Your cart is currently empty!
A Picture’s Worth Five Dollars
The Barstow School
Show Information:
The Barstow School
Disturbing the Peace. Assault. Police. Utility Belts. Liberty. Laser Pointers. A Homeless Ghost. A Tutu’d Fairy. This original satire promises to excite, humor, intrigue, entertain, and ask the questions. When an immigrant in an arachnid superhero costume is arrested, a bitter feud between the boys in blue, tourists, and costumed characters arises. Deceit, visions, mockery, revolution, and disaster ensue. How do the persecuted act when the whole world is watching? Photos with costumed characters are free. Tipping is optional. If you have any complaints, talk to a police officer or call 911.
Venue
Unicorn Theatre – Jerome Stage
3828 Main Street
Kansas City, MO 64108
Show Times
July 21 – Friday – 8:00pm
July 23 – Sundy – 3:30pm
July 25 – Tuesday – 6:30pm
July 28 – Friday – 9:30pm
Category
Theatre
Runtime
60 Minutes
Rating
All Ages
Comments
4 responses to “A Picture’s Worth Five Dollars”
The modern-day trials and tribulations of making a living in Times Square as a costumed character. Props and costumes do a good job of establishing the environment and characters. A bit over acted, but impossibly charming. While not the most subtle the show is surprisingly artistic. Well done and thoroughly enjoyable.
Had possibilities but really never tied it together. The message was unclear.
A Picture’s Worth Five Dollars, performed by the engaging thespians of The Barstow School, delivers on its promise to excite, intrigue, and entertain. The action centers on Times Square, NYC, where costumed performers work for tips from visiting tourists. This leads to personal and political confrontations and crises.
The set is effective, with some sly visual jokes, and is skillfully changed between scenes by the actors themselves. The podcasts are quite funny–though clearly intended as satire, they may be too close to reality in this hyper-partisan world.
The superhero and fantasy-characters reveal themselves and their real-life situations in poignant ways. The bonds of friendship hold and, in perhaps a conclusion a bit too Mr. Roberts, all conflicts end in peace in this Times Square neighborhood.
This production is heading to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, the first, and oldest at 70-years this year. Break a leg, Barstow!
This show earns a three out of ten from me. The show has several scenes evolve around costumed characters, such as Batman and Spiderman, who try to make a living in NYC by soliciting tips for posing with tourists in pictures. There are a couple of good scenes that question how we treat immigrants and what is a “real” job. It also looks at the relationship of police to the community. The problem was that many of the scenes were just too silly. This was performed by Barstow students. It was a great effort on their part, but their inexperience still made it seem amateurish. I think some of the student performers definitely show promise and are sure to improve with more experience.