RAISED BY LESBIANS

BY ROBERT SMITH

As a teenage boy, your primary concerns should be:

1. Your image,
2. The ongoing battle against pimples and zits, and
3. Thinking of sly ways to hide that your mother’s girlfriend is hotter than most of your friends.

Perhaps you don’t have to deal with the third situation, but Joe, the main character of RAISED BY LESBIANS, can’t avoid it. Most teenagers are embarrassed by their parents, but add to that Joe’s discomfort with his mother’s sexuality, and you’ve got a guy who will do just about anything to avoid any possible attention to his family. Joe’s anxiety actually stems from his own inability to accept where he is from and to be who he really is.

RAISED BY LESBIANS revolves around two central themes: acceptance and normality. Joe is dealing with the common teenage issues of growing up, creating an identity, and finding where he fits in. Joe yearns to be accepted by his peers, and thinks that living with two moms might affect his social standing in school. This leads him to consider living with his father and step-mom in a different state. By moving to his father’s house, Joe would have the opportunity to reinvent himself – and, most importantly, nobody would know about his gay mother. The meaning of “normal” is stretched to the limit when both Joe’s mother and father argue about which parental environment would be better for Joe.

The non-linear structure of RAISED BY LESBIANS is nevertheless well organized, and incorporates the present, the past (in flashbacks) and alternate realities (in dreams). I was especially impressed by Matthew Glogowski, who plays Joe. His commitment to the part creates a very authentic character. When I spoke with him after the show, he told me that he did a lot of research in order to present Joe in a realistic way. Not only did he draw from his own experiences as a teenager, but he also spoke with friends who dealt with similar issues to those faced by Joe.

I asked the director Dev Bondarin what she thought about the term “normal,” and she told me that normality is a socially constructed theme, but that does not preclude our fascination with it.

I recommend this show to everyone, but especially teenagers who imagine their parents must be the most embarrassing around.

RAISED BY LESBIANS is presented as part of FringeNYC. For more information visit www.raisedbylesbians.com

UNTITLED MASTERPIECE

BY SHONIQUE SALMON

UNTITLED MASTERPIECE is a comedy about love, success, and other lies you were told in college. The play opens with Joseph, the main character, just graduating with his Bachelors degree from college. His new found happiness is cut short when he realizes that he needs to make some money to pay off his college loans.

Joseph wants a job that makes a difference, but soon learns how difficult it is to find that kind of work. Joseph is stuck – he can’t get an apartment without a job, he can’t get a without experience, he can’t get experience without a job, and so on and so forth. Joseph is forced to move in with his friend from college, the cliché character who always slacked off in school, but still got the best grades. His friend shares the house with a Native American anarchist lesbian and a southern African American Hasidic bisexual.

In a twist of events, Joseph is thrown into a game show that mocks real life situations, such as finding a job and an apartment, meeting people, having sex, etc. In the end Joseph realizes that his life is pretty much dictated by the people surrounding him. He works to create his own identity and to find his own place in the world, and tells everyone to stop telling him what to do.

UNTITLED MASTERPIECE is a nice parody of real life after college. It had a lot of weird characters and crazy situations that you wouldn’t actually see in real life, yet at the same time, it portrayed realistic messages. The director also used interesting technique, such as breaking the fourth wall, to capture the audience’s attention. The actors were also very committed in their multiple roles.

UNTITLED MASTERPIECE by Patrick Flynn is presented as part of FringeNYC. For more information visit www.untitledmasterpiece.com

MARE COGNITUM

BY CHRISTA TANDANA

Three roommates with different perspectives are living on the verge of a war, observing protesters from their apartment above. Lena is an action-seeking girl with a wild imagination, Thomas is an atheist who grew up in a Christian family and Jeff is a socially awkward bookworm with a fascination in science. Lena wants to be a part of the protesters below. Out of a sense of helplessness, she resorts to using her imagination as an escape. She and Jeff start their own protests for their own causes, like the existence of Pluto and the Brontosaurus.

While they play, the outside protesters disperse and the bombing starts. There is nothing left to do. Lena once again turns to her imagination and takes Jeff, and eventually Thomas, on a trip to the moon. After several interruptions, they finally land, only to discover that the moon is barren and lifeless. As Jeff and Lena begin to see the earth rising, Thomas’s cell phone rings, bringing him back to reality. Lena pleads with him not to go, but loses.

There were some humorous parts scattered throughout this play. The acting was pretty good from all three actors, but I think the writer tried too hard to make it philosophical. I wouldn’t recommend this Mare Cognitum because it was a bit long and frustrating, mostly due to Lena’s nonsensical reasoning. I think that Lena needs to wake up from her childish dreams and face the world for what it is. Yes, it can be ugly at times, but surely going off to the moon isn’t going to help anyone.

Mare Cognitum is presented by Theatre of the Expendable as part of FringeNYC. For more information visit www.theatreoftheexpendable.org

@lice in www.onderland

BY SABRINA KHAN

@lice in www.onderland is a multimedia dance adaptation of Lewis Carrol’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. The play links the modern society’s obsession with the internet to the drug induced dream world that Carroll and his Victorian counterparts may have engaged in. @lice in www.onderland portrays cyberland as a world of infinite possibilities and absurd realities, the imagination gone wild by the click of a mouse and key board.

Each chapter in the winding tale of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland is performed in a clever way in @lice in www.onderland. For example, the white rabbit circles in and out on roller blades and the caterpillar is made of two women entangled by a single garment. All of the dancers are wonderful, fusing ballet and contemporary techniques that magically tell the story. In addition, the costumes and soundtrack truly complete the production, making it a feast for the eyes and ears.

@lice in www.onderland is as dazzling and frightening as the classic, successfully providing a view of the world wide web and our increasing fixation with it. The final words of the play ring true: “Cyberspace has become everyone’s wonderland.”

@lice in www.onderland is recommended for those who appreciate dance and fairytales. Carroll experts might also find this production interesting.

@lice in www.onderland is presented as part of FringeNYC. For more information visit www.onderland.net

FROM THE INSIDE, OUT

BY HANNAH PERRI

Cutting. Self injury. Self mutilation. All words that make me cringe. I was surprised that I was so comfortable with the play From the Inside, Out even though it is about self-injury. I was moved and given a new perspective on this sensitive subject.

The story focuses on a girl named Maggie. She and her father are eating at an empty Indian restaurant. Maggie has something she wants to tell her dad, but she doesn’t know how. She tells herself that she will count to 30 and then tell him. Maggie counts in her head while her dad discusses politics. She passes 30 and continues to count.

Maggie first tells us that she got a B in her Creative Writing class because of an essay that she wrote about hardship and growth. Maggie chose to write about her mother who had died a few years earlier. Although Maggie thought that her clever metaphors and perfect grammar made her paper perfect, her teacher said that there was no “meat” in it.

From there, Maggie guides us through her true-to-life hardships. She tells us of the times when she so desperately wanted to scream and tell others that she was a cutter. Other stories of self-injury are seamlessly woven into Maggie’s tale as she desperately struggles for the right way to tell her father.

From the Inside, Out is relevant to anyone who has ever felt inadequate and unable to ask for help. This show definitely has “meat.”

From the Inside, Out is presented by 4th Meal Productions as part of FringeNYC. For more information visit www.4thmealproductions.org

FACE [EVERY GOOD BOY DOES FINE]

BY CHRISTA TANDANA

FACE is a mixture of music and theatre created spontaneously by six actors and a jazz quartet. The actors open the show by asking the audience for a suggestion. This suggestion is then used as a theme for the performance. Every performance has a new audience and a new script, meaning that each show is a unique experience.

At the performance that I attended, the actors asked us what we were inspired by. Unsurprisingly, the answer was The Olympics. From that, the actors created the world of the play. A world that contains characters such as Michael Felps. That’s right, I said Felps, not Phelps.

I commend the actors and musicians of FACE on how well they worked together to create a continuous flow of dialogue and music. Unfortunately, in the process, they also confused me. FACE attempts to take many different stories and move from scene to scene smoothly. While I was waiting to laugh, I got lost when characters switched and stories changed. I was also expecting the Olympics to be incorporated a bit more than it was..

Fusing comedic and musical improvisation in one show is a great concept, but this production just doesn’t hit the mark. FACE left me perplexed and disappointed, but every performance is completely unique. So who knows? You might have a better experience.

FACE is presented as part of FringeNYC. For more information visit www.faceimprov.com

UNDERWEAR: A SPACE MUSICAL

BY HANNAH PERRI

Underwear. And space. In a musical. Together?

Not too far off in the future, the worlds of underwear modeling and space collide, creating witty jokes and catchy songs. Underwear: A Space Musical is a story about Dottie Smallton, a girl from Ohio (the planet), who ditches her old-fashioned home planet for Patricia’s Panties, the ultimate planet for underwear modeling. Dottie learns that on this planet, food is in pill form and models are forbidden by law to learn to read.

Dottie meets and falls for Andi, the underwear model, and teaches him to read even though it's a crime. Dottie and Andi discover that their manipulative boss, Patricia, plans to take over the world with mind-controlling underwear. Can they stop her in time? The play becomes a battle of good against evil as Dottie tries to save the world from Patricia’s schemes.

Underwear is a show for anyone who loves musicals. You will fall out of your seat laughing at all of the witty banter, great comedic timing and hilarious lyrics. The characters are also very loveable. Dottie has a warm naivety that contrasts nicely to the harsh modeling world, while Andi has an innocent simplicity to him. They mesh well together and have strong chemistry.

Underwear is a joy to watch. It will put a smile on your face and you will leave the theatre humming the musical numbers. I highly recommend checking out this show.

UNDERWEAR: A SPACE MUSICAL is presented as part of FringeNYC. For more information visit www.underwearaspacemusical.com

TREES LIKE NAILS

BY MONIKHA REYES

Trees Like Nails draws you in from the very beginning, with an eerie interlude of shadows and gritty rap. Two figures appear by the flickering light of a lantern held by Robbie, who wants to show his brother Frank a very “pretty” discovery. By the time you find out exactly what the discovery is, you will be completely engrossed in this dark drama!

Trees Like Nails delves into the lives of seven suburban kids dealing with secrets. These kids hold nothing back – drugs, drinking, jealousy, desire, and even death only scratch the surface of this production. Although the young people in Trees Like Nails are dealing with slightly different issues than myself (for example, I have never found a dead body in the woods), I was still able to relate easily to the characters and situations.

I had the privilege of interviewing many of the actors after the performance. When I asked how they developed their characters, they had many different answers. Jack Moore, who plays Robbie, spoke about creating his character with high school classmate and Trees Like Nails playwright Will Snider. Working with someone that he knew as a teenager added more levels to his role. Cally Robertson pulled from memories of her past to relate to the character of curious but naïve Tracy.

I asked actor Josh Breslow, who played Frank, what it was like to inhabit such an intense role. “To not be myself is a new thing,” he said with a grin. He explained that his characters in the past have always been relatable to some degree, but in order to play Frank, he had to “play dark.” Breslow also mentioned what a help it was that everyone working on the production got along and supported each other.

Knowing that they all enjoyed what they do and had fun in the process is definitely one of the reasons why this play is such a hit. I highly recommend checking out this show!

Trees Like Nails written by Will Snider and directed by Deanna Weiner. Presented as part of FringeNYC. For more information visit www.treeslikenails.com

THE DEATH OF THE BALL TURRET GUNNER

BY SARAH SCHLESINGER

The Death of the Ball Turret Gunner, a play inspired by a poem of the same title, was written and directed by Anna Moench. The play focuses on the life and final mission of Randall, a ball turret gunner, during World War II. We see Randall at home with his family, enlisting in the Air Force, and in the ball turret during his final mission.

Randall was greatly influenced by the stories that his sister, Susan, told him. Susan told Randall about a storm so horrendous that she thought that she would die. Susan said that after seeing what seemed to be the end of the world, she experienced a feeling of complete peace. She felt ready to die because of the beauty of the sky and clouds after the storm. Randall wanted to see the beauty of the sky after the storm, to feel that complete satisfaction with his life. He had that opportunity as a ball turret gunner.

The intensity of The Death of the Ball Turret Gunner is heightened by the use of original music performed by a live orchestra. Its haunting sound remains in your mind well after the play is over. The set, consisting of only one stool, is used most creatively in the different locations depicted in the play. The battle scenes are created by simple, yet expressive choreography. With only a blue light shining overhead, the movements are hypnotic, and you find yourself wishing you did not have to blink.

I was fortunate enough to speak with creator Anna Moench. She said she read the poem The Death of the Ball Turret Gunner in high school, and it stayed with her ever since. The dialogue of the play, inspired by a poem, is intentionally poetic. Each line of the five-line poem inspired a different scene of the play.

I recommend seeing this play. Not only is the story interesting, but you might learn something. In fact, that was one of Anna Moench’s goals. She told me that it was especially important that we learn from our past, and never forget it.

WHAT IS A BALL TURRET GUNNER?

During WWII, a special compartment was designed on a fighter plane that was controlled by the smallest man on the crew. The compartment was too small for emergency equipment - like a parachute. There were several ways that things could go wrong. You could suffocate, fall to your death, be shot out of the sky, or be smashed to bits if your aircraft landed without landing gear. Needless to say, it was a very high-risk job.

The Death of the Ball Turret Gunner presented as part of FringeNYC. For more information visit www.annamoench.com

CHOOSE YOUR OWN PLAY

BY CHRIS RAMIREZ

Choose Your Own Play is a comedy that allows the audience to decide what happens in that performance. With over 80 different possible endings and multiple twists and turns, creators Timmy Woods and Greg Hundemer provide the audience with a well-executed night of improvisation.

Actors Alex Dorman and Matt Lusk delivered strong performances, playing their multiple roles with ease. Caleb George stood out with his performances as Satan and Waldo from Where’s Waldo? This guy should be on Saturday Night Live!

I was so impressed that the actors kept their energy up in the most uncomfortable theatre. Without air-conditioning, the Milagro Theatre was a sauna. In fact, some audience members left at intermission. There were also problems with the lights, which I felt left many characters in the dark or shadowed so heavily that their lines were lost. I went on opening night, so I’m confident that these technical issues will be repaired during the run.

Choose Your Own Play is hilarious and a lot of fun for the audience, especially those interested in improvisation.

This play is not for all ages. It contains adult situations and mature language. I highly recommend this play to teenagers, but be warned… it can get hot in that theatre.

Choose Your Own Play presented as part of FringeNYC. For more information visit http://www.chooseyourownplay.net/

VELVET SCRATCH - VOYAGE OF NO RETURN

BY SABRINA KHAN

Anastasia Revi’s unconventional musical Velvet Scratch - Voyage of No Return, is a fascinating and sinister tale about the small and lonesome village of Velvet Town. Velvet Town is a secluded town where struggling mothers leave their infant girls to be raised by the mayor. The girls grow up waiting for the big feast, when one lucky girl gets the chance to go out into the real world alone. The mayor chooses Margot on the day of the feast, but she dies mysteriously and is forever condemned to the underworld.

While in the underworld, Margot thinks about the circumstances of her death and tells stories of the quirky and scandalous deaths of Taluna, the town’s Greta Garbo wannabe; Elvira, the eccentric cook with a taste for human flesh; La Pupe, the aspiring ballerina with unattractively large feet, among others. These characters come to life at different times by two ladies of the underground lair, performed by Laura Morgan and Alexandra Dyranis-Maonis.

The clever and dark style of the play reminded me of Tim Burton and Edgar Allen Poe. Despite a small stage and enough time to transition between scenes, the performers are always enticing. The lacy and shredded props and detailed set design add to the mood, captivating the audience. To top it off, the instrumental music is perfect at portraying a feeling simultaneously eerie and sensual, threatening and soothing. On the whole, Velvet Scratch-Voyage of No Return is a great production, although recommended for mature audiences able to swallow the imaginary violence and sick sense of humor draped around Velvet Town.

Created by Anastasia Revi. Presented by the Theatre Lab Company as part of FringeNYC. For more information click here.

ROSALEE WAS HERE

BY SARAH ABDALLA

This summer, when school’s out, you might want to take some time off and visit Rosalee’s class! Based on a true story, Rosalee Was Here shares the experiences of Rosalee, a girl who has issues controlling her behavior. Rosalee is forced to spend all of her time with the annoying school aid, Mrs. Kimball. Rosalee frequently tries to escape from Mrs. Kimball’s watchful eye, causing the two of them to end up in the principal’s office.

The play documents the relationships that Rosalee builds with Mrs. Kimball. Even when they don’t get along, it is obvious that Mrs. Kimball cares about Rosalee and that Rosalee does not take Mrs. Kimball for granted. The play concludes with a scene that takes place at the end of the school year and really expresses their love dynamic. No matter how many difficulties they both faced during the school year, it is hard for these two former foes to part.

Despite how loud and obnoxious Rosalee is, she grew on me throughout the play, and I walked out of the play loving her! Rosalee Was Here was a remarkable play and I am delighted that I was able to see it. The acting was very realistic and the story and ideas were authentic. The concepts that were presented throughout the show made this play a truly unforgettable one. I highly recommend it.

Rosalee Was Here presented by Winterset Productions. Written by Maura Campbell and directed by Toby Ring Thelin. For more information visit www.rosaleewashere.com

CLONE

BY ROBERT SMITH

Imagine that one day you open your eyes and see an exact image of yourself. And you’re not looking in a mirror. Would you freak out? Ah…yeah! Faint? You bet! Think of devious ways to have an easier life from now on? That’s only the beginning!

Clone is a play about a lonely and unproductive writer named John who orders a clone of himself for a bit of entertainment. The play opens with John 1 (Christopher Loar) and John 2 (Aaron Hodges) onstage, making identical movements and gestures. Looking at his clone with both fright and amazement, John 1 reads the accompanying instructions. This scene was interesting because it showed the actors ability and range as they effectively made their movements as if they were in front of a mirror.

In order to test the clone, John 1 asks the clone questions that only the real John would know. To his surprise and joy, John 2 knows the exact answers, so John 1 sends John 2 to take his place at work. Things are going well for the two until John 2 begins to scheme ways to kill his owner and live life among the real.

I liked Clone because it was new and fresh with raw humor. The dialogue sounded like a real conversation and the jokes were natural. The coolest part of the play was watching two actors play the same character at the same time.

I wasn’t entirely sure what the overall message was, but I have an idea. I think that Christopher Loar was trying to convey that life is boring and you need a clone in order to have fun.

Just kidding! I think Loar is saying that you are the only one who can live your life.

Clone is a Conlab production that was written by Christopher Loar and directed by Rafael Gallegos. For more information click here.

BEHOLD, THE BOWERY!

BY SARAH SCHLESINGER

Behold, the Bowery! is a dramatic musical written and directed by Daniel Pfau, a member of the Attic Theater Company. Pfau loosely based the show on the book Low Life: Lures and Snares of Old New York by Luc Sante.

Set in early 20th century downtown Manhattan, Behold, The Bowery! involves conspiracy, treachery, murder, and betrayal. Live musicians play piano, guitar, and violin onstage, which gives the play a sense of authenticity. The music is haunting and sweet, with Celtic undertones.

The story centers around two characters; Julian Fisk (played by Daniel Abeles), an actor/conman who searches for ways to square his enormous debt with a dangerous gangster named Dead Horse (played by Einar Gunn). Dead Horse makes it clear that if Julian does not pay his debt, the future will not be bright.

There are funny characters and scenes in this play, which help lighten the dark nature of the plot. Characters include a Master of Ceremonies, who addresses the audience as, "Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, and all that fall betwixt the two," and a religious preacher who scolds the customers in a bar. In other scenes there is singing and dancing by the ladies of the Broken Nose Inn and a comedic song by the Bowery Bum.

You will not regret seeing this play. The characters were very well written and performed. Each character's emotions are vivid, making them very human and easy to relate to. The dialogue, mannerisms, and inflection of words the characters use fit the setting of the early 20th century well, like the final piece of a puzzle. As you walk out of the theater, into modern day Manhattan, you will find yourself mulling over the characters, and wondering what became of them.

BEHOLD, THE BOWERY is presented as part of FringeNYC.
For more information, visit www.beholdthebowery.com.

THE DARLING CHILDREN

BY SABRINA KHAN

Are they really so darling? So sweet?

Written by Ivan Faute and directed by Stephen F. Murray, The Darling Children is a play about Peter Pan’s family that sheds light on why Peter may have left for Neverland with the wish to never grow up.

The play begins with an almost bare set. Only a desk and a few chairs sit on the stage. Peter’s mother and three sisters are having breakfast. They are waiting for their maid, Harriet, who happens to have the day off. This scene is quite humorous. We watch the family discuss the absence of Harriet and their confusion. They finally decide that this week has gone straight from Tuesday to Thursday, skipping Wednesday in the middle.

The rest of the play follows in a similar style as serious issues are presented in a light-hearted manner. There are instances in the play that can be linked to the various versions of Peter Pan, but only slightly. The tale is largely left to speculation stemming from the few known facts available about J.M. Barrie and his motivation for creating Peter Pan.

The only family member who seems to still make contact with Peter is the youngest sister, Aurora. Aurora is considered the youngest and most carefree of the family. She is rumored to meet with Peter on her early morning excursions to the park. Though the other sisters do not communicate with Peter, they are still waiting for his return.

One storyline in particular stood out to me. The middle sister, Kathleen, firmly believes that the family’s dog Johannes is pregnant. The other sisters refuse to believe this because the dog is male. Lo and behold, towards the end of the play, Johannes gives birth to puppies. Kathleen names the smallest of the litter Nana, creating another tie to the classic tale.

So why is Peter missing from his darling home and family, who clearly love him dearly? In a brief interview, Faute explained that perhaps Peter was in fact dead from the very beginning of the play, only alive in the memories of his family.

Although The Darling Children gives us clues about Peter’s past, the play still leaves much to the imagination. I left wondering whether Peter ever truly existed. With an interesting take on the tale, The Darling Children is very intriguing and the actors are equally gripping. I recommend this play particularly to Peter Pan lovers because they may grasp more of the plot than most.

THE DARLING CHILDREN is presented as part of FringeNYC. For more information visit www.thedarlingchildren.com

TRIUMPH OF THE UNDERDOG

BY QUASEEM RABB


Triumph of the Underdog is a one-man show written by and starring Mitch Montgomery as scatterbrained, cardigan wearing professor Pete Howell. Pete is a washed up science fiction writer, once praised for bestseller The Garden of Venus-ly Delights, but more recently shunned by his colleagues for his second book Anna Coronana. The play takes the form of a college lecture, with the audience playing the role of the students. Our professor opens each scene with a malfunctioning power point presentation and a dry erase board, making me feel as if I really was a college student.

In an ironic twist of events, Pete’s theories from Anna Coronana were actually correct! Pete’s response? He turns to us, his students, and proclaims, “This shit just got real, y’all!” Ultimately, Pete resolves the problem of a large meteor crashing into the sun which would end life on Earth as we know it. He ingeniously launches NASA’s Hubble Telescope at the meteor “MMM Bop” (named after the song) and eradicates it just in the nick of time.

After the performance, I had the privilege to interview Mitch Montgomery. He told me that Triumph of the Underdog was inspired by lectures he attended while in college. I asked him what message he hoped the audience would take away. “Humanity,” Mitch told me, “Is the underdog.”

Would I recommend this play? Absolutely! Take every opportunity to participate in the performance.

Who knows, you might even receive college credit!


TRIUMPH OF THE UNDERDOG created by Mitch Montgomery and Morgan Allen. Directed by Barbara William. Presented as part of FringeNYC.For more information visit www.triumphoftheunderdog.blogspot.com