Mrs. Warren's Profession

By Reyna Schaechter

Everyone makes his or her assumptions before going to see a show. And often, these assumptions are correct. Going into Mrs. Warren’s Profession, my expectation was that I was going to have to sit through a three-hour play revolving around tea and scones.

I was wrong. Mostly.

Mrs. Warren’s Profession, by George Bernard Shaw, starts off with an encounter between Vivie Warren and Mr. Praed. Mr. Praed is horrified to discover that Vivie’s prudish tomboy-like disposition is not at all reminiscent of her mother, Mrs. Kitty Warren,’s glamorous charm. Though a bit slow-paced, wordy and sedentary in the beginning, the first interaction firmly establishes Vivie’s character, which would be the basis for all conflict throughout the rest of the show.

The show soon picks up pace when the diva-like Mrs. Kitty Warren enters with her “business partner,” Sir George Crofts. An impish Frank Gardner soon comes on with his father, Reverend Samuel Gardner, and teatime commences.

Shaw did a stellar job of writing the play so that not everyone is onstage at the same time, allowing for personal relationships to be made between each character. For example, during the first act, Vivie and Mrs. Warren leave Mr. Praed and Sir George alone in the garden while they go prepare tea. This man-on-man time establishes camaraderie between the two men. During the second act, Vivie announces that there are only four seats for teatime and therefore, two of the six attendees would constantly have to wait in the parlor. At this point, Vivie and Frank’s amorous relation is exposed.

Act Two is also the act in which the scandal of the play is revealed: Mrs. Warren works as a prostitute. The revelation is slightly tedious and verbose, but with Cherry Jones’ phenomenal portrayal of Mrs. Warren as a blasé survivor, it all works.

Sally Hawkins, on the other hand, whose performance as Vivie Warren is her Broadway debut, feels slightly amateur for the role. Her voice is wavering throughout all four acts and she repeats the same stereotypical expressions of bewilderment and disgust over and over again.

I was right in assuming that there would be tea and scones. My error was that this was only an insignificant detail in the broader scope of things. Mrs. Warren’s Profession shatters all preexisting notions that the Victorian Era was prim-and-proper. More importantly, it explores how a daughter deals with her mother’s seedy entrepreneurship.

Though I would hope that none of you readers can identify with Vivie so closely, I’m sure that you all can say that you occasionally disagree with your parents. What I took away from Mrs. Warren’s Profession is that if we come to a point that we are blatantly ashamed of our parents’ actions, it is best not to follow in their footsteps. In these instances, independence must be sought in order for us not to repeat the same mistakes our parents made.

TICKETS: $22 general rush, American Airlines Theatre, 227 W. 42nd St. www.roundabouttheatre.org/aat/

Hip Hop Theater Festival

By Julia Rosenfeld

I'm not going to lie - I can't breakdance. It's not even a skill that I've tried to master.

However, while watching the Hip Hop Theater Festival's presentation of olive Dance Theatre's SWIFT SOLOS - a performance honoring legendary b-boy Ken Swift and showcasing his most famous routines - I really wished that I could bust a move. The dynamic dancers were dressed in bright colors, clean sneakers and big smiles with feet that moved faster than seemed humanly possible.

Although this particular show only runs for a couple more performances, the Hip Hop Theater Festival continues through October 16th with more than 25 events. One show that you don't want to miss is Young, Gifted & Hyped on October 6th - a one-night-only event featuring performance work from New York City high school students.

Busy that night? Check out the website for other options.

Green Day IN American Idiot

Have you heard the screaming yet?

Billy Joe Armstrong (lead singer of Green Day) will be playing St. Jimmy in American Idiot on Broadway this week ONLY! It's his first time performing on Broadway, but definitely not his first time singing these songs in front of a cheering crowd.

Do you think that's a good idea? Bad idea? Are you excited or appalled? Tell us in the comments!

Fringe Wrap-Up

FringeTastic 2010 was a great success! To sum it up:

14 Ploggers saw plays

24 plays were reviewed

15 plays were recommended as Plog Picks

2 Ploggers went behind-the-scenes to interview the artists

1 editor is very happy...and tired

FringeNYC isn't over yet! Read our reviews and find out what YOU want to see!

When Lilacs Last

By Monikha Reyes

Set in South Philadelphia in 1955, When Lilacs Last is a coming-of-age tale of two boys struggling with their sexuality and the bigotry in society. The naming of the Walt Whitman Bridge has created a revolt in the community due to the poet’s “revolting homosexual imagery.” At the same time, Brendan, the jock, needs to understand the poetry of Walt Whitman in order to pass English. He seeks the help of Jackie, the smartest kid in school, who gets bullied for his interest in literature. Linked by poetry, the boys must suffer through their fathers’ abuse while trying to understand their own feelings.

The acting overall is unsatisfying. The actors seem more concerned with being onstage than with the play itself. They don’t listen to each other or allow another person’s lines to affect them. The movement seems rehearsed and it is distracting to watch the actors give way to their arbitrary movement. The fourth wall is often broken by the actors, which becomes uncomfortable to watch at times because it is clear how nervous the actors are onstage – some avoid eye contact and fiddle with their costumes, while others play with their nails or fingers.

In between scenes, the actors seated in the front row recite Whitman’s poetry. However, more often than not, the lines come out forced, making it seem as though the actors do not know the meaning behind them.

At times, the play itself is unbearable. The relationship between the two boys and their fathers is a bit over-the-top, and the scenes that are not as intolerable are too long, repeating the same pushing and pulling between the actors.

I would not recommend this play. By the end, I felt unmoved by the performance; it left me hanging, and not in a good way. As an audience member, the time invested did not match the return in the slightest.

Schedule and ticket information here.

One Thumb Out

By Audrey Alunan

One Thumb Out is a play that takes place in a fictional Australia. Throughout the play, average Australian citizens are conflicted about sending soldiers to aid the United States in an imaginary World War III that begins after the 9/11 attacks.

A unique aspect of the play is how the playwright uses monologues – two characters stand onstage in two different settings and speak similar dialogue at the same time, yet are engaged in completely different conversations. This technique is interesting, but makes it extremely

hard to follow what the characters are actually saying. Overall, it simply sounds like two people talking over each other.

Despite the creative qualities of One Thumb Out, it may be too complex for the average theatergoer to comprehend. It struggles to give the audience a grasped understanding of the actual conflicts at hand.

Schedule and ticket information here.

American Gypsy

By Oumar Berte

Put a little bit of comedy, a large dose of magic, and lots of storytelling in a pot, mix them all together, and you have American Gypsy.

American Gypsy shows the transmission of a passion for magic from a famous magician to his apprentice. All of the characters in the play are played by one actor, Ben Whiting. The play is influenced by his own experiences of learning magic.

Ben’s goal is to share with us his love of magic, as he says in the play, “Magic is to make difficult things seem easy, and make simple thing beautiful.” I’m not personally a fan of magic, but Ben Whiting made me respect his art.

American Gypsy is a captivating play built on strong relationships surrounded by magic.

*Plog Pick

Schedule and ticket information here.

Masks

By Desmond Sam

Masks is a powerful piece that tells the story of two juvenile dilquents and their pasts. This play is thought-provoking and hard-hitting. It shows the importance of friends and how pain can be destructive.

TG and Jason live in “the system”. TG has a lot of hatred towards his father and he uses drugs as his escape. Jason has anger management issues and is in and out of prison. They are shunned by society because of their criminal history, but never give up on their hopes and dreams – Jason wants to be a poet and TG wants to be a DJ. Throughout the play, TG and Jason transition from boyhood to manhood, and reach the crossroads of choosing between letting their anger go or allowing it to destroy them.

My favorite part of the play is how they incorporate music, playing popular songs from each year they represent. They also use comedy to lighten up moments of the play.

Masks is a brilliant show with a lot of potential and an amazing future ahead.

*Plog Pick

Schedule and ticket information here.

The Princes of Persuasion

By Sabrina Khan

The Princes of Persuasion: Recipes for Romance, a humorous musical performed by a cast of puppets and their human band mate, is a one-of-a-kind show even for the New York International Fringe Festival.

The stars of the show are the puppets Destiny, Linda, Domingo, and Lil’ Bo-tique; and their guitarist, Ithai. They begin the show even before the curtain rises, bickering loudly enough for the audience to hear, which instantly draws laughter from the crowd. The rest of the show is a like musical debate about each character’s perception – or recipe – of romance. Destiny understands it to be one thing, and it’s unlike what Linda thinks, or what Domingo feels, or even what Lil’ Bo-tique sees. Ithai simply listens and strums the guitar.

The Princes of Persuasion begins with a conversation about romance and goes off on random tangents that turn into songs. None of the songs relate to each other, but they are all quite funny. There is little plot to this musical (other than the central topic of romance, which you may soon forget), but it’s still an enjoyable show.

The Princes of Persuasion is a good time for all audiences, especially for young kids. Though it does include a song about “animal assholes,” it’s still fairly clean and fun to watch.

Schedule and ticket information here.

BUNKED! A New Musical

By Monikha Reyes

To top off my FringeNYC experience this year, I went to see BUNKED! A New Musical. Allow me to review this show in two words: PURE FUN.

For five camp counselors at Lake Timberlake, this summer will be the last hoorah before having to face their first steps towards adulthood. Oliver, openly gay and with a fierce wit and big dreams to match, and Anabel, the “hot-mess” sister who is just aching to break out of her prim and proper shell, are the first to arrive. The two then meet Stewart, who is tired of following his parents’ wishes, Carmen, who, underneath her touch exterior and resistant behavior is struggling with herself and an all too recent misfortunate event. Last to be introduced is Max, who has nothing but warm thoughts when it comes to camp. Each character has a unique back-story, allowing the audience to truly care.

This musical has the whole package – the songs are creative and catchy, the storyline is entertaining, and the actors are outstanding. BUNKED! is a worthwhile show – you’ll be sorry if you miss it.

*Plog Pick

Schedule and ticket information here.

Dear Harvey

By Olivia Munk

Dear Harvey paints a touching picture of Harvey Milk, the activist and the first openly gay politician elected to public office.

More a collection of monologues than a play, the performance includes a solid biography recounting the major life achievements and tragic death of the politician. The rest of the play is comprised of monologues composed from interviews conducted with people who either directly knew, or were touched in some way by Harvey, as relevant photos and letters are projected onto a backdrop.

Tales of being inspired by Harvey to run for local office, organize community protests and come out to friends and family are only some of the touching topics. The most striking letter is read by a college student named Thomas, who brings a moving perspective that brings the beginning of the gay rights movement into today’s context. The essence of who Harvey Milk was is ultimately shaped from the exterior by how his legacy has reached out to anyone willing to be accepting – regardless of race, age, or sexual preference.

Although this play lacks distinction between the characters, the sincerity in the message of love and tolerance is undeniable. Unfortunately, this message is somewhat disjointed by the continual series of monologues and very little actual human connection, which is ironically a major theme throughout the production. However, this play is still imperative for teenagers to see, as we are the next generation to learn and spread Harvey’s tolerance. With a little work in cohesion and character development, Dear Harvey has a promising future.

Schedule and ticket information here.

Behind the Fringe - Made in Taiwan

By Christa Tandana

I’ve always heard that it’s difficult for Asian Americans to find work in theatre and film. So, to have the chance to speak with successful actress Michelle Krusiec was really exciting to me. She is the creator and star of Made in Taiwan, an autobiographical one-woman show that is one of the most in-demand shows in this year’s New York Fringe Festival.

Michelle has led a very busy career in television and film. She starred in the movie Saving Face, acted in The Secret Life of the American Teenager, and even travelled the world with the Discovery Channel! It all began in the suburbs of Virginia, where she grew up. She started acting professionally when she was 12-years-old. One of her earliest roles was a “token Asian role” in a car commercial, where Michelle was told that her hair wasn’t Asian enough, so she had to wear a wig.

Made in Taiwan started as a paper in college, where she was majoring in theatre and English. It turned out to be a 14-page “play of sorts” that was intended for performance. Years later, in an acting class, she had to depict an event from her life, and she chose the night her mother bit her (True story! You’ll have to see the play!). People urged her to continue working on the story, so she went back to her 14-page collection of stories.

It has taken Michelle five or six years to slowly piece the story together and rework it. The play has grown since its inception, and so has Michelle. She feels that her show is more successful now than in earlier interpretations because she has a different perspective. She said, “I always thought, ‘I feel really boring and I don’t know who I am’. And I would struggle because, well, at that age, I didn’t know what my point of view was. That’s the whole point of the piece. I didn’t have a point of view.”

This multi-talented actress has been successful in television and film, yet she returns to theatre to tell a story.

Michelle explained, “The reason writers write is because they have a story to tell. And I think theatre allows for those stories to be told. You’re some facet of that story, whether you’re an actor, or a writer, or you’re setting the lights, or you’re creating the ensemble, or you’re interpreting the material. It’s all generated from a person who has a need to tell a story.”

She continues, “Those stories are really vital to the way we communicate with one another as human beings…Artists need to express themselves. And they need to be witnessed by someone.”

Made in Taiwan is Michelle’s story. It’s about growing up and finding out who you are. Michelle says that her play is perfect for young people. “I don’t even think you look at your life at that age,” she said, “You’re still enjoying life and you’re still dealing with whatever life is throwing at you. This story is meant to just start you along that process.”

Watching Made in Taiwan and chatting with Michelle certainly challenged me to think about my life and who I am. I could go on and on about the insight that Michelle gave, but I will leave you with some of her advice.

“Keep checking in with ‘what do I want?’ Keep asking that question.” Michelle told me with wisdom.

After seeing Made in Taiwan, I can tell that Michelle asked herself that question – and really listened to the answer.

Read Christa's review of Made in Taiwan here.

Hamlettes

by Delaney Gibson

If the title Hamlettes evokes thoughts of, “Oh, wow, that sounds really cute,” you’re in for a major surprise. It is an insightful and creative modern adaptation of Hamlet, set in an all girls school. Playwright Patrick Shaw makes audience members feel a surprising closeness to Shakespeare’s Hamlet when three pre-teen girls -Alex, Chloe, and Ophelia - decide to start a drama club, and, of course, perform Hamlet! Being committed actors, the trio refuses to break character – ever – which leads them to a pre-pubescent tragedy or their own, full of the betrayal, angst and lies that is Hamlet.

The casting is perfect; the actors embody their characters completely, bringing the entire audience back to when we were twelve. Working with a simple, but brilliantly composed set, the play ignites questions of betrayal, love, loss, and blame, and will leave you thinking of William Shakespeare’s Hamlet – and your own life choices – in a brand new light!

Anyone interested in literature will enjoy this production. With the production’s outstanding direction, strong, and capturing script, and remarkably flexible actors, Hamlettes is a great show bordering on amazing.

[Photo Credit: Brian Hashimoto]

*Plog Pick

Schedule and ticket information here.

The Nightmare Story

By Oumar Berte

The Nightmare Story is a play performed by college students who come from Pittsburgh to New York for the New York Fringe Festival.

The play uses magic realism to tell the story of a son who goes in search of a flower to save his mother who is suffering from nightmares. He has to find the flower because one day his mother doesn’t wake up.

The play is a mix of jokes, shadows and music. I think that the goals of the play are to show a different side of nightmares and to make people have fun – and these goals are reached.

I’ve seen a lot of plays (both high and low budget), but I’ve never had so much fun in a theatre in my entire life. The Nightmare Story is the should-see-play of this year’s Fringe Festival.

*Plog Pick

Schedule and ticket information here.

Behind the Fringe - Mobius

Playwright of FringeNYC show Mobius, Michael Lopez-Saenz, answered some questions about his play.

PxP: What was your inspiration for this play?

ML: The play started as an assignment in a playwriting class that I was taking at NYU. The assignment was to take an occurrence from your own life that happened within the last couple of days and write a scene around it. The original scene (which appears in this incarnation of the play in a slightly modified form) was built around a young man and his contentious relationship with his mother. From there, the play became a one-act, and then after I finished my graduate school work, the characters cried out to be more fully fleshed out.

PxP: Is this your first play? If not, what sets this play apart from the rest?

ML: I have written a couple of other plays, none of which have been produced. This play is very different from my others in the non-chronological aspect. It is also much more lyrical in its use of language.

PxP: What made you decide to include nudity?

ML: The scene in which the nudity occurs is about exposure - literal and figurative. The character Montgomery takes a great risk and in the process is punished for it. Nudity is a risky thing for most people - it makes a lot of people very uncomfortable, and I wanted them to be as uncomfortable as Montgomery is in the face of such open and blatant nudity. I also think that adolescence is a very sexual time; as an adolescent, Montgomery is struggling with his sexuality and it is very much at the front of his mind.

PxP: Is there a specific message you wanted to tell the audience members through the play?

ML: Purely and simply: people and events are not always what they seem; a person is more than the surface of their actions. And there is a great danger to dismissing a person's cries for help.

PxP: Montgomery is a very intellectual kid. What kind of research did you have to do when it came to writing the script for Mobius?

ML: God bless the internet. And the Discovery Channel. And all the books I read as a young man. While I'm no genius, there is a bit of Montgomery in me, and I tend to pick up all sorts of information all over the place. As the play began to take its current shape, I did a lot of specific research on the subject of genius and stumbled across some truly interesting factoids (most interesting to me is that Poe predicted the work of Einstein in his prose poem Eureka).

PxP: What advice do you have for young writers?

ML: It took me several decades to discover this: if you're passionate about your writing, do something with it. No one is going to come to you and ask you to take it off the shelf and get it out there. Especially in these tough artistic times, artists need to be willing to be their own promoters. Submit your work to writing competitions, to festivals, to publications.

Read a review of Mobius here.

Mobius

By Michele Tram

The play Mobius takes place the week of spring break in 1984. It tells the story of 15-year-old Montgomery, his less than perfect family, and his struggle to gather up the courage to tell his controlling mom and absentee dad that he is gay. Mobius is a dramedy (drama-comedy) that will leave you with a truly lasting impression.

What is a mobius? A mobius is a surface with only one side and one boundary component. Described by Mackenzie, the mobius strip is similar to his brother’s mind with all the twists and turns of its appearance.

RJ Barnett gives a brilliant performance as Montgomery; making me root for him to achieve the happiness and independence that he is searching for. Montgomery’s intellect separates him from almost everyone, making him an outcast. His brother is his only source of comfort, but as the play unravels further, it is important to remember everything is not what it appears to be.

Every second left me wanting more and anticipating what would happen next. When the play ended and the lights came on, the cast filed out one by one to the center of the stage in a straight line to take a bow. I was silent. I couldn’t believe that it was already over.

Although Mobius contains nudity, it is the raw emotions of the characters that is sure to resonate in your mind long after it is over.

*Plog Pick

Schedule and ticket information here.

Two Girls

By Grace Lisandrelli

Two Girls, a play written and performed as a one-woman show by Gabrielle Maisles, chronicles the lives of two young women growing up in South Africa during the turbulent apartheid era. One of the girls, Lindiwe, rallies alongside her fellow black South Africans for equality among the races. Corinne, a young Jewish girl whose family employs Lindiwe’s mother, supports the anti-apartheid cause as well, aspiring to one day fix South Africa’s many issues. Following Nelson Mandela’s election as President of the “new” South Africa in April 1994, Corinne, Lindiwe and many other South Africans believe the battle for justice has been won. They soon face the sobering reality, however, that several of the country’s problems would persist long after Mandela’s inauguration, including the AIDS epidemic and soaring unemployment rates. Lindiwe eventually marries a South African revolutionary and bears a daughter. Corinne marries a physician and has a daughter and son. Corinne and her family later emigrate to Boston at the height of another momentous political situation – the 2008 presidential race between Senator Barack Obama and Senator John McCain. Lindiwe accompanies Corinne and her family to Boston in order to earn a college degree and money to support her unemployed husband and daughter back home. Corinne and Lindiwe find themselves engaged in the revolutionary spirit of the U.S. election and promoting change, once again, in a country that so desperately needs it.

I was surprised to find one actress playing not only Corinne and Lindiwe but also every other character in the play. I commend Gabrielle Maisels’s efforts in memorizing an incredible amount of dialogue and commanding the stage with great ease. Other than Maisels’s impeccable performance, however, I found the storyline difficult to follow. The transition between characters was muddled and it was challenging to decipher the heavily South African accented dialogue.

While Two Girls has a great deal of potential, it sadly fails to deliver due to the limitations of being portrayed by a sole performer.

Schedule and ticket information here.

Playing by Air

By Desmond Sam

Playing By Air is a thrilling performance that makes you question the impossible. The four jugglers astound with their unique tricks.

Each juggler tells a story, combining juggling with music, lights, colors, magic, comedy, and even a little bit of puppetry. By fusing these elements together, they create a mystical aura in the theater. It is a small, intimate space, and the bright colors of the props and set illuminate the theatre as the music blends with the mood.

My favorite part of the show is the partnership between the music and juggling. The genres range from electronic to folk, and the performers are still able to juggle with the rhythm. The performers play the violin and oboe in very odd ways. They balance music stands and instruments on their faces. They use a Chinese yo-yo called the Diablo. This gives the show an extra flare by using something new that really impresses the crowd.

Playing by Air is a hidden jewel in the 2010 FringeNYC Festival.

*Plog Pick

Schedule and ticket information here.

When Last We Flew

By Serra Akyuz

When Last We Flew revolves around the lives of two teenagers: Paul, who has to hide from his mother that he’s gay; and Natalie, who has to hide the confident, strong woman inside of her. These two teenagers from a small town in Kansas experience for the first time what it feels like to clip on wings and fly. Fly out through the roof and become the bird that was suppressed inside.

The play is funny, the dialogue is smart, and the story is inspiring. The actors are entertaining and their presentation of their characters’ journeys is spot-on. Although the scenery lacks props (except for a bathroom toilet and a few chairs), the cast fills the stage with something that isn’t tangible, but more valuable: the ability to engage the audience. Harrison David Roberts’ story is a small town Kansas version of Tony Kushner’s play Angels in America.

When Last We Flew challenges us to break the cage of the birds within us and evolve into something unstoppable.

*Plog Pick

Schedule and ticket information here.

A Separate Peace

By Zoe Wolfe

A Separate Peace, by John Knowles, is considered to be one of those “great American novels.” It was written sometime in the first third of the 20^th century and usually incites a chorus of groans after the title is even mentioned. Ok, maybe it’s just me who groans at the very title, but I was surprised to see that anyone had decided to turn it into a play. And not just any play, but a solo show. As I sat down to watch, I had thoughts of boring English classes and readings swirling in my head, but as soon as the show started, they all disappeared. The star of the show, Brian Foyster, captivates the audience immediately.

With a slight southern accent, he tells the story of the summer of 1942 at an all-boys boarding school. As in the novel, Foyster takes on the role of Gene, the narrator, but he often interjects himself, becoming Phineas, Gene’s best friend or other, less important characters. Even though he is just one person and does not change clothes, it is always clear which character he is. There are times when the difference between Phineas and Gene is just a leg being extended. Foyster captures the feelings of both young men very well. He has a reckless but nervous energy about him and he isn’t afraid to dive into the characters.

As the play progresses and the close friendship between Phineas and Gene is compromised, having one actor play both characters shows the audience just how similar both of the friends are. Their friendship falls apart over petty jealousy and some misunderstandings. Phineas and Gene seem to be very different people, but their similarities are revealed. These similarities are not a flaw in Foyster’s acting or an inability to separate the two characters, but rather a deep understanding of the two friends.

*Plog Pick

Schedule and ticket information here.