MARCH - APRIL 2001 ----------------------------In this issue--------------------------------------- The Play's the Thing: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly: Part Two - The Bad CyberTheatre Monthly: American Theatre recently commented on Theatre-Related Websites. TRE responds. StageSpecs.com, Heldover: IRS Guides to Entertainment Industry Returns Voices in Contemporary Theatre: Forbidden Broadway re5-visited, National Conference on Masks of the Theatre, An Exchange That Really Never Took Place Or At Least Not As Far As I could Tell -- And If It Did, So What!, The Piano Lesson Enter Laughing - The gremlins intercepted last month's column. It's back. Letter from London: Mapp and Lucia, Adrian Noble reacts to Olivier Flap, RSC News on This England, Clippings Clippings Clippings Techie's Corner: Platforms: the complete series in review. (not reprinted here, see archive of previous issues) Rubin's Corner: A Spring Explosion, STOMP turns 7, and Lipstick Traces, Greil Marcus's Secret History of the Twentieth Century -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Play's the Thing The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly: Part II: The Bad (and as Huey Lewis sang, "Sometimes bad is bad") Two films, both alike in dignity, In fair La Mesa, where we play the scenes, Our ancient grudge breaks to new mutiny, When civil films makes civil critics unclean. From forth the fatal loins of these two films This pair of star-cross'd critics take their life; These misadventured piteous overflows Don't with their deaths bury our strife. The fearful acting of their death-mark'd scenes, And the continuance of our critic's rage, Which, but their acting's end, nought could remove, Is now the two page traffic of our rage; The which if you with patient eyes attend, What these have missed, our toil shall strive to mend. And with those immortal words of Shakespeare (or perhaps us...you will have to read the play to find out!) we begin Part Two of our epic adventure in the land of Hollywood films and William Shakespeare. For this section, "The Bad," we have chosen two worthy candidates for our critic's stones. First we have the 1996 Baz Luhrmann adaptation of Romeo and Juliet, starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes. Our second feature is the 1999 Michael Almereyda production of Hamlet, starring Ethan Hawke as the melancholy Dane...a truly melancholy Dane if we ever saw one, but more on that later... So we dash back to fair Verona, or in this case Verona Beach, to discuss what works and doesn't work with this hip and 90's version of the classic play. I (Caprice at the moment...you readers must be getting confused by our tag-team efforts) have to admit openly that I have many problems with the adaptation, but very few problems exist with the translation itself. For those of you that didn't read the last article, translation can mean more than translating words. It can also mean translating times/cultures/civilizations to bring new meaning or corollaries between past and present events. If I were a teenager who had never been exposed to Shakespeare, the very look of this film would make me stay to watch. Much of the culture of those under 21 is represented in the film. Cars, gangs, violence, drugs, and sex are all present...but hey, we have had those for a long time. The film captures the world of the 90's and easily layers itself over the text of Shakespeare's plays. Kids knew about gangs then...they know about them still. It represents the 90's age version of West Side Story, which captured the spirit of the youth of the 50's layered over the story of Romeo and Juliet. And that, my friends, is about all that I have to say nice about it. My grandmother always said if you can't say something nice...or wait, Rebecca is seizing the keyboard...maybe she has something nice to say. Doubtful. Actually, there are a few more good points about this film, but they will come along with the discussion of the bad. Both the Romeo + Juliet and Hamlet films we are discussing here were excellent translations, but they suffered in two areas...the acting and the cutting of the text. Caprice will tackle the text cuts in Romeo + Juliet in a minute, but for now, let's talk about Leo DiCaprio's butchering of Shakespeare's poetry. I should say that the problem was not necessarily Leo's, but in both films some horrible directorial choices were made for the actors. In Romeo + Juliet, Leonardo DiCaprio was clearly aware of what he was saying and why he was saying it (unlike Julia Stiles in Hamlet, but more on that later). His problem was not understanding how to say it. The levels of skill in performing the text of Shakespeare were extremely varied in this film, and would have benefited greatly from a voice coach; which, apparently, they had. Lilene Mansell is listed as the dialogue coach: too bad she didn't do her job. Of course, this is the only Shakespeare film she has coached (she is listed as a dialect coach in other films), and it shows. Leonardo DiCaprio (as well as other actors, but his problem is the most apparent as Romeo) has a habit of hitting personal pronouns very hard and does not inflect the proper words in a line. He also hits his Rs very hard, especially at the end of a line. This makes him very difficult to listen to and understand, even though he is clearly aware of what he is saying and has been very thorough in the development of his character. An acting coach once told me that you have to be the type of person who speaks like the dialogue is written. Leo DiCaprio does not succeed in convincing anyone he is comfortable with the language. Not all actors have the same problem, and it is clear that they have more experience with the language. These impressive performances even draw in the not-so-talented members of the cast into the moment. Harold Perrineau Jr. is excellent as Mercutio, as well as Pete Postlethwaite as Friar Lawrence, and, of course, the amazingly gorgeous John Leguizamo as Tybalt. Not that being gorgeous has anything to do with his acting ability, but it is a definite plus to impressing me. Ah, give me back that keyboard Rebecca...if all you have to talk about is pretty faces...we must move on...or pause briefly and then move on. I have to agree with her on the text presentation. It was painful to watch a man of Paul Sorvino's capability trapped behind a very bad accent and not being able to fully utilize the language itself. But thank god (ok, this is too punny now) for Friar Lawrence...Pete Postlethwaite is a known Shakespearean actor and has done many films, historic and contemporary. He was the ray of Shakespearean light to shine in the dark place of Verona Beach. My biggest problem is the deletion of scenes that people find familiar to the play. There is a well-recognized scene between the Nurse and Mercutio as she comes seeking Romeo to find out his intentions toward Juliet. It is bawdy, funny and people like the scene. Well, everyone but the director and editor of this film. Mercutio and the Nurse are marvelous in the film and I was extremely disappointed with the deletion of the wonderful scene between them. In fact, deleted scenes are a problem with Hamlet, but I am not on that soap-box at the moment. I was troubled by the end of Romeo + Juliet. Instead of Romeo sneaking back in under cover of night, he is chased by the police and all of Verona. With the police that hot on his heels he would never have time to kill Paris, speak with Juliet, and kill himself in that amount of time. There is even time for Juliet to pull out a gun and kill herself. Sorry kids, I just don't buy it. But, all in all, there is one nice thing I can say about the film. It brought many people, especially teenagers, to Shakespeare. It was presented in a style that reflected themselves. By bridging the language gap with strong, powerful images that the teens recognized, the filmmakers opened the world of Shakespeare for them. So, maybe I don't need to like the cuts or the changes...so long as the film brought more people an appreciation for Shakespeare's plays. And now on to Hamlet (only this time I can talk about some pretty faces!) as we suffer the "slings and arrows of outrageous acting" or whatever it is that Ethan Hawke thinks he is doing in this film. But, first, let's discuss the translation of Hamlet from the castle at Elsinore to the corporate world of New York. Much like the Romeo + Juliet translation, Hamlet very nicely bridges the gap between the Jacobean stage and the twentieth century world of film. However, there are some very specific problems in the translation that eliminate some of the complexities of the play and the motivation of its characters. The transition of power in the Elsinore Corporation to Claudius works extremely well and provides a context for the action in the twentieth century. Hamlet's use of video cameras to record his soliloquies also provides an excellent way to hear the character's inner thoughts without seeming unrealistic on film. There are a few places where this type of translation does not work. The first instance I (Rebecca again) am torn on whether I hate it or love it. The "To be, or not to be" speech is performed with the same monotonous whining that characterizes Ethan Hawke's performance (it sounds like the only direction he was given was "be melancholy" and that was it). Fortunately, you can completely tune out to what he is saying and concentrate on the environment in which he has been placed. Hamlet video tapes his monologue while walking in the "Action" section of a Blockbuster Video, with a sign behind him that reads "Go Home Happy." I thought this imagery was absolutely fantastic, but there is one major flaw in this translation of the scene. In this soliloquy, Hamlet is supposed to be spied upon by not only Ophelia, but her over-powering father Polonius and Hamlet's step-father, Claudius. It is a very important key to Hamlet's character development that he is aware that he is being spied upon and the question of whether or not he is really insane and contemplating suicide. Without these other factors in the scene, the only assumption the audience can make is that he is depressed and doesn't know what to do. Yes, he is, but to what extent is it real or feigned for the purpose of confusing his enemies? That is not an issue in this translation. The second scene where the translation interferes with an important moment in the plot is the opportunity for Hamlet to kill Claudius while he is praying. In the play, Hamlet overhears Claudius' prayer to be forgiven for his sins in church and has an opportunity to kill him, but does not do it. Apparently this director felt that a church would not do for the translation, so Hamlet takes over as the chauffer of Claudius' limo and has an opportunity to kill him while pulled over. In the scene in the film, Claudius' prayer is mostly an inner-thought expressed in a voice-over, not spoken aloud. Hamlet, therefore, decides not to kill him because he just can't go through with it and the subsequent soliloquy (or lack of it) reflects his cowardice in the act and does not give Hamlet's real motivation for not murdering him at that moment. In the text that is cut here, Hamlet declares that he will not kill him while he is praying for forgiveness because he does not want to send him straight to heaven. That is a much more complex and malicious motivation than cowardice. (Caprice returns looking for the Cowardly Lion...oh, wait, that is another movie...) And while we are on the subject of cowardice...let me address the most cowardly act of the director. Michael Almereyda, for whatever wisdom he saw it in, decided to delete the gravedigger scene. Now come on...why not take out "To be or not to Be." Why not remove the balcony scene from Romeo and Juliet? Or better still, let's remove that pesky scene in King Lear when the storm overtakes him. How about removing Lady Macbeth's sleepwalking scene from any movie...who needs her (as I duck while Rebecca throws her script of Macbeth at me). See what I mean? The gravedigger scene is something that we all look forward to...even Kenneth Branagh didn't delete from his own version of Hamlet (now that was an interesting translation too, but he cheated and got Shakespearean actors like Derek Jacoby so how could he go wrong?). When the audience has an expectation for certain scenes they should be left in, not left on the editing room floor. Much information is gathered from the gravedigger, small things like Hamlet's age, the pondering of life and death, and recounting the life of Yorick...seems there is a famous line attached to that part but who would know if it is deleted. (Whew! She really got her panties in a bunch over that one! Speaking of panties in a bunch, let's talk Horatio! Ahhhhhhh...Where was I?) Despite the horrifying performances of Julia Stiles as Ophelia, Bill Murray as Polonius (although that is the director's fault, not Bill Murray's), and Ethan Hawke as Hamlet, there are some fabulous performances in this film by some very beautiful boys. Well, beauty aside, at least they knew what they were doing. Karl Geary as Horatio is one of the best performances is the film (I'll let Caprice tell you about the absolute best performance in a moment). He has a wonderful Irish accent that adds to his appeal, and Marcellus is actually Marcella, his girlfriend (I always love it when they give more girls parts in Shakespeare, although my ultimate goal is to do a gender-reversed Hamlet). Diane Venora as Gertrude also delivers a subtle and refreshing performance, with an interpretation of Gertrude's drinking from the poisoned cup at the end that adds a new and interesting twist. Kyle MacLachlan is good, though not terribly memorable, as Claudius, and Liev Shreiber as Laertes at least the best of Polonius' clan (which isn't saying much). (Step back you young women...the best is yet to come...and if you thought Caprice had her panties in a bunch before...well..............) Two words...Sam Shepard. Need I say more? Right...back to you Rebecca. Just kidding, I have lots to say about his performance. If you have never appreciated Sam Shepard before, or just thought that the ghost of Hamlet's father was just some toss-off part of no consequence, you need to see Shepard's performance in this film. He is exquisite. There is so much life in his portrayal of the dead king that you forget he is just a spirit. And without a doubt the most memorable scene in a very forgettable film is when Hamlet Sr. talks to his son about his murder. There is a moment before the ghost departs that is the most touching goodbye seen on film. Forget Scarlet and Rhett...watch Sam Shepard say goodbye to Ethan Hawke...but have a few tissues on hand. And hey, Sam Shepard looks fantastic as the ghost. He could haunt me whenever he wants. Shepard's portrayal is not a standard British rendition. There is a distinctively American touch to his performance. It is interesting to see that Shakespeare does not have just a British voice. Americans can do pretty terrific work...and Sam Shepard has brought the best of the American stage and film to this particular piece of work. And so kids, that concludes our journey in the land of "The Bad" for this month. Bad can be good at times, and bad can be bad at others. But the only way for you to know for sure is to check them out for yourselves. Both films are excellent examples of placing the Bard in the 1990's and the present. The filmmakers strived for a look that would entice younger audiences to see Shakespeare on film. My only regret is that the same young audience didn't get as much of the beauty of the text as they did visual reminders of their culture. Now, for next time, let us give you fair warning...three words...Love's Labours Lost. Wait it is worse than that...five words...Love's Labours Lost - The Musical! That should strike terror into the hearts of all the readers. We are already shaking in our boots with antici.............pation! And yes, this will be a Rocky Horror...only Tim Curry is nowhere to be found in those sexy garter stockings. Wish us well...we may never recover from this one! This article has been a presentation of the Sick and Twisted Minds of Caprice Woosley And Rebecca Johannsen Who are still begging forgiveness at Shakespeare's grave. Ahem Caprice and Rebecca wish to inspire lively discussion, heated arguments, bar brawls and anarchy in the Shakespearean world with their commentary about the various productions that have been translated to film. Please write (e-mail links below) and share with us your own "good, bad and ugly" choices of Shakespeare on film. We are tough broads...we can take it! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- CyberTheatre Monthly Oh Dear "Did you see it?" It was a friend from my days on MSN's Theatre Forum. Someone I hadn't heard from in years. I had no idea what 'it' was or why I would be expected to know what 'it' was. "Surfing for Godot" he explained. Oh that clears it up, Thanks. After a few rounds of Vaudeville crosstalk we established that 'it' was an article on theatre sites on the internet in the January American Theatre. Well I hadn't seen it. I always found AT a little too academic, a little too full if itself. More interested in The-ah-tah than Theatre. I prefered TheaterWeek. It kept one informed on all the same happenings, but without the attitude. You didn't have to dress up to read it. Then it died but by then there were a dozen theatre forums and websites to fill the void. But I digress. I found the article. I had thought from my friend's description it would be a survey of various theatre sites. Skimming the websites referenced I was somewhat surprised to see how, um, obvious and superficial they were. Playbill, Theatre.com, Broadway.com - it looked like someone went to Yahoo and typed "T-h-e-a-t-e-r". This wasn't the American Theatre I remembered. They might bitch about the number of exclamation points on TheatreMania's homepage, but they would never, ever refer to Playbill as having "high journalistic standards" To be honest, the left half of my brain wrote the article off at that moment. Don't get me wrong, I love Playbill. I love the way their newspage seems to announce every Brazilian high school production of Guys and Dolls. I love that they'll refer to the Executive Director and Artistic Director of the Orlando Shakespeare Festival as actors. I love the way they print their own job listings in the broadway headlines like the mere fact they need a summer intern is an important piece of industry news. I do love'em, I read'em every day, but they have all the 'high journalistic standards' of a Xerox machine. And how could someone even moderately connected miss Forrest Mallard's Production Notes? I took a deep breath, paged back to the beginning, and started reading: the columnist, Scott Vogel, was worried the proliferation of sites was in fact keeping people out of the theatres. That they were so busy reading about theatre they weren't going to any. I paused. Now THIS was exactly the sort of loony idea I'd expect someone at American Theatre to worry about. The kind of idea you get in a coffee house at 3 in the morning after nine expressos. He then proceeded to take this horrific notion to the webmaster/editors of the broad-appeal: familiar names all Andy Propst from AmericanTheaterWeb.com, , Robert Viargas of Theatre.com, Robert Simonson of Playbill. To their credit, they were uniformally polite though Vogel doesn't always realize it - not one called him an idiot to his face. I'm forced to admit I had dismissed the article long before Vogel went on to discuss chatrooms, video, and e-mail - I saw that American Theatre as threatened by the Internet as Television is. Theatre-lovers were not logging on instead of going to the theatre, but just maybe they were logging on instead of buying print publications. I had decided not to write a column about this article if I could not get past the distorted prism of Vogel's bias - but then Variety stepped in. They too ran a story in their EXTRA edition: Broadway goes online and boots up the biz. Refreshingly unpretentious after "Surfing for Godot" There followed a sensationally well-informed spin-free survey of Broadway sites and the people behind them. I decided to run the response to American Theatre because of the counterpoint. It was possible for print journalists to present a balanced and accurate view of their online counterparts. Variety had done it. American Theatre didn't. StageSpecs http://www.stagespecs.com/ Is an interesting site - boasting a theatre database, a virtual lighting assistant, job listings, some good stage management "links" that are actually housed on the site, tech "jokes" etc but the good can get lost in a sea of generic Classifieds, the inevitable bookstore, postcards, e-mail. This is an undisciplined operation, they've gone crazy with "Free Stuff" sites, banner exchanges, and affiliate programs. If they could calm down and focus on their content, it would be a first-class site. As it is now it's probably too much trouble for grownups to fight with. HELD OVER: The IRS Guide to Entertainment http://www.irs.treas.gov/prod/bus_info/mssp/1040.html It's that time of year, and as we all stare down that stack of 1099s and break the seal on our copy of TurboTax there is another online source of information about whether you can take that deduction - it's Showbiz specific and surprise, surprise, it's provided by the IRS itself. the IRS is getting more and more sophisticated when it comes to training its auditors about how specific industries operate. The initiative is called the "Market Segment Specialization Program" (MSSP). This is an ongoing effort by the IRS to arm examiners with detailed information on common practices, standards and ratios for a host of industries. The idea is that if the examiner knows how businesses in an industry typically operate, he or she can more quickly and thoroughly audit a specific individual or company within that industry. These "Audit Techniques Guides," as the IRS calls them, aren't little leaflets or one-page summaries - they can run to 30 or more pages of single-spaced type. By reading one, you can learn a lot about the approach an auditor may take in doing a detailed examination of your return. The detail is amazing. Consider this quote for the music industry: Interesting understated quote: "There are many checks and balances in the industry on income reporting, but some activities such as playing small clubs for the door receipts, love offerings at concerts and churches, and concession sales at the small locations, etc., present situations where income may go unreported." Here's the great thing about these guides: They're public documents. The guide to the Entertainment industry is linked above. It is a must-read for the self-employed actor, the freelance designer, and indeed for theatre owners themselves. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Voices in Contemporary Theatre Forbidden Broadway re5-visited Four CDs cover the first 20 Years of Forbidden Broadway, Gerard Alessandrini's viciously witty satire of New York Theatre. The last year has seen Three new CDs, FB "Cleans Up Its Act" "20th Anniversary Edition" and now "2001 a Spoof Odyssey". Do the math. Alessandrini is running out of ideas, and is spreading the remaining ones too thin. . Sanitized Time Square - Been there. Disnified Broadway - Done that, and so many times. Asinine casting faux pas, plotless pointless set-monster musicals, and Ethel Merman and Liza Minelli. We've heard it all before - and last time, it was funnier. Now normally when a writer (or director or actor) has truly entertained me on numerous occasions, I'll forgive the odd show that disappoints. This would be the case here except for two things: Alessandrini is in the vicious parody business - he's never spared Julie Andrews, Stephen Sondheim or Donna Murphy if there's a good zinger to be zinged, why should I do otherwise ? And then there's this lyric from track 23 Angela Lansbury: If lyrics are no longer witty... Then I don't want to go If he's giving we, the critics, this kind of ammo, we must conclude the man has a deathwish. Case in point, we all know Mr. Alessandrini has, well, a problem with Disney. When you hear the AIDA lampoon, you'll be reminded of the dim bulb in Cyrano de Bergerac who taunts the hero thusly: Your nose is very large Yes, there are a few true Forbidden Broadway tracks on Spoof Odyssey. Dame Judi Dench singing "Why can't Americans do theatre like the Brits?" (with apologies to My Fair Lady), I Hate Ben (with apologies to Kiss Me Kate) and about 1/3 of "Let's Ruin Time Square Again" (no apologies necessary to Rocky Horror which understands how easy it is for good parody to go bad). Oh yes, there is one other absolutely true Forbidden Broadway track: TROUBLE - yes, the same Trouble from Volume 3 which was just re-released on the 20th Anniversary compilation - and it's back again with a more hackneyed Robert Preston impersonation and all of 4 words changed. Granted it's one of the better bits, more worthy of rerunning than say, referring to Miss Saigon as Viet-Numb, but oh wait, he reran that gag too. National Conference on Masks of the Theatre The University of Iowa department of theatre arts will host a National Conference on Masks of the Theatre May 17-20 on the UI campus in Iowa City. Registrations, open to the public, are now being accepted through the UI Center for Conferences and Institutes, and there is a special price for advance registration through March 26. Featured topics will cover mask making, mask training and mask performance. All conference activities will be held in the UI Theatre Building. Featured conference presenters will include Sears Eldredge, author of "Mask Improvisation for Actor Training and Performance"; Victor Reese, Tsimpshian mask carver from British Columbia; Ralph Lee, OBIE winner and creator of the "Saturday Night Live" Land Shark; Bruce Marrs, motion specialist for the film "Godzilla"; Judy Slattum, author of "Masks of Bali: Spirits of an Ancient Drama"; and Torbjorn Alstrom, internationally renowned mask maker from Sweden. The UI organizers are faculty members Loyce L. Arthur, resident costume designer in the department of theatre arts, who has studied masking traditions in West Africa; and movement specialist Ralph Hall, who has an extensive background as a director of mask theater. The conference will feature contributions from 40 other professional mask artists, and featured performances will include Faustwork Mask Theater of New York, Gateway Performance Productions of Atlanta and Joan Schirle, co-artistic director of Dell'Arte International. Information, including registration forms and a full schedule, is available on-line. Or contact the UI Center for Conferences at conferences@uiowa.edu or (800) 551-9029. For UI arts information, visit www.uiowa.edu/artsiowa An Exchange That Really Never Took Place Or At Least Not As Far As I could Tell -- And If It Did, So What! Exchange at Cafe Mimosa written by Oana-Maria Cajal and directed by Perishable Theatre's Artistic Director Mark J. Lerman was billed as an 'Espionage-thriller, farce" . . . OOPS! Farce yes, espionage-thriller never! "Exchange" had its New England premiere on the theatre's Mainstage in late February -- personally, I think it could have used some more rewrites! Romanian born, playwright Oana-Maria Cajal's work has been heralded as "extraordinary," now we all know there is more than one meaning for the word extraordinary -- kind of like "interesting" and indeed "Exchange" was nothing if not "interesting!" "Exchange" has a large cast and their presence is like a sledge hammer -- the audience is reminded over and over again that there are an awful lot of people moving around both on and off the stage! The play's plot is supposedly simple. Two greatly different couples have been chosen to transport two mysterious boxes to a tropical island. Why these particular people were chosen -- remains one of life's great mysteries! Once on the Island, the men must exchange the boxes (which are wrapped in plain brown paper) at precisely the right moment or something dreadful will happen. I think the fate of the world hangs in the balance. Unfortunately, the only reason I knew this was because I read the press release! The script falls terribly short of getting its message across. There are however some brilliant moments -- there is an especially delightful Parrot that literally runs the show, once she gets on stage -- unfortunately we have to wait much too long for her arrival! Adroitly played by Casey Seymour Kim this is the most coveted role in the entire play! My guest and I have approximately one hundred years of theatre experience between us and we both said the exact same thing when we left the theatre "I'd kill to play the role of the Parrot!" The second most engaging aspect of the play is a parade of reptiles that scurries across the stage (at one point) -- it is captivating -- so much so that we wanted them to scurry some more -- this they didn't do, but they did perform other feats of daring! Something is wrong when you're hoping that a four legged rubber reptile will show up again, because the script can't stand on its own two feet without it! Director Mark J. Lerman compared "Exchange" to "A classic Fellini movie." I don't think so -- with Fellini, the operative word has always been classic -- the play (in this reviewers opinion) unfortunately will never be considered that! The brightest light of all (other than the lighting instrument which nearly blinded us, in our front row seats) was Set Designer Jeremy Woodward's creation -- the set was remarkable! Woodward is one of the most skilled designers around, and has a real feel for illusion and fantasy! Moving walls, windows and taxis, minimalist set pieces, flora and fauna, full use of a rather small staging area -- all done with great ease and confidence -- like I said remarkable! The large cast included Constance Crawford an acceptably "uptight" Marie-Louise who was obviously fluent in many languages as evidenced by how her accent changed origins constantly; Paul Hoover as Peter, a sexually frustrated American with a mission (so what else is new?); Margaret Melozzi played June, Peter's less than understanding wife; Neil Santoro a marvelously focused Leopold -- Marie Louise's promiscuous husband; Sharon Carpentier a woman with an allergy and a dress made of Kleenex (which she seemed to be using up at a rapid pace); Drake Cutler-Dutton as the young boy whose presence was more than confusing and confused; Hurtis Mitchner, the Man From The Sandwich Islands; Hide Miyamoto portrayed the Japanese Man who was inappropriately appropriate and disarming; Wendy Overly as the young boy's less than loving Aunt; Carole Pegg as the Woman in a White Dress; Baha Sadr as an engaging Waiter/Taxi-Driver and Bellhop; James Shelton as the Man in a Dark Suit and Javier Taymes as the Native Boy. As I said earlier, it was a large cast! Was is outstanding theatre? No! Was it entertaining, after a fashion -- yes! Does it need a lot of work -- well I wasn't the only audience member who thought so! Perishable Theatre has always taken risks and in doing so created a safe haven for members of the Theatre community -- hats off to risk taking -- keep up the great work! Exchange at Cafe Mimosa runs through the end of March. Perishable Theatre is located at 95 Empire Street in Providence, Rhode Island. The Piano Lesson By August Wilson A Lesson In The Importance of Family Heritage For All Of Us! At once specific to the circumstances of African Americans throughout history and sweeping in its dramatization of the human condition, August Wilson's Pulitzer Prize winning play (Best Drama 1990) The Piano Lesson gives voice to the importance of our heritage, no matter how painful it may be to remember! Examining the barriers that exist within the family, The Piano Lesson is a blessed mixture of realism, insight, fear and foible as experienced by its characters. Set in 1936 Pittsburgh, the action takes place in a house owned by Doaker Charles, a railroad man, intelligently and nobly portrayed by Ricardo Pitts-Wiley. In an environment typical of the era, the subtle use of color, texture, and historical accuracy helps to illustrate the struggle of this family to guard their precious heritage. It provides a uniquely structured canvas upon which each character lays his and her brush strokes; creating a magnificent work of art. Children and grandchildren of freed slaves, some of whom have migrated to a "better life" in the North, they each in-turn tell their story weaving a tapestry of great dramatic effect. Each one always returning to the "ties than bind" -- family, history, God, and freedom! The central conflict is clear in this Wilson drama, Boy Willie and his friend Lymon have made their way to Pittsburgh to sell a truckload of watermelons. They have been either purchased or stolen -- which it is, we are never quite sure of. Boy Willie, however, has a hidden agenda; he also plans to sell a priceless heirloom; the family piano. It is into this piano his grandfather has carved the history of the family -- originally to please his slave master. Boy Willie's plan is to use the money from the sale of the piano, combined with that from the sale of the watermelons and a bit he has saved, to buy some land in the South; the same land where his ancestors once were forced to work as slaves. Faced with a number of obstacles including the shear weight of the piano, a ghost and his sister Berniece, co-owner -- of the piano, Boy Willie's plans are side tracked at every turn. The Piano Lesson is definitely an ensemble piece -- and in this case staged brilliantly! Although the play runs three hours (one intermission) the performances are such that time literally flies by! Abdul Salaam El Razzac is outstanding as the alcoholic dandy Wining Boy, who although once a "recording star" has fallen upon hard times! The vestiges of his past include some of the most amazing "pure silk" suits I have ever seen -- suits which, when he dons, truly ensure his position as the "cock of the walk!" Lymon, Willie Boy's friend and business partner (he owns half the watermelons and the truck they were transported in) is deftly played by Kevin Maurice Jackson. In one scene he is "bamboozled" into buying one of Wining Boy's old suits along with a shirt and pair of wing tip shoes -- none of which fit him. It is a comic yet touching scene depicting Lymon's need to belong, to fit in the North. It is obvious from the visuals, and the dialogue that this will never happen. Robert Jason Jackson as Avery, a minister who is trying to "court" Berniece, brings us just the right amount of "that old time religion." He is simultaneously inspiring and impotent in his attempt and failure to exorcise the ghost that roams through Doaker's halls. As Willie Boy's sister Berniece, Rose Weaver is sometimes touching and sometimes out of touch. She opts for the obvious rather than the subtle, but is an aptly believable woman who will do what ever it takes to protect her legacy and her daughter. Keskhemnu as Boy Willie, is at once powerful and powerless in his adroit portrayal of the play's central (human) character. Brianna McBride as Bernice's daughter is convincingly put out, as her mother tries to dress her hair, and cute and charming when called upon to be so. Pamela Lambert, as a capricious hussy in appropriately, inappropriate, tight dresses, is a sight for any man's eyes, sore or other wise! I did have one objection to this production -- the sound and lighting effects, when the ghost is supposedly in evidence, are below the high technical standards set in other Trinity productions. Alas, what would a reviewer do if she did not have something negative to say? Perhaps, be bored with perfection -- I doubt it! Over all, The Piano Lesson is an outstanding production at an outstanding theatre -- and it's definitely worth the price of admission! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Enter Laughing For reasons defying explanation, the gremlins that live inside our website took a dislike to last month's Enter Laughing after it was propped and decided to replace it with the December issue. While we liked Caprice and Rebecca's decontructionist take on A NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS, we didn't intend to still be running it on Valentine's Day. Since all previous attempts to restrain the gremlins by force have failed, and the Monday Night chat folks have even named their gremlin (Moofie) and reportedly talk to it and feed it treats. In that spirit, we have begun bribing the gremlins, and to signal this new age of gremlin-editor cooperation, this month's Enter Laughing has actually been written by one of the cyberGremlins, packet. Seen backstage: Work like you don't need the money- Love like you've never been hurt- And dance like you do when nobody's watching THEATRE RULES (adapted from DILBERT'S RULES OF ORDER) * You can go anywhere you want if you look serious, wear black and carry a maglight * If it weren't for the last minute, nothing would get done. * Tell me what you need and I'll tell you how to get along without it. * It is not your job to follow the rules, it is your job to get the curtain up. * Eat one live toad the first thing before a performance and nothing worse will happen to you the rest of the day. * I can only please one person per day. Today is not your day. * Accept that some days you are the pigeon and some days the statue. * Needing someone is like needing a parachute. If it isn't there the first time, chances are you won't need it again. * Do not meddle in the affairs of dragons, because you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup. * A pat on the back is only a few centimeters from a kick in the butt. * The more crap you put up with, the more crap you are going to get. * When in a bad situation, hope for the best, expect the worse and settle for anything in between. * I love deadlines. I especially like the whooshing sound they make as they go flying by. Send us our favorite backstage doggerel. Tribute to a great showbiz personality: It is with the saddest heart that I have to pass on the following. The Pillsbury Doughboy died Monday of a severe yeast infection and complications from repeated pokes in the belly. He was 71. Doughboy was buried in a lightly greased coffin. Dozens of celebrities turned out, including Mrs. Butterworth, the California Raisins, Hungry Jack, Betty Crocker, the Hostess Twinkies, and Captain Crunch. The gravesite was piled high with flours as long time friend Aunt Jemima delivered the eulogy, describing Doughboy as a man who "never knew how much he was kneaded." Doughboy rose quickly in show business but his later life was filled with many turnovers. He was not considered a very smart cookie, wasting much of his dough on half-baked schemes. Despite being a little flaky at times, even as a crusty old man, he was considered a roll model for millions. Toward the end it was thought he'd rise once again, but he was no tart. Doughboy is survived by his second wife, Play Dough. They have two children and one in the oven. The funeral was held at 3:50 for about 20 minutes. released by Duncan Hines The Best of Playbill's Goofy Titles: Every year Playbill Online assembles a list of favorite whacky titles and synopses. It's always a little too long to be funny, and peppered with too many had-to-be-there in-jokes. We've culled it down to those that speak for themselves: 1. How to Explain the History of Communism to Mental Patients (Open Fist Theatre Company, Hollywood, CA, April 2000) 2. It Came From Beneath The Kilt! (Doctor Emile's Theatre at San Francisco Fringe Festival, CA, September 2000) 3. The Complete Lost Works Of Samuel Beckett As Found in an Envelope (partially burned) in a Dustbin in Paris Labeled "Never to be performed. Never. Ever. EVER! Or I'll sue! I'LL SUE FROM THE GRAVE!!!" (Neo-Futurists at Neo-Futurarium, Chicago, IL, 2000) 4. The Bastard Love Child of Aunt Jemima and Uncle Ben (Looking Glass Theatre, NYC November 2000) 5. Dr. Constance Cumming Wants to Help You Get Laid (Theatre Crisp at San Francisco Fringe Festival, CA, September 2000) 6. Circumference Of A Squirrel ("Meet Chester, a 27-year-old man whose acute fear of squirrels provides a humorous and poignant backdrop for his search for a deeper relationship with his father." Zachary Scott Theatre Center, Austin, TX, April 2000) 7. 7 1/2 Habits Of Highly Effective Mistresses (revue at Cornelia Street Cafe, NYC, April 2000) 8. Happy Endings Are Overrated (San Francisco Fringe Festival, CA, September 2000) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Letter from London Because I fear this is becoming "The RSC Report" and I've got LOTS this month, so let me get the non-S out of the way first thing: Difficult neighbours? Wait until you meet the inhabitants of Tilling. Their feuds are conducted via jumble sales and garden fetes but are as lethal as anything in the history of warfare! Quintessentially English and arguably among the funniest novels of the 1920's and 30's, the Mapp & Lucia books of E F Benson have delighted generations with their wickedly perceptive tales of petty intrigue. Radio adaptations, audio books and two highly successful television series have given many actors the chance to revel in the outrageous characters but the Tilling Society (one of the two Benson fan clubs) said of Aimi MacDonald's Lucia that she, "carried it triumphantly... with panache and sparkle"; Gaye Brown "surpassed our expectations" and Peter Gale as Georgie was "marvellous". The musical is at the Jermyn Street Theatre, Guardian and Evening Standard gave good reviews which are at the website: http://www.jermynstreettheatre.co.uk/ Olivier Dish! You may know the RSC received only one nomination while the much- maligned National Theatre had a clutch of nominations and won several prizes. Adrian Noble did a Julie-Andrews in a Guardian interview about it: "It is outrageous and unjust and in no way reflects the artistic achievements of the RSC in the year 2000. I've no more to say on the subject except that it's a disgrace, a real disgrace." Okay, Shakespeare HO- The Royal National Theatre's production of Shakespeare's great tragedy, Hamlet, directed by John Caird with Simon Russell Beale in the title role giving a performance that critics have hailed as one of the great Shakespearean interpretations of our time, will be traveling to the United States this spring to play exclusive engagements in Boston, Minneapolis, Tucson and Phoenix, presented by a unique consortium of Broadway In Boston/SFX Theatrical Group, The Guthrie Theatre and the Arizona Theatre Company. Simon Russell Beale won this year's London Evening Standard Theatre Award for Best Actor and has just been nominated for a Laurence Olivier Award When the production debuted last year in England, Beale triumphed over conventional notions of how Shakespeare's youthful Dane could be portrayed. Charles Spencer (Daily Telegraph) said, "When Simon Russell Beale is on stage, attention is utterly transfixed.... There is an intelligence, humanity, humour and depth of feeling that I have never seen bettered." Benedict Nightingale (The Times, London) said "What's original about Simon Russell Beale's performance is that it never strives to be original...This is a wonderfully wise Hamlet." Nicholas de Jongh, (Evening Standard), called Beale's performance "the Hamlet of a lifetime." This England! Eight of Shakespeare's history plays staged chronologically across three London theatres for the first time ever (Really) 88 years of England's history is performed by 79 actors, playing over 250 roles, in over 1400 minutes of Shakespeare (I'm not kidding) In April 2001, the Royal Shakespeare Company will make theatrical history when its landmark This England project culminates in the chronological staging of eight of Shakespeare's history plays over five days. In one of the most ambitious projects the Company has ever undertaken, This England traces 88 years of England's turbulent history through productions of Richard II, Henry IV, parts i and ii, Henry V, Henry VI, parts i, ii and iii, and Richard III. Audiences will have two opportunities to see the whole cycle performed chronologically: the first cycle opening on 9 April 2001, and the second concluding on 21 April, two days before the 437th anniversary of Shakespeare's birth. Involving over 100 artists, including 79 actors and four directors, this millennial theatre event chronicles the fateful and formative reigns of five English monarchs, and displays Shakespeare's personal vision of what was his own recent history. RSC Artistic Director Adrian Noble said: " This will be an amazing opportunity for audiences to see English history unfolding before their eyes and the chance to follow the political and private lives of characters played by the same actors throughout more than one play. I think it will prove to be an incredibly exciting and thought provoking event in theatrical history and a landmark in the RSC's own heritage". Key Facts about This England - The Histories: * 79 actors play 264 roles in the 8 plays * Over 400 costumes and 200 pairs of shoes and boots are used during the 8 plays, as are: · 5 severed heads · over 10 pints of stage blood · over 50 swords and 10 guns * Audiences seeing the entire Cycle will experience almost 24 hours of theatre, or 1413 minutes of Shakespeare The eight productions will be performed across three London theatres: Richard II in The Pit Theatre, Henry IV, parts i and ii in the Barbican Theatre along with Henry V, and the three parts of Henry VI and Richard III (presented in association with the University Musical Society and the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor) in repertoire at the Young Vic Theatre. A special rehearsed reading of Edward III, recently attributed to Shakespeare and the 'prequel' to This England, will take place on 9 April at the Barbican Theatre. Each production is distinct: the soul-searching Richard II (directed by RSC Associate Director Steven Pimlott) is followed by the developing relationships between fathers and sons in both parts of Henry IV (directed by RSC Principal Associate Director Michael Attenborough). Henry V (directed by Edward Hall) sees Prince Hal come of age in the war against France. This examination of the state of the nation through history continues with the epic and anarchic three parts of Henry VI and Richard III (all directed by RSC Associate Director Michael Boyd). The 79 actors involved in this project include some of Britain's finest classical performers. Playing the five kings are Samuel West (Richard II), David Troughton (Henry IV), William Houston (Henry V), David Oyelowo (Henry VI) and Aidan McArdle (Richard III). They are joined by Desmond Barrit (Falstaff), Fiona Bell (Joan of Arc/Margaret of Anjou) and Clive Wood, amongst others. Richard II, the first production in the This England cycle, opened to great acclaim in Stratford-upon-Avon in March 2000. Each subsequent production has received equally high praise: The Daily Express described the event as a "mighty project...the most important RSC show in years". And, I know I've mentioned before the RSC-University of Michigan partnership - it's beginning: The Royal Shakespeare Company's landmark new cycle of Shakespeare's History plays will be performed exclusively in the United States at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor from 10-18 March 2001. RSC Associate Director Michael Boyd's acclaimed productions of Henry VI, parts i, ii and iii and Richard III are co-presented by the RSC and the University Musical Society and the University of Michigan. In 2000 the Royal Shakespeare Company embarked upon a groundbreaking and entrepreneurial five-year partnership with the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor (UM), one of the United States' top public universities, and the University Musical Society (UMS). The relationship between the RSC and the University of Michigan reflects the very natural link that exists between learning and theatre and will produce exciting initiatives for educational and artistic communities, as well as audiences, in both the United Kingdom and the United States. The first collaboration of the partnership are the productions of Henry VI, parts i, ii, iii and Richard III. This partnership is an important development for the RSC: a model for the Company to build a more active university presence in the United States. The venture also cements the RSC's on-going commitment to taking a substantial number of its productions to cities across the US. During 2000, the RSC visited three cities in America with five full-scale productions. The Company presented A Midsummer Night's Dream, The Family Reunion and Don Carlos at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, New York; Macbeth in New Haven, Connecticut; and The Taming of the Shrew in San Francisco. In 2001, the RSC will visit Virginia with The Tempest and Washington, D.C., with the RSC/ Young Vic co-production of A Servant to Two Masters. Featuring an ensemble of 30 actors, the four productions play at the Power Center for the Performing Arts, Ann Arbor directly from Stratford-upon-Avon, before transferring to London. This unprecedented theatrical event is the lynchpin of the University Musical Society's very first theatre series in its 122 year history, fulfilling its commitment to presenting the world's best performances across multiple artistic disciplines. Performances are nearly sold out, with theatre-lovers from over 29 states travelling to Michigan for the RSC Residency. Adrian Noble, Artistic Director of the Royal Shakespeare Company commented: "The RSC last performed in Michigan in 1913, during the Company's first ever visit to the US with Richard II, Henry IV and Henry V. I am certain that the four plays we stage in 2001 will be a theatrical tour de force and I am delighted that The Histories are, once again, heralding the start of an important new partnership between the RSC and North America. I am deeply grateful for the support and vision of both the University Musical Society and the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor and look forward to equally exciting future projects." The History Plays lend themselves to the deep integration of an educational context, with many opportunities to connect with both the academic community at the University and with the larger state community. Clippings! I know how you just LOVE the clippings I send, so here are two Adrian Noble interviews, and one with Abba's Phyllida Lloyd, now directing Mamet at Donmar RSC Adrian Noble Interview in the Independent UK 'You guys moaned, but my changes are sound' It'll be 10 years this spring since Adrian Noble took the helm at the Royal Shakespeare Company, and Britain's most complex subsidised theatrical empire is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year, having been founded as a two-pronged Stratford/London ensemble by Peter Hall in 1961. Noble himself is now 50, but you'd never believe it. Slightly rumpled he may be, yet there's not a grey hair in sight. When asked how old he feels, he throws up his hands like exclamation marks, and cries: "About 14." He has remarkably boyish, frenetic energy. An undertaker's son, he fell in love with the theatre through acting at his Chichester grammar school and witnessing Laurence Olivier's founding of the Festival Theatre. But it was hitching to Stratford to see Peter Brook's A Midsummer Night's Dream that made him want to work for the RSC. After training at the London Drama Centre and Bristol University, staging community theatre in Birmingham and winning praise on the regional rep circuit, he joined the directing team at Stratford as an assistant, aged 30. He certainly has reasons to be cheerful right now as artistic director. The RSC's current cycle of Shakespeare's history plays - collectively entitled This England - has been hailed as bold and fine. Noble also points to the record-breaking ticket sales of his new line of family shows - The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe enjoying a second run at Sadler's Wells over Christmas and The Secret Garden now transferring to the Aldwych. The RSC has also been looking particularly good by comparison with the Royal National Theatre, where Trevor Nunn's administration has been suffering broadside attacks from the media. However, it has not been ever thus. In the late 1990s Noble was under heavy fire after announcing a shake-up which involved the RSC quitting the Barbican (its London base since 1982) for several months a year in order to tour more. Critics vociferously argued that would be bad for the capital and repel top actors. "The RSC boat hit very rocky waters and it was a perilous time for me personally. But it's paying off now," Noble says, slightly defensively. Noble, in fact, divides his decade into three phases of progress. "When I first took over, people felt that the company had lost its edge. The doors needed opening to new talent." The RSC was also deeply in debt when he replaced Terry Hands. "We got the company back into pretty good health. Then I took seismic soundings, analysed the company in detail and identified fault lines. And," -he stresses - "though all you guys moaned, the changes I instituted proved sound." One might not be persuaded that the RSC's recent shows have all been resounding triumphs (witness Gale Edwards's leaden touring production of The Duchess of Malfi). The Sunday Times attacked the company last month, too. But Noble responded rapidly, dismissing as fiction the existence of an Arts Council review calling for better shows and a tighter focus on Shakespeare. Over-expansion could be a danger, but at least London hasn't been abandoned, as feared. The company, besides keeping in at the Barbican, is popping up in ever more venues in town. "Meanwhile, by formulating shorter seasons in Stratford," Noble holds, "we've actually attracted artists." The programming has also grown braver, with productions of rarely staged works, such as Timon of Athens and -imminently - King John. Beyond this, architecturally, massive innovations are in the offing. The Arts Council, Noble tells me, has earmarked a potential £50m for a redevelopment of the RSC's Stratford site. As for the auditoria, at the heart of the debate is going to be the future of the Royal Shakespeare Theatre - the controversial Thirties red-brick main house. Directors and designers have, as Noble puts it, "been trying to cudgel that space, which resembles a vast cinema, into a different shape for 70 years, adding side boxes and so on. What I would like to end up with is something more packed, stacked and bustling, and where actors and audience are really in the same room." Noble doesn't discount the idea of knocking the RST down. "We want to consider every option," he insists. "Fundamentally, the centre of our work will always be the spoken word." But he is also keen to embrace new technology. "We're examining how we might, say, livecast on the web or create DVDs for schools and universities - which could also be financially beneficial to the company." Very much a post-Thatcherite director, he talks a great deal about the commercial viability of projects, mixing poetic metaphors with corporate jargon about resourcing. One worries slightly when, though he says he does not think about profits, he keeps chinking the small change in his pocket. There may, indeed, be struggles ahead as the Barbican (reliant on the Corporation of London) considers reducing its sponsorship, and as Allied Domecq cease to be a benefactor at the end of this month. That makes the RSC's recent, entrepreneurial "shopping for global partners" - such as the University of Michigan, which is backing This England - seem increasingly important. He intends to stick around until 2008 to see the redevelopment through, with maybe opera directing over the horizon. Who will be his successor? "I go doggo on that question," he says. Associate director Greg Doran is surely a candidate, as is Noble's protege Matthew Art Warchus. And Ed Hall - son of Sir Peter - has lately entered the picture. Noble and his wife - the actress Joanne Pearce - now have two small children and their son, aged four, has just made his debut in the school Nativity Play. Regrettably, Noble says with a grin, this came down to an unceremonious hurling of myrrh at the baby Jesus. Perhaps the one thing Noble's not planning on is producing a glittering theatrical dynasty. # # # RSC Adrian Noble Guardian interview Adrian Noble, artistic director of the RSC, sees life beyond Shakespeare. He tells Lyn Gardner about his plans for musicals, the West End and the 'global brand' Adrian Noble bounces into a Covent Garden restaurant looking as if he hasn't a care in the world. This is a man who loves his job as artistic director of the Royal Shakespeare Company. He has been doing it for a decade now and sees no reason that he shouldn't be doing it for a long time to come. Noble is preparing for the opening of his production of The Secret Garden, the RSC's first West End musical since Les Miserables, a show whose success has effectively cushioned the RSC from financial disaster for the past 15 years. Noble may have wiped out the £3.5m deficit he inherited when he took over the company in March 1991, but a Les Mis-style success for The Secret Garden would be very welcome. Very much a new-style artistic supremo, Noble talks not of plays but of "product" and of the strength of the RSC brand. His latest wheeze is to sign the company up with Andrew Wylie, the man with the reputation of being the world's sharkiest literary agent. "Andrew is simply the best," says Noble. "He's brilliant. He likes the work of the company and we like him. People know about the RSC in every country in the world. We are a global brand and we create product that is of interest to a lot of people, and we are seeking a way by which we can find outlets for that work. It may be workshops, study aids or DVDs, but Andrew will negotiate the best commercial deals." No doubt the RSC's massive This England cycle of history plays - which reaches its climax in April, when London audiences will be able to see the entire cycle performed chronologically from Richard II through to Richard III - will soon be available on DVD, all 1,413 minutes of it. If there is any project that symbolises Noble's reign at the RSC, it is this. Noble has been its architect and midwife, although curiously he has opted to direct The Secret Garden rather than any of the Shakespeare plays in the cycle. Noble doesn't find it odd. He thinks it is just part and parcel of what it means to be a Shakespearean company in the 21st century, a question he has been thinking about a lot. So what does it mean exactly? "It's a company that draws its inspiration from the Renaissance and provides us with epic, mythic stories but at the same time gives us a compassionate insight into the human condition." In short, a company that is as likely to embrace a 10-year-old Broadway musical such as The Secret Garden as it is to offer Hamlet or Richard II or a little-known Jacobean revenge tragedy. As far as Noble is concerned, The Secret Garden and The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, which he also directed for the company, are quite as interesting as any of Shakespeare's plays. In fact, he enthuses about the similarities: "Both draw heavily from Shakespeare. The Secret Garden closely resembles As You Like It - the story of a girl who is banished, enters a forest and through growing self-realisation brings an end to chaos. It is the story of all Shakespeare's plays from Henry V to Twelfth Night." Certainly Noble sees both The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe and The Secret Garden, which opened in Stratford-upon-Avon before Christmas, as an attempt to change the audience profile of the company, particularly in that town. The RSC's presence sometimes seems a burdensome irrelevance to local people, who may welcome the influx of visitors it brings to the town, but who never step inside any of the three theatres themselves. "I noticed that The Secret Garden encouraged a change of attitude in the people of the West Midlands. While it was on, they regarded the theatre as theirs in a way that they often don't when we are doing Shakespeare." Only one subject dents Noble's good mood, and that's this year's Olivier awards, in which the RSC received only one nomination while the much- maligned National Theatre had a clutch of nominations and won several prizes. "It is outrageous and unjust and in no way reflects the artistic achievements of the RSC in the year 2000. I've no more to say on the subject except that it's a disgrace, a real disgrace." But apart from this cloud, Noble reckons that he is a pretty contented man. After a long period when it sometimes seemed that the RSC was controlling him, he believes he is now firmly controlling the RSC: "Change always brings opposition. But in the last couple of years, it has become a fantastic place to work. There are some very talented people in the company, and I now feel we are firing on all cylinders. When I think of some of the work we have done, I feel like a very proud dad. Over the next two months, we will be bringing an amazing body of work to London including This England and Tantalus, as well as a festival of new plays. It is only possible because we've been aggressively entrepreneurial. I am not going to apologise for that." # # # Phyllida Lloyd, director of MAMMA MIA!, is interviewed by the Times (London) as she prepares to direct David Mamet's "The Boston Mariage" at the Donmar. Abba made Phyllida Lloyd a millionaire. So why is she directing David Mamet? Four years ago I interviewed Phyllida Lloyd as she was rehearsing Lorca's Dona Rosita at the Almeida. This was the latest assignment in a freelance theatre and opera career which had put her in the front rank of British directors, delivering productions that were invariably lucid, absorbing and meagrely paid. I asked then if the remuneration offered by the subsidised sector made her long to emulate Trevor Nunn, Nicholas Hytner and Co, who've all made fortunes by taking charge of blockbuster West End musicals. "That would be very nice," she replied. "My first thought is that I'd be able to buy a new car." Six months later Lloyd was asked to direct Mamma Mia!, the Abba musical which became an international box-office phenomenon: a gross of £42 million and counting in the West End; productions in Toronto and Los Angeles raking in a further $6 million a month. Lloyd's percentage of the profits is well on the way to making her a millionaire, so from now until retirement she can take on subsidised projects, such as this week's British premiere of David Mamet's Boston Marriage at the Donmar Warehouse, without worrying where her next Peugeot is coming from. She describes Mamma Mia! as "the most extraordinary adventure", which began soon after her most dispiriting professional setback. In June 1997 she was scheduled to make her international opera debut with a Royal Opera-Paris Opera co-production of Verdi's Macbeth, until the pre-closure chaos at Covent Garden led to its sudden cancellation. "They cancelled it on my 40th birthday," she recalls. "I walked into Floral Street and everybody was going about their business on a perfect summer's day. I thought, 'Nobody is going to notice that this production has been cancelled, and why should they?' But rather than sink into a slough of despond, I embarked on 18 months of non-stop work." She directed Carmen for Opera North, Macbeth in Paris, a devastating Dialogue of the Carmelites for ENO and a revival of the Opera North Gloriana, starring Josephine Barstow, on stage and in a dynamic, unconventional television version that won an International Emmy. Sandwiched in the middle was Mamma Mia!. She was only offered the job because "some wonderful person dropped out" (a highly regarded figure whom Lloyd will only identify off the record). She embarked on more than a year of workshops with the playwright Catherine Johnson, author of the show's book, Abba's Bjorn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson, the choreographer Anthony van Laast and designer Mark Thompson. Johnson gradually stitched 22 Abba songs into a plot which sees 20-year-old Sophie Sheridan, the daughter of a former singer, Donna, summon the three men who could be her father to the Greek island where she is about to get married. Johnson does this so skilfully that hit singles familiar to millions appear in contexts that manage to be both outrageously contrived and emotionally apt, including Does Your Mother Know as a middle-aged woman's humiliating rebuke to the young lad pursuing her. The contrivance works because so many of Abba's lyrics read like miniature dramas. As Lloyd told the actors involved in an early workshop: "Mamma Mia! is the musical Benny and Bjorn wrote years ago. They just decided to release the songs first." The show runs so smoothly that it seems hard to believe that major alterations were being made until a few days before the press night, in April 1999, including one destined to enter theatrical legend. "We were really struggling with the opening," Lloyd explains. "There was a big Broadway-style opening number, then came the intimate scene in which Sophie sets up the plot. But the audience weren't responding." Then Lloyd opened a letter from a male relation of a female company member. "You don't know me," it began, "but I've seen Mamma Mia! and you're in trouble with the beginning. It's because the first two scenes are the wrong way around." "I handed the letter to Anthony van Laast," says Lloyd. "We looked at each other, and knew we had to change it. The new opening was immediately right. It makes it clear that this is a domestic, intimate show. The moral of the story for me was 'Don't ever be too proud to take advice.' " She sent the correspondent a case of champagne. Lloyd's own contribution to Mamma Mia! is most evident between the songs. Her deft touch with straight drama ensures that the spoken scenes carry the emotional conviction and authenticity of a good play. Johnson must of course take great credit for that, and for a tightly constructed, at times soap-opera-like story that allows theatregoers of both sexes and all ages not just to care about Donna, Sophie and her three dads, but to imagine being in their shoes. "The essence of Mamma Mia!," says Lloyd, "is that the audience are watching themselves on stage." That's why the show's appeal extends far beyond the already huge constituency of Abba fans, and why it is making Lloyd rich. Has the money changed her life? "Well I buy slightly more expensive wine and I take more taxis. But I've spent 20 years earning so little that I sort of see the royalty cheques as back pay. The fantastic thing is that I no longer worry about the mortgage or how I'm going to fit in a bit of teaching to tide me over between subsidised productions." Instead, she uses breaks in her schedule to "think, read and prepare", in this case for Boston Marriage - coincidentally the second successive West End premiere for which Lloyd was not first-choice director: Howard Davies withdrew last November, and Lloyd took charge of Mamet's "very eccentric and seductive"play. Its title, taken from Henry James's The Bostonians, is a euphemism for a co-habiting, but not necessarily homosexual, relationship between two women, although Boston Marriage's couple, Anna (played at the Donmar by Zoe Wanamaker) and the younger Claire (Anna Chancellor), have clearly been lovers. The comedy unfolds in Anna's parlour in post-Civil War New England, on the day when the couple discover a potentially devastating connection between Claire and the gentleman keeping Anna as his mistress. Their predicament stokes staccato conversation dominated by venomous insults, Wildean aphorisms ("Learning . . . is one of the histrionic tools of the social climber") and gloriously filthy innuendo, much of it directed at Anna's maid (Lyndsey Marshal). "It's just such a spectacular text," says Lloyd. "Mamet writes with almost musical notation. It needs fantastic virtuosity from the actors. "It's actually scarcely relevant that the characters are female, because he's really writing about what happens in a marriage or a partnership when one person wants to have an affair. He's celebrating a couple whose sexual life, one feels, is very much based on fantasy and talk. There are hints of Beckett and Genet; the women's civilised language is what prevents them from killing each other." As soon as Boston Marriage has opened, Mamma Mia! will move back centre stage. Lloyd will rehearse the new London cast, then fly to Australia to prepare for June's Melbourne premiere, then across to New York for an October opening on Broadway. "The most exciting thing about directing the international productions is that unlike with Cats or Les Miz, where the show fundamentally gets cloned, Mamma Mia! needs to be localised. Catherine writes new jokes, and we change the nationalities of Sophie's three dads. That variety is what keeps the team interested and the show fresh." While the musical's global domination continues, Lloyd will also be preparing the Ring cycle that she is to direct at ENO, beginning in autumn 2003. She knows that she landed the opportunity partly because of her new-found financial security. "I hope it wasn't the only reason Nicholas Payne 's general director picked me," she laughs, "but I know that he was thinking, 'We need someone for The Ring who's prepared to be paid so badly they would have to live like a nun for two years. Now that Phyllida's done Mamma Mia!, she's perfectly qualified.' " Strange that Abba should, literally, buy Lloyd the time to research and direct Wagner: Dancing Queen and Super Trouper are subsidising The Ride of the Valkyries. # # # -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Techie's Corner A Year in Review For the past year Michael Powers has provided a series of painstakingly-illustrated features on Platforms. Because of bandwidth constraints and the nature of the illustrations, we have been able to present these articles all together. This month 1501Broadway has temporarily taken the Theatre Time Machine offline for rehab and is taking advantage of the free space to offer the COMPLETE TECHIE'S CORNER SERIES: Editor's Note: Consult Previous issues in the archive for text of these articles -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Rubin's Corner A Spring Explosion It seems that March has come in as a lion in the Northeastern United States. Broadway Theater has started off March as a lion and let us hope it does not become a lamb. The first show to open is "A Class Act" This is a musical based on life and times of composer Edward Kiebian. The music and lyrics are by Mr. Kiebian and the book is by Linda Kline and Lonny Price. Mr. Price directed and stars in this production along with Randy Graff. It is at the Ambassador Theatre. The Roundabout Company has really been busy. It opens the Noel Corward comedy, "Design For Living", which is directed by Joe Mantello. The production stars Alan Cummings, Jennifer Ehle, and Dominic West. It is housed at the American Airline Theater on 42nd Street. Their second production is called "A Skull In Connemara". This is a dark comedy by Martin McDonagh. It the third play he has written in the same vein, but this promises to be a big hit. This production is at the Gramercy Theater. The company has one more new production, which everyone in New York has been waiting for during the last four years. "Follies", a revival of the 1971 Stephen Sondheim-James Goldman musical has just begin its run at the Belasco Theater. It stars Gregory Harrison, Judith Ivey, Blythe Danner, and Treat Williams. Several new dramas are on the boards during the next few weeks. "The Invention of Love" by Tom Stoppard opens at the Lyceum Theater. This Lincoln Center Production stars Richard Easton and Robert Sean Leonard. Jack O'Brien directs the play. The National Actors Theater, the Tony Randall's Company, is presenting "Judgment at Nuremberg" at the Longacre Theater. The play by Abby Mann stars Maximilian Schell and George Gizzard. Down the block a revival of the 1963 drama, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" by Dale Waserman, based on the novel of the same name by Ken Kesey has taken up residence at the Royale Theater. This time Gary Sinise returns to the stage in the Stephenwolf Theater Company production. "King Hedley II by August Wilson will begin performances in early April. This production stars Brian Stockes Mitchell and Lesile Uggins. This drama opens at the Virginia Theater and is directed by Marion McClinton. Macaulay Culkin and Joey Richardson appear in still another spring drama called "Madame Melville." The production, which is coming from London, is written and directed by Richard Nelson. I recently say this show in London and I hope it will have a long run here. Macaulay Culkin shows that he is much more that a child star in this story about the awaking of a 15-year-old boy by his French teacher. There is still more music coming to Broadway. "Blast", a marching band show comes to the Broadway Theater. I saw this in London last year and although it cannot be describes as theater it is an interest evening. We have three big traditional musicals opening in the next few weeks. First, a new of "Bells Are Ringing" with Faith Prince and Mar Kudsch will open in March. Tina Landau directs this new production. If you forgot this musical has books and lyrics by Comden and Green and music by Julie Styne. This production will be at the Plymouth Theater. The Broadway musical for people who love Broadway musicals returns to the Ford Center for the Performing Arts in early April. The cast of "42nd Street" will be playing on 42nd Street eight times weekly. The other much-awaited musical will star Nathan Lane-Matthew Broderick in an all-new musical version of Mel Brook's "The Producers". This production will open at the St. James on April 24th. Two other notes of interest about the constantly changing Broadway Theater. "Les Miz" has cut its running time from 3 hours and 15 minutes to 3 hours to save overtime. The production is now in its 15th year. Finally, the musical "Mama Mia", will open at Winter Garden in October. This is the only theater not booked on Broadway at the present time. It will take some time for the theater to lick its wounds from many years of "Cats" STOMP Turns 7 On February 28 1994, STOMP opened at New Yorks Orpheum Theatre (126 Second Avenue). Seven years later the award-winning international percussion sensation has become world-famous, having played everywhere from The Acropolis to The Oscars. This week, the show is playing in New York City; San Francisco; Austin, Texas; and Warsaw, Poland. STOMP has been an answer on Jeopardy!, nominated for an Academy Award, won two Emmy Awards for the HBO special Stomp Out Loud, and jammed with everyone from Quincy Jones to Big Bird. A second permanent company is housed in San Franciscos Marines Memorial Theatre, in addition to a national tour and two European companies. STOMP collected an Obie Award and a Drama Desk Award for Unique Theatre Experience and is still pulling in more honors: Drum Magazine awarded STOMP a 2001 Drummie Award for Best Percussion Ensemble (beating out runners-up Kodo, Blue Man Group and Nexus). In the works is an IMAX film created by STOMP's creators Steve McNicholas and Luke Cresswell. In its seven years, STOMPs New York company has gone through the following: - * 2,310 pairs of drumsticks - * 1,134 wooden poles - * 406 British-made small garbage bins - * 322 British-made large garbage bins - * 2,450 American-made garbage bins (apparently not as sturdy as the British ones) - * 9,100 boxes of Swan Vesta matches - * 546 gallons of black paint - * 4,680 pairs of earplugs A THEATRICAL ADAPTATION OF GREIL MARCUS' SECRET HISTORY OF THE TWENTIETH CENTURY www.lipsticktraces.org The Foundry Theatre (Melanie Joseph, Founding Artistic Director) will present the New York premiere of Lipstick Traces: A Secret History of the Twentieth Century, a new theatre piece adapted from Greil Marcus' cult classic, originally presented by Rude Mechs, the acclaimed Austin, Texas theatre company. Lipstick Traces, conceived and directed by Shawn Sides; adapted by Kirk Lynn; created by Rude Mechs, will open Thursday, May 10th at the Ohio Theatre (66 Wooster Street, New York City). Performances begin Wednesday, May 2nd. Lipstick Traces is a free-wheeling and explosive alternative history of the 20th century, filtered through the punk movement and other provocative cultural phenomena of the century. Greil Marcus' book has been widely acclaimed as not only an unparalleled celebration of the milestone of punk rock, but as one of the great commentaries on 20th century contemporary culture. In this theatrical adaptation, Sex Pistols' manager Malcolm McLaren joins forces with a tenacious, if somewhat manic Dr. Narrator, to revisit those movements in culture that raised no monuments - movements that barely left a trace. Johnny Rotten's first audition for the Sex Pistols, a dada evening at the Cabaret Voltaire and Michel Mourre's 1950 siege on Notre-Dame are among the spectacles visited in this piece. Lipstick Traces has been nominated for the Best New Play Award by the American Theatre Critics Association (winner to be announced in April, 2001 at the Humana Festival in Louisville). Casting for the New York staging of Lipstick Traces will be announced shortly. Lighting design for Lipstick Traces is by Heather Carson and sound design is by Darron L. West. From the Mailbag: The theatre at KGB called THE KRAINE is housing SPOOKY DOG AND THE TEENAGE GANG MYSTERIES... a play that spoofs "a popular cartoon of the 70s."half improvised and half scripted. All in all, the jokes were geared for ages 15 and up and it would help if you knew the cartoon well before seeing the show. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Copyright 2001, Mersinger Theatrical Services