The Longwinded (Lincoln) Loser (Lawyer)

In under 30 words: An unintelligent, painfully long movie featuring nauseating camera movements and bad Ryan Phillippe acting (or as Adam Sass brilliantly put it, simply Ryan Phillippe acting).

Warning: I don't know how to successfully bash this movie, AND leave out key facts. There will be SPOILERS.

Denny uses Groupon and came across a deal! Only 6 dollars for tickets to Lincoln Lawyer? Boy Howdy! So we ante up our six bucks a pop and roll into an empty evening showing of the latest Matthew McConaughey legal thriller. While its an unusual departure from the smug romantic comedy he's used to, McConaughey is no stranger to the thriller. It would be nice, I assumed, to see him return.

After sitting through-what seemed like- hours of trailers and commercials (not ONE for something I'd see, I might add) the movie finally started. To it's credit, it had some of the coolest opening credits I'd seen in a while. Shots of LA, Matthew, and his Lincoln town car flew in and out in various squares and rectangles, rocking out to a killer soundtrack. If only I could have watched the credits on loop for two hours...

But no, unfortunately for Denny and I, the movie had to start eventually....

The Lincoln Lawyer tells the story of Mick, a criminal defendant who works from the back of his Lincoln town car. With his faithful driver, Earl, he takes to the streets. When a gang of bikers approaches her car, we get to see how bad ass McConaughey can be. Despite looking uncomfortable in a suit, Matthew is at his best when he is smarmy and confident. He gets plenty of opportunities to be charming, and those are his best. He's not terrible with the more emotional stuff, although he has trouble accessing the emotion. Thankfully, there are contacts to make him look like he's crying and a make-up artist to put bags under his eyes.

McConaughey has a new client. Someone that requested him specifically, Louis (Ryan Phillippe). He's a young playboy accused of beating and threatening to rape and kill a prostitute. He says he didn't do it and that she is setting him up. Mick and his investigator (William H. Macy, searching for another paycheck in "Shameless" downtime) set out to find the truth.

Ryan Phillippe, in addition to being a horrible, lip quivering actor, is not as innocent as he proclaims to be. There is a reason he picked Mick as his attorney, you see. Mick defended a client, for a very similar crime and lost. Lo and behold, its because Phillippe's Louis is the one that committed the crime! As Mick begins to put together the pieces, he realizes that due to attorney client privilege and all that, that there is nothing he can do. Louis torments Mick, in what could be the most interesting plot line of the movie. How can Mick defend this guilty man, AND get him convicted to save his previous client from jail time?

And this is the opportunity for the movie to be really intelligent. But it isn't. Lincoln Lawyer never reaches levels of intelligence that a legal thriller of this caliber should have. There are no a ha! moments, aside from Matthew FOLDING A PHOTOGRAPH IN HALF. Yes, ladies and gentleman, THAT is Matthew's shining moment of intelligence. I suppose, if the character was smart, no one would buy Matthew playing him. So they make other characters figure things out for Matthew. Despite the terrible acting, Phillippe was the smartest character. WHY AM I ROOTING FOR RYAN PHILLIPPE IN A MOVIE?!

To ensure Matthew plays to his game, Phillippe goes after the ones Matthew loves. William H. Macy, whose character is made sympathetic because his gay partner died of AIDS (thanks red ribbon glued to a photograph. Way to show-not-tell. Director Brad Furman went to film school [ but more on that later]), is the first to feel Phillippe's threat. And then Mick's ex-wife and mother of his child (an underused Marisa Tomei) who also happens to be a prosecutor. How convenient.

I'll save you how it ends, but thankfully, it does (about 30 minutes too late). It drags on and showcases a lot of Ryan Phillippe attempting to act, and lot of "fancy" camera work. The entire thing was shot like a student film with quick cuts and exaggerated camera movements. If you need to raise tensions by spinning a camera in a circle in the middle of the courtroom, there is something wrong with your courtroom scene. Same applies for the entire movie.

About halfway through the movie, when I started zoning off in anger, I imagined some potential sequels: The Prius Preacher, The Toyota Teacher, The Jaguar Janitor, and so on and so forth. All wildly more entertaining in my head than what was playing out on the screen in front of me...

Do yourself a favor, even if Groupon offers you $1 tickets to this, save your two hours. Rarely do I see a movie that makes me feel like I wasted my money. This was one of those times. And it wasn't even MY money. It was Denny's. And it wasn't even full price. It was $6. It was, however, 2 hours of my life that I will never have back.

Trailer Analysis: Beastly vs. Red Riding Hood

This March we get not one, but TWO classic fairy tale reboots. CBS Films' Beastly and Warner Brothers' Red Riding Hood open a week apart and will do their best to tap into the Twilight fangirl base. I'll tell you this much now, one of them I'm stoked on and the other... well the other you'd have to tie me to a chair and duct tape my eyes open to watch (and I guarantee you the entire time I was sitting there I'd be gnawing away at my arms in an attempt to free myself. The pain of my teeth grinding through my skin would be less than that of watching this attempt at romance). I think you know where this is going...

vs.

Beastly is a modern take on the Beauty and the Beast tale. A pretty, popular, and terribly vain young man is made to look ghastly by a sorceress and only true love (by a brunette) can break the spell.

This is what love looks like, right guys?

The trailer opens with the words "Beautiful people get it better." Then why are you playing this part Alex Pettyfer? If someone loves this movie does that break your spell of only doing shitty movies (I Am Number 4, anyone?)?

Look! It's Will Ferrell in Zoolander!

Beautiful, blond Pettyfer is made to look like an awesome punk rocker by one of the Olsen sisters (I still can't tell them apart, although I always suspected they dabbled in witchcraft [How else did New York Minute get made?].) and so he becomes a recluse to be tutored by a blind Neil Patrick Harris.

But how the fuck can he play darts??!

Don't get me wrong, I love NPH, but apparently blind to him also means deaf given the slow cadence of his dialogue. But it's okay, because NPH can see how awesome Pettyfer is (funny, I didn't get that out of the trailer. Since his personality sucked, too). I contemplated awarding NPH the "What-The-Fuck-Is-He-Doing-In-This-Movie" award, but then I remembered that twin babies are expensive. He's not the only one who can see Pettyfer's inner beauty... It's that bitch from High School Musical! With nothing better to do and the desire for ANOTHER green room, Hudgens is here...trying to be a star... again. Move the bangs aside, sweetie, and embrace your lack of star quality. Just. Stop. You can see how beautiful Pettyfer is, but you can't see how dismal your career is?

It's supposed to be a sweeping Twilight romance, but really its a jumbled modernistic montage of "ugly" Alex Pettyfer looking past Vanessa Hudgen's bangs into her big, vacant eyes. I get no sense of her character what-so-ever. And as I Am Number Four and Twilight taught us, the movie needs to be from the normal girl's point of view, not the supernatural freak. If you haven't guessed it, this is the movie I'm looking forward to THE LEAST. I frankly can't even believe I sat through the trailer three times to write this.

Stay home and watch the good version

My what an exciting trailer you have.... Red Riding Hood.

And my what big eyes you have... OMG guys, she's the wolf.

Less that 15 seconds in and I'm already way more excited about this movie. The vacant glances of Beastly are replaced with a, quite literal, carnivorous love affair. Seyfried's Little Red is big eyed and all grown up. She's fooling around with the woodsman, when her hand in marriage is promised to another. Love triangles did director Catherine Hardwicke well before, (cough, Twilight, cough) and if you're going to try and tap into that fan base, you might as well go back to the source.

They've got more chemistry in this photograph than

Hudgens and Pettyfer have in their entire movie.

While Seyfried is running around with good old fashioned lust (which I know she can play given her stellar performance as the over-sexualized title character in Chloe.) there is another in the village with blood lust! A werewolf, it turns out. And now we're officially in a whole different world than the original little red riding hood. I imagine Grandma will play into this somehow, but the real mystery is not how little red escapes the wolf, but rather- who the wolf is.

Gary Oldman in a dapper purple outfit is hell bent on finding out, and he knows Seyfried knows. It's probably someone she's fucking... but which one?

Red Riding Hood does several things right, where Beastly goes wrong. First, they cast talented actors. Its amazing what Gary Oldman can do for a movie, and I've never seen Amanda Seyfried in something where she was bad. Second, it's got a style. It's beautiful and bright and they stick to that bright but Gothic style through and through. Seyfried is sure to be the only one with red, but the purple, the blue, the yellow all pop just as much. I've always said that Amanda Seyfried has a face for a Tim Burton movie, and this looks like its about as close as she'll get for now. Third, its from HER point of view. This is where Twilight succeeded and I Am Number 4 failed. If you're going to cater to the teen girl, by all means, make your character a teen girl.

A great soundtrack, fast cuts, and a story that I am familiar with (but did not grow up on in a superior animated form) all help to make Red Riding Hood my choice for fangirl storybook romance.

I Promise(s Promises) that Ramin Setoodeh is Wrong

Much as been said about Sean Hayes' performance in Promises, Promises and the subsequent Newsweek article panning his performance because of his out sexuality. Forgive my tardiness on the subject, but I didn't feel it was safe to destroy Ramin Setoodeh's argument in the article "Straight Jacket" until I'd seen the show myself. And now I can!



While in New York (full blog coming soon) Mikey and I got a chance to grab tickets to aforementioned musical. Sean Hayes and Kristin Chenoweth in the musical version of The Apartment? Sure!

I'll divert the subject for a moment to commend Kristin Chenoweth's powerhouse performance. Girl is incredible. She has so much power and such stage presence that it is impossible to take your eyes off of her.



Thought I stopped talking about the article? Think again. It is because of her power (not Hayes' sexuality) that the two don't have the chemistry they should. I honestly think this is neither of their faults, its just that Kristin Chenoweth needs to be put against other powerhouse belters (Idina Menzel, perhaps). Notice that Setoodeh left of Hayes chemistry with Marge (Tony Award winning Katie Finneran), instead criticizing her "drunkness". The two were spot on because they were on equal playing ground. Putting Hayes in a musical with Chenoweth and expecting him (and not just him-nearly anyone!) to be at her level is tough. She's too good to a fault.



But Chenoweth is not the only reason Setoodeh was wrong. He says Hayes isn't a leading man. Of course he's not! The character is a giant goof. He's silly. He's slapstick. We're not talking about your hyper-sexualized Danny Zuko here- this is Seymour in Little Shop of Horrors territory. This character doesn't have super manly traits. That's not Hayes fault.



And you! Audience member sitting in Promises, Promises, stop bringing Jack to the performance! Hayes isn't. It's got to be on close minded audience members who can't shake his previous work. I wasn't staring at Chenoweth and seeing April Roades. Unfortunately after successful TV shows, you can get stuck in a character. This is the audience's fault for bringing it with them- not your own.

So, bravo Sean Hayes and suck it Setoodeh.

Trailer Analysis: The Social Network

If there is one thing I know about, it is social networking. I love my blog, my facebook, my twitter. Hell, I still I love my myspace (in a nostalgic type of way). I've been social networking since xanga (but you don't get the link to that, nice try). But enough about me-

David Fincher's trailer (the real one, not the teaser) for The Social Network has hit the Internet today. Let's take a look shall we?

Find the trailer here: The Social Network.

The trailer is presented as a series of status updates accompanied by the voices of actors reading them. Not very cinematic, but the movie can hardly be expected to be visually stunning. Its the type of story that might make for a better play.

This clearly means theres nothing interesting to show in the movie.

There is a definite feeling of drama amidst the founders (or those who can be presumed to be founders based on the trailer) of facebook. Who said what, who stole what from whom. It's the story of invention and court. A relationship drama. Sounds a lot like Flash of Genius. Look at how that did (you don't have to, I'll tell you: TERRIBLY).

Film is a visual medium and while it might have story, The Social Network, does not have visuals. Maybe stunt casting people like Justin Timberlake will put young people in seats, you see- aside from it's lack of visual appeal (that isn't the actors, I'll admit they're er... visually pretty. No, not you Jesse Eisenberg) there is another fundamental problem with a drama about facebook-

People my own age (aka The Facebook Generation) do not care about dramas. Very few people, in fact, care about dramas. So why would a movie, whose primary audience should be facebook users, gear itself for those looking for more distinguished dramatic fare (often, but not limited too, older people who know nothing about facebook). Maybe I'm being harsh on the elderly, maybe I'm being harsh on people my own age- but look at the movies in the marketplace- how many are dramas skewed for younger crowds?

Interestingly, the movie is placed in the "history" genre on IMDB. While facebook will be history, this movie will hardly make a historical dent.

HFF: Days 7-11

It's over. It's hard to believe, really. Final show tally: 5 One-Woman Shows, 1 Musical, 4 Comedy Shows, and 2 Dramas. 12 Different shows. 13 performances. The Hollywood Fringe Festival was one of the best things I've ever done in L.A. Hell, it was one of the best things I've ever done in my entire life. Don't believe me? Let's recap:

-I got published.

-Tons of free shows.

-New friends.

-Did I mention I got published?

-I felt respected. Like my opinion counted.

-My networking ability went through the roof (as did my network!)

I can guarantee that I'll be back next year. I regret only finding Fringe Central (the bar/hangout of freaks like me) at the end. It's a great little hub where anyone talks to anyone and networks (and friendships) are made. It was a lot like summer camp. An 11 day getaway from life, where you make those amazing connections given your short amount of time together. It was a breath of fresh air in my work-filled life. And just like summer camp, I'll miss everyone I met and can't wait to do it again next summer.

This round of shows was vastly superior to the first batch. Standouts were The Birthday Boys and Medea. Both brilliant and moving. I saw The Birthday Boys twice. I would have done the same for Medea, had I had time. Congrats to both on their Fringe award wins!

Reblogged from www.LATheatreReview.com

The Birthday Boys at The Complex Theatres

by Marcus Kaye~

To say that this very well may be the best thing to go up in the Fringe is an understatement. The Birthday Boys is written, directed and performed to perfection.

Playwright Aaron Kozak effortlessly taps into the psyches of three Prisoners Of War in Iraq. Painting a vivid and accurate picture of America’s involvement in Iraq, the first act focuses solely on our three heroes, captured while keeping a storage unit secure. Bound and gagged, they are thrown into a warehouse, their futures left up to the darkness of their imaginations. They bond and somehow manage to find the humor in their situation, placing bets on whom will piss their pants first.

The second act introduces the terrorists and continues through their torture and plea videos to their families. As their bravery shrinks but their bond grows stronger, The Birthday Boys ends in a way you’ve got to see to believe.

The play is brilliantly acted by the three marines, who (given their blindfolds and arm and leg ties) are only allowed their voices and slight torso movements to communicate. And yet, they each draw distinct, believable characters from their limited range of motion. The emotions are real, and the play is dependent on the bond we see them form in the first act. Smartly written and thoroughly performed, nothing about these POWs feels disingenuous.

With raw emotion, distinct and intriguing characters and a look into the war in Iraq that is rarely seen, The Birthday Boys isn’t to be missed.

The Birthday Boys plays June 24, 25 & 26 at 9pm and June 26 & 27 at 3pm

Reblogged from www.LATheatreReview.com

Existential Crises at Art|Works Theatre

by Marcus Kaye~

Billed as comedy that explores the ironic questions of existence, Existential Crises, featuring Second City alums Mike Cherry and Matt Peterson, gets it half right. While the show is indeed a comedy (and a funny one at that) is does very little to look beyond the surface of “existence.”

Whether they’re lying about their past lives, hanging out with an old friend from high school, or living in a world where horses and humans have switched to be master and pet respectively, Cherry and Peterson have the successful comedic ability to draw laughs from their audience. They are, in fact, funniest when they are playing versions of “themselves,” as opposed to the half-baked characters they create.

While some sketches drag on too long, the bits as a whole are nicely written and showed Cherry and Peterson’s comedic ranges. Particularly funny were pantomimes spoofing 90’s action films and old Westerns. Audiences looking for deep meaning within their comedy should look elsewhere, but those simply looking for a few laughs should strongly consider Existential Crises.

Existential Crises plays June 19 & 20 at 9pm at i.O. West, June 25 at 10:30pm and June 26 at 8pm at Art|Works Theatre.

Medea at The Complex Theatres

I saw this one on my own, with no prompt from the LA Theatre Review. In fact, the very reason I went was because, as I was standing outside and waiting for Dancing with Crazies to start two Thursdays ago, I ran struck up a conversation with a boy with feathers in his hair. This boy was Ryan Mullins, of PaperStrangers and he was a part of the cast of Medea. He told me to come to the show and you know what.... I did.

Best decision I could have made. Michael Burke's interpretation of Medea was BREATHTAKING. Gorgeous. Haunting. Creepy. Wonderful. Powerful. Emotional. I was captivated by the precision of the chorus, the emotional depth of Medea (Melissa Fenton), and the two staring children hanging from the rafters.

Technically this show was spectacular and while this review is essentially me using words to tell you how amazing the performances is, nothing I say can do it (and it's feather motif) justice. It's coming to the DC Fringe and I suggest, nay urge, anyone in the area at the time to drop what they're doing and go find out how Medea could kill her children. Kudos to Burke and his PaperStrangers company. They quickly became Fringe friends of mine, and several drinks in - I'm going to miss them. They're a phenomenal, talented group and I can't wait to see what they put on next.

Reblogged from www.LATheatreReview.com

The Meanest Guy That Ever Lived at the Hudson Theatre

by Marcus Kaye~

Lily Spottiswoode’s one-woman show, The Meanest Guy That Ever Lived, focuses on her grandfather’s last moments after being moved home to die. Playing a multitude of characters in her family that “doesn’t have breakfast, but has a morning cigarette,” Spottiswoode embodies each of her family members and each of their journey’s through dealing with the death of Spottiswoode’s grandfather, Jack Palance.

Spottiswoode’s strength is in her ability to vocalize. She is able to change her tone, inflection and sound in a heartbeat, easily creating a different persona for each of her family members. Her grandfather’s lover, Elaine, is particularly entertaining (as is her habit to drink, shed her clothes and run in the street). Spottiswoode has talent, and this show clearly showcases that.

Examining how people deal with death, The Meanest Guy That Ever Lived, could have had more meaningful, touching moments. It felt a little short and dry, leaving me yearning for more. More of Elaine. More of Jack Palance. More of Spottiswoode.

The Meanest Guy That Ever Lived plays June 19 at 8pm and June 26 at 9:30pm at the Hudson Theatre.

That's Funny. You Didn't Sound Black on the Phone at The Complex Theatres

What a title, right? This was another show I wasn't assigned to, but rather went out of sheer interest (and because my PaperStrangers friends were going AND because Jacquetta and I had become Twitter followers of one another [Twitter was a HUGE part of the Hollywood Fringe. Anyone who says it's not actually a networking tool did not witness the #hff tags that went up on half of Hollywood's tweets]).

Jacquetta's show about coming to terms with her level of "blackness" was hilarious (even to those of us who have never been to a gospel church, and have never been called out based on skin color). The fact of the matter is, Jacquetta didn't feel black. Sure she was, but she hung out with white people all her life and while she didn't want to BE white, she just didn't FEEL black.

Her journey is hilarious. Her delivery spot on and her themes, surprisingly, universal.

I got to talking to her at Fringe Central and to our surprise an hour had suddenly passed. She's an amazing, hysterical woman who is based in NYC and you can bet your ass when I go in August, I'll be seeing her stand up show.

Reblogged from www.LATheatreReview.com

Wet Cookies at Theatre Asylum

by Marcus Kaye~

Wet Cookies is the rare type of comedy show in which the laughter starts at the onset and continues, non-stop, for an hour. True, the show is only 45 minutes, but the first fifteen minutes spent out of the theatre will surely find audience members continuing to laugh at the multitude of comical moments in the show.

Whether they’re imaging what would have happened if the Magic School Bus stopped in Nazi Germany, recounting the time they accidentally called their fourth grade teacher “mom,” or holding a still pose for an absurd amount of time, the Wet Cookies sketches never fail to deliver. Notably funny was Mallie McCown’s retelling of the thoughts of a monarch butterfly.

If these sketches sound bizarre on paper, it’s only because they are. But the cast commendably makes each sketch memorable, true, and most of all- funny. The pace is quick and the laughs are big. Cleverly broken up into long and short sketches, Wet Cookies is a wonderfully devised little show.

Direction by Adam Sass and technical direction by Adam Griffith are top notch.

Wet Cookies plays June 19 at 5:30pm, June 20, 22 at 10pm, June 26 at 11:30pm, and June 27 at 7pm at Theatre Asylum and June 19 at 9:00 PM at i.O. West.

Reblogged from www.LATheatreReview.com

Eat, Pray, Laugh at Theatre Asylum

by Marcus Kaye~

Borrowing her title from Elizabeth Gilbert’s book about finding enlightenment in India, comedian Alicia Dattner’s one-woman show tells the story of Dattner’s excursion to India where she went looking for herself.

Eat, Pray Laugh is set on an empty stage, with only a chair. Dattner humorously recounts her search for self in India, focusing on the comedic moments, like learning to use an Indian toilet and the multitude of mustaches on the Indians she encounters. She often recounts how many men were in love with her there that made her feel great, but not fulfilled.

Her quest for fulfillment is told in a straightforward manner. It is not unlike being in a living room somewhere, nodding along at each picture of the Taj Mahal, but secretly wishing for this story to end. With frequent tangents and conversational moments with the audience, Eat, Pray, Laugh hardly felt like a performance.

Dattner is charming, likeable and frequently funny, but the show as a whole never truly takes off. The story is interesting; it’s the story-telling that needs polishing.

Eat, Pray, Laugh plays June 24 at 7pm, 
June 25 at 4pm, June 26 at 5:30pm and June 27 at 8:30 PM at Theatre Asylum.

How fitting that my last (and first) fringe shows were one-woman shows that mentioned their vaginas. Exactly what I expected from such shows, but not what I wanted to hear about!

Until next year!

HFF: Days 1-6

So this Fringe has begun! Three one-woman shows, a comedy game show and a musical later, I have my first batch of reviews (three of which were published: here)!

What was fun/terrifying about this first one is that everyone seemed to know the actress. After being asked several times, "oh what are you doing here?" I quickly developed a lie so all of Amy's friends and family wouldn't find out (until later of course) that I was critiquing her every move.



Reblogged from www.LAtheatrereview.com:

Dancing with Crazies at The Complex Theatres
by Marcus Kaye~

With an abundance of energy, Amy Milano took the stage for her one-woman show, Dancing with Crazies. The comedy follows Milano’s desire for acceptance and her search for the meaning of “home”. Milano unifies, through dance, her life experiences- such as childhood with her grandmother, study abroad classes in Africa, and dating in Brooklyn- looking for a place to call home along the way.

While Milano enjoyably captures the caricatures of those around her, it is the fictional version of herself that she seems to struggle with. Instead of presenting any depth or growth, she offers herself in a flat, one-note fashion.

The play, written by Milano, focuses on the idea of home, but feels purposeless. With no greater message about acceptance, or meaningful explanation as to what or where home actually is, Dancing with Crazies is simply a self-indulgent excuse for Milano to “showcase” herself.

Lighting by Sarah Templeton aided in varying the scenes and the sound by Andrew Wickens helped to unify the piece overall.

Dancing with Crazies plays June 17 at 9pm and June 19 at 4pm



Betty at The Asylum Lab
by Marcus Kaye~

If Kellydawn Malloy, as the 50’s Paramount Starlet Betty Hutton, seems slightly distracted and lost, there is no surprise why. This one-woman show, written and directed by Shelby Bond is scattered and disjointed and presented in a different order every night. The audience is given a series of topics allowed to ask Ms. Hutton in the press conference that is this play. The audience picks interview topics in any order, leaving Malloy to jump from one monologue to the next.

Malloy has Hutton down and is adorable throughout the tales of "Annie Get Your Gun," and working with director Cecil B DeMille during his heart attack. When asked about her time in the USO she skillfully belts out a number she did for the troops. When accidentally asked about her time in the USO again by a latecomer audience member, Malloy did a quick, comedic recap which was somehow even more entertaining than the first time she told it.

There is no denying Malloy's talent. She quickly switches from happy stories to her drug addiction and alcoholic mother. She juggles emotions as the audience juggles her interview topics. The structure of the play, however, hurts it. It provides no opportunity for through line or growth. And Malloy’s Hutton mentions things in one monologue that she comes back to in others because of the disorganized structure. There are no plants and payoffs because we’re often told the end before she is asked about the beginning.

Given a straight structure, this play would have been undeniably more enjoyable, and would have left Malloy considerably less flustered.

Betty plays at June 19 at 1pm, June 20 at 5:30pm, June 21, 22 at 7pm
and June 27 at 4pm at Theatre Asylum.



Jeb and Jeremiah at The Hudson Theater
So much fun, as always. Read my review here. I brought Banner and Mikey and they both laughed themselves silly. It was wonderfully received and my choice show the weekend (unbiased, I swear). Kudos to Janove, Collin and the wonderful cast!



Reblogged from www.LAtheatrereview.com:

Deadly Sin Bingo at the Second City Studio Theatre
by Marcus Kaye~

With no plot to speak of, audience participation, games and prizes, and a finale sing-a-long, Deadly Sin Bingo can hardly be considered the theatrical experience that it’s touting itself to be- but that doesn’t make it any less fun.

Led by Jon Marco as the enthusiastic game-show host, Father Chuck Martini, the Deadly Sin Bingo show is divided into three bingo games, each based on different deadly sins. Winning audience members are awarded prizes that reflect the contrasting heavenly virtue.

The show doesn’t branch out further than themed bingo, but Marco’s on-the-fly improv, and the supporting commentary provided by Jenni Lamb and Lisa Merkin as Sister Cherisse and Sister Roberta, respectively, moves the show along, providing a bevy of laughs along the way.

The show is ludicrous without ever being blasphemous, but it often opts for silliness over substance. Any real commentary about the nature of sin is avoided and while this might not be the proper place for righteousness, it is the proper place for entertainment. It might not have heart– but it’s got prizes.

Deadly Sin Bingo plays June 17, 19 and 21 at 10pm and June 20 at 2pm at The Second City Studio Theatre and June 26 at 1PM at ComedySportz LA.



Reblogged from www.LAtheatrereview.com:

A Picnic at the Asylum at the Hudson Theatre
by Marcus Kaye~

From the moment she steps onto the stage, Angela Neff has the audience in the palm of her hand, or rather, in the seat of her father’s woody. Neff’s stage presence alone is reason enough to see A Picnic at the Asylum. Factor in her seamless character transitions, a darkly comedic story, and a compelling examination of father/daughter relationships and what results is nothing short of a Hollywood Fringe hit.

Bravely portraying her bi-polar father, pregnant mother and 6 other siblings, Neff paints a fascinating picture of suburban life with her manic depressive dad. Through AA, asylum picnics and birthday dinners, the audience grows up with Neff, clearly seeing how she could both love and hate her father.

Neff’s mannerisms are so distinct, that she is able to fluidly transitions between her multitude of personalities by simply changing gesture. While other one-man shows rely on costumes or dialogue to mark the transition, it is Neff’s physicality here that does the trick.

The story hits the dramatic highs and lows of Neff’s childhood without ever dragging or feeling redundant. Expertly written and full of surprises, the script is pitch perfect.

A Picnic at the Asylum plays June 19 at 5pm, June 20 and 25 at 8pm and June 22 and 23 at 9:30pm at the Hudson Theatre.

Hollywood Fringe Festival

This Thursday marks the beginning of the Hollywood Fringe Festival. It's the first ever in Hollywood. Approximately 200 shows will go up in a scattering of theater across Los Angeles for 10 days. During those 10 days I will be seeing 9 shows and reviewing them for LA Theater Review (a job I'd like to thank both blogspot and twitter for helping me secure). My loyalty will temporarily shift to them, but expect the reviews to be posted here shortly after.

Here is what my week looks like:

Thursday Night: Dancing with Crazies - 1 Woman Show - 8:30PM @ The Complex



Sunday Night: Jeb and Jeremiah - Musical - 8:00PM @ The Hudson



Monday Night: Deadly Sin Bingo - Comedy - 10:00PM @ Second City Studio Theater



Thursday Night: The Birthday Boys - Drama - 9:00PM @ The Complex



Friday Night: Existential Crises - Sketch Comedy - 10:30PM @ Art|Works Theatre



Saturday Night: The Meanest Guy That Ever Lived - 1 Woman Show - 9:30PM @ The Hudson



Sunday Night: Wet Cookies - Sketch Comedy - 7:00PM @ Theater Asylum



Eat, Pray, Laugh - 1 Woman Show - 8:30PM @ Theater Asylum



Attentive readers will notice that that is only 8 shows, but have no fear... there will be 9. I'm just missing a Wednesday night assignment!

As a critic I get two tickets to each show, so if there is one you want to come see with me, let me know!