Broadway theater power Gerald Schoenfeld dies

NEW YORK (Associated Press) — Gerald Schoenfeld, the head of the Shubert Organization which is Broadway's largest landlord, has died at 84.

Schoenfeld died early Tuesday at his Manhattan home, said Sam Rudy, a spokesman for the Shubert Organization. The cause of his death was not immediately known.

As the company's chairman since 1972, Schoenfeld helped bring numerous works to the stage on Broadway and beyond. The Shubert Organization owns or operates 17 Broadway theaters and one off-Broadway playhouse, as well as theaters in Boston, Philadelphia and Washington.

Groundbreaking Off-Off Broadway Venues Study (The New York Innovative Theatre Foundation)

New York, NY - November 18, 2008: The New York Innovative Theatre Foundation presents the findings of the “Report on Off-Off-Broadway Performance Venues". The 5-year study evaluated where Off-Off-Broadway (OOB) productions are being performed and trends in regards to performance venues from neighborhood to neighborhood.

Some of the highlights:

• Over 25% of OOB venues in both the West Village and Midtown area have either been demolished or repurposed into non-performance spaces in the last 5 years
• 43% of all OOB venues are located in the West Side Midtown area of Manhattan
• There has been a sharp decline in the number of OOB productions presenting work in the Theatre District
• The East Village, which only accounts for 14% of the overall OOB venues, is currently presenting 30% of the OOB productions

"The rate of the erosion of our stages is alarming. Over the last 5 years, we have lost 26% of the Off-Off-Broadway stages in the Midtown area. We have watched a steady decline in the number of productions that are taking place in the "theatre district." Even more disturbing is the fact that of the 30 Off-Off-Broadway houses in the Greenwich Village area, over 25% have already been lost and with the displacement of the theatres from the Archive Building, that percentage increases to 40%" said Shay Gines, Executive Director, New York Innovative Theatre Foundation.

"The research and information contained in this report not only substantiate the numbers needed to help effectively advocate for public policy change as it relates to small non-profit theatre in New York City, but it also creates a clear barometer of the passion and fiery commitment it takes to simply exist in the Off-Off-Broadway world."
--David M. Pincus, Chairman, Theater Task Force, Community Board 4

The document can be viewed online by going to http://www.nyitawards.com/survey/OOBSpaceReport2.pdf

The New York Innovative Theatre Foundation is a not-for-profit organization recognizing the great work of New York City's Off-Off-Broadway, honoring its artistic heritage, and providing a meeting ground for this extensive and richly varied community. The organization advocates for Off-Off-Broadway and recognizes the unique and essential role it plays in contributing to American and global culture. They believe that publicly recognizing excellence in Off-Off-Broadway will expand audience awareness and foster greater appreciation of the New York theatre experience.

Review- Urban Death (Zombie Joe's Underground Theatre Group)

The Fab Marquee review by Dianna Martin.

This reviewer had the pleasure of seeing two of her favorite mediums cross paths in the dark shadows of The Players Theatre the other night: Horror and Live Theatre. In all the years I have been going to productions and performance art shows I don't think I have ever had such joy in sitting and cringing delightfully in fear of what horrors awaited me, the live audience member, ever to this extent.

photo credit: Zombie Joe

Zombie Joe's Underground Theatre Group's Urban Death is macabre theatre at its best, and although the award-winning group has its roots in California, they have come to New York City - where the phrase "Urban Death" is quite appropriate far too often - to share a series of over 30 tableaus that range from strangely unsettling to completely horrific. Set to an eerie and amazing original score by Christopher Reiner, audience members spend part of their time throughout the show in the dark, waiting in suspense for the next scene to appear, not knowing where it will be - or how close.

The vignettes are sometimes only a few seconds long, but allow enough time for the audience to experience conflicting feelings and emotions that could include laughter, disgust, sadness, and terror. One of my favorites is a piece called Angry Dead Girlfriend, which really makes one think twice about the feeling of goosebumps they get when they "feel like they are being watched."

Jana Wimer, Marcella Reya, Denise Devin, Angella Schnaible and Jonica Patella
photo credit: Zombie Joe

All of the actors (who are a terrific ensemble group) throw themselves wholeheartedly (no pun intended) into their work - they take themselves seriously; bringing in the brilliance of Artaud and Brecht, making their physicality, gestures, expressions, and even their make-up and costumes almost an entity in and of themselves.

There is a hazy grey area where sexuality, madness, gore, and fear all meet, mingle, and then separate again; Urban Death takes you to that place, if you will, and leaves you there for an hour with nothing but the dreadful joy of the experience and the hope that you will be allowed to leave in one piece. I applaud the cast - and especially director Zombie Joe - for the journey...and allowing us to do so.

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Zombie Joe's Underground Theatre Group presents
Urban Death
Closing November 22, 2008 (Thu-Sat @11pm)
The Players Theatre

Tickets are $30.00 (discounts available, check www.zombiejoes.com), call Theatermania at 212-352-3101, or visit www.theatermania.com.

The Players Theatre | 115 MacDougal Street | Manhattan.

The Fab Clip: Rosie Live! Promo (NBC)

Rosie Live! airs Wednesday, November 26 at 8/7 Central on NBC

The Fab Marquee's Antonio Miniño on "A Woman's Perspective"

The Fab Marquee's Antonio Miniño was recently with Andrea Marie Smith and Jacqueline Van Biene of T. Schreiber's Twelfth Night on Virginia Reed's radio show "A Woman's Perspective" on Progressive Radio Net.

Click Here to listen after the jump.

Review- The Most Damaging Wound (The Production Company)

The Fab Marquee review by Dianna Martin.

Many of us are often amazed when we are reminded at how much time has gone by (while being shocked at how it seems like just yesterday) since we were back in our college days: when our 30's and 40's seemed like some far-off idea, when we were struggling with our identities and oftentimes made many mistakes that we wish we could take back...and promises made back then to ourselves - and others - were ones that we thought we could keep until major life changes or just "growing up" reminds us that not all of those promises and dreams come true.

Michael Szeles (Alan), Ken Matthews (Kenny) and Michael Solomon (GG)
photo credit: Deanna R. Frieman

The Production Company's The Most Damaging Wound, directed by Mark Armstrong, is an compelling tale about five men who were the best of friends in college who have come together again to celebrate Kenny's (Ken Matthews) new fatherhood and, at Kenny's request, perform a male bonding ceremony of sorts involving setting fire to a box of memories: photos and knick-knacks in a cardboard box that has been saved with great care over the years.

At the top of the play, we are introduced to Kenny, Alan (Michael Szeles), and GG (Michael Solomon) who are attempting to drink shots of Jägermeister in rapid succession, despite the taste (even Kenny admits how much he hates the taste of it) as they gear up for a night of unabashed drunken partying in an attempt to re-live their college years. One main difference between now and when they were back at college is that they are now in the lounge area of what will be GG's new restaurant he runs with his brother (that he admits later his parents bought for them) on the Upper East Side of Manhattan instead of in a college dorm room. GG sports a bar towel on his shoulder, a sign of his new life as a restaurant owner, and is constantly cleaning up after his friends and complaining about it. Alan, a lobbyist for the pharmaceutical industry, is still in his suit and relatively disheveled tie, pouring drinks. As they toast Kenny on his new life as a father, the dialogue travels between Kenny waxing sentimental about how he wants to be a better father than his bum dad was to him, to the other guys making jokes lamenting that it all went downhill once they began dating "girls that could read." Although said partially in jest, it's a comment that sets the tone for where many of these men are still at emotionally.

Then the others begin to arrive: Dicky (Chris Thorn), who seems perfectly happy being a carpet salesman working for his Dad, but whose drinking tells another tale; Bo (Bard Goodrich), the once professional musician of the group who is working his way through his 12 step program as he cares for his invalid father, and who is openly gay and comfortable with his friends about it (which, considering how immature some of these men are, I found hard to believe at first); and Christine (Megan McQuillan)...who is unexpected at this gathering, being the married woman who is having an affair with Alan, who is also married, not realizing that showing up early to meet him for a late-night tryst might not be the best idea since the party is supposed to be just for men.

Megan Mcquillan (Christine), Michael Solomon (GG), Michael Szeles (Alan) and Bard Goodrich (Bo)
photo credit: Deanna R. Frieman

Of course, all of the characters are flawed. None of them, with the exception of maybe Bo and Kenny have grown up at all or come to terms with their most of their issues. But unfortunately, those are the two who have stories that we barely skim the surface of. And the only woman in the midst is one who is seriously asking Alan if he'll leave his wife for her...so the only outsider of this group is also incredibly out of touch with reality. However, it is the flaws in these characters that make them so realistic because we as humans are flawed characters to begin with. I doubt if any theatre-goer would walk into a production about a group of college friends putting demons to rest while trying to cross the threshold of adulthood and expect any of the characters on stage to really have their act together...because who does in real life?

This brings me to the script itself. For the most part I enjoyed it, the idea is believable, and some of the characters are endearing despite themselves: one of the characters that you would have assumed to be homophobic due to his testosterone-laden/alcohol-soaked brain is actually devastated over the loss of the friendship that he had with Bo and wants to know why he got ignored after school was over; one character admits to feeling like the fifth wheel, never really getting the intimacy that he felt the other two pairs of friends had. The affair between the married couple is sad and real and tragic - but like most of the script, there is nothing really new here.

Indeed one can argue that "all theatre has been done before!" but I felt that in this situation very little was actually achieved for the characters. Many of them learned new things about themselves and the others, but whatever insight they obtained throughout the evening, it did not see that most of them were going to make use of it. That might have been the point that playwright Blair Singer was making, and in doing so, making a statement on the irony of it all. If that is the case, it is valid. However, the play itself contradicts that validity, for it ends with a neat little bow, everyone smiling and happy as they go out into the chilly November night, and I really felt that it was just wrapped up too nicely for my taste. I also felt that there was WAY too much singing - it was great to involve the music in the play, but to play a whole song... it felt literally like the playwright and/or the director was filling in gaps of space where he thought somehow their bonding would be shown through all of them singing around the proverbial campfire, so he chose to have them all drunkenly sing an entire Indigo Girls song (which is a great band, but that's not the point). This wasn't supposed to be a musical.

Michael Szeles (Alan), Ken Matthews (Kenny), Chris Thorn (Dicky),
Bard Goodrich (Bo) and Michael Solomon (GG)
photo credit: Deanna R. Frieman

Some well-written good points are that the dialogue is often witty banter back and forth between the characters, and the characters each have their own style: some were quiet or almost monk-like, while others had rapid-fire obscenities and toilet humor that I actually enjoyed because it was wasn't too over-the-top and reminded me of people I know (and was how many people talk)...and it was also intermingled with people trying to have honest conversations with each other when they often couldn't be honest with themselves.

I felt what really saved this play was the wonderful acting done by the ensemble as a whole. There were times when I felt that the dialogue was a re-hash of another play or novel, but it didn't matter because the actors were really dealing with each other on stage. It was perhaps some of the best ensemble group acting I have seen in a while. It wasn't without it's problems: I felt Solomon did not make use of all the levels the character has until towards the end of the play; making all the fun dialogue he has become somewhat stale due to his constant scowl and not knowing what to do with his barman's towel. Szeles and McQuillan's affair I believed; I also believed that she loved him. I didn't buy his love for her, which he even confesses to Kenny, who is supposed to be his best friend. So, I am still at a loss as to whether or not he really did love her - but maybe that's the point. Goodrich's interpretation of Bo was likable, but I felt the actor could have put himself out on more of a limb emotionally - I didn't feel like he was as invested in the moments as he could have been, and here is where I think the director may have gotten in the way of one character we only get a glimpse of as it stands. I point these issues out because the acting as a whole was extremely enjoyable by all of the actors in the production, and I would be remiss in my duties if I didn't point out what irked me. That said, the direction was superb in that I felt that the movement of the actors was natural and not forced; I didn't see the director's hand moving the actors, which is always so ideal in a production and a joy to see (or not see, as the case may be).

The set designer (April Bartlett) should get kudos for an amazing job. The fight choreography needed to be tightened up - Bo's left jab seemed more like a tap, but the broken nose that Dicky has to deal with is so much fun that one quickly forgets such technicalities.

Overall, Singer's The Most Damaging Wound was enjoyable and watching the actors take their time with each other was really fantastic, as they worked their way through territory that was unfortunately familiar, but still unique enough to keep the audience - and this reviewer - pleased at having seen the show.

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The Production Company presents
Blair Singer's
The Most Damaging Wound
November 5-29, 2008 (Wed-Fri @8pm; Sat @3pm & 8pm)
Manhattan Theatre Source

Tickets are $20 and are now available online at www.theatermania.com or by calling 212-352-3101. For more information visit www.productioncompany.org

Manhattan Theatre Source | 177 MacDougal Street | Manhattan.

Review- The Tender Trap (Retro Productions)

The Fab Marquee review by Peyton Wise.

Retro Productions’ The Tender Trap is an act of theatrical time travel. As we’ve seen in Delorean-based time travel, the journey can be uneven and the first moments discombobulating. But what a fascinating landscape awaits you.

True to their mission, this Retro production does not try to interpret the play for the twenty-first century, but imbues the entire evening with the sounds, sights and attitudes of the 1950s. The sounds, designed by Bobby McGinnis, consist of luscious renditions of popular songs with something to say about love and the pursuit of it. The sights include brightly colored clothes by Ben Philipp that ably depict character and era and a truly phenomenal set. Designed by Jack and Rebecca Cunningham, this detailed rendition of a 50s bachelor apartment not only incites farcical stage movement and defines the character of its inhabitant, but it’s a harmonious decor doo-wop. The pattern of the curtains is echoed in the rail and the couch pillows, the accent of the carpet is echoed in the ashtray, ad infinitum, although it’s subtle enough not to intrude on your attention.

Ric Sechrest as Charlie Reader and Casandera M. J. Lollar as Julie Gillis
photo credit: Kristen Vaughan

The attitudes include boundless optimism, can-do gee-whiz spirit and not a little sexism. The set-up hinges on the idea that career women, having spent the years their counterparts were getting married in career-building, are so marriage-hungry that they’ll aggressively chase any man who appears remotely single. While the women are sometimes witty, they are also the butt of quite a few jokes, both by the male characters and the play. However, if you can accept the attitudes as being of a specific time period-as well as the slight stylization created by that 50s spirit- there are a lot of laughs to be found.

First produced on Broadway in 1954, The Tender Trap is a classic sex comedy. Charlie (Ric Sechrest) is a salesman who finds himself far more in demand in New York City than he ever was back home. When his friend Joe (Jim Kilkenny) visits him to pursue a business scheme, he can’t believe the women pursuing Charlie. Particularly heartbreaking to our eyes is Sylvia, portrayed with elegance and charm by Elise Rovinsky. Despite her extraordinary blend of sophistication and wry human knowledge, she waits for Charlie to weary of playing the field, openly admitting that he’s simply her best hope for marriage. She develops a competition with a rapacious marriage-minded young assistant (Casandera M.J. Lollar).

Jim Kilkenny as Joe McCall and Ric Sechrest as Charlie Reader
photo credit: Kristen Vaughan

The ensuing action is very funny. C.K. Allen, as a jazz musician friend of Sylvia’s, has quite possibly the funniest five minutes on any stage in New York. Ms. Lollar appears to have a Lucille Ball hidden inside her ingénue, while Ms. Rovinsky’s wit and timing drive the screwball comedy. The plot does teeter a little when it depends on the chemistry Mr. Sechrest has with the ladies; as his affection for them seems interchangeable, the revelation of his true love is a surprise that tilts audience sympathy towards the jilted lady. Overall, however, The Tender Trap is a hilarious evening, one from 1954.

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Retro Productions presents
Max Shulman & Robert Shaun Smith's
The Tender Trap
November 6-22, 2o08 (Mon-Wed-Sat @8pm; Sun @2pm)
The Spoon Theater

Tickets: $18.00 (TDF Vouchers Accepted); to purchase call 212-352-3101 or visit www.retroproductions.org

The Spoon Theatre | 38 West 38th Street, 5th Fl | Manhattan.

And All The Coffee Payed Off: Duncan Pflaster shares his experience in the 21 Hour Play Festival (Phare Play Productions)

The Fab Marquee featured earlier the 21 Hour Play Festival that Phare Play Productions bravely took upon themselves last weekend. Duncan Pflaster, one of the playwrights selected for the Festival, shares his experience with The Fab Marquee.

My 21 Hours – Under Pressure
by Duncan Pflaster for The Fab Marquee.

A little backstory- I was invited to be a part of Phare Play’s 4th Annual 21-Hour Play Festival. 7 writers, 7 directors, 28 actors. I would get 12 hours in which to write a play, which would then go up the next day. I was a little nervous.

10:30pm, Friday the 8th. I show up along with my fellow playwrights at Roy Arias studios, where Phare Play is currently doing The Importance of Being Earnest and Pants on Fire in rep. Met Christine and Blake, who were running things.

First, we randomly pulled the names of 4 actors from a Tupperware container, and were given their headshots. Completely randomly, I happened to pick the one actor in the lineup that I knew personally, Jared, who I’d met during the Midtown International Theatre Festival this past Summer, as well as another guy and two girls, Brett, Cara, and Holly; a nice symmetry of the sexes.

Then it was announced that the theme for this year was Movies, and we all randomly chose a slip of paper with a movie genre on it out of the Tupperware. I got science fiction. SCORE, I love science fiction.

Then also, since there were seven of us- Christine asked, "what do we think of when we think of 7?" Two of us shouted "Dwarfs!" But no, it was Deadly Sins. We all chose one randomly out of the Tupperware again. I picked Sleepy. I mean Sloth. (Wait, do the Seven Dwarfs each equal a Deadly Sin? Wrath = Grumpy, Sloth = Sleepy, Pride = Bashful (?), Lust... Dopey? Okay, maybe not).


Then finally, we were all given a sentence that we had to use somehow in our play, "On a day like this, I want _____, ______, and ______; a spanking would be nice, too". The play could have no sound effects (unless made by the actors themselves) or internal light cues, and should be under 12 pages.

By now it was 11pm, and we were sent off to write. I went to my friend Tony's apartment- my computer crashed last week, and both Best Buy and Staples have been ineffective in restoring my old files to my new hard drive, which currently has no writing software on it aside from notepad, which is good for nothing. Tony also lives just a few blocks from Roy Arias Studios (I currently live in Inwood, 164 blocks from Roy Arias Studios.) On my walk there, ideas began to bubble up in my head- the theater space gets very warm- maybe something outdoorsy and so-hot-it’s-sloth. I briefly considered going all Goonies with the Sloth reference, but dropped that idea. Something slow- a Southern drawl… Science Fiction- Aliens often pick out-of-the-way places to visit… Wait, if I’m going to put in aliens, the poor directors will have to find alien costumes…

Arrived at Tony’s place, and he let me in, set me up on his computer (a Mac!), and went out for a drink with another friend.

Approximately 11:30 I sat down to write- I’d brought a lot of music with me (I like to write with a background of classical or punk rock), but forgot to put any of it on, I was so eager to get to work. I’ve discovered, in my years as a playwright, that if I just start writing, my characters will quickly point out what it is THEY want to talk about- and here it was Billy-Bob and Haydee, a brother and sister in Georgia, whose air conditioner is broken, arguing over which of them will go inside the very hot house and get some Coca-Cola. Soon they are interrupted by Zip and Zap, two Aliens who were attempting to take over Earth, but due to Sloth, had landed in Georgia, instead of Los Angeles (which they also, due to skimping on their research, thought was the United States’ political center). Jared texted me at 12:30 to offer encouragement- I wasn’t allowed to tell him he was actually IN my piece. I fit in the line with one of the aliens saying “…I usually use an herbal douche made from vinegar, marshmallow, and lavender before sex. But on a day like this, I want peyote, coconut oil, and root beer. A spanking would be nice, too.” It was a cute script, and I finished up my first draft around 2:30, around the time Tony came home and drunkenly read the draft. He thought it was funny, and went to bed. I stayed up for another hour, tightening and snipping and clipping, then went to sleep on the couch. Woke up around 9, gave it a title (“Summer People”, in homage to my friend Kathleen Warnock’s play “Some Are People”, which began life in a festival much like this), did some more tightening, added some footnotes to explain some of the more obscure bits of the script (My writing can be rather verbose and recondite), then after getting coffee with Tony, headed back to the theater at 10:30am.

There the playwrights met the directors- all the directors picked a writer’s name out of the Tupperware, Chris Bell got mine. All the directors got the same prop- “spaghetti”, a stretchy rubber toy like a Koosh ball, which they had to employ somehow in the show. We got to meet with our directors for half an hour, and then we were out.


Most of the writers then went home to sleep- I got a brief downtime for lunch, then went to perform in my friend Mickey’s industry reading of his Apathy: The Gen X Musical, then back to Roy Arias for the shows. My mother, her partner, and their kids were there to see the 7pm show, as was my friend Jim, a piano player from Marie’s Crisis.

The show was very entertaining. We were first on the ticket, so there wasn’t a lot of fretting time for me. Chris and the actors did a great job- there was a little more implied incest than I expected. The spaghetti was used as alien vomit, which was delightful. The cast did a great job. Met one of the actresses afterward, and she said she really liked the script, though wanted to kill me for giving her lines with words like “kundalini”, “Perestroika”, and “Ntozake Shange”.

The other shows were entertaining, as well – The Truth Mirror and the Greedy Whore by Nora Vetter (Greed, Disney Movie), about what goes on behind the scenes recording voices for a Disney flick; The Devil’s Nobility by Bill Bria (Lust, Period Picture), a vampire piece about the Bathorys; The Assdyssey by Shuo Zhang (Pride, Adventure), a parody of everything from Titanic to Pinocchio with a giant whale, a wicked witch, Santa Claus, a missing middle finger, and a guy dressed as a Donkey; Love’s First Sight by Andrew Rothkin (Wrath, Romantic Comedy), about a guy in a library with three women falling in love with him (and then battling it out); A Fondness for Aqua Net by Michael Weems (Envy, ‘80s Teen Movie) with nerds and popular girls; and Force the World to Die by Oliver Thrun (Gluttony, Spy Flick), an hilarious parody of James Bond flicks, done as a movie trailer, with an incredibly energetic and sexy cast.

The second show at 9:30 was so popular, the place was sold out (my brother and his wife were in the audience), and those of us who had worked on a show all had to sit in the lobby, and peered in the doors when we could. The audience sounded even more amused the 2nd time around.

Finally, around Midnight, the audience (who had all been given voting ballots) chose the winners in 7 categories – we won “Best Use of Prop” (hooray alien vomit!). It was a really fun time, and I hope to do it again next year!

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Duncan Pflaster is an award-winning playwright (2 time winner, Spotlight On Award, "Best New Play" 2005 and 2006), whose plays have been produced in Florida, Georgia, New Jersey, and New York. He also has been known to direct, write music, play the ukulele, and (if his arm is twisted) act.

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To learn more about Phare Play Productions visit www.phareplay.com

Review- Missa Solemnis or The Play About Henry

The Fab Marquee review by Peyton Wise.

It was poignant watching Missa Solemnis a couple nights after the election. Tuesday night brought more than the election of a liberal African-American president; it saw the passage of California’s Proposition 8, a referendum to ban gay marriage. One of the largest efforts to pass Proposition 8 came from the Mormon Church, which raised between $10 and $20 million (news reports vary), and had every ward read a statement encouraging members to donate time and money. In this light, Missa Solemnis or The Play About Henry became even more urgent as it told the true story of a gay Mormon’s suicide.

Jai Catalano as Todd and Matt Huffman as Henry

The Henry of the title is Henry Stuart Matis, who gained national headlines when he shot himself on the steps of the Mormon Ward House in Los Altos, California. It was 2000 and the Church was working to promote the passage of Proposition 8’s predecessor, Proposition 22. The playwright, Roman Feeser is a non-Mormon who became so intrigued with Henry’s story that he moved to Salt Lake and, among other research, attended the Church’s sexual conversion program. He is finishing a book, Latter Gay Saints, about homosexuality in the Church of the Latter Day Saints. With this relevancy and research level, one can’t help going in eager to see some new insight, some light shed on this complex situation.

Ultimately, those hopes are disappointed. The play provides a stark image of Henry’s predicament. We see his anguish at being unable, through prayer or force of will, to eliminate the part of himself that his faith calls an abomination. We see his parents’ inability to help him, no matter how much they want to. The family’s words paint a vivid picture of a community where to be different is to be outcast and a faith where family is a theological unit. It is a compellingly tragic picture, but the picture never moves. There is little development either of character or idea.

Matt Huffman as Henry and Bill Fairbairn as Fred

There are some dramaturgical and production solutions to this inertia. Many scenes repeat themselves. While the blocking contains some truly beautiful images, it occasionally underscores this repetition. In the play’s most tangled scene, a conversation with a Bishop who offers sympathy without solution, the two actors cycle between sitting, standing behind their chairs, and crossing downstage of their respective chairs as they review theology and whether sexual conversion programs. Neither character settles on a philosophical or physical position. There is also a distracting convention of direct address. The characters tell us what they are about to do before they do it, leaving us nothing to discover in the scene - although we are surprised by a climactic scene that belies the play’s initial suicide note.

Beyond these issues, however, it may just be that the production sets itself an impossible task. The story of Henry Stuart Matis, as told in Missa Solemnis, is a story of man versus God. The tragedy of Henry is not the community’s rejection, although some dialogue refers to homophobia in the community, nor of his family’s rejection. His tragedy is that his God condemns homosexuality without offering him any solace from his native desires.

How do you depict spiritual conflict? Any number of books from Siddhartha to Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance manage it, but literature is a descriptive art form. Plays thrive on conflict in action, no matter how varied and subtle the permutations of protagonist and antagonist. There are several plays in which an individual character or the community stands in for God and their battle with the protagonist is demonstrative of the protagonist’s battle with God. But does this dilute the spiritual conflict? Does it become man versus God AND man?

Matt Huffman as Henry

In Missa Solemnis Henry has no one to fight but himself. His family is appalled, but loving. They are as unable to help him as they are to directly address his misery. He is sent to a Bishop who provides a counterpoint to our idea of Mormons, but not to Henry or his family. Henry’s eventual lover is respectful and compassionate. With no one pushing back, Henry is left to spend the entire play begging for help and receiving varying levels of incomprehension and bewilderment. That may be an exact depiction of the life of Henry Stuart Matis, but it doesn’t make for compelling theater.

The production does have some strong moments. Our first image of Henry is stunning, with a light and sound cue that seem emotive at the time, but come back as diegetic and ominous. The beautiful graveyard scene between Henry’s mother (Gail Winar) and lover (Jai Catalano) reduced several in the audience to audible sobs. Matt Huffman’s Henry has a charming side that draws in the audience and the other characters.

With the play’s descriptive images, I can only imagine the depth and detail to be found in Mr. Feeser’s upcoming Latter Gay Saints and will look forward to reading it. Unfortunately, despite obviously being crafted with research and love, the strengths of Missa Solemnis are unable to overcome its inertia.

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Row Man Productions NYC & LSNelson Productions present
Roman Feeser's
Missa Solemnis or The Play About Henry
Oct 30-Nov 22, 2008 (Wed-Sat @8pm; Sun Nov 2 @3pm)
The TBG Theater

Tickets are $18 and can be purchased online at www.SmartTix.com or by calling 212-868-4444.

The TBG Theater | 312 West 36th Street (3rd Floor) | Manhattan.

Seven Playwrights Will Have A Lot Of Coffee To Drink Tonight @ 10:30pm

by Antonio Miniño.

Phare Play Productions will have some playwrights brewing ideas tonight at 10:30pm in The Beckmann Theater. Seven emerging writers will be meeting to receive their themes, script guidelines and the headshots/resumes of the actors they have to write a play for, to be performed tomorrow night at The Roy Arias Off-Off Broadway Playhouse. All this is part of the WWSS: Four Your Shorts Only, a 24 Hour short play festival, now in its fourth year.

Jen Spragg (writer), Emily Ehlinger, Lizzie Schwarz, Nick Santasier,
Jason Gaffney & Chris Simon (director)

“I think Blake Bradford (the artistic director of Phare Play) and I came up with the idea together.” -shares Christine Vinh, Executive director of Phare Play Productions- “We were doing a production of the Cherry Orchard last year and one of the actors couldn't do a Saturday night show. However, he was perfect for the part so instead of recasting it, we just decided to not do a show that night. Instead of letting the venue go empty, we thought it would be fun to do something like this. That first time, our theme was Homecoming. Then we did Superhero Sidekicks and then music from different decades. The writers never know what they're getting until they show up for the writers meeting (which will be tonight) where they will get their theme, the headshots and resumes of four actors that they will be writing for and a line that they will all have to incorporate in their show.”

One of the seven writers participating in this 24 hour play festival, is Duncan Pflaster. You may know Duncan as one of the critics for Broadway World, or you might have seen one of his productions, including and not limited to the award winning Prince Trevor Amongst The Elephants at this year’s Midtown International Theatre Festival.

Erin Evers, Micah Chartrand, Eddie Rodriguez, Sandy Simona,
Michael Weems (writer) & Tanya Fazal (director)

“I was very intrigued when I heard about the process- I'd seen a few of my friends write and perform in plays in 24-hour festivals, in the A Train Plays, at Wings Theatre, and a few other places, and I've always been excited by the idea. I'm a little nervous, but excited. I think the process is a great way to get out of over thinking the whole writing thing.” -says Duncan- “So, I'll start going at 10:30 tonight, and just type straight on till morning!”

WWSS takes place tomorrow Saturday, November 8th at 7pm & 9:30pm. Tickets are only $12 at the Roy Arias Off-Off Broadway Playhouse (300 West 43rd Street, Fifth Floor.)

To Learn about the other writers, directors, cast, the Award Ceremony that will be taking place at WWSS, and how to purchase tickets visit www.phareplay.com

*Photos are from last year's participants.

Is Beyoncé obsessed with T. Schreiber's production of Twelfth Night?

by Antonio Miniño.

When mainstream Hollywood and Off-Off Broadway collide, I can't help but smile. Beyoncé hasn't been to T. Schreiber's production of William Shakespeare's Twelfth Night...just yet. But given her new love for the "Steampunk" aesthetic (glove above), a blend of fantasy and Victorian chic (think Nicole Kidman in The Golden Compass), she might be strutting her entourage to The Gloria Maddox Theater before it closes November 23rd.

To read The Fab Marquee review of T. Schreiber's production of Twelfth Night click here.

Quote of the Day.-

“I have nothing to complain about... except maybe people wondering if a queen like me can butch-it-up enough to play a convincing straight man.”

-Rupert Everett

Rupert has been slated to star in the Broadway revival of Blithe Spirit at The Schubert Theater beginning February 26.

The Stars Have Aligned for Monday, November 10th At The Triad (MTWorks)

The Fab Marquee News Desk.

MAIEUTIC THEATRE WORKS (MTWorks)
Proudly Presents

INTO THE UNDERWORLD
“A Broadway Understudy Tell All…With Music.”

Hosted by
KATIE ADAMS (Clip Above) & JULIE REIBER
of Wicked

ONE-NIGHT ONLY BENEFIT ENGAGEMENT
November 10, 2008 AT THE TRIAD NYC

TICKETS ON SALE NOW AT THEATERMANIA.COM

MAIEUTIC THEATRE WORKS (MTWorks) is pleased to announce their one-night only benefit event, INTO THE UNDERWORLD: A Broadway Understudy Tell All…With Music, once again under the musical direction of MATT DOEBLER (Wicked), hosted by KATIE ADAMS & JULIE REIBER of Wicked. INTO THE UNDERWORLD will take place on Monday, November 10th (9:30pm) at The Triad NYC (158 West 72nd Street).

Into The Underworld will included performances by KATIE ADAMS (Wicked), JUSTIN BRILL (Rent), TONY CHIROLDES (In The Heights), JEFF EDGERTON (Grease), MICHELLE LOOKADOO (The Little Mermaid), KIMBERLY DAWN NEUMANN (A Chorus Line), KATE PAZAKIS (Jerry Springer The Opera), JULIE REIBER (Wicked), DAVID SPANGENTHAL (Beauty & The Beast) and SHAUN TAYLOR-CORBETT (In The Heights); as they share their most intimate stories on how they made it to the Broadway stage.

The proceeds from this event will go to funding MTWorks Season 08-09, including The 2009 National NewBorn Festival in January 2009, and the production of Jacqueline Goldfinger’s The Oath in April 2009 at The Arclight Theater.

A portion of the proceeds will be donated to Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS.

TICKET PRICES:
General Admission: Advance Purchase $40.00 (+2 drink minimum, cash bar)
Day of the Event $45.00 (+2 drink minimum, cash bar)

*VIP Tickets: $65.00 (+2 drink minimum, cash bar).

Tickets are now available online at www.theatermania.com or by calling 212-352-3101. Tickets may also be purchased in-person at The Triad NYC half hour prior to Showtime, cash only.

*VIP Tickets include preferential reserved seating, Broadway Memorabilia, Bottle of Fine Wine, Tickets to “The Oath” and VIP Gift Bag.

Complimentary hors d’oeuvres will be served at the event; there will be an auction, including tickets to Wicked, Altar Boyz and My First Time; Broadway memorabilia and more.

Fore more information visit www.mtworks.org. You can also visit www.triadnyc.com for driving/subway information.

Poll Results

What do you think of the new TKTS booth?

Love it: 33%
Hate it: o%
They Spent How Much: 66%

The Fab Clip: Les Misbarack

The Fab Clip: Missa Solemnis or The Play About Henry

Row Man Productions NYC & LSNelson Productions
presents

Missa Solemnis or
The Play About Henry

a new drama by Roman Feeser
directed by Linda S. Nelson

With: Jai Catalano, Bill Fairbairn*, Matt Huffman
Warren Katz and Gail Winar*

Performances: October 30th - November 22nd
Wednesday - Saturday at 8 PM
TBG Theatre, 312 West 36th Street, 3rd floor (btw. 8th & 9th Aves.)

All Seats - $18; For Tickets call SmartTix at 212-868-4444 or log on to www.smarttix.com

For more information visit www.theplayabouthenry.com

Quote of the Day.-

“This business is very challenging--you must get used to rejection no matter what level you are at. Not everyone is going to like what you do or what you have to offer; however, if you can't see yourself doing anything else, and you have the drive and ambition, get the training and go for it. Because there is nothing more rewarding”

-Kristen Chenoweth