“TALKING IT OUT:” A TOUCHING VEHICLE OF EXPRESSION
Review by Michael D’Antoni
As I sat back to enjoy this afternoons performances I recalled to mind that over the past few years I’ve noticed that the media profile of mental health and it’s related awareness has been raised significantly, partly due to the campaigning from mental health charities and in part due to high-profile people and celebrities speaking publicly and candidly about their own mental health problems. All of this welcome exposure removes the stigma around mental health and encourages people who are suffering in silence to seek the necessary help.
I further noticed that the awareness movement is not without its pitfalls. As I was doing research for this very review it was brought to my attention that sometimes the movement has been co-opted by people who wish to advance their own agenda by grabbing media time using this very serious topic as their personal platform.
Likewise, the elevated awareness movement has also, at times, been hijacked by politicians and bureaucrats, who publicly declare their commitment to raising awareness, drawing obvious plaudits for their sensitivity and bravery, while simultaneously under funding or shelving quality proposals that would only benefit the mental health services community.
Well, today’s fundraiser was none of that! Just the opposite. With all the hyperbolic noise on the sidelines this event without question, circumvented the empty chatter and got right to the heart of the movement using pure live theater as its vehicle! The audience was treated to, through a series of minimalist short plays, all of which raised true awareness of the issue. All the presentations possessed nothing less than pure, unadulterated, genuine, unpretentious focus on the agonies and anguish of mental illness, while also celebrating the triumphs and accomplishments over those living with, or those living with someone who suffers from mental health issues.
The special fundraising event known as “TALKING IT OUT” is a collection of dramatic readings of short plays in support of mental health awareness as presented by award winning playwright and producer ANTHONY J. PICCIONE featuring artistic works by CLAUDIA I. BASS “Alice, Pursued by a Bear”; EDWARD PRECHT “Bipolar (A Workplace Comedy); KEITH ECKERT “No One Returns”; DWAYNE YANCEY “Veronica’s Doll”; ED VELA “Honor”; ENILY HAGEMAN “The Orchid”; MICHAEL TOOHER “Hit Men”; DANIELLE VINITSKI MOONEY “Puddles and Ash”
“Alice, Pursued by a Bear” A girl named Alice who has worked at keeping her an anxiety at bay. But something deeper lurks. The more she tries to squelch it, the stronger the “Bear” gets. Alice is finally forced to face the bear head on.
Starring, EMMA ROMEO, HOLLY PAYNE-STRANGE, TRAVIS MARTIN
“Alice, Pursued by a Bear” was cute, warm and charming. A welcome introduction to this afternoons readings.
“Bipolar (A Workplace Comedy)” Two employees of a company that they enjoy working for are called into a conference room and receive news that will shake the very foundation of their employer as well as, their tenuous relationship.
Starring, HOLLY PAYNE-STRANGE, GEMIA FOO, EMMA ROMEO, ANDRES GALLARDO BUSTILLO. “Bipolar” was linear and compelling as the playwrights wise choice to give the characters generic monikers allowing their individual dialog to stand out and make an impact. GEMIA FOO’s overt anxiety gave the character just what it needed.
“No One Returns” A soldier returns from war. Suffers severly from PTSD that overcomes his very being.
Starring, NATHAN CUSSON, GEMIA FOO, EMMA ROMEO, ANDRES GALLARDO BUSTILLO. “No One Returns” dealt with death from the very first line and that’s what made this piece a success. NATHAN CUSSON delivered nice voice inflections during his monologue as EMMA ROMEO’s read was most commanding.
“Veronica’s Dolls” A teenagers dolls come to life in a desperate effort to save her life after she attempts suicide.
Starring, LOUISE HELLER, EMMA ROMEO, NICK CAPRIOTTI, GEMIA FOO, TRAVIS MARTIN. “Veronica’s Dolls” was most innovative and creative what with its conveyance of human feelings vis-a-vis inanimate objects. This piece happily was reminiscent of the popular Twilight Zone episode: “Five Characters in Search of an Exit”. EMMA ROMEO gave a nice characterization while NICK CAPRIOTTI was well in command of his lines and performance.
“Honor” During a therapy session a young patient is prompted by his psychologist in an effort to discover why he attempt suicide in the wake of his younger brothers accidental boating death.
Starring, ANDRES GALLARDO BUSTILLO, NICK CAPRIOTTI. “Honor” was touching, heart warming and embracing. Both NICK CAPRIOTTI and ANDREA GALLARDO BUSTILLO did rather nice work here conveying the intensity of the piece.
“The Orchid” When Ryan tried to commit suicide, his friend Jake visits him in the hospital. The Orchid deals with strength, masculinity and enduring friendship as well as the fact, that it’s OK to be fragile in the heat of what is ordinarily a “men must remain strong” world. Starring, NATHAN CUSSON, NICK CAPRIOTTI. “The Orchid” used awkward yet simple chatter conversation throughout and it works quite well, as the characters try to find common ground in their close friendship. Both NICK CAPRIOTTI & NATHAN CUSSON were in control of the characters and the piece as a whole.
“Hit Men” Family members are reminiscent about their dad, a victim of suicide. Starring, LOUISE HELLER, NATHAN CUSSON, EMMA ROMEO. “Hit Men” gave us a nice platform and a vast juxtaposition whereby members of the same family weighed in on their relationships with their deceased man who was their husband and father.
“Puddles & Ash” One character is in mourning over a death, while one continues to insist that she still exists. This short play deals with loss, regret, love as well as missed loves.
Starring, HOLLY PAYNE-STRANGE, ANDREA GALLARDO BUSTILLO. “Puddles & Ash” dealt with denial as well as, the dealing with the stages of a lost loved. Eternal and difficult nonetheless an interesting dichotomy. At some point we all must deal with the reality of death and the actors served it up well.
The spotlight shone bright on all these pieces. Collectively the works should be praised for bringing real sensitive attention to the very serious subject of mental illness.
Hot “Chill:” Robert Viagas at BE MORE CHILL
Be More Chill
Music and lyrics by Joe Iconis, book by Joe Tracz
Reviewed by Robert Viagas
“C-c-c-come on! C-c-c-come on!” Those are the inviting opening lines and the continuing motif of Be More Chill, the new Broadway musical in which the millennial generation fully comes into its own on Broadway. The show is loud and fun, even though its boundless energy occasionally becomes relentless and even assaultive.
Chill doesn’t necessarily belong in the same category as Broadway’s other Millennial high school musicals, including Mean Girls, The Prom, and especially Dear Evan Hansen, in terms of quality, but I suspect it will get a special embrace by Millennials because the wisecracking book by Joe Tracz and the pop score by Joe Iconis speak the generation’s social media-inspired language even more fluently than those others.
Be More Chill tells the Faustian story of Jeremy Heere (wonky Dear Evan Hansen alum Will Roland) a hopeless high school nerd who discovers something called a Squip, a super-secret nanocomputer from Japan that can be ingested like a pill. The voice of the Squip (the sinister Jason Tam) advises Jeremy on how to be more cool, be more sexy—in short, be more chill. The inevitable evil downside to the Squip emerges in Act II.
Endearing Stephanie Hsu plays the show’s object of desire Christine Canigula, who wins over the audience early with the song “I Love Play Rehearsal.” George Salazar, as the hero’s equally nerdy best friend and videogame partner, gets the show’s best song, the paen to shyness “Michael in the Bathroom.”
Directed by Stephen Brackett and choreographed by Chase Brock with pell-mell zest, the show benefits from a seemingly endless stream of wildly imaginative and often hilarious costumes by Bobby Frederick Tilley II. Other tech credits are first-class as well, notably Beowulf Boritt’s wacky and fluid sets, and Tyler Micoleau’s retina-zapping lighting.
Following a sold-out Off-Broadway run at Signature Theatre, Be More Chill is playing an open-ended run at the Lyceum Theatre on Broadway. Down the road, when amateur productions begin popping up at every high school everywhere, Be More Chill will become the Bye Bye Birdie of the 2020s.
Wild West
True West
By Sam Shepard
Reviewed by Robert Viagas
Which is the true American West? The West of cowboys and outlaws living off the land? Or the West of pampered screenwriters weaving their dreams into cinema blockbusters? Or are these both the same West?
Those are the central questions asked urgently again in Sam Shepard’s Pulitzer-finalist 1980 drama True West, currently getting a punchy but slightly off-kilter revival on Broadway.
Back in 1980, Sam Shepard’s saga of a pair of brothers, one a screenwriter, one an outlaw, clashing and eventually switching places provided a career launching pad for two major actors, John Malkovich and Gary Sinise. Those roles have been inherited for this production by Ethan Hawke and Paul Dano, but it’s not a fair fight. As the tough, threatening outlaw brother Lee, Hawke dominates this production. He gives a menacing performance like a dark storm cloud about to explode into thunder, lightning and associated violence at any moment. He does it so convincingly that it throws this play about sibling rivalry off balance. Dano gives the role of the milquetoast Austin his all, but there’s really no contest.
Speaking of toast, Hawke and Dano are at their best in the scene where Austin fills their mother’s kitchen with stolen toasters and proceeds to cook up a mass of fragrant toast on stage, just to taunt Lee.
Director James Mcdonald [CQ] has his actors play every scene for audience-pleasing laughs, especially the Act II scene where their mother (Marylouise Burke) turns up unexpectedly to find her home in shambles.
There are very few plays that you can call a little TOO much fun, and this True West is truly one.
True West is scheduled to play a limited run at the American Airlines Theatre on West 42ndStreet through March 17.
Deep Down
Moral Support
By William Considine
Reviewed by Robert Viagas
Playwright William Considine tears the bandage off the unhealed wound of his family’s disintegration in the unsparing memory play Moral Support, having its Off-Off-Broadway premiere at the Medicine Show Theatre in Manhattan.
Directed by Félix Gardón, the drama takes us deep into the broken heart of a dysfunctional family torn apart by alcoholism and emotional abuse. The mother (Cynthia Shaw) is desperately needy and manipulative. The father (David A.P. Brown) was a sometimes violent drunk. Their son Mike (Richard Keyser) is now a grown man, but is drawn back into serving as a reluctant ping-pong ball doomed by misplaced guilt to bounce forever between his two divorced parents who still have an unhealthy emotional hold on one another.
Brown gives the strongest and most centered performance as a father who understands what he did wrong and what his weaknesses are. He is trying to move on. Shaw, who still needs to work on her timing and grasp of her lines, still manages to create a rounded portrait of a woman whose expectations in life were never fully met, and who blames her ex-husband and her children for her disappointments. As their vacillating and guilt-ridden son, Keyser is a little too easily pushed around by these two emotional bullies.
Playwright Considine, who has said that Moral Support is frankly autobiographical, takes his audience on a sometimes harrowing tour of a very private place.
Also featuring Norah McCarthy, Moral Support runs through March 3 at the Medicine Show Theatre, 549 West 52nd Street, in Manhattan.
Still Dancing All Night
My Fair Lady
Music by Frederick Loewe, book and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner
Reviewed by Robert Viagas
The 2018 Lincoln Center revival of My Fair Lady benefits greatly from its new brace of leads, with Tony winner Laura Benanti joining the cast as a sweet and strong Eliza Doolittle, and Danny Burstein taking the role of her hard-partying father, Alfie Doolittle, and the formidable Rosemary Harris in the cameo role of Higgin’s mother in Bartlett Sher’s lavish Tony-nominated revival of the perennially popular 1956 Broadway classic.
They join Harry Hadden-Paton (as Henry Higgins) and other members of the original revival cast who opened the show last spring.
When she’s the cockney-speaking Eliza in Act I, Benanti sings her numbers like “Just You Wait” in a sturdy chest tone. But as she transforms to the upper-class Eliza following “The Rain in Spain,” she rolls out her loverly upper register, beautifully showcased in “I Could Have Danced All Night.” The actress who appears regularly as First Lady Melania Trump on “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” burnishes her reputation as a master of accents in this musical about the social importance of accents.
As he did with his sterling revivals of The King and I, South Pacific, and other shows, Sher leaves the classic script alone, but manages to find all sorts of charming, comic and telling moments to stage and put new spins on certain scenes. Perhaps the most dramatic change comes in the last moment of the show, when Eliza gives a tougher and more contemporary response to Higgins’ curtain line, “Where the devil are my slippers?,” than audiences may be used to. Without spoiling the surprise, let’s just say that Sher moved the show more in line with the source material, George Bernard Shaw’s politically-themed Pygmalion.
For all its beauty, this is a tougher, leaner My Fair Lady, less focused on the elegant costumes and ambivalent romance, and more focused on the question of how externals like accent and class often mask what’s truly important in the way people ought to regard and treat one another.
That said, Sher never loses sight of the fact that this is a musical. The high point of the show comes in Act II when Burstein brings the house down, leading the chorus in a high-kicking and uproarious tribute to British Musical Hall, “Get Me to the Church on Time.”
Master conductor Ted Sperling wields the baton over a majestic 29-piece orchestra throughout the show, putting a high polish on the original Robert Russell Bennett and Phil Lang orchestrations for the classic Lerner & Loewe score.
My Fair Lady continues its open-ended run at the Vivian Beaumont Theatre at Lincoln Center Theater in Manhattan.
Henry 5 Alive
Henry V
By William Shakespeare
Reviewed by Robert Viagas
Mary Lou Rosato, Broadway veteran and longtime co-head of the CalArts acting program, has directed an energetic and exciting staging of Shakespeare’s rousingHenry V at the Off-Off-Broadway American Theatre of Actors, under the aegis of Quisqueya Productions.
Henry V is the fact-based history of a young English king who unites his nation and leads his badly outnumbered army “once more unto the breach” to win an unlikely and smashing victory over their traditional foes, the French. This limited-run production takes liberties with the script to tighten the action and focus on the stirring speeches and the most vivid moments of character.
Rosato and the 19-member cast seem to relish the many messenger scenes filled with lustily-phrased defiance and counter-defiance, and the testosterone-soaked battle scenes that send the two armies galloping through the aisles and up and down ramps and staircases on the two-level set.
Among those who deserve special mention are Joe Penczak as a steely Exeter, Julian Evans as a preening Dauphin, and Mark Guerette as a comic Fluellen. Emma Elle Paterson captures the audience’s heart as the sweet French princess who, in anticipation of the Henry’s victory, is trying to fast-track learning to speak English. Laris Macario shows steely resolve as the title monarch, while also giving some hints of the unruliness his character had shown in the play’s prequels, Henry IV parts 1 and 2.
The only scenes in Henry V that seem out of place are Mistress Quickly’s accounts of the health of the star of those two plays, the character of Falstaff, who remains offstage in this play (Shakespeare’s choice). If you don’t know who Falstaff was, this production isn’t going to tell you.
The familiar Bard quotes—“Oh for a muse of fire,” “A little touch of Harry in the night,” and the stirring, noble St. Crispin’s Day speech (“we few, we happy few, we band of brothers”) are given ample due in this low-budget but high-ambition production.
Henry V ran through February 24 at the American Theatre of Actors, 314 West 54th Street, in Manhattan.
Yes, Yes, Nannette! Take the IRTE to laughter.
For eight years, (that’s eight THEATRE years, which is -like- 25 in “normal” years), the Improvisational Repertory Theatre Ensemble has been one of the leading improvisational companies in New York and making the rest the country laugh out loud as well.
IRTE is a powerhouse group of theatrically-trained artists who come together to create spontaneous and uproarious retro-themed improv-comedy shows. Their brilliance at stage craft makes each event deeper and funnier than any other troupe of its kind.
IRTE writes, develops, produces, and performs a season of original themed improvisational shows, following the basic model of traditional repertory theatre. While they are New York based, they also tour the country with their clever on-the-spot antics.
When in NYC, they make The Producers Club, 358 West 44th Street, NYC, their home. There, the highly-skilled fighting force of fun-makers present a season celebrating the best of pop culture.
This year, artistic director Nannette Deasy and her rep of rapid fire revelers have grabbed another group of back-in-the-day-themed routines. They start with an interactive bachelorette party where the audience are “guests” of the bride-2-be (or NOT to be!); then they set sail on a send-up of disaster films; supply a sequel to their classic “stupid kid” show… only this time, it’s a slumber party … and – wait for it – shades of Tim Curry … IRTE meets a secluded cabin full of ITs!
Adding to the fun, IRTE features a musical guest and guest improvers as well. In the past, IRTE spotlighted cabaret artists like Tym Moss and instrumentalists like guitarist John Munnelly.
Tell us about yourself as an artist?
After college, I studied to be an actor at various studios and with various teachers. (Roger Simon, Sam Schacht and Terry Schreiber were most influential.) I joined Equity after appearing in an Off-Broadway play in the late 90s at LaMama. At some point, I saw my first comedy improv show at Chicago City Limits and was really taken with the idea of unscripted comedy. It seemed really fun, funny and dangerous. During the late 90s, early 2000s there was a strong indie theatre and indie comedy movement on the lower east side of NY. I was impressed with a lot of what I saw coming out of that scene and with the thought that theatre could really be fluid and self-created.
What is funny? How do you get to be funny?
It’s super difficult to tell what other people might find funny (although an audience will be quick to let you know either way). It’s best to just dig into whatever makes you laugh and let go of expectation. Personally, I tend to like somewhat over the top characters who have overly strong worldviews.
How do world affairs play into making an audience laugh? Is it better when times are hard?
Hooboy, I’m not sure I’d call it “better,” but yes, laughter and pure entertainment are really important in tough times. As a people, as a community, we need a release, we need a de-stressor. We need to escape, together in a darkened theater, even if it’s just for an hour and feel better for it. I know I do!
Have you even been in a situation where the audience just didn’t laugh?
What are you saying? (Clutches her pearls and faints). Yes, of course, what I think is funny is not always what other people are going to find funny. I’d like to think, though, that an (ahem) “quiet” audience is simply waaay too enthralled to risk missing a word we say, and a (cough) “angry” audience member (yes, we’ve gotten those) is just very, very moved (sometimes right out the door). LOL
As actors, more than improv’rs, do you create a “moral” or message in each piece or does that happen organically?
As an actor, I hope to deliver whatever message the playwright and director are trying to convey through their work. That’s part of my job. As an improvisational actor, I’m creating the work, myself, on the spot. Personally, I don’t have any agenda other than my own character’s selfish wants and needs in that particular moment. Consciously trying to deliver some sort of message, to me, can be distracting. However, I am a human being and I am affected by the world around me (I hope) and whatever is going on inside me in relation. That does tend to come out and express itself in performance if I’m truly being open.
What do you hope the audience will take away from this piece?
I hope they laugh. I hope their chests feel a little less tight and their foreheads uncrease. I hope they get that warm happy feeling in their stomach from laughing really hard.
What have you done to make it as universal as possible? Or Have you?
I guess I’ve paid attention to what tickles me the most and hope that other people can relate.
What’s next for you?
We have IRTE’s season opener, Tammy’s Bachelorette, which is going to be, literally, a party for the performers and the audience.
The IRTE 2019 Season:
Tammy’s Bachelorette
Conceived by Nannette Deasy
Directed by Robert Baumgardner
FRIDAYS & SATURDAYS March 8, 9, 15 & 16, 8:00pm
Tickets $15 Online / $17 at the Door
The Producers Club, 358 West 44th Street, New York City
Blonde, beautiful Tammy Tucker is getting married, and you’re invited! She’s reunited all her besties, one male stripper and an ex-boyfriend or two to say goodbye to single life in this improvised and interactive Bachelorette Party of the CENTURY!
The Ship Be Sinkin’
Conceived and Directed by Robert Baumgardner
FRIDAYS & SATURDAYS April 5, 6, 12 & 13, 8:00pm
Tickets $15 Online / $17 at the Door
The Producers Club, 358 West 44th Street, New York City
The largest cruise ship ever built is going down!! What did it hit? Who will survive? Why does that singer keep singing? Find out at the hilarious improvised comedy that will float your boat!
Evil Clowns Have Feelings, Too
Conceived by Izzy Church
Directed by Nannette Deasy
FRIDAYS & SATURDAYS May 3, 4, 10 & 11, 8:00pm
Tickets $15 Online / $17 at the Door
The Producers Club, 358 West 44th Street, New York City
When their car breaks down in the woods, the Poolander’s family vacation comes to a screeching halt, forcing them to seek refuge in an old cabin in the woods until help arrives. Little do they know, that a bunch of evil clowns own the cabin and are having a really, really bad day. Join the IRTE jesters, fools and jokers in this improvised and totally terrifying comedy… for the whole family!
Go to Sleep, Stupid Kids!
Original Concept by Nannette Deasy
Directed by Robert Baumgardner
FRIDAYS & SATURDAYS May 31, June 1, 7 & 8, 8:00pm
Tickets $15 Online / $17 at the Door
The Producers Club, 358 West 44th Street, New York City
Jamie’s been twelve for THREE WHOLE MONTHS and has NEVER had a “big kid” slumber party. That’s all going to change in this improvised sequel to IRTE’s hit comedy “Happy Birthday, Stupid Kid!” Grab your sleeping bag and your best PJs and hope that Jamie’s dysfunctional family doesn’t embarrass him in front of the cool kids!
Can’t Decide??? See them ALL!
Come see any and all of our 2019 shows for a fraction of the cost!
Simply CONTACT US prior to 12 noon of the performance day with your name and the show/date you’d like to see and we’ll reserve your seat. It’s that easy! Just click HERE for our Season Schedule
*Due to the improvisational nature of the shows, there may be adult content. Parental discretion is advised.
William Considine, playwright, poet, and producer
Mary is divorced, estranged from her family and suffering with cancer. Her son Mike visits her during spring break. She asks him for concrete actions of moral support. Mike’s father and aunt caution him not to get involved. Old wounds re-open, and the bonds of family and love are rigorously tested. William Considine, pens this naturalistic, family drama and peppered it with elements of poetry and surrealism.
Poet & Playwright, William Considine, hands us deep drama from his own dark past. He opened up to Ai on bringing to life … his life.
Tell us about yourself as an artist?
I have written plays and poems for much of my life. I’ve also made poetry videos. I’m active in the downtown New York poetry scene. Four of my plays had staged readings at the Public Theater, and I’ve also had readings at St. Clement’s and La Mama, as well as play performances at Theater for the New City, Brooklyn Army Terminal, Limbo Lounge, Ear Inn, ABC No Rio and Dixon Place. In 2017, the Operating System published a volume of my plays, The Furies, which is available on Amazon and from the publisher. The Operating System has also published a chapbook of my poems, Strange Coherence. A CD of my poems with music, An Early Spring, is available on iTunes and from the label, Fast Speaking Music. I’m a member of the Dramatists Guild and the Polaris North theater artists cooperative. I was an attorney for many years, in the public sector, retiring a few years ago. I live with my wife in Brooklyn.
What drew you to write about such a topic? Is it – in any way – autobiographical?
I was compelled to write about this subject. Memories and emotions are strongly involved. Yes, it is autobiographical. For a long time, I was reluctant to address this, and to be so revealing, but I had to come back to it.
What do you – the author – experience when writing characters of such deep emotion?
Frankly, it was often painful, to recall tense moments, to relive them word-by-word, and recreate them honestly. I wrote this play a little at a time, over the course of decades. Each character lived in a rich web of memories and feelings. I was very concerned with being true to the people and e-examining my own assumptions or habits of thought.
What do you hope the audience will take away from this piece?
I hope the audience will take away a sense of the complexity of family relationships, and a feeling that even the most difficult encounters can arise out of love and with understanding, can regenerate love.
What have you done to make it as universal as possible? Or Have you?
I have tried to be true to the particulars, to be factual. I think the universal is found in the particulars. Art that is rooted in the soil can flower for everyone to see.
What’s next for you?
I hope this play will continue to live. I have another full-length play, a verse play, Women’s Mysteries, that I plan to take up, to find staging for it, too. And there is always more to write.
Magnetite LLC presents
Moral Support, A new play by William Considine
Medicine Show Theatre, 549 W. 52nd Street, 3rd floor, New York City
February 21, 22, 23 @ 8:00 p.m. / February 24 @ 4:00 p.m.
February 28, March 1, 2 @ 8:00 p.m. / March 3 @ 4:00 p.m.
Once More Unto The Breach!
Quisqueya Productions presents a limited showing of a re-imagined version of Shakespeare’s HENRY V. Shakespeare’s definitive parable of war and warriors will directed by Broadway veteran, Mary Lou Rosato, at the legendary American Theatre of Actors – one of the last great theaters of the famed off-off Broadway movement – for a special limited run, February 21 – 24 (Thursday – Saturday @ 7:30 p.m. with special matinees on Saturday & Sunday @ 2:00 p.m. – Invited previews start Feb 18) The ATA is located at 314 W 54th St, New York City. Tickets available at https://www.smarttix.com/Event/hen393. Te event is listed on SHOW-SCORE and OPPLAUD.
Presented in contemporary dress with allusions to period style, Quisqueya Productions hopes to show – in this stunning new production – the duality of mankind; the eternal battle between modern thinking and warlike desires. Producer/performer, Laris Macario, who appears as Henry was quoted as saying “Henry gets caught up in his own legend … as we all do,” Macario has accepted the challenge of playing several of Shakespeare’s men of conviction, who see their missions as a way to justify a place on the throne and, in many respects, come closer to God. Others in his canon are Marc Antony in Julius Caesar and Lucius in Titus Andronicus leading the pack. “In these uncertain times, the story of a valiant soul leading the common man to victory is that much more necessary,” he concluded.
Broadway luminary, Roger Rathburn appears in this production directed by another Broadway notable: Mary Lou Rosato.
The ensemble cast includes, Sylvain Panet-Raymond, Sam Tilles, Julian Evans, Megan Smith, Kaitlyn Farley, Joe Penczak, Jared Kirby, Patrick Hamilton, Yosef Podolski, Diego Tapia, Mark Guerette, Suzanne Kennedy, and co-founder of the company, Tom Kalnas.
We were able to grab Tom during their break-neck schedule of rehearsal, character exploration, fight-choreography and production meetings. Tom was clever but to the point. Here’s out warrior-to-writer chat:
Tell us about yourself as an artist?
I’m from Pittsburgh. I write, sing, act, and improvise. Acting is impulsive. I strive for a simple and believable style. As a writer, I focus on media, marketing, politics, and technology. I write plays about self-branding and online identity.
What drew you to do Shakespeare and especially this play?
I missed Shakespeare. I missed the challenging text and the unbridled satisfaction of performing Shakespeare in a believable way. I’m like those opera singers who love to perform Handel.
As for Henry V – I’m in the mood for a war play. The show raises excellent political questions, morality questions. It’s a complicated, challenging, rewarding production.
In what way is Henry V timely today – also, what lessons can we learn from it?
Henry uses the rhetoric of a wartime leader. As any mainstream American politician knows, delivery is everything. Rhetoric is sacred today, as it was in Shakespeare’s time. In Henry V, an island nation follows a man into France to fight an unnecessary war. But, hey, they’re happy about it. Most of them support the cause. Or at least, they support King Henry’s agenda.
What is the importance of Shakespeare in terms of being presented in the indie theater scene?
You don’t need a college education to appreciate Shakespeare. You don’t need a ton of money. You need good actors and a good stage.
What’s next for you and your company?
Ask Laris! He’s the one with big ideas.
Funny and Fresh
MESHELLE “THE INDIE-MON OF COMEDY”
FUNNY A$ A MOTHER…COMEDY TOUR
The Triad Theater, 158 West 72nd Street, New York, NY 10023
February 1, 2019
Inola McGuire reviews!
The performance of Meshelle “The Indie-Mon of Comedy” Funny A$ a Mother…Comedy Tour and her two special guests, John Moses and Mike Troy out of Brooklyn surely gave the audience a lot of heat on a frigid winter night at the Triad Theater.
There was a well-dressed and diverse audience that welcomed the performers. John Moses started the show with his brand of comedy, and some of his jokes were taken from his own life experiences. The audience responded quite well to his salacious puns wholeheartedly before he gracefully concluded his rendition eloquently.
Mike Troy stroked the audience with his comedic style of jokes straight out of Brooklyn because he has mastered how to relate his personal interaction with his family into his comedy, but he reminded the audience of the homeless problem in New York City. In his analogy, homeless animals have gotten better treatment than homeless people. It was hilarious and the audience wanted to hear more of his tell-it-like-it-is jokes.
Meshelle’s presence on stage brought a special heat to the audience in more ways than one. Members of the audience, mainly the women, got some great advice from Meshelle in her comedy in order for them to love themselves unconditionally. The bantering in her comedy was unique and the audience showed its appreciation with laughter. Meshelle’s comedy was the next best thing to a homily on Sundays, for there was food for thought for all in attendance.
Overall, it was a great show that forced each member of the audience to reflect on his or her carnal, natural and spiritual self! I am confident that everyone has gotten an antidote from the dynamic comedy to use in the improvement of their lives.
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The War That Never Ends Home Is Sweet Sorrow is a must-see and a devastatingly powerful third chapter in the Blood trilogy, which also includes…
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THE BARD TAKES BROADWAY: SIXTH ANNUAL NEW YORK SHAKESPEARE AWARDS CELEBRATES RECORD-BREAKING 2025 SEASON
THE BARD TAKES BROADWAY: SIXTH ANNUAL NEW YORK SHAKESPEARE AWARDS CELEBRATES RECORD-BREAKING 2025 SEASON The New York Shakespeare Awards has officially unveiled its list of…
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American Theatre of Actors Announces 50th Anniversary Gala; Playwright LYLE KESSLER and TONY-winning actor, LEN CARIOU to Receive Lifetime Achievement Honors.
NEW YORK, NY — The American Theatre of Actors (ATA), a cornerstone of the New York theatrical landscape since 1976, is proud to announce ATA 50, a…
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Music Among the Tumbleweeds: Jim Catapano reviews James Jennings’ New Dancing in the Meadow.
James Jennings’ New Dancing in the Meadow Brings Feel Good Vibes to the ATA James Jennings, legendary Founder of the American Theatre of Actors, brings…
Arts Independent 