Mary of the Avenue

Fringe festivals tend to skew towards the youthful end of the theater-going spectrum, for a lot of reasons – experimental material, anything-goes dialog, and low ticket prices, to name just a few. Nothing wrong with that – but it’s nice to run across a fringe production that caters to more conventional theatrical sensibilities from time to time. “Mary Of The Avenue” is a traditional “book” musical set amongst New York City’s homeless community. Granted, that’s not particularly attractive fodder for a light and frothy evening at the theater. But it is laced with the kind of pathos and recurring crises that provide a sturdy foundation for a good story. Mary is a middle-aged woman of the streets, living on her wits, and out of a shopping ... full review

My husband Emmet and I were privileged to be at your performance Friday evening. We are new friends of Mary Ellen Gridley and were delighted to see her awesome acting, singing, and dancing. I just found your website for Theatre Americana with your contact information, and wanted to drop you a note to let you all know how impressed we were with the talent and professionalism of everyone in the show. In spite of the fact that it was chilly in the venue, we thoroughly enjoyed the play, loved all the music, and had a wonderful evening. We look forward to having another opportunity to see you all again in a different performance. Please pass on our thanks to all members of the cast and best wishes for success in future endeavors. ... full review

Such a beautiful show! :) I am so glad I could catch that one. It should be a classic, every performer interpreting a homless was touching and conveyed warmth and depth to the subject, all the other actors were wonderful as well and the music and lyrics made me leave the theater singing in my head. Beautiful and heartfelt. Absolutely loved it :)... full review

I really enjoyed this production "mary of the Avenue". The cast was strong, songs were memorable and the book had quite the tale to tell. It was bittersweet coming out of a show having to "think so much". The play deals with homelessness and mental illness and how it affects their family members. I thoroughly enjoyed the show and how thought provoking it was/is.... full review

There's one thing about MARY OF THE AVENUE - it makes you think about those folks that you drive by or walk by almost every day on the street - and don't really see. That's a very good thing! Mary and her 'peeps' are PEOPLE. You find yourself wondering who they are - how they got there - will they ever be anywhere else? In some cases, you find out - the rest is left to your imagination . . . Having seen the show prior to its FRINGE debut, I have to say I preferred the richness of the prior production, rather than the 'streamlined' version here at FRINGE. Lovely little bits of business have given way to a more stylized ensemble - but they still manage to show us who they are! Mary Ellen Gridley simply IS Mary. Marianne Davis Rago pla... full review