Reviews – What The Critics Are Saying:

“Sometimes, theatre makes you ask the big questions. Sometimes, it forces you to look in a mirror. And sometimes, it slaps you in the mouth, gives you a handkerchief for the blood, and says “Who loves you, baby?”

Celebrated actor, Greek, and wooer of ladies Telly Savalas, dead since 1994, is back—and you’re damn right he’s got something to say. As Savalas, Tom DiMenna is hilarious and in total control of the persona…Gut-bustingly funny from start to finish, it’s overflowing with outrageous stories, sensitive crooning, and some of the best punchlines I’ve heard.”
NYTheatre.com

“An alumnus of Second City Chicago, and trained in Shakespeare at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts, DiMenna has good comedic timing and classical instincts. This show is an unabashed tribute to Savalas, but it’s never mawkishly sentimental..and with tongue firmly planted in cheek, DiMenna will let you experience first-hand why Savalas still matters.”
CurtainUp

Remaining Performance Schedule

VENUE #13: Bowery Poetry Club (50 minutes)
Sun 28 @ 4:15

Reviews – What The Critics Are Saying:

“may well be one of my favorite FringeNYC shows to date…hilarious character interplay and original personalities dominate the piece. Fleitman has a real knack for dialogue and has managed to make even the raw spots of the show still shine. The show runs long and there are several scenes that feel like filler…(but)… It’s easily in my top three festival shows of all time and one of the best pieces I’ve seen in a long time. A little chaff-shaving and I could see this going much farther.”
NYTheatre.com

” a wonderfully written adult fairy tale about keeping your dignity through the hardships of love. Unfortunately though, the production doesn’t hold a consistent reality that lets you indulge in the material; rather, it plays to its jokes, constantly references its use of metaphor, and is sometimes unnecessarily silly (i.e. bad drag for no reason). At its heart, The Average-Sized Mermaid is a delightful, modern fairy tale, and it is at its best when it lets its fantastical and sincere world drive the story.”
Theasy.com

Remaining Performance Schedule

VENUE #7: Connelly Theater (2 hours)
Thu 25 @ 6
Fri 26 @ 9:15
Sat 27 @ 1

Winner of the FringeNYC Award for Excellence in Playwriting – Matt Saldarelli

Somewhat uneven in it’s mix of high and low-brow comedy, Getting Even With Shakespeare could fully realize the potential of it’s clever premise with a bit of judicious pruning. Even so, in it’s current incarnation this satirization of The Bard, theater in general, and playwriting itself, provides enough laughter for a satisfying outing overall.

Reviews – What The Critics Are Saying:

“Somewhat reminiscent of Tom Stoppard’s Shakespearean spin-offs, this comedy has an interesting conceit, is theatrically clever, and is funny…By the time you exit the theater, your mind will be saturated with echoes of Shakespeare, Beckett, popular culture, and more. There are jokes about the theater and amusing cracks about Shakespeare’s characters. But, unfortunately, all this entertaining stuff loses its dramatic center after an hour.”
CurtainUp

“Though the play is called Getting Even with Shakespeare, it’s an irreverent show for Shakespeare aficionados and theater fans to laugh at. And while the references to Pirandello, Jean Paul Sartre, Samuel Becket, Christopher Marlowe, and Harold Bloom may be highbrow, most of the punch lines are not.”
NYTheatre

“Getting Even With Shakespeare imagines that some of the Bard’s most famed creations are alive and well and watching over the way they’re being presented on stage in the 21st century. Unfortunately, Saldarelli veers away from this extremely funny idea early on, and though there are plenty of spirited performances in Laura Konsin’s sturdy enough production, the merriment initially evoked by the piece wears thin.”
TheaterMania

ENCORE SERIES PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE:

Venue: The Players Theater (1h 30m)

9/21 @ 8:00
9/24 @ 9:00
9/25 @ 7:30
9/26 @ 4:00

Winner of the FringeNYC Award for Overall Excellence in Production (Musical)

Satirizing not only the film, but musical theater itself, this show has garnered acclaim from even the “serious” critics. What it lacks in narrative throughline, it makes up for with abundant ‘Family Guy/South Park’ style zaniness. There are only a few chances left to catch this clever sketch-musical before it becomes extinct.

Reviews – What The Critics Are Saying:

“Not since “Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead” has there been such a playful re-imagining as Jurassic Parq: The Broadway Musical…The writing is sharp and satirical…The cast is uniformly terrific…Crisply directed by Pailet, the musical pokes great fun at everything from celebrity to musicals to science and more”
Backstage (Critic’s Pick)

Dancing dinosaurs struggle with issues of gender identity in this oddball but ultimately enjoyable musical.
Wall Street Journal

“surprisingly great, lifting, emotional theatrical moments to be found.
CurtainUp

“I can whole heartedly admit that this is the most fun I’ve ever had at a Fringe show.”
NYTheatre

“a marvelous cast of “chorusasaurus” who really commit to the authors’ crazy vision…(it) doesn’t just parody the 1993 blockbuster Jurassic Park…it actually succeeds in telling the story from the dinosaurs’ point-of-view.”
TheaterMania

ENCORE SERIES PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE:

Venue: The Lucille Lortel Theater (1h 20m)

9/9 @ 7:00
9/11 @ 10:30
9/17 @ 9:30
9/18 @ 10:30

Reviews – What The Critics Are Saying:

“David, who wrote the script as well, has created and brought to life full human beings who will make you laugh out loud at the same time your heart aches for them. Please go see this fabulous show!”
NYTheatre.com

“David doesn’t shy away from shtick, packing every moment with one-liners and observational quips. That said, “South Pathetic” would benefit from a bit of editing and focus. Still, David’s uproarious final abridged enactment of Williams’ play firmly keeps this “Streetcar” from jumping the rails.”
Backstage (Critic’s Pick)

ENCORE SERIES PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE:

Venue: The Players Theater (1h 15m)

9/15 @ 8:00
9/17 @ 9:30
9/18 @ 10:00
9/19 @ 3:00

“…an irresistible show…you will continually be amazed at how well this tragic masterpiece is re-invented through vaudeville-like routines…This production reminds you that the essence of theater is not spoken words, but acting”
CurtainUp

“a comic tour-de-force. With committed actors, incredible props and more gags than I can count, the show easily entertains Shakespeare aficionados and novices alike. You will have a ball. Now, shut up and go!”
NYTheatre

“so thoughtful about character, that one almost wishes more directors would give their shows the silent treatment. Its aesthetic may be low-budget, and some of its laughs may be cheap, but Hamlet Shut Up is one of the smartest Hamlets I’ve ever seen—and certainly the funniest.”
TimeOut NY

“In the hands of director Jonas Oppenheim, the drama becomes a comedy—at warp speed. Composer Josh accompanies the play on an electronic piano, which gives the action the look of a silent film and the humor of a piano bar…”Hamlet Shut Up” is all about laughs—not language.”
Wall Street Journal

It doesn’t get more archetypally Fringe than this… low budget, no-frills, B movie sci-fi musical laugh fest. Sporting clever lyrics, line up early and sit in the first three rows if you want to make them out over the cheesy recorded backup music.

“the whole show is really funny, intricate, and enjoyable, with its spot on timing and snappy turns of phrase. There’s no pretension of depth here. It’s all warp speed wit and, happily, it’s completely weightless. Well worth seeing.”
CurtainUp

“Light on nerdy references and heavy on loopy fun, this science-fiction musical—which Powell also wrote—has a fast-moving charm similar (but superior) to that of last year’s Toxic Avenger. The ridiculous lyrics are performed with such conviction that you can’t help getting pulled into the interdimensional mayhem”
TimeOut NY

“If you are looking for a light and fun musical to see at FringeNYC, this just may be the ticket.”
NYTheatre

Ever wonder what Sarah Silverman’s daughter would be like? How about if Ms. Silverman was a Muslim lesbian, and the sperm donor was Weird Al Yankovic. Well Zehra Fazal has, and she’s proud to demonstrate it for you live on-stage.

“Zehra Fazal is a formidable artist…I have every confidence that this show will keep selling out performances at FringeNYC and will continue to bring us all closer together.”
NYTheatre.com

“Fazal is funny, with both an infectious spirit and an endearing way with song parodies.”
TheaterMania.com

“the lyrics, mixed with her comedic representations of subjects like her first gynecologist visit, her father’s take on dating and her family’s reactions to each other, wrapped up nicely into a little, definitely haraam, presentation of what is going on under that bitchy headscarf.”
NYPress

It’s almost inappropriate to relate what Casey Smith does using words, when he articulates every equally inappropriate scene eschewing language altogether. A mime? Sure, if that label includes a parallel universe where Marcel Marceau stars in a show directed by Quentin Tarantino performed in an asylum for the criminally insane.

“Casey Smith has a manic energy verging on lunacy…anyone who can laugh at clowns dying, bleeding, barfing, or farting should have a wild ride.”
NYTheatre.com

“unabashedly puerile, scatological, nihilistic and as funny as hell”
LA Weekly

“Top 10 shows of 2009″
LA Weekly

“Winner – Best Solo Performance”
L.A. Weekly Theater Awards

Eight actors from the same seasoned classical theater company that brought last year’s Midsummer delight, tackle 21 roles in one of The Bard’s most beloved plays. Add cross-gender casting and you’ve got a sure-fire Fringe delight.

“Amid over-produced, over-conceived and over-long interpretations of Shakespeare’s plays, this production of “As You Like It” stands out for its simplicity and clarity.”
Wall Street Journal

“a worthy group who throw themselves into their work and play. May they have many productions ahead of them!”
NYTheatre.com

“The cast of eight talented, appealing young actors efficiently and effectively tells this comic romantic tale with little more than a few costumes and BAMA’s signature trunk as visual details.”
An Arts Angle

The first show to earn a “must-see” designation from our staff this year. What SHINE lacks in dramaturgy and originality it more than makes up for with rip-roaring hilarity. The cast is superb, the performances tight, the music is bumping and the hips grinding, albeit with a lot more nod-nod wink-wink than actual erotic heat. Any who appreciate the Rocky Horror brand of bawdy irreverence will welcome this brazen production with open arms, hearts, and legs. - NYCFringeGuide

“polished, extraordinarily well-performed and, often, great fun.”
NYTheatre

“If the book is derivative, however, there is entertainment, and even wit in the musical numbers written in a variety of styles; the lyrics are clever, the choreography is fun, and some of the costumes are hilarious.”
TimeOut NY

“A naughty-licious good time… 42nd St. with tits.”
BroadwayWorld

“The plot may be as old as the oldest profession. But the song and dance numbers sparkle. And there are enough raunchy jokes to keep an entire convent blushing. Even in the permissive 21st century, this is not one for the kids. So leave them at home and have fun.”
CurtainUp

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