Wrapping up The Fringe and looking towards what's up next

Sadly, Hurricane Irene cut this year's Fringe Festival a bit short, canceling this weekend's performances with the MTA shutdown here in the city. I do, however, want to send out congratulations to all the shows, many of which received great reviews and mentions throughout the last 2 weeks. Also, many were highlighted with The Fringe's Overall Excellence Awards, which are listed here. [EDIT: Looks like a spoke a little soon -- The Fringe Encore Series has just been announced. If there was a show you missed, see if it made the list here.]

Just as one festival ends, though, another begins as tickets to NYMF shows will go on sale to the general public later this week (the festival will run from 9/26-10/16). Check out some of the great offerings on their website, and get ready for even more awesome new musical goodness at the end of September.

In speaking of things to come, Shaina Taub's EP, What Otters Do, is now available online (and in hardcopy through her website). If you're in New York, also check out her show tonight at Rockwood Music Hall at 8:30.

Speaking of Shaina Taub, the songstress will be a guest at Eli Bolin's upcoming show at the Laurie Beechman at 8:00 on September 18. They will be joined by Lin-Manuel Miranda, Anne Harada, Sam Forman, Allison Posner, Greg Hildreth, Anthony Rapp, and Olli Haaskivi -- and with a line-up like that, you gotta get a reservation!

Also, bringing everything full circle, later that week at the Beechman will be a concert version of Bed Bugs!!!! The Musical, which I saw and loved at NYMF 2008. This hilarious show, which was written by Fred Sauter and Paul Leschen, will be performing on 9/20 and 9/21.

So save your pennies and get ready for a month of great new music. In the meantime, I leave you with this great tune from Nick Blaemire's concert at Ars Nova a couple of months ago:

Concerts and Clips

It's definitely my bed time after a long week, but I happened upon these freshly uploaded videos from Michael R. Jackson's concert at Joe's Pub this past Monday (which I would have given anything to go to, were I not stuck on a plane) titled So Fucking Gay: A Michael R. Jackson Song Thing.

These videos are really striking to me for a few reasons. First of all, it reminds me that I should really mention some of the amazing concerts coming up in the next month in New York from some composers who I have mentioned on the blog and am absolutely loving discovering their music right now. Some of the old favorites are doing shows (Joe Iconis is having his Halloween Special on 10/31 at the Laurie Beechman and a performance of his musical ReWrite will be at Joe's Pub on 11/6; The Civilians are doing their Let Us Ascertain You at Joe's Pub on 11/4), but I'm especially excited to see some live performances for the first time from some other writers. The three shows in particular I'm hoping to get out to are: Astronauts, Bedbugs & Other Killers, the music of Paul Leschen and Fred Sauter at the Laurie Beechman on 10/27, Peter Lerman's New York debut concert at the Laurie Beechman on 11/1, and Tommy Newman and Gaby Alter's 29 at Joe's Pub on 11/8. I highly recommend any of these and will definitely be trying to get out to as many as I can.

The other reason these Michael R. Jackson videos are also keeping me up is that I'm just so captivated by his style and the intricacies of his work. Not only does he create a uniquely personal snapshot in every song, but I also find it amazing that the more detailed and complicated the characters in his songs get, the more universal their experiences seem. He's not afraid to shock or pit characters against each other, themselves, or the music, which occasionally gets messy but always pulses of something true.

Anyway, please enjoy two of my favorites and keep up with new songs through his youtube channel found here.

"Memory Song" sung by James Jackson:

"Secretly Hoping" sung by Molly Hager (when this song transcends words, it takes things to another level):

A Kind of Epidemic

Almost two years ago, one of my friends casually asked me if I wanted to see this show that someone she knew was working on for NYMF. She told me what it was called, but the title completely slipped my mind, and I showed up at the theater with no idea what exactly it was I was about to see. So I met up with my friend, we waited for the ligths to dim, and the next thing I knew, I was along for the ride that was Bedbugs!!! a musical by Paul Leschen and Fred Sauter.

So let me set the scene: the lights go dim and the next thing we know, we are treated to the vision of a young girl, sitting in her room listening to a performance of her favorite pop diva, Dionne Salone. And then, in true diva glory, Brian Charles Rooney emerged in a rather lovely 80s ensemble, giving a performance that would bring any ballad belting star to her knees.

Bedbugs!!! was an operatic, glam rock funhouse about a bedbug epidemic and one determined exterminator named Carly who ends up concocting a pesticide that turns tiny pests into mutant terrors. When the metal rock king of the bedbugs wants to make Carly his queen, Carly and her friends must put a stop to the madness. This all happens with an army of horny, androgenous insects, inappropriately mesmerizing dance numbers, and even a take home environmental message (complete with an appearance from Rachel Carson, author of Silent Spring). Be sure to check out some music clips here.

Despite the fact that this type of musical is not normally my cup of tea, it's a show I think of every once in a while. I don't think I've seen anything quite so delightfully off the wall since then, or at least nothing that has made me smile as wide as this show did. I wish this show could have some kind of life beyond its NYMF production, but I haven't heard anything in particular since the festival.

I also have to say, though, that Paul Leschen's music in general is very addictive, a guilty pleasure for soaring 80s-esque numbers. I've been enjoying listening to the music on his myspace and letting myself sink into a silly stupor. While I know Paul has also had his hand in a Scissor Sisters album, I think his musical theatre writing skills are also apparent. He's also worked on Twist: May I Have Some More, a naughty, wicked version of Dickens' Oliver classic. And still, while completely campy and hysterically wild, Bedbugs!!! is an example of camp done hilariously right.