NYMF 2010 - Page 2

[FeelingElectric]

Posted: 9/30/10 at 3:46pm

I said it goes nowhere (and I'm not the only person who's seen it to have that opinion), and I'm a fairly good judge since I've seen 101 NYMF productions. We'll just agree to disagree on this one.

Updated On: 9/30/10 at 03:46 PM

[Float05]

Posted: 9/30/10 at 5:32pm

I agree that Without You is incredibly moving. Bring a tissue.

Posted: 10/3/10 at 12:10pm

As I write this blurb about BLOODTIES I'm listening to "Racing in the Street," wondering what woulda happened to Springsteen had John Hammond not signed him to Columbia or had Jon Landau not seen him play live in Harvard Square.

That's BLOODTIES, the coulda, woulda, shoulda story of singer-songwriter Ned Massey, who not only wrote the show but also is the lead actor in it. He was hailed as the next Springsteen when Hammond signed him in 1987, but then Hammond died of a stroke.

Hammond, by the way, is a music industry legend who also helped the careers of Benny Goodman, Billie Holiday, Count Basie, Pete Seeger, Aretha Franklin, George Benson, Bob Dylan, Leonard Cohen, Stevie Ray Vaughan, and many others. He helped integrate the music industry long before the government did. And his 100th birthday is Dec. 15, 2010.

Two more NYMF shows for BLOODTIES: today at 1pm and Wed at 8pm.

[CRS14]

Posted: 10/4/10 at 1:39pm

Saw "I Got Fired" and "Nighttime Traffic" over the weekend. Thoughts below:

I Got Fired - I wanted to like it but just couldn't get there. For starters, I'm 99% never a fan of when a show references that it's a show or talks directly to the audience (the 1% being Drowsy Chaperone where it worked). It takes me out of the moment and cheapens the dialogue. Unfortunately, this show had an infinite number of those references. It also had pretty bad transitions and the dialogue as a whole was mediocre and bland. The music was catchy with some pretty good songs, but this show could have been so much better I left pretty disappointed.

Nighttime Traffic - The biggest take away here is how unbelievable the cast is. They all have incredible voices which was the only thing that really kept me interested. As referenced in earlier posts, nothing really happened. No action nor character development at all. The music was good but here I am two days later and I couldn't name/sing any of the songs.

Like last year (apart from Academy and Fantasy Football) I'm pretty disappointed with the selection of shows. But with Trails on Friday and then Without You and Tess on Saturday, I'm thinking this could turn around pretty quickly.

[ReiVallejo]

Posted: 10/6/10 at 5:57pm

'Without You' was fantastic. It was great meeting Anthony afterwards, what a nice guy.

Anyone have reviews on 'The Tenth Floor' or 'My Life: Today'?

[addicted]

Posted: 10/6/10 at 11:03pm

Anyone see Frog Kiss?

[max2paradise]

Posted: 10/6/10 at 11:14pm

I'm on the team that loved the crap out of Nighttime Traffic. Alex Wyse's score is absolutely beautiful. Sure it needs some work, but it has a lot of potential. I think it's a good sign that it's polarizing and sparks a reaction and debate unlike some other NYMF shows that are so forgettable. Brings to mind a few other brilliant composers work...

I'm also seeing Tess Saturday and greatly looking forward to it.

I also just found out all of V-Day's performances sold out so quickly after they opened due to great word of mouth that they added an extra performance. They're offering 2 for 1 tickets for that show only, Friday at 11pm. I'm going to check it out. The code is 241VAY. Should be fun!

[FeelingElectric]

Posted: 10/7/10 at 12:46am

I have seen Frog Kiss twice in the past week, as well as many other shows. I'm sorry I haven't had time to share my thoughts, but here are a few.

Frog Kiss: A very cute, very fun show. The dancing is amazing (particularly Curtis Holbrook, who is a triple threat!),and the score is very light and happy.

Things as they Are: Beautiful, meaningful show! The score reminds me of Sunday. Garrett Long is incredible in the lead as famous photographer Dorthea Lange. The book captures the story of her life in incredible detail.

Tess: A New Rock Opera: Haunting. The score sounds like a mix of Duncan Shiek, Pink Floyd, and The Moody Blues. The story stays extremely close to the source material, and Jenna Pasqua (also co-creator of the show with her sister/musical director Annie Pasqua) is perfet in the lead role.

POPart: A little ridiculous, but a lot of fun.

The Tenth Floor: Anyone who is a fan of The Twilight Zone will feel right at home at this one.

I Got Fired: Hilarious! I love the cast, and enjoyed the way the lead character talks back to the audience.

The Most Ridiculous Thing You Ever Hoid: Brilliant re-creation of an old time radio show. All three of the actors playing the Marx Brothers were dead on!

Jay Alan Zimmerman's Incredibly Deaf Musical: Touching, and sometimes heartbreaking story. The score was very innovative, no doubt a result of Mr. Zimmerman's interesting life.

V-DAY: Completely insane! It's topical, engaging, and hilarious. It's everything you would expect from the creators of Don't Quit Your Night Job.

Food on the Aisle: very Monty Python-y, a series of skits based around food (obviously!). The Ethel Merman/Earnest Borgnine sketch was classic, and Erin Markey freak-outs were worth going to see.

My Mother's Lesbian Jewish Wiccan Wedding: Perfection! If the the score, heartwarming story and rest of the incredible talented cast weren't enough reason to see this one, than seeing Christina DeCiccio in a Hooters outfit certainly is!

The Great Unknown: I really liked the score and the cast, but the book needs work. It felt more like a history lesson than a balanced musical, something Things As They Are got right.

Special Letter: A fun and engaging show, but too long at 2 hours without an intermission.

I'll try to post my thought on the rest of the shows I see this weekend.

[CRS14]

Posted: 10/11/10 at 10:26am

Saw Trails on Friday night then Without You and Tess on Saturday. Five down, three to go.

Trails - I was most excited for this show because the demo songs they had were fantastic...and it exceeded all expectations. The cast is fantastic. Matt Lutz gives an incredibly heartfelt performance that really drew me in to his character, Seth, the center of the show. The music and book were both equally amazing. The writing during the "telephone" scenes were done flawlessly, enhancing the emotion needed during those moments. By the end. there wasn't a dry eye in the house - the show really engages the audience unlike anything else I've seen in NYMF. I left feeling the same way I felt after seeing Feeling Electric and Rooms back in '05- this show has a bright future and won't be the last time I see it. Only a few performances left so RUN and get tickets if you can.

Without You - This was the first one person show I've seen and I was pleasantly surprised. Anthony Rapp gives quite a moving performance focused on Rent/Jonathan Larson/his Mother. I found myself emotionally attached to him the whole time which made the 90 mins fly by. It's not a typical "show" but it was well worth the price of admission given his talent as a performer. You can't help but feel for him as he pours his heart on the stage.

Tess - I haven't been this disappointed in a show in quite some time. I overheard a glowing review from a member of the board while at Nighttime Traffic so I went into this very excited. The biggest (only?) highlight was the talent of Angel (Nick Cartell). The show was incredibly boring with only the occasional song/scene being memorable. This was the first time I really felt like I could leave a show at intermission and not feel bad about it (though I did stay). This show could be infinitely better as a "typical" musical, not a rock opera. With added dialogue the show would flow much better, but I don't see them changing it any time soon. It has a decent amount of potential, but I just couldn't get into it.

My order so far in terms of which NYMF shows I most enjoyed:

Trails
Without You
I Got Fired
Nighttime Traffic
Tess

My order so far in terms of which NYMF shows have the most potential:

Trails
Tess
Without You
Nighttime Traffic
I Got Fired

[bwaycrazy24]

Posted: 10/11/10 at 3:54pm

TRAILS is by far the BEST show I've ever seen at NYMF... It's so good that calling it a NYMF show does it a disservice. This is a show with an incredible future...

[MyLife]

Posted: 10/16/10 at 1:23am

http://www.youtube.com/user/mannoftalent#p/u

DEMO of Trails found there.

Incredible. I was so fortunate to have seen this today, and I am now obsessed, having singing "Blaze a Trail" all day.

The cast of the demo is different from that at NYMF (except for Lutz) but the music is still just as great.

[CRS14]

Posted: 10/18/10 at 11:29am

Saw my final three shows (reviews below) then my overall thoughts on the festival.

Vote For Me - Great concept, horrible execution. The best way I can describe the show is awkward. The woman playing the democratic lead was jittery and fumbling her lines and 98% of the jokes fell flat. The score was entirely forgettable. No idea how Kristy Cates got roped into this production, especially since she had a nothing role.

The History of War - I've never been more bored at a show than I was during this train wreck. The music was terrible. Not one song was enjoyable. I laughed twice...TWICE. That was it. The jokes/stereotypes were overplayed to the point that I sighed rather than laughed. The lead kid was also quite annoying to the point where it was a distraction. Arguably the worst production of a show I've ever seen. When in the lobby before another show a lady was asked "how long is the History of War?" and she goes "90 minutes too long". Couldn't agree more.

The Great Unknown - After the History of War debacle I went into this with very little hope. Once the opening harmonies in the a capella version of Take Me Down started, it already was better than History of War. The plot was slow at times, but the voices of the leads were more than enough to make up for it (the final solo was tremendous). I ended up liking it much more than I thought I would given the plot summary.

Overall thoughts - Like last year, I'm pretty disappointed with the festival. Granted I only saw 8 of the 30 productions, but only 3ish of them left any impression on me. Not exactly sure what the selection process is, but some of these shows must do a hell of a job marketing themselves. Holding out hope for next year...

My favorite shows, in order:

Trails
Without You
The Great Unknown
Tess (it grew on me so I moved it up)
I Got Fired
Nighttime Traffic
Vote For Me
The History of War


Shows with the most potential for future productions:

Trails
Tess
Without You
The Great Unknown
Nighttime Traffic
I Got Fired
Vote For me
History of War