PREVIEW: Rude Mechs return to NYC

Austin, TX's awesome Rude Mechanicals return to NYC in November to present their faithful re-staging of The Performance Group's 1968 landmark production, itself based on The Bacchae (got that?). Using Brian De Palma's 1970 film version of the show and the book Dionysus 69: The Performance Group also from 1970, Rude Mechs re-mount this legendary theatrical production at New York Live Arts in November.

Rude Mechs
Dionysus in 69
November 6 - 10 at 7:30pm; late performance on 11/9 at 10:30pm
New York Live Arts
219 W 19th Street
New York, NY 10011

For Tickets and Info: Click Here

20 Best Shows of 2011

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: #3 - The Method Gun

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!

A Good Week: The Method Gun & Invasion!

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.