Winter, 2001 ----------------------------In this issue--------------------------------------- The Play's the Thing: What better Trick-or-Treat subject for the scariest holiday than a look at that cursed Scottish Play Voices in Contemporary Theatre: Pray, Love, Remember and a Week of Free Theatre + World Premiere of Women Playwrights' Winner at RI's Perishable Theatre Enter Laughing: Captain Footlights CyberTheatre Monthly: Alice in Analysis, Pro Dance Ireland Rubin's Corner: Spitfire Grill, Reefer Madness, Six Dance Lessons Heldover: Letter from London -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- THE PLAY'S THE THING: "Too full 'o the milk of human kindness": Macbeth and Lady Macbeth in Theory and Practice It's October and...surprise, surprise...Rebecca has appropriately decided to write about her favorite play. Over the last year our readers have become accustomed to the humorous banter between Caprice and I, and we promise that will continue in the future...even if you don't want it to. However, for the next few months Caprice will be taking a leave of absence while she directs her show and I will be taking this opportunity to redirect the article to more serious, scholarly issues. The column is supposed to deal with topics in dramaturgy, and though we do tend to stray from that topic from time to time, we do still like to come back to our roots. I have submitted for this month's installment, a paper I wrote while a graduate student at San Diego State University about Lady Macbeth as a literary figure and as a character in performance. Though this later became my thesis topic, this paper was actually written before I had the opportunity to play the character...so you can tell I was a little opinionated about who I wanted her to be when we started rehearsals. Though I did end up taking a few different routes to gain insight into the character than what is laid out here, the paper is still something I am very proud of. I have left in all of the citations and works cited page so you can research this further on your own if you have an interest. So, without further ado... Shakespeare's Macbeth has been the subject of scholarly research in terms of ambition, politics, and sexuality. The most predominant analysis is that of the relationship between Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. This relationship in theory is full of sexual innuendo, maternal power, gender transgression, and violence. In reading multiple essays on the psychological nature of the relationship one question came to mind: to what extent are the characters aware of the psychological effect they have on each other in performance? In contrast to the various essays by literary scholars, Sinead Cusack wrote with Carol Rutter in Shakespeare's Late Tragedies about her process in preparing for the role of Lady Macbeth for the Royal Shakespeare Company. Although her choices are not the only choices that can be made by an actor in that role, her experience contrasted the theoretical models written by so many scholars. Her relationship with Macbeth was real, not a theoretical analysis of the psychological effect the characters have on one another. Through her written process and the analysis of the scholars mentioned above I will outline the dichotomy between theory and performance and the relationship between Macbeth and his Lady. Lady Macbeth and the Witches Jane Adelman summarizes the psychoanalytic interpretation of the relationship between Lady Macbeth and the Witches (ibid 140). Lady Macbeth and the Witches signify for Macbeth the role of both temptress and mother, an issue that will be explored more fully below. Adelman claims that the Witches tempt Macbeth on the cosmic plain, whereas Lady Macbeth tempts him on the psychological plain (ibid 139). All of the female figures represent the power of the maternal figure over procreation and her influence over the child-a role to which Lady Macbeth and the Witches all reduce Macbeth (Watson 99). Also, all roles refer to, what I believe, not the masculinity, but defeminizations of the women in order to further extort their power over Macbeth (Adelman 139). However, if the scholarly analysis is correct, that Macbeth is a play representing the male fear of feminine power and chaos (ibid, Watson 99) than the "unsexing" of these characters would destroy the central theme of the play, or at least reduce the danger to masculinity. Although the witches take on an androgynous persona "you should be women/And yet your beards forbid me to interpret/That you are" (1.3.45-47) they are entirely feminine in their ability to tempt Macbeth and to "mother" him by manipulating him. Lady Macbeth tempts him as well "Art thou afeard/To be the same in thine own act and valour,/As thou art in desire?" (1.7.37-39) and also reduces him to the status of an infant by comparing him to her infant in 1.7.54-59 "I have given suck, and know..." (this line will be more fully explored below). The connection between Lady Macbeth and the Witches is an easy one to make. Her calling on spirits, or "murdering ministers" to "unsex me here" (1.5.40-48) closely resembles the Witches calling on spirits in order to practice their craft. Lady Macbeth also represents to Macbeth the same role of the Witches-to push him into the murder of Duncan. Wherever the Witches take off Lady Macbeth picks up in what are predominantly private scenes. Public scenes in Macbeth are dominated by males, thus separating the sexes even further. But in the private world, the world in which Macbeth resolves to kill the king, women dominate. Lady Macbeth as Temptress The difficulty in assigning a masculine or non-feminine gender to Lady Macbeth is that she possesses a heightened sexual stranglehold over her husband (Watson 99). Keirnan states that Macbeth bestows upon Lady Macbeth more endearments than any other wife in Shakespeare (131). Although she claims prior to her first meeting with Macbeth that she wishes to be unsexed, once he enters the room that is no longer possible if she wishes him to do what she wants. Her sexual control over Macbeth gives him the courage to follow through with a plan he may or may not have acted on if not for her sexual persuasion. Once Lady Macbeth convinces her husband to follow through with the plan, her role as temptress is significantly reduced. In fact, once the murders are committed, her role in Macbeth's life is seriously reduced. Many theorists call this reduction of her role as a contrivance by Shakespeare (Adelman 150). Once her character is no longer needed to sustain the plot she is removed, or as Adelman argues, feminine is replaced by masculine, as all women are killed off or disappear before the final action of the play (ibid). However, this analysis is of very little use to an actor attempting to play Lady Macbeth. Why is she rapidly removed from status in the eyes of her husband, one she has gone to great lengths to have him placed on the throne? Once we have analyzed the scholarly definition of Lady Macbeth as mother we will return to this question. Lady Macbeth as Mother Lady Macbeth has been analyzed as a maternal figure in comparison with Freud's Oedipus Complex (Watson 98). Though not his actual mother, she "plays the maternal role in offering to 'embody' an ambitious new self for him" (ibid 99). Watson claims that the Witches and Lady Macbeth are Jocasta-figures and that they encourage Macbeth to "recognize the inevitable Oedipal conflict arising" (ibid 101). According to Watson, when Lady Macbeth confronts Macbeth in 1.7 she is both lover and mother, lover when he will commit the crime and mother when he will not (ibid 98). Watson claims that Lady Macbeth gives birth to a new "exalted but sinister Macbeth" (ibid 100). Adelman asserts that Lady Macbeth turns Duncan into a child figure for Macbeth, and that if he does not murder him, she will turn into the murderous mother, rendering Macbeth more of a woman than she (ibid 143). Lady Macbeth also embodies the "maternal malevolence" also expressed in the Witches (Adelman 138). Adelman claims that the central theme in Macbeth is to "escape from the maternal matrix" (ibid 145). "Doing away with the female site of origin" (ibid 144) is a primary concern for the world of Macbeth. The malevolent mothers, the Witches, warn Macbeth that he can only be defeated by a man not born of woman, thus further establishing the male and female realms as being infinitely separated, but utterly dependent upon one another (Adelman 145). The worlds are sharply defined toward the end of the play as all of the potential mother figures are killed or disappear, and we are left with only males and their male heirs either on the outskirts or marching in the Birnam Wood (Adelman 149, Stallybrass 111). Although it would be simple to assign a phallic meaning to an army marching and carrying trees, Adelman steers away from this interpretation. She states that the marching of Birnam Wood represents a family tree, one that is "relentlessly male: Duncan and sons, Banquo and sons, Siward and sons. There are no daughters and scarcely any mention of mothers in these family trees" (ibid 149). She goes on to state that the natural order is "reconceived purely as male" (ibid). Even the Witches are removed in favor of the masculine forces of social order. They intercept Macbeth while displaying their control of thunder and lightning, but Adelman claims that this is mearly childish theatrics compared to the divinely sanctioned storm that takes place during the "unnatural" murder of Duncan (ibid 141). To this point I have concentrated on the scholarly interpretation of Macbeth in terms of male and female gender roles and their separation. Although this information is helpful in providing background information for an actor, I now want to explore how the actor may make choices to help in performance based on the above analysis. Macbeth and His Lady in Performance With the above scholarly interpretation of the role of Lady Macbeth as fellow witch/temptress/mother to Macbeth, many productions have focused on her apparent purely evil nature. Adelman (140) argues that Lady Macbeth is the more frightening figure than the witches, and this sentiment is reflected by many literary scholars because she is human, not a supernatural matron of evil. Many productions have treated her as such, revealing instantly the character that the audience expects: a beautiful, but easily identifiably evil woman dressed in black (Rutter and Cusack 120). However, the actor portraying Lady Macbeth must find some inspiration to create a complex character. Sinead Cusack related her experience preparing for the role for the Royal Shakespeare Company. There are many troubling lines assigned to Lady Macbeth that are wide open to interpretation. Many of them have been repeatedly discussed by the above mentioned scholarly essays. The line Cusack focused on, which can be the most troubling, is the reference in 1.7 to Lady Macbeth nursing a child. Shakespeare explicitly tells us in 3.1.63-64 that Macbeth has a "barren sceptre" in his grip. Cusack asked herself "So where is that baby?" (Rutter and Cusack 120). Though many choices can be made, Cusack chose the one that made the most sense to her that the Macbeths had a child that died. Though the scholars above unanimously argued for a metaphoric baby, the line just made more sense to her as an actor as she had interpreted. That choice became the focus for the relationship between the Macbeths. "Marital claustrophobia became a key image of the production" (Rutter and Cusack 121). This choice focused the actor and developed a realistic relationship between the Macbeths. A marriage that is falling apart because of the lack of children is a motivation for Lady Macbeth to go to the extremes that she does. Cusack states she could have followed two character paths once her choice had been made regarding the child. First, she could allow the loss to separate her from her husband emotionally, or she could refocus all of her attention on his happiness and security (ibid 121). She chose the latter, but either would provide significant motivation for the actor beyond the metaphoric explanations by the scholarly essays. Cusack also made another choice that went against traditional interpretations of Lady Macbeth. "Eventually we had a meeting in London and I was shown the set model and costume designs. There it was-my nightmare! I was dressed in black, the set was a black box. Macbeth was in black...They said, 'What do you want?' and I said, 'I want to be in white..." (Rutter and Cusack 121). The director never consented to white, but she did get to wear green, a color much more similar to what she wanted to express. The choice to not give away the depths of Lady Macbeth's capacity for evil in the first image of her on stage was important to Cusack. Choices must be made by actors to support the complexity of the characters. Cusack states that during 1.7 when she mentions the child to Macbeth "she pulls out the one area that she's never used, the secret area of the child.." (Rutter and Cusack 126). Jonothan Price, who played Macbeth, hit her with a ringing slap across the face. Cusack described it as an electric current of violence on stage (ibid 127). She goes on to describe the moment, "What she says about the baby, and his reaction to it, is completely divorced from their natural exchange...And that's when he knows how much she wants this for him...And that's when he grabbed her, held her, and they were both crying" (Rutter and Cusack 127). These are the moments that defy what the scholarly interpretations assert. The relationship between Macbeth and Lady Macbeth is more complex than the pages alone can inform. The personal relationship between the Macbeths is the focus of the entire first act of the play. It is the motivation for murdering Duncan. The relationship is what pushes Macbeth into regicide. Adelman argues that the same scene described above is Lady Macbeth's expression of deep fantasy of Macbeth's vulnerability to her. The speech is designed to question Macbeth's masculinity and by the dashing out the brains of their infant son imagery "she articulates a fantasy in which to be less a man is to become interchangeably a woman or a baby" (Adelman 143). However, Lady Macbeth cannot be conscious of this intention when she mentions the baby. The speech is obviously designed to question Macbeth's masculinity "Wouldst thou have that/Which thou esteem'st the ornament of life,/And live a coward in thine own esteem" (1.7.39-41) but I do not think she is conscious of a desire to render him an infant. She is expressing to him the lengths to which she would go for him. Whether or not she is really doing this for him is up to the actor, but the drama that unfolds in this scene is her conveying her desire for his success and what she will go through to achieve it for him. Although the essays previously mentioned have not accounted for the complexity of Lady Macbeth in performance, or how she acts on the surface while the subconscious thought they assign to her is churning underneath, there is one essay that completely ignores that she is complex at all. Victor Keirnan states "We can scarcely admire a man who commits a crime simply to satisfy his wife" (ibid 129). This statement ignores any potential complexity within not only Lady Macbeth but Macbeth as well. If he only murders Duncan because she tells him to we have no story beyond the first act. Keirnan makes multiple statements regarding Lady Macbeth's character that would have any self-respecting woman's hair standing on end. He claims that Lady Macbeth is only devoted to the image of Macbeth she has ascribed, not him as a human (ibid 131). Cusack states that her personal choice was to not be aware of the monster she would unleash and to misjudge him slightly (Rutter and Cusack 123). However, if Lady Macbeth was only interested in the image of Macbeth and didn't understand him as a human being he would never have committed the murder. The final aspect of performance I would like to discuss is the "unsexing" of Lady Macbeth. Although in theory this is simple for scholars to dissect, it is another point of choice for an actor. Cusack states that she chose for this not to mean the masculinization or even defeminization of the character. Instead, she chose this passage to mean "make me invulnerable to love" (Rutter and Cusack 124). Rutter states also that she chose this to express "she was willing to renounce her sexuality, her erotic power over Macbeth" (ibid). The difficulty lies in his next entrance, where the sexual tension between the two is intense and Lady Macbeth uses that to sway him to her purpose. I believe this is not a display of her power to move back and forth between woman and non-woman, but is her flaw as a character that she cannot resist the erotic power of her relationship with her husband. She may desire to be unsexed, but as soon as he enters the room that is not possible. Although scholars have dissected Macbeth to fit every model from Freud to Nietzsche (Garber 87, Keirnan 131), the analysis of the play provides only a subconscious background for performance. The power of Macbeth lies in the available choices for actors to make regarding the various levels of complexity in character. Macbeth turns us inward to examine the nature of desire and ambitions as well as the influence others have on our lives because a performer can make the character come to life. Performers can make choices allowable within the text to enable the characters to more closely resemble us. However, performers do need the analysis to make the choices. Once the options are laid out on the table, the performer can pick and chose what they want to use to create the character without fear of misrepresentation. Although Lady Macbeth has often been portrayed as the evil figure in black, this is not the only option for a performer or designer. Lady Macbeth should have layers to her character that can be applied or pealed away to reveal her lighter or darker sides at the performer's will. Works Cited Adelman, Janet. "Escaping the Matrix: The Construction of Masculinity in Macbeth and Coriolanus." Shakespeare's Late Tragedies, ed. Susan L. Wofford. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice-Hall, Inc. 1996, 134-167. Garber, Marjorie. "Macbeth: The Male Medusa." Shakespeare's Late Tragedies, ed. Susan L. Wofford. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice-Hall, Inc. 1996, 74-103. Keirnan, Victor. Eight Tragedies of Shakespeare: A Marxist Study. London, NY: Verso, 1996. Nelson, T.A. ENGL 533 lecture February 18, 1999. Rutter, Carol and Sinead Cusack. "Lady Macbeth's Barren Sceptre." Shakespeare's Late Tragedies, ed. Susan L. Wofford. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pretnice-Hall, Inc. 1996, 119-133. Stallybrass, Peter. "Macbeth and Witchcraft." Shakespeare's Late Tragedies, ed. Susan L. Wofford. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice-Hall Inc. 1996, 104-118. Staunton, Howard, ed. The Globe Illustrated Shakespeare. New York: Gramercy Books, 1979. Watson, Robert N. Shakespeare and the Hazards of Ambition. Cambidge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1984 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- VOICES IN CONTEMPORARY THEATRE Pray, Love, Remember Alright, yes, Ophelia was nuts when she said it. But it's still a damn fine sentiment. Since we published the rundown on Broadway's Reaction in the September issue, we've received a number of additional e-mails. Forrest Mallard's Production Notes put it best: "So many people have gone out and have proven themselves to be heroes among us. Helping through physical work or making monetary donations... (and) only scratches the surface of the numbers of optimistic and generous people out there." So many of us in theatre love this city... and so many of us spend more hours than most analyzing the human condition... We're a cynical lot, or we used to be. I've heard little surprise voiced since September 11th about the monstrous depth to which human beings can sink - that sociopaths could murder thousands doesn't surprise us. What I've heard remarked is rather what heroic heights we can rise to in times of crisis. That does surprise us. While we continue to give blood and give money and clean up and rebuild, can we hold on to that, please. Just leave the derisive cynicism in the 20th Century and move on. Wouldn't that be the best possible monument to this horror. *** With turns on Broadway (Rent, The Rocky Horror Show) and film, (Wild Things, Flawless) actress/singer/songwriter Daphne Rubin-Vega returns to her singing roots when she takes center stage at The Bottom Line on Friday, October 19 at 7:30PM and 10:30PM. Rubin-Vega will sing original songs from her CD, "Souvenirs." Proceeds from CDs purchased that evening will go to the American Red Cross and the New York State WTC Relief Fund. All revenues from the October 5, 2001 performances of MAMMA MIA! around the world, including London, Toronto, Melbourne, Boston and Broadway, where the show begins preview performances that evening, will be donated to the American Red Cross and The Twin Towers Fund; charities that are aiding those who suffered as a result of the tragic events in the United States on September 11. The contribution is being made by MAMMA MIA!'s producers, investors, authors, composers, other members of the creative team, theatre owners and cast members of the five companies. PROVIDENCE'S PERISHABLE THEATRE PRESENTS WEEK OF FREE THEATER A COMMUNITY UNITES IN RESPONSE TO NEW YORK TRAGEDY From October 2nd through the 7th, Perishable Theatre is hosting Australia's world renowned shadow puppeteer Richard Bradshaw as he brings his unique brand of storytelling to Providence for a rare appearance. Best of all, it's FREE! Perishable Theatre, along with their sponsors, is/are doing this as an active response to the tragic events that occurred on September 11th. Performances will be offered free to families (and the public at large) for one week only. In lieu of admission, donations will be accepted in the name of The New York Firefighters 9-11 Disaster Relief Fund. It is only through the generous support and sponsorship of Richard H. Lefebvre Insurance Agency, BANKRI, Southwest Airlines, Reilly & Company, LTD, Certified Public Accountants, Rhode Island State Council on the Arts, New England Foundation for the Arts, and other anonymous corporate donors, that Perishable Theatre is able to offer this unusual "gift" to the community. As Perishable is an intimate theatre space and seating is limited, reservations are strongly recommended. To reserve tickets, contact the Perishable Theatre Box Office at 401-331-2695 x 101. For more information call the above number or visit them on the web at www.perishable.org. This artistic response to the tragic events that have befallen the nation came as a result of the staff and artists of Perishable Theatre meeting only days after the World Trade Center Disaster to discuss what part they could play as artists in helping the community deal with this tragedy. As a community based organization that has long prided itself on its Mission of creating an open dialogue with its audience and community, the Perishable Theatre staff decided that the best way to cope with the recent events was to respond immediately and make a positive impact within the local community. "The fact that our next scheduled show at the Theater was Bradshaw's SHADOWS, not only world class theatre, but also uplifting family fare led us to the idea of making the art free and open to the public as a sincere gesture to the community, " states Artistic Director Mark Lerman. "The next step was to then gather together their other like minded, proactive businesses and individuals and raise enough funds to offer up every seat for this week long event for free. Our main hope is to take a positive stand locally -- by giving them the opportunity to come together as families and celebrate the human spirit." Appropriate for adults and children of all ages, grand master Richard Bradshaw's solo piece Bradshaw's SHADOWS mixes delightful English music hall humor and classic drama with consummate skill. Chosen by Jim Henson for his "Six Masters of Puppetry" Series, Richard Bradshaw presents an evening that is raucous and warm, clever and memorable. His puppets are simple delicate creatures capable of multiple transformations that assist this masterful storyteller create a world of grand illusion on a small screen. These wonderful puppet characters accompany traditional stories, songs and simple jokes with surreal twists designed to excite and please audiences. "The man who makes the funniest shadows in the world...." Kermit the Frog, The Muppet Show."....he works alone behind a screen scarcely larger than that of a TV set. But what work! What a goldsmith!.... It's an opportunity not to be missed. It's not often one gets the chance to laugh wholeheartedly...and withspirit!" Arts Magazine. "This ingenious Australian offering is one of those theatrical rarities -- sketches whose nutty sense of humor tickles kids and adults alike" Edmonton Journal. "Masterly shadow player....in this hour there is really not a single weak minute" Tages Anzeiger, Zurich. A NEW LESSON IN SELF DEFENSE KICKS OFF PERISHABLE THEATRE'S 19TH ANNIVERSARY SEASON The world premier of former Women's Playwriting Festival winner Carson Kreitzer's new play; Self Defense or death of some salesmen, will launch Perishable Theatre's 2001-2002 Mainstage Season, running from November 3rd through December 2nd. Self Defense or death of some salesmen, is a gripping fictionalized account of the pursuit, capture and trial of Aileen Wuornos, who became known as the first female serial killer and is the final installment of Kreitzer's "Women Who Kill" triptych of plays. "The story examines brutal, colliding questions of sexism, classism, justice and justification as it plunges us, laughing and terrified, into some of the darkest waters of the American psyche," states the play's director Vanessa Gilbert, who brought to the Perishable stage last season's acclaimed The Year of The Baby. This production features NYC based actress Lynne McCollough as Jolene Palmer, the character based on the real-life Wuornos. Kreitzer is a recent winner of the prestigious Jerome Fellowship and a previous winner of Perishable's International Women's Playwriting Festival for her short play Dead Wait. One of her earlier plays, The Slow Drag, moved to London's West End following an original production at the American Place Theatre. Another play, Caravaggista, was read at the Public Theatre last year and her play Take My Breath Away was featured in BAM's 1997 Next Wave Festival. Carson holds a degree in Theater and Literature from Yale and is the recipient of grants from the New York Foundation for the Arts and the New York State Council on the Arts. A member of the Dramatists Guild and The Women's Project Playwright's Lab, Carson is a resident with Mabou Mines. Now entering into its 19th season, the award-winning Perishable Theatre dedicates their season to the Celebration of Women in Playwriting. In conjunction with the 10th Anniversary of their International Women's Playwriting Festival, Perishable is bringing to Rhode Island five world premiere works from some of the nation's most innovative female playwrights. Hailed as "the most professional small theater in Rhode Island" (Providence Journal), Perishable offers audiences a chance to experience the thrill of live theater ... up close and very personal. Self Defense or death of some salesmen, written by Carson Kreitzer has been directed by Vanessa Gilbert. Sets have been designed by Monica Shinn; lighting by Deb Sullivan; costumes by Susan Reid; sound design by Peter Hurowitz and video is by Tom Sgouros. The production features Paul Buxton (Captain); Kerry Callery (Bucket); Anushka Carter (Chastity); Marilyn Dubois (Daytona); Casey Seymour Kim (Lu); Lynne McCollough (Jolene Palmer); Richard Noble (Drums); and Wendy Overly (LeeAnn). -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ENTER LAUGHING Captain Footlights Since Halloween is almost upon us and it's time to be thinking about costumes, do consider that unsung hero CAPTAIN FOOTLIGHTS Origin: Captain Footlights is rumored to be a mild-mannered technician radiated in a freak accident involving a nuclear-powered turntable. Well and good, but A) there's already too much techie stuff in the humor column and B) a MILD-MANNERED TECHNICIAN?!?!? Really. And I suppose his arch-enemy used to be a mild-mannered actor. Sidekick: Gobo. Gobo is a theatre-cat who accompanied CF in whatever happened during his origin. When off-duty Gobo uses his superpowers to invade the theatre's kitchen and helps himself to whatever snacks the actors and theatre-staff have stored there. He is roughly the size of Garfield. Rogues Gallery The Prince of Darkness - Captain Footlights deadliest nemesis. A Lighting designer who somehow never manages to light the stage. Blulight: The Prince of Darkness's chief flunky - and a major source of comic relief in the PoD stories. Blulight occasionally lights the stage, but only in 9 shades of blue. Nuclear Glare Woman - modus operandi is self-explanatory, audiences leave matinees complaining the sun is too dim. Although her shows create tremendous power-drains on the city, Captain Footlight always finds him self strangely attracted to NGW and unable to bring her to justice. Thad - Thad is the producer's nephew - no matter what he does, you can't get rid of him. In the early episodes he was clearly evil, then he claimed to reform and really tried to be part of the team - but he is so incompetent and clumsy, Captain Footlight was happier before Thad started trying to be helpful. Scooter - with a name like Scooter no one ever took him seriously, so Scooter takes himself very seriously. 4-foot nothing with a 9-foot ego, Scooter is the Assistant Stage Manager from hell. Scooter & Captain Footlight sometimes find themselves on the same side - usually to subdue the Prince of Darkness - but they still don't like each other much. Despite what you may hear, all characters are fictional. Only Gobo is based on a real technician's cat. Newlet that struck our funnybone: DNR, the weekly newsmagazine of the menswear industry, will feature some of Broadways hottest stars in the October 8 issue. Michael Arnold (42ND STREET), Bryan Batt (BEAUTY AND THE BEAST), Michael Curry (CABARET), Chris Jackson (THE LION KING), Damien Perkins (AIDA) and Lawrence E. Street (URINETOWN) will appear in a fashion photo essay modeling Spring 2002 designer tuxedo shirts worn casually on the streets of Times Square. The Broadway fashion spread hits newstands on Monday, October 8. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- CYBERTHEATRE MONTHLY Alice In Analysis www.aliceinanalysis.com Remember Alice (yes, the one with the White Rabbit and the looking glass, that Alice), well, She's 30, She's Divorced, and She's in Therapy. Can't say I'm surprised. You follow rabbits into wonderland and drink from strangely labeled bottles, you're going to wind up on the couch sooner or later. We just think this is a cool idea for a musical, and that notion is in no way dispelled by the large (and addictive) collection of photos from the New York Premiere. Pro Dance Ireland www.prodanceireland.com Technically, The Association of Professional Dancers in Ireland (APDI), it would only need to be in your bookmarks if you needed to distribute audition notices, company information, or if you were in fact, a professional dancer in Ireland. However, we recommend taking a look just to see, once and for all, that an arts organizations CAN have a good, content-rich, well-organized, aesthetically pleasing website that presents a positive and accurate picture of the organization it represents. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- RUBIN'S CORNER Spitfire Grill "The Spitfire Grill" now being staged by the Playwrights Horizons at the Duke on 42nd Street. A rough gal with a shady past, she's just out of prison for shooting her wicked stepfather, arrives in a ramshackle rural town in Wisconsin and settles everybody's problems. The woman's anyway. I am not sure about the men's, but there is hope anyway. The town is called Gilead and the woman who alights is called Percy, played and sung well by Garrett Long. She is brought along by Sheriff Joe impersonated by Steven Pasquale. The restaurant is run by Hannah, wonderfully player by Phyllis Somerville. Hannah give Percy a job as a waitress and cook and Percy starts shaping up the messy lives of the people around her. The work move briskly under directors David Saint and Luis Perez. The music is by James Valcq and the lyrics by Fred Alley with the book by both. It's derived form a 1996 film of the same name. The songs are likable with tiles like "Wild Bird" and "This Wide Wood". As the title suggests Gilead is clearly paradise. Of course there are a few things that need fixings. Hannah has a traumatized Vietnam veteran son who lives in the woods. . Joe must abandon his itch to get out of Gilead. And there's Shelby, played by Liz Callaway, who has a troubled violent husband. The musical hasn't figured out its central story. It nevertheless manages to be sweet, appealing parable of folk finding a second change in life. Reefer Madness The 1938 "scare film" Reefer Madness was created to warn America of the need to educate its youth about the drug menace, in particular the evils of marijuana. Indefensible as a piece of filmmaking, its sublimely stilted emoting, decor, and depiction of innocent teens who, after a single puff, turn into snarling, cackling dope fiends can be pretty amusing. Now at the Variety Arts Theatre is Reefer Madness, a new musical suggested by the film (and not, I gather, the film's first stage musicalization). Still set in the '30s, the show retains most of the film characters, the musical's Jimmy standing in for the movie's Jimmy and Bill and burdened with the plights of both (one kills an old man in a hit-and-run accident, the other is framed for a murder he didn't commit). Held over from the movie are an educator lecturing viewers; the reefer den with hostess Mae; her boyfriend/pusher Jack, who lures innocent teens to their ruination; and their dangerously unstable cohort Ralph. With music by Dan Studney, lyrics by Kevin Murphy, and a book by both, the musical adds numerous, outlandish plot twists of its own, from cannibalism to murder by garden hoe, exaggerating an already ludicrous source. Which raises two questions: Is it possible to spoof a property that now plays as an unintentionally funny, unwitting spoof of itself? And after a year that has given us Bat Boy, Urinetown, The Producers, and a revival of The Rocky Horror Show, is there room for another tongue-in-cheek, campy musical send-up? Reefer Madness is, of course, intended as nothing more than dumb, silly fun. But its only discernible point of view is anything-for-a-laugh, and it's heavy-handed rather than funny. There's no getting around the fact that the dead-serious movie--with its sociological fascination and appalling but mesmerizing histrionics and mise-en-scène--is a good deal more outrageous and amusing than this labored stage spoof. Nominated for 4 Ovation Awards Uta Hagen returns to the New York Stage starring with David Hyde Pierce in Richard Alfieri's SIX DANCE LESSONS IN SIX WEEKS directed by Arthur Allan Seidelman Broadway in April 2002 SIX DANCE LESSONS IN SIX WEEKS, the Broadway-bound play, has just been nominated for 4 prestigious Ovation Awards in Los Angeles, including Best Actress for two-time Tony Award-winner Uta Hagen and Best Actor for two-time Emmy-winner co-star David Hyde Pierce. Directed by Arthur Allan Seidelman, Richard Alfieri's play smashed box-office records in it's recent Los Angeles engagement and will now open for a limited run at a soon-to-be-announced Broadway theater in April, 2002. Rodger Hess, Marcia Seligson and Entpro Plays, Inc. will produce SIX DANCE LESSONS IN SIX WEEKS in New York following a triumphant stand at the Geffen Playhouse in Los Angeles, where the play extended its run five times, playing the longest run of any show there, and broke every existing box office record at the theatre. In SIX DANCE LESSONS IN SIX WEEKS, Uta Hagen portrays Lily Harrison, a formidable Florida retiree, who has hired a dance instructor for six weeks. Much to her dismay, she is greeted by Michael Minetti (Mr. Pierce), an acerbic, transplanted New Yorker. After a rocky start, Michael and Lily soon learn they have more in common than either could have imagined. A smart and moving comedy about the nature of friendship, SIX DANCE LESSONS IN SIX WEEKS invites us to cherish the partners we choose. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- LETTER FROM LONDON JONATHAN KENT AND IAN McDIARMID ANNOUNCE THEIR RESIGNATION AS JOINT ARTISTIC DIRECTORS OF THE ALMEIDA THEATRE COMPANY Today, Wednesday 5 September, Jonathan Kent and Ian McDiarmid announce their resignation as Artistic Directors of the Almeida Theatre Company. They will continue their directorship until the Summer of 2002 while the Company continues to produce at its temporary home in King's Cross. It is planned for the Company to return to its refurbished home in Islington during the Winter of 2002. Kent and McDiarmid took over as Artistic Directors of the Almeida in 1990, turning what had been a receiving-house in Islington, North London, into a full-time producing theatre. Under their directorship, as well as producing work at its home base in Islington, the Almeida has produced 15 productions in the West End, including a year-long season at the Albery Theatre, toured nationally and internationally, produced Shakespeare at the Hackney Empire, created two summer seasons in Malvern and transferred 14 productions to New York. Kent and McDiarmid have created three new performance spaces in London - the Gainsborough Studios in Shoreditch, and the Almeida's current home - a converted coach station in King's Cross - which houses two auditoria. They have presented 15 World Premieres, including work by Edward Albee, David Hare, Neil LaBute, Ellen McLaughlin, Phyllis Nagy, Harold Pinter and Nicholas Wright, and, in addition, have produced 10 annual contemporary opera festivals. The Almeida's community and education programme has broadened its reach, performing in school, colleges and site-specific locations countrywide. Since 1990 the Almeida has received over 45 theatre awards including a Laurence Olivier Award and an Evening Standard Award, both for Outstanding Achievement. Jonathan Kent and Ian McDiarmid said today: "We have been the Almeida's Artistic Directors since 1990. An inherent truth in any artistic pursuit of this nature is that it cannot last forever. To have created, along with many others, a theatre of vision and commitment has been entirely rewarding, but we believe now is the time to go." "We have tried to create an environment in which artists are able to do their best work, a way of working that has encouraged people to aspire, where the phrase 'that's impossible' has been replaced by 'there must be a way'. This has always been a high-risk, yet considered strategy, and one which we hope will continue." "Our aim has always been to make theatre a more exciting place to be." "The re-opened Almeida Theatre will be architecturally and financially stronger, enabling a different sensibility to take it in a new direction." Garry Hart, Almeida Chairman said today: "The Board is extremely proud of the Artistic achievement of the Almeida Theatre since 1990 under the leadership of Jonathan Kent and Ian McDiarmid and they pay tribute to their extraordinary work over this period and wish them well for the future." "The Board is determined that the re-opening of the refurbished Almeida should be marked by the choice of a successor who will be able to bring to their work the same artistic distinction, creativity and vitality and they know that as they embark upon this process they have the whole-hearted support of Jonathan Kent and Ian McDiarmid." JONATHAN KENT For the Almeida Theatre he has directed Ibsen's When We Dead Waken, Dryden's All For Love, Euripides' Medea (also West End and Broadway), Anthony Burgess' new version of Griboyedov's Chatsky, Bernhard's The Showman, Moliere's The School for Wives, Louis Mellis and David Scinto's Gangster No.1, Moliere's Tartuffe, David Hare's versions of The Life of Galileo, The Rules of the Game and Ivanov, John Byrne's version of Gogol's The Government Inspector, Nicholas Wright's version of Pirandello's Naked (which transferred to The Playhouse) and The Tempest. His production of Lulu opened the Almeida at King's Cross season and visited the Kennedy Center in Washington DC earlier this year. Jonathan Kent directed Richard II and Coriolanus at Gainsborough Studios. The two productions, which played in repertoire, toured to the Brooklyn Academy of Music, New York and Akasaka Theatre, Toyko. His productions of Racine's tragedies, Phedre in a new version by Ted Hughes, and Britannicus in a new version by Robert David MacDonald opened the Almeida's season at the Albery Theatre, before touring to the Brooklyn Academy of Music. His production of David Hare's Plenty completed the Almeida's season at the Albery in July 1999. His other theatre credits include Le Cid and Mother Courage and Her Children for the Royal National Theatre, and the Almeida's production of Hamlet, which opened at the Hackney Empire before transferring to Broadway. His most recent production, David Hare's new adaptation of Chekhov's Platonov, is currently playing at the Almeida at King's Cross (press night 11 September). In November he directs Brian Friel's Faith Healer followed by Shakespeare's King Lear in January 2002. IAN McDIARMID For the Almeida Ian McDiarmid has directed Scenes From An Execution, The Rehearsal (also West End), Lulu, A Hard Heart, Venice Preserv'd and the opera Siren Song. His Almeida acting roles include the title role in Volpone, Goya in the Nigel Osborne/Howard Barker opera Terrible Mouth, Arnolphe in The School for Wives, Orgon in Tartuffe, Count Cenci in The Cenci, Colenso Ridgeon in The Doctor's Dilemma, Barabas in Marlowe's The Jew of Malta, and most recently Prospero in The Tempest. He was an Associate Director at The Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester, where he played the title role in Edward II, Philip II in Don Carlos and directed Moliere's Don Juan. He was Bradley Pearson in Iris Murdoch's The Black Prince at the Aldwych Theatre, and has played leading roles at the Royal Shakespeare Company, The Royal National Theatre and The Royal Court, where he won the Society of West End Theatre's Best Actor Award for his performance as Einstein in Insignificance. He has appeared at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden and with the London Symphony Orchestra. His many films include Return of the Jedi, Gorky Park, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Hillsborough, Great Expectations, Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace, All The King's Men, Sleepy Hollow, and the forthcoming Crime and Punishment for the BBC and Star Wars, Episode 2. In November he will play Teddy in Jonathan Kent's production of Faith Healer at the Almeida at King's Cross. For the full Almeida schedule go to www.almeida.co.uk -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Copyright 2002, Mersinger Theatrical Services