Selfies from The Spanish Tragedy

I almost forgot. I had taken some interesting selfies when I played the Duke of Castile in the Mobtown Players' production of Thomas Kyd's The Spanish Tragedy this past July (2014).

Here are the best ones:

The costume credit, by the way, goes entirely to Kat McKerrow. And the makeup was at least 75% owing to the wonderful help of fellow actor Megan Fahbah. The facial hair, though, and the photography here, that was me 100%.

My New Headshots (Summer 2014)

Hey, can I show you my top headshots from a really great photo shoot with Clinton Brandhagen? Well, okay, but just a couple. I mean, I liked, maybe even loved the whole shoot, but I've been feeling a bit reticent these days. It's hard -- no, annoying, irritating, you know what I mean? -- to explain. So let's just skip it, and I'll show you these two.

First, here's the top one, the best one, the one that recent auditioners of mine (and may they live to grant me top parts in the best plays ever -- hey, we've all got to have our egos fanned, eh?):

Photo Credit: Clinton Brandhagen

And here's another cool one, a photo that both me and Clint have agreed has some excellent potential to it (though I still haven't coughed up the $40 to have it photoshopped to perfection, partly because I'm dreadfully neurotic and can't bring myself to just ask) -- and in this one, I'm actually smiling:

Photo Credit: Clinton Brandhagen

Don't those wrinkles look fantastic? Well, you can judge all you want, but I think this one's pretty decent. Anyway, that's that. Enjoy.

How's About Some Photos from Taking Tiger Mountain, Too?

Here's the one photo that was taken during an actual production of Taking Tiger Mountain by Strategy from this past May (2014):

Photo Credit: Carly Bales

And here's the one awesome selfie (and trust me, I tried to take a hell of a lot of these) that I took backstage:

A Few Good Quotes from Reviews of this Past Summer's Shows

On my part in The Annex Theater's production of Taking Tiger Mountain by Strategy from this past May (2014):

My favorite was Ishai Barnoy’s Luan Ping, a rolling-eyed little wuss who is the bandit’s whipping boy and who is the first to turn on everyone.  I liked Barnoy in this Spring’s 4 By Chekov at Fells Point Corner.  I liked him again here where, among a determined and committed yet slightly unpolished cast, he shines and actually seems just a little like a ringer.

-- Achilles Feels, The Bad Oracle (http://thebadoracle.com/2014/05/17/taking-tiger-mountain-by-strategy-some-chinese-fake-out/)

Here's another reasonably straightforward bit of praise for my part in Tiger Mountain:

The primary evil target is the Vulture, played with appropriate charisma by Maria Radulescu. Vulture holds court of a band of doomed and drunken party animals and ultimately falls pray to Yang’s scheme. Principal among them is the running dog double-crosser Luan Ping, played with brilliant and cartoonish glee by Annex’s Ishai Barnoy. Ping escapes from imprisonment by the PLA and nearly blows Yang’s cover, but Vulture herself is so repulsed by Ping’s whining cowardice that she refuses to trust him.

-- John Barry, Bmore Art (http://bmoreart.com/2014/06/ideology-spectacle-and-singing.html)

And see if you can spot the few words about me (and my outrageously misspelled name) from this section of a review of the same show:

The plot follows Yang (Sarah Jacklin), an officer of Mao’s People’s Liberation Army (simply called “PLA” in the show) who is ordered by his unnamed commanding officer (Jonathan Jacobs who thankfully only has one song) to infiltrate the bandit compound on Tiger Mountain run by the vicious Vulture (a scenery chewing Maria Radulescu) with the reluctant help of Luan Ping (Ishai Branday, capable of better than we see here, but he’s one of few actors who seems to be enjoying himself out onstage) and lead by an earnest villager (whose name I’ve already forgotten, sorry) out on a generic “Vulture killed my parents” quest all leading up to a bloated fight scene.

-- jtwiggar, Aisle Pass (http://aislepass.wordpress.com/2014/05/20/theatre-review-taking-tiger-mountain/)

Finally, here's the one line from the one place I was mentioned with some level of critical praise for my tiny role in The Mobtown Players' production of The Spanish Tragedy from this past July (again, 2014):

Ishai Barnoy is always a gift to watch, his weird take on the Duke of Castile (what’s with the hand?) is fun and kind of witty. 

-- Achilles Feels, The Bad Oracle (http://thebadoracle.com/2014/07/25/the-spanish-tragedy-drink-the-haterade/)

And that's pretty much it. I wasn't mentioned at all for Game Show, and The Cook, The Thief, His Wife, and Her Lover has yet to start next week at Canteen. So I guess we'll see what else people think of my acting, as it develops from part to part.

My flickr Page

For those of you who might be interested, I've got a whole bunch of photos from the whole process of Four by Chekhov and Two Suns over Thebes in my flickr photostream. Feel free to check out my flickr page: https://www.flickr.com/photos/ishaibarnoy/.

Short, but Sweet, Review (Featuring, Prominently, Me)

Here it is, the review that really likes me in "Reluctant Tragic Hero":
http://baltimoreguide.com/http:/baltimoreguide.com/russian-comedies-from-150-years-ago-elicit-modern-laughs/.

And here is the relevant snippet:

Ishai Barnoy energetically portrays Tolkachov as a man overcome by nerves and on the verge of cracking, who nevertheless carries on. Barnoy’s performance is excellent; his facial expressions, the register of his voice, and his physical acting style create a whiny yet lovable character with whom most can empathize.

-- Erik Zygmont, Baltimore Guide

Yes, I Found a Highly Critical Review of 4 by Chekhov, too!

I have to say it: I'm first and foremost glad that people even go to a play I'm in, even more so when they write serious reviews of it. Here's one from BroadwayWorld.com, by Mark Squirek, that's not, shall we say, quite sold on my performance:
http://www.broadwayworld.com/baltimore/article/BWW-Reviews-RUSSIAN-REVOLUTION-4-BY-CHEKHOV-by-Guest-Critic-Mark-Squirek-20140310#.UzcqQV5g3TE.

I'll say no more about this review. Please read it for yourself. But I will provide the snippets about me, you know, just to preserve them, in case the site gets taken down, or archived, or something.

=-=-=-=-=

On "The Proposal" (which gets more approving toward the end):

Lomov is, as almost any suitor would be, naturally nervous. And so the excessive movement begins....and seldom stops for the rest of the evening.

When his intended Natasha shows up, the movement slips into overdrive. As Lomov, Barnoy begins to prowl the stage with the unfocused energy of a three year old who has to pee. With none of the odd charm found in a three year old.

At first Natasha anchors herself to a corner of the dining room table on the far right side of the stage. There she sits for the next few minutes as Lomov bobs and weaves in and out of hers space as if he is a boxer deciding whether to finally hit his opponent or just go for a sandwich. One minute Barnoy is over-selling his point one minute and the next, under-selling as he occasionally slips into mumbling.

When Natasha is finally pulled into the action, the piece quickly devolves into a shrieking match between two birds with Barnoy flailing away trying to add a second dimension to his character.

Malkus does the heavy lifting for them both as, even though she is forced to match Barnoy's tone, her Natasha stays logically engaged and true to the idea that inane, furious arguments can grow out of the least likely circumstance.

When Chubukova returns to find out what all the screaming is up to there is no place for Weinert to go with her character except right to the top of the already shattered emotional stratosphere For the next few minutes the actor's seldom stop moving.

Which leads back to the biggest problem of the evening, the excessive movement. That said, when the movement stops, the plays become a joy.

Near the end Natasha and Lomov are alone on the couch. Everything and everyone one is, for a second, finally still. Slowly Natasha begins to rub her stockinged-leg against a pre-occupied Lomov.

And Barnoy and Malkus are absolutely wonderful to watch.

In a few simple gestures Malkus (Natasha) delivers a very-real woman using what she has to manipulate and charm her newfound husband-to-be. A calmed down Barnoy (as Lomov) is perfect as the disorientated suitor. His energy moves to the internal and for the first time we see him think, we see him engaged.

And, on "The Reluctant Tragic Hero" (which rightly applauds Alisa Padon, my partner in this play):

The third one-act, The Reluctant Tragic Hero, features Alisa Padon as Murashkina. Creating a wonderful and understanding foil for the put-upon Tolkachov, Barnoy's second character of the evening.

Just as he had in The Proposal, Barnoy places his character in the world of animation by running back and forth like a monkey on a hotplate. This makes Padon's relatively motionless take on Murashkina even enjoyable as she stands by helplessly filled with equal measure of disbelief and concern.

-- Mark Squirek, BroadwayWorld Reviews

Another Four by Chekhov Review

Here's another nice review of the show:
http://www.dcmetrotheaterarts.com/2014/03/11/4-chekov-fells-point-corner-theatre/.

And here are the snippets about me:

The Proposal
The shrieking in this one-act is unbearable at times because of its shrill pitch and intense volume, but this sketch is by far the funniest of the four. Lomov (Ishai Barnoy) plays a dreadfully nervous lad with a woefully paranoid complex that carries through his physicality and out into his speech. Cherie Weinert as the obstinate and mulish mother is a comic hoot, and that’s a fact! Rounding out the trio is Laura Malkus as the young love interest Natasha. There are outbursts of indignation from Weinert that will make your toes curl while the biting banter between Barnoy and Malkus will keep you gasping for breath between bouts of laughter. All three performers give exceptionally well versed renditions of these heightened and overdramatic characters; playing them to the top of their existences with theatrically heightened hysterics. And all the rest of it is a maniacal roller coaster of shouting, screaming, hilarity well suited for truly exposing the humor in Chekhov’s work. Bring your earplugs and laugh away!

The Reluctant Tragic Hero

While Alisa Padon plays a mostly silent character it is her responses to Ishai Barnoy (as the spastic Tolkachov) that are well worth watching. Barnoy develops a vividly animated character that borders on the edge of lunacy. Using every inch of his body to articulate the stresses of a summer in the country, his limbs become an extension of his vocal exasperation. Watching Barnoy’s constant motion and listening to the continuing increase in his frantic speech is exhausting in the most comic fashion possible. Barnoy even makes monotony sound treacherously fatiguing as he rolls through a segment of his monologue about the humdrum routine in the country without pausing to draw breath. Watching Barnoy’s portrayal of a man at the very last filament of his very frayed and frazzled rope is a good deal more humorous than it ought to be. Keeping pace with Barnoy’s character will be quite the task but it comes with a healthy dose of humor in the process.

-- Amanda Gunther, DC Metro Theater Arts

First Four by Chekhov Review

So Four by Chekhov has gotten reviewed!

Eh, well, I'll spare you my always conflicted overanalysis of the situation. Here it is, a link to the review, for you to click and peruse at your leisure:
http://citypaper.com/arts/stage/crazy-little-thing-called-love-1.1648846.

And here's the snippet about me and my part in the show:

It’s an old-fashioned approach that FPCT handles competently. “The Proposal” plays out like a screwball comedy. Thirty-something Lomov (a delightful Ishai Barnoy) visits his neighbor Chubukova (Cherie Weinert) to ask for her daughter Natasha’s (Laura Malkus) hand in marriage, but once he and Natasha are alone all they can do is bicker wildly about which family owns an unimportant piece of land or whose dog is the best. Barnoy’s gift for funny nervousness returns in “The Reluctant Tragic Hero” as Tolkachov, a husband who stops by the home of Murashkina (Alisa Padon) to ask for a favor: Could she lend him a gun? It’s summer, you see, and summer for a married man means summering outside of the city, which means making a long journey to and from the city every day. And because they’re out in the country, he has to run errands for his wife—and her friends, and the neighbors, and whomever else asks—while he’s in the city. Pick up fabric, stop by the dressmaker, pick up gifts. He has lists as long as his arm, so he wants to borrow a gun just to have a night of rest out in the woods. Murashkina will oblige him, provided he can do something for her; would he mind running a sewing machine out to a friend who is summering at the same lake as he and his wife?

-- Bret McCabe, The Baltimore City Paper

Four by Chekhov, Opening Tonight

Finally, the new play I'm in is set to open. Tonight is opening night. I've got little to say here, except this: So far, the experience of working with these three wonderful actors on these two ridiculous short plays has filled me with an intense satisfaction, a real pleasure of acting. And that's really it. If you're curious to feel the magic yourself, come see the play. Here's the website for the Fells Point Corner Theater, where you can also buy tickets ahead of time, if that's your thing: http://www.fpct.org/.

And now, for your random enjoyment, or your personal preview, or whatever, here are the publicity photos we shot a few weeks ago (with completely different costumes from the ones we'll use in the actual two plays):

1) Here's me with Laura Malkus (left) and Cherie Weinert (center), in "The Proposal":

2) And here's me with Alisa Padon, in "Reluctant Tragic Hero":

Walking Up a Cold City with Contacts On

Here's me finding a piece of my emotional memory under Jones Falls Expressway in Baltimore, MD, February 8th, 2014:

Taken and Edited by Sarah Weissman

Chekhov Rehearsals Starting

Rehearsals for the two short Chekhov plays I'm in are set to start this coming Monday night, with our first read-through. The two plays are "The Proposal" and "A Reluctant Tragic Hero," translated by Paul Schmidt.

"The Proposal," frequently anthologized in a different translation titled "The Marriage Proposal," is a raucous scene for three actors. It interestingly alternates between one, two, and three actors on stage at one time. My part is the young landowner, Lomov, who's come to ask for the hand of his neighbor's daughter in marriage, but, well, that's harder to accomplish than you might think.

In contrast, "A Reluctant Tragic Hero," a scene for two actors, is mostly about one character's gripes, so it mostly becomes a single monologue of the one character complaining. That character is who I'll be playing, Tolkachov, a petty bourgeois office manager.

The interesting thing about these plays, to me, is just how much empathy these characters could plausibly get from the audience. Both Lomov and Tolkachov are, well, whiny. And they both have an awful sense of entitlement. The trick, I suppose, is to play on the intensity and urgency that these characters bring with them. They want the things they want, they need the things they need, and they're going to be as reasonable and as clever as they can be in trying to get these things.

Anyhow, I'm looking forward to these rehearsals, and definitely looking forward to the performances themselves. It's going to be an interesting little minimalist (and partly DIY) dramatic ride. Curious? Come see me in March at the Fells Point Corner Theater.

Me as Tiresias

This is me as Tiresias from last fall's production of Two Suns Over Thebes (Alex Hacker's translation of Euripides's The Bacchae):

Taken by Molly Margulies

At this moment, if I recall correctly, I'm delivering my first real speech -- a short one, and a bit of a tirade. I'm both musing to myself and haranguing Jonathan Jacobs's Cadmus about what dancing and drinking to Dionysus really means -- namely, that ceremony isn't about institution but rather about the meaning that you make within the moment. Now that I think about it, I don't know if Tiresias makes this comment out of a kind of innocence, or with the clear understanding that, following a moment of meaning, there's always fallout, a hangover. But since this is a play about Dionysus, the god of hangovers -- what's more, since Tiresias is well-acquainted with royally fucking up and suffering for it -- it may be safe to say that Tiresias knows well enough what he's talking about.

Serious Close-Up in Jacket and Tie

Here's a picture I took of myself, with my own Canon Rebel, a nice cheap 50mm lens, and decent window light:

Quite nice, I think. And I do say so myself. "Say so myself," what does that expression even mean? I've totally lost track of it, can't pinpoint it right now. But anyway.

Here's a really short story. Someone once asked me, when I offered to take a picture of this someone: You're not a photography person, are you? I was so struck by that question, I didn't know what to say. Not a photography person? I mean, I'm not the best, but I'm alright. Even for my not-too-insignificant experience level, I can do quite a lot with just my kit lens and my 50mm.