Members of the faculty, faculty members, students of Huxley, and Huxley students,
The Time of Marxfest is nearly upon us! In one week, New York becomes Marx Brothers City.
You may consider this your invitation to THE PARTY OF THE FIRST PART, the festival's opening bash at the Algonquin Hotel, Thursday, May 1, 6:00 - 10:00 pm. In fact, you may consider this anything you like. The Algonquin, writes our fearless leader Kevin C. Fitzpatrick, "is where Harpo hobnobbed with close friends such as Heywood Broun, Dorothy Parker, and Alexander Woollcott. It’s where George S. Kaufman met the Brothers and became one of their greatest collaborators." Meet the Marxfest Committee in the Blue Bar. There has been talk of special guests and even door prizes. If you need a door, stop by.
Just to skim the surface, here are some of the things you'll be doing in May. Remember to save them to your calendar, write them in your book, tattoo them on your friends, and above all, buy tickets!
FROM ANGELS TO ANARCHISTS: THE EVOLUTION OF THE MARX BROTHERS (Friday, May 2, 7:30 pm, Coney Island USA) is Trav S. D.'s exploration of the Brothers' roots as a singing act and their transformation into the comedians we love. The event takes place at beautiful Coney Island, just a few dozen yards from where Harpo made his stage debut. Trav promises, "Along the way there will be performances of some of the act's early material by Sarah Moskowitz, and scatological details about Harpo's debut at Henderson's." WHAT??? Quick, buy tickets now!
(And don't miss Trav's other talks -- Anarchy in Astoria: The Making of the Marx Brothers' First Two Pictures on May 10, and We're All Mad Here: The Marx Brothers in Context on May 29!)
Friend-of-the-festival FRANK FERRANTE is well-known to all Marx fans -- after all, he brought his name undying fame, and that is why we say hooray for the man Morrie Ryskind once described as "the only actor aside from Groucho who delivered my lines as they were intended." On Saturday, May 3, see An Evening with Groucho in Freeport -- after the performance, Marxfest will conduct an onstage interview with Frank Ferrante, in which he'll discuss his long association with the role of Groucho, and will answer questions from the audience. Or, catch Frank's May 4 matinee on Staten Island, then stowaway on the ferry, sing a few choruses of "Sweet Adeline," and hightail it to Greenwich Village for the Marx Brothers on Television event. Frank Ferrante and Paul Wesolowski will be in attendance.
Oh, friends, if you miss THE MARX BROTHERS ON TELEVISION (Sunday, May 4, 7:00 pm, The Players Theatre), then I just don't know what to say. My concern is that you'll never bounce back -- that you will wander aimlessly evermore as The One Who Missed The Marx Brothers On Television, Sunday, May 4, 7:00 pm at the Players Theatre. First of all, we've got friend-of-the-festival ROBERT S. BADER, one of the world's foremost Marxists -- editor of Groucho Marx and Other Short Stories and Tall Tales, compiler of the upcoming hotly-anticipated Marx Brothers Television Collection DVD set, and author of a forthcoming comprehensive account of the Brothers' stage career. Then, on top of Mr. Bader -- let me rephrase this -- in addition to Mr. Bader, we've got some kid named DICK CAVETT. They tell me he's one of Groucho's friends. The conversation is guaranteed to sparkle, and the clips -- oh, the clips. This is unquestionably one of our hottest tickets, and if you'll forgive a blunt piece of advice, you really should buy tickets right now.
MARXES IN MANHATTAN (Wednesday, May 7, 8:00 pm, The Players Theatre) is ROBERT S. BADER's multimedia presentation about how the Brothers' hometown shaped their lives and their comedy -- with rarely-seen film clips, live performance, and ephemera from Mr. Bader's collection. Early vaudeville performances will be recreated live on stage -- including one of Julius Henry Marx's first professional jobs, with the Leroy Trio.
Yes, that's right -- THE RETURN OF THE LEROY TRIO! I bet you weren't expecting THAT! Only at Marxfest! You'd better hurry up and get tickets. And if you want to attend both The Marx Brothers on Television AND Marxes in Manhattan -- and who wouldn't? -- then take advantage of this special package deal!
Now here's a classy event -- THE MUSIC OF THE MARX BROTHERS (Friday, May 9, 11:00 pm, 54 Below), a tribute in song, performed by some of New York's top talent at Broadway's Supper Club, 54 Below. This is going to be nice, and I've seen the setlist -- it's a lineup that will make any Marx Brothers fan sing. But kindly keep it down, because you're going to want to be able to hear these incredible performers -- Bill Zeffiro, Gelber & Manning, Rebekah Lowin, Tonna Miller, Marissa Mulder, and your host, Dandy Wellington. There will also be special guests. I know people throw that phrase around a lot, but believe me. Special. And all in a spectacular setting that recalls the golden age of Broadway nightlife. Tickets and information here.
Did you say you were looking for burlesque? Well, we happen to have some right here! Pinchbottom presents four performances of its Marx-inspired burlesque romp THE PINCH BROTHERS IN THE BAWDY HOUSE (May 8, 15, 18, and 22, 8:00 pm, The Players Theatre), hailed by the UK Sunday Telegraph as "daring, funny, imaginative and titillating to all tastes." The show, written and directed by Jonny Porkpie, features a dazzling lineup of the city's burlesque stars, including Tigger!, Scout Durwood, Jonny Porkpie, Bastard Keith, Angie Pontani, Rebecca Hart, Anita Cookie, Little Brooklyn, Peekaboo Pointe, Scott Rayow, Tansy, Donny Vomit, Zoe Ziegfeld, Jo Weldon and more! Now where's that link you can click on to buy tickets immediately?
Still not enough burlesque for you? Well, worldwide phenomenon anti-art school DR. SKETCHY'S (Sunday, May 11, 4:00 pm, The Stonewall Inn) presents a special session featuring the stars of The Bawdy House, plus SketchyNYC's own Lewd Alfred Douglas, modeling for your sketching pleasure -- hosted by Kat Mon Dieu as Marilyn Monroe. And then there's YOU BET YOUR ASS (Saturday, May 17, 10:00 pm, The Cutting Room), a burlesque quiz show hosted by Mr. Murray Hill, with Jonny Porkpie as announcer and performances from Anita Cookie, Lady Scoutington, and Trixie Little & The Evil Hate Monkey.
And then there's this. I'LL SAY SHE IS, the Brothers' legendary 1924 Broadway debut was never filmed, and has never been revived. Since it closed in 1925, it has been seen only through its profound influence on everything the Marxes did thereafter. This year, ninety years since the original Broadway opening, the lost Marx Brothers musical returns to the stage, in a new adaptation by Noah Diamond, directed by Trav S. D. I'LL SAY SHE IS (May 23 and 25, The Players Theatre) re-premieres at Marxfest, in the form of two staged readings previewing the full production later this year. It stars Melody Jane, Noah Diamond, Seth Shelden, Robert Pinnock, Matthew Curiano, Kathy Biehl, Bob Homeyer, Dan Hermann, Grace Gotham, and Ivory Fox, and if you don't buy tickets right now, there's a chance you could miss out on not only a hilarious evening of classic (but unknown) comedy and a delightful Jazz Age score -- but really one of the most important historical events ever, in the history of human civilization.
And that's not even half of it, folks. We've also got The Barx Brothers Dogwalk. We've got An Elephant in Your Pajamas. We've got Duck Soup screening at MoMA, plus free screenings of Marx Brothers movies all month long. We've got Kevin C. Fitzpatrick's Marx Brothers and Algonquin Round Table Walking Tour, Noah Diamond's presentations of The Marxes of Yorkville and The Love Song of J. Cheever Loophole, and at the end of May, a speakeasy wrap party with Wit's End. And also...more.
And you can keep streaming RadioMarx for free, twenty-four hours a day, as I'm sure you have been.
And you can get the complete schedule and details at marxfest.com.
And follow us on Twitter. And like us on Facebook. We're very needy people.
See you next week!
Yours in Marx,
Member, Marxfest Committee
Member, Freedonia Chamber of Deputies
The Marxfest Committee: Kevin Fitzpatrick, Kathy Biehl, Noah Diamond, Brett Leveridge, Jonny Porkpie, and Trav S.D.
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