Danny Pintauro - Fringe Fest 2002 - New York

Tue Aug 6, 6:09 PM ET
By KATHERINE ROTH, Associated Press Writer

NEW YORK (AP) - Producers of the New York International Fringe Festival have revealed a taste of wild things to come at the city's increasingly popular performance and theater arts event.

Now in its sixth year, the festival with its 195 shows has become not only a showcase for actors, performers and artists who push the boundaries of mainstream theater, but a source of future hits. The wacky, Tony winning musical, "Urinetown," was featured in the 1999 festival and opened on Broadway last year; former Fringe shows "Never Swim Alone" and "Last Train to Nibroc" debuted off-Broadway after being staged in the festival. The festival provides emerging artists with publicity outlets and a chance to share ideas and gain wider recognition than their limited resources would otherwise allow. "We have 195 potential `Urinetowns' here," Elena K. Holy, FringeNYC's artistic director, said Tuesday. "About half of the artists would love to be playing on Broadway. The other artists have made careers playing on off-off-Broadway and have absolutely no commercial interest. What's great about the festival is getting those two groups together." "Our entire production crew is under 34 and this is our first big production," said Melissa Levis, the lyricist for the musical "The Joys of Sex." "A producer offered to option our work and we turned him down because we decided we'd rather show it at the festival. It's a big risk, but it's worth it," Levis said. The performers of "Minimum Wage," billed as a "working class musical," also viewed it as a rare opportunity. "It's the best way to get your material seen by the public," said Jennifer Heaney, who with her colleagues from Burger Boy Productions sported fast food restaurant costumes for the piece. Artists pay $350 to participate in the festival and perform five to seven times during the 17-day event, which opens Friday and runs through Aug. 15. Theater, dance, improvisation, spoken word, multimedia and puppetry are all represented. About 38,000 people attended last year's festival and more than 40,000 are expected to attend this year's 1100 performances, Holy said. Participants include "Him & Her," a musical by Paul Scott Goodman (writer and composer of "Bright Lights Big City"), starring Tony Award nominee Liz Larson ("Most Happy Fella"). "The Way Out," tells the story of convicted murderer Rubin "Hurricane" Carter. "The Bizarro Balogna Show," a one-man comedy by Dan Piraro, creator of the syndicated cartoon "Bizarro," features an ode to Eggs Benedict. And "Almost Obscene," a comedy by Mad magazine senior editor Joe Raiola, explores everything from flag burning to Internet pornography. At least two of the pieces include TV stars. Danny Pintauro of "Who's the Boss?" stars in "beat," a drama about Allen Ginsberg's obscenity trial for "Howl"; Randy Harrison, of "Queer as Folk," stars in "Deviant," a comedy about sexual fetishes. The festival includes performers from 16 U.S. cities and 13 countries. A complete guide is available at Borders book stores and at the festival's office, 185 Orchard Street. Details are also available online at www.fringenyc.com