As You Like It

One of my favorite summertime activities is catching some of the live outdoor performances in Central Park.

This last weekend, my BF and I enjoyed a production of Shakespeare's As You Like It presented by Boomerang Theatre Company. This production had all the requisite elements of good outdoor theatre; live music, comedy, physical action and good actors who are able to project. It also didn't hurt that As You Like It is one of Shakespeare's most popular (and easy to follow) plays.

It is not always easy to perform outdoors. The weather of course is a wild card and then there are constant distractions such as other park goers, snack vendors, city traffic, playful children laughing and screaming, etc. etc. However the Boomerang cast was up for the challenge. Wandering minstrel, Scott Williams entertained the crowd as we found seats and continued to add to the buoyant atmosphere throughout the show. Jessi Gotta was the anchor of the production with her fully realized portrayal of Rosalind the quick witted heroine and Matthew Trumbull turned in a wonderfully humorous and unexpected performance as the pretentious know-it-all Jaques.

Director Matt Johnston cleverly pared down the production to the essentials of the story and let the script and the actors do the rest. A large rock and tree surprisingly provided the perfect setting for the romantic comedy. Set in contemporary times and with few props, the cast quickly grabbed the attention of the assembled audience and entertained us throughout the very quick 2 hours.

As You Like It runs through August 10th and is Free to attend.

Insider Tips:

• Check out Boomerang Theatre Company's website. They are celebrating their 10th anniversary and have a great season planned.
• Bring a blanket or lawn chair, water and a snack.
• Check out where the bathrooms are located before the performance begins
• Central Park offers a ton of fun outdoor performances check out these links for information
  Summer Stage
  Sandbox Stories & Music
  Marionette Theater
  Delacorte Theatre

You've Gotta Have Heart

This week a friend of mine scored us tickets to the opening of Damn Yankees presented by New York City Center's Encores! Summer Stars series. The cool thing about New York City Center is that it brings in some of the country's best and most recognizable talent and presents them for extremely reasonable prices ($25 - $110 per ticket).

Damn Yankees, for example stars Sean Hayes (from Will and Grace), Jane Krakowski (from 30 Rock) and Broadway star Cheyenne Jackson. To see these kinds of celebrities perform, you would expect to pay at least $80 per ticket and yet I think the best seats were selling for less than $50. New York City Center is certainly living up to their mission "to make the finest in the performing arts accessible to the broadest possible audience."

Plus we got to attend the opening night party. Let me tell you opening night parties are always a good time. You have the chance to mix and mingle with the cast and creative team. There is usually good music, eats and an open bar. The fare for this party was appropriate to the baseball theme, featuring mini hamburgers, popcorn and crackerjacks.

The production itself was adequate. All the players performed admirably and sufficiently entertained the audience. The stand outs of the evening were Cheyenne Jackson as the young Joe Hardy who turned in a soulful performance; Veanne Cox who provided some great comedic timing; Sean Hayes as the Devil himself who really shined during his solo number "Those Were the Good Old Days" and the costumes which were designed by Broadway veteran William Ivey Long.

This production used the original Bob Fosse choreography, which unfortunately didn't really work. I do not believe that the performers were able to fully embody the choreography and so the dance numbers were not fun and energetic extensions of the scene, but rather people on stage just trying to get all the steps.

Several years ago I saw a production of Damn Yankees that was fantastic. It was exciting, moving and entertaining. I left the theatre and for weeks afterwards caught myself humming "You've Gotta Have Heart." While the performers in the Encores! production all hit the right notes and had the right bravado, there was definitely something missing. They didn't have heart. And ultimately, as the musical itself illustrates, that is what it takes to score a homerun.

New York City Center has a fantastic season lined up that features more musical theatre, the "Fall for Dance Festival" with tickets starting at $10 and some of the best dance companies in the country.

Check out the New York City Center website for ticketing and schedule information.

Insider Tips:

• The Encores! Great American Musicals in Concert has 3 more productions this season (On The Town, Music in the Air and Finian’s Rainbow). Performers have not yet been announced, but I'm sure it will be a good opportunity to catch celebs performing live theatre at less than Broadway prices.
• Check out the "Fall for Dance Festival." There are some fantastic dance companies participating and tickets are only $10.

Way off the beaten path

One block from the Jefferson stop on the L Train in the middle of Brooklyn, is a very obscure underground theatre called the Bushwick Starr. It is so obscure in fact that if you didn't know it was there, you wouldn't know it was there. This loft/theatre space was the setting for an extraordinary evening entitled March Madness Mealtime presented by Conni's Avant-Garde Restaurant.

If the term "avant-garde" scares you then you should definitely stay far away from Miss Conni and the cavalcade of eccentric characters that make up this "environmental dinner party." If you are brave and adventurous however, you will not be disappointed.

This modern macabre vaudevillian variety show is expertly performed by the fearless cast. With each installment the ensemble creates a new show based on a timely theme. The evening I attended was inspired by "March Madness" and explored the gray area between genius and insanity.

The evening includes a 5 course meal that begins with drinks and hors d'oeuvres while you mingle with your fellow audience members and your hosts. Each course is accompanied by an act; sometimes a scene, sometimes a song, a dance number or a dumb show. The meal is by no means gourmet cuisine, but it is filling and tasty. The vegetables in particular are quite good. Of course there is also alcohol which only enhances your enjoyment of the performance. Donations are encouraged for mixed drinks, but table wine is liberally poured and prescriptions for "gin-termission" were happily written by a wily doctor who wasn't wearing pants.

You will be surprised when the last bows are taken and you look down at your watch to realize that you have been there for nearly 4 hours. While the entertainment was sometimes dark and devious it was always performed with a sense of humor and a joyous spirit that will leave you engaged and invigorated.

Each table seats 8 to 10 guests. Somewhere between the green beans, the ballet and the second round of drinks, all the people at my table got to chatting. We introduced ourselves, laughed, discussed the show and afterwards continued our revelry by meeting for drinks at a neighborhood bar.

While they serve up both dinner and theatre, the performers make it very clear that this is not dinner theatre. House rules such as, "there is absolutely no ordering, but you may ask for seconds" and "referring to the performers as 'waiters' is insulting, don't do it" emphasize this point.

The $40 admission fee is well worth the experience that Miss Conni Convergence offers. The next restaurant is scheduled for May 2nd and 3rd. For updates and reservation information check out their website at www.avantgarderestaurant.com.

Insider Tips:

• Reserve your seats online in advance. Space is limited and the show sells out.


• Bring extra cash for mixed drinks.


• The show starts at 7pm and goes until 11pm. Be aware of your late-night travel options.

Going Blue Man

At this point you would be hard pressed to find an American that does not have some idea of what the Blue Man Group is. From their very modest beginnings performing on street corners in NYC or in underground cabarets such as The Club or the Off-Off-Broadway stage at LaMaMa the Blue Man Group has honed their unique brand of performance art. Now the Blue Man Group boasts world tours, television performances, movie appearances, hugely popular productions in Las Vegas, Orlando, Chicago, Boston, several locations in Europe and were even the spokesmen for Intel.

The Blue Man Group is an energetic, interactive, musical, multi-media, dance, comedy performance art piece and clown show. One of the reasons that I believe this perennial Off-Broadway production is so popular is because it is so accessible. According to the program their goal is to provide "experiences in a variety of media, which appeal to a broad range of age groups and cultural backgrounds." It does not matter what language you speak. It does not matter how old you are. It does not matter your religion, your education or your political leanings, you can identify with the blue men. That is one hell of an accomplishment.

Using percussive music, paint, films, slide shows, resourceful musical instruments, clever props, tons of recycled paper and the audience itself, the blue men provide an hour and a half of inventive fun with a little insight into human nature and human culture. I have seen the Blue Man Group before and was happy to see some of my favorite scenes from my previous visit, but I was also delighted to see some new things as well.

While the Astor Place Theatre is the home base for the Blue Man Group, it is considerably more modest than the large arenas that host them in other cities. This means you may not see some of the more grand displays that you might at some of the other locations. Also, if you are over 5 feet tall, you might find the seats, especially in the balcony a little too close for comfort.

There is interactive and then there is "interactive." If you don't mind a little regurgitated Twinkie in your hair you might want to reserve a seat in the "poncho" section of the theatre. After all, a little sweat and blue greasepaint never hurt anyone. However, if you are a little squeamish, you might want to get seats a little further back from the stage.

To buy tickets or learn more about the Blue Man Group, check out their website at http://www.blueman.com/.

Insider Tips

• Choose your seat carefully. If you are tall, like me, you will want to select seats either in the first row of the balcony or in the orchestra. There is a "poncho" section of seating consisting of the first 4 rows. People sitting in these seats may be sprayed with food, paint or jello.


• Take a camera. While you are not allowed to take photos in the theatre itself (a rule that is strictly enforced) you can take photos with the blue men and/or the band after the show in the lobby.


• Don't be shy. This is an audience participation production. It is so much more fun when the audience is excited and involved.

Off, off to the Theatre

To say that there is a plethora of theatre in New York City is an understatement. The big apple is the place to be for theatre lovers.

There are of course many Broadway and Off-Broadway shows that offer very polished and professional performances with some of the best singers, dancers and actors along with some of the most spectacular design elements that money can buy. Not to mention all the celebrities who take star turns on the Great White Way.

However, for those of you who are interested in experiencing the complete New York theatre scene and the very heart and soul of American Theatre, you might want to check out the city’s independent theater also known as Off-Off-Broadway. The productions that take place in the more intimate spaces through out New York do not boast big named stars or impressive sets or costumes. But what they lack in production values, they often make up for with innovative staging, visceral and timely plays, outstanding performances and enthusiasm.

Along the West side of 42nd Street, is the famous Theatre Row. During the last 5 years, all of the old theatres (some 15 spaces) were torn down and replaced with a new complex of 5 theatres along with Playwrights Horizons. The new Theatre Row Theatres provide a very pleasant, clean and tourist friendly environment for some of these smaller productions.

This last week, my BF and I went to see an Off-Off-Broadway production entitled Sherlock Solo, a one-person show that tells the tale of one of Sherlock Holmes’ adventures that was previously undocumented by the intrepid Mr. Watson. The playwright, Victor L. Cahn convincingly played the analytical title role along with all the other characters in the story. The set was simple but elegant and gave the distinct feeling of another time and place. The play itself was crisp, fun and titillating especially for those Sherlock Holmes fans in the audience. It was perfect fare for a Saturday matinee.

For only $18 we got a great performance that was as fulfilling as any I’ve seen in New York City. I strongly encourage all visitors to consider Off-Off-Broadway productions in addition to the Broadway shows. Off-Off-Broadway offers some of the best up-and-coming theatre artists along with some of the most accomplished professionals in the city. Plus there is something so thrilling about discovering these gems before the rest of the world does. I love to tell people that “I saw the original production of Urinetown.” Maybe one of these days I’ll be saying “I saw the original production of Sherlock Solo.”

Sherlock Solo was produced by Resonance Ensemble. For more information about the company or their season, check out their website http://www.resonanceensemble.org/.

Insider Tip:

There is just about something for everyone from classic Shakespeare to new plays fresh off the photocopier. I suggest spending a few minutes researching the productions and companies prior to venturing out. There are some fantastic sites that offer reviews and listings of the complete spectrum of theatre happening Off-Off-Broadway.

The New York Innovative Theatre Awards - www.nyitawards.com
TheaterMania – www.theatermania.com
The New York Theatre Experience – www.nytheatre.com
Off-Off-Online – www.offoffonline.com

Full disclosure I am one of the Founders of the New York IT Awards.