VAUDE_VISUALS

Last Wednesday I accompanied John Towsen, (with Riley Kellogg and Billy Schultz) to the Music Box Theater to see a show that was to become one of my favorite shows on Broadway!

ONE MAN, TWO GUVNORS

Here are the reviews. They can explain it better than I.

New York Times

Hollywood Reporter

John Towsen (blog author ALL FALL DOWN) and I went to meet with the physical comedy director Cal McCrystal and John did an informative interview with him.

Cal McCrystal is the Physical Comedy Director for the Broadway hit “One Man, Two Guvnors” playing at the Music Box Theater.
Having worked with Philippe Gaulier and Pierre Byland in the past, Cal’s sense of timing and comedy are delightful.
He discusses with (physical comedy blog ALL FALL DOWN) author John Towsen the work he has done on the show and the challenges he faced.

Video © 2012 by Jim Moore

“Mr. Hytner and Cal McCrystal, the physical comedy director, keep their cast on a taut tightrope between order and disorder.”
Ben Brantley, NY Times

Thanks to Hilary Chaplain for making this interview possible!

I was fortunate to get a ticket and accompany John Towsen (who purchased the ticket thru his TDF account- Thanks John), Billy Schultz and Riley Kellogg to see this hysterically funny show at the Music Box Theater.

Here is a still I was able to take during a moment when James Corden is on stage alone relating to the audience.

I haven’t laughed so hard at a live Broadway show since I can remember. If you get a chance SEE THIS SHOW!

If you can’t afford the Broadway seat prices (It opens on Tuesday and it should be a big HIT) I suggest you go see it a BAM where it is being presented as an HD film screening as part of ‘National Theater Live’ series. Information here

‘The most glorious comedy on the planet.’
Daily Mail, March 2012

The New York Downtown Clown Revue

Season 5, Show #58

Christopher Lueck hosting the Downtown Clown Revue.

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Will Shaw

Will Shaw performs a new piece of business which includes a dry wit and dazzling skills.

Will Shaw spins a top on top of his cigar box structure.

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The Ridiculous Romantic

Kevin C. Carr and Carol Sirugo in a still from the film “The Ridiculous Romantic”.

Directed by Jim Moore, edited by David Katz, with Kevin C. Carr, Peter Daniel Straus, Kenwyn Dapo, Carol Sirugo, Emily James, Ishah Janssen-Faith, Emily Season, Music Score by Polygraph Lounge.

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Matthew “Phineas” Lish

Matthew ‘Phineas’ Lish juggles 9 balls all at once!

Matthew ‘Phineas’ Lish juggles 3 machete knives.

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Christopher Lueck prepares the audience for the next act by reading the cue cards.

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Everybody Nose It’s My Birthday

A series of short vignettes about dating and family life.

An offer from the audience to ‘marry’ the on stage actress.

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No Reservations

Billy Schultz takes Audrey Crabtree out on a date in ‘No Reservations’.

This piece gets wilder as it goes along but I will leave that to you when you see it!

This new piece is being directed by John Towsen.

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Hosted by Billy Dee Bedlam

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GUSTAVO PACE

Telling a heart felt story that really hits home.

Imagine what it would be like if you liked someone but they don’t know it!

You arrive at their front door and they don’t want to open the door.

Gustavo has grown as a story teller and the work he has been doing on his monologs is really showing.

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ISHAH JANSSEN-FAITH

Ishah is having trouble with her assistant as he can’t get her name right when introducing her!

She tries to get him to lift her up but he seems to be not able to do it the right way.

Steve McCarthy (an audience member visiting from Montreal) seems to be the right volunteer.

Ishah gets her ‘lift’ the right way from Steve.

Finally the ‘assistant’ gets it right and lifts Ishah the way she wants him to.

Funny routine by Ishah Jannsen-Faith.

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AUDREY CRABTREE AND BILLY SCHULTZ

What seems like an ordinary date for these two becomes anything but that.

A common enough conversation takes a wild turn.

The couple fling each other in different directions in more ways than one.

You will have to come and see this piece to find out what happens here?

A wonderful Premiere by Audrey and Billy. Directed by John Towsen

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KATE BREHM

A surreal walk thru the corridors of Kate’s mind.

Using metal chairs as instruments of passage Kate manipulated them in many varied ways.

Visually striking and performed wonderfully.

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KIMBERLY O’HARE

Reading her score from the sheet music set up on a special music stand Kimberly amazed the audience with great virtuosity.

Beautiful flute music with many musical surprises.

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TANYA SOLOMON

Called ‘Bushwick’s Queen of Mystery’, Tanya Solomon performs her magic for the audience at Who Wednesday.

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JOSH BISKER

The song is called “Till There Were Jews,” written and performed by Josh Bisker. It goes out, he says, to all those Chosen People who’ve wondered, “just what is it about us, anyway?,” as well as the formerly-goyish transplants whom New York City has transformed into bagel-loving, stuff-schlepping, hand-gesturing goodniks…you know, Jews. Josh, of the uke + trombone + trumpet combo Cobra Gold, and his sister Ellia, of indie-rock sensation Sweet Soubrette, are hosts of the Super Fun Superfund Variety Show, a regular cabaret featuring talents from the circus to the avant garde, staged in the Gowanus’s fabulous upcycling center, Film Biz Recycling. Mark your calendars for the next Super Fun Superfund show on February 11: amazing acts, spectacular prizes, and cheap drinks, all hidden in treasure-filled wonderland of repurposed film sets — what more could anyone want?

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JEFF – n- BUTTONS

Two wild and funny dudes (Jeff Seal and Chris Manley) crack up the audience once again

Last year they performed their duet show NEON LIGHTS at the NY Clown Theater Festival.

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Watch the Triskelion Arts Calendar for future WHOA WEDNESDAY shows!

On Friday September 3rd The NY Clown Theatre Festival got off to a great start with the Clown Parade. Beginning in Union Square and moving to The Brick  Theatre in Williamsburg where the festival is presented. More than 100 clowns and admirers moved through the streets of NY and into the L train station for their fun trip to Brooklyn. I have posted a good selection of photographs from that adventure.

John Towsen was present at the parade. John and his performing partner  Fred Yockers were the producers of the First NY Clown Theatre Festival back in the 1983. He was happy to see the tradition continue under the guidance of Audrey Crabtree cofounder with Eric Davis.

Audrey Crabtree muscling in to the picture.

Jeff Seal will be performing with his partner Chris Manley at the Festival

Lilli Sukula-Lindblom(l)  hangs on to Gabriela Munoz (c) and Sabine Choucair(r).

Gabriela and Sabine are perfoming at the festival in ‘Perhaps, Perhaps, Quizas.’

Jonathan Kaplan will be performing in the festival in ‘Le Fleur’.

Center in the platform is Audrey Crabtree giving advice to the passengers.

Nick Trotter as ‘Ferdinand the Magnificent’ taking a well deserved rest

Peter Musante is performing with Summer Shapiro in “Legs and All“.

Eric Davis -shooting photographs at the parade.

Butt Kapinski with a handcuffed friend looking proud.

Once the crowd arrived at The Brick Theatre it was only a matter of time until the ‘Pie Throwing Contest’ got started.

First the referee had to lay down the rules and then all hell broke lose!

If you want to see more Clown Theatre that will bring joy to your bones and laughter to your soul…

go here and buy some tickets to the shows!

FERDINAND SAYS “COME AND SEE SOME SHOWS!”

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I will be posting more photographs from each performance I shot in the upcoming weeks.

Stay tuned or subscribe in the upper right hand corner!

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All Photographs are © 2010 by Jim Moore

This past month there was a wonderful show which actually happens every month. The New York Downtown Clown Revue. When most people think about ‘clowns’ they have this image pop into their head.

Bozo the Clown

The American public has had almost no exposure to the true ‘european’ style clown. This Bozo image has been popularized by the Ringling Bros. & Barnum and Bailey Circus and other American circus shows traveling the country for almost 100 years. Most graduates from the Ringling Brothers Clown College (no longer in existence) are required to wear a certain type of clown costume if they make it to the ranks of the Ringling Bros.& Barnum and Bailey Circus. The impression one gets is that this is either ‘family’ or ‘child’ entertainment. Unlike Europe where they have beautiful theatres devoted to serious ‘clown theatre’ where adults attend without the little ones in tow.  There is a tradition of ‘types’ of clown which goes as far back as the greeks. Author/historian/professor John Towsen could tell you more about ‘history’ of clowns in his wonderful blog and his book CLOWNS. In this interview with the trio Le Fromage Royal all three participants talk about their influences on this ‘new’ old skit.

Le Fromage Royal - ©2010 Jim Moore / All Rights Reserved

Joel Jeske, Christopher Lueck and Michael Richter of “Le Fromage Royal” .

Interview with the cast of Le Fromage Royal at the Krane Theatre, NYC

The evening wasn’t by any means just the Fromage Royal dudes.

Check out the NY Downtown Clown Revue BLOG to see.