The Amoralists Theatre Company

While Chasing the Fantastic

‘Playwright Derek Ahonen’s takes the subjects of terrorism, trust, infidelity and responsibility and uses them as the building blocks for his fascinating (and quite topical) While Chasing the Fantastic.’

‘Powerful and brilliantly executed confrontation scenes.’

‘Pilleci is wonderful as the angry Kent, who slowly transforms from little more than a tired old stereotype in act one to someone with pain, passion and pride in himself.

‘Schall is excellent as Geneva, a woman in an unhappy marriage who comes alive when she sees Venus. The chemistry and sexual tension between the two is immediately evident and the two actors play these scenes with just the right air of wariness, need and desire.’

‘David Levy-Horton’s direction is quite strong throughout, with him having a firm grasp of the material, bringing out the best in the cast and the script.’
-The Off Off Broadway Review

“The work is relevant on so many levels. With While Chasing the Fantastic... The Amoralists create a world of murky grey layers, which reflect the melting pot called modern America and the illusion called the American dream. Like their name suggests they have created a work of no moral judgment. There is no celebration of the right or left, good or bad, this or that. Rather they have explored self-righteous individuals blinded by their own self-indulgent ideals.”
-The GAT5 Artists Collective

‘Their style of production demands a response and leaves an indelible mark on the theatergoer’s consciousness. It’s a trip worth taking.’
-Stylus Magazine

The Pied Piper of the Lower East Side

Top Ten, The New York Post (2009)
Top Ten, TimeOut New York (2009)
Top Ten, Just Shows To Go You (2009)
Top Ten, JamesSpeak.blogspot (2009)

“What I particularly loved about the show was that Ahonen takes these four people and their dreams seriously. .The Pied Pipers is fast, funny, raucous and in-your-face. .It’s cast is 110% committed. I’ll certainly follow the Amoralists’ work from now on.”
-The New York Post

“The satiric thrust of the work is so on target. .Pity the lovers of this sort of rollercoaster-ride, in-your-face, freewheeling theatrical experience who are out of town for the summer. .Ahonen starts with what seems to be a hippie-era slice of life, but artfully steers his play into something far more. .The funniest onstage nudity in recent memory.”
-Variety

“Deservedly extended and what long, shaggy, exhilarating ride it is. Rendered with brassy verve. vigorous cast members.”
-The New York Times

“The young company’s deep commitment and contagious exuberance brings to mind the vitality that distinguished the early Off-Off Broadway work of artists like Sam Shepard only a generation ago.”
-The New Yorker

“The happiest surprise of the season. Ahonen has written full, complex characters, and the committed cast approaches them with sincerity and heart. This is exciting work, fresh and refreshing: The Pied Pipers of the Lower East Side makes you want to follow the Amoralists wherever they go next.”
-Time Out New York

“The most exciting theatre I’ve seen in quite a while. The sheer scope of this piece-touching on religion, environmentalism, economics, anarchy, vegetarianism, sexuality, and much more-makes it endlessly admirable. .The six actors give bold, thoughtful performances.”
-NYTheatre.com

“The Pied Pipers of The Lower East Side manages to entertain, educate, and titillate.”
-BackStage

“I left wondering what, exactly, Ahonen was trying to say: is he idealizing these people and their lifestyle? Is he trying to show that it can’t work? Or is he making a point about what society does to idealism, and what happens when idealism has to square with the real world around it? The realism of the play he and his talented cast have created makes it such that the answer is, actually, I’d think, all three.”
-Broadway World

“Derek Ahonen’s fascinating new play, which he has also directed, is a rare creature among the world of Off-Off-Broadway- it is superb.”
-The Off Off Broadway Review