Crescendo Falls and L! V! C!

[NBC]

Posted: 11/23/05 at 4:34pm

Just wanted to point out two off-off Broadway offerings I saw recently that I think are worth catching - Crescendo Falls is a soap opera spoof based in the music industry that's at the Kraine Theater on East 4th Street (home of KGB Bar). It's somewhat campy - intentionally so - and if you know soaps at all you'll be amused, particularly at the opening "montage." The cast will apparently all play multiple roles during the run - standouts for me included Sean Attebury as the typical soap opera stoic, square-jawed leading man, Jennifer Winegardner, and Lori Ann Strunk as the devious receptionist Jade. It's in six parts and each "episode" plays for two consecutive Mondays. It's running through February, and I've only seen the first one so far, but the playbill promises recaps at the top of every show for those who have missed anything. I am looking forward to those!

I also saw Love! Valour! Compassion! at the T.Schreiber studio theater - it was an excellent, intimate production of the play, with a really strong cast. (And I'd forgotten how funny the play is, especially the first act.) There wasn't a weak link, and the three hours and fifteen minutes went by very quickly. I also thought the director made really good use of the small space. I think someone else - Margo? - wrote a review of this that was probably much more eloquent than anything I can come up with, but I just wanted to encourage everyone who can to see it - $15 is a steal. It runs Thursday through Sunday until December 11.

[MargoChanning]

Posted: 11/23/05 at 5:27pm

So glad you enjoyed Love! Valour!