This Friday, August 10, 2007, the
11th Annual New York International Fringe Festival
(FringeNYC) kicks
off. FringeNYC is the largest multi-arts festival
in North America, with more than 200 companies from
all over the world. The variety of performances
range from solo dramatic performance art to zany, full-fledged
musicals. Over the last ten years the festival
has been a spawning ground for the sublime and the
freakish.
For some shows the festival is
a culmination of efforts in bringing a piece to life;
for other shows the Fringe
is simply the first step on a longer journey. Many
shows have received Off-Broadway productions following
their appearance at FringeNYC. And the FringeNYC “posterchild”, Urinetown,
took an even farther trip. The 1999 entry found
a subsequent life Off-Broadway, and eventually made
the leap to the Broadway stage in 2001, where it garnered
10 Tony Award nominations and took home 3.
Now you could spend your time and
money searching for that diamond in the rough, but
there are other
baubles that FringeNYC has to offer. For the
savvy viewer, the Fringe can be a great way to see
some of your favorites from Broadway in a much more
intimate setting. If you are in the mood for
just such a thing, here are a few shows that might
fit the bill.
Kiss and Make Up (musical): It’s
described as “A MADCAP ROLLERCOASTER RIDE”. It
is opening night for a small town community theater,
and now the President is coming! The leading
lady cracks under the pressure, forcing the leading
man to play both parts. It stars David Sabella
(Chicago) and features Stephanie D’Abruzzo
(Avenue Q), Capathia Jenkins (Martin Short:
Fame Becomes Me, Caroline or Change) and Patti
Perkins (The Full Monty).
Bye, Bye Big Guy (musical): With music by
David Evans (Birds of Paradise, Children’s
Letters to God) and lyrics by Faye Greenberg (High
School Musical) the show is an irreverent, raunchy
musical spoof of celebrity memorial services. Fractured
fairy tale characters and a multitude of dwarfs come
together to pay their last respects to a giant of a
man, Rumplestiltskin. The cast includes
Jill Abramovitz (Martin Short: Fame Becomes Me),
Orville Mendoza (Pacific Overtures), Carly
Jibson (Hairspray) and Danielle Lee Greaves
(Rent, Hairspray). Direction and Choreography
will be provide by veteran Broadway performer turned
director/choreographer, Devanand Janki (Side Show,
Miss Saigon).
Asking For It (play): This
powerful and poignant one-woman comedy, written and
performed
by Joanna Rush (A Chorus Line), is a coming
of age story about a feisty dancer and former ‘Outstanding
Catholic Youth of the Year’who takes on New York
where her convictions about religion bump up against
the confusions of reality. The show’s direction
is being provided by Tony nominee Lynne Taylor-Corbett
(Swing!, Titanic, Chess)
Thunder! A Musical Memoir (musical): Jimmy
Tate (Bring in ‘Da Noise, Bring in ‘Da
Funk, Jelly’s Last Jam, The Tap Dance Kid)
provides the stories, original songs and choreography
for this emotional tale of love, loss and the realization
of dreams.
Elephant in the Room! (play):
This piece inspired by Eugene Ionesco’s Rhinoceros is
written and directed by Dan Fogler, Tony Award winner
for The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee.
You can find out about tickets,
times and venue information by logging onto www.FringeNYC.org. Happy
Fringing!
