August 28th, 2005
    
Chicago's Neo-Futurists has brought a brilliant piece of satire to the New York Fringe Festival: THE LAST TWO MINUTES OF THE COMPLETE WORKS OF HENRIK IBSEN. Written and directed by Greg Allen, the extremely talented cast of six expands the material to amazing dimensions of humor-- they take the concept and fly with it, pushing most of it to comic heights, and
surprisingly also to reality in "A Doll's House," where they play it straight and it's quite moving. And when they do a literal translation of "Ghosts," it satirizes itself. One piece, using condiments as characters (mayonnaise, mustard, Ketchup, salt,
pepper, oil, etc.), gives new dimension to erotic puppetry. Allen has a sense of subtlety as well as slapstick, and New York needs to see more of his off-center work.

Richmond Shepard-- Performing Arts INSIDER, and
lively-arts.com

August 20th, 2005
    
BASURA! The stage is covered in trash-- all kinds: paper, cloth, plastic, boxes, like an alley in a slum. Obviously useless junk. Then come three mournful figures, dressed in black with black derbies, who somehow transform rubbish into Art. Rolled up
newspapers become dancing puppets, curtains and rods become a medieval fight, lovely graceful figures out of sticky-tape emerge from the garbage on the stage into a love (?) story, plastic bags become birds-- all handled with grace like the invisible puppeteers of Southeast Asia, and all topped by a life-sized trashpuppet for the finale that is a masterpiece. It's a brilliant work conceived and directed with a charming sense of humor by Colette Searls, performed beautifully by Erica McLaughlin, Katie Sasso and Jesse
Touart. Trash may never be the same to you again.

Richmond Shepard-- Performing Arts INSIDER, and
lively-arts.com

August 19th, 2005

In "DEDICATION or The Stuff of Dreams" Terence McNally's thoughts about Theatre and the human condition, now at Primary Stages on E. 59th St., are played out and soliloquized on the stage of a crumbled old theatre. The incomparable Nathan Lane speaks for McNally, and his monologues work because it's Lane.
Rock star daughter (Miriam Shor) of Nathan's partner/wife (the marvelous Alison Fraser, whose impeccable comic timing balances Lane's perfectly) arrives with punk boyfriend/assistant (the startling Darren Pettie), and finally the incomparable Marian
Seldes as the dying owner of the theatre enters with her mournful servant (R.E. Rodgers). For a plot counterpoint there's Michael Countryman as tech-director/suitor. Hilarious outrageous laughter
rocks the theatre when Lane and Seldes interact. There's not a moment in this play that won't hold you, with cancer, life and death and ethics stirred into the mix. Direction by Michael Morris is meticulous and the set (Narelle Sissons), costumes (Laura Crow) lighting (Jeff Croiter, and wigs (Paul Huntley) all work well to enhance this melodrama with a twist ending that questions morality with a great sense of theatricality. You don't want to miss this one.

**** Richmond Shepard-- Performing Arts INSIDER, and

lively-arts.com

    
THE NEW YOUR FRINGE FESTIVAL:
I'm seeing one to three shows a day-- some of them are good. Those are the ones I'll tell you about. I don't want to knock some little struggling company of amateurs.

Regina Nejman & Company in THE VELOCITY OF THINGS is a
strong piece of Modern Dance at its best. Nejman plus four women and a man create a beach atmosphere beginning with sand poured from bucket to bucket. The women enter in costumes suggesting 1930's Bathing Beauties with bright-red patent leather spike heels and carnival masks. Nejman has created her own vocabulary of physical action-- a dynamic angularity punctuated with relaxation that is original, and she
and her dancers are all pros who can take you beyond the ordinary. Throughout, with or without shoes, the action of the sharply articulated bodies moving to pulsing Brazilian music by Mio Morales, is fascinating. Her pas de deux adagios, influenced by
contact dance, have their own originality. This is a company that should have a world-wide audience. OLAY!

Richmond Shepard-- Performing Arts INSIDER, and
lively-arts.com

A play about Proofreading? Sure. Why not? I was once married to the entertainment editor of a daily newspaper, and her bible was a book called "ELEMENTS OF STYLE," and that's the name of the terrific play that Wendy Weiner wrote and performs. She plays a
number of characters including the prim Chief, her hip-hop daughter, the vulgar fact-checker, an English features editor, a rural guy who works at magazines because he likes girls. This is a show about people involved with language, punctuation, etc., and all of Weiner's characterizations are clever, insightful, and fun. It's a very entertaining show, performed by a vastly talented actress/writer, nicely directed by Julie Kramer, and it gives you a view into an area of publishing that you never knew about.

Richmond Shepard-- Performing Arts INSIDER, and
lively-arts.com

PAYMENT by Donna Fiumano is about a beautiful, totally self-concerned middle-aged actress (what a surprise) and her encounter with the high-school nerd whom she never noticed and who was (and is) obsessed with her. The scene is a motel room- she has fulfilled his dream, and now wants his financial help to avert a detour on her road back to stardom. Kim Chapman is
quite convincing as she plays the actress going through several crises and emotional tangents, becoming more and more deranged. Brian Armstrong is steady and compelling as the man. She's like a pretty wasp buzzing around a rabbit who eventually, when stung, transforms into a raging bear. The play has dramatic power, and Amber Estes has directed the fine cast with excellent pacing.

Richmond Shepard-- Performing Arts INSIDER, and
lively-arts.com

August 15th, 2005
    
LENNON, book, misconception and misdirection by Don Scardino (at least he's boldly willing to take all the blame) tries hard, but misses badly. Sure, there are some great voices on the stage (Will Chase, Chuck Cooper, Julie Danao-Salkin, Marcy Harriell - the whole cast can really sing), but basically what is missing is John Lennon-- his gentleness, his essence, his soul, except for one moment at the end when the real item appears on a screen. "Imagine" gets me. This show doesn't. It pushes hard, gives a piercing irritating sharpness to some of the songs which
contradicts Lennon, takes time out to mock the Maharishi, and there's room for lots of dancing which doesn't manifest. The tech work is all fine, but it's irrelevant when the show itself doesn't work. Sorry.

Richmond Shepard-- Performing Arts INSIDER, and
lively-arts.com

August 12th, 2005
    
GOLF- THE MUSICAL by Michael Roberts, now playing
Wednesday matinee and evenings at Sofia's on W. 46th St., is not only for golfers. Yes, it's full of golf jokes and inside references, but give performers as talented as the five in this show ANYTHING, and it would be entertaining, and material like "The Lord is my caddy, I shall not slice," a Tiger Woods gospel
song, Iraq-"Let's Bring Golf to the Gulf," Florida in summer, and, high point: Bob Hope (Joel Blum) and Bing Crosby (Christopher Sutton) on the road to heaven, and it's fun for anyone. It's all snappily directed by Christopher Scott. Blum is a top-level genuine comedian with all the shtick, moves, facial twitches,
that only the best can do, and Sutton is his perfect foil. The two women, Angela Madaline and Trisha Rapier are funny at character and caricature, and the hot pianist Ken Lundie rounds out the fivesome with pazzaz. The four singers are Broadway caliber, and
all in the audience, even we non-golfers, had fun.
212/352-3101

Richmond Shepard-- Performing Arts INSIDER, and
lively-arts.com

July 12th, 2005

I'm in Ireland giving a workshop in Improvised Comedy in Derry, and hopped down to Dublin for a weekend. Saw an extraordinary show by the b*spoke Theatre Company at the Project Theatre, and although I know you're not going to jump onto Aer Lingus and see it, it's too good not to write about. TEJAS VERDES, by Fermin Cabal, translated by Robert Shaw, is basically testimony about the "disappeared" under Pinochet's vicious fascist regieme in Chile. The acting by the entire cast is superb, especially Susan Fitzgerald as an informer and Jane Brennan, who also produced, as the doctor who treated the inmates. Their many layered performances have depth and great poignancy. Director Roisin McBrinn avoids bathos as she gently, tastefully, guides us through the brutal events, costumes by Joan Bergin are just right, and the spare set with a swing center stage and subtle, clarifying lighting by Paul Keogan all combine, with great sensitivity, to bring the production to the highest level of World Class Theatre.

Performing Arts INSIDER and lively-arts.com