Applause! Applause! Review of Lie Of Omission at Studio Theatre Long Island by Dr. Thomas Robert Stevens

This review of Cheryl Navo's Lie Of Omission at Studio Theatre Long Island was written by Dr. Thomas Robert Stevens and published in Volume X, Issue 5 (2015) of the online edition of Applause! Applause!

Lie Of Omission
Written by Cheryl Navo
Directed by David Dubin
Studio Theatre Long Island
141 South Wellwood Avenue
Lindenhurst, New York
Reviewed 9/6/15 at 2:30 p.m. 

Cheryl Navo's first full-length play, Lie of Omission, was selected as a top fourteen finalist for the AACT (American Association of Community Theatre) New Play Fest 2015 before she withdrew it from the competition in order to accept a production contract from Studio Theatre Long Island to have the play's world premiere in Lindenhurst. Ms. Navo has lived over half her life in Germany. First, for three years as an active duty soldier, and then as a civilian for the Department of the Army from which she took early retirement from government service over a year ago. Her husband works for the Department of Defense in Germany. She has spent the last six years experimenting with being an actor, costume designer, set designer, scenic painter, director, and finally, playwright. Ms. Navo has written three one-act plays - Parade of Queens, Hotline, and At What Price. This play also began as a one-act play, but the story quickly expanded beyond the one-act format. It was inspired by a newspaper article she read about an American doctor who was kidnapped in the Middle East. During his rescue, a soldier was killed. She then purposely departed from the details of the true-life case throwing in complications of her own.

Lie Of Omission has a paper thin storyline that is absolutely incredible. When the play opens, we learn that David (David Rifkind), a plastic surgeon volunteering for Doctors Without Borders, was rescued from the Taliban after been held hostage for 5 days. During the rescue, an American soldier died. The doctor, back with his wife Monica (Gail Merzer Behrens) for four months, remains depressed and replays the news reports about the soldier who died over and over again on his laptop computer. He has not returned to work, refuses to speak to a psychiatrist, and has taken up drinking. He also refuses a sign a contract to speak about his ordeal in a tell-all book. Monica discovers a bank account with a half million dollars in it. She, of course, ridiculously assumes he is cheating on her with another woman but David refuses to explain the money until Monica informs him she has signed a contract to write a book about his experiences from her perspective. She, of course, knows nothing and no one would pay her for that, but let's suspend our disbelief if only for a moment. David then decides to reveal his "lie of omission." The truth is that while helping 22 children with free surgery, he accepted a half million dollars to perform plastic surgery on a Taliban leader who was on the FBI's 10 most wanted list. The doctor voluntarily drove into the Taliban Compound, and for all he knew, he would have been let go after his patient recovered (especially since the Taliban had already paid him), but in the meantime, he was "rescued" and his patient was killed by a joint coalition force. Despite the FBI knowing all these details, David somehow still has the half million dollars and was not arrested for providing "material support or resources" to terrorists (which includes "services"), for which he should be required to serve at least 10 years in a federal prison. We are supposed to believe the government just told him not to speak about the incident to anyone.

We learn all the facts I just revealed to you in less time than it took you to read the last paragraph. So what takes up the rest of the two hours in this excruciatingly, slow-moving play? Two superficial subplots, which I personally did not think added anything to the substance or complexity of this play. The first subplot involves Ned (Kevin Ganzekaufer), a teenage boy with Asperger's syndrome, who likes counting things and is emotionally detached from those around him. Ned is David's imaginary friend, but he is introduced to us as a neighbor. They traverse the lake on imaginary boats, catch fish with imaginary fishing poles, and have conversations only they can hear. Nothing explains the presence of this character in the play. Ned eventually suggests the dead soldier would have liked David to take care of his wife and three-year-old daughter. David agrees, but it is unlikely he will escape arrest once the slow-moving prosecutorial wheels of justice finally roll up to his doorstep. The second subplot deals with Alice (Frances McGarry), David's mother-in-law who is suffering from Alzheimer's disease and comes to live with him and his wife until they can find another Nursing Home for her to move into. She was kicked out of Shady Oaks for sleeping with another man's wife and for starting a fire in her room by smoking after she disconnected the smoke alarm. This opens another completely irrelevant story about how Monica and her sister Sandra (Kathleen Carthy) always sided with their father, over Alice, their mother, and how Alice never liked David because he was always "greedy, selfish, and never satisfied" always more concerned with making money than in his own wife's happiness. Alice did not attend their wedding and, in turn, David always referred to her as the Bitch From Hell (referred to as Bat From Hell in this G-rated play).

Lie Of Omission is full of characters you would never want to meet or have in your life. Ned has no emotional attachment to those around him and is tortured by his father's criticism of him. Alice, the mother-in-law, bitches all day about how her husband cheated on her, but she has no problem having a relationship with another woman's husband. In the play, we are supposed to believe that her lover's hunger strike (and the acquiescence of her lover's wife) led the Shady Oaks Nursing Home administrators to change their minds and to invite her back. We already know how bad David is and it is true he kept some secrets from his nagging, impatient wife but she then proceeds to sign a contract to write a book about his experiences as a hostage from her perspective without discussing that with him in advance, and after she alone changes her mind about wanting a baby, she gets angry at him saying "I am tired of waiting for you to allow me to have a baby." The final disagreeable character in this play is Sandra, Monica's sister, who keeps complaining about Monica leaving the front door open (even though they live in a gated community) and instantly blames her sister when their mom strolled off once for a walk. If Sandra was prepared to take responsibility for their mom, then she should have done so. Otherwise, she needs to keep her mouth shut.

Bad script. Bad story. Bad characters. Bad play. All the good acting in the world could not salvage this turkey, that never really could get off the ground. Perhaps others will see the play from a different perspective and catch things I missed. But I did not hear any enthusiastic applause between scenes and the person who saw the show with me told me he felt the play was depressing and his only regret was that he could not fall asleep during it. I was not impressed with the world premiere of Lie Of Omission, but if you have nothing to do and would like to check it out for yourself before Sunday, September 20, 2015 (tickets cost $25.00), visit www.studiotheatreli.com 

Applause! Applause! Review of An Intolerant Vaudeville at The Secret Theatre by Dr. Thomas Robert Stevens

This review of An Intolerant Vaudeville at The Secret Theatre was written by Dr. Thomas Robert Stevens and published in Volume X, Issue 5 (2015) of the online edition of Applause! Applause!

An Intolerant Vaudeville

Conceived & Directed by Sam Viverito

Written by Wendy Biller, Chris Hawthorne & Sam Viverito

Inspired by the Museum of Tolerance (Los Angeles)

The Secret Theatre

44-02 23rd Street

Long Island City, New York 11101

Reviewed 8/30/15 

In my opinion, An Intolerant Vaudeville is the winner of the 3rd Annual UNFringed Festival at The Secret Theatre by a mile and a half, whatever the final votes might say, which is usually a factor of how many friends the cast can get down to see their shows. Without hitting you over the head with the club of political correctness, this show subtly makes its point regarding the need for tolerance, understanding that "others" are more like you than different, and that stereotypes, a shortcut to "knowing" strangers, are not always accurate in individual circumstances. I am not the kind of critic who is "kind" and "understanding." I call "a spade a spade" and equally comment on the positive and negative aspects of every production I review, so here's the negative about this show. John Dillon, one of the two jugglers in "The Juggling Act: The Fat Lady Don't Sing," was not a particularly proficient juggler and often dropped some of the items he was attempting to juggle. That is it! Otherwise, the entire show and cast are absolutely perfect. In my opinion, An Intolerant Vaudeville is ready for an Off-Broadway and/or Broadway run. Entertaining, informative, and thought provoking, nothing can beat it for an enjoyable night of theatre. My mother, who saw the show with me, is still talking about it saying she can't believe how talented all the actors were and how interesting the format of the show was. She just can't get An Intolerant Vaudeville out of her mind!

Sam Viverito introduced the show by telling the audience he selected a Vaudeville show as the means of telling this story because it was "an American format" and that, in his opinion, "prejudice and discrimination were problems in this country from the very beginning." I would like to remind Mr. Viverito that every country and culture in the world has problems with "prejudice and discrimination" from the very beginning of time and continuing until today. Has he forgotten the Spanish Inquisition, the Indian caste system, or even how many Italians view Sicilians. If anything, the United States has made the most progress in overcoming prejudices and ending discrimination. For example, giving women the right to vote, a right which they still don't have in Saudi Arabia and other countries, or the right of gays to marry, while in other countries, they are still being executed and imprisoned. Most Americans have a "live and let live attitude" and are tolerant of interracial, interfaith and perhaps, in time, even interspecies marriages. We are, in fact, so tolerant, most people are loath to criticize anyone's behavior, even if it crosses the line of what is considered traditional morality. My point is that "prejudice and discrimination" are universal issues and I took offense as a proud, patriotic American citizen that Mr. Viverito thought it was a problem our country has uniquely struggled with. Prejudice, discrimination and even bullying, existed for important sociological reasons such as keeping cultural deviants in line (you beat on the kids who don't act according to acceptable gender norms to let them know there are consequences for acting differently), building the self-esteem of the in-group (you wouldn't want a Dutch Treat, would you? - that's no treat at all), and for engendering patriotism by painting the enemies of your country as sub-human scum (we were told the yellow Japanese bastards used to bayonet babies). These are far more complex issues than Sam Viverito may have understood from his visit to the Museum of Tolerance in Los Angeles. With all that off my chest, let me get back to the show.

An Intolerant Vaudeville opened with "The Juggling Act - 'The Fat Lady Don't Sing'" featuring The Dwarf (Colin Buckingham), The Fat Lady (Robin Lounsbury), The Transvestite (Paul Sadlik) and the Jugglers, two formerly conjoined "Siamese Twins" separated at birth (Graham Keen and John Dillon). They all eventually sang a song revealing the struggles they face in their lives showing us how they live and "juggle" it all. The second scene, "The Acrobats - 'The Position'," is really a job interview between The Interviewer (Daniel Pivovar) and The Interviewee (Jesse Manocherian). The interviewee is the acrobat trying to answer the questions posed to him in the way he feels would be most acceptable to the interviewer. This is a brilliantly written piece showing how a man in need of a job tries to answer even illegal questions in the most cautious manner possible. In "The Magician - 'The Invisible Woman'," we meet The Magician (Graham Keen), The Usher (John Dillon), and The Woman (Leslie Alexander), who is homeless and usually invisible on the street. She has a surprise for us, as does The Mother (Mikah Horn) in "The Quick Change Artist - 'A Mother's Love'." The role of the Baby Sitter in this latter skit was played by Robin Lounsbury. 

In "The Animal Act - 'They Speak'," we meet The Animal Trainer (John Dillon), who is introducing us to various animals in his human zoo, who are "available for purchase at very reasonable terms." We meet The Black Man (Darius-Anthony Robinson), The Oriental Woman (Josephine Huang), The Jew Man (Daniel Pivovar), The Church Lady (Mikah Horn), The Latina Woman (Maria Cristina Slye), and The Homo Man (Jesse Manocherian). The Black Man objects and tells The Trainer, "You don't get to define me," to which The Trainer responds, "Yes I do. That's how Bigotry works!" The Homo Man, who was last on the list of who every other group hated, objected when they ran out of time because he wanted to introduce The Muslim Man from "The Gutter Religion" whose spiritual leader, the pedophile Mohammed, married Aisha, a six year old girl, who he had sex with when she was only nine. In the end, all the animals walk in a circle calling out racial and ethnic slurs until someone accidently says "Nigger!" Everyone froze and the culprit had to apologize for using the dreaded "n-word," saying he really intended to use the word "thug." Brilliant!

In "The Singers - 'Little Songs'," four songs that were written for children around the time of the establishment of the United Nations were performed. Those songs were from a 1947 album entitled Little Songs On Big Subjects, written and published by Argosy Music Corp: Louis C. Singer (Music) and Hy Zaret (Lyrics). The little ditties presented were The Quartette (John Dillon, Graham Keen, Jesse Manocherian & Paul Sadlik); "Ol' Commodore Grey (Daniel Pivovar); "I've Got A Church" (Leslie Alexander); and "I'm Proud To Be Me" (Darius-Anthony Robinson). They were definitely enjoyable and very much belonged in this show. 

In the final One-Act Play (included in Vaudeville shows to make the audience feel they were cultured), "12 Angry Schmucks" of different religions (brought together by God) must make a decision in the case of The League of Concerned Cod Fisherman vs. Cordoba House, where the League has sued to prevent the construction of a second Mosque on an oil rig in the North Atlantic ocean because they believe it is still too close to Ground Zero. The Bailiff is played by Colin Buckingham and the voice of God is by John Dillon. Some of the jurors are played by blow-up men (the ones who are beaten to death later) but the remaining jurors, introduced with cute flashback references to the play Twelve Angry Men (e.g. "leave the old man alone" and "you are more interested in getting out of here to attend the Yankee game than in achieving justice") are Ralph (Darius-Anthony Robinson), Joseph (Paul Sadlik), Shlomo (Daniel Pivovar), Mohammed (Jesse Manocherian), Dev (Maria Cristina Slye), Cho (Josephine Huang), and Conrad (Graham Keen). God gives them new jury instructions. He wants them to select one major religion to eliminate from the planet along with any followers who refuse to convert to one of the remaining religions. They try to choose Devil Worshippers (God says there are only 739 of them) and Atheists (who God doesn't have jurisdiction over) but they are reminded by God he wants them to select a "major religion." During the infighting, they eventually kill five of their fellow jurors before making the decision not to eliminate any major religion. They decide that "the human race cannot continue to hide behind God, and in the name of religion, do evil things." God is pleased. People are encouraged to find the seed of hatred in themselves & blow it away. Without all the hated, someone observes, "Now we have to start at the beginning," to which the response is "Yes, we do!"

An Intolerant Vaudeville is a magnificent, well-written piece of performance art with a message. It is absolutely fabulous and deserves a long run in many cities for many years! I guarantee you will love it! Keep an eye out for future productions and don't miss it the next time around.

Applause! Applause! Review of Kill Sister, Kill! at Theatre 80 by Dr. Thomas Robert Stevens

This review of Kill Sister, Kill! at Theatre 80 was written by Dr. Thomas Robert Stevens and published in Volume X, Issue 5 (2015) of the online edition of Applause! Applause!

Kill Sister, Kill

A Dark New Musical Comedy

Original Concept & Book by Drac & Jamieson Child
Story by Drac Child, Jamieson Child & Emily Dix

Original Score & Musical Direction by Michael Zahorak

Lyrics by David Blackshell

Costume Design by Judith Ann Clancy

Directed by Jamieson Child

Theatre 80

80 St. Mark's Place

New York, New York 10003

Reviewed 8/28/15 

Kill Sister, Kill! began five years ago as a crazy experimental piece hatched in the minds of Drac & Jamieson Child, two Canadian brothers. It was their intention to create, on stage, a bloody, gore-drenched ode to the exploitation films of the late 1970s and 1980s. Their goal was to change how musical theater is seen and experienced. The musical was entered in the Toronto Fringe Festival in 2013, and this year was accepted as an entry in the 19th Annual New York International Fringe Festival. The story revolves around Lily, a pious nun, doing God's work on the streets of New York City in the days when murder, robbery, and rape were commonplace, However, in this case, after her pastor commits suicide, her sister is raped and murdered, and she has her throat cut, is left for dead, and robbed of her voice, Lily decides to become an avenging angel and to take action against "the ungodly cowards who are an infection in need of spiritual intervention." Instead of killing herself over the grief of losing Kitty, her sister from Las Vegas who was about to get married, Lily decides "to clean up the streets and be heaven's police."

The dark musical comedy is a sensational assault on your senses. Violence, murder, rape, harsh language, and drug and alcohol abuse are all packaged together in one very interesting and entertaining new genre of musical theater. The writers don't ease you in either. The first number is "Fuck This City" and I really didn't know what to think of the production during the first 20 minutes of the show. I liked the score and the lyrics but since I received no press packet, no CD, and no history of the show, I had no idea what to expect. However, by the end of this little slice of hell, I was in love with the entire cast as well as with the book that added just enough humor to balance the intense violence we were witnessing on stage. Kill Sister, Kill! is a complete success. Perhaps not everyone's cup of tea but I thought it was an amazing accomplishment. Drac & Jamieson Child took a chance writing a novel piece of musical theater and succeeded in spades.

One of the running gags was that Dagger, an excessively violent, drug-abusing, heterosexual thug, and his relatively innocent, brother Ronnie, hung out in a leather bar named Butthole. Dagger, who longed to see Grease again, wore leather and used to dress up in his mother's clothing, seemed oblivious to the fact this was a gay bar. He would hit on Teresa, the lesbian bartender, and once stomped a guy's head in for sucking his dick on the other side of a glory hole (Dagger said, "I've been sticking my dick into that hole for years. I didn't know there was a queer at the other end sucking it up."). Ronnie, his brother, (who looked like "a rebel without a clue") kept asking where all the chicks were? Finally, when Lily (not dressed as a nun) and Kitty entered the bar, Dagger said, "finally some fillies who aren't packing pepperoni between their legs." Dagger also explained away the men french kissing each other as "the way they pass drugs." The other running gag involved Kitty, a Las Vegas performer who knew everyone and was finally going to settle down and get married. She came to New York to spend one last night with her sister Lily, the nun. Lily took off her habit to keep an eye on Kitty (because this being the Big Apple, she wanted to "bite off more than she could chew"). She is set to marry a man who has a glass eye and "doesn't keep me a secret from his wife." Lily questions why she would marry a trailer-dweller when she could be "strolling down the red carpet with Liberace." 

Lily and Kitty stop at Butthole for a drink but Teresa, the bartender, warns them the bar is more of a "spring roll" and "chicken roll" sort of place, so after Dagger gets into a fight with Teresa, Kitty decides she and Lily need to leave now or they'll regret it. Ronnie, who lives under "the thumb of his brother Dagger and his world of scum," catch up with Lily and Kitty later in the evening on the street, but this time both sisters are drunk. They fail to heed Ronnie's warning to flee. Dagger demands that Kitty "come over and service my dick...to put out the fire between my thighs." He rapes and robs her of her engagement ring while demanding that Ronnie force her sister to watch the whole ordeal. Kitty is now dead and Dagger demands that Ronnie slice Lily's throat, which he does. After serving 6 months in Sing Sing "for flashing his hardon to two upper East Side bitches," Dagger returns to the Butthole bar where he kills Teresa, who has taken a liking to his brother ("Bros before Hoes"). Finally, the "switchblade sister," hell-bent on vengeance and dressed as a nun, catches up with Dagger. Not suspecting an attack, she takes out his dick and cuts it off ("that's for my sister") and then slices his throat ("and this is for me"). Lily also took back her sister's engagement. In the song "Duet To The Death," Ronnie and Lily fight it out with Ronnie pleading for mercy. In the end, Lily reveals that despite having taken vengeance, that "deep inside, she still feels the pain."

The extraordinarily talented cast included the following actors: Lily (Samantha Walkes), Kitty (Astrid Atherly), Dagger (Aaron Williams), Ronnie (Thomas Finn), Teresa (Heather Motut), Mooky (Robert Iannuzziello) and Kourtney (Felicity Adams-Hannigan). They all worked as a cohesive whole to bring this dark musical to life. Kill Sister, Kill! is ready for prime time and I think there is an audience out there who will appreciate what the production team has achieved. Shock musical theater may be here to stay!

Applause! Applause! Review of Walter Michael DeForest's Van Gogh Fuck Yourself at 64E4 Underground by Dr. Thomas Robert Stevens

This review of Walter Michael DeForest's Van Gogh Fuck Yourself at 64E4 Underground was written by Dr. Thomas Robert Stevens and published in Volume X, Issue 5 (2015) of the online edition of Applause! Applause!

Van Gogh Fuck Yourself

Adapted & Performed by Walter Michael DeForest

Directed by Laurence Lowry

64E4 Underground

64 East 4th Street

New York, New York 10003

Reviewed 8/28/15 

Vincent Willem van Gogh was born on March 30, 1853 in Groot-Zundert in The Netherlands. He was the oldest surviving child of Theodorus van Gogh, a minister of the Dutch Reformed Church. His brother Theo was born May 1, 1857 (he had another brother and three sisters). In a 1883 letter to Theo, he wrote, "My youth was gloomy and cold and sterile." In July 1873, his uncle Cent helped him obtain a position with the art dealer Goupil & Cie in The Hague. He was transferred to London where he fell in love with his landlady's daughter. After she rejected him, he became increasingly isolated and fervent about religion. He was sent to Amsterdam to study theology in May 1877 but failed the entrance exam. In January 1879, he took a temporary post as a missionary in the village of Petit Wasmes in the coal-mining district of Borinage at Charbonnage de Marcasse. Van Gogh lived like those he preached to, sleeping on straw in a small hut at the back of a baker's house. He was investigated and dismissed for "undermining the dignity of the priesthood." The baker's wife heard him sobbing at night in the hut and this is the first time his father made inquiries about having Vincent committed to the lunatic asylum at Geel. In April 1881, he moved with his parents to the Etten countryside. That summer, he took long walks with his recently widowed cousin, Kee Vos-Stricker, who was seven years older than Van Gogh and had an eight-year-old son. He proposed marriage, but she refused with the words, "No, nay, never." Her father objected mainly on the grounds that Van Gogh was unable to support himself. 

Van Gogh settled in The Hague in January 1882. Van Gogh's uncle Cornelius, an art dealer, commissioned 12 ink drawings of views of the city, which Van Gogh completed soon after arriving, along with a further seven drawings in May. In June, he spent three weeks in a hospital suffering from gonorrhea. Van Gogh began a domestic relationship with Clasina Maria "Sien" Hoornik, who he met in January when she was pregnant. On July 2nd, Sien gave birth to a baby boy she named Willem, although it is unlikely Vincent was the father. He let Sien, her five-year-old daughter, and her newborn baby boy stay with him. Vincent's father put pressure on him to abandon Sien, which he eventually did since he had no sustainable salary that would enable him to make his own choices. Sien returned to prostitution and eventually drowned in the River Scheldt. In autumn 1884, in Nuenen, Margot Begemann, a neighbor's daughter ten years his senior, fell in love with him, and he reciprocated, though less enthusiastically. They decided to marry, but the idea was opposed by both families. As a result, Margot took an overdose of strychnine. She was saved by Van Gogh, who rushed her to a nearby hospital. On March 26, 1885, his father died of a heart attack and he grieved deeply at the loss.

In November 1885, he moved to Antwerp where he had little money and ate poorly. His teeth became loose and painful, and he began to drink absinthe heavily. Despite his rejection of academic teaching, he took the higher-level admission exams at the Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp, and in January 1886, he matriculated in painting and drawing. For most of February, he was run down by overwork, a poor diet, and excessive smoking. He traveled to Paris to live with his brother Theo in March 1886. By the end of 1886, Theo found that living with Vincent was "almost unbearable." In November 1887, Theo and Vincent befriended Paul Gauguin, who had just arrived in Paris. 

By February 1888, Van Gogh moved to Arles, hoping for refuge at a time when he was ill from drink and smoker's cough. A hundred years later, Van Gogh was remembered by 113-year old Jeanne Calment - who, as a 13-year-old, was serving in her uncle's fabric shop where Van Gogh wanted to buy some canvas - as "dirty, badly dressed, and disagreeable," and "very ugly, ungracious, impolite, and sick." Paul Gauguin accepted Van Gogh's invitation to visit him in Arles and arrived on October 23, 1888. Van Gogh greatly admired Gauguin and desperately wanted to be treated as his equal but Gauguin was arrogant and domineering. They quarreled fiercely and Van Gogh felt an increasing fear Gauguin was going to desert him. On December 23, 1888, Van Gogh's ear lobe was chopped off under questionable circumstances. Gauguin left for Paris and Van Gogh was diagnosed with "generalized delirium" and later, he suffered from hallucinations and delusions he was being poisoned. In March 1890, the police closed his house after receiving a petition by 30 townspeople, who called him "fou roux" (the redheaded madman). Two months later, he left Arles and entered an asylum (at his own request) in Saint-Remy-de-Provence. He left Saint-Remy and moved to Auvers-sur-Oise for the last 70 days of his life. On July 27, 1890, aged 37, Van Gogh is believed to have shot himself in the chest with a revolver (although no gun was ever found). There were no witnesses and the location where he shot himself is unknown. He died of an untreated infection caused by the wound.

In just over a decade, Van Gogh produced more than 2,100 artworks, including 860 oil paintings and more than 1,300 watercolors, sketches and prints. The most comprehensive primary source for the understanding of Van Gogh as an artist and as a man is the collection of letters between him and his younger brother Theo, who provided his brother with financial and emotional support. There are more than 600 letters from Vincent to Theo, and 40 from Theo to Vincent. Theo died on January 25, 1891, six months after Vincent did, of dementia paralytica, a syphilitic infection of the brain. The letters between them were first annotated in 1913 by Theo's widow, Johanna van Gogh-Bonger, who later said she published with "trepidation: because she did not want the drama in the artist's life to overshadow his work." Walter Michael DeForest, who very much looks like the portraits of Vincent Van Gogh, wrote this one-man show based on the contents of the Letters of Vincent and Theo Van Gogh and on the Memoirs of Vincent's stay at Auberge Ravoux in Auvers-sur-Oise, written by Adeline Ravoux. 

In this entertaining and engaging one-man show, Van Gogh Fuck Yourself, Walter Michael DeForest brings to life the humanity and inner motivations and struggles of Vincent Van Gogh. Mr. DeForest speaks to the audience at various times in the voice of Adeline, who shared three meals a day with Vincent at Auberge Ravoux, the prostitute Sien, his brother Theo, and Theo's widow, who was left with 300 of his paintings and all the letters he wrote. The title comes from the fact that he exchanged paintings with other artists, which is sort of like selling them (so don't say he never sold a painting in his life). 

The show also raises some very serious questions regarding his ear lobe being chopped off and the circumstances of his death. It is suggested that Van Gogh was angry at Gauguin for sleeping with the prostitute that was his favorite (i.e. Rachel), and that Gauguin may have sliced his ear lobe off with a blade mistakenly thinking that Van Gogh was attacking him with a weapon, which, in fact, was only his pipe. Gauguin and Van Gogh certainly had a pact not to speak about the incident perhaps to prevent Gauguin from being arrested. It also matters, in terms of motivation, whether Van Gogh left the earlobe at the brothel to show Rachel how much he would be willing to suffer for her, or with the doorman for Paul Gauguin, to make him feel guilty about leaving him for Paris. As for the suicide, perhaps Van Gogh did do it since he was obsessed with the thought that his paintings would be worth more once he was dead. An alternative story is also told where a boy's rifle accidentally fired and hit him. Van Gogh may have forgiven the boy and told him to run and throw the gun in the river before the police arrived. In this version, Van Gogh wished to save the boy from punishment for an unfortunate accident (even though, for his whole life, similar boys "threw cabbage and rocks at the ginger who painted in the fields").

Clearly romantic love was not in the cards for this man, nor was sanity. He could not support himself and was not marriageable material. He was also prone to manic-depressive interludes. as well as delusions and hallucinations. Consequently, he put his love into his painting and chose to love prostitutes instead of reputable women. He respected the life of every creature and was deeply moved by the conditions of the families and children he ministered to in the mining town where he worked ("I sacrificed and was a friend of the poor like Jesus was"). In the school he founded for the children of the miners, he taught them to love God and not to fear Him. In this non-linear presentation, Van Gogh also wants to make clear he was never locked up because he was a "danger to society" but only to prevent him from "becoming a danger to society." Other times, he voluntarily committed himself.

In this fascinating show, you will learn many things about the life of Vincent Van Gogh. You will also leave feeling as if you spent an hour in his presence. You will understand that he felt every living thing, including prostitutes, were worthy of respect and had a need for love and affection. This entry was part of the 19th Annual New York International Fringe Festival. Our Van Gogh impersonator relays a story about how a 9-year-old Vincent made an elephant. Everyone admired his work after which he smashed it to smithereens, saying, "I did not make it for your adoration!" What a guy! For more information on Van Gogh Fuck Yourself, visit http://www.vanGoghFuckYourself.com 

Applause! Applause! Review of Susan Hodgdon's CD I Could Go On Singing by George Strum

This review of Susan Hodgdon's CD I Could Go On Singing: Susan Hodgdon Sings The Songs Of Judy Garland was written by George Strum and published in Volume X, Issue 5 (2015) of the online edition of Applause! Applause!

I Could Go On Singing: Susan Hodgdon Sings The Songs Of Judy Garland

Recorded Live on March 5, 2015 at Don't Tell Mama
Written & Produced by Susan Hodgdon
Musical Director & Piano by Daryl Kojak
Arrangements by Bill Zeffiro & Daryl Kojak
Directed by Tanya Moberly
Recorded by Peter Millrose/Millrose Music

Reviewed 9/1/15 

To perform the songs of Judy Garland, one of America's, dare I say the World's, greatest entertainers in a tribute CD is to tread on ambitious and dangerous ground. It takes a lot of chutzpah taking on Judy Garland but it is with a courageous heart and loving spirit that Susan Hodgdon brings us her first CD. Susan rises to the challenge of capturing the "essence" of Garland. She manages to surpass her gift infusing each song with her own style of newness that may resonate with the listener.

The CD begins with the song If You Feel Like Singing, Sing with Susan singing in a very lyrical soprano style but her tone changes with each song getting grittier and jazzier. At times, she even sounds like Judy herself. Some of the selected songs may only be marginally associated with Judy either from her recordings or from her television show while more famous ones get short changed in a fast-paced medley. I was disappointed that "The Man That Got Away" and "Get Happy" didn't get to be sung fully. An obscure song, "I'd Like To Hate Myself In The Morning," sung on her television show in 1968 never got to be recorded by Judy so without Judy's hand prints on the song, Susan was able to put her own stamp on it. In between the numbers are biographical tidbits and Susan matches happy songs with her triumphs and sadder ones with Judy's disappointments. Daryl Kojak, the accompanying musical director, did an amazing job. 

Through Susan's interpretations, we experience the songs of Judy Garland in a new light. My personal favorites were: "Alone Together," "What Now My Love," and "I Gotta Right To Sing The Blues." This CD needs to be a part of your collection, right next to the ones you have of Liza and Judy herself. To purchase it, go to http://cdbaby.com/cd/susanhodgdon

Applause! Applause! Review of The Absolutely True Science Of Nerds at Drom by Dr. Thomas Robert Stevens

This review of Shyaporn Theerakulstit's The Absolutely True Science Of Nerds at Drom was written by Dr. Thomas Robert Stevens and published in Volume X, Issue 5 (2015) of the online edition of Applause! Applause!

The Absolutely True Science Of Nerds

Created, Produced & Performed by Shyaporn Theerakulstit

Drom

85 Avenue A

New York, New York 10009

Reviewed 8/26/15 

Shyaporn Theerakulstit is an actor, writer, lecturer, and new media content creator specializing in comedic video sketches, social media, blogging, and the occasional fake science lecture. The Absolutely True Science Of Nerds was first performed at the Nerd Nite lecture series at Galapagos Art Space in Brooklyn, New York in 2009. It has since been seen at Global Nerd Nite at the 92nd Street Y, TEDx, C2E2, in Toronto, and as the closing presentation at the Smithsonian Institution's 2014 Future Is Here Festival. In this show, he has combined a comedic series of three "scientific" lectures on "How To Become Batman," "Star Wars vs. Star Trek," and "Godzilla," which are all presented with slides, video clips, singing, dancing, music, and Q&As. Shyaporn is a graduate of New York University's Tisch School of the Arts acting program, where he studied at the Stella Adler Conservatory and the Classical Studio. Most importantly, he plays Lt. Hikaru Sulu on Star Trek: New Voyages. Shyaporn was a part of the very first Fringe Festival in 1997 and is proud to now have an entry in the 19th Annual New York International Fringe Festival. He is particularly excited because he has been told that "having a show at the Fringe Festival is a clear path to fortune and glory!" 

The first lecture Shyaporn gave was "Batman: Origins and Training Secrets of the Dark Knight Detective." He required the audience to take a Batman Oath wherein they swore not to reveal what they were about to hear. Caught up in the moment, I took the oath so I cannot reveal any of Batman's origins or training secrets. All I can say is that Batman is Bruce Wayne, he is 6'2" tall, weighs 210 lbs., has an IQ of 192, and that, in a fight, he would kick the shit out of Superman. The second lecture was entitled Star Wars vs. Star Trek: Modern Perspectives of Past Future and Future Future Technology. Basically, the question presented was who would win if The United Federation of Planets and the Galactic Empire fought a war against each other? The technologies, size, propulsion, maneuverability, weaponry, robot technology and resources of each were examined in great detail, each earning a point when they had an advantage over the other. Even the powers of Yoda vs. the Q Continuum were compared, and in the end, the Federation won in a landslide. On a side note, Shyaporn told us that in the 24th Century, the Holodeck is used primarily for porn and prostitutes. The third and final lecture called Godzilla: History, Biology and Behavior of Hyper-evolved Theropod Kaiju goes into great detail regarding the origins, intelligence, and behavior of Godzilla and extensively quotes from reports issued by the Center For Advanced Hypothetical Kajiu & Mutant Research, as well as from the United Nations Godzilla Countermeasures Center. The two most important things to remember are that "Godzilla is not the least bit afraid of you" and that you should never "trade Godzilla to aliens" because it will come back and bite you in the ass one day. The best countermeasure and defense is "to run."

Shyaporn sang a rap song and tap danced after every segment diligently taking questions from the audience and providing answers. The promised final exam was printed in the program for the show. The special surprise we were treated to was a rarely seen alien striptease act, during which Clara Coquette (as Admiral Ackbar), a vintage vixen, nimble nerd, and cunning chameleon who trained at the New York School of Burlesque, took it all off (minus pasties) before an amazed and appreciative crowd. After she completed her "guest lecture," Shayporn said, "Excellent Points Admiral! Thank you for your remarks and for your service!"

If you are a fanboy or fangirl interested in Batman, Star Wars, Star Trek or Godzilla, then this show was written and is being performed with you in mind! It is clever performance art delivered with deadly seriousness. A guaranteed crowd-pleaser with enough humor and current events included to keep even the partner of a sci-fi geek interested until the last boob is freed! For more information, visit www.shyaporn.com or www.scienceofnerds.com  

Applause! Applause! Review of Beatrice Arthur: Astral Dame at The Laurie Beechman Theatre by Dr. Thomas Robert Stevens

This review of Beatrice Arthur: Astral Dame at The Laurie Beechman Theatre was written by Dr. Thomas Robert Stevens and published in Volume X, Issue 5 (2015) of the online edition of Applause! Applause!

Beatrice Arthur: Astral Dame

Performed by Jason B. Schmidt

Director: Amy Anders Corcoran

Music Director: Mason Griffin

The Laurie Beechman Theatre

407 West 42nd Street

New York, New York 10036

Reviewed 8/26/15 

Jason B. Schmidt, who has been impersonating Beatrice Arthur since 2010, is a New York City-based actor, voice over talent and one-half of The Parodivas, a musical comedy group. He played Dorothea in the Golden Girls parody, Thank You For Being A Friend: The Musical. In Beatrice Arthur: Astral Dame, Bea comes back from heaven as an Astral Dame to perform one last show for her fans. Her Astral Stage Manager, Jimmy Durante, has given her the following very sage advice, "Make them laugh. Make them cry. And then Get The Hell Out Of Dodge." Bea Arthur has legions of fans out there, who love her for her work in the theater, and for her roles in movies and on television. People admired the 5'10" Tony and Emmy Award-winning star of Maude, Mame, and The Golden Girls for her brassy, outspoken personality. Everyone knew that Bea Arthur wasn't the kind of woman who would take crap from anyone! (Little known fact: Bea Arthur worked as a truck driver and typist in the United States Marine Corps during World War II receiving an Honorable Discharge in September 1945) It is a pent-up desire to see her again that is filling the seats of this audience-pleasing show.

The creative minds behind Beatrice Arthur: Astral Dame know how to throw "red meat" at Bea's devoted fans. Jason B. Schmidt opens with a medley of The Man In The Moon and Thank You For Being A Friend. Channeling her spirit, Mr. Schmidt then sings a parody of "Let's Get This (Dinner) Party Started," "What'll I Do," and the full Maude television theme, sung intentionally with many dropped lyrics. There are a few jokes in this light-hearted show, none of which brought down the house. She had a dating game skit looking for "single sisters of Dorothy" and lamented that after "working a hundred years," she "ends up doing Dinner Theater." Finally, audio clips from the Golden Girls television show were played where our Bea Arthur impersonator spoke the punch lines that had been edited out. So Dorothy said, "All we have in common is under the sheets." Rose then asks, "what's under the sheets", to which Jason B. Schmidt, as Dorothy, says, "His Cappuccino Maker, Rose!" In another clip, Dorothy relays a story about how she drank champagne but later discovered she had swallowed her engagement ring which turned up two days later. Rose asks, "Where did it turn up?" to which Schmidt, as Dorothy, responds, "On the Home Shopping Network, Rose!" 

The worst skit in the show was when she was allegedly reading quotations from Justin Bieber's memoirs and the most entertaining piece was when she was interacting with an Uncle Arthur (from Bewitched) hand puppet. The hand puppet told two Paul Lynde-style jokes. The first being, "Beauty is only skin deep. But ugly is all the way to the bone!" and "I have very little to say about sex except Yes and Where?" The star of the show was special guest Sutton Lee Seymour (Prescott Seymour), who did the Bosom Buddies duet with Bea Arthur with some changed lyrics (SS: How old are you really? BA: I don't know. SS: Well, how long have you been dead?) During a costume change, Sutton Lee Seymour performed Don't Tell Mama dancing and singing her way into the hearts of the audience. The crowd went wild, which revealed a stark contrast between the electrifying performance of Sutton Lee and the mildly entertaining, relatively mediocre numbers and skits brought to the stage by our impersonator. Sutton Lee Seymour is a charismatic performer with a great stage presence and tremendous energy. Be on the lookout for her! 

In an interview given to Mark Dommu of Next Magazine (published on July 10, 2015), Jason B. Schmidt said this regarding his Bea Arthur impersonation, "She and I aren't really that different. It's just sort of Jason in a wig and then I have to change a couple of vowels - it's not that much of a stretch." In that short quotation, Jason clearly explained what is wrong with this show. He did not do extensive research into Bea Arthur's career, he probably never read or saw her interviews, he spent little time trying to get her intonations and hand gestures down pat (although the wigs and gowns were on target), there is very little biographical information about her in the show and the skits aren't particularly funny. It is simply not a well-researched or well-written show. Still, I have no doubt Bea Arthur fans left the show having enjoyed what they just saw. However, as a critic, I have much higher standards. For more information, visit www.JasonBSchmidt.com