"Angry Young Women in Low-Rise Jeans" Gets Open-Ended Run

by Angela Gadino

An actress dreading her first nude scene is reassured by her mischievous best friend. Foreground: Rachel Nau. Behind: Jessica Durdock. Photo by Jonathan Slaff.

Reflecting additional confidence in the show, the producers of "Angry Young Women in Low-Rise Jeans with High-Class Issues" have revised their plans for the comedy's Off-Broadway move. Originally set for a limited engagement July 12 to September 2, the comedy will now open July 12 for an open-ended run.

"Angry Young Women in Low-Rise Jeans with High-Class Issues" is a nervy, endearing comedy written and directed by humorist Matt Morillo. It premiered at the Duo Theater January 19 to February 25, 2006 and was revived by Theater for the New City January 4 to February 24, 2007. Both runs played to packed houses. Most of the cast of the previous productions, an ensemble known as the KADM Players, will be returning to their roles.

An Australian production with an Australian cast will open August 9, 2007 at TAP Gallery, Sydney, where Stella Green Productions will present 31 performances of the comedy over a four-week period.

Humorist Matt Morillo set out to write a comedy about what makes foxy women tick, while avoiding the long shadow of "The Vagina Monologues." He began with a series of character studies based on simple listening, discovery and whatever flew into his head. Out came "Angry Young Women in Low-Rise Jeans with High-Class Issues," a light-to-serious look at the psychology of nervous urban goddesses.

It's one thing to be beautiful by an act of God. It's another to be paying for it every day of your life. These girls are coffee-driven, sensitive, wired, misunderstood and fuming with awkward issues. The play parades a series of foxy, witty and anxious women who bear the expectations of the world like an itchy muffler. They are frustrated with the perceptions men have of them and their own reactions to it. How, for example, do you resolve contradictions like dressing as a hooker and still being a feminist?

So they go head to head with such issues as Electra complexes, bikini waxes, low rider jeans, their oversexed mothers, thongs, brazen teenagers, men's sexual fantasies, side effects of birth control drugs, mean teenagers on the subway, sympathy sex and the artistic integrity of penises and vaginas in independent films. The show bills itself as "An Outrageous Comedy" and its postcards declare, "Even though it's a play, it doesn't suck."

Photo by Jonathan Slaff.

The cast of eight is directed by the author, who has been a fixture on the New York independent film scene for nine years. He debuted auspiciously at the age twenty-three with the films "The Pretenders" and "Good Tidings." Thom Bennett wrote in Film Scouts, "Morillo's strengths lie in his appreciation of the subtle nuances of family and the ability to elicit fine performances from his actors." Morillo's last film, the comedy "Maid Of Honor," won Best Short Film at Long Island International Film Expo, Best Honorable Mention at Cinekink Festival and Second Place at Zoie Sexy Short Film Festival. He has also collaborated with stand-up comedians Brooke Haselton, Beth Lynn Kelly and Ray Wetz.

The acting ensemble will be: Rachel Nau, Thomas J. Pilutik, Devon Pipars, Angelique Letizia, Nicholas J. Coleman, Jessica Durdock, Martin Friedrichs and Jason Drumwright. Lighting design is by Amith A. Chandrashaker. Set design is by Jana Mattioli.

Joey Reynolds of WOR Radio quipped, "It's like the Carol Burnett show...but with sex."

NY Cool wrote, "Angry Young Women is a fearless look at modern womanhood told through a series of comedic vignettes that left the audience both laughing and appalled. Watching this play would be a great outlet for angry young women every where; it embraces all that is crazy, neurotic, hypocritical and vulnerable in our lives. The lovely actresses unleash intense emotional whirlwinds throughout the entire eighty-five minute performance, somehow managing to continually keep the drama humorous….Matt Morillo has written and directed a show that entertains men and women alike. Somehow he has managed to capture private female thoughts and intimate moments with such accuracy that you have to wonder if he had a personal peephole into the ladies room at his local bar. The audience of both men and women laughed with the seven young brazen actors for the majority of the show. The pace, momentum and vigor were unfailing and it was a sexy and shocking night at the theatre - something we could all probably use."

The production opens July 12, 2007 for an open-ended run at the Players Theater, 115 Macdougal Street, Manhattan. Performances are Thursdays through Saturdays at 8:00 pm and Sundays at 3:00 pm. Ticket prices are $45. The box office number is (212) 352-3101. Further information and online ticketing are available at www.angryyoungwomen.net.

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