The Pumpkin Pie Show: Labor Pains NYC Reviews and Tickets

61%

(4 Reviews)

Positive

50%

Mixed

25%

Negative

25%

Members say

Great acting, Hilarious, Clever, Great writing, Funny

About the Show

Horse Trade Theater Group's annual October show is an artistic hodgepodge of theatre and literature; this year they explore the trials and tribulations of parenting.

Celebrating its second decade of performances, the 'Pumpkin Pie Show' is part storytelling session, part boxing match, part shamanistic ritual. Horse Trade Theater Group channels the essentials of theatre and literature in order to create a more intimate relationship between performer and audience. They use no design -- nothing beyond the text and the performance itself. The stories that make up this year's 'Labor Pains' all focus on the primal paranoia of parenting.

Member Reviews (4)

Great acting, Hilarious, Great writing, Clever

See it if you have children or if you know someone who does.

Don't see it if you've recently had surgery and are afraid that convulsive laughter might rip your stitches out.

Funny, Great acting, Repellent

See it if you like well performed, funny story-telling about babies; birthing them, feeding them, diapering them.

Don't see it if you don't like grotesque or scat0logical humor.

Critic Reviews (10)

"While Chapman is a commanding storyteller, Cheek is a consummate actress...The no sets and no costumes force us to listen carefully and Chapman’s stories are so well written that we hang on every word. 'The Pumpkin Pie Show: Labor Pains' is a diverting, unusual evening with many bizarre pleasures. Each contains a scare that sneaks up on you, worthy of Halloween that is to come. This is storytelling of the highest caliber as well as offering a unique view of the world."
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"Chapman brings us to the world of nightmares in a completely different way. And it is a completely morbid delight...The love shown for the work by the creators pulls the audience in, makes you feel like you are at home with someone you trust, and then they take you for a spin. A very entertaining one. I would advise you keep an eye next year to see what this scientist of words and the stage brings to us. He is proof that sometimes a little goes a long way. Plus they were amazing hosts to the evening!"
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"The fast-paced, quick witted, litany of words and emotions coming at the audience from Chapman and Cheek skyrocketed the audience to another dimension – a bizarro world – which is essentially parenthood...This is storytelling of the highest caliber as well as offering a unique view of the world."
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"I highly recommend taking an hour out of your evening to dissect 'The Pumpkin Pie Show: Labor Pains.' It’s a prime example of how sometimes theater isn’t about the subject, it’s about the presentation of that subject or, in this case, the remarkable talent of the presenters...'The Pumpkin Pie Show' is very funny stuff. And the laughs are authentic."
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For a previous production

"Clay McLeod Chapman — playwright and co-star of 'The Pumpkin Pie Show,' a series of gripping, often unnerving short plays — has been unsettling audiences with this evolving collection for a decade....These are weird, creepy tales, but they are more than that. At his best, Mr. Chapman uses the macabre to explore the humanity of his characters and reveal an almost spiritual side to the horrific."
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For a previous production

"There's a deep joy, a deep sense of relief you get from watching a bunch of lovable idiots making each other crack up. It helps that the idiots are fantastic performers and their horror-drunk storytelling virtuoso master idiot is Clay McLeod Chapman, the blistering (in a good way) talent behind the 'Pumpkin Pie Show.'"
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For a previous production

"Clay McLeod Chapman’s annual 'Pumpkin Pie Show' has run for more than a decade and each year‘s creation puts a new spin on the genre of ghost stories, tall tales, and human-interest horror...It’s often funny but includes more than a few repellent twists."
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For a previous production

"Clay McLeod Chapman has a great understanding of the dynamics of off-Broadway theatre and, what’s even more important, a deep appreciation of the horror genre. The union of the two is shown to great advantage in 'The Pumpkin Pie Show' thanks to the superb work of the cast, director, and the music and lighting crew. From the start, the energy and strength of the actors takes hold of your attention and does not release until the lights come back on again."
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For a previous production

"'The Pumpkin Pie Show' is an annual evening of spooky fun performed in a terrifyingly tiny theater space. When the stars are right and Halloween is upon us this gloomy basement hosts an anthology of funny and scary monologues written by Clay Mcleod Chapman...Things do not jump out and scream boo at the audience, but it does have a few good chills and lots of terrific acting."
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For a previous production

"It’s undeniable that Clay McLeod Chapman has been hard at work brewing up pieces that will leave you horrified, aghast, and titillated in places you didn’t even know were possible...Take this production and throw in mood-defining music, and you’ve had yourself the ultimate Halloween celebration. From candy at the door to an exuberant handshake out onto the street, 'The Pumpkin Pie Show' has made a patron out of me. So this time next year, you’ll know exactly where to find me."
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