Laugh, making its world premiere at Studio Theatre, is the latest from Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Beth Henley. With its designations of "slapstick" and as an homage to silent movies we expect movement and pace to be at the forefront, yet Laugh is far more rooted in language. But why box Laugh into a genre? There is little else like it. It is with her heightened language and quirkiness that playwright Beth Henley is at her best. Though flawed and in need of a trim from its current 2:15 running time, the comedy has some fine moments particularly in the final scenes that highlight Henley's unique style and unexpected choices.
New Line Theatre's production of BONNIE & CLYDE tied with Stages St. Louis' rendition of HOW TO SUCCEED IN BUSINESS WITHOUT REALLY TRYING with nine nominations apiece for the St. Louis Theater Circle Awards to lead nominations for all shows produced by local professional theater companies in 2014.
Pittsburgh Public Theater's 40th anniversary Season of Legends continues with the world premiere of L'Hotel, written by Broadway veteran Ed Dixon and directed by The Public's Producing Artistic Director, Ted Pappas. L'Hotel runs tonight, November 13 - December 14, 2014 at the O'Reilly Theater, Pittsburgh Public Theater's home in the heart of Downtown's Cultural District.
Tuesday, November 4
Started the day REALLY early with packing. They're moving me to housing right next to the theater. The Pennsylvanian is a lovely place but it's a HIKE and the weather is about to turn cold, so I'm really glad to be getting closer to work. After the move we did some trouble areas of the play and tightened the up considerably. Then I did an interview with Bill O'Driscoll from the City Paper. Forgot to mention, I did interviews with Sharon of the Post-Gazette and Alice Carter from the Tribune last week. Both were very enjoyable. We did a run through in the afternoon and it was the first time the first act had come together. The show is an ensemble piece so almost the entire cast is onstage all the time. This means everyone has to be on their toes ALL THE TIME or cues will be missed. This was the first time everyone kept the ball in the air for the entire first act. The second act wasn't as fortunate… one step at a time.
Tuesday, October 28
We started the new week with the top of act two. We sat around and read it. We've started doing this in comfy chairs in a circle rather than around a table and it's very intimate. Then we started at the top. Everyone's on stage from the beginning and it's so marvelous to see how at this point, everyone is really inside the characters so it goes really quickly in a kind of short hand. We got all the way up to the "eleven o'clock number" moment of the second act and quit there.
Monday, October 20
Day off. I had been hearing about "The Strip" ever since I arrived so Deanne Lorette aka Sarah Bernhardt and I trundled off to have lunch there. The surprise is that it's not some Vegas area as you might imagine from the name. It's a very down home neighborhood with a lot of local produce and outside markets. One set of stalls looked like something you might have found in Omaha in the 1950's. Surprising.
In my cranky old age, I have become virtually phobic about all means of public transportation, an odd affectation for someone who has spent his entire life zooming from one theater to another across several countries. My dear friend, Nick Noone knows this about me, so when he learned that I was about to start rehearsing my new play, L'HOTEL at the Pittsburgh Public Theatre, he offered to drive me both to and from. He did this in spite of the fact that he lives nowhere near Pittsburgh or New York City. This has prompted me to refer to him as Mother Teresa del Auto Spirito.
Pittsburgh Public Theater's 40th anniversary Season of Legends continues with the world premiere of L'Hotel, written by Broadway veteran Ed Dixon and directed by The Public's Producing Artistic Director, Ted Pappas. L'Hotel runs November 13 - December 14, 2014 at the O'Reilly Theater, Pittsburgh Public Theater's home in the heart of Downtown's Cultural District. For tickets call 412.316.1600 or visit ppt.org.
The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis opens their 48th season with one of the most hilarious shows I've ever been privileged to see. ONE MAN, TWO GUVNORS (written by Richard Bean, but based on The Servant of Two Masters by Carlo Goldini) is a brilliant work of pure farcical comic genius, and it's enhanced immeasurably by a bevy of equally appealing musical interludes (some really cool skiffle and beat songs by Grant Olding) that neatly transition the action from scene to scene. You have no excuse not the see this show immediately. It's a wildly funny ride that demands your attendance!
The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis presents the wildly funny and witty play One Man, Two Guvnors by Richard Bean and directed by Edward Stern. This entertaining and innovative take on the classic farce The Servant of Two Masters by playwright Carlo Goldoni with songs by Grant Olding will be performed on the Browning Mainstage of the Loretto-Hilton Center for the Performing Arts, 130 Edgar Road (on the campus of Webster University), Webster Groves, tonight, September 10-October 5, 2014.
The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis presents the wildly funny and witty play One Man, Two Guvnors by Richard Bean and directed by Edward Stern. This entertaining and innovative take on the classic farce The Servant of Two Masters by playwright Carlo Goldoni with songs by Grant Olding will be performed on the Browning Mainstage of the Loretto-Hilton Center for the Performing Arts, 130 Edgar Road (on the campus of Webster University), Webster Groves, September 10-October 5, 2014.
Three actors, all 37 of Shakespeare's plays, in 97 minutes - what could go wrong? The madcap comic mayhem of 'The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged)' opens at the Colorado Shakespeare Festival on June.
This spring, at Berkeley Repertory Theatre, Obie Award-winning director Mark Wing-Davey brings the Bard back with a bang. William Shakespeare's Pericles, Prince of Tyre is currently in previews on the intimate Thrust Stage and opens April 17, running through May 26 in a production conceived by Wing-Davey with Jim Calder. BroadwayWorld has a first look at the cast in action below!
Off-Broadway's Irish Repertory Theatre has announced the return of Brian Friel's THE FREEDOM OF THE CITY - with performances to resume tonight, January 2 on the Irish Repertory's Francis J. Greenburger Mainstage (132 West 22nd Street). Performances run through January 20. Ciaran O'Reilly directs.
Off-Broadway's Irish Repertory Theatre has announced an additional three weeks for its hit revival of Brian Friel's THE FREEDOM OF THE CITY - with performances to resume tonight, January 2 (following a hiatus beginning November 25) on the Irish Repertory's Francis J. Greenburger Mainstage (132 West 22nd Street). Performances are set to run through January 20. Ciaran O'Reilly directs.
Off-Broadway's Irish Repertory Theatre is pleased to announce an additional three weeks for its hit revival of Brian Friel's THE FREEDOM OF THE CITY - with performances to resume January 2 on the Irish Repertory's Francis J. Greenburger Mainstage (132 West 22nd Street). Performances are set to run through January 20. Ciaran O'Reilly directs.
Off-Broadway's Irish Repertory Theatre has announced an additional three weeks for its hit revival of Brian Friel's THE FREEDOM OF THE CITY - with performances to resume January 2 (following a hiatus beginning November 25) on the Irish Repertory's Francis J. Greenburger Mainstage (132 West 22nd Street). Performances are set to run through January 20. Ciaran O'Reilly directs.
The Irish Repertory Theatre, which has been dark since the blackout following Hurricane Sandy, has announced that performances of A CELEBRATION OF HAROLD PINTER are set to resume as of Friday, November 2 at 8pm in its W. Scott McLucas Studio Theatre; and performances of THE FREEDOM OF THE CITY are set to resume as of Saturday, November 3 at 3pm on its Francis J. Greenburger Mainstage, at 132 West 22nd Street in Manhattan.
Brian Friel's THE FREEDOM OF THE CITY runs in a limited engagement through November 25 at The Irish Repertory Theatre, directed by Ciarán O'Reilly. Get a first look at the production in the photos below!
