Stage Climbing

EMINENE of FringeNYC gets FOUR STARS! 2 Shows Remain

2009-08-21T13:51:00.010-05:00

EMINENE

Set in a war-torn no-man's-land of the future, Barton Bishop’s sci-fi play chronicles the tumultuous journey to safety of a nameless young runaway and her mysterious companion. With strong acting and a surprisingly linear plot filled with strange and scary encounters, the show doesn't disappoint. Kudos go especially to Britney Burgess, in the title role, for her effortless transformation from tough-talking refugee to haunted housewife—and to Michael Sharon for his ability to bring the fantastical script down to reality. Is there a universal message that a preapocalyptic audience can glean from Bishop’s story, mired as it is in a world of immortality and intrigue and two-headed monsters? Constant struggle for basic survival is an experience that is happily alien to most Fringe-goers, but perhaps that is the point. “Make sure to feel your comfort,” Eminene's comrade tells her. So go visit a life surrounded by danger—and leave much more appreciative of your closet-size but relatively safe East Village apartment.

—Katelyn Manfre, Time Out New York

ALSO...

NYTheatre.com's Positive Review Here

"Eminene is a very vivid piece and well worth seeing."
"Like the best science fiction, it resonates on deep human themes within a genre that allows for extremes"
"In addition to a strong cast and interesting script, the production is well supported by the very fine set and lighting by Andrew Lu"
"Director Matthew J. Nichols keeps the cast focused and energized."

CLICK HERE FOR TIX TO LAST 2 SHOWS

Get them before they SELL OUT!

Sun. 8/23 @ 7:15pm

Mon. 8/24 @ 5:45pm

The New School for Drama Theater

151 Bank St. (West and Washington St.)

Only 3 More Chances to Catch EMINENE at FringeNYC!

2009-08-17T16:06:00.009-05:00

Three Remaining Performances of Barton Bishop's provocative sci-fi drama, EMINENE.

Presented by Zootopia Theatre Co. at The New School for Drama as part of FringeNYC

Thu 8/20 @ 5:45pm Sun 8/23 @ 7:15pm Mon 8/24 @ 5:45 pm

CLICK HERE to purchase $15 Tix!

Show Website

EMINENE Premieres at FringeNYC

2009-07-30T16:30:00.000-05:00

Written by Barton Bishop; Directed by Matthew J. Nichols.

Zootopia Theatre Company presents Eminene as part of the 13th New York International Fringe Festival - FringeNYC

She is a runaway girl from a warring tribe. He is a mysterious stranger haunted by a specter from centuries past. Together they must journey across a post-apocalyptic landscape in search of a safe place. Eminene by Barton Bishop is a harrowing tale of science fiction that explores the pursuit of stability in an unstable world, drawing parallels to today’s immigration dilemma and the moral quandary that a secure society faces with the knowledge of horrors beyond its borders. Set in a distant and unforeseeable future, Eminene features armed border patrols, outer-world refugees, forged identities, two-headed mutants, and more.

Featuring Britney Burgess, Ellie Dvorkin, Morgin Felicia, Michael Sharon, and Christopher T. VanDijk

Tix just $15 and on sale now! CLICK HERE

Five Performances Only!

SAT 8/15 @ 9:15pm; SUN 8/16 @ 4:45pm; THU 8/20 @ 5:45pm; SUN 8/23 @ 7:15pm; MON 8/24 @ 5:45pm

The New School for Drama Theater
151 Bank St. (between West and Washington St.)
New York, NY

STILL THE RIVER RUNS Receives 6 New York Innovative Theatre Award Nominations!

2009-07-30T15:17:00.003-05:00

Zootopia Theatre Company's production of Still the River Runs was just nominated for 6 New York Innovative Theatre Awards !

We are extremely proud of our nominees:

Still the River Runs - Outstanding Production of a Play
Drew Cutler - Outstanding Original Music
Jaron Farnham - Outstanding Actor in a Lead Role
Steve French - Outstanding Actor in a Lead Role
Andrew Lu - Outstanding Lighting Design
Matthew J. Nichols - Outstanding Director

The award recipients will be announced at a ceremony in September.

Check out Zootopia's new show Eminene HERE!

Buy $15 Tickets Online HERE!

Maine! Maine! Maine!

2008-07-31T15:26:00.006-05:00

Want to be jealous?

I just came back from a 4 day vacation in Maine. Just me, my lady, her best friend, and her boyfriend (also a good friend, Frenchy). Frenchy's family has a cabin on Damriscotta Lake. We rented a car and drove up, then Brit and I took a bus and a train back to leave the lovebirds alone and get back to our respective day jobs. (Heavy sigh.)

But Maine was beautiful. Here are some word images for ya:

A rustic brown cabin with yellow trim. Inside, there are various nautical decorations, including signs for the bedrooms, labeling them Captain's and Crew's Quarters.

Pontoon boat.

Lake Baths.

Loons.

Yellow Perch. Baby Bass.

Baby birds, newly hatched.

Steamed Lobster on the Firepit. Twice.

Toasted Marshmallows and Smores.

Croquet. Board games. Puzzles.

Screened Porch, looking out onto still waters.

Hammock.

Pipe smoking. Beer drinking.

Tiki torches.

Rock shore climbing to Pemaquid Lighthouse.

Too many stars to count. Galaxies. Shooting star.

Ayuh.

IT Girl

2008-07-31T15:10:00.008-05:00

How lucky am I? I'm engaged to a glamour girl.

My fiance and Co-Artistic Director, Britney Burgess, is nominated for a New York Innovative Theatre Award. She's included in the Featured Actress category for her role as Margaret in Zootopia Theatre Co.'s inaugural production of Professional Skepticism. I'm as proud as punch!

We went to the nominating ceremony a couple weeks ago, and it was a good time. Free beer. Free snacks. And Britney won two tickets to the show Beast at NY Theatre Workshop in a raffle. Good times.

Here's a link to the complete list of nominees.

Wanted: More Time to See Movies

2008-07-17T12:43:00.007-05:00

I plan to post on my experience directing and producing Still the River Runs real soon. I thought I would do a rehearsal log, but it just wasn't in the cards. Now it's 11 days since we've closed, and I can begin to look back objectively, I think.

One glorious thing that's happened is I now have time to actually go see movies!

I saw Wanted last weekend. Brit and I chose between it, The Reportedly-Not-S0-Incredible Hulk, and Wall-E (reportedly the best film of the year so far). The only reason we did not see Wall-E was to avoid the kiddies, but since it's been out a few weeks now, and everyone will be going to see The Dark Knight this weekend (can we say Box Office Record?), now might be the time to pounce.

I go to the movies for different reasons now. Before living in New York City, going to the cinema was one of the only things to do to stave off boredom. Now that I live in the bustling metropolis, however, there is so much to see and do that I treasure the moments when I can curl up and watch a DVD with my fiancee more and more. Perhaps it is a sign of getting older. Now I save going to the cinema for blockbuster event films (the kind that are served better big and loud) or those Oscar bait entries that I simply gotta see before the ceremonies!

Wanted is one of those films served best big and loud. It is shamelessly derivative of Fight Club and The Matrix. It is based off a British comic series that seems as if it was created solely with the idea that it would be immediately optioned for the screen. The artists even designed two of the main characters around the likenesses of Eminem and Halle Berry! Ultimately, however, they got James McAvoy and Angelina Jolie. Much better. The movie has a few logic problems and unanswered questions, but I have to say I felt like I got the right amount of bang for my buck. DVD just wouldn't cut it. James McAvoy makes an endearing and charismatic would-be action hero, and Angelina Jolie is God's Eye Candy. Actually, I was most intrigued by Angelina's character of The Fox. The character doesn't say much in the film, and Angelina certainly doesn't need to, but she creates a magnetic sense of mystery about her with a single smoldering glance. I love the action she takes near the end of the movie.

A buddy of mine mentioned being slightly bothered by the violence in Wanted, or at least the apparent lack of mourning for the loss of innocent lives caught in the crossfire, particularly in a harrowing train sequence. I now find that statement ironic, particularly with his penchant for videogames such as GTA, which can be a bit nihilistic at best. Ultimately, his argument doesn't hold water once the origins of the story are taken into account. The movie focuses on The Fraternity, an organization of assassins, a group not noted historically for their respect for human life. In the comics, the group is an organization of super villains, also not noted for their mercy. And there is a point where McAvoy's character questions his new-found occupation as killer. However, it turns out that even killers have to have a code, and it is the crumbling of this code that leads to the final blockbuster, shoot-em-up ending. Fans of the film will be able to enjoy another inevitable permutation soon enough: Wanted, the Videogame.

July 4th Weekend Ticket Deal to STILL THE RIVER RUNS

2008-07-02T12:43:00.007-05:00

We are a Critic's Pick in Backstage for the 2nd year in a row!
Check out A.J. Mell's rave. It's my favorite review yet!
Okay, there are only 5 performances left. What have you been waiting for?!

Here's an incentive to get you into our theater during the July 4th Weekend:

$10.50 Tickets with the code JULY4 at smarttix.com.

Good for the last 3 performances of our run. Fri. July 4th - Sun. July 6th.

Feel free to spread it around! I'm extremely proud of our work and want as many people to see it as possible!

Also, for those of you in Actors' Equity, we are a Showcase. So bring those cards!

The New York Times loves STILL THE RIVER RUNS

2008-06-24T08:28:00.004-05:00

My New York directing debut. My 2nd producing foray. A positive review in the Times.

Buy $12 tickets at smartix.com and use code ZOOPAL.

ONLY 10 MORE CHANCES TO SEE STILL THE RIVER RUNS!!

Playing June 25 - July 6 at Center Stage, NY.

Beginning Rehearsals

2008-05-27T13:58:00.003-05:00

I'm producing my second Off Off Broadway show and making my Off Off Broadway directing debut.

Still the River Runs by Barton Bishop. You're going to want to buy a ticket.

It's a beautiful script, starring two fantastic actors: Steve French and Jaron Farnham.

Steve rocked the house in Zootopia's inaugural production, Professional Skepticism.

I've never worked with Jaron before, but he was the lead in a production of Barton's Peaceful Easy at the University of Southern Florida, directed by Mr. Excitement. Plus, he nailed the character at the audition, and he's a super sweet fella.

So far, we've had the read-through and two table work days, interrupted by Memorial Day Weekend. Some last minute scheduling snafus have set us back a day, but we're going to make it up quickly. Tonight, after a production meeting, we'll finish the table work.

Our table work has consisted of approaching the text slowly and highlighting every new piece of information. The play is basically structured as a series of vignettes that progress along a fairly simple plot line: two estranged brothers heist the body of their deceased grandfather in order to put him to rest in the wilds of their old hunting grounds. Approaching the text as complete innocents has been extremely helpful in pointing out the crucial bits of story, character, and theme as they are introduced and developed.

We also have been doing an exercise I learned in grad school where the actors say the punctuation out loud as part of the line. The actors are seeming to find this valuable as it highlights the rhythm of the dialogue Barton has written and forces them to be very specific with the text. A period should sound very different than a comma. A deceptively simple sounding exercise, it requires a little time to be precise. You can immediately hear when a reading doesn't sound right.

Tomorrow night we get on our feet. I can't wait.

My Tony Picks 2008

2008-05-13T08:01:00.002-05:00

Well it's time for the Tony Awards this year, and it's been a particularly strong season, I think, especially for plays. Though I'll be gearing up to go into tech rehearsals for Zootopia Theatre Company's next show during the telecast, I still am prepared to put in my dos centavos as to who's going to hop into bed with Ms. Antoinette Perry.

Nominees for the 62nd Annual Antoinette Perry "Tony" Awards follow:

Best Play:
August: Osage County
Rock 'n' Roll
The Seafarer
The 39 Steps

Can there be any doubt? I saw all of these but Rock 'n' Roll, and they were all great in their own ways, but c'mon A:OC won the Pulitizer this year.

Best Musical:
Cry-Baby
In the Heights
Passing Strange
Xanadu

I've only seen Cry-Baby and Passing Strange, and while I liked Passing Strange a lot I just don't think it's been as popular with audiences as the hot-blooded In the Heights.

Best Book of a Musical
Cry-Baby, Mark O'Donnell and Thomas Meehan
In the Heights, Quiara Alegria Hudes
Passing Strange, Stew
Xanadu, Douglas Carter Beane

All I've heard is how funny Xanadu is. Since none of the others are particularly literary in their scope, though Passing Strange might come the closest, I think Tony voters might go for the book with the most laughs. Either that or In the Heights, since it's going to get Best Musical.

Best Original Score
Cry-Baby, Music & Lyrics: David Javerbaum & Adam Schlesinger
In The Heights, Music & Lyrics: Lin-Manuel Miranda
The Little Mermaid, Music: Alan Menken and Lyrics: Howard Ashman and Glenn Slater
Passing Strange, Music: Stew and Heidi Rodewald Lyrics: Stew

I think In the Heights will win for it's energetic latino-flavored score with Passing Strange as a dark horse.

Best Revival of a Play
Boeing-Boeing
The Homecoming
Les Liaisons Dangereueses
Macbeth

Though I liked parts of the revival of The Homecoming, I also didn't feel it was 100% successful. Boeing-Boeing was hilarious (but a little long) when I saw it in previews. While I haven't seen it, this Macbeth was good enough to jump from Off to On Broadway. BAM!

Best Revival of a Musical
Grease
Gypsy
South Pacific
Sunday in the Park With George

This really a neck-and-neck horse race between Gypsy, South Pacific, and Sunday in the Park. I've only seen Sunday in the Park because I didn't get free tickets to S.P., and I've seen enough and been in enough productions of Gypsy to last me until the next millenium. The most excellent thing about Sunday was the design (and the score of course) so I think it will ultimately go to South Pacific or Gypsy. My guess is South Pacific.

Best Performance By a Leading Actor in a Play
Ben Daniels, Les Liaisons Dangereuses
Laurence Fishburne, Thurgood
Mark Rylance, Boeing-Boeing
Rufus Sewell, Rock 'n' Roll
Patrick Stewart, Macbeth

The Man Who Was Jean-Luc is now The Dread Scot.

Best Performance By a Leading Actress in a Play
Eve Best, The Homecoming
Deanna Dunagan, August: Osage County
Kate Fleetwood, Macbeth
S. Epatha Merkerson, Come Back, Little Sheba
Amy Morton, August: Osage County

Special shout-outs to Amy Morton and Eve Best, but this will be Deanna's night as the pill-popping, acid-spewing matriarch from Osage County.

Best Performance By a Leading Actor in a Musical
Daniel Evans, Sunday in the Park With George
Lin-Manuel Miranda, In the Heights
Stew, Passing Strange
Paulo Szot, South Pacific
Tom Wopat, A Catered Affair

While Daniel Evans was great in Sunday in the Park, he didn't eclipse my memory of Mandy Patinkin from the video. I also enjoyed Stew's presence on stage, but his Narrator doesn't have a real dramatic arc. Critics have been more than kind to Paulo Szot, but Lin-Manuel Miranda will be the Man Supreme.

Best Performance By a Leading Actress in a Musical
Kerry Butler, Xanadu
Patti LuPone, Gypsy
Kelli O'Hara, South Pacific
Faith Prince, A Catered Affair
Jenna Russell, Sunday in the Park With George

All hail the queen diva in the role she was supposedly born to play.

Best Performance By a Featured Actor in a Play
Bobby Cannavale, Mauritius
Raúl Esparza, The Homecoming
Conleth Hill, The Seafarer
Jim Norton, The Seafarer
David Pittu, Is He Dead?

I could see this going to Jim Norton or Conleth Hill, who were both mesmerizing in The Seafarer, but I think Mr. Norton will ultimately win because of the extra pathos he brought to his role. Plus he already won the Olivier.

Best Performance By a Featured Actress in a Play
Sinead Cusack, Rock 'n' Roll
Mary McCormack, Boeing-Boeing
Laurie Metcalf, November
Martha Plimpton, Top Girls
Rondi Reed, August: Osage County

Cuz Martha Plimpton's awesome.
However, don't count out Ms. Reed from the heavyweight A:OC. Also, Mary McCormack was fearless as a stereotypical German Amazon.

Best Performance By a Featured Actor in a Musical
Daniel Breaker, Passing Strange
Danny Burstein, Rodgers & Hammerstein's South Pacific
Robin De Jesús, In The Heights
Christopher Fitzgerald, The New Mel Brooks Musical Young Frankenstein
Boyd Gaines, Gypsy

I've never met Chris Fitzgerald, but we both went to Rollins College so I will be rooting for him. Boyd Gaines is The Man, but he has enough Tonies, doesn't he?

Best Performance By a Featured Actress in a Musical
de'Adre Aziza, Passing Strange
Laura Benanti, Gypsy
Andrea Martin, The New Mel Brooks Musical Young Frankenstein
Olga Merediz, In The Heights
Loretta Ables Sayre, Rodgers & Hammerstein's South Pacific

Laura Benanti for playing the consummate ecdysiast.

Best Direction of a Play
Maria Aitken, The 39 Steps
Conor McPherson, The Seafarer
Anna D. Shapiro, August: Osage County
Matthew Warchus, Boeing-Boeing

Props to all of these directors. I thought they all helmed wonderful productions, but Anna D. Shapiro's August is a force of nature.

Best Direction of a Musical
Sam Buntrock, Sunday in the Park with George
Thomas Kail, In The Heights
Arthur Laurents, Gypsy
Bartlett Sher, Rodgers & Hammerstein's South Pacific

Um. Arthur Laurents is a theater Legend.

Best Choreography
Rob Ashford, Cry-Baby
Andy Blankenbuehler, In The Heights
Christopher Gattelli, Rodgers & Hammerstein's South Pacific
Dan Knechtges, Xanadu

Salsa dancing, Baby!

Best Orchestrations
Jason Carr, Sunday in the Park with George
Alex Lacamoire & Bill Sherman, In The Heights
Stew & Heidi Rodewald, Passing Strange
Jonathan Tunick, A Catered Affair

I have no idea. I would say Sunday in the Park, but I've heard people complaining about the orchestrations. Maybe In the Heights?

Best Scenic Design of a Play
Peter McKintosh, The 39 Steps
Scott Pask, Les Liaisons Dangereuses
Todd Rosenthal, August: Osage County
Anthony Ward, Macbeth

39 Steps was amazing in its minimalism, but August: Osage County was amazing in its evocation of a house with many dark rooms.

Best Scenic Design of a Musical
David Farley and Timothy Bird & The Knifedge Creative Network, Sunday in the Park with George
Anna Louizos, In The Heights
Robin Wagner, The New Mel Brooks Musical Young Frankenstein
Michael Yeargan, Rodgers & Hammerstein's South Pacific

I hear most of the money for Young Frankenstein went into the set so it should be good, but the most lasting impression of the revival of Sunday in the Park was its fantastic design and use of projections.

Best Costume Design of a Play
Gregory Gale, Cyrano de Bergerac
Rob Howell, Boeing-Boeing
Katrina Lindsay, Les Liaisons Dangereuses
Peter McKintosh, The 39 Steps

When in doubt, go with the Period Costume Drama. Only in this case there are two so we'll go with the one with the longest nose.

Best Costume Design of a Musical
David Farley, Sunday in the Park with George
Martin Pakledinaz, Gypsy
Paul Tazewell, In The Heights
Catherine Zuber, Rodgers & Hammerstein's South Pacific

Shoot, man. I dunno. South Pacific. Cuz it has grass skirts.

Best Lighting Design of a Play
Kevin Adams, The 39 Steps
Howard Harrison, Macbeth
Donald Holder, Les Liaisons Dangereuses
Ann G. Wrightson, August: Osage County

The 39 Steps was practically all lighting design as it took us through various set pieces of a Hitchcock movie.

Best Lighting Design of a Musical
Ken Billington, Sunday in the Park with George
Howell Binkley, In The Heights
Donald Holder, Rodgers & Hammerstein's South Pacific
Natasha Katz, The Little Mermaid

Sunday in the Park is all about "Color and light."

Best Sound Design of a Play
Simon Baker, Boeing-Boeing
Adam Cork, Macbeth
Ian Dickson, Rock 'n' Roll
Mic Pool, The 39 Steps

Best Sound Design of a Musical
Acme Sound Partners, In The Heights
Sebastian Frost, Sunday in the Park with George
Scott Lehrer, Rodgers & Hammerstein's South Pacific
Dan Moses Schreier, Gypsy

See how well I do on Tony Night, Sunday June 15!

Zootopia Theatre Company's New Show

2008-04-19T22:43:00.005-05:00

Steve French and Jaron Farnham

Photo by Jonathan Slaff

The Play IS the Thing!

2007-12-07T12:29:00.000-05:00

Well, Ben Brantley of the NY Times liked The Farnsworth Invention less than I did, but I definitely see his points.

We totally see eye to eye on The Seafarer, however. "Transporting" performances! I dream of one day sharing the stage with an ensemble of this caliber. What keeps me going is that one day this dream might come true. Though, I have to say, acting with this ensemble was fucking awesome! So in a sense it has come true; now I just have to keep getting better as an actor and get paid while doing it. I know what I want, Santa!

And after the Times's rave of August: Osage County, I am glad I jumped on the discounted ticket offer I had lingering in my inbox. "The most exciting new American play Broadway has seen in years" will now be the first play I see in the new year.

August is reportedly a smash at the box office after Isherwood's review in the Times. Hopefully, The Seafarer will fare as well and all of these great new plays on Broadway will beget even more great new plays on Broadway.

I forgot to mention I saw Is He Dead? about a week ago. David Ives has adapted an old play of Mark Twain's. Basically, if you take the premise of Tootsie or Charley's Aunt and set it in France with starving artists you have Is He Dead? A talented but misunderstood painter realizes that his art is worth more if he's dead than alive. After faking his death, he comes back as his "sister" the Widow T'yoo (sp?). Hilarity ensues. The cast is very funny (Norbert Leo Butz has a lot of fun in drag, conjuring up images of Mrs. Piggy for me.) and the audience laughed, but the plot is tired and predictable. Was this piece worth dusting off? Ah well, I suppose it's fun to just have an out and out comedy on Broadway.

Most notable about the evening was having Dustin Hoffman sitting within my sight. By far, my favorite celebrity sighting (I seem to be seeing famous people everywhere these days.)! I kept craning my head during the performance to gauge Mr. Hoffman's reactions. For the most part, he seemed serious, and I never caught him laughing! I imagined him thinking to himself, "It's no Tootsie."

Here's a diagram my girlfriend sent me, illustrating our proximity to the illustrious Mr. Hoffman:

Buggin'

2007-11-21T10:51:00.000-05:00

Moxie the Maven's post on the movie Bug, inspired me to write my own thoughts, especially since we both netflixed it and watched it the same night, albeit in our respective domiciles.

Bug originated as a stage play penned by Steppenwolf regular Tracy Letts. I saw it with my girlfriend Off Broadway a few years ago, and we both fell in love with this darkly funny yet densely disturbing study on paranoia.

Here is a brief synopsis from Northwestern University Press:

"This dark comedy takes place in a seedy motel room outside Oklahoma City, where Agnes, a drug-addled cocktail waitress, is hiding from her ex-con ex-husband. Her lesbian biker friend R.C. introduces her to Peter, a handsome drifter who might be an AWOL Gulf War veteran. They soon begin a relationship that takes place almost entirely within the increasingly claustrophobic confines of her motel room. Peter begins to rant about the war in Iraq, UFOs, the Oklahoma City bombings, cult suicides, and then secret government experiment on soldiers, of which he believes he is a victim. His delusions infect Agnes and the tension mounts as mysterious strangers appear at their door, past events haunt them at every turn and they are attacked by bugs. Tracy Letts's tale of love, paranoia, and government conspiracy is a thought-provoking psycho-thriller that mixes terror and laughter at a fever pitch."

The best thing in the movie are the performances. Michael Shannon revives his brilliant depiction of the intense Peter. He grows from quiet, almost painfully shy to murderously maniacal by the end. All the fantastic elements I remember from his stage performance are brought back to life in this film, and it still works.

Ashley Judd gives what is probably her best performance on film as Agnes. Something I don't remember getting from the actress who played Agnes in the play that Ms. Judd seems to have picked up on is a predilection for her character to latch onto dangerous and/or destructive men. She displays many traits of the battered wife syndrome. However, it is clear that she sticks with Peter because she genuinely becomes infected by his beliefs of conspiracy.

Harry Connick Jr. also surprises as Agnes's ex-con husband. He takes a character that is potentially, and perhaps intentionally, a cliche and adds his own unique twist. I was never quite sure what he was going to do next, which is a definite plus to a story like this one.

What Bug does best, and better as a piece of theater in my opinion, is draw the audience into Peter and Agnes's self-constructed, isolated den. We should never be sure if Peter is delusional or if there really is a government conspiracy out to get him. The movie does a good job of restricting the action to the hotel room, but I also think it errs on the side of Peter being delusional. Or rather, by the very nature of it being a film (and inherently more realistic), one more naturally comes to the conclusion that Peter is delusional.

It is no wonder then that one of the best scenes is when Brian F. O'Byrne shows up at their hotel room door as the mysterious Dr. Sweet. Dr. Sweet claims that Peter is a danger to himself and possibly others and that he has been put in charge of "bringing him in." We are never sure if Dr. Sweet really has Peter's good mental health at heart (What kind of doctor takes a hit off a pipe?) or if he is part of the conspiracy or even if he is real at all. The odd, blue light that has taken over the room adds a surreal quality to the proceedings.

I'm not sure if someone who hasn't seen or at least read the play would enjoy this movie. The play seemed to keep the paranoia on a slow boil, slowly drawing you in until, before you knew it, it was boiling over. As a film, it all seems to happen to fast. The director William Friedkin does a good job using the restriction of the locale; however, there are a few odd cutaways.

Refreshingly, Tracy Letts adapted his own work to the screen, and kept much of the dialogue intact. I think he is one of the best American playwrights getting produced today. I had free tickets to see the Broadway production of his August: Osage County and missed it because of the Stagehand Strike. Now that gets under my skin!

OPTIMUS PRIME SINGS CHRISTMAS

2007-11-16T10:41:00.000-05:00

The following sketch was inspired by this.

OPTIMUS PRIME SINGS CHRISTMAS
By Matthew J. Nichols

ANNOUNCER
As the Holiday Season approaches, Time Life Music offers the most definitive collection of Holiday Music ever recorded by an alien robot: “Optimus Prime Sings Christmas.”

PRIME
(singing?)
IT'S BEGINNING TO LOOK A LOT LIKE X-MAS. EVERYWHERE YOU GO.

ANNOUNCER
You’ll hear popular hits like “Winter Wonderland!”

PRIME
(singing?)
IN THE MEADOW WE CAN BUILD A SNOWMAN. THEN TRANSFORM HIM INTO PARSON BROWN.

ANNOUNCER
And…

PRIME
(singing?)
CHESTNUTS ROASTING ON AN OPEN FIRE. JACK FROST RIPPING OFF YOUR NOSE.

ANNOUNCER
As well as…

PRIME
(singing?)
HERE COMES MEGATRON. HERE COMES MEGATRON. RIGHT DOWN CYBERTRON LANE.

ANNOUNCER
Optimus Prime will bring you to tears with his renditions of our sacred carols.

PRIME
(singing?)
FALL ON YOUR KNEES! OH HEAR THE ANGEL VOICES! O NIGHT, DIVINE! O NIGHT WHEN CHRIST WAS BORN!

ANNOUNCER
There are even a few tracks for those celebrating the Festival of Lights!

PRIME
(singing? wearing yarmulke)
DREIDEL, DREIDEL, DREIDEL. I MADE IT OUT OF CLAY.

ANNOUNCER
“Optimus Prime Sings Christmas” is the Holiday Album that is more than meets the eye!
Buy now and you’ll also receive a bonus disc of Optimus Prime’s newest Live Stand-Up Comedy Album.

PRIME
AUTOBOTS AND DECEPTICONS BE SO DIFFERENT, Y'ALL. AUTOBOTS BE LIKE (transformer sound), AND DECEPTICONS BE LIKE (slightly different transformer sound). AM I RIGHT? AM I RIGHT?? (taps microphone) IS THIS THING ALIVE? GET IT? ALIVE? (to microphone) WHAT YOU DOIN' AFTER THE SHOW, DARLIN'? OPTIMUS PRIME THAT'S WHAT YOU BE DOIN'! I'M JUST TRIPPIN', Y'ALL!

ANNOUNCER
Buy “Optimus Prime Sings Christmas” before supplies transform and walk away! We’re not kidding! CDs sold separately.

Christmas Comes Early

2007-11-15T09:59:00.000-05:00

Christmas came early this year.

Thank you, Marmar Burgess!

My brain is on fire with all of the inappropriate things I can say in the voice of the leader of the Autobots.

The Seafarer: For Fans of Masterly Acting

2007-11-09T11:07:00.000-05:00

For all of you fans of masterly acting, hie thee hence to the Booth Theatre and catch the Broadway production of Conor McPherson's The Seafarer.

From the press notes, The Seafarer is a "chilling new play about the sea, Ireland, and the power of myth. It's Christmas Eve and Sharky (Morse) has returned to Dublin to look after his irascible, aging brother (Norton) who's recently gone blind. Old drinking buddies Ivan (Hill) and Nicky (Mahon) are holed up at the house too, hoping to play some cards. But with the arrival of a stranger (Hinds) from the distant past, the stakes are raised ever higher. In fact, Sharky may be playing for his very soul."

I don't want to go into the plot, but anyone who reads the press synopsis above or takes a look at the show logo can deduce that this is a familiar story that goes back to the dark ages. What Conor McPherson's script does is add some fascinating and drunkenly irrepressible characters to the mix, providing knockout showcases for actors at the pinnacle of their game.

David Morse (of Disturbia and countless other film and TV projects) plays the darkly quiet Sharky. His performance is a study in restraint. Sharky is a mysterious protagonist, almost frustratingly so at times, and Mr. Morse plays all of his cards close to the vest, providing an excellent counterpoint to his showy and boisterous stage mates.

Ciaran Hinds (most recognizable to Americans who watched the 1st season of Rome on HBO) also acquits himself nicely in the role of the immortal Mr. Lockhart, though his character does tend to wax on and on.

However, the two superb standouts are Jim Norton and Conleth Hill, reprising their roles from the London production as Richard Harkin and Ivan Curry, respectively.

Conleth Hill as Ivan is a sight to behold. Alcoholic, pudgy, prone to running into furniture at full tilt, he possesses a walrus's moustache, which he incessantly licks like an obsessive-compulsive toad.

Jim Norton's Richard is literally blind drunk. His performance cannot be described, it has to be seen. It is quite possibly my favorite stage performance I have witnessed to date, and I loved Frank Langella in last season's Frost/Nixon. Just a few of my favorite moments occurred when he would grab his cane like Don Quixote to go drunkenly tilting at the winos outside his flat. If you can, watch his face near the end when he describes Mr. Lockhart as having a "funny smell" or the moment he has with his brother after he gives him his Christmas present. Jim Norton won an Olivier for this role and, I'll call it right now folks, he will win the Tony.

Jim Norton and Conleth Hill are giving the kind of richly detailed performances that only actors of their stature who have fully absorbed a play into their physiognomy can give. Not a moment is wasted. Not a look or a line is simply thrown away. They lift a play that was for me only "okay" into the stratosphere.

As director of his own work, Conor McPherson helms a stellar crew though the ship may be a little leaky. I'll be interested to hear what other viewers thought, but for me the inherent high stakes that needed to be there for the poker game was missing. Then again, it was previews and maybe the newly assembled cast are still finding their sea legs. Jim Norton and Conleth Hill, however, make this a must-see for actors who love watching masters of the craft.

Kid Space Station (A Parody Sketch)

2007-11-01T10:01:00.000-05:00

I recently started messing around with a sketch comedy troupe. Here is my first attempt at sketch writing. It's sort of a parody sketch of Kid Nation. Obviously a truly awesome parody sketch would be filmed, but this one is meant to be performed live. I think it will be fun! Forgive the blogger-enforced formatting. I cut and pasted this rather than re-type the whole thing.

KID SPACE STATION

HOST
(cheesy/hip TV persona)
7 days ago, CBS and NASA launched a new space station into orbit. But the truly amazing part is that the daring cosmonauts entrusted with this dangerous mission…are children. That’s right. The oldest is 13 and the youngest is 5 years old. 40 days. 40 kids. No adults. This is Kid Space Station.

(Brief MUSIC INTRO)

HOST
It’s been a rough week, but it’s time to re-introduce our crew. Or what’s left of them. Meet Trevor, the coolest kid in the 5th grade.

TREVOR
(psyched)

This is our galaxy!

HOST
Sonya, Hall Monitor of the Year, four years running.

SONYA
(uptight)
Kids can do anything a trained astronaut can do.

HOST
Colette.

COLETTE
(Southern, rehearsed smile, wears a tiara)
Hi, y’all!

HOST
Winner of the Li’l Miss Georgia Peach Pageant.

COLETTE
It will be my dubious honor to serve as your Space Queen. If Trevor will be my King.

TREVOR
Sweet! I’m King of the Universe!

COLETTE
That’s right, Baby.

TREVOR
I’m not a baby!

HOST
Meet Herschel, kid genius.

HERSCHEL
(deadpan, almost monotone)
I’m a rocket scientist with a mastery of fluid and orbital mechanics trapped in the body of a twelve year old. I also have bladder issues.

HOST
There’s Kid Space Station’s youngest rocketeer, Seth.

SETH
(holding up 5 fingers)
I have dis many fingers.

HOST

And voted as America’s Favorite in last night’s poll, Tex!

TEX
(dressed in a cowboy outfit, shoots toy guns)
YEEEEEE-HAAAAAW!! …Pawdner.

HOST

As winner of last night’s poll you, Tex, will be awarded a year’s supply of Little Debbie’s Star Crunch Cosmic Snacks.

TEX
YIPPIE-KAY-YAAAAY!! …Buckaroo.

HOST
Adorable. Parents of America, you have never seen your children do anything like this!

(Kids gather for a Shuttle Session. Colette and Trevor head the meeting.)

HOST
We join our adolescent astronauts 7 days into their mission. They started out as a crew of 40, but due to a series of unexplained disappearances and a minor mishap with the oxygen distributor, their numbers are down to 6. Now as they go into their 7th Shuttle Session, morale is at an all-time low.

COLETTE
Okay y’all, as y’all’s Offical Space Queen I call this here meetin’ to order. First order of business: who ate all the freeze-dried ice cream? We were savin’ that for my surprise birthday party!

TREVOR
Maybe you should ask Seth.

(Everyone looks at Seth, passed out in Sonya’s lap, ice cream covering his face. Everyone LAUGHS. Some “OOHS.”)

COLETTE
Sonya, wake Seth up.

SONYA
I don’t want to disturb him. Look how cute he is.

COLETTE
SEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEETH!!

(Seth jumps up. The kids LAUGH.)

COLETTE
Do you know what happened to all of the ice cream?

SETH
What ice cweam?

COLETTE
The stuff you got all over your mouth!

SETH
I dunno whad you’re tawking aboud.

SONYA
Point of order. Where do you get off questioning Seth when no one elected you Queen in the first place?

COLETTE
I don’t need to be elected. I’m the prettiest.

HERSCHEL
Our lovely ruler makes a strong case. Monarchs are not elected typically. Rather, they inherit the throne or, in some cases, usurp it.

COLETTE
Yeah, what he said. I slurped it. Thank you, Hershey.

HERSCHEL
(blushing, perhaps saluting)
Thank you, my Queen.

SONYA
(to Herschel)
Bed wetter!

HERSCHEL
I have bladder issues!

SONYA
Yeah, I know. We share a pod, remember?

TREVOR
Does anyone have any other business?

TEX
The stars at night are big and bright (clap clap clap clap) deep in the heart of Texas!

SONYA
Of course the stars are big and bright! We’re in Outer Space, you dumb Redneck!

TEX
(shooting guns)
YEEEEHAW! …Little Dawggy.

TREVOR
Does anyone else have any business?

(Seth whispers in Sonya’s ear.)

SONYA
Seth says he has a very important topic he would like to address.

TREVOR
What is it?

(Seth whispers in Sonya’s ear.)

SONYA
Seth says –

COLETTE
Seth can speak for hisself. What is it, Cutie Pie?

SETH
I’m tiwed of always cweaning da nucuwar pwasma genewator aww by mysewf! I’m tiwed of it!

TREVOR
Okay, Seth.

SETH
Nobuddy ever hewps me! And it’s hawd! It’s hawd cweaning da nucuwar pwasma genewator! It makes me tiwed!

COLETTE
Alright, Seth. Stop throwing a fit!

SETH
You never hewp cwean da nucuwar pwasma genewator!

COLETTE
I’m Lil’ Miss Georgia Peach! I don’t clean nucular plasma generators!

HERSCHEL
It’s actually a nuclear plasma generator.

SETH
(still to Colette)
You never do nothing! Just sit up dere! (mimicking her) “Do dis and dis and dis! How’s my cwown wook?”

COLETTE
It’s a tiara!

SETH
I’m sick of it! Sick of it. Sick of it. (high pitch scream) SICK OF IT!

COLETTE
Stop being such a baby!

SETH
I FART ON YOUR FACE!

(Seth begins farting at Colette.)

ALL
FART! FART! FART!

TREVOR
Okay guys listen up! Stop farting!

(Everyone QUIETS down.)

TREVOR
This is just how they want us to act! Like whiny babies! We aren’t here just for us but for kids everywhere who thought they could run a space station and were never given the chance. We have that chance! Sure we’ve made mistakes. More than half of us have disappeared and no one knows why. And we traded half of our food supply for a pool slide with no pool. Maybe we should have been paying closer attention to that…that thingy – What’s it called?

HERSCHEL
The Elektron System.

TREVOR
Yeah, maybe we should have been watching that instead of holding the first Galactic Thumb War Tournament. Congrats again on winning the gold, Herschel.

HERSCHEL
(flexing his thumbs)
I’d like to thank the makers of X-Box for giving me these guns.

TREVOR
The point is we shouldn’t be yelling and farting at each other. We should be yelling and farting with each other!

ALL
TREVOR! TREVOR! TREVOR!

HOST
Now is the time that we give out the prize for the most worthy Moonchild of the week. The prize is a gold star. Not a sticker of a gold star. Not a star made of gold. But a bright golden star of searing flame and gas that burns with the heat of seven of our suns. And tonight that star goes to Trevor.

(The kids CHEER.)

HERSCHEL
(whipping out some sort of alien ray gun)
Not so fast! Trevor hasn’t done anything but make pretty speeches. I’m the one who learned how to control our gravity field. I’m the one who activated the charcoal filters that remove your human metabolism from the air.

COLETTE
What’s human metabolism?

SETH
Poop!

TREVOR
Wait a minute! You’re the one who’s been making the other kids disappear!

HERSCHEL
That’s right, puny Earthling! My real name is (some unfathomable alien sound), and I have joined this pathetic attempt at entertainment in order to win the Star Prize. With the power from that star my race will enslave your…WAIT! What’s happening?

(Herschel begins peeing his pants.)

HERSCHEL
Oh no! I must’ve gotten too excited! I haven’t mastered this human bladder yet! How embarrassing!

(Tex knocks Herschel out from behind.)

TEX
That’s how we deal with aliens in Texas, Pendejo!

(Everyone CHEERS.)

ALL
TEX! TEX! TEX!

HOST
All right, that’s enough excitement for one night! Now everyone, back to your pods!

(The kids groan and EXIT.)

HOST
Tune in next week when we’ll see if the remaining Moonkinder will continue with their mission or get hit by a meteor or something. Hey, it’s Kid Space Station and it’s totally their problem! Good night!

My Latest Project: Mina

2007-10-29T09:12:00.000-05:00

You can see me next on a stage at La MaMa, E.T.C.

La MaMa E.T.C.
Presents the World Premiere of Mina
by Obie-winner and Tony-nominee Leslie Lee

directed by Cyndy A. Marion
with Heather Massie* as Mina Loy

In a fusion of music, poetry and art, an ensemble cast captivatingly depicts the early life of the revolutionary, yet surprisingly little known artist, Mina Loy. Visit Victorian England, Bavarian Munich, Bohemian Paris and Futurist Florence in a story of one woman’s struggle to be herself in a world where women were subjects not artists.

Featuring: Laurence Cantor, Bern Cohen*, Bridget Gethins*, Christopher Johnson*, Heather Massie*, Pamela Monroe, Matthew J. Nichols*, Juliet O'Brien, Heather Lee Rogers, Josh Silverman*

Set: Andis Gjoni; Music: James David Jacobs; Lighting: Russel Phillip Drapkin; Choreography: Rosalie Purvis; Costumes: Kylie Ward; SM: Elliot Lanes; ASM: Jen Wiener; Asst. Dir.: Vanessa Bambardieri; Production Manager: Sarah Ford; Production Assistant: Jenny Greeman; Dramaturgy: Maxine Kern; Publicity: The Zeisler Group

November 8-25, 2007
Thursday-Saturday 7:30pm
Sunday 2:00pm & 7:30pm
(no perf. Nov 22nd, Thanksgiving)
La MaMa E.T.C., First Floor Theater
74A East 4th St. (bet. 2nd Ave. & Bowery)
Tickets $18
Online Ticketing and Show Information: www.lamama.org
Box Office: (212) 475-7710

Television Makes Good Theatre

2007-10-26T10:11:00.000-05:00

It has been forever since my last post. No excuses. Unless laziness is an excuse. Then I plead laziness.

Last night I saw a preview of Aaron Sorkin's first Broadway production since A Few Good Men back in 1989. The Farnsworth Invention chronicles the invention of the television and the race to claim the patent.

As David Sarnoff, media mogul and head of RCA, Hank Azaria is naturally charismatic. He adds a gruffness to his voice that hints at Mr. Sarnoff's aggressive demeanor and ethnic background effectively without being intrusive or distracting.

However, the true standout in the plum role is "newcomer" Jimmi Simpson as Philo Farnsworth, the corn-fed Utahn who invents the electronic television but is denied his due. Having originated the role in the pre-Broadway La Jolla Playhouse production, his performance seems effortlessly lived-in and detailed. I look forward to seeing more of this actor's work.

Aaron Sorkin and his director Des McAnuff know how to keep this story moving. In fact, The Farnsworth Invention could very well be an HBO televised movie or mini-series with its large cast and fluid, episodic structure. (NOTE: wikipedia tells me it was originally a screenplay rewritten as a stage play. That makes total sense.) However, it is still inherently theatrical with Sarnoff and Farnsworth switching narrative duties. I also marveled at the swift grace with which Des McAnuff choreographed his cast about the stage in seamless transitions from one scene to the next.

The script contains Sorkin's trademark rapid-fire dialogue, but at the same time seems more natural and reaches less for the pseudo-witty repartee that characterizes some of his television work.

For me, it conjured echos of Frost/Nixon. Both are centered around the lives of two men in competition. Both are plays that deal with the importance of the televisual medium. Both have episodic structures and are quickly paced in a cinematic style.

One thing Frost/Nixon has over The Farnsworth Invention, however, is a strong climax leading to a truly satisfying conclusion. Frost/Nixon deals with the televised interviews between David Frost and Richard Nixon several years after Nixon's resignation. The climax consists of David Frost finally winning his objective of getting Nixon to apologize for Watergate. The lead-up to this moment is suspenseful and even includes a fabricated scene where Nixon drunk-dials Frost.

The Farnsworth Invention also contains a conclusive "meeting" between Sarnoff and Farnsworth, but for me it lacked dramatic impact. Perhaps this is because Farnsworth is a scientist and lacks the Shakespearean bravado of a character of Nixon's stature. If anything, Sarnoff might have the bravado but Azaria wisely soft pedals it, particularly when it might come off as gloating. What is clear is Sarnoff's admiration and recognition of Farnsworth's genius and his earth-shattering contribution to technology and communication.

Sarnoff admires Farnsworth, but that doesn't stop him from robbing the inventor of his glory. As Sarnoff says alluding to when the Cossacks ran his family out of Russia, "I burned his house down before he could burn mine." (That quote is inexact, but pretty close.)

All in all, this was a fast paced audience-pleaser with some good acting from the two leads and their hard-working ensemble.

Certain lines stick out and rumble in the brain, particularly when Sarnoff and Farnsworth express their hopes for the televised medium. Sarnoff, against advertisement dollars, wishes television programming to be the arbiter of good taste and "sophistication." Also, notably, he believes it will have the power to "end all wars" by simply "pointing a camera" at it. If they only knew...

Gag Reel #7

2007-08-14T12:34:00.000-05:00

New Trojans: Ribbed for her pleasure and your destruction!

Final Round-Up, Finally!

2007-07-31T13:19:00.000-05:00

Whew! It has been quite a long time since my last post. Basically, I've been in recovery since Zootopia Theatre Co. closed our inaugural production, Professional Skepticism. Thank you to everyone who came, and for those who didn't for one reason or another, you missed one helluva show. A few production photos are posted on our website.

There are so many thank yous to hand out.

First of all, our team of crack designers:

Andrew Lu, Set Design
Scott Bolman, Lighting Design
Anne K. Wood, Costume Design
Andrew Papadeas, Sound Design

Whether it was our carefully chosen office furniture, our metaphorical back wall of mounting and falling paperwork, our subtle lighting cues, or our varied office attire, all of our designers made us look good and professional and expensive, and they did it with a very modest budget too. I am eternally grateful!

To Steve French (Leo) and Wes Thornton (Greg), the 50% of the cast who weren't producing as well as acting, thank you. No other actors could have brought the shades of character, the dedication, and the comraderie that they brought every day in rehearsals and performance. It isn't a question of if we'd work with either of them again, but when!

Nilou Safinya, Production Stage Manager. She has other aspirations besides stage management, but we most certainly could not have had the level of production we achieved without her tireless, assured hand. Not only did she stage manage beautifully, but she even prop designed and added a whole 'nother level of realism to our accountants' paperwork which was appreciated by our audience and by us as well!

Also, a huuuuge shout out to our Head of Box Office, Allison Rodgers and our House Manager, Maria Damato! You lovely ladies rocked our House, literally!

Kareem Fahmy, Director. Without him, none of this would have been possible. It was he who helped us assemble this amazing team of artists. It was he who helped us procure free rehearsal space and offered priceless advice. But most importantly, it was he and his creative vision that merged everyone's efforts with his own and lead Professional Skepticism to the success it became. Every actor will one day know his name and want to work with him, I am sure of it.

Thanks also to our press agent, Jonathan Slaff. It's highly unusual to succeed at getting press to come see a new theatre company's work, let alone write about it. However, we had the New York Times, Village Voice, Backstage, NYTheatre.com, OffOffOnline, and New York Theater Corps. all come and write about us! Not everyone loved us, but most of them did (We were a Critic's Pick in Backstage), and even more importantly, our audiences did.

Finally, an eternal thank you to the playwright James Rasheed for not only letting us produce the New York Premiere of Professional Skepticism and giving us such rich characters to bring to life, but also for being such an unwavering source of kindness and support! It was a pleasure to see how tickled he was with our efforts on opening night. And it was a pleasure every single time to perform his play.

Britney and I couldn't be prouder with how our inaugural production turned out. We accomplished everything we set out to do. Financially, we broke even (quite an accomplishment our first time out). Professionally, our production came together even better than we had dared hope. Personally, we met and worked with spectacular artists we hope will be continuing members of our now growing Zootopia Family!

This experience will be hard to top, but I look forward to the effort!

Bloggers Like Us!

2007-07-09T08:58:00.000-05:00

2 Good Reviews at New Theatre Corps for PROFESSIONAL SKEPTICISM!

This is the last week for everyone to catch our hit inaugural production! You only have one inaugural production, y'all!

Performances: Wed - Sat @ 8pm, Sat @ 2pm, Sun @ 3pm, ending July 15.

Abingdon Theatre Arts Complex, 312 West 36th St., 1st Floor.

More Nice Words

2007-07-05T09:28:00.000-05:00

NYTheatre.com loves us.

Off Off Online loves us too.

Now it's your turn to come and show us some love. We promise to love you back.

"Flat-Out Terrific"!!

2007-07-03T11:09:00.000-05:00

Backstage Review of Professional Skepticism

June 29, 2007
By A.J. Mell

If pressed, I would have to say that a South Carolina accounting firm is not the most promising theatrical terrain. And yet playwright James Rasheed has somehow turned the world's most eye-glazingly dull profession into an entertaining, stiletto-sharp satire of office politics and macho head games. As enacted by an offbeat and very funny cast, it is flat-out terrific.T he play details the power-shifting effects of an accounting scandal on four auditors at a Charleston CPA firm. Leo (Steve French) is an overconfident gay- and race-baiting bully, though we suspect he's driven less by prejudice than by an adolescent delight in unabashed nastiness. The relatively meek Paul (Matthew J. Nichols) says things like "Who gives a darn?" and has a penchant for bow ties. Margaret (Britney Burgess) is the Tab-sipping office bombshell who finds herself promoted to manager. Greg (Wesley Thornton), the least weird of the bunch, is a quiet religious type with unexpected flashes of temper.

Rasheed based the play partially on his own experiences at a similar firm; he also appears to have seen Glengarry Glen Ross a few times. When testosterone-poisoned men in conspicuously capitalist professions go for each other's throats, it's hard not to feel the specter of Mamet hovering nearby, but if Rasheed is not as brutal or poignant as Mamet, he provokes a lot more guffaws. Director Kareem Fahmy encourages his actors' idiosyncrasies, resulting in larger-than-life characters who stop short of caricature. Leo is the play's most toothsome role, and French's absurdly resonant baritone adds an extra bit of drollery to his readings, but the whole ensemble deserves credit for the production's comic chemistry. The financial shenanigans that drive the plot are the play's McGuffin (something of pressing interest to the characters but completely irrelevant to the audience). Much has been made of the play's "prophetic" anticipation of the Enron and WorldCom scandals, which makes it sound as if white-collar crime is a rarity on the order of Halley's comet. I think Rasheed is more interested in how office intrigue and rumormongering affect individuals — and how the drive to be top dog can leave you chasing your own tail.

Read the review from the source. We're a Backstage Pick!

Come See the Fruit of Our Labor, Won't You?

2007-06-22T09:10:00.000-05:00

SPECIAL DEAL for SUNDAY JULY 1ST PERFORMANCE! If you reserve a ticket through SmartTix for the performance on Sunday July 1st @ 3pm and use the discount code FRIEND, you will get $10 tickets!!

Professional Skepticism, centers on four auditors at a Big Five CPA firm and their daily struggle to survive while swimming with sharks until scandal threatens to turn them into headline-making personalities! This tale of office intrigue is surprisingly funny, intense, and timely.

“If you thought accountants lived lives as gray as their double-entry numbers, then James Rasheed's hilarious new play 'Professional Skepticism' ought to correct your (understandable) miscalculation.... The playwright speaks with rare authority and insight as well as mathematically precise shafts of wit.... His dialogue is sharp and funny and the dramatic situation he depicts has a universality that speaks to any viewer.” -- The Boston Globe.

Performances:

Jun 28 to Jul 1: Thu to Sat @ 8pm, Sun @ 3pm

Jul 4 to 15: Wed to Sat @ 8pm, Sat @ 2pm, Sun @ 3pm

Dorothy Strelsin Theatre @ Abingdon Theatre Arts Complex

312 West 36th St., NYC (between 8th & 9th Ave.s)

Tickets: http://www.smarttix.com/ or 212.868.4444

This is an Equity Approved Showcase.

www.zootopiatheatre.org

A Night to Remember...

2007-06-08T14:23:00.000-05:00

HullabaZOO! 2007

Thanks to Cahill for rockin' the house!

Thanks to the Bull's Head Tavern for giving us a house to rock!

Thanks to all of our supporters who just plain rock!

Be There or...you know.

2007-06-05T15:37:00.000-05:00

Hope everyone can make it tomorrow night!

HullabaZOO!

A party to benefit ZTC's upcoming producton: Professional Skepticism

When? Wed. June 6th from 7 - 10pm

Where? Bull's Head Tavern, 295 Third Ave.

Price of Admission: Only $15 at the door!!!!

Boston band Cahill will perform!!!

Plus Discounted Drinks!

Party with ZTC! Support the Arts! Save the Children!

(DISCLAIMER: No children will actually be saved by this event.)

Cahill is a Boston based band started by Scott O'Brien and Bob Antonelli, another former Brandeis classmate and dear friend. These guys rock out with their acoustic guitars out! I urge you to check out the link to their website above and come see them in person in their first New York show. We are so lucky.

Please come out and help make this evening a rousing, raucous success!

The Bird Man of Wall Street

2007-06-01T12:54:00.000-05:00

I work as a receptionist in the Financial District for my "day job."

Today as I was eating my BLT, enjoying my lunch hour in this sunny eighty degree weather we've been having lately, my ears were assaulted by a strange Ka-KAW! Ka-KAW!

Looking to the skies, half expecting to be swooped up by a giant hawk from the Lord of the Rings Trilogy, I was unable to find the strange bird calling to me.

Then I looked right in front of me. A man was making this strange noise; in fact, he was looking to the sky as well, or rather up at one of the tall buildings on Wall Street.

Ka-KAW! Ka-KAW! Lulululululululululululu!

Could this be a falconer? No, I saw no falconer's glove on his hand; however, he did have a few odd feathers placed on his cap.

Could he be looking for a mate? Possible...

Alas, my questions went unanswered as he moved on, and I couldn't muster the energy to ask, "What the fuck are you doing?"

Also, there was some bizarre modern dance troupe performing outside on a platform.

I heart New York.

Today's random sightings almost make up for the other day when I nearly stepped on a homeless man on the subway platform, pants around his ankles, he and his endowment napping for all to see.

We have had three rehearsals for the play so far, a read through and some all-important tablework. So far, things have been spectacular. Next week we begin staging Act I. There is so much to do, I can't believe it.

Are you coming to our party? You won't want to miss it!

If These Don't Get Buttz in Seatz...

2007-05-24T13:40:00.000-05:00

Professional Skepticism

June 28 - July 15, 2007

Abingdon Theatre Arts Complex

I call this one "Sex"

Pictured: Matthew J. Nichols, Britney Burgess, Steve French

Photo by Jonathan Slaff

I call this one "Violence"
Pictured: Steve French, Matthew J. Nichols, Britney Burgess
Photo by Jonathan Slaff

Drama Desk Winners

2007-05-21T09:34:00.000-05:00

And the winners are...

Outstanding Play: Tom Stoppard, The Coast of Utopia
Outstanding Musical: Spring Awakening
Outstanding Revival of a Play: Journey's End
Outstanding Revival of a Musical: Company
Outstanding Actor in a Play: Frank Langella, Frost/Nixon
Outstanding Actress in a Play: Eve Best, A Moon for the Misbegotten
Outstanding Actor in a Musical: Raul Esparza, Company
Outstanding Actress in a Musical: (Tie) Audra McDonald, 110 in the Shade and Donna Murphy, LoveMusik
Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play: Boyd Gaines, Journey's End
Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play: Martha Plimpton, The Coast of Utopia
Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical: Gavin Lee, Mary Poppins
Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical: Debra Monk, Curtains
Outstanding Director of a Play: Jack O'Brien, The Coast of Utopia
Outstanding Director of a Musical: Michael Mayer, Spring Awakening
Outstanding Choreography: Andy Blankenbuehler, In the Heights
Outstanding Music: Duncan Sheik, Spring Awakening
Outstanding Lyrics: Steven Sater, Spring Awakening
Outstanding Book of a Musical: Rupert Holmes and Peter Stone, Curtains
Outstanding Music for a Play: Mark Bennett, The Coast of Utopia
Outstanding Orchestrations: (Tie) Mary-Mitchell Campbell, Company and Jonathan Tunick, LoveMusik
Outstanding Set Design of a Play: Bob Crowley and Scott Pask, The Coast of Utopia
Outstanding Set Design of a Musical: Bob Crowley, Mary Poppins
Outstanding Costume Design: Catherine Zuber, The Coast of Utopia
Outstanding Lighting Design: Kenneth Posner, Brian MacDevitt, Natasha Katz, The Coast of Utopia
Outstanding Sound: Gregory Clarke, Journey's End
Outstanding Solo Performance: Vanessa Redgrave, The Year of Magical Thinking
Unique Theatrical Experience: Edward Scissorhands

Just in case you didn't know who gives these things out, the Drama Desk is an organization of theatre critics, writers and editors that honors all areas of New York theatre, including Broadway, Off-Broadway and Off-Off-Broadway.

I guessed 13.5 out of 27 awards. Roughly 50%. Check my math and read more of my musings on the nominees here.

State of the Union: A Zootopian Society

2007-05-17T10:32:00.000-05:00

Start Theatre Company: Check. We call ourselves Zootopia Theatre Company. My girlfriend, former Brandies University classmate, and Co-Artistic Director Britney Burgess and I are trying to live our dream.

Select Play: Check. Professional Skepticism by James Rasheed. Jim is a fellow Brandeis MFA alum, but he graduated before Britney and I started the Acting Program. Fortunately, he approached me to be in a reading of Professional Skepticism, which introduced me to his play. I was immediately drawn to the characters and the way they interacted in their competitive and hostile work environment. I couldn't do the reading, but the play stayed in my head, and when it came time to pick an inaugural production it was the obvious and right choice. Plus Jim has been completely and utterly supportive; he even sent us some props from a previous production! We wouldn't be at this point without him.

Select Theatre Space: Check. After researching and touring various small theatres within our budget range, the Dorothy Strelsin Theatre at the Abingdon Theatre Arts Complex stood heads above the rest. The very intimate thrust space is well-equipped and should make the audience feel like they are in the same conference room as these characters. No audience member will be more than 8 - 10 feet from the actors! At the same time, the Abingdon Complex should provide a warm and inviting atmosphere for our theatregoers.

Select Director: Check. As a producer, I found that selecting a director is very similar to casting an actor. You need someone who has the right sensibility and characteristics that will best serve the piece, as well as the requisite chops and passion to get the job done. Thank God we found Kareem Fahmy. We haven't even started rehearsals and he has been indispensable! From putting us in contact with designers, to casting, to procuring free rehearsal space, he has more than demonstrated his committment. As far as talent, Britney and I could tell from our very first meeting that he has it in spades. Confident and direct yet affable and collaborative, his assured exploratory style will serve us well as move into rehearsals just a couple of weeks from now!

Cast Actors: Check. Britney and I are serving dual roles as Actors/Producers on this one. The complete New York cast is as follows:

Britney Burgess as Margaret

Steve French as Leo

Matthew J. Nichols as Paul

Wesley Allen Thornton as Greg

Find Design and Staff: Our director Kareem has been fundamental in connecting us with some very talented artists and nice people as well!

Production Stage Manager: Nilou Safinya

Set Design: Andrew Lu

Lighting Design: Scott Bolman

Still Seeking: A costume and sound designer. Though I believe we'll have these confirmed shortly. And volunteers! We need volunteers! Want to run sound? Help with Box Office? Paint the set? Let me know! Leave me a comment or e-mail me at matthew@zootopiatheatre.org.

Publicize Play: Check. We knew right from the get-go that if we wanted any shot of getting noticed we would need to hire a publicist. Jonathan Slaff fits the bill.

Fund Play: We have been blessed by the generosity of our family and friends, but we are still working towards our goal! Hence another excuse to party...

HullabaZOO!
A party to benefit ZTC's upcoming producton: Professional Skepticism
When? Wed. June 6th from 7 - 10pm
Where? Bull's Head Tavern, 295 Third Ave.
Price of Admission: Only $15 at the door!!!!
ZTC Top Friend and Boston band Cahill will perform!!!
Plus Discounted Drinks!
Party with ZTC! Support the Arts! Save the Children!
(DISCLAIMER: No children will actually be saved by this event.)

Cahill is a Boston based band started by Scott O'Brien and Bob Antonelli, another former Brandeis classmate and dear friend. These guys rock out with their acoustic guitars out! I urge you to check out the link to their website above and come see them in person in their first New York show. We are so lucky.

Please come out and help make this evening a rousing, raucous success!

A Tony For Your Thoughts

2007-05-15T08:24:00.000-05:00

The nominations came out this morning. Check them out here. No real surprises.

Here are my quick picks:

Best Play: Coast of Utopia

Best Musical: Spring Awakening

Best Book of a Musical: On this one I'm torn between Spring Awakening by Steven Sater and Grey Gardens by previous Tony Winner Doug Wright.

Best Original Score: Spring Awakening

Best Revival of a Play: Journey's End (a critical favorite)

Best Revival of a Musical: Company

Lead Actor in a Play: Frank Langella, Frost/Nixon

Lead Actress in a Play: Eve Best, Moon for the Misbegotten

Lead Actor in a Musical: Raul Esparza, Company

Lead Actress in a Musical: Christine Ebersole, Grey Gardens

Featured Actor in a Play: Billy Crudup, Coast of Utopia

Featured Actress in a Play: Xanthe Elbrick, Coram Boy

Featured Actor in a Musical: John Gallagher, Jr., Spring Awakening

Featured Actress in a Musical: Mary Louise Wilson, Grey Gardens

Direction of a Play: Jack O'Brien, Coast of Utopia

Direction of a Musical: Michael Mayer, Spring Awakening

Best Choreography: Matthew Bourne and Stephen Mear, Mary Poppins

Best Orchestrations: Duncan Sheik, Spring Awakening

I'll leave the design predictions to those more knowledgeable, though I will bet Coast of Utopia will sweep most of these.

My Drama Desk Picks

2007-04-27T08:47:00.000-05:00

I like the Drama Desk Awards because they mix up the "Big Guys" with the "Little Guys." Perhaps its a little unfair to the "Little Guy," but the recognition must feel great. So here are the...

Nominations for the 52nd Annual Drama Desk Awards Plus My Personal Picks

Outstanding Play
David Harrower, Blackbird
Terrence McNally, Some Men
Peter Morgan, Frost/Nixon
Tom Stoppard, The Coast of Utopia
Bernard Weinraub, The Accomplices
August Wilson, Radio Golf

Is there any doubt? The Coast of Utopia has been the theatre event of the season. I, regrettably, couldn't afford to see it. Radio Golf might have sentimental value because of the passing of August Wilson, but I don't think it is the best play in his canon. I loved Frost/Nixon, however, and I hear Blackbird is quite good.

Outstanding Musical
Curtains
In the Heights
Legally Blonde
LoveMusik
Mary Poppins
Spring Awakening

Let me just say now that I believe Spring Awakening should win A LOT of awards and especially this one. Hands down the best musical I have seen in years. I don't know much about LoveMusik (besides it being about the composer Kurt Weill, played by the estimable Michael Cerveris), but I believe it has the most nominations of any production. I turned down the opportunity to see Legally Blonde, also In the Heights, also Mary Poppins (no regrets). Curtains was simply "cute" without being terribly clever.

Outstanding Revival of a Play
The Hairy Ape
Hedda Gabler
Journey's End
Talk Radio
The Taming of the Shrew
Woyzeck

I bet this one will go to Journey's End, which I thought was quite effective (though hard to see because of the dim lighting), that is until the end when the director decided to bludgeon the audience on the head with an endless and deafening barrage of bombs. The Hairy Ape could be a "dark horse," however; I didn't see the production, but I love O'Neill and the buzz on it was great. If this is the Hedda Gabler with Cate Blanchett I enjoyed it very much (especially Hugo Weaving as an oily Judge Brack), but New York has seen a seemingly endless run of Heddas over the years.

Outstanding Revival of a Musical
110 in the Shade
The Apple Tree
Company
Di Yam Gazlonim!
H.M.S. Pinafore
Les Misérables

Umm...I dunno...Company, I suppose. Les Miz felt bland overall, and I don't even like The Rainmaker so why should I care to see 110 in the Shade.

Outstanding Actor in a Play
Philip Seymour Hoffman, Jack Goes Boating
Frank Langella, Frost/Nixon
Brían F. O'Byrne, The Coast of Utopia
Christopher Plummer, Inherit the Wind
Liev Schreiber, Talk Radio
Kevin Spacey, A Moon for the Misbegotten
Paul Sparks, Essential Self-Defense

This seems like the hardest category because it is jam-packed with juggernauts. See my post about some of my favorite performances this season. I have to give it to Frank Langella though, who is simply amazing. Liev is also phenomenal, but hey, he just won last year for Glengarry Glenn Ross.

Outstanding Actress in a Play
Eve Best, A Moon for the Misbegotten
Orlagh Cassidy, The Field
Blythe Danner, Suddenly Last Summer
Jennifer Mudge, Dutchman
Sandra Oh, Satellites
Annie Parisse, The Internationalists
Meryl Streep, Mother Courage and Her Children

Eve Best is the engine that makes this revival of A Moon for the Misbegotten run.

Outstanding Actor in a Musical
Michael Cerveris, LoveMusik
Raul Esparza, Company
John Gallagher, Jr. Spring Awakening
Jonathan Groff, Spring Awakening
David Hyde Pierce, Curtains
Martin Short, Martin Short: Fame Becomes Me

Hmmm...I loved both of the boys/men in Spring Awakening but I bet this one will go to Raul Esparza. Michael Cerveris might be chomping at his heels, however.

Outstanding Actress in a Musical
Ashley Brown, Mary Poppins
Laura Bell Bundy, Legally Blonde
Kristin Chenoweth, The Apple Tree
Audra McDonald, 110 in the Shade
Lea Michele, Spring Awakening
Donna Murphy, LoveMusik

I'm going to go out on a limb and say Donna Murphy because I am just a gambler at heart. Though critics do love Kristen Chenoweth and Audra McDonald, typically.

Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play
Anthony Chisholm, Radio Golf
Billy Crudup, The Coast of Utopia
Boyd Gaines, Journey's End
John Ortiz, Jack Goes Boating
Andrew Polk, The Accomplices
Frederick Weller, Some Men

Toss a coin for Anthony Chisholm (one of the best things about Radio Golf), Boyd Gaines (quietly affecting), and Billy Crudup (always awesome). I say heads up for Crudup.

Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play
Myriam Acharki, Woyzeck
Xanthe Elbrick, Coram Boy
Sarah Nina Hayon, Rearviewmirror
Jan Maxwell, Coram Boy
Martha Plimpton, The Coast of Utopia
Rita Wolf, The American Pilot

The real standout performance from Coram Boy comes from Xanthe Elbrick. She plays a 15 year old would-be boy musician with dignity and fortitude in one act, then a rambunctious 8 year old boy in the second act and makes you believe and care for both.

Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical
Brooks Ashmanskas, Martin Short: Fame Becomes Me
Christian Borle, Legally Blonde
Aaron Lazar, Les Miserables
Gavin Lee, Mary Poppins
Orville Mendoza, Adrift in Macao
David Pittu, LoveMusik

I don't even feel qualified enough to guess on this one. Anyone? David Pittu?

Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical
Linda Balgord, The Pirate Queen
Celia Keenan-Bolger, Les Miserables
Debra Monk, Curtains
Orfeh, Legally Blonde
Barbara Walsh, Company
Karen Ziemba, Curtains

Why wasn't The Pirate Queen nominated for Best Musical?! Just joshin'. Ouch. Barbara Walsh for Company; I didn't see it, but that's what I'm going with.

Outstanding Director of a Play
Declan Donnellan, Twelfth Night
Michael Grandage, Frost/Nixon
Doug Hughes, Inherit the Wind
Jack O'Brien, The Coast of Utopia
Ciarán O'Reilly, The Hairy Ape
Tom Ridgely, Marco Millions (based on lies)

Again, is their any doubt? Jack O'Brien navigated the epic waters of The Coast of Utopia, and the critics loved him for it. I really love how fluidly Michael Grandage keeps Frost/Nixon moving, however.

Outstanding Director of a Musical
John Doyle, Company
Thomas Kail, In the Heights
Michael Mayer, Spring Awakening
Jerry Mitchell, Legally Blonde
Harold Prince, LoveMusik
Alex Timbers, Gutenberg! The Musical!

Michael Mayer enthralled me with the whole young, angsty rocker motif he presents and stages so effortlessly in Spring Awakening. Also, a special shout out to Gutenberg!'s Timbers, for making me laugh my ass off.

Outstanding Choreography
Patricia Birch, LoveMusik
Andy Blankenbuehler, In the Heights
Matthew Bourne, Edward Scissorhands
Matthew Bourne and Stephen Mear, Mary Poppins
Bill T. Jones, Spring Awakening
Jerry Mitchell, Legally Blonde

Matthew Bourne and Stephen Mear for Mary Poopins. Yes, its a typo but I keeping it anyway. I do love how Jerry Mitchell has those Spring Awakening kids headbanging in that "Totally F*cked" number though!

Outstanding Music
John Kander, Curtains
Paul Leschen, Twist: Please, Sir, May I Have Some More?
Peter Melnick, Adrift in Macao
Lin-Manuel Miranda, In the Heights
Laurence O'Keefe and Nell Benjamin, Legally Blonde
Duncan Sheik, Spring Awakening

Duncan Sheik, you da man! I like you even more now then when you were on the pop charts. So haunting, so beautiful.

Outstanding Lyrics
Fred Ebb, with additional lyrics by Rupert Holmes and John Kander, Curtains
Lin-Manuel Miranda, In the Heights
Laurence O'Keefe and Nell Benjamin, Legally Blonde
Steven Sater, Spring Awakening
Bill Strauss, Elaina Newport and Mark Eaton, Capitol Steps
Scott Wittman and Marc Shaiman, Martin Short: Fame Becomes Me

Steven Sater you are a poet, m'man. I love how the lyrics in Spring Awakening are not strictly narrative, instead they delve into the subconcious and the gut.

Outstanding Book of a Musical
Scott Brown and Anthony King, Gutenberg! The Musical!
Julian Fellowes, Mary Poppins
Heather Hach, Legally Blonde
Rupert Holmes and Peter Stone, Curtains
Steven Sater, Spring Awakening
Alfred Uhry, LoveMusik

I want Gutenberg! to win this one, but Alfred Uhry could steal it. Scott Brown and Anthony King are comic geniuses though! A little Anti-Semitic girl? An "Old Black Narrator"? I mean, c'mon, that's hysterical!

Outstanding Music for a Play
Mark Bennett, The Coast of Utopia
Adam Cork, Frost/Nixon
Gerard McBurney, Oliver Twist
The Propeller Company, The Taming of the Shrew
Ray Rizzo, Adam Rapp and Lucas Papaelias, Essential Self-Defense
David Van Tieghem, Inherit the Wind

(Shrug.)

Outstanding Orchestrations
William David Brohn, Curtains
Mary-Mitchell Campbell, Company
Alex Lacamoire and Bill Sherman, In the Heights
Duncan Sheik, Spring Awakening
Jonathan Tunick, The Apple Tree
Jonathan Tunick, LoveMusik

I love how Duncan Sheik seems to select his instrumentation with so much care for maximum variety and effectiveness.

Outstanding Set Design of a Play
Bob Crowley and Scott Pask, The Coast of Utopia
David Gallo, Radio Golf
David Korins, Essential Self-Defense
David Korins, Jack Goes Boating
Garin Marschall, Hell House
Scott Pask, Blackbird

I loved David Korins's Essential Self-Defense set; it made me want to throw down on the wrestling mat! However, he could be splitting his own vote with a double nomination (the price for being brilliant). David Gallo's Radio Golf set was beautiful as well, but the most interesting part, the dilapadated house surrounding the Pittsburgh campaign headquarters, went unused.

Outstanding Set Design of a Musical
Beowulf Boritt, LoveMusik
Bob Crowley, Mary Poppins
Anna Louizos, Curtains
Anna Louizos, In the Heights
David Rockwell, Legally Blonde
Kris Stone, Brundibar/But the Giraffe

I will always love Beowulf Boritt for his name, and I'm sure his set is spectacular even though I don't know what it looks like. One of the best things Curtains has going for it is its set by Anna Louizos, however.

Outstanding Costume Design
Mara Blumenfeld, Lookingglass
AliceJudith Dolan, LoveMusik
William Ivey Long, Curtains
Santo Loquasto, Suddenly Last Summer
Robert Morgan, Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas! The Musical
Catherine Zuber, The Coast of Utopia

Hmm...Robert Morgan. He had to costume the Grinch, man! How cool is that?! Catherine Zuber might get it though for having her work cut out for her, coming up with designs for the massive cast of characters in Coast of Utopia.

Outstanding Lighting Design
Howell Binkley, LoveMusik
Maruti Evans, Blindness
Paul Gallo, Blackbird
Mark Jonathan, Prometheus Bound
Kenneth Posner, Brian MacDevitt, Natasha Katz, The Coast of Utopia
Japhy Weideman, Jack Goes Boating

I'm going to bet on the 3-headed monster known as KennethPosnerBrianMacDevittNatashaKatx for Coast of Utopia.

Outstanding Sound Design
Acme Sound Partners, In the Heights
Mark Bennett, The Coast of Utopia
Gregory Clarke, Journey's End
Duncan Robert Edwards, LoveMusik
Frank Gaeta, Dai (enough)
Richard Woodbury, Talk Radio

Hello? Talk Radio...? If it doesn't win, there is something terribly wrong in this industry.

Outstanding Solo Performance
Iris Bahr, Dai (enough)
Ed Harris, Wrecks
Capathia Jenkins, (mis)Understanding Mammy: The Hattie McDaniel Story
Anna Manahan, Sisters
Vanessa Redgrave, The Year of Magical Thinking
Nilaja Sun, No Child…

I have heard nothing but good things about Nilaja Sun in No Child...
The Year of Magical Thinking is a popular book though, and Vanessa Redgrave seems like a real up-and-comer! (insert irony here)

Unique Theatrical Experience
AbsintheAmajuba: Like Doves We Rise
BeBrundibar/But the Giraffe
Edward Scissorhands
Hell House

Hell House sounds unique and theatrical. I hope they bring it back for Halloween!

What are your picks? Lets start a pool!

Don't Be So Boring

2007-04-25T12:35:00.000-05:00

Barton of Vinyl Edition sent me this article from the UK's The Guardian, and I feel compelled to include it in its entirety. It's written by playwright Anthony Neilson and is a bit of a missive to young playwrights and playwrights in general. One of his essential points is that the Story is King, which is the major crux of Zootopia Theatre Company's mission statement and the reason I wanted to give producing new works a go in the first place.

Don't be so boring.

Theatre is irrelevant to most of the population; audiences have been drifting away for decades. What is to be done? Playwright Anthony Neilson has a suggestion...
Wednesday March 21, 2007
The Guardian

"I was part of a theatrical movement once. As with most movements, no one who was a part of it noticed anything moving at the time. I still wouldn't know if a journalist hadn't told me. "In-Yer-Face", it was called, which offended the more famous of my fellow movementarians, but I was just glad someone had noticed I was alive. As far as I can tell, In-Yer-Face was all about being horrid and writing about shit and buggery. I thought I was writing love stories.

Fifteen years on, there doesn't seem to have been another movement, so I thought I'd try to start one. Unfortunately, despite being pretty sure the next movement will be absurdist in nature, I couldn't think of a snappy name for it so I gave up on that. Then I thought I'd write a provocative Dogme-style manifesto, but I only came up with four rules, and I've already broken two of them in my new show. Then I thought I'd write Ten Commandments for young writers but a) that's a little pompous, and b) there's only one commandment worth a damn, and it's this: THOU SHALT NOT BORE.

Boring an audience is the one true sin in theatre. We've been boring audiences for decades now, and they've responded by slowly withdrawing their patronage. I don't care that the recent production of The Seagull at the Royal Court was sold out. To 95% of the population, the theatre(musicals aside for now) is an irrelevance. Of that 95%, we have managed to lure in maybe 10% at some point in their lives, and we've so swiftly and thoroughly bored them that they've never returned. They're not the ones who broke the contract. They paid their money and expected entertainment; we sent them back into the night feeling bored, bullied and baffled. So what are we doing wrong?

The most depressing response I encounter when I'm chatting someone up and I ask them if they ever go to the theatre is this: "I should go but I don't." That emphatic "should" tells you all you need to know. Imagine it in other contexts: "I should play Grand Theft Auto"; "I should watch Strictly Come Dancing." That"should" tells you that people see theatre-going not as entertainment but as self-improvement, and the critical/ academic establishment have to take some blame for that.

Many critics still believe theatre has a quasi-educational/political role;that a play posits an argument that the playwright then proves or disproves. It is in a critic's interest to propagate this idea because it makes criticism easier; one can agree or disagree with what they perceive to be the author's conclusion. It is not that a play cannot be quasi-educational, or even overtly political - just that debate should organically arise out of narrative. But this reductive notion persists and has infected playwriting root and branch.

I can't tell you how often I've asked an aspiring writer what they're working on, and they reply with something like: "I'm writing a play about racism." On further investigation, you find that this play has no story and they've been stuck on page 10 for the past year; yet they're still hell-bent on writing it. You can be fairly sure the play, should it ever be finished, will conclude that racism is a bad thing. The writer is not interested in exploring the traces of racism that may lie dormant within their psyche, nor in making the case for selective racism (just to be "provocative"). This is the writer using the play to project their preferred image of themselves; the ego intruding on art; the kind of literary posing that is fed by the idea of debate-led theatre. And if you think that example sounds naive, substitute the word "racism" with "George Bush" or "Iraq" or "New Labour". Sound familiar?

Newspapers, or news programmes, are the places for debates, not the theatre. The general public don't think: "Should I go to the theatre Friday, or that socio-political theory class?" Further education is not the competition. The pub is the competition, the cinema, a night in with a curry and a DVD. We are entertainers. What we do is not as important to society as brain surgery, or even refuse collection. But when the brain surgeon and the refuse collector finish work, they come to us and it is our job to entertain them - not necessarily just to distract them, but to stimulate, to refresh, to engage them. That's our place in the scheme of things, and it's a responsibility we should take seriously. To let our egos intrude is like the brain surgeon writing "Jake Was Here" on your frontal lobe before he puts your scalp back.

The way to circumvent ego (and thus reduce the risk of boring) is to make story our god. Find a story that interests you and tell it. Don't ask yourself why a story interests you; we can no more choose this than who we fall in love with. You may not be what you think you are - not as kind, as liberal, as original as you ought to be - and yes, the story (if you are true to it) will find that out. But while your attention is taken up with its mechanics, some truth may seep out, and that is the lifeblood of good, exciting art.

I'm not saying we should all be Terence Rattigan. The story you tell can be about anything, told in whatever form is most effective. But that brings me to my next point: accessibility.

To this day, I still leave plays wondering what on earth they were about. I used to feel stupid for not "getting it", but not any more, because this I know: it's the artist's failure, not mine.

It's not necessary that every audience member gets every level on which a play works (several, if it's good), but it's important that they've understood it, from moment to moment, while watching it. Little Red Riding Hood is completely understandable to five-year olds and yet academics are still writing papers on its deeper meanings. This profound simplicity is what all playwrights should aspire to. Not only does it render a play accessible (on at least a narrative level) to an inexperienced theatregoer, it also encourages the widest possible scope for interpretation. Much as it depresses me, as a living writer, that the theatre business is still so in thrall to dead playwrights, this narrative clarity is key to the classics' longevity.

So tell your story as you wish - but for God's sake, if it plays best as a linear narrative, don't tart it up for the sake of feeling innovative. There's no shame in a good story, well told. Contrary to the popular maxim, do think about your audience. Ask yourself if your non-theatre-going friends or relatives would at least get the gist of it. If they wouldn't, your work is not yet done. (That said, never compromise on the grounds of what they may be offended by. Truth is not always comfortable but a dishonest play is usually dull.)

Two asides. One, dialogue: there's a lot of poetic dialogue around. Sometimes a play is narratively accessible but the dialogue is mannered to the point of incomprehensibility. Some people like it, but I'm suspicious. Poetic dialogue, done badly, leaves no room for subtext. A lack of subtext is fundamentally undramatic. And boring.

And two, duration: many plays are far too long. All writers should be made to visit the venue where their play is to be performed and sit in the seats with a stopwatch. When your arse and spine start to sing, check the watch. That's your running time. Exceed it at your peril.

Now - musicals. Much as the synopsis of We Will Rock You sounds abysmal, it's pulling in more punters a night than some "serious" shows attract in a week. There's a dangerously dismissive response to this uncomfortable truth among many of my fellow practitioners, but it's not hard to figure out why this might be. Musical theatre offers song and dance, of course; a certain unpretentiousness; a tangible sense of"liveness"; magic; and, most importantly, spectacle.

It is time the "serious" theatre learns this lesson. We have to give the audiences what they can't get anywhere else. Debate they can get in a newspaper. Reality - well, they can get that on TV. We can offer them"liveness", but few plays, or productions, take advantage of this. Too many screenplays masquerading as plays and an over-reliance on mixed media have imbued the theatre with a heaviness it's not best suited to. Some may argue that technology is the key to spectacle, but most theatres can't compete with the West End technologically. The spectacle we can offer is the spectacle of imagination in flight. I've heard audiences gasp at turns of plot, at a location conjured by actors, at the shock of a truth being spoken, at the audacity of a moment. There is nothing more magical and nothing - nothing - less boring.

Oh, and if you can get a song or two in there, all the better."

Colossal Coram Boy

2007-04-20T10:38:00.000-05:00

If you are a director of the theatre, I urge you to go see Coram Boy at the Imperial Theatre. Perhaps it won't be your cup of tea, but you must admire the inspired staging. Melly Still (Director and Co-Designer) fluidly and evocatively navigates a cast and choir of 40 through a Dickensian world that is truly epic and theatrical. As a work, I preferred the first act to the slightly more maudlin and melodramatic second act, but the sheer fantastic scope and the use of choral voices and spectacular design makes this production a must see.

Spidey the Musical

2007-04-18T09:20:00.000-05:00

Got this from Rolling Stone Online:

"Bono and the Edge are apparently heading to Broadway to write the music and lyrics for a new musical based on Spiderman. The piece will be directed by Tony Award-winner Julie Taymor. Awesome. "

This along with the Flaming Lips Musical: Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots should make for quite an interesting season!

So a musical about the Web Slinger! Are they out of their spidey senses? Surely Ms. Taymor will have to incorporate some of that De La Guarda choreography that Tarzan usurped.

Do Bono and The Edge have what it takes to be the next Kander & Ebb? Hopefully they won't come up with the results that these guys did with another musicalized franchise.

Publicist

2007-04-17T13:05:00.001-05:00

Can anyone recommend a good publicist?

Master Thespians

2007-04-10T15:44:00.000-05:00

Recently, I've been lucky enough to see some truly brilliant performances, some master classes in acting, and they have inspired me to include this post:

Current Performances Every Actor Should See!

Liev Shreiber in Talk Radio (assisted by some very talented voice-over artists as callers who do anything but phone it in) virtually carries the entire weight of this production on his capable shoulders, and he does it with pure artistry. This is the first time I've ever seen Mr. Shreiber on stage (I missed Glengarry Glenn Ross to my chagrin), and he is a force. What this man can do with his voice is incredible. He sounds, looks, and acts purely authentic as a downward spiraling shock jock. It is as well-crafted and well-lived in a performance as you are likely to encounter on any stage anywhere. The play I'm only so so about, but I am ga ga about Liev.

Christine Ebersole in Grey Gardens has been giving, in my estimation, the finest musical theatre performance ever for a while now. Hurry up and give this woman her next Tony! She almost single-handedly overcomes an unremarkable first act as matron of the arts Edith Bouvier Beale, but her triumph comes in the much better second act as she channels "Little Edie" from the documentary. Every gesture and nuance of delivery is precise and funny and astounding; however the way she expresses Edie's dashed hopes in song is heartbreaking.

Kevin Spacey and Eve Best in Moon For the Misbegotten are giving this stirring revival its full due. The New York Times didn't seem to cotton to Mr. Spacey's brisk delivery, but I think he navigates Jim Tyrone's abrupt shifts with finesse and aplomb. Also, I appreciate the qualities of humor he mines out of what could be a relentlessly glum piece; the saving grace about the laughs he elicits are how hollow they ring when the audience realizes they are watching a drowned man. His James Tyrone has a bit of the salesman/performer, a bit of the misogynist, a bit of the lover, a bit of the spoiled child, and a bit of the ghost about him. Eve Best is nothing short of captivating. Her emotional honesty in charting Josie's doomed course of love is a sight to behold. Watch how Ms. Best takes on physical characteristics of a woman described as being larger than herself. She is the sun of this production and Kevin Spacey is the wild star that orbits her.

Frank Langella in Frost/Nixon may be giving the performance of his career as the only President in U.S. history to resign from his post. He is really that good, possibly my favorite performance of the year. (He might be tied with Liev Shreiber actually, but I like Frost/Nixon as a play better than Talk Radio.) Mr. Langella achieves the kind of feat Philip Seymour Hoffman did with Capote; he goes beyond effective mimicry and uncovers the soul of an enormously complicated, tortured, lonely man. By the end, you might actually feel sorry for Nixon; a possibility that might completely innervate some of his harshest critics.

Honorable Mentions

Paul Sparks in Essential Self Defense shows an unswerving commitment to his offbeat characterization of the automaton renegade Yul. Such commitment and fearlessness is to be admired.

Mary Louise Wilson in Grey Gardens is a study in patience. She has to wait through a whole act before she gets to show her stuff, but damn her corn is good! No second banana, her turn as the elder Edith Beale is half the reason Grey Gardens' 2nd Act is a tour de force!

You're So Vain

2007-04-04T10:14:00.000-05:00

A wink and a nod to Playgoer for this fascinating article on the big star names who help run and bring attention to their little companies.

Some of these celebrities, especially expatriate Mr. Spacey, have been criticized for their "vanity projects."

As a budding actor/artistic director, working to produce a play in which I will also perform, am I also leaving myself open for criticism? Of course, my career is no where near the league of a Mr. Spacey, Hoffman, Imperioli, or Daniels. Far from it. But is this shameless self promotion? Is it a vanity project?

I'd like to think that it isn't. After all, Zootopia Theatre Company has a mission that states our dedication to producing and promoting new plays and voices in the theatre. Plus, I would not be acting in this particular piece if I did not fit the role. But then I start to wonder, what attempt to create art isn't a vanity project? Vanity is a natural part of the actor's make-up and, arguably, any artist's as well. Aren't we all in it for selfish reasons, in varying degrees? At least in part? Even the studious playwright who slaves over a masterwork that will "save the world" does it because he/she is naturally ambitious, because of some inner motivation, and because it satisfies something in him/her to do it. Why would we go through the struggle if it didn't feel good or unless we stood something, however intangible, to gain?

So rock on you celebrities with your theatre companies! At least you are still championing the stages on which you were born!

Gag Reels

2007-04-03T10:02:00.000-05:00

"More like Handi-bust-a-cap-in-yo-ass!"

"Yes, if you must know, the carpet does match the drapes."

"This is exactly what it looks like."

"I want my Kibbles 'n' Bits 'n' Bits 'n Bits!"

Alt. Take: "Do I have someone stuck in my teeth?"

"Dude, where's my God?!"

Alt. Take: "Bros before Hos, my son! Bros...before...Hos!

“Excellent…now the creature is in a calm, submissive state. Do you have the tracking device ready? Good, good. Insert it gently into what appears to be the life form’s blowhole—careful, it tends to emit a noxious gas when threatened…”

Alt. Takes:

“Why do these things never come with instructions? I don’t see a “Slot A” anywhere do you?”

“Hypnotic, isn’t it? It’s as if it’s speaking a language only we can hear...”

Essential Self Defense

2007-04-02T14:58:00.000-05:00

I once had a theatre blog that attempted to write creative and interesting reviews. I stopped because it was exhausting and felt like more and more of a chore with each review I wrote.

Now that I have started my own theatre company, I am even less inclined to be a critic. However, I feel obligated to put down a few reactions to Essential Self Defense by Adam Rapp playing at Playwrights Horizons.

Adam Rapp has never bored me. He has frustrated me at times, but I have always found something to like in his plays, which are full of boldy imaginative stories and complex characters.

I loved reading Nocturne and Blackbird - less so Animals and Plants and Stone Cold Dead Serious.

Red Light Winter was the first production of his that I actually saw on stage. I loved the first act but had some problems with the second, especially the ending. I loved the performances, however, and his direction seemed strong.

The Edge Theater Company, of which he is resident playwright, has arguably presented more of his works than any other group and, along with Playwrights Horizon, they are giving Essential Self Defense the best production it is likely to ever get.

My impression is that Adam Rapp has written a surreal and quirky romantic comedy amidst a backdrop of fear. I think it may be the funniest script he has written; I laughed out loud countless times and at a Saturday matinee too. However, there is a darkness and a hurt in his inexplicably named city of Bloggs that taints the laughs.

I have heard great things about Paul Sparks and his performance does not disappoint. For me, his characterization of Yul channels an inspired hybrid of Bill Murray from Caddyshack and Dustin Hoffman from Rain Man. Heather Goldenhersh is his perfect foil. They really bring out the wounded hearts of their characters.

Sure the script seems a little messy and could use some tightening, but if you are willing to accept everything and go on the ride there is much to sweep you away.

Highlights: The design - set (I kept seeing blue gym mats), costumes (I want one of those protective yellow suits!) and lights all beautifully evoke this weird yet strangely familiar world. Paul Sparks will rock you with his autistic karaoke genius. The band will simply rock you. Kleig the Butcher's attempt to disguise himself plays like a brilliant little vaudeville exercise. And of course the roller skating sequence of dreams makes the heart sing.

A+ for Originality, Daring, and Committment.

Everest

2007-04-02T10:06:00.000-05:00

I was watching Iconoclasts On Demand yesterday, whiling the time away whilst my girlfriend and partner was building our show on smarttix. For anyone who hasn't seen this program, Iconoclasts basically throws together two celebrities of varying fields and lets them converse and visit each other in their various habitats. This particular show featured Quentin Tarantino and Fiona Apple.

I've previously thought of Quentin Tarantino as an amazingly talented jackass. While that may still be true, after watching him on Iconclasts, I've decided I really like him. He is genuinely passionate about what he does, and he doesn't give a fuck what anyone else thinks.

Several things he said stuck with me.

1. The difference between being an artist and a careerist. It seems clear, but I am still figuring this one out personally. One thing I am definitely sure of is that money and fame do not define an artist. However, what artist wouldn't want to make a career pursuing their art? I suppose the trick is to never confuse the two and to decide for yourself which one defines you. Quentin has the hindsight to look back and say, "I would have died to get the perfect shot for Reservoir Dogs. I would have died to get the shot I wanted for Pulp Fiction. I don't know if I would have died to get the shot for Jackie Brown."

2. Treasure and protect your amateur status. For me, this means never losing sight of what attracted me to the art in the first place. That is where the magic lies, that beautiful and pure innocence. Also, I think it means to never be afraid to shake things up. Dare to fail. Better to fall on your face and be interesting than to be technically perfect but dead inside.

3. Where's your Mt. Everest? For Quentin, his Mt. Everest was the Kill Bill saga. He had never attempted anything of that scope before and was exhausted afterwards. Now, he is working on a WWII movie (I believe - Inglorious Bastards) and talked about running into Francis Ford Coppola's wife. He told her his new project would be like climbing Mt. Everest a second time, and he wasn't completely sure he wanted to climb that juggernaut again. She said to him, "Go ahead and climb your Everest; in 15 years you might not be able to."

How many Everests do you have in you, Stage Climber?

Here's the first.