A THEATRE REVIEW OF "FOOLERIE"
In the world is Shakespeare, is it better to be the fool who makes us laugh, or the fool who makes us think? Can one do both? Well... yes they can. The fool should do both. Make us laugh AND make us think. That answer has been known for...well, ever. Sooooo why does Santino DeAngelo spend 2 hours and 10 minutes debating this in his new musical FOOLERIE: A SHAKESPEAREAN MUSICAL COMEDY? I think that's what he's debating, because to be honest, most of the show doesn't make any sense. It's a hodgepodge of ideas and clever riffs from better shows. But alas poor Yorick, there are bright spots among the confusion.
The main plot concerns a theatre troupe that's performing Elizabethan theatre but is in modern day. They are performing for us tonight and invite an audience member to come up and challenge Clowne (Ian Knauer) to a fool-off, if you will. So a "audience member" in the form of Ryan Breslin (Newsies) comes onstage and is ready for the challenge! What does the loser get?! Um... death. Bet you wish you didn't volunteer now Knave! So they attempt to prove that comedy is more important than drama, or that drama is more important than comedy, or that random sight gags, cheap jokes, and a Gilbert Gottfried voice over is more important than making sense. Apparently it is important that the Clowne plays Shakespeare's mother in the first act and Shakepeare in the second, while Knave plays Shakes in the first act and the mother in the second. But if you ask any audience member why at the end of the play, my bet is that no one will be able to tell you why that mattered. Or what was really going on in most scenes. Which is a shame because the majority of the songs are quite good.
As Clowne, Ian Kauer is very good. He's quite funny and has a great presence and singing voice. As is Geoff Belliston as Camber, one of the troupe members. Pushed into a much too small role of Shakespeare's Sister, Olivia Polci has star quality written all over her. Her powerful vocals outshines everyone on stage, and she makes the most out of the silly role she's given. I honestly can't wait to see an Olivia Polci show, one where she can really shine. As for the other lead character, Ryan Breslin, an original cast member of Newsies, is shockingly terrible. He was obviously sick the night I saw him, as he kept a water bottle by his side and his voice cracked often, but his lack of interest was written all over his performance. He seemed embarrassed to be on the stage, and gave up making any acting choices other than just being there long before the audience shows up. The show may not make much sense, but everyone else showed up to act. It would have been nice if Ryan did too. All in all, you definitely won't be bored, but you will most likely be mystified and confused. Also, it's all in the timing. The MUCH better Something Rotten, currently playing on Broadway, is how you do this kind of show. One day, after a TON of re-writes, let's hope FOOLERIE inches closer to that.
MATEO'S GRADE: C
Book, Music and Lyrics by: Santino DeAngelo Directed and Choreographed by: Tralen Doler Starring: Ian Kanuer, Ryan Breslin, Geoff Belliston, Olivia Polci, Diego Diaz, Patrick Massey, Ian Fairlee, Chandler Reeves, Patrick Richwood, and the voice of Gilbert Gottfried. For Tickets: All performances have PASSED More Information: https://www.facebook.com/fooleriemusical
MATEO MORENO recently won a bet on who could hold their breath the longest underwater. He won the bet, having beat local loudmouth Jimmy "Thunderbird" Thomas with a record breaking "fourteen minutes." True, part of that time was him unconscious and the other part was him being revived, but he still counts it, and is now $20 richer. Take THAT Thunderbird! He currently lives in Brooklyn, New York.