Summer Theater

[+ Lucky]

Theater in New York tends to hit a slump in the summer time, but for many other areas it thrives. Recently I attended a small play called Trafficking in Broken Hearts at Los Angeles" Celebration theater. It is about a Latino hustler in Times Square, circa 1994, who encounters a virginal and very nervous midwestern lawyer, while at the same time being pursued by a nelly runaway who loves him and wants to be called "baby." The Latino actor was fantastic, and the other two were quite good. Two of the three showed their penis. Just as I thought I had the ending figured out, a surprise twist arose. The play has been extended to the end of the month.

 

Last week I returned to Los Angeles, this time to the upscale Geffen Playhouse, where Chris Noth (Mr. Big from Sex and the City) plays a secondary role to Chris Pine, the hot young actor from the new Star Trek movie. Noth is the communications director for a governor running for president in the Iowa primary, and Pine is his press person, known for his precocious political skills and his ability to spin. Pine spins a little too far, and the drama begins. Again a surprise twist has the audience gasping. I thought Pine was utterly charming on stage and tackled this very complex role with great skill. He did one scene in his underpants, and if you remember his underpants scene in Star Trek, well, that bulge ain't there no more. In short, I really liked the play.

 

This week I head to La Jolla Playhouse to see Terrence McNally's latest effort, premiering there. His most recent play, Some Men, which I saw in new York, was a disappointment, so I figure he is ready for another good one. I'll let you know in a week.

[Guest alanm]

Farragut North

 

The second play is called "Farragut North." It played off-Broadway in the fall with John Gallagher, Jr. (from "Spring Awakening") and Noth.

Gallagher was much more sexy than in "Spring Awakening." Noth was excellent.

 

I did not like McNally's "Some Men." Good take on gay life, but the scenes were too short, with the each actor playing several roles. I saw the pre-New York try out in Philadelphia. The play had many fans in New York, and the acting was good in Philadelphia -- assume that was true in NY. With some revisions, it had the makings of a decent play.

 

"Spring Awakening" is playing in Philadelphia now, but without Jonathan Groff --- road show version. For me, Groff and Gallagher were the reasons to see the musical.

[+ Lucky]

We saw the road show of Spring Awakening in San Diego last summer and it was delightful. I wonder if they have changed the cast since then.

Thanks for mentioning the title of the play I saw last week! How could I leave that out?

 

I also stand corrected on the McNally play- it premiered last fall in Philadelphia:

 

Unusual Acts of Devotion

 

WORLD PREMIERE

By Terrence McNally

Directed by Leonard Foglia

October 22 - November 23, 2008

 

On a summer evening, residents of a Greenwich Village walk-up gather on the roof to celebrate a wedding anniversary, only to confront some of the uncomfortable truths that inform their lives and relationships. Unusual Acts of Devotion looks at things done – and not done – all in the name of love.

[+ sf westcoaster]

Some Men

 

Saw "Some Men" in San Francisco a few days ago. I found it very disappointing - certainly not up to the standards I have come to expect of McNally. In fairness, I think some of the disappointment stems from a rather weak cast. I felt that the somewhat loosely connected scenes did not create much of an impact.

[uwsman2]

Summer Theater - Things are happening in NY

 

"Next Fall" is excellent and has some hotties in the cast. Tony-award winning musical "Next to Normal" is also worth seeing, and actor Aaron Tveit is stunningly hot.

 

And another gay play, The Temperamentals, has just been extended through August. It received feature treatment in the NY Times the other day.

 

Also, playing only in NYC and LA for now, Francis ford Coppola's new film, Tetro, features a hot young actor, Alden Ehrenreich, who earned himself a Times feature as well. Ehrenreich is studying acting at NYU Film School. I just saw this film today, and I thought he was totally cute and hot.

[edjames]

"Some Men" was a terrible play and I, too, left the theater feeling very disappointed. McNally's latest efforts haven't been very successful. Let's not forget, he wrote "Deuce" starring Angela Lansbury a few seasons back.

 

I'm off to see "The Tempermental's" in a couple of weeks. This is the third extension of the play, and that seems to be a promising sign. Personally, I have a bit of a crush on Michael Urie (from Ugly Betty), and I'm looking forward to seeing this production.

 

The rest of the New York theater seems to be in summer limbo. "Accent On Youth," "Blithe Spirit," "Irena's Vow," "August"Osage County" (did they really think casting Phylicia Rashad as the matriarch was a good move?) are all closing in the next few weeks. "God of Carnage" will close soon but the good news is that it will be back in the fall season with the original cast.

 

So, I sit and wait out the summer till the fall season begins. I was almost tempted to head to Olgunquit, Maine to see Lorenzo Lamas in "A Chorus Line." (NOT!) In the meantime it'll be Montreal and Provincetown to keep me occupied during the summer months. I am hoping to be in London in October to catch up on some theatrical productions across the pond,

 

ED

[+ Lucky]

I made the mistake of reading a review of the LaJolla production of McNally's new play. I try to avoid reviews of shows that I know I am going to see. The review said that the changes made to the show since the Philadelphia run didn't help, but I guess that I can still make my own judgment.

 

Ed- can I go to London with you?

[+ Lucky]

Theater-related:

 

Another Show-Stopping Moment (Not the Good Kind) From Patti LuPone

By Dave Itzkoff

Patti LuPone

 

Just when we were starting to remember Patti LuPone as a luminescent if detail-oriented theater star — and not, say, the sort of person who brings an entire show to a halt when she catches an audience member snapping photographs of her — she goes and does it again.

 

The Las Vegas Sun reports that Ms. LuPone, the two-time Tony Award winner, stopped in midperformance on Sunday night at the Orleans hotel when she saw an audience member using an electronic device.

 

And a Wall Street Journal article on the same subject:

 

Mim Pollock was at a performance of "South Pacific" last month when an audience member took off a shoe and propped her foot up on a rail in front of her. The woman, complaining of an injured knee, said she couldn't sit comfortably any other way, recalls Ms. Pollock, chief usher at New York's Vivian Beaumont Theater.

 

Other patrons were not amused. The offenders' toes "were practically in their nose," says Ms. Pollock. "And her feet smelled."

 

Theatergoers have long been accustomed to a measure of bad behavior: people who think their whispers are inaudible; snackers who open deafening cellophane candy wrappers; latecomers who knee-bump entire rows of settled attendees. But some theater veterans say manners are breaking down faster than ever.

 

Earlier this year, Patti LuPone lit up gossip blogs when she broke character in "Gypsy" to scream at an audience member taking pictures. Ms. LuPone says her frustration boiled over.

 

"I had just had 10 months of pointing out to ushers texting, pointing out to ushers videoing, pointing out to ushers somebody on a phone," she says. "I just freaked."

 

Last month, ushers and security guards at "Hair" began patrolling the balcony and aisles during the musical's famous nude scene because so many people were snapping pictures -- despite explicit warnings not to do so.

 

One night, actor Will Swenson, who plays a hippie named Berger, took a device from a person in the front row and threw it across the stage. "I just couldn't believe the gall of this woman who was videotaping me in my face," he says. A crew member deleted the video and returned the camera phone to its owner at intermission, he says.

 

The litany of misdemeanors is long. During a Saturday matinee of the Holocaust drama "Irena's Vow," a man walked in late and called up to actress Tovah Feldshuh to halt her monologue until he got settled. "He shouted, 'Can you please wait a second?' and then continued on toward his seat," recalls Nick Ahlers, a science teacher from Newark, N.J., who was in the audience. He says the actress complied.

 

Ms. Feldshuh says she typically pauses when she's interrupted. She doesn't recall the incident, which she says may be evidence of the Zen attitude she's cultivated onstage. "I have no negative energy about it to even remember," she says.

 

During a recent matinee of "God of Carnage," which explores the lives of two couples, a woman in the mezzanine screamed, "How 'bout those Yankees!" -- filling one of the play's intense silences. At "The Norman Conquests," an elderly man familiar with the British comedy script recited his favorite lines as the actors read them, prompting audience members to confront him at intermission. Steve Loucks, a theater blogger from Minneapolis who was sitting near the man, was stunned. "What is with people who think they're in their own living rooms?"

 

One theory: Broadway is vulnerable to boors because it is under pressure. More new shows opened this past season than at any point in the past 25 years, which means more seats to fill in a recession. In response, shows have been offering steep discounts on tickets, which can normally cost upwards of $100 apiece. BroadwayWorld.com, an entertainment site, is promoting a "Lucky Sevens" discount that offers a "Guys and Dolls" ticket for $7.77 with the purchase of a full-price seat.

 

TheaterMania's "Gold Club," which charges an annual fee of $99 in return for free tickets to a variety of shows, has seen membership increase 15% over last year, says Gretchen Shugart, the theater web site's CEO.

 

Audience demographics are also changing, according to The Broadway League, a trade group. More out-of-towners have been showing up in recent years. And the percentage of children and teens in the audience reached its highest point in three decades during the 2007-08 season.

 

Stage veterans don't agree about who's more likely to breach etiquette: A regular theatergoer or a newcomer? A person who has paid top dollar for a ticket or someone who paid next to nothing?

 

Dan Whitten, a producer of "Jay Johnson: The Two and Only," reduced ticket prices to the one-man ventriloquist show on Broadway in 2006. He says the tone of the crowd at times shifted. "I did find there was a little less -- I want to say 'decorum' -- for people when they haven't paid the full price."

 

 

Tommy Vance, who has worked as a bartender in Broadway houses since 2001, attributes some attitude problems to high-priced tickets. "You just spent all that money -- you don't want somebody else telling you what you can and cannot do during a show," reckons Mr. Vance, the bar manager at the Ambassador Theater, where a ticket to "Chicago" averages $76.

 

David Hyde Pierce, now starring in "Accent on Youth" on Broadway, has seen the gamut of faux pas. During "Curtains," for which he won the Tony for best actor in a musical in 2007, he witnessed a family passing a bucket of chicken down the front row.

 

"You want to take the bucket and stick it on their head," he says. "On the other hand, it also suggests these are people who don't usually go to the theater, and that's not a bad thing."

 

The vast majority of theatergoers comport themselves well, and unruly fans have been unofficial cast players forever, notes Stuart Thompson, a lead producer of "Exit the King" and "God of Carnage." Behavior that seems rude at a Chekhov play might fit in at a raucous rock musical, he adds.

 

Rowdy audiences have been around as long as stages. William Shakespeare's plays were performed outdoors while prostitutes and drunk spectators milled about eating fruit and nuts, talking back to the actors and throwing things at them. Theatergoers have even rioted. In New York in 1849, a dispute over rival actors in "Macbeth" led to a revolt outside the Astor Place Opera House that left more than 20 people dead.

 

When patrons misbehave nowadays, audiences aren't shy about playing police. Ben Admonius, a 26-year-old New Yorker, says that when a cell phone went off near him at "The Norman Conquests," the crowd's reaction was louder than the ring. "It was like lions jumping on a rabbit," he says.

 

Some shows are beginning to experiment with new etiquette rules. "Hair" director Diane Paulus is exploring ways to make the theater atmosphere more relaxed, less traditional. In order to keep up with the times, she plans to allow cell phones this summer at a theater space at the American Repertory Theater, in Cambridge, Mass., where she is the artistic director.

 

"I'll tell you, it's radical," she says. "I don't think there's a theater in America that tells you to turn your phone on."

 

“What were you doing?” Ms. LuPone asked the audience member, according to The Sun. “I promise not to be mad at you. Just tell me, what were you doing — videoing? Taking photos? Texting? I really want to know.” The fan, wisely, did not respond. Ms. Lupone then threatened to have the fan thrown out if it happened again, before she resumed singing “Don’t Cry for Me, Argentina.”

 

Ms. LuPone earned an unwanted recording credit earlier this year when audio of her berating an audience member who tried to take pictures of her at a January performance of “Gypsy” was posted on YouTube.

[+ Lucky]

Here's LuPone's response to the NY Times blog:

 

Dear Dave Itzkoff,

 

Your story about my stopping my concert in Las Vegas on the New York Times ArtsBeat blog was forwarded to me.

 

I found the tone of your report very snide and feel compelled to write you to ask – what do expect me, or any performer for that matter, to do?

 

Do we allow our rights to be violated (photography, filming and audio taping of performances is illegal) or tolerate rudeness by members of the audience who feel they have the right to sit in a dark theater, texting or checking their e-mail while the light from their screens distract both performers and the audience alike? Or, should I stand up for my rights as a performer as well as the audiences I perform for?

 

And do you think I’m alone in this? Ask any performer on Broadway right now about their level of frustration with this issue. Ask the actor in “Hair” who recently grabbed a camera out of an audience member’s hand and threw it across the stage. Or ask the two Queens in “Mary Stuart” (Harriet Walter and Janet McTeer) how they react to it.

 

I find it telling that my story elicited 47 comments from your readers while a few other stories on the blog elicited a handful, with many getting 0 comments. It certainly touched a chord with people, almost all of whom sounded like audience members, who share in my frustration with what threatens to become standard behavior if no one speaks out and takes action against it.

 

This has been going on in my career for 30 years since I starred in “Evita,” and, you’re surprised I stop shows now?

 

Sincerely,

Patti LuPone

[edjames]

Bravo Patti! The YouTub video is hilarious. I say kick 'em out of the theater! These folks are rude, obnoxious and totally self-absorbed! It all starts when they can't find their seats in the theater! It's like sitting in an airplane and watching them walk down the aisle counting off the row numbers!

 

I recently went to a matinee performance of "Mary Stuart" and the first ten minutes of the play was spent trying to keep the oldsters around us from causing an uproar because they couldn't operate their hearing-impaired sound devices. All we heard was 'ssssssssshhhhh' coming loudly from the devices themselves because the oldsters couldn't find the volume control! The lady next to me ate candy, in plastic wrappers, throughout the show. I must have told her 3 times to stop the noise. Matinees? Never, ever again! Needless to say we headed straight for the nearest bar after the show for a well-deserved cocktail. BTW, actor, TR Knight was in the audience, and while I didn't exactly get the opportunity to pounce on him at intermission, I came awfully close! LOL

 

ED

[+ Lucky]

I saw this version of Mary Stuart a few years go off-Broadway. It requires a lot of listening, so distractions would be doubly annoying. (And by distractions, I don't mean Mr. Knight!)

[Romann]

I was in NYC a couple weeks ago and saw the Broadway show, Billy Elliot which I would highly recommend for others to see.

[+ Lucky]

San Diego Theater

 

This weekend I attended the LaJolla Playhouse to see Terrance McNally's latest play, Unusual Acts of Devotion. The title has absolutely nothing to do with the play. McNally tries his already used device of putting a group of characters in a limited space, where camaraderie prevails, to be often interrupted by the divulging of secrets which supposedly lead to dramatic moments. In this case, he takes neighbors in an apartment building and puts them on its roof for a summertime gathering.

There is a married couple, a batty old lady, a queeny gay guy, and a washed up female singer. She and the gay guy were going to get married until she made the mistake of introducing him to the man who became his lover for three years before jumping off of said apartment roof.

 

In the course of the play, characters often find a need to leave the stage to return to their apartments. leaving pairings of actors to reveal deeply held secrets. By the end of the play, we have learned various things about them, but the cumulative affect is one big yawn. If McNally thought he was creating an emotional resonance in the audience, he was wrong. Just in case he missed, he has the baffy old lady deliver a final few words to the audience, which falls flat. People leave bewildered at what they saw. In short, McNally's previous play, "Some Men," looks magnificent in comparison.

 

The acting, however, is quite good. The married man is simply sex on a stick, and of course everyone wants to have sex with him, especially John-boy Richard Thomas, the queeny gay character. The baffy old lady is played by the woman who plays Raymond's mother on TV. There is, to me, an element of homophobia in the play in that it is suggested that the gay guy marry the washed up singer to find happiness. Don't they realize that he is gay?

 

All was not lost, however, as the next night we took a chance on a small play at a small, ratty theater. Titled "A Bad Night in a Men's Room Off Sunset Boulevard," it featured a very strong cast. The show was about a popular film star caught in a bathroom sex act who tries to revive his career at a family-run theater in Podunk. The acting was superb. The ticket was about $40 less than for the McNally play.

[EXPAT]

Farragut North

 

We saw "Farragut North" last night at the Geffen Playhouse in Westwood. I loved it. Chris Pine (Capt. Kirk in the new Star Trek movie) played Stephen Bellamy and he was very convincing in the role. I recommend seeing it if you are in the area. Chris Noth also stars in this version as well.

[+ Lucky]

Chris Pine received a nice review in the LA Times for his acting in Farragut North:

 

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/culturemonster/2009/06/review-farragut-north-at-the-geffen-playhouse.html

[+ Lucky]

Openly gay actor B.D. Wong receives a big write-up in today's LA Times for his role in the upcoming LaJolla Playhouse show Herringbone, where he plays numerous roles. The show is choreographed by another Asian heartthrob, Darren Lee. I think I have seen both Wong and Lee in just about every show they have been in, and Herringbone will be no exception as I have tickets for the end of the run.

 

Read the story:

http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/arts/la-ca-herringbone2-2009aug02,0,1400612.story

[+ Lucky]

Hey New Yorkers!

 

Suds with beefcake! A gay "Rebel With(out) a Cause!"

The NY Times today reviews a new gay play called "Slipping" and even though it may have its faults, I can't imagine any self-respecting gay theater-goer in New York not attending. Why? Well, the actors are hot! Lots of skin too!

 

Read the review, and check the pic:

 

http://theater2.nytimes.com/2009/08/06/theater/reviews/06slipping.html?ref=theater

[Cooper]

TKTS shock!

 

Went to TKTS for a Wednesday matinee, only 3 shows available:

 

Mary Stuart

Phantom

Chicago

 

No signs of a bad economy on Broadway... Chicago seats were available at a 40% savings. Sounds like a good deal? Nope, orchestra seats at TKTS cost $90.

 

I passed and took in the Titanic exhibit at the Discovery Times Square Exposition.

[+ Lucky]

Cooper- Sorry to say that Slipping does not have a Wednesday matinee. But here's the schedule; maybe you can fit it in:

 

SLIPPING

written by Daniel Talbott

directed by Kirsten Kelly

 

July 28 – August 15, 2009

 

Mon – Fri at 8PM

Sat at 5PM and 9PM

[Cooper]

Slipping Discount Tickets $15.00

 

BroadwayBox Special: Tickets just $15, Reg. $20 !

Code: SLPBBX Expires : Aug 15, 2009

 

3 WEEKS ONLY - JULY 28 THROUGH AUGUST 15

Mondays Thru Fridays at 8PM | Saturdays 5PM & 9PM*

[* Saturday August 15 performance times are 6PM & 9PM]

 

To purchase your discount tickets for SLIPPING:

 

1. ONLINE: or visit http://www.SmartTix.com and use code SLPBBX

 

2. BY PHONE: Call 212.868.4444 and mention code SLPBBX

 

3. IN PERSON: Bring a printout of this offer to the Rattlestick Playwrights Theater at 224 Waverly Place (just west of 7th Ave South). Box office opens 30 minutes prior to advertised performance times on day of performance. Tickets at box office may be purchased with cash only for same day performance.

 

Playing at Rattlestick Playwrights Theater

224 Waverly Place (just west of 7th Ave South)

[edjames]

All seats for "Slipping" are $20.

 

Here is the show's website for more info about the show and a Smartix link to purchase tickets. Some shows are already sold out. I have a ticket for the last show.

 

http://risingphoenixrep.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=25&Itemid=38

 

ED

[Guest alanm]

Late to the Party

 

I saw Mary Stuart and the final performance of Next Fall this weekend. I was lucky to read the MS translation by Peter Oswald beforehand. Otherwise, I would have spent the first half of the play figuring who all the men at court were. I enjoyed the acting, but the lighting and the special effects were especially good. The rain scene in particular was worth the price of admission.

 

The contrast between Mary running joyfully in the rain and Elizabeth protected by her courtiers, less she get wet, was breathtaking.

 

I enjoyed Next Fall, particularly the very sexy Patrick Heusinger as the saved Christian half of the couple. It was special to be at the final performance. The audience was primed to laugh too hard at any funny line during the first act, the second act was more serious and played much better. Heusinger has several scenes in his boxers, showing off a very, very nice butt. I am not sure the play in all that great, but the word is that it will open again in Sept. or Oct.

 

Next up for me is Hamlet with Jude Law next month.

[+ Lucky]

I saw Jude Law years ago in The Sisters Rosenweig, where he rose naked out of a tub, and slowly dried off, not hiding a thing as he did. I'll bet hamlet doesn't do that.

[Guest alanm]

Nudity in Hamlet

 

Yeah, I am afraid Jude Law isn't going to take much off in Hamlet.

 

I remember the scene you mentioned, but thought it was in Cocteau's Indiscretions with Kathleen Turner in the mid 1990s. Did he perform the play you mentioned in LA?

[+ Lucky]

I'll go with your memory on the play as I think you are right. I saw it in New York.