FringeNYC Encore Series Kicks Off Today With Two 'Mini Festivals'

In 17 days, even the most intrepid theatergoer can only sample a fraction of the over 200 offerings at the New York International Fringe Festival. Now in its 10th year, the official 2014 FringeNYC Encore Series gives theatre lovers another chance at seeing some of the most critically acclaimed and most crowd-pleasing shows from the Festival.

This year, the FringeNYC Encore Series will be divided into two separate mini festivals. Baruch Performing Arts Center will present exclusively solo performances as part of its ongoing "Solo In The City" performance series (which has previously presented works by Sandra Bernhard, Jackie Hoffman and Tovah Feldshuh), while SoHo Playhouse will host an array of drama, comedies and musicals. FringeNYC and The FringeNYC Encore Series are servicemarks and/or trademarks of The Present Theatre, Inc. and are used with permission.

SOLO IN THE CITY: THE FRINGENYC ENCORE SERIES runs September 11 - October 3 at Baruch Performing Arts Center, located on the campus of Baruch College in Manhattan on East 25th Street between Lexington & 3rd Aves. Tickets are $18 - $20, available online at www.baruch.cuny.edu/bpac, by phone at 646-312-5073, or in person at the box office at 55 Lexington Ave. (enter E. 25th St. between Lexington & 3rd Aves.)

Performances will include:

• Confessions of Old Lady #2
Joan Shepard's sparkling account of 74 years on Broadway and on TV. Laced with side-splitting stories & witty songs, this musical memoir won four stars from the London Times.
Sept. 18 at 7 PM & Sept. 22 at 2 PM

• Fearless
The story of one man's broken engagement (not his fault), failed suicide attempt (definitely his fault), the relationships that followed (probably his fault) and the misguided attempts to teach his students how to take risks and become fearless.
Sept. 20, 27 at 9 PM

• Gary Busey's One Man Hamlet (As Performed by David Carl)
In this absurdist romp through Shakespeare, pop culture, and life in the theatre, iconic actor Gary Busey (played by comedian David Carl) will perform all the parts in "Hamlet", using homemade puppets, videos, live music, and poetry. FringeNYC Overall Excellence Award winner.
Sept. 19, 26 at 9 PM & Oct. 3 at 9 PM

• Hoaxocaust! Written and performed by Barry Levey, with the generous assistance of the Institute for Political and International Studies, Tehran
Ever wish the Holocaust hadn't happened? Some say it didn't! Join Barry's journey to find deniers from Illinois to Iran, meeting engineers and ex-presidents, dodging a brother in Hungary and a boyfriend back home to discover the truth. FringeNYC Overall Excellence Award winner.
Sept. 11, 18, 24 at 7:30 PM & Sept. 21 at 3 PM

• Magical Negro Speaks
Jamil Ellis gives voice to the Magical Negro -- one of Hollywood's favorite tropes -- and examines what images in entertainment mean for future generations. FringeNYC Overall Excellence Award winner.
Sept. 19 at 8 PM & Sept. 20 at 7 PM

• Murder Margaret and Me
Margaret Rutherford became a global legend playing Miss Marple. Originally she didn't want the part, and Agatha Christie didn't want Marple played by "the funniest woman alive." This British sell-out sensation sees Christie playing detective, unearthing Rutherford's terrible secrets. FringeNYC Overall Excellence Award winner.
Sept. 13 at 3 PM; Sept. 19 & 20 at 7 PM

• The Pawnbroker: Lies, Lovers, and Bertolt Brecht
What price would you pay for love -- your dignity, your sanity, your place in history? Discover the lies behind Brecht's legend - and what five women lost to create it.
Sept 17 at 7:30 PM; Sept. 28 at 7 PM

• Sex, Lies & Earl Grey
How do you take your tea? Georgina likes it hot with good manners, bad behavior and a pianist. Her crash course in etiquette reveals more than she, or you might expect.
Sept. 20 at 2 PM; Sept. 28 at 7:30 PM

THE FRINGENYC ENCORE SERIES runs TODAY, September 4 - October 5 at SoHo Playhouse (15 Vandam Street between Varick and Avenue of the Americas). Tickets are $18, available at 212-352-3101 or online at OvationTix at www.fringenyc-encoreseries.com. Performances will include:

• <50%
Gianmarco and Laura star in a completely factual play about the end of their five-year relationship. Everything is exactly as it happened, is happening, and will happen.
Mon 9/15 @ 9, Fri 9/19 @ 7, Mon 9/22 @ 8, Mon 9/29 @ 9:30 , Sat 10/4 @ 5

• Chemistry
Steph is a recovering depressive. Jamie overachieved himself off the deep end. When they meet in their psychiatrist's office, they can't deny their chemistry, but can they survive it? A pitch black and piercingly insightful comedy about being crazy in love.
Sat 9/13 @ 5:30, Fri 9/19 @ 9:30, Sat 9/20 @ 7, Sun 9/21 @ 5, Sat 10/4 @ 7

• Fatty Fatty No Friends
As the fattest kid in school, Tommy lives a lonely, living nightmare. When the skinny kids' taunting goes too far, Tommy takes revenge without amends. A dark spoken-word Tim Burton-esque musical diving into the lunchtime of life, where bullies are delicious. FringeNYC Overall Excellence Award winner.
Wed 9/10 @ 8, Sun 9/14 @ 3, Mon 9/15 @ 7, Wed 9/17 @ 8, Thu 9/17 @ 7

• Held Momentarily
Trapped on a stalled New York subway, seven strangers realize it's not just the train that's stuck. A poignant musical comedy about making connections, living in the moment and moving on in life... and a woman just went into labor.
Thu 9/11 @ 7, Fri 9/12 @ 9:30, Sun 9/14 @ 5, Thu 9/18 @ 9, Sun 9/21 @ 3

• The Imbible: A Spirited History of Drinking
Join world-renowned mixologist and raconteur Anthony Caporale (Art of the Drink TV) for a boozy romp through the history of alcohol. Cocktails and comedy combine for an utterly unique musical theatre experience! "An absolute must-see!" raves The Huffington Post. 21+ only
Fri 9/5 at 8, Fri 9/12 at 8, Fri 9/19 at 8, Fri 9/26 at 8

• Jump Man
A musical parody of the Mario Brothers world. When a crime wave hits their Brooklyn neighborhood, Mario and Luigi have their heroism tested. Jump Man addresses age-old questions like "What defines a hero?" and "Do plumbers love to sing?" FringeNYC Overall Excellence Award winner.
Sat 9/6 @ 7, Fri 9/12 @ 7, Sat 9/13 @ 3 & 8, Sun 9/14 @ 7

• Moses, The Author
Meet Moses. He has family problems (gay son, rocky marriage), God problems (existential), and career problems (writer's block, a hellish deadline). To make a better Bible he must become a better man. A love story, with scrolls. Don't miss it.
Fri 9/26 @ 7, Sun 9/28 @ 3, Wed 10/1 @ 3, Sun 10/5 @ 3 & 7

• Mother's Day
Acid-tongued New York drag queen Helen Back incites a nuclear family meltdown when she comes home to New Jersey for Mother's Day. The debut of a pitch black comedy/drama that explores the rules of engagement for a family at war.
Thurs 9/4 @ 9:30, Fri 9/5 @ 9:30, Tues 9/9 @ 8, Thurs 9/11 9:30

• No One Asked Me
Illegal. No papers. They are not supposed to be here, yet for thousands of undocumented children, the U.S. is the only home they know. They face an uncertain future, fearing deportation. Based upon stories of "illegal" NYC students. FringeNYC Overall Excellence Award winner.
Fri 9/26 @ 9, Sat 9/27 @ 4, Sun 9/28 @ 7:30, Mon 9/29 @ 7, Tue 9/30 @ 8

• Smashed: The Carrie Nation Story
A beer-soaked, absurdly comic opera loosely based on the hatchet-wielding temperance leader Carrie Nation. Raise your frothy brew high!
Sun 9/21 @ 8

• This is Where We Live
Two teenagers collide like a modern day Orpheus and Eurydice in a dead-end Australian town. A dark, moving comedy infused with the rhythm of beat poetry. Australia's Paperbark Theatre Company presents this US premiere, which won the 2012 Griffin Award. FringeNYC Overall Excellence Award winner.
Thu 9/4 @ 8, Fri 9/5 @ 8, Sat 9/6 @ 9:30, Sun 9/7 @ 5, Mon 9/8 @ 8

• Urban Momfare
Why don't we ever hear songs about moms not actually liking their kids? This romp through motherhood on Manhattan's Upper East Side spans 17 years: "Music For Gifted and Talented Babies" to bra straps and Bellinis. Sling on your stilettos! FringeNYC Overall Excellence Award winner.
Sun 9/21 @ 7, Wed 9/24 @ 2, Thu 9/25 @ 7, Sat 9/27 @ 7, Sun 9/28 @ 5

• Warm Enough For Swimming
Mom drowned years ago. Grandma died yesterday. Eddie fled his wedding. And Bridget can't make coffee. Can estranged siblings clean the living room when the bride arrives with a post-recession pyramid scheme and a Russian Mafioso stalks their childhood home?
Sat 9/20 @ 9:30, Tue 9/23 @ 8, Thurs 9/25 @ 9:30, Sat 9/27 @ 9:30, Thurs 10/2 @ 8

Past FringeNYC Encore Series have served as a launching platform for many commercial and regional runs including Silence! The Musical, Krapp 39, Triassic Parq, 5 Lesbian Eating A Quiche, Jamaica Farewell, The Complete Performer and Piaf, among others.