Preview: IDIOT SAVANT

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

No Dice Starts Tonight

Nature Theater of Oklahoma's new work in progress, No Dice, begins performances tonight. There is an article by Brian Parks about the company in the current issue of the Village Voice.

NO DICE
Nature Theater of Oklahoma (New York)
Work-in-Progress (Not for Review)
Conceived and directed by Pavol Liska and Kelly Copper
Featuring Anne Gridley, Robert M. Johanson, Zachary Oberzan, Kristin Worrall, and Lumberob Design by Peter Nigrini
Music by Kristin Worrall and Lumberob
DOWNTOWN ART 59-61 East 4th Street, 6W New York City
$20 (includes food and beverage)
TICKETS: OkTheater or call 646-207-4197

For More Info: www.oktheater.org/nodice.htm

Pic Preview: WAKE UP MR. SLEEPY!

Two production photos (above) from Richard Foreman's new work, WAKE UP MR. SLEEPY! YOUR UNCONSCIOUS MIND IS DEAD!, are live on Foreman's blog.

Coming Soon: Big Art Group‘s DEAD SET #3

The US Premiere of Dead Set #3 by the always-amazing Big Art Group is being presented at The Kitchen as part of Under The Radar 2007.

Described as:

An explosive hybrid performance of video and theatre, Dead Set #3 explores the embodiment of trauma through a synthesis of reenacted pirated dialogue, borrowed online chats, and choreographic action derived from sampled movement. An acid-drenched schizophrenic portrait reflecting the disturbing state of contemporary life subsumed within increasingly brutal media spectacles, Dead Set #3 wields the weapons of information battlespace and turns them against their makers. A hypnotic and disturbing work from the vanguard of iconoclastic theatre.

Performances will be: Thurs. Jan. 18th - Mon. Jan. 22nd 8pm at 8pm and Thurs. Jan 25th - Sat. Jan. 27th 8pm

The Kitchen
512 West 19th Street
NYC

For info: Public Theater or Big Art Group

Free Reading (with music): Paris Commune

The fabulous company - The Civilians - are presenting a free reading (with music) of the piece, Paris Commune, this Friday – December 1st.

Paris Commune draws on 19th Century cabaret to stage the Parisian uprising and brief autonomous government of 1871—arguably the first socialist revolution. Created by Steven Cosson and Michael Friedman and developed from primary source materials and actual songs from the period.

With Remy Auberjenois, Maria Dizzia, Charlotte Dobbs, John Fleck, Brad Heberlee, Jennifer Morris, Jeanine Serralles, Mary Testa and Andy Boroson, piano. Jenny Slattery, Stage Manager.

The Public Theater
425 Lafayette Street
Friday, December 1st, 2006 @ 8:00 pm
Reservations not required

No Dice: a work-in-progress

Nature Theater of Oklahoma [aka Pavol Liska and Kelly Copper] will be presenting a work-in-progress prentation of No Dice, described as “a short 4 hour version of the legendary 11 hour melodramatic spectacle. An epic of the everyday blown to transcendental proportions, No Dice takes over one hundred hours of the company's recorded telephone conversations and filters them through the conventions of amateur dinner theater to arrive at a uniquely mind-altering experience.”

A chance to see anything by Pavol and Kelly should not be missed.

Performances will be:
Monday November 27 at 7:30
Wednesday November 29 at 7:30
Thursday November 30 at 7:30

Info: http://www.oktheater.org/nodice.htm

Sherry Vine is CARRIE

No, not the famous musical flop. Theatre Couture, the company behind The Bad Weed, e.s.p - Eyes of a Supermodel Psychic, Kitty Killer, Tell-Tale and Doll will present a new stage adaptation of the Stephen King novel (and most likely of the 1976 Brian De Palma film version as well) by Erik Jackson. Drag performer Sherry Vine will star in the title role; Josh Rosenzweig directs and there will be “thrilling visual effects” by Basil Twist of Symphonie Fantastique fame. This should be a hoot.

CARRIE
December 2nd — 30th
AT PS 122
with Sherry Vine as the title character

For tickets and info: www.ps122.org

ERS 15th Birthday Party Benefit

It's hard to believe that the fabulous Elevator Repair Service is turning 15! They are having a benefit birthday party to celebrate. Like everything they do, I'm sure it will be special...

ERS 15th Birthday Party Benefit
November 18, 2006
Hosted by New York Radio PersonalityVIN SCELSA (WFUV, Sirius).
at M1-5, 52 Walker St between Church and Broadway
6pm–late, Saturday 18 November 2006(Performances at 7:30, free food and drinks until 10)
Performances by ERS, Ethan Lipton and a gang of Susie Sokol’s former 2nd Graders
wine provided by
Beaujolais Nouveau2006 and tasty bites from
Gigino Trattoria
DJing by James Hannaham

A piñata, an auction, dancing
TICKETS: $50 in advance, $60 at the door
For more information call: 718-783-1905

For Tickets and Info: www.elevator.org/benefit.html

Answers to above Ink blot test: [a] Mr. Antipyrine, Fire Extinguisher [b] Marx Brothers on Horseback Salad, [c] Spine Check [d] Language Instruction: Love Family vs. Andy Kaufman [e] ink blot [f] McGurk: A Cautionary Tale [g] Shut-Up I Tell You [h] Cab Legs [i] Total Fictional Lie [j] Highway to Tomorrow [k] Room Tone [l] Gatz [m] No Great Society.

The Blood Brothers Present: An Evening of Grand Guignol Horror

Just in time for Halloween, Nosedive Productions presents two original Grand Guignol texts, The Final Kiss and The Kiss of Blood in An Evening of Grand Guignol Horror. The French theatre of horror, poplar from the lat 19th through mid-20th century was famous (infamous) for graphic violence and lurid sex. Obviously, these were areas that could be done way more effectively in film, hence the downfall of La Grand Guignol, but I am very interested to see how well the Blood Brothers are able to pull off this rather difficult stage genre.

For Tickets: www.theatermania.com and
For Info: www.nosediveproductions.com

New Works Now at The Public

This year, New Works Now goes political, presenting the Arab/Israeli Festival. The Public Theater is joined by The Flea Theater, New York Theatre Workshop, Nibras, The New York Arab-American Comedy Festival and The Culture Project in presenting works by Israeli and Arab writers as well as American playwrights writing in response to the situation in the Middle East.

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS:

THINGS WE WANT
By Jonathan Marc Sherman
Directed by Ethan Hawke
Tuesday October 24th at 8:30pm

IN THE RED AND BROWN WATER
Written by Tarell McCraney
Directed by Tina Landau
Wednesday, October 25th at 8:30pm

WHEN THE BULBUL STOPPED SINGING
Adapted from the book of diaries of Raja Shehadeh by David Greig
Directed by Joanne Akalaitis
Friday, October 27th at 8:30

New York Theatre Workshop & Nibras Program A
Featuring the work of artists including Najla Said, Leila Buck and Nathalie Handal.
Friday, October 27th at 8:30

New York Theatre Workshop & Nibras Program B
Featuring the work of artists including Najla Said, Leila Buck and Nathalie Handal.
Saturday, October 28th at 8:30

THE GOOD NEGRO
By Tracey Scott Wilson
Directed by Leisl Tommy
A fictional account of the everyday struggles faced by the men and women on the front lines of the epic Civil Rights struggle and the FBI investigators who silently track their every move.Sunday, October 29th at 7pm

THE MURDER OF ISAAC
By Motti Lerner
Translated from the Hebrew by Anthony Berris
Directed by Irene Lewis
Monday, October 30th at 8:30pm

AMERICANS RESPOND:
AN EVENING OF SHORT PLAYS IN RESPONSE
TO THE CRISIS IN THE MIDDLE EAST
Leading American playwrights, including Public Theater alumni Stephen Adly Guirgis and Naomi Wallace, contribute world-premiere short pieces in response to the crisis in the Middle East. The plays will be followed by a Town Hall discussion featuring the writers.
Wednesday, November 1st at 8:30pm

CELEBRITY ROW
By Itamar Moses
Directed by Oskar Eustis
Thursday, November 2nd at 8:30pm

UNTITLED DARFUR PLAY
By Winter Miller
Directed by Joanna Settle
Friday, November 3rd at 7:30pm

AGAIN AND AGAINST - THE ART OF HOPING INDEFINITELY
By Betty Shamieh
Directed by Robert O'Hara
Saturday, November 4th at 8:30pmNew Work Now! at Joe's Pub

A SNEAK PREVIEW OF THE NEW YORK ARAB-AMERICAN COMEDY FESTIVAL
Saturday, November 4th at 11pm at Joe's Pub

The Flea Theatre
O JERUSALEM
By A.R. Gurney
Directed by Jim Simpson
Monday, November 6th at 8:30pm

RESERVE YOUR TIX:
1. Call 212-967-7555 from 10am to 9pm, Mon-Sun
2. Visit The Public Theater Box Office, 425 Lafayette Street (between Astor Place and East 4th)Box Office hours:Tues-Sat 1-7:30PM, Sun & Mon 1-6PM

For More Info: www.publictheater.org

Coming Soon: THE THUGS

I count Soho Rep among the reasons to live in New York. Their next show is The Thugs by Adam Bock; directed by Anne Kauffman. The description goes like this: Mysterious things are happening on the 9th floor of a big law firm. What could a new temp have to fear? A new play about work, thunder, and people you don't know. With Saidah Arrika Ekulona, Lynne McCollough, Brad Heberlee, Chris Heuisler, Carmen Herlihy, Keira Keeley, Maria Elena Ramirez and the always fabulous Mary Shultz.

Performances begin October 5, 2006.Tickets: $15 ($10 tickets available with the code “ temp” - must be purchased by October 7th)

Soho Rep.
46 Walker Street
New York, NY 10013
2 blocks below Canal Street (between Broadway and Church)

For Tickets: www.smarttix.com

Coming Soon: 29th Street Rep's BRUTAL READINGS FOR BACK TO SCHOOL

29th Street Rep presents BRUTAL READINGS FOR BACK TO SCHOOL, part of it's FREE PLAYS IN MOTION Play Reading Series.

The schedule is:

Tuesday, September 26th
THE CONVERSATION
by Francis Ford Coppola
adapted to the stage by Kate Harris

Tuesday, October 3rd
THE 4th GRADERS PRESENT AN UNNAMED LOVE-SUICIDE
by Sean Graney

Tuesday, October 10th
4 MURDERS
by Brett Neveu

Tuesday, October 17th
TBA

All are @ 212 WEST 29th STREET
3rd Floor (between 7th and 8th Avenues)
All are at 7pm
CALL 212 465-1714 to make reservations

For more info: http://www.29thstreetrep.com/

More on HELL HOUSE

Hell Houses are the Evangelical churches’ attempt to re-claim Halloween for their own purposes. They are a reaction against the Haunted Houses that pop up in October in celebration of Halloween. Instead of monsters and zombies, these Hell Houses present scenes of contemporary life that will lead to eternal damnation: suicide, affliction with AIDS and of course the grand-prize of all Christian obsessions – abortion. Les Freres Corbusier is presenting Hell House at St. Ann's Warehouse in October, using an actual text of one of these Evangelical scare-fests. Described as “part installation, part performance, part haunted house” irony seems to be in effect as the evening “culminates in a celebratory hoedown with bowls of punch, powdered donuts, and funky Christian rock jams.” This will require the delicate touch of a neurosurgeon, but if anyone can pull it off it is the wonderful Les Freres Corbusier. Their Heddatron, from earlier this year, is still one of the best things I’ve seen in a while.

They’ve launched a new website, so check it out: http://www.nychellhouse.com

Get WET

On Monday, September 25, WET (Women's Expressive Theater) will present a benefit performance honoring Anna Deavere Smith and risk taking artistry. Hosted by Daryl Roth and Martin Sheen, the evening will feature an all-star lineup reading from Anna Deavere Smith’s new book Letters To A Young Artist. Scheduled performers include Anna Deavere Smith, Eve Ensler, Bill T. Jones, Olympia Dukakis, Michael Cerveris, and Lisa Kron.

Created in 1999, WET produces works which challenge female stereotypes and advocate for equality. WET adheres to this mission by producing plays by female playwrights and events celebrating female artists.

WET
presents
Anna Deavere Smith’sLetters To A Young Artist
One Night Benefit - September 25, 7pm
at The Daryl Roth Theatre, 101 East 15th Street
Tickets are $115 in advance; $125 at the door.
For tickets and info: www.wetweb.org

Coming Soon: EVIL DEAD the Musical

EVIL DEAD the Musical begins previews on October 2nd and officially opens on November 2nd. It’s based on the 1981 Sam Raimi film and its sequels. Did you ever get the feeling some shows are just trying a little too hard?

“A “dis-arm-ingly” riotous musical”
“A killer musical comes alive onstage!”
“…uproarious numbers like 'All the Men in my Life Keep Getting
Killed by Candarian Demons,' 'Look Who’s Evil Now' and 'Do the
Necronomicon.'"
““Splatter Zone” tickets are available in the front rows of the theater for $25.00. Patrons in the “splatter zone” should be prepared for a bloody good time and dress accordingly.”

We'll see...

For info: www.EvilDeadTheMusical.com

Coming Soon: OFF Stage: the West Village Fragments

Peculiar Works Project presents OFF Stage: the West Village Fragments, a site-specific multi-venue performance that travels along historic West Village streets, along the way, performing short scenes from over a dozen landmark Off-Off Broadway plays will reawaken the actual sites where they premiered. There will also be original performances between stops. Stops will include Caffe Cino, Provincetown Playhouse, Washington Square Methodist Church, Judson Memorial Church, Circle-in-the-Square (Downtown) , Cherry Lane Theatre, Sheridan Square Playhouse and plays and playwrights include Kenneth Brown (The Brig); Diane di Prima (Monuments); Rosalyn Drexler, with music by Al Carmines (Home Movies); Maria Irene Fornes (The Successful Life of 3); Paul Foster (The Recluse); Robert Heide (The Bed; West of the Moon); William M. Hoffman (Goodnight, I Love You); Claris Nelson (The Rue Garden); Richard Schechner and The Performance Group (Dionysus 69); Gertrude Stein, with music by Al Carmines (In Circles); Doric Wilson (And He Made A Her); and Lanford Wilson (The Madness of Lady Bright). 14 directors will include: Tim Cusack, Julie Hamberg, Jeff Janisheski, Anna McHugh, Christopher Mirto, Renee Philippi, Gabriel Shanks, and David Vining.

For Info: www.peculiarworks.org

Tickets On Sale: Wooster Group's "Hamlet" in NYC

The Wooster Group's Hamlet is an archaeological excursion into America's cultural past, looking for archetypes that shadow forth our identity. The group has been drawn to Richard Burton's Hamlet, a 1964 Broadway production which was recorded in live performance from 17 camera angles and edited into a film that was shown for only two days in 2000 movie houses across the US. The idea of bringing a live theater experience to thousands of simultaneous viewers in different cities was trumpeted as a new form called “Theatrofilm”, made possible through “the miracle of Electronovision.” The Wooster Group's Hamlet attempts to reverse the process, reconstructing a hypothetical theater piece from the fragmentary evidence of the edited film, like an archeologist inferring an improbable temple from a collection of ruins. Channeling the ghost of the legendary 1964 performance, the Group descends into a kind of madness, intentionally replacing its own spirit with the spirit of another.

Arts at St. Ann's presents
THE WOOSTER GROUP
HAMLET by William Shakespeare
Directed by Elizabeth LeCompte
FEB 27 – MAR 25

For Tickets & Info: http://www.artsatstanns.org/ - buy now and save $10 per ticket

2006 New York Musical Theatre Festival Preview

The New York Musical Theatre Festival is back for year #3 and what it lacks in quantity it certainly makes up for in quality. Here are a few of the productions that have caught my interest:

THE SCREAMS OF KITTY GENOVESE
Kitty Genovese fights for her life in the dark of the street while thirty-eight neighbors watch from their windows - silent, afraid, paralyzed. Why do decent people look away? With a thrilling score by Will Todd and libretto by Jonathan Larson Award-winner David Simpatico, THE SCREAMS OF KITTY GENOVESE explores the events of that fateful night.

FLIGHT OF THE LAWNCHAIR MAN
Meet Jerry Gorman. He’s a regular guy from Passaic, New Jersey who just wants to fly. The neighbors think he’s nuts. His mother disapproves. But Gracie (Donna Lynne Champlin) believes in him. Laugh and cheer as Jerry (Christopher Sutton) soars to 16,000 feet with nothing but a lawnchair and 400 helium balloons. FLIGHT OF THE LAWNCHAIR MAN is a new musical that reminds the world that dreams can come true if you believe in yourself.

THE NIGHT OF THE HUNTER
When Ben Harper steals ten thousand dollars from a bank in depression era West Virginia and tells his young son and daughter never to reveal the whereabouts of the cash, he sets in motion one of the most thrilling, frightening, and heartfelt stories ever to fill the pages of a best selling novel. In 1954 Davis Grubb penned THE NIGHT OF THE HUNTER, a southern gothic tale that spent weeks on The New York Times Best Seller list. The film version, named one of the 100 greatest films of the 20th Century, starred Robert Mitchum, Shelley Winters and Lillian Gish. Stephen Cole (book and lyrics) and Claibe Richardson (music) have transformed this powerful tale into a bold, daring, and beautifully melodic work for the musical stage. With Beth Fowler, Brian Noonan and Dee Hoty.

THE CHILDREN
THE CHILDREN is a hilarious new musical based on the 1980 b-horror movie of the same title. A low-hanging cloud of radioactive waste turns a school bus full of children into second-rate zombies, who proceed to track down and zap their negligent parents one by one ... Book and lyrics by Stan Richardson; Music by Hal Goldberg. Tony Speciale directs.

Single tickets go on sale September 1.
For tickets and info: www.nymf.org

FringeNYC Encore Series

It's very rare that you get a second chance at seeing a theater production; usually when it's gone, it's gone. Here's the exception...

Producers John Pinckard and Britt Lafield will allow theatre lovers to get a second chance at seeing some of the Festival's favorite shows with the FringeNYC Encore Series. Beginnng September 5th, this new annual series will present 14 works in rotating repertory at two venues: The 14th Street Y (344 East 14th Street, between 1st & 2nd Aves) and The Lion Theater (410 W. 42nd Street at 9th Avenue). Selected show have either been audience favorites, lauded by critics, or both.

Scheduled performances are as follows:

Billy The Mime
Sept 22 at 4 & 7pm; Sept 23 at 2 & 7pm; Sept 24 at 2pm. Lion.

Broken Hands
Sept 11 at 9:30pm; Sept 18 at 4:30pm; Sept 19 at 6:30pm; Sept 21 at 9:30pm. Lion.

Danny Boy
Winner: TheaterMania Audience Favorite Award.
Sept 15 at 9:30; Sept 17 at 2pm; Sept 18 at 9:30; Sept 19 at 9:15; Sept 21 at 6:30. 14th Street Y.

The Deepest Play Ever: The Catharsis of Pathos
Winner: Outstanding Playwrighting.
Sept 9 at 4pm and 930pm, Sept 11 at 8:30pm, Sept 17 at 930pm.
14th Street Y.

Diving Normal
Sept 5 at 9pm; Sept 6 at 7pm; Sept 7 at 9:30pm; Sept 8 at 9:15; Sept 9 at 7pm; Sept 10 at 4:30; Sept 12 at 7pm; Sept 21 at 4pm; Sept 24 at 4pm. 14th Street Y.

Hermanas
Winner: Outstanding Set Design.
Sept 6 at 9pm, Sept 7 at 5pm, Sept 8 at 7pm, Sept 9 at 4:30pm, Sept 11 at 7pm, Sept 12 at 4:30pm. Lion.

The Infliction of Cruelty
Winner: Outstanding Direction.
Sept 6 at 9:30; Sept 8 at 7pm; Sept 10 at 10:30pm; Sept 12 at 4:30 & 9:30pm. 14th Street Y.

I Was Tom Cruise
Winner: Outstanding Play.
Sept 5 at 7pm; Sept 7 at 7pm; Sept 8 at 4:30pm; Sept 10 at 8pm; Sept 11 at 6:30pm; Sept 15 at 7pm; Sept 18 at 7pm; Sept 22 at 9:15. 14th Street Y.

Mike's Incredible Indian Adventure
Winner: Outstanding Solo Show.
Sept 13 at 4:30 & 7pm; Sept 14 at 4:30pm; Sept 15 at 4:30; Sept 17 at 2pm; Lion.

Never Swim Alone
FringeNYC Overall Excellence Winner '99Sept 5 at 7:30pm; Sept 6 at 7pm; Sept 7 at 7:30pm; Sept 8 at 9:30pm; Sept 9 at 10pm; Sept 10 at 5pm; Sept 12 at 9:30; Sept 15 at 7pm; Sept 16 at 4:30; Sept 17 at 5pm; Sept 18 at 9:30pm. Lion.

Open House
Winner: Outstanding Ensemble.
Sept 12 at 7pm; Sept 14 at 6:45; Sept 16 at 2pm; Sept 17 at 6:45; Sept 18 at 7pm. Lion.

The Penguin Tango
Sept 5 at 9pm; Sept 6 at 4:30pm; Sept 7 at 9:15; Sept 8 at 5pm; Sept 9 at 7pm; Sept 10 at 7pm; Sept 14 at 9:15; Sept 15 at 9pm; Sept 16 at 6:30pm. Lion.

Perfect Harmony
Sept 21 at 9:30pm; Sept 23 at 7:45 & 11pm; Sept 24 at 6:30 and 9:30pm. 14th Street Y.

Rainy Days and Mondays
Winner: Outstanding Costume Design.
Sept 13 at 9:15; Sept 16 at 9pm; Sept 17 at 9:15; Sept 19 at 9pm; Sept 20 at 6:30pm; Sept 21 at 7pm; Sept 22 at 9pm; Sept 23 at 4pm; Sept 24 at 5pm. Lion.

Walmartopia
Winner: Outstanding Actor (Anna Jayne Marquardt).
Sept 15 at 4pm; Sept 17 at 5 & 8:30pm; Sept 18 at 4pm; Sept 19 at 6:30pm; Sept 22 at 4pm; Sept 23 at 2 & 5pm. 14th St. Y.


FringeNYC Encore Series runs September 5 - 24. Tickets are $18 and go on sale Friday September 1, 2006 at www.TicketCentral.com or at 212-279-4200. For more information visit www.fringenyc-encoreseries.com.

Coming Soon: LES FRERES CORBUSIER - HELL HOUSE

Every Halloween, Evangelical churches across America stage haunted houses that replace traditional ghosts and ghouls with real depictions of evil: high school cheerleaders getting abortions, gay men dying of AIDS, and children reading Harry Potter. Now, for the first time ever, this cultural phenomenon comes to New York City—with the Church's own script fully intact. Obie award-winning Les Freres Corbusier (A Very Merry Unauthorized Scientology Pageant, Boozy, Heddatron) transforms St. Ann's Warehouse into an authentic multi-chambered Hell House of horrors. Part installation, part performance, part haunted house—Hell House culminates in a celebratory hoedown with bands in the “Christian rock” tradition, punch, and a friendly game of “Pin the Sin on Jesus.” Alternately hilarious and horrifying, come celebrate like the true believers.

TUES-SUN; OCT 1-OCT 29 $25
Tours begin every 15 minutes starting at 7:30pm (until 9:45pm)

For Tickets & Info: www.artsatstanns.org