Don't forget to buy your tickets!!! www.midtownfestival.org
Favorite Pages
Photos
1 albumSee All
Checking In photosUpdated about 4 months ago
No one has added fan photos.
Crack open your Miller Lites and hold on to your Slim Jim’s Babies because Brian Hampton's play Checking In is open for business and serving up a delicious mix of what can only be called “Dramedy” at its very best.
Hampton's story about six 30-something friends who come together for a long weekend in Atlantic City really delivered, but sometimes the best barometer of how good a show is is to listen to what people are saying on their way out. There were smiles all around, and people were quoting lines--like when Ben says in the company of all five of his girlfriends “You think you’re the black sheep of this group…I’m a boy!” People were comparing many of their favorite scenes with each other very animatedly, and the consensus was the Black Brush Fairy Tale was the best.
Most agreed you got to know and to care about each of the characters, and as one theatergoer said, “This was exactly what everybody needed (to laugh.) The cast was so tight, it was an awesome ensemble. The characters were written with a lot of love but not with rose colored glasses. I appreciated that.” Everyone left the theater feeling like a welcomed part of a 90-minute inside joke.
This talented and lovable cast of characters (played by Allie Darden, Brian Hampton, Natalie Buster, Anna Nugent, Jennifer Hyman-Zimmerman, and Beverly Lauchner) made it easy to fall right into the give and take of their high school friendships and for the audience to invest in their hilarity, happiness and pain. Hampton allowed each and every character their moment to evolve and shine. It is was very hard to pick a stand out performance from such a strong cast, because all had ease and believability of both comedic and dramatic twists and turns in the plot. Everyone in the audience that I talked with had their own personal favorite, and agreed that each was a delight to watch. Personally, I would return again to see Allie Darden who played Brooke. She’s that good.
Hampton’s writing walks a fine line between dramatic and the comedic. Just as deftly as he takes you into the serious, he swings you up to the hilarious. He’s a brilliant young writer, and if Hollywood doesn’t snatch him up immediately, maybe he’ll be able to write more gems like Checking In for the New York stage. Let’s hope so, because last night’s opening performance at the Midtown International Theater Festival was an enjoyable triumph.
--Ashley Johnson
Checking In plays at:
The June Havoc Theatre
312 West 36th Street, 1st Floor (Between 8th & 9th Avenues)
New York, NY 10018
Remaining Performances are:
Saturday, July 18, 2009 - 7:00pm
Friday, July 24, 2009 - 7:30pm
Monday, July 27, 2009 - 8:30pm
Saturday, August 1, 2009 - 1:00pm
$15- $18 Tickets are available at www.midtownfestival.org
Or by calling 866-811-4111
Hampton's story about six 30-something friends who come together for a long weekend in Atlantic City really delivered, but sometimes the best barometer of how good a show is is to listen to what people are saying on their way out. There were smiles all around, and people were quoting lines--like when Ben says in the company of all five of his girlfriends “You think you’re the black sheep of this group…I’m a boy!” People were comparing many of their favorite scenes with each other very animatedly, and the consensus was the Black Brush Fairy Tale was the best.
Most agreed you got to know and to care about each of the characters, and as one theatergoer said, “This was exactly what everybody needed (to laugh.) The cast was so tight, it was an awesome ensemble. The characters were written with a lot of love but not with rose colored glasses. I appreciated that.” Everyone left the theater feeling like a welcomed part of a 90-minute inside joke.
This talented and lovable cast of characters (played by Allie Darden, Brian Hampton, Natalie Buster, Anna Nugent, Jennifer Hyman-Zimmerman, and Beverly Lauchner) made it easy to fall right into the give and take of their high school friendships and for the audience to invest in their hilarity, happiness and pain. Hampton allowed each and every character their moment to evolve and shine. It is was very hard to pick a stand out performance from such a strong cast, because all had ease and believability of both comedic and dramatic twists and turns in the plot. Everyone in the audience that I talked with had their own personal favorite, and agreed that each was a delight to watch. Personally, I would return again to see Allie Darden who played Brooke. She’s that good.
Hampton’s writing walks a fine line between dramatic and the comedic. Just as deftly as he takes you into the serious, he swings you up to the hilarious. He’s a brilliant young writer, and if Hollywood doesn’t snatch him up immediately, maybe he’ll be able to write more gems like Checking In for the New York stage. Let’s hope so, because last night’s opening performance at the Midtown International Theater Festival was an enjoyable triumph.
--Ashley Johnson
Checking In plays at:
The June Havoc Theatre
312 West 36th Street, 1st Floor (Between 8th & 9th Avenues)
New York, NY 10018
Remaining Performances are:
Saturday, July 18, 2009 - 7:00pm
Friday, July 24, 2009 - 7:30pm
Monday, July 27, 2009 - 8:30pm
Saturday, August 1, 2009 - 1:00pm
$15- $18 Tickets are available at www.midtownfestival.org
Or by calling 866-811-4111