Venetian writers Carlo Goldoni and Carlo Gozzi have a battle royale throwdown in this giddy world premiere, Comedy of Venice. Esteemed writer Goldoni (The Servant of Two Masters recently adapted as the successful One Man, Two Guv’nors) rules the roost in Venice, brandishing innovative approaches to comedy with characters reciting prepared lines from written scripts and performing them unmasked. Gozzi (Turandot) the […]
Review: Helen on Wheels. Comedy is hard.
Best Medicine Rep stands out among our newer small theatre companies for location (a store space on the upper level of Lakeforest Mall in Gaithersburg) and for mission: they will only present comedies. Laughter, after all, being the best medicine. It’s a commendable mission. Comedy writers get to showcase for their works, while local folks […]
Philosophus review. Best Medicine Rep finds a farce to remedy our times
Farce is not as easy to pull off as it looks. Add mounds of glorious text inspired by the freedom spouting French philosopher Francois-Marie Arouet, a.k.a Voltaire, and you’ve got quite a mix on your hands. Specifically, you’ve got Philosophus as presented by Best Medicine Rep. As they’ve demonstrated in previous engagingly worded scripts, Best Medicine […]
Review: Derek Jeter Makes the Play from Best Medicine
It is 2011, and we are in a tattered 4th-floor walkup in Maspeth, Queens. The lights bathe a gigantic poster of Derek Jeter, a Hall-of-Fame quality shortstop who played for the New York Yankees at the time (and is now systematically dismantling the Miami Marlins as its CEO). Jeter, perhaps mid-swing, favors us with a […]
Review: The Texas Homecoming Revolution of 1995. Big laughs at Best Medicine Rep
The Texas Homecoming Revolution of 1995 has got to be one of the strangest titles that I’ve ever seen but the production is incredibly entertaining. The fast-moving script by Jennifer Faletto hits all the right notes with this gaggle of seniors soon to be graduating from a well-to-do Houston suburb. They’ve made their marks, planned […]
New comedy theatre debuts with The Consul, The Tramp, and America’s Sweetheart (review)
The debut production of Best Medicine Rep, a new theater company dedicated to comedy, is not really a comedy. The Consul, The Tramp, and America’s Sweetheart, written by artistic director John Morogiello, is more of an historical drama with comedic elements and a light heart about the serious issues it raises. The play supports its […]
Big changes coming to theatres in 2018
The greatest sign of stability in a culture is, paradoxically, its ability to absorb change. There was a collective holding of breath when Joy Zinoman announced her retirement in 2009; could Studio stand the absence of its only Artistic Director? We needn’t have worried. Studio’s fine, and so are we.
Lakeforest Mall becomes comedy central for Best Medicine Rep
John Morogiello has had us laughing since his 2009 Irish Authors Held Hostage which Steven McKnight called “inspired silliness.” This year Morogiello moved beyond the cushy confines of the playwright when he established a professional theatre company, Best Medicine Rep Theater Company. Morogiello, Best Medicine’s Artistic Director, swears all productions will make us laugh, for, as he […]
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