Misterman by Enda Walsh at Theater Row as part of Origin Theater Festival.

Origin Theater Festival.

"Misterman" by Edna Walsh at Theater Row

A One-Man Play: Starring Daniel Marconi

Directed by: Labhaoise Magee

Sound Designer: Elliot Yokum

Lighting Designer: Shane Hennessy

Misterman is a dark and disturbing play. Thomas Magill, a very lonely and isolated man who lives 

alone in a broken-down little shack in a fictional Irish town called, Inishfree.

Daniel Marconi's performance is superb as Thomas Magill with all the frantic and chaotic energy going

above and beyond human possibility on any stage.

Thomas Magill, is a deeply disturbed individual with chaotic energy and  extreme religious inclinations 

 He believes that most of the inhabitants of the village are sinners, and he has been appointed by God to

 purge them of their sins

 He spends all his time running up and down and replaying tape recordings of the

village people. He mocks and ridicule them constantly and record everything constantly in his diary.

He displays real manic behavior and his religious rigidity leads to some kind of mental illness.

The character has enormous energy to bounce around, throwing things, yelling and screaming at an 

invisible barking dog in a deeply disturbing manner.

We as audience members are mesmerized and hauntingly disturbed watching this young man going

 through his mental and emotional trauma which he no longer can control.

There is one very emotional and grief stricken scene when Thomas goes to his father's grave with 

flowers and lies down near his grave and after a stillness which lasts only a few seconds but seems

 eternal says, " I miss you, dad." 

That brief moment makes all his loneliness, isolation, his grief stricken existence which leads to mental

 illness totally naked and visible for us to see and feel for him.

Misterman, was first produced in 1999 in Cork Ireland and Enda Walsh himself played the lead role.

Then in 2011 the play was produced in Galway with Cillian Murphy and went to National Theater of

 London and St Ann's Warehouse in NY.

This brilliant play is the master work of a master playwright.

Daniel Marconi is a brilliant actor with energy of a wild tiger and total control of his fragmented soul.

It's a very tough role and he goes through it as a very slick craftsman. 

Play is amazingly directed by Labhaoise Magee with incredible skill and clarity which is not easy to do.

The very best sound design is by Elliot Yokum.

The recorded voice -over talents of Una Clancy and Mabel Byrne are so real as if all the town's unseen

 people were crowding the whole stage live.

This is one of the most unique and brilliantly original play I have seen in ages.

REVIEWED BY BINA SHARIF

 ATCA

Editor/Publisher: artsinternational.blogspot.com

email:binashariff@gmail.com

Mobile: 212-260-6207

BAD DATERS AT PARADISE (NOW CLOSED)

 BAD DATERS AT PARADISE

WRITTEN BY

DEREK MURPHY

DIRECTED BY

COLM SUMMERS

CAST:  KATE Arrington

             SHANE McNaughton

BAD DATERS is a kind of romantic two-handers.

Two good looking individuals who are kind of peculiar and very defensive especially 

Wendy (Kate Arrington) immaculately attired in a very stylish dark brown coat, perfect white blouse and

 fashionable black shoes is a perfect example of a lady who is in control. Not only in control but a

 control freak. The most hilarious thing is that she arrives for the date armed with pepper spray, a loud

 battery operated whistle and hand sanitizer which she uses repeatedly.

On the other hand Liam (Shane McNaughton) is polite, patient, subdued and humbled. Doesn't seem

like a great match but in reality they are both damaged people who hate themselves.

They have both gone through some tragic events recently. Shane's wife committed suicide and left

him a note, " Make an Effort."  Wendy lost her mother in an accident and blames herself for it.

Deep down they are the most lonely people who are in self exile because their fear of closeness

and intimacy. They have gone through a lot already and dating for them seems overwhelming and

a reminder of their psychic pain and psychological complexity.

These characters distrust themselves and are awkward. It seems that there will be no more dates

between them but they pursue under all odds and eventually the grace and beauty they are seeking

 shines within because of the magical writing by Derek Murphy who is also Irish and all the poetry

and lyricism is there to help that magic.

First date is impossible, the second date? Can digest, and the third one is a secret which is quite absorbing and almost thrilling. An exciting and an original new play is delightful.

Reviewed by

BINA SHARIF

MEMBER OF ATCA

Editor/Publisher: artsinternational.blogspot.com

email: binashariff@gmail.com

Mobile:212-260-6207

"SIX REALMS OF HISTORY" Leo Tolstoy's book, 'What is Art?

 SIX REALMS OF HISTORY

The realm of knowledge

Realm of wealth

Realm of morality

Realm of faith

Realm of politics

Realm of beauty

AND ACTIVITY IN THE LAST REALM OF BEAUTY IS ART.          Leo Tolstoy

-----------------------

"Beauty produces pleasure in us"

"Beauty is tge foundation of love"  Tolstoy

----------------

'You put far too many demands on yourself."  BS

" Have to change my whole life thus my existence."

"You put far too many demands on your self."  BS

"When all matters will be settled?"   (Heedlessness and disbelief)

"The day of regret."

"Be Stead fast."

"To him belong whatever is before us and

whatever is behind us and whatever is in between,"

"BE AND IT IS."

"Peace be upon me the day I was born,

The day I die, and the day I will be raised back to life."

"THE AIM OF ART."

"The aim of art is pleasure

My art has become a source of torture,

a torment, a source of depression.

LET IT GO

DO NOTHING

THAT CAN BE CONSIDERED ART

So, there will be nothing to torture or depress you."   BS

PERMANENT TRMENT

ALMARI

KUPRAY

KITABAIN

FURNITURE

APARTMENT

KI HALAT APT KI?

FAZOOL THINGS

DEEL KARO OR THRIW AWAY

THIS NONSENSE HAS LASTED ALL YOUR MISERABLE LIFE...BS

DIARY OF A THOUGHT

 DIARY OF A THOUGHT AT THEATER FOR THE NEW CITY

DIARY OF A THOUGHT

WRITTEN AND DIRECTED

BY

KEVIN  MITCHELL MARTIN

DIARY Of A THOUGHT (Now Closed) was one of the best play i have seen

in a long time. It was a play of language as all the plays should be. It was a garland of words,

words, words. Sad words, funny words, melodious words, sorrowful words, nasty words, kind

words, remorseful words, heart breaking words, words which bring your heart out of your chest

and needs to be uttered. All these golden words, colorful words were made into a garland of colorful

words gathered together.

Some thorns had to be there to prick your fingers to remind you the presence of pain in beauty.

Without that sensation of pain and discomfort the delicacy of comforting words can not be felt.

The playwright himself played the English teacher. His a high class call girl (If there is one)

A house wife chained to her kitchen, an immigrant poet dressed like a queen in bright Rajastan

colors like a painting who wrote poems of sorrow only lamenting about the golden days of Raj

by the Moghul Muslim leaders many centuries ago. Her nostalgia was the best poem in the play.

She lived in the past of her history, the history which was of beauty, of power, of gold, of flowers, of

 architect, of candles, of light, of a family, of gardens, of mud paths on which she walked miles and miles

thinking of moonsoon and mangoes. Her outfit was of sparkling colors, magenta, gold, safran colors

 shawals, silver and gold jewels like patterns, her voice was a slow, deep, heart wrenching moan.

Her poems were never published. No one knew who she was. Her English teacher Sam (Martin) was

the only person along with her call girl class fellow and the house wife who had no idea what poetry

can be all about ever heard her poems. Yes, there was another student, a soldier, who had just returned

 from Iraq and suffered from permanent nightmares and insomnia thought perhaps by taking a poetry

and acting class all his trauma of death will transform into beauty. But alas! that never happened though

 the English teacher tried his best to humor him with some flowery word which the English language

 makes some roar with laughter. Sadly he left all his joy of life behind next to the un-buried bodies of

Iraqi innocent civilians on the roadside to be eaten by vultures.

The most hilarious was the call girl. Since she was high class she always flew to Qatar, Emirates and

the other Gulf states and made tons of money and got some gold bricks from the filthy rich leaders

who had their wives locked up in the kitchens like the other house wife in this glorious play.

The call girl was afraid that she will soon have some dangerous disease, so she left and tried to be a poet

in NYC. The poor American house wife to consol herself started to read some books to ease her anguish

and liked what she read. By mistake she chose the poetry of T.S. Elliot which was quite difficult for her

unskilled mind and to understand that book she joined this highly priced acting/poetry class.

The English Professor, the teacher was British, so very high class with his high class accent was

 expensive, so she one day stole some money from her husband's wallet and paid for the classes and

 when the husband found out he beat her and kept beating and black and blue and threw her out of the

 house and that's when she found this brilliant English professor.

I tell you I have never seen any play with such hilarity and such high class humor and language.

Audience were roaring throughout with laughter and never wanted this show to end.

By the way the call girl came to the class almost naked everyday.

She never forgot her glorious days of naked sex in the Middle East.

Brilliant play. Great language, fantastic garland of amazing words, words, words.

Brilliantly directed by Mr. Martin. Most beautiful costumes and a simple set of a room

with couple of chairs. Sometime a person of imagination and of talent can do a glorious

show with very little but with a lot of fascination, imagination and creativity of the mind and the spirit.

I can never forget this play, the actors and especially the English professor and his never ending list

of gloriously sparkling words.

Reviewed

by

BINA SHARIF

ATCA

Editor/Publisher:artsinternational.blogspot.com

email:binashariff@gmail.com

Mobile: 212-260-6207

FRICKS PRESENT POMP

 FRICKS

PRESENT

POMP!

Written and Directed

by

Courtney Campbell

Set and costume design: Devon Horn

Sound: Emma Magnus

Lights: Taro Baugham

Sound Engineer: Max Robinson

Couldn't find the Slipper room on my way to this show, Pomp.

We walked back and forth on Orchid street looking for the magical, "SLIPPER ROOM"

And with all the slush and snow almost came back. Then we saw two other ladies looking for the same

 place and we reached the slipper room. On opening the door and seeing the long flight of stairs almost

turned back but something was telling me, "Sweetheart, don't lose heart and go up."

I decided to listen to that inner voice and went up huffing and puffing.

Once I saw the intimate room, red curtain and the excitement at the bar I was happy for not giving up

and once the curtain went up, oh! what a show they put up. I was so excited and thrilled to see  

Wolfie (Amazingly talented, Emma Magnus) wearing a grand costume and Stanzi (Madison Iosia)

equally marvelous in a beautiful costume, I was so excited from the beginning to the  very end and trust

 me,

They didn't disappoint me.

It made me think of the old Lower East Side and the shows they used to do. Those fun things have been

replaced by commerce but while I was watching Pomp, I knew there is still hope for new talent,

 Imagination and brilliant sense of humor which sustain great shows.

Emma Magnus and Madison Iosia are hugely talented. They had enregy, great sense of humor, style

and novelty. It was such a pleasure to see actors like that. So free and commanding the stage every

 second and wonderful Dash Perry (Debt Giovanni) coming in and scaring the hell out of Wolfie.

(I was whispering to my partner, "Here comes the debt collector to give Wolfie a heart attack."

Poor Wolfie, Loaded with talent and debt...a bad combination but Emma Magnus dealt with it

in such a fun way.

Everything about Pomp was brilliant, the lights, the sound, the set, the costumes and the writing and

 direction by Courtney Campbell.

I haven't had such fun at any show for such a long time.

These actors should be any playwright's dream come true.

Thank god the staircase didn't influence me enough. One must never give up.

There is bliss after the long flight of stairs.

REVIEWED 

BY

BINA SHARIF

ATCA MEMBER

Editor/Publisher: artsinternational.blogspot.com

Email: binashariff@gmail.com

Mobile:212-260-6207

EVERYTHING IS ....

 EVERYTHING IS ...

A scolar, philospher said,

Trust no body

Believe nothing

Share nothing

Silence is golden

Be silent

And live, and live fully

Forget about anything you hear, anything, you are told, it's gossip ...

Gossip and fake nonsense

Mostly fake

Fake news

Fake success, 

Fake stories

Fake friends

Fake strangers

Fake families

Even fake enemies

Nothing you see,

Nothing you hear,

Nothing you are told...

Nothing is real...

Just forget about everything, very nonsense

And stop wasting your energy and time...

You hear?

And this is the last time I am telling you...

Really, you have wasted your life on this bull shit

And it is bull ahit

STOP IT

STOP IT

STOP IT

FROM THIS MINUTE ON...STOP THIS NONSENSE ABOUT ETHICS, DIGNITY

INTEGRITY. JUST STOP IT...

Remember what AURELIUS said and take care of only that.

AURELIUS SAID,

" LIFE IS MADE OF THREE THINGS

BODY

BREATH

INTELLIGENCE

From this day on you are going to concentrate only on those three things.

Body, Breath, Intelligence.

Promise?

Promise...

You broke all your promises before

Please commit to your new promise.

Otherwise your gods will be upset with you

and you don't want that.

Do you?

Oh!no. No, you don't want that.

What are you without your daimon, your god

Your daimon lives inside of you

You breath because of him

Your body is healthy because of him

nd you are not a moron

You have intelligence

And who gave you intelligence? and all other things?

Your god inside of you

And that is the only deity you don't pay attention to?

May god forgive you.

You talk about corruption, fake people, fake success, important hustlers,

all day long, day after day...

You have such energy? such stamina? so much time on your hands to waste

And all you have forgotten is your god who lives inside of you...

Who gave you breath, a healthy body and intelligence, the power to distinguish

between good and bad, between right and wrong, between peace and turmoil

between reality and fake unreal gossip...

ALL DAY YOU LISTEN TO FAKE NONSENSE...

ACTUALLY, YOU LIVE IT...

STOP, STOP, PLEASE STOP.

JUST DO YOUR WORK

THE THINGS YOU LIKE TO DO

THE THINGS YOU LOVE TO DO.

PEOPLE, YOU WANT TO TALK TO

PEOPLE YOU WANT TO SEE

PEOPLE YOU WANT TO HELP

PEOPLE YOU WANT TO LOVE...

LIVE A CLEAN LIFE

BE PROUD

BE THANKFUL...