#1
Posted: 9/16/05 at 12:32am
Edit 9.2.06 --
The entire original cast of this fantastically funny show will be heading out to LA for a limited run. The show is not identical to the Culture Project production, which many people on this board saw -- and it will also feature a returning original cast member who was unable to participate in said production -- but it promises to be just as great as it was in New York. Read through this thread to see how much several posters on the board, myself included enjoyed this show.
West Coasters, this is not to be missed!
Previews will be September 15th and 16th, opening night is September 20th, and it will run through October 1st.
For more information, see http://www.mrmiyagi.com/ and http://www.eastwestplayers.org -- I hope many of you are able to go see this, and that you love it as much as I did. If any of you go, please post about it!
Edit -- see my 9/26 post about Anthony's upcoming cameo.
This play is absolutely hysterical. Honestly, my face was sore from laughing so hard. I saw it tonight, and laughed my ass off.
For those unfamiliar, SIDES features a group of Asian American actors, and it's a series of comedic sketches portraying the audition process - and surely every actor has had a bad audition, or a strange audition experience. But even if you're not an actor, there's something in the play to which you can relate - the group of actors is a group of misfits, in a way. They're stark portrayals of stereotypes, which probably makes the play all the more a laughing-fest. In the first sketch, we see all sorts of actors - the nervous, awkward type, the Julliard-trained braggart of an Equity Actor, the over-actor, the one who screws up absolutely everything (and then falls flat on his face - quite literally), etc, etc, etc. We see stereotypical casting directors, one who even comes with a flamingly effeminate assistant.
The costumes and set are simple - the actors wear regular clothing, with a few changes as they change up their roles, and the set is created to look like an audition room - some chairs, a table, a mirror, etc - and it's all very easily movable for different various purposes.
The writing, as stated, is comedic excellence. It's just full of side-splitting humor. But you get the jokes because you feel for these characters; the team of actors hold utmost responsibilty for making the material just as enjoyable as it is. They mix their great physical comedy skills with their delivery of the writing, and continue to multiply the laughs over and over and over again - the phyiscal aspect of the characters is so important, because of the many different characters each actor portrays. For example, the highlight of the group, Rodney To (yes, RENT fans - Anthony's Rodney) - who is FANTASTICALLY talented, by the way - plays a stuck-up Julliard grad, a slightly psychotic, abrasive playwright, and the dance audition leader for a hip-hop musical version of Medea, amongst other things that I won't spoil. Anyway, with such huge differences in the types of characters, his physical comedic acting chops are important, and they shine. One of the actors slips and falls during his audition, a scene that hauls on for a bit with the actor simply laying flat on the floor after a big production of a fall - brilliant.
The play is fast moving, with not a dull moment. It's short and sweet, at under an hour and a half. The cast members all click perfectly with one another, whether in pairs, small groups, or as a whole small ensemble, and well deserve the award they won for ensemble performance (I know I read that somewhere).
At the end of the performance, one of the actors said that if the audience liked what they saw, they should tell their friends - he said that they're a very small show, and rely on word-of-mouth. The audience was laughing out loud almost constantly, and seemed to absolutely love the show, but it's clearly a bit under the radar, as the house wasn't really very full. So, on that note, I urge anyone who can to get down and see it - they run for five more weeks, and it'll be worth every penny!
A work of art is an invitation to love.
The entire original cast of this fantastically funny show will be heading out to LA for a limited run. The show is not identical to the Culture Project production, which many people on this board saw -- and it will also feature a returning original cast member who was unable to participate in said production -- but it promises to be just as great as it was in New York. Read through this thread to see how much several posters on the board, myself included enjoyed this show.
West Coasters, this is not to be missed!
Previews will be September 15th and 16th, opening night is September 20th, and it will run through October 1st.
For more information, see http://www.mrmiyagi.com/ and http://www.eastwestplayers.org -- I hope many of you are able to go see this, and that you love it as much as I did. If any of you go, please post about it!
Edit -- see my 9/26 post about Anthony's upcoming cameo.
This play is absolutely hysterical. Honestly, my face was sore from laughing so hard. I saw it tonight, and laughed my ass off.
For those unfamiliar, SIDES features a group of Asian American actors, and it's a series of comedic sketches portraying the audition process - and surely every actor has had a bad audition, or a strange audition experience. But even if you're not an actor, there's something in the play to which you can relate - the group of actors is a group of misfits, in a way. They're stark portrayals of stereotypes, which probably makes the play all the more a laughing-fest. In the first sketch, we see all sorts of actors - the nervous, awkward type, the Julliard-trained braggart of an Equity Actor, the over-actor, the one who screws up absolutely everything (and then falls flat on his face - quite literally), etc, etc, etc. We see stereotypical casting directors, one who even comes with a flamingly effeminate assistant.
The costumes and set are simple - the actors wear regular clothing, with a few changes as they change up their roles, and the set is created to look like an audition room - some chairs, a table, a mirror, etc - and it's all very easily movable for different various purposes.
The writing, as stated, is comedic excellence. It's just full of side-splitting humor. But you get the jokes because you feel for these characters; the team of actors hold utmost responsibilty for making the material just as enjoyable as it is. They mix their great physical comedy skills with their delivery of the writing, and continue to multiply the laughs over and over and over again - the phyiscal aspect of the characters is so important, because of the many different characters each actor portrays. For example, the highlight of the group, Rodney To (yes, RENT fans - Anthony's Rodney) - who is FANTASTICALLY talented, by the way - plays a stuck-up Julliard grad, a slightly psychotic, abrasive playwright, and the dance audition leader for a hip-hop musical version of Medea, amongst other things that I won't spoil. Anyway, with such huge differences in the types of characters, his physical comedic acting chops are important, and they shine. One of the actors slips and falls during his audition, a scene that hauls on for a bit with the actor simply laying flat on the floor after a big production of a fall - brilliant.
The play is fast moving, with not a dull moment. It's short and sweet, at under an hour and a half. The cast members all click perfectly with one another, whether in pairs, small groups, or as a whole small ensemble, and well deserve the award they won for ensemble performance (I know I read that somewhere).
At the end of the performance, one of the actors said that if the audience liked what they saw, they should tell their friends - he said that they're a very small show, and rely on word-of-mouth. The audience was laughing out loud almost constantly, and seemed to absolutely love the show, but it's clearly a bit under the radar, as the house wasn't really very full. So, on that note, I urge anyone who can to get down and see it - they run for five more weeks, and it'll be worth every penny!
Updated On: 9/2/06 at 12:32 AM
