BWW REVIEW: SELF-YELP Wittily Probes the Absurdity of the Popular Crowd-Sourced Review Site at the 2017 Midtown International Theater Festival
Like it or hate it, Yelp is an undeniable force in American culture. Like Google, it's become a verb, as in, 'I Yelped the restaurant that gave my reservation away!,' or 'I'm going to Yelp the mechanic who installed brakes instead of a timing belt!'Yelp reviews can go viral, as with the recent post by a Kyle O. from Texas about Berghain, an exclusive Berlin nightclub that is actually a gay sex mecca. They can even cost a Yale professor a deanship, as with June Y. Chu, whose elitist, mean-spirited reviews of multiple New Haven businesses added yet more fuel to the flame of anti-Yale sentiment nationwide.
SELF-YELP, then, a two-woman short play by Helene Ellford and Emily Thomas featured both at the Midtown International Theater Festival and the Strawberry One-Act Festival, could not be more timely. The five vignettes are drawn from Yelp reviews in New York City, and while the thread tying these reviews together is tenuous, the writing is consistently funny. The small audience (under ten people) laughed through most of the 30 minute piece.
2017 STRAWBERRY ONE-ACT FESTIVAL Ripens in NYC
The Riant Theatre - the Audelco Award-winning nonprofit providing a nurturing developmental environment for playwrights and theatre creators of diverse cultural backgrounds - presents THE STRAWBERRY ONE-ACT FESTIVAL. A celebration of cultural diversity, THE STRAWBERRY ONE-ACT FESTIVAL will be presented at the Theatre at St. Clement's (423 West 46th Street, between 9th and 10th Avenues, NYC) beginning today, July 13th. The festival will continue through Sunday, July 30th, 2017.
MITF 2017: The Oldest Continuing Theatre Festival in NYC Returns This Summer
This is an auspicious year for John Chatterton and the Midtown International Theatre Festival. MITF is now the OLDEST CONTINUING THEATRE FESTIVAL IN NEW YORK! John Chatterton has set the gold standard for presenting new and exciting independent theatrical works in NYC. This year's special festival brings more than 100 productions to Manhattan - as well as an astounding number of international works. The 18th Annual Midtown International Theatre Festival once again proves itself to be one of the best reasons to stay in New York in July!
MITF 2017: The Oldest Continuing Theatre Festival in NYC Returns This Summer
This is an auspicious year for John Chatterton and the Midtown International Theatre Festival. MITF is now the OLDEST CONTINUING THEATRE FESTIVAL IN NEW YORK! John Chatterton has set the gold standard for presenting new and exciting independent theatrical works in NYC. This year's special festival brings more than 100 productions to Manhattan - as well as an astounding number of international works. The 18th Annual Midtown International Theatre Festival once again proves itself to be one of the best reasons to stay in New York in July!
BIG D & the Closers Teaming with LMAO Off Broadway, 9/20
LMAO OFF BROADWAY – the interactive musical Improv comedy show by EIGHT IS NEVER ENOUGH - is teaming up with the power hosue team of BIG D & the Closers at the Broadway Comedy Club (318 West 53rd Street, New York, NY 10019). Tickets are now on sale for the Saturday 20th performance at 8pm via Theatermania ($25 at the door or call 866-811-4111; Group Sales SGF PRODUCTIONS 212-568-6560).
Big D & The Closers Present: The Musical Harold! Nov 11, 2013 9:30pm
For fans of improv comedy this innovative show combines The Harold, a form created by Charna Halpern and Del Close in Chicago and long since considered a cornerstone of longform improv, with a new element: cue music! In the style of Baby Wants Candy, and Broadway's Next Hit Musical, Big D performs an entirely improvised musical Harold right before your very eyes. It's basically like Seinfeld meets Book of Mormon. Watch it. You'll never be the same again.
Photo Flash: First Look at HOMO THE MUSICAL! at The Wild Project
Mustache Ride Entertainment in association with Royal Family Productions present Homo the Musical!, written and directed by Lola Rock-N-Rolla with music & lyrics by Gina Volpe, and choreography by Aliane Baquerot, It continues performances through November 3, 2012 at The Wild Project (195 E 3rd). Get a first look at the production in the photos below!
Lola Rock-N-Rolla's HOMO THE MUSICAL! Plays The Wild Project, 10/12-11/3
Mustache Ride Entertainment in association with Royal Family Productions present Homo the Musical!, written and directed by Lola Rock-N-Rolla with music & lyrics by Gina Volpe, and choreography by Aliane Baquerot, It begins performances on October 12 - November 3, 2012 at The Wild Project (195 E 3rd), tickets are $18 and available by visiting www.homothemusical.com or call 212.352.3101.
Lola Rock-N-Rolla's HOMO THE MUSICAL! Plays The Wild Project, 10/12-11/3
Mustache Ride Entertainment in association with Royal Family Productions present Homo the Musical!, written and directed by Lola Rock-N-Rolla with music & lyrics by Gina Volpe, and choreography by Aliane Baquerot, It begins performances on October 12 - November 3, 2012 at The Wild Project (195 E 3rd), tickets are $18 and available by visiting www.homothemusical.com or call 212.352.3101.