by Diánna Martin on February 12, 2010
Kristen Vaughan as Zelda and Montgomery Sutton as Edouard
When Clothes for a Summer Hotel premiered in New York City in 1980, the world wasn’t quite able to wrap their mind around the play. It closed after 15 performances and was Tennessee Williams’ last Broadway production. With a myriad of plays that changed the face of modern theatre across the world, winning everything from a Pulitzer Prize (twice) to a Tony Award, one would think the man would have been given a little artistic license. Alas, no. People were not ready for this “Ghost Play”; and the fact that it’s been re-mounted in New York City only one other time since its original opening is a testament to the stigma surrounding it. It’s a play that is very tricky to pull off properly, and I’m still not sure if White Horse Theatre Company was able to do that.
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by Diánna Martin on January 15, 2010
Tea, Anyone? (Photo courtesy of Screenrant.com)
I’m very excited about Tim Burton’s new take on Alice In Wonderland. I honestly can’t think of anyone else who could bring the tale to the screen and give it that surreal (read: trippy) quality that it properly deserves. The cast is amazing and includes Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter, Mia Wasikowska, Stephen Fry, Crispin Glover, Anne Hathaway, Christopher Lee, Matt Lucas, Alan Rickman, and Michael Sheen. I’m about as excited to see Rickman as the Caterpillar as I am Depp as The Mad Hatter! (“Whoooo Are Yooooou?” lol)
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by Diánna Martin on November 8, 2009
Peter Sabri
Ah, New York is not as big a place as one would think. At least not when it comes to theatre – sometimes, you can meet interesting actors, directors, and producers by walking across the hall in your building.
My neighbor and dear friend asked me to join him for an evening of theatre sometime last year. “My nephew is in this great play – you should meet him, he’s into theatre like you!” he said happily. Little did I know that my friend (who’s name is also Peter – I wonder how many of them are in the clan) was taking me to a wonderful staged reading of Visiting Mr. Green starring Eli Wallach and Peter Sabri…his nephew. As I watched this young man share the stage with one of the most legendary actors of the 20th century, I was impressed with his work and his craft; he made interesting choices, was a joy to watch and the reading was beautiful, heartfelt and heartbreaking.
Upon hearing he was in Penang, a war drama by James L. Larocca, I was thrilled to see him working again, amused by the “Wow, it’s a small world” thought that went through my head, and eager to talk to Peter about his experiences working on this show that earned him a nomination at the 2008 Midtown International Theatre Festival, one of five that the show received. Now, brought back by Madison Street and Boo-Arts Productions, he has a chance to work again on a piece that is an intense drama whose tagline is: In war the only thing that matters is the guy next to you.
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by Diánna Martin on November 3, 2009
Gowan Campbell, Stewart Walker, & Lisa Blankenship
In a time when one goes to theatre and dramatic sets are used to make up for mediocre acting so that something kind will at least be said in the review, the first thought that I had when taking my seat at Folding Chair Classical Theatre’s production of The Duchess of Malfi was one of confusion. Were they really set up? Where was the set? A bare stage with minimal spotlights?
Boy, was I in for a treat. Let me say up front that this was a great production – but I had to first get into the mindset, because I honestly was not prepared for what I actually consider to be the true test for actors: can you do the show and move the audience just being up there with nothing but yourselves? And I was very happy to find out that with this company, the answer is YES.
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by Diánna Martin on October 30, 2009
Next Year In Jerusalem - Elyse Mirto and Jake Robards
Halloween is a fun time to dress up and party, but this year I am doing something WAY cooler: I’m doing what I adore, which is seeing theatre. And what makes this so special is that I am catching the final performance of Next Year In Jersusalem by award-winning playwright Dana Leslie Goldstein.
One of the things that makes me super happy about it? It’s starring Elyse Mirto, who won the award for 2009 Outstanding Actress in a Lead Role at the New York Innovative Theatre Awards this year for her role in Any Day Now (and it was one of my favorite shows of the year – I loved her performance), and deals with how a family’s heritage and one man’s life’s struggles for a better future for his daughters can sometimes be so difficult emotionally for everyone.
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