Review Fix Exclusive: Robert B. Liebowitz Talks ‘Three Bites of the Apple’

Review Fix chats with playwright Robert B. Liebowitz who discusses his upcoming run of Review Fix Exclusive: Robert B. Liebowitz Talks ‘Three Bites of the Apple’ (October 19 – 30; Wednesday – Saturday @ 8:00 p.m.; Sundays @ 3:00 p.m. American Theatre of Actors, 314 W 54th St, New York City), detailing the goals, creative process and hopes for the revival of three productions that have ben significant to his growth as a playwright.

About The Production:

In the early 80s – at the zenith of the off-off Broadway movement, an impoverished cab driver, angry at the way the world treated the arts, the middle class, and him, sat down at a typewriter and wrote his first play… and never looked back.  What came out was a series of powerful, naturalistic works on the state of New York from 1985 to the fall of the towers … and the arts … in 2001. Today, Robert B. Liebowitz is a celebrated play and screen writer as well as novelist and essayist, with several published works.  Liebowitz has reunited several of the original cast members from his various productions for this rep of revivals:

Bus Ride Home (two Brooklynites explore their dysfunctional lives) features Ken Coughlin & Cathy Noonan-Sturges. Ms. Sturges appeared in the original production.

Grande Grande (young lesbian medical student vs. angry old man) features Mario Claudio & Kevin Hauver, and Molly Callahan, who is the daughter of two company members of Liebowitz’ from back in the day: Francis Callahan and Cynthia Granville, who created numerous roles in his productions including a world premiere at the Fringe Festival.

Coulda Woulda Shoulda – Liebowitz’s flagship play, celebrated with awards and a legit off-Broadway contract run in 1997, depicts the last few weeks in the life of degenerate gambler Allie Neiterman. A character based on his father. For this, Liebowitz brought back Tommy Sturges, Michael Ruocco, Ted Montuori, and most recently, Jay Michaels, who served as the director and co-producer of the off-Broadway run. While Michaels is known for his work behind the scenes, he began his career as an actor. He will appear in this production as Barney Cutler the venomous loan shark.

Email [email protected] for tickets and additional information.


Review Fix: What was the inspiration for this project?

Robert B. Liebowitz: The inspiration was the colorful language that gamblers use, including and especially my late dad.

Review Fix: What’s your creative process like?

Liebowitz: The art of playwriting is the art of the spoken word. How people use language is the original attraction.

Review Fix: What makes this different or special?

Liebowitz: The real world of gambling–not the Guys & Dolls world, but the real world–has been hidden from public view. Maybe, just maybe, this will open a few eyes.


Review Fix: What did you learn about yourself through this process?

Liebowitz: To be flexible and open; to not regard the text as in stone. Actors, especially those on this particular production, have a contribution to make as well.


Review Fix: How does it feel to be a part of something like this?

Liebowitz: It feels that a good thing is being done; a worthwhile piece of art.

Review Fix: What are your ultimate goals for this production and for the future?

Liebowitz: The ultimate goal is to win both the Tony and the Pulitzer Price for Best Play. Perhaps down the line a film will be made.


Review Fix: What do you think your audiences will enjoy the most?

Liebowitz: Two things–the humor, and the charisma of the lead character, Allie Neiterman.

Review Fix: What’s next?

Liebowitz: A nice rest.

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About Patrick Hickey Jr. 14230 Articles
Patrick Hickey Jr. is a full-time Assistant Professor of Communication & Performing Arts and Director of the Journalism program at Kingsborough Community College and is the chairman of the City University of New York Journalism Council. He is the Founder and Editor-In-Chief of ReviewFix.com. He's also a former News Editor at NBC Local Integrated Media and National Video Games Writer at Examiner.com where his work was mentioned in National Ad campaigns by Disney, Nintendo and EA Sports. Hickey was also the Editor-In-Chief of two College Newspapers before he received his BA in Journalism from Brooklyn College. Hickey's work has been published in The New York Daily News, The New York Times, Complex, The Hockey Writers, Yahoo!, Broadway World, Examiner, NYSportScene Magazine, ProHockeyNews.com, GothamBaseball.com, The Syracuse Post-Standard, Scout.com and the official sites of the Brooklyn Aces and New York Islanders. His first book, The Minds Behind the Games: Interviews With Cult And Classic Video Game Developers was released in April 2018 and is chock full of interviews with legendary developers. His second book in the series, The Minds Behind Adventures Games, was released in December 2019. His third book, The Minds Behind Sports Games, was released in September 2020. His fourth book, The Minds Behind Shooter Games, was released in March 2021. The Minds Behind Sega Genesis Games and The Minds Behind PlayStation Games were released in 2022 and The Minds Behind PlayStation 2 was published in January 2023. Hickey is also a contracted comic book writer, currently penning his original series, "Condrey," as well as "The Job," "Brooklyn Bleeds" "Dem Gulls" and "KROOM" for Legacy Comix, where he serves as founder, owner and Editor-in-Chief. Hickey Jr. is also a voice actor, having starred in the 2018 indie hit and 2019 Switch, PS4 and Xbox One release, The Padre (also serving as English language Story Editor), from Shotgun With Glitters. The sequel, The Padre: One Shell Straight to Hell was released in February 2021- Hickey also served as a Story Editor and Lead Voiceover performer. He has also done narration and trailers for several other titles including The Kaiju Offensive, Relentless Rex and Roniu’s Tale. Hickey is also the lead voiceover performer on Mega Cat Studios’ upcoming title WrestleQuest, responsible for nearly 90 characters in the game, as well as Skybound's Renfield: Bring Your Own Blood, where he voices both Dracula and Renfield, as well as several other characters. He also stars in Ziggurat Interactive’s World Championship Boxing Manager 2, where he performs the VO of nearly every male character in the game. He also worked on the Atari VCS’s BPM Boy.

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