Click below to read the full review:

The Books at The Cherry Pit – Time Out New York.

“Aadya Bedi and Scott David Nogi turn in accomplished performances in this intricate dance under the disciplined direction of Matt Urban. Bedi looks smashing in Shaumyika Sharma’s sexy latex gear, but the focus here is on character. Bradley Anderson is fine in a small offstage role as a neighbor.”

Click here to read Back Stage’s full review of THE BOOKS.  Hurry – only 2 performances left!

Read Eric Grode’s review of THE BOOKS at VillageVoice.com here!

“Fascinating … shocking … this show rides a great line of tension and eroticism. Definitely worth a look.“

Check out blogger Michael Roderick’s thoughts on THE BOOKS as well as some other Fringe shows:

One Producer in the City: Oh a Fringe-ing I will go!

Win tickets to the Monday, August 24 performance of THE BOOKS … click here!

Metromix lists us as a highlight of FringeNYC!

New shows | Metromix New York.

We open this Friday night.  Join us for the performance:

CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE TICKETS FOR THE BOOKS, FRIDAY, AUGUST 14TH @ 10 PM.

(*Click here for directions)

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Then join us for a midnight drink after the performance:

WXOU Radio Bar 558 Hudson St.

As the dramaturg on The Books, I have tried to read and comment on as many drafts of the play as possible … and with Michael Edison Hayden, there are always quite a few. That’s a big part of what makes working with Mike so exciting: His commitment to the work is almost exhausting, but he doesn’t invest much in the content of a given draft.

For Mike, the revision process is one of discovery. He finds the essence of the play by rewriting it, often from scratch, then he pares everything else away.

I went to a rehearsal a few days ago to see how Aadya, Scott, Bradley, and Matt were making the essence visible, audible … how they were making it live onstage. The play was at that tender late stage of rehearsal, familiar even to those who have only been involved in school productions, where the pieces start to click together. In this stage, all the choices made by the cast, director, and production team move out of isolation and intermingle. The actors move from familiarity with their roles to fluency within them. Before and after rehearsal, they quote from the play a lot in conversation.

Watching the scenes unfold, I thought about how a good production, one that’s faithful to the writer’s vision, will always contain moments that surprise even those who know the script well. This is especially true of The Books, which presents a relationship whose emotional stakes couldn’t be higher. The characters Mark and Helen are discovering one another, and the revelations have to feel real. 

The Books makes reference to James Joyce, Henry James, Christopher Smart, and other big nerds, but it doesn’t solicit a chin-stroking response. The play wants a laughing, gasping response, and I’m happy to report that I did plenty of both at the rehearsal, forgetting that I knew what came next. 

Next comes the addition of all the elements that give a theater production the solidity of a lived experience: lights, costumes, music, audience. I’ll see you at The Cherry Pit.

New York International Fringe Festival 2009 | Metromix New York

Metromix puts us at the top of their list of picks for this year’s FringeNYC!

Aadya Bedi

Our lead actress, Aadya Bedi (pictured above) has been nominated for a Barrymore Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress for her work in Scorched at the Wilma Theater in Philadelphia.

The Barrymore Award

The Barrymore Awards honor excellence and innovation in theater from the Greater Philadelphia area.  Read more on Playbill.com.