Archive for May, 2010
Broadway is big business in NYC. It attracts millions of people a day, and in recent months has attracted some ne’erdowells as well. In both instances, the police were on the scene serving and protecting the public.
In honor of their valiant efforts, according to Crain’s, the Midtown North and Midtown South precincts will be honored with a special TONY Honor for Excellence in Theatre.
It’s nice to know credit is being given where credit is due.
–Sue
May 17th, 2010
I realized today, at the prospect of sharing another few pages of a work in progress with a group of my peers, that in addition to time, determination, ambition, faith… what it takes to be any kind of artist and put one’s work out in the world, it takes nerve.
For a short while earlier today, I felt like I had lost mine… and it was a hard place to be in.
I think the only way to get it back is to just put my work out there… the worst that can happen is that I have to go back and do it again… as I’ve done for years.
It’s a tender balance that I’m constantly trying to strike.
–Sue
May 14th, 2010
Paul Simon with original stars of "The Capeman": Ruben Blades, Ednita Nazario & Marc Anthony
Paul Simon is a genius.
There, I put it out there, and I think most would people would have to agree. He redefined music in so many ways… from his days with Art Garfunkel, to his days with Ladysmith Black Mambazo.
He tried redefining Broadway with Capeman more than ten years ago, and possibly for the first time, tasted defeat.
Well, it seems Paul will be getting a second chance, according to Broadway.com:
The Public Theater will present a new free concert version of The Capeman at the Delacorte Theater, set to play just three performances between August 14 and August 16… Free tickets for the performances will be distributed the day of the show.
I’ve always been a huge Paul Simon fan, and have always wondered about this show… I guess I don’t have to wonder any more come August…
See you at the show!
–Sue
May 13th, 2010
There are so many wonderful websites devoted to Broadway and theatre in general. One such site is Broadway.com. They offer news, deals, and even gift certificates — truly a one stop shop! To celebrate their tenth birthday, they’ve compiled a list of the ten biggest trends of the last decade.
It was a wonderful trip down memory lane, having seen some of the shows mentioned… and it also made me wish I caught others.
Enjoy!
–Sue
May 12th, 2010
The thing about working from home, on my own, without deadlines or anyone assigning “projects” is that I get to decide when I work on a piece.
Sometimes, its an internal desire… sometimes, the universe gives me signs.
Scott quoted a line from a piece very dear to my heart the other day, and I realized that I miss that show. It’s 85-90% there, but I still need to work on it a bit.
I found myself talking about the play to someone else in conversation, literally a day later…
I realized after that conversation that it’s time to go back into the room with this one. I’ve had enough time away from it… and I think I can get back to it with the fresh eyes I need to get it to the finish line.
–Sue
May 11th, 2010
There’s been a lot of blow-back from an article published on April 26th on Newsweek.com entitled “Straight Jacket“. Its author alleges that openly gay actors can’t “get away with” playing “straight.” He cites Sean Hayes and Jonathan Groff as examples.
Kristin Chenoweth, in her two part response, calls the author to the mat… being the one on stage each night with Hayes, seeing hundreds of theatergoers watch him happily night after night, and applauding him for his recent nomination for the role.
If you read her comments, read the other comments from ‘regular folks’ too… because it’s obvious she’s not the only one upset here. It’s upsetting to me not only because of my deep admiration for actors and their craft, having been fortunate enough to be a part of the process and witnessing them bring my characters to life, it’s also upsetting as a writer. Someone could easily come along and extend this stupid argument to writers, saying we can’t write any other character than who we are as people? Remember Moonstruck? About the Italian family… with Cher and Olympia Dukakis? Know who wrote that? A playwright named John Patrick Shanley. You can’t get more Irish than that, can you? But you’d never know it watching the movie.
The playwright who has written some of the most beautiful roles for women in theatre, Tennessee Williams, was a gay man. And though he may have been effeminate, he was still very much a MAN (with working man parts and everything).
Some might say Newsweek could be loving this, with all the buzz this article been generating, but it just makes that news organization seem irresponsible for publishing such nonsense and like an irrelevant joke… Not the buzz you really want to be generating in an era when newspapers are going the way of the do-do.
The best thing about theatre, as Chenoweth herself stated, is its transformative and open ended nature. Hopefully, we can drown out those who are too close minded to appreciate the beauty and magic of a dark theatre and a spot light.
–Sue
May 10th, 2010
Fred Armisen as Governor Paterson
I’m sure many of you have seen the SNL parodies of Governor Paterson. They don’t paint the most flattering picture. Well, the real life governor seems to be less with it than they portray in the skits… as he’s not only proposing taxing juice drinks we buy in the supermarket, he’s decided to slash (as in slash and burn — he’s looking at a 40% cut) NY state arts funding.
It’s not only NYC that would suffer, but a lot of the smaller communities all around the state would either lose some or all of the non-profit organizations they rely on as cultural institutions.
Some politicians somehow feel the arts are just something “extra”… They don’t realize the arts are a necessary part of keeping communities vital and united. Self expression is one of the most sacred rights we hold dear in this country. It was our founding fathers (and mothers) who fought for this. Art, whether it’s theatre or dance, is one of the most basic, creative, and cathartic outlets of expression. Live performance also meets a very necessary function in our continually fractured communities… it gives us an event and place to meet and congregate IN PERSON as a community in a non religious way.
I know the budget is in trouble, but this seems like robbing Peter to pay Paul… the problem is, we’re both Peter and Paul — and in the end, we will all pay dearly to make Paterson’s numbers “work.”
–Sue
May 7th, 2010
I don’t watch much television… but I’ve recently stumbled upon the most compelling and deeply moving drama on Television — Hoarding: Buried Alive.
Two homes, two afflicted souls, are visited in each episode. Without judgment, the camera pans room after room filled to the brim with bric-a-brac and broken memories. At the root of each person’s affliction and obsession is the kernel of a painful memory or association. And mid show, we usually find out the moment in time these people fell down the rabbit hole. I watch to find out these people’s stories.
But it’s not only their stories (which are so often painful and loaded with anger, frustration, and helplessness), it’s watching them overcome their illnesses to triumph. To see them get in touch with something healthier in themselves, that’s been there all along. And to finally be able to relate and connect with others again.
If you haven’t seen it, you may want to tune in… just be warned that it’s a lot to take in, and once you start watching, it’s all too easy to get pulled in. Thankfully, the sense of catharsis and triumph for these people makes it all worth it.
–Sue
May 6th, 2010
I admit, I haven’t seen it yet, but I have no doubt I’ll have an opportunity to see it one of these days… It’s a show that’s been around for decades, playing in venues across the country, The Fantasticks. I even have a book written about the show that a friend gave me a while back. An article in the Times revealed that not only have all of the investors (some of whom bought parts of a share for less than 85 dollars) recouped their original investments, they made thousands of dollars throughout the years, helping them buy homes and send children to college. The funniest part is, it’s a simple show… really simple — which is surely a huge part of its success (easily mountable). Maybe there’s a lesson here for the rest of us…
–Sue
May 5th, 2010
Yesterday I was wondering what the TONY Awards nominations will shake out like…
The nominations were released today. To see who got the nods, click here.
There are some surprises… but a continuing trend of star powered shows and nominations for those leading Hollywood alums was not so much a surprise, as it is a confirmation of how deeply entrenched in Broadway this practice has become.
Hopefully, Broadway will “Shine” as the tagline on the TONY website promises. I’ll be tuning in on June 13th to find out…
–Sue
May 4th, 2010
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