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With Walljasper providing
elegant, understated readings, Curry delivering a lovely, funny
mini-breakdown while filling cups with peanuts, Lavner sweetly
suggesting utter guilenessness, and Liuzzi holding court as a Lutheran
Don Corleone - her comic imperiousness drew gasps from the audience -
all of the performers have random moments both charming and hilarious.
RIVER CITIES' READER, By Mike Schulz, April 2007
Margaret
Curry is excellent as Karin, Signe’s modish mother, and Curry’s lanky,
June Cleaver-esque portrayal is both a gentle ribbing of and a tribute
to the ingénue moms of yesteryear. Her grandstanding “Mother of the
Bride” is her best number, but her enthusiasm for some wonderfully
goofy choreography is apparent throughout.
Quad Cities Times, By Ruby Nancy, April, 2007
“… Spins the classic play A Midsummer Night’s Dream into a musical that young people will understand and even enjoy!”
“The Bard and the Beat: Your best bet this weekend… A Midsummer Night’s Dream meets Motown!”
Rated a “Voice Choice” by the Village Voice!
"The Arts - Monday, July 11, 2005"
Shakespeare Remains Goldest Oldie of Them All
Anita Gates
 I
have seen a few productions of "A Midsummer Night's Dream," beginning
with Peter Brook's in 1971. On film, I have seen Mickey Rooney as Puck,
Calista Flockhart as Helena and Rupert Everett as Oberon. But never has
it all been clearer to me than when I watched the Millennium Talent
Group's simplified one-act version, "Fools in Love."
"Fools
in Love" is intended to introduce children to Shakespeare, and it does
the job with exaggeration, pure silliness and 1950's and 60's pop
music. The comedy is set in the era of "Happy Days" and poodle skirts,
in a California town called West Athens, where four teenagers hang out
at a diner and discuss their romantic problems and plans. Hermia (Erika
Villalba) loves Lysander (Matt Schuneman) but is being pressured to
marry Demetrius (Antony Raymond). On the sidelines, Helena (Annelise
Abrams) pines for Demetrius, who finds her completely unappealing and
tells her so.
When
Hermia and Lysander decide to elope, they find themselves the victims
of mischievous fairies. Oberon (Andy Langton, in a black leather jacket
with macho black wings) obviously has nothing better to do than play
tricks on humans and on his beloved Titania (Margaret Curry).
Spellbound
by a magic herb, the victims wake up from naps to fall in love with
unexpected objects: Titania with Bottom (Ryan Knowles), a weaver who
has been turned into a donkey, and both Lysander and Demetrius with
Helena. Helena has such low self-esteem that she believes both young
men are just ridiculing her by pretending to want her.
There's
no real need for a Greek chorus, but five singers known as the Doo-Wop
Group comment on the action frequently with mostly a cappella excerpts
from golden oldies like "Duke of Earl," "Baby Love," "Respect," "My
Guy" and of course "All I Have to Do Is Dream." D. J. Paris, making his
New York stage debut, does a particularly nice job on "Unchained
Melody."
Sarah
Rosenberg and Louis Reyes Cardenas, who are credited with the show's
conception, have kept Shakespeare's language (accented with an
occasional "huh?" or "oh, all right"), letting young theatergoers grasp
meaning through context.
It's
nice to see a cast of all shapes and sizes. The full-figured Ms.
Villalba is highly lovable as Hermia, and when she calls Helena a
"painted maypole," she strikes a blow for all women over size 10. The
very skinny Brandy Wykes has an endearing "Laugh-In"-era Goldie Hawn
quality as Puck. The very tall Mr. Knowles has a lot of fun with
physical comedy as Bottom. And then there are the smallest performers,
children from the audience who are invited onstage to dance and
occasionally speak a line or two. Warning: The actors have been known
to force a pink wig on small volunteers.
Doo-Wopping a Midsummer Dream
Alan Kaplan
"Fools in Love," an abbreviated version of "A Midsummer
Night's Dream."
By ANITA GATES 
Published: March 24, 2005
I
have seen a few productions of "A Midsummer Night's Dream," beginning
with Peter Brook's in 1971. On film, I have seen Mickey Rooney as Puck,
Calista Flockhart as Helena and Rupert Everett as Oberon. But never has
it all been clearer to me than when I watched the Millennium Talent
Group's simplified one-act version, "Fools in Love," at the Wings
Theater in Greenwich Village.
"Fools
in Love" is intended to introduce children to Shakespeare, and it does
the job with exaggeration, pure silliness and 1950's and 60's pop
music. The comedy is set in the era of "Happy Days" and poodle skirts,
in a California town called West Athens, where four teenagers hang out
at a diner and discuss their romantic problems and plans. Hermia (Erika
Villalba) loves Lysander (Matt Schuneman) but is being pressured to
marry Demetrius (Antony Raymond). On the sidelines, Helena (Annelise
Abrams) pines for Demetrius, who finds her completely unappealing and
tells her so.
When
Hermia and Lysander decide to elope, they find themselves the victims
of mischievous fairies. Oberon (Andy Langton, in a black leather jacket
with macho black wings) obviously has nothing better to do than play
tricks on humans and on his beloved Titania (Margaret Curry).
Spellbound
by a magic herb, the victims wake up from naps to fall in love with
unexpected objects: Titania with Bottom (Ryan Knowles), a weaver who
has been turned into a donkey, and both Lysander and Demetrius with
Helena. Helena has such low self-esteem that she believes both young
men are just ridiculing her by pretending to want her.
There's
no real need for a Greek chorus, but five singers known as the Doo-Wop
Group comment on the action frequently with mostly a cappella excerpts
from golden oldies like "Duke of Earl," "Baby Love," "Respect," "My
Guy" and of course "All I Have to Do Is Dream." D. J. Paris, making his
New York stage debut, does a particularly nice job on "Unchained
Melody."
Sarah
Rosenberg and Louis Reyes Cardenas, who are credited with the show's
conception, have kept Shakespeare's language (accented with an
occasional "huh?" or "oh, all right"), letting young theatergoers grasp
meaning through context.
It's
nice to see a cast of all shapes and sizes. The full-figured Ms.
Villalba is highly lovable as Hermia, and when she calls Helena a
"painted maypole," she strikes a blow for all women over size 10. The
very skinny Brandy Wykes has an endearing "Laugh-In"-era Goldie Hawn
quality as Puck. The very tall Mr. Knowles has a lot of fun with
physical comedy as Bottom. And then there are the smallest performers,
children from the audience who are invited on stage to dance and
occasionally speak a line or two. Warning: the actors have been known
to force a pink wig on small volunteers.
"Fools in Love" runs through April 9 at the Wings Theater, 154 Christopher Street, Greenwich Village, (212) 627-2961
© The New York Times
BACKSTAGE East
Off-Off Broadway October 07, 2004
Metropolitan Operas
Reviewed By Jeanette Toomer
"Metropolitan Operas"
Presented by Millennium Talent Group in association with Wings Theatre
at Wings Theatre, 154 Christopher St., NYC, Sept. 13-Oct. 2. Sarah
Rosenberg's creative direction and the finely tuned dialogue of
playwright Joe Pintauro work brilliantly as one to lift "Metropolitan
Operas" off the stage and into the hearts of theatregoers. These
vignettes, unified by the theme of hearts on the mend, feature angelic
choral singers and strong performances by several actors.
The first half presents drama mixed with comedic turns that succeed
very well in "Seymour in the Very Heart of Winter," "Rosen's Son," and
"Birds in a Church." Strained relationships are the subject of two of
these scenes -- one between a couple dining at a restaurant and the
other between a grieving father and the ex-lover of his deceased son.
In "Seymour," Matt Schuneman delivers a deft physical performance as
the young working-class boyfriend of a disinterested fading actress. As
his older girlfriend, Margaret Curry is a living portrait of
upper-class snobbery and selfishness.
In "Rosen's Son,"
Louis Reyes Cardenas presents a riveting portrayal of a man who is
trying to move on after his lover's death. When confronted by his
partner's father at his apartment, he breaks down and mourns his
irreplaceable love.
Burke Adams has a great career ahead of
him in comedy, as he hilariously portrays an obsessed priest in
"Birds." And in "Rex," he's a very reluctant meat-eater, with Lindy
Rodgers as his wildly funny, guilt-ridden wife, who offers him cooked
pheasant for dinner.
After intermission, serious dramatic
scenes about intimate relationships that are at best tenuous offer more
to think about. In "Soft Dude," Curry presents a gritty portrayal of a
whore afraid to love. John Dillon, the waiter in the restaurant scene,
returns for a larger, more revealing role in "Dirty Talk." Brandy Wykes
shows off her acting and dancing dexterity coupling with Dillon in that
play, and later with Nick Mazza in "Fiat." Rachel Balch, Andy Langton,
Anthony Galluccio (subbing for Bill Barnett), and Kevin Smart complete
the cast.
The harmonizing choral members are Johanna Bon,
Ryan Darling, Jules Dudas, Evy Lutzky, Melissa Nook, Antony Raymond,
and Nadine Zygaj. Bruce Dean deserves special mention for a versatile
and beautiful set design.
©www.offoffonline.com
When
you think of Shakespeare, many things come to mind: lofty language,
intricate plot lines, doo-wop. Well, maybe not the latter, but after
you see Millennium Talent Group's production of Fools in Love A Midsummer Night's Dream set to hit songs from the 1950's and 60's you will wonder how Shakespeare could be done any other way.
Keeping the text intact, with a few edits so the show doesn't lose its
targeted younger audience, the play is presented with such simplicity
that children and adults alike will leave the theater with a thorough
understanding of what they just saw, a difficult feat when taking on
the Bard.
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| The fairies in Fools in Love |
| Photo Credit:Alan Kaplan |
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Fools in Love
focuses on the lives and loves of four teenagers. Hermia (Erika
Villalba) is being pressured to marry Demetrius (Anthony Raymond), but
she loves Lysander (Matt Schuneman). Poor Helena (Annelise Abrams) is
in love with Demetrius, who wants no part of her.
Deciding that to be together they must elope, Hermia and Lysander fall
prey to scheming fairies led by Oberon (played with perfect
dead-panning by Andy Langton), who is determined to cast a spell on the
object of his affection, Titania (sweet soprano Margaret Curry). As is
Shakespeare's way, everything goes awry when the spell is cast on the
wrong victims, leaving both Lysander and Demetrius in love with Helena,
Titania in love with Bottom (Ryan Knowles), and a very jilted Hermia
left all alone.
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| (l-r) Tom Falborn as Peter Quince and Louis Reyes Cardenas as Francis Flute in Fools in Love |
| Photo Credit:Alan Kaplan |
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An
exuberant cast brings the story to life with great success. With
impeccable comic timing, Villalba's Hermia is a delight. She finds
humor in every scene and makes Hermia a thoroughly modern teenager. As
her admirers, Schuneman's Lysander is a lovable, pocket
protector-wearing nerd, while Raymond's Demetrius lends a nice touch of
sarcasm to the role, often becoming the voice of reason while the other
lovers are consumed with themselves. As Helena, Abrams turns in a fine
performance as a woman desperate to be loved.
Rounding out the cast, Knowles as Bottom proves quite a scene-stealer.
Deliciously hammy and over the top, he takes what is usually a
considerably funny role and makes it hilarious. Puck, as played by
Brandy Wykes, is a charming, albeit ditzy, woman on a mission to cast
her spell, though often losing her way. The doo-wop group, taking the
place of a Greek chorus, does a nice job, most notably a beautiful
rendition of "Unchained Melody" by the group's D.J. Paris.
Specifically designed to bring Shakespeare to young audiences, this
production under director Sarah Rosenberg has provided us with a
revealing look at how simple Shakespeare can and should be. She has
made him as accessible as a modern playwright, as demonstrated by the
smaller audience members who were fully engrossed in what they were
watching. Sharing the title of conceptionist with Rosenberg is Louis
Reyes Cardenas. Both have done an outstanding job of bringing the Bard
down to earth.
If you have ever attended a production of Shakespeare, you may have
left the theater feeling as though you deserved a medal for staying
awake. Not this time. Not only will you be entertained, you will
"gasp"enjoy Shakespeare. Grab your children and any anti-Shakespeare
friends and run to the Wings Theater for what is sure to be a
delightful afternoon.
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