Friday, November 21, 2008
Coming: MARY-LOUISE PARKER AS HEDDA GABBLER
Tony® and Emmy® Award winner Mary-Louise Parker ("Weeds," Proof) returns to Broadway to star as one of the greatest and most shocking female characters ever written. Roundabout Theatre Company presents HEDDA GABLER, a new production of Henrik Ibsen's modern classic
-adapted by Pulitzer Prize nominee Christopher Shinn (Dying City)
-directed by Ian Rickson (The Seagull)
-starring Tony winner Michael Cerveris (Sweeney Todd), Paul Sparks (Take Me Out) and Peter Stormare (Fargo).
-a strictly limited engagement.
Previews begin: January 6, 2009
To learn more, visit ROUNDABOUTTHEATRE.ORG
Roundabout Theater
American Airlines Theatre
Box Office - 227 West 42nd St. (btwn. 7th & 8th Aves.)
THE PUBLIC -- HAIR, SONDHEIM & MORE
=>At The Public:
IF YOU SEE SOMETHING SAY SOMETHING
Created and Performed by MIKE DAISEY
Directed by JEAN-MICHELE GREGORY
TAKING OVER
Written and Performed by DANNY HOCH
Directed by TONY TACCONE
=>Public LAB — All Tix $10!
PHILIP ROTH IN KHARTOUMA
LAByrinth Theater Company Presentation
Starts Dec 4 — On Sale Now!
MANDY PATINKIN: Back at The Public!
On Sale Now — Two Weeks Only!
=>2008-2009 Memberships available now!
Memberships start at $142.50 — Save up to 43% off full price tickets!
=>The Public Theater's 2008-2009 season also includes premieres by
JOHN GUARE, CRAIG LUCAS, TRACEY SCOTT WILSON, and an add-on production by CHRISTOPHER DURANG!
TICKETS/INFORMATION:212-967-7555 or PUBLICTHEATER.ORG
=>ROAD SHOW
Music and Lyrics by STEPHEN SONDHEIM
Book by JOHN WEIDMAN
Directed and Set Designed by JOHN DOYLE
With Matthew Carlson, Michael Cerveris, Alma Cuervo, Aisha de Haas, Claybourne Elder, Colleen Fitzpatrick, David Garry, Alexander Gemignani, Mylinda Hull, Mel Johnson, Jr., Orville Mendoza, Anne L. Nathan, Tom Nelis, William Parry, Matthew Stocke, Katrina Yaukey, William Youmans, Kristine Zbornik
Spanning 40 years from the Alaskan Gold Rush to the Florida real estate boom in the ‘30s, Road Show is the story of two brothers whose quest for the American dream turns into a test of morality and judgment that changes their lives in unexpected ways. Director John Doyle (Sweeney Todd on Broadway), acclaimed for re-imagining Sondheim's works, joins Weidman and Sondheim in exploring some of the great American issues: real estate, capitalism and crooks.
Now thru Sun Dec 28
Tues at 7pm,
Wed - Fri at 8pm,
Sat at 2 & 8pm,
Sun at 2 & 7pm
Added Perfs:
Wed 11/26 at 2, Wed 12/10 at 2, Wed 12/17 at 2, Mon 12/22 at 8
TICKETS: 212-967-7555 or PUBLICTHEATER.ORG
Rush Tix: There will be a limited number of $20 Rush Tix available at the box office for every downtown theater performance on sale to the general public one hour prior to curtain. There is a 2 ticket limit per person. Cash only.
=>Official Broadway HAIR Website is now live! Visit http://www.hairbroadway.com/ and sign up for the e-newsletter to receive the latest information on the future of HAIR!
* * *WIN 2 TIX TO THE BROADWAY OPENING NIGHT OF HAIR!
Enter to win 2 free tickets to the star-studded Opening Night performance and Cast Party of HAIR! (See: http://www.hairbroadway.com/)
To enter: Tune in to the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, Thursday November 27, on NBC and watch the cast during a live on-air performance. Afterward, visit playbill.com to answer a question based on the performance for your chance to win. One lucky person will win the grand prize, plus four runners-up will each win a groovy HAIR Cast Recording.
HAIR starts performances at the Al Hirschfeld Theatre on February 13. Tickets go on sale to the general public December 6. Contest ends December 2. Only one entry per person.
=>Musical Theater & More at Joe's Pub
December is chock full of your favorite Broadway stars — catch them all, only at Joe's Pub:
LaChanze The Tony-award winner for her role in "The Color Purple," LaChanze brings her tremendous talents to the truly intimate setting of Joe's Pub. 12/1 & 2 at 7:00 PM, $30
Norm Lewis: This Is The Life CD Release Join Lewis on his night off from The Little Mermaid as he celebrates the release of his debut CD, "This is the Life," 12/1 at 9:30 PM, $30
A Night O' Naughton Kelli O'Hara is a little bit Broadway and Greg Naughton is a little bit Rock N Roll. Tonight, they bring their music (& friends) together for a special genre-mixing late night show, 12/1 at 11:30 PM, $25
Billy Porter: The Standard Porter returns to Joe's Pub for an evening of song, featuring new American Broadway standards, gospel, and soulful originals, 12/7 & 8 at 7:30 PM, $25
A Spring Awakening Holiday Concert To Benefit Safeplace Featuring the cast of the Broadway show "Spring Awakening," including special guest, original cast member Tony-Award nominee Jonathan Groff. The evening will feature all new arrangements by "Spring Awakening" vocal arranger Ann Marie Milazzo, and musically directed by Kimberly Grigsby.
12/15 at 11:30 PM, $25
For tickets and the complete Joe's Pub schedule visit joespub.com!
=>Not For Tourists announces a brand new product!
The NFT Wallet Map puts New York City in the comfort of your own pocket. Getting around town has never been easier thanks to NFT's stylish and user-friendly design. Each wallet map contains a MTA Subway and Bus Map, Address Locator, and 159 listings of NFT's favorite places to eat, drink, shop, and hang out. Pull it out. Check your destination. Fold it up. Repeat as necessary. Price: $5 Click here for the NFT web shop!
THE PUBLIC THEATER 425 LAFAYETTE STREET NEW YORK, NY 10003212-967-7555 PUBLICTHEATER.ORG
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
COMING: eKATHERINE KERR'S "THE EDGE OF CHAOS"
The next entry in the “Page to Stage” Series takes place on Sunday, November 23 at 7PM when eKatherine Kerr’s play -- about a woman who decides to create a soap opera based on her life: "The Edge of Chaos" -- will receive a staged reading.
I've heard readings of selections from "The Edge Of Chaos" and it is very, very funny!
PLAYHOUSE ON THE GREEN
177 State Street, Bridgeport, CT 06604
Tickets: 866-811-4111
Information: (203) 333-3666
www.playhouseonthegreen.org
Friday, November 14, 2008
PHOTOS FROM HB'S STILLER AND MEARA GALA
Jerry Stiller, Eli Wallach, Anne Meara and Anne Jackson
The HB Studio -- one of New York's oldest acting studios -- was founded in 1945 by renowned actor Herbert Berghof. He was joined in 1948 by the legendary actress Uta Hagen. The two master teachers trained several generations of master actors in theater, theatre and film. On Monday, Nov 10, the HB Studio and the HB Playwrights Foundation honored Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara at a benefit Gala.
Speakers, especially Jerry and Anne in their remarks, honored the tradition of the studio. Anne remembered her studies with great fondness. Jerry celebrated Herbert Berghof's passion for theater, recalling the time Berghof called him at two in the morning to come down to the studio to study, work on and read a new, strange play (Waiting for Godot). He remembered how Uta Hagen was nice, tough. After his audition, while accepting him into her acting class, Uta suggested that Jerry also work on keeping his day job.
Among the many speakers, Ben Stiller and Amy Stiller recalled what it was like to be brought up in a loving house with parents who were performers.
Talking about bringing up children, Jerry mentioned that when Amy was about two, he was rehearsing a sketch called "I Hate You" with Anne and they were screaming at each other. When Amy came out of her bedroom, all upset, Jerry and Anne explained that they were rehearsing. Later when they had a real fight, Amy came out cheerfully to say... "You're rehearsing!"
The award was presented by Stiller and Meara's old friends, Eli Wallach and Anne Jackson. Anne Jackson is still actively teaching at HB Studio. Many distinguished alumni of the Berghof-Hagen era have taught at the school, including Bill Hickey, actress Jill Clayburgh and screen writer Tracey Jackson (whose "Confessions of a Shopaholic" is scheduled for release in Feb 2009).
an active member of the HB Staff,
was among the guests.
---
Among the entertainments at the Gala was a terrific, long concert by David Amram -- accompanied by his son and daughter in law.
Doris Roberts, an old friend of Stiller and Meara, was among the speakers.
In the post Berghof-Hagen era, The HB Studio continues to evolve. Sam Groom, a link between the B-H era and the current world, teaches a class in acting for the camera. Anything other than pure theatre was very rare in the olde days.
Snezhana Chernova, a brilliant actress, acting teacher, and member of the staff, and her husband Aleksey Burago, who teaches directing, both of whom were trained in Russia (not at HB with Hagen & Berghof), are among the new generation at HB Studio. With his unique energy and style, Aleksey renews the tradition of passion for theater!
Julia and Denusia are members of a new generation of actors studying at HB and working with the HB Playwrights Foundation. At the Gala, Denusia presented an excerpt from the one-woman show she is developing at HB, about the immigrant experience.
Posters of productions with legendary directors, actors and playwrights line the walls of the Playwrights Foundation Theatre next door to the studio. Continuously operating through the years, recent productions have included a new adaptation of Chekhov's stories by Aleksey Burago, and work directed by Tony Award winning Jack Hofsiss, who also, currently, teaches directing at HB.
The re-assertion of the values of Hagen and Bergof and their passion for acting and theater were the spirit of the remarks by Stiller and Meara, and were then echoed in the comments of their children, Ben and Amy. As this Benefit Gala is a link to the past, it is the next generation... it is the evolution of HB into the future that will benefit!
Friday, November 7, 2008
STILLER AND MEARA HONORED BY HB STUDIO
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2008 at 6:00 P.M.
at The Players, 16 Gramercy Park South
I was lucky enough to take the class that Jerry Stiller taught one semester at the HB Studio. And on days he couldn't make it to class, I was also lucky enough to study with Anne Meara, who came in to substitute for him.
He was a kind and generous teacher. Nice to everyone, although he never liked my "English accent" in my scene from "The Real Thing". (I put "English accent" in quotes because he was right... I never did have a real English accent.)
It was a very good class. I had a wonderful time working on scenes with Isabelle Fokine (grandaughter of the great choreographer), perhaps the most charismatic scene partner I've ever had; and there were many other fine students in the class.
Stiller used free-form improvs and scene study, and remembrances of his own days as a student. When one student took off his shirt for a gritty scene, he talked about Uta Hagen's objections to Steve McQueen who, Stiller suggested, seemed to almost always act with his shirt off. Anne Meara was gently focussed on getting to the emotional heart of a relationship, often using targetted improvisation to zero in on the truth of a scene.
I was most impressed because, more so than perhaps any other teachers I've had at HB (and I've studied there off and on for decades with many teachers -- it's a great place!), they were people with a generous and deeply human warmth.
Here's more information about the benefit, and the recipients of the honors:
The Herbert Berghof (HB) Studio and the HB Playwrights Foundation will host a tribute to the acclaimed and accomplished actor/comedians Anne Meara and Jerry Stiller in a gala celebration at The Players Club on Monday, November 10, 2008. Richard Pergolis of Pergolis Swartz will be the Corporate Chair of the event and television personality Joy Behar will be the MC for the evening. Anne Jackson and Eli Wallach will present the third annual Herbert Berghof - Uta Hagen Achievement Award to Ms. Meara and Mr. Stiller, given in memory of the actor/director Herbert Berghof and his wife and partner, the storied actress and master teacher Uta Hagen. The award recognizes theatre artists of extraordinary talent, achievement, and humanity who, in the conduct of their professional and artistic practice, have demonstrated an exemplary commitment to the vitality, integrity, and mission of the theatre and its community.
The evening will include a cocktail reception, dinner, and a musical presentation featuring jazz musician David Amram and an excerpt from HB Ensemble member Danusia Trevino's one woman show "Wonder Bread." The tribute will also feature remarks by 2007 Honoree Fritz Weaver, John Guare, Kevin James, Doris Roberts, Amy and Ben Stiller and Joseph Benincasa, Executive Director of The Actors' Fund. Ticket prices range from $300 for an individual ticket to $5,000 for a table for 10 and a full-page tribute in the souvenir program for the event.
The honorary committee for the gala includes Jason Alexander, Barbara Barrie, Jill Clayburgh and David Rabe, Tom Fontana, New York State Assemblymember Deborah Glick, John Guare, Anne Jackson and Eli Wallach, Kevin James, Rochelle Oliver and Fritz Weaver, Carol Ostrow, David Hyde Pierce, New York City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, Doris Roberts, Jon Stewart, Christine Taylor and Ben Stiller, Amy Stiller, Renee Taylor and Joe Bologna, and Marlo Thomas.
For information and reservations, please email to gala2008@hbstudio.org, or contact Peter Bloch, Managing Director, at 212.675.2370 x6.
BIOS FOR ANNE MEARA & JERRY STILLER
Anne Meara has been nominated for five Emmy Awards. Her recent credits include appearances on Sex in the City and King of Queens. Her writing credits include After-Play produced Off-Broadway at Theatre Four and The Manhattan Theatre Club, for which she won the John Gassner Award. Another play, Down The Garden Paths, was done Off-Broadway and regionally starring Anne Jackson and Eli Wallach. Anne also created the role of Bunny in John Guare's House of Blue Leaves, received a Tony Award nomination for Anna Christie at The Roundabout Theatre, appeared in the feature film Like Mike, and in Night at the Museum with her son, Ben Stiller. She was also co-writer and star of The Other Woman, a CBS movie of the Week, which won a Writer's Guild Award.
Jerry Stiller was nominated for an Emmy Award and won the American Comedy Award for his portrayal of Frank Costanza on Seinfeld. He just finished nine years as Arthur Spooner on King of Queens. In film, Jerry was most recently seen as Mr. Pinky in the movie Hairspray and Doc in the Farrelly Brothers movie Heartbreak Kid, where he starred opposite his son, Ben Stiller. Broadway has seen Jerry in Hurlyburly, The Ritz and Three Men on a Horse, while other film appearances include The Taking of Pelham One-Two-Three, Airport '75, the original version of Hairspray, Zoolander (also with his son, Ben) and the starring role in The Independent. He has also lent his voice to animated films including Teacher's Pet, Lion King 3, Lion King 1½ and the CBS holiday special, Robbie the Reindeer.
As Stiller and Meara, Anne and Jerry played record-breaking engagements at Max Gordon's Blue Angel and The Village Vanguard and were seen on the Ed Sullivan Show 36 times and received many awards for their radio and TV commercials that include Amalgamated Bank, Blue Nun wines and United Van Lines. They have been honored with a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame; with the Productive Aging Award, presented by the Jewish Council For the Aging in Washington, D.C.; and with the Thalia Award from Humber College in Toronto.
Thursday, October 30, 2008
DAEL ORLANDERSMITH
As a playwright, Dael is a Guggenheim, Pen/Laura Pels Foundation Award and Lucille Lortel Playwrights Fellowship winner, and a Pulitzer prize finalist; and, as an actor, a Drama Desk Award nominee.
Dael has been teaching a class in writing for solo performance at HB Studio. I've been to the class. She is informative, helpful, and encouraging.
Along with Dael, nine other writers received prizes for their work.
Congratulations:
Mischa Berlinski, fiction. His first novel, Fieldwork, was a finalist for the National Book Award in 2007. He is at work on a second novel and living in Haiti.
Rick Hilles, poetry. His first collection, Brother Salvage, was published by the University of Pittsburgh Press. He is an assistant professor in the MFA Program at Vanderbilt University and lives in Nashville, Tennessee.
Donovan Hohn, nonfiction. His essays have appeared in Harper’s, The New York Times Magazine, Agni, The Bedford Reader, and Internazionale. His first book will be published by Viking in 2010.
Douglas Kearney, poetry. He is the author of Fear, Some (Red Hen Press, 2006) and the forthcoming collection, The Black Automaton, which will be published by Fence Books in 2009. He has an MFA in writing from the California Institute of the Arts, where he now teaches.
Laleh Khadivi, fiction. Her first book, The Age of Orphans, will be published by Bloomsbury in 2009. She is currently the fiction fellow at Emory University in Atlanta.
Manuel Muñoz, fiction. He is the author of two collections of short stories, Zigzagger (Northwestern University Press, 2003) and The Faith Healer of Olive Avenue (Algonquin Books, 2007). He lives in Tucson, where he is an Assistant Professor of Creative Writing at the University of Arizona.
Dael Orlandersmith, plays. Her plays include Yellowman, The Gimmick and her Obie-Award winning Beauty’s Daughter, in which she also starred. She is currently an artist-in-residence at Sarah Lawrence College, has been teaching at HB Studio, and is at work on a memoir..
Benjamin Percy, fiction. He is the author of two short story collections, The Language of Elk (Carnegie Mellon, 2006) and Refresh, Refresh (Graywolf, 2008). He teaches in the MFA program at Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa.
Julie Sheehan, poetry. She is the author of two collections of poems, Thaw (Fordham University Press, 2001), and Orient Point (Norton, 2006). She teaches in the graduate Writing and Literature program at Stony Brook Southampton and lives in East Quogue, New York.
Lysley Tenorio, fiction. He has recently completed a collection of short stories and is working on a novel. He lives in San Francisco and teaches at Saint Mary's College in Moraga, California.
Monday, October 27, 2008
Coming: DUST
By Billy Goda
Directed by Scott Zigler
Starring Emmy® Award nominee Richard Masur and Tony Award® nominee Hunter Foster.
DUST is a power play.
Martin is an executive with money and a paunch. Zeke is an ex-con with street smarts and a minimum wage position.
Early one morning, in the fitness center of the Essex House, the battle of will begins over the most trivial of requests. And when Martin’s daughter Jenny becomes entangled in the situation, the stakes are raised even higher, escalating a war for respect into one for revenge and survival. Who will be standing when the dust settles?
Starring Emmy® Award nominee Richard Masur and Tony Award® nominee Hunter Foster:
Richard Masur (Martin) has appeared in over 80 movies during his career. Masur is also well-known to television audiences for his roles in "Rhoda," "One Day at a Time" and "All My Children." An Emmy® nominee for "The Burning Bed," his many Broadway and off-Broadway appearances include roles in "Democracy," "The Changing Room," "A Feminine Ending" and "Two Thousand Years."
Hunter Foster (Zeke) received an Outer Critics Circle Award nomination for his role in the original Broadway cast of "Urinetown" and Tony Award® and Drama Desk Award nominations for playing Seymour in the Broadway revival of "Little Shop of Horrors." He has also been seen on Broadway as Leo Bloom in the Tony Award® winning production of "The Producers."
TO ORDER:
Check for special offers: Special offers may be available from Telecharge.com.
1.
ONLINE. www.broadwayoffers.com.
2.
BY PHONE. Call 212-947-8844
3.
IN PERSON. Westside Theatre Box Office, 407 West 43rd Street (between 9th & 10th Avenues). Box office open Mon.-Sun. noon – 6pm.
If you have any questions or comments, please send an e-mail to tickets@telecharge.com.
Discounts available for large groups at Telecharge.com/Groups.
Friday, October 24, 2008
RED BULL READINGS: CENCI & MORE
presents
Monday October 27th 7pm
A STAGED READING OF
THE CENCI
by
Percy Bysshe Shelley
featuring
Roger Rees • Lisa Harrow
Ezra Knight • Matthew Rauch
John Douglas Thompson • Sam Tsoutsouvas
Julie Jesneck • Peter Kim • Ben Rappaport
Emma Canalese • Vayu O'Donnell
Tyranny, incest, and assassination – a 16th century tragedy comes to vivid life in the hands of one of the great Romantic poets.
Adapted and Directed by
Eleanor Holdridge
www.redbulltheater.com
212.352.3101
REVELATION READINGS
OBIE AWARD-WINNING READING SERIES CONTINUES
NOVEMBER – DECEMBER READINGS
Monday November 17, 7pm
THE MALCONTENT
by John Marston
A truculent tragicomedy, this scathing attack on government corruption is timely, terrifying, and disconcertingly amusing.
Directed by Ethan McSweeny (The Persians, 1001)
Featuring Matthew Rauch (Revenger’s Tragedy)
Monday December 8, 7pm**
**(SEE NOTE BELOW FOR THEATER LOCATION)
DOCTOR FAUSTUS
by Christopher Marlowe
Faustus sells his soul for knowledge – the classic tale, as only Marlowe could have told it!
Directed by Mark Lamos (Cymbeline)
DECEMBER 9, 2008 – JANUARY 5, 2009
A full production of
Thomas Middleton’s WOMEN BEWARE WOMEN
Directed by Jesse Berger
2009 READINGS
Monday January 12, 7pm
ELECTRICIDAD: A Chicano take on the tragedy of Electra
by Luis Alfaro
Sophocles’ great classic re-imagined, set in a contemporary Los Angeles barrio.
Directed by Lisa Peterson
Monday February 23, 7pm
The Royal Hunt of the Sun
by Peter Shaffer
A modern epic about the conquest of Peru by Spain and the destruction of the Inca Empire.
Directed by Joe Hardy
Monday March 2, 7pm
THE SIEGE OF NUMANTIA
by Miguel de Cervantes
A devastating play about honor, sacrifice, and the last days of Numantia by the creator of Don Quixote.
Directed by Moisés Kaufman
LOCATION
Theater at St. Clement’s
423 West 46th Street, between 9th & 10th Avenues
Subway: A/C/E to 42nd Street, Exit on 44th Street
Parking: 415 West 45th Street, between 9th & 10th Avenues
**Note: Doctor Faustus on December 8th will be held at Theatre Row, 410 W 42ndSt.
TICKETS
$25 Adults
$10 Students/Industry*
$65+ Subscription Packages Available
Purchase at www.redbulltheater.com
or call 212-352-3101, or 866-811-4111 (toll-free)
*Valid ID required.
Red Bull Theater is a 501 (c) 3 not-for-profit company dedicated to the presentation of vital and imaginative productions of heightened language plays and to the development of new plays written in a similar vein. With a special focus on the Jacobean plays of Shakespeare and his contemporaries, Red Bull Theater aspires to challenge the intellect and engage the imagination of today’s theatergoers through language-based, company-created, resonantly provocative stagings of great classic stories.
JESSE BERGER
ARTISTIC DIRECTOR
LONNIE COOPER
MANAGING DIRECTOR
RED BULL
PO BOX 250863
NEW YORK NY 10025
www.redbulltheater.com
212.414.5168
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
FREE NIGHT NYC -- FREE THEATER !!!
(Note -- Sep 29, 2010 -- This post below was written in 2008. For 2010 information -- and there is free theater again -- try freenightnyc.net. -- which might be overloaded -- or try Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Free-Night-NYC/149701913952 )
"Free Night NYC is offering 5,000 tickets to over 100 theaters across the city. Tickets will be offered to performances from October 16th, 2008 through October 30th, 2008 and can be reserved beginning October 1st at 10:00am on freenightnyc.net.
"Tickets are limited, first come, first served, but check back because more tickets may be added throughout October. In the event that tickets sell out in one day, a special group of tickets will be released Oct. 2nd to accommodate potential post Rosh Hashanah audience.
"On the national day of Free Night of Theater — Thursday October 16th 2008— we'll also be hosting a kick-off event in Union Square and an all city theater rocks party at Element, a club on the Lower East Side.
"Join us for a full day of celebrating the amazing diversity of New York theater! "
Thursday, September 25, 2008
EQUUS
EQUUS incorporates at least six major elements, intricately and elegantly intertwined.
• The basic plot driver: Why did the boy blind six horses?
• The philosophical, psychological question: The conflict between human need for extreme passion (even if pathological) and health (even if absent any passion).
• The substitution of horses for male-female (and male-male) eroticism.
• Sadomasochistic and other extreme expressions of religious passion.
• The theatricality of the stylistic staging with men in brown body suits, wearing beautifully constructed and strikingly lit wire horse heads, playing the horses.
• And also nudity. Complete male and female nudity that was extremely daring when the play was first staged. Less so now, but heightened by the fact that in this production the nude 17 year old boy is played by Harry Potter (aka Daniel Radcliff).
EQUUS was written by Peter Shaffer and has had many successful revivals after a very successful initial run. It opened for previews in NY on Sep 5th, and the official opening is Sep 25th.
As most everyone knows, Daniel Radcliff (aka Harry Potter) is playing Alan. He is a boy whose crime of blinding six horses is being investigated by Dysart, a psychiatrist played by Richard Griffiths, (aka Dursley in the Potter films, and also known for "The History Boys") who is fascinated by the pagan passion possessed by Alan.
EQUUS (Latin for horse) is a play that also deals in themes of equi-sexuality (man-horse love) and equi-religiousity (horse as god).
The part of Alan, in addition to being required to make credible his insanity and his passions, also requires extensive and complete nudity. Radcliffe is just about perfect in the role. It is sensational, on-the-money acting.
Richard Griffiths, as the psychiatrist, and Anna Camp as Jill, Alan's friend, are also excellent.
The challenge in producing or directing the play, in addition to realizing the part of Alan, is to understand Dysart, who is arguably an even more important character than Alan. The problem is that we understand that Dysart is torn between his job of returning Alan to normalcy, and his fear that he is thereby taking away Alan's most essential passions. But it is not clear that he ever comes to catharsis or satisfying resolution of his dilemma.
For me, the major structural problem in the play is that it never addresses the legal fate of Alan after Dysart's treatment of him has completed. What are the stakes? Does Alan escape jail and have a chance to live a normal life if he is cured? Or is he then sent to prison for his crime stripped (as Dysart would say) of his passions. What might become of Alan is critical to understanding how important Dysart’s treatment is, and what its goals might be. It would be quite different depending on whether, after successful treatment, Alan would still end up in jail, or committed to an insane asylum, or be free and able to live a normal life.
This is a classic play, and a fine production: well acted, well directed, and staged with great style. Questions about the interpretation of the performances and of the play itself are part of the power of EQUUS.
(Note about the theater: It is time for Broadway theaters in general, and the Majestic in particular, to give each seat more room (people must be bigger now than when the theater was built), and expand the capacity of the rest rooms (which failed to service everyone needing them during the intermission). The theater seats are nicely raked, and there is no trouble seeing over the people in front (except when they stand prematurely to applaud). There are two rows of seating behind and over the stage. The first of these rows seems like they have a fine view; I'm not so sure about the second row. When it is raining, the theater should be able to let the audience in early, rather than letting them gather outside and beyond the overhang getting wet in the rain until the normal time to open the theater.)
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
SHOWBIZ EXPO
Associate Director, TVI Actor's Studio, NY
at Showbiz Expo
It is most appropriate for young actors. It's a medium size show, not quite at critical mass for other demographics in showbiz, but, since the exhibition is free, most directors, producers and more-advanced actors are likely to find something, or someone, or some company in the exhibition space that will be useful.
Actors starting out will find it very valuable.
There is a networking party, and seminars as well (not free).
I heard part of one talk by Alan S. Nusbaum, Chairman of TVI Studios. It was a solid presentation for actors starting to market themselves as paid professionals. I also talked with several members of the TVI staff, and TVI seems like an excellent place to learn commercial acting skills -- the kind of acting skills you need to land paid jobs.
Friday, September 5, 2008
Coming: CLOSE TIES
by Elizabeth Diggs
The Frye family gathers at their vacation home in the Berkshires, ruled for three generations by Josephine, their willful matriarch and center of the family. But what happens as the younger Fryes discover their center cannot hold? Close Ties celebrates the humor, the truth and the mystery of family.
Directed by Pamela Berlin.
Featuring: Jack Davidson, Julie Fitzpatrick, Fiona Gallagher,David Gelles Hurwitz, Polly Lee, Carole Monferdini, Judith Roberts, Tommy Schrider
at Ensemble Studio Theater
549 West 52 Street, NY NY
212 247-4982
(Pamela Berlin is the distinguished director of the 1987 production of Steel Magnolias. I've studied with her. I can enthusiastically recommend anything she will direct; for that matter, anything at EST is worth recommending also!)
Previews: September 17 - 21 Wed - Sat & Mon, 7 pm > Sat & Sun, 2 pm
Opening Night: September 22, 7 pm
Performances: September 22 - October 12 Wed - Sat & Mon, 7 pm > Sat & Sun, 2 pm
Tickets: $30 Previews: $20 Students & Seniors: $15
Tickets at Ovationtix.com or by calling 212.352.3101
Sets: Michael Schweikardt
Costumes: Suzanne Chesney
Lights: Chris Dallos
Sound: David Lawson
Casting: Janet Foster, C.S.A.
Production Stage Manager: Mary Leach
Assistant Stage Manager: Christine Fisichella
Producer: James Carter
Associate Producer: Annie Trizna
Press Representative: David Gersten & Associates
Coming: KINDNESS
A new play written and directed by
Obie Award winner ADAM RAPP(Red Light Winter, Essential Self-Defense)
An ailing mother (ANNETTE O'TOOLE, "Smallville") and her teenaged son (CHRISTOPHER DENHAM, Red Light Winter) flee Illinois and a crumbling marriage for the relative calm and safety of a midtown Manhattan hotel. Mom holds tickets to a popular musical about love among bohemians. Her son isn't interested, so Mom takes the kindly cabdriver instead, while the boy entertains a visitor from down the hall, an enigmatic, potentially dangerous young woman. Kindness is a play about the possibility for sympathy in a harsh world and the meaning of mercy in the face of devastating circumstances.
Also starring Ray Antony Thomas and Katherine Waterston.
SEPTEMBER 25 THRU NOVEMBER 2 ONLY!
Perfs. Tues-Fri at 7:30, Sat at 2:00 & 7:30, Sun at 2:00 & 7:00
* Purchase online at www.TicketCentral.com
* Call TICKET CENTRAL at (212) 279-4200 (Noon-8pm daily).
* Visit the TICKET CENTRAL box office window at 416 West 42nd Street between 9th and 10th Avenues (Noon-8pm daily).
Playwrights Horizons Peter Jay Sharp Theater
416 WEST 42ND STREET (BETWEEN 9th & 10th AVENUES)
Coming: LOVE AND WAR
Phil's Literary Works
presents a staged reading of a new play
LOVE AND WAR - A POLITICAL LOVE STORY
or what happens when enemies fall in love?
Written and directed by Phillip W. Weiss
A bitter Israeli soldier ... a beautiful Palestinian woman ... war ... passion ... romance
2 performances only!
Sunday, September 14th at 4:30 P.M.
Wednesday, September 17th at 7:30 P.M.
The Roy Arias Theater Center Off-Off Broadway Playhouse
300 West 43rd Street, 5th Floor, NYC
(212) 957-8358
Admission: $15.00 (payable by cash, check or money order)
pwnycny@aol.com
Warning: this play contains language and content not suitable for minors.Ticket purchases are non-refundable.
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
Coming: A NUMBER
Written by CARYL CHURCHILL
Directed by BEVERLY BRUMM
Featuring:SEAN MARRINAN* & JAY ROHLOFF
September 6 - September 26, 2008
THE BECKETT THEATRE @ THEATRE ROW
"Like all Churchill's best plays, A Number deals with both the essentials and the extremities of human experience... The questions this brilliant, harrowing play asks are almost unanswerable, which is why they must be asked." - The Sunday Times
Caryl Churchill's play, A Number, centers around Salter, a father who is suddenly faced with the startling results of his decision to clone a child thirty years earlier. It is unexpectedly revealed that this experiment resulted in "a number" of sons, three of whom now confront him with the consequences of his actions. With unexpected turns, stunning developments and a dramatic examination of the issues of nature vs. nurture, A Number is both an emotionally compelling and intellectually provocative drama.
The production features scenic design by Larry Laslo, lighting design by Ben Tevelow, and costume design by Jocelyn Melechinsky. Sound by Jason Sebastian, Casting by Todd Thaler. Stephanie Cali is the Production Stage Manager.
Designer Larry Laslo was named as a Design Icon by The World Market Center Las Vegas in honor of his highly regarded interior design work. Laslo has become famous for his "liveable contemporary" style, which he's used in many commercial design projects, such as the Takashimaya flagship store and Bergdorf Goodman, both in New York.
A NUMBER plays the following regular schedule through Friday, September 26th:
Wednesdays - Saturdays at 8 pm;
Sundays at 2 pm .
Call Ticket Central at (212) 279- 4200.
www.ticketcentral.com.
Tickets may also be purchased in-person at the Theatre Row Box Office, 12 p.m. to 8 p.m. daily.
Thursday, August 21, 2008
MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING
Curious Frog Theatre Company's MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING!
IT'S A COMEDY. IT'S FREE. AND IT'S COMING TO A PARK NEAR YOU.
· SAT 8/23/08 SUNSET PARK
· SUN 8/24/08 ASTORIA PARK
· SAT 8/30/08 INWOOD HILL PARK (Very close to mi casa)
· SUN 8/31/08 EAST RIVER PARK
· SAT 9/06 BAISLEY POND PARK
· SUN. 9/07 RIVERSIDE PARK
· SUN 9/21 FORT GREENE PARK
· SAT 9/27 ASTORIA PARK
· SUN 9/28 QUEENSBRIDGE PARK
ALL PERFORMANCES AT 4:00 PM
Maps, Directions & ALL THE DETAILS AT:
WWW.CURIOUSFROG.ORG
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
REVELATION READINGS AT RED BULL THEATER
presents
REVELATION READINGS
OBIE AWARD-WINNING READING SERIES
September 15th 2008 – March 2nd 2009
SEPTEMBER – DECEMBER READINGS
Monday September 15, 7pm
A BENEFIT READING OF
RESTORATION COMEDY
by Amy Freed (The Beard of Avon)
New York Premiere, directed by Jesse Berger
Featuring Michael Urie (Ugly Betty, Revenger’s Tragedy), Bill Camp, and More!
A hilarious fusion of Vanbrugh’s classic sex-farce The Relapse and its wild prequel Cibber’s Love’s Last Shift, this new comedy is not to be missed.
VIP reception with the artists beforehand. Cocktail party with live music follows the reading.
Admission: $100 Reading & Party, $250 VIP Reception + Reading & Party
Reserve now at www.redbulltheater.com
or 212.352.3101
Monday September 29, 7pm
THE SILENT WOMAN
by Ben Jonson
This Jacobean gem is satirically savvy, with a surprisingly sexy twist.
Starring F Murray Abraham (Amadeus, Merchant of Venice)
Monday October 6, 7pm
A HORSE’S ASS
by David Greenspan, loosely adapted from Pietro Aretino’s Renaissance comedy, Il Marescalco.
1526. Mantua. A homosexual man will be forced at knifepoint to marry a woman. He’s tearing his hair out.
Directed by Leigh Silverman (Well)
Monday October 27, 7pm
THE CENCI
by Percy Bysshe Shelley
Tyranny, incest, and assassination – a 16th century tragedy comes to vivid life in the hands of one of the great Romantic poets.
Directed by Eleanor Holdridge
Featuring Lisa Harrow (Wit) and Roger Rees (Indiscretions)
Monday November 17, 7pm
THE MALCONTENT
by John Marston
A truculent tragicomedy, this scathing attack on government corruption is timely, terrifying, and disconcertingly amusing.
Directed by Ethan McSweeny (The Persians, 1001)
Featuring Matthew Rauch (Revenger’s Tragedy)
Monday December 8, 7pm
DOCTOR FAUSTUS
by Christopher Marlowe
Faustus sells his soul to the Devil for knowledge – the classic tale, as only Marlowe could have told it!
Directed by Mark Lamos (Cymbeline)
COMING THIS SEASON
A full production of
Thomas Middleton’s WOMEN BEWARE WOMEN
Directed by Jesse Berger
Tickets on sale soon…
2009 READINGS
Monday January 12, 7pm
ELECTRICIDAD: A Chicano take on the tragedy of Electra
by Luis Alfaro
Sophocles’ great classic re-imagined, set in a contemporary Los Angeles barrio.
Directed by Lisa Peterson
Monday February 23, 7pm
The Royal Hunt of the Sun
by Peter Shaffer
A modern epic about the conquest of Peru by Spain and the destruction of the Inca Empire, a clash of cultures brought about by an occupying force.
Directed by Joe Hardy
Monday March 2, 7pm
THE SIEGE OF NUMANTIA
by Miguel de Cervantes
A devastating play about honor, sacrifice, and the last days of Numantia by the creator of Don Quixote.
Directed by Moises Kaufman
LOCATION
Theater at St. Clement’s
423 West 46th Street, between 9th & 10th Avenues
Subway: A/C/E to 42nd Street, Exit on 44th Street
Parking: 415 West 45th Street, between 9th & 10th Avenues
TICKETS
$25 Adults
$10 Students/Industry*
$100/$250 Benefit
$65+ Subscription Packages Available
Purchase at www.redbulltheater.com
or call 212-352-3101, or 866-811-4111 (toll-free)
Red Bull Theater is a 501 (c) 3 not-for-profit company dedicated to the presentation of vital and imaginative productions of heightened language plays and to the development of new plays written in a similar vein. With a special focus on the Jacobean plays of Shakespeare and his contemporaries, Red Bull Theater aspires to challenge the intellect and engage the imagination of today’s theatergoers through language-based, company-created, resonantly provocative stagings of great classic stories. Donations to Red Bull Theater are fully tax-deductible to the extent permitted by law.
DONATE
To give to Red Bull Theater right now, click HERE or go to http://www.redbulltheater.com/2008/cms.php?menu=join.
MAILING LIST
Don’t miss out on events that get announced by regular mail only. Send your mailing address to info@redbulltheater.com to be kept completely up to date. To Subscribe or Unsubscribe to email announcements, click here: http://www.redbulltheater.com/cgi-bin/dada/mail.cgi.
JESSE BERGER
ARTISTIC DIRECTOR
PO BOX 250863
NEW YORK NY 10025
www.redbulltheater.com
212.414.5168
info@redbulltheater.com
Friday, August 15, 2008
THREE CHANGES
THREE CHANGES
Directed by WILSON MILAM (The Lieutenant of Inishmore, Killer Joe)
Nate (Dylan McDermott, "The Practice") and Laurel (Maura Tierney, "E.R.") are a comfortably married, Upper West Side couple-until Nate's wayward brother Hal (Scott Cohen, Drunk Enough to Say I Love You?) arrives from Hollywood. What at first seems a casual visit, a chance to reconnect, is quickly revealed as something more ominous. Hal may have had success, but human connection is all that matters, and he intends to make connections-no matter who pays the price.
Three Changes is a funny and darkly suspenseful look at the joy of family, and how far we'll go to get it.
Playwrights Horizons Mainstage Theater
416 WEST 42ND STREET (BETWEEN 9th & 10th AVENUES)
Perfs. Tues-Fri at 8:00, Sat at 2:30 & 8:00, Sun at 2:30 & 7:30
For tickets:
Call TICKET CENTRAL at (212) 279-4200 (Noon-8pm daily).
or
Visit the TICKET CENTRAL box office window
416 West 42nd Street between 9th and 10th Avenues (Noon-8pm daily).
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
LOVE AND OTHER NATURAL DISASTERS
Manhattan Repertory Theatre
Presents: Summerfest 2008
Stage Manager: Sarah Nochenson
Sound Design: Hollis Smith
7 PM shows Wed. Aug. 6th, Thurs. Aug. 7th, Fri. Aug. 8th
(Possible Extended Run: Sat/Sun, Aug. 9/10th -- Call for details)
General Admission $20*
For Tickets: (646)329-6588
Manhattan Repertory Theatre
303 W. 42nd Street (at 8th Ave.) Third Floor
http://www.manhattanrep.com/
STAIN
A new play by Tony Glazer
directed by Scott C. Embler
presented by Choice Theatricals
What doesn't kill you leaves a mark.
Featuring:
Karina Arroyave - (Film: Crash, "24", Theatre: The Public's School of the Americas)
Joanna Bayless - (Sweet Bird of Youth)
Peter Brensinger - (Film: Red Cockroaches)
Summer Crockett Moore - (Last Summer at Bluefish Cove, IT Award for Best Featured Actress)
Jim O'Connor - (Film: Sweet Home Alabama, Last Request, Mystic Pizza. TV: "The Secret Life of...")
Tobias Segal - (MTC's From Up Here - Drama League & Drama Desk Award nominations, Playwrights' Doris To Darlene).
Now thru August 23rd, 2008
at The Kirk Theatre
Theatre Row, NYC - 410 West 42nd Street
For tickets: call 212-279-4200 or visit www.ticketcentral.com