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
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