July 30, 2005
PSYCHE
While we're back online, now might be a good time to plug our friend
Gina's show "Psyche." Tonight is the last evening of its five-day run
at the Favored
Nations Theater on Wooster Street
href="http://maps.google.com/maps?q=66+Wooster+St,+New+York,+NY+10012&s
pn=0.029662,0.057077&hl=en" target=_blank">in SOHO. Here's a short
description of the hour-and-half performance:
Dr. James Barry was born in 1796. He was a surgeon and a soldier. He
fought duels and treated lepers. He was tried for sodomy and acquitted.
He was also a woman. An epic musical about war, medicine, sexuality and
love, told through the life of a flamboyant and fascinating human
being.
So imagine ER, plus The Longest Day, Hamilton vs. Burr, Oscar
Wilde, and Hedwig and the Angry Inch. Make it all a period
piece and you've got "Psyche." Sounds like a stretch, I know, but
Gina's a talented woman and I know it's going to turn out very well.
Tonight's final performance starts at 7 p.m. Tickets are available
href="http://www.smarttix.com/show.aspx?showCode=PSY0"
target="blank">here for $15 a head.
UPDATE: Last night's performance of "Psyche" was actually
fantastic. I say "actually" because some people may note a hint of
skepticism in the above post. The show was actually hilarious--a mix
of musical, dance, and dramatic set pieces that wound up being very
touching in the end. Connie Hall played protagonist J.M. Barrie and
unenviously had to make her entrance stark naked. Her portrayal of
the gender masquerading physician was superb, however, and she bears a
striking resemblance to Katherine Hepburn. Gina Hirsch has
surprisingly few lines through the first two thirds of the play, but
comes on strong towards the end with her hilarious portrayal of
Florence Nightingale. After the show I asked Gina how long it took the
Favoured Nations theater group to put together what looked like a very
intricate performance. The answer: three and a half weeks, which
really boggled my mind. I wish "Psyche"'s run would have lasted more
than five days because I would recommend it to many people. Gina
seemed pleased that it was over, however, as the whole performance
seemed very physically demanding. Not to mention the fact that the
whole cast had to remain hidden under gurneys in an un-airconditioned
theater while in period costumes for 40 minutes before the show began.
That fact alone defied belief from me. Congratulations to the whole
cast and crew of "Psyche" for a fantastic show.
Posted by Lexiphane at July 30, 2005 7:22 AM
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