How Did I Get Here? at The Complex

by Tony Bartolone~

Laura Levites hits the stage like a neurotic hurricane of loss, laughs and loneliness. Her one woman show twists her painful relationship history into a series of delightful anecdotes and light commentaries. I felt a little uneasy at times, perhaps because I identified with the material. I was both amused and unnerved by this funny, scary and subtly touching performance centering around the moments when you just have to ask yourself “How Did I Get Here?”

An interesting element of the piece was the use of her dog as a personal relationship. Of all the colorful characters in the play, her dog seemed to shine through with the most love. Everybody else in her life seemed to be passing through, but the loyal pet was always there at the end of the day. It left me to wonder if that was all we had to hope for.

I wasn’t sure quite what to make of this frantic, revolving door parade of boyfriends. But once the show was over I kept thinking of all my own “How Did I Get Here?” moments. And it’s nice to know I’m not the only one.

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Steal Away: The Living History of Harriet Tubman at Theatre of Note

by Felicity Doyle~

Steal Away retells the illustrious story of Harriet Tubman and how she became the American icon she is today. A reporter comes to visit Mrs. Tubman at her home in Auburn, New York, and through memory recall, we learn about her journey. From childhood, as her father teaches her to navigate North by the stars, her first experiences with beatings working as a plantation maid, to her rise as the “Moses” of the Underground Railroad.

Penned by director Rick Balian based on interviews with Harriet’s living relatives and her written legacy, Steal Away is a kid-encouraged production that teaches us the importance of planting roots and sticking with our convictions.

From her first moment singing the spiritual song “Steal Away,” Pamela Shaddock’s portrayal of Tubman is vibrant. Equally divided between live action and puppetry, the vocal talents of her supporting cast are superb. Puppet construction by Sandra Eckert creates a tension between the grotesque facial expressions of the puppets and the mostly lighthearted text of the play. The performance finishes with teaching and singing with the audience, and the gift of a small red apple. Bring your children (and adults) to witness a fun and poignant story from our American past.

Steal Away plays at Theatre of Note June 25th at 10am and June 26th at 2pm.

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The Blue Lagoon: A Musical at Theatre Asylum

by Danny Rangel~

The Blue Lagoon‘s Fringe Festival pamphlet description is far too good not to be repeated here: “a subversively funny take on the classic tale of shipwrecked teen cousins in lust.” It might seem that with such a clever introduction, expectations would have trouble meeting reality.

Not this time. Blue Lagoon: A Musical delivers in the limited way it is supposed to deliver, and that in itself is a considerable victory in this year’s Fringe. Rightly paced at a brisk forty-five minutes, Blue Lagoon is the story of a young pair of cousins who find themselves marooned on a deserted island, with nothing but their unconsummated lust for each other to keep them company.

Blue Lagoon does not suffer from the kind of wooden and uninspired performances that would have otherwise sunk this show. Shayna Albertson and Anthony Johnson play Richard and Emmeline, two goofball characters in search of an answer for their passionate (and forbidden!) love affair. Albertson and Johnson carry the show with a pair of lively and uninhibited performances. They are simply wonderful on that stage, despite having to go through most of this show with about ten ounces worth of clothing between them. The Blue Lagoon: A Musical is a gem in this year’s festival, and well worth the price of admission.

The Blue Lagoon: A Musical plays Friday 6/24 at 8:30 p.m., Saturday 6/25 at 4 and 10 p.m., and Sunday 6/26 at 5:30 p.m.

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The Booby Prize at i.O. West

by Tony Bartolone~

Lizzie Czerner is psychotic. And she has my respect for baring it all in to a room of strangers. With spot on timing, clever wit and infectious insanity, Czerner goes beyond neurosis and takes the crowd with her.

Subject matter seems to be drying up in Hollywood, but The Booby Prize is original and refreshing in world of overdone and recycled. A personal story about being ashamed of your body and the effects it has on relationships is something most people can relate to. What’s remarkable is how easy Czerner made it to relate to irrational behavior by simply justifying it to herself. She begins the play stalking a man and talking to pigeons. It’s almost as if she tells the audience right then, “Ready or not, here we go!” And as the play goes on, you absolutely fall in love with her.

Obviously well-versed in comedy, the impressive thing about her one woman show was the ability to seamlessly jump through contrasting emotional levels. From tender to torture, it’s all entertaining in this play about loving yourself for everything you are.

The Boobie Prize plays June 23 at 8pm

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Martini & Olive: Torn Between Two Love Handles at The Lounge

by Tony Bartolone~

A painfully bad performance has never been so fun to watch. From the “Swizzle Stick Dancers” to the security guards, every actor was so committed to the spectacle, I couldn’t help but laugh the whole show.

Mixing 70′s music with the American Midwest, ridiculous costumes and terrible lounge singing, Martini & Olive is the perfect comedy cocktail. Judy Heneghan (Olive Newton-John) has so many little moments squeezed into an hour I want to watch it again to see the things I must have missed. I would say she stole the show, but that would be a crime because Danny Schmitz (Tony Martini) was outstanding as well.

It was absolutely over-the-top absurd but some clever lines were so subtle laughter was an after thought. So many comedies are amusing or entertaining, but Martini & Olive is actually funny. At times it felt as if the whole thing was going to fall apart or implode. And it was that tension along with the impressive physical humor and witty jokes that made this a must-see campy, comedy extravaganza.

Martini & Olive plays June 22 at 10pm and June 25 at 2pm

Solution for Yesterday’s Crossword Puzzle