Solo Shows
The proliferation of one-person shows has skyrocketed, likely because people enjoy telling their stories, and audiences adore hearing them.
With so many options here are three plays that you should know about.
LOVER
Well-known television and movie actress Lois Robbins brings her one-woman show to the Pershing Square Theater on August 21. Her piece titled, L.O.V.E.R., covers a first kiss, love, life and sex.The New York premiere of L.O.V.E.R took place at last year’s United Solo Festival providing a springboard for this year’s off-Broadway run.
BLOOD TYPE RAGU
As a matter of fact, the United Solo Festival is celebrating its tenth anniversary and one of the shows they are bringing back is the award-winning Blood Type:Ragu, actor-writer Frank Ingrasciotta’s hilarious and poignant coming-of-age story. Raised in Brooklyn with Sicilian immigrant parents, Frank plays 22 characters. Ingrasciotta has taken his colorful play to venues around the country and Canada. Blood Type: Ragu runs on Sept. 21 at 2 PM.
HANNAH SENESH
Actress Lexi Rabadi portrays a heroic historical figure in her solo performance of Hannah Senesh, an NYTF/Folksbiene production. Hannah was an incredibly courageous young woman who lived in Hungary as Hitler was coming to power. She escaped Hungary to find freedom only to return to Hungary through Yugoslavia with the express purpose of helping other Jews to escape. This powerful piece is in a limited run through August 18 at the Museum of Jewish Heritage in the Battery.
You can hear my conversations with these three amazing performers on “Bagels and Broadway with Valerie Smaldone” radio show on WNYM Radio (AM970.) Also available online, Alexa and after it is broadcast, on podcast.
Valerie Smaldone is a 5-time Billboard Magazine Award winner and is well known for her unprecedented success holding the #1 on-air position in the New York radio market on 106.7 Life-FM, an iHeart station. She has hosted, produced, and created several award-winning nationally syndicated programs featuring in-depth interviews with stars like Paul McCartney, Celine Dion, Rod Stewart, Elton John and Mariah Carey among others. Her radio talk show "Bagels and Broadway" highlighted theatre and food personalities. She is an accomplished interviewer and voice artist heard on commercials, narrations, promos and audiobooks, as well as a sought after live announcer.
Most recently, Valerie produced and directed a film, The Thursday Night Club, featuring pop diva Gloria Gaynor in her movie acting debut. She is one of the creators and producers of a docu-series, Divine Renovation, starring Erik Estrada, on streaming networks soon.
