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<DIV style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; FONT-FAMILY: Calibri,sans-serif">Demonstrating yet again how incredibly out of touch he is with audiences. I'm very interested to see how he attempts to defend this one. Poorly, no doubt.</DIV></DIV>
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<SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; FONT-FAMILY: Calibri,sans-serif; FONT-WEIGHT: bold">From: </SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; FONT-FAMILY: Calibri,sans-serif"><A href="mailto:marcmoritz@yahoo.com">MARC MORITZ</A></SPAN><BR><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; FONT-FAMILY: Calibri,sans-serif; FONT-WEIGHT: bold">Sent: </SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; FONT-FAMILY: Calibri,sans-serif">2/11/2013 12:34 PM</SPAN><BR><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; FONT-FAMILY: Calibri,sans-serif; FONT-WEIGHT: bold">To: </SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; FONT-FAMILY: Calibri,sans-serif"><A href="mailto:royberko@gmail.com">Roy Berko</A>; <A href="mailto:post@neohiopal.org">post@neohiopal.org</A></SPAN><BR><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; FONT-FAMILY: Calibri,sans-serif; FONT-WEIGHT: bold">Subject: </SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; FONT-FAMILY: Calibri,sans-serif">Re: [NEohioPAL] Berko review: A BEHANDING IN SPOKANE @ none toofragile theater</SPAN><BR><BR></DIV>
<DIV style="FONT-SIZE: 18pt; FONT-FAMILY: garamond, new york, times, serif; COLOR: #000; BACKGROUND-COLOR: #fff">Interesting that this reviewer deems it inappropriate to spell the word "Motherfucker " instead substituting it with motherfu**ers, but felt it OK to use the word "Nigger" in its entirety. What does that say about this reviewers ethics? Ifor one am confused.<BR><BR>Sincerely,<BR>Marc Moritz<BR>
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<DIV><B><SPAN style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">From:</SPAN></B> Roy Berko <royberko@gmail.com><BR>
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<DIV dir=ltr><FONT size=2 face=Arial><B><SPAN style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">To:</SPAN></B> post@neohiopal.org <BR><B><SPAN style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">Sent:</SPAN></B> Monday, February 11, 2013 9:22 AM<BR><B><SPAN style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">Subject:</SPAN></B> [NEohioPAL] Berko review: A BEHANDING IN SPOKANE @ none too fragile theater<BR></FONT></DIV><BR>
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<DIV class=yiv2120778969><B>none too fragile’s A<SPAN> </SPAN>BEHANDING IN SPOKANE…not for the language police!</B></DIV><B></B>
<DIV class=yiv2120778969> </DIV>
<DIV class=yiv2120778969>Roy Berko</DIV>
<DIV class=yiv2120778969>(Member, American Theatre Critics Association & Cleveland Critics Circle)</DIV>
<DIV class=yiv2120778969> </DIV>
<DIV class=yiv2120778969>Sean Derry, the artistic director of none too fragile theater, is known for his love of off-the-wall scripts and characters.<SPAN> </SPAN>He fears no plots, language or the macabre.<SPAN> </SPAN>In Martin McDonagh, the author of none too fragile’s latest brain teaser, A BEHANDING IN SPOKANE, he has met his mate.</DIV>
<DIV class=yiv2120778969> </DIV>
<DIV class=yiv2120778969>McDonagh, who is the first dramatist since Shakespeare to have four works professionally produced on London stages in a single season, has won every major British theatre and film writing award.</DIV>
<DIV class=yiv2120778969> </DIV>
<DIV class=yiv2120778969>McDonagh, who is considered by some to be the most important living Irish stage and film writer, is fascinated with wretched, ill fated, jaded, obsessive characters.<SPAN> </SPAN>These malcontents are often liars with imaginations that know no limits.<SPAN> </SPAN>They flourish in self-mythology and are usually self-destructive.<SPAN> </SPAN></DIV>
<DIV class=yiv2120778969> </DIV>
<DIV class=yiv2120778969>The playwright also has no regard for the word police.<SPAN> </SPAN>He peppers his scripts with language that can make some audience members cringe.<SPAN> </SPAN>He makes playwright David Mamet (GLENGARRY GLEN ROSS, SPEED-THE-PLOW), noted for his constant use of profanity and vivid words, appear almost to be a member of the clean mouth club.<SPAN> </SPAN></DIV>
<DIV class=yiv2120778969> </DIV>
<DIV class=yiv2120778969>In BEHANDING IN SPOKANE, for example, words like hillbilly, fag, and fu***in’ are spoken freely.<SPAN> </SPAN>I stopped counting after the first fifty motherfu**ers and twenty uses of niggers.<SPAN> </SPAN>If you aren’t offended yet, there’s a fight in which the characters throw multiple numbers of severed hands at each other.<SPAN> </SPAN>It’s like a macabre pillow fight of digits.<SPAN> </SPAN>Some of the bloody fists bounce off audience members as some observers are seated within three feet of the action.</DIV>
<DIV class=yiv2120778969> </DIV>
<DIV class=yiv2120778969>A BEHANDING IN SPOKANE is McDonagh’s first play set in America.<SPAN> </SPAN>It opened in New York in 2010.<SPAN> </SPAN>The king of mean, actor Christopher Walken, was nominated for a Tony Award for his portrayal of the leading.</DIV>
<DIV class=yiv2120778969> </DIV>
<DIV class=yiv2120778969>The none too fragile theatre is a 65-seat black box, which is cramped, the seating is close, and no one is more than 10 feet from the thrust stage.<SPAN> </SPAN>It’s a perfect venue for McDonagh’s grizzly dark comedy.</DIV>
<DIV class=yiv2120778969> </DIV>
<DIV class=yiv2120778969>The lights come up on a seedy hotel room where Carmichel, an unkempt, wild-eyed, hair-a-mess middle aged man is sitting on the bed.<SPAN> </SPAN>Within seconds a noise comes from the closet, Carmichel throws open the door, whips out a gun, shoots, slams the closet door closed, and we are assured that “nothing good can come from this!” </DIV>
<DIV class=yiv2120778969> </DIV>
<DIV class=yiv2120778969>In the next seventy-five minutes we are exposed to a can of gasoline, a candle, handcuffs, a gun, racial and sexual terms, drugs, and lots of questions over what’s going on.<SPAN> </SPAN>Overriding all of this is the query, What was the author’s purpose in penning this bizarre script?<SPAN> </SPAN></DIV>
<DIV class=yiv2120778969> </DIV>
<DIV class=yiv2120778969>We meet an interracial couple, a stoned main desk clerk, Carmichel’s mother (via several telephone calls), see near deaths, view Twinkies being consumed, and<SPAN> </SPAN>view an unexpected and bizarre ending.<SPAN> </SPAN></DIV>
<DIV class=yiv2120778969> </DIV>
<DIV class=yiv2120778969>The none too fragile’s production hits the audience on various levels.<SPAN> </SPAN>Some laugh hysterically, others sit in shock, still others seem to turn off the entire action and go inward with no means to escape the intermissionless exercise. The reaction centers on what each person perceives to be going on and/or how much liquor they have had before and during the show.<SPAN> </SPAN>(Each production starts with an introduction, the director handing out free shots, and waitresses taking drink orders.)</DIV>
<DIV class=yiv2120778969> </DIV>
<DIV class=yiv2120778969>Michael Regnier is quite adequate as Carmichael.<SPAN> </SPAN>He is not as menacing as Christopher Walken, nor as crazed as the role calls for, but he gets his point across.<SPAN> </SPAN>It would have been fascinating to see the director, Sean Derry, play the role as this is the kind of part that he does so well.</DIV>
<DIV class=yiv2120778969> </DIV>
<DIV class=yiv2120778969>Nick Yurick, as the desk clerk who spends part of the play shaving his knuckles and fingers, is properly spacey, but not always believable. </DIV>
<DIV class=yiv2120778969> </DIV>
<DIV class=yiv2120778969>Brian Kenneth Armour, as the emotional Toby, an African American low level drug dispenser and wheeler dealer, is spot on.<SPAN> </SPAN>His pretend macho, yet crying jag portrayal, is nicely honed.<SPAN> </SPAN></DIV>
<DIV class=yiv2120778969> </DIV>
<DIV class=yiv2120778969>Kelly Strand as Marilyn, Toby’s air-headed girl friend, is out and out funny and convincing.</DIV>
<DIV class=yiv2120778969> </DIV>
<DIV class=yiv2120778969><I>Capsule judgement: none too fragile’s A BEHANDING IN SPOKANE is definitely not for everyone.<SPAN> </SPAN>If you have a macabre sense of humor, have a high tolerance for swearing and offensive stereotypes, you<SPAN> </SPAN>will really get into this show.<SPAN> </SPAN>Others may be so offended and/or confused their only wish would be for the final lights out.<SPAN> </SPAN>Which one are you?</I></DIV>
<DIV class=yiv2120778969><I><BR></I></DIV>
<DIV class=yiv2120778969>A BEHANDING IN SPOKANE runs through March 9 at none too fragile theater located in Bricco’s Restaurant, 1841 Merriman Road, Akron.<SPAN> </SPAN>Use the free valet parking, as car space is limited.<SPAN> </SPAN>For tickets call 330-671-4563 or go to <A href="http://www.nonetoofragile.com/" rel=nofollow target=_blank>http://www.nonetoofragile.com</A></DIV><SPAN style="COLOR: rgb(255,0,0)">••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••</SPAN><BR><BR><BR></DIV></DIV><BR>______________________________________<BR><BR>NEohioPAL is SELF-SERVE. If you need to unsubscribe, change from digest to one-at-a-time delivery or vice-versa, go on hiatus while out of town, switch from mime to plain text or vice-versa, etc. check out the FAQS at <A href="http://www.fredsternfeld.com/" target=_blank>http://www.fredsternfeld.com</A>.<BR>______________________________________<BR><BR>Please consider a voluntary contribution to support Neohiopal - <A href="http://www.fredsternfeld.com/faqs.htm#support" target=_blank>http://www.fredsternfeld.com/faqs.htm#support</A><BR>______________________________________<BR><BR>Disclaimer: The facts and/or opinions expressed in this message are solely those of the person in the 'from' or 'reply-to' header. The fact that this message is posted should in no way be taken as an endorsement by the administrator of this list. Subscribers should perform due diligence for all goods, services and activities promoted on NEohioPAL.<BR>________________________________________<BR><BR>NEohioPAL mailing list<BR><A href="mailto:post@neohiopal.org" ymailto="mailto:post@neohiopal.org">post@neohiopal.org</A><BR><A href="http://lists.neohiopal.org/listinfo.cgi/neohiopal-neohiopal.org" target=_blank>http://lists.neohiopal.org/listinfo.cgi/neohiopal-neohiopal.org</A><BR><BR><BR></DIV></DIV></BLOCKQUOTE></DIV></DIV></BODY></HTML>