ED DIXON – 2017 DRAMA DESK WINNER
OUTSTANDING SOLO PERFORMANCE

This roller-coaster of a show captured audiences in New York City and Washington like none other. Everyone was talking about this unique tour-de-force. Everyone was leaving the theatre in awe of what they had just witnessed. Everyone was speechless. Some reviews from the New York Production at The Loft at the Davenport Theatre:

“In recent years Ed Dixon—actor, writer, composer—has delivered two of the most wrenching literary stomach punches I’ve ever received: punch one with his autobiographical memoir, Secrets of a Life On Stage… and Off, which I read a few years ago, and punch two with his incandescent performance in his play Georgie, which just opened at The Loft at the Davenport Theater. In both cases, the punch was swift, unpredicted and straight to the gut.” Glen Roven – Huffington Post

“It has been said that theatre at its most basic is great storytelling. Georgie: My Adventures with George Rose is an exhilarating story, and indeed brilliantly told.” – BroadwayWorld

“… a first class ticket on a theatrical time machine ride. We get to sit at the feet of a great storyteller getting punch drunk on theatre memories. Brilliant text, astounding performance, astute direction – unforgettable evening.” – New York Theatre Guide

“Dixon is priceless….he holds you in his thrall for the entire 90-miniutes and proves not only a great interpreter of Rose’s life and work, but a worthy successor to his stage presence.  Oh, what a relief!” – Michael Musto – Out

“As the story progresses, the jovial, sunny performance he delivers begins to morph into a rigid and deeply sad one by the end. Director Eric Schaeffer guides this multifaceted performance into a beautifully appropriate balance of lightness and darkness. Yet even as such a horrible story comes to life before our eyes, it’s clear that no matter what, Dixon still respects his late mentor, even if his feelings now are weightier and more complicated than they were when the two first met. Georgie is a tribute to one of Broadway’s greats, while reminding us that everyone we see onstage has a story all their own.” – TheatreMania

“Hugely funny, and masterfully constructed.  For an actor, seeing this show is one of those times when you remember why you got involved in the first place.” – McPhillamyActoBlog

SHYLOCK

Opened January 22nd, 2005 – March 27, 2005
by Gareth Armstrong

In a solo performance that was nominated for a 2004-2005 Outer Critics Circle Award, Gareth Armstrong lifted the veil from The Merchant of Venice. Putting the play both in the context of its own time and in the greater context of the history of the negative portrayal of the Jew both on stage and off, Armstrong delivered one of the most compelling performances of the season. Assuming the most unlikely role of Tubal, Shylocks’ best and only friend, SHYLOCK confronts and confounds the stereotypes of one of literatures most compelling characters and delivers a performance the Associated Press called: “nothing short of astounding.”

VARIETY:

“Armstrong’s performance invites empathy and awe . . . an actor of consummate craft.”

THE VILLAGE VOICE:

“. . . a taut exploration of Shylock’s legend and its legacy . . . Viewers disappointed by the current soggy, text butchered film adaptation of The Merchant of Venice are hereby urged to hie themselves to this stirring production, as is everyone else.”

ASSOCIATED PRESS:

“His ability to switch characters on the fly and perform multi-character scenes by himself is nothing short of astounding . . .

NY OBSERVER:

Gareth Armstrong’s virtuoso performance in his 80-minute Shylock—which he also wrote—is a marvelous exploration at the Perry Street Theater of the universally debated Jew . . . his actor’s instinctive understanding of the text has much of value to tell us. BACKSTAGE If you think you know Shylock from Shakespeare’s “The Merchant of Venice,” think again. This new solo show, written by and starring Gareth Armstrong, casts a comprehensive look at the controversial character in a behind-the-scenes style that is involving and insightful.

VIEW PHOTOS FROM THIS PRODUCTION: