by The Happiest Medium on November 2, 2009
The next Improv Jam will be with IMPROVOLUTION’S finest!
A night of improvised games, scenes, long form, instant characters, experimental theater…and more fun fun fun!
Starring:
Holly Mandel * Anthony Minto * Darrin Giglio * Orli Ben-Dor * Radhika Vaz * TJ Kenneally * Paul Pinizzotto * David Frenkiel * Barry Sacker * Mike Drummey
Directed by: Holly Mandel
- – -
Producers Club
358 W 44th St / 9th Ave
Friday November 6 at 8:00pm
$7
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by K. B. Abele on November 1, 2009
Walking into a packed theatre at 4:00 in the afternoon on a Wednesday is a bit like an out-of-body experience. Arriving half an hour early, and still vying for a decent seat, is not something that happens often at a Brooklyn theatre. But that is exactly what happened to me this afternoon.
Michael Jackson’s This is It opened today and people around the world seem to have responded. The limited theatrical release time frame of two weeks was a genius move on the part of producers–probably a direct idea of director Kenny Ortega, the mastermind behind Disney’s mega trilogy High School Musical, gearing off the premise set by the Hannah Montana: Best of Both Worlds concert film.
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by Karen Tortora-Lee on October 31, 2009
War is a difficult thing to understand, let alone encapsulate no matter which military conflict is the focus. This is probably why each generation has seen its share of movies exploring war, its heroes, its casualties on the battlefield (and at home) and its paradigm which sends strangers on a journey that brings them out the other end as something we have yet to find a word for, so “brothers” tends to suffice.
As society and even combat itself evolves it leaves it almost impossible to weave a parallel between, let’s say, a WWII Vet and a Vietnam Vet. But what hasn’t changed is the core of the men who fight to defend their country: there are stories attached to each soldier who serves, there are hidden injuries that destroy families who appear whole and subtle innuendos that tie these men to each other that outsiders can never understand. When these “outsiders” turn out to be their own families, well … then the conflict to home can almost do more damage than any tour of duty.
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by Karen Tortora-Lee on October 30, 2009
The Man and The Music - Charles Strouse
Charles Strouse isn’t a name that immediately rings a bell with most people the way, say, Andrew Lloyd Webber does. If you say “the great musical composer, Charles Strouse” people don’t go “Ahhhh, right, of course”. But mention some of his iconic songs and right away the “wow, I didn’t know he wrote that“s and “seriously, that was him?“s come rolling in. So, for those of you who don’t know and need me to hum a few bars …
… Once upon a time a girl with moonlight in her eyes / Put her hand in mine and said she loved me so …
No? Not yet? How about
… Grey skies are gonna clear up, put on a happy face! / Brush off the clouds and cheer up, put on a happy face!
Warmer? Well you’ve gotta know this one …
… Boy the way Glenn Miller played / Songs that made the Hit Parade / Guys like us we had it made … those were the days
Yeah? Starting to come together? Want the big finish?
… Tomorrow! Tomorrow! I love ya, tomorrow! You’ll always a day away!
OHHHHH! THAT’S Charles Strouse! Yes … THAT’s Charles Strouse, writer of musicals such as Bye, Bye, Birdie, Annie, Applause and composer of movie scores and TV scores like “All in the Family”. With writing partner Lee Adams he penned half a dozen musicals, and even after that collaboration ended he went on to create a half dozen more with other lyricists (most notably one of my 2nd favorte Muscial Theatre Stephens after Sondheim — Stehen Schwartz for RAGS).
… Once upon a time a girl with moonlight in her eyes / Put her hand in mine and said she loved me so …
No? Not yet? How about
… Grey skies are gonna clear up, put on a happy face! / Brush off the clouds and cheer up, put on a happy face!
Warmer? Well you’ve gotta know this one …
… Boy the way Glenn Miller played / Songs that made the Hit Parade / Guys like us we had it made … those were the days!
Yeah? Starting to come together? Want the big finish?
… Tomorrow! Tomorrow! I love ya, tomorrow! You’re always a day away!
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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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by Antonio Miniño on October 30, 2009
Ever walk by a store, look at their window display and wonder … who would wear that?
If you don’t, you are missing out on much needed imagination aerobics. And if your excuse is lack of time, this is the perfect distraction to smell the non-existent 5th Avenue flowers. I’m uniting my love for photography and fashion in “The Wo(Man) In The Window”, a fictional non-factional profile.
Vera Wang (©Antonio Minino)
Name: Kristen Carpenter
Occupation: News Writer for NBC
Age: Don’t ask don’t tell
Zodiac: Capricorn
Favorite Restaurant: Chocolate Maven in Santa Fe, NM
Longs for: A good night’s sleep
Fears: That her fiancee will find out she is a workaholic
Beliefs: Her faith is structure
Where is she going: Her second wedding
Dress from Vera Wang.
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by Antonio Miniño on October 30, 2009
Victor L. Cahn’s new play Embraceable Me at Theatre Row’s Kirk Theatre is attempting to be a tennis match of the sexes where Allison (Keira Naughton) is your egocentric, focused, determined woman, whilst Edward (Scott Barrow) is shy, mousy, and amazing at what he does, which Allison uses to further herself during college and ever after. You wouldn’t think these two would develop a romance together, but they do. And what could have been a flavorful “who would have thought” love story, never catches our fancy due to the underdevelopment of these characters. There is no indication as to why these two belong together.
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by Antonio Miniño on October 29, 2009
If you’ve been on the other side of the table in an audition room, you know what it is like to see actors use the same monologues over and over and over, and dare I say over again … therefore I encourage any actor to search for new material, and not be afraid of using unpublished work. Not only will you grab our attention, but you will help showcase an unknown playwright. It’s much better to have a casting director say “Where is that from? What a great piece!?”, than “Thanks for your time . . . we’ll let you know“.
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by Karen Tortora-Lee on October 29, 2009
I have to admit, I didn’t get to see Coraline The Movie when it was playing, mainly because I cover so much theatre that I just don’t get a chance to get out to the movies as much as I used to. But apparently the movie’s director Henry Selick wants to change all that — becuae he’s hitting the pavement in November and seems to be making the rounds specifically for me with not one but TWO different events aimed for the type of person who doesn’t just like to see a movie, but likes to delve in and get the backstory.
If you’re more interested in a screening of Coraline then this choice is for you:
Coraline
With writer/director Henry Selick in person
Thursday, November 19, 7:30 p.m.
Directors Guild Theatre, 110 West 57 Street, Manhattan
2009, 100 mins. Focus Features. Presented in Dolby Digital 3-D. Directed by Henry Selick. With the voices of Dakota Fanning, Teri Hatcher, Ian McShane. Selick adapts Neil Gaiman’s book about a girl who is bored in her new home until she discovers a door and finds an alternative version of her life on the other side. Film critic A.O. Scott wrote in The New York Times that Coraline “lingers in an atmosphere that is creepy, wonderfully strange and full of feeling.”
Call 718.784.4520 to make your reservation.
However, if Mr. Selick himself seems facinating to you, then set your clock one day earlier, and head downtown (not up) to:
AN EVENING WITH HENRY SELICK
Wednesday, November 18, at 7:00 p.m.
Crosby Street Hotel, 79 Crosby Street (between Spring and Prince)
Henry Selick will discuss his career and show clips from his films, including Coraline, The Nightmare Before Christmas, and James and the Giant Peach, in a discussion moderated by Chief Curator David Schwartz. Selick’s work is characterized by its emotional and textural richness, and by its adherence to the physicality and hand-made quality of stop-motion animation.
Order online or call 718.784.4520.
I have to admit, I didn’t get to see Coraline (the movie) when it was playing –mainly because I cover so much theatre that I just don’t get a chance to get out to the movies as much as I used to [I unfortunately missed MCC Theater's production of Coraline the Musical as well. Sheesh!]. But apparently the movie’s director Henry Selick wants to change all that — because he’s hitting the pavement in November and seems to be making the rounds specifically for me with not one but TWO different events aimed for the type of person who doesn’t just like to see a movie, but likes to delve in and get the back story.
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by Karen Tortora-Lee on October 29, 2009
In the early part of the century (yes, that would be the year 2000) I became fascinated with Lidia Bastianich and made a point of telling everyone that I wanted to go to her restaurant, Felidia (243 E. 58th New York, NY 10022).
People tend to like me (what can I say?) so everyone made a point of trying to get reservations there. When I went for lunch with some co-workers my boss asked if Lidia was around and would she sign a cookbook? We were told that Lidia was back in her office, but the book was sent back there and arrived at our table at the end of the meal autographed, with a personal inscription, wrapped in tissue paper. We were thrilled.
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