tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-61901374269864748912024-03-28T07:47:28.234-07:00www.curtainup.comCurtainup Founder & Editor Elyse Sommer's Epilogue --
I've passed the torch for reviewing and editing new theater productions on and off-Broadway and elsewhere. However, I'll continue to sound off here with my take on Live and Onscreen Entertainment. As for Curtainup's extensive content since 1996-- it's all sill available at <a href="https://www.curtainup.com">www.curtainup.com</a>elyse sommerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07428161965327741450noreply@blogger.comBlogger2129125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6190137426986474891.post-20124515740609039552024-03-21T11:22:00.000-07:002024-03-22T06:20:49.311-07:00The Many Lives of the Great Gatsby<p>.<br /><b>The Many Lives of the Great Gatsby by Elyse Sommer</b><br /><br />The theater has come back to life with almost a dozen new productions recently opening over the course of less than two weeks and with more announced in the months ahead. As always, shows on offer include a mix of plays and musicals -- some new, some revivals. Works in the public domain can be adapted without writers or their heirs granting permission and receiving royalties.<br /><br /> F. Scott Fitzgerald's oeuvre doesn't go quite as far back as Shakespeare's. Though his <i>The Great Gatsby </i>actually had an unsuccessful first outing in 1925, the book eventually gained status as a classic. And so, the mysterious Gatsby's narrative did have a full and diverse cultural life even before it entered the public domain in 2021. I won't go into chapter and verse about the ramifications of copyright law. Instead, I'll begin this feature with a brief rundown of its history as staged, filmed and reimagined in print.<br /><b><br />Gatsby on Stage</b><br /><br />The first known stage adaptation was a drama by Owen Davis, who earlier received a Pulitzer Prize for drama in 1923. The play was directed by George Cukor, later widely known as a film director. That version of <i>The Great Gatsby</i> opened to a successful run on Broadway in 1926 with several subsequent runs elsewhere.</p><p>The most inventive staging, to my mind, was the Elevator Repair Service Company's <i>Gatz, </i>presented at the Public Theater in 2010.The eight-hour reading by a cast of terrific actors combined the pleasure of reading the book and also experiencing theater. If you're too young to have seen it, you may want to read my wonderful <i>Curtainup</i> colleague Les Gutman's review, which can be found at http://www.curtainup.com/gatzpublic.html<b><br /></b><br />Last year, <i>The Great Gatsby:The Immersive Show </i>saw part of the Park Central Hotel done up to replicate the former Gatsby Mansion near Central Park. However, that show didn't hit the mark like the <i>Macbeth-</i>sourced <i>Sleep No More</i> that ran for years at the McKittredge Hotel. The <i>Immersive</i> Gatsby closed after a brief run.<br /> <br /> In 1999, the New York Metropolitan Opera commissioned John Harbison to compose an operatic treatment of the novel to commemorate the 25th anniversary of its music director, James Levine. Ballet versions of <i>The Great Gatsby</i> have included the 2009 performances by BalletMet Columbus at The Capitol Theater in Columbus, Ohio, and a 2010 production by the Washington Ballet at the Kennedy Center.</p><p>The novel also has been adapted into a series of radio episodes, starting with a half-hour-long episode for the CBS Family Hour of Stars with Kirk Douglas as Gatsby. The story also was read aloud as a 10-part BBC Radio Serial. The first of several short TV movies aired on the popular Robert Mongomery Presents series and starred Montgomery. Publishers also have released several versions of <i>The Great Gatsby</i> in graphic format, with a new publication coming along later this year.</p><p>And, yes, there have been<i> Gatsby</i>-inspired video games! <br /></p><p><b>Gatsby Movies</b><br /><br />The first <i>Great Gatsby </i>movie was a silent version of the above-mentioned early Broadway play, starring Warner Baxter and William Powell. Only a trailer of that movie still exists. But two later movies can be seen on your home screen. The first, from 1974, was directed by Jack Clayton and starred Robert Redford and Mia Farrow as Gatsby and Daisy, and Sam Waterston as Nick Carraway. I like Mia Farrow but not her Daisy. A more watchable Daisy can be found in the Baz Luhrmann-directed adaptation that starred Leonardo DiCaprio and Carey Mulligan. While the movie versions of <i>The Great Gatsby</i> understably made Gatsby the narrator, in the novel, it was Nick Carraway who narrated and observed. Consequently, the movies haven't bested the book. For me, it remains well worth a now-and-then reread. <br /></p><p>While Shakespeare always intended for his plays to be watched, Fitzgerald's intention was that audiences meet his characters on the page. But I've found Shakespeare difficult to read -- except after hearing his language actually spoken and the charaxters visualized on a stage.</p><p><b>And Now -- The Great Gatsby Musical</b><br /><br />Novels and plays have regularly been turned into musicals. Shakespeare's <i>The Taming of the Shrew </i>was a huge hit as <i>Kiss Me Kate, </i>and the durable hit, <i>The Lion Kin</i>g, is Shakespeare sourced. But <i>The Great Gatsby,</i> while enjoying a diverse cultural life, has never been turned into a musical. That is, until now. Not one but two <i>Great Gatsby </i>musicals have been created at non-profit regional theaters known for having their premiere shows transfer to Broadway -- the Paper Mill Playhouse and the Boston Repertory Theater. Both productions feature stellar creative teams and performers. The Papermill show has already made the move and hopes to be selling tickets at the Broadway theater for a long time.</p><p>The Boston Repertory Theater's team also has all the hit-making elements. But with the theater still struggling to come back from the pandemic and the cost of tickets higher than ever, filling the seats in a big Broadway house is a challenge. And so, no matter how well cast and staged, only the most dedicated musical theatergoers are likely to see two singing <i>Gatsbys</i>. Thus, it remains to be seen if the Boston Rep opts to transfer its production.</p><p>I do tend to prefer dramas to musicals, so if I were still <i>Curtainup</i>'s editor and critic-in-chief, I'd probably check out the <i>Gatsby </i>musical (or musicals) but assign the review to one of my backup critics. I certainly would not miss seeing and writing about the revival of John Patrick Shanley's <i>Doubt </i>or the great Paula Vogel's new play <i>Mother </i>with Jessica Lange, Celia Keenan Bolger<i>, </i>and Jim Parsons that's coming to the Hayes Theater in June. I'd also check out the latest version of Ibsen's <i>Enemy of the People</i>, sadly more relevant than ever.</p><p>A final word about the difference between reading and watching. I recently watched the 2015 film version of Thomas Hardy's <i>Far From the Madding Crowd,</i> which stars Carey Mulligan and is available to stream on Max. I found reading that novel, as part of a college literature course, to be rather dull and slow. However, Mulligan and her fellow actors brought the story, locale and era to rich and enjoyable life. </p><p>P,S. After initially posting this blog, my good friend Simon mentioned the noorish 1949 movie version of <i>The Great Gatsby, </i>directed by Elliott Nugent and starring Alan Ladd and the wonderful Betty Field as Daisy. That movie did not make the final version of the blog, but I wanted to give it a nod, so I'm republishing with this note. -- Elyse Sommer<i> </i></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>elyse sommerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07428161965327741450noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6190137426986474891.post-77773500763458335812024-01-17T10:42:00.000-08:002024-01-17T10:42:07.180-08:00 An Interesting but Worriesome Time to be Retired by Elyse Sommer<p><b><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></b></p><p><b><span style="font-size: large;"> An Interesting but Worriesome Time to be Retired </span></b></p><p><b><span style="font-size: large;">by Elyse Sommer</span></b></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Retiring from a super-busy career you love is not easy. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Fortunately, everything I and my many good friends and colleagues have written about since 1996 is
still available to read via the archives and special Google search box links at the right side of <i>Curtainup</i>'s now frozen main page (www.curtainup.com). </span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">My interest in and love of the theater is not retired, though. Given the entertainment world's new normal, with its blend of all storytelling formats, my blogpost updates at <i><a href="https://curtainupnewlinks.blogspot.com/">https://curtainupnewlinks.blogspot.com/</a> </i>cover the entire cultural spectrum. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">The way various screening platforms have given writers, actors and directors a chance to create content strikes me as a new golden era reminiscent of the golden age of dramas and musicals during the 1940s and '50s.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Unfortunately, the unrelentingly depressing news cycle has put a kibosh on that pleasure and has had me spend most of my time looking for escape fare to read and watch. As it turned out, lots of what I found not only diverted but also did what any well done cultural content does: enliven, enrich and lead the viewer to other worthwhile reading or watching experiences. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">My search began with some golden oldie movies. The work of Nora Ephron and John Patrick Shanley proved to be as good, if not better than ever. If Ephron were alive, she would surely be writing and directing a sequel to <i>You've Got Mail</i>. Instead of the bittersweet romance between a mega bookstore owner and a small neighborhood bookseller, she'd be dealing with the Amazon effect. Even the great Ephron might find it hard to turn that into a romance. <br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Rewatching Screenwriter Shanley's <i>Moonstruck</i> refreshed my memory of Actor John Mahoney before his later and more famous role in the <i>Frasier </i>sitcom. That led me to revisiting the series and its superb cast and genuinely witty dialogue. David Hyde Pierce, the show's Dr. Niles Crane, is still doing great work on stage and screen. But Grammar, the titular Frasier Crane, did not recapture the original 's magic in his recently updated <i>Frasier</i> miniseries. Clearly, it does take trial and error to find really solid feel-good fare. <br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Naturally, it's satisfying to spend time with familiar and still impactful stories. But reassurance that fine new work is still being created is also needed. Hurrah! It is! I've already written about Ann Pachett's wonderful new novel in my recent blogspot feature <i><b>https://curtainupnewlinks.blogspot.com/2023/08/thornton-wilders-our-town-gives-ann.html.</b></i> Patchett is an awardwinning author. <i>Lessons In Chemistry, </i>another outstanding new novel by Bonnie Garmus, is a debut that has been adapted into a terrific streaming series. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Though Robyn Carr is certainly a successful writer, I haven't read a Harlequin romances since I was an agent for writers of that genre. That said, Sue Tenney's <i>Virgin River</i> series added a delightful guilty pleasure to my on-screen escape fare. The outstanding cast and Tenney's skillful adaptation had me hooked for all five seasons, with another one coming to Netflix.<br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">For the many who want their entertainment away from home again, the good news is that Broadway and Off-Broadway theaters have plenty of shows on offer and created and performed by a more diverse talent pool than ever before.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><i>Kimberly Akimbo</i>, an intimate musical, had a trial run </span><span style="font-size: large;">at the downtown Atlantic Theater. It actualy had another prior life as a non-musical play (My reviews of those versions are in the <i>Curtainup</i> archives). Another show with a prior history that did remarkably well with the critics was a hokey musical called <i>Shucked</i>. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><span>But neither these or any other shows that have opened seem to have the legs to sttck around for years. That brings me to the not-so -good news: People have not been rushing back to the theater. Consequently, producers are struggling financially. With the cost of putting on a show going up rather than down, </span><span>deeply</span><span> discounting tickets to fill seats is good for savvy theatergoers but not the box office. Even </span><i>Phantom of the Opera </i><span>ended its seemingly forever run. So did the remarkably durable </span><i>Here Lies Love </i><span>in its way off the beaten path location. </span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">A number of invaluable small theaters have closed, but many more are carrying on ... with shorter seasons and smaller casts and production values. Unsurprisingly, some of the big houses have brought back sure-fire hits with ticketselling stars, like <i>The Music Man</i> with Sutton Foster and Hugh Jackman. What's more, <i>The</i> <i>Lion King</i> and <i>Wicked, </i>which have been running for years, remain Broadway fixtures. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">To conclude, it will take time for the "fabulous invalid" to be truly fabulous again. Since I've seen it recover from tough times again and again, I'm hopeful it will do so once more. Ditto, that our currently uncertain world too will find a way to deal with weather disasters, hate crimes and wrong-minded governance. <br /></span></p><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><p><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></p><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><p><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p>elyse sommerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07428161965327741450noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6190137426986474891.post-23760680406836059132023-08-30T10:08:00.000-07:002023-08-30T10:08:55.235-07:00 Thornton Wilder's Our Town Give's Ann Patchett's Tom Lake A Wonderful Theater-centric Flavor<p><b><br />Thornton Wilder's <i>Our Town</i> Gives Ann Patchett's <i>Tom Lake</i> a Wonderful Theater-centric Flavor </b></p><p><b>by Elyse Sommer</b></p><p>Outstanding new cultural offerings tend to be outnumbered by those that are ho-hum. Even creators of proven standouts (novelists as well as playwrights) now and then disappoint. Not so Ann Patchett, author of the Pulitzer-Prize -winning <i>Bel Canto </i>and other top-drawer novels. Her oeuvre now includes the better-than-ever <i>Tom Lake.</i><br /><br />While Patchett doesn't write John Grisham-like thrillers, she sure knows how to draw readers. Her storytelling mastery will have you turning the pages of this dual-timeline story about a farm family's interactions during the pandemic and flashbacks to 57-year-old Lara Nelson's life and love affair as an actress thirty years ago. </p><p>The role of <i>Our Town's</i> Emily, which launched and dominated Lara's long-ago life, and the parallels to Thornton Wilder's play, are linked in with wonderful subtlety. To be specific: The Nelson farm has a cemetery like <i>Our Town's</i> Grover's Corners. The oldest daughter is named for the character whose portrayal won her mother a chance to perform with a summer stock company located at a place called Tom Lake.</p><p><br />Emily Nelson, the daughter, just wants to be a good farmer like her dad. But her mother, like many young people's parents, could tell stories of different aspirations in their younger lives. One of Emily's two sisters is indeed a wannabe thespian.<br /><br />Besides <i>Our Town's</i> pivotal link to <i>Tom Lake'</i>s dual narrative, the author has also imbued the book with a distinct Chekhovian flavor. Since the Nelsons grow cherries, their story evokes Chekhov's <i>The Cherry Orchard; </i>and the fact that they struggle to keep the farm flourishing and that the Nelson sisters are not too happily back together because of the pandemic channels my own favorite Chekhov play, <i>Three Sisters.</i><br /><br />Despite the novel's theatrical episodes and frequent references to classical theatrical and fictional literature, <i>Tom Lake</i> is an easily relatable contemporary family drama. The episodes about Lara's youthful life and love affair with a charismatic actor who went on to become a famous movie star makes for fascinating detours from Lara 's own eventual life as a happily married farm wife and devoted mother. <br /> <br />For theater buffs like me, details about life at that summer stock company are a special treat. However, Patchett manages to insure that readers understand and enjoy what's going on whether they're familiar with <i>Our Town's </i>plot or the company's second production -- Sam Shepherd's <i>Fool for Love</i>. By structuring the flashbacks between the farm and the theater company, she maintains a degree of suspense and allows for something of a surprise ending. <br /><br /><i>Tom Lake'</i>s beginning establishes that the Nelson girls know about their mother's early career and love affair. But busy as they are helping to harvest the cherries, boredom at the end of these work days, and the news that their mother's movie-star lover has died, trigger their nudging her for full details. Patchett makes brilliant use of this set up to create a richly populated, absorbing and intelligent story. Bravo!<br />.<br />Both hard cover and digital editions of <i>Tom Lake</i> are currently available. There's also an audio book read by Meryl Streep. (Where isn't Streep offering up her talents these days?)</p>elyse sommerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07428161965327741450noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6190137426986474891.post-16779642273463518742023-06-23T14:29:00.002-07:002023-06-24T11:07:23.694-07:00 Is the Theater Back to its Pre-pandemic Pleasures? By Elyse Sommer<p> <b><br />Is the Theater Back to its Pre-pandemic Pleasures?</b></p><p><b>By Elyse Sommer</b></p><p>There are indeed signals for optimism that the worst of the pandemic is over, at least in the theater. Long shuttered Broadway venues have reopened and this first comeback season was quite robust. </p><p>The Tony Awards, the season's annual revenue-jumping event that almost didn't happen, did happen. What's more, it was a justly praised success, even though the striking screenwriters allowed the broadcast to go on only if the host and presenters did not use a script. This made for a show that ended on time and allowed some shows running on Broadway but not nominated to have a chance to strut their stuff. Instead of at Radio City Music Hall, this year's event was held in the smaller historic Harlem movie palace that was a suitable site to showcase the diverse but all too timely issues dominating the theatrical landscape. <br /><br />The two biggest winners, <i>Kimberly Akimbo</i> and<i> Leopoldstadt,</i> reminded us that ageism and anti-semitism remain toxic prejudices still with us. David Lindsay-Abaire's adaptation of his play and Tom Stoppard's epic family saga took the Tonys for best musical and best play. <br /><br />There were numerous surprise nominees, like the literally corny musical <i>Shucked, </i>which won over fun-hungry, pandemic-weary audiences and critics and became more than the dinner-theater musical it would have been thanks to smart directing and casting. A surprise nominee who won was British actress Jodie Comer. She nabbed best leading actress (in the solo play <i>Prima Facie)</i> from the multi-award winner Audra McDonald, who finally gave Adrienne Kennedy's <i>Ohio State Murder</i>s a Broadway stage life.<br /><br />For a complete list of all the awards, see <b><a href="https://www.tonyawards.com/">https://www.tonyawards.com/</a></b></p><p>Even though many of these nominees and winners received high praise from critics, most didn't fill all the seats before the Tony jump started the usual day-after uptick in ticket sales. The win for <i>Prima Facie </i>made it one of the best post-Tony sellers and people who missed seeing the play on Broadway will be able to see it on screen, with Cynthia Erivo in the demanding role. <br /><br />The many announced productions for next season do indeed support the optimism about bringing back the pleasure and excitement of theater before the long pandemic lockdown. Some of the more intriguing items on next season's theatrical menu include new plays by two of my favorite playwrights: John Patrick Shanley and Paula Vogel. An as yet untitled play by Vogel will open at the Hayes Theater and <i>Brooklyn Laundry </i>by Shanley at Manhattan Theatre Club.<br /><br />Furthermore, Vogel's legendary <i>How I Learned to Drive</i> and Shanley's <i>Doubt</i> are coming back. The Vogel revival reunites David Morse with Mary Louise Parker and some of the other original cast members at the Friedman Theater. Shanley's <i>Doubt </i>will star Liev Schreiber and Tyne Daly. While the focus on issues of tolerance is clearly here to stay, it was very much on the minds of golden oldie storytellers like Vogel and Shanley. </p><p><b>https://playbill.com/category/broadway-news </b>will point you to plenty of other upcoming productions that will support the optimism about the return to normalcy.<br /> <br />But not so fast. We're hardly 100% back to full recovery. The constantly rising costs of putting on a show have done in <i>The Phantom of the Opera's</i> remarkable run at the Majestic Theatre. Costs and the still slow return of tourists also did in <i>Stomp</i>, a modest downtown show that, like <i>Phantom</i> became as much an event as a theater outing. This struggle to stay alive has rippled elsewhere. One of the Berkshire summer season's mainstays, the Williamstown Theatre, skipped a whole season of full-bodied new productions. In California, the Center Theatre Group is shutting down its Mark Taper Forum for at least a year.</p><p> And so, while it's good and bad news when it comes to the theater, the news cycle in our daily lives continues to be unrelentingly scary and depressing and repetitive. Consequently, I find it more comforting to spend time with fictional political influencers like President Conrad Dalton and Secretary of State Elizabeth McCord of the seven-season series hit, <i>Madam Secretary</i>. While the weekly crises that Tea Leoni's Secretary of State tackled reflected world events during the time the series was first filmed, it still has incredible currency these days. Even when re-watched, the terrific cast and production values still make for attention-holding, informative entertainment. The difference between the series and real life is that disaster is always avoided -- and in the interest of doing the right thing. If only our real world were on such solid ground.<br /><br />Among the other spirit-lifting series I've caught up with or revisited are the new addition to the superb Danish political series <i>Borgen;</i> <i>The Dedicated Survivor</i> and the delightful <i>Last Tango in Halifax</i>.</p>elyse sommerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07428161965327741450noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6190137426986474891.post-68703730351633156902023-05-16T07:20:00.000-07:002023-05-16T07:20:34.681-07:00Judy Blume's Ever-Expanding Audience & Relevance<h2 style="text-align: left;">Judy Blume's Ever-Expanding Audience & Relevance</h2>by Elyse Sommer<p>I'm too old to have been part of author Judy Blume's ever-expanding fan base of girls from early grades to high school. Consequently, I didn't join the Blume reader bandwagon even when the most recent of her three novels for adults was published in 2016. But Blume is clearly having a big, smartly marketed moment in the spotlight, with a documentary film about her life on Amazon Prime and an adaptation of her most famous book currently in movie theaters.<br /> <br />The delightful Amazon Prime documentary <i>Judy Blume Forever</i><i style="font-weight: bold;"> </i>-- in which she is the chief narrator -- prompted me to catch up with her 2016 adult novel. The title, <i>In the Unlikely Event</i>, is aptly borrowed from words used then by airline hostesses when issuing instructions for using safety equipment in case of an emergency. As the now 83-year-old Blume captured my interest in her very full life and career path, I was so bowled over by Blume's brilliant storytelling and greater than ever relevancy that I decided to devote this new blogspot feature to the book. <br /></p><p><b>Why Blume's 2016 Novel is Pertinent for Male Readers</b><br /> <br />Before going any further, I'm not ignoring my blogspot's male readers. Given the fact that Blume has structured the novel to tell her story from the perspective of twenty characters, this big cast includes teens as well as adults, men as well as women. While women tend to read more fiction than men, the pertinence of issues that come up within the novel's December 1951 to February 1952 time frame will trigger a universal response. Furthermore, if you did read <i>In the Unlikely Event</i> when it was published, you'll find rereading this novel more powerful and timely than ever. What was unlikely to happen in Elizabeth, New Jersey, in 1952 did happen. And to this day, all our lives continue to be a series of unlikely events that <b>do</b> happen. </p><p><b>Blume's Ability to Connect with Readers Now Works its Magic on a More Diverse Audience</b> <br />.<br /> Judy Blume herself grew up in Elizabeth and experienced the plane disasters that drive the novel's plot as a teenager. Thus, Miri, the novel's key cast member, is a stand-in for Blume and the other characters are fictional versions of fellow students and the adults in her life. The way Blume portrays all of them does indeed work for anyone reading the book. Her terrific storytelling captures the devastation of those events but also makes it a page-turning drama full of warmth -- even optimism, thanks to a jump 35 years forward.<br /> <br /> Navigating the details of those unlikely events as well as the multitude of personal dramas is not easy. But the author skillfully alternates between the historic events and the fictionalized subplots. She does so by introducing each personal chapter with an actual article from one of two local newspapers, thus effectively merging fact and fiction. Besides touching on every aspect of the characters' lives, the many authentic references to the fashions and culture of the times support its being fun as well as sad to read. <br />Ultimately, <i>In the Unlikely Event<b> </b></i>is timeless since all our lives continue to be a series of unlikely events that may actually happen. Theories voiced about the plane's pilots being foreign terrorists by students in Elizabeth sound wild in the book. But two planes piloted by terrorists did crash into Manhattan's Twin Towers. <br /><br /> <i>In the Unlikely Event </i>more than holds up nowadays and I highly recommend reading it, whether for the first time or again. The Kindle edition offers the plus of including a cast of characters that's arranged as a list of families and their members. Also, if you haven't seen the Amazon documentary <i>Judy Blume<b> </b>Forever<b>,</b></i> it too is an invigorating experience, so don't miss it.<br /><br /><b>Post Script:</b> I've already commented on some of the shows making news as part of the reopening of pandemic-struck theaters in my last blogspot<b><i> (Types of Shows That Keep Theater Alive)</i></b>. In case you missed reading that, scroll over to the column of older posts at the right of this posting. A lot of other shows have opened and are planned. Here are a couple of websites where you can always check out what's running and where:</p><p><a href="https://playbill.com/">https://www.playbill.com/ </a><br /><a href="https://www.theatermania.com/">https://www.theatermania.com/</a><br /></p>elyse sommerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07428161965327741450noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6190137426986474891.post-27246105016395637472023-05-04T07:55:00.000-07:002023-05-04T07:55:40.954-07:00 Types Of Shows That Keep Theater Alive<p> <br /><b><span style="font-size: medium;"> Types of Shows That Keep Theater Alive</span></b></p><p><i> -- By Elyse Sommer</i></p><p>Putting on a play or musical on Broadway, as well as elsewhere, has always been a high-risk cultural enterprise. And yet, each season an array of old and new works are mounted in hopes of keeping the fabulous invalid alive. <br /> <br />Though the name that immediately springs to mind when considering a creative work's immortality is William Shakespeare, the sixteen plays that made him immortal were actually borrowed from other sources like <i>The Holinshed Chronicles, </i>as he was acting as well as producing and writing. That said, to this day some newly formatted or interpreted versions of one of those plays is on a stage or screen somewhere. What's more, his words are often quoted in nontheatrical settings.</p><p>While Shakespeare's works are the epitome of immortal storytelling, plenty of others can lay claim to this sort of always rebootable afterlife. Chekhov and Ibsen created an even smaller oeuvre than the Bard, but new presentations of their plays appear on some stage or screen often enough to support their standing as part of the immortal canon -- such as the minimalist <i>A Doll's House </i>currently on Broadway.<br /><br />But for super-adaptable, page-to-stage leaps, nobody beats novelist Jane Austen. This season, even her unfinished last novel, <i>Sanditon</i>, has proved to be a perfect fit as a PBS costume drama spun out in serial format. </p><p></p><p>There are also some shows that gain immortality by virtue of their long life on Broadway. which made them events for New York visitors, like a trip to the Statue of Liberty. Sadly, rising costs and the fallout of the pandemic have finally shuttered <i>Phantom of the Oper</i>a; ditto for <i>Stomp,</i> a seemingly forever tenant of the downtown Orpheum Theater.<br /><br />Contributing to the theater's being dubbed an invalid but a fabulous one is its diversity in terms of subjects and styles tackled each season. That means a new production of a favorite from the golden era of musical theater is sure to show up. Working its ticket-selling magic this year was <i>The Music Man, </i> starring Hugh Jackman and Sutton Foster. Unsurprisingly, Stephen Sondheim, the recently deceased bard of contemporary musical theater, began his surefire long afterlife with a stellar revival of <i>Sweeney Todd </i>starring Josh Groban as the demon barber. Since playwrights also had their golden era. an Arthur Miller play was likely to have another turn on Broadway. And, sure enough, a new production of Miller's iconic <i>Death of a Salesman </i>just ended its run in January.</p><p>Some musicals -- like <i>Parade</i>, which had only a brief run in its Broadway debut but sadly became more relevant with the rise of anti-semitism -- have been given fresh Broadway runs, although the long afterlife of the immortals may still elude them.<br /><br />Finally, the season has also allowed several new shows to knock on opportunity's door, not necessarily for immortality, but for long enough to make a splash. Perhaps pandemic and bad news fatigue have made <i>Shucked,</i> a musical that once might have been on the dinner show circuit, the musical that had critics as well as audiences holding their bellies while laughing at the literally corny jokes. Seasoned director Jack O'Brien's smart direction, a great cast and tuneful score, savvy marketing, and a theme of tolerance made it all happen</p><p> A more modest hit is a new solo show, <i>Prima Facie. </i>However, it<i> </i>was mostly praised for the performance of soloist Jodie Comer rather than its content. Thus, the more name-brand fellow Tony nominees for best solo performance are likely to make <i>Prima Facie's</i> inclusion more honor than fact. </p><p>Since this post has mentioned just a few of the varied menu of shows in the finally reopened theaters, and the Tonys won't announce the winners until June, here's a list of award nominees:</p><p><b>https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/02/theater/tony-award-nominees-list.html<br /></b> </p><p>Post script: My most delightful recent onscreen experience was Amazon Prime's bio-documentary <i>Judy Blume Forever</i>. While I'm too old to have read her many children's and young adult books, I found the 83-year-old Blume, who narrates, most endearing. I'm also reading, and enjoying <i>In the Unlikely Event</i>, her most recent adult novel.</p>elyse sommerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07428161965327741450noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6190137426986474891.post-12621404534321073532023-03-20T13:00:00.000-07:002023-03-20T13:00:12.958-07:00PBS and Broadway Reboot Golden Oldies<p style="margin-left: 120px; text-align: left;"><br /></p><p style="margin-left: 40px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>PBS Makes Reboot of TV Golden Oldie, <i>All Creatures Great And Small</i>, into a Feel-Good Screening Hit with Characters You Like and Admire </b></span></p><p style="margin-left: 40px; text-align: left;"><i>-- By Elyse Sommer</i><br /></p><p><br />We continue to be barraged by deeply disturbing events close to home as well as far away. Consequently, many of us, yours truly included, often turn it all off for a few hours of escape from reality with enjoyable, soothing entertainment. </p><p>As always, PBS Masterpiece has provided us with just what we need, at the right time: A Masterpiece reboot of <i>All Creatures Great and Small. </i>The hugely popular stories written by British veterinarian James "Alf" White under the pen name of James Herriot were previously published as books, filmed and televised.</p><p>While I'm old enough, I did not see the <i>All Creatures</i> TV adaptation that aired between 1978 and 1990, nor did I read any of the Herriot books. But previous familiarity is not needed to tap into all the pleasures of this long-ago favorite. If you never knew the three veterinarians around whom the stories revolve, this latest permutation stands on its own with its smart blend of proven old pleasures plus a full awareness of the times during which we are watching it now. </p><p style="text-align: left;">That present is actually deepened and enriched now as the reboot smartly allows a darker mood to nudge its way into Christmas dinner during the Season 3 finale. In short, this is exactly the right way to make a new version of an established hit fresh and successful again.<br /><br />The gorgeous cinematography, script and performances won the first two seasons of seven episodes each enough enthusiastic new fans to seed two more seasons. By the time, Season 3 ended, I too was hooked. I can't wait to see what happens at Skedale House when Season 4 arrives next year, especially after Season 3 nudged this update towards the more problematic aspects of the veterinarian household, the farmers' reliance on their animals' well being and the actuality of the Second World War bringing its painful memories and uncertain futures. The chief reason you don't need to be familiar with the original series is that in order to let some more painful events to darken the constantly feel-good subplots, the characters needed to be reinterpreted. That is especially true of the women, who are very important here and add strong emotional resonance.<br /><br />And so, we do know some of what to expect next year: Ben Vanstone, head writer and executive producer, is again in charge and the same outstanding cast will be back on board. That's the fictionalized James Herriot (Nicholas Ralph), Siegfried Farnon (Samuel West), Siegfried's brother Tristan (Callum Woodhouse), Mrs. Hall (Anna Madeley), Helen Alderson (Rachel Shenton) and Mrs. Pumphrey (Patricia Hodge). Hodge replaced Diana Riggs, who died, and thus added another touch of sadness to blend with all fun and positivity. Tristan took off for active duty at the end of Season 3 and while we know he survived, we don't know how the war might have changed him.<br /><br />If watching the series has made you curious to know more about its history, you can spend some time with Herriot on the page as the books have never gone out of print. The digital edition I borrowed has a biography of the author that alone is worth a look. The 1978-1990 TV series is available on BritBox.<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>On Broadway, Golden Oldies Productions Often Feature Far Less Likeable Characters</b></span></div><p>Naturally, there are plenty of grittier stories to watch on screen courtesy of Netflix, HBO and other streaming platforms. And Broadway is doing its utmost to lure audiences back to theaters. </p><p>Unsurprisingly, the re-openings on Broadway include some golden oldie revivals. The most common lure back to live theater means a musical. Yet, when it comes to golden oldies here, the lead characters are often not nearly as likeable as the Masterpiece reboot. Unlike the veterinarians in <i>All Creatures </i>who always do the right thing, some of the most popular shows count on ear-pleasing tunes and ticket-selling stars to fill the seats, even if their characters are hardly kind and caring. <br /><br />Thus, the murderous Sweeney Todd is back. The ultra immersive <i>Here Lies Love</i>, about Imelda Marcos, the wife of the corrupt Philippines president, has finally made it to Broadway (ironically, a real Marcos is actually back in power). The dishonest Professor Hill of <i>The Music Man </i>does reform, but it's Hugh Jackman, not his character's do-the-right-thing DNA, that will secure the show's ranking with golden- era classics. For me, the one musical that also has consistent depth and fresh relevance whenever you see it -- not to mention its musical riches -- is<i> Fiddler on the Roof.</i> In fact, another way to pass the time meaningfully and enjoyably is to watch the wonderful documentary about that show, which is still available to Thirteen's Passport members: <i>Fiddled on the Roof--Miracle of Miracles.</i><br /></p><p>Before I leave, a word about the first names of the Farnon brothers in the <i>All Creatures Great and Small </i>that I highlighted in my blog post: Yes, their father was a Wagner opera enthusiast!<br /></p><p><br /></p>elyse sommerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07428161965327741450noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6190137426986474891.post-58276006962864955862023-03-12T09:04:00.000-07:002023-03-12T09:04:30.599-07:001<p>.</p><p><b>PBS makesk reboot of TV Golden Oldie, <i>All Creatures Great and Small ,</i> Into a Feel Good Screening Hit. . .On Broadway, Golden Oldiies Feature Far Less likeable Characters</b></p><p><b>-- By Elyse Sommer<br /></b></p><p><b> </b></p><b>
As we ontinue to be barraged by deeply disturbing news close
to home as well as far away, many of us, yours truly
included, have often turned it all off for a few hours of
escape from reality with enjoyable, feel-good entertainment.
Thanks to a terrific reboot, the PBS<i> All Creatures Great and Small </i>
pleases on many counts: It's a visual treat, rich with
characters who always do the right thing in an interesting
way. And yet, for all its nostalgic pleasures and frequent
humor, this reboot manage to bring the reality of hard
times and an approaching war into the world of the Fannon
Brothers and James Herriot.<br /><br />That said, Broadway theater
producers are set to get back to normal And normal has
decidedlyalways meant not just new shows but golden era hits
that in the case of musicals .rely on less than honorable
characters to rely on great songs to fill the th seats.. For
the upcoming such revivals include the murderous <i>Sweeney Todd </i>, the duplicitous <i>Music Man </i>and <i> </i>the politically corrupt Ferdinand Marcos's wife Imelda in the hyper-immersive<i> .</i> <i>Here Lies Love..</i></b>Leshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08590126640544632351noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6190137426986474891.post-27530910862171658702023-03-11T12:17:00.006-08:002023-03-13T08:54:03.547-07:00.https://curtainupnewlinks.blogspot.com/<p><b>PBS makesk reboot of TV Golden Oldie, <i>All Creatures Great and Small ,</i> Into a Feel Good Screening Hit. . .On Broadway, Golden Oldiies Feature Far Less likeable Characters</b></p><p><b>-- By Elyse Sommer<br /></b></p><p><b> </b></p><p><b> As we ontinue to be barraged by deeply disturbing news close to home as well as far away, many of us, yours truly included, have often turned it all off for a few hours of escape from reality with enjoyable, feel-good entertainment. Thanks to a terrific reboot, the PBS<i> All Creatures Great and Small </i> pleases on many counts: It's a visual treat, rich with characters who always do the right thing in an interesting way. And yet, for all its nostalgic pleasures and frequent humor, this reboot manage to bring the reality of hard times and an approaching war into the world of the Fannon Brothers and James Herriot.<br /> </b></p><p><b> </b></p><p><b> </b></p><p><b> </b></p><p><b> </b></p><p><b> ===============================================================</b></p><p><b>That said, Broadway theater producers are set to get back to normal And normal has decidedlyalways meant not just new shows but golden era hits that in the case of musicals .rely on less than honorable characters to rely on great songs to fill the th seats.. For the upcoming such revivals include the murderous <i>Sweeney Todd </i>, the duplicitous <i>Music Man </i>and <i> </i>the politically corrupt Ferdinand Marcos's wife Imelda in the hyper-immersive<i> .</i> <i>Here Lies Love..</i></b><br /></p>Linda Bloomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09873710922078282477noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6190137426986474891.post-52147363910793221582022-12-15T11:41:00.000-08:002022-12-15T11:41:32.714-08:00 Blogspot Update December 2022 by Elyse Sommer.<br /><p><b><br />My Favorite Recent Quote Comes From Author of <i>Leopoldstadt<br /></i><br /></b>"In a scene that takes place in 1955, the young Englishman says to the Jewish man, 'It can’t happen again.’ When the play was being written, I didn’t think of it as being a foolish remark.” -- Tom Stoppard during a New York Times interview focusing on the rise of antisemitism since his <i>Leopoldstadt</i> opened in October. </p><p>To Stoppard, it now seems even more foolish in the months since that opening. As he put it, antisemitism has again been worming its way out of the margins and into public view. </p><p><b>The Reprieve of <i>Phantom</i><br /></b></p><p>The announcement that Broadway's longest-running show,<i> The Phantom of the Opera,</i> would close February 18th increased ticket sales enough to delay its closure, adding more performances. However, January and February have always caused a slump in theater attendance and the cost of running a big show like this will still be high, if not even higher. And so, even though <i>Phantom </i>has become as much a landmark tourist attraction as a theater outing, it's likely to remain part of the new cultural coinage for New York's post-pandemic cultural scene: "Things won't ever be like they used to be again." <br /><br />Downtown, <i>Stomp</i> has matched <i>Phantom</i> as a decades-spanning cultural fixture. Despite being less expensive to run and with a smaller venue, <i>Stomp</i> has also declared the end of its remarkably long run will be in January. But for a glimmer of hope that these shows may eventually be back, there is the <i>Blue Man Group</i>, yet another super durable show, which continues to fill seats at the Astor Place Theatre on Lafayette Street.</p><p><b>Rave Reviews No Longer Enough to Help New Productions Have Really Long Runs</b></p><p><i>Ain't No Mo,</i>' this season's follow-up to <i>Strange Loop </i>as the most edgily scripted and cast production turned out to be true to its title. Despite critical raves, this newest contender for top awards is leaving the Belasco Theatre after just 22 performances. <br /><br /> <i>KPOP</i>, the first Broadway musical featuring Korean pop songs, takes it final bow Sunday, exactly two weeks after its opening night at the Circle in the Square Theatre. The show shut down after just 44 previews and 17 performances. The very so-so reviews didn't help, but the real problem was the lack of a better plan for educating and building an audience. Most likely, this problem also applies to other must-see shows like <i>Ain't No Mo.'</i> It isn't enough to give a show a production and then expect new, young audiences, who rely more on word-of-mouth than critics, to buy tickets. It will also take time for. traditional theatergoers to buy into these more culturally diverse shows.<br /><br />It remains to be seen if <i>Some Like It Hot</i>, the new musical based on the popular movie, will be a durable hit. <i>Some Like It Hot </i>opened at the Shubert Theater on December11th for an open run and has been praised for managing to tap into its more diverse cast without preaching. </p><p>There's also the revival of the previously much diddled with Sondheim musical <i>Merrily We Roll Along</i> at the New York Theatre Workshop in the East Village through January 22nd. Apparently, Director Mariah Friedman managed to finally turn this musical into a hit. It's likely transfer to Broadway will have the advantage of Sondheim's songs and its cast -- Jonathan Groff, Lindsay Mendez and Daniel Radcliffe.</p><p>For the most part -- whether on or off Broadway -- even shows that are successful opt for limited runs. <i> The Jewish Fiddler </i>seeded yet another production at New World Stages on 50th Street but for a limited 7-week run ending January 1st. And though the success of <i>Leopoldstadt</i> at the Longacre has led to it being extended until April, it's still not a play that will be around for years like <i>Lion King</i> or <i>Chicago.</i></p><p>Unfortunately, <i>Camp Siegfried,</i> which is also revelatory about antisemitism, didn't fare as well. The show had neither rave reviews nor extensive promotion to support the box office of Second Stage's Tony Kaiser Theater. Granted, the play did fall short with some of its staging decisions but should have been seen by more people anyway. It's shocking revelations about German Bund-sponsored camps for American teenagers during the Hitler era were new even to someone like me who's well acquainted with Hitler's horrors as well as evidence of antisemitism in this country back in the '40s. These camps trained American teenagers to mouth Nazi slogans and actually act like Nazis. What's more, camps like these were run by the Bund all over the country and not just in the Long Island area that is the play's setting. Hopefully, the current short-lived play will get another treatment.<br /><br /><b>Solo Plays With New-Fangled Twists Continue to Play a Role in Our Cultural Zeitgeist </b><br />Solo plays have been with us throughout theatrical history. Not only is that venerable genre not dead yet, but it's again showing up on Broadway as well as Off-Broadway and in other regions. In my previous two-part overview of solo plays (www.curtainup.com › soloplay1.html and www.curtainup.com/.html), I admitted that I preferred a more populated stage. But I was always ready for exceptions, of which there were quite a few. The most groundbreaking of these was Jefferson Mayes' <i>I Am My Own Wife, </i>which collected a Pulitzer Prize. </p><p>Now Mayes is back as a Broadway soloist, this time at the Nederlander Theatre playing all the characters in his interpretation of <i>A Christmas Carol</i>. The Mayes version is probably darker than most but it's not the first to have a single narrator to present it. Patrick Stewart's solo version made it twice to Broadway. Charles Dickens promoted his in-print version by touring the United States. His readings were similar to today's increasingly popular audio plays and audiobooks. On the other hand, the available audiobook version of Gabriel Byrne's solo presentation of his memoir, <i>Walking with Ghosts,</i> probably contributed to its early closing at The Music Box. People returning to live theater are likely to want something splashier than Byrne narrating his story. He's a fine and charming actor, but paying Broadway prices and traveling to the theater is hardly a must-see when you could listen to him narrate the audiobook version for a lot less money, and in the comfort of one's living room. </p><p><b>On Screen, Plenty of British Royals To Watch -- Actors in <i>The Crown's </i>Season 5 . . . the Late Queen Elizabeth's Heirs Carrying on the Family Business . . . and the Duke and </b><b>Duchess of Sussex Trying to Make a Living in America with a Netflix documentary</b></p><p>Whatever the format, there's an abundance of material on screen to vie for our attention -- and enhance the bottom line of screening platforms and news organizations. Whether you're an ardent royal watcher or not, it's hard to not know who's who and the historic highlights of the long reign of Queen Elizabeth unless you're a modern Rip Van Winkle. I did enjoy watching the actor-cast <i>The Crown</i> series because of the terrific group of actors playing in two of the series' first four seasons. I also watched and loved <i>The Audience,</i> which inspired what followed both on stage and screen.</p><p>But I've found Season 5 of <i>The Crown</i> disappointing and what's streaming so far of <i>Harry & Meghan</i> tedious.</p><p><i>The Crown</i>'s latest season illustrates the problem that series like this have with overstaying their welcome. Good as this latest cast is, the previous season's actors were so memorable that it was difficult to transition as easily to their successors. As for <i>Harry & Meghan</i>, there's nothing really new or groundbreaking about the story now told by them. For all their wanting to live more private lives, without their connections to his background Netflix wouldn't have spent all that money to have their story be right next to the hit <i>Crown </i>series.</p><p> But who am I to argue with savvy marketers? Despite other less than ecstatic reviews of either the latest <i>Crown</i> or first part of <i>Harry & Meghan, </i>both<i> </i>have gotten plenty of clicks. Enough for Season 5 no longer being the finale. Its actors will get a chance to play these roles twice, as the actors of the first four seasons did. Harry and Meghan will undoubtedly find other ways to cement their celebrity status.<br /></p><p><b>My Own Favorite Onscreen Diversion</b><br /></p><p>The best onscreen entertainment has been the adaptation of Anthony Horowitz's <i>Magpie Murders</i> on PBS. I'm not a fan of murder mysteries on either page or stage, but I find the prolific and versatile Horowitz's clever way of making himself an active part of the story intriguing. In fact, reading both <i>Magpie Murders</i> and <i>Moonflower Murders</i> led me to a similarly constructed series in which Horowitz partnered with an enigmatic detective named Daniel Hawthorne. For theater buffs like me and my readers, <i>The Twist of a Knife</i> is a special treat as it revolves around the opening of a play. Horowitz obviously knows and loves the theater and his witty observations are great fun. The book is available in print or to borrow or buy for your Kindle reader.<br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p> </p><p><br /> <br /> <br /><br /></p>elyse sommerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07428161965327741450noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6190137426986474891.post-69720814420675640152022-10-26T06:35:00.000-07:002022-10-26T06:35:18.050-07:00Theater Will Continue To Share the Spotlight With Onscreen & Other Entertainment Formats By Elyse Sommer<p><br /></p><p> Our lives will never again replicate the less chaotic Pre-COVID era. This <b>New Normal</b> will encompass many shifts in our recreational as well as work lives. For writers and actors, the stories they create and perform in will more than ever be a fluid mix-and-match proposition and, yes, that's also the case with theater makers' audiences. Whatever moves you is what counts, no matter the format.<br /><br /> Money remains an important motivation for playwrights and actors to put their work in front of a camera instead of an audience at a theater. Even before the pandemic shut down theaters, stage professionals found they were able to create cutting-edge filmed dramas and even die-hard theater fans watched them. Though theaters have reopened, with some exciting new shows as well as interesting and timely reboots of old favorites, live presentations will continue to share the spotlight with stories structured for onscreen watching. <br /></p><p> Given the enormous shift in attitudes about making and consuming cultural fare, the following are some observations about the hows and whys of these shifts. </p><p><b>Why Onscreen Playwriting is No Longer Viewed as a Creative Dead End</b> </p><p> Many playwrights who first came to television to support their stage work felt it meant putting their creativity on hold for a while. However, as they learned to take advantage of television's technology, they found themselves exploring ideas in ways not possible before a live audience. The cash-collecting pit stop resulted in work they could take pride in. And so, the relationship between theater and television evolved into more of a satisfying marriage. The popularity of series enabled the scripters to more fully develop characters and subplots not possible in theaters where 90-minute intermission-less shows outnumbered longer ones.<br /></p><p> Some playwrights expanded their TV work to become show runners. That meant they not only wrote but handled the production details. Since that included staffing and playwrights tend to hire stage writers and actors, those hires actually made television more theatrical in nature<i>.</i> Best of all, many of these writers have managed to go back and forth and thus consolidate that marriage of once vastly different cultural entities.<br /></p><p><b> Why Performing On Screen Has Many Actors No Longer Subscribing to the Saying About Money Being the Root of All Evil</b><b> </b></p><p><b> </b>Every actor wants to be seen by as large an audience as possible. Thus, as money is the initial incentive for tackling onscreen work for actors as well as writers, filmed productions are huge audience builders. Sure, some stage plays and musicals enjoy many productions, but once filmed it tends to reach an even larger audience, often drawing complete theater <i>newbies</i>. Case-in-point: Angela Lansbury, whose recent departure from life's stage marked the final act in a justly lauded personal and professional life. While she was already famous, especially for musicals like <i>Gypsy</i> and <i>Sweeney Todd, </i>it took a cozy murder series on TV, <i>Murder She Wrote,</i> to make her a world-wide icon. Everybody knew and loved Angela-cum-Jessica Fletcher.</p><p>Besides fame and fortune, TV has also been a means for actors to learn new ways to connect to their viewers. The camera closeup puts every viewer in the front row. While connecting to a live audience is something stage actors have always found invaluable, the ability to get it right for screen viewers provides equally invaluable free time to be with friends and family. If older actors like the superb Derek Jacobi feel nervous about remembering lines or just being before a large audience, working in a film studio can be a way to keep doing what they love. Though all who've had a chance to see Jacobi on stage are grateful to have done so, everyone can watch the many memorable roles he's played in movies and on TV. <br /></p><p><b>How Convenient Access and Quality Have Changed Behaviors of Even Diehard Live Theater-Goers </b></p><p> Undoubtedly, the experience of attending a live performance will always be special and emotionally stirring. That said, if producers keep making really good filmed versions of their plays and musicals, as the producers of <i>Hamilton</i> did, then the ability to watch from the comfort of one's living room without paying a small fortune for a ticket is indeed tempting. What's more, with many well crafted and absorbing productions created specifically for onscreen viewing, this type of theatrical outing will continue to be a mix-and-match of formats for our viewing entertainment.<br /></p><p> I'm feeling optimistic that one format will boost another -- for example, while people unable to see what's probably this season's best new play, Tom Stoppard's <i>Leopoldstadt</i>, can read the playscript (available in print or digitally), the onscreen promotions available on everyone's home screens feature many sample scenes so you can quite vividly visualize the main players and settings. Hopefully a current performance will be filmed eventually so that it will be seen by everyone who should see it -- even more people than the ones now filling the seats at its Broadway run -- including young people who know little about the Holocaust.</p><p><b>Why the More Diverse Viewing Options Have Created More Diverse New Entertainment In All Formats </b> </p><p>As theater-viewing options have been increasingly diverse, so are the artists and their creative teams. Playwrights and directors not usually given a chance at prime cultural venues are now prominent everywhere. But that's not to say old habits are gone. Plays debuting on Broadway after years in more offbeat venues still seem
to need a brand-name actor to sell tickets. Case in point: Adrienne Kennedy's <i>Ohio State Murders</i> stars African-American superstar Audra McDonald. And to underscore the theater community's commitment to more diversity, this long-delayed uptown debut is at the former Cort Theater, which is now renamed to honor another notable Black performer, James Earl Jones.</p><p> What nobody can change is the continued ever-rising cost of putting on a big show with a large cast and high-end production values. That's what finally did in <i>The Phantom of the Opera, </i>the musical that became a New York tourist attraction as much as a Broadway musical hit. Those costs are more likely to keep going up, making a reprieve unlikely.<br /></p><p> Finally, actors looking for still more new ways to practice their craft have discovered podcasting, which is really a sort of return to radio. However, a caveat: podcasting has become so popular that it takes a lot of effort to attract listeners. <br /></p>I'll let Shakespeare have the final word. As always, he has the perfect linguistic gem to sum up my comments: "All the world's a stage." <br />elyse sommerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07428161965327741450noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6190137426986474891.post-23792407421846837772022-10-07T08:12:00.000-07:002022-10-07T08:12:36.388-07:00blogspot blogupdate October 7, 2022<p> While theaters have reopened, the news on that front has been more about once considered here-to-stay shows closing. That even includes <i>Phantom of the Opera, </i>which in the course of a remarkable 35 years became a must-go-to attraction, as the Statue of Liberty is for any visitors to New York. But those tourists on which a show like <i>Phantom</i> has always relied aren't exactly back in droves nor have production costs gone down. And so the famous chandelier has gone down at the Majestic Theater. Unless you catch one of the still-operating touring productions, the only way you can see it is at the Public Library for the Performing Arts invaluable film library. Just four months into what was to be the longest ever run of a Broadway musical, the TOFT (Theatre on Film and Tape) Archive video-recorded the production. Under the able stewardship of Patrick Hoffman, the library's archived films have always been available by appointment once a show closes. The <i>Phantom</i> video recording will become available for viewing in the TOFT Lucille Lortel screening room beginning February 20, 2023.</p><p><b>MY RECENT SCREENING EXPERIENCES: THE MORE APT THAN EVER <i>DOWNTON ABBEY</i> AND <i>CROWN</i> SERIES <br />. . . AND THE DISAPPOINTING <i>INTIMATE APPAREL</i> OPERA</b><br /><b><br />Why Rewatching <i>Downton Abbey </i>and <i>The Crown </i>is More Apt Than Ever </b></p><p>The show the whole world was watching -- live in Great Britain and Scotland and on-screen the world over -- refers, of course, to the rituals of Queen Elizabeth's burial and the ascension to the crown by her son. Undoubtedly it caused many like me to have another look at the still available <i>Downton Abbey</i> and <i>The Crown</i>. The real-life royal events somehow made both series more meaningful to watch, whether for the first time or again. </p><p>Since <i>Downton Abbey</i> is something of a miniature royal family drama, it somehow rings bells now that didn't when the show first aired -- for example, with so many newspapers gone digital, just seeing all residents at <i>Downton</i> receive their own newspaper (and, thanks to all those servants, each paper is ironed) underscores how times have changed. As for the November arrival of another <i>Crown</i> season, the widely watched ending of Elizabeth's long reign is more than likely going to insure greater success than ever for this drama's own finale.<br /><br />Also timelier than ever is the second <i>Downton</i> movie spinoff. Initially, the movie could only be seen at theaters, but it's now available to rent or purchase for screen viewing. It's well worth seeing. Besides showing the Crowleys to be very much in the present era, the new spinoff provides a happy ending for all the characters. That makes it exactly the sort of escape fare we all need during these more troubling than ever times. </p><p><b>Why I Was Disappointed in the Operatic Version of <i>Intimate Apparel</i><br /></b><br />I was fortunate enough to see <i>Intimate Apparel</i>, the play, both off and on Broadway and my enthusiastic review of that production is still available in <i>Curtainup'</i>s archives. Here's the link to copy and paste into your browser --http://www.curtainup.com/intimateapparel.html </p><p>Since I was unable to attend the opera version during it's limited run at Lincoln Center's Mitzi Newhouse Theater, its availability to screen was indeed good news. I'm glad for the chance to catch up with it and do admire how Nottage has managed to stay true to the plot and yet cut the text enough to allow time for the music. However, I can't say I found it as intriguingly different from the play, but enjoyably so. I was underwhelmed by the physical production and found the score problematic -- not melodic enough for musical theater lovers, and without the sort of arias that attract most opera enthusiasts. Somehow, neither staging or score stirred me as I had hoped. That said, the singers, all with opera backgrounds, are excellent and the score has its moments so perhaps readers more attuned to this type of contemporary musical presentation will differ with me. </p><p>Close on the heels of the challenging Nottage opera, the Mitzi Newhouse is presenting a new play by another much lauded playwright, Sarah Rule. Unlike Arthur Miller's ill-fated Salem characters in <i>The Crucible, </i>Ruhl's <i>Becky Nurse of Salem</i> is billed as a comedy about a descendant of one of Salem's witches -- albeit a dark one. It begins previews October 27 and opens on Thursday, November 21.<br /> </p><p><b>ABOUT THE RE-OPENING OF THE THEATER <br /></b></p><p>Though the final drop of the <i>Phantom </i>chandelier has been the most shocking closing, other shows unable to withstand the still limited return of tourists spelled other closings before their time:<i> My Dear Evan Hansen </i>and <i>To Kill a Mockingbird</i> the most notable examples.<br /><br />Happily, some plays I and my backup reviewers were fortunate enough to see when they originally opened are getting new limited runs on Broadway. That includes <i>Take Me Out </i>(Link to review -- http://www.curtainup.com/takemeoutlond.html) and <i>Cost of Living</i> (Link to my review -- http://www.curtainup.com/costofliving17.html). And Off-Broadway, Suzan-Lori Parks' Top Dog/Underdog is also getting a reboot. Here's the link to Les Gutman's review when it opened -- http://www.curtainup.com/topdog.htm</p><p>It's also good news that the much produced (justly so) <i>Death of a Salesman </i>is getting a new production with its first black Willie Loman, the excellent Wendell Pierce. Performances will be at the Hudson Theatre.</p><p>Finally, there's what's probably Tom Stoppard's last and most stirring and personal play, <i>Leopoldstadt,</i> which premiered in London and begins an open-ended run at the Longacre Theater on September 17, 2022, with an October 2 opening.</p><p>At two hours and 10 minutes without intermission, the saga of a family much like Stoppard's own is not an easy entertainment. Though I'm no more in the mood than any of you reading this to be entertained by a tear-inducing narrative, if there were one play that I would attend in person this coming season, <i>Leopoldstadt</i> would be it.</p><p><br /><br /><br /></p>elyse sommerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07428161965327741450noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6190137426986474891.post-21967465921384337002022-09-15T10:42:00.000-07:002022-09-15T10:42:25.372-07:00 It's a Wonderful Life -- Without Rose-Colored Glasses<p><br /> <br /><i> It's a Wonderful Life</i> sure beats the drum loudly for kindness and doing the right thing. In fact, in these stressful times we may not want to wait until Christmas to bask in Director Frank Capra's world, in which kindness and doing the right thing insures a happy ending. George Bailey's behavior, unfailingly putting the needs of others before his own, thus handily resolves his difficulties. And, when in the interest of dramatic tension, Capra allows George to succumb to anger and despair, the director further insures that satisfying ending by bringing on the Angel Clarence to make George realize how important he has been to the well-being and happiness of others.</p><p> That said, critics and viewers have blinded themselves to the less than wonderful aspects of that feel-good message. For one thing, if other George Baileys with ambitions to explore opportunities for education and achievements in the world beyond their hometowns opted to stay put, the world would have lost many inventors, scientists, artists, writers, and humanitarians. Even more awful than wonderful, the movie's Scrooge, the evil Mr. Potter managed to get away with stealing the money without which George's bank could not survive. At a time when we see corruption and selfish interests unchecked even in the most powerful places, Mr. Potter is a more ominous than ever presence. </p><p> Without Mr. Potter getting his just desserts, the town of Bedford Falls will remain something of a dead end for anyone with dreams of doing really big things. The reality is that the glow of that heart-warming holiday finale will fade. Bedford Falls will still lack the opportunities a less selfish rich man like Potter might foster rather than manipulate.</p><p> But as the unquestioningly embraced message about kindness and doing the right thing bringing its own rewards has a darker side, so did Frank Capra. The widely lionized filmmaker wasn't really the liberal champion of kindness and America's little guy that everyone thought he was. He just happened to be brilliantly able to use the George Baileys of America's heartland to create surefire audience- pleasing narratives. When he made <i>Wonderful Life, </i>Capra had just returned from his stint in the U.S. Signal Corps. The small-town life and virtues he defended were of the pre-war era. His return took him to Hollywood, not a small town where most citizens were not rich. In fact, Capra was a lifelong Republican who despised President Roosevelt and, like all movies made in the '40s, <i>Wonderful Life </i>did not address stereotypical racist casting. Neither were women likely to see any life choice more fulfilling than motherhood.<br /></p><p> What's more, the film that has made George Bailey America's symbol of humanity had a very inauspicious premiere. And it was only the movie's over-exposure on TV, thanks to an inadvertently unrenewed copyright, that got people to fall in love with George and the other characters. </p><p>Actually, when the movie first came out it was hardly a Christmas Must-See, and certainly not an integral part of our cultural landscape. Its reception was so unimpressive that the copyright was allowed to run out. And it was only because Hollywood studios were always on the lookout for movies they could offer frequently and cheaply that <i>Wonderful Life</i> was seen so often. Viewers gradually fell in love with George and made the movie a cultural phenomenon, something that feels permanent in our society. </p><p>Though I've never been a big fan of the movie, I was very much a Jimmy Stewart fan so I'm not posting this commentary because it's an awful movie. It does warrant a "thumbs up" thanks to the cast, the well-crafted script with its full development of each character, the cinematography and the wonderful costumes. (All available in both black and white or colorized at Amazon Prime.) I just think it's time to take off those heavily rose-tinted glasses and recognize its decidedly<b> un</b>wonderful aspects. In fact, maybe some smart filmmaker will consider a reboot. After all, <i>It's a Wonderful Life</i> was Capra's reboot of Dickens' C<i>hristmas Carol, </i>the most iconic of all Christmas tales. Now, there is a brand-new and drastically recast Broadway production in which Jefferson Mays will play all the characters. Perhaps some talented filmmaker can do a version in which Mr. Potter goes to jail and an innovative rich man decides to make Bedford Falls a showcase for a thriving small town -- with thriving businesses and a topnotch college and hospital. <br /></p>elyse sommerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07428161965327741450noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6190137426986474891.post-38036970322840682482022-09-12T15:42:00.000-07:002022-09-12T15:42:24.177-07:00 Blogspot Blog Update: September 12, 2022<p><b><br />Shakespeare Gets The Last Word In King Charles' Farewell To His Mama, The Queen</b><br /><br />In his first speech as Queen Elizabeth II's successor, her son gave Shakespeare the final words for his mother with "May flights of angels sing thee to thy rest (<i>Hamlet</i>)." But while Shakespeare's plays about historic royals were full of violence and power-seeking political machinations, the legacy of her 70-year spanning reign was that she remained a consistently neutral head no matter how societal changes affected even her own family. As one reporter about her death at 96 so aptly put it, this left her life "an outline" open to interpretation.<br /><br /> No wonder so many outstanding actors have put their own stamp on that "outline" in stage and screen dramas like <i>The Crown</i> and <i>The Queen,</i> both still streaming at Netflix, with a highly anticipated new season of the former due soon. It's a sure bet that the never-ending fascination with the British royals will continue the flow of dramas about past and present royals.<br /><br /> While Shakespeare continues to be a steady presence on our cultural landscape and his texts remain favorite sources for apt comments at the right time and place, plenty of other plays have entered the cannon of stage-and-screen classics. They've thus also been ripe for brand-new presentations. One of the most interesting examples coming up on Broadway next year is the musical <i>1776,</i> about the contentious forging of the document that would establish a new nation. Diane Paulus and Jeffrey Page are presenting it with a cast haggling about that document's details that is all female, and in some roles transgender.<br /><br /><b><i>A Christmas Carol</i> Also Gets a New Casting Twist</b></p><p> For millions of people, it wouldn't be Christmas without Charles Dickens' <i>A Christmas Carol</i>. This year, the beloved classic gets a new casting twist. Jefferson Mays, who gave the solo play new status with his Pulitzer Prize-winning <i>I Am My Own Wife,</i> is taking on all the characters on Broadway during the coming holiday season. It will run at the Nederlander Theater from November 8 to January 1. </p><p>Even with more conventional casting, annual productions have been off-Broadway. In the same vein, <i>Cost of Living</i> would not extend its 2017 off-Broadway life (when I reviewed it) before the current aims to make Broadway more diverse. It's therefore now premiering at MTC's Samuel J. Friedman Theatre with an official opening on October 3rd.</p><p><b>An Off-Broadway Theater's Attempt to Attract Audiences With Affordable Tickets</b></p><p>The Off-Broadway incubator Ars Nova on West 54th Street will allow audience members to pay what they wish for theater tickets in a new initiative called "What’s Ars Is Yours: Name Your Price" for its 2022-23 season. Tickets will start at $5 and increase in $5 increments up to $100 per ticket. The season includes the world premiere of <i>Hound Dog</i> (Oct. 6-Nov. 5), and the world premiere of <i>(Pray) </i>from March 9-April 15. On Broadway, casting plays by proven playwrights and with stars is still the best way to sell tickets. Case-in-point: Laura Linney will return to Broadway next spring in <i>Summer 1976, </i>a new play by David Auburn about a friendship that arises between two women during America’s bicentennial.</p><p><b> Series Continue To Hang In Longer Than They Should</b></p><p><i>Only Murders in the Building </i>hopscotches cleverly between farcical humor and its trio of amateur sleuths' darker sides. Steve Martin plays a once-famous TV actor, Martin Short is a down-on-his-luck Broadway director, and Selena Gomez is a young artist with her own issues. All live in an elegant historic Manhattan apartment house (the interiors shot in one of the more renowned of these Upper West Side buildings). The amateur Sherlocks also manage to turn their crime-solving efforts into a popular podcast. Obviously, very timely. And, obviously, encouraging Hulu to let the series overstay its welcome to cash in on its success. The second season just wasn't as funny, but given the terrific acting and clever filming, the fan base <b>did</b> hold and yet another season is on the streaming horizon.<br /><br /><b><i>Working Girl, </i>a 1988 Movie Gem, Becoming a Broadway Musical </b><br /><br /><i>Working Girl,</i> a delightful 1988 movie that starred Melanie Griffith and Sigourney Weaver, is now being brought to the stage as a musical (music and lyrics by Cyndi Lauper; directed by Christopher Ashley; scripted by Theresa Rebeck). But why wait? You can catch the movie if you're a Hulu subscriber or rent or buy it at Amazon Prime. <br /><br /><br /></p>elyse sommerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07428161965327741450noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6190137426986474891.post-10061875433349345422022-08-11T15:36:00.000-07:002022-08-11T15:36:01.090-07:00Sylvie's Love-- A Slice of Hollywood's Old Fashioned Romances With a New-Fangled Twist<p><br /><b>By Elyse Sommer</b></p><p>Since I saw and reviewed Tessa Thompson in Rebecca Wilson's
terrific film adaptation of Nella Larson's 1939 novel <i>Passing</i> (http://www.curtainup.com/passingmovie.html), any film she's in
moves straight to the top of my must-see list. For some,
her starring role in the multi-season <i>Westworld </i>series might be a draw.
<br /><br />
Thompson's now starring in a romance with a strong whiff of
the golden era of happy-ever-after Hollywood movies, which was more
of a drawback than a draw for contemporary film producers. As
they saw Eugene Ashe's love story, its focus on the
personal made it seem irrelevant, especially since the
romance's time frame paralleled the late '50s and early '60s
when the civil rights movement reached its peak -- a peak that has
been given new urgency by the current civil rights protests triggered by the George Floyd and Breonna Taylor killings.
<br /><br />
Yet, important as it is to right unresolved racist attitudes and actions,
pandemic-wary-and-weary theater and movie goers are hungry
for an occasional escape from more gritty, painfully true
staged or screened narratives.<br /><br />
Fortunately, <i>Sylvie's Love </i>(available for streaming on Amazon Prime) has blossomed into life despite
all those producers' turn-downs. Unlike so many plays and
movies nowadays, it provides audiences with a
beautifully acted, smartly crafted, enjoyable diversion. It's easy to fall in love with Sylvie and Robert, and root
for their often star-crossed love to end happily ever after.
<br /><br />
Unlike Tessa Thompson, her co-star Nnamdi Asomugha came to acting
more recently. As Eugene Ashe was a musician before, so Asomugha
was previously an athlete. Ashe's musicianship has greatly enriched the film and imbues it with a picture of the period's change in music as well as society generally. It also
inspired Asomugha to learn how to play the saxophone to actually deliver
the jazzy musical numbers.
<br /><br />
Per the title, this is essentially Sylvie's story and
Thompson does full justice to it. But thanks to her co-star,
the superb ensemble cast and the savvy production team,
<i>Sylvie's Love</i> is truly a triumph of collaborative excellence.
<br /><br />
Best of all, Mr. Ashe clearly wants you to enjoy the visual
glitz of the movies made during the Hollywood studios' glory days. But his creation of that world, with its
beautiful clothes, elegant sets and happy-ending romance, is more than a lightweight entertainment. Those producers who
thought it was incumbent on Black filmmakers to only tell more political stories got it all
wrong.
<br /><br />
<i>Sylvie's Love </i> does have a story that should apply a
corrective brush to the fault line tarnishing those movies.
While families like his own were prospering and living
the American dream like the actors in those movies, the
culture of the time did not cast Black people. And so, Ashe filled in the blank in that part of the Golden Era romantic
canvas with Sylvie and Robert, who at the time of that
Hollywood studio culture would have been strictly on the outside looking in -- or perhaps offered roles as servants.</p><p>Now we get a chance to see them experiencing the same
emotions, dreaming the same dreams and being too influenced
by the cultural mores of the times to always make the right
moves towards that happy ending. Thus Sylvie, raised in an
upwardly mobile social environment with its own debutante
balls for meeting prosperous husbands, makes the safe choice. The male attitude about supporting a wife almost
sabotages that ultimate happy ending. Seeing only people who
don't look like you admitted into a world you yearn to be
part of may not be as horrid an example of racism as the
deadly actions against Black people, but it is an injustice that needs to be corrected. Eugene Ashe's correction. manages
to be at once joyful and tearful.
<br /><br />
Bravo!
<br /><br />
If you missed Tessa Thompson in the darker
and more race-conscious <i> Passing</i>, it's
still available on Netflix. I re-watched it after seeing her as the luminous Sylvie and I was bowled all over again.<br /></p>elyse sommerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07428161965327741450noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6190137426986474891.post-5980130524898773222022-07-28T08:39:01.281-07:002022-07-29T06:57:14.102-07:00 Elyse's Blogspot Blog- July 2022<blockquote style="text-align: left;"><blockquote style="text-align: left;"><b> <br /></b></blockquote><p><b> </b><span style="font-size: large;"><b> My Favorite Quote</b> </span></p></blockquote><p> <span style="font-size: large;">Reaching
my own personal centennial is cause for a bit of reflection on my first
century — and on what the next century will bring for the people and
country I love. To be honest, I’m a bit worried that I may be in better shape than our democracy is. — Norman
Lear, father of six, an Emmy-winning television producer and a
co-founder of the advocacy organization People for the American W</span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;">ay</span></span><span style="font-size: large;">.</span></p>
<blockquote style="text-align: left;"><p><br /></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Best News About a Show: Another Run For the Yiddish <i>Fiddler On the Roof</i></b></span><br /></p><p><span style="font-size: small;"><i></i></span></p></blockquote><p> <span style="font-size: large;"><i>Fiddler On the Roof </i>is my favorite musical, so I've happily seen and reviewed it whenever it showed up at any of the theaters I've covered. You
can still read my reviews at http://www.curtainup.com, the now archived <i>Curtainup</i> front page. When you go to the special
Google search box there and type fiddleryiddish18.html, your
search will land at the link of the <i>Curtainup</i> review at the downtown opening as well as its move uptown. To read
reviews of the many other productions I've seen and reviewed,
type in Fiddler On the Roof.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">If you missed the</span><span style="font-size: large;"> indomitable Yiddish <i>Fiddler</i>,
this latest run at New World Stages on 50th Street from November 13, 2022 to January 1, 2023 is a great opportunity to catch up with it. And you don't have to be Jewish or understand
Yiddish to enjoy it.</span><span style="font-size: large;"><b></b></span></p><p> </p><blockquote style="text-align: left;"><p><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Honoring Equality In Pay and Supporting Experimental Talent Comes With Tough New Challenges </b></span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Supporting work with limited audience appeal and ending unpaid internships and
underpaid staff positions does indeed bring up the problem of how to pay for it. Most artistic directors depend heavily on revenue earned from
ticket sales. Thus, commendable as becoming a more diverse, equal opportunity organization is, operating this way is indeed
problematic. What Jenny Gersten, the artistic director of the Williamstown Theatre Festival, has done is the obvious first step for others as well — to produce fewer shows. Since these
internships and low-paying jobs are invaluable, this means fewer opportunities to become theater professionals. Clearly a case of
curing one disease but causing another.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Those in charge of small theater companies supporting experimental work are also forced to deal with the reality of having to satisfy the tastes of people who attend shows. Here again, they won't be able to put on as many productions as in the past.</span></p></blockquote><p> <span style="font-size: large;">In <i>The Summing Up,</i> the still-in-print memoir of his professional life, Somerset Maugham explained that he quickly learned that to support himself as a writer he had to figure out how to tell stories that people found interesting and entertaining. As Maugham saw it, without an
audience he had no play; and without readers he couldn't get published
and earn royalties. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Of course, revivals of beloved shows like <i>Fiddler On the Roof </i> have the advantage of a loyal fan base, ready to see any new interpretation.</span><span style="font-size: large;"><b> </b></span></p><div><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><b><span style="font-size: large;">The Best Current Onscreen Documentary Series Bar None: The Select Committee' Investigation Into the January 6th Attack On the Nation's Capitol</span></b> <br /><p><span style="font-size: large;">No playwright could write a more gut-wrenching, emotion-stirring script, and construct it as a mind-blowing docudrama that painstakingly reconstructs how a group of citizens stormed the home of our democracy in order to stop Vice President Mike Pence from making the election of the duly elected president official. That duly elected president was not the sitting President Donald Trump. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">The Select Committee wisely enlisted long-time TV news chief James Goldston to produce this depressing exercise in lawlessness and deluded beliefs in conspiracy. Goldston has managed to present the hearings held so far like eight terrifyingly real episodes in a mini- series, using the committee members and witnesses as his cast, and the Congressional chamber and all manner of visuals to make it all weirdly engaging. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Goldston was fortunate to have a strong lead in Vice Chairman Liz Cheney. Her dry persistence and occasional sarcastic putdowns gave the hearings its most memorable dialogue. Who can forget her refusal to justify Mr. Trump's listening to Rudy Guliani's terrible advice with "he's a 76-year-old man, not an impressionable child."</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">With another set of hearings already announced for September, I find myself hoping for a Season 3 in which sanity is restored. </span></p><p><b><span style="font-size: large;"> My Latest Screening Gem: <i>20th Century Women</i></span></b> </p><p> <span style="font-size: large;"> What luck that this 2016 American comedy-drama written and
directed by Mike Mills and starring Annette Benning, Elle Fanning, Greta Gerwig, Lucas Jade Zumann, and Billy Crudup is still available at Showtime. While my grandson Jack is too young to have seen any of Benning's many outstanding stage performances, he was smitten with her as well as the rest of
the cast. In fact, he liked everything about this film, enough so to have seen it numerous times. </span></p><p></p><p><b><span style="font-size: large;">Finally. . . </span></b></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Thanks for staying in touch by responding to our comments with
your own. As a play needs an audience, this blog and our features need you, dear reader, to thrive.</span><br /></p>
<div class="moz-signature">-- </div><p><b><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></b></p><br /></div>elyse sommerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07428161965327741450noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6190137426986474891.post-39048250996175339812022-07-22T11:55:00.000-07:002022-07-22T11:55:05.380-07:00Screened Entertainment about Famous People Is Having Its Bigger-Than-Ever Moments . , , Now Often Available to Watch In Several Formats & At Various Outlets Simultaneously<p> <br /><b>Screened Entertainment About Famous People Is Having Its Bigger-Than-Ever Moments . . . Now Often Available To Watch In Several Formats & At Various Outlets Simultaneously</b><br /> <br />Traditionally, documentaries are authentic histories, featuring visuals of the individual being scrutinized and the factual
content supported by filmed footage and the periodic comments of
relatives, friends and colleagues — usually referred to as "talking heads." The focus of the biopic genre, while
also informative, has been more on entertainment, in the interest of which
directors take liberties with what they choose to include and
how to present it.</p><p>Whether traditional documentary or actor-cast biopic, the personal and professional lives of famous people have grabbed movie and TV audiences' interest for a long time. But it took the streaming business to turn them into enormous crowd-pleasers. What's more, the tsunami of clickbait-hopeful additions has also blurred the distinction between the straight documentary format and the biopic in which actors inhabit the persona of the actual characters.</p><p>This blurring of presentation formats has brought some of the most interesting fare to our screens. We can currently watch two stylistically different versions of the same person's saga, simultaneously, with the biopic now frequently expanded into a series.<br /></p><p>While docudramas about bad guys seem to be especially popular, legends like Lucille Ball, Marilyn Monroe and Princess Diana continue to fascinate. And with documentaries as well as biopics having their bigger-than-ever moments, we often get to see two versions of the same famous person's story available to screen at the same time, each using a different presentation style. </p><p>The saga of Elizabeth Holmes, the wiz-bang young CEO who proved to be a fraud, was impressively portrayed by Amanda Seyfried in T<i>he Dropout </i>as a multi-part series at Hulu. Over at HBOMAX, <i>The Inventor: Out for Blood in Silicon Valley,</i> used the more straightforward documentary style. No actors. Just Holmes herself and various other people supplying the details. The fact that Holmes is young and attractive, and that her widely publicized rise to the top of the male-dominated corporate ladder added timely Me#Too tie-in. Plus, a huge, hungry-for-more didn't hurt <i>The Inventor </i>— neither did the inclusion of former Secretary of State George Shultz, who was unwilling to see Holmes as a fraud even though his grandson Tyler Shultz was the whistleblower.</p><p>If I had to choose between these two versions of the Holmes corporate soap opera, I'd pick the one with the actual people. Yet, somehow the differences and similarities in content had me watch both — and without being bored.<br /></p><p>Of course, some famous people, especially much beloved ones, have been chronicled in films and documentaries so much that there seems no way left for something really fresh and original to be possible in any format to avoid viewer fatigue. But fresh and completely original is exactly what <i>Julia</i>, the new HBOMAX series about Julia Childs is. Unlike <i>Julie & Julia,</i> which was as much about a situation involving a Childs devotee as about her and played out in a single episode, <i>Julia</i> is an 8-episode biography that focuses on how she became an iconic and influential TV personality.</p><p>Sure, Meryl Streep was terrific in <i>Julie & Julia,</i> but Sarah Lancaster gives us an unforgettable new take on Childs. She creates a richly detailed portrait of all aspects of her life and within the cultural context of the time, during which she became a best-selling author and TV celebrity. The actors playing the fellow travelers in her personal and professional journey contribute mightily to the warmth, wit and humor that lifts this out of the been-there-done-that this series might have been. What a treat to see David Hyde-Pierce and Bebe Neuwirth, two of my favorite stage actors, together again as they were in the long-running sitcom <i>Frasier </i>— he plays Julia's husband; she her best friend. </p><p>It was also nice to see Fran Kranz come out from behind the camera as a pivotal character. He was an actor before he created and directed the indie film <i>Mass, </i>which had a very brief live theatrical run. You can still read what I wrote about it when it landed at Hulu.</p><p>There are other aspects to how real people inspire on- and off-screen entertainments. Sometimes, writers don't just take liberties with the facts, but twist them to fit their own purpose. Case in point: Dr. Mortimer Granville. He did indeed invent the vibrator but as a tool to ease male muscle weakness, not as a masturbation tool for Victorian-era women. However, the claims of a woman named Rachel Maines that the device was used by many doctors to produce orgasms in women they diagnosed as suffering from hysteria did trigger the imaginations of the creators of a 2011 film and a 2008 stage play. <br /></p><p>The film was an 8-episode costume drama entitled <i>Hysteria. </i>The play by Sarah Ruhl was a Broadway hit and if you type the title, <i>In the Next Room, or the Vibrator Play, </i>into the Google search box at the archived <i>CurtainUp </i>homepage<i>, </i>you can still read my review. Given the talented author and the terrific cast, it deserved my rave as well as the many others. </p><p>Since Hulu subscribers can still see the film that used its own fictional approach to the facts and rumors about the vibrator's purpose and stretched it out to be a series to please the many PBS costume drama fans, it would seem to be a natural candidate as one of my recommendations for readers looking for an entertaining gem to watch or re-watch on their home screen. Though it does have its rewards — a top-of-the-line cast and wonderful costumes and scenery — the writing is predictable from the get-go and lacks real depth, which hardly calls for more than a mild recommendation. And so, I conclude with a more A-plus Hulu gem: W<i>orking Girl, </i>Mike Nichol's last and still terrific outing as a director.<br /></p><p> Stay tuned for my next feature. And thanks for your support and comments. <br /></p>elyse sommerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07428161965327741450noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6190137426986474891.post-60702460007823045522022-07-09T02:37:00.000-07:002022-07-09T02:37:27.489-07:00A Special Offer from the Invaluable Mint Theater <p> </p><div class="region-inner header-inner">
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<p class="description"><span>Curtainup
Founder & Editor Elyse
Sommer's Epilogue --
I've passed the torch for reviewing and editing new
theater productions on and off-Broadway and elsewhere. However,
I'll continue to sound off here with my take on Live
and Onscreen Entertainment. As for <i>Curtainup's </i>extensive
content since 1996-- it's all still available. However, </span><span>when yoo send your browser to
the now archived curtainup.com website that allows
you to still access all the content posted since its
launch in 1996 it may pop up with a message about unsafe
content. If you ok opening it, you will land at <i> Curtainu</i>p's
original site with links to everything. That includes features
and blogs I still posted there during the last two years.</span><br />
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<h2 class="date-header"><span>Saturday, July 2, 2022<u>.</u></span></h2><div class="date-posts"><div class="post-outer"><div class="post hentry uncustomized-post-template" itemprop="blogPost" itemscope="itemscope" itemtype="http://schema.org/BlogPosting"><div class="post-header">
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<p><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b><span>A Special Offer from the Invaluable Mint Theater to Screen One of Their Filmed Productions FREE</span></b></span></p><p><b><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></b></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>My
first essay in this, my new digital platform will be along
soon. In the meantime this test post of a very brief
current opportunity for a free screening opportunity at the Mint's website at https://minttheater.org/</b></span></h3><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>And as long as I'm posting it-- I'm including my review of the live press performance I attended in 2018.</b></span></h3><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b> https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/6190137426986474891/8588247957832152662</b></span></h3><h3 style="text-align: left;"><strike><u><span style="font-size: large;">Review of Conflict in 2018</span></u></strike><br /></h3><p> Even
the Mint Theater's many fans of a certain age aren't old
enough to have ever seen any of British playwright-actor Miles
Malleson's plays. Actually, no one could have seen Malleson's<i>Yours Unfaithfully</i> since it was published but never produced, which made last year's production a world premiere .<br /><br /> <i>Conflict </i>unlike <i>Yours Unfaithfully </i>
did enjoy considerable success. It had a well received London run
in 1925, and was made into a movie in 1931. Still, given how long ago
that was, it fits Mint artistic director and chief archeologist
Jonathan Bank's mission to give forgotten plays the Mint treatment.
That means a handsome, well acted production. — which <i>Conflict</i> as astutely staged by director Jenn Thompson at the Mint's Theater Row home, certainly is.<br /><br /><br />Like George Bernard Shaw's "discussion" plays,<i> Conflic</i>t,
though billed as a love story, also fits that Shavian genre since
it's something of a debate about multiple social issues. But, even
more than Shaw, Malleson avoided preachy polemics by skillfully
using romance and snappy dialogue to tackle the politics of
economic inequality, women's rights and less restrictive male-female
relationships. <br /><br />What's more, given the increased empowerment
of the very rich and privileged all around us, as well as the
#MeToo movement, this love story set in the roaring 20s and revolving
around a hotly contested election, has a remarkably <i> au courant</i> flavor.<br /> To keep things moving along at a fast, but still leisurely feeling pace, <br />Director
Thompson has streamlined the three-act play into two parts.
The first two acts are conflated with one scene to cover each act,
and the third act's two scenes winding things up following the
intermission. <br /><br />Except for the third act's opening scene, the
entire 2-hour long scenario unfolds in the elegant sitting room
of Lord Bellingdon's (Graeme Malcom, a perfect lord of the manor who
gets to deliver some of the best lines in order to flaunt his prideful
belief in his enttled status). To start things off, we have a
scene that establishes the relationship between Bellington's
younger conservative friend, Major Sir Ronald, Clive (Harry Clarke,
a charmer but just as locked into his class and its mores as Lord
Bellingon) and Bellington's daughter, Lady Dare (a delicious spoiled
rich girl evokes a sense of being ripe for reform). Lord
Bellington welcomes Clive's romance with his daughter, but he's
unaware that they've been sleeping together for several years — very
much a no-no in those days. Lady Dare is perfectly happy this
illicit arrangement, which makes her given name slyly symbolic.
But Clive feels he is betraying her father and would like them
to get married.<br /><br />Hovering over Dare and this late night eircle
is the ominous presence of a strange man mysteriously hanging out
in the garden. That mystery is entertainingly and enlightningly
ratcheted up in the next scene in which Lord Bellington and Clive
confront this stranger. The stranger turns out to be, not a burglar
but a down-on his luck fellow named Tom Smith (Jeremy Beck,
convincingly portraying a man journeying from total despair to man
with a mission), who knows Clive from their days at Cambridge.<br /> <br />As
for the above mentioned election campaign that drives the plot,
by the time the intermission rolls around, Clive, who's the
sure-to-win candidate of the firmly entrenched Conservative Party
candidate, has unwittingly enabled Smith to become his quite
formidable opponent. True to his gentlemanly value system, he as
well as Lord Bellingdon have promised not to reveal Smith's minor
(but to them major) unlawful act. <br /><br />To ratchet up both the
political and romantic situations, hearing Smith's campaign
speeches, puts a dent in Lady Dare heretofore unquestioning
alliance with her priveleged class. Clearly, both personal and
political conflicts are bound to heat up for a slam-bang
ifinale.<br /><br />While the opinionated Lord Bellingdon, his
daughter and the two rival candidates areConflict's pivotal
characters the cast also includes two minor characters who make
major contributions: Jasmin Walker as Lady Dare's sophisticated
and wise older friend and confidante Mrs. Tremayne and Amelia White
who is hilariously but amazingly on the mark as Smith's
landlady Mrs. Robinson sum up what they say.
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<h2 class="date-header"><span>Friday, June 10, 2022</span></h2>
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<a href="https://curtainupnewlinks.blogspot.com/2022/06/borgen-rebooted-as-borgen-power-and.html">Borgen — rebooted as Borgen-Power and Glory and updated at http://www.curtainup.com</a>
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<p> <b><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Onscreen and Live Entertainment at http://www.curtainup.com</b></span><br /><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"> <b>June 9, 20022 .
<a href="http://www.curtainup.com/borgennetflix.html"><b><i>Borgen — rebooted as Borgen-Power and Glory</i></b></a></b></span></b></p>
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<br /></td></tr></tbody></table>elyse sommerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07428161965327741450noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6190137426986474891.post-43439910002520759872022-06-10T05:39:00.002-07:002022-06-10T05:39:42.388-07:00Borgen — rebooted as Borgen-Power and Glory and updated at http://www.curtainup.com<p> <b><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Onscreen and Live Entertainment at http://www.curtainup.com</b></span><br /><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"> <b>June 9, 20022 .
<a href="http://www.curtainup.com/borgennetflix.html"><b><i>Borgen — rebooted as Borgen-Power and Glory</i></b></a></b></span></b></p>elyse sommerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07428161965327741450noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6190137426986474891.post-29520068282514178502022-04-30T14:06:00.001-07:002022-04-30T14:06:25.665-07:00Elyese Sommer's new blog update about live and screened entertainment<p>
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<p><a href="http://www.curtainup.com/virusupdates22.html" target="_blank"><i><b><span style="font-size: large;">Elyse's Blog</span></b></i></a><b><span style="font-size: large;">
Updated April 27, 2022 <br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"> <b>April 27th Blog Update</b></span>— <i>How
I Learned to Drive</i> and <i>Take Me Out</i> prove their
durability in new Broadway production, <i>American Buffalo </i>
less so . . . with <i>The Minutes</i> Tracy Letts reaffirms
himself as one of our most potent storytellers. . . screened
entertainment brings a wonderfully original biopic about Julia
Childs. . . two gems to stream or re-stream thanks to Nora
Ephron </span></b></span>elyse sommerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07428161965327741450noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6190137426986474891.post-43653993950044307832022-04-14T06:38:00.001-07:002022-04-14T06:38:43.405-07:00Elyse Sommer on "Mass" and Alan Turing Play and Movie<p> <b></b></p><p align="left" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Latest Features
About Onscreen and Live Entertainment</b></span><br />
</b></p><div class="e"><b> <a href="http://www.curtainup.com/stageorscreen22.html">
<span style="font-size: large;"> <span style="font-size: large;"> <b>NEW April 13, 2022- To Stage or Screen a Story</b>
</span></span></a></b></div><b><a href="http://www.curtainup.com/stageorscreen22.html"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span>
</span></a><span style="font-size: large;"><div class="f"><a href="http://www.curtainup.com/stageorscreen22.html"> <span style="font-size: large;"> <b> By </b></span></a><span style="font-size: large;"><b><a href="http://www.curtainup.com/elybio.html">Elyse Sommer </a></b></span></div></span></b><p></p>elyse sommerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07428161965327741450noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6190137426986474891.post-1812100379561417222022-04-02T05:31:00.003-07:002022-04-02T05:31:59.338-07:00Elyse Sommer's latest blog-- all about the Oscars<blockquote><p> <b><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b> The Oscars Nod to New Acceptance of Screening Platforms and Greater Casti<span></span></b></span></span></b></p><a name='more'></a><b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>ng and Storytelling Diversity</b><br />
The most susp<span><!--more--></span></span></span></b><p></p></blockquote>elyse sommerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07428161965327741450noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6190137426986474891.post-90956502852384247362022-03-14T05:26:00.000-07:002022-03-14T05:26:11.556-07:00Elyse Sommer Feature: OuePost Pandemic Life Must Embrace All the Ways We Experience Culture <p> </p><div id="___gcse_0"><div class="gsc-control-cse gsc-control-cse-en"><div class="gsc-control-wrapper-cse" dir="ltr"><form accept-charset="utf-8" class="gsc-search-box gsc-search-box-tools"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="gsc-search-box"><tbody><tr></tr></tbody></table></form><div class="gsc-results-wrapper-overlay"><div class="gsc-positioningWrapper"></div><div class="gsc-positioningWrapper"></div><div class="gsc-wrapper"></div></div></div></div></div>
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</p><p align="left" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Latest Features
About Onscreen and Live Entertainment</b></span><br />
</p><div class="f"> <span style="font-size: large;"> <b> By <a href="http://www.curtainup.com/elybio.html">Elyse Sommer </a></b></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><b> </b></span>
<br /><br />< <a href="http://www.curtainup.com/lucymarilyn22.html">
<span style="font-size: large;"> <b>NEW--
Two New Shows About Showbiz Legends<i><b>— Being the Ricardos and Reframing: Marilyn Monroe</b></i>
</b></span><b>
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<hr size="1" width="100%" /></b><br />
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</p><div class="f"> <span style="font-size: large;"> <b> By <a href="http://www.curtainup.com/elybio.html">Elyse Sommer </a></b></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><b> </b></span>
<br /><br />< <a href="http://www.curtainup.com/lucymarilyn22.html">
<span style="font-size: large;"> <b>NEW--
Two New Shows About Showbiz Legends<i><b>— Being the Ricardos and Reframing: Marilyn Monroe</b></i>
</b></span><b>
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<hr size="1" width="100%" /></b>elyse sommerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07428161965327741450noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6190137426986474891.post-85025031007948641102022-02-07T05:20:00.002-08:002022-02-07T05:20:40.793-08:00 Elyse Sommer onwo New Shows About Showbiz Legends Lucille Ball & Marlyn Monroe<p> </p><div id="___gcse_0"><div class="gsc-control-cse gsc-control-cse-en"><div class="gsc-control-wrapper-cse" dir="ltr"><form accept-charset="utf-8" class="gsc-search-box gsc-search-box-tools"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="gsc-search-box"><tbody><tr></tr></tbody></table></form></div></div></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"> <b>
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