A few years ago, Colin Summers opened a business – send him an original poem and he will produce it into a song. The business was not going very well, until Colin received an email from Steve, a middle-aged man in Australia. Steve hired Colin to make a song from one[…]
Óscar Tango Bravo is a series of absurdist comedy sketches with an overarching storyline about conspiracy theories. It is part of the 2014 FRIGID New York theater festival. We might be missing the background knowledge in conspiracy theories and training in absurdist technique necessary to appreciate this piece. There were[…]
Ode to Joy is a new play by Craig Lucas (best known for Prelude to a Kiss and the book (i.e. the spoken parts in the musical) of The Light in the Piazza). It centers on the story of a depressed, alcoholic painter (Kathryn Erbe) and her two lovers (Arliss Howard and Roxanna[…]
Sotto Voce, written and directed by Pulitzer Prize-winner Nilo Cruz (Anna in the Tropics), is a small sonata of a play about loneliness, loss, and the transformative power of love. In the play, Bemadette is an aging fiction writer who lost the only man she ever loved during World War[…]
Epic love stories come in all shapes and sizes. Some, like the recently-opened The Bridges of Madison County, require millions of dollars to produce, complex sets, and a live orchestra. Others, like Petunia and Chicken, now showing at the FRIGID New York Festival, have nothing but 2 actors, a shawl, a hat, and two spoons.[…]
Almost A Genius starts with Maria Wojciechowski dressed in a banana suit, sobbing, and making puns. From there Wojciechowski, who suffers from bipolar disorder and panic attacks, delivers a series of short monologues, as herself, and sketches, as various characters. Wojciechowski is at her best when talking directly about her life with winning[…]
One of our favorite shows from last year, the musical Fun Home, just released an original cast recording. It is now available on Amazon and iTunes. The music is by Tony Award nominee Jeanine Tesori (Caroline, or Change) and the album features Michael Cerveris, Judy Kuhn, and Beth Malone from the[…]
This is the first show Lindsay, Maxamoo’s founder, and Nicole, from Mildly Bitter’s Musings, ever recorded. It was a test and we didn’t think anyone would ever actually hear it. It’s an entire episode about Daniel Kitson’s Analog.Ue performed at St. Ann’s Warehouse in December of 2013. They dive deep into[…]
Johnna Adams’ acclaimed play Gidion’s Knot depicts a single parent-teacher conference unfolding in real time. Austin Pendleton directs the New York City premiere at 59E59 Theaters. In this play the mother of 5th grade student, Gidion, meets with his teacher, Ms. Clark, following Gidion’s suspension from school. But as Ms. Clark’s surprise and[…]
Housing Works, a not for profit that addresses issues related to HIV/AIDS and homelessness, is hosting a one-time staged reading of WOMEN, a play by Chiara Atik. The play just wrapped up a wildly popular run and this is your last chance (that we know of) to catch it. A[…]
Monday night at 5:30 pm is not a prime theater going hour. So when you’re in a tiny basement theater in the East Village at 5:30 pm on a Monday and the house is packed you begin to suspect something interesting is about to happen. Such was the case at[…]
Part 2 of our episode exploring comedy in New York City with comedy journalist Elise Czajkowski, Nicole from Mildly Bitter’s Musings, and Lindsay, Maxamoo’s founder. We cover a lot of territory, links to everything are below. Do you like this topic? Want to hear more on this topic? Less? Let us know in[…]
We explore comedy in New York City with comedy journalist Elise Czajkowski, Nicole from Mildly Bitter’s Musings, and Lindsay, Maxamoo’s founder. We cover a lot of territory, links to everything are below. Do you like this topic? Want to hear more on this topic? Less? Let us know in the comments[…]
Kung Fu, the new play at Signature Theater by Tony-winner David Henry Hwang (M. Butterfly, Chinglish) is the story of legendary martial artist and actor Bruce Lee. From his childhood in Hong Kong and bumpy road to stardom in Los Angeles, Kung Fu traces Lee’s unlikely journey using traditional drama, Chinese opera,[…]
Petunia and Chicken at the 2014 FRIGID New York theater festival is a marvel. It’s creators and performers, Carrie Brown and Karim Muasher of Animal Engine theater company, paint scenic vistas, portray numerous characters, and create a soundtrack of music and sound effects to tell a beautiful story inspired by the[…]
News of official openings, first performances, and closings this week beyond Broadway in New York City theater. [metaslider id=8716]
Presented as part of the 2014 FRIGID New York theater festival, Key of E by the Orlando-based Dark Side of Saturn theater company is described as “an apocalyptic rock musical.” Ethan is a bitter, drunk musician who can’t wait for the world to end so humanity can shed its dead weight and start[…]
It’s 1997, and Tina Fey and Amy Poehler are not yet the comedy powerhouse we know and love. In fact, they’re two broke nobodies, living as roommates in a dingy apartment in Chicago. Not for long, though – Saturday Night Live just hired Tina as a junior writer, and it’s her[…]
In Drag Queen Stole My Dress, part of the FRIGID New York 2014 theater festival, writer and performer Gillian English recounts the story of her broken engagement to be married and subsequent journey to empowerment. The one-woman performance is part standup, part theater, and part storytelling. The events are clearly a[…]
The Paradise Factory re-opens this month after a 2-year renovation with the world premiere of Tom Noonan’s new play The Shape Of Something Squashed. Noonan, performer, playwright, and director, wrote the play after he turned down the job to help Jennifer Lawrence practice her lines for the mega-hit The Hunger Games. It tells the[…]