The Joy Wheel by Ian McRae Directed by Jason Alexander
“Brilliantly acted. Jason Alexander smoothly and sure-handedly directs…one of the most effective opening, introductory scenes” – Broadway World
“Hilarious comedy…ending in a beautifully heartfelt way. Riveting ensemble, the takeaway will resonate long after play’s end” – Stage and Cinema
“Sexy, and hysterical comedy which will entertain and delight. Talented actor/director Jason Alexander keeps the laughs coming and the tale unraveling with gusto. Never a dull moment…excellent cast” – LA Splash
“A terrific, raucous comedy filled with vividly written characters that conjure up memories of the best of Neil Simon, seasoned with whiffs of the head-butting “Honeymooners,” and served up with delicious, outrageous sexual frankness by Jason Alexander’s superb direction” – Paul Myrvold/Theatre Notes
Life is changing for Frank and Stella. On the day of Frank’s retirement party, this once loving and simple couple find themselves pulled in different directions as the winds of change blow through Joy, Illinois. The world is not what it was. Joy is not what it was. Stella is shaken, but inspired, by her best friend becoming a liberated, sexualized, independent woman, while Frank decides to emulate his doomsday prepper friend by building an underground bunker that once was the family swimming pool. It’s as if all of them are riding the Joy Wheel, hanging on to someone else so they can stay their ground.
Ian McRae’s popular play, The Alamo, debuted at the Ruskin in 2017, continuing with two extensions and running for almost three months. Ian was a member of Cucaracha Theatre in NYC where several of his plays have been produced. He apprenticed with Sanford Meisner and has taught at The Neighborhood Playhouse School Of The Theatre in New York. “While The Joy Wheel is fun and funny, it is also about people who find themselves losing connection and confidence in the lives they have built,” says director Jason Alexander. “They desperately reach out to find something that helps them feel safe and secure. It feels like a reflection of what so many people are experiencing in these divisive, uncivil times. I very much wanted to be part of the journey that these characters take in finding something better. Ian has written a beautiful play and I’m thrilled to be a part of its world premiere.” Jason Alexander directed the Los Angeles premiere of The God of Hellat at the Geffen Playhouse, Native Gardens at the Pasadena Playhouse, Broadway Bound at the Odyssey Theatre, and the world premiere of Windfall at Arkansas Rep. His feature film directing credits include, “For Better Or Worse” and “Just Looking.” Jason won a Country Music Award for his direction of Brad Paisley’s “Online” video. TV directing credits include, Seinfeld, Criminal Minds, Everybody Hates Chris, and Mike and Molly. He served as the Artistic Director of Reprise where he directed Damn Yankees, The Fantasticks and Sunday in the Park with George. When not directing, he has occasionally tried acting.
In the close confines of The Ruskin Theatre, the cast as an ensemble delivers performances of indelible truth. It is breathtaking theatre at its very best.
-Paul Myrvold’s Theater Notes
THE ALAMO began previews February 16, 2018 and closes May 12th after 3 extensions. The show ran to capacity for 95% of the performances.
In the blue collar Bay Ridge section of Brooklyn sits a rundown neighborhood institution called The Alamo; the last great American bar. The owners, Munce and Carmen, along with some of their regulars watched, from the roof, as the World Trade Towers fell, taking down their relatives, friends, and neighbors. Today, with an aging clientele, the place is fighting to keeps it’s doors open and the only hope seems to be the arrival of artist/gentrifiers who are moving into the neighborhood and wanting to adopt the bar as an entertainment hangout. Bay Ridge locals and Alamo regulars don’t want to surrender their bar, much less their neighborhood, to these young neo-carpetbaggers without a fight. Touching on themes of, nativism, racism, and war, The Alamo paints a humorous yet heartbreaking portrait of eight working class Bay Ridge natives who always seem to find themselves on the front lines of change in America.
‘The Alamo’ is led by Brooklyn Native, Film/TV Vet Bobby Costanzo and Eileen Galindo with Tim True, Milica Govich, Julia Arian, Jack Merrill, Nancy Georgini & John Lacy
“McRae’s language is polished to a tee, words sculpted to a perfection worthy of Michelangelo. Joey (Bobby Costanzo) and Carmen (Eileen Galindo), and by association the other dramatis personae in ‘The Alamo’, join a rare club of truly memorable characters in the catalogue of American dramaturgy, and I am seriously talking about Eugene O’Neill, Arthur Miller, Tennessee Williams, Lorraine Hansberry, Tony Kushner. I predict a rich future for this play and the people who inhabit it” – People’s World
“Terrific! Deft dialogue, vivid characterizations and resonant emotionalism.” – F. Kathleen Foley-LA Times
“THE ALAMO, a world premiere play by Ian McRae, directed by Kent Thompson, which has been so popular at the Ruskin that performances have been selling out for months…incredibly well-drawn characters expertly performed by an outstanding cast, there is no doubt THE ALAMO will continue to sell out.” – Shari Barrett-BroadwayWorld
“Humorous yet heartbreaking”- Santa Monica Mirror
“Must see! Outstanding piece of theatre…it’s funny, touching, and at times heartbreaking. A beautifully written and acted play”- The LA Beat
“A timely, funny and thoroughly entertaining evening. Brilliantly directed…succinctly written and impressively performed” – Will Call
“It is breathtaking theatre at its very best. Splendid new play” – Theatre Notes
“Highly recommend” – Charles Andres- Santa Monica Daily Press
“These are not characters from a play – but folks walking around the neighborhood and stopping by the local gin mill for a quick one.” – Elaine Mura-Splash Magazine
“Once you see THE ALAMO you will have no doubt as to why performances are selling out. Get your tickets ASAP. Outstanding cast…”hidden gem” of a theater on the Westside” – Broadway World
A “hidden gem” on the Westside due to the quality of casting and technical brilliance on display in such an intimate space. Such is the case in THE ALAMO…which has been so popular at the Ruskin that performances have been selling out for months. Well-drawn characters expertly performed by an outstanding cast” – Culver City News
“Lots of laughs. Playwright Ian McRae has nailed it…a fascinating glimpse at how the salt-of-the-earth locals deal with death, envy, love, and stress”- LA Splash
“Exceptional performers…deft dialogue, vivid characterizations. A fresh and dynamic playwright who writes from the heart, and who evokes a heartfelt response from us in turn” – LA Times
“Must see! Outstanding piece of theatre…it’s funny, touching, and at times heartbreaking. A beautifully written and acted play”- The LA Beat
“It is breathtaking theatre at its very best. Splendid new play…the cast as an ensemble delivers performances of indelible truth” – Theatre Notes
“Director Kent Thompson creates a tantalizing rapport among the patrons, creating a free-flowing intimacy that appears to be forged by the years of mutual travails, star-crossed romances, racial and ethnic tensions… noteworthy” – Stage Raw
“A timely, funny and thoroughly entertaining evening. Brilliantly directed…succinctly written and impressively performed” – Will Call
Broadway World:
Broadway World:
Culver City News (same as Broadway World):http://www.culvercitynews.org/the-alamo-the-only-way-to-survive-any-battle-is-to-never-surrender-your-self/
Curtain Up: http://www.curtainup.com/alamola18.html
Hollywood nRevealed: http://www.hollywoodrevealed.com/a-fight-well-fought-at-the-alamo-now-running-at-ruskin-group-theatre/
LA Times: http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/arts/la-et-cm-alamo-play-review-20180302-story.html
LA Splash: http://splashmagazines.com/index.php/2018/02/27/the-alamo-review-a-poplar-tree-grows-in-brooklyn/
Santa Monica Mirror: https://smmirror.com/2018/02/alamo-open-santa-monicas-ruskin-theater-february-24-2018/
http://stageraw.com/2018/03/22/the-alamo-theater-review/=
Theatre Notes: https://paulmyrvoldstheatrenotes.wordpress.com/2018/03/04/the-alamo-at-the-ruskin-group-theatre/
Will Call: http://willcall.org
The Alamo the NYC Neighborhood Playhouse reading.
New York reading. Cast from left to right. Ian McRae, Brianna Reis, Camryn Manheim, Reed Birney, Eileen Galindo, Michael Rispoli, Chuck Montgomery, Bryan Callen, Alyssa Bresnahan (not pictured)
Before the Crash
