"Angry Young Women in Low Rise Jeans with High Class Issues" December 1, 2011

Matt Morillo will direct his "Angry Young Women in Low Rise Jeans with High Class Issues" for Theater for the New City one last time.
Cheeky comedy is a paean to nervous urban goddesses.

WHERE AND WHEN:
December 1 to December 18, 2011
Theater for the New City, 155 First Avenue (at E. 10th Street)
Presented by Theater for the New City
Thursdays through Saturdays at 8:00 PM; Sundays at 7:00 PM
Theater for the New City
$20; box office (212) 254-1109, www.theaterforthenewcity.net or SMARTTIX 212-868-4444/www.smarttix.com.
Runs 1:20; critics are invited on or after December 1.
Show's website: www.angryyoungwomen.net

NEW YORK -- What? You haven't even seen "Angry Young Women in Low Rise Jeans with High Class Issues" even ONCE! This will likely be your last chance, at least under the direction of author Matt Morillo, because Theater for the New City is going to present the laugh fest one last time from December 1 to 18, 2011.

The comedy parades a series of foxy, witty, anxious women who bear the expectations of the world like an itchy muffler. In a series of skits, they go head to head with such issues as Electra complexes, bikini waxes, low-rise jeans, oversexed mothers, thongs, brazen teenagers, men's sexual fantasies, side effects of birth control drugs, mean teenagers on the subway, sympathy sex and the artistic integrity of "blue" independent films.

The play, Morillo's first, has been published by Samuel French, along with Morillo's "All Aboard the Marriage Hearse" (TNC, 2008) and "American Soldiers" (TNC, 2010). The show debuted in the Duo Theater in 2006 and opened at TNC in 2007, followed by an Off-Broadway run at the Players Theater on MacDougal Street, multiple engagements in Hollywood and Sydney (Australia) and three TNC return engagements. After this run, the comedy will have racked up 175 performances over six years.

The cast is a mix of newcomers and "Angry Young Women All Stars," veterans of previous productions including an actress from an Australian production. The actors will be Jessica Durdock Moreno, Zachary Harrison, Jess Loudon (Australia), Peter Buck Dettmann, Chris LaCour, Jon Sprik, Kelly Lockwood, Christine Cartell and Jenni Halina.

PRODUCTION HISTORY OF "ANGRY YOUNG WOMEN..."
In the winter of 2006, writer/director and then-filmmaker Matt Morillo simply wanted to tell some funny stories about relationships and produced "Angry Young Women" as a lark, thinking it would be a one-time thing. The show's success has been attributed to its broad appeal to both sexes.

"Angry Young Women In Low-Rise Jeans With High-Class Issues" premiered at the Duo Theater in New York's East Village January 19 to February 25, 2006 and was revived by Theater for the New City, NYC January 4 to February 24, 2007. An Off Broadway production opened at the Players Theater on MacDougal Street in Greenwich Village on July 12 and closed October 20, 2007. In Sydney, Australia, Stella Green Productions produced 31 performances with an Australian cast and director from August 14 to September 2, 2007 and revived it with 27 performances from January 9 to February 9, 2008. The play was subsequently mounted in Brisbane, Australia from July 9 to 25, 2009 at the Visy Theater. A West Coast production was presented at Hudson Mainstage on Hollywood's Theater Row in October and November, 2008. TNC presented return engagements in 2009 and 2010

Matt Morillo's directorial hand has figured strongly in the success of the play, which was his stage debut. Casting has always been a strong point in Morillo's productions, drawing largely from an ensemble of accomplished comic actors he originally assembled for his films, who have been known throughout his stage career as the KADM SuperStars. Notable among them is Jessica Durdock Moreno, the only member of the 2006 production of "A.Y.W." to appear in Morillo's final one. Moreno also gave distinguished performances in two of Morillo's other plays, "All Aboard the Marriage Hearse" (TNC, 2008) and "The Inventor, The Escort, The Photographer, Her Boyfriend and His Girlfriend" (TNC, January 2011).

Morillo has surprised many for his ability to write expertly for female characters. While he has staged the premieres of all his plays, he has not hogged the director's chair in productions of his most well-known play, "Angry Young Women...," often giving the job to women directors. Its Australian productions were staged by Anzac directors, one of them a woman, and the TNC production in 2010 was also directed by a woman, Bobbi Masters.

P R E S S C U T T I N G S

REVIEWS FROM NYC:
"Matt Morillo, a comedy writer from Long Island, directs his own series of sketches about the conundrums facing contemporary urban hotties – namely, thong underwear, bikini waxes, bad boyfriends, and late feminism….Ironically, the best thing is the pitch-perfect dialogue that Morillo writes for the men in the ladies' lives: mystified young guys in generic jeans who prefer not to think about their issues." -- The New Yorker (Joy Goodwin)

"Angry Young Women is a fearless look at modern womanhood told through a series of comedic vignettes that left the audience both laughing and appalled. Watching this play would be a great outlet for angry young women every where; it embraces all that is crazy, neurotic, hypocritical and vulnerable in our lives. The lovely actresses unleash intense emotional whirlwinds throughout the entire eighty-five minute performance, somehow managing to continually keep the drama humorous….Matt Morillo has written and directed a show that entertains men and women alike. Somehow he has managed to capture private female thoughts and intimate moments with such accuracy that you have to wonder if he had a personal peephole into the ladies room at his local bar. The audience of both men and women laughed with the seven young brazen actors for the majority of the show. The pace, momentum and vigor were unfailing and it was a sexy and shocking night at the theatre - something we could all probably use." -- New York Cool (Shareshten Senior):

CRITIC'S PICK (A MUST SEE) "The Playwright/director seems able to grasp deeply many of these situations…and carve them into often-hilarious comic sketches." -- Backstage (Tom Penketh)

"Brilliant…laughs are to be had throughout…every joke is fast and funny…it is nearly impossible to find a reason not to laugh at this ingenious farce…a truly great piece of theater." -- Offoff Online.com (Timothy John Papp)

"It's like the Carol Burnett show…but with sex!" -- Joey Reynolds, WOR Radio

REVIEWS FROM SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA
"Morillo gets to the core of the most pressing issues plaguing our post-Sex and the City society…Each of the skits is witty, cheeky and all the more hilarious because of characters and experiences that are instantly recognizable….The female characters are beautiful, complex, full of opinions and wavering temperaments. The men are baffled, and the frequent bursts of knowing laughter from blokes in the audience suggest Morillo has drawn his material from common experiences." -- The Daily Telegraph (Alex Lalak)

"Matt Morillo hits the g-spot in…a play that will enrage as equally as it will entertain." -- Sydney Theatre.net

"A very funny show indeed…If the opening-night audience response is anything to go by, it would be a great show for a bunch of girlfriends to see together, and there's plenty for the lads to enjoy too."-- Australian Stage (Jack Teiwes)

"From the opening moments it feels like the Cosmo sealed section grew a mouth and limbs and trotted out onto the stage… takes a no-holds-barred approach to pretty much everything when it comes to talking about sex." -- Australian Stage Online (Helen Barry)

"A balanced, funny and entertaining series of skits and monologues…'Angry Young Women In Low-rise Jeans With High Class Issues has people rolling in the aisles with laughter." -- Aussie Theater.com (Reviewed by Troy Dodds)

REVIEWS FROM LOS ANGELES:
"A cheerfully raunchy show that boasts some hilarious writing…showcases a fearless and funny cast in a sharp production. As a director, Morillo keeps the energy high and the pace fast." -- Daily Variety (Terry Morgan)

"What would normally be described as a 'chick' dilemma, Morillo created an intelligent, sexy-smart play. Not bad for a debut!!" -- Entertainment Today (Mary E. Montoro)

"An excited woman behind me averred 'That was simply the best, the absolute best show I’ve seen' as we huddled out the door. There seemed no lack of laughter through each vignette." -- LA Splash (Robert Petrarca)

ABOUT MATT MORILLO
Originally a filmmaker, born and raised in Hicksville (Long Island), Matt Morillo made an auspicious theatrical debut in 2006 with "Angry Young Women In Low-Rise Jeans With High Class Issues." This play, Morillo's second comedy,"All Aboard the Marriage Hearse" (TNC, 2008) and his family drama, "American Soldiers" (TNC, 2010), have all been published by Samuel French Inc.

Prior to his theatrical shift, Morillo was a fixture on the New York independent film scene for ten years. He debuted at 23 with his romantic comedy, "The Pretenders," a film with a cast of unknowns and a non-existent budget that became an enjoyable, funny and ultimately touching film about twenty-somethings struggling with life's ups and downs. His next project, "Good Tidings," was a fifteen-minute short film about a young girl suffering through her parents' divorce. It received great praise at film festivals for its realism and honesty. His third film, "Maid Of Honor," was a twenty-five minute comedy about a simple guy trying to hook up with the maid of honor at a wedding. It was a hit on the festival circuit, winning three awards and playing to sold-out theaters. (Audiences pleaded for copies of the film).

Theater for the New City has been Morillo's creative home since 2007. He writes, "TNC has afforded me the opportunity that is the dream of every artist. To be able to hone my abilities in an environment where they support, promote, nurture and inspire you to push, grow, and stretch all of your abilities to levels that perhaps even you yourself do not think are possible. Without concern for commercialism or conformity, TNC creates an environment that cannot possibly be described in one word. But I will try to describe in four: creative, daring, progressive and passionate. Actually, I think I can describe TNC in one word: Art!"