Review- Zombie (Razors Edge Productions)

The Fab Marquee review by Jonathon Saia.

I have to admit my pre-game excitement for seeing Zombie. Serial killers have always fascinated me; the way that everyday people can assimilate undetected for months, sometimes even years, when while no one is looking, they are burying bodies in the walls of their houses. Serial killers are enigmatic with moments of emotional outcries, yes, but above all, they are charming. How else could they con people into a false sense of safety, giving the killer that opportunity to pounce when their guard is down? In here lies Zombie's fatal flaw.

Bill Conington
photo credit: c Dixie Sheridan

Listen to the way Ted Bundy talks about his violent past. Listen to the way Ed Kemper talks about murdering his mother. Listen to the way Jeffrey Dahmer talks about his cannibalism. Even Charles Manson, the poster child for sociopaths everywhere, has moments of serenity and, dare I say, normalcy in his interviews. Now contrast this with Quentin P, our Dahmer-esque narrator of Zombie. From the very first moment we see him, we know he is deeply disturbed. His unassuming wardrobe of khakis and sweater might have made him look like a college professor if not for the inclusion of those glasses, large, brimming on aviator style, essential to the signature look of Jeffrey Dahmer in his prison videos and the pedophiles circling the parking lots of the grade schools. His stooped shoulders and emotionless face let us know he is a loner, a loser, someone for whom we are supposed to garner sympathy. His voice, almost monotone in its South Dakotan accent, save for its child like cadence, paints him as unreal. Bill Connington commits 100% to the character of Quentin (minus a line flub here or there), for which I must give him credit; however, he is committing to someone to whom we have no connection, which makes it difficult to stay focused and care during his hour-long confession.

Thomas Caruso’s direction has its moments, particularly Quentin P’s use of the dummy to simulate his crimes, but it also falls prey to the idea “We are making something creepy!” with its use of mood lighting and ominous music.

Bill Conington
photo credit: c Dixie Sheridan

The script, adapted from Joyce Carol Oates’ lauded novella by Mr. Connington, could use a few tweaks and cuts, particularly some of the seemingly superfluous facts of the race of his victims, but worked well enough for the project.

Serial Killer land is one through which most people travel lightly. For all of its faults, Mr. Caruso and Mr. Connington should be commended for navigating the delicate waters with gusto and not completely sinking their ship.

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Razors Edge Productions presents
Bill Connington's
Zombie
February 18 to March 29, 2009
Theatre Row

Tickets are $21.25 and can be purchased online at http://www.TicketCentral.com or by calling 212-279-4200. Running time is 75 minutes with no intermission. For more information on the play and to read the rave reviews visit http://www.ZombieThePlay.com.

Theatre Row (Studio Theatre) | 410 W 42nd St | Manhattan.

Review- ZERO (Octaviar Productions)

The Fab Marquee review by Dianna Martin.

Octaviar Productions' intense serio-comedy Zero, explores the lives of six different men, all of whom are in their early thirties but can't seem to get past their high school days. All are connected by their failures and successes, both real and perceived, and the women that they let slip through their fingers. The majority of them are continually trying to find out where they went wrong, through the bottom of a beer bottle or notches on their bedposts, as we follow them through their night-life soul-searching at the nearby pub. The main difference between this production and others out there that go over the familiar territory of what it means to become an "adult" and yet not be at a point in life we can be proud of, is that all the characters are played by one man, Danny O'Connor, and most are played all at the same time.

I'm delighted to say that he pulled it off - and then some. I saw six different people up there having conversations and performing monologues, and I bought it - hook, line, and sinker.

The art of doing a one-man/woman-show is a tricky one; the artist has to maintain control of the stage and make it his home. Bring the audience into his or her world and keep them interested in the tale without the addition of other actors. Doing a show with just one character going through a whirlwind of a life story is difficult enough; creating several people, four of whom are often on stage together at the same time in a crowded bar, is a different thing altogether. And O'Connor does it all simply through physicality. There aren't drastic costume changes or anything other than a minor change of a shirt sometimes (two characters off to the side who never come into contact with the others have their costume slightly altered as well) - it's just the actor becoming each of these very different people as they have a conversation. You know he's playing Alex, the Vet from Iraq, when he lifts his shoulders and squints his eyes. You know he's Sam when he gets a wide-eyed delirium, deepens his voice, and puffs out his chest. All of the characters have slightly different accents - so as he carries on conversations between the men, it's like watching a man possessed by different ghosts. You know immediately which one he is - and it's amazing to watch.

O'Connor starts the play off with the main character waking up hungover, in someone else's bed, vomiting after a night of margaritas and sex with the girl that "everyone wanted"...in high school. From the moment he picks up the cell phone to start talking to other characters, we realize that he's not imitating somebody in conversation; he's becoming the characters on the other end of the line. That was the only moment I was briefly - very briefly - confused. I thought he was simply talking to someone and making fun of them. Then I realized he was becoming the character on the other end of the line. Then I realized I was going to be in for an interesting ride.

Zero is a thought-provoking and moving production. Hilarious at many moments because of the sheer absurdity of grown men who live in a constant cycle of partying and trying to score with women (we all know so many of them); another humorous yet sad example is one character who was overweight all his life and is now a narcissist since he lost the weight and women suddenly desire him. It's tragic at other moments because the title, Zero is referring to these men who have allowed their lives to be centered around nothing but living in the past. So their life is really based around nothing...Zero. And as they look in the mirror, sometimes at a forty-five degree angle due to being too drunk to stand straight, they come to terms with their shortcomings and if they are going to change or continue on the same path.

One important aspect of this production is that it was co-written by Danny O'Connor's deceased brother, Robert O'Connor. Robert completed two tours in Iraq and passed away in 2006, but before and during that time created this piece with his brother. The character Alex, has a special significance in the show (inspired, no doubt by Robert's experiences); as the boys (for they are all boys even though they are of men's age) all sit around drinking shots, Alex talks about what it's like to kill someone over in Iraq; what a day in the life of an American soldier is like. As the lighting changes, (kudos to director Dujuan Pritchett's lighting choices and set design) highlighting what we see is an emotional recall for Alex as he tells his tale, the script goes from intense emotional moments like that to O'Connor's portrayal of Sam listening in drunken shock and hitting on a waitress. It's the O'Connor brothers' script and Danny's exceptional performance that allows this piece to be so much more than just a hard look at men who waste their lives while being truly hilarious at times; it's a play that takes the audience on a fantastic journey with twists and turns emotionally...all the while with Danny O'Connor at the wheel portraying six men who decide to either remain a Zero...or grow into something greater than themselves.

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Octaviar Productions presents
Danny & Robert O'Connor's
ZERO
Nov 15-Dec 30, 2008 (Mon-Sat @8:15pm)
Roy Arias Theatre II

Tickets are $29, students/seniors are $24, active military are $19. For tickets please visit www.theatermania.com or call 866-811-4111. Tickets may also be purchased in person half-hour prior to the performance at Roy Arias Theatre II. For more information visit www.zerotheplay.com

Roy Arias Theatre II | 616 9th Avenue | Manhattan.

Review- Life in a Marital Institution (The Deep end Productions)

The Fab Marquee review by Peyton Wise.

Life in a Marital Institution gives exactly what the title promises: a witty tale of a crazy marriage. The extent to which you enjoy it depends entirely on your point of view.

Let me start by admitting that I am not this piece’s target audience. The characters are of a certain age and income level and the most appreciative audience members appeared to be in that group. For the young and single, whether happily so or on the partner prowl, pieces about marital problems can feel like getting your palm read in a pawn shop. You may notice that shameless romantics tend to prefer stories that end in marriage to those that begin with it.

James Braly (writer-performer)

In this well-constructed one-man show, writer/performer James Braly depicts moments from his combative marriage to a woman who samples the full range of the New Age buffet. Under Hal Brooks’ polished direction, Braly moves seamlessly between these scenes and the frame story of his sister’s deathbed marriage. (It’s funnier than it sounds.) Both Braly’s writing and performance are so clear that you can literally see the action as it unfolds. The story of his sister’s wedding maintains suspense through the episodes of his own marriage, although one conflict of his sister’s wedding feels unresolved at the end of the show. Michael V. Moore’s simple set makes the action more intimate and suggests multiple locations while confining the story to none. Lucrecia Briceno’s lights sharply delineate time and place, although at times the backlighting can be a bit hard on the front rows.

There is, in fact, so much talent involved and care taken with this show that I can’t help wishing they were telling a different story. There are some shows that mine the details of a particular human frailty to touch something universal. This is not one of those shows. It’s an entertaining hour and change about people with the benefits of wealth and education who seek relationships that make them miserable. There are certainly many people like that in New York and this show may very well be a good date play – there’s nothing like seeing how bad it could be to make you feel good about where you are. But why spend so much energy on a show that will leave your mind like a wave on the sand? Mr. Brooks’ previous productions of No Child…and Thom Pain (based on nothing) proved he is a gifted interpreter of solo performances and Mr. Braly is an evocative writer/performer. I hope the partnership continues and for its next story seeks a subject relevant to more than just Mr. Braly’s peers.

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The Deep End Productions presents
James Braly’s
Life in a Marital Institution
June 26-August 31, 2008
Soho Playhouse

Tickets are $40-55. To purchase tickets, call the Soho Playhouse at 212-691-1555, or visit www.sohoplayhouse.com. For more information visit www.LifeInAMaritalInstitution.com.

The Soho Playhouse | 15 Vandam St between 6th Ave & Varick | Manhattan.

Review- A Perfect Couple (WET)

The Fab Marquee review by David Stallings.

A Perfect Couple, by Brooke Berman, is having its world premier at the beautiful DR2 Theater on Union Square. WET (Women’s Expressive Theater) continues their tradition of tight, well-worked productions presented by female writers and directors with this crisp evening. Berman’s anthropological look at what happens when you finally have everything you ever wanted in a relationship and are still unhappy is the event that brings a fantastic team of artists together.

James Waterson as Issac & Annie McNamara as Emma

Amy (Dana Eskelson) and Isaac (James Waterson) have everything at forty that Amy ever wanted. After fifteen years of dating, Amy has finally convinced Isaac that he wants it too. They are a happy couple that lives in the country—in a home inherited from Isaac’s eccentric stepmother—and gladly gives advice on how the people around them need to fix their lives to be as perfect as they are. Perfection does come at a cost, the fresh-faced forty year olds have learned to compromise on many things in order to get on Amy’s “baby track”, but on the surface they seem like any functional couple at that stage. Perhaps that is what is so frightening. A weekend in their country home with the New York single friend, Emma (Annie McNamara), and the twenty-three year old stoner next door, Josh (Elan Moss-Barach), leaves Amy wondering if these lost souls might have more going for them in the long run. Having everything together soon proves that Amy is left with nothing for herself. Amy’s world seems to be shattered when she finds the diary of Isaac’s deceased stepmother, which claims that Isaac always truly loved Emma (although he never knew it). This revelation—unsubstantiated by any evidence—destroys the relationship Amy has with both Isaac and Emma. The revelation of course is that Amy was always looking for an out. She had grown tired of always looking for the right track, taking care of friendships she may have outgrown, and living up to standards that ultimately are unfulfilling.

Dana Eskelson as Amy & Annie McNamara as Emma

WET’s production of A Perfect Couple is excellent. The cast is formidable, headed by the lovely Dana Ekelson as Amy. Her voice is perfectly matched with the role, finding easily the humor and pathos of her character. James Waterson is lovely as the handsome Isaac, who appears to have everything a woman would want in a partner, yet somehow falls short. A real standout is the whimsical Annie McNamara as Emma. Ms. McNamara is captivating on the stage, with many quirks and witty remarks, yet always maintaining a grounded sensibility. She is easy to watch with a wonderful presence. Elan Moss-Barach is an audience favorite as the comic relief of the evening in the role of Josh. Although his presentation of the stoner garnered many laughs, it came a little too easy and at the loss of some more subtle nuances that I think lurked in the text.

The immaculate set by Neil Patel is stunning. The blue image of a perfect home serves as the backdrop that works perfectly for the many short scenes taking place both inside and out. Matched marvelously by Matthew Richards’ lights, the technical aspects of the show are beautifully effective. Maria Mileaf’s direction is solid and clean. There is not a misstep in her staging and in the many transitions.

Annie McNamara as Emma & Dana Eskelson as Amy

A clean and crisp evening for a sophisticated mind interested in the study of a woman forced to breaking by a seemingly meaningless event, a Perfect Couple is sure to please any avid theatergoer.
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WET presents
Brooke Berman’s
A Perfect Couple
June 9th-July 12, 2008 (Opening Night June 19th); Mon-Sat @8pm
DR2 Theatre

Tickets range from $25 - $35, available at 212-239-6200 or www.wetweb.org.

DR2 Theatre | 103 East 15th Street | Manhattan.

Review- ‘Old Comedy from Aristphane’s Frogs’ (Target Margin)

The Fab Marquee Review by Preston Wise.

Something extraordinary is happening on 13th Street; Target Margin’s Old Comedy transcends what we think a play can do. Inspired by Aristophanes’ satire The Frogs, this adaptation doesn’t feel like the play is from old times, but a young art form. It has the unrefined rage of a brilliant teenager. This production takes so many risks, breaks so many taboos, challenges and inspires the audience so often that it seems absurd to compare it to a typical theater experience.

Pedro Pascal as Dionysus & Derek Lucci as Xanthias.
Photo Credit: Joe Dore

The play loosely follows the structure of The Frogs. Dionysus (Pedro Pascal), the god of Wine and Drama, and his slave Xanthias (Derek Lucci) travel to the underworld in search of a poet and preside over a verbal duel between Euripides (Purva Bedi) and Aeschylus (Anthony Mark Stockard). Xanthias begins with a razor-beautiful speech comparing the decline of ancient Athens and the end of the ‘American century.’ The play teems with images from throughout human history. A forest out of The Inferno is haunted by a Wendy bird. Heracles thinks he’s special because they changed his name and made him a cartoon. Charon makes a brutal prophesy that no checks and balances can save a government whose people have become corrupt.

As you may guess, the play is smart as it is fearless. As it is funny. While each actor has a standout moment, the comedy team of Pascal and Lucci ignite the show. Sometimes with a flamethrower. As they drop in and out of character, commenting on the action they drive, many of the laughs are of “I can’t believe they just said that” humor. Followed quickly by humor of recognition. The ensemble, working seamlessly as one, finds and discards caricatures by the second.

Somewhere between political commentary too angry to be called satire and a paean to writers who shaped the human soul, the play starts to be something more than play. It’s entertaining and thought-provoking and then it becomes something else. Maybe it’s a reminder that theatre can be a life-changing, not just a night out. Maybe it’s just an experience.

Early in the play, it’s pointed out that Xanthias is a literary first: the clever slave. He will be followed by any number of servants, slaves, and fools who are wiser than their masters and say to them what no one else would. That’s a good analogy for the play. Its production values, while clever, are not ornate. The musical numbers, whether through acoustics or conscious choice, often seem dampened. Sometimes one can see the outline of what a moment could be with stronger musical support. It doesn’t have the smooth polish of Broadway or the Off-Broadway subscription season.

(Front L-R) Purva Bedi, Davina Cohen,
(Rear L –R) Charles Hudson III, Michael Levinton & Anthony Mark Stockard
photo credit: Joe Dore

Like Xanthias, the production uses its humility to say what we don’t like to think, much less hear out loud. There are riveting indictments of our leaders, our art, and the populace that follows them. Rather than anger or defensiveness, they make us laugh or ruefully shake our heads. After the play, something has changed.

And that is a stunning achievement.

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Target Margin presents
David Greenspan’s
Old Comedy from Aristophane’s Frogs
directed by David Herskovit
Closing May 31st @ 8pm

The performance schedule for Old Comedy from Aristophanes’ Frogs is Tuesdays – Saturdays at 8:00 p.m. and Saturdays and Sundays at 3:00 p.m. Single tickets are $45 for weekday performances and $50 for weekend performances and may be purchased online at www.classicstage.org, by calling 866-811-4111, or in person at Classic Stage Company, 136 East 13 Street, between 3rd & 4th Avenue, Monday – Friday 12-6pm, or by visiting www.targetmargin.org.

Classic Stage Company | 136 East 13 Street, between 3rd & 4th Avenue | Manhattan.