Ira Levin News

Few names in the modern lexicon can and do raise such vitriolic and vociferous reactions from film fans, Broadway babies and pop culture mavens alike - let alone everybody else - and not only for his classic spate of films, but, even more so because of his tumultuous personal life and the fact it has been painted on pages in the press for decades; yet, no question, the name Roman Polanski does just that. Given what has come to pass in his oft-vaunted career, the perils of his private life have always informed his art in one way or another - from his war-torn orphan upbringing in Europe in a concentration camp to his wife and son's brutal slaying by the Manson Family to the infamous rape case that made him a fugitive to the US; up to the new millennium and the recent HBO documentary examining the court case and, of course, the upcoming feature film, CARNAGE, itself. From the suffocating claustrophobia and bizarre social and sexual proclivity examinations in KNIFE IN THE WATER, REPULSION and CUL-DE-SAC, to his more mainstream US films like the horror classic ROSEMARY'S BABY and, in my critics' opinion one of the finest films ever made, CHINATOWN. Taking into account his seamless stage-to-screen transfer of DEATH AND THE MAIDEN in 1994, Polanski's CARNAGE could very well stand alongside that tremendous achievement as a solid film all its own - even divorced from its theatrical roots - especially judging from the looks of today's just-released trailer for the feature film version, coming out in December as one of the year's most highly-anticipated Oscar-bait entries being released at the end of the year (as always). For those not familiar with the hit source play, GOD OF CARNAGE concerns itself with one evening and the meeting of two couples in Manhattan to discuss their sons' situation in school and over the course of the colorful extended conversation the tables are turned and the parents reveal themselves to be children at heart - in more ways than one.

The Museum of Modern Art recognizes the achievements of Roman Polanski with a complete retrospective of the filmmaker's works, September 7-30, 2011, in The Roy and Niuta Titus Theaters. Over the course of a half century, Polanski has become widely recognized as one of the premier international filmmakers, directing films in Poland, England, the U.S., Italy, and France and working with distinguished actors such as Jack Nicholson, Adrien Brody, Catherine Deneuve, Mia Farrow, Ben Kingsley, and Nastassja Kinski.

Today, we are talking to GLEE fan favorite - as Jesse St. James - and theatre superstar - from SPRING AWAKENING on Broadway to DEATHTRAP in the West End - the charismatic and magnetic Jonathan Groff. In this world exclusive interview, Jonathan and I discuss all things GLEE and all about working on the second season of the hit show - and, most importantly, everything about the season finale - with GLEE stars Lea Michele, Cheyenne Jackson, and Charice, in addition to working with Kristin Chenoweth, Idina Menzel and GLEE creator/show-runner Ryan Murphy. Additionally, in this complete conversation, we take a look back at Groff's many stage roles ranging from HAIR and THE BACCHAE in Central Park for the Public Theater, to SPRING AWAKENING on Broadway, DEATHTRAP in the West End, as well as his debut in IN MY LIFE - a show whose composer/lyricist/writer, Joe Brooks, was just in the news following his apparent suicide this weekend. Jonathan and I also touch on his blazing feature film debut in Ang Lee's TAKING WOODSTOCK co-starring Liev Schreiber, as well as his work on the pilot for Ryan Murphy's PRETTY/HANDSOME, co-starring Joseph Fiennes and Blythe Danner, and his participation in the new independent film TWELVE THIRTY. We also take a look ahead to the future and deduce what is next for one of the brightest talents on Broadway - all of that and much, much more!

Eric Hafen, Artistic Director of the Bickford Theatre at the Morris Museum, 6 Normandy Heights Road in Morristown, NJ, is proud to announce the Bickford Theatre's 2011-2012 Season, celebrating his 10th Anniversary with four exciting and entertaining plays by authors whose works have previously graced the Bickford stage!

Today we lost one of the greats: the gentle giant of directors, Sidney Lumet. What a resume! Just to pick seven of perhaps the best known of the bunch, the bunch in question being over 100 titles strong: 12 ANGRY MEN, LONG DAY'S JOURNEY INTO NIGHT, SERPICO, DOG DAY AFTERNOON, NETWORK and BEFORE THE DEVIL KNOWS YOU'RE DEAD - the films spanning fifty years from MEN in 1957 and DEVIL in 2007 - it is clear to see why Lumet was one of the most cherished and celebrated directors in Hollywood, especially known for his tough, gritty New York stories and his pristine stage-to-screen transfers. For an excellent example of the latter (in addition to LONG DAY'S JOURNEY and the others) check out DEATHTRAP - based on Ira Levin's play, the longest-running thriller in Broadway history - featuring Michael Caine in one of his best roles and Christopher Reeve and Dyan Cannon in their finest performances on film. For an example of the former genre, look no further than NETWORK, containing one of the strongest screenplays ever penned, from the fiery and ferocious pen of Paddy Cheyefsky, and Faye Dunaway in her Oscar-winning performance for all the ages. As far as theatrical screenplays on screen, Lumet would be hard-pressed to even come close to the power, prescience and transformative brilliance at the core of the conceit of that film - yet he did just that; with his final, 2007 film no less. I am speaking, of course, of the underrated and riveting BEFORE THE DEVIL KNOWS YOU'RE DEAD starring Philip Seymour Hoffman, Ethan Hawke, Marisa Tomei, with Albert Finney and Rosemary Harris. Taking an original screenplay that could just as well have been written for the stage - shades of 12 ANGRY MEN, DOG DAY AFTERNOON, NETWORK and SERPICO, certainly - Lumet made a bristling, biting brilliant work of staggering craft and ingenuity - all with verve, energy and drive of a man a quarter of his age at the time (80). His films were classics in his own time and, now, in his passing, they are just as timeless - if not more so. With each passing year, new layers of truth, beauty, sadness and soulfulness can be found in the countless frames in the innumerable unforgettable scenes in his many masterpieces.

Asolo Repertory Theatre presents Deathtrap, Ira Levin's classic mystery thriller. Directed by Peter Amster, Deathtrap runs from April 1-May 14, 2011.

Asolo Repertory Theatre presents Deathtrap, Ira Levin's classic mystery thriller. Directed by Peter Amster, Deathtrap runs from April 1-May 14, 2011.

LOST star Matthew Fox and THE GHOST WRITER's Olivia Williams star in the world premiere production of Neil LaBute's IN A FOREST, DARK AND DEEP. LaBute directs the production, which began previews at the West End Vaudeville theater on March 3, 2011 and opens on March 14, 2011. The show will play 12 weeks.

Deathtrap opens next month at The Players Club of Swarthmore Theater. Attached, you'll find a press release and photo. Feel free to contact me with any questions or to arrange press comps for a review. Also, below I've included 'just the facts' for placement in a community or arts calendar - please list this event in any such calendar you produce (whether in print or online). Below that, you will find text for a 10-second PSA, please contact me if you would like longer copy.

Contrast that with the loving attention to the stamps. Playwright Rebeck tells us all about the stamps, educates us, in fact, as the play goes on. And the pinnacle of the play, as a dramatic experience, is the moment Sterling gets to see them, after an enormous buildup. The payoff is worth it. Sterling gasps, staggers, a tough man momentarily reduced to helpless wonderment. To like effect is the moment shortly afterwards where the suitcase full of money intended to buy the stamps is unzipped; the bundles of cash literally glow, and Jackie hovers above them, almost inhaling the smell of the money. These objects, then, are presented with so much elaboration that the chiaroscuro handling of the characters is all the more puzzling.

Deathtrap opens next month at The Players Club of Swarthmore Theater. Attached, you'll find a press release and photo. Feel free to contact me with any questions or to arrange press comps for a review. Also, below I've included 'just the facts' for placement in a community or arts calendar - please list this event in any such calendar you produce (whether in print or online). Below that, you will find text for a 10-second PSA, please contact me if you would like longer copy.

Michael Donald Edwards, Asolo Repertory Theatre's producing artistic director, announced today his selections for the 2010-2011 season. A major highlight of Asolo Rep's 52nd season is the pre-Broadway try-out production of Bonnie & Clyde opening on November 19, 2010.

The Mystery Writers of America has announced the nominations for the 2011 Edgar Allan Poe Awards, honoring excellence in mystery fiction, non-fiction, television and theater.

Asolo Repertory Theatre (Asolo Rep) proudly introduces the artists of its 2010-2011 repertory season; including participation from guest artists, Asolo Rep Associate Artists and the graduating class of the Florida State University/Asolo Conservatory for Actor Training. Rehearsals are underway for La Bête, Twelve Angry Men, and Boeing Boeing, which open on January 7, 14, and 21, respectively.

Asolo Repertory Theatre (Asolo Rep) proudly introduces the artists of its 2010-2011 repertory season; including participation from guest artists, Asolo Rep Associate Artists and the graduating class of the Florida State University/Asolo Conservatory for Actor Training. Rehearsals are underway for La Bête, Twelve Angry Men, and Boeing Boeing, which open on January 7, 14, and 21, respectively.

Donald H. Josephson, a prominent theatrical advertising executive during the Golden Age of Broadway's "Mad Men," died December 8, 2010 at New York Presbyterian Hospital in Manhattan. He was 82.

While Ira Levin will forever be remembered as the novelist who made the phrases 'Rosemary's Baby' and 'Stepford Wives' indelible entries into American pop culture, devotees of musical theatre fondly regard him as the bookwriter/lyricist for one of Broadway's more intriguing flops, 1965's Drat! The Cat!

Opening Doors Theatre revival of Drat! The Cat! welcomes Edward Juvier* (Broadway: Les Miserables; Off-Broadway: Smoking Bloomberg) to the cast.

Michael Donald Edwards, Asolo Repertory Theatre's producing artistic director, announced today his selections for the 2010-2011 season. A major highlight of Asolo Rep's 52nd season is the pre-Broadway try-out production of Bonnie & Clyde opening on November 19, 2010.

DEATHTRAP opened last night, Tuesday 7 September at the Noël Coward Theatre. Estelle Parsons, who won an Oscar for playing ‘Blanche' in the legendary 1967 film 'Bonnie and Clyde', will make her West End stage debut starring as ‘Helga ten Dorp' in Ira Levin's thriller 'DEATHTRAP', which will open at the Noël Coward Theatre in London on Tuesday 7 September. Simon Russell Beale will star as ‘Sydney Bruhl', Jonathan Groff as ‘Clifford Anderson' and Claire Skinner as ‘Myra Bruhl'; the cast also includes Terry Beaver.