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Kill The Band (Frigid Festival 2010)

 

Off-Off-Broadway, Rock Cabaret

Runs through 3.7.10

Under St. Marks, 94 St. Marks    



                                                        

BOTTOM LINE: A fun fringe show with some sharp satire and a healthy dose of goofiness.

Kill the Band, a rock cabaret meets one-woman show written and conceived by Killy Dwyer, is a great example of the kind of show you can often only find at a fringe festival (the Frigid New York Festival fits into that category more authentically than the NY Fringe which has upped the ante with larger scale productions). Moreover, it is a great example of the kind of show that is a blast to see at a fringe festival, but might not hold up elsewhere. The show is goofy, raw, unpolished, underwritten, and a lot of fun.

It is mostly a showcase for Dwyer's very funny songs, including Clone U -"I am going to Clone you, in case I accidentally kill you," Girl Balls - "I'm not your GPS bitch, find you own way!," a song about being stalked by an alien that includes the refrain, "Go back to Uranus, you space stalking fool," and several other clever entries.

In addition to the songs, there is a very thin plot conceit. At the band's debut performance for their new self-titled album, we get a glimpse into the inner dysfunction of the group, driven by the Courtney Love-esque narcissism of frontwoman Dwyer. In a flashback, we learn about Killy's teenage desire to be in the spotlight, her drama teacher's reassurance that "being weird will be an asset someday," and her guidance counselor's concern about her "very high highs and very low lows." (Anyone in the theater world will laugh at the familiarity of this portrait, and I think non-theater insiders will also enjoy the satire). Twenty years later, Killy hasn't exactly fulfilled her teenage dreams, but she has fulfilled the promise of her personality type; she is a small-time diva still striving for fame and tyrannizing all those who come into contact with her. Over the course of the show, she breaks up with her boyfriend, then her band, goes solo, rehires the band, and ultimately finds a way to achieve fame, at least by proxy.

Dwyer, who has been featured on Comedy Central and David Letterman, is a talented comedienne and is backed by an able trio of musicians including one awesome beat boxer. Kill the Band is an hour of fun fluff, with a few piercing insights into humanity thrown in for good measure, and is well-worth your Frigid Festival time and money.



(Kill The Band plays at Under St. Marks, 94 St. Marks, through March 7, 2010. Performances are Tuesday March 2nd at 7:30pm, Saturday March 6th at 10pm, and Sunday March 7th at 4pm. Tickets are $10 and can be purchased at smarttix.com. For more festival information visit frigidnewyork.info.)