Less Than Rent is a theater company that is self-described as creating "dynamic and dangerous theatre"...and they certainly did just that with Fuck Marry Kill. This epic take on the suburban malaise of bored rich high schoolers in Connecticut is a wildly ambitious project that sometimes feels like they have bitten off more than they can chew, but you kinda enjoy watching the overeating. The courage it takes to put up a show like this is staggering and, for the most part, the creative team has triumphantly pulled it off in overwhelmingly fresh and exciting piece of theater.
5 Reasons You Should See It
1. Sash Bischoff's direction. Embracing Less Than Rent's philosophy, Sash does NOT fuck around. She never lets the audience catch their breath, which is no small feat considering the show's run time of almost three hours. Extremely loud music and visceral scenes involving sex, drugs, and violence assault your senses reminding you of the constant hormonal horrors of teenage life. With Fuck Marry Kill, Sash proves she is a director to look out for in a big way!
2. Robbie Collier Sublett. Robbie is a tremendous actor who plays a slacker with an underlying sadness that is breathtakingly nuanced and powerful. This dude is very clearly a future megastar who isn't afraid to go IN. It takes a lot to stand out in a gifted ensemble of 12 (see below), but Robbie knocks it out of the goddamned park with a monologue about wanting to escape the town he was born in as quickly as he can.
3. James Presson's writing. This is a dude with a big bright future as a playwright. There are so many movies, tv shows, and plays about suburban America, but writing about it satirically through the lens of a classical tragedy (complete with incest, rampant betrayal, and murder!) is a brilliant move. Even better? His dialogue could not get more raw and real, pulling off the seemingly impossible: writing a play with characters that actually talk like American teenagers talk in 2017.
Photos: Russ Rowland
4. There are no weak links in a cast of 12. This is a really big deal. You rarely see such a large group of young and fresh actors who are this gifted, with each one outshining the next...scene after scene! Almost every single person in the energetic cast seems poised to be the next big thing.
5. Tickets are only $25...and $18 if you're under 30. Simply by pricing tickets low, Less Than Rent is hitting the nail on the head with attracting the kind of audience that will be into their style of fresh and exciting theater. NYC needs a lot more of this kind of really good affordable theater!
Meet the cast of Fuck Marry Kill by playing...well, Fuck Marry Kill...with them here.
Runs until November 12.