Rip Tide
A New Play Written & Performed by Edgar Oliver
Directed by Randall Sharp
October 4-28, 2023Wednesdays - Saturdays at 8PM
Adults: $40; Seniors/Students: $20; Artists/Under 30: $10 | Veterans & Active U.S. Service Members and Their Families, FREE
Edgar Oliver has been a fixture of the downtown New York theatre scene for over three decades. Axis Theatre Company has served as an incubator and theatrical home for this beloved performer, poet, and storyteller. In deep collaboration with Axis Theatre Company founder Randy Sharp, Oliver has created a body of work that Hilton Als of The New Yorker has described as so beautiful so enthralling in its undisguised but never tedious self-absorption, in its command of the spoken word, and in its demand for love.
But how did Edgar begin his epic life as a performer? When he was twenty-three, he found the PYRAMID CLUB. This long-gone ghost of Avenue A became a home for all artists and outcasts, and the first stage Edgar ever performed on in the city. In the dark recesses of this magic theatre Edgar found the voice that brought all the sorrow and glory, the solitude and companionship of his early life into the hearts of his audience. The PYRAMID CLUB created the beautiful, heart-broken and triumphant person he is today.
RIP TIDE will be performed with live, original music by Paul Carbonara that mirrors the strange and complex world of The PYRAMID CLUB and Edgar's place in it.
But how did Edgar begin his epic life as a performer? When he was twenty-three, he found the PYRAMID CLUB. This long-gone ghost of Avenue A became a home for all artists and outcasts, and the first stage Edgar ever performed on in the city. In the dark recesses of this magic theatre Edgar found the voice that brought all the sorrow and glory, the solitude and companionship of his early life into the hearts of his audience. The PYRAMID CLUB created the beautiful, heart-broken and triumphant person he is today.
RIP TIDE will be performed with live, original music by Paul Carbonara that mirrors the strange and complex world of The PYRAMID CLUB and Edgar's place in it.
writer/performer: Edgar Oliver
director: Randall Sharp
music director: Paul Carbonara
stage manager: Regina Betancourt
asst. stage manager: Laurie Kilmartin
light designer: David Zeffren
assistant light designer: Amy Harper
sound design: Paul Carbonara
costume designer: Karl Ruckdeschel
asst. director: Andrew Dawson
website & graphic designer: Ethan Crenson
publicity/PR: Everyman Agency
AXIS COMPANY
Artistic Director - Randall Sharp
Producing Director - Brian Barnhart
Executive Producer - Jeffrey Resnick
guitar: Paul Carbonara
cello: Sam Quiggins
piano: Yonatan Gutfeld
Running Time is approximately 60 minutes.
Late seating and re-entry cannot be permitted due to the layout of the theatre.
Masks are encouraged but not mandatory at this time.
Late seating and re-entry cannot be permitted due to the layout of the theatre.
Masks are encouraged but not mandatory at this time.
“Edgar Oliver turns memory into a haunted amusement park, full of living shadows, with himself as presiding ghost. His quietly ravishing new performance piece... conjures the heyday of the fabled Pyramid Club. ”
—Ben Brantley, formerly of The New York Times
“Stylishly directed by Randall Sharp, the piece foregrounds Oliver as a particularly gripping storyteller, which he is. The characters swim up to us in Oliver's vivid recollections. Sharp is one of the most consistent directors working in New York, with an instantly recognizable style that employs muscular sound design and precise lighting, with few visual frills or distractions. It works beautifully in 'Rip Tide', pulling us into Oliver's world of memory and solitude. This is the best kind of black-box magic.”
“Master storyteller Edgar Oliver returns to the beginning of his oratory skills in 'Rip Tide', the latest of his deeply personal solo show... another gripping monologue... the narrative focuses not only on the creation of art but on innocence and loneliness.”
—THIS WEEK IN NEW YORK
“Like a flower slowly opening its petals to reveal its beauty, 'Rip Tide'... carefully and beautifully unfolds... It is a play of discovery, through memory... Gently, generously directed by Randall Sharp, 'Rip Tide' is a contemplative poetic evening of a theatrical performance piece that looks back for answers to understand today.
”
—Front Row Center
“Edgar Oliver's "RIP TIDE" continues in his chronicling of the vibrant Downtown scene of the 80's...this is a play that we can all relate to, as we try and navigate through life and love..."Rip Tide" will rip your heart out! Don't miss it!”
—Hi! Drama
“...refreshingly amiable... ever the master storyteller... refreshingly jovial... (Oliver) looks back at his own innocence and budding sexuality... his touching and at times amusing stories of his formative time at the Pyramid Club are fondly and wistfully remembered.”
—Interludes
