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IN THE NEWS...
Reviewed by Tom Penketh
Director-choreographer Hinton Battle has a lot of fun with the material. Dorothy Marcic's witty lyrics revel in the crazy scenarios, and Frank Sanchez's music is bouncy and fun. Highlights include crowd pleasers like "It Isn't Much," "Bare Arms," and especially "Give an Egg." All the performers are terrific, particularly Mecca and Poarch. But Collins' sly comic turn often steals the show. More.
See recent interview with Hinton Battle, 3-time Tony Award Winner and Director / Choreographer for Terms of Dismemberment, and watch cast members perform the opening number from the show, Queen of Pocatello!
August 17, 2010 The three-time Tony Award winner discusses his new FringeNYC show Terms of Dismemberment, the new film Bolden, and reuniting on stage with former co-star Stephanie Mills.
THEATERMANIA: What made you want to work on Terms of Dismemberment? TM: Will we get to see much of your choreography? TM: Directors typically audition a lot of actors for Fringe shows. Do you remember your own worst audition? TM: Tell me about this new project with Stephanie Mills? TM: You also worked recently as the choreographer on this new film, Bolden, which stars Anthony Mackie as the legendary trumpet player Buddy Bolden. Did you know much about Buddy Bolden before the film? TM: Would you consider coming back to Broadway as a performer? ###
August 12, 2010 Fringe Festival: The Edge, the Center and the Kitchen Sink With almost 200 shows in more than a dozen downtown spaces, the 14th annual New York International Fringe Festival, which runs Friday through Aug. 29, is an almost-anything-goes assemblage of theatrical events... Elena K. Holy, the festival's producing artistic director says: "...in the midst of the experimentalism that characterizes much of the festival, there are some traditional plays that should not be ignored." MARQUEE NAMES Hinton Battle is a respected actor, director and choreographer with three Tony Awards. So why is he directing and choreographing the tiny-budget Fringe musical "Terms of Dismemberment," about a woman who sells her daughters' body parts to pay off her dead husband's Mafia debts? "It's really out there," he said with a laugh. "It's roughing it. But what I like is that it forces you to be creative and come up with ways to use your imagination to suggest or reinvent things. I'm meeting new talent and new actors and hungry actors that are willing to do stuff." Mr. Battle said that working on a show backed by more enthusiasm than money reminded him of his early years in theater. What experience has provided him with, he said, is peace of mind behind the scenes. "The great thing about doing this for so long is that you know how to do it," he said. "You know how to be creative. If it doesn't work, don't kill yourself, just make it work. That's knowledge you can't buy." |
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Hinton Battle to Direct Terms of Dismemberment at FringeNYC Three-time Tony Award-winning actor Hinton Battle will direct and choreograph the new musical Terms of Dismemberment as part of the 14th annual New York International Fringe Festival. Running Aug. 18-28 at the Lucille Lortel Theater, Terms of Dismemberment has book and lyrics by Dorothy Marcic, music by Frank Sanchez and other music and lyrics by Mehr Mansuri. Battle (Miss Saigon, Dancin') will direct the cast of the dark comedy, which includes Julia Cook (Mamma Mia! tour), Ashley Campana (High School Musical national tour), Alex Michaels (The Hole) and Jessica Rothenberg (The Cherry Orchard at the Huntington). According to the Fringe, "The former Princess of the Pocatello Paper Pulp Pageant finds herself with a dead, deadbeat husband, three mortgages and Mafia debts she knew nothing about. She must choose between selling off the 'assets' of her lovely daughters, body part by body part, or risk their lives. Gypsy meets the Coen Brothers in Fargo. A dark comedy about the cost of love. And an equal opportunity offender." Terms of Dismemberment will have costume design by Cynthia Nordstrom and Ryan Rosetto and scenic design by David Arsenault. Battle earned Tony Awards for his performances in Sophisticated Ladies, The Tap Dance Kid and Miss Saigon. He also appeared on Broadway in The Wiz, Dancin' and Chicago. He staged the Off-Broadway production of Evil Dead: The Musical. For tickets phone (866) 468-7619 or visit FringeNYC. The Lucille Lortel Theater is located at 121 Christopher Street. ###
Monday, July 12, 2010; Posted: 01:07 PM - by BWW News Desk Hinton Battle Directs TERMS OF DISMEMBERMENT At NY Fringe, Opens 8/18 The 14th Annual New York International Fringe Festival presents Terms of Dismemberment A New Musical
Book and Lyrics by Dorothy Marcic Directed and choreographed by Hinton Battle August 18th - 28th, 2010 When the former Princess of the Pocatello paper-pulp Pageant finds herself with a dead husband's Mafia debts, two teenaged daughters, and fading beauty - what does she do? - A dark comedy about how love might cost you an arm and a leg.... The 2010 New York International Fringe Festival presents Terms of Dismemberment, (www.TermsOfDismemberment.com) a new musical directed and choreographed by Hinton Battle (Three time Tony¨ Award Winner: Miss Saigon, The Tap Dance Kid, Sophisticated Ladies). Terms of Dismemberment has book and lyrics by Dorothy Marcic, music by Frank Sanchez and other music and lyrics by Mehr Mansuri. Terms of Dismemberment runs Wednesday, August 18th at 4:30pm, Thursday, August 19th at 2:00pm, Monday, August 23rd at 8:45pm, Friday, August 27th at 7:00pm, and August 2th at 2:30pm at The Lucille Lortel Theater (121 Christopher Street). "It's mad kool to be part of FringeNYC," said director Hinton Battle. "Terms of Dismemberment - Iove the concept, love being part of the creative team. It is a artistic thrilled to work with a young fresh talented cast as part of a festival that fosters such creativity." Terms of Dismemberment runs Wednesday, August 18th at 4:30pm, Thursday, August 19th at 2:00pm, Monday, August 23rd at 8:45pm, Friday, August 27th at 7:00pm, and August 2th at 2:30pm at The Lucille Lortel Theater (121 Christopher Street). For more information, please visit: www.TermsOfDismemberment.com or www.FringeNYC.org Hinton Battle (Director and Choreographer) has won three Tony Awards, NAACP Award, Fred Astaire Award, Ira Aldridge Award and Choreographer Media Award. Hinton served as Associate Choreographer to the 65th and 66th Annual Academy Awards. Hinton choreography can be seen in the movie musical Idlewild, and soon to be released The Bubby Bolden Story, and Louis. As director/choreographer Off-Broadway Hinton work includes Evil Dead: The Musical, Respect, The Marvelous Wonderers, plus authored Love Lies which tour fall 2010, and slated to direct for Broadway Anne & Emmett. As an actors Mr. Battle has appeared in numerous Films and TV shows: the musical episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Once more, with Feeling, These Old Broads, Foreign Student, The Golden Globe Awards, Dance in America, Dancing with the Stars, Touched By An Angel, and the Academy Awards to name a few. Hinton's Broadway credits include The Wiz, Dancin', Dreamgirls, Sophisticated Ladies, Chicago (Billy Flynn), Ragtime (Coalhouse Walker Jr.), and The Tap Dance Kid. Dr. Dorothy Marcic (Book and Lyrics) is a professor at Columbia University and a Fulbright Scholar as well as an author of 12 books, including RESPECT: Women and Popular Music, which traces Top 40-songs with women's development in the 20th century. That book serves as the basis for her four-woman musical theater production RESPECT: The Musical Journey of Women (www.respectthemusical.com), which has played in 17 cities (including Boston, Chicago, Detroit, Tampa, Philadelphia and Sydney) with 2200 performances and 650,000 audience members. In addition to RESPECT, Dorothy has completed four other productions: The musical, Terms of Dismemberment, about a mother who sells her daughter's body parts. Another musical, What I Did for Love, and the plays, Married Plus One and Stockholm. In her early career, Dorothy served as a production assistant on the TV program, Mister Rogers' Neighborhood. She is a member of The Dramatists' Guild. Frank Sanchez (Composer and Musical Director) has served as Music Director for numerous Long Island Productions, including: Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Gilbert & Sullivan's Princess Ida, South Pacific, Li'l Abner, Grease, Peter Pan, Mary Poppins, High School Musical, Annie, The World Goes 'Round: The Music of Kander and Ebb, William Finn's A New Brain, Numb, Brush Up Your Shakespeare: A Cabaret, Batboy: The Musical, and Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. He also holds a BFA in Arts Management from Long Island University. ###
By Michael Roderick Terms of Dismemberment: A Musical with Heart...and Other Body Parts; Dr. Dorothy Productions; Writer: Book & Lyrics by Dorothy Marcic, Music by Frank Sanchez, other lyrics and music by Mehr Mansuri; Director: Director: Hinton Battle, Assistant Director: Kenneth Ferrone; Choreographer: Hinton Battle; The former Pocatello Paper-Pulp-Pageant Princess's dead husband left three mortgages, Mafia debts. Her choice: sell off daughter's "assets," body part by body part, or risk their lives. A dark comedy about the cost of love. An equal opportunity offender. 2h, NYC, Manhattan Musical, Comedy And there you have it! Tickets will be on sale soon, so I hope you'll come and check out the shows! ###
Three-time Tony Award-winning actor Hinton Battle will direct and choreograph the new musical Terms of Dismemberment as part of the 14th annual New York International Fringe Festival. Running Aug. 18-28 at the Lucille Lortel Theater, Terms of Dismemberment has book and lyrics by Dorothy Marcic, music by Frank Sanchez and other music and lyrics by Mehr Mansuri. Battle (Miss Saigon, Dancin') will direct the cast of the dark comedy, which includes Julia Cook (Mamma Mia! tour), Ashley Campana (High School Musical national tour), Alex Michaels (The Hole) and Jessica Rothenberg (The Cherry Orchard at the Huntington). ###
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The darkly comic "Terms of Dismemberment" is certainly a musical for today. After losing everything, including her home, a woman goes to increasingly desperate lengths to make money to keep her family afloat. Sound familiar?
One of Broadway's all-time great dancers, three-time Tony Award winner Hinton Battle is spending most of his time on the other side of the footlights these days. He is currently directing and choreographing Terms of Dismemberment, a new musical by Dorothy Marcic about a woman who takes drastic action in order to relieve her family's debts, as part of the New York International Fringe Festival. Battle is also developing a new musical with his old friend and former Wiz co-star Stephanie Mills, and recently finished working on the film Bolden, which is due to be released later this year. TheaterMania recently spoke to Battle about these projects.
