Flavorpill LA has an item about – no joke – Machomer, a show by Rick Miller that “eimagines the Bard’s infamous tragedy amidst the hustle and bustle of modern-day Springfield, twisting and mangling the tale to delightful extremes.”
Rick’s other shows include Bigger Than Jesus, and ‘Machomer’ has been touring for 10 years. Must be doing something right. This is kind of in the same vein as Oblivious to Everyone, although this one is of course about fictional characters (Paris Hilton is sort of fictional as well, but, sadly, she exists and Homer Simpson does not, proving that there is no justice in this world). Gotta have a gimmick, and if it’s a good one, more power to ya.
Irvine Barclay Theatre in Cali, Fri 11.24 – Sun 11.26 if you’re out there and want to check it out. If you do, feel free to email us a review. You know us, if it’s even vaguely coherent, we’ll post it.
– Machomer official site
– Rick Miller official site
– Flavorpill LA (listing)
Here’s the info if you want to go, and here are some photos to entice you to do so:
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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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Don’t take this the wrong way, disciples of Springsteen, but who knew there were so many theaters in Jersey? This is a nice list courtesy of Talkin’ Broadway.
Talkin’ Broadway Regional News & Reviews – New Jersey “New Jersey Theater Schedule 2005-2006
The Essential Bruce Springsteen
Born To Run
This is waaaay off-off Broadway – Amherst, MA, to be exact. It does feature a lot of NYC-based artists, though, and we don’t like to be all “I never leave the island of Manhattan”. Some of these sound interesting, and hey, maybe you’ll be traveling and will check some of these out. Full press release follows; for more info visit KoFest.com.
The Ko Festival of Performance Celebrates the Opening of its 15th Anniversary Season with a Gala Weekend of Live Performance –
Three Evenings of Fabulous Fun!
Dates: Friday-Sunday, July 15-17
Times: 8 p.m.
For Reservations call (413) 542-2277. Box office opens July 10.
For further information visit www.kofest.com. or call (413) 427-6147.
Who says you can’t go home again? The Ko Festival of Performance is celebrating it’s 15th birthday by inviting back artists from the last 14 years of the Festival to show Valley audiences their latest work. The festival is opening with a trio of extraordinary events. On Friday, July 14 at 8 p.m., perennial KoFest favorite Ralph Lee’s Mettawee River Company conjures their latest magic with an adventure tale for all ages, Valentyne and Orson, performed under the stars at the Amherst College Observatory lawn. (Remember The Caucasian Chalk Circle (’05) The Heroic and Pathetic Escapdes of Karagiozis (’04) and Psyche (’03))? On Saturday, July 15 at 8 p.m., come to The Ko Kabaret, featuring a fabulous roster of Ko Festival alumnae in an evening of live music, compelling movement, wacky humor and wild performance, all in a stunning environment created from non-traditional and found materials by members of Boston’s hot, young ensemble TENT. Then on Sunday, July 16th at 8pm catch House/Boy, the internationally acclaimed concluding chapter of Nicky Paraiso’s trilogy that began with Asian Boys, which was featured in the 1994 Ko Festival. It is a sweet, poignant and musical look at parental legacies, and the enduring theme of what “home†means to Filipino Americans.
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