Crazytown

THIS WEEK IN COMEDY

As your Thursday Crazytown resident Stand Up I thought I should write a few more posts solely about what is going on in the world of comedy and highlight some hilarious happenings you may want to check out. 
-By Leah Bonnema (Stand Up Comic) 

I realize that over the past two years of writing for Crazytown I haven't dedicated as many blogs to stand up proportionally to how much of my life is invested in it. When friends come to town and ask "Where should we go out" I have no idea unless they want to see a comedy show. I don't go out to clubs, lounges or trendy restaurants however I can tell you where people are making great jokes. So for the next few weeks I'm going to do a series on comedy that you don't want to miss. 

I think I must have loved comedy from the very beginning!

Thursday night (TONIGHT) the very hilarious and all around phenomenal guy Chris Distefano (you may know him from Guy Code and Girl Code) will be performing on the Late Show with David Letterman. Huge congrats to Chris! I'm very much looking forward to watching his debut. Tune in and laugh!

A TASTE OF FRESH FRUIT

The summer is full of theatre festivals, and the Fresh Fruit Festival, a multidisciplinary LGBTQ arts festival, offers something for everyone.
By Kimberly Lew (Playwright/Blogger)

While Greg has been participating in the summer festival season as an artist, I've found myself on the opposite side of the table, having taken a summer gig helping do marketing on the festival-organizing side for the Fresh Fruit Festival. An LGBTQ multidisciplinary festival for artists, Fresh Fruit will present several plays, cabarets, dance pieces, and films over the course of two weeks (July 8-21) at The Wild Project, with some additional programming at the Nuyorican Poets Cafe and Leslie Lohman Museum. It's been a pleasure to work with a lot of talented, enthusiastic artists, and you can view the full line-up of the festival--which includes the US premiere of a hilarious comedian, a Fringe-award winning one-person show, and one of the earliest portrayals of homosexuals in film-- here.

In the meantime, I thought I would share a Q&A with Artistic Director/Founder Carol Polcovar about Fresh Fruit's origins and what it's like running a festival now in its 11th year:

ME: What was the origin of the Fresh Fruit Festival? Considering its political roots, how did you decide to incorporate all the different genres of performance and art?

CAROL POLCOVAR: One rainy afternoon, three members of the New Village Productions Board of Directors, Kevin Brofsky, Keith Angora and myself were sitting in an empty theater asking each other what’s next.  The focus of New Village Productions was diversity and putting on plays about people who were not usually presented on the commercial stage. It was not queer oriented theater but many of us working in the organization were gay. As we imagined our next steps, our conversation drifted to all the people in the LGBT community who were seldom featured artists and how past great LGBT artists were never acknowledged as such. Everyone enjoyed the work of LGBT artists, singers, writers, etc.,  but so often the public failed to note that these artists were members of the LGBT community. It was also true that the many groups within the  LGBT community did not really connect with one another and that, in fact, there was sometimes even prejudice within our own community.

We agreed art was universal and LGBT artist’s continuing contribution to world culture throughout the must be recognized and celebrated in order to break through the walls that separated us from each other and from the greater community.  As working playwrights and writers we knew the problems of getting our work seen, especially when it was not mainstream work.  We agreed that we would want to deal with diversity,  and offer opportunities for  LGBT art and artists. A festival, we agreed, could do that, could open doors.  The three of us wanted to present the work of LGBT artists past, present and future, artists in all disciplines. We believed seeing the richness of our community's creativity would fight prejudice both inside and outside the community. Next we needed a name, something that would sound like fun and let people know we were a LGBT group presenting exciting, new work by our artists. Keith Angora listened to this description and said, half joking, "Then it has to be called 'Fresh Fruit.'" Kevin and I laughed and thus the journey began and the Fresh Fruit Festival was born.

THE SUBWAY RIDER'S TALE

Or, Public Transportation Is Crazy Sometimes.
By Alisha Giampola (Actor) 

One morning a few months ago, I got on the train to go to work. Like most morning commutes on the MTA in the winter are, it was cold and damp and crowded and everything smelled faintly of onions. I transfer at 42nd Street, and as we slowly rolled into the station, I realized I had gotten on a train with a rather existential subway conductor. His voice, surprisingly clear, came over the intercom with this pronouncement: "Last stop. 42nd Street, Times Square. Crossroads of the universe. This is it, there is no more." I glanced around to see if I was the only one who found the conductor amusing, but it was clearly too early for anyone to care. Actually, I've often thought that if I was a subway conductor, I would entertain myself by making interesting announcements over the intercom- it's not like they usually work well enough for any discernable words to be made out anyhow.

Perhaps it was the early hour, or the bad weather, or my mood, or the very fact that his words came through so resonantly, but the Godlike voice of the subway conductor almost inspired me to just stay in my seat and head back into Queens and to my warm bed. Times Square, crossroads of the universe? Is that really, well, it? Is there truly no more to the MTA, nay, perhaps to life? Well, I suppose he may have been slightly less nihilistic than he seemed- there really is no more 7 train service once you arrive at Times Square (although that won't be true for much longer). 

The NYC subway system is an odd, monstrous, labyrinthine entity that lives below our streets. It is like another metropolis in and of itself. It is the great equalizer of of the city- women in Lululemon yoga pants, sporting 6 carat diamond earrings on the way to Botox appointments sitting beside the teenaged kid from Spanish Harlem going to work in the kitchen of a diner in midtown.

This winter marks my fifth New York-iversary, and last week I witnessed my very first fight on the subway. This seems rather surprising to me, actually. I have lived and worked in New York for five years, and ridden the train at all hours of the day and night, in every neighborhood, and have never really seen any real altercation involving physical violence between anybody until now. Oh sure, there's the occasional snippy words on a crowded train: "Excuse me, I would appreciate it if you stopped stepping on my foot," "I wasn't stepping on your foot, lady!" or "LET US OFF FIRST! JESUS!" And sure, I've seen drunk people peeing against the train doors during a delay late at night; I've seen pantsless homeless guys sleeping on the only bench in the station; I have witnessed a girl vomit into her hands and watched fellow riders fish old Starbucks napkins out of their purses to help her clean up; and I've seen couples literally break up with each other between stops, but an actual fight? With fists? Never.

AND THE TONY FOR BIGGEST SURPRISE GOES TO...

Don't judge a book by its cover, or by its TV appearances.
By Ali Gordon 

In my effort to be more accepting and less snarky about people putting their work out into the world (see last week's post), I'm going to fess up to something I was completely wrong about.

Every time someone famous steps into a role on Broadway, I'm wary. Like... roll my eyes wary. In my defense, I do have good reason! I have been betrayed before. I've seen David Hasselhoff in Jekyll and Hyde, and we all saw Catherine Zeta-Jones ride the Whiplash Roller Coaster, so I know my fear is grounded in some sort of reality.

And I am ashamed to say I thought the same of Jane Lynch stepping in as Miss Hannigan. I like Jane Lynch. I like her A LOT. Who doesn't like her? But I am so conditioned to acting like, "uuughhhh TV stars on MY Broadway?" that I didn't give her a fair shake. And ladies and gentlemen, I am publicly eating my words.

I had the pleasure and honor of attending the Tony Awards live this year at Radio City for the first time in my life. In the excitement, I forgot that Annie was performing, and I definitely forgot that Jane Lynch was now in the show. When she stepped out on stage my heart skipped a beat. Whoops... here comes that familiar feeling of "holier than thou" snark. 

"Let's see how this pans out," I whisper to my friend beside me.

She was arguably my favorite moment of the evening. What a surprise! What a delight! WHAT VIBRATO! I die for all of it! The placement, the attitude, the bizarre head-voice choices... I'm buying! I'm buying everything you're selling, Jane Lynch! Hell... I'm buying tickets to see Annie!

(Skip to 1:21!)

 

And it's no surprise she's so good - listen to the passion she has for the role, as well as how respectful she is of Broadway as a whole.

 

When I'm wrong, I'm wrong, and I'm gonna fess up. This is me fessing up. And this is me being ashamed I doubted her. You GO, girl!

However, here's one man I don't feel so bad laughing at...

 

I didn't make this image (and can't find who to credit - help me find this genius!) but please enjoy...

GENIUS, I SAY! Kenny Boots is my new favorite actor.

Kenny Boots... I mean... ALI GORDON is an actress, writer, comedian, optimist, and waffle enthusiast. Most frequently she can be heard doing funny voices. www.ali-gordon.com
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UPDATES FROM THE FRINGE - #1: "THE ASSEMBLED PARTIES"

In which I share my experiences and advice on putting a show together.
By Gregory Jacobs-Roseman (Composer-Lyricist) 

If you've been keeping up with my posts, you know that my musical Save The Date is in this summer's New York Fringe Festival. I'd like to update you every couple of weeks about how the production is going as I navigate through this process. Let me add the disclaimer that these updates are not intended to be self-promotion. On the contrary, I think it may be incredibly enlightening for our readers to see essentially first-hand journal entries from someone putting up a full-scale musical in somewhat real-time. This is the first in this series of updates.

First Steps: Forming the LLC

When my musical was accepted to FringeNYC I was excited. Super excited if you'll remember. Then the daunting task of making the show happen began. Putting one's show up in a festival means following their schedule and deadlines, not your own, and in FringeNYC, you hit the ground running.

But first things first, I thought. What about the money? We need a place to put and manage the money for the budget. I needed an account separate from all my other accounts into which I could deposit funds and from which I could write checks. It couldn't just be one of my personal accounts either. We're talking about raising a budget of somewhere from $15k to $20k and that would make my taxes very interesting. No, I needed to do that thing they told us about in graduate school: form a separate entity that was legally and financially responsible for all things related to the show. I needed a Limited Liability Company -- an LLC. 

I know next to nothing about creating a business. I write musicals and I'm bad at math, so needless to say, I found the whole idea pretty daunting. Turns out: it's incredibly simple. You download a two-page form, fill it out, and in my case fill out a form authorizing use of your credit card for the filing fee, then fax it all to Albany via your local Kinkos. Then about a week later, you get a document like this one from the department of state:

And that's it. You're organized. You can now go to the bank and open up your checking account. It's that simple. I also went online and ordered an LLC document kit so I had everything I needed. It came with a cool official seal:

And now that we had a place to put the money, it was time to assemble a production team.

Assembling a team. Kind of like this minus the satirical homophobia.

I'D LIKE TO THANK...

...My favourite Tony speeches. Ever.
By Michael Kras (Actor/Playwright/Director)

So, The Tony Awards happened Sunday. And they were fantastic. Sure, there were a few duddish moments (*cough*Phantom*cough*) but it was probably the best Tony Awards telecast I've seen in a long time.

I love a good speech. I get choked up watching someone who truly deserves that statue standing up there and deal with their new reality. It's beautiful and moving to watch. Some speeches, I revisit again and again. Here are my favourites.

Laura Benanti wins Best Featured Actress in a Musical for Gypsy

I love me some Laura Benanti. She's genuinely hilarious and one of the best talents on Broadway today. Her Tony speech showed us a beautiful side of her I've never seen before. She's so overwhelmed that I can't help but get teary, and her breath riding up at the end as she waves furiously at the crowd always gets me.

 

WHEN WORLDS AND SELVES COLLIDE

What happens when your ex and your current s.o. meet? Sometimes, just dinner.
By Sam Perwin

I had a rather profound experience this week, and I wanted to share it with you, Crazytown, so forgive me if you were expecting a Tonys wrap-up (btw, I thought they were awesome). It wasn't profound in the earth-shattering, life-altering way, but rather it was a moment in time when I could see how far I'd come as an individual while appreciating the journey that got me here. This is what happens when your ex and your current boyfriend meet for the first time.

I've had two major relationships in my life. One I'm currently in (which will be 3 years this August), and one I was in for most of college - dare I say it - over 10 years ago. I don't see my college boyfriend much - he moved to San Francisco after he graduated and we broke up, and he doesn't get to New York more than once a year at the most. Like many things we enter into at 19 years old, my college relationship was probably not the healthiest one for reasons I won't go into here. It was full of the kind of drama that only two tempermental artists can create, and while I won't regret what I did for love (ahem...), I think it took a lot out of both of us.

LET'S VISIT NYC.

A field guide for non-touristy tourists.
By Alisha Giampola (Actor)

My dear friend Avalon, who has never before visited New York City, came to stay with us for a few days this week. After staying up until ridiculously late eating and drinking at Landmarc, the night she arrived, we woke up and made Bloody Marys. Then we lingered over brunch at home on a gorgeous morning with the whole day before us (well, if you count the whole day as starting after 2pm). 

It's slightly intimidating to know that you are taking someone on their first tour of a city like New York. One naturally wants to steer said person away from the comedy show hawkers and the Central Park carriage rides and the Hollister on 5th Avenue, while still making sure that they get a good view of the Empire State Building and have a quality slice of pizza. Spending time walking around with Avalon reminded me of several things that have changed about me since moving here: I've stopped noticing that my personal space is invaded completely every time I step out of my apartment, and I've started to walk really really fast. 

So what should you do with your out-of-town NYC-virgin friend? Well, according to Avalon, this itinerary fulfilled almost everything you should do in NYC in 3 days or less, without ever setting foot in Times Square:

We headed straight for the High Line - we started at 30th street and went down to Chelsea Market. Lunch at The Lobster Place in Chelsea Market. Sushi, oysters on the half shell, Manhattan clam chowder. Walked down through the West Village and over to the East Village. Headed over to Little Italy. Didn't spend too much time there because there were about 7,000 tourists eating cannolis. Continued on down to Chinatown. Purchased lychee nuts on the street.

Pro tip: Go into the Yu Zu Tang Foot Spa on Pell Street and get reflexology foot massages. I was wary of this at first, but am so glad that Avalon was adventurous enough to insist that we treat our tired toes to an ancient Chinese treat. 

Walked back uptown through Soho to window shop. Headed back over to the East Village to meet Jake for dinner at Balade, my favorite Arabic restaurant in Manhattan (their kibbe is almost as good as my mom's kibbe). Gelato at Fresco. Drinks at the Gin Palace and PDT (including a kimchee hot dog, of course).

Next day? Well of course it rains. Lunch at Delta Grill. Shopping in the Time Warner Center. Go see Jake in Missed Connections (yes, that Missed Connections). Late night dinner at Renaissance Diner. Then, Avalon got a real taste of the city when we got packed in at 1am on the train leaving Queensboro Plaza with about 700 other frustrated commuters during a "signal malfunction". 

For Avalon's last day in the city? We enjoy lunch at Snaks in Saks Fifth Avenue. Get caught in the rain again and try shoes on at Bergdorf Goodman to wait it out.

Waiting out the rainstorm with COLOR. 

After the rain subsides, we take a long wander through Central Park. Then, slices of pizza at some random place in Chelsea. Harold night at UCB. Avalon happens to be friends with a pretty successful TV actor here in NYC who works on a show that Daniel and I happen to be big fans of, so it was really fun to meet up with him late night and and get drinks at The Raines Law Room- a speakeasy on 17th street (that has the coolest/craziest wallpaper I've ever seen. Yes, you heard that correctly- wallpaper.) 

Are these the places where you should take your out of town friends when they come visit you in this, the most fabulous city in the world? Well, only if you want them to have an awesome time. 

This is us having an awesome time.

ALISHA GIAMPOLA  is an NYC based actor/teacher/writer who doesn't understand why you'd come all the way to New York to visit M&M World.
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THE TONYS DIDN'T SUCK

Unlike the Academy Awards that struggle every year to try to entertain their audience (which they can't ever seem to pin down), the Tony's know who they're playing to... and do they ever play it up. SPOILER ALERT!

by David Davila (playwright / songwriter)

It's true; the Tony Awards didn't suck. They were super fun to watch mostly because the Tony Awards know that their audience is a bunch of theatre queens and dreaming kids out there in middle America. They know their audience and they give their audience what they so desperately hope for; something to hope for - a life in the theatre.

There were plenty of upsets that restored my faith in silly awards. Per Sondheim, the only awards that matter are the ones that come with money, but a Tony in theory comes with potential money through ticket sales. MATILDA would have loved to advertise that they're the best musical of the year. KINKY BOOT'S win means that it will run for at least another year, possibly two more years.

Neil Patrick Harris rocked as host once again, and the writers/producers did a banging job of entertaining us while commenting on the current pop culture of theatre fans. The best performances of the night were the original songs performed by Neil & friends! Dang this guy really brings it every year. Likewise the producers of MATILDA probably spent all year planning their commericial, I mean Tony Awards performance, and the planning paid off. They were the stars of the show which left many shocked that KINKY BOOTS won. 

BOHEMIAN DREAMS: SAM SALMOND

Meet NYC's most promising starving artists before they're rich and famous. This week meet musical theatre writer Sam Salmond and find out what he has to say about pop music clones, attractive barristas, and mediocre divas. 

by David Davila (playwright / songwriter)

It's first preview of MURDER BALLAD and everyone who's anyone is at the Union Square Theatre. It's a who's who of New Musical Theatre - the kind of night where you have to pretend like it's no big deal that you're sitting across from Audra McDonald. I see a familiar face from across the weird table-seating-area and I see that my buddy Alexander Sage Oyen is getting a drink. He saunters over after and introduces me to Sam Salmond. 

I must admit that I took a liking to Sam as a friend (as we rode the L together back to Bohemia) before I ever became a fan, and to be clear I am officially a super huge fan of Sam Salmond. After hearing his music at SAM & ALEX WITH A Z at the Beachman a couple of weeks ago I ran home and followed him down a dark YouTube tunnel. His folksy-blues-piano-infused-musical-theatre-pop-hybrids tell the stories of the down trodden, the underdogs, the under represented, the socially awkward, and the seriously heart-broken.

His musical MOTHER, ME, & THE MONSTERS with Will Aronson, about a gay boy coping with being Mormon, played Barrington Stage last year and this year he's been premiering a butt load of new material at several NYC concerts from Lincoln Center, to 54 Below, to Joe's Pub. Tonight he plays Ars Nova's ANTTunes at ANT FEST which features five of the hottest up-and-coming songwriters in NYC, and I can't wait to hear what he's come up with now. 

  
(Here's the song by Sam that stole my heart.) 

I caught up with Sam at Maison Premiere in Williamsburg and chatted about pretentious beer, stealing from delis, and killing babies.