Willy Nilly: The Puppies Have Their Say

Photo credit: Ken Stein/Runs With Scissors

Well, Willy Nilly’s open – has been since Friday, the same day Squeaky Fromme was released from prison – and so this seems like as good a time as any to do a roundup of the really kind of staggering amount of press we’ve received to date. We wish we could say it’s all good, but that, as they say, is show biz. The truth is, we nearly sold out our first house, we completely sold out our second, and a lot of people have been visibly and vocally enjoying themselves, even as others sit beside them in stony silence. In a word, it’s another Piper McKenzie production.

In the interest of full disclosure, here’s the breakdown, with the good stuff first, so the media (including bloggers) can praise us before they bury us.

Have YOU seen the show? Let us know what you think via the comments section, why doncha?

THE GOOD STUFF

We performed at the FringeNYC press preview, which was awesome (pictured above, before we got rained in and performed on the stage).

Michael Musto, after nearly giving us a heart attack, reveals that he found the show “a tastily eccentric ‘psychedelic-atessen’”: http://www.villagevoice.com/2009-08-18/columns/blind-items-about-raw-sex-and-meth-habits/1

Time Out New York chooses us as one of its top picks for the Fringe: http://newyork.timeout.com/articles/theater/77602/fringe-fest-what-to-see

Metromix says of Willy Nilly, “We suspect it’ll be the year’s breakout hit”: http://newyork.metromix.com/events/article/new-york-international-fringe/1370960/content

Gothamist names us its number one (and really only) Fringe pick: http://gothamist.com/gothamlist/2009/08/14.php

AM New York makes us a top ten Fringe pick: (Not online, dammit)

Downtown Express gives us some love: http://www.downtownexpress.com/de_329/fringenyc.html

The garage-punk community comes out in favor of the show: http://blog.garagepunknyc.com/labels/pipsqueak.html

A very wonderful person left us a highly supportive comment on the Times’ listing of the show, saying “if this isn’t THE must-see show at this year’s Fringe, I don’t know what is” – thank you, whomever you are!: http://theater2.nytimes.com/gst/theater/tdetails.html?id=1247463494189

THE NOT-SO-GOOD STUFF

Jason Zinoman dismisses the show in the New York Times ArtsBeat blog: http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/08/17/at-the-fringe-growing-up/

Jason Zinoman then goes on to fault us in the same blog for not making more of a flying beach ball accident: http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/08/17/at-the-fringe-when-things-go-wrong/

Alexis Soloski cites the same beach ball incident in her pan of the show in the Village Voice (LESSON: beach balls and theater critics don’t mix): http://www.villagevoice.com/2009-08-18/theater/three-days-at-the-new-york-international-fringe-festival/

Raven Snook’s lukewarm but respectful Time Out review: http://newyork.timeout.com/events/fringe-festival/298327/4127087/willy-nilly

The Male Nudity in New York Stage blog cites an erroneous report about our show: http://mnnys.blogspot.com/2009/08/report-from-ny-fringe-2009-1-wily-nilly.html

Which is then officially rebutted after coordinated action from certain cast members: http://mnnys.blogspot.com/2009/08/rebuttal-re-report-1-ny-fringe-2009.html

Fusion on the Fly generally pans the show but takes close note of one special actor: http://chefprivato.blogspot.com/2009/08/willy-nilly-and-best-food-around-venue.html

Theater Online takes us to task for having limited tech time in the space: http://www.theateronline.com/reviewShow.xzc?PK=21950&Action=Review

TheatreIsEasy.com decides that we’re having too much fun, and that the proceedings are too silly, for this to be a good show: http://mmtheatre.blogspot.com/2009/08/willy-nilly-fringenyc.html

Stage Mage blah blah blah: http://blogcritics.org/culture/article/theater-reviews-nyc-willy-nilly-and/