More reviews! This time, the critics weigh in on "Die"

Enjoy the review, below, from Ratt Fink Magazine (we know we did)!

Have you ever faced a difficult decision and wondered what it would be like to leave the solution to the fates? And I don’t mean the “sit around until things work themselves out” fates, although we’ve all done that too, but the “roll the dice and do whatever they say” fates. Joe Kurtz has, and wrote a play about it, clarifying once and for all the wonders of stress-free decision-making for the less adventurous humans. No balls? No problem! Just roll the die and do what it says - let the universe guide your way.

His play DIE, Directed by Christian De Gre, begins well enough for our guileless roommate duo George and Rob – sitting around a table in their nondescript city rental apartment playing Risk with George’s girlfriend. When she leaves him in a fit of neglected womanly rage, George decides to ask the fates of Risk to hand him a decision, assigning an action to each side. In a fit of ingenuity, Kurtz decided to let the audience cast the duo’s lot by rolling the die (seriously, guys, it feels a little like playing God). After an hour filled with awkward situations, dirty humor, pop culture references, crazy landlords, Risk-obsessed roommates and a stage manager resembling a talking Silent Bob, the small cast of six won me over. The possibilities are all but endless, and because the audience chooses the outcome of any given situation or scenario by rolling a die, there are many situations and endings you won’t see (but wish you had). Kurtz adapts a Chrono Trigger-esque technique of play-writing (I mean seriously, has ANYONE seen all the endings to that bloody game?), ensuring continuity by welcoming curious audience members back for an encore. Kurtz, next time use a Dungeons & Dragons die. It has more sides.

Without giving away too much more, I’d like to congratulate Rob (played by Justin Anselmi) and Griselda (played by Robb Moreira) for being the stars of the show. The $15 price ticket is worth it just to see Moreira in drag as a crazy Latina landlady and watch Anselmi’s stage antics as he trips around in Guitar Hero jammies and a military hat. The rest of the crew, George (played by Joe Kurtz), Kate (played by Amanda Kay Schill), Stage Manager (played by David Williams) and Police Voice (played by Joe Reese) maintain the misadventurous hilarity well.

The play is presented by Mind The Art Entertainment in a small experimental theater on E 4^thStreet in Manhattan called “La Mama.” DIE is part of Mind the Art Anthology, a series of three performances encompassing musical theater, comedic looks at philosophy and political performance art, celebrating Ellen Stewart, the founder’s, 90^thbirthday. DIE will be performed once again on Saturday, April 3^rd at 10 P.M.