UP NEXT:
February 18 - 28, 2015
The World Premiere of Nat's Most Terrifying Play Yet ...
THE TEMPLE
or, Lebensraum
Nat Cassidy's THE TEMPLE from Nat Cassidy on Vimeo.
You're inside the sunken, pulverized body of the German-commissioned submarine, U-401, after fighting like hell for a country you're not sure you believe in anymore. It's the Spring of 1943. The world is at war above your head, but you're 200 meters below the surface of the ocean. 2 million pascals of force squeeze the vessel around you, conspiring to crush you beyond all recognition. You're surrounded by your dead fellow crewmen. The battery is dying. The oxygen is running out.
And there's a monster on board with you.
An immersive, terrifying, fascinating, thought-provoking descent into one country's hell, one crew's nightmare, and one man's madness. Set in the control room of a sunken U-Boat, The Temple, or, Lebensraum is a play unlike any other, and promises to be an unforgettable experience.
STRICTLY LIMITED RUN
Preview: February 18th, 7:30pm
Performances: February 19th, 20th, 21st, 24th, 25th, 26th, 27th, and 28th
Curtain is at 7:30pm
Tickets $18
An Actors Equity-approved Showcase
Purchase tickets here:
https://web.ovationtix.com/trs/pr/942285
And there's a monster on board with you.
An immersive, terrifying, fascinating, thought-provoking descent into one country's hell, one crew's nightmare, and one man's madness. Set in the control room of a sunken U-Boat, The Temple, or, Lebensraum is a play unlike any other, and promises to be an unforgettable experience.
STRICTLY LIMITED RUN
Preview: February 18th, 7:30pm
Performances: February 19th, 20th, 21st, 24th, 25th, 26th, 27th, and 28th
Curtain is at 7:30pm
Tickets $18
An Actors Equity-approved Showcase
Purchase tickets here:
https://web.ovationtix.com/trs/pr/942285
STARRING
Matthew Trumbull* as Oberführer Karl Heinrich
Arthur Aulisi* as Kommandant Tod Klenze
Tristan Colton* as 2nd Wachoffizier Sigmund Zinner
Zac Hoogendyk* as 3rd Wachoffizier Erich Trauke
Ridley Parson* as Funkhauptgefreiter Ahrendt
John D. Gardner as Meteorologe Bohm
John Blaylock* as Bootsmann Albrecht Muller
Eric Gilde* as Ingenieur Tom Raab
Adriana Jones as The Stowaway
*member, AEA
Written/directed by Nat Cassidy
Producer: Montserrat Mendez
Stage Manager: Sarah Lahue
Set Design: Sandy Yaklin
Sound Design: Jeanne Travis
Lighting Design: Morgan Zipf-Meister
Costume Design: Ben Philipp
Gore Design: Stephanie Cox-Williams
Technical Director: Ashanti Ziths
Fight Director: John D. Gardner
You just missed ...
The Final Episode of BEDLAM NIGHTMARES
Featuring a brand new one-act ("The Art of What You Want"), the return of an infamous one-act ("Joy Junction"), and the entirety of Nat's epic, serialized song cycle "All in Good Fun."
---
THE BLOOD BROTHERS PRESENT
BEDLAM NIGHTMARES:
EXECUTION DAY
New plays by Nat Cassidy, Mariah MacCarthy & Mac Rogers
Directed by Pete Boisvert, Stephanie Cox-Williams and Patrick Shearer
Featuring: Lynn Berg*, Nat Cassidy*, Andrew Chmelko, Joe Coppola, Stephanie Cox-Williams, Ivanna Cullinan*, John Hurley, Bob Laine, Jessika Luck*, Michael Markham*, Collin McConnell, Karlē Jeanne Meyers, Roger Nasser, Tom Reid, Kristen Vaughan, C.L. Weatherstone and Morgan Zipf-Meister
*appears courtesy Actors' Equity Association
www.bloodbrotherspresent.com
www.bricktheater.com
---
PRESS:
"I've seen some horrific things at the Blood Brothers' shows -- eyelids ripped off, skin peeled, human flesh consumed, rape and incest, and more forms of murder than you can shake a stick at. But when the lights went down after Nat Cassidy's short play THE ART OF WHAT YOU WANT, my first reaction was to lean over and whisper to the person sitting next to me, 'THAT was fucked up.' Nat Cassidy's play ... is easily one of the creepiest of I've ever seen. ... Featuring the best (and most upsetting) surprise ending I've seen in a while, THE ART OF WHAT YOU WANT sets a very high bar. ... ALL IN GOOD FUN, which features Cassidy on guitar as The Troubadour, completes his song cycle which has been slowly teased out in the earlier episodes ... Cassidy is mesmerizing, and the piece, directed by Patrick Shearer, features some marvelous theatrical devices - shadow puppetry, moving sets (used to show someone running), projections, mime - and like THE ART OF WHAT YOU WANT, a terrific surprise ending. Not to mention that the song features some catchy hooks that will immediately plant themselves in your brain. I'm still hearing sections of it in my head a week later."
- StageBuzz
"Cassidy’s THE ART OF WHAT YOU WANT, directed by Boisvert, is the most genuinely frightening of the evening’s offerings: a haunted house story with a ghastly twist ... Cassidy’s other short work, JOY JUNCTION ('as cannibalized by Mac Rogers,' notes the program, and directed by Cox-Williams) is a short, disturbing sketch [which] take[s] the creep-factor over the edge. ... EXECUTION DAY is rated a hard 'R.' The wonderful, gushing gore effects designed by Cox-Williams spurt high (those ponchos are there for a reason.) If you like your Halloween horror dark, blood-soaked, and moral-free, check yourself into Hospital One for a visit, and enjoy your stay… (spooky, maniacal laughter)."
- Theatre is Easy
"A brilliantly grotesque evening of diverse horrors. ... The first piece, THE ART OF WHAT YOU WANT, written by Nat Cassidy and directed by Pete Boisvert, works as a graceful unveiling for the nature of the piece. Turning from Hitchcock to Almodovar it shifts the focus from the mysterious to the grotesque. ... Opening act two is a brilliant folk piece sung by “The Troubadour,” Nat Cassidy, who also wrote words and music for the piece, and directed by Patrick Shearer. A folk tale of terror ALL IN GOOD FUN is an epic that enhances the asylum’s mythology. ... JOY JUNCTION, written by Nat Cassidy and directed by Stephanie Cox Williams, is perhaps the most B Movie of the evening’s presentations. With comically gruesome sound effects, by Patrick Shearer, and surrealistically unbelievable plot, this piece accomplishes gross out horror with minimal presentation and gleeful energy. ... BEDLAM NIGHTMARES: EXECUTION DAY is above all a well crafted evening of theatre. The immense collaborative team presents a fiercely imagined and intentionally designed evening ... The gratuity of the macabre, as one exhumes the inventiveness of the mind’s darker corners, can, at times, reawaken childlike imagineering at the wonder of horror."
- New York Theatre Review
"My favorite of the plays was JOY JUNCTION, a story about a man and his puppet. It was disturbing, haunting and utterly revolting, the highlight of the evening. I won’t go into detail about what the puppet actually is, but it reminded me of something I once thought of after consuming a large meal and an entire bottle of scotch."
- Stage Buddy
---
THE BLOOD BROTHERS PRESENT
BEDLAM NIGHTMARES:
EXECUTION DAY
New plays by Nat Cassidy, Mariah MacCarthy & Mac Rogers
Directed by Pete Boisvert, Stephanie Cox-Williams and Patrick Shearer
Featuring: Lynn Berg*, Nat Cassidy*, Andrew Chmelko, Joe Coppola, Stephanie Cox-Williams, Ivanna Cullinan*, John Hurley, Bob Laine, Jessika Luck*, Michael Markham*, Collin McConnell, Karlē Jeanne Meyers, Roger Nasser, Tom Reid, Kristen Vaughan, C.L. Weatherstone and Morgan Zipf-Meister
*appears courtesy Actors' Equity Association
www.bloodbrotherspresent.com
www.bricktheater.com
---
PRESS:
"I've seen some horrific things at the Blood Brothers' shows -- eyelids ripped off, skin peeled, human flesh consumed, rape and incest, and more forms of murder than you can shake a stick at. But when the lights went down after Nat Cassidy's short play THE ART OF WHAT YOU WANT, my first reaction was to lean over and whisper to the person sitting next to me, 'THAT was fucked up.' Nat Cassidy's play ... is easily one of the creepiest of I've ever seen. ... Featuring the best (and most upsetting) surprise ending I've seen in a while, THE ART OF WHAT YOU WANT sets a very high bar. ... ALL IN GOOD FUN, which features Cassidy on guitar as The Troubadour, completes his song cycle which has been slowly teased out in the earlier episodes ... Cassidy is mesmerizing, and the piece, directed by Patrick Shearer, features some marvelous theatrical devices - shadow puppetry, moving sets (used to show someone running), projections, mime - and like THE ART OF WHAT YOU WANT, a terrific surprise ending. Not to mention that the song features some catchy hooks that will immediately plant themselves in your brain. I'm still hearing sections of it in my head a week later."
- StageBuzz
"Cassidy’s THE ART OF WHAT YOU WANT, directed by Boisvert, is the most genuinely frightening of the evening’s offerings: a haunted house story with a ghastly twist ... Cassidy’s other short work, JOY JUNCTION ('as cannibalized by Mac Rogers,' notes the program, and directed by Cox-Williams) is a short, disturbing sketch [which] take[s] the creep-factor over the edge. ... EXECUTION DAY is rated a hard 'R.' The wonderful, gushing gore effects designed by Cox-Williams spurt high (those ponchos are there for a reason.) If you like your Halloween horror dark, blood-soaked, and moral-free, check yourself into Hospital One for a visit, and enjoy your stay… (spooky, maniacal laughter)."
- Theatre is Easy
"A brilliantly grotesque evening of diverse horrors. ... The first piece, THE ART OF WHAT YOU WANT, written by Nat Cassidy and directed by Pete Boisvert, works as a graceful unveiling for the nature of the piece. Turning from Hitchcock to Almodovar it shifts the focus from the mysterious to the grotesque. ... Opening act two is a brilliant folk piece sung by “The Troubadour,” Nat Cassidy, who also wrote words and music for the piece, and directed by Patrick Shearer. A folk tale of terror ALL IN GOOD FUN is an epic that enhances the asylum’s mythology. ... JOY JUNCTION, written by Nat Cassidy and directed by Stephanie Cox Williams, is perhaps the most B Movie of the evening’s presentations. With comically gruesome sound effects, by Patrick Shearer, and surrealistically unbelievable plot, this piece accomplishes gross out horror with minimal presentation and gleeful energy. ... BEDLAM NIGHTMARES: EXECUTION DAY is above all a well crafted evening of theatre. The immense collaborative team presents a fiercely imagined and intentionally designed evening ... The gratuity of the macabre, as one exhumes the inventiveness of the mind’s darker corners, can, at times, reawaken childlike imagineering at the wonder of horror."
- New York Theatre Review
"My favorite of the plays was JOY JUNCTION, a story about a man and his puppet. It was disturbing, haunting and utterly revolting, the highlight of the evening. I won’t go into detail about what the puppet actually is, but it reminded me of something I once thought of after consuming a large meal and an entire bottle of scotch."
- Stage Buddy
ANY DAY NOW in ESPA Drills at Primary Stages!
A very special staged reading of Nat's three-act kitchen sink undead drama.
"Family secrets never stay buried. Some even have teeth."
Tuesday, August 19th, at 8:00pm
The Duke Theater
As part of ESPA Drills at Primary Stages
FREE
By Nat Cassidy
Directed by Moritz von Stuelpnagel
PEN: Lynn Cohen
ADAM: Michael Callahan
BEVERLY: Johanna Day
APRIL: Heidi Armbruster
JOSH: Michael Laurence
DAVID: Chris Henry Coffey
JACKIE: Amie Tedesco
Voiceovers: Colin Ryan and Kelley Rae O'Donnell
Stage Directions: Hannah Jane Ginsberg
Nat as Nat (and Mephistopheles) in Adaptive Arts' FAUST
Written by August Schulenburg
Directed by Marielle Duke
Stage Manager: Amy Rehwaldt
Musical Director: Tim Duncheon
Set/Light Designer: Olivia Harris
Devised with: Collin McConnel
Featuring: Nat Cassidy, Matthew Trumbull, Gabby Sherba, Emily Hartford, Rachael Hip Flores, Alex Engquist, Matilde Keizer, and Rebecca Davis
Directed by Marielle Duke
Stage Manager: Amy Rehwaldt
Musical Director: Tim Duncheon
Set/Light Designer: Olivia Harris
Devised with: Collin McConnel
Featuring: Nat Cassidy, Matthew Trumbull, Gabby Sherba, Emily Hartford, Rachael Hip Flores, Alex Engquist, Matilde Keizer, and Rebecca Davis
The Midwest Premiere of SONGS OF LOVE: A THEATRICAL MIXTAPE!
SONGS OF LOVE: A THEATRICAL MIXTAPE
by Nat Cassidy
Directed by Maria Pretzl
"Cleverly written ... Complex and heartfelt ... It’s not often that a stage play throws you a curve that you don’t see coming at all. ... I may never look at my wife’s purse the same way again."
- Russ Bickerstaff, Express Milwaukee
STARRING:
Chad/Dave/Man – Marcus Beyer
Carlyle/Man – Joshua L. Walker
Paul/Man – Thom Cauley
Lisa/Stacey/Woman – Marissa Clayton
Kim/Woman – Layna Martinez
Cara/Woman – Melanie Liebetrau
PRODUCTION TEAM:
Director – Maria Pretzl
Stage Manager – Joe Reuss
Costume Designer – Emily Pomplun
Artistic Director - Gretchen Mahkorn
PERFORMANCE VENUE:
The Underground Collaborative
161 W. Wisconsin Avenue
Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53203
(Lower Level)
Nat as Controversial Comics Creator Stan Lee
in
KING KIRBY
The hysterical and heartbreaking true story of artist Jack Kirby, "the King of the Comics."
Written by Crystal Skillman and Fred Van Lente
Directed by John Hurley
Featuring Steven Rattazzi, Amy Lee Pearsall, Joe Mathers, Nat Cassidy and Timothy McCown Reynolds.
Scenic and lighting design by Olivia Harris
Costume design by Holly Rihn
Sound design by Janie Bullard
Stage Management by Lauren Stern
Husband-and-wife playwriting team Fred Van Lente (award-winning, New York Times best selling comics writer of “Cowboys & Aliens” and “Action Philosophers!”) and Crystal Skillman (NYIT Award-winning playwright of “Geek”, “Cut”, and “The Vigil”) combine their talents with director John Hurley (“Action Philosophers!”, “Lickspittles, Buttonholders and Damned Pernicious Go Betweens”, and “The Vigil”) to tell the story Jack Kirby, "the King of the Comics," co-creator of Captain America, Thor, Iron Man, The X-Men, The Avengers, and dozens more. The artist springs to life in this hysterical and heartbreaking story of this titanic figure who pours his quintessentially Twentieth Century life into his comics, only to make the fateful, tragic mistake that sends his life into obscurity while his creations became known to every person on Earth. A real-life "Adventures of Kavalier & Klay", King Kirby asks what happens when an artist doesn't own his own legacy? Can he ever get it back?
"Nat Cassidy['s Stan Lee is] a sly impersonation ... Hits nary a speedbump ... The cast is uniformly on target."
- Andy Webster, The New York Times
"The actors were outstanding ... And then there is the timeless huckster, Stan Lee. Nat Cassidy did a great job in portraying the funky flashman, double talking charlatan. He nailed Stan Lee’s voice. And the over the top dialogue that Stan was known for ranting in normal conversations. ... Bravo ... Standing ovation."
- D.J. Coffman, Bleeding Cool
KING KIRBY
The hysterical and heartbreaking true story of artist Jack Kirby, "the King of the Comics."
Written by Crystal Skillman and Fred Van Lente
Directed by John Hurley
Featuring Steven Rattazzi, Amy Lee Pearsall, Joe Mathers, Nat Cassidy and Timothy McCown Reynolds.
Scenic and lighting design by Olivia Harris
Costume design by Holly Rihn
Sound design by Janie Bullard
Stage Management by Lauren Stern
Husband-and-wife playwriting team Fred Van Lente (award-winning, New York Times best selling comics writer of “Cowboys & Aliens” and “Action Philosophers!”) and Crystal Skillman (NYIT Award-winning playwright of “Geek”, “Cut”, and “The Vigil”) combine their talents with director John Hurley (“Action Philosophers!”, “Lickspittles, Buttonholders and Damned Pernicious Go Betweens”, and “The Vigil”) to tell the story Jack Kirby, "the King of the Comics," co-creator of Captain America, Thor, Iron Man, The X-Men, The Avengers, and dozens more. The artist springs to life in this hysterical and heartbreaking story of this titanic figure who pours his quintessentially Twentieth Century life into his comics, only to make the fateful, tragic mistake that sends his life into obscurity while his creations became known to every person on Earth. A real-life "Adventures of Kavalier & Klay", King Kirby asks what happens when an artist doesn't own his own legacy? Can he ever get it back?
"Nat Cassidy['s Stan Lee is] a sly impersonation ... Hits nary a speedbump ... The cast is uniformly on target."
- Andy Webster, The New York Times
"The actors were outstanding ... And then there is the timeless huckster, Stan Lee. Nat Cassidy did a great job in portraying the funky flashman, double talking charlatan. He nailed Stan Lee’s voice. And the over the top dialogue that Stan was known for ranting in normal conversations. ... Bravo ... Standing ovation."
- D.J. Coffman, Bleeding Cool
Episode Two of The Blood Brothers Present ... Bedlam Nightmares
May 2014
The execution of the Blood Brothers races closer. Their hospital-prison seems inescapable. And their even more evil captor, Doctor Queen, has vowed that she will break their minds before she destroys their bodies. So while she's away, that means exposing the boys to some of the ugliest, most rancid stories and scenes the hospital has to offer. This May, you'll meet sinister shrinks, sadistic snackers, and a silly psychopath as the battle of wills between the Bads and the Badder intensifies.
"Scary theater just indicates someone is going to use psychology to push us out of our comfort zones, doesn’t it? I knew this when I sat in the front row at The Brick, a place known for innovative performance, and put on the spatter-preventing poncho. Even armed with this knowledge, and being acquainted with the work of playwrights Nat Cassidy, Mariah MacCarthy, and Mac Rogers, I still learned something new at this installment of Blood Brothers Present Bedlam Nightmares Part Two: Shock Treatments."
- Ed Malin, nytheatrenow
"I don't want to give out any spoilers. So I'll just say this. The show is well-written. It is bloody. And it is full of the stuff that will give you nightmares."
- Byrne Harrison, StageBuzz
"Scary theater just indicates someone is going to use psychology to push us out of our comfort zones, doesn’t it? I knew this when I sat in the front row at The Brick, a place known for innovative performance, and put on the spatter-preventing poncho. Even armed with this knowledge, and being acquainted with the work of playwrights Nat Cassidy, Mariah MacCarthy, and Mac Rogers, I still learned something new at this installment of Blood Brothers Present Bedlam Nightmares Part Two: Shock Treatments."
- Ed Malin, nytheatrenow
"I don't want to give out any spoilers. So I'll just say this. The show is well-written. It is bloody. And it is full of the stuff that will give you nightmares."
- Byrne Harrison, StageBuzz
As You Like It
April 2014
Set in a contemporary world, this production takes a fun, fresh look at Shakespeare’s timeless comedy about love, transformation and the roles we play. Rosalind, the daughter of an exiled Duke, falls in love with Orlando, who is downtrodden by his elder brother. The two separately flee the watchful world of the court, seeking refuge in the Forest of Arden. But when Rosalind, now dressed as a man to protect herself and her cousin Celia, bumps into Orlando, their courtship becomes a game that subverts traditional romance. An ensemble of seven actors explores this vibrant story of power, freedom, rural and urban communities and intersecting sets of lovers—with more than one gender-bending twist! The production uses video and live original music, both to explore what is changeless and what is contemporary in how we tell stories, and to provide a thoroughly entertaining evening for audiences of all kinds.
April 10-27
Thursday - Saturday nights at 7:30
Sunday nights at 6:00
Theaterlab
357 W. 36th St. 3rd Floor
New York, NY 10018
with
Ellen Adair*
Nat Cassidy*
Eric Gilde*
Anna O'Donoghue*
Patrick Mulryan*
Christopher Seiler*
Alexander Sovronsky*
Original music by Alexander Sovronsky
Costume Design by Mia Bienovich
Video Design by Bart Cortright
Technical Direction by Sean Gorski
Fight Direction by Ben Kahre
Lighting Design by Tyler M. Perry
Directed by Ellen Adair & Eric Gilde
*Appears courtesy of Actors' Equity Association
April 10-27
Thursday - Saturday nights at 7:30
Sunday nights at 6:00
Theaterlab
357 W. 36th St. 3rd Floor
New York, NY 10018
with
Ellen Adair*
Nat Cassidy*
Eric Gilde*
Anna O'Donoghue*
Patrick Mulryan*
Christopher Seiler*
Alexander Sovronsky*
Original music by Alexander Sovronsky
Costume Design by Mia Bienovich
Video Design by Bart Cortright
Technical Direction by Sean Gorski
Fight Direction by Ben Kahre
Lighting Design by Tyler M. Perry
Directed by Ellen Adair & Eric Gilde
*Appears courtesy of Actors' Equity Association
The Reckoning of Kit & Little Boots - Chicago Premiere!
February 8 - March 2, 2014
The Chicago premiere of Nat's metaphysical buddy comedy and winner of the NY Innovative Theatre Award for Outstanding Full-Length Script!
Presented by First Floor Theater
Directed by Gus Menary
Starring: Kate Cornelius-Schecter, Owais Ahmed, Sarah Davis, Garrett Lutz, Tim Parker, Alfred Thomas, and Dav Yendler.
Presented by First Floor Theater
Directed by Gus Menary
Starring: Kate Cornelius-Schecter, Owais Ahmed, Sarah Davis, Garrett Lutz, Tim Parker, Alfred Thomas, and Dav Yendler.
"A winter season must see ... THE RECKONING OF KIT & LITTLE BOOTS laces together bawdy humor and historical speculation with charming measure ... Cassidy combines the most dramatic and accurate suppositions of [Marlowe's] history. Using sharp humor and adventurous thinking, Cassidy’s story ultimately pays homage to Marlowe’s tremendous talent. ... Director Gus Menary combines dramatic flair with moments of quiet subtlety, layering Cassidy’s intents with honest theatricality. He is aided, greatly, by Molly’s Fitzmaurice’s inventive, literature based set. Her work is truly amazing, setting the perfect tone for the action at hand. The cast, as a whole, commits to the project with intense commitment. ... The skill on display is beyond commendable and consistent in its entertainment factor. ... [A] manically funny delight ... full of passionate questioning ... It is no surprise that First Floor Theater was recently chosen as one of 2013’s top companies. Their current production of THE RECKONING OF KIT & LITTLE BOOTS is a golden affair."
- Brian Kirst, Sights and Sounds Magazine
"RECOMMENDED. The 'Kit' in Nat Cassidy’s play is Christopher Marlowe, here haunted by the emperor Caligula, whose moniker (who knew?) means 'Little Boots.' In sharp comic exchanges punctuated by violence, these two characters (and other Caesars and Elizabethan playwrights) explore the use and abuse of power, the necessary but despised role of the spy, and the challenge of writing simultaneously for one’s own time and for the ages. Director Gus Menary brings out the best in all the performers, but Owais Ahmed as Kit, Tim Parker as Caligula and Alfred Thomas as spymaster Francis Walsingham have particular depth and breadth. A production both intellectual and visceral, whereas so often we have to choose one or the other."
- Dueling Critics
"Caligula is a spicy character, filled with sarcasm and bombastic energy, yet still manages to draw sympathy from the audience ... Cassidy [does] a great job of telling the tale of a lesser-known figure in history. There’s a perfect balance between truth and irony: Known events about Marlowe’s life struggle to be remembered, riddled with inappropriate modern-day humor and outlandish responses from the supporting cast — let’s just say the sexual tension is aplenty. ... Overall, Cassidy’s take on Marlowe’s life is pleasantly refreshing. His characters are all filled with spunk, and it is a great take on an often forgotten Elizabethan playwright. The struggles of power, religion and murder are always welcomed in tragic productions, and Cassidy managed to balance them all in a slightly perfect drama. ... Cassidy [brings] together everything audiences could want in a play. ... Stepping out of a cramped, crowded, black box theater after witnessing all the tragedy, comedy and witty skepticism of Christopher Marlowe‘s life just felt so wrong. A performance packed with actors and a script both acted and written at such a high caliber deserves way more than a couple seats set up around minimal stage space. "
- Kristen Torres, Loyola Phoenix
"The acting, staging, the glimpses of humor and the sheer likeability of Marlowe, Caligula and several of the other characters make it easy to get lost in their Elizabethan world. ... Skirts the edge of Monty Python spoof and meaty drama ... This is a great pick for any anglophile, history buff, or lover of historical fiction. TROK&LB manages to be fun and serious, lighthearted and full of gravitas. Wonderful performances and a sharp script with a modern edge keep everyone on their toes."
- Beth Dugan, EDGE
"A great comedy!"
- Chicago Magazine
- Brian Kirst, Sights and Sounds Magazine
"RECOMMENDED. The 'Kit' in Nat Cassidy’s play is Christopher Marlowe, here haunted by the emperor Caligula, whose moniker (who knew?) means 'Little Boots.' In sharp comic exchanges punctuated by violence, these two characters (and other Caesars and Elizabethan playwrights) explore the use and abuse of power, the necessary but despised role of the spy, and the challenge of writing simultaneously for one’s own time and for the ages. Director Gus Menary brings out the best in all the performers, but Owais Ahmed as Kit, Tim Parker as Caligula and Alfred Thomas as spymaster Francis Walsingham have particular depth and breadth. A production both intellectual and visceral, whereas so often we have to choose one or the other."
- Dueling Critics
"Caligula is a spicy character, filled with sarcasm and bombastic energy, yet still manages to draw sympathy from the audience ... Cassidy [does] a great job of telling the tale of a lesser-known figure in history. There’s a perfect balance between truth and irony: Known events about Marlowe’s life struggle to be remembered, riddled with inappropriate modern-day humor and outlandish responses from the supporting cast — let’s just say the sexual tension is aplenty. ... Overall, Cassidy’s take on Marlowe’s life is pleasantly refreshing. His characters are all filled with spunk, and it is a great take on an often forgotten Elizabethan playwright. The struggles of power, religion and murder are always welcomed in tragic productions, and Cassidy managed to balance them all in a slightly perfect drama. ... Cassidy [brings] together everything audiences could want in a play. ... Stepping out of a cramped, crowded, black box theater after witnessing all the tragedy, comedy and witty skepticism of Christopher Marlowe‘s life just felt so wrong. A performance packed with actors and a script both acted and written at such a high caliber deserves way more than a couple seats set up around minimal stage space. "
- Kristen Torres, Loyola Phoenix
"The acting, staging, the glimpses of humor and the sheer likeability of Marlowe, Caligula and several of the other characters make it easy to get lost in their Elizabethan world. ... Skirts the edge of Monty Python spoof and meaty drama ... This is a great pick for any anglophile, history buff, or lover of historical fiction. TROK&LB manages to be fun and serious, lighthearted and full of gravitas. Wonderful performances and a sharp script with a modern edge keep everyone on their toes."
- Beth Dugan, EDGE
"A great comedy!"
- Chicago Magazine
The Blood Brothers Present ... Bedlam Nightmares
February 27 - March 1, 2014
Deep in the vaults of an institution for the criminally insane, The Blood Brothers await their final hours on Earth. In the custody of a physician as sinister as they are, the two brothers fill their last days feeding on the surreal stories of their fellow inmates.
The Blood Brothers Present . . . Bedlam Nightmares is a bi-monthly late night series at The Brick Theater in Brooklyn. Each installment features new horror stories hosted by the eponymous Blood Brothers. The first installment in this series is Strapped In, and features short plays written by Nat Cassidy (Old Familiar Faces, I Am Providence) and Mac Rogers (Frankenstein Upstairs, The Honeycomb Trilogy), that explore the deepest recesses of a human monster's mind.
BEDLAM NIGHTMARES: STRAPPED IN is directed by Pete Boisvert, Stephanie Cox-Williams, and Patrick Shearer. All performances will take place at The Brick Theater at 575 Metropolitan Avenue in Brooklyn, NY.
"The Blood Brothers are back, from wherever they came from — which is old news reports on clown-faced serial killers, and nostalgia sites for the haunted-house hosts of vintage horror movies repackaged for pre-cable TV. They are the compelling community-guignol stage characters of Pete Boisvert and Patrick Shearer, participant observers to the morality-tale inhumanity which is epidemic in our species and of which the Blood Brothers are just the fright-makeupped mascots. ... [T]he evening’s standout segment [is] “Into The Life of Things” by Nat Cassidy. Cassidy has a stereophonic ear for both the insider’s delusion and the outsider’s confusion (each of which will be duly punished) at a wilderness yoga retreat, where supernatural complications ensue which will land one lucky disciple in the Blood Brothers’ new place of residence. As a believer sworn to silence, Stephanie Willing enacts a sublime kinetic narrative of danced and gestured expression (and embodies just as pristine pretension when her character breaks the vow), while Matthew Trumbull as her doubting husband paces out of his yoga-pretzels with a positively Chaplinesque totter, his expression set in a world-exhausted facial drawl worthy of Keaton — more of the Brothers’ history-repeated-as-not-so-funny — and August Schulenburg is tragic and hilarious as a guru spouting Cassidy’s gourmet psychobabble."
- Adam McGovern, Fanchild
"The evening features some amazing writing from Blood Brother stalwarts Nat Cassidy and Mac Rogers, as well as some strong directing from Pete Boisvert, Patrick Shearer and Stephanie Cox-Williams. ... Nasty, horrifying, and so incredibly well done. ... The surprise of the evening was Cassidy's "Into the Life of Things," about the yoga retreat. A young couple (Matthew Trumbull and Stephanie Willing) falls under the spell of a charismatic leader (August Schulenberg). Throw in some food deprivation, a touch of psychic ability, and a possible love triangle and the retreat takes a homicidal turn. This was a strong, well-structured story with an unexpected paranormal twist, and it worked nicely into the main Blood Brothers/asylum story. This was longer than the typical short play included in a Blood Brothers show, which provided a nice balance to Rogers' and Cassidy's other short pieces. I'm happy to see that some of the evening's pieces will be continued in the current episode of Bedlam Nightmares. I can't wait to see where this series goes."
- Byrne Harrison, StageBuzz
The Blood Brothers Present . . . Bedlam Nightmares is a bi-monthly late night series at The Brick Theater in Brooklyn. Each installment features new horror stories hosted by the eponymous Blood Brothers. The first installment in this series is Strapped In, and features short plays written by Nat Cassidy (Old Familiar Faces, I Am Providence) and Mac Rogers (Frankenstein Upstairs, The Honeycomb Trilogy), that explore the deepest recesses of a human monster's mind.
BEDLAM NIGHTMARES: STRAPPED IN is directed by Pete Boisvert, Stephanie Cox-Williams, and Patrick Shearer. All performances will take place at The Brick Theater at 575 Metropolitan Avenue in Brooklyn, NY.
"The Blood Brothers are back, from wherever they came from — which is old news reports on clown-faced serial killers, and nostalgia sites for the haunted-house hosts of vintage horror movies repackaged for pre-cable TV. They are the compelling community-guignol stage characters of Pete Boisvert and Patrick Shearer, participant observers to the morality-tale inhumanity which is epidemic in our species and of which the Blood Brothers are just the fright-makeupped mascots. ... [T]he evening’s standout segment [is] “Into The Life of Things” by Nat Cassidy. Cassidy has a stereophonic ear for both the insider’s delusion and the outsider’s confusion (each of which will be duly punished) at a wilderness yoga retreat, where supernatural complications ensue which will land one lucky disciple in the Blood Brothers’ new place of residence. As a believer sworn to silence, Stephanie Willing enacts a sublime kinetic narrative of danced and gestured expression (and embodies just as pristine pretension when her character breaks the vow), while Matthew Trumbull as her doubting husband paces out of his yoga-pretzels with a positively Chaplinesque totter, his expression set in a world-exhausted facial drawl worthy of Keaton — more of the Brothers’ history-repeated-as-not-so-funny — and August Schulenburg is tragic and hilarious as a guru spouting Cassidy’s gourmet psychobabble."
- Adam McGovern, Fanchild
"The evening features some amazing writing from Blood Brother stalwarts Nat Cassidy and Mac Rogers, as well as some strong directing from Pete Boisvert, Patrick Shearer and Stephanie Cox-Williams. ... Nasty, horrifying, and so incredibly well done. ... The surprise of the evening was Cassidy's "Into the Life of Things," about the yoga retreat. A young couple (Matthew Trumbull and Stephanie Willing) falls under the spell of a charismatic leader (August Schulenberg). Throw in some food deprivation, a touch of psychic ability, and a possible love triangle and the retreat takes a homicidal turn. This was a strong, well-structured story with an unexpected paranormal twist, and it worked nicely into the main Blood Brothers/asylum story. This was longer than the typical short play included in a Blood Brothers show, which provided a nice balance to Rogers' and Cassidy's other short pieces. I'm happy to see that some of the evening's pieces will be continued in the current episode of Bedlam Nightmares. I can't wait to see where this series goes."
- Byrne Harrison, StageBuzz
