Iowa City, Nov 17, 2006
Lip Synch Night!
The order is in the comments.
Enjoy break, and keep making BONS nominations. Next show and BONS order announcement Dec. 1.
The order is in the comments.
Enjoy break, and keep making BONS nominations. Next show and BONS order announcement Dec. 1.
Labels: Iowa City
posted by AdamEggHahn at 11:26 AM
52 Comments:
1. "From the Earth to the Moon" by the Michael Tabors
2. "All Memories Are Painful" by Arlen Lawson
3. "La Vie, L'Amour" by Edith Piaf Featuring Katy Baggs, La Fille Qui Est Awesome et Sexy
4. "What a Difference a Gay Makes" by Chris Okiishi
5. "Thoughts on the Recent Election" by Greg Machlin
6. "Theory for an Afterlife" by John Smick
7. "I Can't Believe It's Not a Butterfly!" by Janani
8. "Rock & Roll" by Nick Beatty
9. "I've Always Wanted to Be Dean Martin" by Sarah Neilson
10. "Gender Issues, Nov. 17, 2006" by 2 Guys Smoking Pipes
11. "Do Not Wash!!!" by Christina Gulick
12. "Frosting Community" by Katarah Udarro
13. "A Deep Intellectual Monologue About My Feelings" by Eli Wilkinson
14. "Phineas" by Megan Gogerty
15. "Tragically Unhip" by Eric Landuyt
15.16 "Mellow Misogyny" by Adam Hahn
15.17 "An Awkward Moment in the Life of Shelton" by John Shelton
15.18 "Fingertips" Choreographed by Timm
15.19 "Avenue B" by Mirri and Gogol Bordello
15.20 "Sasquatch and Meanie Cut the Cheese" by Adam Burton and Carolyn Jacobson
15.21 "THe Night Has a Thousand Poopholes" by Danielle Santangelo
I don't have much to say except that I love love love all of you.
Any news on Eric's ankle?
Oh, and I wanted to be the first to show my boobs eventually, but Danielle beat me to it.
Eric (according to him) has a severely sprained right ankle and a bruised right hand.
BUT (according to his girlfriend) he tore a ligament in his ankle.
Believe what you wish. I ain't no doctor. Get off my back monkey. Cause I'm the captain of all y'alls hearts.
1. "From the Earth to the Moon" by the Michael Tabors
I was not transported anywhere special by this, so I was left wondering who this was intended to benefit? However, I may simply be missing the point of noise rock, if there is one.
2. "All Memories Are Painful" by Arlen Lawson
The dual guitar interplay was quite pleasing.
3. "La Vie, L'Amour" by Edith Piaf Featuring Katy Baggs, La Fille Qui Est Awesome et Sexy
Talk about enthusiasm! Vivacious performance! What did the 'rents think?
4. "What a Difference a Gay Makes" by Chris Okiishi
I always loves me an Okiishi script.
5. "Thoughts on the Recent Election" by Greg Machlin
Good thoughts!
6. "Theory for an Afterlife" by John Smick
Smick reworked an older monologue for this, and it was good but I confess that something about the original had more oomph.
7. "I Can't Believe It's Not a Butterfly!" by Janani
When the sleeping bag began squirming wormily and bouncing to the beat, I thought "oh, this will be so great as long as it stays a worm and no one emerges" because I thought the creature was soo cool -- but when Janani came out of the sleeping bag dressed so colorfully and the whole thing turned Bollywood, I realized how wrong my first thought was, because it was just a whole new sort of cool. :)
8. "Rock & Roll" by Nick Beatty
Engaging and fun.
9. "I've Always Wanted to Be Dean Martin" by Sarah Neilson
At the time I thought, "okay, cross-gender lipsynching?" but now that I see the title (wasn't listening closely when the order was read at the top of the show), I get it.
10. "Gender Issues, Nov. 17, 2006" by 2 Guys Smoking Pipes
Do the 2 Guys Smoking Pipes actually have a show somewhere?
11. "Do Not Wash!!!" by Christina Gulick
Christina's love song to her blanky -- that was a lotta song to fill choreography-wise, and yet it never dragged -- and it was sweet in that off-beat No Shame way. Fun stuff!
12. "Frosting Community" by Katarah Udarro
I got frosted.
13. "A Deep Intellectual Monologue About My Feelings" by Eli Wilkinson
Was this the one directed to "Dad"? (I was defrostifying, and I don't remember seeing Eli on stage so I'm guessing it was Shelton performing an Eli piece.)
14. "Phineas" by Megan Gogerty
Megan really knows how to craft a solid monologue.
I wish there were some way to objectively gauge audience reaction so that if the majority of the audience was like "wow, we're in total pain watching this," the light-dimming could be implemented in draconian fashion, and if the majority of the audience was totally engaged and the people with the script in the light booth could see that the piece is finite and was so damn well written that hey, cool your jets, we're on our way to a well-wrapped conclusion, then the lights could hold their horses. Like maybe the slight flicker at 5 mins so the performer would know they're in overtime, and then just deal. I have to imagine, though, that even without some sort of instant audience survey, it's possible to recognize the difference.
15. "Tragically Unhip" by Eric Landuyt
Again with the commitment to a role -- and, may I say, "ouch."
15.16 "Mellow Misogyny" by Adam Hahn
I always get creeped out when I realize that some song I have hummmed along to any number of times, and/or sung the few random phrases that have made it to my conscious recollection, turn out to be about things I find disturbing (like violence against women, as pointed out here). It was strong on the preachy attackish version of feminism, but it still highlighted that particular sort of ookiness.
15.17 "An Awkward Moment in the Life of Shelton" by John Shelton
I was with it up till the last line. I kinda felt like, while the last line certainly delivered the kind of oomph that summons finality and a blackout, it didn't really... accomplish anything? A button was pushed, but to what end? (To the end of the piece, apparently.) Not slamming the piece as a whole by any means -- quite the unusual situation to find oneself in, with the KKK great uncle an' all! I just thought the end could have been stronger.
15.18 "Fingertips" Choreographed by Timm
I love Fingertips, and it was performed well, so this was fun. (Though I hafta ask -- was it less than 5 mins? I think it probably was -- just checking. :)
15.19 "Avenue B" by Mirri and Gogol Bordello
Wardrobe malfunction!
15.20 "Sasquatch and Meanie Cut the Cheese" by Adam Burton and Carolyn Jacobson
It was TOTALLY, TOTALLY CHEESE!!!!
15.21 "THe Night Has a Thousand Poopholes" by Danielle Santangelo
I just remember chocolate and boobs. There was also a song.
A strong night overall. Highlights of the evening:
3) La Vie, L'Amour--outstanding.
7) I can't Believe It's Not a Butterfly--this could actually be in Best of No Shame. This was absolutely fantastic.
11) Do Not Wash!--a bit long, but well choreographed. Still, I think the song should start in the middle.
15.21) The Night has a Thousand Poopholes--Dazzling. A brilliant grand finale for Danielle. Adam was great, and Evan and Mirri were appropriately befuddled.
Honorable mention:
8) Rock & Roll--fun. Made good use of Travis & Mirri's pre-existing cuteness.
13) A Deep Intellectual Monologue:
Okay, DAD. I wrote a no shame piece, DAD. Well and deftly parodied, DAD--I mean, Eli.
15.17) An Awkward Moment… entertaining.
4) What a Difference--my only problem with this piece is that it was lip synch week, and so, through no fault of his own, Chris Okiishi raised my expectations to believe that his piece would make use in some way of the song "What a Difference a Day Makes," so there was a letdown when it wasn't used. Other than that, though, a fun piece.
Thoughts on other pieces:
1) "From the Earth to the Moon"---not nearly as good as some of the Michael Tabors stuff from last year--I remember "Pass the Jug" and "Mau, mau, mau"(sp?) as being wonderful, wonderful songs. Also, I know they're talented musicians, but I wasn't sure what they were doing here.
10) Gender Issues--2 Guys--I feel like this had a lot of potential had it been a bit more scripted.
12) Frosting--enjoyed this.
14) Phineas--well done, but a shade too long?
15.16) Mellow Misogyny. I feel like Adam stacked the deck against himself in the Adam-Danielle argument, which made things less interesting.
15.18) Fingertips--frenetic fun--Danielle and Michael performed like the seasoned pros they are--but, again, a letdown when it turned out they were *all* They Might Be Giants songs. This could be a me-and-TMBG thing, not a me-and-this-piece thing.
15) Tragically unhip--In more ways than one. This piece would have been great if Eric hadn't made an incurably bad decision, thus potentially violating 2 of the rules in under 10 seconds (a new record?)
15.19) Avenue B--fun but also too long, and the choreography didn't seem to go anywhere.
5) I liked doing this piece, and politics doesn't show up much at noshame, so that was another plus. Also, the crowd seemed to be with me.
>>"I remember "Pass the Jug" and "Mau, mau, mau"(sp?) as being wonderful, wonderful songs."
The songs were called "Get Your Jug" and "Mao Mao Mao"
>>Danielle and Michael performed like the seasoned pros they are--
I wasn't in this...are you thinking of Jamal? Did you confuse Jamal for me? Are you confusing me and Jamal?!
I'd really like to see Faith's ghost yes shame peice at Best of.
hopefully with the bigger stage she wont fall off
and also syrup cat, gender issues by two men smoking pipes,
I don't really want to see any of those reality of the peice skits, they are nice but not very noshame-esque.
For some reason I can't get the image of syrup and Boobs out of my head but I'll try.
1. "From the Earth to the Moon" by the Michael Tabors
I don't know what Michale was playing with but it was really really cool. I'm looking forward to them playing an actual song... with like...words
2. "All Memories Are Painful" by Arlen Lawson
I liked this
3. "La Vie, L'Amour" by Edith Piaf Featuring Katy Baggs, La Fille Qui Est Awesome et Sexy
This was great, I loved how into it she was. Were her parents really there for this?
4. "What a Difference a Gay Makes" by Chris Okiishi
I remember Him form Bonbons week. Id like to hear more of his stuff. And I too thought he was going do something with the song
5. "Thoughts on the Recent Election" by Greg Machlin
I wish I had my lighter to hold up at the end. very awsome
6. "Theory for an Afterlife" by John Smick
I loved this, then I thought about all the moments in my life that I really dont want the entire universe to see.
7. "I Can't Believe It's Not a Butterfly!" by Janani
I loved the music, and the dancing. It was catchy and lots fun to watch. I was kind of expecting butter fly wings, but the dress was really cool!
8. "Rock & Roll" by Nick Beatty
I had fun with it
9. "I've Always Wanted to Be Dean Martin" by Sarah Neilson
I enjoyed it
10. "Gender Issues, Nov. 17, 2006" by 2 Guys Smoking Pipes
Was there a new gender issue this time? they made alot of reference to the last show.
11. "Do Not Wash!!!" by Christina Gulick
It was adorable. It made me dig out my old blanket when I got home.
the "JOY" part was fantastic
12. "Frosting Community" by Katarah Udarro
Fun. I wanted frosting...
13. "A Deep Intellectual Monologue About My Feelings" by Eli Wilkinson
Very good. Shelton read it in a highly entertaining way. Makes me think about how to better write personal stuff without making it sound "personal" and that Im just up there bitching
14. "Phineas" by Megan Gogerty
I really like her pieces. She gets so fired up. And the name of the fish I liked. Really good images in it.
15. "Tragically Unhip" by Eric Landuyt
I love Poison. And way to stick out the role. I'd probably be on the floor rolling around screaming.
How is he doing?
15.16 "Mellow Misogyny" by Adam Hahn
I love it when actors have discussions with the audience about the piece. I liked this one
15.17 "An Awkward Moment in the Life of Shelton" by John Shelton
Good story.
15.18 "Fingertips" Choreographed by Timm
Brilliant! well thought out and well executed. was particle man in there anywhere? I lost track of just how many songs you covered. Very Very good
15.19 "Avenue B" by Mirri and Gogol Bordello
Even looking uncomfortable is always funny
15.20 "Sasquatch and Meanie Cut the Cheese" by Adam Burton and Carolyn Jacobson
Im having trouble recalling this one due to the piece that came after right it.....
15.21 "THe Night Has a Thousand Poopholes" by Danielle Santangelo
this goes with out saying.
It was a great night, I had alot of fun, look forward to the next one.
As Anonymous i think that instead of calling next week Dead weak it should be called
Worst of No Shame....or WONS
You're a WONS
I'm a WONS
We're all WONS
Because no one is actually going to do something cool that week any way.....because it's WONS.
Actually, some of the most off-beat, cool stuff I've ever seen at No Shame showed up during Dead Week. It's an odd phenomenon.
"Oh, and I wanted to be the first to show my boobs eventually, but Danielle beat me to it."
Mang, if out-nuding is the concern I really wouldn't worry. She may have beat you to the nipple punch, but A-Bow and I agreed that a labia revealing lacy underwear dance kind of trumps... most things. (No disrespect to nipples or boobs of any sort: I'm all about em, mine or other people's.)
My initial intention was to post and say: Hey Board of Supervising Directors! I totally want to nominate that piece that Burton and Space-J did last Friday for Best Of! I loved it so much! It was so so funny and I loved it! My new all-time favorite Burton performance of all time! Please please put it in Best of Things Show!
Yours and mine,
J.R.
"choreography didn't seem to go anywhere."-
I know! It totally didn't! Isn't that great! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!
History of the ongoing Santangelo/Baggs nude-off:
Santangelo, Sept 8, 2006:
"I've always wanted to expose my pubes on the No Shame stage in the absolute perfect way possible, and had JUST THOUGHT OF this great piece involving Clarence Thomas and putting my pubes in someone's can of coke...when motherfuckin KATY BAGGS does it first. What an asshole."
Baggs, Nov 17, 2006:
"I wanted to be the first to show my boobs eventually, but Danielle beat me to it."
The score stands at 1-1.
Did people really see my labia? I was hoping they would stay tucked in for the sake of my parents, who really were in the audience (right before Eric made his fateful jump, his ass was just to the left of my mom's head).
The way that I would have shown my boobs was to begin a non-nude piece and then interrupt it by running in with "Soy Bomb" painted on my bare chest (as flat as most of my chest is, it may serve a purpose as a writing surface).
People remember Soy Bomb, right??
Also, I really wanted Evan's towel to get yanked away.
I think Katy is one up on me actually, because she was partially nude in "Its Fun to Trick when the tricks are treats" and I had never been partially nude before, not even onstage. And I thought it was lovely when she showed everybody how closely shaved she was under french lace panties.
I just wanted to throw the boobs inthere because ut was a ridiculous over the top piece and it was my last piece as a resident of Iowa City. So why not. Although it feels a little awkward that the only pieces that legendary no shame femmes CSJ and Megan a-go-gogherty have seen of mine have been boob-baring ones. Really.
ALSO FOR MY VERY FIRST PIECE I SHOWED MY ASSCHEEKS
Yes, I did shave the sides and now they've come back stubbly. I'm not good at evening out the hair down there without shaving the whole mess and starting over, so whatever I do, I'm probably going to have some odd pubic hair situation just in time for my gynecology appointment this week.
ANYWAY.
Danielle, I had forgotten that you were leaving so soon and I didn't know that lip synch night was going to be a last hurrah of sorts for you. Had I known, I would have said something. You are fabulous.
I'm gonna try to review the whole show! For real! It probably won't go so hot, but at least I'm not in a mean grouchy mood right now!
1. "From the Earth to the Moon" by the Michael Tabors
Parts of this sounded really cool (from my vantage point). Overall, I think I liked last week's noises better, though.
[Jamal's special note to Adam B:] Burton says (re: not enjoying the piece): "I may simply be missing the point of noise rock, if there is one." A-Burt, I don't expect most people to "get" or "like" or even "not hate" noise rock, but it's more than a little ironic to me that you would dismiss it so easily after choosing to put the song "A Ghost Is Watching Us Be Sad" on a compilation of songs that you believed to be exceptionally listenable. I mean, "Ghost" is a 5 minute tuneless noise instrumental! (Admittedly, with quieter noises.)
2. "All Memories Are Painful" by Arlen Lawson
I like how the 2 guitar parts do together, it's fun to play. How it sounded to the audience? I don't know.
3. "La Vie, L'Amour" by Edith Piaf Featuring Katy Baggs, La Fille Qui Est Awesome et Sexy
Great. I keep thinking the lip synching theme is gonna get old and tired, but people keep finding ways to make it entertaining and startling.
4. "What a Difference a Gay Makes" by Chris Okiishi
I don't remember this so well. It didn't so much do it for me. I'm left with the impression that the piece was basically, "I like nasty guys better than nasty ladies cuz at least they're sexier to me." And then I thought how if I did the same piece, only saying how I like nasty ladies better than nasty guys cuz at least they're sexier to me, people would not like it. (Maybe they would, though. Maybe it's a smash hit.) Anyway, it was nice to see Chris again, I hope he does more stuff.
5. "Thoughts on the Recent Election" by Greg Machlin
Don't remember.
6. "Theory for an Afterlife" by John Smick
I wasn't very taken with it at the time, maybe just cuz I've seen a lot of pieces with "humorous theories about the after-life", and I get bored of that sort of premise. But in retrospect, I think the writing and the ideas in this were a lot better than I initially gave Smick credit for. I was thinking about the piece as I got ready for work today and I was like, "Heh. That's pretty good stuff."
7. "I Can't Believe It's Not a Butterfly!" by Janani
The hatching business and the whole Bollywood style were pretty awesome. I was way into it. I didn't really dig the end where the guys chased her off stage. It seemed a little abrupt maybe, but mostly I'm just totally creeped out anytime in pop culture when a lady runs from some guy/s's unwanted advances. Seriously, is it just me, or is that more than mildly disturbing? I mean, what's Harpo gonna do if he ever catches those young women he likes to chase around? You're a funny guy, Harpo, but stick to grabbing Chico's leg.
8. "Rock & Roll" by Nick Beatty
Don't remember.
9. "I've Always Wanted to Be Dean Martin" by Sarah Neilson
Michael and I were off searching for our pipes. I missed the whole thing.
10. "Gender Issues, Nov. 17, 2006" by 2 Guys Smoking Pipes
The 1st one felt way better. I need to sit down and think about what direction I want this program to take. With the 2nd episode, I was hoping to get into things outside my own "field of expertise", but it didn't really work out. (I know I personally have enough gender-related obsessions and neurosis to talk forever, but I don't know how long that could possibly be fun for anybody.) I'll have to talk to the producers, see if the ol' think tank can come up with the right angle.
11. "Do Not Wash!!!" by Christina Gulick
Oooooh... I'm on the verge of remembering this... She didn't want to part with a towel? Yeah? I don't know. I think I liked it, though.
12. "Frosting Community" by Katarah Udarro
I pretty much remember the piece, but not how I felt about it. So how am I to do a review with this either? I'm not.
13. "A Deep Intellectual Monologue About My Feelings" by Eli Wilkinson
Sorry. I don't remember it. ...Wait, I kind of do! He was making fun of maudlin, melodramatic stuff, right? I think so! ...Great, Jamal, great. A crappy, crappy summary does not a review make.
14. "Phineas" by Megan Gogerty
Wow, I really thought I had a better memory-handle on the show than this. I don't know. I think I liked this fine but wasn't entralled. What a shitty-ass review. I'm embarrassed.
15. "Tragically Unhip" by Eric Landuyt
Did you notice the part where he leapt and hurt his leg? He kept doing the song, but if you looked close, you could tell he was favoring the other leg.
15.16 "Mellow Misogyny" by Adam Hahn
I dug this. I dug Danielle tearing Adam a new one at the end. I never knew the lyrics to that song, but yeah, see? Pop culture is fucked. I'm telling you.
15.17 "An Awkward Moment in the Life of Shelton" by John Shelton
I think I was wanting the show to end at this point, just cuz it had been going on awhile. 15.7 was probably a fine, upstanding young lad of a piece, I just wish I'd had the energy to appreciate it.
15.18 "Fingertips" Choreographed by Timm
I didn't think this would work cuz there were too many props and actions and everything, but it went pretty well I believe. I really liked being in it, too, it was a lot of fun. And I love that song. (Side note: do I really look identical to ever other tall blond skinny guy in the world? People have said I look like Larry Bird, Tom Petty [not tall], some guy named Court, and... I don't know. A stranger came up to me on the street once and thought I was Chris Stangl. Not even from No Shame, which he'd not been to, he knew Chris from the plasma store.)
15.19 "Avenue B" by Mirri and Gogol Bordello
T-riff. People in towels dancing around, Evan in a towel looking uncomfortable. I laughed my guts out. One of my favorites of the night, to be sure. I detected little in the way of "acting", which is largely why I liked it.
15.20 "Sasquatch and Meanie Cut the Cheese" by Adam Burton and Carolyn Jacobson
Oh my God. How is it that the rest of you witnessed this and were not transformed by its absolute perfection? Oh my God. I'm fucking in love with this piece.
15.21 "THe Night Has a Thousand Poopholes" by Danielle Santangelo
This piece I liked quite a lot as well. I'm tired of seeing Adam in his boxers, but I'm not tired of seeing him and Danielle with chocolate on their boobs. Boy was there chocolate all the fuck over that stage though, huh? Some of you stepped in it, and Adam yelled at some of you. I didn't step in it, but was a little annoyed having to avoid it to collect my gear. Only a little, though. It's all cool.
Krez for Prez is on the TV station I work for right now. I remember he came to No Shame and did a piece that consisted of telling the crowd to vote for him. I guess we elected him (not me, I'm not registered to vote at school that I don't go to). That was a long time ago, though. Who's the new Krez for Prez? Don't tell me, I don't actually care.
Love,
J
J-Mall -- thanks for the note! I think maybe the difference between Friday's piece and "A Ghost Is Watching Us Be Sad" is that in Ghost I found a tune I could hum and an ebb and flow of beats and musical notes that had sort of a haunting effect (ironic, I know, given the title) whereas in Friday's piece I found fewer handholds of that sort so my brain didn't know how to hold on to it or really what to do with it except wait till it was done. I'm willing to accept that it may be my very own limitations though. :)
P.S. Your review was hilarious, in no small part because it reminds me of how little I remember of most No Shames, even when it was a great night, because my brain is flaky. There must have been something in my Wheaties on Friday that helped me remember so much of it. But kudos on writing through your memory fog! :)
I'd like to nominate "Chocolate Bar" by Danielle Santangelo, "Paincake" by Erin, and "Clarence Thomas" by Katy Baggs.
Two general thoughts on lip synch night: the music lent itself to movement on stage, which was really nice. And things couldn't drag too much, also nice.
1. "From the Earth to the Moon" by the Michael Tabors
I’m not sure I’ve ever seen a theramin in person. That was exciting. I was worried throughout that the violinist was going to smash his violin, thus heightening my relief when the piece was over.
2. "All Memories Are Painful" by Arlen Lawson
I had trouble hearing the words, but I liked the guitar playing a lot.
2. "La Vie, L'Amour" by Edith Piaf Featuring Katy Baggs, La Fille Qui Est Awesome et Sexy
Yay! If I had heard about this in advance, I would have worried it would be one of those pieces I hate where someone tries too hard to be sexy. BUT, this had plenty of silliness and over-the-topness to it that kept it from seeming at all self-conscious or mannered, and so was hugely fun, and Katy really pulled it off. Definitely one of my favorites of the night.
4. "What a Difference a Gay Makes" by Chris Okiishi
I loved the way that each time our attention returned to Megan’s character, she was voicing some different type of horrible thing. This is the kind of piece that could be ruined if not for good editing: too many of the same types of comments, and the piece will suddenly feel long. But Chris did a great job with the writing, and the actors made it very compelling.
5. "Thoughts on the Recent Election" by Greg Machlin
My recollection was that the piece would have been more fun with a greater commitment from the actor (why not go all out?), but maybe that’s not right. Maybe the semi-apologetic shrugs added another dimension that kept things more interesting. Maybe it says something about Democrats.
6. "Theory for an Afterlife" by John Smick
Do people sit and read pieces at NS anymore? If not, this might have seemed like a bit of a strange piece. It felt like the audience wasn’t sure what to expect. I liked how the narrative starts out quite sedately, but then gets more explicit. And it sounded like a good silence at the end, as people let the last line sink in.
7. "I Can't Believe It's Not a Butterfly!" by Janani
This piece took a fun song and made something even more out of it by doing something wonderfully imaginative. Wins my award for most creative lip synching of the night. Everything on stage was fun to watch from start to end.
What were the opening lines by the two men? They worked really well to pull everyone in.
8. "Rock & Roll" by Nick Beatty
Nick wins a technical award for the best actual lip synching. His stage presence was great, too. Minor quibble: the other folks on stage didn’t have enough to do. Someone making a music video would have solved the problem by keeping them off camera most of the time, but that doesn’t work in the theater.
9. "I've Always Wanted to Be Dean Martin" by Sarah Neilson
Was this the only cross-gendered lip synching? I really liked that aspect of it. Plus I liked seeing Sarah toss down her crutches. That was a dramatic enough moment for me that I wanted her to use it in some way in the piece, but she didn’t go in that direction.
10. "Gender Issues, Nov. 17, 2006" by 2 Guys Smoking Pipes
What did this script look like? Was there a script? My take on improv at NS: if people are really working on developing improv as a skill, I’m interested in seeing it in moderation (especially if they’re good at it), but seeing two people fumble around with loosely organized material strains my patience. Now, if there was a script, and if the two of them could do the piece again, word for word, recreating two people fumbling with loosely organized material so realistically, I would concede that genius was at work on the NS stage on Friday night. I can see wanting to experiment with less-scripted material, but it felt like there was some key preparation that needed to have gone into this piece to make it really work.
Jamal’s recent comments about #15.20, however, were brilliantly conceived and executed. Thanks, Jamal!
11. "Do Not Wash!!!" by Christina Gulick
I missed this one, being in the wings for #12.
12. "Frosting Community" by Katarah Udarro
Excellent debut, I thought. A one-joke piece that was made more substantial by Katarah’s really specific ideas about how he wanted things presented (as I can attest to, having seen him give direction to those of us in it).
13. "A Deep Intellectual Monologue About My Feelings" by Eli Wilkinson
I missed the start of this one, because I was still getting seated after #12, so I felt like I was trying to catch up. I liked the catalog effect, but I would have liked more development/momentum in the piece. I keep catching myself ending sentences in my head with DAD this week, so the piece definitely had an impact.
14. "Phineas" by Megan Gogerty
I think my favorite part of this was the way the 8-minute memory idea moved through it, unifying the various moments.
Anyone who writes monologues knows the amount of work that goes into writing something so tight and then performing it well. As one of those people, it annoyed me to no end that the lights were being dimmed when Megan was nailing her piece so successfully. I’ve been on the board, so I know all the difficulties of figuring out how to enforce the rules. But I’m not on the board now, so I’ll just say this really pissed me off. Find some way to keep regular offenders in line while leaving some flexibility. And, if you’re going to be hard asses, make an announcement about what you’re doing at the start of the show so people who aren’t regular performers know what to expect.
15. "Tragically Unhip" by Eric Landuyt
I hope Eric is ok. This piece seemed out of control from the first time he jumped on the table and it almost flipped over. What’s the board’s policy on interfering with pieces for reasons other than length?
15.16 "Mellow Misogyny" by Adam Hahn
I’m trying to remember how this ended. Is the final irony that the woman crosses over into being verbally abusive in an effort to criticize physical abuse? This piece wins the award for the piece most likely to launch substantive post-show debate.
15.17 "An Awkward Moment in the Life of Shelton" by John Shelton
John Shelton! Please, please, please take this moment and use it to write something more developed. This is the raw material for something really awesome.
15.18 "Fingertips" Choreographed by Timm
Timm is really fun to watch, as was the frenetic fumbling between one snippet and the next.
15.19 "Avenue B" by Mirri and Gogol Bordello
The actors seemed to be figuring things out as they went along. That can be fun to watch for a bit, but it felt to me that if they had done a few (more?) run-throughs, some more concrete and specific ideas about what could occur or how it could occur in the piece would have developed. People in towels grab one’s attention successfully, though.
15.20 "Sasquatch and Meanie Cut the Cheese" by Adam Burton and Carolyn Jacobson
If I had another shot at this, I’d rewrite the lines where I was “telling the story,” heightening the rhetoric. My character got increasingly specific as Adam and I rehearsed, and in an ideal world, I’d have had time to go back and add some of that specificity to the lines themselves.
15.21 "THe Night Has a Thousand Poopholes" by Danielle Santangelo
The couple on stage seemed to have an awkward time of it. I kept hoping their roles would become more interesting, but they were completely eclipsed by the finale. (And thank God it was the finale of the entire show. It would have been dreadful to have to follow it.) Ah, reckless abandon; you’re lots of fun.
Eli's Review! Whoo!
1. "From the Earth to the Moon" by the Michael Tabors
-I'm sorry MT's but random distorted noises just give me a headache.
2. "All Memories Are Painful" by Arlen Lawson
-I definately enjoyed it but just like most Arlen songs I wish they were longer.
3. "La Vie, L'Amour" by Edith Piaf Featuring Katy Baggs, La Fille Qui Est Awesome et Sexy
-This piece was definately funnier when we found out her parents were in the audience. But other than that it was a fun mix of silliness and fun. I enjoyed it.
4. "What a Difference a Gay Makes" by Chris Okiishi
-Wow. I really enjoyed this piece because for a bit I didn't know which way it would go. I was mentally debating if he'd kill her or have Adam kill her or join thier carpool and find a way to make the situation tollerable. Then when he just replaced the others gender: classic.
5. "Thoughts on the Recent Election" by Greg Machlin
-We're not the champions until we get the white house back. But Greg I agree it is time to celebrate.
6. "Theory for an Afterlife" by John Smick
-This piece made me fear going to heaven because I would have a booper reel and a half. It'd be a day long treat for the eyes. Anyway I thought this piece was excellent in its writing and delivery.
7. "I Can't Believe It's Not a Butterfly!" by Janani
-Hehe. Hehe. I'm still giddy. Patrick and Matt made excellent men who didn't know the song for crap but brought an unexpected flair to the piece.
8. "Rock & Roll" by Nick Beatty
-I thought it would've been hilarious if the two people weren't an actual couple and Nick told one of the two to try to make out with the other on stage. But thats just my childish hopes being dashed.
9. "I've Always Wanted to Be Dean Martin" by Sarah Neilson
-I want to be Dean Martin too!
10. "Gender Issues, Nov. 17, 2006" by 2 Guys Smoking Pipes
-The first one was definately better but this one did have a nice talk about the papers Michael had from work.
11. "Do Not Wash!!!" by Christina Gulick
-My favorite piece of the night. Mainly because I hate that song and Christina found a way to present it in a way that made me not hate it so much. Good job!
12. "Frosting Community" by Katarah Udarro
-More frosting. More agravation! I don't really know. I was giving Shelton nitpicky things to think about fo my piece
13. "A Deep Intellectual Monologue About My Feelings" by Eli Wilkinson
-This was me being mean. I was picking on some people (myself included) who write serious monologues that are too personal, too cliche, and too repetative. DAD!
(ps. I absolutley have no problems with my father)
14. "Phineas" by Megan Gogerty
-I really enjoyed this monologue a lot though my attention was most focused during the beginning and the ending.
15. "Tragically Unhip" by Eric Landuyt
-Tragically unhip more like Tragically clumsy! and GROSS pants.
15.16 "Mellow Misogyny" by Adam Hahn
-As someone who doesn't like Sublime I was REALLY happy when Danielle intervened. Way to warp the lip sync concept Adam!
15.17 "An Awkward Moment in the Life of Shelton" by Jon Shelton
-Shelton. Less of camp fire story more monologue.
15.18 "Fingertips" Choreographed by Timm
-Weird with a captial WE.
15.19 "Avenue B" by Mirri and Gogol Bordello
-Ummm... Why was no one naked?
15.20 "Sasquatch and Meanie Cut the Cheese" by Adam Burton and Carolyn Jacobson
- I liked this one a lot. So much I wanted Carolyn to just whack Adam right in the kisser. People who steal others stories aren't people. They're leaches.
15.21 "THe Night Has a Thousand Poopholes" by Danielle Santangelo
-Yay! Way to go out Danielle. Topless and covered in chocolate syrup is the way I want to go out too. Just you watch Danielle. BTW sorry the confetti didn't get beyond the first row.
People did really well with the lip-synching!
>1. "From the Earth to the Moon" by the Michael Tabors
I thought the first one was better too, but playing the theremin is way fun! It's jut a cheap theremin. It doesn't have all the fancy doo-dads that some theremins do, but it's still pretty cool. ANYway...I listened to the recording we made of the song, and it sounded pretty cool. I think that it sounded better to me in person, though.
>2. "All Memories Are Painful" by Arlen Lawson
I thought the contrast with our song was weird and could've almost been on purpose, but wasn't.
>3. "La Vie, L'Amour" by Edith Piaf Featuring Katy Baggs, La Fille Qui Est Awesome et Sexy
I'm not really sure how to review this piece. I didn't have a good enough angel to get to see much of Katy's labia.
>4. "What a Difference a Gay Makes" by Chris Okiishi
This piece was funny.
>5. "Thoughts on the Recent Election" by Greg Machlin
Was this supposed to be a lip-synch piece? I don't get it?
>6. "Theory for an Afterlife" by John Smick
This piece was good. It almost sent me the message: "Don't do anything you wouldn't want the entire universe to see." I hope that Smeek's theory is not correct...it's a scary thought for what the afterlife is like...that would be BORING.
>7. "I Can't Believe It's Not a Butterfly!" by Janani
Really, really, really fun! My favorite lip-synch of the night. If ever I could see a lip-synch in BONS, this would be the one I would want. When those two guys started to sing, I was caught off guard.
>8. "Rock & Roll" by Nick Beatty
A run-of-the-mill lip syncher. Nothing to report here.
>9. "I've Always Wanted to Be Dean Martin" by Sarah Neilson
I was out looking for pipes! I'm sorry that I missed it. Sorry, Sarah.
>10. "Gender Issues, Nov. 17, 2006" by 2 Guys Smoking Pipes
This one didn't go as well as the first, but people still seemed to like it. Hopefully we can keep this show on the right track. I think we can. Jamal knows what he's doing. Was this improv??
>11. "Do Not Wash!!!" by Christina Gulick
Some problems with this piece: Joy is hand soap. Also, if you don't want the blanket to be washed, why do you wish "Joy" upon the blanket? Also, Gulick, I know for a fact that you have actual Joy under your sink. How do I know this? YOU realized it and blurted it out in front of me!
>12. "Frosting Community" by Katarah Udarro
I like the puns and I like frosting smeared on faces and I like this piece.
>13. "A Deep Intellectual Monologue About My Feelings" by Eli Wilkinson
I'm a fan of Shelton as a performer most of the time. This is another of Eli's "yelling at someone" pieces...which I'm usually a fan of. This was OK.
>14. "Phineas" by Megan Gogerty
Have I seen this before? I think so. It's good!
>15. "Tragically Unhip" by Eric Landuyt
You idiot.
>15.16 "Mellow Misogyny" by Adam Hahn
Whenever I see a piece that is fake interrupted by an audience member and then they have a fake/real argument, I always think how much better it would be if the performers memorize the argument and not have to read it from scripts...it ruins some of the authenticity of it. This is why I don't have a piece fake interrupted...who's going to memorize it?
>15.17 "An Awkward Moment in the Life of Shelton" by John Shelton
I don't remember this, but I'm betting it SUCKED. EAT MY SHORTS, SHELTON!
>15.18 "Fingertips" Choreographed by Timm
Yay!
>15.19 "Avenue B" by Mirri and Gogol Bordello
2nd favorite lip-synch of the night! Hilarious!
>15.20 "Sasquatch and Meanie Cut the Cheese" by Adam Burton and Carolyn Jacobson
BEST OF! BEST OF! BEST OF! BEST OF! BONOSBONOSBONOSBONOSBONOS!!!! WOOT! WOOT! WOOT!
>15.21 "THe Night Has a Thousand Poopholes" by Danielle Santangelo
Crazy.
Dear Michael Tabor,
Hey, retard. Joy is dishwashing soap...not hand soap. Also, Best Of No Shame is abbreviated BONS...NOT BONOS.
mirri said about the choreography in her piece-
"I know! It totally didn't! Isn't that great!"
I accept no responsibility for this. I totally asked what I was supposed to do during the piece and you said, "You can dance, or not dance, it doesn't matter. Do whatever." Planning was sparse but I think it executed well.
1. "From the Earth to the Moon" by the Michael Tabors
The Theramin was great, and I spent the most time listening for it. I liked this noise better than last week's - more variation.
2. "All Memories Are Painful" by miArlen Lawson
All Arlen songs make me want to take up the guitar again.
3. "La Vie, L'Amour" by Edith Piaf Featuring Katy Baggs, La Fille Qui Est Awesome et Sexy
Brilliant. Just the right amount of skin at just the right time.
4. "What a Difference a Gay Makes" by Chris Okiishi
I love Adam Burton's acting and his "Shalom, BITCHES!" genuinely scared me.
5. "Thoughts on the Recent Election" by Greg Machlin
I didn't mind that he didn't lip-synch; I thought he captured that woozy, wavy, speechless kind of happiness just right.
6. "Theory for an Afterlife" by John Smick
I like this idea better than the attic idea.
7. "I Can't Believe It's Not a Butterfly!" by Janani
Ok, so you ARE allowed to nominate your own pieces without being laughed at. I nominate this one for BONS. Mainly because so many people told me they laughed at it.
8. "Rock & Roll" by Nick Beatty
I went straight home, downloaded this song, and have listened to it an embarrassing number of times since. Nick bouncing around onstage was one of the cutest things I've seen all semester.
9. "I've Always Wanted to Be Dean Martin" by Sarah Neilson
So THIS is the girl with the shit-hot wardrobe whom I see around town every once in a while. Nice to finally meet you, Sarah. I remember that red hat from the Kelly Link reading. I liked the lip-synch too.
10. "Gender Issues, Nov. 17, 2006"
by 2 Guys Smoking Pipes
Why is it when there's more room onstage, people sit so far upstage? Otherwise I liked it. I suggested to Jamal and Michael that they have a transgendered guest on the program sometime.
11. "Do Not Wash!!!" by Christina Gulick
Awww. I was impressed how many new things she kept doing with the blanket. I loved the ponytail whipping around too.
12. "Frosting Community" by Katarah Udarro
I waved frantically at Megan to give me some frosting, but she didn't see me. This was cute.
13. "A Deep Intellectual Monologue About My Feelings" by Eli Wilkinson
Hehehe. I liked.
14. "Phineas" by Megan Gogerty
Poor poor Phineas. Megan, I hear plants are easier to take care of.
15. "Tragically Unhip" by Eric Landuyt
Minus the crash, I have to high-five Eric on this one. The costume and song were fantastic.
15.16 "Mellow Misogyny" by Adam Hahn
Danielle and Adam acted really well, although I felt a little hectored by the piece. It seemed more conscientious than artful.
15.17 "An Awkward Moment in the Life of Shelton" by John Shelton
WOW.
15.18 "Fingertips" Choreographed by Timm
I had never heard Fingertips so I didn't know what to expect. My favorites were the Jamal lip-synchs in the old-man voice and "I Just Don't Understand You."
15.19 "Avenue B" by Mirri and Gogol Bordello
Yeah...we were pretty much making it up.
15.20 "Sasquatch and Meanie Cut the Cheese" by Adam Burton and Carolyn Jacobson
I missed it, I was hiding behind the curtain with Mirri!
15.21 "The Night Has a Thousand Poopholes" by Danielle Santangelo
Danielle, are you SURE you have to move away?
1. "From the Earth to the Moon" by the Michael Tabors
Was this trying to be John Cage-esque or Andy
Kaufman-esque? I love me some Theremin, but this
piece left me a bit corn-fused.
2. "All Memories Are Painful" by Arlen Lawson
Loverly guitar picking.
3. "La Vie, L'Amour" by Edith Piaf Featuring Katy
Baggs, La Fille Qui Est Awesome et Sexy
What a sprite!
4. "What a Difference a Gay Makes" by Chris Okiishi
I wish I could have been in the audience to see how it played. I read very funny. My only wish was that it could have been I, and not Adam B., who got to say the line, “Shalom, bitches!”
5. "Thoughts on the Recent Election" by Greg Machlin
The placards went by so fast, I didn’t get to read
them all. But I got the gist. Still dizzy from the
post-election euphoria!
6. "Theory for an Afterlife" by John Smick
Smick’s deliberate delivery was great. Very
controlled. The idea that applause = heaven and boos= hell really resonated with me and, I imagine, all the other performers in the house. I also love the
idea of an ego-centric God giving himself the award
for best cinematography.
7. "I Can't Believe It's Not a Butterfly!" by Janani
I LOVED this piece! My cousin Matt is a fantastic
dancer. Pashcraft was truly menacing in a cartoon
way. And Janani… fantastic.
To me, this was the best example of Lip Synch Night
genuinely working as an idea, because it wasn’t just
lip synch. It was taking lip synch to a truly
theatrical level; using it as a tool to make something
else that belonged on a stage. When I think lip
synch, I think of my boomers-in-law performing at
their church fundraiser, or high school teachers
“performing” at a No Talent Show. But this was an
actual theatre moment with its own logic, allusions,
and integrity (I mean integrity like structural
integrity, not “what a swell guy” integrity).
Fantastic.
8. "Rock & Roll" by Nick Beatty
Drawing a blank. Is this the one with the guy hooking up the couple? With the little spasms of swishy dance? If so, I loved the dancing, because the performer was committed.
9. "I've Always Wanted to Be Dean Martin" by Sarah
Neilson
This was fascinating to me. I want more Sarah!
Word of unsolicited advice (my favorite kind): Never apologize before your piece. Either it’s going to be better received than you think, in which case no one ever needs to know how much you think it stinks, or else it will stink, in which case we’ll all get to make that discovery ourselves. You may think you’re staving off embarrassment by copping to the stink beforehand, but it doesn’t work. You’re much better off to get up, say nothing, do your thing, and wait for people to be fooled. Be self-deprecating afterwards at the bar, or never.
10. "Gender Issues, Nov. 17, 2006" by 2 Guys Smoking Pipes
I suspected maybe this was a recurring thing that
I just wasn’t privy to, in which case perhaps others
were reading meanings there that went over my head.
That pipe smelled really good.
11. "Do Not Wash!!!" by Christina Gulick
I missed this one, as I was preparing to frost.
12. "Frosting Community" by Katarah Udarro
This was my friend Katarah’s very first No Shame. I
thought he acquitted himself admirably. I couldn’t
stop eating the Cool Whip that we used instead of
frosting.
13. "A Deep Intellectual Monologue About My Feelings"
by Eli Wilkinson
Was this the DAD one? I smell a parody!
14. "Phineas" by Megan Gogerty
I kept choking on the Cool Whip I ate, which reminds
me of a life lesson: never eat the props.
15. "Tragically Unhip" by Eric Landuyt
Somebody better kiss Saint Okiishi’s blessed feet for
stepping up here and dragging this poor idiot’s
pants-less ass to the hospital. And not to carp (she
said, carping), but where was the leadership here?
This yahoo, who from minute one in this piece was
clearly not in control of his body, threatened to harm himself and others numerous times in the piece, finally did a really dumb thing (I’m sure he’s a nice guy, but come on – jumping off a light shield into the vomitorium is dumb) where he CLEARLY hurt both himself and the space (everybody in the second tier of the house heard the crack of the plywood – just be thankful there wasn’t an expensive lighting instrument installed down there), and nobody does anything? Nobody turns the music off, nobody jumps up to help? And when I say “nobody” I mean “nobody in charge.” Two audience members (the aforementioned Saint Okiishi
and my husband) hauled him into the car. You’d think someone would be concerned with the damage to the space and NST’s possible eviction from the theatre, if not the suffering of poor Bonehead Break-A-Leg.
And don’t give me any of this “show must go on” bull hockey. This isn’t the Ice Capades.
15.16 "Mellow Misogyny" by Adam Hahn
Mixed feelings. I appreciated the gist, but the feminist-as-humorless-nag stereotype bugs me. ‘Course, at the bar, we were debating where that stereotype was in play with this piece. Eye of the beholder, perhaps? Has Hahn written himself a mini Oleanna? Are any of you familiar with Oleanna? Has anybody seen the movie version with William H. Macy? Have you seen the new Bond movie where Daniel Craig has the body of a god? Am I off topic? (Answers are: No, No, No, Maybe, and Yes.)
15.17 "An Awkward Moment in the Life of Shelton" byJohn Shelton
This is the perfect example of the need for a Third Thing. Indulge my pet NST theory: I submit that most NS pieces are lacking a Third Thing (a third act, if you will). There’s the First Thing: the premise. (I’m in history class and I realize my uncle’s a Klan leader.) Then there’s the Second Thing: the twist that makes it funny/shocking/interesting. (I talk about this fact with black kids in my class and realize our ancestors might be related in nasty, slave-related ways.) But then, and O Then, the glorious Third Thing! The Thing that catapults the piece to a new high! The revelation or action that is surprising but in retrospect inevitable! The wondrous, epic, necessary Third Thing that turns the piece from an interesting idea to a fully-fleshed piece of theatre! Bring it home to me, pappy! Bruce Willis is really a ghost! Luke turns off the targeting computer, gets his head out of his ass and uses the Force! Talk to me, Daniel Craig! Bench-press me with those beautiful muscles!
I’m exaggerating the orgasmic power of the Third Thing, but you catch my meaning. Give me something like THAT, John Shelton, and you’ve got a real live no kiddin’ theatre piece.
15.18 "Fingertips" Choreographed by Timm
I love TMBG, and I like all of these performers. And I liked the theatricality of the props and the movement on stage. As a whole, though, it felt a little herky jerky.
15.19 "Avenue B" by Mirri and Gogol Bordello
I don’t remember.
15.20 "Sasquatch and Meanie Cut the Cheese" by Adam Burton and Carolyn Jacobson
Interesting factoid: Adam and Carolyn wrote this using Google Documents! Of course I loved it. Good rhythm, tight piece.
15.21 "THe Night Has a Thousand Poopholes" by DanielleSantangelo
I wanted to see the chocolate sauce on Adam’s dingle. Not that I have a need to see Adam’s dingle per se (you seen one dingle, you seen ‘em all – sorry, Daniel Craig), but that would have upped the porno-shock. Boxers does not equal nudity. (Show some tighty-whities, and we’ll talk. But boxers? Them’s be shorts, baby.) But after reading other posts, I understand this was Danielle’s swan song, so maybe upstaging the dingle was a good thing.
"you seen one dingle, you seen ‘em all"
Megan, you are fantastic, but I must disagree here. Dingles are wonderful, unique as snowflakes.
But WAY BETTER than snowflakes.
If school got canceled because of a dingle storm, it would be the best day off school ever. It would be a Dingle Day and it would be awesome.
One of the best yes shames ever just happened. It's a shame that No noshame people really showed up.
There was a peice that HAS to be in no shame's best of.
it was so funny.
it's called, I think "a message from your congressmen"
it's the best ever.
one of the best peices I've seen out of no shame and yes shame.
it was written by Eli of yes shame.
Oh, Katy. Don't mythologize the dingle.
Dingles by themselves - unatttached to men - are exactly like snowflakes: Kind of neat when you see the first one, but then after a while you realize, "Aw, man. I've got to shovel my driveway."
>it's called, I think "a message from your congressmen"
it's the best ever.
I didn't see it, but I nominate it for BEST OF! If it's not in, the script should at least be submitted to the archive so that I (and other people less important to me than me) can read it.
I also nominate Janani's lip-synch and the Burton/Space "It was cheese!" thing.
Oh, ok. I'm sure there's more that I'd like to see again, but here's a list of some of my nominations:
A Message From Your Congressmen by Eli from Yes Shame
I can't believe it's not a Butterfly by Janani
Miser by Sean Shatto
Sad Song by Sad Sophie
Hooch 'N' Pooch by Mortimer Snert
Sasquatch and Meanie Cut the Cheese by Adam Burton and Carolyn Jacobson
That King Toad song...I don't remember the name...where Jamal goes "...around my head and around my head..." or something like that. Jamal, do you know which song I'm talking about?
There's more, but non of them are coming to me...if I think of anymore, I'll post them.
But the man attached is what makes a dingle special! Among other attributes.
Also I just really like dingles.
Seconded, and passed! Go dingles!
We're talking about penises, right?
See, all you people are having your own little "Gender Issues" show right here on the web.
"wee wee's are cool"
"no, not so much"
"no, i like them"
"Gender Issues Web-Cast NetChat TV Show." That's kind of my turf, you know? I mean, I'm not gonna be a hard ass or anything, but these are exactly the kind of hard hitting issues that once made "Gender Issues With Two Guys Smoking Tobacco Pipes" a legend among its peers. It's peers of people who talk about weens and vags. ...Which is everone. Which makes no sense. I just woke up, leave me be. You should at least be guests on the show. All of you.
Oh, and personally, honestly, I think taken out of assumed contexts and viewed objectively, male and femal genitals are probably both probably pretty repulsive. Look at a chimp man-or-lady's business sometime - it's hideous! (I saw on TV)
Jamal
Quickly, before the pain medication sets in!
1. "From the Earth to the Moon" by the Michael Tabors
Theramins and electric violins are cool, but please do an actual song.
2. "All Memories Are Painful" by Arlen Lawson
I liked this one and also wished it would have been longer.
3. "La Vie, L'Amour" by Edith Piaf Featuring Katy Baggs, La Fille Qui Est Awesome et Sexy
Katy is always so genuine, and I really like it when she cuts loose and goes crazy. This was immensely fun to watch, and the fact her parents were there made it even better.
4. "What a Difference a Gay Makes" by Chris Okiishi (sainthood awaiting approval)
Great writing and very good acting.
5. "Thoughts on the Recent Election" by Greg Machlin
Predictable but still quite fun. I wish I'd had a lighter.
6. "Theory for an Afterlife" by John Smick
I've encountered other visions of the afterlife which include watching the movie of your own life, but this one was one of the better ones. I liked that God and Satan were both there doing commentary, and God giving himself the award for best cinematography was great.
7. "I Can't Believe It's Not a Butterfly!" by Janani
Very very creative. The ending could have been a little better, but a very nice use of the lip-synch format. It's kind of fun to not know what they're saying.
8. "Rock & Roll" by Nick Beatty
The choreography could have been better, but Nick's delivery was pretty good.
9. "I've Always Wanted to Be Dean Martin" by Sarah Neilson
I didn't quite get into this one. Her stage presence could have been stronger.
10. "Gender Issues, Nov. 17, 2006" by 2 Guys Smoking Pipes
This seemed like just an extension of the previous week's piece, and like most sequels, was not as good. There were a few funny moments, but overall not that great.
11. "Do Not Wash!!!" by Christina Gulick
Cute and sweet. The Joy was a randomly funny touch. The choreography could have been more varied though; the big crescendo moment didn't feel as big because she just did the same thing she'd been doing.
12. "Frosting Community" by Katarah Udarro
Quirky in a funny way.
13. "A Deep Intellectual Monologue About My Feelings" by Eli Wilkinson
I took it as Eli parodying his own pieces which people have called self-pitying or angry.
14. "Phineas" by Megan Gogerty
I felt like I would have had a better time reading this than watching it performed; it just struck me as something more literary than theatrical. Which of course means that it was great writing.
15. "Tragically Unhip" by Eric Landuyt
A few things:
1. Greg, I only broke one rule. The space and myself are both encompassed by Rule 3. It was original and did not exceed five minutes. Just wanted to be nit-picky.
2. Katy, I find it fitting that when I did Sad Green Monster, my ass was inches from your face, and now my ass has been inches from your mother's face.
3. Patrick, thank you for holding onto my CD. I didn't even think about it until a day later.
4. I thanked Chris Okiishi about two dozen times, but I want to send him a thank-you gift, so if anyone has his address, please give it to me. Also, thank you to anyone who expressed concern for my well-being.
I obviously missed all pieces from this point on, which I sincerely regret because they were all apparently awesome beyond belief. I was particularly sad to miss Danielle's parting piece, and then really sad when I heard she exposed her breasts. First I miss Adam's scrotum, and now this (although no offense, Adam, I feel sadder about missing Danielle's breasts).
See you all next time. I hope to be walking by then.
who was shooting the video?
Eli gave me the script.
I'll bring it too dead week, it may be a little late.
hm.
well. And also, half of the preformance was his accent.
it was fantastic.
hmm.. i wrote a really unnecessarily long review/discussion about lip synch night. it's very rambling because i was mostly discussing it with myself. but its pretty long so i just posted it in my blog ( noshamme.blogspot.com ) if you want to read it.
if not, that's cool too. I wouldn't if i were you. I just felt that after so much typing it would be sad to just delete. But it was too long and rambly to be on here.
>15. "Tragically Unhip" by Eric Landuyt
You idiot.
Amen!
can we do something about this ticker tape blog...it gets annoying
I am at my work and all hopped up on dope! Mortimer's review busted my guts! It "'cranked' 'Jake's' 'crank'"! If you know what! (I laughed with pleasure through the w/hole!)
...Oooh. The blog should d/evolve into a review of reviews. How post-modern. No, in a good way. I love it.
...Woah... 2 high school girls who were interns here are on a TV show about their high school... It's freaking my shit out. ...The nice one is doing a good job talking to the camera with respect and affabiltiy. The mean one is slouching and rambling through her script...
...
...The high school girls are still on the show, but they're laughing hysterically...
for like a full 90 seconds... it's really, really weird... yikes...
...Is this how you felt watching "Rigga"? ...Was there genuine fear in your heart? If so, I can empathize, if not apologize.
Solidarity, girl
-J
Goddamn it, Timmmm, I went to your blog and read a lot of your thing and then spent too long writing a not-that-important response and then your blog tells me there's no posting allowed for "non-members"! Well fuck your bigot-ass club, man! I ain't down with that. Do your own thing, people! Make up your own minds!
(This is the part of the record where I want everyone to stand up... put your hands in the air... and kiss my ASS. Cuz your girlfriend STILL loves me! BWAH! ...Get it? No.)
[For "Tim's" secret eyes only!!!!!!!!!!!]
DO NOT READ!!!!!!!!!!!!
W W AA RR nNNN II N N N GGG G!! !
STOPPPOOOOOOOOP!
Here what I wrote, Tim!!!!!:
'I read most of it, Tim!!! More than half, definitely! Skimmed parts where I was like, "Yeah, I understand, I can move to the next topic." I enjoyed it! I believe I even agreed with most things, for whatever that's worth!
Love,
-J
P.S. Yes, there are definitely examples of performers being temporarily banned. Mr. Stangl himself was banned early on in our career for making a messy mess of Mabie's stage. Brad Hansen was banned for a week for denting up the B stage. Heyo!
(By the by, that's not me taking a stand on the ostensible "issue", that is just me reporting historical facts. I don't know where I would stand, were I forced to do so. I am glad I'm not on the board anymore. I am sitting in my chair at work. Happy emoticon.)'
Did you like it, Tim? Are you glad that I spent THREE HOURS making it happen?!!!!!!!!!!! FIIIVEEE HOOOURRRRSSSS, TIMNNMM!!! ...(Ouch! My crusted hole)!
"I wasn't in this...are you thinking of Jamal? Did you confuse Jamal for me? Are you confusing me and Jamal?!"
Damnit, I did mean Jamal. Sorry. Jamal performed like the seasoned pro he is. You are also a seasoned pro.
>5. "Thoughts on the Recent Election" by Greg Machlin
Was this supposed to be a lip-synch piece? I don't get it?
I interpreted lip-synch loosely, as in "doing something to music without words." In retrospect, I would have lip-synched.
"Are any of you familiar with Oleanna? " "No."
If by "No," you mean, "Yes," since I've both read and seen Oleanna (a live production, not the movie).
"As one of those people, it annoyed me to no end that the lights were being dimmed when Megan was nailing her piece so successfully."
Megan did do a good job with "Phineas," but the light booth op wasn't a hard-ass about it--if s/he had been, s/he would have completely taken the lights down. I don't object to a warning dim to let the performer know he or she is overtime, as s/he may not be aware of that (being onstage can warp one's ability to keep track of time).
I'd tend to err on the side of strictness with regards to the 5-minute rule; I don't think the board should be making quality decisions in the middle of a show to try to figure out who gets additional time & who doesn't.
Timm, you are absolutely right.
I had no idea my piece ran that long. When I was up there, I had it pegged for about 6 - maybe 7 min. But 8+? That's far too long. To my credit (or debit), I honestly thought a 2 1/2 pg script would run about 5 min., but I forgot to take into account my flowery dramatic pauses (read: mugging).
"Oh, but Gogerty never comes, never performs, give her a break." I appreciate that break. Since I never come to NST anymore, apparently I've forgotten how to craft a five-minute piece. She's rusty!
I wish I knew about the whole "light flick" system you described beforehand, though; then I might have actually taken steps to edit the piece and get to the end instead of panicking and trying to drag race the lights to the finish line. The light flick system seems smart and humane, and probably the kind of thing all the regulars know about. And not being a regular, I was (har, har) in the dark.
As for Bonehead Break-A-Leg, I don't know what you can do about that. Give him a stern talking-to, maybe. Ban him from performing for a few weeks (at least until his injuries heal). Has someone talked to the theatre dept. about the damage done? Being straight up about that is probably the best way to go; don't let them discover it on their own and then grouse about you. The board may have to fork over some dollars to get it fixed, but them's the (har har again) breaks.
And also: as somone who used to be on the board, and thus on the receiving end of myriad complaints and carps from cantankerous fogies, I have to say what fun it is to NOT be on the board! What freedom it is to bitch and moan and complain and shake fingers and not have to do anything to actually solve anything! Whoo!! When you leave the board, Timm, we'll give you a special No Shame Crab license, and you can sit in the back of the class with us and lob some spitballs at the poor slobs who are trying desperately to not screw it up.
heart,
MG
Megan, I'd like to say you're one classy dame… er, I should probably say classy performer.
"And also: as somone who used to be on the board, and thus on the receiving end of myriad complaints and carps from cantankerous fogies, I have to say what fun it is to NOT be on the board! What freedom it is to bitch and moan and complain and shake fingers and not have to do anything to actually solve anything! Whoo!!"
Oh my god! I 100% agree with this. It's so much more fun to used to be on the board than to be on it. I never got that crab licence, though.
Timm -- good ramblings, those -- and thanks for the perspective on the lights/timing (in general, and in context).
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