Jackson is currently appearing on Broadway in THE MOUNTAINTOP, which is set to open on October 13. Taking place on April 3, 1968, The Mountaintop is a gripping reimagining of events the night before the assassination of civil rights leader DR. Martin Luther King, Jr. After delivering one of his most memorable speeches, an exhausted Dr. King (Samuel L. Jackson) retires to his room at the Lorraine Motel while a storm rages outside. When a mysterious stranger (Angela Bassett) arrives with some surprising news, King is forced to confront his destiny and his legacy to his people.
Check out Jackson talking about his role and the play below!
The Mountaintop starring Samuel L. Jackson (Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.,) and Angela Bassett, directed by the Tony-nominated Kenny Leon (Fences, A Raisin in the Sun), will open officially on October 13, 2011 at the Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre. On the October 11 episode of 'The View,' stars of the show Samuel L. Jackson and Angela Bassett chat about the big Broadway opening, and Bernadette Peters stops by as well. Tune in at 11AM on ABC to catch the trio in action!
The Mountaintop starring Samuel L. Jackson (DR. Martin Luther King, Jr.,) and Angela Bassett, directed by the Tony-nominated Kenny Leon (Fences, A Raisin in the Sun), will open officially on October 13, 2011 at the Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre. Samuel L. Jackson recently stopped by 'CBS Evening News' where he chatted about the production. Click below to hear what he had to say!
Today we have a super-special DVD and Blu-ray overview as we take a look at and listen to five brand new Blu-rays hitting the shelves in October, including two stunning Blu-ray debuts of two of Quentin Tarantino's seminal 90s films - PULP FICTION and JACKIE BROWN. While Tarantino won his only Oscar to date for his screenwriting work on PULP - a credit he shared with co-storywriter Roger Avery - it is his studied, mature and delicate directorial work on JACKIE BROWN that won over many film fans who may have found a bit too much flash, pop, sizzle and razzmatazz in the packed-to-the-gills PULP. Although, if all the Tarantino tough guy talk and off-the-wall soundtrack selections are not quite your speed, we also have three early Halloween selections sure to send some shivers up your spine, with MANHUNTER, HANNIBAL and the recent remake of THE LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT. While MANHUNTER was the movie-going public's first glimpse of what became the most beloved movie villain of all-time - the cannibalistic genius himself, Hannibal Lector - it was in a very different, completely different guise: noted stage and screen actor Brian Cox plays the role that eventually was made famous (and Oscar-winning) by Anthony Hopkins in the second film of the Hannibal Lector series, THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS (by Jonathan Demme), just a few short years after Michael Mann's treatment of the original Thomas Harris novel, RED DRAGON. Of course, RED DRAGON was also made into a movie of the same name recently, directed by Brett Ratner and featuring an all-star cast comprising Philip Seymour Hoffman, Ralph Fiennes, Mary Louise Parker, Ed Norton, Harvey Keitel and many more. While many film fans certainly cite SILENCE as the finest Lector film - and it very well may be - my personal bias is for Ridley Scott's daring and gruesome 1999 hit, HANNIBAL, starring Hopkins alongside Julianne Moore in the role of Clarice Starling (made famous by Jodie Foster, who passed on the ultra-violent script), which is also finally getting the Blu-ray upgrade along with Mann's MANHUNTER. Then, there is the witty and disturbing remaining of one of the most scandalous and prurient torture porn films ever made - created long before that term was ever coined; in the age of Eli Roth and the SAW series - Wes Craven's harrowing horror revenge tale, THE LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT. Recent PROMISES, PROMISES on Broadway star Tony Goldwyn was a recent InDepth InterView participant and told me about how pleased he was with this remake and while it does not have the seedy voyeuristic bent of the original, it makes an impact in a new and equally entertaining way. Whether checking out one or all of these superb new Blu-ray releases you are assured a memorable movie experience, just as the temperatures begin to cool and you yearn for nights of warmth inside away from the elements.
Theatre503 and the Liverpool Everyman and Playhouse presents the world première of The Swallowing Dark, a new play by Lizzie Nunnery. Directed by Theatre503's joint-Artistic Director, Paul Robinson, it stars Wil Johnson (Waking The Dead and Adulthood) and Allyson Ava-Brown (Secret Diary of a Call Girl). It will run at Theatre503 in London from 1 to 26 November, after its premiere at Liverpool's Playhouse Studio from 20 to 29 October.
Producers Jean Doumanian and Sonia Friedman announced today that tonight's performance of The Mountaintop, by Katori Hall, will be dedicated to civil rights pioneer and longtime Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. confidant Reverend Fred Shuttlesworth. Reverend Shuttlesworth passed away on Wednesday, October 5 at the age of 89, leaving behind a legacy of extraordinary work on behalf of the civil rights movement.
Pittsburgh Irish & Classical Theatre is hosting a benefit screening of Julie Taymor's theatrical film version of The Tempest, and will include an introduction and reception with the film's producer. The film stars Helen Mirren as a cross-gendered Prospera, alongside an all-star cast including Djimon Hounsou, Alan Cummings, David Strathairn, Chris Cooper, Russell Brand, Reeve Carney (currently in Spiderman: Turn Off the Dark on Broadway) and Alfred Molina.
Welcome to NOW SHOWING, your monthly guide to all of the Broadway offerings opening and beginning performances! October is ripe with plays, including Man and Boy, Relatively Speaking, The Mountaintop and more! Be sure to head to the Rialto this month to catch as many as you can!
The Lark Play Development Center will host a special event on October 11th celebrating playwright Katori Hall on her Broadway debut with The Mountaintop. (The Mountaintop was extensively developed at the Lark.) Lark board member and playwright Sandi Goff Farkas will also be honored at the October 11th event with the first every Lark Risktaker Award for her creation of the Playwrights of New York (PONY) Fellowship. The Risktaker Award recognizes the leadership, vision and commitment of an individual who has defied convention in making a major contribution to supporting daring new voices in the American theater.
The Lark Play Development Center will host a special event on October 11th celebrating playwright Katori Hall on her Broadway debut with The Mountaintop. (The Mountaintop was extensively developed at the Lark.)
The Mountaintop starring Samuel L. Jackson (DR. Martin Luther King, Jr.,) and Angela Bassett, directed by the Tony-nominated Kenny Leon (Fences, A Raisin in the Sun), will open officially on October 13, 2011 at the Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre. Samuel L. Jackson recently stopped by 'The Late Show with David Latterman' where he chatted about the production! Click below to hear what he had to say!
The American Theatre Wing raised more than $550,000 at their annual Gala last night. All of the proceeds will go towards The Wing's education and outreach programs. The event was held at New York's legendary Plaza Hotel in honor of Sir Howard Stringer (Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and President of Sony Corporation and longtime American Theatre Wing Board Member), and included a special tribute to Douglas B. Leeds (Former President and dear friend of The Wing).
Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg and an all-star line-up of performers, including Angela Lansbury, James Naughton, Kelli O'Hara, Elaine Paige, Colin Donnell, Marilu Henner, Gala Co-Chairmen Theodore S. Chapin & Marva A. Smalls and more honored Sir Howard Stringer with the American Theatre Wing last night, September 26. Celebrity guests included Samuel L. Jackson & LaTanya Richardson Jackson, Judith Light, Lucie Arnaz, Nora Ephron & Nick Pileggi, Jane & Morley Safer, Jim Dale, William Ivey Long, Susan Fales-Hill, Mario Buatta, Ted Hartley & Dina Merrill, Melissa & Chappy Morris and Susan Patricoff. BroadwayWorld was on hand for the event and brings you photo coverage below!
The American Theatre Wing (Theodore S. Chapin, Chairman of the Board of Directors; Heather Hitchens, Executive Director) raised more than $550,000 at their annual Gala last night. All of the proceeds will go towards The Wing's education and outreach programs. The event was held at New York's legendary Plaza Hotel in honor of Sir Howard Stringer (Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and President of Sony Corporation and longtime American Theatre Wing Board Member), and included a special tribute to Douglas B. Leeds (Former President and dear friend of The Wing).
The Metropolitan Museum of Art's second Multicultural Benefit, 'An Evening of Many Cultures,' will take place on September 26, 2011. Among the honorees will be Samuel L. Jackson, soon to appear on Broadway as Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and LaTanya Richardson Jackson; and Academy Award-winning actor Robert De Niro and Grace Hightower De Niro. This black-tie gala is the signature event in celebration of the Museum's Multicultural Audience Development Initiative (MADI), founded in 1998.
Whether you've been living under a rock for the past week, or you're just in the mood for a recap of everything theatre, BroadwayWorld's feature, 'This Week in Pictures' is here to satisfy your end of the week fix. Take a look below to catch up on the latest happenings from the Great White Way to the West End (and everywhere in between) with coverage of press events, rehearsals, opening nights and more!
For last week's biggest events: visit THIS WEEK IN PICTURES: September 10-16!
Yestersay, The Mountaintop starring Samuel L. Jackson (DR. Martin Luther King, Jr.,) and Angela Bassett, began previews in Katori Hall's highly anticipated new work, The Mountaintop. The Mountaintop is directed by the Tony-nominated Kenny Leon (Fences, A Raisin in the Sun) and will open officially on October 13, 2011 at the Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre. BroadwayWorld was on hand at the stage door following last night's premiere performance and brings you photo coverage below!
The Broadway premiere of the 2010 Olivier Award® winning Best Play, The Mountaintop, by Katori Hall, begins performances tonight, September 22, at the Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre (242 West 45th Street). The play's official opening night is set for October 13.
