Wednesday, December 30, 2009
Private Dick video promo! 
The short video promo for Sound & Fury's "Private Dick" (coming to the Adelaide Fringe in February!) is now up online, both here on our website on the video page, and on youtube as well! Have a look!

Monday, July 27, 2009

Coming 5 August to the Gilded Balloon at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe! The 5-star hit, "Sherlock Holmes & the Saline Solution!"

Monday, April 06, 2009
Australia Wrap-Up 
Hello Furies!
WELL. Didn't we just have the best time ever in Oz. We won the People's Choice award for the second year in a row at the Adelaide Fringe Festival (out of 500+ shows), travelled to regional theatres near the sheep ranch we stayed at near Bundarra, taught high-schoolers how to improvise, and showed them a happy ending for "Romeo & Juliet," and travelled to the rainforest region near Cairns to perform at a 680-seat venue and a cool little theatre in Port Douglas. We did oodles of morning-radio gigs, and are inspired now to get ourselves a weekly show somewhere. We saw giant spiders, huge fruit bats, and tiny-waisted tourist girls in bikinis.

We were well-treated by everyone we met, who thanked us for coming to their towns to perform (frankly we feel like they were doing us the honor of having us), ate terrific food, and in the case of Shelby, got the most astounding sunburn while snorkeling that I've ever seen. Ouch.

We made new friends whom we treasure, visited places we'll never forget, and learned that not all airlines have the same weight limits on luggage. We spent more on overweight luggage than the GNP of some emerging African nations.

And now? making dates for local L.A. shows this month and next, writing a new show ("Vaganza!") for the Winnipeg Fringe in July, preparing for Edinburgh Fringe again (Gilded Balloon, 10:30pm), and planning our Fall tour for Sept./Oct. (Followed by Tex Ren Fest in Oct./Nov.)

In case you hadn't heard, we're NOT at the Southern Cal Ren Faire this year. Not our fault.

Monday, February 16, 2009
FOUR STARS from the Advertiser! 
Sherlock Holmes and the Saline Solution
Review by RUSSELL EMMERSON, The Advertiser (Adelaide, Australia)

WATSON? They're on.

"Let's get this out of the way: this is a very silly show. Bad puns, throwaway lines and cheap shots dominate a parody of a Sherlock Holmes investigation. Other shows have been caned for these same characteristics, but they weren't Sound and Fury. The problem is, they're nice guys – they come out and chat before the show before throwing up an easily-permeated fourth wall – and are enjoying themselves too much to write them off. And by that time, you're enjoying yourself too much to be critical. But if you look beyond the gags, beyond the quick costume changes and plot convolutions, you'll see three talented Americans with quick wits and an excellent understanding of working an audience. Definitely a highlight of a guffaw nature."



Come join us in beautiful Adelaide Australia for the next month!
Thanks to ROY VANDERVEGT for the Bosco pics he took! (see the animated icon to the right)

Wednesday, December 03, 2008
The Season Ends 
We just finished 8 weekends in Texas at the fabulous Texas Renaissance Festival, where we had a terrific time as always. This was definitely the best year yet though - we got to have two "Third-Guy-Guest-Weekends," one with Shannon Dery, and one with Dave Cox, and it was great fun for Shelby and myself to work with the two of them again. We had amazing weather through the season, with only the last weekend being a bit cold and rainy - though nothing like last year's freeze-fest on those last days. We had our newest outdoor show, "A Little Death" which we whipped into proper shape quickly, making it dirtier than anything we've ever done before. Holy cow, it's naughty.

Here's our audience, telling us what they think of the show: (be sure to click it for the full-size image)



We had an amazing turnout for the evening in Conroe, and we've vowed to be back there next year with a more extended run of shows. Probably not two different ones in ONE night though, as that was quite the chore. We shot video of both shows, so there will be a NEW DVD for both "Cyranose!" and "Sherlock Holmes & the Saline Solution" available soon. Not likely in time for Xmas though, but I may take pre-orders and deliver asap.

Next up is a possible Dec 19 show in San Francisco of "Sherlock" - details to come... and then we're off to Australia again in 2009!

Saturday, September 06, 2008
Autumn Arrives! 
Hello folks. So we had a splendid time at the Edinburgh Fringe (read below for reviews and stories), and are certainly planning on going back next year! Thanks to those who came to the benefit show, and donated funds to help us get there! In the end we were quite the critical success -- four 5-star reviews, and four 4-star reviews -- one of the top reviewed shows of the whole festival (over 2000 shows). We have a lot of exciting tour plans in the works now, and if all goes as planned we'll actually be touring about 7 months out of 2009. Yow!

But in the meantime, we're getting all prepped for the Texas Renaissance Festival coming in Oct.-Nov. We're bringing our latest outdoor show, "A Little Death" with us too, so we'll be back to doing 3 different shows a day there, on the Odeon Stage (incl. 2 perfs of "Testaclese" each day). Hope to see you there!

Then there's the possibility of XMAS season shows in L.A., and then we're into 2009. Too early to talk about what's happening then, but it looks like we'll be traveling to a ton of places we've never been before!

Oh - there's a million new pics in the gallery section, from Scotland. Go have a look at how pretty it is there!

Thursday, August 21, 2008
4 Stars from The Scotsman 
THIS is a delightful hour, whether or not you are acquainted with Edmond Rostand's play. A team of three create a cast of many, aided only very slightly by the audience.
In the opening scene several audience members had speaking parts, setting the scene – and very good they were too.
But the three on-stage were excellent. Richard Maritzer is a marvellous Cyrano (with a very 21st-century case of Body Dysmorphic Disorder rather than an genuinely huge nose), Vinny Cardinale is a Gwyneth Paltrow-esque Roxanne and Shelby Bond is everyone else.
The show fairly gallops along playing with sarcasm, insults, beauty spots and the silent French 'n'. The story is well known although the ending is given a twist here. The famous letters are beautifully performed by Cyrano , there is some excellently choreographed fighting, and Cyrano and Christian go off to the front with a touching parody of So Long, Farewell from The Sound of Music.
--Kate Copstick

Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Shelby the Hero 
On the afternoon of Tuesday the 19th, Shelby Bond, stood hawking flyers outside the Gilded Balloon for his show, “Sound & Fury’s ‘Cyranose!’” as the cast often does, in 16th Century garb. Meanwhile, a woman and (apparently) her sister stole some tip jars from the Gilded Balloon food court, and made a run for it. Amidst cries of, “Stop her!” by people from the food court, a couple people tried to block her but Bond sprinted after her. Looking for all the world like an avenging swashbuckler he caught up to the woman, and using techniques from when he worked security for the decidedly not 16th century Rolling Stones, Bond detained the woman and her sister who pummeled him, while stunned onlookers watched. Probably assuming it was all a Fringe stunt, they stood by like a dutiful audience and offered no help, nor applause. After several minutes of holding the struggling women police had not yet arrived, and Bond released the women who ran off cursing him, leaving the full tip jar and a bag of personal effects behind. The police did show up several minutes later and retrieved the money and effects.

Wednesday, August 13, 2008
5 Stars from Fest Magazine! 
This is the first year comic trio Sound and Fury have bought one of their shows to Edinburgh, and it’s well worth the wait. This musical parody of Cyrano de Bergerac, enacted in modern-noveau style, is a vaudevillian treat performed at lightening pace and with rapier-like wit.

The Los Angeles-based troupe begin by chatting to the audience, casually introducing their act as if we’re long-lost friends catching up over a coffee. This is all part of their grand plan – to present an hour of comedy in a friendly, accessible manner. It’s a plan with audience interaction at its heart and as a result, there are no passive bystanders.

The story is simple; Cyranose falls in love with his cousin Roxanne (“it’s okay, we’re in France”), but is blighted by insecurities about his big nose and instead helps another man to win her heart. Meanwhile, since it’s 1642, sarcasm has just been invented, which is a useful tool to have in the armoury of any budding-comedy troupe and is consequently employed in abundance.

'Cyranose' is silly—think Monty Python with American accents—and mime sword fights, cheap wigs and bad accents all contribute to the hilarity and havoc.

The three men—Shelby Bond, Vinny Cardinale and Richard Maritzer—have sparkling chemistry, and their tremendous quick-wit is exemplified when, after an audience member suggests ‘Cantelope’ for one particular sketch, Maritzer comes out from backstage to shout, “We cant elope, we’re married.”

Cyranose is a deliciously silly play, a song-and-dance treat, and a Fringe highlight.


5 Stars from FringeReview.co.uk 
Low Down
Sound And Fury rework the story of Cyrano de Bergerac and his unrequited love for the fair Roxanne through a mixture of gag-a-minute comic routines, silly song parodies and audience-baiting improvisation, bringing old-fashioned vaudeville to the Edinburgh stage.

Review
As the trio that make up Sound And Fury admit, theatre isn’t hugely respected in America. To say you’re performing onstage is often taken to mean “not good enough for TV”. Perhaps it’s not surprising then that they’ve opted to view Cyrano De Bergerac through a more American lens, that of variety and vaudeville. The story is a familiar one: witty, accomplished Cyrano is in love with Roxanne, but is ashamed of his huge nose (in this version, a result of Body Dysmorphic Disorder rather than any nasal grotesquery). Instead, Roxanne has fallen for handsome yet stupid Christian.
De Bergerac ends up helping the young man woothe woman he loves with his ownl yrical declarations. As with all vaudeville, the plot is merely a framework upon which to hang a series of routines and jokes of tremendous variety: references to Blaise Pascal and his adding machine vie with pop lyrics, running gags about a constantly moving beauty spot, discussions on French pronunciation, and near-the-knuckle innuendo.
As Cyrano, Richard Maritzer holds the audience, as well as the play, together. It takes a confident performer to get the crowd to recite the first eighteen lines of the script (read from laminated cards) as he does: an ingenious device to bring the paying public immediately onside. The other two play multiple roles: Vinny Cardinale is a diverting (if bony-chested) Roxanne and the actor McFlurry; while Shelby Bond, ever-grinning, gallops between costume changes as Christian, De Quiche, and various others, taking a childish delight in the pace and sheer silliness of it all.
With minimal props, and on a bare stage, the cast make a virtue out of their limited circumstances, which include having had their swords impounded by customs, while also making use of cartoon-like sound effects: a result of having toured this show globally for the last twelve months. Indeed, so tight are the performers that it’s hard to tell if sometimes the improvisations around mistakes are just that, or have been incorporated for more comic business. Not once, however, do they lose sight of the main plot.
In the end, this is an hour of unadulterated fun, and nothing more, as evinced by their closing number, “The Morality Song”. However to hold a cold, wet Edinburgh audience rapt for an hour requires skill as well as charm. Erudition and smut held together with the manic energy of The Marx Brothers: these are truly modern vaudevillians at the height of their powers.

Tuesday, August 12, 2008
5 Stars from the Edinburgh Evening News! 
Trio keep the laughs coming
Published Date: 12 August 2008
By MARTIN LENNON
Sound And Fury's 'Cyranose!' *****
Gilded Balloon, Teviot
"EDMOND ROSTAND was probably very earnest when he wrote his most famous play, Cyrano De Bergerac. Chances are, he wouldn't have liked this version very much, and that would have been his loss.
Before the crowd had even sat down, the comic trio had them in stitches, getting them ready for when the show began properly.

That took a while, because the funny men were just having too much fun with the crowd. They could have kept that up for the whole hour and no-one would have complained or asked for their money back, because the actors were so naturally and effortlessly hysterical in themselves.

From the start to the end, Richard Maritzer, as Cyranose, Shelby Bond and Vinny Cardinale – each taking multiple roles – had the audience laughing.

Much of the show was improvised around audience reactions but this wasn't as haphazard as it might sound.

Each of the threesome are clearly masters of their craft, and every crowd can be sure of a completely different, first-class, hour-long belly laugh."

For those of you not in Edinburgh, the Evening News is in the top three newspapers here - so this is a real coup. We are on cloud nine!

Thursday, August 07, 2008
4 Stars from One4Review.com 
4/5 Stars: Sound & Fury's 'Cyranose'

Three brave Antipodeans strive to bring class and comedy to the masses at The Edinburgh Fringe Festival by presenting their adaptation of 'Cyranose'. Immediately they terrify playgoers by coming amongst us to encourage audience participation. Faced with the shock of having to talk out loud during a show and the obvious language difficulties, immediately added to the humour of the show.

The well-known story of how Cyranose loves his cousin Roxanne, and how Roxanne loves Christian is the kernel at the heart of this performance. As the layers of the plot are added to the whole thing gets nuttier and nuttier, branching out in so many directions you find yourself spinning through time space and pop music. This hilarious romp is worth fitting in so many ways it is difficult to successfully put into words.

At least one of these three attractive talented young men (two of which we are assured are single!) will appeal to well over 50% of the audience, Shelby Bond, Vinny Cardinale and Richard Maritzer are ‘Sound & Fury’.

You deserve a sound beating and may find yourself in a fury if you don’t get to see this spectacle!

Saturday, August 02, 2008
First Edinburgh Review: 5 Stars from Hairline 
hairline.org.uk

Sound & Fury’s ‘Cyranose!’2008, Comedy
Sound and Fury’s latest offering is a dazzling period style theatre show with razor sharp wit and rapport. We all know the Cyrano de Bergerac story: Cyrano falls in love with Cousin Roxanne but blighted by insecurities about his nose he assists in the wooing of her through young handsome Christian.
The story is retold to great and hilarious effect by the three male actors onstage, taking all parts in this comedy adaptation. Quick fire banter seamlessly covers any mishaps (perhaps there are some - it is difficult to tell…) and sharp observations are interjected by the players when the audience, gamely and enthusiastically, is encouraged to participate. The three performers are adept and engaging with their chemistry and interaction with each other, fizzing and sparking so that the audience can’t help but be taken along for the ride. The zesty actors are complimented by the witty and observational script that references everything from Eighties pop classics to current political affairs and recurring jokes about the French and Canadians. It’s difficult to pinpoint just a few of the high points in this high-standard work but the jokes regarding the reason for Cyranose’s nose complex are exquisite; even the baser gags are carried out with a charm that is so often missing from today’s toilet humour comedy agenda.
Referring to the “Fourth Wall” as the barrier between viewer and performer they quickly pick up on audience reaction (don’t let them catch you sending text messages!), making it as much part of the show as the already scripted one. It’s difficult to find fault with this production that, whilst essentially set-less, is utterly absorbing and evocative for the imagination.
Miss this and miss a real gem.

5/5 Stars

Catriona Ruth Paterson


Edinburgh Fringe Festival! 
We're here! We've had our opening night, which went swimmingly, and have socialized, planned things, flyered, PR'ed, rested, and are preparing for tonight's show... Snafus are being dealt with, but all in all, things are great! We are confirmed that The Scotsman will be reviewing us in a few days, which is great news! Looking forward to this whole crazy Festival!

Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Onward to Edinburgh! 
In just a couple of days we open "Cyranose!" at the Gilded Balloon, for the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, in Scotland. We're just elated, and are coming off the high of the Winnipeg Fringe, where we were Best-of-the-Best-of-the-Fringe. We sold more tickets than any other act in the approximately 160 shows. No small feat, and we're grateful for the support of the Winnipeg theatregoers. Now we look forward to some of that great luck rubbing off on this new venture for us - our first time at the Mother of All Fringe Fests! Check back here for news. As I write this entry, I'm in the Manchester UK airport, waiting for my flight to Edinburgh, an hour away. Excitement! --richard.

This page is powered by Blogger.