Review: I Knew You Were Trouble

Love begins in an assortment ways nowadays. Meet at a bar or meet online or in the new romantic drama Flamingo, meet via a sex study. Flamingo by Alex Trow follows the story of Caroline, a PhD student and her subject turned love interest Andrew as they embark on an emotionally dangerous relationship.
In Flamingo, after an unconventional interview regarding a subject’s relationship to porn, a student and her subject begin a tumultuous relationship as the roles are reversed and love breaks through. As Caroline and Andrew’s relationship builds, we see just how different the two are and the true value of love for the individuals. When Andrew leaves Caroline behind for opportunity, we see just how much the other meant. Despite the typical romantic plotline, Trow’s script is fresh, quick, and intentionally smart. Her characters are incredibly smart, allowing for intellectual exchanges and great debates. For the majority of the play, we see Caroline as lovelorn. When Andrew departs, Caroline stops at nothing to stay in contact. But by the end, Trow decides to turn the standard reunion on its head allowing Caroline to think with her mind and not her heart. One of the more questionable choices Trow makes is the title of the play. For the majority of the play, there is a long wait for when exactly the flamingo metaphor will appear. When it finally appears, while it’s meaning is important to Caroline, it comes so late you wonder if it could have been sprinkled in somewhere sooner.

photo courtesy of Charlie Winter

For the most part, Flamingo follows the story of Caroline and Andrew, with Finn serving as the device. Playwright Alex Trow takes on the central role of Caroline, though Trow is much stronger as the playwright than actor in this piece. Trow portrayed Caroline as monotonous, pathetic and weakly lost. The highly intellectual woman can hold her own in anything except love. When her turn comes in the end, it’s almost too late to care. Trow was outdone by her costars Dylan Lamb and Ian Antal. Dylan Lamb as smooth talking Andrew provided the right amount of infectious seduction. He was so appealing yet appalling there's no wonder why Caroline would spend years pining. Lamb commanded the loveable douchebag with ease. Ian Antal’s Finn was adorkable. His character’s lack of chemistry with Caroline and opposite spectrum of unrequited love was engaging.
Jillian Robertson’s smooth and complete direction was sensational, serving the production to its benefit. Robertson dove head first into Trow’s world, discovering how to make the script unique. The highly functional set by Justin and Christopher Swader served its purpose well. The inclusion of the Venetian blinds allowed for some stunning lighting moments from Charlie Winter. However Winter had some trouble lighting the actors providing many a shadow and lack of light. Emily Auciello's sound design evoked the proper spirit during transitions.
Flamingo is not your average love story. Overall, Flamingo is a strong production. Trow’s voice as a writer is quite captivating, greatly aided by Robertson’s solid direction.

Spotlight On...Ian Antal

Name: Ian Antal

Hometown: Berlin, Germany

Education: BFA from UNC School of the Arts

Select Credits: Associate Artist with New York Classical Theatre; Orlando in As You Like It; Treplev in The Seagull; Sir Andrew Aguecheek in Twelfth Night

Why theater?: It's the only place I get rewarded for breaking rules and social norms.

Who do you play in Flamingo?: I am playing the role of Finn, Caroline's goofy lab partner, best friend, confidant.

Tell us about Flamingo: The script is what hooked me. Reading is not an  activity that comes naturally or easily to me. It's work. All those  clichés about not being able to put a book down never really made much  sense to my rather visual and kinesthetic disposition. But then I read this beautifully constructed story about a smart, young woman wrestling with the dichotomy between what feels right in her heart, brain, and  gut, as an intense passion is sparked by someone who deeply challenges her beliefs. The dialogue was just so engaging on the page alone, and felt so immediate and accessible that, for once in my life, there wasn't a single fiber of my being that wanted to lay the script aside until the arc of the story had been completed. The writing is honest. The relationships are intriguing. And the development of the story is very smooth.

What is it like being a part of Flamingo?: For one, it is a treat and a  trap to be sharing the stage with the playwright. Alex is so tremendously gifted both on the page and in person that the tone of the play becomes very approachable in the rehearsal room. Yet there is always the lurking temptation to tweak the script here and there when something isn't quite sitting right with me, and one has to stay very judicious and honest with oneself: "Do I want that change because it's a real problem in the storytelling, or do I want it because I am a victim of my own laziness?" So far it's always been the latter for me. ;) It's quite a privilege to look at every face at rehearsals and realize that absolutely everyone is on top of their game. Jillian is terribly clever and insightful, and she approaches the process with a very compassionate directing style that creates the safe space for us to confidently explore difficult questions. The designers have each brought so much vision and personality to the show that a chain reaction of creativity becomes apparent. And what is most comforting of all is that there is no ego in the room. Dylan and Alex are such humble and energetic artists, and the entire production team is so very down to earth that there just isn't any room for the self-indulgent freakouts one sometimes observes in other creative circumstances.

What kind of theater speaks to you? What or who inspires you as an artist?: I am a total sucker for Shakespeare. Experiencing the electricity in the air when contemporary audiences connect with the emotional journey within such heightened text is a deeply humbling experience. The fact that one can read, work on, or attend the very same play numerous times and still find numerous surprises in the text upon each encounter speaks worlds about the magnitude of Master Will's body of work. Bill Murray is the most interesting man in the world.

Any roles you’re dying to play?: Luke Skywalker in the Shakespearean adaptation of Star Wars (oh believe me, it's real. Look it up!)

What’s your favorite showtune?: My fiancée is not a singer, but she brings each and every song from "Mulan" to life in a hilarious way that makes me pity the rest of the world for never getting to experience it.

If you could work with anyone you’ve yet to work with, who would it be?: Kenneth freakin' Branagh

Who would play you in a movie about yourself and what would it be called?: Curious George would play me in a movie called "The Fool on the Hill"

What show have you recommended to your friends?: If we're talking live shows: My lady's upcoming dance performance with mishiDance. If we're talking tv: I was destitute when I ran out of "House of Cards" episodes.

What’s the most played song on your iTunes?: "Booty Swing" by Parov Stelar. This gentleman's work introduced me to the delightful world of Electro Swing. Who knew??

What’s your biggest guilty pleasure?: Polishing off an entire pack of double-stuff Oreos in one sitting (with Cool Whip, of course)

What’s up next?: The Simpletons, a silent red-nose clown collective I founded over a year ago, has a bunch of ridiculously fun projects and collaborations in the pipe-line. We shoot short films around the streets of New York City to give a wondrous twist to ordinary, everyday occurrences. I'll also be starring in a production of A Christmas Carol at the World Financial Center with New York Classical Theatre in December as well. What I'm really most excited about right now is getting cracking on a project that involves visiting cancer patients in hospitals and reading Winnie the Pooh stories to them while they receive treatment.

Spotlight On...Alex Trow

Name: Alexandra Michelle Trow

Hometown: Highlands Ranch, CO

Education: Yale undergrad, Yale graduate school (cue New Haven jokes!)

Select credits: London Wall (Miss Hooper, Mint Theater); Owners (Mrs. Arlington/Alec's Mom, Yale Rep); "Twenty Five" (Taylor, web series).

Why theater?: Theater because of the thrill of the real live event every night. I.e. if you say that line a little differently, I’ll probably say my line a little differently, and then where will we be by the end?! WHO KNOWS?!

Who do you play in Flamingo?: I play mysel… I mean. “Caroline.”

Tell us about Flamingo?: Like the title suggests, it’s a play about birds. But here’s the twist, not just flamingos, also another kind of bird. Two types of birds. Our marketing team is gonna kill me. That is not what the play is about.

What is it like being a part of Flamingo?: Much like being myself, with important differences. Any time my character is un-likable or un-cool or a bit crazy, that is not at all like being myself, and I really have to dig to find those moments. Also, the people involved with Sanguine Theatre Co. are the best people. So it’s been a delight.

What kind of theater speaks to you? What or who inspires you as an artist?: All of it, I guess! Especially the top 2% and the bottom 2%, for educational purposes. I’m staring at a book about Vincent Van Gogh that’s sitting on my bookshelf. I really like him, because it seems he was a little sad and crazy, but also so good and so dedicated to spending vast amounts of time getting better at his craft, plus did cool artist stuff like carry jewel-tone yarn around to check the effectiveness of different colors against one another when deciding how to paint things. I love the idea of having contrasting jewel-tone yarns lying around my brain for when I’m trying to watch and remember and write things.

Any roles you’re dying to play?: All the fun big ones (Lady M, Blanche, Vanda), plus some cool new ones that haven’t been written yet, like: the young CEO of a major corporation who’s got a sweet dark secret, like maybe she’s dead but still coming to work? Also, it would be fun to play a mastermind villain in an action movie. And a nun who’s a sniper.

What’s your favorite showtune?: "Holiday Inn" from Seesaw: A Musical. I’d like to dedicate that answer to my good friend, the talented actor Mr. Seamus Mulcahy.

If you could work with anyone you’ve yet to work with, who would it be?: The Holy Mother Meryl

Who would play you in a movie about yourself and what would it be called?: It would be called "Flamingo: A Narcissist’s Tale", and I would play myself. I’d probably do the adaptation, too. And maybe cut all the other characters.

What show have you recommended to your friends?: Oh my gosh, I have so many talented buddies! I’d like to give a special shout out to Bones in the Basket, a devised show based on Russian fairytales (read: nightmares) that has been in the works for years, and only gets better with each iteration. Also, this awesome new ensemble called Old Sound Room is developing October in the Chair, a piece based on Neil Gaiman short stories. Also, Flamingo.

What’s the most-played song on your iTunes?: First by a long shot is “Tightrope (feat. Big Boi)” by Janelle Monae, but I think mostly because I left that song on repeat for a full 24 hours accidentally after a fairly long one-song-only dance party. Next we have “Allegretto” by Cecile Chaminade (I write plays and things while listening to her!) and then “Dissolve Me” by Alt J.

What’s your biggest guilty pleasure?: Sometimes I eat cake mix out of the box with a spoon. Like… dry.

What’s up next?: Feeling super sick about all that cake mix. And a bunch of plays about super cool things! Like one about home-grown terrorism, and another about dealing with friends you hate, and a third about an ex-con rock star with a Jesus-complex up her sleeve.

Spotlight On...Dylan Lamb

Name: Dylan Lamb

Hometown: Brooklyn based; Minneapolis born.

Education: BFA@NYU

Select Credits: Wrote and performed in Alligator Summer at the Dorothy Streslin Theater in NYC. Also done stuff at Montreal Zoofest and the Edinburgh Fringe. Worked for Warner Brothers Television as part of its Creative Lab. Recipient of Chair's Award of Excellence in Dramatic Writing at NYU.

Why theater?: Despite the runaround, it really is the most legal fun available. I say that like I'm a drug addict or a criminal. I am neither. So, maybe 'why theater' because I like feeling cooler than I am.

Who do you play in Flamingo?: I play Andrew, a young man who is unfortunately recognizable. So many unique, exciting qualities in a guy who doesn't seem to want to put it all together and be a human being. I care about him but he makes me so mad sometimes.

Tell us about Flamingo: Flamingo is the story of Caroline, who meets Andrew while conducting a study on pornography. Andrew is frank and open, if not polite: a jarring foil to Caroline's amiable lab partner, Finn. Caroline learns from each, cares for both, and must figure out if it's possible to be happy with either, or at all. This play is positioned at the current standstill in male/female dynamics, with each side either unwilling or too willing to acquiesce in order to make togetherness work.

What is it like being a part of Flamingo?: Rehearsal feels like you're swimming in a shark-tank of Mensas. Real-live, hyper-intelligent sharks, and you've got a cut on your leg and you're naked and the ladder if there ever was one is now gone. So you just have to keep finding ways for these sharks not to eat you alive, and at the end of the day you're exhausted, and sometimes proud, and you can't wait to go swimming again.

What kind of theater speaks to you? What or who inspires you as an artist?: I am inspired by people who are able show their warts. It's terribly difficult to be honest, and I'm deeply in awe of those who have made it their vocations to be so. I think the next steps towards progress, for many troubling topics in the newspaper, are unbridled honesty and a collective attempt to understand. Which thankfully have always been two major pillars of the theater.

Any roles you’re dying to play?: Whatever's next. I love new work and I love great writing. Characters that actors want to play. So yeah, something like Flamingo 2 would be nice.

What’s your favorite showtune?: Yes.

If you could work with anyone you’ve yet to work with, who would it be?: Mark Rylance or Tilda Swinton. I don't know why I said "or"; they could be together. Wait can you even imagine how good that would be?

Who would play you in a movie about yourself and what would it be called?: The celebrity doppelganger I get most frequently is the porn star James Deen, so that's obviously my first choice depending on his availability.  I've also been kicking around the title "Penis Equals Drama" for something. This feels right.

What show have you recommended to your friends?: TV? “Breaking Bad” forever. Theater? Clown Bar at the Box, except all of my friends are in it and out of their minds so I didn't really recommend it to them because that would be weird.

What’s the most played song on your iTunes?: "Luckiest Man", The Wood Brothers. Followed by Kanye West, Hanson, Fred Eaglesmith and Billie Holiday. Try to contain me.

What’s your biggest guilty pleasure?: Scratch-off tickets; I still think I've got the magic despite my lifetime batting average. Meeting people with a screw loose and becoming close with them. My Ricky Rubio jersey. Attempting to free-style. I relish in guilty pleasures because they're inherently unpredictable.

What’s up next?: I co-wrote and performed in a pilot called "Carmen", which will screen at ITVFest in September. Workshopping a play of mine with Squeaky Bicycle Productions in October. Thanksgiving in November. Who's hosting? I like yams.