We’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.

I completely understand why producers like to cast “names” in their shows; it definitely helps sell tickets. But let’s be honest — a Katie Holmes fan is probably not an Arthur Miller fan (we can compare and contrast The Crucible and Dawson’s Creek in another post). A New York theatergoer who purposely buys a ticket to All My Sons to see Katie Holmes would probably be much happier at a performance of, let’s say, Mamma Mia!

(more…)

BOTTOM LINE: A beautiful and well-conceived macabre musical — nontraditional, for sure, but imaginative and quirky. For those who embrace artsy, interpretive theatre.

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.

I am extremely impressed with the conception of this story. The production’s main color palate is gray and black, reiterating the desolate feel of these mediocre lives. The costumes are also gray and loose, not giving any character too much definition. Even the direction feels desperate; there’s a heaviness to the movement of these people. And true to the trend of new 21st century musical theatre, Adding Machine uses video projection in its set design.

Adding Machine is respectful of the era in which it takes place and the production itself has a very ’20s feel. Even the music is evocative of the time; it’s almost vaudevillian, but much darker and more tragic. Daisy, Mr. Zero’s co-worker and unrequited love, sings a song about her love for Zero that evokes Chicago without the Fosse. Musically speaking, Adding Machine is remarkable. It’s almost an operetta. In the 90 minute intermission-less production there wasn’t a single time that the audience applauded, simply because there wasn’t a break in which to applaud. The music and story roll together beautifully throughout the entire production. The cast is only 9 people and the orchestra only 3, but the sound produced by these people feels totally full and whole. It’s amazing what sounds the intricate harmonies can produce.

Even though I really enjoyed Adding Machine, it is definitely not a musical for the masses. Adding Machine is weird and not in a campy, Rocky Horror way; it’s weird in an avant-garde, twisted way. You probably have to have a predisposition for creepy storytelling and also a tolerance for artistic quirks you might not understand. Check it out if you’re into new musical theatre or inventive new ways to tell classic stories.

Adding Machine plays at the Minetta Lane Theatre, 18 Minetta Lane, in the West Village, Tue-Fri 8 PM, Sat 3 and 8 PM, and Sun 3 PM. For tickets call 212-307-4100 or 212-420-8000.

Check out theatreiseasy.com for more reviews and info about the New York theatre scene.

The spring theatre season is officially under way! We now present our top picks for all of your March New York theatre needs (click on a show title below to read the Theatre Is Easy review) …

To take a date: In the Heights
A romantic and uplifting musical with some smokin’-hot, Latin-influenced choreography.

To take your parents: August: Osage County
Takes this spot for the second month. Family dysfunction has never been funnier.

Cheap but awesome: Too Much Light Makes the Baby Go Blind
Chicago’s Neo-Futurists perform 30 plays in 30 minutes for less than 50 cents a play.

For a laugh: The 39 Steps
A fun, goofy, wonderfully British ride.

For a good story: Liberty City
A compelling story about the fight for civil liberties in south Florida in the late ’70s.

Quick, before it closes: Liberty City
Plays like this don’t come around that often — and unfortunately don’t always stick around that long.

Visit theatreiseasy.com for more New York theatre reviews and useful info.

BOTTOM LINE: An avant-garde new musical for artists, by artists. It’s quite inventive and touching, but maybe too “out there” for non-artists.

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.

The five musicians and six actors work together to tell the “autobiographical fiction” of Stew, the one-name frontman of the Negro Problem. Stew wrote Passing Strange’s book and lyrics and cowrote the score with bassist and longtime collaborator Heidi Rodewald. He also narrates the play and acts as bandleader.

The story isn’t exactly unique: Stew is a young black man growing up in middle-class L.A. who’s trying to find his way in a society that wants him to conform, even though all he wants to do is play music and be himself. He eventually heads to Europe to find the freedom to be an artist. The story is told in three phases: in L.A. before Stew leaves home, in Amsterdam after he arrives in Europe, and finally in Berlin after he tires of Amsterdam.

“Angsty artist on a journey” is hardly a new subject for a play, but the storytelling techniques and creative concepts used in Passing Strange are definitely innovative. The actors all play multiple characters from scene to scene (although the actor playing young Stew remains that character throughout the show), and the visuals are minimal, with the set made up of just a few chairs, a desk, and a music stand. At the back of the stage is a giant wall of bright neon lights carefully designed by Kevin Adams, the lighting designer of Spring Awakening; the wall informs the story, changing and pulsating as the scene dictates. Director Annie Dorsen’s staging is clever and seamless, thanks in part to Stew’s narration.

(more…)

Welcome to Best Bets, your ultimate theatre resource from Popdose and theatreiseasy.com. Let us save you time and provide you with information on the NY theatre experience that’s perfect for your every need. Theatre is really easy.

BEST BETS, FEBRUARY 2008:

To take a date: The Farnsworth Invention
(Go with the hot, intellectual thing.)

To take your parents: August: Osage County
(Relatable family drama that will make your family look normal.)

For a laugh: Avenue Q
(Obvious but solid entertainment; try the lottery for cheap tickets two and a half hours before the show.)

For a good story: The Seafarer
(The plot has holes, but the characters are fantastic.)

Cheap but awesome: Speech & Debate
(The first of Roundabout Theatre’s new “Underground” series.)

Quick, before it closes: Speech & Debate
(Closes February 24 after a very extended run.)

Let us be the first to tell you: In the Heights
(Previews begin February 14 for this awesome new musical.)

Check out theatreiseasy.com for NY theatre reviews and information!

BOTTOM LINE: An uninspired story with mediocre music; a few decent moments and a talented cast keep it from being a total bust; only recommended for those who really like musical theatre and are jonesing for something new.

If I’m wrong, please tell me why, but I thought Next To Normal was a story that didn’t need to be told … especially not through song. And trust me, there’s a lot of song in this rock-opera for the Prozac generation. Luckily, the gifted cast of five graciously sing its faces off, giving the score some much-needed depth and feeling. Brian d’Arcy James and Alice Ripley (they play the parents) have intensely good voices, and Jennifer Damiano (she plays the daughter) really shines in this role.

The plot begins with a mother, father, and their teenage daughter lamenting their craptacular lives. The mom is on pills, the daughter is angsty and the dad ignores it all (wait, you’ve heard this before?). It’s kind of like American Beauty without the quirky characters and interesting story. But then the audience finds out the twist — the reason for the dysfunction — and this was my favorite moment of the evening, which I was glad I didn’t see coming, so I’m not going to tell you what it was, lest you choose to see Next to Normal yourself. Suffice it to say, things get worse for the fam and the mom ends up attempting suicide. She’s admitted to the psych ward and given electro-shock therapy (cue Chief throwing drinking fountain through window). After the treatments, she has totally lost her memory and has to try to piece everything together again (McMurphy didn’t have that hard of a time — okay, Cuckoo’s Nest references end now). Really, the story is just sad, and at the end it’s still sad, and no one has really grown.

Next to Normal is a hefty production with a seasoned creative team, and it shows. The set is pretty great — it’s a three-story structure that sort of resembles scaffolding — the band is perched on the sides of the second and third stories, and the actors utilize all three levels easily, giving the space a cool movement and feeling of fullness. The set looks a lot like the set used for Rent, and I’m not saying this has anything to do with the fact that Michael Grief (Rent) directed this, and Anthony Rapp (original Mark in Rent) assisted him. The lighting and sound design are also spectacular.

I really want to like this musical. And giving everyone involved the benefit of the doubt, this is its first real production after being presented at the 2005 New York Musical Theatre Festival and then spending time in development in Seattle. And I did see it at the beginning of an off-Broadway run, so if it happens to get a chance on Broadway, a lot could potentially change. See this show if you really dig musical theatre, or if you’re a rock opera buff.

Next to Normal plays a limited run through March 9 at Second Stage Theatre on 43rd and 8th. Tickets start at $84; student rush tickets are $15, available 30 minutes before showtime, and youth advance tickets are $26.50 for anyone 25 and under. Visit 2st.com for tickets and more info.

Check out theatreiseasy.com for more NY theatre reviews and information!