POCKETS

Click here to get tickets
The Broadwater (CA)

Los Angeles, CA

Critics

LemonMeter

83 %

Reviews: 6

Audience

LemonMeter

Reviews: 2

NYC, NY – Hear ye, hear ye; Los Angeles’s premier musical comedy collective — Robot Teammate — announces a triumphant return to SoHo Playhouse NYC this holiday season to share their wee original British-ish musical comedy, POCKETS. This funny, fresh, and festive musical premiered to a completely sold-out run at the 2019 Hollywood Fringe Festival, where it was awarded Best Musical, Best World Premiere, Critics’ Choice, and Producers’ Encore.

Set in the olde British-ish kingdom of Crumpeton, POCKETS follows the heroine’s journey of young Bellamina Crumbledunk (Molly Dworsky), a noble-born preteen-turned-pickpocket hellbent on winning the attention of her distracted mother, the Duchess (Kat Primeau). Bellamina’s misadventures lead her to the underbelly of society, where she befriends criminals Veegan (Chris Bramante) and Jim Val Jim (Dave Reynolds) and becomes the inadvertent leader of a criminal uprising. Will the freshly-minted miscreant “Pockets” have the heart to sabotage her mum’s well-laid plans for Crumpet Day, the biggest holiday of the year? #CatchPOCKETS to find out!

PERFORMANCE DETAILS

A special “Evening in Crumpeton” send-off performance will occur in Los Angeles on December 5th, 2019, at 8 p.m. at The Broadwater Main Stage (1076 Lillian Way, Los Angeles CA). NYC Performances will take place at SoHo Playhouse (15 Van Dam Street, NY, NY). The show is family-friendly (ages 13+) and runs 65 minutes. Tickets are $39 General Admission and available at:  https://www.sohoplayhouse.com/soho-playhouse-events/pockets-rxjnf-tb23b

Wednesday, December 11, 2019 at 9:00 P.M.

Friday, December 13, 2019 at 7:00 P.M.

Saturday, December 14, 2019 at 6:30 P.M.

Sunday, December 15, 2019 at 8:30 P.M.

Monday, December 16, 2019 at 9:00 P.M.

Wednesday, December 18, 2019 at 7:00 P.M.

Friday, December 20, 2019 at 9:00 P.M.

Saturday, December 21, 2019 at 3:00 P.M.

Sunday, December 22, 2019 at 1:00 P.M.

Sunday, December 22, 2019 at 7:00 P.M.

ABOUT THE CREATORS

The fast-paced book and lyrics for POCKETS were collaboratively scripted by the Robot Teammate ensemble which includes Molly Dworsky, Kat Primeau, Chris Bramante, Dave Reynolds, and Branson NeJame. Dave Reynolds served as head writer. Additional cast members include Fayna Sanchez, Paige Gallagher, Max Pescherine, Jarret Spiler, Sonja Midtune, and George Chammas, with direction by Lauren Van Kurin, choreography by Kat Primeau and Alli Miller, and lighting design by Peter Mitchell. The live band is led by composer, pianist and Musical Director Branson NeJame, featuring Harrison Lee on cello, Christopher Sousa on bass, and Alex Keenan on drums. The POCKETS poster was created by illustrator and artist Beverly Arce.

Founded in 2012, independent comedy collective Robot Teammate has established itself as one of Los Angeles’s top musical acts, wowing crowds by creating hundreds of improvised musicals based off of audience suggestions at venues such as UCB, Westside Comedy, LA ComicCon, and festivals across the country. Additionally, Legendary Digital Network broadcast the Robots worldwide with Geek & Sundry’s weekly Twitch.TV show, Gather Your Party. Inspired by their favorite improvisations, these collaborating machines scripted three previous award-winning original musical comedies, TIMEHEART, THUG TUNNEL, and TURBULENCE!, forming “The T Trilogy.” Premiering the trilogy to sold-out LA audiences, the troupe received accolades from new musical development hotbed A Little New Music for Outstanding Songwriting in 2016 & 2017, and Best Musical, Best World Premiere, and Critics’ Choice awards in 2017 and 2019. They released the original cast recording of THUG TUNNEL on all digital platforms in 2017.

POCKETS will be the second time the ensemble has performed Off-Broadway after their run of TURBULENCE! at SoHo Playhouse in New York City in 2017.

PRAISE FOR POCKETS:

“A better than Broadway experience…Robot Teammate creates musicals for the millennial generation.” – Gia on the Move

“Smart and exceptionally appealing…if you want to understand the kind of funny becoming more and more in demand today, or to attract a younger audience, this is a good example of what works…it’s a little absurd and kind of wrong but so completely hilarious that you’ll be hooked from the get-go.” – Musicals in LA

“If you don’t have tickets for their current run yet, get them now or prepare to be disappointed when they sell out. Consider it a fun tax; it’s money well-spent.” – Broadway World

“Robot Teammate is always worth watching. Their storytelling is top-class, their musicality is hugely impressive, and, above all, they are properly funny.” – Ewan Phillips, Producer, Whose Line is it Anyway?

“Top Ten of LA Theatre.” – Stage Raw

“Highly recommended.” – FringeReview UK

“FRESH – entertaining and engaging from beginning to end. If there is any new musical to see at Fringe, this is the one – it’s chock full of high-energy music, vivid characters and storytelling that’s out of this world.” – Tin Pan LA

“If ever there was a ‘sure thing’ at Fringe, it would be anything put on by Robot Teammate… their creativity and musical abilities are among the best we’ve ever seen. An electrifying good time…brilliant cast – MUST SEE!” – LA Music Critic

AWARDS:

WINNER – BEST MUSICAL, Hollywood Fringe 2019 & 2017

WINNER – BEST WORLD PREMIERE, Hollywood Fringe 2019 & 2017

WINNER – OUTSTANDING SONGWRITING AWARD, A Little New Music for TURBULENCE! 2017 & THUG TUNNEL 2016

WINNER – CRITICS’ CHOICE AWARD, Better Lemons 2019 & 2017

WINNER – ENCORE! PRODUCERS’ AWARD, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2019

WINNER – World Record 86 Week Champions, Improv Cage Match at Improv Olympic West 2012-2014

LINKS:

www.robotteammate.com

Twitter.com/robotteammate

Facebook.com/robotteammate

NYC, NY – Hear ye, hear ye; Los Angeles’s premier musical comedy collective — Robot Teammate — announces a triumphant return to SoHo Playhouse NYC this holiday season to share their wee original British-ish musical comedy, POCKETS. This funny, fresh, and festive musical premiered to a completely sold-out run at the 2019 Hollywood Fringe Festival, where it was awarded Best Musical, Best World Premiere, Critics’ Choice, and Producers’ Encore.

Set in the olde British-ish kingdom of Crumpeton, POCKETS follows the heroine’s journey of young Bellamina Crumbledunk (Molly Dworsky), a noble-born preteen-turned-pickpocket hellbent on winning the attention of her distracted mother, the Duchess (Kat Primeau). Bellamina’s misadventures lead her to the underbelly of society, where she befriends criminals Veegan (Chris Bramante) and Jim Val Jim (Dave Reynolds) and becomes the inadvertent leader of a criminal uprising. Will the freshly-minted miscreant “Pockets” have the heart to sabotage her mum’s well-laid plans for Crumpet Day, the biggest holiday of the year? #CatchPOCKETS to find out!

PERFORMANCE DETAILS

A special “Evening in Crumpeton” send-off performance will occur in Los Angeles on December 5th, 2019, at 8 p.m. at The Broadwater Main Stage (1076 Lillian Way, Los Angeles CA). NYC Performances will take place at SoHo Playhouse (15 Van Dam Street, NY, NY). The show is family-friendly (ages 13+) and runs 65 minutes. Tickets are $39 General Admission and available at:  https://www.sohoplayhouse.com/soho-playhouse-events/pockets-rxjnf-tb23b

Wednesday, December 11, 2019 at 9:00 P.M.

Friday, December 13, 2019 at 7:00 P.M.

Saturday, December 14, 2019 at 6:30 P.M.

Sunday, December 15, 2019 at 8:30 P.M.

Monday, December 16, 2019 at 9:00 P.M.

Wednesday, December 18, 2019 at 7:00 P.M.

Friday, December 20, 2019 at 9:00 P.M.

Saturday, December 21, 2019 at 3:00 P.M.

Sunday, December 22, 2019 at 1:00 P.M.

Sunday, December 22, 2019 at 7:00 P.M.

ABOUT THE CREATORS

The fast-paced book and lyrics for POCKETS were collaboratively scripted by the Robot Teammate ensemble which includes Molly Dworsky, Kat Primeau, Chris Bramante, Dave Reynolds, and Branson NeJame. Dave Reynolds served as head writer. Additional cast members include Fayna Sanchez, Paige Gallagher, Max Pescherine, Jarret Spiler, Sonja Midtune, and George Chammas, with direction by Lauren Van Kurin, choreography by Kat Primeau and Alli Miller, and lighting design by Peter Mitchell. The live band is led by composer, pianist and Musical Director Branson NeJame, featuring Harrison Lee on cello, Christopher Sousa on bass, and Alex Keenan on drums. The POCKETS poster was created by illustrator and artist Beverly Arce.

Founded in 2012, independent comedy collective Robot Teammate has established itself as one of Los Angeles’s top musical acts, wowing crowds by creating hundreds of improvised musicals based off of audience suggestions at venues such as UCB, Westside Comedy, LA ComicCon, and festivals across the country. Additionally, Legendary Digital Network broadcast the Robots worldwide with Geek & Sundry’s weekly Twitch.TV show, Gather Your Party. Inspired by their favorite improvisations, these collaborating machines scripted three previous award-winning original musical comedies, TIMEHEART, THUG TUNNEL, and TURBULENCE!, forming “The T Trilogy.” Premiering the trilogy to sold-out LA audiences, the troupe received accolades from new musical development hotbed A Little New Music for Outstanding Songwriting in 2016 & 2017, and Best Musical, Best World Premiere, and Critics’ Choice awards in 2017 and 2019. They released the original cast recording of THUG TUNNEL on all digital platforms in 2017.

POCKETS will be the second time the ensemble has performed Off-Broadway after their run of TURBULENCE! at SoHo Playhouse in New York City in 2017.

PRAISE FOR POCKETS:

“A better than Broadway experience…Robot Teammate creates musicals for the millennial generation.” – Gia on the Move

“Smart and exceptionally appealing…if you want to understand the kind of funny becoming more and more in demand today, or to attract a younger audience, this is a good example of what works…it’s a little absurd and kind of wrong but so completely hilarious that you’ll be hooked from the get-go.” – Musicals in LA

“If you don’t have tickets for their current run yet, get them now or prepare to be disappointed when they sell out. Consider it a fun tax; it’s money well-spent.” – Broadway World

“Robot Teammate is always worth watching. Their storytelling is top-class, their musicality is hugely impressive, and, above all, they are properly funny.” – Ewan Phillips, Producer, Whose Line is it Anyway?

“Top Ten of LA Theatre.” – Stage Raw

“Highly recommended.” – FringeReview UK

“FRESH – entertaining and engaging from beginning to end. If there is any new musical to see at Fringe, this is the one – it’s chock full of high-energy music, vivid characters and storytelling that’s out of this world.” – Tin Pan LA

“If ever there was a ‘sure thing’ at Fringe, it would be anything put on by Robot Teammate… their creativity and musical abilities are among the best we’ve ever seen. An electrifying good time…brilliant cast – MUST SEE!” – LA Music Critic

AWARDS:

WINNER – BEST MUSICAL, Hollywood Fringe 2019 & 2017

WINNER – BEST WORLD PREMIERE, Hollywood Fringe 2019 & 2017

WINNER – OUTSTANDING SONGWRITING AWARD, A Little New Music for TURBULENCE! 2017 & THUG TUNNEL 2016

WINNER – CRITICS’ CHOICE AWARD, Better Lemons 2019 & 2017

WINNER – ENCORE! PRODUCERS’ AWARD, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2019

WINNER – World Record 86 Week Champions, Improv Cage Match at Improv Olympic West 2012-2014

LINKS:

www.robotteammate.com

Twitter.com/robotteammate

Facebook.com/robotteammate

Facebook event: https://www.facebook.com/events/575710743172920/

Instagram.com/robot_teammate

Instagram.com/robot_teammate

Reviews

Thank God for Robot Teammate. After creating the amazing musicals Turbulence and Thug Tunnel, they have truly knocked it out of the park with a walk off, two-out grand slam in the bottom of the ninth. They still rely on their “core” crew, but this time around have added an entire company of worthy performers to the mix. Hats off to Kat Primeau (Duchess), Chris Bramante (Veegan), Molly Dworsky (Bellamina “Pockets”) and Dave Reynolds (Rob Cryer/ Barkley St. Piggins/Jim Val Jim) for their incredible work on this show. We also congratulate and thank the rest of the cast for their great support and breathtaking performances. Last but not least, three cheers to Branson NeJame and the rest of his amazing band for their incredible live accompaniment. If you love great musicals, this one is a definite contender for this year’s Best Musical.

sweet - Bob Leggett - LA Music Critic - ...read full review

Robot Teammate does it again. A delightful show of whimsy and silliness, but with a beautiful, heartfelt core. Every performer shows the strength of this great ensemble, especially Dave Reynolds, a veritable ensemble to himself, and Kat Primeau as the strong but conflicted Duchess. However, no one shines brighter than Molly Dworsky. Her wonderful pluck and enthusiasm are worth the price of admission by herself.

The score is memorable. (I’m still humming the opening number). Paul Hungerford’s easy directorial hand takes this show up a notch. By far their most ambitious production, and also their best.

sweet - Jim Blanchette

Pockets was original with a taste of familiarity-there were definite hat-tips to some well-known musicals (Les Miz for one). The music, singing, dancing, and acting were all done seamlessly and the cast worked with each other so well. It was a great laugh consistently throughout.

sweet - Amanda Lainberger

The hour-long musical that ensues is a combination of Oliver! and Les Miserables, borrowing from and satirizing both. The songs by Branson NeJame are knowledgeable and witty and always fun to listen to. The core ensemble of Robot Teammate is all wonderful — Dworsky, Reynolds, Primeau and especially Chris Bramante as Veegan, a master thief on the order of Fagan in Oliver Twist. His singing and dancing have never been better, and he makes every moment that he is a part of count. Dworsky is also consistently funny and provides the emotional heart of the show. - RECOMMENDED

sweet - Stephen Fife - Stage Raw - ...read full review

The old saying, “Too many cooks spoil the stew” is an apt description of the new musical Pockets at the Hollywood Fringe Festival...Branson NeJame’s score is the show’s best asset and he leads a four-piece onstage band where Harrison Lee’s cello adds intensity and depth to the melodies. Unfortunately the lyrics don’t approach the quality of the music...

sour - Rob Stevens - Haines His Way - ...read full review

Everyone on stage gives it their all. A four piece band, Duke Spookum and The Jimmy Jammers, provide tight musical accompaniment, and Pockets is one that should not be missed. Perfect for kids of all ages.

Don’t miss it.

sweet - Peter Foldy - Hollywood Revealed - ...read full review

Director Paul Hungerford and the Teammates have put together a funny show with an engaging script to make what might be one of the most [spit spit] solid productions at Fringe this year. Check it out.

sweet - Zachary Bernstein - Fringe Review UK - ...read full review

The phrase “screaming with laughter” always comes to mind when describing Robot Teammate shows, and for good reason: you usually are...

Get to Crumpeton as fast as you can – before all the crumpets are gone.

Very Highly Recommended

sweet - Matt Ritchey - Gia On the Move - ...read full review

Thank God for Robot Teammate. After creating the amazing musicals Turbulence and Thug Tunnel, they have truly knocked it out of the park with a walk off, two-out grand slam in the bottom of the ninth. They still rely on their “core” crew, but this time around have added an entire company of worthy performers to the mix. Hats off to Kat Primeau (Duchess), Chris Bramante (Veegan), Molly Dworsky (Bellamina “Pockets”) and Dave Reynolds (Rob Cryer/ Barkley St. Piggins/Jim Val Jim) for their incredible work on this show. We also congratulate and thank the rest of the cast for their great support and breathtaking performances. Last but not least, three cheers to Branson NeJame and the rest of his amazing band for their incredible live accompaniment. If you love great musicals, this one is a definite contender for this year’s Best Musical.

sweet - Bob Leggett - LA Music Critic - ...read full review

The hour-long musical that ensues is a combination of Oliver! and Les Miserables, borrowing from and satirizing both. The songs by Branson NeJame are knowledgeable and witty and always fun to listen to. The core ensemble of Robot Teammate is all wonderful — Dworsky, Reynolds, Primeau and especially Chris Bramante as Veegan, a master thief on the order of Fagan in Oliver Twist. His singing and dancing have never been better, and he makes every moment that he is a part of count. Dworsky is also consistently funny and provides the emotional heart of the show. - RECOMMENDED

sweet - Stephen Fife - Stage Raw - ...read full review

The old saying, “Too many cooks spoil the stew” is an apt description of the new musical Pockets at the Hollywood Fringe Festival...Branson NeJame’s score is the show’s best asset and he leads a four-piece onstage band where Harrison Lee’s cello adds intensity and depth to the melodies. Unfortunately the lyrics don’t approach the quality of the music...

sour - Rob Stevens - Haines His Way - ...read full review

Everyone on stage gives it their all. A four piece band, Duke Spookum and The Jimmy Jammers, provide tight musical accompaniment, and Pockets is one that should not be missed. Perfect for kids of all ages.

Don’t miss it.

sweet - Peter Foldy - Hollywood Revealed - ...read full review

Director Paul Hungerford and the Teammates have put together a funny show with an engaging script to make what might be one of the most [spit spit] solid productions at Fringe this year. Check it out.

sweet - Zachary Bernstein - Fringe Review UK - ...read full review

The phrase “screaming with laughter” always comes to mind when describing Robot Teammate shows, and for good reason: you usually are...

Get to Crumpeton as fast as you can – before all the crumpets are gone.

Very Highly Recommended

sweet - Matt Ritchey - Gia On the Move - ...read full review

Robot Teammate does it again. A delightful show of whimsy and silliness, but with a beautiful, heartfelt core. Every performer shows the strength of this great ensemble, especially Dave Reynolds, a veritable ensemble to himself, and Kat Primeau as the strong but conflicted Duchess. However, no one shines brighter than Molly Dworsky. Her wonderful pluck and enthusiasm are worth the price of admission by herself.

The score is memorable. (I’m still humming the opening number). Paul Hungerford’s easy directorial hand takes this show up a notch. By far their most ambitious production, and also their best.

sweet - Jim Blanchette

Pockets was original with a taste of familiarity-there were definite hat-tips to some well-known musicals (Les Miz for one). The music, singing, dancing, and acting were all done seamlessly and the cast worked with each other so well. It was a great laugh consistently throughout.

sweet - Amanda Lainberger