Muppet Dictators

Mel: El?

El: Yes, Mel?

Mel: What are we doing in this picture?

El: We're being interviewed on the red carpet at The Miss Fag Hag Pageant.

Mel: Right.

El: You look really happy!

Mel: I just kept smiling because I couldn't hear a word they were saying. You look cute.

El: I look like a little muppet dictator - with my boots and my studded belt....

Mel: Well, I didn't wanna say but... You know what else?

El: What?

Mel: It's good that we put our first names on our shirts, but maybe we should also put our last names.

El: Why?

Mel: Because reviewers can't seem to spell my last name....Eldelman? Adlestein? Jewish-berg-owitz?

El: Stop complaining. It's just nice to be reviewed.

Mel: You're right, El. I love that you always look on the bright side. What would I do without you?

El: Sit in a dark room and talk to yourself?

Mel: Correct.

Please enjoy our review blurbs.

Then click HERE to buy tickets to SHOW & TELL! Only 7 shows left!

“Mel & El seem ready for prime time...the outrageous duo are letting it rip in their new musical comedy show.” - Frank Scheck, The New York Post

“MEL & EL is a hoot...and it hooks you all the more with its alt-rock score. The sensibility of Adelman & Dvorkin isn't just to skip down memory lane but to cut up. It's for them to be their irreverent, disgusting, idiosyncratic, devoted selves.” - Leonard Jacobs, Backstage

“...a totally charming little musical.... MEL & EL: SHOW & TELL grabbed me by the ovaries the minute I walked into Ars Nova. I don’t want to give away any of the outrageous surprises this imaginative little show dishes up, but suffice it to say it’s a girl-culture bonanza that totally affirms why keeping close to your best friend is the best decision a confused 30-something city gal can make.” - Bust Magazine

“...shows like MEL & EL: SHOW & TELL are arguably more necessary than ever. During a time in which writing a story about female friendship and singlehood is likely to be met with more than a few eye rolls, exploring the emotional shades of gray in what it means to be a woman takes creative guts. This is exactly what Mel and El does, in a rowdy, heartfelt, and endearing production. ...But unlike so many tales about single women, the work encourages us to find comfort in what we already have—and find hilarity in both our secret desires and our shortcomings.” - Laura Palotie, OOBR

People Say Nice Things

Would you just look at this lovely thing that was written about us on www.cabaretexchange.com...

Latest News - Comedy Team: Mel & El
Written by Scott Barbarino

"Cabaret has a long history of presenting great comedy teams:

Nichols & May
Wallem & Tolan
Kathy & Mo
DeLaria & Strobel
Amsterdam & Price
Baus & Troche
With the exception of Nichols & May, who were a bit before my time, I've seen all of the comedy duos mentioned above perform in the intimacy of a cabaret venue.

Now add Mel & El whose show at the Duplex I finally had the pleasure of seeing last week. Check out Cabaret Exchange reviewer Bisanne Masoud's review of this show, then get to one of their upcoming performances. They are a TREAT!! "

Above: Mel & El with Scott Barbarino of CabaretExchange.com

Cellulite-Thigh-Slappingly Funny

Mel: We got reviewed in Backstage!

El: I know. And it was GOOD!

 

Mel: It was so good, I'm gonna read it again...

Mel & El: This Show Rhymes
December 27, 2007
By David Finkle

Now that the big-screen Sex and the City shooting has wrapped, maybe well-known bosom buddies Sarah Jessica Parker and Kim Cattrall are thinking the best way to remain in each other's company is to put an act together. If so, what they come up with could look a lot like what 30-something childhood friends Ellie Dvorkin (the Carrie Bradshaw type) and Melanie Adelman (the Samantha Jones type) are doing for laugh meters in their often hilarious Mel & El: This Show Rhymes, well directed by Kimberly Stern, now in the middle of a crowd-pleasing Duplex Cabaret Theatre gig run.

Certainly "Get Out" (Dvorkin-Evan Toth) — a ditty in which they declare their no-strings-attached attitude toward sex with as many Mr. Right Nows as they can seduce — reflects Samantha's philosophy to a T. Their frankness about contemporary boy-girl, girl-girl, and boy-boy relationships gallops through their songs and snappy patter. Although not every number (melodies by a cadre of composers) is a solid click, no one could take much objection to "I Don't Look Like This" (Dvorkin-Stern), in which frilly-dressed, "itty bitty titty committee" El confesses her appearance is a triumph of illusion. Also connecting is the propulsive "Fagnet" (Adelman-Dvorkin-Noah Diamond-Amanda Sisk), where the longtime pals reject the term "fag hag" for their sexy selves but explain the word they have coined for their gay-male appeal.

Ever since the feminist movement kicked in, a campaign among women to achieve not only salary parity but also sexual parity has been waged. Throughout their show — which also has plenty to say about female bonding — Mel and El let it be known they're as libidinous as the next guy. So occasionally they stake their equality with language once reserved for sailors on leave, and it's merely vulgarity for vulgarity's sake. But just as frequently, they're cellulite-thigh-slappingly funny.

Mel: He really wrote nice things. 
 

El: Do you think people will read the things and come to the show?

Mel: Yes. They will read the things and then click here to make a reservation for our show THIS SATURDAY NIGHT AT 9:30!

El: They will! And when they click here they will enter the code "EXTRA VULGARITY" into the phone number box for a buy one, get one free ticket deal!

Mel: Vulgarity sells, doesn't it?

El: Hells yeah - people go see "Spring Awakening" just for the boobies and tushies.

Mel: I heart David Finkle. 

El: And he hearts you.

Carrie and Samantha,

Mel & El

Reviewed!

Dear Friends of Mel & El,

This is just about the best thing we've ever seen in print:

Mel & El at The Duplex

Written by Bisanne Masoud

Wednesday, 17 October 2007

Let me begin by saying that any show that rhymes "Barack Obama" with "stuffed toy llama" is a damn good show. Actually, my review could end right here. What else is in the show? Some other funny shit? Well, I don't care, because that's brilliant. And if you think that's amazing (and it is) then you'll love Mel & El: This Show Rhymes. And if you don't, then you can stop reading now, and go do something boring. Because this 75-minute show is as delicious as the cocktail that came with it. Mel and El begins by explaining to the audience what the show is not. And although I'm sure there is no confusion, and nobody actually thought the show they were about to see would feature opera singers, or chefs, or mad scientists, the sentiment is clear: this show won't cure cancer, but one thing it does, and quite cleverly, is rhyme. And they're right. This show is clever. It also rhymes. And it's fantastic. Melanie Adelman and Ellie Dvorkin were childhood friends, then grew apart, went to school, and eventually reconnected in New York City, both the product of extensive theatre educations. And then they created this show. A show about two best friends living in New York City is one thing, but one of the things that makes this show special is the welcome addition of anecdotes and reminiscences from Mel and El's childhood friendship. A couple of highlights include their propensity as kids for making commercials for fake feminine products, and the introduction of the "Jelf," a Jewish Christmas Elf. Other high points are the song Roommates, which caused my roommate and I to laugh so hard we cried (and we'd only had half a cocktail at that point, so that's not the reason) and Fagnet, which if you make the mistake of listening to on the show's MySpace page, you will be humming. All. Day. Long. As my friend Alexis would say (and she's a total Fagnet) "that's kind of amazing." Besides being riotously funny, Mel & El is also genuinely touching. This show features two women who were best friends when they were twelve, and in spite of some years apart, are now best friends again at thirty. In the New York City I live in, this is a lovely, rare thing. So despite its bawdy humor, there is something innately innocent about Mel & El. These two appear to be having a really good time, and the fun is infectious. It's a happy show; you will leave feeling better than when you arrived. And I don't know anyone who couldn't do with a little cheering up these days. Now, I have to say, as a former theatre student, twenty-something single woman with a roommate living in New York City who attracts gays, has worked lots of odd jobs, and also happened to make fake commercials with her girlfriends when she was a child, I may be a bit biased. Which is to say, this show has a wide appeal, but will be especially loved by twenty and thirty-something single women, their girlfriends, their gay friends, and anyone who went to theatre school. However, even if it only appealed to this crowd I would still say it has a wide appeal, because this is New York City. I wouldn't bring your grandmother (well, maybe your grandmother, but I wouldn't bring mine) or your i-banker boyfriend. But I wouldn't bring him anywhere, actually, and if you had an i-banker boyfriend I might not bring you anywhere either, so you and he and your "Berries can all stay home and watch football. As a side note, as I'm writing this, my computer is telling me that "fagnet" isn't a word. To which I say, I've seen the Oxford English Dictionary, I know it's got more than 300,000 entries, and as far as I'm concerned, it's missing one. I'm not sure how to make that happen, but believe me, I'm working on it.  Is that nice, or what? We're still blushing. If you've already come to see the show, it's time to send your friends. If you haven't seen it yet, come on out! To make a reservation for Wednesday, November 7th at 7PM, click here. If you'd like to come on Wednesday, November 28th at 9:30PM, click here.  Critically Acclaimed, Mel & El