| beTwixt, beTween & beTWAIN |
| Book, Music & Lyrics by Danny Ashkenasi |
| A Mark Twain Musical Comedy |
| From the creator of "The Tell-Tale Heart - a musicabre" - Winner of FringeNYC Festival's "Outstanding Music and Lyrics Award" 2006 |
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| THE PRODUCER'S CLUB CROWNE THEATRE 358 West 44th Street May 16 - June 8 Thu, Fri & Sat @ 8pm Sun @3pm |
| featuring musical adaptations of: "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County" "A Genuine Mexican Plug" "Cannibalism in the Cars" "Life on the Mississippi" "Innocents Abroad" and many others |
| Resume pages: actor composer teaching artist Show pages: The Tell-Tale Heart Beyond Cock-a-Doodle-Doo! The Song of Job 9:11 |
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| Danny Ashkenasi - Narrator - Piano, Music Direction "Truth is stranger than Fiction, but it is because Fiction is obliged to stick to possibilities; Truth isn't." |
| Jennifer Eden - Pilgrim - Oboe, Flute, Accordion, Piano "Jerusalem, Jerusalem - The Pilgrims in Jerusalem The gleam of white stone dazes them The web of streets amazes them." |
| Aaron Di Piazza - Mr. Bixby - Guitar, Piano :"My boy, you've got to know the shape of the river perfectly. It is all there is left to steer by on a very dark night." |
| Alexander Gonzales - Smiley - Clarinet, Piano "Dan'l was a frog, what a frog, such a mighty special frog. Dan'l Webster, he could leap, he could jump, he could jog Over hedge and bog and ledge and log." |
| Andrea Pinyan - Mississippi Siren - Flute "Day by Day The Mississippi flows by my home Singing a melody she beckons me to roam." |
| Rachel Green - Mrs. Beazely - Violin "If you're city slick, A little thick between the ears, my darling, You may find your place Flat on your face in mud, my dear." |
| Michael Satow - Congressman - Guitar, Harmonica "It could probably be said by facts and figures that there is no distinctly native Amercan criminal class except Congress." |
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| SPECIAL PERFORMANCE MAY 19 7PM WESTPORT LIBRARY WESTPORT, CT Pic: Larry Untermeyer |
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| Stories by Mark Twain |
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| To purchase Tickets: Theatermania.com For reservations (pick up at Box Office): Reservations@ashkenasi.net (at least 24 hours before performance) |
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| Artwork: Derk Scholtz |
| Director: Tracy Bersley Stage Manager: Kelly Aliano |
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| FEATURING: A piano, a keyboard, three guitars, two flutes, a violin, a clarinet, an oboe, an accordion, plus harmonicas, tambourine, maracas, claves, triangle, egg shakers, and two musical frogs (bass and tenor)! |
| Rehearsal Pics (all photos: Edward Elder) |
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| MORE REVIEWS: "The performance was packed full of catchy songs and utilized Twain's witticisms to their fullest potential - even provoking many laugh-out-loud moments from the crowd. - Just Another Flaneur (blog) "This is a great production with talented singers/ musicians. The lyrics and music are very enjoyable. Thank you for such a lovely evening! We do recommend it to anyone who knows Mark Twain's short stories or not!" - Mireille Rabut for Theatermania Gold Club |
| NYTheatre.com raves: "A musical voice that commands attention" (see review at far right) |
| NYTHEATRE.COM REVIEW Martin Denton · May 17, 2008 Danny Ashkenasi's beTwixt, beTween & beTWAIN brings several stories by Mark Twain to the musical stage. It is at its best when plumbing the substance of Twain's populist, humanist philosophy; some of the songs that Ashkenasi has written for this show are transcendent, lovely, and moving. The first act is entitled "Journey Through America" and combines material from Life on the Mississippi with several other Twain tales set in the American West. Several songs about pilots navigating the vastness of the river ("Let the River Flow," "Mississippi Song," and "Sunset on the River") are evocative and exciting. I also enjoyed some of the less familiar material, especially "Blue Jays," a fanciful number about a methodical bird who thinks he's filling a hole with nuts but turns out to be doing something entirely different. The second act takes us to Europe and the Middle East, following the outline of Twain's travelogue to present his excursions to France, Italy, Turkey, and the Holy Land. Twain's observations about American tourists on the loose are sharp and funny and in many ways still ring true. The visit to the ruins of Pompeii (in a gorgeous song called "Remember Me") is enormously moving. And the sequence in Palestine, especially a journey through the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, is presented with a simplicity and clarity in Ashkenasi's music ("Jerusalem, Jerusalem" and "Sea of Galilee") that makes it profound. Ashkenasi's compositions are often beautiful, and the arrangements for piano, keyboard, recorder, guitar, oboe, flute, accordion, clarinet, and harmonica—all played variously by the composer and the other six members of the cast—are impressive. His is a musical voice that commands attention. beTwixt, beTween & beTWAIN is quite a charming evening, and it showcases some fine performers in addition to Ashkenasi, including Andrea Pinyan, who sings beautifully, and Alexander Gonzales and Aaron DiPiazza, whose talents as musicians and singers are similarly strong. Ashkenasi is an ingratiating presence on stage as actor and musical director, and his promise as a musical theatre composer is clear. |
| "Wow, what a beautiful show! We loved it. The
Mississippi River section was just wonderful with all the harmonies and
the
stories. The French section was utterly hilarious. The actors
were so
versatile, singing and playing instruments at the same time.
" Eric Arnum - unsolicited email |
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| OFFOFFONLINE.COM PIC OF THE WEEK MARK HIS WORDS by Adrienne Cea 5/24 Some people are a jack of all trades but a master of none, while others, like the cast of BeTwixt, BeTween and BeTWAIN, appear to have seamlessly mastered a dizzying assortment of trades. Take, for example, the production's musical director, Danny Ashkenasi. He is also the writer of the play's book, lyrics and music, and is featured throughout the performance as a piano player and performer. BeTwixt, BeTween and BeTWAIN also has a strong multi-talented ensemble in Aaron Piazza, Jennifer Eden, Alexander Gonzales, Rachel Green, Andrea Pinyan and Michael Satow. There seems to be no end to the number of instruments this troupe can play: piano, flute, violin, accordion, oboe, clarinet, triangle, guitar, harmonica, maracas, wooden frogs – even forks and knives. The ensemble never loses their zest or energy, an incredible feat considering the demands placed on their abilities in this packed night of music. The evening begins with some of Mark Twain’s lighter tales: The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County, A Genuine Mexican Plug, and Blue Jays. Ashkenasi’s musical adaptation of these tales highlights Twain’s humorous eye for life’s small details and people’s unique oddities. He has chosen works with topics that one would never imagine anyone could write a story about, let alone a musical. The mood turns slightly bleaker in The Californian’s Tale; a mysterious account of a town mad with love over a young woman suspiciously absent from the scene, and Cannibalism in the Cars, a darkly comedic song that Satow delivers with the perfect blend of hilarity and horror. Act one concludes with Life on the Mississippi, a soft, trance-like tribute to the river that has become synonymous with the name Mark Twain. The second act is a musical adaptation of Twain’s popular travel literature, The Innocents Abroad (or The New Pilgrim’s Progress), chronicling the adventures of tourists as they trek through Europe in search of the Holy Land. Each stop on the tour is told through a series of songs, the most comical being Italy’s Michaelangelo, where the tourists have some fun with their stuffy museum guide asking if everything from Egyptian artifacts to pieces created a million years ago were created by Michaelangelo. Remember Me is another stand-out, addressing the somber moment every bright-eyed tourist encounters when their travels take them to Pompeii. The length and complexity of each song does give the latter part of the evening a longer, heavier feel, especially given that these are not fluffy commercial jingles, but compact musical stories. But, while some musical interludes may feel weighty and unnecessary, none are uninspired. The actors appear to be having a great deal of fun with their roles. They commit to them without reserve, unafraid to twist their handsome features into ridiculous, ugly expressions. Rachel Green, in particular, has a funny visual moment where she stands hunched over on a chair, neighing like a lame horse while simultaneously playing a violin, infusing a beautiful classical soundtrack into her own silly scene. As the backbone of the production, Ashkenasi has an absorbing stage presence. When you have an artist this involved in their work you know you are seeing a fully realized vision that is deeply personal to that artist. There are special moments in beTwixt, beTween, and beTWAIN, outside of the story, where it is fun to watch Ashkenasi close his eyes on the sheet music and play the melody he hears in his head. Mark Twain may have written the tales, but the collection of tunes belong to Ashkenasi and the six person ensemble of DiPiazza, Eden, Gonzales, Green, Pinyan and Satow, whose combined efforts give this production a fun and energetic life. |
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| Act Two shots (Innocents Abroad) |
| BACKSTAGE UNSCRIPTED Good Show . I saw a friend's show last night at the Producer's Club, and loved it. The show, beTwixt, beTween & beTWAIN, with book, music and lyrics are by Danny Ashkenasi, is an original musical based on some Mark Twain short stories and The Innocents Abroad. And, for the first time in a long time (if ever), I got the feeling that this off-off(-off?) Broadway show - even in it's final weekend (see it now, if you can!) - is the start of something. It's charmingly witty, earthy and American - and perhaps surprisingly au courant. But the most amazing and inspiring part was that this ensemble group of actors sang, acted, danced and played their own instruments - ranging from an accordion to flutes to spoons - all in an itty bitty studio theatre with no real lights (just some track lighting above) and not a lot of room. I literally sat in awe of their stamina and ability to remember lines, notes, lyrics and ceaseless movement (the blocking was never stagnate) after only a few weeks of rehearsal. And their energy never wavered throughout the whole 2 and a half hours . This show has only had a staged/workshop reading once before, but I would not be shocked if they are approached by someone offering to help take the show further. But even if that doesn't happen... these actors seemed to be doing their best in a tiny, sweaty space not out of desperation of being discovered, but because this is what they love and it was fun and challenging. (And, damn, if it wasn't challenging: any girl who can stand on a chair, hunched over while portraying a horse and playing violin as her rump is slapped [as a horse at auction] and her hoof inspected - leaving her with only one leg to stand on - deserves some extra sugar cubes!) I also have to say, as an audience member, that it was wonderful to see such a true ensemble - each had various strengths and weaknesses that filled in any gaps and supported one another (and therefore, the show) without ever trumping or fading behind any one else. They should all be very, very proud. --Susan Atwood |