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Showing posts with the label Peter Michael Marino

Review: At "Show Up, Kids!," Showing Up Is Just the First Step

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Show Up, Kids! Written by Peter Michael Marino and the kids Directed by Michole Biancosino and the kids Presented at Q.E.D. 27-16 23rd Ave, Astoria, Queens August 17-September 28, 2024 Denisse Estefany Mendoza. Photo by Mikiodo The creation of Peter Michael Marino, Show Up, Kids! relies on the stellar improvisation skills of one performer (Denisse Estefany Mendoza 8/17-9/14 and Kento Morita 9/21-28) and the natural tendency of young children to participate enthusiastically in nearly any new experience. Based on the premise that the performer is too nervous to show up, the host (Mendoza or Morita) recruits the kids in the audience to put on the show, allowing them to choose every aspect of the production. The result is an experience just as enjoyable for the grown-ups as the kids. Billed for ages 3-10, the show is perhaps best suited for the younger end of that range, although even the older kids in the audience quickly moved past their pre-teen tendency to scoff at that deemed too “...

Review: Get Your Stinking Paws on Tickets for "Planet of the Grapes Live"

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  Planet of the Grapes Live Created by Peter Michael Marino Directed by Michole Biancosino Presented by Project Y Theatre Company and PM2 Entertainment via YouTube Live April 16-May 15, 2021 Photo credit: Mikiodo Even if you've somehow managed never to see 1968's Planet of the Apes , moments of which remain cultural touchstones more than 50 years later, that won't make Peter Michael Marino's Planet of the Grapes Live any less of a blast. Marino reimagines the sci-fi classic as a live hourlong toy theater production, blending the main beats of the film's story and its unintentional humor with some added comedy (yes, there are some grape puns; and yes, at least one of them made us laugh out loud). The show's website includes some great background on toy theater, as well as on the Apes film and the creation of this miniaturized parody, which viewers should make some time to peruse before or after their live Grapes experience. The plot finds a quartet of astro...