July 29, 2006
The Ko Festival in Massachusetts finishes up with a piece called “A Comic Strip.”
This got us to thinking: what comic strips have been turned into stage plays?
Li’l Abner: caught the movie version on TV one rainy afternoon a few years back. It’s actually pretty fun. Manages to look like a comic strip, actually. From 1959. The original Broadway production ran for almost 2 years in 1956. Go Dogpatch.
Doonesbury: This one ran on Broadway for 104 performances, which isn’t bad, but isn’t anything to write home about either. The cast recording and script are long out of print, although you can find the LP on eBay, as well as the script, though you’ll have to pay too much for the latter. We say stick with the original strips.
BATMAN: The Musical has been kicking around for awhile but has yet to see the light of day. Read The Dark Knight Returns to tide you over. Actually, read The Dark Knight Returns and skip the show if it ever does appear, unless you are a massive Meatloaf fan (Loafer Jim Steinman is writing the music for the singing, dancing Dark Knight). (When you’re Bruce Wayne, you’re Bruce Wayne all the way, from your first grappling hook, to your last dying daaaay….)
None of this, by the way, has anything to do with the Ko Fest’s offering. Press release is below, if you’re in Mass or will be, go check this out and let us know what you think.
The Award-Winning Touchstone Theatre’s Dark Comedy A Comic Strip Closes the Ko Festival of Performance’s 15th Anniversary Season
A Comic Strip
By the Touchstone Ensemble,
Directed by Daniel Stein of the Dell’ Arte Company of Blue Lake, CA
In Touchstone’s brand-new, dark and funny work, the life of a seasoned, successful, and world famous comic-strip artist begins to violently unravel. How can art possibly inspire change in a world so filled with very real suffering? He almost gives up, until his favorite comic strip characters manifest before his eyes and lead him on a life-changing journey. Warning! Viewer Discretion Advised! This piece contains adult themes, graphic language, strong sexual content, the devil himself, and a healthy dose of broccoli. Think Looney Tunes meets David Lynch. But keep the kids with a babysitter.
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July 28, 2006
The namesake of one of the greatest comedians of all time will make his NYC Theatrical Debut… in a show called BEST LITTLE CRACKHOUSE IN PHILLY (photo below is from the show). As the description says “Pretty Woman meets Best Little Whorehouse — and gives new meaning to hoedown!”. Hey, everyone’s got to start somewhere. We love it when celebrities, and even celebrity offspring, do off-off theater. Makes us proud.
Lots more events happening at Downeast Arts Center including something called “THE INTERNATIONAL CRINGE FESTIVAL” (love that name!); see below for the full press release or visit NYArtists.org.
BREAKING NEWS!!!
RICHARD PRYOR, JR., MAKES NY THEATRICAL DEBUT IN
“BEST LITTLE CRACKHOUSE IN PHILLY”
at
Downeast Arts Center
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July 21, 2006
Joe’s Pub, named for the late great Joe Papp, the Public Theater’s founder, has a rep for being one of the coolest places in town. This newly added event on September 7th sounds like a winner. One Ring Zero is described as “Fellini-esque-lit-rock”, and features lyrics from writers such as Paul Auster, Neil Gaiman (of Sandman graphic novel fame) and Margaret Atwood, among others.
There’s even a free MP3 so you can hear a little of the music before you plunk down your hard-earned ducats. Although for 15 bucks, that’s a pretty good deal. Read on (and listen):
Joe’s Pub NYC proudly announces the addition of the following show to our calendar:
Thursday, September 7
ONE RING ZERO Wake Them Up CD Release with special guests CLAUDIA GONSON and RICK MOODY
www.oneringzero.com
With songs about Siamese twins, marching mannequins, and decrepit trailer parks, Brooklyn’s One Ring Zero continues to embrace its Fellini-esque-lit-rock reputation with crafty lyrics (which Michael Hearst and Joshua Camp wrote this time) and odd-ball instruments, as they celebrate the release of their new album “Wake Them Up” (Barbès Records). This album follows their 2004 release “As Smart As We Are”, which featured songs with lyrics written for the band by many of North America’s top authors: Paul Auster, Margaret Atwood, Jonathan Lethem, Neil Gaiman, A.M. Homes, Dave Eggers, etc. Tonight’s performance features special guests Claudia Gonson (The Magnetic Fields) and Rick Moody (Wingdale Community Singers and author of The Ice Storm)””Accordions, organs, theremins, and the occasional brass horn … combine to make soundscapes that are both haunting and entertaining.” –The New Yorker
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This is a real off-off success story. These two started out in clubs, and now they’re playing Broadway. BROADWAY. THE Broadway. Not to overstate it, but good for them. With a four week limited engagement, you don’t have that many chances to see ’em, which is a good move on their part. If it’s a hit, they can extend. Hey, maybe they’ll win a Tony and get to perform on TV. No matter what, this is a big step for an act that’s been kicking around for a long time and have found big-time success – they’ve even played Carnegie Hall. The press release below is LONG, but there’s a lot to say about this pair. Check out their web site, and of course, the MySpace page for even more info.
A NEW MUSICAL EXTRAVAGANZA:
“KIKI & HERB: ALIVE ON BROADWAYâ€
WRITTEN & PERFORMED BY
JUSTIN BOND (KIKI) & KENNY MELLMAN (HERB)
TO PLAY 4 WEEKS ONLY
PERFORMANCES BEGIN AUGUST 11
AT BROADWAY’S
HELEN HAYES THEATRE
(240 WEST 44TH STREET)
OFFICIAL OPENING:
TUESDAY, AUGUST 15 @ 7:00 PM
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Really? What about the great clown Hymie Ishkibibble?
Actually, a quick Google search reveals a company called Circus Salaam Shalom, which must have at least one Jewish member. And this article mentions “…Crug and Kesselman, as well as Cohen, are three of several Jews active at the Circus Center, a professional training ground.” Admittedly, the same article does express some surprise with Jews being in the circus.
Hey, we don’t mean to nitpick. It’s not like we think all theater has to be completely realistic (they don’t ACTUALLY kill a cat at the beginning of ‘The Lieutenant of Inishmore’). But with a title like that, we had to say SOMETHING. Oy vey.
HIGHBROW ENTERTAINMENT
presents
“JEWS DON’T JOIN THE CIRCUS”
BETH KAPLAN BONGAR’S
BRUTALLY HONEST
PITCH-PERFECT
HYSTERICALLY FUNNY BALANCING ACT
THAT IS ONE WOMAN’S FAMILY
&
THE DEVASTATING EFFECT THAT FAMILY HAD ON BETH AND ANYONE ELSE THAT CROSSED THEIR PATH
OPENS
JULY 26th
as part of the
MIDTOWN INTERNATIONAL THEATRE FESTIVAL
DIRECTED BY CHERYL KING
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July 17, 2006
Pictured: Grant Neale & Grant Neale
Photo by Miranda Arden
Summer in New York means FREE SHAKESPEARE and lots of it. New York Classical Theatre has been doing the free Shakey thang since 2000, and director Stephen Burdman did it even before that, so one imagines they know how to give audiences a night to remember. And hey, if you don’t like it, you can always get your money back.
The Comedy of Errors
New York Classical Theatre’s “Shakespeare on the Run”
presents
“The Comedy of Errors” Aug 3-27, FREE!
Thursdays-Sundays at 7pm
at West 103rd Street & CPW inside Central Park ,
All Ages, FREE!
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That Karen – always up to something. This time she’s doing a “9/11-Liza Minelli Tribute”. No, really, she is. Bottom line: she may or may not be your cup of tea (or chocolate – ha ha, bad joke there), but she’s certainly never boring. This show was done before and got some nice notices.
Karen Finley’s 9/11-Liza Minnelli Tribute Returns to Honor 5th Anniversary
MAKE LOVE
3 Shows Only! September 8 – 10 at The Cutting Room
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July 16, 2006
From one of the writers of Grey’s Anatomy! Directed by an actor from Queer as Folk! Starring the second cousin of the director of… okay, not fair.
The title is either a good one or will make you cringe, depending on your level of Eagles fandom. If you prefer Don Henley solo, brother, you’ve found your play. Got good notices in L.A., as well an Ovation Award nomination.
New Play by Grey’s Anatomy Emmy Nominee Premieres
ME, MY GUITAR AND DON HENLEY
October 3 – 24 at The 14th Street Y
** Directed by Queer as Folk’s Peter Paige **
“a gem of a play… crisp, stylish and brutally honest writing” — Flavorpill LA
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July 14, 2006
EDMOND is a screwy play, to the say the least. Unlike Mamet’s better known work (such as Glengarry Glen Ross, which was also made into a film), this is dark without much redemption for the main character. William H. Macy is the premiere interpreter of Mametspeak onstage (he was supposed to play the lead in EDMOND a few years back, but it didn’t work out) and on screen (he’s incredible in Homicide, a Mamet film that’s just plain weird), so he should go to town with this part. As a film, EDMOND will probably be more real and less surreal than it was onstage, a bit more of a thriller with some extra bite. But that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Read the review in today’s New York Times for a well-measured opinion.
First Independent Pictures presents the motion picture, EDMOND opening
July 14th in New York City at the Quad Cinema on West 13th Street
and at the Lincoln Plaza Cinema on Broadway between 62nd and 63rd.
Please see www.edmondthefilm.com for more info!
Based on the classic play by acclaimed American writer David Mamet – this grisly, psychological journey is a must see.
Tour-de-force performances by William H. Macy, Julia Stiles and others…!
Edmond (and other plays)
July 6, 2006
This isn’t off-off Broadway at all really, but it sounds great: real Greek theater, from, like, Greeks. The play The Persians. Six performances only: Saturday, September 16 Through Wednesday, September 20, at City Center. And it’s performed in Greek with supertitles. So the illiterate need not apply. Here’s all the info:
THE NATIONAL THEATRE OF GREECE PRESENTS
AESCHYLUS’ THE PERSIANS
DIRECTED BY AND STARRING LYDIA KONIORDOU
For Six Performances Only at New York’s City Center
Saturday, September 16 Through Wednesday, September 20
The National Theatre of Greece proudly returns to New York’s City Center for a limited six-performance run of Aeschylus’ The Persians — the oldest surviving play in history and the only extant Greek tragedy that is non-mythical in theme and based on historic fact — from Saturday, September 16 through Wednesday, September 20. Lydia Koniordou, one of Greece’s most accomplished stage actresses who Ben Brantley of The New York Times describes as “ravishing†and “blazing with conviction and ardor,†heads the cast and directs. The Persians will be performed in Greek with English supertitles. Translation is by Nikoletta Frindzila, sets and costumes are by Lili Kendaka, music is by Takis Farazis, lighting is by Lefteris Pavlopoulos, vocal patterns are by Mirka Gementzaki, and the assistant director is Lilly Meleme.
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