Come to the Cabaret!

Hello Friends! Happy April Fools Day!

Lacking plans for the evening? Like mischeif, music, and merriment?

Come to the Theatre Building at 7:30 for Point of Contention’s motley miscast cabaret, APRIL ANTICS! Come see us play roles we were BORN to play – but no one in their right minds would EVER cast us as! Featuring songs and scenes from Chicago, The Music Man, Spring Awakening, Shakespeare, Side Show, Mamet, and more!

Tickets are $10 and available at the door– or at
http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/59740

(For the CTA riders out there — #77 Belmont Bus, or the Belmont Red/Purple/Brown lines are right down the street.)

Huzzah for Showtunes and Gender-Bending!

Recap: World Theatre Day 2009

Going back a few days -

World Theatre Day was Friday, March 27th.

Uniting all the world’s theatre artists for a day of celebration is a fantastic idea, and Eric and I decided to attend a performance AND the Chicago-area World Theatre Day after-party to join up and celebrate.

Since the party was to be held at the Chopin theatre, we got tickets to the House Theatre’s production of THE ROSE AND THE RIME, which was playing in the same building. I’d heard awesome things about past House Theatre shows, but had never seen one for myself – I was awestruck.

ROSE/RIME is simply the most beautifully done show I have seen on any stage in Chicago theatre.  Carolyn Defrin, as Rose – the young girl who decides to end the perpetual winter in Radio Falls, Michigan by embarking on a journey to slay the Rime witch – is a master of physical comedy and also an all-around superb actress. She is ably supported by a stellar cast I would love to single out, but I don’t have a program and there is no info on the website. I did recognize Dana Tretta amongst the cast, and she’s a show-stealer. The show has magic, music, dance, acrobatics, and a whole lot of heart. I absolutely loved it.

Post-show, the Chopin theatre became a mass of theatre-fans and makers who had a thoroughly merry time drinking and networking on both levels of the Chopin theatre. Eric and I ran into several of our all-time favorite people: Betsy and Will Morgan (Betsy was in charge of bouncing people off one of the sets of a show playing at the Chopin – and got hit on by an older man who within about four minutes told her he was a director, asked if she was married, and told her to watch out for his book…mhmmm) and Mr. Scott Cupper, from POC’s production of Radium Girls.

All in all, it was a lovely time and I’m super glad I went.

Theatre and Wine makes EVERYONE happy.

Support the arts. Go see live theatre.

The wonder of the West Side..

I am a Broadway musical nerd who has, of late, been rather bored by the musicals on Broadway (except for a passionate and enduring romance with LEGALLY BLONDE: THE MUSICAL – Don’t judge me – that resulted in some of my favorite songs to run to of all time) and saw nothing to look forward to.

I had heard of the revival of WEST SIDE STORY coming back to Broadway, which is always exciting. If nothing else, one of the best scores of all time would be given another shot at light.

There are moments in musicals that chill me each time I hear them. Carolee Carmello’s “..at all!” near the end of “All the Wasted Time” from PARADE, Marin Mazzi’s “..we can never go baaaaaaaack.. to before” from RAGTIME.. Most everything Alice Ripley and Emily Skinner do on the original cast recording of SIDE SHOW… but my all-time favorite note in a musical is from WEST SIDE STORY.

The note (which I’m 99% sure is a B-sharp? Who knows?) comes toward the end of “Maria,” Tony’s giant sweeping love aria. Many times, performers playing Tony don’t even try for the note. John Barrowman, who does the song in concert often, used to.. but no more.

So, when scouring youtube for cough*bootlegs*cough, I was delighted and thrilled to find out that Matt Cavenaugh (who, by the by, I saw as Jimmy in the National Tour of THOROUGHLY MODERN MILLIE) not only takes the note, but extends it.. I nearly fainted.

You have to hear this. 

[Go from the 1:40 mark.. You'll know which note I'm talking about.]

Also, while we’re talking about why this revival probably rocks.

Karen Olivo as Anita.

The Cherry Orchard @ Strawdog Theatre Company

http://www.strawdog.org/index.php?section=history&production=cherryorchard

Strawdog Theatre Company’s production of Anton Chekhov’s The Cherry Orchard is gorgeous.

Simply, every little detail of the production, directed by Kimberly Senior, has been paid attention to. The set is a literal cherry orchard, with beautifu pink blossoms and dusty blue walls that easily transport the audience to Russia In 1904.  Enormous kudos to Anders Jacobson for his stunning set design, Sean Mallary for the lovely lights, and Mikhail Fiksel for the detailed and perfect sound design.

The cast (a talented group of Strawdog ensemble members and not) are a beautiful collection of people who are each inhabiting their characters in exciting ways.  Jennifer Avery, as the nearing-a-breakdown family matriarch known in this translation as “Lovey,” is all things fragile and switches gears from laughter to agony like a small child. Surrounding her are her endlessly talking brother (played with great charm by Tom Hickey), her daughters (played by the gorgeous Rebecca Buller and the spellbinding Michaela Petro- who’s Verya might be the showstealer) and a wacky – in the Chekhovian sense – cast of butlers, servants, businessmen, and neighbors.  Standouts among this motley crew include Jamie Vann as Lopakin (who’s parents were servants on the land but who has now grown rich), Sean Sinitsi as a slightly narcoleptic man seemingly always in need of a new extra rubles, and the utterly fantastic Jeff Bruce as Firs, the elderly butler who just wants to get his master dressed – and steals scenes with nearly every entrance.

Director Kimberly Senior does lovely things with the interesting and challenging Strawdog performance space, and her actors move efficiently and flowingly through the months of the play.  Though moments of the translation (by Curt Columbus) seemed unable to decide whether this version was modern or more classical, Senior made every piece of the puzzle fit.

While I’m a fan of Chekhov, The Cherry Orchard is not one of my favorite of his plays – I sometimes find it muddled and it has several characters that are difficult to become interested or invested in. 

That said, I admire the good and talented folks at Strawdog for getting a good deal of things very, very right with their production. It would be a lovely beginners course in why Anton Chekhov is revered, and a good primer on making lovely, endearing theatre.

Rehearsal Blog: Cold Weather Comfort

Putting a new work on it’s feet is not always easy.

When a script hasn’t been performed before, sometimes you have to draw lines between moments that haven’t yet always been connected. 

This is where I have to praise the five simply marvelous actors working with me on “Cold Weather Comfort.”

Jessie, Sarah, Jeff, Ben, and Carl are all rockstars at connecting the unconnected, even if the dots you’re connecting don’t always seem to have any relevant ties to other dots.  It’s all very cerebral on it’s basest level, but in reality – we laugh a lot, and bonds are being formed onstage that should make for some really great theatrical moments. This cast has found the funny in the everyday, and the drama in the unknown.  They’ve found those moments where a husband and wife would just touch in passing without it being a big deal, where a brother can trick his sister into a noogie, where a city girl would take off her fancy shoes and get dirty. Jeff and Jessie, particularly, who have never met before and didn’t even audition together, have taken the “brother and sister” thing and run with it. They’re unstoppable. Their energy could power a small city.

22 days until opening — and now that everythings on it’s feet, I get to get nitpicky. Which, as a director, I like. Currently, it’s all a bunch of modeling clay in a lump on a table. Now we get to start carving details.

Where does the chair go? A Director Prepares

I started rehearsals this week for POC’s fall production of RADIUM GIRLS, by D.W. Gregory, backed by a production team I literally want to hug and a cast so astonishing I’m slightly intimidated by their combined talent.

We’ve got 6 weeks to get this show ready for opening, and I couldn’t be more excited.

RADIUM GIRLS came to me a year or so ago while seeking pieces for POC’s 2008 season. It’s based on the story of the real-life dialpainters in Orange, New Jersey who fell ill after exposure to radium in the paint they used every day. These dialpainters were poor teenage girls most of the time, and had no power to stand up against the corporate powers that be – until they’d had enough. It’s a riveting historical drama, written so well I’m re-amazed every time I read it. There’s always something new to discover.

The older I get, the more I start to look at plays from a directors perspective. RADIUM GIRLS was the first piece I ever read and had a gut reaction to – in a “I have to direct this” kind of way. Something about the presentation of it, the non-reality, the actors playing multiple roles and changing in the middle of a scene to another character… all of that appeals to me.

I’ve never been one for parlour comedies. As a director, I don’t care if there are exactly 4 teacups on the table. Are the teacups necessary? Do they get used? No? Then who cares!

This piece is a big, glowing puzzle of actors, characters, and chairs.

“Where does the chair go?”is my new mantra.

…and I can’t wait to delve further into the show.

I’ve decided to blog about this experience, for my own record as well as.. the entertainment of others? Who knows?

OPENING: September 18th – 8pm – The Side Project Theatre.

theatre & beer

“7 plays in 7 days” went fantastically – I’m so proud of Dennis, Jake, and Mary. I have a few photos, but forgot my card reader (like a genius) and will post them later. I had a completely lovely time working with the n.u.f.a.n. ensemble and the show was great.

After that, there was a party/gathering at The Gingerman, which is a Wrigleyville bar I had never been to. Loved it. Come on – they have Dead Guy on tap and Salvador Dali and Paul Newman on the walls.

Oh, and I may not have gone to bed until 4:15am last night.

And I’m perfectly fine with that.

Get your mind out of the gutter.

Bullen.

Stupidheads: Disruptive theatre patrons

The rise of mobile technology has led to a rise in people being annoying. Apparently, people think it’s fine to talk or – even more popular now – text during a movie or performance. Which is incredibly distracting. People, you’re in a dark room – and your phone glows. And I can see it, if you’re anywhere in front of me. Not only can I see it, but everyone else can as well. Despite how important you think you are – It’s distracting.

Patti LuPone, currently giving a Tony-winning turn on Broadway in Gypsy, apparently had a young girl and her mom thrown out of the theatre recently because the girl’s phone kept going off and she was texting. While reading BWWers comments on this, some other amazing stories of actors paying back annoying “patrons” caught my amusement..

I thought I should share.

1. “I was in the audience at a performance by Dame Judi Dench when she stopped the show and asked for the person on his mobile to ‘conclude the call and when your done I’ll conclude my award winning performance for the other 1000 here who paid hard earned money to see it.’”

2. “Last Sat, a cellphone rang out during a quiet scene between Laura Linney & Ben Daniels. It kept ringing and when it finally stopped, Ben, in character, asked Laura to repeat herself since he didn’t hear her and turned and looked straight at the person whose phone had been ringing. There was a lot of applause for that.”

3. “…was at the RENT barricades during the Adam and Anthony craze and there were some girls flipping out in front of Adam. The one asked if he saw her, since she was sitting front row center, and he just gets this sarcastic tone and said, “I DID see you.” The fangirl got insanely excited and was practically crying when she said “REALLLY?!” and Adam just replied with, “I saw you had your phone out during Your Eyes” and he walked away without signing her playbill.”

4. “Katherine Hepburn did it first. During the run of COCO, an eager fan took a flash photo of Hepburn upon her entrance, about ten minutes into the show. Hepburn stopped the show dead, ordered the ushers to find the perpetrator, berated the man in front of the audience and then announced they would start the show again … FROM THE BEGINNING. The audience cheered wildly.”

5. “Glenn Close stopped a performance of Sunset Boulevard due to the number of cameras flashing. She had made her first entrance and as she decended the stairs cameras were going off all round the theatre. When she finished her first song, “WITH ONE LOOK” there was another barrage of photographs at which point, while remaining in NORMA character, Ms Close said, “We can have a performance or we can have a press conference however we cannot have both”.

Bless your hearts.

‘Ragtime’ production cancelled due to censorship.

Oh, how I detest censorship.

Especially when it’s stupidly used.

This was in the SUN-TIMES ->

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Wilmette cancels ‘Ragtime’ due to language

“Wilmette Park District Executive Director Tom Grisamore said he made the decision to pull the show 12 days after learning the details of dialogue and lyrics that include use of the “n-word.” The show was set to open July 10 for three weekends in the Starlight Theater free outdoor concert series. “We had grave concerns that people would take the language they heard over the amplified sound system out of context from a performance that was being held in the bowl,” Grisamore said……..Musicals usually booked for the outdoor venue, Grisamore said, are mostly upbeat and lighthearted, such as “Hello Dolly,” “Showboat” and “State Fair.”

Full article:
http://www.suntimes.com/news/metro/1026361,ragtime062608.article

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Okay, FIRST of all – to cancel a musical ABOUT racism because it uses racist language is ridiculous.

Those in charge of licensing this show should be removed from their positions. Had they listened to the score at all they probably would have seen/heard this coming. AND they would have seen that those people in the show who drop said N-word are CLEARLY the bad guys, and the show is about the undying power of the human spirit and how everyone regardless of race is the same. At the turn of the century, and even now, there was racism. Hello. Welcome to the world.

The show’s director, Ty Perry, weighed in.

“….The show’s director, Equity actor Ty Perry, could not be reached for comment Wednesday, but in a Pioneer Press interview prior to the show’s cancellation, explained why he intended to include the original language in the show, including the n-word. “You take that word out of this story and you invalidate my history as an African-American male,” said Perry. “Do I like the word? No. But to pretend nobody said it is wrong. I wouldn’t even consider doing that,” Perry said. “Context is everything, and it’s not gratuitous, it’s not for shock value. How can we learn about our present if we don’t educate people about what happened in our past?”

Second – and this is SUCH a musical theatre snob pet peeve… To call Showboat “upbeat and lighthearted” is ridiculous.

Taking a direct quote from “Ol’ Man River” – the MOST FAMOUS SONG IN THE SHOW – “Colored Folks work on the Mississippi…Colored folks work while the white folks play.”

Really, Wilmette? Really? Showboat was okay but Ragtime wasn’t? Huh.

STILL PHOTOS opens June 27th

(Isn’t this the hottest poster you’ve ever seen for a show? Seriously. Kudos to POC’s graphic designer Brent Walker – for being the hotness. Also hotness are the cast of this show. Seriously, they’re awesome. Check it out! )

STILL PHOTOS

by Vanda

Directed by Lavina Jadhwani

June 27th through July 27th

Trap Door Theatre, 1655 W. Cortland

http://www.pointofcontention.org/stillphotos.htm