by Karen Tortora-Lee on August 16, 2010
I hadn’t intended to see Ruby Wilder, but boy am I glad that I mistakenly stood in front of the wrong theatre for 20 minutes waiting for my show to begin; it gave me an opportunity to meet and chat with a terrific new talent – Eric Hoff – who I hope I can interview in the future. Turns out, missing my show was fortuitous because it led me right to the unique, eerie, funny, sleazy, rip-roaring world of Ruby Wilder. And what a world that is.
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by Karen Tortora-Lee on August 16, 2010
Cast of Macbeth (photo by Ben Strothmann)
This may not be a popular theory, but I always felt that if Shakespeare were alive today and writing this Scottish play the plot might very well be the same . . . but the title would be Lady Macbeth and the emphasis would be completely different. For without the devious, devilish, deliciously deceitful Lady at his side Macbeth would be just another Hamlet, wandering about the castle wondering when his future was ever going to relieve him of his everlasting present.
Director Will Le Vasseur has done two things with Redd Tale Theatre Company’s Macbeth that I applaud him for. One, he’s “tightly edited” the original Shakespeare in ways that leave the story in tact while still getting the audience back on their feet before numbness sets in. However, the bigger triumph lies with point two. What Le Vasseur has done here – which I have yet to see done in other productions – is give this traditionally male-dominated Shakespearean Tale to the women. He’s managed to make a Feminist Macbeth. Now if I could only lobby to get him to change the title . . .
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by Karen Tortora-Lee on August 14, 2010
We couldn’t let this month go by without offering a very special Fringe Edition of The Happiest Medium Giveaway. So even thought we already gave away tickets this month – we’re doing it again!
After graciously doing an interview, the team at Banshee of Bainbridge has offered to dontate 2 tix to some lucky winners.
Here’s all you have to do – answer the question correctly and the first person to reply to giveaways@thehappiestmedium.com will win (it’s usually a random drawing, but this is time sensitive!)
Q – What does the “bainbridge” in Banshee of Bainbridge refer to?
(Find the answer in the interview we did earlier this week).
First to answer gets a pair of tix to the performance of their choice at the Robert Moss Theater /440 Lafayette, NYC:
- Monday August 16th at 9:15 pm
- Saturday August 21st at 12 pm
- Sunday August 22nd at 6:30 pm
- Friday August 27th at 3:45 pm
See Contest Guidelines HERE.
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by Karen Tortora-Lee on August 13, 2010
Carol Carpenter
The Happiest Medium was honored to be a Media Partner of the 2010 Planet Connections Festivities. Not only did we, as a team, get to interview some of the most talented writers and directors than any festival (or festivity for that matter) has to offer, but we made some lasting connections. One of them is Carol Carpenter – writer of the play Good Lonely People which was also directed by our wonderful staff contributor, Diánna Martin. Carol was not only nominated for her work but also won! We were thrilled to be able to celebrate this night with her – and I’m honored that she took some time to sit down and tell us what this time in her life has been like. Surprisingly, it’s been an unexpected path . . .
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by Karen Tortora-Lee on August 13, 2010
We take our festivals very seriously around here, in case you hadn’t noticed. Show me a festival and I’ll show you a THM contributor sitting front and center, scribbling furiously in the dark. But there’s no denying, there’s a festival, and then there’s the Fringe Festival – the one we all wait for . . . artists and reviews alike!
Fringe 2010 should already be on your radar but if, for whatever reason, you’ve let it get this late without making a Fringe plan, fear not! We’ve got you covered! Our diligent THM staff - though small – will be going all out to give you the scoop on as many shows as we can physically attend (if only we could be in two places at once!)
Here are the shows we plan on reviewing – hope to see you at one, some or all of them!
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by Karen Tortora-Lee on August 12, 2010
We’re very lucky here, at The Happiest Medium, to have such talented contributors. Our very own Diánna Martin is on a roll – having just directed Good Lonely People for The Planet Connections Festivity she now is working with Jim Tierney’s gritty, gripping play, Banshee of Bainbridge, which will be part of this year’s Fringe Festival. I was lucky enough to read this script and can only say that I was amazed – and can’t wait to see the show come to life.
I got a chance to find out a little bit more about what it feels like to be a part of Fringe, what Banshees are doing in the Bronx, and why the 1980s made for a lot of waiting around . . .
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by Karen Tortora-Lee on August 11, 2010
If the name Mae West means nothing to you, then you should come up and see me some time . . . and I’ll fill you in. My knowledge of this woman – her life, her career, her philosophy – is so encyclopedic that a friend once suggested I teach a college course on her.
It’s been thirty years since her death but I can remember the details as if it were yesterday. True, I was just a child, but the effect she’d had on my short life at that point was already indelible and I morned her death on Nov 22, 1980 with as much grief as the rest of the world morned John Lennon just a few weeks later.
But like so many iconic celebrities, Mae West continues to live on and on . . . as evidenced by the stronghold her image still has on pop culture. In fact, there’s going to be a Mae West Birthday Bash happening this upcoming weekend, hosted by The Gaudy Girls! I got a chance to chat about Mae, Sophie Tucker, the joys of celebrating strong women, and the importance of keeping the torch going when I caught up with Maggie Worsdale who embodies Sophie Tucker (“The Last of the Red Hot Mamas!”) and Anne Marie Finnie who channels Mae West. Together, they are The Gaudy Girls.
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by Karen Tortora-Lee on August 10, 2010
Take a cross dressing princess who woos everyone in her path in order to be with her true love, add a philosopher whose cerebral journey allows no room for romance, mix in his spinster sister who’s been shut away in a lonely compound full of men but with no opportunity, throw in a young man whose throne has been stolen from his family and who’s been raised to think women are the enemy, drizzle it all with the broad antics of comedic sidekicks and what do you get? Pierre Carlet de Chamblain de Marivaux’s farce Triumph of Love . . . written in 1737. But don’t let the 300 year old time stamp deter you - Redd Tale Theatre company has a new adaptation in store for audiences, with a new translation by Virginie Maries and a bit of a sci fi twist as well, courtesy of director (and adapter) Will Le Vasseur.
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by Karen Tortora-Lee on July 30, 2010
Bill Connington as Oedipus (photo by Beau Allulli)
When looking for a quote to use as a title for this fantastic interview you’re about to read I had so many, many wonderful choices. Ultimately I went with a more benign line from the Megadeath song but I urge you to check out the Alice Cooper ode to the dark one as well as the more contemplative song brought to us by the Indigo Girls. Maybe even play it in the background to set the tone as you settle in to read my interview with Rachel Klein and Bill Connington.
If those names sound familiar it may be because Rachel Klein has done amazing work with shows like All Kinds of Shifty Villains and Go-Go Killers! while Bill Connington garnered raves in Fringe ’08 with Zombie. Ms. Klein now teams up with Mr. Connington to not only direct a show he has written and is performing in, but to create dance and movement pieces for it as well. I got a chance to chat with Klein and Connington about their new collaboration, Princes of Darkness, and hear first hand about good and evil, how go-go dancing can still be dystopian, and how, often, a Jesuit education will lead to raising children who write shows starring Lucifer.
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by Karen Tortora-Lee on July 30, 2010
THE CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED – BUT YOU CAN STILL CHECK OUT THE SHOW!
The Happiest Medium Giveaway is on a wedding-themed roll . . . Last month we offered you An Ideal Husband, this month we offer you a Honeymoon! Okay, again, it’s not a REAL Honeymoon – and actually, it’s an Unfortunate one . . . The Unfortunate Honeymoon of Tony and Steve. But come on – everyone knows how much fun it is to laugh at other’s misfortune and what could be funnier than this . . .
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