Lypsinka!
The Boxed Set
The
overall impression is of a kaleidoscopic nervous breakdown, and you become
aware of just how much the notion of the hysterical dame dominated Hollywood's
portrayal of women. No wonder poor Lypsinka seems on the verge of collapse,
though whether into a passive puddle or homicidal mania is uncertain.
This is executed with a precision that verges on the mathematical, and the same
finesse is evident in every aspect of the production, right down to Jim
Boutin's shimmering vintage Vegas set and the shifting cinematic lighting by
Mark T. Simpson.
By BEN BRANTLEY
Published: September 16, 2000
The New York Times
You only
have to see Lypsinka to believe that she is one of the best drag acts to come
down the pike in a long time. A lot of credit has to be given to lighting
designer Mark T. Simpson, set designer Jim Boutin and director Kevin Malony for
presenting a bang up 70 minute show. The set looks like a disco era scene with
flashing lights, loud colors and projections on each side of the stage. It
looks like a Las Vegas lounge act, flashy but fun.
Richard
Connema
2005
TalkinBroadway.com, a project of www.TalkinBroadway.Org, Inc.
So absorbing is all this that
you may forget about Jim Boutin's snappy set, a wide white pop art stage which
glows every color of the electric spectrum -- cherry soda red, margarita mix
green, Dreamsicle orange -- under Mark T. Simpson's inspired lighting. That
would be unfortunate, but it would be understandable. After all, how often do
you see a woman possessed?
BY
ROBERT FAIRES
December
14, 2001
The
Austin Chronicle
Son
of Drakula
…Mark T.
Simpson's eye-catching set and lighting enhance it all nicely.
By NEIL GENZLINGER
Published: October 31, 2002
The New York Times
Lypsinka!
As I Lay Lip-synching
Mr.
Epperson has put together a fine creative team…Mark T. Simpson's set and
lighting design are tastefully gaudy: a polyester lace curtain with black and
blue sequins, and bold graphic projections (a martini glass for divine
decadence, a white picket fence for film-noir defiance).
By MARGO JEFFERSON
Published: August 14, 2003
The New York Times
When she steps from one spotlight to
the next to pick up an imaginary telephone, lighting and set designer Mark T.
Simpson's spots bump up and down on exactly the right beats.
Reviewed By: David
Finkle
Reviews Aug 13, 2003
TheaterMania.com
There may be no more singular
challenge for a theatrical LD than to work with Lypsinka… Mark T. Simpson, who
designed the scenery and lighting… [full feature article]
Oct 1, 2003
Lighting Dimensions
La
Lypsinka's entrance, in a straightjacket, as cleverly revealed by Mark T.
Simpson's versatile lighting, sets the tone for the Psycho salute which
pervades the performance. Simpson's efficient and effective set presents a
mini-stage surrounded by stretched white curtains which are ideal for
projections and Technicolor lighting effects, and supplemented with a disco
ball suspended from the ceiling.
By Brad Bradley
2003
A CurtainUp Review
Mark T. Simpson
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MTSpace Inc
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Lighting Designer
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The set, designed by Giorgos Tsappas,
is a simple series of screens that move back and forth, while Mark T. Simpson's
lighting takes you back to a TV-variety show.
by Rich See
2003
A CurtainUp DC
 Review
Cloud
Nine
Also
noteworthy are the designers responsible for creating the ever-present mood and
atmosphere that work so well in this production - Mark T. Simpson who
re-created 19th-century Africa with drapes and wicker furniture…
By Paulanne Simmons
GO Brooklyn, September 25, 2004 Issue
for The Brooklyn Papers
Lobby
Hero
And then, of
course, there's the amazing set design of Mark T. Simpson, who has created a
lobby that so perfectly duplicates a big apartment building - from the papered
walls to the tiled floors - that it's easy to forget this is really a theater.
By Paulanne Simmons
GO Brooklyn, March 6, 2004 Issue
for The Brooklyn Papers
The
Full Monty National Tour 2004
Lighting is
important to this show, especially in the finale, and Mark T. Simpson's work is
top-flight.
Scott Cain
2005 TalkinBroadway.com, a project of
www.TalkinBroadway.Org, Inc.
The
Mailman Always Comes Twice
…and manages to look
stunning in one black and white costume after another, all superbly captured by
the fabulous set design of Jim Boutin and lighting of Mark T. Simpson. It's all
delicious and malicious fun as the script pulls out every film-worn cliche in
the book and makes them fresh as a daisy.
by David Hurst
2003 Next Magazine
New
Boy
All of the design
elements serve the play well. Designers Mark T. Simpson and Christopher
Mahlmann have come up with a rather clever solution for meeting the challenge
of creating a number of locations for a very small space. The simple and stylish
set, consisting of a number of colored panels, is intentionally neutral. The
differentiation between locations is done through the use of some well
thought-out gobos.
By Eunice Marquet
2003 A CurtainUp Review
That
Woman, Rebecca West Remembers
The pair are
supported by the resourceful stage designer Mark T. Simpson, who has
transformed the tiny second-floor performance space at manhattantheatresource
into an elaborate world of found objects. Simpson evokes the many decades of
West's life with antique typewriters, luggage of various sorts, decorative
pots, figurines, a tea service, and opulent-looking fabrics.
Reviewed By: Charles Wright
Reviews Mar 9, 2004
TheaterMania.com
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