APRIL - MAY 2001 ----------------------------In this issue--------------------------------------- The Play's the Thing: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly: Part Three And a new musical based on Love's Labour Lost (really) CyberTheatre Monthly: BestPlaysOnline.com, Moondance Festival Website Letter from London: Hollywood on Avon, Cold War Thriller, Almeida Premieres Neil Labute's The Shape of Things, London gets RSC's This England while Boston gets National Theatre's Hamlet Voices in Contemporary Theatre: Cider House Rules at Trinity Rep, Perishable proves a woman's place is in the theatre, Casper the Musical Rubin's Corner: BatBoy, The Musical, and Around Town: Lipstick Traces, The Garden of Frau Hess, Music from a Sparkling Planet, Major Barbara, and Wonder of the World Enter Laughing: Daily Moment of Zen, E-mail of the Month Broadway on the Air: Bravo brings Broadway into America's Homes, Schools and Communities with groundbreaking effort, Ford Center Radio -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- THE PLAY'S THE THING The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly: Part III: The Ugly Well kids, this article might not be as jovial and fun as the last two were to write. In fact, Rebecca and I struggled with this one like Jacob wrestling the Angel in the Bible story. I had to make myself sit down and watch this one. Moments into the film I knew I would have plenty of things to say about it. By the end I was speechless. How do you describe a film that must have ole William Shakespeare shuddering in his grave? But my grandmother taught me that if you haven't anything nice to say, don't say it. Well, Grandma, with deep respect and loving memories of you, guess what...I have to say it anyway. BRANAGH! What were you thinking? Ok, I will give him points for the translation itself. The shift in time period is a nice touch. BUT A MUSICAL? And if any of you have been reading the articles of the past you will know that I am not the biggest fan of musicals. Some can make me quake at the mere mention of Sondheim...like our magazine editor does to me to keep me on my toes! And not only is it a musical...it is a BAD musical. Did anyone bother to tell Mr. Branagh that singing skills might be required for a musical...sure you can speak the words beautifully...stick to your day job. Ouch! Ok, I feel better. Just venting a bit before I continue made me feel much better. To be fair, I wanted to like this movie. I could see potential in the time period shift. I love the convention of the "news flashes" that appear which really hearken back to the look of the 1930's wartime. The costumes were wonderful. I even liked the idea of music with this play due to its romantic appeal to the time period chosen. So one Sunday morning I sat down, with script in hand and a large cup of coffee beside me, and hit play on the VCR. I spent the next 10 minutes or so trying to track the script of the movie with the play. I jumped forward, backward, no-ward (when I discovered that speeches had been reassigned to other characters), and forward again. If you know the play at all, you will notice the strange edits and rearranging of scenes, other scenes inserted into another, and will have as much difficulty as I did trying to find the dialogue in the original play. The musical numbers actually get in the way. And who told them that an Esther Williams-like synchronized swim number would work? Sure, they were standard fare for the films of the time period. But it completely disrupts the flow of the story. And the dance numbers aren't even good...except anything that Nathan Lane did. Ah, finally something nice to say. Nathan Lane is the reason to see this movie. I know of his work (even the musical stuff, haha) and have always loved his comic timing. He uses it brilliantly as Costard. Lane should do more Shakespeare. I could see him doing so many parts. His work in the movie lifts a dull version of a Shakespearean play to something worth fast-forwarding in order to see it. But, enough of that. See the film to see how a wonderful translation from the time of Shakespeare to the 1930's looks. But don't expect great acting or a great movie, with the exception of Nathan Lane. I see that Rebecca is dying to get at this and she is thinking more logically than I am right now. I will pop back up in a bit! Rebecca's notes on Love's Labour's Lost: The difficulty in any Shakespeare production, whether on stage or film, is to grab the audience and suck them right in, despite the audience's general predisposition to struggle with the language. This film sucks, all right. Unfortunately, it is not the audience being sucked in, but the performances that bite the big one. Eventually they even out, but if you ever really need to nail the essence of a scene, it has to be the first scene, not somewhere mid-way through the play. If Branagh could have found a way to start the show with Nathan Lane, and pretty much keep him in every scene, it may have turned out much better. Not that Nathan Lane gives the only great performance in Love's Labour's Lost, but he is by far the highlight of the film. Other notable performances (the good ones, anyway) came from Timothy Spall as Armando, truly a hilarious fool in love, and Robert Clifford as the princess' loyal servant Boyet (who, apparently dies In the WWII sequence at the end-not a very happy ending for a comedy). Speaking of performances, in a film that contains both Shakespeare and song and dance (yes, we will comment on that extensively in a moment), it follows that you may have some performers that are stronger in Shakespeare and others that are stronger in singing and dancing. Few (like Nathan Lane) are accomplished at all of these tasks. However, if you have a performer that can neither perform Shakespeare, sing or dance, what, you may ask, would be the point of casting them? Only God, Kenneth Branagh and Alicia Silverstone know the answer to that one. Despite the problems with the film, the translation does work well. The way the film was cut and a few severely cheesy moments aside, the translation into 1930s Europe does work. The major problems with this film are the musical numbers. We now know musicals and Shakespeare are a couple that were just not meant to be. The problem lies not just in the complete and utter crap that Branagh tries to pass off as a musical, but that he replaces half the text in a scene with one cute musical number that comes out of nowhere. The text, as a result, is cut up so badly you can't follow along with a script. Another problem with incorporating the musical numbers is consistency. During the first 3/4 of the film Branagh is paying homage to the classic musicals of the 1930s and 1940s, but toward the end he suddenly decides to use the text again. All of the good-byes between the ladies and lords are kept (with only a few cuts) and watching Alicia Silverstone try to get through a forty-line monologue is positively painful. Okay, so maybe it was only eleven lines, but it felt like forty. Not to mention Branagh's natural tendency to milk it a lot whenever he has a line comes into play in this (supposed to be) final scene. And I mean MILK IT!!!!! Take the line "I'll jest twelvemonth in an hospital" (5.2.861). Branagh's performance is more like "I'll jest... twelvemonth..... in........... an.................hos....pi....tal....." And if that isn't the worst, he gets the other actors to do the same (although not quite with the pomposity, only Branagh can truly perfect that). There were many times when I slapped my head in agony or laughed allowed (and not for the reason Branagh was going for), but the most painful moment was the cheesy Casablanca moment at, what should be, the end of the film...but no...there's more. We have to go through a sorrowful black and white depiction of WWII before we can get to the joyful reunion of the lovers. Someone pass the barf bag please... And In Conclusion: Rebecca and I both seem to agree on this one as "The Ugly" because it had potential to be pretty but it is "not a pretty picture" as they say. Some good ideas are better left alone. I hope you have all enjoyed our little journey through a different look at Shakespeare and how to better understand the reasons that help or hinder moving a Shakespearean play from on time period to another. Some work well, others fight against the play so much that only a tragedy can occur. Rebecca and I compiled a short list of other films worth a mention in all three categories. Keep us posted on a film you see that should be on the list. Good: * Ran (King Lear) * Throne of Blood (Macbeth) * The Lion King (Hamlet) * Scarface (Macbeth) * Twelfth Night * Much Ado About Nothing (except for Keanu Reeves!) Bad: * A Midsummer Night's Dream (the 1999 version) * Macbeth (Polanski version) * Ten Things I Hate About You Ugly: * Titus Andronicus (1998 B horror flick directed by Christopher Dunn) * Julius Caesar (Charleton Heston as Marc Antony; John Gielgud as Julius Caesar) From the slightly insane minds of two women forced to watch Branagh sing and dance... *** Speaking of Branagh's Love's Labour Lost: Ball State University, Virginia B. Ball Center for Creative Inquiry, and Department of Theatre and Dance Present LOVE ME, LOVE ME NOT a new musical comedy based on Shakespeare's Love's Labour's Lost This new musical gives a contemporary twist to Shakespeare's classic comedy about four young men who decide to devote themselves to self-improvement, free from all distractions including the company of women. The book is a collaborative effort by the entire company which includes: Leanne Boarman, Nicholas Brenner, Chris Bryant, Robb Coles, Bradford Coolidge, Elizabeth Davito, Natalie Ellis, David Bryan Geary, Kellie Harrison, Carey Kayser, Lisa Liaromatis, Tiiu Rebane, Kathleen Shawger, Adam Tilford, and Jason Whicker. Music is by award-winning composer Raphael Crystal (Kuni-Leml) and lyrics are by critically acclaimed playwright Deloss Brown (Heart Of A Dog), who is also the director. The cast is made up of students from the Department of Theatre and Dance at Ball State University, where Mr. Crystal teaches musical theatre. The project is sponsored by the Virginia B. Ball Center for Creative Inquiry, which underwrote this unique experiment in which students collaborated with theatre professionals in the creation of a new musical. In this adaptation, Shakespearean verse shares the stage with contemporary language and concepts. The action has been moved to the mythical town of Eden, Indiana, where the young men's retreat is disrupted by the arrival of four female French exchange students. Other characters include the proprietor of a rather seedy Medieval Fair, a lady sheriff, a pedantic community college professor and assorted locals. Devotees of the Shakespeare play will recognize all of these characters from the original, but they have been filtered through the consciousness of a group of twenty-first century college students, and the result is "energetic, lyrical and unpredictable." -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- CYBERTHEATRE MONTHLY www.BestPlaysOnline.com NEW YORK -- It was announced this week that Jeffrey Eric Jenkins has accepted the position of editor of the Best Plays series, the annual chronicle of United States theater founded by Burns Mantle in 1920. Mr. Jenkins is the sixth editor of the series. He succeeds Otis L. Guernsey Jr., who edited an unprecedented 36 volumes of the annual publication and continues as a consulting editor. "I am delighted that a critic of Mr. Jenkins' stature and achievement wants to carry on the series," said Mr. Guernsey. He also wanted his friends in the New York City press offices to know that all programs, photos and other materials relating to the 2000-2001 season have been turned over to Mr. Jenkins. Future information and invitations for Best Plays should be addressed to the new editor (see below). The 2000-2001 edition of the book marks its 82nd consecutive year of publication. In addition to Messrs. Mantle and Guernsey, past editors include John Chapman, Louis Kronenberger and Henry Hewes. Mr. Hewes will also serve as a consultant to the new editor. Best Plays is widely regarded in the theater community as a comprehensive and indispensable tool providing important perspective on the annual theater season in New York and around the country. In addition, the compendium of statistics packed into the book's 600 pages is an encyclopedic guide to who did what on Broadway, Off Broadway, Off Off Broadway and in theaters large and small across the United States. It is an important acquisition for theater lovers, librarians, artists, historians and educators. A sampling of what theater professionals have said about Best Plays: "The Best Plays yearbook has always been my favorite spot in any library. I used to get lost in its wonderful albums of photos, charts and good old fashioned Broadway lore for hours on end. Now that I've got my own Best Plays yearbook shelf, I get blissfully lost right here at home." --Wendy Wasserstein "The yearly Best Plays volume is so valuable as a record of U.S. theater history." --Edward Albee "The Best Plays yearbook proves an invaluable reference source year after year." --Harold Prince Jeffrey Eric Jenkins served as associate editor to Mr. Guernsey on the 1999-2000 edition of Best Plays and contributed an essay chronicling the Broadway and Off Broadway season. Mr. Jenkins is chairman of the American Theatre Critics Association and continues to write about New York and national theater events for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer--as he has for the past five years. From 1995 to 2000 he was also managing editor of Theatre Topics, a Johns Hopkins University Press journal. In addition to the publications mentioned above, Mr. Jenkins has written theater criticism and essays for Seattle Weekly, Northwest Monthly, The New York Times, Theatre Journal, Slavic and East European Performance, Back Stage, Variety, Stagebill, Theater Week, Periphery and Continuum's Companion to Twentieth Century Theater. Mr. Jenkins received his theater education at Carnegie Mellon University and San Francisco State University. He was a member of the management team for Peter Brook's productions of The Mahabharata and The Cherry Orchard at the Brooklyn Academy of Music and founded Stage Five Productions in 1988. He has taught theater and drama at Carnegie Mellon, University of Washington and SUNY-Stony Brook. Since 1998, he has been a faculty member in the Drama Department at New York University's Tisch School of the Arts. "It is very exciting for me," said Mr. Jenkins, "to have an opportunity to build on the traditions established by Otis Guernsey, Henry Hewes and Burns Mantle. Best Plays has provided countless hours of pleasure to theater lovers for more than 80 years. It has served as the springboard for the theatrical imaginations of three generations of theater people--actors, directors, playwrights, designers, producers and critics alike. I am happy to count Mr. Guernsey and Mr. Hewes among my advisors as we continue to develop the living record of the American theater. It is equally gratifying that a superb group of theater writers and editors has agreed to join my editorial board. Their dedication to theater in the United States is widely known and they have my deepest thanks." Joining the Best Plays editorial board, which is still in formation, are Robert Brustein, Tish Dace, Christine Dolen, Mel Gussow, Robert Hurwitt, John Istel, Chris Jones, Julius Novick, Michael Phillips, Christopher Rawson, Alisa Solomon, Jeffrey Sweet, Linda Winer and Charles Wright. Best Plays will use the Web address of www.BestPlaysOnline.com. In the latter part of 2001, Best Plays citations will be posted on the Web site along with excerpts of commentary from the editors. The MOONDANCE INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL www.moondancefilmfestival.com The MOONDANCE INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL invites YOU to participate in the festival competition, which gives writers and filmmakers & other artists in the entertainment world a unique opportunity to come together with other writers, directors and producers to create new opportunities, develop tools for success and to forge new alliances. Printable entry forms for the 2001-2002 competition are available on the new website now: WEBSITE: www.moondancefilmfestival.com 2001-2002 MOONDANCE COMPETITION CATEGORIES: FEATURE SCREENPLAYS SHORT SCREENPLAYS STAGE PLAYS SHORT STORIES FEATURE FILMS SHORT FILMS DOCUMENTARY FILMS ANIMATION FILMS TV EPISODICS TV PILOTS TV MOWs RADIO PLAYS MUSICAL SCORES, LYRICS & LIBRETTOS MUSIC VIDEOS PUPPETRY THEATRE TWO COMPETITION DEADLINES: JUNE 1 & OCTOBER 1, 2001 Moondance has been, since it was founded in early 1999, a women's competition only, but starting in 2001, due to popular request, we encourage both men & women writers & filmmakers to enter the special side-bar competition, The Seahorse Contest, in which submissions of films & screenplays, stageplays, radio scripts and tapes, TV scripts, musical works, & short stories are required to depict women & girls in a positive manner &/or have lead roles for women actors over 40. For more information on the Moondance 2001 competition categories, go to: http://www.moondancefilmfestival.com/Competitions.htm -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- LETTER FROM LONDON Hollywood-on-Avon as the RSC bids to be global player Unprecedented moves by the Royal Shakespeare Company could soon see Hollywood stars appearing on stage at Stratford-upon-Avon as well as in American theatres. The RSC's artistic director, Adrian Noble, is to start some new productions in America, casting American actors alongside British ones. American producers would help to bankroll the productions. Mr Noble has hired Salman Rushdie's literary agent, Andrew Wylie, known in literary circles as "The Jackal", to set up publishing deals for the company. The moves are part of an effort by the RSC to cash in on its reputation and build a global brand, securing publishing, film and video deals. Mr Noble has taken time out of the rehearsal room, travelling the world to turn the company into a global money-earner. He is also prepared to break with RSC tradition and cast American actors and actresses. Mr Noble is known to be keen to persuade Morgan Freeman to play Othello. And established stars who relish stage acting, such as John Malkovich and Glenn Close, would be targets for the company. The prospect of American accents on the Stratford-upon-Avon stage delights rather than alarms Mr Noble, even if audiences are a little more wary. He said: "It allows us to examine Shakespeare in a cross- cultural way." The RSC is also setting up a board in America. It will be the first British theatre group to have a board across the Atlantic, and is likely to comprise industrialists and philanthropists, who can help to raise money. The RSC has already secured a £2m deal from a university in Michigan to help to fund the history plays currently being performed in London. In return, the RSC will run workshops and classes for poor children in Michigan as well as putting on performances there. Mr Wylie will be expected to make deals with publishers for RSC-branded books on Shakespeare and school texts. The company wants to expand its film and video-making capacity. Filming productions for the Net is likely to become routine. Mr Wylie said: "The RSC is a dynamic organisation with a unique cultural heritage ? arguably the most important of its kind in the world. It is an honour to be working with them, and to be able to help them realise their ambitions in the publishing world internationally." # # # Brilliant Berlin thriller grips and haunts Charles Spencer reviews A Russian in the Woods, by the RSC, at The Other Place, Stratford-Upon-Avon AT the age of 69, Peter Whelan is a dramatist in his prime. He wrote some of the most intelligent and touching plays of the Nineties - The School of Night (about Marlowe), The Herbal Bed (about Shakespeare) and Divine Right (about the Royal Family) - and this new piece finds him at the top of his game. A Russian in the Woods is semi-autobiographical, but unlike many memory plays it also offers satisfyingly full-blooded drama. The action is set in Berlin in 1950, shortly after the airlift. Our hero, Pat Harford, closely modelled on Whelan himself, is a naive and chippy 19-year-old, straight out of the sixth form and posted to Berlin as a sergeant in the Education Corps. At one level, the piece is a classic rite-of-passage play. Left to guard an education centre over the weekend, Pat teeters on the brink of an affair with the German secretary there, Ilse, then almost has sex with a dashing young American soldier he has met at a dance. But this is Berlin, that fascinatingly ambiguous teritory so obsessively explored by John Le Carre and Len Deighton, and the plot kicks in with a vengeance, spinning a tale of espionage that forces Pat to face urgent issues of loyalty, betrayal, military discipline and the nature of the Cold War itself. How useful - or how dangerous - are woolly, warm-hearted socialist beliefs at a time like this? And where do our loyalties ultimately lie - with our country or, as EM Forster hoped, with our friends? Whelan seamlessly weaves the personal and the political in a beautifully written piece that brilliantly conjures up the atmosphere of the time, and a group of sharply drawn characters almost none of whom are quite what they seem. You detect remnants of the young, idealistic Lefty in the writing of the old, experienced Whelan, and I think he underplays the menace of the Soviet threat. Winning the Cold War required the ruthlessness, and the duplicity, that the play seems implicitly to condemn. But the final impression is of honest doubt, with a sense of both survival, and of loss, that is deeply affecting. Robert Delamere's production does full justice to this rich and humane play, beginning with an evocative montage of documentary sound which transports us back from the fall of the Wall to the tense, pre-Wall Berlin of 1950. Simon Higlett's not-quite-naturalistic design superbly captures the once-handsome villa in Charlottenburg where the education centre is housed, and a wider impression of devastated Berlin. The performances are outstanding. In a remarkable stage debut Anthony Flanagan plays Pat with endearing gaucheness, stubborn bloody-mindedness and moving emotional depth, while also showing how the narrative has been filtered through the dramatist's memory. Anna Madeley is vital and raw as the alluring, troubled Ilse; Louis Hilyer is both hilarious and touching as Fraser Cullen, a camp, Pandarus-like sergeant in the Army Kinema Corps who is tougher and wiser than he appears. There's strong support too from Colin Mace as a sinister Intelligence sergeant, Charlie Simpson as a despicable CO, and Douglas Rao as the predatory American. I have a hunch that Whelan's potent mixture of gripping Cold War thriller and haunting memory play could have a long, lucrative life beyond Stratford. *** The Almeida's second production in its new space in King's Cross will be the world premiere of Neil LaBute's latest play, The Shape of Things. Directed by the author, The Shape of Things opening on 30 May with previews from 24 May and running until 23 June. How far would you go for love? For art? What would you be willing to change? Which price might you pay? The Shape of Things digs into these ideas by peeling back the skin of two modern relationships, revealing all the meat and gristle that lies below. The cast includes: Gretchen Mol, Paul Rudd and Rachel Weisz. Neil LaBute's films include In The Company of Men, Your Friends and Neighbors and Nurse Betty. LaBute's most recent film, Possession, based on A.S. Byatt's novel, will be released later this year. In 2000 the Almeida presented LaBute's Bash, directed by Joe Mantello. Gretchen Mol makes her British stage debut playing Jenny. Her film work includes Woody Allen's Sweet and Lowdown and Celebrity, Forever Mine, Cradle Will Rock and Rounders. Her television work includes Spin City and Subway Stories. Paul Rudd plays Adam. Rudd has most recently appeared in Long Day's Journey into Night in London's West End. His theatre work in the US includes the original production of Neil LaBute's Bash, and Twelfth Night at the Lincoln Center. His film work includes The Object of My Affection, Romeo and Juliet and Clueless. Rachel Weisz plays Evelyn. Weisz last appeared on the London stage in Donmar Warehouse production of Suddenly Last Summer. Her other theatre work includes Design for Living and The Courtesans. Her film work includes The Mummy I and II, Enemy at the Gate, Sunshine and Stealing Beauty. About the Almeida's space: 'The company has displayed its talent before for finding run down buildings and turning them into exciting performance spaces. This time it has surpassed itself with the unpromising raw material of an old coach station that it bravely chose to take over. The main theatre has a wideangle stage of a kind that London desperately needs ... a triumph' Jane Edwardes, Time Out 'The National Theatre of Islington, better known as the Almeida, has moved to another new venue while its HQ is refurbished. This is another terrifically audience- and actor-friendly space: a former coach station just off King's Cross'. John Peter, Sunday Times 'The Almeida has an instinct for marvellous performing spaces: old ones like the Hackney Empire and the Albery, and newly converted ones like the Gainsborough Studios. I love its temporary new home: a specially designed 520-seater (originally built in the 1930s as a long distance coach station, unused since 1982), three minutes walk from King's Cross station, with a marvellous broad stage and yet good acoustics, and with a large mirrored bar area almost as large as the auditorium. Brush up your Shakespeare "And gentlemen in England now abed, Shall think themselves accursed they were not here." So said Henry V at Agincourt, and Shakespeare devotees may be feeling as miffed if they miss out on the unique theatrical event that begins tonight at the Barbican. In The Pit theatre, the Royal Shakespeare Company embarks on its first ever complete cycle of the Bard's eight history plays in chronological sequence. The cycle begins with Samuel West's much-praised Richard II and ends across the river on Saturday night at the Young Vic with Richard III, with Aidan McArdle in the title role. A second complete cycle will be performed the following week, so you can take in all eight plays over a fortnight, if preferred. Some 500 men and women from as far afield as Quebec, California, Texas, Switzerland and Germany - not to mention the Scots, Irish, Cornish, a woman from Abergavenny and not a few Londoners - have already leapt at this unique chance and booked for complete cycles at a cost of £220 a time. "A bargain," said the RSC's Philippa Harland. "And it does not seem long, because it rips along at a really heady pace. People seem to have an appetite for epic theatre. With the performances of the 10-hour Tantalus, now on tour, it is the alldayers that are selling out." But Tantalus is a mere trifle compared with This England The Histories, as the RSC has titled its re-creation of one of the most bloody and turbulent 100 years of our history. Beginning with the deposing of Richard II by Bolingbroke, it covers the subsequent rebellions crushed by Henry IV, Agincourt, Joan of Arc and Jack Cade's anarchic revolt. Then come the Wars of the Roses, the dispatching of the Princes in the Tower by Richard III and, with his defeat on Bosworth Field, the formation of the Tudor dynasty. Officially, the sequence starts at 7.15 tonight, but the really eager could start at 2pm in the Barbican with a rehearsed reading of Edward III, a play now attributed in part to Shakespeare. The action resumes on Wednesday with Henry IV Part I in the afternoon and Part II in the evening. Henry V follows on Thursday night. On Friday night, the action moves to the Young Vic with Henry VI Part I. On Saturday the saga restarts at the Young Vic at 10.30am with Henry VI Part II, continues at 3pm with Part III and ends at 7.30pm with Richard III. The final words of the cycle will be uttered by Richmond, the future Henry VII, played by Sam Troughton whose father, David, starts the ball rolling tonight as Bolingbroke. Reminder, While we're getting "This England" You're getting HAMLET ``Hamlet'' at the Wilbur Theatre, Boston, through April 29. The beauty of the the Royal National Theatre production of ``Hamlet,'' now at the Wilbur Theatre, lies in its utter simplicity. There is a purity in the company's approach that begins with director John Caird, and goes through Tim Hatley's spare, ecclesiastical design and Paul Pyant's stunning lighting. But of course, at its core is the performance of Simon Russell Beale as the Danish prince. Beale is an unlikely Hamlet. Short and stocky, he bears little resemblance to the heroic figure. He's just a guy, one who can even laugh at himself, despite the fact that his world has been turned upside down. And because he acts like a regular guy, there's no distance between him and us. Suddenly his grief over the death of his father feels painfully familiar; we ache with his hurt and anger over his mother's remarriage just when he needs her to comfort him; we feel his sense of betrayal by his onetime friends and cohorts. In the midst of his sadness and confusion, Hamlet is expected to revenge his father's death, and he's just not up to it. Suddenly, Shakespeare's ``to be or not to be'' soliloquy becomes remarkably clear, and his struggle is less about making up his mind than gathering the courage to do something he's not sure he's capable of. Suddenly, his choice of life or death strikes unexpectedly close to home. There's a moment when, after avoiding several opportunities to kill his father's murderer, Claudius (Peter McEnery), Hamlet confronts Claudius almost by accident. Claudius opens his arms, and Hamlet points his sword at him, but he just can't bring himself to do him in. Russell Beale's performance is so transparent, Shakespeare's language becomes almost conversational, and the power of the emotions he conveys are perfectly clear. But Russell Beale also conveys an intelligent Hamlet, one whose efforts to stay a step ahead of the conniving Claudius aren't so easy. Russell Beale gets some appropriate support from Cathryn Bradshaw, who does a delicate transformation from naive but dutiful daughter to rejected and shattered orphan. As Gertrude, Sara Kestelman is clearly a loving mother, but her relationship with Claudius remains cloudy. For his part, McEnery plays Claudius as too distant to have lured a new widow to his bed. He's clever but never dangerous. Director Caird goes for simple, subtle tableaux in his staging, and Pyant's wide palette of lighting takes us to unexpected places. The one odd choice Caird makes is in the obvious religious references. While the sense of spirituality is essential, there's too much fingering of crosses worn on chains around the characters' necks, and the final staging with panels opening in the shape of a cross was heavy-handed at best. Designer Hatley has made the Danish castle of Elsinore resemble a church and a prison at once. A series of trunks, symbolizing the state of unrest and impermanance, serve as desks, parapets and room dividers. It's dark, but the darkness, lit by a series of chandeliers, creates a claustrophobic sense of intimacy. The play opens with a breathtaking image, with the company standing in what look like upright coffins framing the back and sides of the stage. Lit eerily from the chest up, as if they were standing in their own tombs, the action begins when they step out of their tombs and ends with their return to them. This ``Hamlet'' is truly one of the most accessible productions you'll see, with a ``Hamlet'' who is more believable for his heartbreaking humanity. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- VOICES IN CONTEMPORARY THEATRE A Heartbreaking, Life Affirming, True Stage Adventure! The Cider House Rules At Trinity Rep.....Rules! Adapted for the stage by Peter Parnell, from John Irving's lengthy 1985 novel of moral ambiguity, The Cider House Rules is the extraordinary story of one boy's journey to adulthood. Entitled "Here in St. Cloud's," the first half of the (two part) play, is now on stage at Trinity Repertory Theatre in Providence, Rhode Island. It is a sprawling epic, a true stage adventure -- specialized, literature-based theater, with an extended, story-driven stylization that overflows with theatrical imagination. It is the story of Homer Wells, delicately convincing and adroitly played by Stephen Thorne, who grows up as a permanent resident of an orphanage in St. Clouds, Maine. Homer, although "adopted out" several times, and to some very interesting couples, always manages to find his way back to the only real home and family he has ever known. Following the fourth or maybe it's the fifth adoption, Homer is finally offered and accepts a permanent residency at the orphanage. But it is Homer's resolution to, show his gratitude, and make himself useful by any means available, that leads to a crisis of conscience involving abortion and medical ethics. Brian McEleney gives a touching performance as Homer's mentor, Dr. Wilbur Larch the head of St. Clouds. Larch suffers from gonorrhea, a permanent reminder of the one and only sexual experience in his life. Anaesthetizing himself from the pain, of not only his affliction but his world, with self prescribed doses of ether -- he is in fact an addict. Nevertheless, Larch has a special place in his heart for the children at St. Clouds. Each night, after reading a chapter from Charles Dickens, the good doctor bids the hopeful, rejected orphans (in the boy's wing) a heartfelt "Good night, you princes of Maine, you kings of New England" before slamming the door and leaving them in the dark, literally and figuratively! Homer, who is convinced that he is meant to follow in Larch's footsteps, works side by side with the doctor; in and out of the operating room. When however he takes the moral high-ground, and refuses to perform an illegal abortion, Dr. Larch, who has dedicated his life to dealing with the "unwanted products of sex" tells his protege "You may disapprove, but you may not be ignorant or look away!" Eliciting potent, sometimes brilliant performances from each and every cast member, Director Oscar Eustis brings a fable like quality to this quirky, often sad, yet humorous, emotionally challenging struggle for self worth and identity; making it a relevant humor-filled social drama. Eustis sensitively and affectionately combines a number of theatrical devices in this production. These include (but are not limited to) an "in-your-face" abortion -- this is one area where Parnell has translated Irving's unflinchingly graphic descriptions, to the stage, offering the audience biological details that some may find disturbing, if not offensive. Oral sex, prancing (albeit human) horses, a truck with air brakes, a 1940 roadster, a full view of Janice Duclos "shooting the moon" (I'll get back to Janice later), and comments/exposition (by the actors) made directly to the audience; all of which serve to support Irving's off-beat, idiosyncratic characters and very human conditions. At just over three hours (part one has two intermissions) the show was about an hour too long for this reviewer. As Americans, we are of the opinion that more is better -- in this case it is not. I must admit however I could not imagine how this particular "more" could be effectively reconstructed into less without loosing a lot of something in the translation! Anyway..... When Homer decides it's time to explore the outside world, he sets off with a wide-eyed, impressionable innocence that makes us all want to say "please don't go"! It is then we realize that we are actually experiencing the conflict tearing Dr. Larch apart as he encourages Homer to venture forth! Janice Duclos (I promised I'd get back to her) is wonderful and frightening if not "possessed" as Melony. Duclos' fierce intensity and enormously touching vulnerable portrayal of the imposing, and fearless orphan is up to her usual "standard of excellence!" And when, Melony vows to pursue Homer into the real world, no matter what the cost, we are anxious and willing to follow her -- not wanting to miss the fireworks which are sure to follow when she finally catches up with him! There are a number of other outstanding performances by permanent Trinity company members such as Barbara Orson, William Damkoehler, Phyllis Kay and Anne Scurria. In addition, the ever talented Trinity Musicians are on hand. As for theatrical incongruities -- it seems that there are always a few -- the unfinished set stage left, the apples on the upstage trees (through wind, rain, hail and snow, as well as a declaration made by one character that he was sorry he couldn't provide the orphans with cider, but it wasn't apple time) and the seemingly "radial" tires. Then there was the music; several times I found that it was too loud and got in the way of the dialogue! I know, picky, picky, picky! This production of The Cider House Rules (part one) is an emotionally uplifting experience -- and sure to be remembered as one of the best theatre experiences of the season -- don't dare miss it! Please note: this play deals with adult themes and is intended for mature audiences only. PERISHABLE PROVES ONCE AGAIN THAT A WOMAN'S PLACE IS IN THE THEATRE 9TH ANNUAL INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S PLAYWRITING FESTIVAL WINNERS ANNOUNCED The Perishable Theater's International Women's Playwriting Competition was founded with one purpose only, to spotlight and produce the works of emerging female playwrights thus encouraging their unique artistic voice; and, it's been doing just that for the past nine years! Located in Providence, Perishable is Rhode Island's only Theatre Arts Center and brings together artists from all media, providing them with the opportunity to perform and develop their craft. It is also home to the Festival which is staged under the direction of Associate Artistic Director Vanessa Gilbert. Hundreds of scripts are submitted annually from_across the US, Canada and Australia, this year's winning female playwrights will represent the best new voices in theatre. The three winning one-act plays will be produced at Perishable Theatre, 95 Empire Street, Providence, RI from May 19, 2001- June 17, 2001. The winners of the 9th Annual International Women's Playwriting Festival are: Christine Evans (Australia) for her play Mother Gun Christine Evans is an Australian writer/composer currently attending the Brown Graduate Playwriting Program as a Fulbright Scholar in the Visual and Performing Arts. Nehassaiu deGannes (Trinidad and Canada) for The Frangipani Door Nehassaiu deGannes was born in the island nation of Trinidad & Tobago and immigrated to Canada with her parents at the age of three. She has lived in the United States for the last ten years. She has her BA in English from McGill University, an MA in African American Studies from Temple University and an MFA in Creative Writing from Brown University. Janet Kenney (Boston, MA) for the ten-minute play Extra Ordinaire Janet Kenney holds a MA in Playwriting from Boston University and a BA in Theatre Arts from U/Mass Boston. The Last Work of Saint Peter the Great received the Provincetown Theatre Company's New Play Award for 1999 and was semi-finalist for the Stanley Drama Award this year. Along with the winning plays, the Festival presents opening performances by local female performers in a number of different formats. The Theatre also hosts a Gallery showing portraying the visual art of female artists as well as a Humanities Series. The initial Humanities Discussion will be held after the first Sunday performance and will feature all three winning playwrights in a moderated forum. Rounding out the Humanities portion of the Festival will be the "Talk With Your Mouth Full" series, these post-performance receptions offer audience members the opportunity to discuss the new works with the playwrights, directors, actors and the production staff of the Festival. Continuing in the tradition of past festivals, the winning plays will be published in an anthology that highlights the scripts and includes critical essays written by area scholars discussing the themes of each script. Perishable Theatre, now entering into its 18th year of theatrical ingenuity, has been heralded for its "Captivating work with superior performances" by Backstage and was deemed "the premiere venue for new plays in Rhode Island by Providence Monthly. In addition to the Playwriting Festival, Perishable offers a Mainstage season of groundbreaking area premieres such as Erik Ehn's acclaimed adaptation of Faulkner's The Sound and the Fury and the New England premiere of Oana-Maria Hock Cajal's Exchange at Café Mimosa. Perishable Theatre's Stage 2 is dedicated to bringing some of the most acclaimed performance artists, musicians and performers from around the world to local audiences. For more information call Perishable Theatre at 401-331-2695 or visit them on the web at www.perishable.org or www.aboutWPF.com. Award winning Director, writer and actress, Willis-Whyte has performed Off-Broadway, in films and, on television. Named to Who's Who in American Colleges and Universities and Who's Who in American Advertising, Willis has published two books of poetry and is also the author of three one-act plays based on the lives of Susan B. Anthony, Clara Harlowe Barton and Anne Frances Kelly; a member of an all girl Confederate cavalry unit. Her latest book, Images of Nineteenth Century American Women, which integrates staged readings of historical biographies, original poetry, and art, is scheduled for publication later this year. A past member of AFTRA, Actor's Equity, and SAG, Willis (who is) a native New Yorker, now makes Providence RI her home. From the Mailbag: Casper the Musical Chita Rivera to star in World Premiere of Casper The Musical! Two-time Tony Award-winner Chita Rivera stars as media superstar Magdelena Monteverde in the World Premiere of Casper The Musical coming to Pittsburgh, Kansas City, Atlanta and Dallas. This exciting new family musical is an enchanting tale of the friendly, young ghost who inspires a greedy group of treasure seekers to search no further for the greatest treasure of all...each other. An accomplished and versatile actress/singer/dancer, Ms. Rivera has most recently starred in the London, Las Vegas and Toronto productions of Chicago The Musical and toured with her new musical, Chita & All That Jazz, a musical celebration of her spectacular life in the theater. Winner of the 1993 Tony, Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle Awards for Kiss of the Spider Woman on Broadway, Ms. Rivera created the role of Velma Kelly in the original Broadway production of Chicago opposite Gwen Verdon. It was her electric performance as Anita in the Broadway premiere of West Side Story that brought her stardom in 1957. Her rich and varied Broadway career is highlighted by starring performances in Bye Bye Birdie, Chicago, The Rink (for which she won both the Tony and Drama Desk Awards), Jerry s Girls and the Broadway and touring productions of Kander and Ebb s Kiss of the Spider Woman directed by Harold Prince. Her earlier Broadway productions include the original casts of Guys and Dolls, Can-Can, Seventh Heaven and Mr. Wonderful. In 1991, Chita was inducted into the Theatre Hall of Fame. All the sparkling elements of musical comedy surround the whimsical spirit and a cast of colorful characters in this live-action, fun-house ride of a musical! Casper The Musical opened in London s West End in December, 1999. The show has been totally revised by authors Stephen Cole and David H. Bell and composers Matthew Ward and Henry Marsh. With an exciting new script and musical score, this family musical will captivate both children and adults. It will have its World Premiere this summer at the Pittsburgh CLO, June 5 - 24 followed by a run as part of the 2001 season at Kansas City Starlight Musicals (July 15 - 22), Atlanta s Theater of the Stars (July 24 - 29) and Dallas Summer Musicals (July 31 - August 5). Casper The Musical is produced in association with Pittsburgh CLO, a not-for-profit cultural organization dedicated to the preservation, creation and promotion of the American musical theater art form and the furnishing of arts education, outreach and meaningful community service opportunities in Western Pennsylvania and throughout the United States. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- RUBIN'S CORNER BatBoy, The Musical Picture a teenaged Nosferatu-lookingalike with Jerry Lewis mannerism and a clipped British accent; throw in parallels to "Pygmalion", "The Elephant Man", and "Beauty and the Beast" and you have somewhat of a description of a new musical hit called "Bat Boy" which opened this week at the Union Square Theater. Simply put this is an outrageously silly and totally charming show performed by a cast that seems to be having as much fun as the audience. It is hard to take your role seriously when the play is based on a true story about a half-bat, half-human found in a cave. The story ran a few years ago in the Weekly World News, the supermarket tabloid that make the National Enquirer look like the London Times "Bat Boy" writers Keythe Farley and Brian Flemming with the help of composer Laurence O'Keefe were inspired by an infamous early-90's cover story that feature a pointy-eared bat-child with fang-toothed mouth agape. From it, they've fashioned an often hilarious musical about how the mutant's discovery and his attempted assimilation into the human race affect the small minded citizenry of a West Virginia farm community. Winningly played by Deven May as an initially frightened wild child, Bat Boy is taken by the family of Dr. Parker, played by Sean McCourt, a not-kindly veterinarian whose first impulse is to remove Bat Boy from the world with a lethal injection. Parker's wife saves him. She lovingly transforms the drooling yelping little humanoid into a civilized well-read young man. However, she is horrified when her teen daughter falls in love with the boy. A lively cast, many in multiple roles, enlivens even the most insipid tunes with campy, tongue-in-check deliveries. The showstopper is a song called "Children, Children", a take-off on the opening number of "The Lion King". This production provides an evening of just plain fun. It is playing at the Union Square Theatre at 100 East 17th Street. Tickets are $50 to $55 and can be obtain by calling (212) 307-4100. Around Town CAST ANNOUNCED FOR LIPSTICK TRACES THEATRICAL ADAPTATION OF GREIL MARCUS' SECRET HISTORY OF THE TWENTIETH CENTURY The Foundry Theatre (Melanie Joseph, Founding Artistic Director) is pleased to announce the cast for 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. The six member cast of Lipstick Traces will feature actors Lana Lesley and Jason Liebrecht from the original Rude Mechs production, recreating the roles of Dr. Narrator and Johnny Rotten. Actor/playwright David Greenspan (The Boys in the Band, Dead Mother, or Shirley Not All in Vain) will play the role of Malcolm McLaren. Other roles will be played by James Urbaniak (Henry Fool, Sweet and Lowdown), T. Ryder Smith and Ean Sheehy. Lipstick Traces is the latest in a series of award-winning theatre produced by The Foundry, which has most recently included Rinde Eckert's And God Created Great Whales (2000) and Gertrude & Alice (1999). *** The Jewish Repertory Theatre, Ran Avni, Artistic Director, proudly presents THE GARDENS OF FRAU HESS by Milton F. Marcus, directed by Rhoda R. Herrick. THE GARDENS OF FRAU HESS will open off-Broadway at The Duke on 42nd Street (229 West 42nd Street, between 7th and 8th Avenues) on Sunday, April 29th at 7p.m.; previews begin Saturday, April 21st at 8p.m. THE GARDENS OF FRAU HESS takes place in Germany in 1944, where a relationship develops between Ilse Hess, wife of Nazi party leader Rudolph Hess and Isaac Baum, a concentration camp prisoner, former professor of horticulture, who becomes her gardener. The play is a fictional relationship, based upon actual events. *** Drama Dept. will present MUSIC FROM A SPARKLING PLANET, a new play by Douglas Carter Beane, at the Greenwich House Theatre (27 Barrow Street, off Seventh Avenue South) beginning on Wednesday, June 20. Opening Night is Thursday, July 19. MUSIC FROM A SPARKLING PLANET will run for 8 weeks only, through August 12. In MUSIC FROM A SPARKLING PLANET, three friends go in search of the retired host of a local Philadelphia TV kids' show and find so much more in the Wildwoods of New Jersey. Drama Dept. is a collective of actors, directors, designers, writers and stage managers who collaborate to create new works and revive neglected classics. Following in the tradition of The Country Club and most recently, The Book of Liz, Drama Dept. continues its mission statement to produce new plays by American writers with MUSIC FROM A SPARKLING PLANET. *** CASTING ANNOUNCED FOR MAJOR BARBARA Roundabout Theatre Company (Todd Haimes, Artistic Director) will present the Broadway revival of George Bernard Shaw's MAJOR BARBARA at The American Airlines Theatre (227 West 42nd Street). MAJOR BARBARA will begin previews on Friday, June 15th, 2001, with an official opening scheduled for Thursday, July 12th. Directed by Daniel Sullivan, MAJOR BARBARA stars Cherry Jones (Barbara Undershaft), Dana Ivey (Lady Britomart), David Warner (Andrew Undershaft), Denis O Hare (Adolphus Cusins) and Zak Orth (Stephen Undershaft). Shaw's masterful sense of comedy and social satire explores the conflicting philosophies of father and daughter. MAJOR BARBARA is Barbara Undershaft (Cherry Jones), the daughter of a wealthy munitions magnate, is a woman of conscience who embraces religion as a means of salvation. Andrew Undershaft (David Warner), her father, is a social philosopher of opposite opinion of her belief in saving the outcasts of society. In contrast, he is of the opinion that the greatest of evils and the worst of crimes is poverty. The very first production of MAJOR BARBARA was in repertory at The Playhouse on December 9, 1915. Fourty-one years later, it received its Broadway premiere on October 30, 1956 at the Martin Beck Theatre, having run 231 performances. The cast featured Anne Jackson and Charles Laughton. On November 19, 1956 MAJOR BARBARA moved from the Martin Beck to the Morosco Theatre and closed on May 18, 1957. MAJOR BARBARA was later revived at Circle in the Square on February 26, 1980 featuring Laurie Kennedy and Philip Bosco. *** Manhattan Theatre Club has announced that Sarah Jessica Parker will star in Wonder of the World by David Lindsay-Abaire on Stage I at City Center (131 West 55th Street). The play, originally scheduled to begin performances on May 1, will now open MTC's 2001-2002 subscription series. Performances will begin on Tuesday, October 2. Directed by Christopher Ashley, Wonder of the World is a comedy in which the heroine embarks on a journey of self-discovery in Niagra Falls that has her crossing paths with a blithely suicidal alcoholic, a salty sea captain and a strange caper involving a gargantuan jar of peanut butter. It all pushes her perilously close to the water's edge. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- EMTER LAUGHING Daily Moment of Zen Do not walk behind me, for I may not lead. Do not walk ahead of me, for I may not follow. Do not walk beside me, either. Just leave me the hell alone. The journey of a thousand miles begins with a broken fan belt and a leaky tire. It's always darkest before dawn. So if you're going to steal your neighbor's newspaper, that's the time to do it. Sex is like the air. It's not important unless you aren't getting any. Before you criticize someone, walk a mile in their shoes. Then when you criticize them, you're a mile away and you have their shoes. If at first you don't succeed, skydiving is not for you. Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day. Teach him how to fish, and he will know how to sit in a boat drink beer all day. If you lend someone $20, and never see that person again, it was probably worth it. Don't worry, it only seems kinky the first time. Good judgment comes from bad experience, and a lot of that comes from bad judgment. The outcome of a rain dance has an awful lot to do with timing. Duct tape is like the Force. It has a light side a dark side, and it holds the universe together. There are two theories about arguing with women. Neither one works. Experience is something you don't get until just after you need it. From the Mailbag: This is our e-mail of the month - and we're starting to wonder about you guys who write us: You have just received the Amish virus.Since we don't have no electricity or computers, you are on the honor system.Please delete all of your files on your hard drive.Then forward this message to everyone in your address book. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- BROADWAY ON THE AIR BRAVO ON WITH THE SHOW AND BROADWAYS BEST Following the budget cuts that have dismantled arts and theater education in schools across the country, Bravo, Americas leading arts network, is proud to announce several new programs designed to bring theater into the nations homes, schools and communities. The multi-platform campaign is aimed particularly at raising national awareness of theaters positive impact on young people. Bravo On With The Show is a major grassroots initiative that in its first year will feature a 20-city national touring theater arts workshop conducted by Broadway teaching artists, and a series of :60 vignettes airing nationally that will highlight each workshop. Bravo On With The Show is the networks long-term investment in our childrens future and our most ambitious cause-related campaign to date, commented Dore. Theater production and performance encompass all of the major art forms, including dance, music and art and serve as a great opportunity for any child to gain confidence and perfect the skills that can become major assets in their future. We think of this initiative as our way of giving back to communities across the country that have always supported Bravo. We are pleased to announce that this long-term initiative will extend across all of Bravos media platforms in 2001 and beyond. Bravo On With The Show will send Broadway teaching artists to 20 cities in 2001, where they will conduct student workshops exploring various elements of theater performance and production, including improvisation, play writing, direction, music and dance. Bravo has contracted with Camp Broadway, a theater arts education and audience development company dedicated to helping kids and families experience Broadway theater in original and creative ways, to organize the Bravo troupe of teaching artists. The one to two-day workshops will culminate in a free and open to the public performance by the newly-trained cast and crew of kids. Cable affiliates will have the opportunity to partner with Bravo to bring Bravo On With The Show to their community. To date, MSOs including Adelphia Communications, AT &T, Cablevision Systems, Cox Communications, Comcast Corporation, Insight Communications, and Time Warner Cable are already partnering with Bravo to bring Bravo On With The Show to 20 cities nationwide in 2001. Tour stops in 2001 include: Los Angeles, Sacramento, and Santa Rosa, CA; Glastonbury, CT; Gainesville, FL; Savannah, GA; Bloomington and Indianapolis, IN; Buffalo, NY; Detroit; Juneau; Kansas City; New Orleans; San Antonio; as well as Hampton Roads and Roanoke, VA. The first tour date is scheduled for Saturday, May 19-20 in Santa Rosa, CA. Bravo is pleased to drive this unprecedented commitment to arts education, remarked Gregg Hill, Executive Vice President of Affiliate Sales and Marketing, Bravo Networks. We look forward to partnering with our affiliates in bringing Bravo On With The Show to the communities we service and providing young people with a once-in-a-lifetime theater experience. In further support of theater education, Bravo also announced today a series of :30 celebrity PSAs about the importance of theatre in our nation's communities and the launch of a sub site to Bravo's web site at www.bravotv.com. Sharing in the mission to provide young people exposure to the arts, Bravo is also pleased to announce the participation of celebrities Audra McDonald (Annie, Ragtime, Wit) and Lea Thompson (Caroline in the City, Broadway's Cabaret). In addition, Broadway productions and personalities endorsing the efforts of the Bravo On With The Show campaign include: Blast on Broadway!, Cabaret, Jane Eyre, Les Miserables, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, The Music Man, The Phantom of the Opera, Rent, 42nd Street, Brent Barrett (Annie Get Your Gun), Dee Hoty (Footloose) Rebecca Luker (The Music Man), Gary Lindemann (The Phantom of the Opera), and Kate Levering (42nd Street) have all endorsed the campaign. We are pleased to introduce a major theater arts initiative that is embraced by the Broadway community, adds Caroline Bock, Senior Vice President, Marketing, Bravo Networks. The establishment of the Bravo On With The Show program will help create enormous awareness and exposure of theater arts that will enrich the lives of hundreds of thousands of students across the nation. Todays launch of a new, exclusive sub-site added to Bravos web site at www.bravotv.com will support Bravo On With The Show by providing complete tour schedules, video clips from the workshops, behind-the-scenes interviews and exclusive, live chats with leading Broadway stars, as well as a form letter that can be used by visitors to contact the mayor in their community to advocate for arts programs in their community. Also, a program workbook will be available on the site for teachers to download and use for their own school programs. Broadways Best Parallel with its commitment to present the arts on television in a highly original, accessible and memorable way, Broadways Best, announced today by Frances Berwick, Senior Vice President, Programming and Production, Bravo Networks, is a groundbreaking performing arts extravaganza featuring the biggest stars in pop music as they perform the greatest theater songs ever written. Taped before a live audience on November 12 at the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City, Broadways Best will premiere on Bravo in 1st Quarter 2002. Under the musical direction of composer, Frank Wildhorn (Jekyll and Hyde, The Scarlet Pimpernel, The Civil War), Broadways Best will feature contemporary arrangements of classic Broadway numbers, plus revealing stories behind the shows from which they originated. Executive Producers for Bravos Broadway's Best are Wildhorn, Mark Krantz, and John Schreiber. There was a time in this country when Broadway songs were American popular music, Frank Wildhorn remarked. The most popular singers from the 1920s through the 1960s, including Billie Holliday, Frank Sinatra, Louis Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald and even The Beatles, covered some of the great songs of Broadway. Broadways Best will not only show the durability and the timelessness of classic Broadway songs, but by using contemporary pop music stars, we will cross these songs over to a new generation who might otherwise not be aware of the rich tradition of Broadway musical theater. In a further effort to bring the best of Broadway music to the rest of the country, stars from Broadways Best will tour during the spring and summer of 2002 to perform with some of America's favorite pop orchestras. Stars from the television special will join orchestras nationwide in special Broadway Best Nights, extending the reach and scope of this campaign into 20-30 communities. Broadways Best is Bravos biggest performing arts special to date, added Frances Berwick. The special augments the network's 2001-2002 broadcast season lineup of originals including Inside The Actors Studio, Bravo Profiles, The It Factor, Stagestruck, Musicians, and Aeros. Bravo, The Film and Arts Network, offers critically acclaimed American and international films as well as performing arts, including dance, theater, classical music and jazz. Bravo reaches more than 53.3 million viewing subscribers nationwide. 42nd STREET The quintessential new Broadway musical 42nd STREET welcomes Joan Hamburg of WOR Radio as she begins a monthly broadcast at the Ford Center for the Performing Arts on 42nd Street, beginning tomorrow, Wednesday, April 18. The live broadcast of The Joan Hamburg Show will take place the third Wednesday of every month from 10 AM-12:00 Noon and can be found at 710 AM on the dial. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Copyright 2001, Mersinger Theatrical Services