Welcome to ...(wait for it) Jurassic ParQ

Jurassic ParQ, is a goofy ass, fun and entertaining Fringe musical. It never takes itself too seriously, as witnessed by this write up in the Fringe Guide.

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Jurassic Parq: The Broadway Musical

Writer: Emma Barash, Marshall Pailet, Bryce Norbitz and Steve Wargo

Director: Marshall Pailet

Choreographer: Hayley Podschun

Boldly re-imagined and retold from the perspective of the dinosaurs, Jurassic Parq is an unflinching meditation on gender, sexual, and racial identity in an evolving landscape destined to stun you with its importance. And you should probably see it drunk.
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Jurassic ParQ (the Q is for Questions) is introduced and narrated by Morgan Freeman (the character, not the man) and features a menagerie of dinosaurs expounded on the meaning of life, in song.

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Which is not to say that it doesn’t follow perfectly acceptable Broadway conventions; to wit, a second song by the ingénue reflecting on her dreams – in this case a Velociraptor played by John Jeffery Martin. There is a outcast who’s warnings are ignored until it is too late, the Velociraptor of Science played by Mary Ellen Ashley. And, of course, the innocent child that has to grow up too soon, in this case a T-Rex of mutating gender played by Natalie Bradshaw.
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The entire cast brings a subversive glee to the proceedings, but the three actors mentioned above, along with Lee Seymour (as Morgan Freeman) and Brandon Espinoza (as the Mime-a-saurus) stand out in the manic proceedings.
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Clocking in at a brisk 70 minutes, Jurassic ParQ barely slows down and so the audience never has time to stop laughing. Director Marshall Pailet does a great job of keeping the pace of the show up, important in a piece as light as this.
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One complaint, the song “I am a Dine-O-Saur” is stuck in my head like “It’s a Small World” after a day at Disneyland.
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Jurassic Parq: The Broadway Musical
Cast: Mary Ellen Ashley, Natalie Bradshaw, Denise Dumper, Brandon Espinoza, Jay Frisby, Brandon Gill, Olli Haaskivi, Emily Jenda, John Jeffery Martin, Cara Massey, Tara Novie, Lee Seymour
Director: Marshall Pailet
Fringe NYC: The Ellen Stewart Theater
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Remaining Shows: 8/25 – 7:45 , 8/27 – 4:00
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Rating: Well Worth the Money
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What works: Come on, it’s a show with singing dinosaurs
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What doesn't work: Well, if you can’t laugh at singing dinosaurs you aren’t trying
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What you get to brag about to your friends: You saw a gender bending, show about singing dinosaurs before it’s big Broadway premi…. Never mind. How about this? You will know all the words to “I’m a dinosaur” by the time you leave!
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Lost & Found at the Fringe Shows the Value of Family and Love

Lost And Found, at the Fringe NYC, burns with some amazing performances that strain at the confines of The Cherry Pit Theater. And, as benefits the story, the set and the space can barely contain the characters.

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The story of Lost and Found is a full and engaging; after the death of his father a year ago, Tommy – played by Jon Pollono, moves back into his mother’s house to help her and his adult sister with the bills. This claustrophobic situation is made even more tense by the introduction of Vincent (Jon Krupp), a man Tommy’s mother gave up for adoption before her marriage. A neighbor with a husband in Iraq, the cop boyfriend of the adult sister and the partner of the adopted son add to the cast. A large group which engages the audience and never gets lost.
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Tommy’s mother, Eva, is played by Geraldine Librandi and she is exact in her execution. Eva has lived the life of a devoted wife and mother, only to be windowed and challenged for primacy in her own house by her son. She fills her time with cooking and cleaning and is painfully unable to access her own feelings. She finds it easier to relate to the neighbor, Reiko Aylesworth in a stand out role, than the children she raised. She finds it completely impossible to relate to the child she gave up.
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Although often funny, this is a drama about the boundaries of love and desire, not just being in love but the effects of love when it is removed, and the redemption possible when you are open to it.
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Jon Pollono, who plays Tommy, also wrote this piece. The writing is excellent, but the play is too stuffed with conflict and resolution. The show would benefit greatly from either a little more time, or a little less story. Everyone has a situation and everyone’s situation gets resolved. The show feels just a little hurried to get them all in.
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Andrew Block directs and Lost and Found arrives as a fleshed out play. It feels more complete and polished than most FringeNYC pieces and so one holds it to a higher standard. Luckily, it is a standard the show rises to meet.
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Lost and Found
Cast: Reiko Aylesworth, Jonathan Bock, Dana Domenick, Joey Gambetta, Jon Krupp, Geraldine Librandi, John Pollono, Casey Predovic
Director: Andrew Block
Fringe NYC: The Cherry Pit
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Remaining Shows: 8/23- 10:15, 8/26 – 9:15, 8/27 – 3:00
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Rating: Well Worth the Money
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What works: Geraldine Librandi’s turn as Eva
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What doesn't work: One restroom at intermission (go before you go :-)
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What you get to brag about to your friends: Seeing Michelle Dessler from 24 (Reiko Alysworth) and she still looks dynamite - and can act up a storm

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Interesting Choice for Lead of "Women on the Verge"

Lincoln Center - current home of South Pacific - is getting ready for a new show. They have decided to stage a live version of the Pedro Almodovar comedy "Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown".
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They have lined up some heavy hitters, as seen below. Sheri Rene Scott, Brian Stokes Mitchell and Patti LuPone, among others. But who to play the final principal role? Who will play the son of Brian Stokes Mitchell and Patti LuPone?


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Drumroll please!
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Justin Guarini.

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Hummmm..... (Although I must admit "From Justin to Kelly" is a total guilty pleasure for me.)

Amanda Peet Joins David Duchovny Next November in "Break of Noon"

I already mentioned that David Duchovny will be in "Break of Noon" this November in New York, then in LA. They just announced Amanda Peet in the cast as well.

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If you are a fan of her work (I personally loved her in The Whole Nine Yards - but my taste in movies run decidedly against the grain) then this is a great opportunity to see her.

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(the press blurb)

This fall, Amanda Peet (Broadway’s Barefoot In the Park, “Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip”) will appear opposite David Duchovny in the world premiere production of The Break of Noon, Neil LaBute’s seventh collaboration with MCC Theater as Playwright-in-Residence, following the 2009 Tony Award-nominated Best Play, Reasons to be Pretty. Renowned for his darkly-comic morality plays (The Shape of Things, In a Dark Dark House), he teams up again with longtime collaborator, director Jo Bonney (Some Girl(s), Fat Pig), for this exploration of the daunting, sometimes harrowing process of “finding religion.” As previously announced, David Duchovny (“Californication,” “The X-Files”) will star as John Smith, a man who, amidst the chaos and horror of the worst office shooting in American history, sees the face of God. Peet will play two roles in the production, John’s wife ‘Ginger’ and Ginger’s cousin ‘Jesse,’ both struggling to come to terms with the repercussions of John’s revelation. A newcomer to faith, John urgently searches for a modern response to the age-old question: at what cost salvation? Performances begin at the Lucille Lortel Theatre (121 Christopher Street, NYC) on October 28, 2010 and continue through December 12, 2010. An official opening night is set for November 15, 2010. The Break of Noon is a co-production with the Geffen Playhouse (Gil Cates, Producing Director; Randall Arney, Artistic Director; Ken Novice, Managing Director).

Cradle Will Rock: to be performed at HOWL!

The HOWL Festival supports the Arts in the Lower East Side with (among other things) a Festival once a year (information on this year's festival).

(2009 Howl Festival)
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One of theshows they are doing is "The Cradle Will Rock". If you saw the movie (which was about making the show - not a performance piece) you know what it is about. If not, here is the press blurb.
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The controversial Marc Blitzstein ‘play in music’ about greed, corruption and the plight of the worker... On a June evening in 1938, director Orson Welles, producer John Houseman and the cast and crew of a new Broadway musical were locked out of their theater on opening night by armed servicemen under orders from the Federal Govt. Without costumes, sets, lights or sound, Welles and Housemen found an unused theater, rented an upright piano and marched their audience up Broadway for what has become the most historic theatrical opening ever recorded. The entire libretto, performed from the audience by actors forbidden to step onto the stage, received a 40 minute standing ovation, as legend has it. Musical Direction and Piano: Mimi Stern-Wolfe, Stage Direction: Larry Marshall, Production Coordinator: Jeannine Otis, Choreographer: Laura Stilwell. Starring Laura Wolfe, Brian Henry, Jeannine Otis, Michael Schilke, Paul Malamphy, Darcy Dunn, Mark Singer, Zak Risinger, Gavin Esham, Greg Senf, Ryan Cahill, Charles Baran, Steve Sieck, Go Takeuchi, Tom Savage, Marcus Moss. Door proceeds to benefit The Actors Fund for HOWL!
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If you are interested, it sounds great! Go here for tickets.

Julius Caesar at the Fringe, Buckle Up and Race With Them.

Julius Caesar written by William Shakespeare as adapted by Orson Wells, was first produced in 1937 and brought the play into the contemporary context. The Gangbusters Theatre Company’s presentation races headlong into the Wells’ version, leaping into the text with rage and thunder – and is now playing at the Fringe NYC. Buckle up and watch it.

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Full disclosure here, a friend of mine (Brian Newkirk) was in the show (although he is not a member of the Gangbusters Theatre Company) as Decius Brutus. I like his performance immensely, but I won’t review it here.
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Like the Orson Wells’ version, this Julius is dressed and staged in contemporary trappings. Ominous black outfits, Billy clubs, hunting knives and guns replace the togas and daggers of the Shakespeare version. Combine those costumes with the look of the Gangbusters Company, where severe haircuts and muscular men are the norm, and these actors bring an intimidating presence to the stage. This Julius Caesar Fringe production makes prodigious use of flashlights as lighting, fostering a sense of intimacy. The cast and staging pulls the audience directly into the emotion of the show.
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The cast played excellently off each other. Christian Levatino as Brutus was a stand-out, full of anger and regret. Both menacing and tormented, his conflicted feelings towards Julius played well in the small space. The rest of the cast worked extremely well with each other and within the space.
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Gangbusters brought a large cast for the Fringe, there were a total of 16 speaking characters. The commitment to the project was evident not only in the size of the cast, but their ease in the Shakespearean vocabulary. The cast invested themselves into the language and feelings and challenged the audience to keep up.
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This production of Julius Caesar is an excellent rendition of the show, ready tailored to today’s audience.
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Julius Caesar, the death of a dictator
Cast: Romel Jamison, Christopher Karbo, Christian Levatino, Anthony Annatone, Richard, Ruiz, James Gilbert, Patrick Hume, Mancini Graves, Brian Newkirk, Michael O’Grady Moriarty, Trent Hopkins, Laura Renault, Adam Kerbel, Stephanie Roche, Mary Kelsey, Kelly Lafferty
Director: Leon Shanglebee
Fringe NYC: Here Arts Complex (Mainstage)
Remaining Dates: 8/17 at 10:00, 8/20 at 4:15, 8/22 at 5:15
tickets
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Rating: Well Worth the Money
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What works: The Immediacy of the Production
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What doesn't work: Julius is killed so early, it is hard to be invested if you don’t know the story
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What you get to brag about to your friends: It’s a great treat to see Orson Wells’ adaptation done well
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My Dad's Crazier Than Your Dad: Fringe Fun!

My Dad’s Crazier Than Your Dad: A Scientific Inquiry is the perfect Fringe Festival Fare. Clocking in at right about an hour, this is an immensely entertaining journey through the recollections of Katherine Heller about her father, a middling famous author, scientist and lousy father.

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The show’s scientific theme is derived from the author / performer’s father’s occupation as a teacher of science. Ms. Heller manages an audio visual tour of her history as if performing a lecture, and the simple effects are entertaining without being overdone.

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The show is helped by the fact that Ms. Heller’s father is oddly crazy. There is no inappropriate touching, or sexual tension. In England he would be regarded as an eccentric, which is much more entertaining from a distance than within your own family.
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Directed by Nell Balaban, the proceedings move along nicely, being occasionally touching without venturing into the maudlin. Ms. Heller makes a wise choice to put a bit of distance between herself and the subject. We all have stories of childhood that can be both humorous and horrifying, depending on our viewpoint. Ms. Heller chooses the humor in her own life and shares it with the audience.
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Ms. Heller is a participant in the on-going ensemble show “Naked in a Fishbowl” – which I have highly recommended in the past. This NY Fringe venture is a welcome addition to her body of work.
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My Dad’s Crazier Than Your Dad: A Scientific Inquiry

Cast: Katharine Heller
Director: Nell Balaban
Fringe NYC: Dixon Place,

Remaining Shows: 8/20: 6:15, 8/25: 4:15, 8/27: 9:00

tickets
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Rating: Well Worth the Money
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What works: The Slow Reveal of Ms. Heller’s Father’s Oddnes

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What doesn't work: It is a lightweight piece, but everything in it works
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What you get to brag about to your friends: It’s the Fringe, It’s fun and you get some great stories.
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Wolves Premieres at 59E59 Theater

Wolves, a new work by Delaney Britt Brewer premiering at the 59 East 59th theatre is a challenging and interesting work, but ultimately fails because of the emotional distance it places between the story and the audience.
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As a metaphor for love and commitment, the wolf is a highly ambiguous transmitter. Unknowable and remote, the visceral reaction to a wolf is a highly personal experience. This analogy drives an interesting show, but not necessarily an accessible one.
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Wolves explores the emotions that lay just out of view and just out of reach in relationships. They play is driven by two major vignettes, one on each side of the intermission with a coda that wraps them together. The first act involves the unraveling of a relationship, a discussion precipitated by the main characters car hitting a wolf. The characters’ discussion and recriminations take their importance not only from their words, but via flashbacks to a party earlier that evening which illustrates the weight behind the words. Josh Tyson, as Caleb, brings the full depth of loss, confusion and harangued resentment to a emasculated writer– who uses humor as a defense. Mr. Tyson is identifiable to the audience as a befuddled lover who is somehow a disappointment to his partner and unable to fix it. Elizabeth A. Davies brings a frustrated hardness to the role of Kay, Charlie’s lover. In seeking to understand why and how love has gone wrong, she morphs her confusion into anger directed at Charlie.
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Elizabeth A. Davis and Josh Tyson in the first vignette in Wolves.

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The second act explores loss as a young woman morns the end of her relationship with a magnetic, if slightly selfish, older woman. Megan Hart plays Julie as the wounded lover who interacts with Doug Roland as Elliot, her brother, and later with Julie Fitzpatrick, as Sasha, her ex-lover. In an essentially passive role, Ms. Hart is fine, but Mr. Roland shines brighter in a showier role. In the character of Sasha, the author has found a magical voice. Emotionally lithe and honest, funny and insightful, Sasha is a joy of a character to listen to. Ms. Fitzpatrick plays Sasha with abandon. In this piece, the wolf is a late visitor who makes a perfunctory appearance.
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The final coda unites the two earlier pieces, but the wrap up itself reinforces the problems in the piece. The lack of a consistent central character is a problem for the play, particularly as a few characters that do recur become unpleasant over time. The theme, basically that love is tough and transitory, isn’t enough to hold the piece together cohesively. While Wolves is interesting and challenging, ultimately it is a problematic piece. The audience is left unfulfilled with no sense of closure after watching the piece.
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The direction, by Mike Klar, is well done, making good use of the circular stage and keeping the story clear between flashbacks vs. the current timeline.
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Ultimately Wolves is frustrating. The acting is excellent and parts of the show burn with a clear vision, but the missing pieces stand our starkly and leave the audience removed from the play at the wrong time.
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Wolves
Cast: Josh Tyson, Elizabeth A. Davis, Richard Saudek, Sarah Baskin, Megan Tusing, Megan Hart, Doug Roland, Julie Fitzpatrick, Vikki Vasiliki Eugenis
Director: Mike Klar
Writer: Delaney Britt Brewer
tickets
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59 East 59 Theaters, August 4 – 21, 2010
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Rating: Worth the Money
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What works: Some Amazing Writing
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What doesn't work: The links between the acts are tenuous
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What you get to brag about to your friends: Delany Britt Brewer is an exciting new author that will go very far.