Thursday, June 28, 2012

Barbicide

Hey all, April here!

Angie and I are furiously preparing to hit the road today for the Double or Nothin' Tour, but first I wanted to share another side of Angie's brilliance.

If you don't know already, one of Angie's many hats is that of actor. She's been working on a new show called Barbicide, currently in development by the Theatre Project. Written by Sean Pomposello and directed by Christian Amato, Barbicide is a new take on Sweeney Todd. "Imagine if Jack Kerouac, Jim Thompson and Mario Puzzo were to open an unauthorized parody of Sweeney Todd. It would be Barbicide, a tasty, noirish revenge play of interwoven monologues, underscoring the consequences of coincidence and fate."

When I got to the city last Wednesday, Angie met me at Penn Station and we went straight to Moustache Greenwich Tonsorial, a barber shop (see what they did there?) in the Village that hosted the show's staged readings.

Barbicide Staged Reading

Christian Amato Barbicide Staged Reading
Director Christian Amato introduces the show


The show's 4 actors play a total of 7 characters, switching effortlessly between the roles using just their bodies and voices. Arthur Aulisi, as Todessco/The Judge, even has several conversations with himself.

Angie plays Jo, the 1964 Queens street beat version of the Sweeney Todd character, Joanna, a lovelorn orphan(?) being raised under the controlling hand of The Judge.

Arthur Aulisi Barbicide Staged ReadingAngie Atkinson Barbicide Staged Reading
Douglas Sharf Barbicide Staged ReadingPaulette Oliva Arthur Aulisi Barbicide Staged Reading
Clockwise from top left: Arthur Aulisi as Toddesco/Judge; Angie Atkinson as Jo; Arthur Aulisi, Paulette Oliva as Ms. Lionetti/Beggar Woman; Douglas Sharf as Ant Knee/Tony


Angie will have the privilege of continuing the role when Barbicide opens at the Players Theatre in October. It's her first Off Broadway show!

Even as a staged reading, the show is mesmerizing and brutal. It's gritty and hard, set in a time when Times Square was a playground for pornographers and prostitutes and violent crimes were soaring. I can't wait to see it fully realized.

Barbicide Staged ReadingBarbicide Staged ReadingAngie Atkinson Barbicide Staged ReadingChristian Amato Barbicide Staged Reading