As You Like It 1958 - Articles Page 16

Before Fifty Shades of Grey, there was Rona Jaffe's scandalous 1958 bestseller THE BEST OF EVERYTHING. Now this controversial novel comes to the stage courtesy of the new theater company 95 WordsPerMinute. Adapted and directed by Julie Kramer and developed with actor and writer Amy Wilson, the show starts previews Sept 29, with opening set for Oct 4 at HERE. The cast will feature Jordan Geiger, Sas Goldberg (Stunning at LCT3), Molly Lloyd, Tom O'Keefe (Theatre Bedlam's Saint Joan), Alicia Sable (Gypsy with Patti LuPone), Hayley Treider (Double Falsehood at CSC), Amy Wilson, and Sarah Wilson.

Many plays with an art theme have been written over the past decades, chief among them Yasmina Reza's Art, which shows the positive and negative effects of art on everyday life, but in John Logan's Red, it is the artist (Mark Rothko) himself who holds court, and the audience shares his space with him for two hours. This intimate exposure is awe-inspiring as lyrically expressed by John Logan, and is fiercely conveyed by Alfred Molina as Rothko and Jonathan Groff as Ken his 'employee' on the Taper stage through September 9.

Before Fifty Shades of Grey, there was Rona Jaffe's scandalous 1958 bestseller THE BEST OF EVERYTHING. Now this controversial novel, which was the basis for the hit 1959 movie starring Joan Crawford, comes to the stage courtesy of the new theater company 95 WordsPerMinute. It is adapted and directed by Julie Kramer, and developed with actor and writer Amy Wilson. Previews begin September 29, with opening set for October 4 at HERE.

Welcome to the fifth installment of Music City Confidential, my column to collect the flotsam and jetsam, informationally speaking, of theatre in Tennessee. Sorry for the long delay since the last installment, but I've been theatering my butt off all over the Volunteer State in search of intriguing gossip and riveting news stories just for you, my gentle readers.

The 2012 LOST MUSICALS™ season continues with COLE PORTER's last ever work - the magical 1958 ALADDIN at the Lilian Baylis Studio, Sadler's Wells from 19 August 2012.

Roundabout Theatre Company, in association with Don Gregory, presents the new Broadway production of Mary Chase's Harvey. Previews began May 18, and the show officially opens tonight, June 14, 2012, at Studio 54 (254 W. 54th St.), where it will play a limited engagement through August 5. See how the critics reacted below!

Today we are concluding our two-part look at the life and career of legendary stage and screen icon Christopher Plummer by focusing on some of the finest films, television and filmed stage performances of his career thus far, as we anticipate the nationwide release of his newest stage and screen venture, the cinematic presentation of his recent turn as Prospero at the Stratford Shakespeare Festival in Des McAnuff's THE TEMPEST, presented by Fathom-equipped movie theaters on June 13, followed by a Q&A with Plummer. From his stage debut in the late-1940s through to his spectacular screen career begun with Sidney Lumet's STAGE STRUCK in 1958, in this career-spanning clip collection we will be sampling many of the most memorable and most notable projects from a rich resume ranging from almost every major male role in the canon of Shakespeare - AS YOU LIKE IT to THE WINTER'S TALE - to the work of Lilian Hellman, Bertolt Brecht, Henrik Ibsen, Anton Chekhov and Peter Shaffer to Rodgers & Hammerstein's THE SOUND OF MUSIC on film to the Tony Award-winning Anthony Burgess musical adaptation of CYRANO onstage, to TV's THE THORN BIRDS and ON GOLDEN POND all the way to last year's double-header of brilliance in both David Fincher's THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGTON TATTOO and BEGINNERS, the latter being the part for which Plummer finally received a Best Actor Academy Award. Of course, besides his well-earned Oscar, Plummer has amassed many other top honors over the course of his sixty-year-career, as well - two Tony Awards (for CYRANO, a musical, and BARRYMORE, a two-person mostly monologue); a Golden Globe; two Emmy Awards; a SAG Award; a Genie; the list goes on and on… as does Christopher Plummer's reputable and riveting career.

In conjunction with it's current production of The Pride, Diversionary Theatre has assembled a panel of LGBT leaders for a conversation about the journey to find pride as audiences explore the differences between what it meant to be gay in the 1950's and today.

As one of Hollywood's most beloved actresses, Diane Keaton has seen her share of remarkable Hollywood romances and unimaginable successes.

Special guests Marge Champion, Barbara Van Orden and Tony Butala join author, Patty Farmer Wednesday, March 7 at 7:00 pm, for a Q&A and to sign copies of "The Persian Room Presents." A portion of the proceeds from each sale will be donated to Childhelp for the treatment and prevention of child abuse. The event will be held at Barnes & Noble (82nd & Broadway).

Special guests Marge Champion, Barbara Van Orden and Tony Butala join author, Patty Farmer Wednesday, March 7 at 7:00 pm, for a Q&A and to sign copies of "The Persian Room Presents." A portion of the proceeds from each sale will be donated to Childhelp for the treatment and prevention of child abuse. The event will be held at Barnes & Noble (82nd & Broadway).

Are you looking for something to take your mind off the February blues? Is the constant rain and chilly weather getting you down? Do yourself a favour and head down to the PAL Theatre and check out The Marvelous Wonderettes.

Roundabout Theatre Company in association with Damian Arnold, has announced casting for the Broadway premiere of Marc Camoletti's classic farce Don't Dress For Dinner, starring Ben Daniels as "Robert," Melora Hardin as "Jacqueline," Adam James as "Bernard" and Jennifer Tilly as "Suzanne" with Spencer Kayden as "Suzette." Don't Dress For Dinner is adapted by Robin Hawdon and directed by John Tillinger.

Having composed the musical scores for some of the biggest films of the century so far, Alexandre Desplat has displayed an uncanny ability to tap into the thoughts, emotions and even the very dramatic themes inherent in properties as diverse as - just to use his most recent projects as examples - TWILIGHT: NEW MOON, HARRY POTTER & THE DEATHLY HALLOWS, Roman Polanski's THE GHOST WRITER and CARNAGE, Stephen Daldry's upcoming EXTREMELY LOUD AND INCREDIBLY CLOSE, George Clooney's THE IDES OF MARCH (another stage-to-screen adaptation like CARNAGE), Terrence Malick's THE TREE OF LIFE, as well as the main theme for MY WEEK WITH MARILYN - performed on the soundtrack by noted pianist Lang Lang. Discussing all aspects of his compositional process as well as outlining his interactions with the respective directors of each entity - his ongoing collaboration with Roman Polanski, first and foremost - Desplat and I delve into the delicate art of film composing and how he has achieved such great success and international acclaim for his incredibly impressive work on a heady list of projects in a relatively short period of time - last year's Best Picture Oscar-winner THE KING'S SPEECH included. Desplat and I also touch on some of his own favorite film composers and he shares his opinions on Broadway and Hollywood music icons such as Bernstein, Sondheim, Cole Porter, Michel Legrand, fellow Modern Music Master Mark Isham and also sheds some light on his plans for the future - and much, much more!

To those who've seen the Oscar-winning screen adaptation of WEST SIDE STORY, the recollections of George Chakiris' performance as Bernardo remain vivid. His acting is top notch, his singing is superb and his dancing comes darn close to burning up the celluloid it is preserved on. He was awarded an Oscar as 'Best Supporting Actor' for his work on that film and now, fifty years later, he is about to imprint his handprints and signature outside of the famed Grauman's Chinese Theater in Hollywood. Sometimes the film industry can be a little slow on the uptake, won't you agree?

It was a night of new victors and returning champions at 'The 45th Annual CMA Awards' Wednesday night in Nashville. Taylor Swift won her second CMA Entertainer of the Year trophy. Newlyweds Miranda Lambert and Blake Shelton won Female Vocalist and Male Vocalist for the second consecutive year. Jason Aldean won his first two CMA Awards for Musical Event of the Year with Kelly Clarkson, and Album of the Year for My Kinda Party.

Roundabout Theatre Company (Todd Haimes, Artistic Director), in association with Damian Arnold, is pleased to announce the Broadway premiere of Marc Camoletti's classic farce Don't Dress For Dinner, adapted by Robin Hawdon, directed by John Tillinger. The cast will be announced soon. Don't Dress For Dinner will begin previews on March 30 and open officially on April 26, 2012 at the American Airlines Theatre on Broadway (227 West 42nd Street). This will be a limited engagement through June 17, 2012.

'I want you to know that the most exciting part I've received recently is my new knee.'

The Joyce Theater Foundation, Inc. has announced updated programming for the two free performances it is presenting on September 10 and 11 at 5pm in Nelson A. Rockefeller Park (North end of Battery Park City, west of River Terrace) to commemorate the 10th Anniversary of September 11, 2001.

The New York Musical Theatre Festival (NYMF) has announced a full slate of musical productions, a developmental reading series and special events for their eighth annual festival. This year's Festival will begin September 26th and continue through October 16th.

Roundabout Theatre Company has announced the full cast joining star and three-time Tony Award winner Frank Langella as 'Gregor Antonescu' in Terence Rattigan's drama Man and Boy, directed by Maria Aitken.

A high-spirited musical, THE MARVELOUS WONDERETTES, will be staged at the Saint Michael's Playhouse August 3-13 in the McCarthy Arts Center on the campus of Saint Michael's College.

David Mamet's jeremiad on RACE inflames and exhausts at TheaterWorks in downtown Hartford.

David Mamet's jeremiad on RACE inflames and exhausts at TheaterWorks in downtown Hartford.

Pride Films and Plays celebrates Pride Month in Chicago with its third reading series Gay UK, featuring five provocative works by British authors. The pieces include Kevin Elyot's haunting comedy MY NIGHT WITH REG; MAURICE,a play by Roger Parsley and Andy Graham from the novel by E. M. Forster; BLOWING WHISTLES, a bittersweet comedy by Matthew Todd; PIG, a sensational drama by Tim Luscombe; and the Chicago premiere of Alexi Kaye Campbell's compelling drama THE PRIDE.