CHARLIE WILSON'S WAR

Aaron Sorkin, the author of The Farnsworth Invention on Broadway, now has an exceptional film in movie theaters.


Charlie Wilson's War is an excellent film about the way that Congress came to back a large, covert CIA operation in Afghanistan, funding the Mujahideen rebels against the Soviets, through the efforts of Congressman Charles Wilson.

Acting by Julia Roberts, Tom Hanks (who actually looks something like Charlie Wilson), and Philip Seymour Hoffman is excellent. The film was written by Aaron Sorkin and directed by Mike Nichols, based on a book by George Crile.



It is superb story telling, based on things that really happened: the film takes advantage of the star power of the actors; their skill; Aaron Sorkin's brilliance at writing political drama; Mike Nichols sense of humor; and the fact that Charlie Wilson was both a colorful, drinking, ladies man, and a liberal congressman from Texas.

Politically, the film gently encourages us to root for the Mujahideen against the Russians; and suggests that the withdrawal of the Russians from Afghanistan was a factor in the break-up of Soviet Communism; then, still gently, it reminds us of how the US failure to rebuild Afghanistan after the war helped lead to the rise of the Taliban. It suggests that we must fight one war at a time, but we need to continue to do what is necessary at the end of a war. (This could be taken to suggest that in Iraq we need to stay and rebuild that country. Of course, the current debate is not about whether or not we should successfully rebuild Iraq, but whether our present actions are going to help or hinder that process.)

The film is fun, well made and interesting. It's basically a caper movie, where the caper is secretly funding a war.

ON THE WAY TO TIMBUKTU

This is not a review. It's more of a rumination on making a play from Shakespeare's sonnets.

Dispensing with the review part: On the Way to Timbuktu is a fierce one-woman play about a professor of Shakespeare and her history. It's an interesting play, very, very well performed by Petronia Paley, in an intense performance that never flags. See it! Friday (12/21) was the last night in this run at EST (the Ensemble Studio Theater) , but it was described as a "work-in-progress," so keep in mind to see it when "progress" next produces a public performance.

Now the commentary:

A few years ago, I staged a two character short play ("Love Is My Sin" at TSI / PlayTime -- in their “Seven Deadly Sins from Shakespeare” series) with dialog consisting entirely of sonnets. The characters were an Older Man (OM) and a Younger Woman (YW). (I played the OM and Amy Quint played the YW.) They had a strong relationship and, when they are separated, the man has a brief, torrid affair with "The Dark Lady (DL)." When it ends, he returns to YW, but reconciliation is difficult. Originally, the Dark Lady (DL) was also a character in my adaptation, but when the (foreign born) actress who was to be DL got a part in her native country, she left abruptly just before the run, and I had to cut the sonnets which showed the explicit affair, and left that sequence as an implied event.

I'm currently starting to rehearse a full-length, three character version of this story. It's a musical -- but an unusual one: a classical music musical. It is to have dialog constructed entirely from the sonnets, plus Elizabethan instrumental music, song and dance.

The sonnets are enticing, and enigmatic. They seem to be trying to tell a story, but it is not complete, it is not in order, and it is tantalizing. The 154 sonnets, taken as a group, might best be described as if its printing resulted from the following scenario: It was to be a complete story (like Shakespeare’s other long, narrative poems), written this time in the form of sonnets, about an older man (a poet), a young man, (the lover of the poet), a rival poet, and a sexy, black haired, black eyed, possibly black, promiscuous woman (who had affairs with at least two of the other characters). Then, before it was completely finished, while still in draft form (with some elements of the story yet to be written, and variant versions of some story line sonnets still in the manuscript), the document was snatched. But, on the way to be taken to the printer, the manuscript was dropped, with pages scattered to the winds, some blown away and lost, and others gathered up in the wrong order.

The challenge has always been to understand the nature of the sonnets: are they autobiographical? If so, who is The Dark Lady? And the Young Man? Why are they in this order? Are there other sonnets? Why are so many in pairs? Etc.

Of course, if the sonnets are to be taken and performed as autobiographical, then they must all be spoken in an older male voice. If they are to be performed by various men and women of various ages, then one can – in fact must -- take advantage of the fact that some of the sonnets contain some information about the speaker and the subject of the poem, and many do not, so each sonnet can be given a context grounded on what it does or does not say, and can be coupled with other sonnets to create a new context and a new meaning (much the way, in film editing, each image – each shot, each scene -- colors those before and after it with new meaning, by defining a context.)

There is a love triangle in the sonnets, which is suggested (by the context in the original order) to be the Young Man (YM), the Older Man (OM) and DL. (There may even be a love rectangle -- with the Other Poet (OP) – though, here, the sonnets provide rather sparse material for constructing a story.)

But there is also enough information and lack of information in the sonnets to rearrange them to construct a love triangle consisting of the Older Man, DL and a Younger Woman, instead of the Young Man: the Man-Woman-Lady or MWL triangle, rather than the MML triangle. I thought this would be more fun (at least for me) when I wrote the adaptation, so this is what I did. (Rearranging the sonnets also justifies the speaking of some sonnets by people other than Shakespeare; and it reveals new meanings and shades of meanings in the sonnets.)

For example, the first group of sonnets, taken in context to be Shakespeare or the OM encouraging the Young Man to have children, yields many sonnets that can be taken in MWL context as the YW encouraging the OM to have a child (with her!) before he is too old and it is too late (ie. before he dies single). There are several other story lines implicit and explicit in the sonnets: the love triangle -- three relationships are described, with love, as well as jealousy, and breakups. Aging is an issue, as are music, and art.

I don't know the genesis of On the Way to Timbuktu (OtWtT). (It started in EST's Going to the River series, but that is not what I mean.) Selene (the central character) is a professor, teaching Shakespeare's sonnets. There are several elements in the play. There is the lecture and discussion Selene gives about the sonnets; there is, in particular, a discussion of the role of the DL as a black woman in Elizabethan times. There is Selene’s love history; there is, in particular a love triangle she is involved with – here, a black woman (a student who is first involved with Selene, then with Selene and her husband in a threesome), who leaves with Selene’s husband. There is Selene’s performance of the sonnets, some in the context of her character speaking in class, some as her character speaking in the context of this love triangle. (The sonnets used are essentially limited to those appropriate to the YM commenting on the love triangle.)

I am not sure whether to take the play as a story about this woman, who then uses the sonnets to express herself; or whether to imagine that it had its genesis in a thought process much like that for the plays I am working on: how do you provide a context for a performance of some of the sonnets? What can you say about – or how can you construct -- a story from which the sonnets emerge? From this point of view, the play, OtWtT, provides the back story of the Younger Woman, explaining her life as she comes into this love triangle in which – as a professor teaching the sonnets – she uses them to express herself. (In the play, she is now, actually, a no-longer-younger woman, looking back over her life.)

Talking more about OtWtT for a moment: This is quintessential "experimental" theater. The set is just one slightly raised area in a black box theater, with an object on it that serves ingeniously as a bed, a couch, a chair, a make-up stand, and a closet. There is but one actress. She is dressed in a white pajama-like outfit, which makes a striking contrast with the black set. She is well lit and makes the most of her physical life on the stage, providing a series of visual tableau, that bring a variety of places around the globe to life.

Somewhat less successful are semi-abstract images projected on the wall behind her -- they are interesting, but mostly not very interesting. Sometimes the text of sonnets she is performing are projected on the back wall; but they don't really help clarify what she is saying, because it is easier and more satisfying to watch and listen to her, than it is to try to read the sonnets on the wall. And, I confess, I did not understand the end, when she puts on black-face, and dons an Elizabethan gown over her white outfit.

A musical background composed and performed -- on a Chinese instrument called the pipa -- by Min Xiao-Fen is quite beautiful and special, and never fails to be interesting and appropriate, although the insturment has no special direct relevance (so far as the play reveals) either to Shakespeare (as it might be if the instrument or the music were Elizabethan) or to the character (as it might be if it were African) . (The instrument does seem to have some sort of distant resemblance to both a lute and African instruments.)

The OtWtT script is well written, and interesting. Much of the play consists of stories the character tells, the actress shifting clearly and flawlessly from one person’s voice to another. It does contain a few too many clichés for my taste – most of which seem to be there deliberately, though, as something the character would say.

The script often centers on Selene’s sexual life with language that is unflinching; as a one-woman show, the sexuality is essentially in the words and the stories, not on stage in the action.

In talking about the possibly autobiographical nature of the sonnets and the role of the DL in Shakespeare as either symbolic or as a historical black woman, I think it should probably be noted that some sonnets contain strong echoes of dialog from some of Shakespeare's plays, suggesting that the sonnets could reasonably be taken as speeches by characters, rather than by Shakespeare himself. In particular, there could be a relation between the DL sonnets and Othello, casting some light on what Shakespeare had in mind when he wrote about the DL. Also, while a replica of (the fossil) Lucy’s skull (as black woman/ancestor/eve) makes an arresting prop, the most interesting ancestor -- according to current scholarship -- is probably not Lucy, (who lived about 3 million years ago, and was not a direct ancestor) but a woman (or at most a few women) who lived a few hundred thousand years ago, from whom all modern humans may be descendent.

OtWtT, then, crafts a very effective one-woman play around the notion that Shakespeare’s sonnets – those that describe an affair between a man and the DL, disrupting the relationship the speaker has had with each of them -- can be performed as being spoken by the woman who is the man’s long time friend/lover and the DL’s lover as well. And OtWtT is the story of her life.

The short play I did, and the new play I am developing, involves similar characters, but focuses exclusively on the sonnets as dialog, and the description of their lives as revealed in the sonnets. There is no back-story described, other than what is in the sonnets; and all the words are those of the sonnets themselves, telling the story of this intense triangular affair.

One thing is clear about the sonnets: they tell a fierce, sexual and powerful story, in eloquent and beautiful and poetic language; to realize the sonnets on the stage, the performance must engage each of those elements and reach the heights for all of them.

There have been other plays inspired by the sonnets, including Shaw’s “The Dark Lady of the Sonnets” and a collection of short plays done at The Public Theater a few years ago, called “Love’s Fire.” More about these later.

CTI - THE COMMERCIAL THEATER INSTITUTE

One of the best sources of information about theater, for anyone interested in producing, investing, or just understanding commercial theater, is CTI. CTI: The Commercial Theater Institute, has several programs of increaing depth that provide a basic to fairly advanced understanding of what it means to create a commercial theater production.

The first program they have, which is a prerequisite for the others, is a three day weekend seminar headlined by active producers of current shows, and other experts, on Broadway development. (I've taken this seminar and it is terrific!) They have a more advanced fourteen day program and a Creative Development Intensive seminar.

Dates for the 2008 3 day seminar have been announced: May 2 - 4 2008. Here is the description from CTI:

Three Day Program
A Program for Prospective Producers, General Managers and Investors

Open to anyone interested in producing, co-producing or investing in the commercial theatre - Broadway, Off Broadway, Touring Broadway, and elsewhere - this program takes place over a weekend each spring. The 2008 edition will be May 2 - 4.

Held at a Broadway or Off Broadway theatre near Times Square, the program offers practical information of interest to prospective producers, general managers, and investors.

Each session consists of presentations and panel discussions with experienced producers, general managers, entertainment attorneys, and managing directors who offer specific case histories that illustrate the various means of developing theatrical productions.

This program is of special interest to anyone exploring relationships between the for-profit and not-for-profit sectors in the development of a theatre project.

CTI 3-Day Program
May 2 - 4 2008
Fee: $435.00
Please check back in February 2008 for registration information.

You may add your name to their mailing list and they will contact you when the program is opened for registration: http://www.commercialtheaterinstitute.com/program-emails.html

RESTAURANT DISCOUNTS IN THE THEATER DISTRICT

Many NYC restaurants in the theater district are offering discounts for the week of Thanksgiving (except Thanksgiving day itself.)

Here is an "official" list from www.visitnyc.com

Here are some of the qualifications in fine print:

*Offer valid November 17–November 25, 2007 with the exception of the
November 22 (Thanksgiving Day) blackout date. Offer only valid for the
restaurant’s dine-in, full service menu. Offer will not apply to, including but
not limited to, bar, takeout, happy hour or special menus. Offer may not
be combined with other promotions or special offers. Gratuity should be
calculated on the full amount before discount.

Here are some restaurants that have been listed as participating in this promotion. Check with the restaurant to be sure!

I put the Firebird in red, because I've always liked that restaurant. Their Vodka with honey & vanilla is one of my favorite drinks.

Add a www to the web addresses below where necessary!

Bangkok House
Restaurant D
360 W. 46th St.
212-541-5943
bangkokhousenyc.com

Barbetta L/D
321 W. 46th St.
212-246-9171
barbettarestaurant.com

The Blue Point L/D
662 Ninth Ave.
212-247-8040
bluepointseafoodnyc.com

Bombay Palace L
30 W. 52nd St.
212-541-7777
bombay-palace.com

Bond 45 D
154 W. 45th St.
212-869-4545
bond45.com

Brazil Brazil
Restaurant L/D
330 W. 46th St.
212-957-4300
brazilbrazilrestaurant.com

Brooklyn Diner–Times Square D
155 W. 43rd St.
212-265-5400
brooklyndiner.com

Broadway Joe
Steakhouse L/D
315 W. 46th St.
212-246-6513
broadwayjoesteakhouse.com

Charley O’s L/D
713 Eighth Ave.
212-977-0025
rieserestaurants.com

Charley O’s L/D
1611 Broadway
212-246-1960
rieserestaurants.com

El Azteca Mexican
Restaurant L/D
783 Ninth Ave.
212-307-0616
elaztecanyc.com

Etcetera Etcetera
Restaurant L/D
352 W. 44th St.
212-399-4141
etcrestaurant.com

Firebird Restaurant L/D
365 W. 46th St.
212-586-0244
firebirdrestaurant.com

Kyotofu L/D
705 Ninth Ave.
212-974-6011
kyotofu-nyc.com

La Rivista
Ristorante L/D
313 W. 46th St.
212-245-1707
larivistanyc.com

Le Tre Venezie
Restaurant D
142 W. 46th St.
212-730-2135

Metro Deli
& Ranch 1 L/D
141 W. 41st St.
212-768-1111

Murals on 54 L/D
65 W. 54th St.
212-314-7700
murals54.com

Nocello L/D
257 W. 55th St.
212-713-0224
nocello.net

Osteria del Circo L/D
120 W. 55th St.
212-265-3636
osteriadelcirco.com

Pergola Des Artistes D
252 W. 46th St.
212-302-7500
pergoladesartistes.com

Rene Pujol Restaurant
Cooperative L/D
321 W. 51st St.
212-246-3023
renepujol.com

Restaurant Charlotte L/D
145 W. 44th St.
212-789-7508
millenniumbroadway.com

Scarlatto
Restaurant L/D
250 W. 47th St.
212-730-4535
scarlattonyc.com

Sofia’s Restaurant L/D
221 W. 46th St.
212-719-5799
sofiasny.com

Trattoria Dopo Teatro L/D
125 W. 44th St.
212-869-2849
dopoteatro.com

ViceVersa
Restaurant L/D
325 W. 51st St.
212-399-9291
viceversa.com

A HARD HEART

EPIC THEATRE ENSEMBLE
presents
The New York Premiere

A HARD HEART

by Howard Barker

Featuring Kathleen Chalfant, Melissa Friedman, Dion Graham, Alex Organ, Thom Sesma, James Wallert, Sarah Winkler

Directed by Will Pomerantz

The Clurman Theatre @ Theatre Row
410 West 42nd Street

EXTENDED TO DECEMBER 9th!


READ the New York TIMES FEATURE on KATHLEEN CHALFANT:
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/28/theater/28mcge.html?_r=1&ref=theater&oref=slogin

READ the Variety Review:
http://www.variety.com/review/VE1117935390.html?categoryid=33&cs=1&nid=2562

"From the Producers of No Child..., Hannah and Martin, and Beauty on the Vine, Epic Theatre Ensemble (formerly Epic Theatre Center) is thrilled to present the New York Premiere of A HARD HEART by acclaimed British playwright, Howard Barker (Scenes from an Execution, The Castle).

"Written in 1991, long before 9/11, the Patriot Act, the new Pope, and the current immigration debate, A Hard Heart is a prophetic and electrifying exploration of the ways we protect our political and human borders when feeling under siege.

"This chilling tale about sacrifice and seduction in the face of war is directed by Will Pomerantz (Dai, Great Expectations) and features celebrated actor and activist Kathleen Chalfant (Angels in America, Wit)."

Sets: Narelle Sissons
Costumes: Chris Rumery
Lights: Lenore Doxsee
Sound: Muttt Huang
PSM: Kate Hefel
SM: Andrea Hayward
Production Management: Jeff Wild & Robert Mahon
Assistant Director: Ben Kahn
Casting: Calleri Casting
Publicity: O&M Co.

For information on The Epic Theater POST-SHOW FORUM SERIES, as well as inquiries regarding High School, College/University, & Group Sales, Call 212-239-1770 or email
JimEpic@aol.com

www.epictheatreensemble.org

THE HOMECOMING

Pinter's The Homecoming ( http://www.thehomecomingonbroadway.com/) will be at the Cort Theater beginning Nov 23, 2007 (or later, subject to the strike!) It will officially open on Thursday, December 13 at the Cort Theatre (138 West 48th Street) for a 20-week limited engagement thru April 13.

The Homecoming is directed by Tony Award-winner Daniel Sullivan (Stuff Happens, Rabbit Hole, Proof)

It stars Golden Globe Award-winner Ian McShane ("Deadwood"), two-time Tony-nominee Raul Esparza (Company, The Normal Heart), Tony-nominee Eve Best (A Moon for the Misbegotten), Oscar-nominee Michael McKean (The Pajama Game, Hairspray), James Frain ("The Tudors", The Count of Monte Cristo) and Gareth Saxe (Heartbreak House).

The design team includes Eugene Lee (Wicked, Sweeney Todd, Candide), Kenneth Posner (The Coast of Utopia, Glengarry Glen Ross), Jess Goldstein (The Rivals, Henry IV) and John Gromada (Rabbit Hole, Enchanted April).

GROWING UP 70'S

Coming for a limited engagement, starting November 15, is: Growing Up 70s:

www.growingup70s.com


HA! Comedy Club, G-Luc Productions and Barry Williams Enterprises is pleased to announce its new upcoming off-Broadway show Growing Up 70s.

"Throughout the 1970's, millions of people watched Barry Williams portray Greg Brady on the acclaimed sitcom "The Brady Bunch". Now you can relive that magical time with Growing Up 70s, a new Off- Broadway musical revue in which Barry Williams takes you back to an era he helped define. The cast will take you on an interactive journey filled with colorful characters, disco, bell-bottoms, mood-rings, and unforgettable music."

THEATER CLOSINGS & REFUNDS DUE TO STRIKE

The League of American Theaters and Producers (www.livebroadway.com) provided some information on how to obtain a refund or new tickets due to the strike by Local One, IATSE stagehands:

http://www.livebroadway.com/index.php?url_identifier=press-releases&news=league-advises-consumers-of-show-cancellations-due-to-local-one&type=news

Off-Broadway theaters, non-profits, theaters/shows that do not operate under the same contract (eg CYMBELINE, MARY POPPINS, MAURITIUS, PYGMALION, THE RITZ, THE 25TH ANNUAL PUTNAM COUNTY SPELLING BEE, XANADU and YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN) and theaters not on the list below are likely to be open.

Here is a list of the theaters which seem to have gone dark:

AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY Imperial Theatre (249 West 45th St.)
AVENUE Q Golden Theatre (252 West 45th St.)
A BRONX TALE Walter Kerr Theatre (219 West 48th St.)
CHICAGO Ambassador Theatre (219 West 49th St.)
A CHORUS LINE Schoenfeld Theatre (236 West 45th St.)
THE COLOR PURPLE Broadway Theatre (1681 Broadway)
CURTAINS Al Hirschfeld Theatre (302 West 45th St.)
DR. SUESS' HOW THE GRINCH STOLE CHRISTMASSt. James Theatre (246 West 44th St.)
DURAN DURANEthel Barrymore Theatre (243 West 47th St.)
THE FARNSWORTH INVENTION Music Box Theatre (239 West 45th St.)
IS HE DEAD?Lyceum Theatre (149 West 45th St.)
JERSEY BOYSAugust Wilson Theatre (245 West 52nd St.)
LES MISERABLES Broadhurst Theatre (235 West 44th St.)
MAMMA MIA! Winter Garden (1634 Broadway)
MONTY PYTHON'S SPAMALOT Shubert Theatre (225 West 44th St.)
THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA Majestic Theatre (247 West 44th St.)
ROCK 'N' ROLL Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre (242 West 45th St.)
THE SEAFARER Booth Theatre (222 West 45th St.)
SPRING AWAKENING Eugene O'Neill Theatre (230 West 49th St.)
CYRANO DE BERGERAC Richard Rodgers Theatre (226 West 46th St.)
THE DROWSY CHAPERONE Marquis Theatre (1535 Broadway)
GREASE Brooks Atkinson Theatre (256 West 47th St.)
HAIRSPRAY Neil Simon Theatre (250 West 52th St.)
LEGALLY BLONDE Palace Theatre (1564 Broadway)
THE LITTLE MERMAID Lunt-Fontanne Theatre (205 West 46th St.)
THE LION KING Minskoff Theatre (200 West 45th St.)
RENT Nederlander Theatre (208 West 41st St.)
WICKED Gershwin Theatre (222 West 51st St.)

PIED A TERRE & Stageplays Theatre Company

HERE'S NEWS FROM: Stageplays Theatre Company

Stageplays News Volume XI, November 2007

PIED A TERRE

Pied A Terre is the story of a television journalist who discovers a penthouse owned by her husband that she was unaware existed. When a young woman appears, the two women face off and learn they have more in common than they could ever have thought possible. Not Your Usual Love Triangle.

Pied A Terre performs November 26, 2007 through January 5, 2008, at The Kirk Theatre - 410 West 42nd Street on New York's Theatre Row

CAST: - William Atherton, Jessica McKee, Robin Riker

William Atherton has starred in motion pictures, on Broadway, and in television. He achieved international prominence starring in Steven Spielberg’s directorial debut, The Sugarland Express, followed by John Schlesinger’s classic The Day of the Locust, the blockbusters, Die Hard I and II, Ghostbusters, and over 30 other feature films. Most recently, William co-produced and starred in the award-winning psychological thriller/horror film, Head Space, and has starring roles in the upcoming independent features The Girl Next Store, based on Jack Ketchum’s cult classic novel, and Antonio Negret’s Towards Darkness, with America Ferrara, which recently premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival.

On television, he has starred in Joan Didion and John Gregory Dunne’s Broken Trust for TNT, the Hallmark mini-series, Gone, But Not Forgotten, and portrayed Darryl F. Zanuck in HBO’s Golden Globe winner Introducing Dorothy Dandridge.

Atherton has created roles on and Off Broadway for many of America’s leading playwrights. He won the Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle Awards for creating the title role in David Wiltse’s Suggs in the City and an Obie nomination for the title role in David Rabe’s The Basic Training of Pavlo Hummel. He also earned a Theatre World Award for his Broadway debut in The Sign in Sidney Brustein’s Window, and received Chicago’s Joseph Jefferson Award for his work in Misalliance. He starred in the original productions of John Guare’s House of Blue Leaves and Rich and Famous, and the Broadway productions of Arthur Miller’s The American Clock and Herman Wouk’s The Caine Mutiny Court Martial. His repertoire also includes Steve Tesich’s The Passing Game, George Abbott’s Broadway with Gilda Radner, and The Kennedy Center’s highly acclaimed staging of The Scarecrow. His most recent New York appearances were Off Broadway in the world premiere of Franz Kafka’s: The Castle at The Metropolitan Ensemble Theatre, and the original production of Address Unknown, adapted and directed by Frank Dunlop.


Jessica McKee hails from Ann Arbor, MI. She holds a B.F.A. in Acting from Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers University, where she also studied abroad at Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre in London. Jessica was most recently seen in the NY International Fringe Festival’s production of The Medicine Show and just wrapped filming What Happens in Vegas. Other stage roles include The House of Bernarda Alba, Visions and Scars, I'd Rather Be Falling, Much Ado about Nothing, The Wall of Water, Boise Idaho, Meatballs and Macaroni Casserole, Beneath the Skin, The Hat, and Guys Dolls. Jessica would like to give special thanks to Tom Ferriter, John Anastasi, and Laura Dragomir for giving her this opportunity. She would also like to thank her fellow brilliant and beautiful cast members, crew, friends, family, Ashling, Bryan and God for faith, hope and inspiration.


Robin Riker A third generation actress on both sides of her family, Robin was classically trained and grew up on stage, back stage, taking tickets and selling cookies in the lobby. Robin has split her time between stage, screen and television ever since. Her television credits include a recurring role on Boston Legal, as Candy Springtime, The Closer and Cold Case, among others, as well as six series for CBS, ABC and FOX: Get a Life with Chris Elliott, The Gregory Hines Show, and Thunder Alley with Ed Asner, and the groundbreaking series “Brothers,” on SHOWTIME, for which she received two Ace Award nominations for Best Actress in a Comedy Series. Her movie, Read it and Weep, is currently running on the Disney Channel.
Never far from the stage, in the past two years Robin has received two Best Actress nominations (Ovation Awards and LA Weekly Theatre Awards) for her portrayal of La Marquise de Merteuil in Les Liaisons Dangereuses (The Blank Theatre), a Best Supporting Actress Nomination (Ovation Awards) for the role of Sue Bayliss in The Geffen Playhouse production of Arthur Miller’s All My Sons, and Best Supporting Actress Nomination (LA Weekly Theatre Awards) for her work in George Furth’s play, Sex, Sex, Sex, Sex, Sex and Sex (a play about gardening), at The Matrix Theatre. She recently starred opposite Tony Danza in the production of a new Bernard Slade play entitled I Remember You, at Garry Marshall’s Falcon Theatre. A native New Yorker, Robin is thrilled to be home and over the moon about making her Off Broadway debut with Stageplays.

ALSO -- On Stage And Screen:

The Farnsworth Invention, at the Music Box Theatre, chronicles the dawn of the television era. A production of epic proportions, laid out on a wide canvas, the story pits Hank Azaria's accomplished portrayal of NBC founder David Sarnoff against the ingenuity and innocence of Jimmi Simpson's Philo T. Farnsworth under Des McAnuff's cool and efficient direction.

Kate Blanchett creates an uncanny impersonation as one of five Bob Dylans in Todd Haynes' I'm Not There, a dreamscape of a movie that fascinates and intrigues as it explores the persona of one of Rock & Roll's greatest icons.

Why We Ask...
We are producing new works for the stage at once provocative and yet relevant to the issues of our times. The positive impact of your support of our work through attendance at an upcoming performance of our newest production cannot be underestimated; that you might recommend our newsletter to others whom you think would like to share in our activities would be doubly appreciated

Stageplays Theatre Company, 1674 Broadway, Suite 401, NYC 10019 Tel: 212-354-7565, Fax: 212-354-7585, stageplays1@cs.com

LUCY AT EST

LUCY

Written by Damien Atkins
Directed by William Carden
Featuring Lisa Emery, Lucy DeVito, Keira Naughton, Scott Sowers, and Christopher Duva

Vivian is an anthropologist at the top of her field. She craves solitude -- motherhood was never an option. But when forced to care for her estranged teenage daughter, Lucy, her life is turned upside down. Lucy is autistic ... and might be the next step in Vivian's evolution.

LUCY is the Sloan Foundation mainstage production at the Ensemble Studio Theater (EST)

To purchase tickets, go to
http://www.theatremania.com/
or call 212 352 3101

READINGS AT EST

MEMBERFEST is a weekly reading series by members of The Ensemble Studio Theater (EST).

The next reading is...


I LIKE YOUR CHIN

By Julie Fitzpatrick

Featuring Diana Ruppe, Amy Staats, Helen Coxe, Randy Falcon
Directed by Alexa Polmer & Alexis Poledouris

November 6, 2007 - 7pm
At EST - 549 W. 52nd St.

FREE ADMISSION

For Reservations, call 212 247 4982 x20

BROADWAY THEATER BLOG NEWS

An excellent source of early news about Broadway theater comes from BBBblogger (http://bbb-blogger.blogspot.com/), the blog from Boneau/Bryan-Brown, one of the premier press publicists for Broadway theater.

WOOSTER GROUP HAMLET

From the PUBLIC THEATER comes this announcement:

THE WOOSTER GROUP HAMLET

Written by WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE

Directed by ELIZABETH LECOMPTE

With DOMINIQUE BOUSQUET, ARI FLIAKOS, ALESSANDRO MAGANIA, DANIEL PETTROW, BILL RAYMOND, SCOTT SHEPHERD, CASEY SPOONER, KATE VALK, JUDSON WILLIAMS

Called "American theater's most inspired company" by Ben Brantley of The New York Times, the legendary Wooster Group is the most widely-renowned and acclaimed experimental ensemble of its time. With their trademark use of video, sound and precise physical language, The Wooster Group takes on Shakespeare as you've never seen it before - a wildly inventive, not-to-be-missed artistic event. The New York Premiere of The Wooster Group's Hamlet is presented by The Public Theater in association with St. Ann's Warehouse. NEWMAN THEATER

THREE EASY WAYS TO ORDER YOUR TIX:

1. ONLINE: Visit PUBLICTHEATER.ORG

2. BY PHONE: Call 212-967-7555 (Mon-Sun 10am-9pm)

3. IN PERSON: Visit The Public Theater Box Office, 425 Lafayette Street
(Sun-Mon 1-6pm, Tues-Sat 1-7:30pm)

Performance Schedule:
Now through Sun Dec 2
Tues at 7 (Tues Nov 6 at 8)
Wed-Sat at 8
Sun at 4

Week of Nov 20-25:
Tues Nov 20 at 7
Wed Nov 21 at 8
Thurs Nov 22 No Performance
Fri Nov 23 at 8
Sat Nov 24 at 8
Sun Nov 25 at 2 & 8

THE FARNSWORTH INVENTION

Written by the great Aaron Sorkin, The Farnsworth Invention, about the invention of television, and the struggle to obtain the patent -- and the credit -- for the invention, is currently in previews and opens on November 15 -- at the Music Box Theatre, 239 West 45th Street.

The interesting, official website for The Farnsworth Invention contains credits for the complete cast (headed by Hank Azaria as Robert Sarnoff), the author, Aaron Sorkin, the director, Des McAnuff and principal crew. It also contains a history of the invention of television.

THE FARNSWORTH INVENTION
A new American play by AARON SORKIN
Starring HANK AZARIA and JIMMI SIMPSON
Directed by DES McANUFF
Opening on Broadway
at the Music Box Theatre on November 14, 2007

Currently in previews.

The play stars Tony Award-nominee Hank Azaria as David Sarnoff, and Jimmi Simpson as Philo T. Farnsworth.

In addition to Azaria and Simpson, the cast also includes Nadia Bowers, Kyle Fabel, Maurice Godin, Christian McCarthy Johansen, Aaron Krohn, Kate MacCluggage, Bruce McKenzie, Malcolm Morano, Spencer Moses, Michael Mulheren, Jim Ortlieb, Michael Pemberton, Javier Picayo, Katharine Powell, Steve Rosen, Brian Russell, James Sutorius, Margot White, Alexandra Wilson, William Youmans.

THE FARNSWORTH INVENTION will be produced on Broadway by Dodger Properties and Steven Spielberg for Rabbit Ears, LLC in association with Fred Zollo/Jeffrey Sine, Dancap Productions, Latitude Link/The Pelican Group.

THE FARNSWORTH INVENTION centers around the bitter conflict that pitted Philo T. Farnsworth (Jimmi Simpson), a boy genius who invented television as a high school student in 1927, against David Sarnoff (Hank Azaria), the head of the Radio Corporation of America (RCA). The legal battle between Farnsworth and RCA would later become known as one of the great, tragic examples of legal and industrial force combining to crush a rightful patent owner. In a race that would change humanity forever, two men battle one another for honor, glory and a place in the history books.

THE FARNSWORTH INVENTION design team will be comprised of Klara Zieglerova (Scenic Design), David C. Woolard (Costume Design), Howell Binkley (Lighting Design), Walter Trarbach (Sound Design). The creative team also includes Andrew Lippa (original music) and Lisa Shriver (movement and protocol).

THE FARNSWORTH INVENTION debuted at La Jolla Playhouse in a "Page To Stage" workshop production, running February 20, 2007 through March 25, 2007.

TICKET INFORMATION:

Tickets to THE FARNSWORTH INVENTION are available by calling Telecharge.com at (212) 239-6200, (800) 432-7250 outside the NY metro area, online at Telecharge.com.

Tickets are available at the Music Box Theatre box office (239 W 45th St, between Broadway and 8th Avenue).

Group sales tickets available by calling (877) 5-Dodger / (877) 536-3437.

In previews, ticket prices for all performances (except Wednesday matinees) are $60, $75 and $90.

Tickets prices for Wednesday matinees during previews are $50, $70 and $85.

Beginning Thursday, November 15, ticket prices for all performances (except Wednesday matinees) are $65, $85 and $100. Tickets prices for Wednesday matinees are $55, $80 and $95.

An additional $1.50 theatre restoration charge will be added to the price of each ticket.

PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE:
Performance Schedule October 15-November 18:

Monday through Saturday evenings at 8pm, Wednesday and Saturday matinees at 2pm. No performance on Wednesday, October 17 at 2pm.

Performance Schedule from November 20: Tuesday evenings at 7pm, Wednesday through Saturday evenings at 8pm, Wednesday and Saturday matinees at 2pm, Sunday matinees at 3pm.

BIOGRAPHIES:

HANK AZARIA (David Sarnoff) last appeared on Broadway in the Tony Award-winning musical Spamalot (Tony Award nomination). He also appeared on stage in Sexual Perversity in Chicago (West End, London). Azaria’s film credits include Eulogy; Along Came Polly; Shattered Glass; America’s Sweethearts; Cradle Will Rock; Mystery Men; Mystery, Alaska; Godzilla; Great Expectations; Celebrity; The Birdcage; Heat; Grosse Pointe Blank; Now and Then; Quiz Show; and Pretty Woman; His television credits include "Huff," "Uprising," "Tuesdays with Morrie" (Emmy Award), and "Fail Safe." He played guest starring roles on "Friends" (Emmy nomination), and "Mad About You" (Emmy nomination); and he lends his voice to numerous characters on "The Simpsons" (three Emmy Awards). Azaria directed the short film "Nobody’s Perfect," which debuted at Sundance 2004. Recent films include The Simpsons movie and Run, Fat Boy, Run.

JIMMI SIMPSON (Philo T. Farnsworth) is a New Jersey native and received his degree in theatre from Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania. Upon graduating, he continued his training with four seasons at the Williamstown Theatre Festival. After working in New York for several years he moved to Los Angeles. The Farnsworth Invention marks Mr. Simpson’s second time working with Des McAnuff, having starred in Tartuffe in 2002 at La Jolla Playhouse. Theatre: The Rainmaker (Broadway); Camino Real, The Winter’s Tale, The Blue Demon and Olive Nightingale Sings (Williamstown Theatre Foundation); Assassins and A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Bloomburg Players). TV: "24," "It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia," "My Name is Earl," "Carnivale," "Cold Case," "NYPD Blue," and Stephen King’s "Rose Red." Film: Patriotville, Zodiac, Seraphim Falls, Herbie: Fully Loaded, Stay Alive, D.E.B.S., Slo-Mo and Loser.

AARON SORKIN (Playwright) graduated from Syracuse University with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Theater. After a brief stint as an actor, he quickly established a reputation as a young, promising playwright on the New York theatre scene with his 1989 Broadway play A Few Good Men, later made into a critically-acclaimed feature. He went on to write the films Malice and The American President. Sorkin is probably best known for his critically-lauded TV drama, "The West Wing," which was honored with 13 Emmy Awards for its debut season, making the show a record holder for most Emmys won by a series in a single season. The Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama Series has been awarded to each of the first four seasons of "The West Wing." Sorkin also created and wrote many of the episodes of the critically-acclaimed but short-lived TV comedy-drama "Sports Night," which ran from 1998-2000 on ABC. His most recent series was NBC’s "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip." Upcoming films include Charlie Wilson's War starring Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts to be released in December. As a writer, Mr. Sorkin has received numerous nominations and awards from the Hollywood Foreign Press, the Television Critics Association, the Producers Guild of America and the Writers Guild of America.

DES McANUFF (Director) is a two-time Tony Award-winning director and was recently named Co-Artistic Director of the Stratford Festival of Canada. He is Director Emeritus of La Jolla Playhouse, which he has headed for much of the past 25 years. Broadway credits (developed at the Playhouse): Jersey Boys, Billy Crystal’s 700 Sundays (Broadway 2004, Tony Award); Dracula: The Musical (2004); How to Succeed… (1995); The Who’s Tommy (director/co-author with Pete Townshend, 1993 Tony Award Best Director of a Musical; 1997 London Olivier Awards Best Director/Best Musical); A Walk in the Woods (1988); and Big River (1985, seven Tonys including Best Director of a Musical and Best Musical). Recent productions directed at the Playhouse: The Wiz (2006); Zhivago (2005); Palm Beach (2005); Private Fittings (2005); Tom Donaghy’s Eden Lane (2003); Tartuffe (2002); Michael Ondaatje’s The Collected Works of Billy the Kid (2001). Film credits: Cousin Bette and The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle (director), Iron Giant (producer), Quills (executive producer).

BOB SAGET HOSTS "COOL COMEDY - HOT CUISINE" TO BENEFIT SCLERODERMA RESEARCH

“THE DROWSY CHAPERONE” STAR BOB SAGET
HOSTS “COOL COMEDY - HOT CUISINE”:
AN EVENING TO BENEFIT THE SCLERODERMA RESEARCH FOUNDATION

Susie Essman, Jimmy Fallon, Gilbert Gottfried, Robin Williams to Perform

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 6th, 2007 - CAROLINES ON BROADWAY

Actor and comedian Bob Saget, who made his Broadway debut in the Tony Award® winning musical THE DROWSY CHAPERONE this week, hosts The New York Comedy Festival benefit production of “Cool Comedy – Hot Cuisine: An Evening to Benefit The Scleroderma Research Foundation (SRF)” on Tuesday, November 6th at 6:00 p.m. at Carolines on Broadway (1626 Broadway). Saget will be joined by event co-host and SRF Board Member, Caryn Zucker and husband, NBC Universal President Jeff Zucker for the flagship fundraiser featuring appearances by world-class comedians including Jimmy Fallon, Gilbert Gottfried, Susie Essman and Robin Williams.

Celebrity chefs Susan Feniger and Mary Sue Milliken of The Food Network’s “Too Hot Tamales” will provide the Latin-American themed “hot cuisine.” Proceeds from “Cool Comedy - Hot Cuisine” fund research to find better treatments and a cure for scleroderma.

Tickets for “Cool Comedy - Hot Cuisine” begin at $500, with proceeds going toward the nationally recognized programs of the SRF. For more information, call (800) 441-CURE or visit www.sclerodermaRESEARCH.org.

THE SCLERODERMA RESEARCH FOUNDATION is the nation’s leading private investor in medical research to find a cure for scleroderma. The word scleroderma literally means “hard skin,” but the disease is much more than that – often affecting the internal organs with life-threatening consequences. More than 80% of scleroderma patients are women in the prime of their lives, but the disease also affects men and children across all ages and ethnic boundaries.

The SRF was founded in San Francisco in 1987 by scleroderma patient Sharon Monsky. Monsky lost her battle to the disease in May of 2002 but her legacy lives on through the organization she founded. The Chairman of the organization now, Luke Evnin, Ph.D., is managing partner of MPM Capital, the world’s largest dedicated investor in life sciences.

Bob Saget’s sister Gay succumbed to Scleroderma at the age of 34. In honor of her memory and to raise awareness for the rare disease, he produced and directed the acclaimed ABC television movie “For Hope.”

BOB SAGET TO STAR AS “MAN IN CHAIR” IN “THE DROWSY CHAPERONE”

Broadway’s Tony Award® winning musical THE DROWSY CHAPERONE will welcome actor and comedian Bob Saget as “Man in Chair” on Friday, October 19th, 2007 for a 4 month limited engagement.

Bob Saget will make his Broadway debut in THE DROWSY CHAPERONE, following his Off-Broadway debut in Paul Weitz’ play Privilege in 2005.

Saget is the host of the hit NBC game show “1 vs. 100,” and known worldwide for his television roles, for which he set a precedent by simultaneously starring in two top-ten primetime series – the long-running sitcom "Full House," while also serving as the eight year host of "America's Funniest Home Videos." Saget recently guest-starred on the NBC series, “Law and Order: SVU” and the HBO series, “Entourage,” and was critically hailed for his appearance in the documentary “The Aristocrats.” His HBO special, shot at NYU, “Bob Saget: That Ain’t Right,” recently aired to controversial and glowing notices.

The recipient of thirteen major awards, THE DROWSY CHAPERONE received the most Tony Awards® of any musical -- five in total -- including Best Book and Best Score, seven Drama Desk Awards including Best Musical, four Outer Critic's Circle Awards including Outstanding Score and the Drama Critics' Circle Award for Best Musical.

The U.S. Tour of THE DROWSY CHAPERONE opened this week in the creators’ hometown of Toronto, Canada, starring Tony Award® winning creator and star Bob Martin. Following the premiere engagement at Toronto’s Elgin Theatre through October 14th, the tour will play over 30 cities across the country including St. Louis, Charlotte, Schenectady, Philadelphia, Cincinnati, Birmingham, Ft. Lauderdale, Tampa, Atlanta, Naples, Orlando, Raleigh, Hartford, Pittsburgh, Buffalo, St. Paul, Boston, Providence, Greenville, Houston, Salt Lake City, Los Angeles and San Francisco.

THE DROWSY CHAPERONE began previews April 3, 2006 and opened on Broadway on May 1, 2006 at the Marquis Theatre (1535 Broadway).

THE DROWSY CHAPERONE is directed and choreographed by Tony Award® nominee Casey Nicholaw (Spamalot), with music and lyrics by Tony Award® winners Lisa Lambert and Greg Morrison and a book by Tony Award® winners Bob Martin and Don McKellar.

To chase his blues away, a modern day musical theatre addict known simply as “Man in Chair” drops the needle on his favorite cast album – the 1928 musical comedy The Drowsy Chaperone. From the crackle of his hi-fi, the uproariously funny musical magically bursts to life on stage. We are instantly immersed in the hilarious tale of a glamorous bride and her uproarious wedding day, complete with thrills and surprises that take both the cast (literally) and the audience (metaphorically) soaring into the heavens. Man in Chair’s infectious love of THE DROWSY CHAPERONE speaks to anyone who has ever been transported by the theater.

BOB SAGET starred on two of the most family-friendly shows network TV has ever produced, “Full House” and “America’s Funniest Home Videos,” but is also known as an on-the-edge, out of his mind, standup comedian for over thirty years. As anyone who remembers his scene-stealing cameos in Half Baked, Dumb and Dumberer, Showtime’s series “Huff,” the HBO series Entourage and the film The Aristocrats will attest, “there’s something utterly hilarious about seeing the clean cut, boyishly charming Saget embracing his dark side.” From directing MGM’s cult favorite feature film Dirty Work, to directing and producing the highly acclaimed ABC television movie, “For Hope,” to starring in the critically acclaimed, Paul Weitz Off-Broadway play Privilege, Saget shows no sign of stopping. His decidedly adult brand of comedy, which deals with life as a single dad, dating, divorce, and any questions you had about “Full House,” have led audiences to look at Saget in a whole new light.

Bob was also on “Blowin’ Up,” Jamie Kennedy’s MTV series starring his friends Jamie and Stu Stone, where his music video, “Rollin’ with Saget” debuted. The video won a Fuse TV Award.

He also recently guest starred on “Law & Order, SVU,” and his critically acclaimed NBC Quiz Show “1 vs. 100," consistently delivered the network’s best performance in its time slot in many years.

January 2007 saw the successful DVD release of Farce of the Penguins, an R rated comedy/documentary/love story that he wrote, directed, produced and provided voice-over for, with producer David Permut and Thinkfilm (The Aristocrats). It starred the voices of Samuel L. Jackson, Lewis Black, Christina Applegate, and Tracy Morgan.

Saget’s one hour comedy special “Bob Saget: That Aint Right,” is currently airing on HBO and has been widely released on DVD. His plan is to follow it up with a stand-up tour of theaters and colleges, shoot new episodes of “1 vs. 100,” and have an incredible time these next few months playing "Man in Chair."

THE DROWSY CHAPERONE is produced by Kevin McCollum, Roy Miller, Boyett Ostar, Stephanie McClelland, Barbara Freitag and Jill Furman.