NYMF 2016 // A THEATRE REVIEW OF "EH DAH? QUESTIONS FOR MY FATHER"

BY MATEO MORENO

There's a lot of one person shows out there, specifically about the New York actor's experiences in the big apple. I'm not against them in any way. The actor's life can be a facinating one, especially when faced up against discovering your roots. But at this point, I pretty much have thought that I've seen every sort of variation on this common theme. I was wrong. In EH DAH? QUESTIONS FOR MY FATHER, writer and performer Aya Aziz tells her own tale of growing up in New York City and the trials of her Egyptian-American family. Through several songs (all written and performed by Aziz) she tells her tale with a thoughful innocence and remarkable gift of enchanting you no matter what she says.

Her father was born in Egypt but fell in love with an American woman while studying in New York. They married and began to have children, creating a family in America. Both parents, as Aziz tells it, were always amazingly open and supportive of a liberal upbringing. But her Egyptian past that her father seemingly left behind, has never been a part of that upbringing. When she was a young child two of her female teachers married and this was simply normal. When she is told at a Muslim summer camp that only the man can carry the Muslim faith into the next generation, she responds with a bright eyed response, asking "What if two women wanted to marry each other? How would they pass on Islam to their kids if only the man gets to do it?" After attending this camp, she longs for learning more about her faith than she has been presented with. Lyrics like the following engross at every turn and pulse her story vividly in our minds:

“I wanna learn how to pray
I wanna learn what I can do to belong here
I wanna learn all there is to see
I wanna be a part of this part of me.”

Throughout the piece, Aziz (who shines like an Egyptian Amelie) powerfully tells her story with an abundance of humor, grace, and understanding of the world around her. At 22 years old, that's quite a feat indeed. She also has quite a knack for impersonations, as she plays all of the relatives around her. Her cousin, who lives in Philadelphia, is a perfect representation of a modern kid growing up and she goes for many laughs here. But in songs like "It's Math, It's Marriage" she also pierces your heart showcasing the very large difference between her American freedom and her cousin's restricted life if he wants to stay in the country. Director Corinne Proctor pushes the evening through with a crisp clip, never dragging and always underlining exactly what needs to be seen (or heard). The musical direction of Shawn Chang is great as well, expertly arranging Aziz and her band (consisting of Matt Chilton, Geoff Thomas and Chang himself). The only slight detraction is Aziz's upper register, which is pretty thin. Being that she's young I can assume it will only get stronger and stronger, matching her storytelling ability and sheer charm on stage. Eh Dah: Questions for My Father has sadly ended its short run at NYMF but I can't see this wonderful storyteller going anywhere. Plus this version is billed as a "workshop production" so another run is definitely in the cards). And wherever she goes, you need to follow.

MATEO'S GRADE: A

Book, Music and Lyrics by: Aya Aziz Directed by: Corinne Proctor Starring: Aya Aziz Playing at The June Havoc Theatre as part of the 2016 NYMF For More info: http://nymf.org/festival/2016-events/ehdah/

MATEO MORENO is an actor, writer, and a playwright. His plays Happily After Tonight,  Within Our Walls, Bohemian Valentine and Paper Airplanes have been produced in NY and beyond. He most recently co-starred in the critically acclaimed Off-Broadway play City of Glass at The New Ohio Theatre and appeared in the workshop of Hamlet, or I Shall Mourn The Rivers at The Brick Theatre. He is currently workshopping his new play Fairground Attraction as part of Athena Theatre's 2016 Playwrighting Group. He lives in Brooklyn.

NYMF 2016 // A THEATRE REVIEW OF "A SCYTHE OF TIME"

BY MATEO MORENO

Edgar Alan Poe is widely known for his macabre stories and sinister morality tales. From The Raven to The Tell Tale Heart his work is full of dark twist and horrifying turns. In addition to his sometimes pitch black tales, he also wrote some very funny (and still dark) short stories, two of which are the basis of the new musical A SCYTHE OF TIME. The plot, loosely based on Poe's stories A Predicament (originally titled The Scythe of Time) and How to Write a Blackwood Article, follows Signora Psyche Zenobia (Matilda's Lesli Margherita), the editor of a small London newspaper called The Bluebatch. P.J. Griffith plays Blackwood, a sinister editor for "The Blackwood Articles" and a man who wants to control all of the news throughout London. As one of her own writers comes in to put in his notice, she discovers that Blackwood is commissioning hopeful authors to write their own suicide and finally their words can be printed in "The Blackwood Articles." So men and women begin to one by one, accepting the gory fate that will await them after they turn in their article, knowing they've finally been published. So Zenobia also decides to take up Blackwood on his offer, but plans to not actually die after the published article. However, this being Edgar Alan Poe, things don't quite go to plan.

Balancing the dark with the bold, broad comedy is no easy feat, but the writers balance it quite well, especially for a show this early in the stages of development (the book is by Alan Harris and Music/Lyrics are by Mark Alan Swanson).David Albert's direction is strong, fluid and simple and the cast themselves are all dynamic. Margherita, a scene stealer both in Matilda the Musical and Dames at Sea on Broadway, is wonderful. Her comic timing is (as always) pitch perfect and her stellar voice makes many of the songs simply soar. Her nemesis P.J. Griffith has a bold and powerful vocal quality that seems to intensify with every new tune. Danny Rutigliano, as Zenobia's faithful servant, is very quick witted and a great companion for Margherita. Lastly, the entire ensemble, from Emily Claire Hughes to Matt Dengler, all have strong moments to shine and are all a powerful backboard to this zany, nutty little musical. There is room to grow still, to sharpen. The introduction of Blackwood is a bit static and immediately leads to an excellent scene with Margherita. After that, it seems to find its footing, but after some small tweets this show will really sing. There seems to be a strong future for this darkly funny tale, and one that will serve to be even stronger with each fresh coat of blood. I mean PAINT.

MATEO'S GRADE: B+

Book by: Alan Harris Music and Lyrics by: Mark Alan Swanson Based on the short stories of: Edgar Alan Poe Directed by: David Alpert Starring: Lesli Margherita, P.J. Griffith, Danny Rutigliano, Matt Dengler, Blair Alexis Brown, Brandon Brune, Emily Claire Hughes, Lance Olds, Alex Syiek  Playing at The June Havoc Theatre as part of the 2016 NYMF For More info: http://nymf.org/festival/2016-events/scytheoftime/

MATEO MORENO is an actor, writer, and a playwright. His plays Happily After Tonight,  Within Our Walls, Bohemian Valentine and Paper Airplanes have been produced in NY and beyond. He most recently co-starred in the critically acclaimed Off-Broadway play City of Glass at The New Ohio Theatre and appeared in the workshop of Hamlet, or I Shall Mourn The Rivers at The Brick Theatre. He is currently workshopping his new play Fairground Attraction as part of Athena Theatre's 2016 Playwrighting Group. He lives in Brooklyn.

NYMF 2016 // A THEATRE REVIEW OF "NORMATIVITY"

BY MATEO MORENO

Bury your Gays. In popular literature and on many current television series, the phrase comes up again and again when a gay character is bumped off prematurely, often to add drama or suspense. Yet the straight characters live. Another example is the ever popular troupe of a gay relationship never ending with a "happily ever after" but always in tragedy. These stories can exist and should exist of course, but why does it seem that most often those are the only stories that exist. That's where the term "Bury your Gays" comes from. And Jaime Jarrett's clever new musical NORMATIVITY, which just ended its run at the 2016 New York Musical Theatre Festival, tackles that theme head on with both successful and not so successful outcomes.

The story revolves around Charlie Jacobs (Mitchell Winter), a successful novelist trying to finish his latest book. His editor and fiancee Anne (Anneesh Sheth) wants him to kill off the lead lesbian character to make a tragic ending that his publisher will love. But he's struggling with it. Within the novel so is its lead character Emily (Madeline Wolf). She is pinning after a cheerleader in the novel and when her love is not returned she's supposed to end it all by swallowing pills. But she just can't do it and becomes so frustrated that she wills herself out of the novel and into the real world, finding herself face to face with her creator Charlie. Once the shock has worn off, Emily and Charlie team up to get a second opinion of his novel at the local high school. There Emily meets Taylor (Izzy Castaldi), a high school lesbian who knows Charlie's work and is also sick of the "bury your gays" trope. So she and Emily decide to rewrite it from the actual perspective of two gay teenagers and hope that Charlie will take their notes and finally write a true, heartfelt novel of a gay teen romance that doesn't end in tragedy. Little does Taylor know that Emily's life is literally on the line and that she's about to fall for a girl that's not exactly... real. Or is she?

The cast is filled with some great talent, most notably Izzy Castaldi as Taylor and Madeline Wolf as Emily. Wolf shines with vulnerability and naive charm as the fish out of water Emily. Her voice is lovely and she approaches every moment with touches that never feel forced, even when some of the writing does. Castaldi is a star. In the beginning, she's in the background and expertly transitions to the character you feel for most. Her performance is daring and fresh. The voices from the ensemble are also strong and electric, particularly Soph Menas.

Through some deft, fluid direction by Mia Walker and some truly tuneful songs by Jaime Jarrett, Normativity has the beginnings of something truly special. However, this being the first time it has been in front of an audience, there is still a lot of work to be done. Walker direction however is strong and the choreography by Adin Walker is simple and effective.The book itself is messy and not nearly as inspired as the idea itself. Throughout the score there's many of the same rhythms repeating a bit too often. Most importantly, we need to know exactly who the story is about. Right now the main character is Charlie. And Emily. And Taylor. Whose story is this? (I'll answer who's it should be: Taylor's 100%). Charlie and his fiancée Anne are also due for a major rewrite. Nothing about Charlie is exciting or new and his fiancée is written even worse. She comes off as a narrow minded, one track editor who WILL NOT see past brutally killing off the main character but who we are supposed to feel sympathy for. Right now, we don't. The ensemble also needs a voice. They need a soul. Mike (Christopher Livingston) has the most to do but other than being quirky, he doesn't do much. Dev (Soph Menas) has a few beautiful solos but we have no idea who the character actually is. Smoother transitions between the fantastical, like Emily jumping out of the book and into the real world, need ironing and reworking. The ending scene is close to great and the last song "The Tale of Emily" is beautiful. But it's preceeded by a clunky exit of Emily and looses momentum going into it. Normativity can be more. It can be stronger. It should be and after a few fresh coats of paint will be. Right now it feels like Feeling Electric when it needs to be Next to Normal. Rewrites are in order Charlie Jacobs. And I'm excited to see where they take you.

MATEO'S GRADE: B-

Book, Music, and Lyrics by: Jaime Jarrett Directed by: Mia Walker Starring: Izzy Castaldi, Jesse James Keitel, Christopher Livingston, Soph Menas, Geena Quintos, Aneesh Sheth, Mitchell Winter, and Madeline Wolf.  Playing at The Pearl Theatre as part of the 2016 NYMF For More info: http://nymf.org/festival/2016-events/normativity/

MATEO MORENO is an actor, writer, and a playwright. His plays Happily After Tonight,  Within Our Walls, Bohemian Valentine and Paper Airplanes have been produced in NY and beyond. He most recently co-stared in the critically acclaimed Off-Broadway play City of Glass at The New Ohio Theatre and appeared in the workshop of Hamlet, or I Shall Mourn The Rivers at The Brick Theatre. He is currently workshopping his new play Fairground Attraction as part of Athena Theatre's 2016 Playwrighting Group. He lives in Brooklyn.