Industry Presentations of PETE'S THEATRICAL ADVENTURES: FILICHIA TELLS ALL to Take Place This Month

Producer Eric Krebs and Theater 555 will present industry only performances of noted theatre journalist and critic Peter Filichia in "PETE'S THEATRICAL ADVENTURES: FILICHIA TELLS ALL" for two (2) Sunday afternoons - February 19 & 26 at 4pm at Theater 555 (555 West 42nd Street).

So, what's it like to be a theater critic? Is it really fun to attend the theater night after night after night after night? Ask Peter Filichia, who has been attending theater consistently for more than 60 years and has been a reviewer from much more than half that time. Filichia has seen theater in 47 states and 17 foreign countries and has managed to see as many as 412 stage shows in a single year - resulting in his having now witnessed more than - gulp! -- 12,500 shows.

One of those was Spaulding Gray's one-man show, A Personal History of The American Theater. Gray simply sat at a table and held a bunch of oversized index cards. He pulled out a card at random and would tell a story based on the title of the show printed on that card. Gray died in 2004. Filichia reasoned that the show could not go on with him - but should go on. And so, he's created his own version of the show. His personal history of the American theater comes through from the index cards that he pulls out at random.

Thus, each performance of Pete's Theatrical Adventures is different. An audience might hear about Filichia's interaction with a nice celebrity (Jerry Orbach), a not-so-nice one (!!!), or one who turned out to be a little sneaky (Steve Allen). What is it like to face Ben Vereen shortly after you've panned his performance? How did Filichia feel after he put his foot way into his mouth when dealing with James Earl Jones?

There are stories about memorable audience members, ranging from Richard Rodgers' daughter Mary to the young black man and elderly white woman who buttressed Filichia at The Wiz. Filichia also goes back to when he began theatergoing as a teen, and how many a play changed his life, be it as serious as A Raisin in the Sun or even as frivolous as Damn Yankees. There's a poignant story about the time Filichia took Yugoslavians to a musical, as well as funny ones involving theater disasters.

It's all in the cards - and the storytelling. After each performance, Mr. Filichia will take questions from the audience.