Colin Quinn: The New York Story
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Cititour.com Review
With his slightly ramshackle, almost matter-of-fact delivery, comedian Colin Quinn can make statements that would seem horribly outrageous coming out of his colleague's mouths seem merely observational -- which is one big reason why his latest solo show, "Colin Quinn: The New York Story," at the Cherry Lane Theatre, works so well. What Quinn delivers for just over a hour is essentially a long series of ethnic stereotypes loosely strung together to explain Gotham's four-centuries-old history of immigration. And yes, what he tells us about the basic characteristics of the Irish, Italians, Germans, Jews, Blacks, etc, is indeed easily recognizable (whether you're a member of that particular group or not),. But since Quinn doesn't have an ounce of malice in his voice (although there is sarcasm in abundance, as well as more-than-healthy smattering of four-letter words), his particular brand of humor isn't at all offensive It's just extremely funny.
Pacing across Sara Walsh's sparsely-decorated stage, with both numerous countries' flags and a variety of laundry hanging above it, Quinn has that guy next-door persona down pat. And under Jerry Seinfeld's almost invisible direction, Quinn seems like your friendly, slightly loquacious neighbor, shooting the breeze, and making us feel almost conspiratorial in his dissection of these various ethnic cultures. While it might really help to be middle-aged or more to truly share in Quinn's memories of growing up in New York, I saw plenty of 20somethings laughing uproariously.
It really doesn't matter when if you aren't old enough to remember the pre-Guiliani-era Times Square (which Quinn freely admits was a dangerous hellhole), never mind the era in which Quinn directed friends to his house by telling them it was down the block from "the Puerto Rican apartment building." You get the joke! Then again, there probably wasn't a person in the house who was too young to appreciate his surprisingly sharp comment about how the homicide detectives on "Law & Order" are shocked week after week when they discover a murder victim.
The show actually has a fair share of food for thought, like when Quinn points out how the iPhone app Siri has essentially eliminated the "need" for that neighborhood guy you could count on to give anyone directions to anywhere (while also making fun of you at the same time). But "The New York Story" isn't a completely nutritious meal. To use the theme of the show, it's sort of like Chinese food. You're plenty satisfied while it goes down, but you're hungry two hours later.
By Brian Scott Lipton
Visit the Site
http://www.cherrylanetheatre.org/onstage/colin-quinn-the-new-york-story/
Cast
Colin Quinn
Open/Close Dates
Opening 7/9/2015
Closing 1/31/2016
Box Office
212.989.2020
Theatre Info
Cherry Lane Theatre
38 Commerce Street
New York, NY 10014
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