The Extraordinary Ordinary

Outstanding Music in a Play
Wayne Barker, Peter and the Starcatcher
Lars Petter Hagen, Baby Universe
Alan John, The Diary of a Madman
Tom Kitt, The Winter's Tale

Outstanding Revue
Fyvush Finkel Live!
Newsical The Musical -- Full Spin Ahead

Outstanding Set Design
Rachel Hauck, Orange, Hat & Grace
Tony Straiges, Treasure Island

Outstanding Costume Design
Paloma Young, Peter and the Starcatcher

Outstanding Lighting Design
Jean Kalman, John Gabriel Borkman
R. Lee Kennedy, See Rock City & Other Destinations
Laura Mroczkowski, Spy Garbo
Ben Stanton, The Whipping Man
David Weiner, A Small Fire

Outstanding Sound Design in a Musical
Lindsay Jones, The Burnt Part Boys
Michael Rasbury, Hello Again
Jon Weston, In Transit

Outstanding Sound Design in a Play
Ian Dickinson, John Gabriel Borkman
Brett Jarvis, Baby Universe
Bray Poor, Wings
Eric Shimelonis, The Hallway Trilogy

Outstanding Solo Performance
Daniel Beaty, Through the Night
Mike Birbiglia, Mike Birbiglia's My Girlfriend's Boyfriend
Juliette Jeffers, Batman and Robin in the Boogie Down
Joanna Tope, The Promise

Unique Theatrical Experience
Being Harold Pinter
Circus Incognitus
Gatz
Play Dead
Room 17B
Sleep No More

As well as these special awards:

• To A.R. Gurney for his enduring, keenly observed portraits of American life over a prolific four-decade-long career.

• To Reed Birney for his versatile and finely nuanced performances over the past thirty-five years, and for his exceptional work this season in Tigers Be Still, A Small Fire and The Dream of the Burning Boy.

• To The New Group and Artistic Director Scott Elliott for presenting contemporary new voices, and for uncompromisingly raw and powerful productions.

• To The Pearl Theatre Company for notable productions of classic plays and nurturing a stalwart resident company of actors.

EST's 33rd Marathon of One-Act Plays Announced

2011-04-27T13:56:00.004-05:00

Ensemble Studio Theatre has announced the plays for this year's (the 33rd Annual) Marathon of One Act Plays:

SERIES A

Previews $10: Friday, May 20 - Sunday, May 22
Opening Monday, May 23 - Saturday, June 18

Bike Wreck by Qui Nguyen*; directed by John Gould Rubin
In the Middle of the Night by Billy Aronson*; directed by Robert Davenport
School Night by J. Holtham*; directed by Abigail Zealey Bess*
Ten High by Ben Rosenthal *; directed by John Giampietro
Tennessee by Romulus Linney*; directed by Harris Yulin*

SERIES B

Previews $10: Saturday, June 4 - Wednesday, June 8
Opening Thursday, June 9 - Saturday, June 25th

I Know by Jacquelyn Reingold*; directed by Dan Bonnell*
Mrs. Jones and the Man from Dixieland
by Steven Sater* & Duncan Sheik, directed by José Zayas
For Elise by David Zellnik*; directed by Pamela Berlin*
Two from the Line by Michael Louis Wells*, directed by R.J. Tolan*
Cell by Cassandra Medley*, directed by Jamie Richards*

*denotes EST Member

All shows are at 7pm

with Saturday matinees at 2pm
and Sunday matinees at 3pm

**Sunday June 5th is at 5pm**

Tickets are $18 per session or
$30 for a Two Series Pass

CLICK HERE for single Tickets.
CLICK HERE for passes to both Series A and Series B.

2011 Pulitzer Prize for Drama

2011-04-18T09:52:00.002-05:00

...and the 2011 Pulitzer Prize for Drama goes to: Bruce Norris' Clybourne Park.

Congratulations to Playwright's Horizons!

So it's official NYC really missed the boat on this play. It's made quite an impact everywhere else it went.

KIN @ Playwrights Horizons

2011-03-27T20:04:00.003-05:00

Bathsheba Doran's KIN is a joy. It's a smart, complicated, adult play - the likes of which you've come to expect from the invaluable Playwrights Horizons and the likes of which you rarely, I mean really rarely see on Broadway. The ensemble cast is uniformly perfect under Sam Gold's expert direction. Mr. Gold is batting a thousand in NYC!

See this show!

For tickets and info: CLICK HERE

Opening This Week: THE INEXPLICABLE REDEMPTION OF AGENT G

2011-03-20T09:17:00.001-05:00

The Obie-Winning Vampire Cowboys are back with an all-new adventure!

THE INEXPLICABLE
REDEMPTION
OF AGENT G
by Qui Nguyen
directed by Robert Ross Parker

It’s been 10 years since Agent G has last been in Vietnam where his family and friends were all viciously slain. He’s now come back looking for answers and a good bit of revenge, however mysterious forces are at hand trying to stop him as well as the playwright from finishing this brutal task.

After 8 years of exploding movie genre after movie genre onto the live stage, Vampire Cowboys now takes their irreverent pop-culture aesthetic and applies it to a true story in their most daring and risk-taking venture yet.

He lost his country, his family, and his soul. But what he hasn’t lost is his taste for revenge!

March 24 - April 16, 2011
(Thurs, Fri, Sat, & Sun @ 8pm)

At INCUBATOR ARTS PROJECT
St. Mark's Church in-the-Bowery
131 East 10th Street (at 2nd Avenue)

For Tickets & Info: CLICK HERE

Soho Rep: Writer/Director Lab

2011-03-15T16:05:00.002-05:00

Soho Rep's awesome Writer/Director Lab is back for 2011.

Writers & Directors pairs create plays from scratch.

Free. First come, first served. All readings are at 7pm at Soho Rep.

FORT LEE
A new play by Lloyd Suh
Directed by Sarah Rasmussen
Monday, March 28 at 7pm

LOOP TAPE
A new play by Andy Bragen
Directed by Mike Donahue
Monday, April 4 at 7pm

TAKARAZUKA!
A new play by Susan Soon He Stanton
Directed by Alice Reagan
Monday, April 11 at 7pm

THE DEAD, INC.
A new play by Michael Yates Crowley
Directed by Rachel Chavkin
Monday, April 25 at 7pm

WHEN I HAD THREE SISTERS
A new play by Jason Pizzarello
Directed by Lila Neugebauer
Monday, May 9 at 7pm

Writer/Director Lab Co-Chairs: Daniel Manley & Rob Marcato

Soho Rep is located at 41 White Street, between Church Street & Broadway.

For more info: Click Here

Opening This Week: JEWQUEEN

2011-03-13T19:37:00.003-05:00

After taking on Eugene O’Neil, Little Lord moves on to The Bible - The Book of Esther to be specific. Expect broad humor, cross dressing, irreverence, free liquor, and a lot of fun.

Little Lord’s

JEWQUEEN
Directed by Michael Levinton!

Dramaturgy by Sarah Bishop-Stone!

Created and performed by Julia Arazi! Sarah Bishop-Stone! Das Elkin! Diana Konopka! Michael Levinton! Rodney Pallanck! Laura von Holt!

March 17 - April 2, 2011 @ UNDER St Marks - 94 Saint Marks Place

Thursdays - Saturdays at 8pm, Special added matinee on Saturday, March 19th at 5pm

For Tickets: CLICK HERE
For Info: CLICK HERE

A Good Week: The Method Gun & Invasion!

2011-03-12T13:26:00.005-05:00

Ludlow Lad sees a lot of theater. Much of it isn't very good - or at least isn't work that Ludlow Lad enjoys. That is why seeing two pieces as good as The Rude Mechs' The Method Gun and The Play Company's Invasion! in the same week can be a revelation...and inspiring.

At the center of The Method Gun is the missing (and fictitious) Stella Burden, whose high-concept production of A Streetcar Named Desire that omits the characters of Blanche, Stanley, Stella and Mitch she has abandoned. The Rude Mechs "recreate" the post-Stella rehearsals, her unique acting techniques, her rituals and ultimately the production itself. Its two coup-de-theatres - one physical and one emotional are worth the price of admission alone.

The Play Company's Invasion!, by Jonas Hassen Khemiri, translated from Swedish by Rachel Willson-Broyles, begins with a a coup-de-theatre and takes off from there telling the story of Abulkasem from multiple points of view. Invasion! is about language, terrorism, misunderstanding, and about twenty other things and it is expertly directed by Erica Schmidt and the cast of four is outstanding.

Like Ludlow Lad said - a good week.

The Wooster Group does Tennessee Williams

2011-02-22T13:23:00.000-05:00

Liz LeCompte and The Wooster Group's ongoing trek through the theatrical canon has now landed at Tennessee Williams' Vieux Carre. William's mostly-expressionistic slice of life is set in a New Orleans boarding house, where the Williams-like writer (think Tom after he leave The Glass Menagerie) crosses paths with a cross-section of characters, including and elderly homosexual, the landlady and a woman and her drunk boyfriend among others.

As much as The Emperor Jones is Kate Valk's show, and Hamlet is Scott Shepherd's show; Vieux Carre is Ari Fliakos' show and he does a fine job. Shepherd, in the duel roles of the drunk boyfriend (Tye McCool, seriously) and the old homosexual (Nightingale, I kid you not) dives in to both parts head first with terrific results. Only the usually amazing Kate Valk seems adrift, going for broad humor and even broader accents as both the Landlady and Jane Sparks, the lost lady with the crappy boyfriend.
Clocking in a just about two-hours without an intermission, the show grabs the audience and doesn't let go until the final thirty minutes, especially during what felt like a very long scene between the embattled couple. That scene could use a touch of the usual Wooster Group magic, inspired tricks.
But these are all minor quibbles, for Vieux Carre is still better than just about anything happening in New York theater right now. Given that the Group is based in New York, we don't seem to see enough of them. Don't miss this or any chance.

The Wooster Group's Vieux Carre has just been extended through March 13 at Baryshnikov Arts Center.

For Tickets: CLICK HERE

Ohio Theater Goes West

2011-02-21T11:39:00.004-05:00

According to an article in The New York Times, Robert Lyons announced that the Ohio Theater will relocate to the Archive Building at 666 Greenwich Street in the West Village. A ten-year lease has been signed on what will now be known as OHIO WEST. While the Ohio Theater presented great work, it was the former space at 66 Wooster Street that made it very, very special - and still a huge loss.

The full NY Times article is HERE.

10 Favorite Shows of 2010

2010-12-17T14:08:00.012-05:00

So here, in the order in which Ludlow Lad saw them, are the top 10 Favorite Shows of 2010:

#1. LEAR
@ Soho Rep
---
#2. L'effet de Serge
@ 3LD/Under The Radar Festival
---
#3. The Divine Sister
@ Theater For The New City
---
#4. Alice in Slasherland
@ HERE/Vampire Cowboys
---
#5. Milk
@ HERE/New Georges
---
#6. The Zero Hour
@ Walkerspace/13P
---
#7. The Little Foxes
@ New York Theater Workshop
---
#8. Laurie Anderson's Delusion
@ BAM/Next Wave
---
#9. That Hopey Changey Thing
@ The Public/Public Lab
---
#10. Middletown
@ The Vineyard Theater

William Eno's MIDDLETOWN

2010-11-21T10:34:00.003-05:00

Currently at the Vineyard Theater, through December 5th, William Eno's MIDDLETOWN is a must-see. Like a contemporary version of Thornton Wilder's OUR TOWN, MIDDLETOWN tells universal truths vis a vie everyday details and it is at once hilarious and heart-breaking. The cast is absolutely perfect and a few, James McMenamin, Heather Burns and Georgia Engel being sublime! This should definitely be on the Pulitzer short list.

For tickets & info: www.vineyardtheatre.org

A Puppet Rock Opera (in one act)

2010-10-06T20:48:00.003-05:00

Love is Like Mud is a story about the romantic misadventures between city dwellers Jon and Anne. After meeting on the subway they have an awkward first date, followed by a torrid night of sex. Before they know it they are in the midst of a relationship, wondering if they have fallen in love.

Love is Like Mud:
A Puppet Rock Opera (in one act)

October 15 @ 9:30pm
October 22 @ 9:30pm
October 29 @ 9:30pm
November 7 @ 7:30pm
November 14 @ 7:30pm
November 21 @ 9:30pm
November 28 @ 7:30pm
December 3 @ 7:30pm
December 10 @ 9:30pm
December 17 @ 9:30pm

@ The Tank
354 W. 45th Street
New York, NY 10036

For Tickets & Info: www.thetanknyc.org

Target Margin Lab @ The Brick

2010-10-05T15:38:00.003-05:00

Target Margin Theater is celebrating their 20th Season this year, and kicking things off is their LAB SERIES at The Brick in Williamsburg:

THE YELLOW SOUND
by Wassily Kandinsky
Lead Artists-Kate Sinclair Foster & Mary Neufeld

A visual soundscape of giant puppets, psychedelic colors and indistinct beings.

Thursday, 11/4 at 8pm
Friday, 11/5 at 8pm
Saturday, 11/6 at 8pm
Sunday, 11/7 at 7pm
Monday, 11/8 at 8pm

THE MAGIC FLUTE (A Sound-Op Era)
adapted from the opera by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Lead artist-Kate Marvin

Kann Musik bezaubern? Could a flute be the key? Does the “flöte” put the “zauber” in TMT? (And what’s going on with the Freemasonry?)
A zauberoperatic journey through fire, water, and glitter starring theremins, opera singers, ukuleles, dictaphones, melodicas, maestros with big hair, speakers of Transrational German, wind-up dolls, toy pianos, Stage Managers in tights, Sound Demons in tuxedos, Freemasons in fake beards, and the sound of magic.

Wednesday, 11/10 at 7:30pm
Thursday, 11/11 at 8pm
Friday, 11/12 at 8pm
Saturday, 11/13 at 8pm
Sunday, 11/14 at 7pm

THE MOTH AND THE FLAME
by Clyde Fitch
Lead Artist-Yuri Skujins

Written in the late 19th century, this relentlessly chatty and darkly comedic play looks at the strivings--financial, social, and otherwise--of that era's plucky New Yorkers and their curiously modern concerns and timely dilemmas.

Tuesday, 11/16 at 8pm
Wednesday, 11/17 at 8pm
Thursday, 11/18 at 8pm
Friday, 11/19 at 8pm
Saturday, 11/20 at 8pm

Tickets are only $12 if you buy before Halloween!

Click Here for tickets.

2010 Fall Preview

2010-08-30T10:45:00.004-05:00

Here are 13 shows that Ludlow Lad is excited about seeing this fall:

underneathmybed: A new play by Florencia Lozano in which ghosts of a dirty foreign war haunt a family. Rattlestick Theatre; starts September 1. www.rattlestick.org

Roadkill Confidential: This new play by Sheila Callaghan is described as a noir-ish meditation on brutality. 3LD Art & Technology Center; starts September 7. www.clubbedthumb.org

Orlando: Sarah Ruhl takes on Virginia Woolf. Classic Stage; starts September 8. www.classicstage.org

Brandywine Distillery Fire: Matthew Freeman and Matthew Gardner promise to develope a theater work in the "wrongest" way possible which may never delivers on its promises. Incubator Arts Project; starts September 9. www.brandywinedistilleryfire.com

Down There: Based on the real-life 1965 torture murder of Sylvia Likens, Down There is a new play from Axis Company, written and directed by Randy Sharp. Axis Theatre; starts September 9. www.axiscompany.org

The Little Foxes: Director Ivo van Hove, who has previously taken on Williams, Ibsen and Moliere now turns his talents to Lillian Hellman's famous play. New York Theatre Workshop; starts September 10. www.nytw.org

The Divine Sister: Charles Busch gets back to his roots in this hilarious new comedy that was workshopped at Theater for the New City earlier this year. Soho Playhouse; starts September 12. www.divinesisteronstage.com

Angels in America: Michael Greif directs Tony Kushner's gigantic play. Parts one and two run in rep from September 14th through January 30th. signaturetheatre.org

Orange, Hat and Grace: Artistic Director Sarah Benson directs this new play by Gregory S. Moss that is described as a funny, fierce and provocative inquiry into our relationship with the natural world. Soho Rep; starts September 15. www.sohorep.org

Three Sisters Come and Go: Anton Chekhov vs. Samuel Beckett vs. Julia Kristeva in this beautifully designed piece that gets a return engagement at Theaterlab; starts September 29. www.theaterlabnyc.com

Middletown: A new play by Will Eno, directed by Ken Rus Schmoll that explores the universe of a small American town. Vineyard Theatre; starts October 13. www.vineyardtheatre.org

A Free Man of Color: The amazing John Guare's new play, described as a "freewheeling epic" set in 1802 New Orleans. Lincoln Center Theater @ the Vivian Beaumont; starts October 21. www.lct.org

(oh my god I am so) THIRST(y): Little Lords bring back their great adaptation of Eugene O’Neill’s play. October 21 - 30, 2010 @ Incubator Arts Project www.littlelord.org

2010 Fringe Encore Series Productions

2010-08-30T01:54:00.004-05:00

The productions that will be part of the 2010 Fringe Encores Series have been announced.

They are:

Getting Even With Shakespeare
How My Mother Died of Cancer, and Other Bedtime Stories
SOUTH PATHETIC
PigPen Presents: The Nightmare Story
Over and Over
The Twentieth-Century Way
Running
Saving Throw Versus Love
Hearts Full of Blood
Amsterdam Abortion Survivor
Faye Lane's Beauty Shop Stories
The Hurricane Katrina Comedy Festival
Lost and Found
MADE IN TAIWAN
BUNKED!: A New Musical
Just In Time - The Judy Holliday Story
POPE! An Epic Musical
Jurassic Parq: The Broadway Musical
When Last We Flew
The Secretaries
and
Viva Los Bastarditos!

For Dates, Times and Tickets fo to: www.fringenyc-encores.com

2010 Fringe Awards

2010-08-29T23:57:00.000-05:00

Audience Favorite:

Viva Los Bastarditos!

Unique Theatrical Experience:

Ground to Cloud
Daddy Day

Excellence in Dance:

Namely, Muscles
Swaha: Rituals of Union

Excellence in Solo Shows:

Miss Magnolia Beaumont Goes to Provincetown
Driving the Saudis
SCARED SKINNY: a one (hundred pound lighter) woman show
VIVA LA EVOLUCION!
Faye Lane's Beauty Shop Stories

Excellence in Directing:

Divya Palat for A PERSONAL WAR- STORIES OF THE MUMBAI TERROR ATTACKS
Kym Gomes for By Hands Unknown
Josh Liveright for Alternative Methods

Excellence in Ensemble:

Veritas
Timing of the Day
The Secretaries
Dear Harvey

Excellence in Music and Lyrics:

The Pig, The Farmer, and The Artist
The Morning After / The Night Before
POPE! An Epic Musical

Excellence in Playwriting:

James Asmus for Hearts Full of Blood
Matt Saldarelli for Getting Even with Shakespeare
Stephen W. Baldwin for My Name is Ruth
Harrison David Rivers for When Last We Flew

Excellence in Performance:

Marina Squerciati for Just in Time: The Judy Holliday Story
Jake Ahlquist for Richard 3
Deanna Pacelli for 23 Feet in 12 Minutes – The Death and Rebirth of New Orleans
Rory Limpede for When Last We Flew
Jared Houseman for Art of Attack
Geraldine Librandi for Lost and Found
Tyler Moss for Terror Super Highway

Overall Excellence in Production (Play):

The Hurricane Katrina Comedy Festival
The Momentum
Pig Pen Presents: The Nightmare Story
The 20th Century Way

Overall Excellence in Production (Musical):

Jurassic Parq: The Broadway Musical
Bunked!: A New Musical

Heads Up: Orange, Hat & Grace @ Soho Rep

2010-08-28T13:12:00.003-05:00

This is the first production of Soho Rep's 2010-2011 Season.

In a cabin in the woods, aging Orange finds her orderly life upended by a feral suitor and the reappearance of a figure from her past who's come home for a final visit. Equal parts American gothic and unlikely romance, ORANGE, HAT & GRACE is a funny, fierce and provocative inquiry into our relationship with the natural world.

Don't miss the Soho Rep production this remarkable new play and Gregory S. Moss' NY debut. Directed by Artistic Director, Sarah Benson (BLASTED), ORANGE, HAT & GRACE was written in Soho Rep's 2009 Writer/Director Lab.

Featuring:
Reyna de Courcy, Matthew Maher & Stephanie Roth Haberle

Director: Sarah Benson
Set Designer: Rachel Hauck
Lighting Designer: Matt Frey
Costume Designer: David Hyman
Sound Designer: Matt Tierney
Hair & Makeup Designer: Jon Carter
Fight Director: J. David Brimmer
Production Stage Manager: Terri K. Kohler

For Tickets & Info: www.sohorep.org

In Defense of Fringe

2010-08-27T12:38:00.002-05:00

Once again people are questioning the existence of The New York International Fringe Festival. Our question is: When was the last time you saw a people lined up down the block or around the corner to get into the Lucile Lortel or the Players Theater? The Fringe succeeds in making people excited about theater. And on that score alone Ludlow Lad give it a big thumbs up.

But let’s address some of the complaints in the recent NY Times article . Since year one, FringeNYC was criticized for adjudicating participants, yet these are usually the same people that complain about the random quality. You can’t have it both ways; does anything think the quality would be better if FringeNYC participants were admitted on a first-come-first-served or lottery basis?

Ludlow Lad is not even sure what part of FringeNYC is “poorly orginized” according to Jason Zinoman. Every show starts pretty much on time and there is no late seating - rules Ludlow Lad thinks should become law in NYC. The fact that 197 shows happen at 18 venues without incident is pretty amazing actually. We rarely see box office incidents or house management issues at all. One line for Will Call and one line for Ticket Buyers - it’s pretty efficient.

As we’ve said before, it would be wonderful if Fringe NYC could happen in a geographically concentrated area - but did you see East 4th Street this year? There were six venues between Bowery and 2nd Avenue. What other block has more venues than that? The only thing that could have made it better (besides getting New York Theater Workshop as a venue) would be having Fringe Central on that block, too.

And of course it difficult finding the gems among 197 shows. Maybe the Fringe website needs to allow for slightly longer descriptions - but that could become even harder to navigate. Maybe space could be allotted to previous credits of the participants of each show - but even that is no grantee of success. As a former FringeNYC participant, Ludlow Lad would argue for longer tech time in the assigned venues - this could allow for better production values (or at least smoother first performances). But as someone who is NOT looking for the the next Broadway hit and just looking for some interesting shows, Ludlow Lad thinks Elena Holy and the whole FringeNYC teal to an outstanding job and we’d hate to see the The York International Fringe Festival go anywhere!

Fringe 2010 (part 2)

2010-08-26T12:45:00.004-05:00

Ludlow Lad enjoyed the most recent batch of Fringe shows he saw: Jurassic Parq: The Broadway Musical was a lot of good, silly fun with the Jurassic Park story being told from the dinosaurs’ point of view. Brandon Espinoza was quite good as Mimeasaurus.

At the totally other end of the Fringe spectrum was Veritas (photo above), Stan Richardson’s play very good about a real-life witch-hunt for gays at Harvard in the 1920’s. The cast is uniformly good under Ryan J. Davis’ excellent direction. If they manage to re-think the final twenty minutes, the show could be brilliant.

And finally, Ludlow Lad caught the TOSOS production of The Secretaries (photo above) and had a seriously great time. The cast of five could not be better and director Mark Finley keeps things moving at exactly the right pace. This show is hilarious!

For tickets and info: CLICK HERE

Fringe 2010 (so far)

2010-08-22T08:26:00.005-05:00

The first week of the 2010 New York International Fringe Festival is over. Ludlow Lad has seen eleven or twelve shows with another five or so to go. Among the best of the Fringe this year, from what Ludlow saw, were: Butterfly Butterfly Kill Kill Kill (photo below) a kabuki-noir with film, live music and puppets.

Getting Even With Shakespeare invents a very funny world where the Bard’s title characters live on are are forced to endure every performance of their namesake plays and conspire against their creator. Terror Super Highway is a gritty, contemporary tale of an American everyman who is swept up in an investigation of terror financing and its consequences for both him and us. Miss Magnolia Beaumont goes to Provincetown is a sweet and funny solo show about a southern debutant trapped in the body of a thirty-something gay male - it’s better than it sounds! Jurassic Parq: The Broadway Musical is just plain silly - a musical version of the famous film, told from the dinosaurs’ point of view. Ludlow Lad laughed a lot.

And when you need a break from it all, just sit back and enjoy the thirty-minute stage pictures created during Ground To Cloud (photo above), some of which are even in 3D (glasses included).

Tickets and Info can be found for all Fringe shows at www.fringenyc.org.

Fringe 2010: Ghost of Dracula

2010-08-15T19:44:00.005-05:00

After tweeting "WTF?" regarding Ghost of Dracula, Ludlow Lad received the following message:

We're thrilled our show garnered a "WTF?" from you! We are certainly one of the most off-kilter casts and crews in FringeNYC. Attached is our image, and we'd love if you could use it on your wonderful blog.

Here is the description of the show:

The bastard child of "Dracula" and "The Breakfast Club," with a lot more blood, and music. There's sex, rocket propelled grenades, and piss made of holy water. There's also a ghost vampire, or vampire ghost. Interchangeable terms? I don't know.

For tickets & info: Click Here

You've been warned...

The Wooster Group Does Tennessee Williams

2010-08-08T09:31:00.009-05:00

The Wooster Group brings its production of Tennessee Williams' Vieux Carre to Edinburgh. Ludlow Lad isn't sure when we will see this show in NYC, but here are some production photos:

Fringe Preview: The Altoona Dada Society Presents The Velvet Gentleman

2010-07-16T13:08:00.002-05:00

Title: The Altoona Dada Society Presents The Velvet Gentleman

Company: Playlab NYC

Writer: Jon Steinhagen

Director: Kevin P. Hale

Blurb: The Altoona Dada Society makes its New York debut by presenting the unusual life of composer Erik Satie in an extravaganza the Blair County Little Nickel Weekly has called "...a description-defying, decidedly absurdist freefall."

Running Time: 1h 45m

Schedule: FRI 13 @ 9; MON 16 @ 3:45; TUE 17 @ 4; WED 25 @ 2; THUR 26 @ 9:15

Venue: #15: Studio at Cherry Lane Theatre

Info: www.playlabnyc.org

Tickets: www.fringenyc.org

The Final Show at The Ohio Theater

2010-07-14T09:15:00.003-05:00

A burning taxicab. A blind troubadour. A new roommate. A minor lapse of courage triggers a breakdown of epic proportions as a young woman struggles with the realities (and unrealities) of New York City. With songs.

The final play of Robert Lyons's Downtown trilogy: Doorman's Double Duty ("a gem" – The New York Times) and last year's Red Haired Thomas ("a sweetly fractured fairy tale" – The New York Times). Lyons is the Artistic Director of Soho Think Tank/Ohio Theatre. Nostradamus Predicts The Death Of Soho will be the final production at The Ohio Theatre.

For Tickets & Info: Click Here

Looking for Mr. Goodbar: The Musical

2010-07-13T09:45:00.002-05:00

Reviving the lost art of the Live Concept Album, Waterwell teams up with NYC rock band, Bambï, to tackle one of the most controversial pop culture artifacts from the '70s, Looking for Mr. Goodbar. Taking inspiration from both the film starring Diane Keaton and the novel by Judith Rossner, Bambï and Waterwell explore the timeless themes of sexuality, independence and persona as seen refracted through a disco ball. Join us for this special first look as we take on this dark classic, celebrating New York in all its grim glamour.

Goodbar
Music & Lyrics by Bambï
Inspired by Judith Rossner's novel Looking for Mr. Goodbar
Produced by Waterwell in association with CityParks Theater
Starring Hanna Cheek, Cara Jeiven, Jimmie Marlow, Tobi Parks & Kevin Townley

Sunday, August 22, 2010
8:00 p.m.
EAST RIVER PARK, NYC

For more info: Click Here

The Divine Sister Returns

2010-07-12T20:12:00.002-05:00

Charles Busch's hilarious comedy, The Divine Sister, which had workshop production at Theater for the New City earlier this year is returning for a commercial engagement beginning September 12th at the Soho Playhouse on Vandam Street. The Divine Sister is a throwback to Busch's early, Theatre-In-Limbo plays like Vampire Lesbians of Sodom, Psycho Beach Party and Times Square Angle and stars, along with Charles Busch himself, Alison Fraser, Amy Rutberg, Jennifer Van Dyck, Jonathan Walker and Julie Halston.

For tickets and info: www.divinesisteronstage.com

OHIO INTERRUPTED @ 3LD

2010-07-08T19:10:00.002-05:00

It was announced today that the Ohio Theater/Soho Think Tank will live on as OHIO INTERRUPTED at 3-Legged Dog Art & Technology Center in Lower Manhattan. This is probably a win-win since it was announced earlier this year that 3LD may be facing eviction from its MTA-owned building at 80 Greenwich Street. The Ohio Theater on Wooster Street will definitely be missed, though. It was a one-of-a-kind venue, that let directors and adventurous companies make use of its depth, barn doors opening on to Wooster Street and numerous pillars. It's sad to think that in a few weeks Ludlow Lad will no longer be entering those doors.

Coming Soon: Hater (7/21-7/24/2010)

2010-07-06T06:36:00.000-05:00

The final season of the ICE FACTORY series at the OHIO THEATRE brings:

HATER freely adapted and directed by Samuel Buggeln from Moliere’s The Misanthrope
The cast features Merritt Wever ("Nurse Jackie"), Noah Weisberg (Enron, South Pacific), Maria Christina Oliveras (Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson), Zoe Winters (The Importance of Being Earnest) and Colby Chambers (Dog Eats God).

"Lust. Betrayal. Air kisses. What happens when the Hater hates himself for loving? A speed-punk score with kick-ass dance. A mise en scene for the glamorously debauched. An amphetamine fueled, post-post simulacra of the French classic. A comedy of manners for the very rude" (July 21-24).

For Tickets & Info: CLICK HERE

Charles Ludlam on Film: Anthology Film Archives (8/19-8/22/2010)

2010-07-05T07:49:00.003-05:00

In one of the most momentous underground-film-related developments in recent memory, two films by the legendary playwright, counter-cultural figure, and founder of the Ridiculous Theatrical Company, Charles Ludlam, were discovered last year safely tucked away in Ludlam’s partner Everett Quinton’s closet. Rescued from oblivion through the efforts of filmmaker Ira Sachs and Butt Magazine contributing editor Adam Baran, curators of the Queer/Art/Film series, they were screened publicly for perhaps the very first time this past winter at the IFC Center. Their re-emergence is cause for great celebration, and we’re overjoyed to be presenting them both in a weekend of encore screenings, along with a selection of other movies made with Ludlam’s participation. These films are a bona fide revelation, and their discovery represents the restoration of a crucial and heretofore lost chapter in the history of underground film.

Charles Ludlam
THE SORROWS OF DOLORES
80 minutes, video. With Everett Quinton, Minette, Arthur Kraft, Lola
Pashalinski, John D. Brockmeyer, Black-Eyed Susan, and Richard
France.
&
MUSEUM OF WAX
22 minutes, video. With Charles Ludlam, Everett Quinton, and Richard
France.

Total running time: ca. 105 minutes.
Thursday, august 19 through Sunday,
August 22 at 7:00pm nightly.

---
José Rodriguez-Soltero
LUPE
1966, 50 minutes, 16mm. Preserved by Anthology with support from
the Andy Warhol Foundation for the visual Arts.
Thursday, August 19 at 9:15pm

---
Mark Rappaport
IMPOSTORS
1979, 110 minutes, 16mm. With Charles Ludlam.
Friday, September 17 through
Thursday, September 23 at 7:15pm &
9:15pm nightly. additional screenings on
Saturday and Sunday at 5:15pm
---
Andrew Horn
DOOMED LOVE
1983, 75 minutes, video. With Bill Rice, Allen Frame, Rosemary Moore, Charles Ludlam, Black-Eyed Susan, and Jim Neu.
Saturday, August 21 at 9:15pm

For more info: www.anthologyfilmarchives.org

The Octoroon: 7/3/2010

2010-07-04T12:36:00.002-05:00

I finally got to see Branden Jacobs-Jenkins' The Octoroon: An Adaptation of The Octoroon Based on The Octoroon at PS122. As anyone who follows off-off Broadway may already know, the production has been plagued with problems. First, the show lost its original director, Gavin Quinn (co-founder of the Irish company Pan Pan). I assume this happened because the playwright didn't like what the director was doing with his script. At that point the playwright took over the directing duties and the production proceeded.

Next, on the eve of opening, an actor in the cast sent an e-mail (I assume to his private “list”) venting his frustration with the production, calling it a “trainwreck” and trashing the play and the playwright/director. Said email was then published on the Village Voice “blog” which seems to have been revived only to post this e-mail. Over one hundred comments followed that posting and a public scandal began.

What I didn't know until seeing the show last night was that the actor who sent the email actually departed the show along with another actor (the man in “red face” in many of the promotional photos for the show).

So what was left to present to an audience you may ask? Actually the show asked that same question, several times, throughout the seventy-five minutes on view at PS122. What I saw was a very smart, exploration, not only of this 19th Century play but of the creative process. I have no doubt what was presented was not the show Branden Jacobs-Jenkins envisioned when this journey began, but what he made of the hand that was dealt him was the theatrical version of turning lemons into lemonade. Many of the scenes that obviously we written for two actors were played with one, the playwright himself opened the show, playing the part of the native-american putting on “red face” while explaining the opening of the show, sealed envelopes with questions from the the playwright/director were delivered to the actors on stage, who would break character and answer the questions as themselves.

Bravo the the actors who remained with the show. They were all excellent and knew there was some very good and valuable work being done.

I hope this version of the show remains somewhere. It is as interesting a theatrical archive as The Octoroon itself. Perhaps under the title: The Octoroon: An Adaptation of The Octoroon Based on The Octoroon an Unintentional Deconstruction of The Octoroon.

2010 OBIE AWARDS

2010-05-18T07:13:00.001-05:00

OBIE WINNERS 2010

The Sustained Achievement Award
David Greenspan

Best New American Play (w/check for $1000)
Annie Baker, CIRCLE MIRROR TRANSFORMATION and THE ALIENS

Performance
Ensemble, CIRCLE MIRROR TRANSFORMATION (Playwrights Horizons)
(Reed Birney, Tracee Chimo, Peter Friedman, Deirdre O’Connell, Heidi Schreck)

Dane DeHaan, THE ALIENS (Rattlestick Playwrights Theater)

Jonathan Hammond, THE BOYS IN THE BAND (Transport Group)

Marc Damon Johnson, THE BROTHER/SISTER PLAYS (Public Theater)

Laurie Metcalf, A LIE OF THE MIND (The New Group)

Wendell Pierce, sustained excellence of performance

Juliet Rylance, AS YOU LIKE IT (Bridge Project/BAM)

Rocco Sisto, sustained excellence of performance

Playwriting
Enda Walsh, THE NEW ELECTRIC BALLROOM (Druid Theatre / St. Ann’s Warehouse)

Directing
Sam Gold, CIRCLE MIRROR TRANSFORMATION (Playwrights Horizons) and THE ALIENS (Rattlestick Playwrights Theater)

Pam MacKinnon, CLYBOURNE PARK (Playwrights Horizons)

Design / Music

Steven Dufala and Billy Blaise Dufala (machine design), MACHINES MACHINES
MACHINES MACHINES MACHINES MACHINES MACHINES (rainpan 43 /
HERE Arts Center)

Stephin Merritt (music & lyrics), CORALINE (MCC Theater)

Tyler Micoleau, sustained excellence of lighting design

Neil Murray (sets and costumes), Malcolm Rippeth (lighting), Gemma Carrington and Jon Driscoll (projection design), BRIEF ENCOUNTER (Kneehigh Theatre / St. Ann’s Warehouse)

Special Citations
Ariane Mnouchkine & Théâtre du Soleil, LES ÉPHÉMÈRES (Lincoln Center Festival)

Taylor Mac, THE LILY’S REVENGE (HERE Arts Center)

The Ohio Theatre

Hoi Polloi and Rachel Chavkin, THREE PIANOS
(Hoi Polloi: Alec Duffy, Dave Malloy, and Rick Burkhardt) (Ontological)

Philippe Quesne and Gaëtan Vourc’h, L’EFFET DE SERGE (Vivarium Studio / Under the Radar)

Chris Wells, SECRET CITY

The Ross Wetzsteon Award (w/check for $1000)
Foundry Theatre

Obie Grants

Harlem School of the Arts

Ontological Incubator

Vampire Cowboys

Now Playing: MILK

2010-05-07T06:35:00.004-05:00

Emily DeVoti's MILK is currently being served at HERE courtesy of the fabulous New Georges. Set in the 1980s, milk has a lot of period music, a fantastic set (by Susan Zeeman Rogers) that cuts HERE's upstairs space diagonally in half, and a terrific lead performance by Jordan Baker. Milk may do a body good, but MILK is good the the brain and the soul.

For Tickets & Info: www.here.org

Last Call: Target Margin's THE REALLY BIG ONCE

2010-05-05T15:57:00.004-05:00

David Herskovits' meditation on the famous and frustrating collaboration between playwright Tennessee Williams and Elia Kazan on Camino Real closes this weekend. The Really Big Once is a must for both theater history fans and fans of Target Margin Theater - and Ludlow Lad admits to being both. The five-person cast (especially John Kurzynowski and Steve Rattazzi) trade roles effortlessly playing Kazan, Williams, characters in Camino Real, Herskovtis, reading e-mail correspondence from the Williams estate, and about two dozen others. So don't miss it.

For tickets and info: www.targetmargin.org

Clubbed Thumb: Summerworks 2010

2010-05-02T18:01:00.008-05:00

DOT
by Kate E. Ryan
directed by Anne Kauffman
original music by Mike Iveson

In which old Dot and the weird kid from the neighborhood become friends. Set in that kind of Florida town that makes you wonder: is this tv, a book, or maybe even a cabaret?

with David Brooks, Kate Hopkins, Birgit Huppuch, Ed Jewett, Lynne McCollough, and Mary Shultz

June 6, 7, 8, & 10, 11, 12 at 8PM

-------------------------------

FIVE GENOCIDES
by Samuel D. Hunter
directed by Davis McCallum

In which Katie is determined to finish writing that book -- even though she didn't start it. Lucky she's got a new friend at the Fashion Bug to help since her in-laws are deluded, drunk, and dog-obsessed.

with Charlotte Booker, Crystal Finn, Barrett O'Brien, Carmen M. Herlihy, and Edward James Hyland

June 13, 14, 15, & 17, 18, 19 at 8PM

------------------------------

THE SMALL
by Anne Washburn
directed by Les Waters
original music by Dave Malloy
In which a man struggles to assemble a reality from his dreams, the dog very much wants to be taken for a walk, and the Natural Food store isn't.

with Gideon Banner, Maria Dizzia, Matthew Maher, Dave Malloy, and Susie Pourfar

June 20, 21, 22, & 24, 25, 26 at 8PM
------------------------------

This will be the final Summerworks that will happen at the Ohio Theater, so make sure you don't miss it!

For tickets: Click Here

For more info on Clubbed Thumb or Summerworks: www.clubbedthumb.org

NYTheatre.com Podcast: Theatre Publicity Roundtable

2010-01-21T21:00:00.003-05:00

Martin Denton's invaluable NYTheater.com does regular podcasts, and the most recent episode is a more B2B service, explaining what Press and PR Agents go and why an Indie/Off-Off Broadway company or production should think about hiring them. Martin talks to Katie Rosin, Kevin McAnarney, and Michelle Tabnick about what they do and how they do it.

You can listen or download it HERE.

COIL 2010

2010-01-06T21:54:00.000-05:00

10 Shows To See in 2010

2009-12-27T09:00:00.003-05:00

Chekhov Lizardbrain – return engagement by Pig Iron Theater Company at CSV Cultural Center; January 7th - 17th

Gin and "It": Reid Farrington's meditation on Alfred Hitchcock's film Rope . at 3LD Art & Technology Center; January 7th - 16th

Lear- new play after Shakespeare by Young Jean Lee at Soho Rep; January 7th - 31st

Plays – Gertrude Stein as performed by David Greenspan; Foundry Theater Company at Atlantic Stage 2; January 9th - February 7th

Trifles - The Theater of a Two-Headed Calf takes on Susan Glaspell at Ontological @ St. Marks Church; January 28th - February 14th

The Jackie Look – the newest performance by Karen Finley at the Laurie Beechman Theater; January 30th - March 6th

The Divine Sister – a workshop of Charles Busch's latest comedy at Theater for the New City; February 11 - March 7th

Orange, Hat & Grace: a new play by Gregory Moss; dir. by Sarah Benson at Soho Rep; Begins March 11th

Bellona,Destroyer of Cities - adapted and directed by Jay Scheib at The Kitchen; Begins April 1st

The Truth: A Tragedy: A new solo show written and performed by Cynthia Hopkins at Soho Rep; Begins May 6th

10 Favorites of 2009

2009-12-25T23:55:00.015-05:00

Sixty Miles to Silver Lake by Dan LeFranc; directed by Anne Kauffman; co-production by Page 73 and Soho Rep (at Soho Rep)

SOS –created by Caden Manson and Jemma Nelson; Big Art Group (at The Kitchen)

Bloody, Bloody Andrew Jackson - Written and directed by Alex Timbers; music and lyrics by Michael Friedman; Les Freres Corbusier (at The Public)

Thirst(y) - (mostly) by Eugene O’Neill; directed by Michael Levinton; Target Margin Theater (at The Chocolate Factory)

The Event – written and directed by John Clancy; Clancy Productions/FringeNYC (at Players Theater)

In The Next Room (or The Vibrator Play) – by Sarah Ruhl; directed by Les Waters; Lincoln Center Theater (at Lyceum Theater)

Circle Mirror Transformation – by Annie Baker; directed by Sam Gold; Playwrights Horizons (at Peter J. Sharp Theater)

THIS – by Melissa James Gibson; directed by Daniel Aukin; Playwrights Horizons (at Playwrights Horizons Mainstage Theater)

Brief Encounter - Adapted and Directed by Emma Rice; Kneehigh Theatre (at St. Ann’s Warehouse)

Romeo & Juliet - Conceived and directed by Pavol Liska and Kelly Copper; Nature Theater of Oklahoma (at The Kitchen)

*****

And very honorable mentions to: Gina Gionfriddo's BECKY SHAW at Second Stage, Nature Theater of Oklahoma's RAMBO SOLO at Soho Rep, Cynthia Hopkins' THE SUCCESS OF FAILURE (OR, THE FAILURE OF SUCCESS), Buddy Thomas' DEVIL BOYS FROM BEYOND at the Fringe and three past shows that I revisited this year and found that I loved them as much this year as the first time I saw them: Mabou Mines's DOLLHOUSE, Chicago's Hell in a Handbag's POSEIDON (AN UPSIDEDOWN MUSICAL) and Len Jenkin's THE DREAM EXPRESS.

The Dream Express @ The Chocolate Factory

2009-12-10T23:39:00.004-05:00

It's been a number of years since I caught that fabulous metaphysical lounge act, The Dream Express, but it's back for a brief stint at The Chocolate Factory and it's as funny and as fresh as ever. What struck me on this sitting was just how great the writing, by Len Jenkin, was. Steve Mellor and Deirdre O'Connell are Spin and Marlene, who are the divorced-but-still-appearing-at-a-motel-near-you duo. Their wise and witty banter, clever original songs and amusing covers make you long for a curtain call.

THE DREAM EXPRESS
Now thru December 19th
at The Chocolate Factory
Long Island City, Queens
For tickets & info: www.chocolatefactorytheater.org

Coming Soon: BRIEF ENCOUNTER

2009-11-27T18:41:00.002-05:00

Kneehigh Theatre's production of Noël Coward’s Brief Encounter makes in New York premier on December 2nd through January 3rd only at the awesome St. Ann's Warehouse.

Watch the video (below) and then get your tickets quickly...

St. Ann's Warehouse and Kneehigh Theatre present
NOEL COWARD’S
BRIEF ENCOUNTER

Originally produced by David Pugh & Dafydd Rogers and Cineworld
Adapted and Directed by Emma Rice

@ St. Ann's Warehouse
DUMBO, Brooklyn

For Tickets & Info: Click Here

Coming Soon: Romeo and Juliet

2009-11-27T18:27:00.004-05:00

Anyone who knows Ludlow Lad knows how much he loves Nature Theater of Oklahoma. So a new show by Pavol Liksa and Kelly Copper is a cause for celebration! Romeo and Juliet will be performed at The Kitchen and is described as follows:

"This one-of-a-kind performance is the result of a series of phone calls to people who were asked to tell, in their own words, the story of Romeo and Juliet from beginning to end. With some rather surprising twists and turns given that no one seems to exactly remember the plot, the myriad versions of the story compound in an array of competing scenarios as the participants try to invent themselves out of their own narrative blind alleys. Where memory fails, a kind of necessary creativity steps in to fill the void. What we are left with is a highly personal and original series of Romeos, infused with emotion and thoughts about love, need, and the complex nature of self-sacrifice."

Nature Theater regulars Anne Gridley and Robert M. Johanson star. Get your tickets now!

ROMEO AND JULIET
by Nature Theater of Oklahoma
December 17th, 2009 - January 16th, 2010
The Kitchen
For Tickets & Info: Click Here

THIS

2009-11-16T00:23:00.003-05:00

While Melissa James Gibson's new play, THIS, at Playwrights Horizons doesn't have the avant-garde bravura of her two previous offerings in NYC, [sic] and Suitcase it still is a brave and important new American play. How it will be received by the press and the theater-going public is anyone's guess. Playwrights grow and mature, but so do audiences. Would, for example, Suitcase, be a breakout success today? Was this playwright just "ahead of her time"? Has she matured or acquiesced? Only time and the NY Times will tell, I guess.

THIS is the story of four long-time friends (and a hot French doctor). Jane has lost her husband and Marrell and Tom have a newborn that doesn't sleep for longer than fifteen minutes at a time and Alan just wants to "do good". The production is comfortably directed by long-time collaborator, Daniel Aukin and the cast works about as well together as a five person juggling team. Jane was originally to be played by Parker Posey, but I can't imagine this play without Juliane Nicholson whose simple, understated performance draws you in all the more. Gibson's writing is smart and intricate and the play is wise and funny. Don't miss it.

THIS
Now - December 13th
Playwrights Horizons - Mainstage
For Tickets & Info: Click Here

Coming Soon: The Great Recession

2009-11-14T16:20:00.002-05:00

Someone was recently lamenting, on All That Chat I believe, the lack of political/sociopolitical plays, specifically about the economic meltdown. Well, as if on cue, The Flea Theater is presenting an evening of short plays entitled The Great Recession. Six plays in total written by six of THE HOTTEST playwrights working. This is something that is most likely not to be missed!

The plays/playwrights are:

NEW YORK LIVING by Thomas Bradshaw.
Directed by Ethan McSweeny.

RECESS by Sheila Callaghan.
Directed by Kip Fagan.

SEVERED by Erin Courtney.
Directed by Davis McCallum.

UNUM by Will Eno.
Directed by Jim Simpson.

FUCKED by Itamar Moses.
Directed by Michelle Tattenbaum.

CLASSIC KITCHEN TIMER
written and directed by Adam Rapp.

The Great Recession
Featuring The Bats
November 20 – December 30
The Flea Theater
41 White Street

For Tickets & Info: www.theflea.org

Idiot Savant

2009-11-12T20:39:00.007-05:00

Resist the urge to analyze. Don't read personal information into the performance. Just let the show happen. With every Richard Foreman show I've seen, which is all of them in NYC since I've Got The Shakes, these are the things a keep telling myself. Idiot Savant is no different, or is it? For one thing, Idiot Savant is being performed at The Public Theater as opposed to his own, much smaller space at St. Mark's Church. For another thing, it stars Willem Defoe. It also has an actual lighting designer credited (other than Foreman himself) and the lighting is striking. And probably most importantly, it has been reported that Idiot Savant will be Richard Foreman's final stage production. So I admit that in the back of my mind, I was viewing Savant as a swan song of sorts. Is the giant duck Foreman himself saying "Goodbye"?

And yet there are an awful lot of familiar Foremanisms here too: the slapstick crashing into walls, the strings dividing audience and performers, the actors use of head mics, Foreman's own distorted voice-overs, the strange props. Idiot Savant is also closer to his shows of a few years ago, before he started to use video projections of pieces filmed is other countries - ironically enough he started using these video segments at the time of his last retirement musings. What Idiot Savant has that his most recent shows didn't was a leading performer/character and this is a welcome return.

So where does that leave us? I've always found looking at what is different from year-to-year in Foreman's shows far more telling and interesting than looking at the similarities. I loved the beginning of Idiot Savant, with Foreman listing all of the props that would be used during the course of the performance. I loved Elina Lowensohn's entrance (I won't spoil it). Was this Foreman's last theater piece? I'd hate to think so, but maybe. And lastly, is it OK to be asking questions during a Foreman show - maybe - but don't settle on any firm answers - and that's OK, too.

IDIOT SAVANT just extended and will run through December 20th.

For Tickets & Info: www.publictheater.org

Coming Soon: CREATURE

2009-10-23T09:50:00.003-05:00

New Georges teams with Page 73 Productions to present

CREATURE

a new play by Heidi Schreck
directed by Leigh Silverman

After being pestered by devils for more than half a year, Margery Kempe* – new mother, mayor’s daughter, and proprietress of a highly profitable beer business – is liberated from her torment by a vision of Jesus Christ in purple robes.

Visions are hard to come by, even in 1401. Should we trust the new Margery, with her fasting and her weeping and her chastity fixation, or burn her with the other heretics? Can a woman of insatiable appetites just up and audition for sainthood?

Playwright and OBIE-winning actor Heidi Schreck conjures a collision of contemporary and medieval imaginations: a very funny, a little bit scary new play about faith and its messengers.

with Marylouise Burke, Darren Goldstein, Sofia Jean Gomez,
Will Rogers, Tricia Rodley and Jeremy Shamos

design Rachel Hauck, Matt Frey, Theresa Squire, Katie Down

psm Sunneva Stapleton asm Aaron Heflich Shapiro
prod mgr Neal Wilkinson props Sean McArdle ad Lila Neugebauer
casting Jack Doulin press Jim Baldassare

OCTOBER 27 TO NOVEMBER 21 8pm
Mondays through Saturdays
+ special matinee Saturday 11/21 at 3pm
opens November 2 at 7pm

OHIO THEATRE 66 Wooster Street, Soho
between Spring & Broome streets
N/R to Prince; C/E to Spring; any train to Canal

$25 general admission / $35 premium seats (reserved)
Mondays & Halloween pay-what-you-will (at the door only)
For Tickets: Click Here or call 866.811.4111

Halloween Shows

2009-10-19T19:32:00.008-05:00

Two shows Off-Off Broadway are are perfect for Halloween:

THE BLOOD BROTHERS PRESENT…

THE NEW GUIGNOL

A father locks his daughter away because he can’t bear to share her with her mother, or anyone else. A man holds a busload of passengers hostage with no demands, and one woman does the unthinkable to attempt escape. And a scorned husband offers his wife a ghastly maternity gift. These tales and others make up this year’s THE BLOOD BROTHERS PRESENT… series, Nosedive Productions’ annual October horror show.

*this show features nudity and graphic violence and is recommended for adults only.

October 28th-31st, 2009
The Brick
575 Metropolitan Ave
$18
For Tickets & Info: www.bricktheater.com

GHOSTLIGHT
By DESI MORENO-PENSON
Directed by JOSE ZAYAS

A couple arrives at a motel room for an afternoon of clandestine sex. Their tryst is interrupted by a security guard with alarming news about the room they're in. A vicious and violent cat and mouse game ensues as they rush to uncover the truth behind a horrifying urban legend.

October 14th-31st, 2009
59E59 Theaters
59 Street East 59 Street
$18
For Tickets & Info: www.59e59.org

Coming Soon: John Jesurun's LIZ ONE

2009-10-04T19:31:00.003-05:00

Black-Eyed Susan plays Elizabeth I of England as revealed through her private diaries. She struggles with a revolving set of presences to disentangle, un-write and finally rewrite her own biography. These intensely reflected histories include her perceptions regarding her five estranged children, their fathers, her own father, her hidden relationship with Buddhism and finally her disastrous attempt to invade North Africa. She inter-reacts with the kaleidoscopic array of ideas and characters through Jesurun's multi-dimensional use of language and technology. Jesurun and Black-Eyed Susan are long time collaborators having first worked together in Jesurun's 1984 production of "Red House".

LIZ ONE
Written, Directed, Designed by
John Jesurun

Performed by
Black Eyed Susan
Ben Forster

The Chocolate Factory
5-49 49th Avenue
Long Island City, NY 11101

October 14 - October 31
For Tickets & Info: Click Here

Preview: IDIOT SAVANT

2009-09-25T20:14:00.005-05:00

Richard Foreman returns to The Public Theater with his newest piece, IDIOT SAVANT staring Willem Defoe. Below are early production photos...

IDIOT SAVANT

Written and Directed by Richard Foreman
Featuring Willem Dafoe, Joel Israel, Alenka Kraigher, Elina Löwensohn, Eric Magnus and Daniel Allen Nelson

October 27 - December 13

Marie asks the Idiot Savant, “But what makes chosen words – magic?” What follows is a wild theatrical odyssey that could only have sprung from the fantastical mind of Richard Foreman (THE THREEPENNY OPERA), New York’s legendary avant-garde genius. This new work is a philosophical comedy, in the great tradition of Ionesco and Preston Sturges. From precise existential and metaphysical acrobatics, to a ridiculous game of inter-species golf with Giant Duck, IDIOT SAVANT is a fresh, bracing and hilarious exploration of the boundaries of the legitimate.

For Tickets & Info: Click Here or call 212-967-7555

An Off-Broadway ANGELS IN AMERICA

2009-09-01T19:33:00.004-05:00

It was announced today that the 2010-2011/Tony Kushner season at the Signature Theater Company (the NY one) would include the first NYC revival of Angels in America - both parts one and two, in rep. Michael Greif will direct. Ludlow thinks that it will be great to see these plays in a new production, in a more intimate setting. The $20 tickets, underwritten by Time Warner, will be gone before you can say Prior Walter. Now we are just hoping that A Bright Room Called Day will also be a part of the Kushner Season.

2009 Fringe Encore Series Announced

2009-08-31T18:14:00.003-05:00

The 2009 Fringe Encore Series has announced the shows that will get a second chance to wow NYC audiences. The Encore performances will take place at Soho Playhouse and Actor's Playhouse. For tickets and more info go to www.fringenyc-encoreseries.com.

SOHO PLAYHOUSE

Viral

Mon 14- 9pm
Sun 20- 1pm
Thu 24- 7pm
Sat 26- 2pm
Sun 27- 6pm

The Boys Upstairs

Thu 10- 8pm
Fri 11- 9:30pm
Sat 19- 7:30pm
Thu 24- 9:30pm
Sun 27-8:30pm

A Contemporary American's Guide to a Successful Marriage

Sat 12- 5pm
Sun 20- 8:30pm
Fri 25- 9:30pm
Sat 26- 5pm
Sun 27- 1pm

His Greatness

Thu 17- 7pm
Sat 19- 2pm
Sun 20- 3pm
Wed 23 - 3pm
Fri 25- 7pm

AND SOPHIE COMES TOO

Sat 12- 7:30pm
Sun 13- 6pm
Mon 21- 7pm
Wed 23- 8pm
Sat 26- 10:30pm

Complete

Tue 15- 8pm
Fri 18- 7:30pm
Sat 19- 5pm
Sat 26- 7:30pm
Sun 27- 3pm

Sex and the Holy Land

Fri 11- 7pm
Sat 12- 2pm & 10:30pm
Sun 13- 8:30pm
Tue 22- 8pm

Notes on the Land of Earthquake & Fire

Sun 13- 3pm
Wed 16- 8pm
Sat 19- 10:30pm
Sun 20- 6pm

The K of D, an urban legend

Mon 14- 7pm
Wed 16- 3pm
Thu 17- 9:30pm
Fri 18- 10pm

Jesus Ride

Fri 18- 8pm
Sat 19- 6pm
Sun 20- 3:30pm
Mon 21- 8:30pm

Dolls

Wed 16- 8:30pm
Thurs 17- 7:30pm
Thur 24- 8pm
Fri 25- 7:30pm
Sun 27- 6:30pm

ACTORS' PLAYHOUSE

DEVIL BOYS FROM BEYOND

Tues 15- 9:30pm
Wed 23- 9pm
Fri 25- 10:30pm
Sat 26- 10:30pm
Sun 27- 8pm

SINGIN' WID A SWORD IN MA HAN'

Performances TBA

MoM - A Rock Concert Musical

Thu 10- 10:30pm
Sat 12- 2pm
Sun 13- 7pm
Mon 14- 8pm
Mon 21- 9:30pm

Powerhouse

Sat 19- 5pm
Sun 20- 12:30pm & 6pm
Mon 21- 3pm

Zipperface!!?!: The Hobo Musical

Fri 11- 10:30pm
Sun 13- 2pm
Tue 15- 7pm
Fri 25- 7:30pm

Terranova

Wed 16- 9pm
Fri 18- 7pm
Sun 20- 3pm
Mon 21- 7pm
Tues 22- 7pm

Tales From The Tunnel

Fri 11- 8pm
Sat 12- 5pm
Thu 24- 10:30pm
Sat 26- 3pm
Sun 27- 5pm

Willy Nilly: A Musical Exploitation of the Most Far-Out Cult Murders of the Psychedelic Era

Thur 17- 10:30pm
Fri 18- 10pm
Sat 19- 2pm & 10pm
Sun 20- 8:30pm

Muffin Man

Wed 16- 7pm
Wed 23- 7pm
Sat 26- 6pm
Sun 27- 3pm

2009 Fringe Overall Excellence Awards

2009-08-31T14:03:00.001-05:00

Outstanding Play:
Viral
Abraham Lincoln’s Big Gay Dance Party
Devil Boys From Beyond

Outstanding Musical:
Mom - A Rock Concert Musical
Citizen Ruth

Outstanding Solo Show:
Art’s Heart
The Event
The Adventures of Alvin Sputnik: Deep Sea Explorer
Remission
Truth Values: One Girl’s Romp Through MIT’s Male Math Maze
Jesus Ride
The Songs of Robert

Outstanding Unique Theatrical Event:
Bullettrun
666
Baby Wants Candy

Outstanding Playwrighting:
Jason Schafer - Notes on the Land of Earthquake & Fire
Laura Schellhardt - The K of D
Mary Adkins - The 49 Project

Outstanding Direction:
Ben West - How Now, Dow Jones
Patrick McNulty- Harold Pinter Pair
Jeremy Dobrish - Dancing with Abandon
Bill Oliver - A History of Cobbling

Outstanding Costume Design:
Lisa Zinni - A Contemporary American's Guide to a Successful Marriage
Luke Brown - The Doctor and the Devils

Outstanding Actor:
Alyson Weaver - La Ronde
Autumn Hurlbert - A Contemporary American's Guide to a Successful Marriage
Ethan Downing - Confirmation
Colin DePaula - Mutti’s After Supper Stories
Ken Barnett - La Ronde

Outstanding Ensemble:
Two on the Aisle, Three in the Van
Powerhouse
Ether Steeds
Bargains and Blood (How To Succeed in Home Shopping!)

Outstanding Set Design:
Szu-Feng Chen - The Alchemist of Light

Outstanding Choreography:
Jody Oberfelder - 38 Witnessed Her Death, I Witnessed Her Love: The Lonely Secret of Mary Ann Zielonko (Kitty Genovese Story)
Patricia Norwol - Circuits

FringeNYC 2009 Recommendations - Part 2

2009-08-24T20:10:00.003-05:00

Ludlow has two more Fringe shows to recommend:

Willy Nilly: A Musical Exploitation of the Most Far-Out Cult Murders of the Psychedelic Era - Trav S.D.'s hilarious musical send-up of Charles Manson and the events leading up to the gruesome murders that shocked 1960's America is given an outstanding production, directed by Jeff Lewonczyk. For info & tickets: www.fringenyc.org or www.pipermckenzie.com. Final Performance: Saturday 8/29 @ 8pm

John and Greg's High School Reunion - Greg Ayers and John Halbach wrote and star in this very funny take on two slackers reflecting on their high school experiences while anticipating their 10-year high school reunion. It's funny and smart and Ayers and Halbach each play about a half-dozen characters in this entertaining show. For info & tickets: www.fringenyc.org or www.johnandgreghsr.com. Final performances: Wednesday 8/26 @ 5:45pm and Saturday 8/29 @ 10:30pm.

What's Left of the Provincetown Playhouse

2009-08-23T19:38:00.002-05:00

This is all that remains of the historic Provincetown Playhouse on MacDougal Street. The facade of the once home of the Provincetown Players is all that still stands. I guess we should be lucky that NYU will preserve the facade of this historic site, but Ludlow is still outraged that this supposed institution of learning is turning Greenwich Village into a collection of ugly dorms and undistinguished buildings.

FringeNYC 2009 Recommendations

2009-08-21T08:35:00.004-05:00

With the 2009 Fringe at the half-way point, here are the shows I can personally recommend:

VIRAL: Mac Rogers' smart and creepy play about a woman who wants to commit suicide and the three people who want to help her...oh, and video tape it. Amy Lynn Stewart gives a tremendous performance! For tickets and info: www.fringenyc.org or www.viraltheplay.com.

CITIZEN RUTH: A musical adaptation of the brilliant film of the same name. Expertly directed with a very good cast that includes the wonderful Annie Golden! For tickets and info: www.fringenyc.org or www.citizenruth.info (you can listen to some of the music on the Citizen Ruth site!).

NOTES FROM THE LAND OF EARTHQUAKE & FIRE: Jason Schafer's good (if flawed) play is given an excellent production by Schafer himself, who also directs. Ian Scott McGregor gives a deep and varied performance as Chad, a Hollywood assistant. For tickets and info: www.fringenyc.org or www.earthquakeandfire.com

THE EVENT: Fringe founder John Clancy wrote and directed this one-person play that explores theater, the conventions of theater and the roles we all play. I've been a fan of Clancy's for years, but for me this is most mature and perhaps best work to date. BRAVO! For tickets and info: www.fringenyc.org or www.clancyproductions.com.

One week to go...

CITIZEN RUTH and the Minetta Lane Theater

2009-08-19T14:49:00.000-05:00

Ludlow really enjoyed Citizen Ruth. It’s always been a favorite film and the music is, for the most part, very good. Knowing the film, it’s hard not to miss Laura Dern’s terrific performance – but Garrett Long does more than an honorable job. Annie Golden, Janet Dickinson and Sherri L. Edelen are all excellent and it is staged so tightly (by Howard Shalwitz) that the evening just flies by! This isn’t the last we’ll be hearing about this show.

Ludlow couldn’t help but be struck by the line of ticket holders stretching to MacDougal Street. When was the last time anything at the Minitta Lane Theatre had a line stretching down the block to get in? What is generating that much interest; is it that it’s a Fringe Show? Is it the $15 ticket price? Similarly, the line was almost as long for VOTE! on Friday night. Is it that there are only a handful of performances to catch? Are people hoping to catch “the next big thing” or taking advantage of a bargain. I’m not sure, but how can someone capture this excitement and use it again in say, October?

First Foto: Bacchae In The Park With Groff

2009-08-10T17:10:00.003-05:00

Here is the first foto of THE BACCHAE with Jonathan Groff as Dyonisus; directed by Joanne Akalaitis. Photo by Joan Marcus from The Public's Facebook page.

Fringe Preview: Willy Nilly

2009-08-03T20:00:00.005-05:00

Willy Nilly: A Musical Exploitation of the Most Far-Out Cult Murders of the Psychedelic Era

Writer: Trav S.D.
Director: Jeff Lewonczyk
Charles Manson meets Mad Magazine in this tasteless spoof about a filthy faux-Messiah, his cult of wanton women, and high Hollywood murder. With a raucous score, gratuitous nudity, acid freakouts, excessive gore, cruel stereotypes and slapstick misogyny, consider this the anti-Hair.
1h 45m

VENUE #3: Dixon Place

Fri 14 @ 5 Sun 16 @ 8:30 Fri 21 @ 11 Sat 22 @ 4:45 Sat 29 @ 8

For Tickets & Info: www.pipermckenzie.com or www.fringenyc.org

Fringe Preview: 38 Witnessed Her Death

2009-07-26T17:33:00.003-05:00

38 Witnessed Her Death, I Witnessed Her Love: The Lonely Secret of Mary Ann Zielonko (Kitty Genovese Story)
LuLu LoLo Productions, written and performed by LuLu LoLo
Writer: LuLu LoLo, based on interviews with Mary Ann Zielonko
Director: Jody Oberfelder
Choreographer: Jody Oberfelder

"WE WERE LOVERS TOGETHER. EVERYBODY TRIED TO HUSH THAT UP." Meet the killer, the NY Times Editor, and the woman who kept her love affair secret forty years. Surrounded by the specter of 38 silent witnesses. THE KITTY GENOVESE STORY.

50 minutes

For info : www.lululolo.com/theater/38witnessed.html or www.fringenyc.org

VENUE #6: The Robert Moss Theater
440 Lafayette Street, 3rd Floor
(Astor Place/ East 4th St.)

Fri 14 @ 7 Sat 15 @ 5:30 Sun 16 @ 2 Tue 18 @ 4 Tue 18 @ 9:45

Fringe Preview: The Death of Evie Avery

2009-07-20T13:05:00.003-05:00

The Death of Evie Avery
Produced By: Fine Feathered Friends
Written By: Sara Jeanne Asselin, a riff on "The Awakening" by Kate Chopin
Directed By: Melissa Firlit

Is Evie alive or dead? Asleep or awake? Can she drift from loving mother to sexless, primitive monster? Will she reject her children, husband, friends and lovers? Who knows. Anyone up for a swim?

1h 40m

For More Info: www.finefeatheredfriendstheater.org or www.fringenyc.org

VENUE #12: The New School for Drama Theater

FRI 14 @ 5
SAT 15 @ 4
SUN 16 @ 2:15
THU 20 @ 8:30
MON 24 @ 8:30

David Greenspan in BABES IN TOYLAND

2009-06-30T20:11:00.003-05:00

Soho Think Tank/Ice Factory 2009
presents

The Little Lord Fauntleroys in their own Recession Spectacular version of
Victor Herbert's

BABES IN TOYLAND

Live Onstage! (And totally inappropriate for children.)

Featuring a salute to the Spring! A tap dancing sheep! A Parade of Toys choreographed by a real live Rockette! Fifteen musical numbers! All of your favorite friends! A cast of a hundred dozen! A live orchestra pianist! And, of course, David Greenspan doing double-duty as The Master Toymaker and the Old Woman Who Lived in a Shoe! What more could the spirit of mortal desire? Babes in Toyland will recall the happy days of childhood to those who are facing the stern realities of life...

Directed by Michael Levinton & José Zayas

with Eliza Bent, Tonya Canada, David Greenspan*,
Sofia Jean Gomez*, Megan Hill*, Jaclyn Huberman*,
Sadrina Johnson*, John Kurzynowski, Michael Levinton*, Rodney Pallanck*, Julia Sirna-Frest, Laura von Holt, & Becky Yamamoto

Musical Direction by Rodney Pallanck & Kate Marvin
Sets by Jason Simms
Costumes by Ásta Bennie Hostetter
Lights by Chris Brown
Sound by David Margolin Lawson
Stage Management by Teddy Nicholas
Choreography by Sadrina Johnson, Johari Mayfield & Rodney Pallanck
Text revised by Michael Levinton from Glen MacDonough’s original 1903 libretto

OHIO THEATER
66 Wooster Street, NYC

ONLY 4 PERFORMANCES!

Wed July 22nd, Thurs July 23rd, Fri July 24th, Sat July 25th @ 7pm

Click for $15 tickets or call 212-868-4444

tweets + reviews = tweeviews

2009-06-29T06:51:00.003-05:00

So.....lately Ludlow Lad has been spending more time blogging about upcoming shows, news and awards and less time "reviewing" shows on Off-Off Blogway. Ludlow has decided that all "reviews" of shows will be done as "tweets" from the Off-Off Blogway Twitter account and will appear on Twitter as well as in the margin of this site ----------->

Love,

Ludlow

Big Art Group's Cinema Fury: The Imitation (HOT! Festival)

2009-06-28T19:13:00.004-05:00

Cinema Fury, an ongoing series of experimental video art and musical collaborations; a spontaneous, open framework continually in production and evolution, resulting in special performance events.

For Cinema Fury:The Imitation, Big Art Group collaborates with notable New York-based musical figures Theo Kogan and Sean Pierce, and Tony-nominated singer/actor Justin Bond. Theo Kogan is well known as a founding member and lead vocalist from seminal all female punk band the Lunachicks and Sean Pierce is equally renowned for his previous band, The Toilet Boys, a cutting-edge queer-metal-punk band.

Caden Manson / Big Art Group
Cinema Fury:The Imitation
feat. Justin Bond & Theo Kogan
Thursday, July 2 at 8:00 pm
Dixon Place Laboratory Theater
161 Chrystie Street, New York, NY
Tickets $15 in advance / $18 at the door

For Tickets: Click Here or call 212-352-3101.

2009 New York Internation Fringe Festival

2009-06-21T14:14:00.002-05:00

This years selections are now on line at www.fringenyc.org. The festival runs August 14th - August 30th, 2009. Some shows that have already caught my eye are:

38 Witnessed Her Death, I Witnessed Her Love: The Lonely Secret of Mary Ann Zielonko (Kitty Genovese Story)

Abraham Lincoln's Big, Gay Dance Party

Alchemist of Light

America's Next Top Bottom: Cycle 5!

Baking with Bertha: Back to School Special

Bitch! (The Autobiography of Lady Lawford, as told to Buddy Galon)

The Boxer

Buddy Becker's Big Uncut Flick

Citizen Ruth

The Death of Evie Avery

Deathwatch

DEVIL BOYS FROM BEYOND

Ectospasms

The Event

FAR OUT--the New Sci-Fi Musical Comedy

For the Love of Christ!

His Greatness

I Can Has Cheezburger: The MusicLOL!

Jesus Ride

La Ronde

M: An adaptation of Shakespeare's Macbeth for three actors

MoM - A Rock Concert Musical

Notes on the Land of Earthquake & Fire

Photosynthesis

PIE-FACE! THE ADVENTURES OF ANITA BRYANT

Population: 8

Ukrainian Eggs: Terrible Tales of Tragedy and AlleGorey

VIRAL

Willy Nilly: A Musical Exploitation of the Most Far-Out Cult Murders of the Psychedelic Era

Opening Tomorrow: (oh my god I am so)THIRST(y)

2009-05-28T19:46:00.003-05:00

Target Margin Theater's production of...

(oh my god I am so)THIRST(y)

****
(mostly) by Eugene O’Neill
directed by Michael Levinton

Three desperate souls adrift at sea await the cruel, cruel fate bestowed on them by an angry God. A comedy which may or may not have absolutely nothing to do with race.

@ The Chocolate Factory
5-49 49th Avenue
L.I.C., NY 11101

For Tickets: Click Here or call: 212-352-3101

2009 OBIE AWARDS

2009-05-18T18:51:00.023-05:00

Best New American Play - RUINED by Lynn Nottage

Music & Lyrics of ROAD SHOW to Stephen Sondheim

Katie Mitchell for Direction of THE WAVES
David Cromer for Direction of OUR TOWN
Sarah Benson (Direction) and Louisa Thompson (Set Design) for BLASTED (Soho Rep)
Ken Rus Schmoll for Direction of TELEPHONE (Foundry Theater)
David Esbjornson (Director) and Christian Camargo (Lead Actor) of HAMLET (Theater for a New Audience)

Quincy Tyler Bernstine for her performance in RUINED
Saidah Arrika Ekulona for her performance in RUINED
Russell G. Jones for his performance in RUINED
Birgit Huppuch for her performance in TELEPHONE
Francois Battiste his performance THE GOOD NEGRO
Sahr Ngaujah for his performance in FELA!
James Sugg for his performance in CHEKHOV LIZARDBRAIN
Lorenzo Pisoni for his performance in HUMOR ABUSE
Aaron Monaghan his performance in THE CRIPPLE OF INISHMAAN
John Douglas Thompson for his performance in OTHELLO
Jonathan Groff his performance in THE SINGING FOREST and PRAYER FOR MY ENEMY

OBIE for Lifetime Achievement to Earle Hyman
OBIE for Sustained Excellence to Kevin T. Carroll
OBIE for Sustained Achievement Costume Design to Toni-Leslie James
OBIE for Sustained Achievement in Set Design to David Korins

2009 Ross Wetzsteon Award goes to HERE ARTS CENTER

$3,300 OBIE GRANTS to

Classical Theater of Harlem
Chocolate Factory Theater
Lark Play Development

2009 Drama Desk Awards

2009-05-18T07:56:00.003-05:00

Congratulations to all the nominees and winners at last night's Drama Desk Awards, especially the Off-Broadway winners:

Outstanding Play: Ruined by Lynn Nottage
Outstanding Music in a Play: Dominic Kanza (Ruined)
Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play: Pablo Schreiber (reasons to be pretty Off Broadway)
Outstanding Lyrics: Stephen Sondheim (Road Show)
Outstanding Set Design of a Play: David Korins (Why Torture Is Wrong, and the People Who Love Them)
Outstanding Solo Performance: Lorenzo Pisoni (Humor Abuse)
Unique Theatrical Experience: Celebrity Autobiography: In Their Own Words
And Special Awards to:
Outstanding Ensemble Performances: The cast of The cast of The Cripple of Inishmaan
Forbidden Broadway
Atlantic Theater Company and artistic director Neil Pepe
TADA! Youth Theater

Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson (Public Lab)

2009-05-13T06:44:00.002-05:00

If you don't already have a ticket, call in all your favors to get one! This is one of the best things I've seen in a while. It's smart, funny, tilghtly directed and expertly performed. I'm sure we haven't seen the last of this one...Les Freres Corbusier does it again!

For more info: CLICK HERE