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Showing posts from October, 2024

Review: Under "Tin Church," the Crypts of a Family's Past

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Tin Church Written and directed by Robyne Parrish Presented by off the WALL productions at Chain Theatre 312 West 36th St., Floor 3, Manhattan, NYC October 23-November 23, 2024 Lilly Tobin, Virginia Wall Gruenert, Christina Perry, Marguerite Stimpson.  Tin Church opens the doors into its Southern Gothic world with a gradual drawing down of the lights to the atmospheric strains of musician Adia Victoria 's " Where the Shadow Meets the Water ," finally leaving the set in shadowy relief, with a seated woman silhouetted behind a scrim. This woman, we will learn, is mother of three Mildred (Virginia Wall Gruenert), one node in the matrix of intergenerational trauma movingly traced by Tin Church , the first commissioned play and first full-length world premiere from actor, director, and playwright Robyne Parrish. Snatches of Victoria's song will recur, acting as one aural motif, with another a tap tap tap that, in addition to signaling other thematically significant link

Review: "Hunter and Li Find Toni Collette"...And We Find It Funny

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Hunter and Li Find Toni Collette Written by Liam Blanchard Presented by Something from Abroad and FRIGID New York at UNDER St. Marks 94 Saint Marks Pl., Manhattan, NYC October 24, 2024 Buying or moving into a new home is always a dicey proposition in the horror genre; ask any couple, from The Amityville Horror 's Lutzes to Malik and Aaron of 2019's Spiral . To this list, we can add the titular Hunter and Li from playwright Liam Blanchard's hilarious, high-energy farce Hunter and Li Find Toni Collette . This past week's performance of Hunter and Li Find Toni Collette was part of FRIGID New York's Days of the Dead festival, which is inspired by Día de Muertos and runs from October 17th to November 2nd, featuring a range of shows themed around death and the afterlife. In the play's early going, Li (Liam Blanchard) just wants to spend a nice evening watching the Toni Collette-starring horror film Hereditary with Hunter (Hunter Anderson) in their newly purchase

News: Scarlett Grace McCarthy's "The Betrothed" to Play The Tank November 14th-18th

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The Betrothed , a new play by Scarlett Grace McCarthy, author of Bury Me in My Leggings (you can read our review  here ), and directed by Sarah Connolly, is a farcical comedy of manners set in the nineteenth century. Featuring a lively ensemble cast of women, The Betrothed reshapes Victorian parlor comedies into a sapphic and satirical exploration of gender roles and desires and will  play at The Tank  (312 W 36th St., Manhattan) beginning November 14th. Shows: Thursday, November 14 at 7pm Saturday, November 16 at 7pm Sunday, November 17 at 3pm Monday, November 18 at 7pm Click here for tickets. Written by Scarlett Grace McCarthy Directed by Sarah Connolly Cast Kitty - Emily Oliveira Percy - Georgia Kate Cohen Conrad - Lizzie Sims Laura - Tiara Francis Florence - Maddie Ryan Father/Seal - Caroline Hawthorne

News: Anabella Lenzu/DanceDrama presents "Listen to Your Mother": Film Premiere & Live Performance Nov. 17

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  The unique Argentinian dancer/actress/storyteller Anabella Lenzu will present the 20-minute film premiere and live performance of Listen to Your Mother , also featuring her darling young daughter Fiamma Lenzu-Carroll, Sunday November 17, 3 PM, at Brooklyn's Center for Performance Research, 361 Manhattan Avenue. In this 18th-anniversary season of her dance company, Anabella Lenzu/DanceDrama, Lenzu premieres a very personal work dedicated to the lives of women artists who are immigrant mothers living in New York City. She seeks to capture these underrepresented women's stories to inspire dialogue, appreciation, and social support instead of the ongoing prejudice experienced by mothers and women in the arts. https://www.anabellalenzu.com/listen-to-your-mother Since 2006, Anabella Lenzu has presented 400 performances, created 15 choreographic works at 100 venues, and produced 10 dance films presented in over 200 festivals nationally and internationally. As Eye on Dance's M

Review: "Horror Helps" Finds the Healthy Side of the Horrific

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Horror Helps Written and performed by David Lawson Presented by Something from Abroad and FRIGID New York at UNDER St. Marks 94 Saint Marks Pl., Manhattan, NYC October 17-26, 2024 How and why we watch horror films continues to be the subject of much discussion and analysis using a variety of approaches, from theories of identification and the spectatorial gaze to theories of embodied cognition to, on a larger scale, links to national trauma(s). One common claim, including in science communicator Nina Nesseth's book Nightmare Fuel (Tor Nightfire, 2022), is that horror provides a means to safely explore, confront, and work through various fears, anxieties, and feelings of endangerment. This view of horror is more or less the one adopted by David Lawson's scarily satisfying solo show Horror Helps , which references Nesseth's work in its exploration of the individual particularities of Lawson's love of horror cinema. Horror Helps is part of FRIGID New York's Days of

News: Moon Phase Theatricals Presents "Carrie the Musical" November 1-3

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From November 1st to 3rd,  Moon Phase Theatricals  - a small theater company dedicated to reimagining musicals in a new light while elevating diverse voices on stage and eventually working towards producing new works created by diverse new writers - will present Carrie the Musical , an electrifying and immersive adaptation of Stephen King's iconic horror novel, uniquely staged at Stone Circle Theatre — a church. Set in an alternate universe during the late 1970s and early 80s, this production reimagines Carrie within a prestigious prep school, where she remains an outsider, struggling to fit into a system she doesn’t fully belong to. As the world around her thrives on self-assertion and dominance, Carrie’s quiet demeanor only deepens her isolation. The choice to perform in a church adds a symbolic depth to the story, highlighting themes of repression, judgment, and salvation. Carrie’s struggle against her strict, religious upbringing and her status as a societal outcast are intensi

Review: The Witching Hour Offers a Fistful of Spooky Treats

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The Witching Hour Curated by Andrew Agress Kudzu, written by Daniel Prillaman and directed by Hannah Katz Metamorphosis , written by Blues Bland and directed by Allyson Broyles Camping with Vlad , written by Brad White and directed by Andrew Agress Apex Predator , written by Rachael Carnes and directed by Randall Simmons The 5 Brendas of Murray County , written by Heather Meyer and directed by Michael Landes Presented by Something from Abroad and FRIGID New York at UNDER St. Marks 94 Saint Marks Pl., Manhattan, NYC October 24-25, 2024 October is a bit like Christmas for fans of horror and the Gothic, and FRIGID New York's annual Days of the Dead festival has a sackful of gifts on offer–even if that sack resembles the one in Audition more than the one toted by Saint Nick. The Día de Muertos-inspired festival, which runs from October 17th to November 2nd, features a range of shows themed around death and the afterlife, one of which is The Witching Hour, comprising a selection of

Review: "Our Present Business is General Woe": A Review of "King Lear" Presented by the American Theatre of Actors

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King Lear Written by William Shakespeare Directed by James Jennings Presented by the American Theatre of Actors (A.T.A.) 314 W. 54th St., Manhattan, NYC August 14-25, 2024 L to R: Jonathan Gregory Power as Albany, Amber Brookes as Regan, Jane Culley as Goneril, Alan Hasnas as King Lear. Photo by Niko Stycos What has been heralded as William Shakespeare’s most important play enjoyed a stellar end-of-summer run at The American Theatre of Actors in Manhattan. Director and theater founder James Jennings delivered this masterful work, in its entirety, a riveting four-hour production which held a rapt audience in suspense, especially those like myself who’d not experienced the full version of King Lear . King Lear , a tragedy in five acts, made for a spellbinding afternoon as the truly tight ensemble took on a matinee on an otherwise sunny Sunday. ATA’s Cullum Theater, one of ATA’s four stages, with its deep proscenium, multiple wings, side aisles, and catwalk provided variety as the actio

Review: "The (Green Apple) Play" Looks to Plant Some Permanent Seeds

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The Climate Fables: The (Green Apple) Play Written by Padraig Bond Directed by Jess Lauricello Presented by Torch Ensemble and FRIGID New York at UNDER St. Marks 94 St. Marks Place, Manhattan, NYC October 13-15, 2024 Pedro Vierre and Anabella Pritchard With just this past week in the United States seeing not only further storm-caused devastation linked to anthropogenic climate change but also threats of violence against government aid workers responding in the aftermath, The Climate Fables , from theater company Torch Ensemble, only grow more timely and the socioecological issues with which they grapple more urgent. The Climate Fables , written by playwright Padraig Bond, will eventually comprise a classical-epic-length twelve plays, and The (Green Apple) Play is the most recent production in both this cycle and in Torch Ensemble's residency at FRIGID New York , with The Climate Fables: Coyote Oughta Eat That Salesman! to follow in late January 2025. The (Green Apple) Play –t

News: Attend the Tale of Parody Mashup “Jenna Todd: The Demon Waitress of Lulu's" on October 25th

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  Jenna Todd: The Demon Waitress of Lulu’s , the flagship show of the parody series “The Musical Multiverse,” is back for a remount at Red Eye NY (355 W 41st St, New York, NY 10036) on October 25th at 7:30pm. “ The Musical Multiverse ” is a wild, crowd-pleasing parody series where two fan-favorite musicals are mashed together into a brand new universe all their own! After launching its first shows, The Last Five Razzle Dazzles  ( Chicago x Last Five Years ) and Seuss Side Story ( Seussical x West Side Story ), at The Duplex in 2022, the team premiered Jenna Todd to a sold-out crowd at Red Eye NY this past February. And now they’re remounting the show for spooky season, bringing back the original cast and all the same sugar, butter, and guts. In  Jenna Todd: The Demon Waitress of Lulu’s ,   Jenna, a struggling pie shop owner, accepts the help of a mysterious new barber in town, who promises – razor across his heart – that her under-baked business will rise. The barber in question,

News: Drag King Bingo at Lucky 13 Saloon in Brooklyn, Monday, October 7, 2024

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Cunning Stunt Come get lucky at NYC’s only Drag King Bingo! Enjoy drag shows, games, shots, and a cash prize! Throughout the evening, there will be three rounds of bingo with AS MANY cards as you can play with! Each card is 5$ (cash only) and can be purchased from your handsome host, Cunning Stunt, at the start of the show or throughout the event. Cunning Stunt is the impossibly possible man. Sometimes Marlon Brando, and sometimes Joe Exotic, he is a Drag King, host, and producer here in NYC. He hosts the city’s most fabulous monthly revue for Kings and Things: Throne at Club Cumming and is thrilled to start NYC’s only current Drag Kingo Bingo show! He is the reigning Mister Gay United States NYC M.I. 2024 and will be representing the city in the upcoming Mister Gay United States Pageant in November of 2024. His work has been featured in Rolling Stone Magazine , The Washington Post , Thotessy , and Singola Italia . In the daytime he is a food and history tour guide for the city (who