Contrary to our usual perception of memories as faded and shimmery,
it seems to me that memory brightens the colors, irons out the
wrinkles and generally gifts an aura of perfection and permanence
to the flawed and mutable.  At least those are my thoughts
in encountering a still delightful Precious Nonsense at the Kitchen
Theatre, returning after a five year absence. Like a dear old
friend, it still warms the heart, yet seems a bit frayed at the edges, a
little wobbly on its legs.  The premise to Rachel
Lampert’s re-working of certain G&S staples: a traveling family
troupe of four offers a sampler of Gilbert & Sullivan tunes it calls
Precious Nonsense. But their latest booker suddenly insists on a
full production of The Pirates of Penzance. Enlisting the services of
the love-smitten stage manager, the stage-struck son of their booker
and the odd “friend” of their leading lady (secretly that lady’s
sister, but masquerading as a man), they do their best to comply.
Act Two — all backstage shenanigans mixed with wildly
out of control pirates — flies past, hilarious impossibilities (including
frequent drag roles, exquisitely missed entrances, and horridly
wonderful bad acting) dancing alongside sparkling renditions of
G&S standards.  However, Act One takes time in
revving up its engine. This is a common problem in farcical
setups, as a large amount of exposition needs to be put in place for
the later antics. But, even while the book winks knowingly at the
inevitable paragraphs of who loves whom, there’s just too much
of it. The duet between the master and mistress of this troupe could
easily be dropped. Director Margarett Perry and Lampert also
seem undecided as to whether to fully embrace the piece as a lampoon
or somehow based in a sturdier reality (part of this confusion
results from the choice of making the pianist an onstage character).
Those reservations aside, I suggest you make your reservations
now for a seat if mirth, fluff and an escape from the winter doldrums
are your desire.  Perri LoPinto is spot-on as the aging diva matriarch of the company,
employing a rich alto speaking voice that contrasts with her

clear, sharp soprano singing. Erica Steinhagen, reprising her role as

Josephine, is the soprano soubrette par excellence and has a

marvelous time being a ditz.  Jessica Flood, the other returning

cast member, has a fine time with the pants role aspects of

Mack and a chance to show off her range, yet the part seems underwritten.

Jesse Bush plays Frederick’s naiveté with the finesse of a chess champion while

bringing real warmth to the G&S love ballads.

While he nicely burnishes the grandiloquence of an actor-manager,

Joel Robertson really shines as a bewigged maiden. Kurt

Merrill is all gangly limbs, adolescent gushing, and effervescent

enthusiasm as the stage-struck Samuel.

Richard Montgomery also encores as music director, accompanist

and the laconic Herbie, satisfying in all three roles.

Which leaves us with Jake Paque as the stage manager

turned pirate king turned winner of Josephine’s heart. Paque begins

as intriguingly “other,” clearly an outcast to these stars-in-their-eyes

thespians, yet playing in a highly histrionic vein — it’s as if a Tim

Burton character has suddenly popped into the works. Paque commits

utterly to his choices, with many moments of sheer comic

brilliance, but also seems to be playing in a universe askance of

the others. Oddly enough, it’s a universe I wish the whole cast

might enter.  Might I suggest that Perry and Paque take on Charles Ludlam in the near future?

'Precious Nonsense' is a silly show, and that's the point!

By Barbara Adams •Correspondent • January 21, 2010, 12:00 am

It's a most ingenious paradox - staging an operetta with only seven actors while offering a parodic homage to William Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan, all in Ithaca's diminutive downtown performance space.

The paradox prevails in the Kitchen Theatre Company's current reprise of its delightful 2005 show, "Precious Nonsense." Artistic director Rachel Lampert has composed both

story and lyrics, with grateful indebtedness to Gilbert's lyrics and Sullivan's music.  This time around, Margarett Perry directs, bringing her always-satisfying vision

to the Kitchen's space, producing (with Lampert's musical staging) a visually layered comic opera that sweeps you up in its tiny spectacle.

It's post- Depression America, and the Carter Family Savoyards are booked into the small-town Blue Barn Theatrical Palace (the charmingly weathered set is by

Hannah Davis, lit with splendid texture by Daniel Hall). As music director, Richard Montgomery provides piano accompaniment - along with some atrocious clichés.

The company (mother, father, son Frederic, friend Josephine and stage manager Pete) had counted on performing a revue of G&S favorites, but discover

they've been booked for a complete production of "The Pirates of Penzance" instead. No operetta, no pay - so the troupe promotes Pete, adds a mysterious stranger

and gives a chance to a stage-struck local kid who knows the G&S repertoire inside out.  Act One assembles all the parts (and conflicts);

Act Two presents the hodgepodge "Pirates" in full swing, chaotic with missed cues, endless cross-dressing and wayward moustaches.

As Carter company head, Joel Robertson could afford to occupy more space, be more bombastic - both as dad and Major-General; last week,

he and stage wife Angelina (Perri LoPinto) only began to shine in the second act's multiple-role mayhem (nicely enhanced by Lisa Boquist's many costumes).

Jesse Bush amusingly presents their slightly dim son Frederic, counting the minutes until his 25th birthday when, no longer "The Slave of Duty," he may leave

the troupe to make a life of his own. But Josephine (the sparkling, vocally thrilling Erica Steinhagen) has other plans: The elder Carters want to retire, and if Frederic

doesn't continue the company, Jo's meal ticket is likewise gone. Enter Mack, Jo's clever solution (nimbly played by Jessica Carr).

Ithaca College freshman Kurt Merrill holds his own as the gangly, lovesick kid who's game to take on any role.

But as funny as this tall lad is in long skirts, the scene-stealer is Jake Paque as Pete - equally smitten with Josephine but much more ambivalent

about blustering as the Pirate King. Confident as stage manager, he's speechless the minute he finds himself under the lights, and his timorous handling of his sword is hysterical.

A mid-winter gift of supreme silliness, "Precious Nonsense" makes you glad the show must go on.

Kristin Hoffmann ©2009  The Cast

Dancing magic soybeans, simple artistic visuals, dynamic percussive music, and a modern take on a traditional fairytale,
Wide Eyed Productions’ JACK AND THE SOY BEANSTALK creatively entertains adults and children alike in the
New York International Fringe Festival. This production is not just a children’s show, it’s puns and humorous pop culture references
are perfectly targeted toward 20-30 somethings. Children of all ages benefit from the socially and environmentally
conscious messages about renewable resources, reaping what you sow, and valuing non-exploitive farming.
This production sows the seeds for green awareness, but is rooted in light-hearted and high-energy creative storytelling.

Much like a sketch comedy troupe, this ensemble assembles first as a cast of storytellers with the Minstrel, Sky Seals*,

and quickly create the show by getting to know Jack and becoming the characters in his tale. Through music by Sky Seals*,

who also wields his guitar as the Minstrel and Magic Acre Farms Farmer, accompanied by Emily Fellner on Piano and Peter Saleh

on Percussion, JACK AND THE SOY BEANSTALK introduces various styles from lyrical ballads, to scatting rockabilly, to Rap.

The lyrics and book by Jerrod Bogard are intelligently engrossed with soliloquies, sitcom-like dialogue between Jack (Carlos Avilas)

and Momma (Laura Hall*) and Mrs. Big (Brianne Mai), and situational and verbal ironies, as in the toilet humor,

the acronyms for the Big Aggie Reaping Farms (B.A.R.F.), and the pop cultural references. This production is equally music, book,

performance, and visually captivating.

Director/writer Jerrod Bogard orchestrates a taught ensemble of actors, musicians, and designers through the use of shadow

and hand puppetry, percussive sound effects, and a flawlessly transforming set. Sky Seals* adeptly narrates and interacts with

the audience as the Minstrel. His Magic Acre Farms Farmer is delightfully warm and inviting. Carlos Avilas, as Jack,

embodies the naively charming youth through his exaggerated comedic facial expressions and physical prowess.

Laura Hall plays an endearing Momma, whose lyrical singing voice appropriately counters her commanding maternal dialogue.

Brianne Mai is a voluptuous Mrs. Big with a domineering presence and a radiant voice. Okieriete Onaodowan, as The Guard/Mr. Big,

is comically sinister and enchanting through his deeply resonant voice and biting tone.

Jake Paque convincingly becomes the “fresh” rapper as the Golden i-Harp and,

in one of the overall hilarious highlights, sings about the Golden Goose with Mr. Big.

Dixon Place is the perfect venue for this production, as it enables the audience to be intimate with the action,

but there is plenty of space for the performers and musicians to breathe life into the artistic elements in fully realized theatrical style.

Wide Eyed Productions’ JACK AND THE SOY BEANSTALK is a rip-roaring good time musical with a light-hearted green message.

This is a must see masterpiece for all ages.
 

Thursday, August 20, 2009

Review – Jack and the Soy Beanstalk (New York International Fringe Festival, Wide Eyed Productions)

 

reviewed by Matt Roberson

Aug 16, 2009

As the parent of a toddler, I find myself attending a sizable amount of entertainment billed as being for "children."

And for much of it, I go in with a lump of dread in my heart. Luckily, however, films like Shrek, picking up where the Muppets left off,

have proven that work made for younger audiences can also be equally entertaining, and enriching, for the parents as well.

Jack and the Soy Beanstalk, playing at Dixon Place as part of the 2009 FringeNYC Festival, is exactly this kind of show.

As expected, the story follows Jack, who, helping out his ever-in-debt family at the request of his mother, goes in search of someone willing

to take their trusty wind-powered truck in exchange for some much needed liquidity (the eco-friendly automobile being just one of this

play's very creative modern touches). As he makes his way through the countryside, Jack is confronted with one of the play's central messages:

storybook-like farms still exist, but only in the encroaching shadow of dark, dreary, corporate–based crop factories.

After releasing the truck for the proverbial "magic beans," Jack arrives home defeated, and, after telling his mother about the exchange,

grounded as well. When the beans sprout into a stalk, however, in the most hilarious of places, Jack's chance for redemption arrives,

leaving us with nothing less than a storybook ending. As performed by this incredibly talented and competent troupe,

Jack and the Soy Beanstalk does not disappoint on any level. The script is fast-paced and energetic,

yet never sacrifices its sharp wit and clarity of purpose. Additionally, the production's contemporary call for a simpler,

more natural culture, is woven seamlessly into the structure and sentiment of the original tale.  Carlos Avilas, as Jack,

convincingly exudes many of the qualities of a young kid, without ever having to scream at us, "Remember – I'm twelve!"

He also has a terrific voice, providing a worthy medium for Jerrod Bogard's witty, sophisticated (yet never didactic) lyrics and Sky Seals' music.

Matching his performance is, well, the rest of the cast.  Seals, playing both the narrator and a farmer, gives the audience

another rich voice, as well as a terrific energy as he moves the story along. Avilas and Seals are supported by a very funny,

talented quartet of actors, who in wearing an array of hats, do so in a way that highlights their individual abilities without

ever drowning out the greater effort. And if you're expecting a Fringe show that lacks an equally engaging design, think again.

This production of Jack is complimented perfectly by Bogard's puppets, Jen Mcabee's paintings, and Sabrina Kahn's costumes,

all of which add a magical, other-worldly backdrop to the play's already engaging storyline.  While this newest incarnation of Jack

has a lot to teach kids about perseverance, imagination, and the pleasure that comes from providing for one's self,

it also has a lot to say to the parents filling every other seat (after all, it isn't a bunch of toddlers who are to blame for our current financial mess).

Of course if nothing else, Jack and the Soy Beanstalk provides us weary, nearly defeated parents at least one more arrow of hope in the

everlasting battle against dopey purple dinosaurs and Barbie.

Producer: Wide Eyed Productions
Author: Book & Lyrics by Jerrod Bogard, Music by Sky Seals & Jerrod Bogard

Buy tickets for this show:

2/16/09

'A Fresh Start'

Written by Peter Snoad

nytheatre.com review

Martin Denton · February 12, 2009

When I reviewed last year's installment of EndTimes Productions' annual festival Vignettes for the Apocalypse, I complained that not all of the shows adhered to the stated theme—

i.e, the coming end of civilization as we know it. Producer/artistic director Russell Dobular reminded me of this when he invited to see some of this year's offerings,

and assured me that he had done a better job curating plays that were all in fact apocalyptic.

...

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

11/15/08

Phèdre

Written by Jean Racine

Translated by Wallace Fowlie

Directed by Aubrey Snowden

The Access Theater Gallery

380 Broadway, 4th Floor

212-352-3101

Review by Carly Dahlen

The evocative opening dance number in Aubrey Snowden’s Phèdre transports us into a postmodern world of ancient politics mixed with tabloid-worthy gossip.

The play, written by 17th century playwright Jean Racine and presented by the Wide Eyed Productions company, features characters of classic nobility updated to reflect today’s

royalty: the Hollywood elite. From an incestuous obsession, to an illicit affair, to a lie that overtakes the characters, the events in the play fit the bill for a tabloid-era interpretation.

The story centers on Phèdre (Kym Smith), an aging Hollywood actress grieving the disappearance of her high-powered producer husband, Theseus (Colin McFadden).

In the midst of her mourning, Phèdre professes her love for her stepson, Hippolytus (Jake Paque) — a brooding youth hopelessly attracted to the young starlet

Aricia (Genevieve Gearhart). These complex relationships between characters become even more complicated when Theseus suddenly returns, and Phèdre’s assistant

Oenone (Vanessa Gibens), concocts a lie to defend her mistress’ honor to Theseus. Oenone’s plan backfires, events spiral out of control and tragedy ensues for all involved.

Though the classic play is, at times, out of sync with its contemporary setting, the emotive performances — especially by Paque, Smith and McFadden —

overshadow any anachronistic inconsistencies. The actors interpret the classic text with ease, and successfully communicate complex emotions through the dense dialogue.

Even with the actors’ successful interpretation of Racine’s words, it would be helpful to see a more consistent use of Hollywood tabloid elements to further communicate the story

to a contemporary audience. In spite of some thematic and temporal irregularities within the production, there are a few moments of effective postmodern interpretation

through the use of multimedia elements, a techno/alternative rock soundtrack and group dance and movement. Also, the sparse set and modern-day costumes allow

for further audience interpretation of time and space. Overall, Phèdre is an innovative approach to classic tragedy,and a successful showcase of young New York acting talent.

A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Written by William Shakespeare
Directed by Kristin Skye Hoffmann

Review by Gila Babich

I once went to see a Julliard production of Shakespeare’s As You Like It, which was set in the future; it didn’t deviate from the original language but the setting was

ultramodern, complete with spaceships and tinfoil suits. The acting was not bad but the science fiction variation on the set and costumes seemed so ill-fitting and

distracting that I almost fell asleep. I decided then that Shakespeare’s plays are not to be meddled with or altered.

When I heard that Queens Garden Stage was putting up a present-day A Midsummer Night’s Dream, set in Central Park no less, I shook my head in disapproval.

Imagine my surprise, then, when I stepped into the theater and was swallowed wholly by the world of the play, and was shaken only by violent fits of laughter.

Most notable in this small, well-cast production were Melissa Johnson as a whiny but charming Helena, and Bennett Harrell, who pulled off the role of Bottom in

an exceptionally natural and hilarious manner. But Jake Paque stole the show in the role of Puck. His was a particularly hyperactive and flighty Puck who couldn’t

resist flirting with anything that moves, including unsuspecting audience members. Paque’s high-energy performance charged the unfolding of events,

and seamlessly tied together the different elements of the show.

Even the actors with smaller roles owned their parts. Look out for the lion, played by Joshua David Bishop, whose upstart roars will make you convolute.

The production’s modern take proves once and for all that Shakespeare’s words are compelling even when his characters are rapping.

With hip hop dancing fairies, timely screen projections and cell phones as props, this production pulls Shakespeare’s timeless themes into real life,

but does it without losing the surrealism of A Midsummer Night. The light design accentuates the magical quality of a play in which most characters think they are merely dreaming.

Overall, the combination of one of Shakespeare’s funniest works, a fresh cast and Kristin Skye Hoffman’s direction makes this A Midsummer Night well worth a trip to Queens.

6/27/08

A Devil Inside
June 26, 2008-July 13, 2008
AUTHOR: David Lindsay-Abaire
DIRECTOR: Justin Ness
PRODUCING COMPANY: Wide Eyed Productions
nytheatre.com review
Richard Hinojosa · June 27, 2008

The line separating reality and dreams is blurred in David Lindsay-Abaire's A Devil Inside and accordingly Wide Eyed Productions blurs the line between realistic acting

and a style that is way over the top and, for the most part, this works for them. I could clearly see what this outlandish style added to the show, however I had to wonder

what it may have taken away.  Lindsay-Abaire's plot is a ridiculously tangled web in which everyone and practically every event, past and present, is connected.

A Laundromat owner who wears a sash of sad mementos demands that her 21 year-old son avenge the murder of his father while a nihilistic Russian Literature professor

plots the death of a "dull" repairman who sees a laughing devil in the patterns on the wallpaper. Meanwhile a giddy student in love with the professor attempts to

seduce him while his foot-loving ex-wife tries to locate an old memento that is her luckiest charm. This is really just the starting point—from here so many plot points

unfold that it's like watching an origami swan being deconstructed.  Lindsay-Abaire's script is very funny though not everyone will think so because it is so very quirky.

I love his humor. It reminds me of the type of humor that you'd find on TV shows like Arrested Development. His characters are bizarre and their actions and

motivations are unpredictable. He plants what appear to be symbols throughout the story—such as severed feet and dismal mementos—but they don't have any real

connections to anything. Dreams become reality and reality dreams as every mention of an event, no matter how much you may think it's just a joke, turns out to be true.

I also really enjoyed the parallels he draws from Russian novels such as Crime and Punishment and Anna Karenina.  Director Justin Ness makes a bold decision

to push his cast into an outrageous style. Practically every line is spoken with climactic passion or eccentric flamboyance.  Many moments are funny because of the

manner in which they are played and not so much because of the script.  The cast turns in a great performance. Kristin Skye Hoffman is good as the crazy laundry lady,

as is Sage Seals playing the balding 21 year-old (so long as he keeps his stocking cap on), and Lauren Bahlman does a good job as the ex-wife who had to cut off her own foot.

Liz White is hilarious as the lovelorn literature student and as the object of her love, Professor Raymonds, Andrew Harriss is equally funny and completely committed to his role. 

But it is Jake Paque who really takes the show with his hysterical portrayal of the repairman who slowly loses his mind as he wrestles with his imaginary devil.

This production is definitely worth a look. I laughed quite a bit. The script and the performance style go very well together...the humor of it all will appeal to those of you

after an unusual night at the theatre.

6/27/08

Theater Review: A Devil Inside

The L's theater reviewer Mary Block went to

Vignettes for the Apocalypse: 2008

nytheatre.com review

Martin Denton · February 6, 2008

End Times Productions is presenting a compact festival of a dozen and a half original short plays, in six different programs, at their new space

Underground at the Gene Frankel Theatre. As the umbrella title suggests, these are ostensibly pieces about the (looming?) end of the world; the pre-show announcement

about turning off cell phones rather wittily sets the tone. I caught two of the groupings (for a total of six plays) and though the theme is not necessarily adhered to throughout,

the overall quality of the presentation is pretty good for this kind of thing.  And at least one of the pieces I saw ranks as very good: Paul Cohen's The Accommodation

(interestingly, the second excellent new play of his that I've seen this week; the other is Cherubina)

is great fun, combining two familiar genres—the crime caper and the poking-fun-at-pretentious-art parody—into a seamless, savvy whole.

Let me begin, then, with The Accommodation, which is the final item in Group 1 of Vignettes for the Apocalypse 2008. It starts with the line "It's set inside Golda Meir's vagina"—

surely a can't-miss opening if ever there was one. The "it" being referred to is a very arty one-woman play about politics and empowerment and a whole mess of other Important Stuff,

which is being presented in a 35-seat off-off-Broadway theatre that has the ill fortune to be located next door to a jewelry store that three unlikely criminals—Sarah (the bomb expert),

Mike (who will be on the scene at the theatre), and Doug (responsible for diverting the alarm company)—are planning to burglarize. I'd be a criminal myself to reveal too much more

about this charmer of a comedy. Cohen's sense of the absurd is perfectly balanced by director Kristin Skye Hoffman's assured sense of timing.

The piece is also blessed with a quartet of excellent performances, anchored by Hoffman herself as the eminently pragmatic Sarah, with Lea McKenna-Garcia as the serious-yet-flaky

actress/playwright Muriel, and Jake Paque and Kurt Rodeghiero as Mike and Doug. All four are superb. This play deserves a life beyond this festival,

and on the basis of the two Cohen shows I've seen in the past three days, he's becoming a playwright to keep an eye on.

...

I left ...feeling well-satisfied, finding something worthwhile to take from just about each of the entries in the evening—and in a couple of cases, much more than that.

End Times is offering a grittier-than-usual version of the familiar one-act compendium, and they've uncovered some noteworthy talents who deserve to be seen and heard.