Steve On Broadway (SOB)

Are You Effable?

Are You Effable?

If you're among those who read Steve On Broadway (SOB) on a regular basis, you know that I'm not one to let the F-Bombs drop on this site. So perhaps you've wondered whether I was intentionally trying to titillate with that title.

While "effable" is no longer commonly used in Americanized English, the word actually means "Capable of being uttered or explained; utterable."

There's an organization straddling Manhattan and Brooklyn that seeks to capitalize on theatrical expressibility called Effable Arts. They've just announced their premiere production Stop, Collaborate & Listen: 20Nothings. With a nod and a wink to what you may have thought effable meant, they're promising, "A cherry-popping weekend of twentysomethings and celebrity 'survivors.'" With a title inadvertently inspired by William H. Macy, the production will play in two parts on September 5 and 6 at The Producer’s Club Grand Theater at 358 West 44th Street in New York.

Stop, Collaborate & Listen: 20Nothings is billed as "a collection of original one-acts, monologues, dance, music and art depicting the hilarity and horrors of twentysomething-ness in 2009. Presented in two parts by artists age 23-27, this collaborative production throws a spotlight on mid-twenties purgatory with riotous, touching and insightful results."

According to the release I received, the Effable Arts production "also features an exclusive exhibition of advice for twentysomethings from 'Survivors' of their own transitional twenties, including not only the aforementioned Macy, but also Tony Award winners Rondi Reed (August: Osage County, Wicked), Laura Benanti (Gypsy, Broadway’s upcoming In the Next Room) and Gregory Jbara (Billy Elliot, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels); Will Swenson (Hair); Will Chase (Billy Elliot, Rent); and Seth Rudetsky (The Ritz ); along with the requisite "many, many more."

Part One on September 5 will begin at 8 p.m. EDT. "Audiences discover the true meaning of the term 20Nothings through a vibrant cast of characters, including a writer who must choose between his art or Snakes on a Plane: The Musical!, an urban warrior trapped on the losing end of a battle with vermin, a young woman racing the hourglass of chronic illness, a pair of foul-mouthed sisters smacked in the face by formal 'adulthood,' two singles attempting to mate in the Facebook era and a set of friends who may have accidentally crossed from twentysomething purgatory right into Hell."

Part Two on September 6 begins at 7 p.m. EDT; it "explores the deeper side of Generation Y, showcasing the hope, fear, hurt and pride of an age-group just beginning to recognize its power. Through dance and song, artists remember the historic Stonewall Riots while emphasizing the fight is not yet over, examine the unstable nature of young relationships, use Dante’s famed Inferno as a metaphor for life’s daily struggles and remind everyone that even the bleakest of days can be cured with peanut butter and a little hope."

Both performances will feature letters and advice from the successful artists outlined above who also reflect on their own "youthful missteps."

Tickets for Stop, Collaborate & Listen: 20Nothings are $15 each or $25 for a two-night pass. Please call the Effable Arts box office at 917.576.4149 to reserve seats; note that tickets must be paid in cash only at the door.

Since Effable Arts is a non-profit organization, they'll gladly accept your tax-deductible donations when you click here like I just did. And you know what? For the first time in my life, I'm feeling a little effable.

This is Steve On Broadway.

Labels: Effable Arts, Gregory Jbara, Laura Benanti, Off-Broadway, Play, Rondi Reed, Seth Rudetsky, Stop Collaborate and Listen: 20Nothings, Will Chase, Will Swenson, William H. Macy

posted by Steve On Broadway (SOB) @ Tuesday, August 25, 2009