Reviews – What The Critics Are Saying:

“Author-performer Tayo Aluko’s one-man show about the great Paul Robeson is at its best when it is being most political…Aluko also sings a number of songs associated with Robeson and discusses his personal life, but these elements don’t work as well, largely due to the fact that although Aluko is a good singer, he can’t begin to fill Robeson’s shoes, he is physically nothing like the towering original, and his acting tends to be on the stiff side, under Olusola Oyeleye’s perhaps too-respectful direction.

Phil Newman’s metaphorical set of scattered pieces of Robeson’s life never quite coheres dramatically, but Dennis A. Nelson does a fine job of accompaniment on the piano. Robeson’s battles are far from won, and “Call Mr. Robeson”…stirringly reminds us of exactly that.”
Backstage

“As a famed singer and actor persecuted for his radical politics and civil-rights campaigning, Paul Robeson has the dimensions of an American tragic hero. And, even if a 90-minute one-man show can’t encompass the whole of Robeson’s extraordinary rise and fall, Tayo Aluko does a fine job in evoking his dynamic presence and in reminding us of the inhospitable attitude to dissent in the land of the free.

For those who know little about Robeson, this touring production offers an admirable introduction to a great pioneering performer.”
Guardian.co.uk (4/5 stars)

“this is no shallow “biopic”, and we are left with a rich portrayal of a man of astonishing intellect who, in his time, had a great following…a moving introduction to a life that should be rediscovered.”
Islington Tribune

Remaining Performance Schedule

VENUE #13: Bowery Poetry Club
Wed 24 @ 7:15
Thu 25 @ 6:15
Fri 26 @ 9:30
Sun 28 @ NOON

Reviews – What The Critics Are Saying:

“Deeply obsessive love stories aren’t rendered as comedies particularly often — they’re more likely to show up as taut films with titillating titles like Fatal Attraction and Basic Instinct. But when you think about it, single-mindedness of focus, taken to absurd extremes, is a crucial component of farce, and isn’t that a perfect word for describing many romantic relationships? So come up with two killer characters who really want each other and something or someone to get in their way and add an equal amount of laughs, and you have the makings of a crackling dramatic work. That’s the recipe A.D. Penedo has followed…and the results are tasty indeed.”
TalkinBroadway

“Mix Mamet’s “Oleanna” with Ionesco’s “The Lesson” and you wind up with “The Three Times She Knocked.” A.D. Penedo’s intelligent and tightly written dramedy about lust and betrayal grabs from the first, although it takes a manic detour toward the end. Intensely directed by Christopher Windom, it’s an amusing cat-and-mouse game in the guise of budding romance.”
Backstage (Critic’s Pick)

“The Three Times She Knocked is entertaining from beginning to end and anchored by two intensely excellent performances. It balances moments of hilarity and discomfort, and finds a way to be almost cartoonishly over-the-top (with the intensity of Eric’s love) but never for a moment unbelievable. For love is an irrational thing. It borders on insanity at times. But just how insane can it make us? And just how irrational can we each get? The Three Times She Knocked may just answer that…”
NYTheatre.com

Remaining Performance Schedule

VENUE #17: Manhattan Theatre Source
Tue 23 @ 2
Thu 25 @ 9:15

Reviews – What The Critics Are Saying:

“Werse constructs an intricate plot revolving around a boy-scout policeman corrupted by a beautiful widow. The cynicism-laden dialogue is spoken with the right snap by the four-person cast…Along with director Marc Geller, they take the material as seriously as a handgun pointed in their faces. Daniel Dungan’s lighting, Jack Kennedy’s sound, and Ashley Rose Horton’s costumes create the appropriate dark and dangerous atmosphere.”
Backstage (Critic’s Pick)

“The requirements for tales of hard-boiled 1940s movie detectives are so clearly delineated that Stan Werse can trim the number of participants to four and still file a delightfully nasty version in Noir, at the Connelly Theater. As might be expected, the work’s tone is deep-dyed-cynical and morality is up for grabs.

Audience members who’ve watched such films as The Maltese Falcon or Out of the Past…will think they’ve figured this one out. The beauty part is they may decipher some of it but not all.”
TheaterMania

Remaining Performance Schedule

VENUE #7: Connelly Theater
8/21 @ 1
8/22 @ 9:30
8/25 @ 8:45

Reviews – What The Critics Are Saying:

“Ali Kennedy-Scott is a whirlwind, an irrepressible bundle of energy, spine and spirit, in “The Day the Sky Turned Black,” her one-woman show at the IATI Theater. It seems almost paradoxical that such a bright presence could write and perform the play, an enthralling if harrowing account of “Black Saturday” in 2009, when bush fires ravaged her native Australia. Yet by the production’s end, it’s clear that there is no one more suited to have conceived and presented it.”
New York Times

“In this extraordinarily simple and curiously beautiful work, Kennedy Scott switches between the narratives of five fictional people caught up in a real-life disaster.  Every one of the stories is breathtakingly compelling; every one of them brings a fresh perspective, a new remembered horror and a new reason for hope…go and see The Day The Sky Turned Black, an emotional tour-de-force and by far the best of the many one-actor shows I’ve taken in at the Fringe this year. “
FringeGuru.com (from Edinburgh Fringe)

“while there are some striking moments, theatergoers might be expecting deeper, more distinct portrayals.”
Backstage

Remaining Performance Schedule

VENUE #10: IATI Theater
8/24 @ 9:15
8/27 @ 2
8/28 @ 4:45

Reviews – What The Critics Are Saying:

“a clever new adaptation of August Strindberg’s expressionistic work A Dream Play…Therrien’s use of masks, puppetry, and the Tadashi Suzuki method of acting is inspired, giving Dreamplay the right sense of off-kilter fun and danger.

The 12-person cast display boundless energy in the creation of the subversive Dreamplay experience…which, in its abstract way, asks how we are able to survive and even thrive in such a sorrow-filled existence. Dreamplay doesn’t offer answers, but it encourages us to ponder the big questions that surround our existence.”
TheaterMania

“part dark nightmare, part colorful dream, and a theatrical experience that is sure to be a highlight of this season’s FringeNYC Festival. Writer-director-puppet designer Therrien has done a terrific job coordinating disparate elements into one cohesive vision, and he clearly cares a great deal for his subject matter. The play has been workshopped at the National Puppetry Conference at the Eugene O’Neill Theater Center and premiered at the Connecticut Repertory Theatre. This time in development has paid off with a fully realized production, and one that I highly recommend.”
NYTheatre

Remaining Performance Schedule:

VENUE #2: CSV Flamboyan
Sun 21 @ 2:15
Fri 26 @ 7:45
Sat 27 @ 4:30

NYCFringeGuide Critic’s Pick

This contemporary percussion and dance jam takes Japanese Taiko drumming and mixes it with the theatrical sensibilities of STOMP. Add tap, vocal harmonization, a dash of hip hop styling and lighting used to excellent advantage and you’ve got a rousing 45 minutes which will excite and delight even the most jaded fringe-goer… as long as they aren’t nursing a headache.

Director, Dancer, and Choreographer Yako Miyamoto (a STOMP performer herself) has already showcased COBU’s thumping athleticism in other cities, and it shows in the polish and tightly paced presentation. A guaranteed crowd pleaser, and the first show of 2011 to earn a NYCFringeGuide Critic’s Pick.

Reviews – What The Critics Are Saying:

“the seven members of this all-female NYC-based troupe are in constant movement. They do cartwheels, tap dance, twirl, and even stage fight. More than anything, the performers demonstrate a dazzling array of inventive percussion, using every inch of the drums (as well as parts of the stage) to great effect, transitioning seamlessly from primal booms to jazzy rat-a-tat.

Miyamoto’s choreography sets a relentless pace, and not one of the cast members misses a beat, performing the entire set with smiles of absolute joy. Their enthusiasm—and talent—are infectious.”
Backstage (Critic’s Pick)

“COBU does not disappoint. In a brief but breathtaking set, Yako Miyamoto and her all-female ensemble of drummers move fluidly from one staging to another, exploring all the ways that seven bodies and their drums can play off of each other. The fact that COBU has effectively mobilized the local Japanese community, who cheered throughout, makes their performance all the more entertaining”
CurtainUp

Remaining Performances:

VENUE #14: Bleecker Theatre
Wed 24 @ 2:30
Thu 25 @ 5:15

Reviews – What The Critics Are Saying:

“Watching actor-playwright Jay Alvarez perform…you may be  fooled into thinking that it’s not a solo show at all, but a stage filled with a large and vibrant company of actors giving their all in telling how Alvarez’s family escaped from their native Cuba and Fidel Castro’s oppressive regime….this is one hour of totally compelling theater. It will blow away any reservations you might have about seeing yet another one-person show.”
Backstage (Critic’s Pick)

“Alvarez embraces his role as the storyteller; his performance is energetic, honest, and heartfelt.”
NYTheatre.com

Remaining Performances:

Cherry Lane Theatre, 38 Commerce St. (1h 05m)
8/21 @ 6:30
8/24 @ 6:30
8/26 @ 10:00