Slow week for Jersey Stages as Memorial Day weekend is a lousy time for openings.
The summer slowdown is not yet upon us, though. There's openings next week at Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey ("The Play's the Thing") and Tri-State Actors Theatre in Sussex ("Greater Tuna").
Paper Mill pushed its press opening for "Pirates!" back a few days to June 13 (Wednesday night opening, ugh!), which means I may get to Tri-State's opening after all. Felt bad I missed their "Twelfth Night" but there was no time.
In the meantime, here's a Central Jersey-oriented look at highlights from Paper Mill's Rising Star nominations:
Theatrical productions from three Union County high schools and two more from Somerset County received nominations this week for Paper Mill Playhouse’s 2007 Rising Star Awards.
Scotch Plains-Fanwood High School was among most honored, receiving 14 nominations. Cranford High School and Union Catholic High School, along with Immaculata High School and Bridgewater-Raritan High School, also gained nominations.
Scotch Plains-Fanwood’s production of the musical “Once Upon a Mattress” was nominated for Outstanding Overall Production of a Musical. From that production, individual nominations or honorable mentions were given to Ally Rome (Outstanding Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role), Kristen Barry and Elizabeth Minski (supporting actress), Andre Smith (supporting actor), Mary Lynn Dobson (Outstanding Achievement by a Teacher or Outside director), Gia Dilorio (choreography), John Brzozowski (musical direction), Joanne Sprague and Gertle Rowe (costumes), Gerry DeLuca and Maura Berger (hair and makeup) and for chorus and student orchestra. In the Student Achievement category, nominations went to stage manager Tom Sack and crew (Lauryn Adams, Diana Chaves, Ashley Deshields, Noveen Iqbal, Kathryn Moynihan, Adam Biner, Victoria Kamouth).
Cranford’s “Titanic” received an honorable mention for outstanding overall production, along with individual nominations for Catrina Coffey (supporting actress), Cori Chandler (featured ensemble member), Mike D’Arcy (scenic achievement), Lynn C. Berry and Christine Stawnychy (costumes) and Michelle Masa (hair and makeup). “Titanic” also was nominated for the Educational Impact Award.
Union Catholic’s production of “Sugar” earned nominations for Joe Palinsky and Lynne Nunes for graphic design.
In Somerset County, Doug Helman of Bridgewater-Raritan was nominated as a lead actor in “Fiddler on the Roof.” From the same production, stage manager Brian DeVito was nominated for the Student Achievement Award.
Immaculata High School in Somerville was honorably mentioned in the Outstanding costume Achievement category.
Modeled after Broadway’s Tony Awards, the Paper Mill Playhouse Rising Star Awards were created to encourage and reward exceptional accomplishments in the production of New Jersey high-school musicals. It is the first and only statewide high school recognition program of its kind in the country.
A corps of evaluators, comprised of theater professionals and educators, see shows at all 110 entered schools between January and April before making their nomination recommendations. The awards will be given out in a gala ceremony at the theater in Millburn on June 12.
For information, visit http://www.papermill.org/.
Happy Memorial Day everyone, and a tip of the cap to my late Dad, a combat vet of WWII, and my stepson, whose done 2 tours in Iraq and headed back to the Middle East probably in the fal, and this time as an officer. As I always tell him, keep your chin up and your head down.
Friday, May 25, 2007
Sunday, May 20, 2007
Review Preview: "Painting Churches"
OK, here's a draft of my review of "Painting Churches" by the Womens Theatre Company in Parsippany.
Abstract: Interesting play that takes some time before it gets to its point, but pays off in the end. Cast need some more rehersal, but there's an enjoyable night of theater here.
If you want to go:
What: “Painting Churches”
When: through June 3
Where: Parsippany Community Center, 1130 Knoll Road, Lake Hiawatha section
How much: $15
Info: (973) 316-3033
Stay with it, and “Painting Churches” pays off.
The Womens Theater Company production of Tina Howe’s off-Broadway hit wobbles in the first act before finally hitting the mark. The result is that Howe’s powerful message resonates now more than it did when she wrote it 25 years ago.
The Churches in question are not steepled houses of worship, but they are pillars of the community. But poet laureate Gardner Church (Rich Maloy) and his wife, Fanny (Judy Stone), are about to leave their cushy Boston home for a small cottage on the Cape. It is a move of necessity—Gardner has lost his talent to senility, so the income stream has slowed to a trickle.
“Daddy’s last Pulitzer didn’t even cover the real-estate taxes,” Fanny tells their daughter, Meg, who’s come to paint their portrait before they move.
Meg is looking forward to seeing her parents through a new set of eyes. As a child, she suffered the eccentricities and intimidating demands of her parents, particularly Fanny, who has refined the art of passive-aggressive behavior. Meg is a now successful portrait artist, about to be shown at a famous gallery that once displayed the likes of Warhol and Rauschenberg.
She loves her job, because “it’s the subject that’s exposed, not me,” she tells her mother. “That’s why I wanted to do you.”
Tart-tongued Fanny counterpunches with digs at Meg’s hair, dress and talent, honed at Pratt Institute, which Fanny dismisses as “that wretched little art school.”
Meanwhile, Gardner wanders through his day, further disoriented by the move. He stares at the bare walls, bumps into the moving cartons scattered about the apartment and drops sheets of an incoherent manuscript like he’s spreading grass seed. But when Fanny notes the time of day, he cheerfully pours Dubonet for everyone (there’s an ’80s reference for you) and munches on Saltines like he’s discovered a new food group.
“You don’t know the half of it,” Fanny tells Meg, who’s shaken with the reality of her father’s situation.
Maloy brilliantly captures the tragic decline of a powerful mind. You can see genuine confusion in his mind as he stops because he’s forgotten where he’s going. You can see a brief spark of clarity as he recalls a poem and recites it with eloquence, comprehending the nuance of every syllable, then suddenly—in an instant—it’s gone.
Many of growing ranks of sandwich-generation caregivers will recognize every look on Malloy’s face, because they’ve seen it in the eyes of their own aging parents. Another side of the sandwich generation—those who distance themselves from these situations, will connect with Meg, who’s shocked at how callously her mother treats, and copes, with her infirmed father.
“At least I’m involved,” Fanny snaps at her daughter, who visits roughly once a year. “Which is a hell of a lot more than you do.”
Stone has the proper Boston Brahmin attitude, and manages to build some sympathy for a frequently unsympathetic character. But her timing was off on opening night, rushing lines and missing several tailor-made opportunities for humor. Curious, since her background includes a lot of comedy.
Merrigan also lacks the timing to deliver Howe’s tricky lines, which can be hilarious or horrifying depending on how they are delivered.
Coincidentally, Merrigan has a bachelor’s degree in portraiture painting. A professional scenic designer as well as an actress, she also designed the set.
Hopefully, Artistic Director Barbara Krajkowski can help the actors better connect with the material, and each other. Perhaps it was just opening-night jitters, which seemed to be clearing as the show reached its powerful climax. Should they accomplish the mission, this worthy production may even be worth a second look.
Abstract: Interesting play that takes some time before it gets to its point, but pays off in the end. Cast need some more rehersal, but there's an enjoyable night of theater here.
If you want to go:
What: “Painting Churches”
When: through June 3
Where: Parsippany Community Center, 1130 Knoll Road, Lake Hiawatha section
How much: $15
Info: (973) 316-3033
Stay with it, and “Painting Churches” pays off.
The Womens Theater Company production of Tina Howe’s off-Broadway hit wobbles in the first act before finally hitting the mark. The result is that Howe’s powerful message resonates now more than it did when she wrote it 25 years ago.
The Churches in question are not steepled houses of worship, but they are pillars of the community. But poet laureate Gardner Church (Rich Maloy) and his wife, Fanny (Judy Stone), are about to leave their cushy Boston home for a small cottage on the Cape. It is a move of necessity—Gardner has lost his talent to senility, so the income stream has slowed to a trickle.
“Daddy’s last Pulitzer didn’t even cover the real-estate taxes,” Fanny tells their daughter, Meg, who’s come to paint their portrait before they move.
Meg is looking forward to seeing her parents through a new set of eyes. As a child, she suffered the eccentricities and intimidating demands of her parents, particularly Fanny, who has refined the art of passive-aggressive behavior. Meg is a now successful portrait artist, about to be shown at a famous gallery that once displayed the likes of Warhol and Rauschenberg.
She loves her job, because “it’s the subject that’s exposed, not me,” she tells her mother. “That’s why I wanted to do you.”
Tart-tongued Fanny counterpunches with digs at Meg’s hair, dress and talent, honed at Pratt Institute, which Fanny dismisses as “that wretched little art school.”
Meanwhile, Gardner wanders through his day, further disoriented by the move. He stares at the bare walls, bumps into the moving cartons scattered about the apartment and drops sheets of an incoherent manuscript like he’s spreading grass seed. But when Fanny notes the time of day, he cheerfully pours Dubonet for everyone (there’s an ’80s reference for you) and munches on Saltines like he’s discovered a new food group.
“You don’t know the half of it,” Fanny tells Meg, who’s shaken with the reality of her father’s situation.
Maloy brilliantly captures the tragic decline of a powerful mind. You can see genuine confusion in his mind as he stops because he’s forgotten where he’s going. You can see a brief spark of clarity as he recalls a poem and recites it with eloquence, comprehending the nuance of every syllable, then suddenly—in an instant—it’s gone.
Many of growing ranks of sandwich-generation caregivers will recognize every look on Malloy’s face, because they’ve seen it in the eyes of their own aging parents. Another side of the sandwich generation—those who distance themselves from these situations, will connect with Meg, who’s shocked at how callously her mother treats, and copes, with her infirmed father.
“At least I’m involved,” Fanny snaps at her daughter, who visits roughly once a year. “Which is a hell of a lot more than you do.”
Stone has the proper Boston Brahmin attitude, and manages to build some sympathy for a frequently unsympathetic character. But her timing was off on opening night, rushing lines and missing several tailor-made opportunities for humor. Curious, since her background includes a lot of comedy.
Merrigan also lacks the timing to deliver Howe’s tricky lines, which can be hilarious or horrifying depending on how they are delivered.
Coincidentally, Merrigan has a bachelor’s degree in portraiture painting. A professional scenic designer as well as an actress, she also designed the set.
Hopefully, Artistic Director Barbara Krajkowski can help the actors better connect with the material, and each other. Perhaps it was just opening-night jitters, which seemed to be clearing as the show reached its powerful climax. Should they accomplish the mission, this worthy production may even be worth a second look.
Friday, May 18, 2007
It's official: "Pirates!" to sail at Paper Mill
Well, they got it done. After all the angst, Paper Mill Playhouse will launch its production of "Pirates!" on schedule June 7.
Short on time so I'll cut and paste a bit from the press release:
Paper Mill Playhouse (Millburn, NJ) announces its mainstage production of Pirates!, a swashbuckling adaptation of Gilbert and Sullivan’s The Pirates of Penzance, a fully-staged theatrical concert with costumes, choreography and sword fighting. This newly reworked masterpiece conceived by Gordon Greenberg (Jacques Brel…), Nell Benjamin (Legally Blonde), and John McDaniel (The Rosie O’Donnell Show) will run at the Millburn theatre from June 7, 2007 through July 8, 2007. The production stars Farah Alvin (Mabel), Ed Dixon (Modern Major General), Barrett Foa (Frederic), Liz McCartney (Ruth), Gerry McIntyre (Sergeant) and Andrew Varela (The Pirate King).
Pirates! with book and lyrics by Sir William S. Gilbert, music by Sir Arthur S. Sullivan was conceived by Gordon Greenberg, Nell Benjamin, and John McDaniel with additional book & lyrics by Nell Benjamin, music supervision, new arrangements, and orchestrations by John McDaniel. The journey of this updated version of The Pirates of Penzance began at Paper Mill Playhouse in 2005 when Director Gordon Greenberg was in final rehearsals for The Baker’s Wife. Greenberg and the artistic staff began discussing ideas for a “Caribbean” adaptation of the classic Gilbert and Sullivan score. In 2006, the creative team that would ultimately create Pirates! met in New York City with Goodspeed Musicals and Paper Mill Playhouse to pitch the concept. Both theatres enthusiastically embraced the idea and commissioned the team to create this redeveloped work.
Gordon Greenberg, director of the Off-Broadway hit Jacques Brel…, will direct Paper Mill’s Pirates!. Previously, Greenberg directed The Bakers Wife for both Goodspeed Musicals and Paper Mill Playhouse and the national tour of Peter Pan. Warren Carlyle associate choreographer of The Producers and Oklahoma on Broadway will choreograph Pirates!.
Adapted from the original Gilbert and Sullivan libretto and set to a Caribbean inspired score, Director Gordon Greenberg navigates Pirates! into the 21st century, complete with swordfights and sex appeal. After a hard-of-hearing nurse mistakes the word "pilot" for "pirate," young Frederic finds himself apprenticed to a band of swashbuckling buccaneers. Now a young man, and with his final days of servitude rapidly approaching, he longs for a return to respectable life. But in true Gilbert and Sullivan style, mishap after mishap arises, and it will take a fair maiden, a fair amount of double-crossing, and the very model of a modern major general to reach a happy ending.
The company of Pirates! is led by veteran actors Farah Alvin (Mabel), Ed Dixon (Modern Major General), Barrett Foa (Frederic), Liz McCartney (Ruth), Gerry McIntyre (Sergeant) and Andrew Varela (The Pirate King). Farah Alvin was featured in the Off-Broadway drama I Love You Because and recently released an album entitled Someday. Ed Dixon, a Paper Mill favorite, last appeared on the Paper Mill stage as Max in The Sound of Music. His Broadway credits include: The Iceman Cometh, The Best Man, Cyrano, Les Miserables, The Three Musketeers, and The Scarlet Pimpernel. Barrett Foa made his Broadway debut in 2001 in the original cast of Mamma Mia followed by a critically acclaimed performance as the evil Mordred in Camelot at Paper Mill. Most recently he played the role of Leaf Coneybear in the Broadway Company of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee and Princeton/Rod in Avenue Q. Liz McCartney is best known for her performances on Broadway in Mamma Mia, Phantom of the Opera, Les Miserables, and the original cast of Taboo. Gerry McIntyre starred on Broadway in Joesph…Dreamcoat, Anything Goes, and the original company of Once on this Island. On Broadway, Andrew Varela appeared as Jean Valjean in Les Miserables, Professor Bhaer in Little Women and King David.
There you go. Now I'm off the the Womens Theater Company production of "Painting Churches" (Review Preview should be posted some time tomorrow). I love their new home at the Parsippany Community Center, five minutes from my house and about 10 feet from where I'll be playing golf on Sunday.
Then, somehow, I ended up with the entire weekend off after having to plan on working all weekend. My dancing deadlines lately move more often than James Brown on the Apollo stage. Somehow, the latest round of changes worked in my favor. That NEVER happens, so I'm still a little wary.
As my friend Herb used to say (usually around 2 a.m.), "Journalism ... what was I thinking?" God help me, I love it so.
Short on time so I'll cut and paste a bit from the press release:
Paper Mill Playhouse (Millburn, NJ) announces its mainstage production of Pirates!, a swashbuckling adaptation of Gilbert and Sullivan’s The Pirates of Penzance, a fully-staged theatrical concert with costumes, choreography and sword fighting. This newly reworked masterpiece conceived by Gordon Greenberg (Jacques Brel…), Nell Benjamin (Legally Blonde), and John McDaniel (The Rosie O’Donnell Show) will run at the Millburn theatre from June 7, 2007 through July 8, 2007. The production stars Farah Alvin (Mabel), Ed Dixon (Modern Major General), Barrett Foa (Frederic), Liz McCartney (Ruth), Gerry McIntyre (Sergeant) and Andrew Varela (The Pirate King).
Pirates! with book and lyrics by Sir William S. Gilbert, music by Sir Arthur S. Sullivan was conceived by Gordon Greenberg, Nell Benjamin, and John McDaniel with additional book & lyrics by Nell Benjamin, music supervision, new arrangements, and orchestrations by John McDaniel. The journey of this updated version of The Pirates of Penzance began at Paper Mill Playhouse in 2005 when Director Gordon Greenberg was in final rehearsals for The Baker’s Wife. Greenberg and the artistic staff began discussing ideas for a “Caribbean” adaptation of the classic Gilbert and Sullivan score. In 2006, the creative team that would ultimately create Pirates! met in New York City with Goodspeed Musicals and Paper Mill Playhouse to pitch the concept. Both theatres enthusiastically embraced the idea and commissioned the team to create this redeveloped work.
Gordon Greenberg, director of the Off-Broadway hit Jacques Brel…, will direct Paper Mill’s Pirates!. Previously, Greenberg directed The Bakers Wife for both Goodspeed Musicals and Paper Mill Playhouse and the national tour of Peter Pan. Warren Carlyle associate choreographer of The Producers and Oklahoma on Broadway will choreograph Pirates!.
Adapted from the original Gilbert and Sullivan libretto and set to a Caribbean inspired score, Director Gordon Greenberg navigates Pirates! into the 21st century, complete with swordfights and sex appeal. After a hard-of-hearing nurse mistakes the word "pilot" for "pirate," young Frederic finds himself apprenticed to a band of swashbuckling buccaneers. Now a young man, and with his final days of servitude rapidly approaching, he longs for a return to respectable life. But in true Gilbert and Sullivan style, mishap after mishap arises, and it will take a fair maiden, a fair amount of double-crossing, and the very model of a modern major general to reach a happy ending.
The company of Pirates! is led by veteran actors Farah Alvin (Mabel), Ed Dixon (Modern Major General), Barrett Foa (Frederic), Liz McCartney (Ruth), Gerry McIntyre (Sergeant) and Andrew Varela (The Pirate King). Farah Alvin was featured in the Off-Broadway drama I Love You Because and recently released an album entitled Someday. Ed Dixon, a Paper Mill favorite, last appeared on the Paper Mill stage as Max in The Sound of Music. His Broadway credits include: The Iceman Cometh, The Best Man, Cyrano, Les Miserables, The Three Musketeers, and The Scarlet Pimpernel. Barrett Foa made his Broadway debut in 2001 in the original cast of Mamma Mia followed by a critically acclaimed performance as the evil Mordred in Camelot at Paper Mill. Most recently he played the role of Leaf Coneybear in the Broadway Company of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee and Princeton/Rod in Avenue Q. Liz McCartney is best known for her performances on Broadway in Mamma Mia, Phantom of the Opera, Les Miserables, and the original cast of Taboo. Gerry McIntyre starred on Broadway in Joesph…Dreamcoat, Anything Goes, and the original company of Once on this Island. On Broadway, Andrew Varela appeared as Jean Valjean in Les Miserables, Professor Bhaer in Little Women and King David.
There you go. Now I'm off the the Womens Theater Company production of "Painting Churches" (Review Preview should be posted some time tomorrow). I love their new home at the Parsippany Community Center, five minutes from my house and about 10 feet from where I'll be playing golf on Sunday.
Then, somehow, I ended up with the entire weekend off after having to plan on working all weekend. My dancing deadlines lately move more often than James Brown on the Apollo stage. Somehow, the latest round of changes worked in my favor. That NEVER happens, so I'm still a little wary.
As my friend Herb used to say (usually around 2 a.m.), "Journalism ... what was I thinking?" God help me, I love it so.
Groovelily update
For those of you who remember last year's "A Midsummer Night's Dream" coproduced by McCarter Theatre Center and Paper Mill Playhouse, here's an update on Groovlily, the musical trio who wrote original music and performed in that fabulous show, directed by my favorite director, Tina Landau.
I enjoyed an interview with them a while back and have stayed in touch. Very nice people. They have gone on to produce their "holiday musical," striking 12," to good reviews and crowds off-Broadway and continue to tour the country, playing their unique blend of jazzy, breezy and abstractly pop tunes.
They recently released a CD of music from the show, "A Little Midsummer Night's Music" (PS Classics), and donated $5 from each Internet sale for a designated week to Paper Mill Playhouse's "survival fund." The net result: 73 sales and a $365 donation. Not bad.
And they said the Internet wouldn't last.
Also, they were hired by Disney to write songs for a musical version of "Toy Story." Even if, for now, it's only planned for now as a 55-minute show (to be performed on the Disney cruise ship Wonder), you know the Mouse will find an address on Broadway if the show gets a good response. Leave it to Disney to put a new spin on the old "out-of-town trial." Anyway, the show will still include Randy Newman's "You've Got a Friend in Me," but the rest will be groovy grooves from Groovelily.
As for the CD, I must say, if I hadn't seen the show twice, I might be scratching my head wondering what to make of it. It's good, and a great keepsake of show I remember very fondly. But if I wanted to buy a first Groovelily CD and learn more what they are all about, I would seek out the compilation "Are We There Yet?" Man, there's a lot of great music on that one.
Groovelily also will play a rare New Jersey concert Sept. 22 in Chatham. For details, or to order a CD, visit http://www.groovelily.com/
Busy day at work, then I'm near home tonight for "Painting Churches," which wraps up the season at the Womens Theater Company in Parsippany. Off we go ...
I enjoyed an interview with them a while back and have stayed in touch. Very nice people. They have gone on to produce their "holiday musical," striking 12," to good reviews and crowds off-Broadway and continue to tour the country, playing their unique blend of jazzy, breezy and abstractly pop tunes.
They recently released a CD of music from the show, "A Little Midsummer Night's Music" (PS Classics), and donated $5 from each Internet sale for a designated week to Paper Mill Playhouse's "survival fund." The net result: 73 sales and a $365 donation. Not bad.
And they said the Internet wouldn't last.
Also, they were hired by Disney to write songs for a musical version of "Toy Story." Even if, for now, it's only planned for now as a 55-minute show (to be performed on the Disney cruise ship Wonder), you know the Mouse will find an address on Broadway if the show gets a good response. Leave it to Disney to put a new spin on the old "out-of-town trial." Anyway, the show will still include Randy Newman's "You've Got a Friend in Me," but the rest will be groovy grooves from Groovelily.
As for the CD, I must say, if I hadn't seen the show twice, I might be scratching my head wondering what to make of it. It's good, and a great keepsake of show I remember very fondly. But if I wanted to buy a first Groovelily CD and learn more what they are all about, I would seek out the compilation "Are We There Yet?" Man, there's a lot of great music on that one.
Groovelily also will play a rare New Jersey concert Sept. 22 in Chatham. For details, or to order a CD, visit http://www.groovelily.com/
Busy day at work, then I'm near home tonight for "Painting Churches," which wraps up the season at the Womens Theater Company in Parsippany. Off we go ...
Wednesday, May 16, 2007
Looking ahead: George St., McCarter
I'm still having trouble believing its 2007, and I'm reading news about 2008. Time flies when you have none to spare, so here's a quick look at news from two of the state's top professional theaters.
And for those of you who wondered how octogenarian Jack Klugman survived three weeks onstage at George Street Playhouse last year, well, he's coming back, a year older and, presumably, a year stronger. Everyready bunny, that one.
The highlight of new season planned at Princeton University’s McCarter Theatre Center is expected to be the world premiere of a new play by three-time Pulitzer Prize winner Edward Albee. Artistic director Emily Mann will direct “Me, Myself and I,” which is described as a “dark, funny and moving play that takes sibling rivalry to existential heights.” Show dates are Jan 11 to Feb. 17.
The season beings with Lydia Diamond’s “Stick Fly” (Sept. 7 to Oct. 14) and also includes Moliere’s “Tartuffe” (Oct. 7 to 28); “Argonautika: The Voyage of Jason and the Argonauts” (March 16 to April 6), from the same company that produced “Lookingglass Alice,” written and directed by Mary Zimmerman, who previously brought “The Odyssey” and “The Secret in the Wings” to McCarter; and, finally, “A Seagull in the Hamptons” (May 2 to June 8). This world-premiere “freely adapted” take on “The Seagull” completes Mann’s cycle of Chekhov’s major works.
During the holidays, of course, “A Christmas Carol” (opens Dec. 7, closing TBA) will take its annual residence in Princeton. For more information, visit www.mccarter.org.
George Street Playhouse last week announced three of the five selections for its 2007-08 season, which begins in October with the return of Jack Klugman in “The Sunshine Boys.”
Klugman, who performed at the New Brunswick theater last season in “The Value of Names,” will team with another veteran actor, Paul Dooley, in Neil Simon’s comedy about two aging vaudevillians. David Saint, in his 10th year as artistic director, direct George Street’s 34th-season premeire, which will run Oct. 16 to Nov. 11. Klugman, winner of three Emmys, is best known for his starring roles in TV’s “The Odd Couple” and “Quincy.” Dooley’s been a regular in TV and films for three decades, including a featured role this summer in the film version of the Broadway musical, “Hairspray!”
Also announced were the Donald Margulies drama, “Sight Unseen” (Jan. 15 to Feb. 10), followed by the “The Scene” (Feb. 26 to March 23). Theresa Rebeck’s biting comedy about an unemployed actor was an Off-Broadway hit last season at New York’s Second Stage Theatre.
Two to-be-named productions are being planned for Nov. 27 to Dec. 23 and April 8 to May 4.
George Street Playhouse is at 9 Livingston Ave. in the heart of New Brunswick’s dining and entertainment district. Full season subscriptions are available now. Single tickets go on sale in September, ranging from $28 to $54. For more information, call (732) 246-7717 or visit www.GSPonline.org.
And for those of you who wondered how octogenarian Jack Klugman survived three weeks onstage at George Street Playhouse last year, well, he's coming back, a year older and, presumably, a year stronger. Everyready bunny, that one.
The highlight of new season planned at Princeton University’s McCarter Theatre Center is expected to be the world premiere of a new play by three-time Pulitzer Prize winner Edward Albee. Artistic director Emily Mann will direct “Me, Myself and I,” which is described as a “dark, funny and moving play that takes sibling rivalry to existential heights.” Show dates are Jan 11 to Feb. 17.
The season beings with Lydia Diamond’s “Stick Fly” (Sept. 7 to Oct. 14) and also includes Moliere’s “Tartuffe” (Oct. 7 to 28); “Argonautika: The Voyage of Jason and the Argonauts” (March 16 to April 6), from the same company that produced “Lookingglass Alice,” written and directed by Mary Zimmerman, who previously brought “The Odyssey” and “The Secret in the Wings” to McCarter; and, finally, “A Seagull in the Hamptons” (May 2 to June 8). This world-premiere “freely adapted” take on “The Seagull” completes Mann’s cycle of Chekhov’s major works.
During the holidays, of course, “A Christmas Carol” (opens Dec. 7, closing TBA) will take its annual residence in Princeton. For more information, visit www.mccarter.org.
George Street Playhouse last week announced three of the five selections for its 2007-08 season, which begins in October with the return of Jack Klugman in “The Sunshine Boys.”
Klugman, who performed at the New Brunswick theater last season in “The Value of Names,” will team with another veteran actor, Paul Dooley, in Neil Simon’s comedy about two aging vaudevillians. David Saint, in his 10th year as artistic director, direct George Street’s 34th-season premeire, which will run Oct. 16 to Nov. 11. Klugman, winner of three Emmys, is best known for his starring roles in TV’s “The Odd Couple” and “Quincy.” Dooley’s been a regular in TV and films for three decades, including a featured role this summer in the film version of the Broadway musical, “Hairspray!”
Also announced were the Donald Margulies drama, “Sight Unseen” (Jan. 15 to Feb. 10), followed by the “The Scene” (Feb. 26 to March 23). Theresa Rebeck’s biting comedy about an unemployed actor was an Off-Broadway hit last season at New York’s Second Stage Theatre.
Two to-be-named productions are being planned for Nov. 27 to Dec. 23 and April 8 to May 4.
George Street Playhouse is at 9 Livingston Ave. in the heart of New Brunswick’s dining and entertainment district. Full season subscriptions are available now. Single tickets go on sale in September, ranging from $28 to $54. For more information, call (732) 246-7717 or visit www.GSPonline.org.
Monday, May 14, 2007
Review Preview: "Chapter Two"
Another Review Preview, which, in the Courier News context, is probably the final subjective word on the subject since I doubt the Courier will have room for this "out-of-area review." Daily Record readers can pick it up on Friday.
Abstract: Pretty good and served as a reminder of how great Niel Simon really is. "It really holds up, doesn't it?" said artistic director Eric Hafen. I had to agree. After so many years and so many plays, we take Simon for granted, but as the years pass, we have the perspective to appreciate the timelessness of his work.
Here we go:
As construction continues on the expansion of the Morris Museum and its companion Bickford Theatre, artistic director Eric Hafen is contemplating the next chapter for his professional theater company. Season 13 will begin in the fall, with a new lobby and expanded offerings, including a fifth main-stage production.
But first, Season 12 wraps up with “Chapter Two,” a sweet slice of Neil Simon comedy that is holding up quite well after 30 years (this production reflects the modest, modern polish of the 1996 revival).
Veteran director Ted Sod has assembled a cast of convincing professional actors, who play believable characters experiencing a believable romance. The warmth and comedy—which flows liberally through the first act, then takes a rest in the second—comes not only from Simon’s zippy one-liners, but from our ability to easily identify with these people.
A lot of playwrights can find drama in their own life, but only Simon can find humor in his most intimate sorrow. Standing in for the playwright is George Schneider (Paul Mantell), a writer we meet during an extended period of mourning following the death of his beloved wife, Barbara. His younger brother, Leo (Gary Littman), a fast-talking press agent, means well, but George isn’t ready to get on with his life, much less entertain the bad dates Leo fixes him up with.
Leo’s finally gets it right when he matches George with Jennie (Robin Marie Thomas), a successful actress just out of an unsuccessful marriage. George calls her by mistake, but an amusingly awkward series of phone calls leads to a whirlwind romance.
As George and Jennie quickly announce their engagement, Leo frets that things are moving too fast. His own unhappy marriage may be motivating him to save his brother from a terrible mistake.
“The trouble with marriage is that it’s relentless,” he says. “Every day you wake up and its still there.”
Leo’s path of philandering leads him to Jennie’s best friend, Faye (Katrina Ferguson of Morristown), an old flame who is now unhappily married and desperate for a little excitement. Their attempts at consummation are as funny as they are unsuccessful.
George and Jennie also run into trouble when George can’t shake the memory of Barbara, and resents Jennie for being as lovable as the love of his life. She resents him for wanting her to quit, because she’s never been a quitter.
Of course, Simon is known for happy endings, and “Chapter Two” is no different. That’s the hardest part of the story to swallow—we know that in real life, Simon’s storybook marriage to actress Marsha Mason didn’t last. But any adult who has been in love should find at least one character to identify with, which isn’t easy since there are only four to choose from.
It helps that Simon has given us some real people to identify with. He wisely wrote down, making George an obscure novelist rather than a world-famous playwright. Jennie makes a living, but isn’t the rising ingénue we remember Mason once was.
The actors are hardly matinee idols, either. Thomas, frequently seen in leading roles with the Womens Theater Company in Parsippany, is a fine actress, but is neither young nor possessed of leading-lady looks. Mantell matches Simon’s balding nebbishness. Littman has the sculpted looks of a womanizer, but he’s cut down to size in his scenes with Ferguson, who’s half a head taller than he is.
All four are comfortable and confident onstage, and Sod has the chemistry blending like wine and cheese. You can feel the familial love between the brothers, the sisterly bond between the ladies and the sparks between the lovers.
As usual at the Bickford, a single, detailed set (the lovers’ apartments, mirrored and sharing a center couch) presents a realistic platform for the action.
We’ve become so accustomed to Simon’s prolific genius that we sometimes take it for granted. Unfortunately, he’s done so often that he’s often done badly. Regular theater-goers may see the familiar title and think, “not again.” But this production could make them re-think their need to be Simon-ized.
Abstract: Pretty good and served as a reminder of how great Niel Simon really is. "It really holds up, doesn't it?" said artistic director Eric Hafen. I had to agree. After so many years and so many plays, we take Simon for granted, but as the years pass, we have the perspective to appreciate the timelessness of his work.
Here we go:
As construction continues on the expansion of the Morris Museum and its companion Bickford Theatre, artistic director Eric Hafen is contemplating the next chapter for his professional theater company. Season 13 will begin in the fall, with a new lobby and expanded offerings, including a fifth main-stage production.
But first, Season 12 wraps up with “Chapter Two,” a sweet slice of Neil Simon comedy that is holding up quite well after 30 years (this production reflects the modest, modern polish of the 1996 revival).
Veteran director Ted Sod has assembled a cast of convincing professional actors, who play believable characters experiencing a believable romance. The warmth and comedy—which flows liberally through the first act, then takes a rest in the second—comes not only from Simon’s zippy one-liners, but from our ability to easily identify with these people.
A lot of playwrights can find drama in their own life, but only Simon can find humor in his most intimate sorrow. Standing in for the playwright is George Schneider (Paul Mantell), a writer we meet during an extended period of mourning following the death of his beloved wife, Barbara. His younger brother, Leo (Gary Littman), a fast-talking press agent, means well, but George isn’t ready to get on with his life, much less entertain the bad dates Leo fixes him up with.
Leo’s finally gets it right when he matches George with Jennie (Robin Marie Thomas), a successful actress just out of an unsuccessful marriage. George calls her by mistake, but an amusingly awkward series of phone calls leads to a whirlwind romance.
As George and Jennie quickly announce their engagement, Leo frets that things are moving too fast. His own unhappy marriage may be motivating him to save his brother from a terrible mistake.
“The trouble with marriage is that it’s relentless,” he says. “Every day you wake up and its still there.”
Leo’s path of philandering leads him to Jennie’s best friend, Faye (Katrina Ferguson of Morristown), an old flame who is now unhappily married and desperate for a little excitement. Their attempts at consummation are as funny as they are unsuccessful.
George and Jennie also run into trouble when George can’t shake the memory of Barbara, and resents Jennie for being as lovable as the love of his life. She resents him for wanting her to quit, because she’s never been a quitter.
Of course, Simon is known for happy endings, and “Chapter Two” is no different. That’s the hardest part of the story to swallow—we know that in real life, Simon’s storybook marriage to actress Marsha Mason didn’t last. But any adult who has been in love should find at least one character to identify with, which isn’t easy since there are only four to choose from.
It helps that Simon has given us some real people to identify with. He wisely wrote down, making George an obscure novelist rather than a world-famous playwright. Jennie makes a living, but isn’t the rising ingénue we remember Mason once was.
The actors are hardly matinee idols, either. Thomas, frequently seen in leading roles with the Womens Theater Company in Parsippany, is a fine actress, but is neither young nor possessed of leading-lady looks. Mantell matches Simon’s balding nebbishness. Littman has the sculpted looks of a womanizer, but he’s cut down to size in his scenes with Ferguson, who’s half a head taller than he is.
All four are comfortable and confident onstage, and Sod has the chemistry blending like wine and cheese. You can feel the familial love between the brothers, the sisterly bond between the ladies and the sparks between the lovers.
As usual at the Bickford, a single, detailed set (the lovers’ apartments, mirrored and sharing a center couch) presents a realistic platform for the action.
We’ve become so accustomed to Simon’s prolific genius that we sometimes take it for granted. Unfortunately, he’s done so often that he’s often done badly. Regular theater-goers may see the familiar title and think, “not again.” But this production could make them re-think their need to be Simon-ized.
Saturday, May 12, 2007
Review Preview: "Mrs. Packard"
OK, time is short, so I'm just going to post a draft. "Web first" I was reminded this week as we tried to find a spot in the Courier print edition to run last week's review of "Henry V" (which, by the way, will run on Sunday--I proofed the page myself).
Abstract of my review: Very interesting, very dramatic, grim but not without wit. There's a feeling that we've seen this story before--"The Crucible" comes to mind right away--but "Mrs. Packard" is an electric night of theater, with Kathryn Meisle turining in an award-winning performance. Emily Mann does it again.
My draft does not find room for praising the lighting and sound, but they are part of a very visual and atomospheric production. I'll try to work some of that in before I fie the final product.
But for those who can't wait, we offer the following:
Another memorable season at Princeton University’s McCarter Theatre Center ends with the noisy bang of Emily Mann’s “Mrs. Packard.”
The esteemed artistic director and playwright is directing the world premiere of her latest true-life testimony, a genre she has virtually defined through works such as “Having Our Say” and “Still Life.” The case in point is Elizabeth Packard (Kathryn Meisle), the educated Christian wife of a Calvinist minister in 1861 Illinois.
Most of the play is set in the horrific Jacksonville Insane Asylum, where her husband (John C. Vennema) has committed her as a danger to the souls of their six children. Illinois law, we learn later, did not allow a man to confine his wife at home without trial, but could have her tossed in the asylum at his leisure.
Elizabeth’s sin? She disagreed with her husband’s old-school Calvinist doctrine, which preaches that mankind is inherently evil and takes every word of the bible in its most literal form. Her formal education—a rarity in her social circle—led her from a vengeful god to a loving god, but when she crossed the street to worship with the Methodists, she crossed the line.
Without warning, she finds herself in the care of Dr. McFarland (Dennis Parlato), the respected director at Jacksonville, where he quickly becomes infatuated with her intelligence, spirit and beauty.
“It is rather unusual to find a woman of such stimulating intelligence and learning in such charming … form,” he tells her. Sensing an ally, Elizabeth allows his creepy “laying on of hands” therapy in the hopes she can reason with him, but soon learns that McFarland makes his living curing the problems of men like her husband, not curing “patients” such as herself.
And so it goes for three long years, as Elizabeth finally exhausts the doctor’s patience and finds herself confined to the fetid eighth ward for the violently insane. Scenes in the asylum “prison” are frighteningly real on a set that will chill you with its cold detail. Fright-wigged inmates, looking like “Macbeth’s” witches, twitch, wallow, scream and cackle, surrounded by wired walls that surround them like a slaughterhouse cage.
The second-act trip to the eighth ward is even worse—straw mattresses on the floor, no facilities of any kind, not even a bedpan.
“Once or twice a week, some men come in and shovel it out,” says the ward nurse, Mrs. Tenney (Julie Boyd). “Like a barn?” Elizabeth asks. “Yes, like a barn,” Tenney says, as though that never occurred to her.
The shock value of the story at times obscures the point. While it sometimes plays as historical expose, “Mrs. Packard” is more Arthur Miller’s “The Crucible” than Upton Sinclair’s “The Jungle.” The method of torture is merely a vehicle for presenting a test of will.
Elizabeth wavers on several occasions. She promises not to defy him in public as long as she can still think her own thoughts.
“You may think your own thoughts when you are thinking right,” her husband says. But she refuses to live a lie, even if it means her children will grow up without her.
The asylum scenes alternate with brief scenes from an ongoing trial to determine her legal sanity. Played on a balcony above the ward, witnesses testify as Elizabeth gradually exposes the evil doctor from the inside.
Her eventually victory (no spoiler here, as Mann’s script references Elizabeth’s subsequent books and essays) is tempered by a disturbing epilogue where the fate of many characters, major and minor, are revealed.
The cast is strong, but Meisle is on another level, deftly exploring Elizabeth’s many complexities. Smoothly segueing from logical arguments to ill-timed verbal attacks, we see her as wrongly confined, even as we wonder just how sane she is.
The trial scenes are somewhat superfluous, at times with testimony we’ve already heard from the husband. It’s as though Mann fears we may miss the obvious—Mr. Packard is a fundamentalist clod. Some trimming here could help tighten a long night, which exceeds three hours.
But there’s a powerful story here, with enough wit thrown in to keep the darkness from swallowing the audience whole. Thorns aside, “Mrs. Packard” is a rose, and her bittersweet victory is an experience easily remembered.
_______________---
And now, off to the Bickford. After "Mrs. Packard," a little Neil Simon should go down like cold beer on a hot day. Look for a Review Preview of "Chapter Two" late Sunday or early Monday. I got Mother's Day stuff to do tomorrow.
And a happy Mother's Day to all.
Abstract of my review: Very interesting, very dramatic, grim but not without wit. There's a feeling that we've seen this story before--"The Crucible" comes to mind right away--but "Mrs. Packard" is an electric night of theater, with Kathryn Meisle turining in an award-winning performance. Emily Mann does it again.
My draft does not find room for praising the lighting and sound, but they are part of a very visual and atomospheric production. I'll try to work some of that in before I fie the final product.
But for those who can't wait, we offer the following:
Another memorable season at Princeton University’s McCarter Theatre Center ends with the noisy bang of Emily Mann’s “Mrs. Packard.”
The esteemed artistic director and playwright is directing the world premiere of her latest true-life testimony, a genre she has virtually defined through works such as “Having Our Say” and “Still Life.” The case in point is Elizabeth Packard (Kathryn Meisle), the educated Christian wife of a Calvinist minister in 1861 Illinois.
Most of the play is set in the horrific Jacksonville Insane Asylum, where her husband (John C. Vennema) has committed her as a danger to the souls of their six children. Illinois law, we learn later, did not allow a man to confine his wife at home without trial, but could have her tossed in the asylum at his leisure.
Elizabeth’s sin? She disagreed with her husband’s old-school Calvinist doctrine, which preaches that mankind is inherently evil and takes every word of the bible in its most literal form. Her formal education—a rarity in her social circle—led her from a vengeful god to a loving god, but when she crossed the street to worship with the Methodists, she crossed the line.
Without warning, she finds herself in the care of Dr. McFarland (Dennis Parlato), the respected director at Jacksonville, where he quickly becomes infatuated with her intelligence, spirit and beauty.
“It is rather unusual to find a woman of such stimulating intelligence and learning in such charming … form,” he tells her. Sensing an ally, Elizabeth allows his creepy “laying on of hands” therapy in the hopes she can reason with him, but soon learns that McFarland makes his living curing the problems of men like her husband, not curing “patients” such as herself.
And so it goes for three long years, as Elizabeth finally exhausts the doctor’s patience and finds herself confined to the fetid eighth ward for the violently insane. Scenes in the asylum “prison” are frighteningly real on a set that will chill you with its cold detail. Fright-wigged inmates, looking like “Macbeth’s” witches, twitch, wallow, scream and cackle, surrounded by wired walls that surround them like a slaughterhouse cage.
The second-act trip to the eighth ward is even worse—straw mattresses on the floor, no facilities of any kind, not even a bedpan.
“Once or twice a week, some men come in and shovel it out,” says the ward nurse, Mrs. Tenney (Julie Boyd). “Like a barn?” Elizabeth asks. “Yes, like a barn,” Tenney says, as though that never occurred to her.
The shock value of the story at times obscures the point. While it sometimes plays as historical expose, “Mrs. Packard” is more Arthur Miller’s “The Crucible” than Upton Sinclair’s “The Jungle.” The method of torture is merely a vehicle for presenting a test of will.
Elizabeth wavers on several occasions. She promises not to defy him in public as long as she can still think her own thoughts.
“You may think your own thoughts when you are thinking right,” her husband says. But she refuses to live a lie, even if it means her children will grow up without her.
The asylum scenes alternate with brief scenes from an ongoing trial to determine her legal sanity. Played on a balcony above the ward, witnesses testify as Elizabeth gradually exposes the evil doctor from the inside.
Her eventually victory (no spoiler here, as Mann’s script references Elizabeth’s subsequent books and essays) is tempered by a disturbing epilogue where the fate of many characters, major and minor, are revealed.
The cast is strong, but Meisle is on another level, deftly exploring Elizabeth’s many complexities. Smoothly segueing from logical arguments to ill-timed verbal attacks, we see her as wrongly confined, even as we wonder just how sane she is.
The trial scenes are somewhat superfluous, at times with testimony we’ve already heard from the husband. It’s as though Mann fears we may miss the obvious—Mr. Packard is a fundamentalist clod. Some trimming here could help tighten a long night, which exceeds three hours.
But there’s a powerful story here, with enough wit thrown in to keep the darkness from swallowing the audience whole. Thorns aside, “Mrs. Packard” is a rose, and her bittersweet victory is an experience easily remembered.
_______________---
And now, off to the Bickford. After "Mrs. Packard," a little Neil Simon should go down like cold beer on a hot day. Look for a Review Preview of "Chapter Two" late Sunday or early Monday. I got Mother's Day stuff to do tomorrow.
And a happy Mother's Day to all.
Weekend Wanderings-update
Heard from Kelly Ryman at George Street Playhouse. She reads the blog, she really reads it!
Tells me that tickets for the reading of "Early in the Mourning," featuring Jerry Stiller and Estelle Parsons, are $50 and include a post play discussion with the artists and a cocktail reception after.
Also tells me that tonight is sold out and Sunday is going fast. For info, visit www.gsponline.org.
Thanks, Kelly. And a double good-get with Stiller and Parsons. Amazing the people they get there sometimes. I still have a poster on my wall from "Collected Stories," featuring Ute Hagen, whose method I studied in acting class at Rutgers.
I saw Ellen Barkin there in the 1970s before she even had her Equity Card. "Tobacco Road." Her name was Ellen Barzykowski or something like that.
I guess I have been doing this a while.
Was at the press opening for "Mrs. Packard" last night at Princeton. Just the sight of Emily Mann and Joyce Carol Oates standing there, chatting in their Sunday best, well, that's intimidating. In a good way. Just that those are as good a two minds you'll ever see in one place.
Not that I can't be objective in reviewing Mann's latest world premiere, which I already have drafted (by 11 a.m., sometimes I impress myself). But you'll have to wait a bit before the Review Preview. I want to take a quick second read of the script (this really is work, people), then I'm going to think about what I wrote at Shop Rite, then think a little more while I mow the lawn.
There you go -- the creative process of one theater critic. Probably more than you needed to know. Like making sausage, it tastes better if you don't see it being made.
Tells me that tickets for the reading of "Early in the Mourning," featuring Jerry Stiller and Estelle Parsons, are $50 and include a post play discussion with the artists and a cocktail reception after.
Also tells me that tonight is sold out and Sunday is going fast. For info, visit www.gsponline.org.
Thanks, Kelly. And a double good-get with Stiller and Parsons. Amazing the people they get there sometimes. I still have a poster on my wall from "Collected Stories," featuring Ute Hagen, whose method I studied in acting class at Rutgers.
I saw Ellen Barkin there in the 1970s before she even had her Equity Card. "Tobacco Road." Her name was Ellen Barzykowski or something like that.
I guess I have been doing this a while.
Was at the press opening for "Mrs. Packard" last night at Princeton. Just the sight of Emily Mann and Joyce Carol Oates standing there, chatting in their Sunday best, well, that's intimidating. In a good way. Just that those are as good a two minds you'll ever see in one place.
Not that I can't be objective in reviewing Mann's latest world premiere, which I already have drafted (by 11 a.m., sometimes I impress myself). But you'll have to wait a bit before the Review Preview. I want to take a quick second read of the script (this really is work, people), then I'm going to think about what I wrote at Shop Rite, then think a little more while I mow the lawn.
There you go -- the creative process of one theater critic. Probably more than you needed to know. Like making sausage, it tastes better if you don't see it being made.
Wednesday, May 9, 2007
Weekend wanderings
A quick post before dinner after a hard day, part of which included my attendance at a meeting that went for 30 minutes before someone told me I was at the wrong meeting. I suspected as much at the start, but two other people said I should be there.
And I do what I'm told.
"We're in the communication business (?)" the publisher commented at one point, although he wasn't talking about me.
I think.
but it makes you wonder.
Friday I'm at Princeton for the premiere of Emily Mann's "Mrs. Packard." Saturday I'm closer to home at the Bickford for "Chapter Two." Both are season-enders for the respective theaters. I hate when they go dark.
Sunday I'm a pawn in my step-daughters' plot to make a nice Mother's Day for Lisa. Something about a flea market in Pennsylvania. Sounds like a clever way to buy her cheap gifts and get the Step-Thang (as they call me) to buy lunch.
It's just so crazy, it might work.
Another busy weekend all around. Still trying to find time to play golf, but doesn't look good.
My niece Erica graduates in two weeks from Rhode Island University.
My mother's memorial lilac bush has exploded with blooms after about 15 years dormant.
I love my DVR.
Man, I'm just all over the place here.
Jerry Stiller and Estelle Parsons are doing a reading at George Street Playhouse May 12-13. From the Web site: "Early in the Mourning," a poignant new comedy about love and loss. In our intimate Next Stage. May 12 at 8pm May 13 at 7pm. Both evenings will include a post-play discussion with David Saint, playwright Seth Bauer, director Darrel Larson and the cast. A cocktail reception will follow. No ticket prices. I'll pass it along as soon as I get a proper press release.
There, that's better. Back on point. Sorry, I wander sometimes ...
see, there it goes again.
And I do what I'm told.
"We're in the communication business (?)" the publisher commented at one point, although he wasn't talking about me.
I think.
but it makes you wonder.
Friday I'm at Princeton for the premiere of Emily Mann's "Mrs. Packard." Saturday I'm closer to home at the Bickford for "Chapter Two." Both are season-enders for the respective theaters. I hate when they go dark.
Sunday I'm a pawn in my step-daughters' plot to make a nice Mother's Day for Lisa. Something about a flea market in Pennsylvania. Sounds like a clever way to buy her cheap gifts and get the Step-Thang (as they call me) to buy lunch.
It's just so crazy, it might work.
Another busy weekend all around. Still trying to find time to play golf, but doesn't look good.
My niece Erica graduates in two weeks from Rhode Island University.
My mother's memorial lilac bush has exploded with blooms after about 15 years dormant.
I love my DVR.
Man, I'm just all over the place here.
Jerry Stiller and Estelle Parsons are doing a reading at George Street Playhouse May 12-13. From the Web site: "Early in the Mourning," a poignant new comedy about love and loss. In our intimate Next Stage. May 12 at 8pm May 13 at 7pm. Both evenings will include a post-play discussion with David Saint, playwright Seth Bauer, director Darrel Larson and the cast. A cocktail reception will follow. No ticket prices. I'll pass it along as soon as I get a proper press release.
There, that's better. Back on point. Sorry, I wander sometimes ...
see, there it goes again.
Monday, May 7, 2007
Wessbecher wins play contest-What did you win?
Grace Wessbecher of Morris Plains, who I know indirectly through our mutual association with the Daily Record, was named winner of the Heller Theatre's Original Play Contest 2006, Tulsa, Okla., from 217 entries. A full production of her play Risso's Dolphin took place in Tulsa, Okla. in March 2007.
Grace has won several awards for her plays and her correspondence reminds me to remind you readers that Jersey Stages is eager to share your news. I'd love to hear from other playwrights, on any level, who are progressing in their careers. Or local actors who might be proud of a coveted out of town role that their local fans won't see, but might want to know about.
Think of me as your bulletin board. Just be gentle when you push in the thumbtack. Wait, let's go with "refrigerator door" and "magnet." Metaphor without the pain. Take that, Tennessee Williams.
Grace has won several awards for her plays and her correspondence reminds me to remind you readers that Jersey Stages is eager to share your news. I'd love to hear from other playwrights, on any level, who are progressing in their careers. Or local actors who might be proud of a coveted out of town role that their local fans won't see, but might want to know about.
Think of me as your bulletin board. Just be gentle when you push in the thumbtack. Wait, let's go with "refrigerator door" and "magnet." Metaphor without the pain. Take that, Tennessee Williams.
Sunday, May 6, 2007
Review Preview: "Henry V"
There's always a little magic in the air on opening night at the Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey, particularly for the first show of the year.
Saturday night was no different as the company opened its expanded 45th season with "Henry V." There was, indeed, magic in the air. So was the loud, triple-guitar attack of Lynyrd Skynrd ripping through "Free Bird."
No, Bonnie Monte hasn't gone off her rocker and staged some sort of Rebel Yell version of what is perhaps my favorite of Shakespeare's plays. Across the Drew University campus square from STNJ's F.M. Kirby Shakespeare Theatre, loud music was blaring from some student event, and some from the company were worried about the potential acoustic fallout. Fortunately, once inside, what happened outside, stayed outside.
OK, OK, you want the Review Preview ... did I mention Camryn Manheim "Henry V" star David Conrad's co-star on TV's "The Ghost Whisperer" was in the audience? And the post-show buffet, for the first time, included sushi?
OK, OK ... I liked it, I really liked it.
In short, Conrad was terrific and the cast as a whole was even better, and a three-hour show went by faster than the encore version of "Free Bird." Set was old school Globe Theatre.
It may not rank with some of the mind-blowing productions this company puts up year after year, and I wouldn't quite call it a can't-miss, but it's comfortably beyond the level of "you won't be disappointed." And the promised thematic connections to the production of "Blood and Roses: Shakespeare's "Henry VI," I'm convinced, may be worth some extra effort to experience, especially for serious Shakespeare fans.
I'll quote from the first draft of my official review, which should show up in the Courier on Wednesday and the Daily Record on Friday:
"If the premiere of “Henry V” is evident quality of the long journey that awaits us [this season], then lead on, Bonnie J. Monte."
How pretentious is it to quote yourself? Oh well, now I have to go mow the lawn. That ought to humble me a little. Once more into the breach.
Saturday night was no different as the company opened its expanded 45th season with "Henry V." There was, indeed, magic in the air. So was the loud, triple-guitar attack of Lynyrd Skynrd ripping through "Free Bird."
No, Bonnie Monte hasn't gone off her rocker and staged some sort of Rebel Yell version of what is perhaps my favorite of Shakespeare's plays. Across the Drew University campus square from STNJ's F.M. Kirby Shakespeare Theatre, loud music was blaring from some student event, and some from the company were worried about the potential acoustic fallout. Fortunately, once inside, what happened outside, stayed outside.
OK, OK, you want the Review Preview ... did I mention Camryn Manheim "Henry V" star David Conrad's co-star on TV's "The Ghost Whisperer" was in the audience? And the post-show buffet, for the first time, included sushi?
OK, OK ... I liked it, I really liked it.
In short, Conrad was terrific and the cast as a whole was even better, and a three-hour show went by faster than the encore version of "Free Bird." Set was old school Globe Theatre.
It may not rank with some of the mind-blowing productions this company puts up year after year, and I wouldn't quite call it a can't-miss, but it's comfortably beyond the level of "you won't be disappointed." And the promised thematic connections to the production of "Blood and Roses: Shakespeare's "Henry VI," I'm convinced, may be worth some extra effort to experience, especially for serious Shakespeare fans.
I'll quote from the first draft of my official review, which should show up in the Courier on Wednesday and the Daily Record on Friday:
"If the premiere of “Henry V” is evident quality of the long journey that awaits us [this season], then lead on, Bonnie J. Monte."
How pretentious is it to quote yourself? Oh well, now I have to go mow the lawn. That ought to humble me a little. Once more into the breach.
Friday, May 4, 2007
Benefit musical in Bound Brook-etc.
Check out this story that reporter Chad Hemenway filed about a bunch of young theater artists trying to do a good thing for their flood-ravaged town.
http://www.c-n.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070503/NEWS/705030315/-1/NEWS06
In a nutshell, the Bound Brook high School drama department is staging "Once Upon a Mattress" this weekend.
I know, I know, it's not Nathan Lane in "The Producers," but these kids, some of them flood victims themselves, kept rehearsing wherever they could, even while the school was closed for two weeks.
Like they say, the show must go on. Pretty cool.
I neglected to mention my friend Jose died last week less than a year after being diagnosed with Lou Gehrig's disease. Here's to you Jose.
But my friend Marilyn is hanging in there. You go, girl. We're working on the blood drive. I got a pint of A positive with your name on it.
Tomorrow's gonna be a good day. Golf in the morning. "Henry V" in the evening (look for a Review Preview some time on Sunday). My famous ribs, hot off the grill, in between. God bless America.
http://www.c-n.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070503/NEWS/705030315/-1/NEWS06
In a nutshell, the Bound Brook high School drama department is staging "Once Upon a Mattress" this weekend.
I know, I know, it's not Nathan Lane in "The Producers," but these kids, some of them flood victims themselves, kept rehearsing wherever they could, even while the school was closed for two weeks.
Like they say, the show must go on. Pretty cool.
I neglected to mention my friend Jose died last week less than a year after being diagnosed with Lou Gehrig's disease. Here's to you Jose.
But my friend Marilyn is hanging in there. You go, girl. We're working on the blood drive. I got a pint of A positive with your name on it.
Tomorrow's gonna be a good day. Golf in the morning. "Henry V" in the evening (look for a Review Preview some time on Sunday). My famous ribs, hot off the grill, in between. God bless America.
Thursday, May 3, 2007
"Baby, Oh Baby"
Well, perhaps the post title got your attention--shame on you!
Beating the Mother’s Day rush, The Women’s Theater Company will present three performances of Kristen Ace’s “Baby, Oh Baby,” 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 3 p.m. Sunday.
Playwright-performer Ace, a Morristown resident, takes the audience on her journey to motherhood. The play deals with the many happy surprises that her children brought into her life, in contrast with her own unhappy childhood.
Take your mother, or daughter, and enjoy this show, performed in a comfy, intimate space.
All performances will take place at the Parsippany Community Center, 1130 Knollwood Road, Lake Hiawatha section. Tickets are $15, with discounts for groups of 10 or more. For information, call (973) 316-3033.
Cinema note:
Did you hear the movie casting for "Doubt" will include Meryl Streep and Philip Seymour Hoffman. How cool is that? One of my "before I die" goals is to see Streep onstage. But this ain't bad.
Beating the Mother’s Day rush, The Women’s Theater Company will present three performances of Kristen Ace’s “Baby, Oh Baby,” 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 3 p.m. Sunday.
Playwright-performer Ace, a Morristown resident, takes the audience on her journey to motherhood. The play deals with the many happy surprises that her children brought into her life, in contrast with her own unhappy childhood.
Take your mother, or daughter, and enjoy this show, performed in a comfy, intimate space.
All performances will take place at the Parsippany Community Center, 1130 Knollwood Road, Lake Hiawatha section. Tickets are $15, with discounts for groups of 10 or more. For information, call (973) 316-3033.
Cinema note:
Did you hear the movie casting for "Doubt" will include Meryl Streep and Philip Seymour Hoffman. How cool is that? One of my "before I die" goals is to see Streep onstage. But this ain't bad.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
