Just wanted to say hi and check in with you all. Between being so busy at work and, now, the lull that always follows the openings of Christmas shows, there's not much to blog about. It will be a light month here at Jersey Stages, but I'm looking forward to 2008, which promises to be full of top actors and, of course, the excitement of a new Edward Albee play at Princeton.
Speaking of Albee, I'm sadly going to have to skip the media meet with him on Friday, but I thought I would share the press release, which is kind of amusing. It follows at the end of this posting.
This weekend, I'll be working on my annual end-of-the-year awards, which won't be published untl Dec. 30. But some of the awards may leak out before that. Keep reading, because this is where the leak drips.
For those of you who don't plan to spend your Christmas break reading blogs, let me throw out an advance Merry Christmas and Happy Holiday to you all.
And to all a good night.
Read on, Albee-philes:
McCarter Theatre will be hosting a MEDIA MORNING
with America's premier living playwright EDWARD ALBEE
on Friday, December 21 from 11:30 to Noon
Mr. Albee is in Princeton for rehearsals of his newest play Me, Myself & I, which will have its world premiere from January 11 through February 17. Directed by McCarter Artistic Director Emily Mann, the production features Tyne Daly, Brian Murray, Colin Donnell, Michael Esper, Charlotte Parry and Stephen Payne.
This new play, commissioned by McCarter Theatre Center and Princeton University, is part of "The Albee Season," celebrating Mr. Albee's 80th birthday, and includes Peter and Jerry at Second Stage; The Sandbox and The American Dream at Cherry Lane Theatre and Occupant at Signature Theatre.
If you are interested in speaking with Ms. Mann or any cast members prior to 11:30 please let me know and I will do my best to arrange.
For background, please read Emily Mann's interview with Mr. Albee, which can be found at the McCarter blog http://www.mccarter.org/ under
Me, Myself & I. It's in four parts.
About the play
When identical twin brothers are both named Otto, how’s a mother (Tyne Daly) supposed to keep them straight? Master playwright Edward Albee is in top form with this dark, funny and moving play that takes sibling rivalry to existential heights.
To arrange an interview with Ms. Mann or cast members, please contact me ASAP at (contacts deleted) Also, please let me know if you plan to join Mr. Albee at 11:30 so that I can plan accordingly.
Thanks, Dan
Please note, Mr. Albee will not talk about what the play is about. Below, is a letter that will appear in the playbill for Me, Myself & I:
A Letter To An Audience I tend to become uncooperative—and occasionally downright hostile—when people ask me what my plays “are about”, especially the new ones, about which I’ve usually not assembled a provocative yet vague enough short paragraph to avoid answering the question, yet seeming to. What is Me, Myself & I about? Oh, about 2 hours, including intermission. Will that do? No; I guess not, though I do like it as an answer, for any play that can be explained (or properly described) in the desired sentence or two should be no longer than its description. A play is, after all, about everything that happens to the characters from the beginning of the play to the end and (unless the author has killed them all off by curtain) the characters’ lives before the play begins and after it ends. This means, as I see it, that a play is fully described (or explained) by the experience of seeing it. My plays are infrequently opaque, only occasionally complicated (though now and again complex) and can be enjoyed to their full, unless you bring to the theatre with you the baggage of predetermination—“a play must go like this!” So....pretend you’re at the first play you’ve ever seen—have that experience—and I think “what the play is about” will reveal itself quite readily. And, if you care to, let me know what you’ve experienced. Best wishes, Edward Albee
Thursday, December 20, 2007
Monday, December 10, 2007
Review Preview: Doubt
So me and the missus took the Porsche to New Brunswick Saturday night to see "Doubt" at George Street Playhouse, and, wouldn't you know it, the valet parking was full and closed.
Don't you hate when that happens?
True story, but allow me to clarify: I've got a Porsche Cayenne on loan for a week to do a story on this four-wheeled, 400-horsepower high-roller suite.
No, I cannot afford a Porsche on a blogger's salary.
Anyway, here's a review of "Doubt" from a 10-year altar boy who, for the record, was never abused on or off the job. The only thing I worry about is the long-term effects of beathing in all that incense.
Theater review
If you want to go:
What: “Doubt”
When: through Dec. 23
Where: George Street Playhouse, 9 Livingston Ave., New Brunswick
How much: $28 to $64
Info: (732) 246-7717; www.gsponline.org
By WILLIAM WESTHOVEN
Staff Writer
Having conquered Broadway, the most celebrated new play of the millennium is now on the regional theater circuit. Having made its way to New Brunswick, there’s no doubt that “Doubt” is having a similar impact in New Jersey.
John Patrick Shanley’s powerhouse drama touts the aura of an Ali-Frazier fight at the Garden. In a single 90-minute act, some clever wordplay precedes a few rounds of bobbing and weaving before two heavyweights trade life-changing blows.
But instead of athletes in boxer shorts, Shanley matches soldiers of the cloth. In this corner, Sister Aloysius (Ann Dowd) is a no-nonsense principal of a Catholic School in the Bronx. In the other corner, charming Father Flynn (Dylan Chalfy), who may be engaging in some inappropriate nonsense with an adolescent male student.
In any era, the pairing puts Aloysius at a disadvantage, but particularly so in 1964, when the diocesan order would all but forbid even a principal nun to reprimand a priest.
“There’s no man I can go to, and the men run everything,” Aloysius tells her reluctant confidant, the brittle Sister James (Meghan Andrews). But full of righteous indignation, Aloysius mounts a crusade to force a confession out of the charismatic priest, who denies it all.
The sensitive subject matter adds a keen focus to the drama, but is secondary to the psychological conflict. The play’s opening lines, spoken by Flynn while preaching a sermon to the audience, put the author’s goal out front.
“What do you do when you’re not sure?” he asks. “Doubt can be a bond as powerful as certainty. When you have doubt, you are not alone.”
Aloysuis, though, has no doubts, despite her lack of evidence or witnesses. All she needed to see was one child pull his hand back when brushed by Flynn’s, and she knew what was going on.
“How can you be so sure?” James asks. “Experience,” Alyosius says, confident enough to lie and break vows to protect the children in her charge.
The quietly powerful conclusion measures justice for all, but some suffer more for their crimes than others. If you leave with doubt that everyone got what they deserved, you, too, will not be alone.
“Doubt” certainly won’t be mistaken for the feel-good holiday show of the season, but for people who crave a challenging night of theater regardless of the calendar, this production stands in a crowd of stocking-stuffer competition. Shanley, whose resume includes the screenplays for both the wonderful “Moonstruck” and the painfully bad “Joe vs. the Volcano,” has crafted a taught thriller that’s part mystery and part morality tale, a sledgehammer of conflict tempered with a delicate complement of humor and nostalgia.
Baby boomer graduates of Catholic school will laugh—and possibly wince—at early scenes in which Aloysius instructs James to curb her enthusiasm and deliver her lessons with a cold discipline. Dowd is an intimidating force of nature, dispensing her precise direction with syncopated diction. Still, you can’t help but laugh when she rails about the pagan heresy of “Frosty the Snowman,” or how ball-point pens lead to lazy children who “write like monkeys.”
Andrews is easy to identify and sympathize with, as she smoothly evolves from an eager novitiate to a conflicted educator who can’t understand how doing the right thing may require her to distance herself from God.
Chalfy also is convincing as the handsome priest whose charm works on everyone except Aloysius, while Rosalyn Coleman is slightly chilling in her single scene, as the mother of an abused child who is willing to look the other way as long as the boy graduates.
Director Anders Cato makes good use of the theater’s rotating stage. There’s only two sets—the principal’s Spartan office (set designer Hugh Landwehr nails the time and place, right down to the multicolored cinder blocks) and a weathered courtyard—but we experience the courtyard from different angles as different sides of the story are explored.
Now an essential part of the American theater landscape, there surely will be many future opportunities to see a production of this Pulitzer and Tony-winning treasure. But with the Broadway-level standard of this “Doubt,” there’s no reason to wait until next time.
Don't you hate when that happens?
True story, but allow me to clarify: I've got a Porsche Cayenne on loan for a week to do a story on this four-wheeled, 400-horsepower high-roller suite.
No, I cannot afford a Porsche on a blogger's salary.
Anyway, here's a review of "Doubt" from a 10-year altar boy who, for the record, was never abused on or off the job. The only thing I worry about is the long-term effects of beathing in all that incense.
Theater review
If you want to go:
What: “Doubt”
When: through Dec. 23
Where: George Street Playhouse, 9 Livingston Ave., New Brunswick
How much: $28 to $64
Info: (732) 246-7717; www.gsponline.org
By WILLIAM WESTHOVEN
Staff Writer
Having conquered Broadway, the most celebrated new play of the millennium is now on the regional theater circuit. Having made its way to New Brunswick, there’s no doubt that “Doubt” is having a similar impact in New Jersey.
John Patrick Shanley’s powerhouse drama touts the aura of an Ali-Frazier fight at the Garden. In a single 90-minute act, some clever wordplay precedes a few rounds of bobbing and weaving before two heavyweights trade life-changing blows.
But instead of athletes in boxer shorts, Shanley matches soldiers of the cloth. In this corner, Sister Aloysius (Ann Dowd) is a no-nonsense principal of a Catholic School in the Bronx. In the other corner, charming Father Flynn (Dylan Chalfy), who may be engaging in some inappropriate nonsense with an adolescent male student.
In any era, the pairing puts Aloysius at a disadvantage, but particularly so in 1964, when the diocesan order would all but forbid even a principal nun to reprimand a priest.
“There’s no man I can go to, and the men run everything,” Aloysius tells her reluctant confidant, the brittle Sister James (Meghan Andrews). But full of righteous indignation, Aloysius mounts a crusade to force a confession out of the charismatic priest, who denies it all.
The sensitive subject matter adds a keen focus to the drama, but is secondary to the psychological conflict. The play’s opening lines, spoken by Flynn while preaching a sermon to the audience, put the author’s goal out front.
“What do you do when you’re not sure?” he asks. “Doubt can be a bond as powerful as certainty. When you have doubt, you are not alone.”
Aloysuis, though, has no doubts, despite her lack of evidence or witnesses. All she needed to see was one child pull his hand back when brushed by Flynn’s, and she knew what was going on.
“How can you be so sure?” James asks. “Experience,” Alyosius says, confident enough to lie and break vows to protect the children in her charge.
The quietly powerful conclusion measures justice for all, but some suffer more for their crimes than others. If you leave with doubt that everyone got what they deserved, you, too, will not be alone.
“Doubt” certainly won’t be mistaken for the feel-good holiday show of the season, but for people who crave a challenging night of theater regardless of the calendar, this production stands in a crowd of stocking-stuffer competition. Shanley, whose resume includes the screenplays for both the wonderful “Moonstruck” and the painfully bad “Joe vs. the Volcano,” has crafted a taught thriller that’s part mystery and part morality tale, a sledgehammer of conflict tempered with a delicate complement of humor and nostalgia.
Baby boomer graduates of Catholic school will laugh—and possibly wince—at early scenes in which Aloysius instructs James to curb her enthusiasm and deliver her lessons with a cold discipline. Dowd is an intimidating force of nature, dispensing her precise direction with syncopated diction. Still, you can’t help but laugh when she rails about the pagan heresy of “Frosty the Snowman,” or how ball-point pens lead to lazy children who “write like monkeys.”
Andrews is easy to identify and sympathize with, as she smoothly evolves from an eager novitiate to a conflicted educator who can’t understand how doing the right thing may require her to distance herself from God.
Chalfy also is convincing as the handsome priest whose charm works on everyone except Aloysius, while Rosalyn Coleman is slightly chilling in her single scene, as the mother of an abused child who is willing to look the other way as long as the boy graduates.
Director Anders Cato makes good use of the theater’s rotating stage. There’s only two sets—the principal’s Spartan office (set designer Hugh Landwehr nails the time and place, right down to the multicolored cinder blocks) and a weathered courtyard—but we experience the courtyard from different angles as different sides of the story are explored.
Now an essential part of the American theater landscape, there surely will be many future opportunities to see a production of this Pulitzer and Tony-winning treasure. But with the Broadway-level standard of this “Doubt,” there’s no reason to wait until next time.
Monday, December 3, 2007
'That Girl' coming to George St. Playhouse
Wow, Elaine May and Marlo Thomas. Two good gets for George Street Playhouse. Marlo's a first crush for many of us who came of age in the 1960s, although that sort of thing really didn't kick in for me until Marcia Brady. Marlo continues to rival Kathleen Turner for sexiest voice in the business.
Short on time, so I'll let the press release, copied below, fll you in.
Two Great Ladies of Comedy – Elaine May and Marlo Thomas
Come to George Street Playhouse This Spring
The World Premiere of Roger is Dead, Written and to be Directed by
Two-Time Academy Award Nominee Elaine May,
Starring Ms. Thomas, at George Street Playhouse April 8 – May 11
New Brunswick, NJ – George Street Playhouse announced today the final play of its current season: Roger is Dead, written and directed by two-time Academy Award nominee Elaine May. Heading the cast will be another great lady of comedy – Marlo Thomas, of That Girl and Free to Be…You and Me fame. Roger is Dead will make it’s world premiere in New Brunswick beginning April 8 and run through May 11, with opening night set for Friday, April 11.
“It is only fitting that, as we began the season with two great men of comedy – Jack Klugman and Paul Dooley – that we end the season with two great ladies of comedy: the brilliantly talented writer/director and comedienne Elaine May and That Girl Marlo Thomas,” said George Street Playhouse Artistic Director David Saint. “I have long been a fan of Elaine May, beginning with her hilarious partnership with Mike Nichols. In addition, I had the huge honor of directing her and Gene Saks — actors — years ago at Williamstown Theatre Festival. Marlo Thomas in addition to being an amazing actress, is an amazing human being, and I am so pleased she will be coming to George Street. I am thrilled to welcome Ms. May and Ms. Thomas to the George Street family.”
Individual tickets, priced $28-$64, as well as two- and three-play and flexible admission packages are available through the George Street Playhouse Box Office 732-246-7717. In addition, groups of ten or more are eligible for discounted admission – call the GSP Group Sales office at 732-846-2895, ext. 134 or email mbergamo@georgestplayhouse.org for further information. George Street Playhouse is located at 9 Livingston Avenue in the heart of New Brunswick’s dining and entertainment district, within walking distance of numerous dining establishments ranging from fast food to fine dining. It is located three blocks from the New Brunswick train station and is easily reachable by car, bus or train. For directions, parking tips and dining suggestions, visit the Playhouse website: www.GSPonline.org.
In Roger is Dead Marlo Thomas stars as Doreen, a vapid Manhattan socialite who has just lost her husband. She has no one to turn to except Carla, the daughter of Doreen’s favorite nanny. It’s not that Doreen and Carla are friends – it’s just that Doreen doesn’t have any real friends, so she turns to the most real person she knows. Politics, death, love and classes collide in this boisterous comedy from the pen of this two-time Academy Award nominee.
Like her early improvisational comedy sketches, Elaine May’s career continues to take fresh twists and adventurous turns. A comedian, actor, writer and director for both stage and screen, May got her start as an undergraduate at the University of Chicago. While there, she became a member of the improvisational theatre group The Compass Players, founded by Paul Sills and David Shepherd, which later became The Second City. During her membership, she met Mike Nichols, who was then starring in one of Sills’ plays, and began a successful partnership with him. From performances in college and cabaret clubs, Nichols and May went on to become one of the most successful comedy duos of the day, appearing on all the major TV entertainment shows and on Broadway for a year-long sold-out engagement. After splitting with Nichols in the early 60’s, she put her multiple acting, writing and directing talents to use. Among her early memorable projects was a one-act play, Adaptation (Drama Desk Award), which she wrote and directed in an off-Broadway double-bill with Terrence McNally’s Next. In addition, she wrote and performed for radio and recorded several comedy albums. She formed and directed an improvisational company called The Third Ear in New York that included Reni Santori, Peter Boyle, Renee Taylor and Louise Lasser. She also wrote several plays during this period – in addition to Adaptation, other stage plays she has written include Not Enough Rope, Mr. Gogol and Mr. Preen, Hot Line, After the Night and the Music, Power Plays, Taller Than a Dwarf and Adult Entertainment.
Ms. May was one of the first women to pioneer an inroad into Hollywood’s bastion of male directors. Her first credited film was A New Leaf, co-starring Walter Matthau – and Elaine May. A year later, she directed The Heartbreak Kid wich she co-wrote with Neil Simon. In 1978 she teamed with star Warren Beatty to write Heaven Can Wait, a remake of the 1941 film Here Comes Mr. Jordon, which earned May her first Academy Award nomination. In uncredited rewrites, she left her distinctive mark on Reds and Tootsie. For such work, she has earned a reputation as one of the legendary script doctors in the business. Ms. May reunited with her former comic partner Mike Nichols with The Birdcage, which was a retelling of the classic French farce La Cage aux Folles. She received her second Academy Award nomination when she again worked with Nichols on Primary Colors. Other recent films include Down to Earth and Small Time Crooks.
Marlo Thomas the daughter of the late Danny Thomas, first achieved fame on the television series That Girl in the 1960’s. She grew up in Beverly Hills, attending Marymount High School and the University of Southern California (earning a teaching degree). After finishing college, she appeared as a regular on The Joey Bishop Show. She followed that with guest shots on Ben Casey, My Favorite Martian and Bonanza, but it was not until 1966 that she hit her stride as aspiring actress Ann Marie on the ABC sitcom That Girl. The series ran until 1971, garnering her a Golden Globe Award and four Emmy nominations. Equally adept at drama, she proved herself in the television movies It Happened One Christmas (a remake of It’s a Wonderful Life, with Ms. Thomas in the Jimmy Stewart role), Nobody’s Child and The Lost Honor of Kathryn Beck, while she starred in Jenny and Thieves on the big screen. In recent years, she has appeared in guest shots on Ally McBeal, Friends (as Rachel’s mother), and made several guest appearances on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, playing attorney and former judge Mary Conway Clark. She also appeared in the 2000 comedy Playing Mona Lisa with Alicia Witt and Harvey Fierstein.
Ms. Thomas is also known for her children’s books and the recordings and television specials created in conjunction with them: Free to Be…You and Me and Free to Be…A Family, which were born out an attempt to teach her then-young niece Dionne about life. All proceeds from her 2004 book Thanks & Giving: All Year Long, as well as The Right Words at the Right Time and The Right Words at the Right Time Volume 2 (both books are collections of essays written by celebrities and fans, explaining when a friend, family member or perfect stranger said the right thing in the author’s time of need), are donated to her charity, the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee. Started by her late father, the organization helps young children suffering from disease, especially cancer and leukemia.
Under the leadership of Artistic Director David Saint, George Street Playhouse has become a nationally recognized theatre, presenting an acclaimed mainstage season while providing an artistic home for established and emerging theatre artists. Managing Director Todd Schmidt was appointed in October 2007. Founded in 1974, the Playhouse has been well represented by numerous productions both on and off-Broadway – recent productions include Anne Meara’s Down the Garden Paths, the Outer Critics Circle, Drama Desk and Drama League nominated production of The Spitfire Grill and the recent Broadway hit and Tony® and Pulitzer Prize winning play Proof by David Auburn, which was developed at GSP during the 1999 Next Stage Series of new plays. In addition to its mainstage season, GSP’s Touring Theatre features five issue-oriented productions that tours to more than 250 schools in the tri-state area, and are seen by more than 75,000 students annually.
George Street Playhouse programming 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 by funds from the National Endowment for the Arts. George Street Playhouse gratefully acknowledges the Media Sponsorship of the 2007-2008 Season by our Community Arts Partner, New York Public Radio WNYC 93.9 FM/ 820 AM and Greater Media Newspapers.
# # # #
Roger is Dead
Written and directed by Elaine May
Starring Marlo Thomas
April 8 – May 11
George Street Playhouse
9 Livingston Avenue • New Brunswick, NJ
Box Office 732-246-7717 • www.GSPonline.org
Short on time, so I'll let the press release, copied below, fll you in.
Two Great Ladies of Comedy – Elaine May and Marlo Thomas
Come to George Street Playhouse This Spring
The World Premiere of Roger is Dead, Written and to be Directed by
Two-Time Academy Award Nominee Elaine May,
Starring Ms. Thomas, at George Street Playhouse April 8 – May 11
New Brunswick, NJ – George Street Playhouse announced today the final play of its current season: Roger is Dead, written and directed by two-time Academy Award nominee Elaine May. Heading the cast will be another great lady of comedy – Marlo Thomas, of That Girl and Free to Be…You and Me fame. Roger is Dead will make it’s world premiere in New Brunswick beginning April 8 and run through May 11, with opening night set for Friday, April 11.
“It is only fitting that, as we began the season with two great men of comedy – Jack Klugman and Paul Dooley – that we end the season with two great ladies of comedy: the brilliantly talented writer/director and comedienne Elaine May and That Girl Marlo Thomas,” said George Street Playhouse Artistic Director David Saint. “I have long been a fan of Elaine May, beginning with her hilarious partnership with Mike Nichols. In addition, I had the huge honor of directing her and Gene Saks — actors — years ago at Williamstown Theatre Festival. Marlo Thomas in addition to being an amazing actress, is an amazing human being, and I am so pleased she will be coming to George Street. I am thrilled to welcome Ms. May and Ms. Thomas to the George Street family.”
Individual tickets, priced $28-$64, as well as two- and three-play and flexible admission packages are available through the George Street Playhouse Box Office 732-246-7717. In addition, groups of ten or more are eligible for discounted admission – call the GSP Group Sales office at 732-846-2895, ext. 134 or email mbergamo@georgestplayhouse.org for further information. George Street Playhouse is located at 9 Livingston Avenue in the heart of New Brunswick’s dining and entertainment district, within walking distance of numerous dining establishments ranging from fast food to fine dining. It is located three blocks from the New Brunswick train station and is easily reachable by car, bus or train. For directions, parking tips and dining suggestions, visit the Playhouse website: www.GSPonline.org.
In Roger is Dead Marlo Thomas stars as Doreen, a vapid Manhattan socialite who has just lost her husband. She has no one to turn to except Carla, the daughter of Doreen’s favorite nanny. It’s not that Doreen and Carla are friends – it’s just that Doreen doesn’t have any real friends, so she turns to the most real person she knows. Politics, death, love and classes collide in this boisterous comedy from the pen of this two-time Academy Award nominee.
Like her early improvisational comedy sketches, Elaine May’s career continues to take fresh twists and adventurous turns. A comedian, actor, writer and director for both stage and screen, May got her start as an undergraduate at the University of Chicago. While there, she became a member of the improvisational theatre group The Compass Players, founded by Paul Sills and David Shepherd, which later became The Second City. During her membership, she met Mike Nichols, who was then starring in one of Sills’ plays, and began a successful partnership with him. From performances in college and cabaret clubs, Nichols and May went on to become one of the most successful comedy duos of the day, appearing on all the major TV entertainment shows and on Broadway for a year-long sold-out engagement. After splitting with Nichols in the early 60’s, she put her multiple acting, writing and directing talents to use. Among her early memorable projects was a one-act play, Adaptation (Drama Desk Award), which she wrote and directed in an off-Broadway double-bill with Terrence McNally’s Next. In addition, she wrote and performed for radio and recorded several comedy albums. She formed and directed an improvisational company called The Third Ear in New York that included Reni Santori, Peter Boyle, Renee Taylor and Louise Lasser. She also wrote several plays during this period – in addition to Adaptation, other stage plays she has written include Not Enough Rope, Mr. Gogol and Mr. Preen, Hot Line, After the Night and the Music, Power Plays, Taller Than a Dwarf and Adult Entertainment.
Ms. May was one of the first women to pioneer an inroad into Hollywood’s bastion of male directors. Her first credited film was A New Leaf, co-starring Walter Matthau – and Elaine May. A year later, she directed The Heartbreak Kid wich she co-wrote with Neil Simon. In 1978 she teamed with star Warren Beatty to write Heaven Can Wait, a remake of the 1941 film Here Comes Mr. Jordon, which earned May her first Academy Award nomination. In uncredited rewrites, she left her distinctive mark on Reds and Tootsie. For such work, she has earned a reputation as one of the legendary script doctors in the business. Ms. May reunited with her former comic partner Mike Nichols with The Birdcage, which was a retelling of the classic French farce La Cage aux Folles. She received her second Academy Award nomination when she again worked with Nichols on Primary Colors. Other recent films include Down to Earth and Small Time Crooks.
Marlo Thomas the daughter of the late Danny Thomas, first achieved fame on the television series That Girl in the 1960’s. She grew up in Beverly Hills, attending Marymount High School and the University of Southern California (earning a teaching degree). After finishing college, she appeared as a regular on The Joey Bishop Show. She followed that with guest shots on Ben Casey, My Favorite Martian and Bonanza, but it was not until 1966 that she hit her stride as aspiring actress Ann Marie on the ABC sitcom That Girl. The series ran until 1971, garnering her a Golden Globe Award and four Emmy nominations. Equally adept at drama, she proved herself in the television movies It Happened One Christmas (a remake of It’s a Wonderful Life, with Ms. Thomas in the Jimmy Stewart role), Nobody’s Child and The Lost Honor of Kathryn Beck, while she starred in Jenny and Thieves on the big screen. In recent years, she has appeared in guest shots on Ally McBeal, Friends (as Rachel’s mother), and made several guest appearances on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, playing attorney and former judge Mary Conway Clark. She also appeared in the 2000 comedy Playing Mona Lisa with Alicia Witt and Harvey Fierstein.
Ms. Thomas is also known for her children’s books and the recordings and television specials created in conjunction with them: Free to Be…You and Me and Free to Be…A Family, which were born out an attempt to teach her then-young niece Dionne about life. All proceeds from her 2004 book Thanks & Giving: All Year Long, as well as The Right Words at the Right Time and The Right Words at the Right Time Volume 2 (both books are collections of essays written by celebrities and fans, explaining when a friend, family member or perfect stranger said the right thing in the author’s time of need), are donated to her charity, the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee. Started by her late father, the organization helps young children suffering from disease, especially cancer and leukemia.
Under the leadership of Artistic Director David Saint, George Street Playhouse has become a nationally recognized theatre, presenting an acclaimed mainstage season while providing an artistic home for established and emerging theatre artists. Managing Director Todd Schmidt was appointed in October 2007. Founded in 1974, the Playhouse has been well represented by numerous productions both on and off-Broadway – recent productions include Anne Meara’s Down the Garden Paths, the Outer Critics Circle, Drama Desk and Drama League nominated production of The Spitfire Grill and the recent Broadway hit and Tony® and Pulitzer Prize winning play Proof by David Auburn, which was developed at GSP during the 1999 Next Stage Series of new plays. In addition to its mainstage season, GSP’s Touring Theatre features five issue-oriented productions that tours to more than 250 schools in the tri-state area, and are seen by more than 75,000 students annually.
George Street Playhouse programming 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 by funds from the National Endowment for the Arts. George Street Playhouse gratefully acknowledges the Media Sponsorship of the 2007-2008 Season by our Community Arts Partner, New York Public Radio WNYC 93.9 FM/ 820 AM and Greater Media Newspapers.
# # # #
Roger is Dead
Written and directed by Elaine May
Starring Marlo Thomas
April 8 – May 11
George Street Playhouse
9 Livingston Avenue • New Brunswick, NJ
Box Office 732-246-7717 • www.GSPonline.org
Sunday, December 2, 2007
Review Preview: "A Christmas Carol"
Got my leaves raked up just before the snow, saw a great show last night and got my review done before noon.
Life is good, and now I get to watch football all afternoon.
I hope that doesn't make anyone think less of me.
Here's the draft. Abstract: very good, very different without messing too much with a good thing. And I LOVED the lighting design. Keep your eyes open for that.
If you want to go:
What: “A Christmas Carol”
When: through Dec. 31
Where: Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey, F.M. Kirby Shakespeare Theatre, 36 Madison Ave. (Route 124), Drew University, Madison
How much: $28-$52
Info: (973) 408-5600; www.shakespearenj.org
By WILLIAM WESTHOVEN
Staff Writer
The volume and variety of holiday shows in New Jersey are at record highs in 2007. But nowhere will you find a richer blend of traditional warmth and contemporary style than the imaginative impression of “A Christmas Carol” at the Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey.
Artistic director Bonnie J. Monte’s sprightly handling of British playwright Neil Bartlett’s fresh adaptation somehow manages to be respectful to Dickens’ iconic Victorian prose while whisking the audience off on a trippy, Technicolor journey. The adapter and the director remain grounded thoughout the evening with inspiration from the author’s playful spirit.
The words you’ll hear are all Dickens, but many are singled out for their onomatopoeic value—“tick, tick, tick” is chanted small groups of actors imitating a clock; “scratch, scratch” is chanted by Bob Cratchit and the other clerks working on their ledgers. When the two chants are combined—“scratch scratch, tick, tick”—it’s understood that the clerks are counting the minutes until Christmas.
We also hear “scrunch, scrunch” as the nine-member ensemble, which plays more than 50 characters in Bartlett’s unusual staging, trudges through a fresh-fallen snow. When not playing specific characters, the ensemble frequently convenes for a capella songs sung with striking grace and harmony. They also harmonize as dramatic clock bells chiming the hours of arrival for the ghosts we all know are coming.
Only one actor stays in single character. Sherman Howard, one of the company’s most respected and popular leading men, is a magnificently spiteful Scrooge. Younger than many actors who play the original Grinch, Howard’s bitter-lemon scowl makes his character seem not quite elderly so much as old before his time. When he shoos the businessmen soliciting a seasonal donation for the poor, he does so with the malevolent energy of a man who thrives on misogyny.
Howard’s initial strength makes the terror of the humbling hauntings, and his joyous transformation, that much more profound. It’s a powerful performance, which he accomplishes without the scene-chewing that many Scrooges can’t help but succumb to.
The ensemble complements Howard’s focus with impressive versatility. You can start with praise of the delicate harmonies that alone are worth the price of admission (save some praise for music director Rick Knutsen). From there, you can single out the talents of the five men and three women. Ames Adamson contributes an array of colorful accents and is a dashing Ghost of Christmas Past. Greg Jackson, whose has had a busy year on this stage, dials down his comic edge to give us the sensitive Bob Cratchit and jolly Fezziwig we’ve come to love. Erin Partin puts a lot of body language into both male and female roles, while Steve Wilson is dashing in gentlemanly parts, including Freddy and a younger Ebenezer. Wilson is unrecognizable and considerably taller playing the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come, while David Andew MacDonald, who played Marc Antony here in “Julius Caesar,” is the Ghost of Christmas Present.
Tina Stafford handles the matronly roles, while Betsy Jilka sings sweetly as Martha. Young Seamus Mulchahy, a veteran of roles both here and at Paper Mill Playhouse, is a tall but earnest Tiny Tim. He’s also convincingly disabled: His braced leg never once touches the ground.
Equally valuable is the imaginative ensemble of technical contributors. James Wolk’s set of doors, windows and storefronts slide into position as set changes are orchestrated with seamless and silent precision. All the props are handled, frequently with humor, by the cast, which rips through a warehouse of authentic Victorian wardrobe from costume designer Karen Ledger.
Sound designer Richard M. Dionne ups the haunting quotient with chilling echoes and rattling chains. But top honors among the backstage artists goes to lighting designer Matthew E. Adelson, who might have taken some inspiration from the last Pink Floyd tour and gives this “Christmas Carol” an eerie visual edge that few of the many preceding can claim.
That’s quite a lot of people doing quite a lot of admirable work. Enjoy it while you can, because the show ends Dec. 31 and this marvelous company, which continues to be the crown jewel of performance art in Morris County, darkens its main stage until spring.
Life is good, and now I get to watch football all afternoon.
I hope that doesn't make anyone think less of me.
Here's the draft. Abstract: very good, very different without messing too much with a good thing. And I LOVED the lighting design. Keep your eyes open for that.
If you want to go:
What: “A Christmas Carol”
When: through Dec. 31
Where: Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey, F.M. Kirby Shakespeare Theatre, 36 Madison Ave. (Route 124), Drew University, Madison
How much: $28-$52
Info: (973) 408-5600; www.shakespearenj.org
By WILLIAM WESTHOVEN
Staff Writer
The volume and variety of holiday shows in New Jersey are at record highs in 2007. But nowhere will you find a richer blend of traditional warmth and contemporary style than the imaginative impression of “A Christmas Carol” at the Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey.
Artistic director Bonnie J. Monte’s sprightly handling of British playwright Neil Bartlett’s fresh adaptation somehow manages to be respectful to Dickens’ iconic Victorian prose while whisking the audience off on a trippy, Technicolor journey. The adapter and the director remain grounded thoughout the evening with inspiration from the author’s playful spirit.
The words you’ll hear are all Dickens, but many are singled out for their onomatopoeic value—“tick, tick, tick” is chanted small groups of actors imitating a clock; “scratch, scratch” is chanted by Bob Cratchit and the other clerks working on their ledgers. When the two chants are combined—“scratch scratch, tick, tick”—it’s understood that the clerks are counting the minutes until Christmas.
We also hear “scrunch, scrunch” as the nine-member ensemble, which plays more than 50 characters in Bartlett’s unusual staging, trudges through a fresh-fallen snow. When not playing specific characters, the ensemble frequently convenes for a capella songs sung with striking grace and harmony. They also harmonize as dramatic clock bells chiming the hours of arrival for the ghosts we all know are coming.
Only one actor stays in single character. Sherman Howard, one of the company’s most respected and popular leading men, is a magnificently spiteful Scrooge. Younger than many actors who play the original Grinch, Howard’s bitter-lemon scowl makes his character seem not quite elderly so much as old before his time. When he shoos the businessmen soliciting a seasonal donation for the poor, he does so with the malevolent energy of a man who thrives on misogyny.
Howard’s initial strength makes the terror of the humbling hauntings, and his joyous transformation, that much more profound. It’s a powerful performance, which he accomplishes without the scene-chewing that many Scrooges can’t help but succumb to.
The ensemble complements Howard’s focus with impressive versatility. You can start with praise of the delicate harmonies that alone are worth the price of admission (save some praise for music director Rick Knutsen). From there, you can single out the talents of the five men and three women. Ames Adamson contributes an array of colorful accents and is a dashing Ghost of Christmas Past. Greg Jackson, whose has had a busy year on this stage, dials down his comic edge to give us the sensitive Bob Cratchit and jolly Fezziwig we’ve come to love. Erin Partin puts a lot of body language into both male and female roles, while Steve Wilson is dashing in gentlemanly parts, including Freddy and a younger Ebenezer. Wilson is unrecognizable and considerably taller playing the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come, while David Andew MacDonald, who played Marc Antony here in “Julius Caesar,” is the Ghost of Christmas Present.
Tina Stafford handles the matronly roles, while Betsy Jilka sings sweetly as Martha. Young Seamus Mulchahy, a veteran of roles both here and at Paper Mill Playhouse, is a tall but earnest Tiny Tim. He’s also convincingly disabled: His braced leg never once touches the ground.
Equally valuable is the imaginative ensemble of technical contributors. James Wolk’s set of doors, windows and storefronts slide into position as set changes are orchestrated with seamless and silent precision. All the props are handled, frequently with humor, by the cast, which rips through a warehouse of authentic Victorian wardrobe from costume designer Karen Ledger.
Sound designer Richard M. Dionne ups the haunting quotient with chilling echoes and rattling chains. But top honors among the backstage artists goes to lighting designer Matthew E. Adelson, who might have taken some inspiration from the last Pink Floyd tour and gives this “Christmas Carol” an eerie visual edge that few of the many preceding can claim.
That’s quite a lot of people doing quite a lot of admirable work. Enjoy it while you can, because the show ends Dec. 31 and this marvelous company, which continues to be the crown jewel of performance art in Morris County, darkens its main stage until spring.
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