CANTERBURY TALES REMIXED EXTENDS SHOW
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TIMES SQUARE GOSSIP
OFF BROADWAY
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TIMES SQUARE GOSSIP
OFF BROADWAY
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The Canterbury Tales Remixed
Continuing his NY success, “The compelling contemporary balladeer” (Theatermania) Baba Brinkman continues his NY success with another extension of The Canterbury Tales Remixed, directed by Darren Lee Cole, featuring turn-tablism by Mr. Simmonds. The show will NOW run through February 5, 2012.
The Canterbury Tales Remixed, which began on November 23 and opened on December 4, will now run through February 5, 2012 (originally set to close on January 8) at the SoHo Playhouse (15 Vandam Street). Tickets are $55-$19.50, to purchase visit www.SoHoPlayhouse.com or call OvationTix customer service toll-free: 866-811-4111.
Geoffrey Chaucer's timeless Canterbury Tales comes to vivid life in an "entertaining and brilliant" (Time Out) virtuoso performance linking today's hip-hop lyrics with the greatest stories ever told. Framed by gripping re-imaginings of the epic poems Gilgamesh and Beowulf, Canadian hip-hop artist Baba Brinkman forges a new masterpiece out of the rawest material etched onto vinyl, or carved into clay tablets. Just like the most heart-wrenching songs by Eminem or Kanye West, these ancient Tales are infused with lust, betrayal, infidelity, greed, jealousy, ambition, and the endless struggles between men and women seeking happiness. Baba Brinkman brings you a rich theatrical experience filled with laugh-out-loud hilarity and riveting storytelling, tracing a thread from Chaucer's venal Merchant and sensuous Wife of Bath to the muscular heroes of ancient lore, so similar to today's hip hop stars in their perpetual quest for glory. The Canterbury Tales Remixed is a truly modern telling of classic tales that will amaze young and old alike.
Canterbury Tales Remixed has been called “not only audacious, but also astute. Brinkman proves himself to be an excellent contemporary troubadour, with his percussive poetry -- and smartly crafted prose commentary. Darren Lee Cole's staging is finely calibrated” Theatermania, “Energetic and often clever” TimeOut NY, “Like ancient listeners gathered around the fire, we want to hear more.” Show Business, “An audacious hip hop approach to some great literary classics; the show is funny and thoughtful. Brinkman offers witty lyrics, and a natural talent for storytelling and some darn good beats (courtesy of Mr. Simmonds, his DJ and composer sidekick). Pretty entertaining and will have you laughing throughout.” Theatre is Easy, “Brinkman draws impressive and seemingly obvious parallels between ancient storytelling and hip-hop, and his translation is practically seamless.” Backstage, “Baba Brinkman’s The Canterbury Tales Remixed is the kind of work that makes Off Broadway hum. He joins Chaucer at the hip to our popular culture, and makes the old classics sing. The energy is terrific. Go to this show if you like your masterpieces with bite. The best thing I can say about the evening is that Chaucer himself would approve.” TheatreScene, “Both the purist and the tourist in me enjoyed the performance immensely. The Canterbury Tales Remixed is a good show, well written, well directed, well lit and well scored. Brinkman and Simmonds manage to blend effectively, effortlessly, and expertly two challenging styles that couldn’t be more different and make them one. The performers do an excellent job of making both the musical genre and literary work accessible and entertaining to the audience.” Woman Around Town, “Let me confess right off the bat that I am not a fan of Hip Hop. That being said, I absolutely loved THE CANTERBURY TALES remixed. The talents of creator and performer Baba Brinkman are awesome. THE CANTERBURY TALES remixed is a one-of-a-kind production and brings an innovative and entertaining aspect to the classics. Culture has never been such fun!” ELJNYC.com
Baba Brinkman Raps 'The Canterbury Tales Remixed' At Soho Playhouse by Mark Kennedy
The Canterbury Tales Remixed
Written and performed by Baba Brinkman
Featuring music and turn-tablism by Mr. Simmonds
Directed by Darren Lee Cole
New End Date: Runs through February 5, 2012
Performances Schedule: Wednesday – Saturday at 7:30PM; Saturday and Sunday at 3PM
Tickets are $55 (Orchestra), $39 (Rear Section), $27.50 (Group rate of 10 or more), $19.50 (Student Rush with student i.d. 1 hour prior to curtain).
Running time 85 minutes
BABA BRINKMAN (writer/performer) is a Canadian hip-hop artist, writer, and former tree-planter who worked in the Rocky Mountains every summer for over ten years, personally planting more than one million trees. He is also a scholar with a Masters in Medieval and Renaissance English Literature. His thesis drew parallels between the worlds of hip-hop music and literary poetry. After graduating in 2003, Baba began his career as a rap troubadour. To date Baba has written or co-written five hip-hop theatre shows, including The Rap Canterbury Tales, The Rap Guide to Evolution, and The Rebel Cell, with MC Dizraeli. He won three awards and entertained thousands while performing six full seasons at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. The Rap Guide to Evolution won the prestigious Scotsman Fringe First Award in Edinburgh in 2009, and went on to tour the USA, Australia, and the UK, including three appearances at regional TED conferences and an appearance on The Rachel Maddow Show on US national television. The Rap Guide to Evolution is currently enjoying an extended off-Broadway run in New York, produced by Dovetail Productions. www.bababrinkman.com.
JAMIE SIMMONDS (DJ/Music Producer) Mr. Simmonds is a Brighton and London based producer and DJ who specializes in hip-hop, theatre, and custom projects. He performed in and produced the soundtrack to the recent off-Broadway hit The Rap Guide to Evolution, as well as the award-winning Edinburgh hip-hop theatre sensation The Rebel Cell with Baba Brinkman and Dizraeli – from the company behind the West End smash Into the Hoods – which toured more than a dozen UK theatres in the Autumn of 2010. Mr. Simmonds also co-produced and performed in Baba Brinkman’s critically-acclaimed hip-hop comedy The Rap Guide to Human Nature at the 2010 Edinburgh Festival. His talents with musical mood and timing even caught the attention of Edinburgh and New York theatre reviewers: “Jamie Simmonds provides an excellent backdrop to the verbal interaction by driving the narrative to such explosive conclusions. The hypnotic beats of his soundscapes provide so much more than a supporting role.” ★★★★ AlltheFestivals.com, “DJ Jamie Simmonds tight beats enhance Brinkman’s musings.” Time Out NY As a producer and engineer, Mr. Simmonds has worked with several mid-scale UK labels such as K7 and Crammed/SSR, as well as major label artists like Alison Goldfrapp and Leftfield, and is a previous winner of the Millennium Award for Music.
DARREN LEE COLE (director) has produced and directed plays for the past 30 years. Mr. Cole’ directing credits include: Jamaica Farewell (NYC and Costa Rica), Simon Lovell’s Strange & Unusual Hobbies (NYC), Laticia (Paris), The Last Manhattan (NYC) and this fall’s American Red Cross Rock Show for Charity at the SoHo Playhouse. Some of Mr. Cole’s producing credits have included: Killer Joe by Tracy Letts (Vaudville Theatre, West End, London, Soho Playhouse, NYC, The Theatre, Chicago), Krapp, 39, The Emperor Jones (with Irish Rep Theatre), Hiding Behind Comets, Room Service, The Belly of a Drunken Piano, Nostalgia Tropical and Piaf (all NYC). Mr. Cole has been the Artistic Director of the SoHo Playhouse since 2004 and is also the Artistic Director of the new Teatro Jaco in Playa Jaco, Costa Rica.
The Canterbury Tales Remixed, which began on November 23 and opened on December 4, will now run through February 5, 2012 (originally set to close on January 8) at the SoHo Playhouse (15 Vandam Street). Tickets are $55-$19.50, to purchase visit www.SoHoPlayhouse.com or call OvationTix customer service toll-free: 866-811-4111.
Geoffrey Chaucer's timeless Canterbury Tales comes to vivid life in an "entertaining and brilliant" (Time Out) virtuoso performance linking today's hip-hop lyrics with the greatest stories ever told. Framed by gripping re-imaginings of the epic poems Gilgamesh and Beowulf, Canadian hip-hop artist Baba Brinkman forges a new masterpiece out of the rawest material etched onto vinyl, or carved into clay tablets. Just like the most heart-wrenching songs by Eminem or Kanye West, these ancient Tales are infused with lust, betrayal, infidelity, greed, jealousy, ambition, and the endless struggles between men and women seeking happiness. Baba Brinkman brings you a rich theatrical experience filled with laugh-out-loud hilarity and riveting storytelling, tracing a thread from Chaucer's venal Merchant and sensuous Wife of Bath to the muscular heroes of ancient lore, so similar to today's hip hop stars in their perpetual quest for glory. The Canterbury Tales Remixed is a truly modern telling of classic tales that will amaze young and old alike.
Canterbury Tales Remixed has been called “not only audacious, but also astute. Brinkman proves himself to be an excellent contemporary troubadour, with his percussive poetry -- and smartly crafted prose commentary. Darren Lee Cole's staging is finely calibrated” Theatermania, “Energetic and often clever” TimeOut NY, “Like ancient listeners gathered around the fire, we want to hear more.” Show Business, “An audacious hip hop approach to some great literary classics; the show is funny and thoughtful. Brinkman offers witty lyrics, and a natural talent for storytelling and some darn good beats (courtesy of Mr. Simmonds, his DJ and composer sidekick). Pretty entertaining and will have you laughing throughout.” Theatre is Easy, “Brinkman draws impressive and seemingly obvious parallels between ancient storytelling and hip-hop, and his translation is practically seamless.” Backstage, “Baba Brinkman’s The Canterbury Tales Remixed is the kind of work that makes Off Broadway hum. He joins Chaucer at the hip to our popular culture, and makes the old classics sing. The energy is terrific. Go to this show if you like your masterpieces with bite. The best thing I can say about the evening is that Chaucer himself would approve.” TheatreScene, “Both the purist and the tourist in me enjoyed the performance immensely. The Canterbury Tales Remixed is a good show, well written, well directed, well lit and well scored. Brinkman and Simmonds manage to blend effectively, effortlessly, and expertly two challenging styles that couldn’t be more different and make them one. The performers do an excellent job of making both the musical genre and literary work accessible and entertaining to the audience.” Woman Around Town, “Let me confess right off the bat that I am not a fan of Hip Hop. That being said, I absolutely loved THE CANTERBURY TALES remixed. The talents of creator and performer Baba Brinkman are awesome. THE CANTERBURY TALES remixed is a one-of-a-kind production and brings an innovative and entertaining aspect to the classics. Culture has never been such fun!” ELJNYC.com
Baba Brinkman Raps 'The Canterbury Tales Remixed' At Soho Playhouse by Mark Kennedy
The Canterbury Tales Remixed
Written and performed by Baba Brinkman
Featuring music and turn-tablism by Mr. Simmonds
Directed by Darren Lee Cole
New End Date: Runs through February 5, 2012
Performances Schedule: Wednesday – Saturday at 7:30PM; Saturday and Sunday at 3PM
Tickets are $55 (Orchestra), $39 (Rear Section), $27.50 (Group rate of 10 or more), $19.50 (Student Rush with student i.d. 1 hour prior to curtain).
Running time 85 minutes
BABA BRINKMAN (writer/performer) is a Canadian hip-hop artist, writer, and former tree-planter who worked in the Rocky Mountains every summer for over ten years, personally planting more than one million trees. He is also a scholar with a Masters in Medieval and Renaissance English Literature. His thesis drew parallels between the worlds of hip-hop music and literary poetry. After graduating in 2003, Baba began his career as a rap troubadour. To date Baba has written or co-written five hip-hop theatre shows, including The Rap Canterbury Tales, The Rap Guide to Evolution, and The Rebel Cell, with MC Dizraeli. He won three awards and entertained thousands while performing six full seasons at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. The Rap Guide to Evolution won the prestigious Scotsman Fringe First Award in Edinburgh in 2009, and went on to tour the USA, Australia, and the UK, including three appearances at regional TED conferences and an appearance on The Rachel Maddow Show on US national television. The Rap Guide to Evolution is currently enjoying an extended off-Broadway run in New York, produced by Dovetail Productions. www.bababrinkman.com.
JAMIE SIMMONDS (DJ/Music Producer) Mr. Simmonds is a Brighton and London based producer and DJ who specializes in hip-hop, theatre, and custom projects. He performed in and produced the soundtrack to the recent off-Broadway hit The Rap Guide to Evolution, as well as the award-winning Edinburgh hip-hop theatre sensation The Rebel Cell with Baba Brinkman and Dizraeli – from the company behind the West End smash Into the Hoods – which toured more than a dozen UK theatres in the Autumn of 2010. Mr. Simmonds also co-produced and performed in Baba Brinkman’s critically-acclaimed hip-hop comedy The Rap Guide to Human Nature at the 2010 Edinburgh Festival. His talents with musical mood and timing even caught the attention of Edinburgh and New York theatre reviewers: “Jamie Simmonds provides an excellent backdrop to the verbal interaction by driving the narrative to such explosive conclusions. The hypnotic beats of his soundscapes provide so much more than a supporting role.” ★★★★ AlltheFestivals.com, “DJ Jamie Simmonds tight beats enhance Brinkman’s musings.” Time Out NY As a producer and engineer, Mr. Simmonds has worked with several mid-scale UK labels such as K7 and Crammed/SSR, as well as major label artists like Alison Goldfrapp and Leftfield, and is a previous winner of the Millennium Award for Music.
DARREN LEE COLE (director) has produced and directed plays for the past 30 years. Mr. Cole’ directing credits include: Jamaica Farewell (NYC and Costa Rica), Simon Lovell’s Strange & Unusual Hobbies (NYC), Laticia (Paris), The Last Manhattan (NYC) and this fall’s American Red Cross Rock Show for Charity at the SoHo Playhouse. Some of Mr. Cole’s producing credits have included: Killer Joe by Tracy Letts (Vaudville Theatre, West End, London, Soho Playhouse, NYC, The Theatre, Chicago), Krapp, 39, The Emperor Jones (with Irish Rep Theatre), Hiding Behind Comets, Room Service, The Belly of a Drunken Piano, Nostalgia Tropical and Piaf (all NYC). Mr. Cole has been the Artistic Director of the SoHo Playhouse since 2004 and is also the Artistic Director of the new Teatro Jaco in Playa Jaco, Costa Rica.
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