Theatre Is Easy: FringeNYC 2008 Update
Saturday, August 16th, 2008 by Molly MarinikWe’re one week in to the New York International Fringe Festival with one more week to go. With 202 plays and musicals of all varieties from all over the world (and with tickets costing a mere $15) there’s something for everyone at FringeNYC. Here are some of Theatre Is Easy’s favorites so far.
The Boy In the Basement: calls itself a “live action romance novel.” It’s campy and sarcastic but not over the top, the story is entertaining, and the performances are well-done. Read the full Theatre Is Easy review here. Show times are Thursday, August 21st at 11:45pm; Saturday, August 23rd at 10pm. Visit theboyinthebasement.com for more info.
Down Around Brown Town: commemorates the music of James Brown with a dancing and singing extravaganza. Read the full Theatre Is Easy review here. Show times are Saturday, August 16th at 4:45pm; Sunday, August 17th at noon. Visit fullamo-productions.info for more info.
Kansas City or Along the Way: a sweet love story in 1930s Ohio, with original folk music inspired by Woodie Guthrie. It’s extremely well-executed and the storytelling technique is honest and sincere. The addition of the music (which is quite good) gives the piece extra substance. Theatre Is Easy review will post Sunday. Show times are Sunday, August 17th at 2:30pm; Monday, August 18th at 7:45pm; Thursday, August 21st at 7:45pm; Saturday, August 23rd at 9:45pm. Visit disgracedproductions.com for more info.
Murder of the Seas: a fun, tongue-in-cheek murder mystery on a cruise ship…and it’s a one-man show. Read the Theatre Is Easy review here. Show times are Sunday, August 17th at 7pm; Friday, August 22nd at 10pm; Sunday, August 24th at noon. Visit fringenyc.org for more info.
Love is Dead: bills itself as a necromantic musical comedy. It’s a smart, and fully, albeit creepy since it’s about a mortician who has sex with female murder victims. Read the Theatre Is Easy review here. The bad news is, Love is Dead has already closed so you can’t see it this time around. But it was great and we’re hoping it gets another chance to perform…if it does, check it out!
For all FringeNYC related information including venue guides, show listings and search options, visit their website at fringenyc.org. The festival closes on August 24th so go see some great new theatre now while you still can.



Fish gotta swim, birds gotta fly, but some It girls should stick to acting in front of a camera. That’s not exactly how the song goes, but it might be my new motto after hearing that Katie Holmes (Dawson’s Creek, Batman Begins) has been cast in next season’s revival of Arthur Miller’s 1947 play All My Sons; she’ll be starring alongside the legendary John Lithgow, Dianne Wiest, and Patrick Wilson. Sure, all three of the aforementioned actors have excelled in roles both on-screen and onstage, but I’m just not convinced Holmes has the same aptitude for both mediums (and have we even seen said aptitude on-screen yet?). I’m not one to care about celebrities and their professional pursuits, but I do care about the integrity of live theatre, and I know a whole lot of actresses with the chops to play Holmes’s role in All My Sons who would kill for the chance to do so.
Adding Machine is a new musical playing off-Broadway that comes to New York from Chicago. It’s a musical adaption of Elmer Rice’s play from 1923 about an accountant named Mr. Zero who lives a completely mundane and generic life and finds himself going insane from the mediocrity of his existence. Sound relatable? Zero completely loses it when he is let go from his job; since the invention of the adding machine, there isn’t a need for his work by hand. Zero is a wonderful anti-hero; he is not a sympathetic man, but he inadvertently solicits compassion since his life is just so sad.
Passing Strange is a new rock musical about rock music. And it rocks. The five-piece band sits onstage through the entire show, and though they’re almost always playing, they’re also interacting with the cast and even speaking lines themselves.
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