Some personal news to report that would be relevant to the Jersey stages universe, so I guess it belongs in the blog. As some of you know, I hold the unusual distinction of being a full-time editor for one paper (the Courier News) while serving as theater columnist and critic for another (the Daily Record, where I worked previously full-time for 7 years). Both are Gannett papers, so we worked it out, and I hope both papers were happy with the result.
However, after two years as Special Sections Editor with the Courier, I'll be going back to the Daily Record (as of Oct. 22) as the editor of the Business Section, although I'll be working on other projects as well. I'm parting on the best of terms with my colleagues here, who are as good a bunch as I've ever worked with. A lot of variables played a role in this decision, not the least of which was swapping a 100-mile daily commute for a job with my old friends in the town where I live.
I assume I'll continue my mostly pro bono theater coverage, although you never know how things will shake out when so many unstable forces are in play. I assume the blog will continue as well, possibly with links from both papers, or perhaps with a new link through the Daily Record.
I'll keep you posted as to what ends up where. In the meantime, I'll see you in the lobby.
WW
Saturday, September 29, 2007
Thursday, September 27, 2007
New managing director at George Street Playhouse
See the following release from George Street Playhouse. I don't deal a lot with managing directors (except at the smaller theaters, where the artistic directors multitask like you would not believe) so I don't have much in the way of comment, except to say that I wonder how experience in Wisconsin will translate to this area, where the competition is so relentless. Of course, it's always good to see these positions filled instead of eliminated, if you know what i mean.
Two plays this weekend. I'm in Netcong Friday for "The Dinosaur Musical" and at Paper Mill Sunday for "Happy Days." We're back to the "no rest for Willie" portion of the 2007 theater season. Look for the Review Previews to flow liberally over the next few months--my calendar tells me only two weeks of no plays between now and mid-December.
George Street Playhouse Announces
Appointment of Todd Schmidt
As Managing Director
New Managing Director Comes to New Brunswick From
Wisconsin’s Peninsula Players Theatre
New Brunswick, NJ – The Board of Trustees of George Street Playhouse announced the appointment of Todd Schmidt as Managing Director. Mr. Schmidt is currently Executive Producer of Peninsula Players Theatre, based in Fish Creek, Wisconsin. His first day at the New Brunswick theatre will be November 12.
“I am thrilled with this choice,” said Artistic Director David Saint. “Todd seems to be absolutely the right fit for George Street. I was so impressed with his skills in fundraising, having headed a successful capital campaign of $7.2 million for a new theatre. I also took it as a great sign that each of our first forays into the theatre was under the tutelage of the great producer Jim McKenzie.”
George Wolansky, Jr., Chairman of the George Street Playhouse Board of Trustees, said, “It is with great pleasure that we welcome Todd to the George Street family. His incredible, well-rounded background in all aspects of theatre are enormously impressive, and will be put to good use in New Brunswick.”
Prior to joining George Street Playhouse as Managing Director Todd Schmidt served as the Executive Producer of Peninsula Players Theatre, America’s oldest professional resident summer theatre, in Door County, WI. While with the Peninsula Players Todd produced more than 70 plays and led the theater through a remarkable period of growth that revitalized and reorganized the organization culminating in the opening of a new state-of-the-art performance space in 2006. In Chicago Todd directed and co-produced St. Nicholas by Conor McPherson at Victory Gardens Theatre and The Woman in Black, which was nominated for a Joseph Jefferson Award for best production. He is president of the Council of Resident Summer Theatres, past president of the Peninsula Arts and Humanities Alliance and an active founding member of Theatre Wisconsin, the alliance of professional theaters in the state. Todd holds an MFA degree from the Goodman School of Drama, DePaul University and a BA from Auburn University, Alabama. He has been on the faculty of Loyola University-Chicago, directed for Oakland University in Detroit, and has worked with Chicago Shakespeare Theatre and Apple Tree Theatre.
Two plays this weekend. I'm in Netcong Friday for "The Dinosaur Musical" and at Paper Mill Sunday for "Happy Days." We're back to the "no rest for Willie" portion of the 2007 theater season. Look for the Review Previews to flow liberally over the next few months--my calendar tells me only two weeks of no plays between now and mid-December.
George Street Playhouse Announces
Appointment of Todd Schmidt
As Managing Director
New Managing Director Comes to New Brunswick From
Wisconsin’s Peninsula Players Theatre
New Brunswick, NJ – The Board of Trustees of George Street Playhouse announced the appointment of Todd Schmidt as Managing Director. Mr. Schmidt is currently Executive Producer of Peninsula Players Theatre, based in Fish Creek, Wisconsin. His first day at the New Brunswick theatre will be November 12.
“I am thrilled with this choice,” said Artistic Director David Saint. “Todd seems to be absolutely the right fit for George Street. I was so impressed with his skills in fundraising, having headed a successful capital campaign of $7.2 million for a new theatre. I also took it as a great sign that each of our first forays into the theatre was under the tutelage of the great producer Jim McKenzie.”
George Wolansky, Jr., Chairman of the George Street Playhouse Board of Trustees, said, “It is with great pleasure that we welcome Todd to the George Street family. His incredible, well-rounded background in all aspects of theatre are enormously impressive, and will be put to good use in New Brunswick.”
Prior to joining George Street Playhouse as Managing Director Todd Schmidt served as the Executive Producer of Peninsula Players Theatre, America’s oldest professional resident summer theatre, in Door County, WI. While with the Peninsula Players Todd produced more than 70 plays and led the theater through a remarkable period of growth that revitalized and reorganized the organization culminating in the opening of a new state-of-the-art performance space in 2006. In Chicago Todd directed and co-produced St. Nicholas by Conor McPherson at Victory Gardens Theatre and The Woman in Black, which was nominated for a Joseph Jefferson Award for best production. He is president of the Council of Resident Summer Theatres, past president of the Peninsula Arts and Humanities Alliance and an active founding member of Theatre Wisconsin, the alliance of professional theaters in the state. Todd holds an MFA degree from the Goodman School of Drama, DePaul University and a BA from Auburn University, Alabama. He has been on the faculty of Loyola University-Chicago, directed for Oakland University in Detroit, and has worked with Chicago Shakespeare Theatre and Apple Tree Theatre.
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
Review Preview: Stick Fly
I know it's been running for two weeks, but I just saw it this weekend. So here's my draft of the review for "Stick Fly" at McCarter.
Theater review
If you want to go:
What: “Stick Fly”
When: through Oct. 14
Where: Berlind Theatre, McCarter Theatre Center, 91 University Place, Princeton
How much: $15 to $49
Info: (609) 258-2787; www.mccarter.org
By WILLIAM WESTHOVEN
Staff Writer
Dysfunctional families are part of the American fabric. Race, wealth and geography filter none of our capacity to drive our parents, partners, siblings and children crazy.
Fortunately, we also have the makeup to laugh at ourselves, at our worst, which is why it’s so much fun to laugh at “Stick Fly,” Lydia Diamond’s gem of a story that kicks off the 2007-08 season at Princeton University’s McCarter Theatre Center.
“Stick Fly,” though, transcends comedy as it explores serious racial issues and some dark corners of familial relationships in one of the most original settings you could ask for—an elite “colony” of affluent black families on haughty Martha’s Vineyard.
Diamond, one of the more promising new theatrical voices to emerge in the 21st century, earns valuable bonus points by delivering such a full-bodied story through the most routine of narrative styles—the soap opera.
The LeVay family is one of many privileged black families on Martha’s Vineyard whose lineage traces back to the 18th century. Patriarch Joseph (John Wesley), a celebrated neurosurgeon, added his hard-earned wealth to the old money and earned the right to rule his clan. We catch up with the family as sons Flip (Javon Jackson) and Kent (Kevin T. Carroll) have both arrived for a summer visit with their significant others. Flip, a confident, handsome plastic surgeon, has brought his new girlfriend, Kimber (Monette McGrath), a self-described “straight-up WASP.”
Sensitive little brother Kent, a serial student, turns up with his fiancée, Taylor (Michole Briana White), and the galleys for his new novel. Joseph sees the book as another excuse to avoid real work and the tension convention gets under way.
Father and sons break a sweat with some round-robin verbal sparring, but the women are far more interesting. Turns out that Taylor is the daughter of a Pulitzer Prize-winning black cultural anthropologist whose books have included chapters about the LeVays. They’re less impressed to learn that Taylor was the product of the doctor’s first family, long since traded in for a new model.
Then there’s Kimber, a blonde beauty who is much more than easy on the eyes. She’s taken liberal guilt to a new level, writing dissertations on black culture and working with inner-city children. She even gains the reluctant admiration of Cheryl (Julia Pace Mitchell), the brainy daughter of the family maid, who is keeping house while her mom is sick.
“You’re a princess, but you’re tough,” Cheryl says, perhaps distracted by her own family affair—mom’s just spilled the beans about her real father.
Kimber also makes friends with Taylor, despite an ugly confrontation in which Taylor attacks Kimber’s credibility. “Kimmy here goes slumming for five minutes and knows all about it,” is one of her more printable comments.
Trouble is, as several people observe, Taylor’s crazy, but she usually has a point. “We (sleep together) and pretend people don’t hate us for it,” Kimber tells Flip.
“We (sleep together) and get off on that people hate us for it,” Flip counters.
And what about Mom? Seems she and Joseph are fighting; we’ll learn more about that in the second act, which explodes like a soap at the end of sweeps.
Two acts and one intermission last more than 2 ½ hours, but the pace is lively. The action takes place in the impressive LeVay home, complete with balcony views of a lighthouse and full moon. Felix E Cochren’s set is a dream home most us of could at best hope to time-share. Lighting designer Victor En Yu Tan brushes director Shirley Jo Finney’s set changes with sunrises, sunsets and storms that indicate passing time.
There’s little room left to praise the cast, which is outstanding, but it’s worth pointing out that the women get the best of, and from, the Diamond’s delicious lines. She may not yet be the next great voice of black American theater, but “Stick Fly” is enough fun to make you ask her for more.
Theater review
If you want to go:
What: “Stick Fly”
When: through Oct. 14
Where: Berlind Theatre, McCarter Theatre Center, 91 University Place, Princeton
How much: $15 to $49
Info: (609) 258-2787; www.mccarter.org
By WILLIAM WESTHOVEN
Staff Writer
Dysfunctional families are part of the American fabric. Race, wealth and geography filter none of our capacity to drive our parents, partners, siblings and children crazy.
Fortunately, we also have the makeup to laugh at ourselves, at our worst, which is why it’s so much fun to laugh at “Stick Fly,” Lydia Diamond’s gem of a story that kicks off the 2007-08 season at Princeton University’s McCarter Theatre Center.
“Stick Fly,” though, transcends comedy as it explores serious racial issues and some dark corners of familial relationships in one of the most original settings you could ask for—an elite “colony” of affluent black families on haughty Martha’s Vineyard.
Diamond, one of the more promising new theatrical voices to emerge in the 21st century, earns valuable bonus points by delivering such a full-bodied story through the most routine of narrative styles—the soap opera.
The LeVay family is one of many privileged black families on Martha’s Vineyard whose lineage traces back to the 18th century. Patriarch Joseph (John Wesley), a celebrated neurosurgeon, added his hard-earned wealth to the old money and earned the right to rule his clan. We catch up with the family as sons Flip (Javon Jackson) and Kent (Kevin T. Carroll) have both arrived for a summer visit with their significant others. Flip, a confident, handsome plastic surgeon, has brought his new girlfriend, Kimber (Monette McGrath), a self-described “straight-up WASP.”
Sensitive little brother Kent, a serial student, turns up with his fiancée, Taylor (Michole Briana White), and the galleys for his new novel. Joseph sees the book as another excuse to avoid real work and the tension convention gets under way.
Father and sons break a sweat with some round-robin verbal sparring, but the women are far more interesting. Turns out that Taylor is the daughter of a Pulitzer Prize-winning black cultural anthropologist whose books have included chapters about the LeVays. They’re less impressed to learn that Taylor was the product of the doctor’s first family, long since traded in for a new model.
Then there’s Kimber, a blonde beauty who is much more than easy on the eyes. She’s taken liberal guilt to a new level, writing dissertations on black culture and working with inner-city children. She even gains the reluctant admiration of Cheryl (Julia Pace Mitchell), the brainy daughter of the family maid, who is keeping house while her mom is sick.
“You’re a princess, but you’re tough,” Cheryl says, perhaps distracted by her own family affair—mom’s just spilled the beans about her real father.
Kimber also makes friends with Taylor, despite an ugly confrontation in which Taylor attacks Kimber’s credibility. “Kimmy here goes slumming for five minutes and knows all about it,” is one of her more printable comments.
Trouble is, as several people observe, Taylor’s crazy, but she usually has a point. “We (sleep together) and pretend people don’t hate us for it,” Kimber tells Flip.
“We (sleep together) and get off on that people hate us for it,” Flip counters.
And what about Mom? Seems she and Joseph are fighting; we’ll learn more about that in the second act, which explodes like a soap at the end of sweeps.
Two acts and one intermission last more than 2 ½ hours, but the pace is lively. The action takes place in the impressive LeVay home, complete with balcony views of a lighthouse and full moon. Felix E Cochren’s set is a dream home most us of could at best hope to time-share. Lighting designer Victor En Yu Tan brushes director Shirley Jo Finney’s set changes with sunrises, sunsets and storms that indicate passing time.
There’s little room left to praise the cast, which is outstanding, but it’s worth pointing out that the women get the best of, and from, the Diamond’s delicious lines. She may not yet be the next great voice of black American theater, but “Stick Fly” is enough fun to make you ask her for more.
Crossroads names new Exec
See the press release that follows from Crossroads Theatre company regrading the appointment of a new executive director.
I don't have much comment because I don't know the man, but his arrival would seem a positive, needed step, as he has considerable theater management experience, something that Crossroads can put to good use.
Tony® Award winning Crossroads Theatre CompanyCelebrating 30 years of Artistic Excellence!
New Brunswick, NJ--Crossroads Theatre Company proudly announces the appointment of Marshall Jones III to the position of Executive Director effective immediately. Ricardo Khan will remain as Artistic Director and Richard A. Nurse who has held the position as Executive Director since 2004 will remain with Crossroads as a Board Member. Jones is currently a tenure-track theater professor at the prestigious Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers University, New Brunswick, and will remain in that capacity while assuming the role at Crossroads Theatre Company.
Marshall Jones earned a BA in Theater Arts from Rutgers University and an MA in Arts Management from New York University. He has almost twenty-five years of experience in a wide variety of key executive positions at some of New York city's most reputable institutions including the world famous Apollo Theater where he was General Manager, Radio City Music Hall (Producer), Disney on Broadway's The Lion King, and Madison Square Garden (Company Manager). He is a Member of the New Brunswick Arts Council and has served on the New Brunswick Task Force for Arts Education. Marshall is a member of the Dramatists Guild and Theatre Communications Group and serves on the Alliance for Inclusion in the Arts and the Central New Jersey Chapter of the American Conference on Diversity. This past spring Marshall was instrumental in bringing the three day Coexistence Festival to New Brunswick which involved a partnership between Rutgers University, the Jane Voorhees Zimmerli Art Museum, the City of New Brunswick, and Johnson & Johnson. Marshall is married and lives in North Brunswick.
Clifford A. Virgin III, President of the Board of Trustees of Crossroads, welcomed Marshall to the Crossroads team stating that "Marshall brings to Crossroads a tremendous administrative depth in the arts, and his contribution to our organization will be invaluable." Virgin also thanked outgoing Executive Director Richard Nurse saying that "Over the last few years Dick's hard work and unselfishness on many levels has been the glue that has held this organization together. The Crossroads family is proud that you are a member and thank you for all you've done."
Crossroads Theatre Company co-founder and Artistic Director Ricardo Khan and a graduate of the Mason Gross School of the Arts said "As an alum of Mason Gross from the early days and as a Rutgers graduate, I am always proud when I see the achievements of my fellow grads. Marshall Jones joining the Crossroads Executive Staff gives me special pride. But most importantly, Crossroads has been given a very important professional lift with Marshall Jones as its new Executive Director, and I am looking forward to partnering with Marshall who I deeply respect and appreciate as a theatre professional and a friend."
John McEwen, Executive Director of the New Jersey Theatre Alliance, is likewise enthusiastic about the professional association stating "I think Marshall's knowledge of the theater--his business knowledge as well as his artistic expertise--will go a long way in moving Crossroads forward and his strength and Rick's strength will make for an ideal team to move Crossroads into its next chapter."
Since its founding in 1978, Crossroads Theatre Company has produced over one hundred works, many of which were premiere productions by the world's leading African and African American artists. Crossroads' world premieres include: The Colored Museum, which originated at Crossroads in 1986 and was then seen by millions on national public television when it was produced for WNETs "Great Performances," and Spunk, both by Tony Award@ winner George C. Wolfe.
Additional Crossroads world premieres include: The Love Space Demands, Ntozake Shange's choreopoem; Black Eagles by Leslie Lee, an historic chronicle of the Tuskegee Airmen of World War II; Sheila's Day, the cultural collaboration of six South African and six African American women written by Sarafina! creator Mbongeni Ngema that toured the United States, Britain and South Africa; Ruby Dee's stage adaptation of the novel The Disappearance; Vernel Bagneris' musical, And Further'Mo; former U.S. Poet Laureate Rita Dove's first play The Darker Face of the Earth; the award-winning Lost Creek Township by Charlotte A. Gibson; It Ain’t Nothin’ But the Blues which went on to Broadway, Ella Fitzgerald: First Lady of Song and History of the Word.
I don't have much comment because I don't know the man, but his arrival would seem a positive, needed step, as he has considerable theater management experience, something that Crossroads can put to good use.
Tony® Award winning Crossroads Theatre CompanyCelebrating 30 years of Artistic Excellence!
New Brunswick, NJ--Crossroads Theatre Company proudly announces the appointment of Marshall Jones III to the position of Executive Director effective immediately. Ricardo Khan will remain as Artistic Director and Richard A. Nurse who has held the position as Executive Director since 2004 will remain with Crossroads as a Board Member. Jones is currently a tenure-track theater professor at the prestigious Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers University, New Brunswick, and will remain in that capacity while assuming the role at Crossroads Theatre Company.
Marshall Jones earned a BA in Theater Arts from Rutgers University and an MA in Arts Management from New York University. He has almost twenty-five years of experience in a wide variety of key executive positions at some of New York city's most reputable institutions including the world famous Apollo Theater where he was General Manager, Radio City Music Hall (Producer), Disney on Broadway's The Lion King, and Madison Square Garden (Company Manager). He is a Member of the New Brunswick Arts Council and has served on the New Brunswick Task Force for Arts Education. Marshall is a member of the Dramatists Guild and Theatre Communications Group and serves on the Alliance for Inclusion in the Arts and the Central New Jersey Chapter of the American Conference on Diversity. This past spring Marshall was instrumental in bringing the three day Coexistence Festival to New Brunswick which involved a partnership between Rutgers University, the Jane Voorhees Zimmerli Art Museum, the City of New Brunswick, and Johnson & Johnson. Marshall is married and lives in North Brunswick.
Clifford A. Virgin III, President of the Board of Trustees of Crossroads, welcomed Marshall to the Crossroads team stating that "Marshall brings to Crossroads a tremendous administrative depth in the arts, and his contribution to our organization will be invaluable." Virgin also thanked outgoing Executive Director Richard Nurse saying that "Over the last few years Dick's hard work and unselfishness on many levels has been the glue that has held this organization together. The Crossroads family is proud that you are a member and thank you for all you've done."
Crossroads Theatre Company co-founder and Artistic Director Ricardo Khan and a graduate of the Mason Gross School of the Arts said "As an alum of Mason Gross from the early days and as a Rutgers graduate, I am always proud when I see the achievements of my fellow grads. Marshall Jones joining the Crossroads Executive Staff gives me special pride. But most importantly, Crossroads has been given a very important professional lift with Marshall Jones as its new Executive Director, and I am looking forward to partnering with Marshall who I deeply respect and appreciate as a theatre professional and a friend."
John McEwen, Executive Director of the New Jersey Theatre Alliance, is likewise enthusiastic about the professional association stating "I think Marshall's knowledge of the theater--his business knowledge as well as his artistic expertise--will go a long way in moving Crossroads forward and his strength and Rick's strength will make for an ideal team to move Crossroads into its next chapter."
Since its founding in 1978, Crossroads Theatre Company has produced over one hundred works, many of which were premiere productions by the world's leading African and African American artists. Crossroads' world premieres include: The Colored Museum, which originated at Crossroads in 1986 and was then seen by millions on national public television when it was produced for WNETs "Great Performances," and Spunk, both by Tony Award@ winner George C. Wolfe.
Additional Crossroads world premieres include: The Love Space Demands, Ntozake Shange's choreopoem; Black Eagles by Leslie Lee, an historic chronicle of the Tuskegee Airmen of World War II; Sheila's Day, the cultural collaboration of six South African and six African American women written by Sarafina! creator Mbongeni Ngema that toured the United States, Britain and South Africa; Ruby Dee's stage adaptation of the novel The Disappearance; Vernel Bagneris' musical, And Further'Mo; former U.S. Poet Laureate Rita Dove's first play The Darker Face of the Earth; the award-winning Lost Creek Township by Charlotte A. Gibson; It Ain’t Nothin’ But the Blues which went on to Broadway, Ella Fitzgerald: First Lady of Song and History of the Word.
Monday, September 24, 2007
A silent tribute to Marcel Marceau
I'm not a big fan of mimes, but I grew up seeing Marcel Marceau on more TV variety shows than I can count. Seemed like a nice guy. Kinda quiet, but nice. So we mourn his passing at age 84.
I was not aware of his association with Princeton University and McCarter Theatre until I received the following tribute, which I share here with you. It's worth adding here that McCarter has an incredible history, which includes early stage work by Jimmy Stewart and Tom Cruise, to represent two notable generations.
I'll also add a bonus trivia question: Who can name the only film in which Marcel Marceau could be heard speaking? Hint: On second thought, you don't get a hint. This is easy.
Read on. Just be quiet about it.
McCARTER THEATRE BIDS ADIEU TO MARCEL MARCEAU
McCarter Theatre mourns the loss of Marcel Marceau, the world’s greatest mime, who passed away Saturday in France. He was 84.
“Marcel Marceau enjoyed a special relationship with McCarter Theatre,” said McCarter Special Programming Director Bill Lockwood. “McCarter was one of his favorite venues and there was never an unsold seat.”
Marcel Marceau made his first appearance outside of New York at McCarter Theatre on October 11, 1955. He would return to McCarter regularly for the next 46 years, and still holds the theatre’s record for number of appearances (thirteen) by any solo visiting artist, his last as recently as 2001.
Princeton University presented Marcel Marceau an honorary degree in 1981 in recognition of his long association with McCarter. “I remembered he mimed his thank you to the audience, a picture which made the front page of The New York Times,” Lockwood added.
# # #
I was not aware of his association with Princeton University and McCarter Theatre until I received the following tribute, which I share here with you. It's worth adding here that McCarter has an incredible history, which includes early stage work by Jimmy Stewart and Tom Cruise, to represent two notable generations.
I'll also add a bonus trivia question: Who can name the only film in which Marcel Marceau could be heard speaking? Hint: On second thought, you don't get a hint. This is easy.
Read on. Just be quiet about it.
McCARTER THEATRE BIDS ADIEU TO MARCEL MARCEAU
McCarter Theatre mourns the loss of Marcel Marceau, the world’s greatest mime, who passed away Saturday in France. He was 84.
“Marcel Marceau enjoyed a special relationship with McCarter Theatre,” said McCarter Special Programming Director Bill Lockwood. “McCarter was one of his favorite venues and there was never an unsold seat.”
Marcel Marceau made his first appearance outside of New York at McCarter Theatre on October 11, 1955. He would return to McCarter regularly for the next 46 years, and still holds the theatre’s record for number of appearances (thirteen) by any solo visiting artist, his last as recently as 2001.
Princeton University presented Marcel Marceau an honorary degree in 1981 in recognition of his long association with McCarter. “I remembered he mimed his thank you to the audience, a picture which made the front page of The New York Times,” Lockwood added.
# # #
Saturday, September 22, 2007
Happy Days Sock Hop tomorrow in Millburn
A quick reminder that the free Happy Days sock hop begins 5 p.m. tomorrow in downtown Millburn, which will celebrate the Tuesday opening of "Happy Days: A New Musical" at Paper Mill Playhouse. Press release follows.
Should be interesting to see how this show does at the box office. I would think there's tremendous potential here. Sort of sobering to realize that the reviews might have a real impact here. We try not to think about that, we critics. Our first, perhaps only, responsibility is to give thoughtful and informed information and opinion to the readers, so they can make thoughtful and informed choices spending their time and money. I'm often told that a good review I wrote helped to sell tickets, and I'm always glad to hear that a show is doing well for whatever reason. But you can never accept credit for selling tickets, because that's not your job. And besides, the next bad review might result in the opposite effect.
Anyway (I said quick reminder, didn't I?), Millburn is fun, pedestrian-friendly downtown and this event sounds like it could be fun. No, I won't be going, even with 25-cent burgers (mmmm ... burgers). I'll see the show soon enough, and I'm hoping for the best. After all, I'm a closet Paul Williams fan (dude could write pop like nobody's business) and he wrote the music.
Hopefully the weather will hold. I could have sworn they said no rain for days, but clouds and fog have just given way to steady rain here in Parsippany.
Off to Princeton for "Stickfly" (love those 3 p.m. matinees). Check back soon for the Review Preview.
HAPPY DAYS!
BLOCK PARTY~SOCK HOP
When- SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 23RD 5:00pm-7:00pm
Where- Main Street, Between Essex & Millburn Avenue, Millburn NJ
What- Happy Days Are Here Again! A Block Party, Sock Hop Celebrating Millburn’s 150th Anniversary and Paper Mill Playhouse’s Opening of Happy Days: The Musical.
§ FREE! Open to the public
§ Hot dogs, hamburgers, ice cream marked at a 1955 price
§ Live entertainment featuring popular 1950’s music
§ Dance floor installed in the middle of Main Street
§ Dance contests for all ages
§ 1950’s costume contests
§ Give-a-ways
§ Vintage Cars
PLEASE JOIN THE "CAMPAIGN TO SAVE PAPER MILL PLAYHOUSE"! You can make a tax-deductible donation online at www.papermill.org or by calling 973-379-3636 ext. 2SAV (To SAVE Paper Mill Playhouse)
Should be interesting to see how this show does at the box office. I would think there's tremendous potential here. Sort of sobering to realize that the reviews might have a real impact here. We try not to think about that, we critics. Our first, perhaps only, responsibility is to give thoughtful and informed information and opinion to the readers, so they can make thoughtful and informed choices spending their time and money. I'm often told that a good review I wrote helped to sell tickets, and I'm always glad to hear that a show is doing well for whatever reason. But you can never accept credit for selling tickets, because that's not your job. And besides, the next bad review might result in the opposite effect.
Anyway (I said quick reminder, didn't I?), Millburn is fun, pedestrian-friendly downtown and this event sounds like it could be fun. No, I won't be going, even with 25-cent burgers (mmmm ... burgers). I'll see the show soon enough, and I'm hoping for the best. After all, I'm a closet Paul Williams fan (dude could write pop like nobody's business) and he wrote the music.
Hopefully the weather will hold. I could have sworn they said no rain for days, but clouds and fog have just given way to steady rain here in Parsippany.
Off to Princeton for "Stickfly" (love those 3 p.m. matinees). Check back soon for the Review Preview.
HAPPY DAYS!
BLOCK PARTY~SOCK HOP
When- SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 23RD 5:00pm-7:00pm
Where- Main Street, Between Essex & Millburn Avenue, Millburn NJ
What- Happy Days Are Here Again! A Block Party, Sock Hop Celebrating Millburn’s 150th Anniversary and Paper Mill Playhouse’s Opening of Happy Days: The Musical.
§ FREE! Open to the public
§ Hot dogs, hamburgers, ice cream marked at a 1955 price
§ Live entertainment featuring popular 1950’s music
§ Dance floor installed in the middle of Main Street
§ Dance contests for all ages
§ 1950’s costume contests
§ Give-a-ways
§ Vintage Cars
PLEASE JOIN THE "CAMPAIGN TO SAVE PAPER MILL PLAYHOUSE"! You can make a tax-deductible donation online at www.papermill.org or by calling 973-379-3636 ext. 2SAV (To SAVE Paper Mill Playhouse)
Thursday, September 20, 2007
Groovelily Alert
See below regarding Groovelily's long-awaited return to New Jersey. For those who don't remember, they were the New York (Brooklyn, actually) based band whose music and performance was the centerpiece of the brilliant McCarter-Paper Mill coproduction of "Midsummer" two years ago.
At that time, I also got to interview them at length, and enjoyed a very nice afternoon with them down in Princeton. Very nice people with enormous reserves of talent and imagination. Should be a great show, although I will sadly miss it: the schedule just will not allow it.
I'll be in Princeton Saturday to catch up with "Stickfly," which so far is getting mixed reviews. The Review Preview will post by Monday, although I will most likely check in with you guys before then.
Anyway, the press release and details follow. They get my AAA recommendation. Also, if they are selling CDs, my recommendation will be "Are We There Yet?" Lots of choice stuff on that one. More recently they released a CD of music from "Midsummer," but the running time is short and, at least for those who saw the show, it's sort of a tease to hear the music without the rest of the package. Don't get me wrong, it's terrific music, but if you only buy one, go for "Are We There Yet?" It's in my regular music rotation, which is saying something since I have about 7,000 records and CDs to choose from here at Basecamp Willie.
OK, gotta go. Got some errands tonight, then hopefully I'll get some sleep (see previous post). Then ...wait for it ... four-day weekend!
To our friends:
We're thrilled that *Groovelily* <http://www.groovelily.com/> are coming
back to The Sanctuary this Saturday night. There's really no way to
express how exciting this band is: The soaring electric violin solos,
the jazzy upbeat songs, the rapport and humor onstage, are electrifying.
GrooveLily
Because they have always been a sold-out favorite for us, we've been
trying for years to bring them back, but we always found that they were
doing long runs in the musical theater pieces that they compose
(including at Theater On The Square in NYC, the Paper Mill, McCarter
Theater, and most recently in Los Angeles).
At long last, we've managed to woo them back, in what they've called
"their only NJ concert appearance for a long time to come." We can't wait.
*Here* <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TUKo5xzdj4A> is a video sampler
of their music.
GROOVELILY, with special guest Danny Schmidt, at The Sanctuary, 240
Southern Boulevard, Chatham. Saturday 9.22, 8pm. Tickets $20 **on-line*
<http://www.sanctuaryconcerts.org/> * or at the door.
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
Insomnia
Anyone else out there who cannot sleep? It's 1:30 a.m. and it's just one of those nights when neither side of the pillow feels right. Change of seasons, perhaps? Or is it other changes howling in the wind that draw me from my rest?
Always a good time to write. Have I shared with you my own playwrighting projects? One is a dramedy based on my experiences as a caddy. There's a job where you deal with some serious social extremes, from the rich and privileged that you spend four or five hours toting their bags, balls and sticks, assisting them in their efforts to minimize the exercise they presumably are on the course for in the first place. At the opposite end are the caddy lifers, the "caddy bums," who hitch a ride to the course, take a loop, get paid and then hitch a ride to the nearest gin mill. Remember, my perspective is that of a middle class kid just trying to earn money for college.
The other is a little more abstract, a satire about, to put it simply, a guy who invents instant water.
I'm nothing if not versatile.
Did I mention I shot a 43 on the back nine the other day? Very proud of that. I can still shoot my age if I quit after 11, maybe 12 holes.
Still can't sleep. You'd think I was a Mets fan or something.
Got the press release for "The Sunshine Boys" coming up at George Street Playhouse with Jack Klugman and Paul Dooley. Fine actors both. I got to interview Klugman last year when he was at GSP for "Value of Names." Very sweet man. I mentioned my father also had survived throat cancer and he wanted to know all about it, and was sad to hear my dad eventually passed. Then he laid out his world travel plans following his stay in New Brunswick, despite a recurrence of his own cancer.
Obviously his health has improved since then, and I'm grateful for that. Obviously he doesn't need the money, particularly the money GSP can afford to pay, but he's looking forward to reviving the play on the 20th anniversary of doing it with Tony Randall. He still speaks reverently of his former "Odd Couple" foil.
He also made some funny observations about the CSI series and similar crime procedure dramas, noting that in his seven or so years on "Quincy," "we never actually showed an autopsy." No surprise that he found the graphic gore favored by these shows to be in bad taste.
Just thinking about that conversation gives me a glow. Think I'll try and turn it into 40 winks.
Did I mention the 43 on the back nine?
Always a good time to write. Have I shared with you my own playwrighting projects? One is a dramedy based on my experiences as a caddy. There's a job where you deal with some serious social extremes, from the rich and privileged that you spend four or five hours toting their bags, balls and sticks, assisting them in their efforts to minimize the exercise they presumably are on the course for in the first place. At the opposite end are the caddy lifers, the "caddy bums," who hitch a ride to the course, take a loop, get paid and then hitch a ride to the nearest gin mill. Remember, my perspective is that of a middle class kid just trying to earn money for college.
The other is a little more abstract, a satire about, to put it simply, a guy who invents instant water.
I'm nothing if not versatile.
Did I mention I shot a 43 on the back nine the other day? Very proud of that. I can still shoot my age if I quit after 11, maybe 12 holes.
Still can't sleep. You'd think I was a Mets fan or something.
Got the press release for "The Sunshine Boys" coming up at George Street Playhouse with Jack Klugman and Paul Dooley. Fine actors both. I got to interview Klugman last year when he was at GSP for "Value of Names." Very sweet man. I mentioned my father also had survived throat cancer and he wanted to know all about it, and was sad to hear my dad eventually passed. Then he laid out his world travel plans following his stay in New Brunswick, despite a recurrence of his own cancer.
Obviously his health has improved since then, and I'm grateful for that. Obviously he doesn't need the money, particularly the money GSP can afford to pay, but he's looking forward to reviving the play on the 20th anniversary of doing it with Tony Randall. He still speaks reverently of his former "Odd Couple" foil.
He also made some funny observations about the CSI series and similar crime procedure dramas, noting that in his seven or so years on "Quincy," "we never actually showed an autopsy." No surprise that he found the graphic gore favored by these shows to be in bad taste.
Just thinking about that conversation gives me a glow. Think I'll try and turn it into 40 winks.
Did I mention the 43 on the back nine?
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
12 Miles West moving west
Here's an interesting item from one of the state's most interesting companies, 12 Miles West, which is on the move again, this time to share space with Playwrights Theatre in Madison.
Sounds like good fit, since both favor cutting-edge content (although Playwrights is more of a developing theater, while 12 Miles West favors revivals of works off the beaten Broadway path) and both have similar-sized audiences.
Bad for the Montclair/Bloomfield area, but good for Willie, who hopefully will get to see more of their shows now that they are 12 miles or so closer to my Parsippany home. And good for you readers, who will read all about them here.
I've only seen a few of their shows, but have liked them all. I'll blog another time about the review I wrote of a play there that was killed by the editor because he felt the play's content was too provocative for his "family newspaper." But don't get me started now.
In the meantime, here's the release, Read all about it.
12 Miles West of Where?
The landscape of New Jersey’s theater scene is shifting again. What once was 12 miles west of Manhattan and only three short years ago became 10.5 miles west is now defying the laws of geography. 12 Miles West Theatre Company, the award-winning professional theater company started in Montclair in 1992, has packed up and moved out of its most recent home in Bloomfield. "When we first moved into the old Center Theatre in Bloomfield (most recently a Roberts Lost Picture Show movie theater and still owned by Roberts-GEH) in August of 2004, it was with the intent of purchasing the building and establishing a permanent home for our company," says Artistic Director for 12 Miles West Lenny Bart. According to Bart, after the company had completed all the necessary steps towards the purchase including an appraisal, structural, environmental and mechanical inspections and an architectural plan for the renovation of the building, reached an agreed price, and arranged very favorable private financing from a local developer, in a sudden and surprising turn of events the landlord withdrew the offer. With the option to purchase the building off the table, the Board of 12 Miles West knew the burdens of its "triple net" lease structure would quickly sound the death knell of this small, not for profit organization and so negotiated to terminate the lease with its landlord as of September 15. The company, although deeply concerned about the impact this news will have on its patrons and the surrounding community, felt publicly announcing this decision prior to signing the agreement might jeopardize negotiations.
So where will "12 Miles West" be on the map next? Well, a bit more than 12 miles west of Manhattan even as the crow flies. The theater is in the final stages of negotiation with Playwrights Theatre in Madison to use their space for two main stage shows in the Spring of 2008 and a holiday radio play in December of this year. The theater will be announcing the titles shortly. "We’re so grateful for the incredible support of John Pietrowski and Playwrights for opening their doors to us, our major donors including the New Jersey State Council on the Arts and the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, and organizations such as the New Jersey Theatre Alliance who believe in 12 Miles West and what we do. They recognize the need to help us, particularly during what could be a difficult time of transition, so that we can continue to present the award-winning productions of new and lesser known works for which we’ve come to be known," says Gloria Falzer, Development Director and Treasurer for the company.
Although the details are still under wraps, Mr. Bart indicates the company is in negotiations to become the anchor tenant in a new arts facility back in the area of "12 miles west" on the map where they hope to be in residence in time for the start of the 2008-09 Season in September 2008. "I know it may sound odd, but I see this as a time of great opportunity for our Company," says Mr. Bart. Over the past several years, the company’s programming had grown to present Guest Artists and special events nearly every weekend which although exhilarating artistically had lead to a staggering workload for the company’s handful of employees. Clearly the driving force behind the Company, Bart’s enthusiasm is infectious, "this will give us a chance to catch our breath, re-energize our Company, and focus on what we do best—present great theater. We hope our large family of friends and artists who supported us in Montclair and Bloomfield will join us on this journey, and we look forward to welcoming new audience members from around the state."
-end-
About 12 Miles West
12 Miles West Theatre Company is an award-winning, not-for-profit professional resident theater company dedicated to presenting high quality productions for the enrichment of the local and regional community with an emphasis on original and lesser-known works as well as innovative interpretations of classic plays. The company also endeavors to identify and support New Jersey artists, specifically by creating a resident company and providing them with a home where they can grow artistically by creating, developing and performing exciting dramatic productions in a viable and nurturing environment.
Programming at 12 Miles West is made possible in part by funds from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of State, a Partner Agency of the National Endowment for the Arts and a generous grant from The Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation and through the support of the New Jersey Theatre Alliance.
Sounds like good fit, since both favor cutting-edge content (although Playwrights is more of a developing theater, while 12 Miles West favors revivals of works off the beaten Broadway path) and both have similar-sized audiences.
Bad for the Montclair/Bloomfield area, but good for Willie, who hopefully will get to see more of their shows now that they are 12 miles or so closer to my Parsippany home. And good for you readers, who will read all about them here.
I've only seen a few of their shows, but have liked them all. I'll blog another time about the review I wrote of a play there that was killed by the editor because he felt the play's content was too provocative for his "family newspaper." But don't get me started now.
In the meantime, here's the release, Read all about it.
12 Miles West of Where?
The landscape of New Jersey’s theater scene is shifting again. What once was 12 miles west of Manhattan and only three short years ago became 10.5 miles west is now defying the laws of geography. 12 Miles West Theatre Company, the award-winning professional theater company started in Montclair in 1992, has packed up and moved out of its most recent home in Bloomfield. "When we first moved into the old Center Theatre in Bloomfield (most recently a Roberts Lost Picture Show movie theater and still owned by Roberts-GEH) in August of 2004, it was with the intent of purchasing the building and establishing a permanent home for our company," says Artistic Director for 12 Miles West Lenny Bart. According to Bart, after the company had completed all the necessary steps towards the purchase including an appraisal, structural, environmental and mechanical inspections and an architectural plan for the renovation of the building, reached an agreed price, and arranged very favorable private financing from a local developer, in a sudden and surprising turn of events the landlord withdrew the offer. With the option to purchase the building off the table, the Board of 12 Miles West knew the burdens of its "triple net" lease structure would quickly sound the death knell of this small, not for profit organization and so negotiated to terminate the lease with its landlord as of September 15. The company, although deeply concerned about the impact this news will have on its patrons and the surrounding community, felt publicly announcing this decision prior to signing the agreement might jeopardize negotiations.
So where will "12 Miles West" be on the map next? Well, a bit more than 12 miles west of Manhattan even as the crow flies. The theater is in the final stages of negotiation with Playwrights Theatre in Madison to use their space for two main stage shows in the Spring of 2008 and a holiday radio play in December of this year. The theater will be announcing the titles shortly. "We’re so grateful for the incredible support of John Pietrowski and Playwrights for opening their doors to us, our major donors including the New Jersey State Council on the Arts and the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, and organizations such as the New Jersey Theatre Alliance who believe in 12 Miles West and what we do. They recognize the need to help us, particularly during what could be a difficult time of transition, so that we can continue to present the award-winning productions of new and lesser known works for which we’ve come to be known," says Gloria Falzer, Development Director and Treasurer for the company.
Although the details are still under wraps, Mr. Bart indicates the company is in negotiations to become the anchor tenant in a new arts facility back in the area of "12 miles west" on the map where they hope to be in residence in time for the start of the 2008-09 Season in September 2008. "I know it may sound odd, but I see this as a time of great opportunity for our Company," says Mr. Bart. Over the past several years, the company’s programming had grown to present Guest Artists and special events nearly every weekend which although exhilarating artistically had lead to a staggering workload for the company’s handful of employees. Clearly the driving force behind the Company, Bart’s enthusiasm is infectious, "this will give us a chance to catch our breath, re-energize our Company, and focus on what we do best—present great theater. We hope our large family of friends and artists who supported us in Montclair and Bloomfield will join us on this journey, and we look forward to welcoming new audience members from around the state."
-end-
About 12 Miles West
12 Miles West Theatre Company is an award-winning, not-for-profit professional resident theater company dedicated to presenting high quality productions for the enrichment of the local and regional community with an emphasis on original and lesser-known works as well as innovative interpretations of classic plays. The company also endeavors to identify and support New Jersey artists, specifically by creating a resident company and providing them with a home where they can grow artistically by creating, developing and performing exciting dramatic productions in a viable and nurturing environment.
Programming at 12 Miles West is made possible in part by funds from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of State, a Partner Agency of the National Endowment for the Arts and a generous grant from The Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation and through the support of the New Jersey Theatre Alliance.
Review Preview: "The Owl and the Pussycat"
Little late on the post, but work comes first, right? Anyway, here's the short word on "The Owl and the Pussycat" at the Morris Museum's professional Bickford Theatre: pretty good production of a very well-written play.
Here's the long version, in draft:
If You Want to Go:
What: “The Owl and the Pussycat”
Where: The Bickford Theatre at the Morris Museum, 6 Normandy Heights Road, Morris Township
When: through Oct. 7
How much: $30, $28 seniors, $27 museum members; $15 students 18 and younger
Info: (973) 971-3706; www.bickfordtheatre.org
By William Westhoven
Staff Writer
Hollywood produced a colorful version of “The Owl and the Pussycat.” Eric Hafen, artistic director of the Bickford Theatre, prefers it in black and white.
You may agree with him after seeing his revival, which opened last week on the professional stage at the Morris Museum. Hafen’s version may lack the star power of the Hollywood edition — which starred Barbra Streisand near her commercial peak — but it authentically represents the writer’s vision, and returns the story to the intimacy of the stage, where it works best.
One admirable quality of Bill Manhoff’s comedy is that while he calls for interracial casting, his script is colorblind. Both the white man and the black woman in this two-act, two-character romp could have lineage to any race or ethnicity. “The Owl and the Pussycat” also is very funny, with plenty of emotion and conflict to keep things moving. And despite the setting—freewheeling San Francisco in the go-go 1960s, the story isn’t nearly as dated as the manual typewriters, rotary phones and other period touches in scenic designer Bill Motyka’s attractive apartment set.
Sporting neon-colored miniskirts, Nicole Powell is a brisk March wind as Doris, a typically unsuccessful actress-model who is forced to moonlight as a hooker. Her extracurricular activity catches the attention of another apartment dweller, Felix (Andrew Rein) an uptight, unsuccessful writer who reports to shenanigans to the super.
The story begins with Doris banging on Felix’s door. She’s there to give him a piece of her mind, which the ditzy Doris has little of to spare. Then decides to stay, mainly because she’s been evicted and has nowhere to go. It’s an atypically “cute” meeting of characters that strains credibility, but no more so than many Neil Simon comedies.
Naturally, with so little in common, the opposites attract and become a couple. Business as usual for Doris, who admits she frequently falls for guys who are “soft in the body and strong in the head.”
Felix decides Doris is an intellectual at heart, and just needs someone to save her from “circumstances prevent you from using your mind.”
“Your trapped intelligence called to me,” he claims, rationalizing his attraction to a woman who displays neither education nor common sense.
When his efforts fail, Felix lashes out and drives her away. If you saw the movie, you may think you know the ending, but you won’t find any Hollywood whitewashing at the Bickford. You’ll have to discover the story, in its original form, for yourself, but the opening-night crowd went home quite satisfied.
Both of these Equity professional actors have their limitations, but each has visible talents as well. Powell, on break from a featured role in the Broadway musical, “Hairspray,” beams a wide range of emotions from an expressive face. She easily slips into a wistful smile while watching a TV program one minute, then shrinks the next in the wake of stinging insults from Felix. It makes no sense for her to be attracted to Felix, a pasty, intellectual bully, but somehow, she makes you believe.
Powell struggles more as a comedienne, failing to capture the eccentric charm of her character. As a result, she sometimes is shrill when she should be silly, but Powell’s energy keeps you rooting for both her and her character. Sticking to the vision of the writer, and the director, she also never slips into racial stereotype or diction, which relegates the character’s color difference to a benign visual reminder of their emotional incompatibility.
Rein’s dour interpretation of Felix is a fine contrast to Powell’s bubbly manner. He’s as dry as the desert and as cold as the poles, so the audience really feels it when he loses his grip. Given the hateful (albeit never racial) tone of his insults, it’s hard at times to feel sympathy for the character, but Rein shows us enough vulnerability to make it work.
This first of five main-stage plays (up from the usual four) signals the note of a promising year at the Bickford, which now has a new entrance and lobby within the still-expanding Morris Museum. Hopefully, the momentum will carry the company to a prosperous new year.
Here's the long version, in draft:
If You Want to Go:
What: “The Owl and the Pussycat”
Where: The Bickford Theatre at the Morris Museum, 6 Normandy Heights Road, Morris Township
When: through Oct. 7
How much: $30, $28 seniors, $27 museum members; $15 students 18 and younger
Info: (973) 971-3706; www.bickfordtheatre.org
By William Westhoven
Staff Writer
Hollywood produced a colorful version of “The Owl and the Pussycat.” Eric Hafen, artistic director of the Bickford Theatre, prefers it in black and white.
You may agree with him after seeing his revival, which opened last week on the professional stage at the Morris Museum. Hafen’s version may lack the star power of the Hollywood edition — which starred Barbra Streisand near her commercial peak — but it authentically represents the writer’s vision, and returns the story to the intimacy of the stage, where it works best.
One admirable quality of Bill Manhoff’s comedy is that while he calls for interracial casting, his script is colorblind. Both the white man and the black woman in this two-act, two-character romp could have lineage to any race or ethnicity. “The Owl and the Pussycat” also is very funny, with plenty of emotion and conflict to keep things moving. And despite the setting—freewheeling San Francisco in the go-go 1960s, the story isn’t nearly as dated as the manual typewriters, rotary phones and other period touches in scenic designer Bill Motyka’s attractive apartment set.
Sporting neon-colored miniskirts, Nicole Powell is a brisk March wind as Doris, a typically unsuccessful actress-model who is forced to moonlight as a hooker. Her extracurricular activity catches the attention of another apartment dweller, Felix (Andrew Rein) an uptight, unsuccessful writer who reports to shenanigans to the super.
The story begins with Doris banging on Felix’s door. She’s there to give him a piece of her mind, which the ditzy Doris has little of to spare. Then decides to stay, mainly because she’s been evicted and has nowhere to go. It’s an atypically “cute” meeting of characters that strains credibility, but no more so than many Neil Simon comedies.
Naturally, with so little in common, the opposites attract and become a couple. Business as usual for Doris, who admits she frequently falls for guys who are “soft in the body and strong in the head.”
Felix decides Doris is an intellectual at heart, and just needs someone to save her from “circumstances prevent you from using your mind.”
“Your trapped intelligence called to me,” he claims, rationalizing his attraction to a woman who displays neither education nor common sense.
When his efforts fail, Felix lashes out and drives her away. If you saw the movie, you may think you know the ending, but you won’t find any Hollywood whitewashing at the Bickford. You’ll have to discover the story, in its original form, for yourself, but the opening-night crowd went home quite satisfied.
Both of these Equity professional actors have their limitations, but each has visible talents as well. Powell, on break from a featured role in the Broadway musical, “Hairspray,” beams a wide range of emotions from an expressive face. She easily slips into a wistful smile while watching a TV program one minute, then shrinks the next in the wake of stinging insults from Felix. It makes no sense for her to be attracted to Felix, a pasty, intellectual bully, but somehow, she makes you believe.
Powell struggles more as a comedienne, failing to capture the eccentric charm of her character. As a result, she sometimes is shrill when she should be silly, but Powell’s energy keeps you rooting for both her and her character. Sticking to the vision of the writer, and the director, she also never slips into racial stereotype or diction, which relegates the character’s color difference to a benign visual reminder of their emotional incompatibility.
Rein’s dour interpretation of Felix is a fine contrast to Powell’s bubbly manner. He’s as dry as the desert and as cold as the poles, so the audience really feels it when he loses his grip. Given the hateful (albeit never racial) tone of his insults, it’s hard at times to feel sympathy for the character, but Rein shows us enough vulnerability to make it work.
This first of five main-stage plays (up from the usual four) signals the note of a promising year at the Bickford, which now has a new entrance and lobby within the still-expanding Morris Museum. Hopefully, the momentum will carry the company to a prosperous new year.
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
Field trips to the theater
Here's an item running in my Sunday column that should be of interest to educators and students interested in theater.
Another school year is upon us and many students are already longing for the first field trip that frees them from the classroom. This year, with the assistance of some Morris-area theaters, those field trips may transport them across the country and perhaps even through time.
And if the Garden State is too far to travel, the Growing Stage, the Children’s Theatre of New Jersey, can arrange to bring it to you.
Both the Shakespeare Theatre in New Jersey in Madison and the Growing Stage in Netcong are offering special student-matinee deals for upcoming shows.
Schools can take advantage of four matinee dates for “The Time of Your Life” at the Shakespeare Theatre — the first being Wednesday, with additional opportunities Sept. 25-27.
William Saroyan’s morality tale, with elements of both silly comedy and serious drama, is recommended for high-school grades only, but the language and “adult situations” are tame compared to prime-time television standards. “The Time of Your Life” won the Pulitzer Prize in 1940 and is infrequently produced, so this is a rare opportunity to see a true American classic.
The play’s setting, in Depression-era San Francisco, also complements other literature from the early 20th century, including Steinbeck and Tennessee Williams, as well as the study of the Great Depression, according to Shakespeare Theatre staff.
Student-matinee deals also are available for upcoming productions of “Henry VI: Blood and Roses” (Nov. 1, 6, 7; recommended for grades 8 and up) and “A Christmas Carol” (Dec. 5, 12; recommended for grades 5 and up).
Student matinees begin at 10:30 a.m. Tickets are $16, with free admission to chaperones. For more information, call (973) 408-3980 or e-mail jbgrant@shakespearenj.org.
Student matinees also are planned at the Growing Stage, where the main-stage season begins Sept. 28 with “The Dinosaur Musical.” This prehistoric romp, which runs through Oct. 19, is one of three child-oriented plays available for matinee booking during the 2007-08 season at the professional company’s home in the Palace Theatre in Netcong. A student matinee of “The Dinosaur Musical” will be offered on Oct. 1. The others are “The BFG (Big Friendly Giant)” (Jan. 21 to Feb. 8) and “Lily’s Purple Plastic Purse” (April 28 to May 16).
Lesson plans will be provided to teachers and the performances are followed by a question-and-answer session with the theater’s artistic team. More information about the plays is available at www.growingstage.com.
The Growing Stage also has planned a special production about New Jersey, which will be available either for performances at the Palace Theatre or at the booking school.
“Tales From The Garden” is described as “a fun-filled journey through the rich history of the Garden State, from its original settlers to its many legends as well as some of the more unique roles New Jersey has played in American history.” It is recommended for Grades 3 through 8, available March through May and meets N.J. State Department of Education Core Standards 1.1. through 1.5, 3.1, 3.2, 3.5 and 6.3 through 6.6.
For additional information, contact Lori B. Lawrence, director of education programs, at: eddir@growingstage.com or call (973) 347-4946.
Another school year is upon us and many students are already longing for the first field trip that frees them from the classroom. This year, with the assistance of some Morris-area theaters, those field trips may transport them across the country and perhaps even through time.
And if the Garden State is too far to travel, the Growing Stage, the Children’s Theatre of New Jersey, can arrange to bring it to you.
Both the Shakespeare Theatre in New Jersey in Madison and the Growing Stage in Netcong are offering special student-matinee deals for upcoming shows.
Schools can take advantage of four matinee dates for “The Time of Your Life” at the Shakespeare Theatre — the first being Wednesday, with additional opportunities Sept. 25-27.
William Saroyan’s morality tale, with elements of both silly comedy and serious drama, is recommended for high-school grades only, but the language and “adult situations” are tame compared to prime-time television standards. “The Time of Your Life” won the Pulitzer Prize in 1940 and is infrequently produced, so this is a rare opportunity to see a true American classic.
The play’s setting, in Depression-era San Francisco, also complements other literature from the early 20th century, including Steinbeck and Tennessee Williams, as well as the study of the Great Depression, according to Shakespeare Theatre staff.
Student-matinee deals also are available for upcoming productions of “Henry VI: Blood and Roses” (Nov. 1, 6, 7; recommended for grades 8 and up) and “A Christmas Carol” (Dec. 5, 12; recommended for grades 5 and up).
Student matinees begin at 10:30 a.m. Tickets are $16, with free admission to chaperones. For more information, call (973) 408-3980 or e-mail jbgrant@shakespearenj.org.
Student matinees also are planned at the Growing Stage, where the main-stage season begins Sept. 28 with “The Dinosaur Musical.” This prehistoric romp, which runs through Oct. 19, is one of three child-oriented plays available for matinee booking during the 2007-08 season at the professional company’s home in the Palace Theatre in Netcong. A student matinee of “The Dinosaur Musical” will be offered on Oct. 1. The others are “The BFG (Big Friendly Giant)” (Jan. 21 to Feb. 8) and “Lily’s Purple Plastic Purse” (April 28 to May 16).
Lesson plans will be provided to teachers and the performances are followed by a question-and-answer session with the theater’s artistic team. More information about the plays is available at www.growingstage.com.
The Growing Stage also has planned a special production about New Jersey, which will be available either for performances at the Palace Theatre or at the booking school.
“Tales From The Garden” is described as “a fun-filled journey through the rich history of the Garden State, from its original settlers to its many legends as well as some of the more unique roles New Jersey has played in American history.” It is recommended for Grades 3 through 8, available March through May and meets N.J. State Department of Education Core Standards 1.1. through 1.5, 3.1, 3.2, 3.5 and 6.3 through 6.6.
For additional information, contact Lori B. Lawrence, director of education programs, at: eddir@growingstage.com or call (973) 347-4946.
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
9/11 reflections
I didn't want to let the date pass without some comment and reflection. So once again we break topic.
I still feel the sting and utter disbelief at what happened that day. That alone makes me angry; it was a complete surprise, at least to most of us. I like to think of myself as a cynical journalist who's never shocked or surprised, but 9/11 was a sucker punch in the breadbasket. Knocked the wind right out of me.
I hate when that happens.
Then I feel guilty, as if I don't have a right to be so angry since I wasn't directly acquainted with any of the victims. As if I was stealing the more righteous anger from those more tangibly affected. So many victims; so many more family and friends left to mourn.
It's all a little irrational, I understand. We all have a right to feel angry, and a little afraid. Agression aimed at your life can mess with the best of us. But one of our most admirable qualities as Americans is our capacity to come together and be at our very best when things get tough. So together, we honor our dead, and we fight back.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not for the war we find ourselves in. Things need to change; the fighting has to stop. But we were attacked. They did declare war. And, as my stepson, Cyle, told me, "I'd rather fight them over there than over here."
I listen to Cyle in matters such as this. He may be a few years shy of 30, but he's done two tours in Iraq, and he's headed back to the Middle East any day now. For maybe a year.
So I listen. And I wonder, how did our parents ever cope with World War II? And I remember--we're at our best when things get tough.
It's not so bad, really. It's just our turn to be strong. We can get through this if we stick together.
And so I wish strength to all of you, the family and friends of 9/11 victims, the family and friends of soldiers killed or injured in this damnable war, and the rest of you who just need a little hope to get through the day. Fight back in your own way. Live the life you choose. Be a proud American. Do something to make it better.
And those who hate our way of life, they really hate when that happens.
I still feel the sting and utter disbelief at what happened that day. That alone makes me angry; it was a complete surprise, at least to most of us. I like to think of myself as a cynical journalist who's never shocked or surprised, but 9/11 was a sucker punch in the breadbasket. Knocked the wind right out of me.
I hate when that happens.
Then I feel guilty, as if I don't have a right to be so angry since I wasn't directly acquainted with any of the victims. As if I was stealing the more righteous anger from those more tangibly affected. So many victims; so many more family and friends left to mourn.
It's all a little irrational, I understand. We all have a right to feel angry, and a little afraid. Agression aimed at your life can mess with the best of us. But one of our most admirable qualities as Americans is our capacity to come together and be at our very best when things get tough. So together, we honor our dead, and we fight back.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not for the war we find ourselves in. Things need to change; the fighting has to stop. But we were attacked. They did declare war. And, as my stepson, Cyle, told me, "I'd rather fight them over there than over here."
I listen to Cyle in matters such as this. He may be a few years shy of 30, but he's done two tours in Iraq, and he's headed back to the Middle East any day now. For maybe a year.
So I listen. And I wonder, how did our parents ever cope with World War II? And I remember--we're at our best when things get tough.
It's not so bad, really. It's just our turn to be strong. We can get through this if we stick together.
And so I wish strength to all of you, the family and friends of 9/11 victims, the family and friends of soldiers killed or injured in this damnable war, and the rest of you who just need a little hope to get through the day. Fight back in your own way. Live the life you choose. Be a proud American. Do something to make it better.
And those who hate our way of life, they really hate when that happens.
Monday, September 10, 2007
Review Preview: "The Time of Your Life"
Here's the draft of my review of "The Time of Your Life" at the Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey. Expect it to be published Friday in the Daily Record. I don't know when or if you'll see it in the Courier News (long story for another time), but you've got it right here, so what's the diff, right?
Theater review
If you want to go:
What: “The Time of Your Life”
When: through Sept. 30
Where: F.M. Kirby Shakespeare Theatre, 36 Madison Ave. (Route 124), Madison
How much: $28 to $52
Info: (973) 408-5600; www.shkespearenj.org
By WILLIAM WESTHOVEN
Staff Writer
Blessed are the poor in spirit, for William Saroyan writes them well. The prize-collection of back-alley knockabouts he wrote about in “The Time of Your Life” certainly are exalted in this rarely seen 1939 classic, revived with stylish detail at the Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey.
Premiering on Broadway at the tail end of the Depression, Saroyan’s tragic comedy struck enough chords to claim both a Pulitzer Prize and New York Drama Critics Award. While the cynical may find it somewhat sentimental and naïve, it’s easy to understand the play’s appeal—the lifting up of the downtrodden, with enough humor and conflict to entertain representatives of all social classes.
It all happens in a not-quite-seedy bar, Nick’s Pacific Street Saloon (James Wolk’s set is a stunningly detailed work of art), in the rough commercial-waterfront district of San Francisco. From behind the bar, burly Nick (Gregory Derelian) says everyone is welcome, although they may have to endure a few of his insults. An Arab immigrant (Paul Meshejian) claims the bar’s corner seat, sipping slowly and responding to all inquiries with the catchphrase, “no foundation, all the way down the line.”
Others visit seeking employment, including a bad dancer and comedian (Blake Hackler), a pianist (Anthony Stokes) and a parade of streetwalkers. Others come and go, but Joe (Andrew Weems) takes up residency at one table, cheerfully chatting up the barflies and buying rounds with a wad of cash that never taps out.
Joe takes advantage of one regular, Tom (Ned Noyes), a simpleminded young man who runs Joe’s peculiar errands, ranging from buying toys and gum to tipping the nearby, unseen Salvation Army band.
For a show lasting more than two hours, very little happens, but everyone’s got a story to tell. A prostitute (Sofia Jean Gomez) who calls herself Kitty Duvall claims a background in burlesque, while the comedian, Harry, auditions with a monologue that baffles everyone into an uncomfortable silence. Another young man, Dudley (Salvatore Cacciato), pleads over the phone with an estranged girlfriend, although he comes on to another woman he dials by mistake.
A shred of plot, involving a plainclothes cop (Christopher Burns) who covers the waterfront with sadistic anger, helps to boil an exciting climax, but is hardly necessary. Director Paul Mullins, an accomplished actor himself, knows what he’s got here—a bounty of showcase parts to let his actors stretch and run.
Weems, an audience favorite here playing both dramatic (the title role in “King John”) and comic (“Rhinoceros” and “Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead”), puts another notch on his belt as the perplexing Joe. Resisting the urge to overplay his character as an idle-rich boozehound (think Dudley Moore in “Arthur”), Joe’s guilt is easier to understand, even though we have to wait for him to reveal his motives. Weems lets Joe slide through the day, finding joy in whatever comes up.
Gomez also shines as Kitty, whose profound sadness is broken by the occasional giggle. Burns is appropriately menacing as the cop, while Noyes is a delight as Tom, a simple-minded, buck-toothed errand boy who’s got it bad for Kitty. Hackler is another joy, dancing his way through every scene and delivering his abstractly awful jokes with the confidence of Henny Youngman at the Copa.
Even the non-Equity company grabs its share of moments, including Cacciato as Dudley, a truly unlikely lady’s man, and John Nahigian as a surprisingly philosophical longshoreman.
The final bow is reserved for Edmond Genest as Kit Carson, a grizzled old prospector with more tall tales than Grandpa Simpson. Genest is a familiar face here, most often playing upper-crust gentlemen, but chews the scenery here, grinning through a scraggly beard like Gabby Hayes. Genest had the audience in stitches, but ends the play with a final, dramatic moment.
Somewhat dated at this stage, “The Time of Your Life” may not demand to be seen, but this production sure does.
Theater review
If you want to go:
What: “The Time of Your Life”
When: through Sept. 30
Where: F.M. Kirby Shakespeare Theatre, 36 Madison Ave. (Route 124), Madison
How much: $28 to $52
Info: (973) 408-5600; www.shkespearenj.org
By WILLIAM WESTHOVEN
Staff Writer
Blessed are the poor in spirit, for William Saroyan writes them well. The prize-collection of back-alley knockabouts he wrote about in “The Time of Your Life” certainly are exalted in this rarely seen 1939 classic, revived with stylish detail at the Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey.
Premiering on Broadway at the tail end of the Depression, Saroyan’s tragic comedy struck enough chords to claim both a Pulitzer Prize and New York Drama Critics Award. While the cynical may find it somewhat sentimental and naïve, it’s easy to understand the play’s appeal—the lifting up of the downtrodden, with enough humor and conflict to entertain representatives of all social classes.
It all happens in a not-quite-seedy bar, Nick’s Pacific Street Saloon (James Wolk’s set is a stunningly detailed work of art), in the rough commercial-waterfront district of San Francisco. From behind the bar, burly Nick (Gregory Derelian) says everyone is welcome, although they may have to endure a few of his insults. An Arab immigrant (Paul Meshejian) claims the bar’s corner seat, sipping slowly and responding to all inquiries with the catchphrase, “no foundation, all the way down the line.”
Others visit seeking employment, including a bad dancer and comedian (Blake Hackler), a pianist (Anthony Stokes) and a parade of streetwalkers. Others come and go, but Joe (Andrew Weems) takes up residency at one table, cheerfully chatting up the barflies and buying rounds with a wad of cash that never taps out.
Joe takes advantage of one regular, Tom (Ned Noyes), a simpleminded young man who runs Joe’s peculiar errands, ranging from buying toys and gum to tipping the nearby, unseen Salvation Army band.
For a show lasting more than two hours, very little happens, but everyone’s got a story to tell. A prostitute (Sofia Jean Gomez) who calls herself Kitty Duvall claims a background in burlesque, while the comedian, Harry, auditions with a monologue that baffles everyone into an uncomfortable silence. Another young man, Dudley (Salvatore Cacciato), pleads over the phone with an estranged girlfriend, although he comes on to another woman he dials by mistake.
A shred of plot, involving a plainclothes cop (Christopher Burns) who covers the waterfront with sadistic anger, helps to boil an exciting climax, but is hardly necessary. Director Paul Mullins, an accomplished actor himself, knows what he’s got here—a bounty of showcase parts to let his actors stretch and run.
Weems, an audience favorite here playing both dramatic (the title role in “King John”) and comic (“Rhinoceros” and “Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead”), puts another notch on his belt as the perplexing Joe. Resisting the urge to overplay his character as an idle-rich boozehound (think Dudley Moore in “Arthur”), Joe’s guilt is easier to understand, even though we have to wait for him to reveal his motives. Weems lets Joe slide through the day, finding joy in whatever comes up.
Gomez also shines as Kitty, whose profound sadness is broken by the occasional giggle. Burns is appropriately menacing as the cop, while Noyes is a delight as Tom, a simple-minded, buck-toothed errand boy who’s got it bad for Kitty. Hackler is another joy, dancing his way through every scene and delivering his abstractly awful jokes with the confidence of Henny Youngman at the Copa.
Even the non-Equity company grabs its share of moments, including Cacciato as Dudley, a truly unlikely lady’s man, and John Nahigian as a surprisingly philosophical longshoreman.
The final bow is reserved for Edmond Genest as Kit Carson, a grizzled old prospector with more tall tales than Grandpa Simpson. Genest is a familiar face here, most often playing upper-crust gentlemen, but chews the scenery here, grinning through a scraggly beard like Gabby Hayes. Genest had the audience in stitches, but ends the play with a final, dramatic moment.
Somewhat dated at this stage, “The Time of Your Life” may not demand to be seen, but this production sure does.
Friday, September 7, 2007
Shakespeare Initiative in Randolph
Here's some exciting news that helps to illustrate how even community theaters make a genuine contribution to the cultural landscape. Brundage Park Playhouse has launched the Shakespeare Initiative, which, among other goals, is dedicated to performing the entire Shakespeare Canon.
I'll let you sift through the details embedded in the following press release, but I'm very impressed with the idea, and hope any of you in the reading audience who may have some influence in money grants take some notice.
Three-Day weekend! Sort of. Look for a Review Preview of "The Time of Your Life" Sunday or Monday.
Brundage Park Playhouse, Carrell Road, Randolph, announces the formation of an exciting new theater company, The Shakespeare Initiative.
The Shakespeare Initiative grew out of a fundraiser production of TITUS ANDRONICUS at the theater this past June.
TITUS ANDRONICUS was so well received, a core group of people involved with the show proposed that a separate ensemble company be formed at Brundage Park Playhouse to stage the classic works of William Shakespeare in contemporary, nontraditional productions utilizing amateur actors. The company was approved by the Brundage Park Playhouse Board and will begin their inaugural season in 2008.
The Shakespeare Initiative plans two complete festival style productions a year - one in June, one in December. There are plans to offer an evening of scenes from Shakespeare or a shortened play that will be made available to civic groups and schools throughout the year. Educational classes are also planned for those interested in performing Shakespeare.
The group plans to perform Shakespeare's complete canon in the years to come. Details about the 2008 season will be announced shortly.
Company members include Company Director, Richard Norman (of Randolph); Company Associate Director, Brendan Naranjo (of Bedminster); Company Production/Stage Manager, Jeremy Lesser (of Morris Plains); Company Educational/Community Outreach Director, Debbie Campanali (of Towaco); Company Scenic Designer/Properties, Nola Young (of Wharton); Company Costume/Lighting Designer, Mark Carovale (of Mine Hill); Company Fight Choreographers, Christopher Young and Joseph Brennan (both of Wharton); Special Effects Fabricator, Mar Omega (of Stanhope); and Company Technical Director, Tom Young (of Wharton).
For information about the new company, productions planned and upcoming auditions, please check The Shakespeare Initiative website at http://www.blogger.com/www.theshakespeareinitiative.org.
Brundage Park Playhouse is a non-profit organization sponsored by the Randolph Department of Parks, Recreation and Community Services. For information about services provided by Brundage Park Playhouse, please access the theater website at: http://www.blogger.com/www.brundageparkplayhouse.org or call the theater at (973) 989-7092.
I'll let you sift through the details embedded in the following press release, but I'm very impressed with the idea, and hope any of you in the reading audience who may have some influence in money grants take some notice.
Three-Day weekend! Sort of. Look for a Review Preview of "The Time of Your Life" Sunday or Monday.
Brundage Park Playhouse, Carrell Road, Randolph, announces the formation of an exciting new theater company, The Shakespeare Initiative.
The Shakespeare Initiative grew out of a fundraiser production of TITUS ANDRONICUS at the theater this past June.
TITUS ANDRONICUS was so well received, a core group of people involved with the show proposed that a separate ensemble company be formed at Brundage Park Playhouse to stage the classic works of William Shakespeare in contemporary, nontraditional productions utilizing amateur actors. The company was approved by the Brundage Park Playhouse Board and will begin their inaugural season in 2008.
The Shakespeare Initiative plans two complete festival style productions a year - one in June, one in December. There are plans to offer an evening of scenes from Shakespeare or a shortened play that will be made available to civic groups and schools throughout the year. Educational classes are also planned for those interested in performing Shakespeare.
The group plans to perform Shakespeare's complete canon in the years to come. Details about the 2008 season will be announced shortly.
Company members include Company Director, Richard Norman (of Randolph); Company Associate Director, Brendan Naranjo (of Bedminster); Company Production/Stage Manager, Jeremy Lesser (of Morris Plains); Company Educational/Community Outreach Director, Debbie Campanali (of Towaco); Company Scenic Designer/Properties, Nola Young (of Wharton); Company Costume/Lighting Designer, Mark Carovale (of Mine Hill); Company Fight Choreographers, Christopher Young and Joseph Brennan (both of Wharton); Special Effects Fabricator, Mar Omega (of Stanhope); and Company Technical Director, Tom Young (of Wharton).
For information about the new company, productions planned and upcoming auditions, please check The Shakespeare Initiative website at http://www.blogger.com/www.theshakespeareinitiative.org.
Brundage Park Playhouse is a non-profit organization sponsored by the Randolph Department of Parks, Recreation and Community Services. For information about services provided by Brundage Park Playhouse, please access the theater website at: http://www.blogger.com/www.brundageparkplayhouse.org or call the theater at (973) 989-7092.
Thursday, September 6, 2007
September already?
Didn't want to let a week go by without checking in, but even bloggers like to take some me time around Labor Day. After a tough August full of big deadlines and other work-related stress, I enjoyed three days off and attained my goal of two rounds of golf.
Planning another three-day weekend this week and two more rounds of golf. Gotta get that exercise. Also may go to the Rutgers-Navy game Friday if Mrs. Willie can adjust her work schedule.
Then it's back to some serious theater time. "Time of Your Life" Saturday at the Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey. Next week: "Stick Fly" at McCarter and "The Owl and the Pussycat" at the Bickford Theatre (Morris Museum).
As for the latter, read the short item I wrote that follows below. Interesting casting choice by Artistic Director Eric Hafen, who met the author while a student at Boston College and learned it was originally written for a white man and a black woman. I'm sure many of you will remember by the time it got to Hollywood, the black prostitute had turned into Barbra Streisand.
As Bono once said introducing the song "Helter Skelter," "Charles Manson stole this from the Beatles; we're gonna steal it back." Well, score one for the Bickford here.
PS: In our e-mail conversation, and I'm not sure why, Hafen shared this bit of naivete from his freshman year at BC: "Later that year I went to a Bobby Seale lecture thinking it was Seales and Crofts."
Priceless.
Anyway, here's the Bickford item:
Eric Hafen, artistic director of the Bickford Theatre, met the author of “The Owl and the Pussycat” when he was still a student at Boston College. He’s wanted to direct the play ever since.
Hafen gets his chance this week as the professional-theater arm of the Morris Museum opens its expanded 2007-08 season this week in Morris Township. “The Owl and the Pussycat” previews Thursday, opens Friday and continues through Oct. 7.
It’s the same play most people remember as a film and starring vehicle for Barbra Streisand and Ryan O’Neal. But playwright Bill Manhoff originally wrote the play—about a quiet writer and a brassy, brash prostitute and would-be model who find each other in a New York City apartment building—for a white man and a black woman.
“He told us that the Broadway play had a black actress in it when it opened,” Hafen said. “He said that he wanted to introduce the interracial casting but was not sure how it would go over. What really struck me was that although he had to adjust some of the dialogue for a black actress, he deliberately did not want to include any obvious racial references. He wanted the characters to be more universal.”
Since its high-profile cinema treatment, the romantic comedy has remained popular on the regional theater circuit, but casting usually follows the Hollywood lead.
“Actually, his dialogue is so well-written that it really lends itself to any casting situation,” Hafen said. “He had wanted Diana Sands, the black actress who starred on Broadway (opposite a young Alan Alda in 1964), to continue into the movie, but the producers wanted a bigger name.”
Hafen has also snagged a big talent for his “Pussycat” Doris—Nicole Powell, who performed on Broadway in “Hairspray” and has national tours on her resume. Andrew Rein, who appeared at the Bickford in “A Thousand Clowns,” is the “Owl,” Felix, a reserved, would-be author who one night spots Doris — through his binoculars—working her (illegal) trade in another apartment. When he reports her to the manager, she’s evicted, setting off a noisy confrontation that results in her spending the night with Felix. This being a comedy, of course, the odd couple becomes a romantic one.
Performances are 8 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays and 2 p.m. Sundays. This year, each production also will include a single 2 p.m. Saturday matinee on the second week of performances.
Tickets are $30, $27 for museum members, $28 for seniors and $15 for students. Discounts are available for season subscriptions and groups of 10 or more.
The Bickford is at 6 Normandy Heights Road. For information, call (973) 971-9706 or visit www.bickfordtheatre.org.
Planning another three-day weekend this week and two more rounds of golf. Gotta get that exercise. Also may go to the Rutgers-Navy game Friday if Mrs. Willie can adjust her work schedule.
Then it's back to some serious theater time. "Time of Your Life" Saturday at the Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey. Next week: "Stick Fly" at McCarter and "The Owl and the Pussycat" at the Bickford Theatre (Morris Museum).
As for the latter, read the short item I wrote that follows below. Interesting casting choice by Artistic Director Eric Hafen, who met the author while a student at Boston College and learned it was originally written for a white man and a black woman. I'm sure many of you will remember by the time it got to Hollywood, the black prostitute had turned into Barbra Streisand.
As Bono once said introducing the song "Helter Skelter," "Charles Manson stole this from the Beatles; we're gonna steal it back." Well, score one for the Bickford here.
PS: In our e-mail conversation, and I'm not sure why, Hafen shared this bit of naivete from his freshman year at BC: "Later that year I went to a Bobby Seale lecture thinking it was Seales and Crofts."
Priceless.
Anyway, here's the Bickford item:
Eric Hafen, artistic director of the Bickford Theatre, met the author of “The Owl and the Pussycat” when he was still a student at Boston College. He’s wanted to direct the play ever since.
Hafen gets his chance this week as the professional-theater arm of the Morris Museum opens its expanded 2007-08 season this week in Morris Township. “The Owl and the Pussycat” previews Thursday, opens Friday and continues through Oct. 7.
It’s the same play most people remember as a film and starring vehicle for Barbra Streisand and Ryan O’Neal. But playwright Bill Manhoff originally wrote the play—about a quiet writer and a brassy, brash prostitute and would-be model who find each other in a New York City apartment building—for a white man and a black woman.
“He told us that the Broadway play had a black actress in it when it opened,” Hafen said. “He said that he wanted to introduce the interracial casting but was not sure how it would go over. What really struck me was that although he had to adjust some of the dialogue for a black actress, he deliberately did not want to include any obvious racial references. He wanted the characters to be more universal.”
Since its high-profile cinema treatment, the romantic comedy has remained popular on the regional theater circuit, but casting usually follows the Hollywood lead.
“Actually, his dialogue is so well-written that it really lends itself to any casting situation,” Hafen said. “He had wanted Diana Sands, the black actress who starred on Broadway (opposite a young Alan Alda in 1964), to continue into the movie, but the producers wanted a bigger name.”
Hafen has also snagged a big talent for his “Pussycat” Doris—Nicole Powell, who performed on Broadway in “Hairspray” and has national tours on her resume. Andrew Rein, who appeared at the Bickford in “A Thousand Clowns,” is the “Owl,” Felix, a reserved, would-be author who one night spots Doris — through his binoculars—working her (illegal) trade in another apartment. When he reports her to the manager, she’s evicted, setting off a noisy confrontation that results in her spending the night with Felix. This being a comedy, of course, the odd couple becomes a romantic one.
Performances are 8 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays and 2 p.m. Sundays. This year, each production also will include a single 2 p.m. Saturday matinee on the second week of performances.
Tickets are $30, $27 for museum members, $28 for seniors and $15 for students. Discounts are available for season subscriptions and groups of 10 or more.
The Bickford is at 6 Normandy Heights Road. For information, call (973) 971-9706 or visit www.bickfordtheatre.org.
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