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"Unrelentingly engrossing, assaulting, entertaining, appalling, very funny and bloomingly sick" - Other Stages
"A raucous variety show, fueled by the kind of energy and campy panache
that used to make Off-Off Broadway so much fun." - SoHo News
ORIGINAL VOIDEVILLE REVIEWS
(see original show poster)OTHER STAGES
May 31, 1979
This variety show counts as a first play because it is the expression of a team's personality, though it was not written, but assembled from hundreds of auditions by Gordon Bressack and Ruby Lynn Reyner. They are, of course, graduates of the various Ridiculous schisms. Herein, Gordon (who was the pirate captain in Gulliver at La Mama) M.C.s, while Ruby principally "sings" with "her" band, the Rednecks. The acts are none of them awful - and an S.M dance team called "Surrogates" is very good - and a shared spirit of singin' in the pain carries the evening.
Michael Arian is superb as "Dildo the Clown," Bill Rice, "Depressionist," is an unforgettable image. The El-Kadi twins do a unique turn. Joseph Garaventa, Tracy Sherman (A bondage fire-eater!), and Mikhail Horowitz are variously hilarious. But what matters is the rackety milieu and Ruby's muselike presence. The show's spiritual parents are John Vaccaro, Andy Warhol, Lucille Ball, Mick Jagger, William S. Burroughs, Ed Sullivan, Roxy Music, and for some reason, I kept thinking of Al Capp. Its bases are drugs, rock, and television, especially news and sit-coms, though the show itself is like "The Toast of the Town" covered with graffiti and collage. It is a collage assembled by Gordon and Ruby, and if collage is a valid artistic means in other media, why not in theater?
Besides, Voideville is unrelentingly engrossing, assaulting, entertaining, appalling, very funny and bloomingly sick. Its skits take place on the streets, in asylums, and in theaters, all of them places where the loonies go. Well now they can also go to Voideville, and if some producer has any brains, they'll be able to go for many nights to come.
SOHO WEEKLY NEWS
May 17, 1979
In the steamy bowels of the Theater for the New City, a new depression revue ("What's so bad about feeling bad?") is being performed for the next two weekends, Voideville is a raucous variety show, fueled by the kind of energy and campy panache that used to make Off-Off Broadway so much fun. Liberally seasoned with phallic humor, self-conscious performances and East Village name-dropping snobbery, it's a delight.
The ensemble includes lots of Off-Off favorites -Ruby Lynn Reyner, Emilio Cubiero, Tom Murrin, Gordon Bressack, Deborah Greefield (alas, all too briefly) - all frantically doing what they individually do best, as well as some performers I didn't know, but enjoyed. Tracy Sherman is a fire-eater, if you like that sort of thing, Bill Rice tells depressing jokes, Dildo the Clown reveals his strap-on.
There's lots of music, coordinated by the excellent Richard Weinstock, including a few big production numbers with slight anti-nuke overtones. One of the evening's highlights is news singer, Mikhail Horowitz, wailing about "a vegetarian on Broome St. [who] got shot by bullets greased with ham." Unlike most revues, Voideville doesn't have any dud moments. Well, just one. But it's still very fast, very funny and well worth $2.50. Bring a fan.