Matt Morillo’s
Angry Young Women in Low-rise Jeans with
High Class Issues
Thursdays @ 7pm
Fridays & Saturdays @ 7pm & 9:30
January 19-February 12th
The Duo Theatre
Starring: Jessica
Durdock; Thomas J. Pilutik; Major Dodge; Devon
Pipers; Jason Drumwright; Rachel Nau; Angelique
Letizia; and Nicholas J. Coleman.
Reviewed
by Shareshten Senior
Angry Young Women In Low-rise Jeans with
High Class Issues is a must see for any
Sex and the City fan. Matt Morillo writes, directs,
and produces this series of skits which captures
the unexplainable yet undeniable differences
between men and women. After seeing this play
the first thing on my mind was, “Wow,
Morillo sure has been through some high class
issues with women.” The play is so well
written I could only assume that these situations
were once his own.
Okay, so we all know Morillo has seen young
women in low-cut jeans, but what are the high
class issues? Well, he may have told one of
the women he dated a few fantasies he had about
her that she really didn't want to know. In
one skit, Angelique Letizia plays Rebecca who
is involved sexually with her new boyfriend
who she has known for a whole weekend. Her boyfriend,
Ronnie, is played by Nicholas J. Coleman. Rebecca
is everything Ronnie could want in a woman:
a huge sexual fantasy-fulfilling freak. However,
she is also a woman, with all the contradictions
that being a woman entails. She preaches to
her younger cousin Sarah, played by Devon Pipars,
that she should be happy and embrace the hot
Lacrosse player who has the unfortunate habit
of talking about her sexually with his boys.
But in the end Rebecca becomes the same irrational
woman that she was “preaching” against
to Sarah. Ronnie is completely caught off guard
and Mars and Venus continue orbiting.
Many women have had mood swings when they first
get on "the pill." I was on it for
two months and thought I was sure to murder
some innocent civilian or child if I didn't
get off it right away. In the next skit Morillo
takes on the joys of being a boyfriend to a
girl who has just started the pill. The poor
unsuspecting boy who just wants to have unprotected
sex, takes a few visits to hell instead. Jessica
Durdock delivers an excellent performance as
she plays Rachel, the emotionally volatile young
woman who has just gone on the pill. Major Dodge
plays Rachel's boyfriend who walks on egg shells
to appease Rachel. He and his best-friend Joe
are watching the Islanders Hockey game on a
Tuesday night when Rachel arrives home to tear
through one emotional trip after another.
Morillo also writes about the women he has taken
advantage of. Okay, we all know they exist.
Some claim to love sex as much as men and just
want to sleep around and some use sex as a strategic
way to climb the ladder of life. But some really
do trust that the man they are sleeping with
wants her soul when all he wants is just her-pants-on-the-floor.
Rachel Nau plays Elissa, delivering a monologue
which explained a lot to me about some of my
girlfriends that I could never figure out in
high school. She speaks of how great her father
was to her and how much he loved her and therefore
all men must be trust-worthy, right? Well, you
can see where this goes. The moral of the story
is: Fathers - be bad to your daughters!
The last skit was the most sophisticated and
probably the only one from Morillo's professional
life experience. Morillo has produced three
short films, two features and he has written
five screenplays. This last skit is based on
a film producer who is known for producing unnecessary
nude scenes (surely not Morillo, but perhaps
someone he knew). Devon Pipars plays the lead
character of this film. She has cold feet about
exposing her breasts. So she proceeds to call
in a friend for moral support, The cameraman
Kristoff, played by Jason Dumwright, already
has a fed-up-this-isn't-what-I-want- to-do-with-my-life-kind-of-attitude.
The director/producer/writer Spencer, played
by Thomas J. Pilutik, is just trying to keep
the cameraman on the job, make Jennifer relax
and take off her shirt (with the aid of some
Jack Daniels), get her friend Katy to "shut-up"
and also direct Barry, the male star of the
film played again by Major Dodge, to crawl over
the couch in just the “right” way.
You cannot imagine the chaos this skit turns
into; you have to see it.
All the skits form one hilarious eighty-five
minute play. There is no intermission, but one
is not needed. The casting was perfect. The
actors fit the parts and their jeans. And as
sure as I am a woman, I will be re-attending.
Lighting
design is by Amith A. Chandrashaker. Set design
is by Aaron Glazer.
For more information go to www.KADM.com
Tickets are $15. Box office SMARTTIX (212) 868-4444;
www.smarttix.com
The
Duo Theatre | 62 East Fourth Street
(Between Bowery and Second Avenue)
Anne Washburn’s
Apparition
December 4-January 7 2005
Connelly Theatre (220 East 4th Street)
Starring: Maria
Dizzia, Emily Donahoe, David Andrew McMahon, Garrett
Neergaard and T. Ryder Smith
Reviewed by Eleanor
Goldberg
Apparition
is the haunting nightmare from which you cannot
awake.
From the moment
that the lights are darkened and the theatre is
blackened, an ominous tone sets in as Darren L.
West’s eerie sounds begin to emanate. Hooting
owls, slow and steady footsteps and the opening
and closing of mysterious doors resound throughout
the theatre, leaving the audience quivering in
their seats, anxiously anticipating the next spine-tingling
event.
The four nameless
characters present a series of frightful vignettes
that alternate in length and in time period. They
each don Victorian style dresses and suits, designed
by Christal Weatherly, and bear wan complexions
- leaving the audience to wonder if these people
are in fact alive or just ghosts revealing the
innermost fears of the living.
Anne Washburn’s
script touches on a number of horrific themes
as the characters weave through the varying story
lines. Each actor offers their own somber and
fearful monologue. The most powerful occurs when
Maria Dizzia bemoans the enigmatically placed
light switch in her new apartment that compels
her to trek through her hallway in the complete
dark, when there may or may not be an intruder
standing right outside of her door.
Apparition
deals with many present day real fears including
murderers and burglars and also touches on some
more abstract, inexplicable themes. The actors
frequently call upon Macbeth’s infamous
witches, by reciting verbatim, their jarring incantations
and then going on to belt out other, similar sounding
Latin ramblings. The actors present dead ghosts
revisiting the living and by far, the most disturbing
of all, are the baby and dog eaters who thrive
on the “crunch, crunch, crunch” of
the tiny, little bones.
Andromache Chalfant’s
dark and industrialized set compliments the recurring,
haunting scenes, enhancing the darkness of the
show, allowing the audience to feel as though
the set is an endless blackness from which spirits
and ghosts will never cease to appear.
While many of the
scenes in Washburn’s show are somewhat disjointed
and confusing at times, it is apparent that she
is not trying to create a neat and cohesively
orchestrated play. In fact, she succeeds in achieving
the exact opposite, as nightmares never seem to
follow any direction, even that of the dreamer’s.
Apparition
succeeds in conveying a series of disturbing and
frightening events that speak to everyone’s
deeply rooted fears of the unknown; after all,
it seems that no one ever really outgrows their
fear of the dark.
Tickets are on sale now
and are $35-$50, available by calling TheaterMania
at 212-352-3101, or visiting www.TheaterMania.com.
Connelly
Theater |220 East 4th Street
(Between Avenues A & B, East Village, NYC).
Joseph Kesselring’s
Arsenic and Old Lace
December 2005
The Run is Over
Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church’s
Kenneth O. Jones Auditorium
Reviewed by Armistead
Johnson
A very wise old humorist
once said that “You can’t swing your
Gucci purse over your shoulder in New York without
hitting a theater.”
Okay…I just said it…just now, but
it’s true, right? I recently had the pleasure
of seeing what must be one of the cities oldest
theatres in the Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church,
where the original black comedy, Arsenic &
Old Lace, was in production.
The play is the story of the eccentric Brewster
family of Brooklyn, N.Y. In addition to the scheming
old women who poison their victims with elderberry
wine, the family includes Teddy, who suffers delusions
that he is Theodore Roosevelt and that the Panama
Canal runs through the cellar of his home. The
locks he digs become convenient graves for the
lonely men who fall victims to Aunt Martha and
Aunt Abby’s machinations. When their nephew
Mortimer discovers a body under the window seat
of his aunts’ home, however, the elderly
women ‘fess up to their deeds matter-of-factly
and the events of the play become more absurd
right up to a surprise ending.
Obviously, since the script was written in the
1940’s, loads of black comedies have come
down the pipeline (my personal favorite the film
Serial Mom is alarmingly similar to Arsenic).
For the comedy in these pieces to be successful,
the “punch line” has to be the set
up and not just be the end of the joke. The more
“normal” the protagonists look to
us, the more absurd the situation becomes.
Director Allison
Shigo and her talented cast manage to make, what
is for all intents and purposes is The Manson
Family, look like a family that you not only want
to have Thanksgiving with, but a family that might
be able to help you make sense out of this crazy
world we live in. The cast, under the astute direction
of Shigo is hysterical and they managed to breathe
fresh, new life into a script that could easily
be covered in cobwebs. Headed up by Stephanie
Hepburn and Janet Luhris as the two Brewster Aunts,
the cast features xcellent performances by Doug
Paulson, Pam Diem, Ric Sechrest and Frank Perich.
All the actors contribute to what was a seamless
production. After watching the play, I was wise
enough to skip the “free” concessions
being offered by the inquisitive, church ladies
in the fellowship hall.
Arsenic and
Old Lace has since closed, but not to fear!
Look for more productions
from Allison Shigo and the FAPC this spring. A
staged reading of Lenora Webb and a full
production of The Women are on the schedule.
Please email aileenwhiteside@aol.com for dates
and times.
Scott Brooks’s
Bag Fulla Money
Monday, Wednesday – Saturday at 8PM
Sunday at 2PM
January 11 – January 29
Clurman Theatre
They went that away!
Reviewed by Wendy
R. Williams
In small theaters on the back streets of New York
are all kinds of shows “in
development,” all working their way up the
ladder to the ultimate reward - a Broadway run.
And Bag Fulla Money is one such show,
but this one has a little twist. Playwright Scott
Brooks with the help of director Sam Viverito,
a loyal devoted cast and a heart full of love
and enthusiasm has taken his French farce straight
to the Off Broadway Clurman Theater, a move which
must have truly cost a bag fulla money.
Here is a quote from their press release: “A
new comic caper about everyone’s fantasy-
finding free money – and lots of it! A bag
of stolen cash is left shamelessly unattended
in the kitchen of a fancy four star hotel. Bag
Fulla Money is a fast and furious four-letter-word
farce that flies with machine gun dialogue that
crackles with wit, grit and hysterics. It tells
the tale of the chef, his girl and six others
in an effort to out wit, out con and out last
each other and make off with millions of dollars.”
There are many
things this show gets right. For one, the cast
of Diana De La Cruz, Amber Dow, Heather Dilly,
Jon Ecklund, Richard Mazda, Stu Richel, Darius
Stone, Christopher Wisner and David A. White is
very talented and full of energy. Dianna De La
Cruz and Heather Dilly especially stand out. Another
one is the set. The play takes place in the basement
kitchen of a hotel and the set (designed by Michael
Hotopp) is an Off Broadway marvel – filled
with whisks, cleavers, an elevator door, a dumb
waiter and doors. And director Sam Viverito has
given his all, running his cast all over the stage,
in and out the doors, up the elevator and in and
out of the dumb waiter with precision timing.
The only criticism is that the play has too much
energy and too little clarity. Just who is doing
what to whom and for heaven’s sake why?
The play does try to answer that question; a good
portion of the second act is spent recreating
the action of the first in an effort to explain
to the cast members (and the audience) just what
happened. But the only thing I left knowing for
sure is that everyone on stage wanted that bag
full of money, but why it ended up in the kitchen
in the first place was still a mystery to me.
And I was still scratching my head as to who was
in league with whom and why; all the allegiances
seemed to change with the stroke of a kitchen
whisk.
But this is why plays need to open - so the playwright
and director can see their work on the stage,
gauge the audience’s reactions and start
tinkering. And this play has promise and perhaps
by the time you see it, all these kinks will be
worked out. So keep your eye peeled for that
Bag Full of Money, it may just pop up again.
Tickets are $15 and can be purchased at www.ticketcentral.com
or call 212-279-4200 - Running time is 2 hours
with intermission
Clurman Theatre| 410
West 42 Street
Andrea
Reese's
Cirque Jacqueline
A One-Woman Play About Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis
A Red Cross Benefit, 2005
Reviewed on October 10, 2005
by Caroline Smith
She changed the White House.
Yes, she was a devoted wife and mother to her
children, but who really knew the charming brunette
behind her trademark Chanel sunglasses?
Jackie O. is a legend. In
a show written and peformed by her mirror image,
Andrea Reese, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis’
life bloomed on a tiny Off-Broadway stage.
For those who know little
about Jackie, Reese’s dainty movements
suggested a rose of a woman who stemmed from
royalty. Conversely, Jackie O’s doting
father was an alcoholic and her mother was a
woman hardened by the circumstances. Consequently,
Jackie’s childhood was framed by her mother’s
learned advice, “Your choice of a husband
is the most important decision you’ll
ever make.”
But young Jackie had dreams
of being in the circus. Do fairy tales really
do come true? Well, wouldn’t you know
it; she ended up in the biggest circus of them
all –
The White House. Reese takes us back to Jackie’s
first meeting with John F. Kennedy and we are
right there with her, gushing over his charismatic
Boston accent. And at the moment of his assassination,
Reese portrays a woman who died when he died.
Reese has a beautiful understanding
of the woman who sustained the polished, public
persona but who, when the cameras weren’t
rolling, was hurting to the core. Moreover,
this show reveals a Jackie O. who is merely
someone like you or I yearning to be loved.
The men in her life had faded. In a scene when
Reese is improvising a dance with JFK, she whispers,
“Jack, don’t ever leave me…”
Reese played a woman withering
from the overwhelming media attention especially
after the death of her husband. In one scene,
the mask she wore of herself cleverly mocked
the element of “togetherness” of
the wife of the former President. Privacy was
something Jackie learned over time and coveted.
Throughout a domino effect of tragic events,
Jackie remained a mother to her children, first
and foremost. She was determined to give Caroline
and John-John a normal life.
Everything that happened to
her: her husband’s affair(s), his death,
her marriage to Aristotle Onassis, and then
finally her own battle with cancer were all
pearls on the string she wore around her neck.
Reese is a skilled actress and honored Jackie
O.’s unshakable charm. It’s unfortunate
that I am too young to remember the real person,
but Reese evokes a woman who, through all heartaches,
genuinely loved her life. There is something
to be said about that.
Andrea Reese is wonderful.
She has read up on every book and the inflection
in her voice down to the wave in her wrist will
give you the chills. In short, I left the theatre
feeling a little bit closer to a role model.
Cirque Jacqueline
is directed by Charles Messina.
www.Jackieoshow.com
for ticket info/photos/contacts - Closes April
21, 2005
The Triad
Theatre |158
W. 72nd St. |Ph:
212-352-3101
Patrick
Hamilton’s
Rope
December 2005
Zipper Theater
Starring: Christopher Duva, Ginifer King, John
Lavelle, Lois Markle, Zak Orth, Sam Trammel,
Neil Vipond, Chandler Williams
Reviewed by Eleanor
Goldberg
After forty years, Patrick
Hamilton’s Rope revival remains
true to its title and continues to grip audiences,
as it unravels the underpinnings of a disturbing,
murderous tale.
Rope, which is loosely
based on the infamous murder committed by Leopold
and Loeb in the 1920’s, tells the story
of a pair of depraved lovers, Brandon (Sam Trammell)
and Granillo (Chandler Williams), both members
of the British upper class who appear to be
completely flawless in every facet of their
lives. The two are well bred, handsome and highly
educated. Yet, they are dissatisfied and conspire
to commit the perfect murder to add to their
list of esteemed accomplishments. Not only does
the twosome intend to go unpunished, but they
plan to also treat their victim with the utmost
callousness, by hosting a buffet, cocktail party
the eve of the murder and to serve the food
on the chest where the body is concealed.
James Youmans’ set,
immediately introduces the audience to the caliber
of wealth and privilege to which the characters
belong. Brandon’s immaculate and ornate
living room is replete with a grand piano, fully
stocked bar, luxurious furniture and a subservient
and ever present servant. Brandon pours endless
amounts of cocktails into fancy china, invites
his guests to peruse his seemingly endless library
and serves delectable and dainty appetizers.
Immediately it is clear that Brandon and Granillo
have never been deprived of anything.
In addition to the boys’
elaborate lifestyle, the haughty and even nonsensical
conversation in which the party of eight engages
is yet another indication of the lack of depth
that the characters possess. While discussing
his recent poetry, Rupert (Zak Orth), a British
war vet proclaims, “It is the best thing
I have ever written, it is the best thing that
I have ever read”.
The party, which consists
of two gay lovers, a British war vet, a young
man and woman who fawn over one another all
evening and an elderly man and his sister, are
completely absorbed by their affluence and appear
to be unaware to the lives and the events that
occur around them. Leila (Ginifer King) never
seems to fully comprehend the conversation that
is ensuing around her, yet, it does not bother
her in the slightest. She simply interjects,
“how brilliant” every so often and
joins in the laughter when deemed appropriate.
Mrs. Debenham (Lois Markel) who is nearly deaf,
cannot hear a word that is being uttered, but
that too is inconsequential, as the guests are
not present to delve deeply into profound subjects.
The party-goers are present
to eat, drink and perhaps even dance. It is
therefore, unsurprising that Brandon and Granillo
are motivated to commit such a selfish and god
like act, as they are completely self absorbed
and uninterested in the world that exists outside
of their mansion and only hope to elevate their
ever increasing egos.
Despite the shallowness of
the characters, Rope succeeds in touching
upon several pressing and intriguing themes.
At one point, Rupert discusses the sin of murder
and grapples with the fact that if it is an
actual sin, than he is surely guilty, having
fought and killed while serving in the war.
Rupert wittily explains, “I approve of
murder too much to support capital punishment”.
While Rupert engages in many
an existential discussion, the audience is engrossed
by his powerful delivery, which lends an element
of depth that the play very desperately relies
on, to counterbalance the flighty nature of
the other characters present on stage. Not only
are his monologues riveting, but his hobble,
a result of a war injury is quite convincing,
leaving the audience to feel remorse for this
very bitter individual.
Brandon and Granillo deliver
seamless and plausible performances, as their
crime unravels and the two diverge in their
ability to cope. Granillo’s breakdown
is disturbing, yet utterly real and Brandon’s
collected and calm demeanor is eerily alarming.
As the tension heightens and
the characters are forced to confront their
crime, the acting remains consistent, engaging
and entertaining. Although this revival is accurate
and performed well, the question of its relevance
to current events and issues continues to arise.
While the concept of two very educated young
men murdering an innocent man for no reason
other than to satiate their vindictive desires
is utterly disturbing, many more gruesome and
horrific crimes occur daily throughout the world
as young men strap bombs replete with shrapnel
to their bodies in the hopes of blowing up city
centers and middle school children sneak guns
into their schools to murder their fellow classmates.
Even though Rope is intriguing and
the story on which it is based will forever
remain infamous, it does not remain a timely
one and perhaps should not see another resurrection
in the near future.
Ken Nintzel’s
’Twas The Night Before The Twelve
Days of a Nutcracker Christmas Carol
December 15-30, 2005
PS122
Reviewed by Eve Hyman
'Twas was a creative,
playful take on three Christmas classics - a
holiday spectacular that gave the audience a
"flight" of Christmas pageantry set
to the music of Tchaikovsky's The Nutcracker.
Here's the kicker, all three plays ('Twas
the Night Before Christmas, A Christmas Carol
and The Twelve Days of a Nutcracker Christmas
Carol) were all performed simultaneously.
The stage was split into two parts, giving the
audience the feeling of flipping televison channels
while waiting for a holiday meal to begin. There
would be a scene of Scrooge belittling charity
and then one of a little girl receiving a nutcracker
doll at an upper-crust Christmas party. Or we
would hear the narration of a scene from A
Christmas Carol during a ballet dance from
The Nutcracker. Excellent direction
and staging made the whole experience user-friendly
and fun, totally avoiding the utter chaos that
could have ensued.
Costumes and choreography
were similarly creative - the Sugar Plum Fairies
wore shiny plastic strips for tutus and moved
with modern, jerky movements that made fun of
the stuffy British onlookers. Dancers in The
Twelve Days of Xmas moved across the set
divide to dance at Scrooge's nephew Fred's Christmas
dinner. They did a tango for Fred's guests and
then went back to their side of the set.
Props took on a new twist
as well. At one point the little girl in The
Nutcracker gets sucked under a Christmas
tree only to emerge as Want, the orphan clinging
to The Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come's skirt.
The holiday meal at Tiny Tim's was interrupted
by a gory folk song as the family played "toss
the baby" as if it were a seasonal game.
And Tiny Tim was a headless doll propped on
Bob Cratchet's shoulder.
Theater artist Ken Nintzel
was excellent and realistic as a sassy gay Scrooge;
he delivered the best acting performance in
the show. The other talented actors all assumed
multiple roles in alternative renditions of
well-known characters. Choreography and stage
direction was highly imaginative. The narration,
direction, and music made for a holiday experience
that managed to be nostalgic and edgy. With
dynamic direction and staging and an impromptu
take on old favorites, the production was downtown
theater at its best.
Performers included David Neumann, Johanna Meyer,
Beth Kurkjian, Leigh Garret, Eric Dyer, and
the voice of Richard Foreman.
