Ombelico Mask Ensemble

PRESS

"If you've ever seen Romeo and Juliet and thought, "So wait, the plan to reunite R&J is for Juliet to take a pill that makes her seem so dead she'll be buried in the family crypt, and to let Romeo know about this minor detail by Verona's equivalent of a carrier pigeon??? Come on!" then Ombelico Mask Ensemble's 50 Ways to Kill Your Lover, a commedia dell'arte rendition of Shakespeare's grand tragedy, is right up your alley. A cast of four deliver an ad-libbed, off-the-cuff rendition, playing teenage lust, family rivalry and the Bard's impeccable tragic timing for big slapsticky laughs. ... it's Shakespeare in the Park, it's pay-what-you-can, and it's good fun. I'm thinking of going back for the raunchy show."

- Brian Howard, City Paper

"In its third year at the Fringe, OME is presenting The Power of Magic: An International Commedia for Everyone. The family-friendly show will feature all the classic elements of Commedia (masks, improv, acrobatics), with a twist: each of the three actors will speak in their (different) mother tongues throughout the performance. Although the style of Commedia and the outdoor venue allow folks to enter the action throughout, this is not one of those Fringe things that you’re meant to only see five minutes of."

- Philly 2 Philly

"The company’s mission is to strive for laughter and joy for the audience and the actor alike, a most noble goal at which they succeeded today. This show is really funny. The company can handle the impromptu element well, and you wonder why the choreographed pranks get even funnier with each repetition, but they do. On this chilly late afternoon the troupers performed their high spirited, delightful little frolic on an outdoor platform in the pouring rain -- for an audience that sat in that pouring rain to watch and laugh. Well directed by John V. Bellomo, with an appealing cast. Fine costumes are by Amy Chmielewski."

- Kathryn Osenlund, Curtain Up

"In Ombelico’s hands, the original play’s elaborate plot is pushed to hilarious extremes, as Romeo (Zeb West) takes invisibility pills and Juliet (Colleen Hughes) chases Valium. True to the Commedia dell’arte tradition, Romeo and Juliet are surrounded by recognizable stock characters: Doctora Isadora Bora Alice (Gwen Rooker), a “know-everythingologist” with bushy brows and a medicine-stick, and Tybaltini Wini Fettuccini (Kristin Schier), a macho swordsman who’s the only one to speak with an Italian accent. But even as the players meet the conventions of Commedia dell’arte, the famous lovers develop some contemporary tics, eating hot dogs to calm their nerves and collecting tchotchkes in their rooms. This mixture of contemporary culture, Shakespeare, and Commedia dell’arte seemed to work, and there was more than polite laughter from the crowd of spectators sitting in lawn chairs and the grass. The late-night show, which included some ribald improvisation, went over especially well."

- Jake Gillis, The Spirit Newspaper


HOME ABOUT WORKS PRESS CONTACT	PRESS "If you've ever seen Romeo and Juliet and thought, "So wait, the plan to reunite R&J is for Juliet to take a pill that makes her seem so dead she'll be buried in the family crypt, and to let Romeo know about this minor detail by Verona's equivalent of a carrier pigeon??? Come on!" then Ombelico Mask Ensemble's 50 Ways to Kill Your Lover, a commedia dell'arte rendition of Shakespeare's grand tragedy, is right up your alley. A cast of four deliver an ad-libbed, off-the-cuff rendition, playing teenage lust, family rivalry and the Bard's impeccable tragic timing for big slapsticky laughs. ... it's Shakespeare in the Park, it's pay-what-you-can, and it's good fun. I'm thinking of going back for the raunchy show." - Brian Howard, City Paper "In its third year at the Fringe, OME is presenting The Power of Magic: An International Commedia for Everyone. The family-friendly show will feature all the classic elements of Commedia (masks, improv, acrobatics), with a twist: each of the three actors will speak in their (different) mother tongues throughout the performance. Although the style of Commedia and the outdoor venue allow folks to enter the action throughout, this is not one of those Fringe things that you’re meant to only see five minutes of." - Philly 2 Philly "The company’s mission is to strive for laughter and joy for the audience and the actor alike, a most noble goal at which they succeeded today. This show is really funny. The company can handle the impromptu element well, and you wonder why the choreographed pranks get even funnier with each repetition, but they do. On this chilly late afternoon the troupers performed their high spirited, delightful little frolic on an outdoor platform in the pouring rain -- for an audience that sat in that pouring rain to watch and laugh. Well directed by John V. Bellomo, with an appealing cast. Fine costumes are by Amy Chmielewski." - Kathryn Osenlund, Curtain Up "In Ombelico’s hands, the original play’s elaborate plot is pushed to hilarious extremes, as Romeo (Zeb West) takes invisibility pills and Juliet (Colleen Hughes) chases Valium. True to the Commedia dell’arte tradition, Romeo and Juliet are surrounded by recognizable stock characters: Doctora Isadora Bora Alice (Gwen Rooker), a “know-everythingologist” with bushy brows and a medicine-stick, and Tybaltini Wini Fettuccini (Kristin Schier), a macho swordsman who’s the only one to speak with an Italian accent. But even as the players meet the conventions of Commedia dell’arte, the famous lovers develop some contemporary tics, eating hot dogs to calm their nerves and collecting tchotchkes in their rooms. This mixture of contemporary culture, Shakespeare, and Commedia dell’arte seemed to work, and there was more than polite laughter from the crowd of spectators sitting in lawn chairs and the grass. The late-night show, which included some ribald improvisation, went over especially well." - Jake Gillis, The Spirit Newspaper	JOIN DONATE