Mark Storen's A Drunken Cabaret....

New York International Fringe Festival....

reviewed by Peter Schuyler....

Aug 15, 2009....

"I want to love you, cut you into pieces, take you to the zookeeper and turn you into animal food. Am I being rude?" Crude, blasphemous, sophomoric, and nowhere near politically correct, Mark Storen's A Drunken Cabaret is a hilarious hour-long musing on the dark, violent side of love. Written, acted, and directed by Storen (a native of Perth, Australia), the show is less an examination of the why behind the madness, but more a celebration of it. It's a very specific type of humor, and it wasn't for everyone in the audience. I certainly enjoyed it. The songs (all original) are clever and pithy, and Storen infuses real fun and soul into the evening. It's not everyday you encounter a man who can write a ballad about bestiality and actually make it touching. It's not just the songs that entertain, there are poetry recitations, some very aggressive dance, and, in the quieter moments, some very disturbing poems by Robert Browning and John Donne. Storen is a gifted ringmaster and keeps the audience engaged throughout, encouraging sing-along and never missing a beat, even when a few patrons left the theatre. It was their loss. They missed the ballad.....

He makes the reconfigured Flamboyan Theatre (which has been morphed into a cozy cabaret space) very much his own. A large paper heart serves as the backdrop and projection screen for the show, framing the action and adding depth to the piece. The lighting is very impressive, especially considering the FringeNYC's quick turnover. Really the only thing missing to complete the atmosphere was someone serving drinks. It should be noted there is a bar in the lobby.....

As I said before, this kind of humor isn't for everyone, but it certainly was for me. If you enjoy ribald tales of love gone horribly, horribly wrong, then you should definitely head down to the Flamboyan, have a drink, and spend an hour with Mark.....

Producer: The Moxy Collective
Author: Mark Storen....

Buy tickets for this show:....

Sat August 15 2:00 pm
Sun August 16 5:30 pm
Mon August 17 10:00 pm
Fri August 21 6:15 pm
Sat August 22 9:00 pm

Fringe Festival 
Mark Storen's A Drunken Cabaret
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Flamboyán Theater at the Clemente Soto Vélez Cultural Center 
107 Suffolk St (between Delancey and Rivington Sts) 
Lower East Side  | Map 
212-279-4488 
Subway: F to Delancey St; J, M, Z to Delancey–Essex Sts  | Directions 
http://www.fringenyc.org 

Prices ....

            Tickets: $15

Description ....

            **** [FOUR STARS] In this unusual performance, Australian writer-performer- musician Mark Storen examines the intersection of love and violence through original songs and anecdotes inspired by true news stories from around the world. Though the subject matter verges on the macabre, Storen manages to put a hilarious spin on hot-blooded murder; his bizarre expressions and spastic movements are as oddly fascinating as the ruthless tales he tells—lust-induced patricide, possessive fits of strangling—in front of a heart-shaped projection screen. (At one point, he drafts the audience into a sing-along of an amusing ditty called “Stab U”—dedicated to his wife. How sweet!) This multimedia performance is robust enough that you forget it’s a one-man show, and Storen’s charming Aussie accent tempers the frequent lewd bits (even if it causes a few things to get lost in translation). The topics may be deep and dark, but this is a lovely and lighthearted fling.— Cristina Velocci, assistant features editor 
When ....

                        Fri 6:15pm , Sat 9pm

THEATRE

Mark Storen's A Drunken Cabaret ****
Article from: http://www.news.com.au/adelaidenow/

FRANCES STEWART

February 26, 2008 12:00am

MARK Storen delivers a philosophical and funny look at the taboo space where love turns homicidal.

Storen takes on each of the personas in this one man show with a fantastic physicality that seemed to fascinate the audience and draw them into his world.

The smutty and politically incorrect songs, which are original and catchy, show him at his best.

A Drunken Cabaret delivers a polished and memorable performance from a clever comic, excellent singer and avid observer of the human condition.

Despite an ending that is a little lack lustre, you can't help but hum the sing-along on the way home.

In short: Impressively incorrect.

Rooftop 17 - 19 Synagogue Place

To buy tickets for this show, dial 1300 FRINGE or log into http://www.adelaidefringe.com.au/ticketing/buy-tickets.aspx

Mark Storen's A Drunken Cabaret
The Tuxedo Cat
Until Sat 1 March


I'm fairly sure that Mark Storen started a marketing degree but then ditched it for a sharehouse in Newtown and a career in musical theatre. He would have been the insanely gifted performer in high school whom all the kindly old art teachers fussed over as their 'favourite', bless his cotton socks. If only they could see him in full tour de force performance mode for his one-man show, 'A Drunken Cabaret'.
This is the kind of Fringe show you ought to see if you crave a bit of old school DIY music/movement/comedy/tragedy with no budget and a heap of passion on the side. Storen takes his audience on a schizophrenic journey through the more macabre side of love that most acts touch upon, but rarely present with such clever thoughtfulness. The general theme of 'love gone wrong' permeates his impressive array of original musical arrangements that deal with everything from the Red Barrn's crazed Brazilian lover to couples killing their parents. A simple set of heart-shaped fairy lights adds to the intimate and artsy atmosphere that the Fringe is renowned for, setting the perfect minimalist backdrop for Storen to transform into his many personalities and wax lyrical about love, life and monkeys.
Although the audience consisted of a few wet blankets who didn't seem to approve of Storen's brand of philosophical bawd (you heard it), Storen was the consummate professional and gave the (mediocre) crowd of 50-something moralists his utmost. Give him your 10 bucks and watch him flower.

Steph Mountzouris

A DRUNKEN CABARET
Tuxedo Cat
Until 01 Mar 2008

Review by Maggie Moore

This is what the Fringe is all about – hidden gems. You climb the stairs to a rooftop in an alley off Rundle Street and you're greeted by a most charming venue. Cosmopolitan, simple and simply charming. A rooftop bar studded with fairy lights entices you to a pre show drink – and boy, what a show.

Mark Storen bursts onto the stage larger than life and for the next hour leads you through the aspects of love we don't usually talk about – you know, the possessive, lustful, homicidal and, dare it be said, platonic kinds of love.

He sings wonderfully, one minute the voice is beating you with its punch and volume and the next he's tearing at your heartstrings as the backing film plays poignant scenes of an organ grinder at work with his beloved monkey.

His characters range from across the world and the sexual spectrum, each vulnerable in their own way – even the Cronulla rioter.

Where has Mark Storen been hiding? This talented performer deserves to go to the very top. Weird, yes. Addictive, yes. More Mark Storen? Yes please.

Rating: 4.5 stars (out of 5)

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