tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-68163668061276082072024-03-05T05:22:26.605-06:00A Follow SpotJulieKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12521424567356348282noreply@blogger.comBlogger1381125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6816366806127608207.post-44657718750130814212019-07-11T21:47:00.000-05:002019-07-11T21:47:25.530-05:00North American Premiere of PARFUMERIE? June 2004 in Urbana<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I'm bumping up my blog after a year away to create a record that the play "Parfumerie" was done in the summer of 2004 at the University of Illinois, as part of their Summerfest season. A <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mikl%C3%B3s_L%C3%A1szl%C3%B3">Wikipedia article on playwright Miklos Laszlo</a> claims the American premiere of the play occurred in 2009. Au contraire!<br />
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I don't know what headline would've appeared with it back then, but here's my review, written June 25, 2004, and published in the Champaign <a href="https://www.news-gazette.com/"><i>News-Gazette</i></a>:<br />
<br />
Before "Parfumerie" even started, I found myself fascinated by the
program notes offered by Summerfest producing director James Berton
Harris, in which he details his search for the script of this charming
little play.<br />
<br />
Harris talks about watching "The Shop Around the Corner," a 1940 movie directed by Ernst Lubitsch, and seeing a credit for the play it was based on, something called "Illatszertar," by Miklos Laszlo. That credit set Harris on a quest to locate an English translation of the play, which sent him searching through Hungarian, French, and English sources, all to no avail. The play good enough to form the basis of a famous film, a movie musical ("In the Good Old Summertime"), a wonderful stage musical ("She Loves Me") and a snappy Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan vehicle ("You've Got Mail") continued to elude his grasp.<br />
<br />
But when all was said and done – in a moment of drama worthy of the stage – Harris found himself back at the University of Illinois Library. There, in the University Rare Book and Special Collections Library, he found an English translation of the play in papers donated to the University by "Shop" screenwriter Samson Raphaelson.<br />
<br />
Whether you want to call that kismet, karma or the hand of fate, Harris had his play. After more drama to acquire the rights, he turned it over to director Peter Reynolds, a guest director with Summerfest since 1998, who does a fine job of translating this pretty pastry of a play, backed by excellent performances, a lovely set and decoration by designer Michael Franklin-White, and elegant 1930's costumes designed by James Berton Harris himself.<br />
<br />
If you've seen any of the above – "The Shop Around the Corner," "In the Good Old Summertime," "She Loves Me" or "You've Got Mail" – you'll know part of the plot, about pen pals who fall in love without a clue that they know each other – and can't stand each other – in real life. Those incarnations vary in their treatment of secondary characters, but the play "Parfumerie" focuses on those stories just as much as the romance.<br />
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There's Mr. Hammerschmidt, the owner of the Parfumerie, who's experiencing marital difficulties that spill over into his work life; Albert and Amalia, the pen pals who don't know they work together; young Arpad, the messenger boy who has aspirations to become a clerk; and diffident Mr. Sipos, who tries to stay out of trouble and hang onto his job, but is perhaps a bit too nosy for his own good.<br />
<br />
It's sort of a dysfunctional family, but a family nonetheless, and that's what makes the play work.<br />
<br />
Steven M. Keen leads the cast as cranky Mr. Hammerschmidt, while the would-be lovers are winningly portrayed by Jason Maddy and Sari Sanchez. Timothy Patrick Klein is also good – and hits the laugh lines – as Sipos, while Thomas Lopez makes an energetic and rambunctious Arpad, who also gets his share of laughs.<br />
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This is a delicate and sweet production of a play that has apparently never been performed in North America, and well worth a visit., if for no other reason than those program notes. Kudos to James Berton Harris for keeping up the search until he found "Parfumerie."<br />
<br />
<b>PARFUMERIE</b><br />
By Miklos Laszlo.<br />
<br />
Cast includes Steven M. Keen, Jason Maddy, Brent T.
Barnes, Cristina Panfilio, Timothy Patrick Klein, Joi Hoffsommer, Sari
Sanchez, Thomas Lopez, and Matthew Churilla.<br />
<br />
Director: Peter Reynolds.<br />
Scenic Designer: Michael Franklin-White.<br />
Costume Designer: James Berton
Harris.<br />
Lighting Designer: David Warfel.<br />
Sound Designer: Chuck Hatcher.<br />
Stage Manager: Jennifer Collins Hard.<br />
<br />
Summerfest 2004.<br />
<br />
In repertory through August 1.<br />
Studio Theater, Krannert Center for the
Performing Arts, Urbana.<br />
<br />
Box office: 333-6280.<br />
<br />
Running time: 2 hours and
30 minutes, including two 15-minute intermissions.
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JulieKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12521424567356348282noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6816366806127608207.post-51363569622151692402018-06-11T15:43:00.000-05:002018-06-11T15:43:17.022-05:00Tony, Katrina and the Tony Awards<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<br />
Actor Tony Shalhoub and the musical in which he currently stars--<i>The Band's Visit</i>--took the Tony Awards by storm last night, with ten wins overall, including awards for leading actor Shalhoub, leading actress Katrina Lenk, featured actor Ari'el Stachel and director David Cromer, as well as Itamar Moses' book, David Yazbek's score, Jamshied Sharifi's orchestrations, Tyler Micoleau's lighting design and Kai Harada's sound design. And, of course, Best Musical.<br />
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The pieces performed from nominated musicals didn't really showcase anything too exciting, although Lenk was lovely singing "Omar Sharif" from <i>The Band's Visit</i>, offering a hint of the show's power, and Hailey Kilgore and the cast of <i>Once on This Island</i> showed why they won Best Revival of a Musical. I also enjoyed the funny and fizzy performance from Gavin Lee and some underwater creatures from <i>SpongeBob Squarepants: The Musical</i>.<br />
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On the play side, <i>Harry Potter and the Cursed Child</i> took home six Tony statuettes, winning Best Play (even though playwright Jack Thorne was shut out at the microphone), Best Direction of a Play for John Tiffany, as well as scenic, lighting, sound and costume design awards. Andrew Garfield and Nathan Lane were both honored for their performances in the new millennial production of <i>Angels in America</i>,which also won Best Revival of a Play. And living legends Glenda Jackson and Laurie Metcalf won for their two-thirds of <i>Three Tall Women.</i><br />
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Hosts Sara Bareilles and Josh Groban provided an amiable and entertaining presence throughout and I'd be happy to see them back in those positions in future years. Other highlights included a performance of "Seasons of Love" from the musical <i>Rent</i> by students from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Florida, Bruce Springsteen with a heartfelt, if mostly spoken performance at the piano, and the divine disco stylings of "Last Dance" from the Donna Summer musical.<br />
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Here's how the 2018 Tony Awards unfolded: <br />
<br />
<b>BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE IN A PLAY</b><br />
Andrew Garfield, <i>Angels in America</i><br />
<br />
<b>BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A FEATURED ROLE IN A PLAY</b><br />
Laurie Metcalf, <i>Three Tall Women</i><br />
<br />
<b>BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A FEATURED ROLE IN A MUSICAL</b> <br />
Lindsay Mendez, <i>Carousel</i><br />
<br />
<b>BEST BOOK OF A MUSICAL</b><br />
Itamar Moses, <i>The Band’s Visit</i><br />
<br />
<b>BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A FEATURED ROLE IN A PLAY</b> <br />
Nathan Lane, <i>Angels in America</i><br />
<br />
<b>BEST COSTUME DESIGN OF A MUSICAL</b><br />
Catherine Zuber, <i>My Fair Lady</i><br />
<br />
<b>COSTUME DESIGN OF A PLAY</b><br />
Katrina Lindsay, <i>Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Parts One and Two</i> <br />
<br />
<b>BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A FEATURED ROLE IN A</b> <b>MUSICAL</b><br />
Ari’el Stachel, <i>The Band’s Visit</i><br />
<br />
<b>BEST LIGHTING DESIGN OF A MUSICAL</b><br />
Tyler Micoleau, <i>The Band’s Visit</i><br />
<br />
<b>BEST LIGHTING DESIGN OF A PLAY</b><br />
Neil Austin, <i>Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Parts One and Two</i> <br />
<br />
<b>BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE IN A PLAY</b><br />
Glenda Jackson, <i>Three Tall Women</i><br />
<br />
<b>BEST DIRECTION OF A MUSICAL</b><br />
David Cromer, <i>The Band’s Visit</i><br />
<br />
<b>BEST DIRECTION OF A PLAY</b><br />
John Tiffany, <i>Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Parts One and Two</i> <br />
<br />
<b>BEST PLAY</b><br />
<i>Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Parts One and Two, </i>by Jack Thorne<i><br /></i><br />
<br />
<b>BEST SOUND DESIGN OF A PLAY</b><br />
Kai Harada, <i>The Band’s Visit</i><br />
<br />
<b>BEST SOUND DESIGN OF A MUSICAL</b><br />
Gareth Fry, <i>Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Parts One and Two</i> <br />
<br />
<b>BEST REVIVAL OF A PLAY</b><br />
<i>Angels in America</i>, by Tony Kushner<br />
<br />
<b>BEST SCENIC DESIGN OF A MUSICAL</b><br />
David Zinn, <i>SpongeBob Squarepants: The Musical</i><br />
<br />
<b>BEST SCENIC DESIGN OF A PLAY </b><br />
Christine Jones,<i>Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Parts One and Two</i> <br />
<br />
<b>BEST ORCHESTRATIONS</b><br />
Jamshied Sharifi, <i>The Band’s Visit</i><br />
<br />
<b>BEST CHOREOGRAPHY</b><br />
Justin Peck, <i>Carousel</i><br />
<br />
<b>BEST ORIGINAL SCORE</b><br />
David Yazbek, The Band’s Visit<br />
<br />
<b>BEST REVIVAL OF A MUSICAL</b><br />
<i>Once on This Island</i><br />
<br />
<b>BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE IN A MUSICAL</b><br />
Tony Shalhoub, <i>The Band’s Visit</i><br />
<br />
<b>BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE IN A MUSICAL</b><br />
Katrina Lenk, <i>The Band’s Visit</i><br />
<br />
<b>BEST MUSICAL</b><br />
<i>The Band’s Visit</i>
</div>
JulieKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12521424567356348282noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6816366806127608207.post-27617147681811702352018-06-04T13:21:00.002-05:002018-06-04T13:21:26.637-05:00Mad About Musicals--June on TCM<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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This month, Turner Classic Movies is featuring a host of movie musicals all day long on Tuesdays and Thursdays as part of what they're calling <a href="http://www.tcm.com/this-month/article/1403164|0/Mad-About-Musicals-Tuesdays-Thursdays-in-June.html">Mad About Musicals</a>. In addition, TCM and Ball State University are hosting <a href="https://www.canvas.net/browse/bsu/tcm4/courses/mad-about-musicals">an online class on that same theme</a>. Although the Mad About Musicals course officially began yesterday, you can still enroll <a href="https://www.canvas.net/courses/17753/enrollment/new">here</a>.<br />
<br />
Here's how they're describing <a href="https://www.canvas.net/browse/bsu/tcm4/courses/mad-about-musicals">the Mad About Musicals "deep dive" experience</a>:<br />
<blockquote>
Running from June 3-30, this FREE interactive experience will give you an entertaining deep-dive into the Hollywood musical, from the 1930s to the 1970s, with addictive multimedia course materials, digital games, ongoing interactions with your fellow film fans on the TCM message boards, and more!</blockquote>
You can also see the syllabus and answers to some frequently asked questions on <a href="https://www.canvas.net/browse/bsu/tcm4/courses/mad-about-musicals">that same page</a>.<br />
<br />
And if you're not into taking classes, you can still see a whole lot of musicals between June 5, when <a href="http://www.tcm.com/this-month/article.html?isPreview=&id=1403164|88166&name=Going-Hollywood"><i>Going Hollywood</i></a>, a little-known MGM musical from 1933 starring a very young Bing Crosby opposite the infamous Marion Davies, starts things off at 5 am Central time, and June 29, when <a href="http://www.tcm.com/this-month/article.html?isPreview=&id=1403164|66968&name=Oliver-"><i>Oliver!</i></a>, the Oscar-winner from 1968, finishes the parade at 5:15 am.<br />
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By my count, there are 93 movie musicals running on TCM between those two, ranging from perennial favorites like <i>Top Hat</i> and <i>American in Paris</i> to lesser-known works that you absolutely have to see, like <i>Hallelujah</i> from 1929, the first all-black musical from a major studio; <i>Strike Me Pink</i>, a 1936 Eddie Cantor vehicle with Ethel Merman in the mix; Shirley Temple doing a Fred-and-Ginger number in <i>Stowaway</i>, also from 1936; and Chubby Checker in a 60s oddity called <i>Don't Knock the Twist</i>. There's also some Busby Berkeley, Ruby Keeler, Jimmy Cagney, operettas, the real Fred and Ginger, a touch of Lubitsch, Maurice Chevalier, Judy Garland, Gene Kelly, Leslie Caron, Kathryn Grayson, June Allyson, Doris Day, Frank Sinatra, Cyd Charisse, Esther Williams, Elvis Presley, the Beatles, Sondheim, Kander & Ebb, and big-time Broadway musicals represented on screen.<br />
<br />
That's a whole lot of singing and dancing and a fascinating way to see how Hollywood directors, choreographers, cinematographers, designers and screenwriters found a way to bend film effects to showcase music and performers. Yes, there are omissions, but so much good stuff, too. I doubt anyone can plant themselves in front of the TV to see every single one of the moving pictures TCM has chosen, but I suggest you fire up the DVR and catch as much as you can.<br />
<br />
For all the details and a look at the schedule, you'll want to start <a href="http://www.tcm.com/this-month/article/1403164|1403165/Mad-About-Musicals-Tuesdays-Thursdays-in-June.html">here</a>. </div>
JulieKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12521424567356348282noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6816366806127608207.post-75256231768845023132018-05-16T11:20:00.001-05:002018-05-16T12:20:04.164-05:00Musicals, Comedy, Drama and Something Brand New at IWU in 2018-19<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
The <a href="https://www.facebook.com/iwutheatre/">School of Theatre Arts at Illinois Wesleyan University</a> has announced five shows (and one "To Be Announced" notice) for its 2018-19 season, with two musicals, one drama, a Shakespeare comedy, a dance concert and a new piece to be written and directed by a SOTA senior.<br />
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For the <a href="https://www.iwu.edu/theatre/box-office.html">Jerome Mirza Theatre</a>, the first show offered in the fall will be <i>Stop Kiss</i>, Diana Son's 1998 play about two women who meet, start to fall for each other, and kiss on the street, with a whole lot of fallout afterwards because of that one small kiss. The scenes in <i>Stop Kiss</i> are played out of order, with Son telling her story in pieces as fragmented as the lives of the two women. Professor Nancy Loitz will direct this story of love and compassion trying to find a way in today's world.<br />
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Next up in the Mirza, Professor Jean Kerr will direct the Broadway musical <i><a href="https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-production/curtains-453332">Curtains</a></i>, which ran for over 500 performances at the Al Hirschfeld Theatre in 2007 and 2008. It was nominated for eight Tony Awards, with David Hyde Pierce winning Best Actor in a Musical for his performance as a Boston police lieutenant who just happens to be a major fan of musical theater. The plot's afoot when he is called upon to investigate a murder that happened during the curtain call for a very bad musical in an out-of-town tryout. The score of <i>Curtains</i> was written by the legendary Kander & Ebb, with the book by Rupert Holmes, who won a Drama Desk Award for his efforts. <i>Curtains</i> has a curious creative history: Kander and Holmes provided additional lyrics after the death of Fred Ebb, and the entire show is based on an idea from Peter Stone, who also passed away with only part of the story finished.<br />
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Spring at the Mirza will feature <i>A Midsummer Night's Dream</i>, Shakespeare's fantasy of fairies and mortals mixing it up in the woods, directed by Visiting Professor Christopher Connelly.<br />
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The spring season will finish up with the annual dance concert, directed by Sheri Marley, in the Mirza Theater.<br />
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Two other shows have been announced for the E. Melba Kirkpatrick Laboratory Theatre. The "To Be Announced" show, written and directed by Nick Valdivia, a senior in Design & Technology, will fill the Lab Theatre in the fall, while <i>Viole</i>t, a musical drama based on the short story "The Ugliest Pilgrim" by Doris Betts, with music by Jeanine Tesori and lyrics and book by Brian Crawley, will take the Kirkpatrick space in the spring, in a production directed by Associate Professor Scott Susong.<br />
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<i>Violet</i> has a history both on and Off-Broadway, with a <a href="http://www.lortel.org/Archives/Production/383">Playwrights Horizon production</a> in 1997 that won best musical honors from the Lucille Lortel and Drama Critics Circle awards along with a special Obie for Jeanine Tesori, and then a one-night Encores! staging and a <a href="https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-production/violet-495831">Broadway production</a> in 2014 that starred Sutton Foster, Colin Donnell and Joshua Henry. Foster played Violet, a bitter, wounded young woman who suffered a terrible accident when she was a child. Violet's last hope is that a TV evangelist on the other side of the country can heal her horribly disfigured face, so she gets on a bus to find her miracle. Along the way, she meets (and plays poker with) two soldiers who have their own stories to tell. <i>Violet</i> is set amidst the byways and highways of America in 1964 and its score reflects that setting with bluegrass, blues and gospel styles.<br />
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JulieKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12521424567356348282noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6816366806127608207.post-66207640506441077482018-05-14T13:02:00.000-05:002018-05-15T13:27:43.992-05:00Krannert Center Announces 50th Anniversary Season<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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The University of Illinois' <a href="https://krannertcenter.com/">Krannert Center for the Performing Arts</a> began its life as an artistic venue in <a href="https://krannertcenter.com/about-center/our-story">April 1969</a>, after a gift of 16 million dollars from Herman and Ellnora Krannert.<br />
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As Krannert Center press materials frame it, the Krannerts' "belief in the intrinsic value of the arts, their bold vision for the future, and their passionate loyalty to the University of Illinois helped bring into being what is widely considered the nation’s leading university-based performing arts center."<br />
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<a href="https://krannertcenter.com/calendar?date=2018-09">To spotlight its 50th anniversary</a>, Krannert Center is launching a two-season celebration that will include "friends, colleagues, artists, and patrons past and present" along with projects from music, theater and dance units under the College of Fine and Applied Arts.<br />
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What's in store? "Patrons can expect boundary-pushing commissioning projects and new works, beloved familiar faces alongside new rising stars, invigorating performances from university faculty and students, and time for reflection, inspiration, and merriment—including a special April 2019 weekend that will mark the 50-year anniversary of Krannert Center’s opening."<br />
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An opening party on Friday September 7 launches the celebration, with "a high-energy gathering five decades in the making that will feature a musical lineup of Ranky Tanky, Baracutanga, AJ Ghent, Mucca Pazza, and CU’s own New Orleans Jazz Machine. Food and beverage sales, a vintage car display on Goodwin Avenue, and an invitation to dress from a decade of choice—1960s to the future—will round out this annual favorite, made even better by a free admission price."<br />
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They've also announced that the <a href="https://krannertcenter.com/calendar?date=2018-09">2018-19 season</a> will include events like the Los Angeles Master Chorale performing the <i>Lagrime di San Pietro</i> (<i>Tears of St. Peter</i>), living legend Itzhak Perlman, mezzo-soprano Susan Graham, San Francisco Symphony under Michael Tilson Thomas, and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in the Great Hall, as well as many other events and artists, from The Builders Association presenting the Krannert Center-supported <i>Strange Window: The Turn of the Screw</i> to Ann Hampton Callaway and Susan Werner, two cirque troupes and Ballet Folklórico de México and Russian National Ballet Theatre. You can browse all those options <a href="https://krannertcenter.com/calendar?date=2018-09">here</a>.<br />
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If you're interested in <a href="https://krannertcenter.com/calendar/category/37">Illinois Theatre</a>, the producing arm of the <a href="https://theatre.illinois.edu/">University of Illinois Department of Theatre</a>, they will open their season on October 4 with Wendy Wasserstein's <a href="https://krannertcenter.com/events/american-daughter"><i>An American Daughter</i></a>, directed by Tom Mitchell for the Studio Theatre. Wasserstein's play deals with a woman descended from Ulysses S. Grant who is being considered for the position of Surgeon General.<br />
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Next up is the musical <a href="https://krannertcenter.com/events/funny-thing-happened-way-forum"><i>A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum</i></a>, with performances from October 18 to 28 in the Colwell Playhouse. That will be directed by J.W. Morrissette, who took on Stephen Sondheim's <i>Assassins</i> at Krannert last year. Sondheim wrote the music and lyrics for <i>Forum</i>, while Burt Shevelove and Larry Gelbart wrote the book for this farce based on the work of Plautus. Sondheim's lyrics promise "comedy tonight" as a slave named Pseudolus, played by the likes of Zero Mostel (on <a href="https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-production/a-funny-thing-happened-on-the-way-to-the-forum-2779">Broadway</a> and in the film), Nathan Lane and Whoopi Goldberg (both in the late 90s <a href="https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-production/a-funny-thing-happened-on-the-way-to-the-forum-4675">Broadway revival</a>), wheels and deals to try to win his (or her) freedom.<br />
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November will see <a href="https://krannertcenter.com/events/persecution-and-assassination-jean-paul-marat-performed-inmates-asylum-charenton-under"><i>The Persecution and Assassination of Jean-Paul Marat as Performed by the Inmates of the Asylum of Charenton Under the Direction of the Marquis de Sade</i></a>, Peter Weiss' 1966 <a href="https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-production/the-persecution-and-assassination-of-marat-as-performed-by-the-inmates-of-the-asylum-of-charenton-under-the-direction-of-the-marquis-de-sade-3276/#awards">Tony winning play</a> about revolution and class struggle, both in the theater and in the world. Directed by Laura Hackman for the Studio Theatre, <i>Marat/Sade</i> is scheduled to play from November 1 to 11, 2018.<br />
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Ike Holter's <a href="https://krannertcenter.com/events/hit-wall"><i>Hit the Wall</i></a> opens the new year in the Studio Theatre, with performances set for January 31 to February 10, 2019. Robert G. Anderson directs Holter's "sweaty, messy, sexy" take on the Stonewall Riots in 1969, which includes a live band and a "multivoiced narrative."<br />
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<a href="https://krannertcenter.com/events/curious-incident-dog-night-time"><i>The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time</i></a>, Simon Stephen's award-winning play based on the best-selling book by Mark Haddon,will play in the Colwell Playhouse from February 28 to March 10. Haddon's book offers the story of an autistic boy who goes on a journey to find out who really killed his neighbor's dog, with the stage production using all the tools of drama, from lights and set pieces to sound and choreography, to create the world as the boy experiences it. Latrelle Bright directs for Illinois Theatre.<br />
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The season finishes with <a href="https://krannertcenter.com/events/because-i-am-your-queen"><i>Because I Am Your Queen</i></a>, a devised "feminist fantasia in one act" created by <a href="https://newplayexchange.org/users/13677/mina-samuels">Mina Samuels,</a> that imagines a collection of dramatic women, like Hermione from Shakespeare's <i>A Winter's Tale</i>, Victor Hugo's Lucretia Borgia, Friedrich Schiller's Mary Stuart and Euripides' Medea, spending a day together at a spa. Samuels will work with Tectonic Theatre Project founding member Barbara McAdams, who will direct, using Moment Work to further develop the piece in conjunction with U of I theater students. <i>Because I Am Your Queen</i> reigns in the Studio Theatre from March 28 to April 7, 2019.<br />
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For more information on these shows as well as the entire 2018-19 lineup at Krannert Center, visit the <a href="https://krannertcenter.com/">site here</a>. Tickets for the new season will go on sale Saturday, July 14, at 10 am, and you may purchase them at KrannertCenter.com, call 217-333-6280 or by visiting the box office at Krannert Center for the Performing Arts on South Goodwin Avenue in Urbana.
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JulieKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12521424567356348282noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6816366806127608207.post-80085560964647055282018-05-03T12:11:00.002-05:002018-05-03T12:11:42.984-05:00Tony Nominations 2018<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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It's that time again, when Tony nominators offer their lists of the best and brightest in Broadway shows.<br />
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On the play side, there's new work by Ayad Akhtar and Lucy Kirkwood, revivals of Albee, Kushner, O'Neill and Stoppard, and the hotly anticipated <i>Harry Potter</i> shows, while the musicals range from something sweet and silly--<i>SpongeBob SquarePants--</i>to something deep, meaningful and moving in <i>The Band's Visit</i>.<br />
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This year's awards ceremony will be hosted by pop stars with Broadway connections, with Sara Bareilles and Josh Groban doing the honors on June 10. Bareilles wrote the score for <a href="https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-production/waitress-502861"><i>Waitress</i></a> (and popped in to play the lead for a couple of shifts) and contributed some songs to the <a href="https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-production/spongebob-squarepants-515039"><i>SpongeBob SquarePants</i></a> musical, for both of which she's earned Tony nominations, while Josh Groban was nominated for his leading role in <a href="https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-production/natasha-pierre--the-great-comet-of-1812-506425/#awards"><i>Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812</i></a>.<br />
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Here's the complete <a href="https://www.tonyawards.com/en_US/nominees/index.html">list of nominees</a>:<br />
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<b>BEST PLAY</b><br />
<a href="https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-production/the-children-514184"><i>The Children</i></a> by Lucy Kirkwood<br />
<a href="https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-production/farinelli-and-the-king-514892"><i>Farinelli and the King</i></a> by Claire van Kampen<br />
<a href="https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-production/harry-potter-and-the-cursed-child-parts-one-and-two-514844"><i>Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Parts One and Two</i></a> by Jack Thorne<br />
<a href="https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-production/junk-513493"><i>Junk</i></a> by Ayad Akhtar<br />
<a href="https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-production/latin-history-for-morons-515722"><i>Latin History for Morons</i></a> by John Leguizamo<br />
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<b>BEST REVIVAL OF A PLAY</b><br />
<i><a href="https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-production/angels-in-america-millennium-approaches-515873">Angels in </a><a href="https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-production/angels-in-america-perestroika-515874">America</a></i> by Tony Kushner<br />
<a href="https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-production/the-iceman-cometh-515678"><i>The Iceman Cometh</i></a> by Eugene O'Neill<br />
<a href="https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-production/lobby-hero-515856"><i>Lobby Hero</i></a> by Kenneth Lonergan<br />
<a href="https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-production/three-tall-women-515801"><i>Three Tall Women</i></a> by Edward Albee<br />
<a href="https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-production/travesties-515749"><i>Travesties</i></a> by Tom Stoppard<br />
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<b><b>BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE IN A PLAY</b></b><br />
Glenda Jackson, <i>Three Tall Women</i><br />
Condola Rashad, <i>Saint Joan </i><br />
Lauren Ridloff, <i>Children of a Lesser God</i><br />
Amy Schumer, <i>Meteor Shower</i><br />
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<b>BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE IN A PLAY</b><br />
Andrew Garfield, <i>Angels in America</i><br />
Tom Hollander, <i>Travesties</i><br />
Jamie Parker, <i>Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Parts One and Two</i><br />
Mark Rylance, <i>Farinelli and the King</i><br />
Denzel Washington, <i>The Iceman Cometh</i><br />
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<b>BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A FEATURED ROLE IN A PLAY</b><br />
Susan Brown, <i>Angels in America</i><br />
Noma Dumezweni, <i>Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Parts One and Two</i><br />
Deborah Findlay, <i>The Children</i><br />
Denise Gough, <i>Angels in America</i><br />
Laurie Metcalf, <i>Three Tall Women</i><br />
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<b>BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A FEATURED ROLE IN A PLAY</b><br />
Anthony Boyle,<i> Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Parts One and Two</i><br />
Michael Cera, <i>Lobby Hero</i><br />
Brian Tyree Henry, <i>Lobby Hero</i><br />
Nathan Lane, <i>Angels in America</i><br />
David Morse, <i>The Iceman Cometh</i><br />
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<b>BEST DIRECTION OF A PLAY</b><br />
Marianne Elliott, <i>Angels in America</i><br />
Joe Mantello, <i>Three Tall Women</i><br />
Patrick Marber, <i>Travesties</i><br />
John Tiffany, <i>Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Parts One and Two</i><br />
George C. Wolfe, <i>The Iceman Cometh</i><br />
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<b>BEST SCENIC DESIGN OF A PLAY</b><br />
Miriam Buether, <i>Three Tall Women</i><br />
Jonathan Fensom, <i>Farinelli and the King</i><br />
Christine Jones, <i>Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Parts One and Two</i><br />
Santo Loquasto, <i>The Iceman Cometh</i><br />
Ian MacNeil & Edward Pierce, <i>Angels in America</i><br />
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<b>BEST COSTUME DESIGN OF A PLAY</b><br />
Jonathan Fensom, <i>Farinelli and the King</i><br />
Nicky Gillibrand, <i>Angels in America</i><br />
Katrina Lindsay, <i>Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Parts One and Two</i><br />
Ann Roth, <i>Three Tall Women</i><br />
Ann Roth, <i>The Iceman Cometh</i><br />
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<b>BEST LIGHTING DESIGN OF A PLAY</b><br />
Neil Austin, <i>Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Parts One and Two</i><br />
Paule Constable, <i>Angels in America</i><br />
Jules Fisher & Peggy Eisenhauer, <i>The Iceman Cometh</i><br />
Paul Russell, <i>Farinelli and the King</i><br />
Ben Stanton, <i>Junk</i><br />
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<b>BEST SOUND DESIGN OF A PLAY</b><br />
Adam Cork, <i>Travesties</i><br />
Ian Dickinson, <i>Angels in America</i><br />
Gareth Fry, <i>Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Parts One and Two</i><br />
Tom Gibbons, <i>1984</i><br />
Dan Moses Schreier, <i>The Iceman Cometh</i><br />
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<b>BEST MUSICAL</b><br />
<a href="https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-production/the-bands-visit-514964"><i>The Band's Visit</i></a><br />
<i><a href="https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-production/frozen-515657">Frozen</a></i><br />
<a href="https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-production/mean-girls-515822"><i>Mean Girls</i></a><br />
<a href="https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-production/spongebob-squarepants-515039"><i>SpongeBob SquarePants: The Musical</i></a><br />
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<b>BEST REVIVAL OF A MUSICAL</b><br />
<i><a href="https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-production/carousel-515791">Carousel</a></i><br />
<a href="https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-production/my-fair-lady-513966"><i>My Fair Lady</i></a><br />
<a href="https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-production/once-on-this-island-514926"><i>Once on This Island</i></a><br />
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<b>BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE IN A MUSICAL</b><br />
Lauren Ambrose, <i>My Fair Lady</i><br />
Hailey Kilgore, <i>Once on This Island</i><br />
LaChanze, <i>Summer: The Donna Summer Musical</i><br />
Katrina Lenk, <i>The Band’s Visit</i><br />
Taylor Louderman, <i>Mean Girls</i><br />
Jessie Mueller, <i>Carousel</i><br />
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<b>BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE IN A MUSICAL</b><br />
Harry Hadden-Paton, <i>My Fair Lady</i><br />
Joshua Henry, <i>Carousel</i><br />
Tony Shalhoub, <i>The Band’s Visit</i><br />
Ethan Slater, <i>Spongebob Squarepants: The Musical</i><br />
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<b>BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A FEATURED ROLE IN A MUSICAL</b><br />
Ariana DeBose, <i>Summer: The Donna Summer Musical</i><br />
Renée Fleming, <i>Carousel</i><br />
Lindsay Mendez, <i>Carousel </i><br />
Ashley Park, <i>Mean Girls</i><br />
Diana Rigg, <i>My Fair Lady</i><br />
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<b>BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A FEATURED ROLE IN A MUSICAL</b><br />
Norbert Leo Butz, <i>My Fair Lady</i><br />
Alexander Gemignani, <i>Carousel </i><br />
Grey Henson, <i>Mean Girls</i><br />
Gavin Lee, <i>Spongebob Squarepants: The Musical</i><br />
Ari’el Stachel, <i>The Band’s Visit</i><br />
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<b>BEST DIRECTION OF A MUSICAL</b><br />
Michael Arden, <i>Once on This Island</i><br />
David Cromer, <i>The Band’s Visit</i><br />
Tina Landau, <i>Spongebob Squarepants: The Musical</i><br />
Casey Nicholaw, <i>Mean Girls</i><br />
Bartlett Sher, <i>My Fair Lady</i><br />
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<b>BEST BOOK OF A MUSICAL </b><br />
Tina Fey, <i>Mean Girls</i><br />
Kyle Jarrow, <i>Spongebob Squarepants: The Musical </i><br />
Jennifer Lee, <i>Frozen</i><br />
Itamar Moses, <i>The Band’s Visit</i><br />
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<b>BEST ORIGINAL SCORE</b><br />
Robert Lopez & Kristen Anderson-Lopez, <i>Frozen</i><br />
Jeff Richmond & Nell Benjamin, <i>Mean Girls</i><br />
Adrian Sutton, <i>Angels in America</i><br />
David Yazbek, <i>The Band’s Visit</i><br />
Yolanda Adams, Steven Tyler & Joe Perry of Aerosmith, Sara Bareilles, Jonathan Coulton, Alex Ebert of Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros, The Flaming Lips, Lady Antebellum, Cyndi Lauper & Rob Hyman, John Legend, Panic! at the Disco, Plain White T's, They Might Be Giants, T.I., Domani & Lil'C, <i>Spongebob Squarepants: The Musical</i><br />
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<b>BEST CHOREOGRAPHY</b><br />
Christopher Gattelli, <i>My Fair Lady</i><br />
Christopher Gattelli, <i>Spongebob Squarepants: The Musical </i><br />
Steven Hoggett, <i>Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Parts One and Two </i><br />
Casey Nicholaw, <i>Mean Girls</i><br />
Justin Peck, <i>Carousel</i><br />
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<b>BEST ORCHESTRATIONS </b><br />
John Clancy, <i>Mean Girls</i><br />
Tom Kitt, <i>Spongebob Squarepants: The Musical</i><br />
AnnMarie Milazzo & Michael Starobin, <i>Once on This Island</i><br />
Jamshied Sharifi, <i>The Band’s Visit</i><br />
Jonathan Tunick, <i>Carousel</i>
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<b>BEST SCENIC DESIGN OF A MUSICAL</b><br />
Dane Laffrey, <i>Once on This Island</i><br />
Scott Pask, <i>The Band’s Visit </i><br />
Scott Pask, Finn Ross & Adam Young, <i>Mean Girls </i><br />
Michael Yeargan, <i>My Fair Lady</i><br />
David Zinn, <i>Spongebob Squarepants: The Musical</i><br />
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<b>BEST COSTUME DESIGN OF A MUSICAL</b><br />
Gregg Barnes, <i>Mean Girls </i><br />
Clint Ramos, <i>Once on This Island </i><br />
Ann Roth, <i>Carousel </i><br />
David Zinn, <i>Spongebob Squarepants: The Musical</i><br />
Catherine Zuber, <i>My Fair Lady</i><br />
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<b>BEST LIGHTING DESIGN OF A MUSICAL</b><br />
Kevin Adams, <i>Spongebob Squarepants: The Musical </i><br />
Jules Fisher & Peggy Eisenhauer, <i>Once on This Island </i><br />
Donald Holder, <i>My Fair Lady </i><br />
Brian MacDevitt, <i>Carousel </i><br />
Tyler Micoleau, <i>The Band’s Visit</i><br />
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<b>BEST SOUND DESIGN OF A MUSICAL</b><br />
Kai Harada, <i>The Band’s Visit </i><br />
Peter Hylenski, <i>Once on This Island </i><br />
Scott Lehrer, <i>Carousel </i><br />
Brian Ronan, <i>Mean Girls </i><br />
Walter Trarbach and Mike Dobson, <i>Spongebob Squarepants: The Musical</i><br />
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<b>SPECIAL TONY AWARD FOR LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT</b><br />
Chita Rivera<br />
Andrew Lloyd Webber<br />
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<b>REGIONAL THEATRE TONY AWARD</b><br />
La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club
</div>
</div>
JulieKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12521424567356348282noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6816366806127608207.post-19046877004860766192018-05-01T13:24:00.000-05:002018-05-01T13:24:02.836-05:00AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY Opening This Week at Community Players<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Playwright Tracy Letts won the Pulitzer Prize for his blistering <i>August: Osage County</i>, a family drama laced with the kind of deep, dark humor that comes from people who've learned from birth how to push each other's buttons. <i>August:Osage</i> <i>County</i> pushed a few buttons of its own; after its premiere at Chicago's <a href="https://www.steppenwolf.org/tickets--events/seasons/200607/august-osage-county/">Steppenwolf Theater</a>, it went to <a href="https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-production/august-osage-county-467754">Broadway</a> where it picked up <a href="https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-production/august-osage-county-467754/#awards">five Tony Awards</a>, including Best Play, and then made it to the big screen, with a star-studded cast that included Meryl Streep as Violet, the take-no-prisoners matriarch of the Weston clan, Sam Shepard as missing patriarch Beverly Weston, and Julia Roberts as their oldest daughter Barbara.<br />
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Since it first lit up the stage, <i>August: Osage County</i> has been quite popular, with theaters across the country anxious to dive into this story of three generations of family dysfunction. There are all kinds of good roles for actors to get their teeth into, and the three-story home that houses the disparate members of the Weston family and their in-laws, plus a Native American caregiver, a local sheriff, and an extra fiancé, is almost a character of its own. Although many theaters just don't have room for that much real estate, it doesn't stop smaller theaters, like the <a href="http://www.stationtheatre.com/">Station in Urbana</a>, from getting creative. As it happens, <i>August: Osage County</i> is currently playing in those cozy confines, in a production directed by Mathew Green.<br />
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At <a href="https://www.communityplayers.org/august-osage-county/">Community Players Theatre</a>, where the play opens this week, scenic designer Jeremy Stiller has a more expansive space to work with, and he's just the kind of designer who will make good use of it. Director John D. Poling is at the helm with a cast that includes Kevin Yale Vernon as viper-tongued Violet, Alan Wilson as her husband Beverly, and Abby Scott, Michelle Woody and Wendy Baugh as their daughters Barbara, Ivy and Karen. Len Childers appears as Barbara's estranged husband, who has left her for a younger woman, with Hannah Blumenshine as their teenage daughter, Brett Cottone as Sheriff Gilbeau, who dated Barbara when they were young, and John Bowen as Steve, Karen's shady fiancé. In another family unit, Anne Cook will play Mattie Fae, Violet's sister, with Randy Offner and Nathan Brandon Gaik as her husband and son. Connie Blick takes on the role of the Native American housekeeper who sees a lot more than is probably healthy.<br />
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This is not a sweet or gentle piece of work and you are advised that it contains adult language and situations. Community Players is asking for mature audiences only to attend this production.<br />
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<i>August: Osage County</i> opens at Community Players with a preview performance at 7:30 pm on May 3, with evening performances to follow at 7:30 pm on May 4 and 5 and 11 and 12, and Sunday matinees at 2:30 pm on May 6 and 13. For more information, <a href="https://www.communityplayers.org/august-osage-county/">click here</a>. If you are ready to buy tickets, you can do that <a href="https://sa1.seatadvisor.com/sabo/servlets/EventSearch?presenter=COMMPLAY&tck=true">here</a>.</div>
JulieKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12521424567356348282noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6816366806127608207.post-77552347754522131852018-04-19T11:03:00.000-05:002018-04-19T11:07:03.630-05:00Celebrating Remarkable Women: SEVEN from Coalescence Theatre Project <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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This weekend, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/557836004580714/?notif_t=event_aggregate&notif_id=1524138203346290">Coalescence Theatre Project</a> will present the Central Illinois premiere of the play <a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/557836004580714/?notif_t=event_aggregate&notif_id=1524138203346290"><i>Seven</i></a>, a collection of pieces by award-winning women playwrights <a href="https://seventheplay.com/about-seven/">focusing on</a> "true stories of seven women who bravely fought for the well-being of women, families, and children around the globe." <br />
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<a href="https://seventheplay.com/about-seven/">Called</a> "a riveting piece of documentary theatre," <i>Seven</i> was <a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/557836004580714/?notif_t=event_aggregate&notif_id=1524138203346290">created from</a> personal interviews with women from around the world who have "triumphed over huge obstacles to create major changes in human
rights in their home countries." From Afghanistan to Cambodia, from Guatemala, Ireland, Nigeria and Pakistan to Russia, these women take on domestic violence, human trafficking, poverty, education, peace and equality as they tackle the most human of human rights.<br />
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As the play's logo puts it, "<i>Seven</i> celebrates remarkable women changing the world."<br />
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<i>Seven</i>'s playwrights are Paula Cizmar, Catherine Filloux, Gail Kriegel, Carol K. Mack, Ruth Margraff, Anna Deavere Smith and Susan Yankowitz, and the actresses performing their words for Coalescence include Jennifer Cirillo, Anastasia Ferguson, Gayle Hess, Elaine Hill, Nancy Nickerson, Claron Sharrieff and Irene Taylor.<br />
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This production, directed by Marcia Weiss and produced by Don Shandrow, will be presented at the Normal Theater on April 21 at 3 and 7:30 pm and April 22 at 7:30 pm. It is a joint presentation by the Normal Theater and Prairie Pride Coalition.
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For more information, visit the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/557836004580714/?notif_t=event_aggregate&notif_id=1524138203346290">Coalescence event page</a> or <a href="https://seventheplay.com/about-seven/">this page</a> devoted to <i>Seven</i> the play, with bios of the women and their playwrights, a gallery of images, and other details on where <i>Seven</i> has been and where it's headed. Anna Deveare Smith, who is probably the best-known among the playwrights for exactly this kind of theater, contributed the piece on Nigeria's Hafsat Abiola, who founded the Kudirat Initiative for Democracy to promote education and leadership opportunities for young women across Nigeria. Abiola became a human rights activist after the murder of both her parents, activists themselves. It's her kind of story that lights up the fire in <i>Seven</i>.<br />
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Tickets for <i>Seven</i> range from $5 to $7 and can be purchased in advance at the <a href="http://www.normaltheater.com/Calendar.aspx?EID=1784">Normal Theater</a> or at the door the day of the show. </div>
JulieKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12521424567356348282noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6816366806127608207.post-43458131562096590302018-04-12T15:55:00.001-05:002018-04-12T15:55:13.414-05:00Legendary BALM IN GILEAD Opens Tomorrow at ISU<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Lanford Wilson's <i>Balm in Gilead</i> occupies a special place in American theater history. It was Wilson's first full-length play, establishing him as a major voice in the 60s off-off-Broadway movement at La Mama and marking a seminal point in off-off-Broadway history. It also created a major moment for Chicago's <a href="https://www.steppenwolf.org/tickets--events/seasons/198081/balm-in-gilead/">Steppenwolf</a> Theatre when company member John Malkovich directed a production of the play in 1980, putting a national spotlight on Steppenwolf and actors like Gary Sinise, Terry Kinney, Glenne Headly, Jeff Perry, Joan Allen, John Mahoney and especially Laurie Metcalf, whose amazing monologue lit up the stage.<br />
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Since most of Steppenwolf's ensemble came from Illinois State University, a new production at the ISU Center for the Performing Arts makes perfect sense. It's a nod to ISU theater history, to some of its most notable alumni, and to the kind of rock-and-roll theatrical style that drove those alums into the national consciousness.<br />
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John Tovar directs the ISU <a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/148777535832581/"><i>Balm in Gilead</i></a> that opens tomorrow night at 7:30 pm, with a large cast that includes Angie Milton as Darlene, a wounded, naive newcomer to the grungy all-night diner in Manhattan where the action is set; Steve Carr as Joe, a small-time drug dealer with a big problem and a big debt; Troy Schaeflein as Dopey, a junkie and something of a narrator; Tori DeLaney as Fick, a down-and-out addict; Betsy Diller as Ann, a former teacher turned street hooker; and Jack VanBoven, Dylan Dewitt and AnneMarie Owens as the cafe's manager, cook and server. Tino Avila, Abbie Brenner, Parker Carbine, Rashun Carter, Krystina Coyne, Taylor Eaves, Christian Frieden, Jeremy Gavin, Rondale Gray, Mikey Hendrickson, Malachi Hurndon, Will Olsen, Sarah Seidler, Clare Ellen Supplitt, Al Vitucci, Bobby Voss and Asa Wallace round out the ensemble as assorted users, pushers, hustlers, drunks, bad guys and whores who hang out there, with Katie Capp, Rachel Katz and Josephine O'Shaughnessy as a trio of rowdy children who make a scary Halloween run through the disarray. <br />
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<a href="https://news.illinoisstate.edu/2018/04/the-school-of-theatre-and-dance-presents-lanford-wilsons-balm-in-gilead/"><i>Balm in Gilead</i></a> runs at the Illinois State University Center for the Performing Arts from April 13 to 21, with evening performances at 7:30 pm and a matinee on April 15th at 2 pm. For more details or to reserve tickets, contact the CPA box office at 309-438-2535 between the hours of 11 am and 5 pm on weekdays. You may also purchase tickets online at <a href="https://www.ticketmaster.com/artist/806298?tm_link=tm_homeA_header_search">Ticketmaster</a>.</div>
JulieKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12521424567356348282noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6816366806127608207.post-36011345147998472742018-04-10T12:50:00.001-05:002018-04-10T12:51:27.026-05:00Gunderson and THE BOOK OF WILL Win Top Steinberg/ATCA New Play Award<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Over the weekend, the <a href="http://americantheatrecritics.org/homepublic/2018/4/7/lauren-gundersons-the-book-of-will-named-2018-steinbergatca.html">American Theatre Critics Association announced</a> the 2018 winners of the <a href="http://www.afollowspot.com/2018/03/american-theatre-critics-announce.html">Steinberg/ATCA New Play Awards,</a> which shine a spotlight (and reward) playwrights for professionally produced work premiering outside New York City. With the top award and two citations, the Steinberg/ATCA Awards give out a total of $40,00 each year, making the awards the largest national new play program of its kind. Every year, they are announced on the Saturday of the last weekend of <a href="https://actorstheatre.org/">Actors Theatre of Louisville</a>'s <a href="https://actorstheatre.org/humana-festival-of-new-american-plays/">Humana Festival of New American Plays</a>. <br />
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Playwright Lauren Gunderson continued what has been a <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/books/page-turner/youve-probably-never-heard-of-americas-most-popular-playwright">banner year</a>, as she was the recipient of the the top award of $25,000 and a commemorative plaque for her play <i><a href="https://www.dramatists.com/cgi-bin/db/single.asp?key=5696">The Book of Will</a></i>, which premiered at the <a href="https://www.denvercenter.org/shows/specific-series/Get?Id=bbd8b395-9105-46a3-b529-bb2909367bc8">Denver Center for the Performing Arts</a> last year. Gunderson's scenario takes place after the death of Shakespeare, when two of his friends--Henry Condell and John Heminges--attempt to preserve his plays for posterity. As the Denver Center frames it, "the two actors are determined to compile the first Folio and preserve the words that shaped their lives. They’ll just have to borrow, beg and band together to get it done. Lauren Gunderson weaves a hilarious and heartfelt story inspired by the true story of Shakespeare’s First Folio."<br />
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In a world with so many Shakespeare festivals eager to produce work that involves him* and a playwright with a good deal of buzz right now, it seems likely you will see <i>The Book of Will</i> somewhere near you very soon. <i><a href="https://www.dramatists.com/cgi-bin/db/single.asp?key=5696">The Book of Will</a></i> has been published by Dramatists Play Service.<br />
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Molly Smith Metzler's <i>Cry It Out</i>, an insightful look at how new motherhood affects three very different women (and one man), took a $7500 cash prize, along with Ike Holter's <i>The Wolf at the end of the Block</i>, a searing drama about a crime outside a boarded-up Chicago bar that underlines the jagged gulf between people of color and the police. <a href="https://actorstheatre.org/shows/cry-it-out-2016-2017/"><i>Cry It Out</i></a> premiered at last year's Humana Festival, while <a href="http://victorygardens.org/also-playing/the-wolf-at-the-end-of-the-block/"><i>The Wolf at the End of the Block</i></a> was presented by Teatro Vista at Victory Gardens Theater. You can find <i>Cry It Out</i> at <a href="https://www.dramaticpublishing.com/cry-it-out">Dramatic Publishing</a>, while <i>The Wolf at the End of the Block</i> is <a href="http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/theater/ct-ott-ike-holter-playwright-0302-story.html">scheduled to be published by Northwestern University Press</a> along with Holter's entire seven-play Chicago cycle.<br />
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<br />
The other finalists were <i>Linda Vista</i> and <i>The Minutes</i>, both by Tracy Letts, and <i>Objects in the Mirror</i> by Charles Smith.<br />
<br />
At the same event at the Humana Festival, Chelsea Marcantel's Airness, a breezy and energetic look at an air guitar competition, was named this year's winner of the M. Elizabeth Osborn New Play Award recognizing an emerging playwright.<br />
<br />
*For recent work involving Shakespeare as a person, see: Lee Hall's <i>Shakespeare in Love</i>, coming to the Illinois Shakespeare Festival this year, after productions in London, the Stratford Festival in Canada, Chicago, etc.; Timothy Findley's <i>Elizabeth Rex</i>, a smash at Illinois Shakes in 2014 after it, too, played at the Stratford Festival and Chicago Shakes; and Bill Cain's <i>Equivocation</i>, a <a href="http://americantheatrecritics.org/steinberg-atca-award/?currentPage=2">previous Steinberg/ATCA winner</a> from the Oregon Shakespeare Festival.</div>
JulieKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12521424567356348282noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6816366806127608207.post-75684034133813455752018-03-13T13:03:00.000-05:002018-03-13T13:05:04.372-05:00Score One for the Girls: THE WOLVES at the Goodman's Owen Theatre<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<br />
Against all kinds of obstacles, women in theater have thrown down the gauntlet on more than one front. Freedom from harassment, decent access to directing, design and stage management jobs, consideration for women playwrights and actors when artistic directors are choosing their seasons... It's all on the table. And it only makes sense. If you look around when you go to the theater, you already know that audiences are more likely to be made up of women. But how have theaters responded? Is anything getting better? From my perspective, the answer is yes and no. Locally, we've seen some progress*, a continuation of good work**, and a decided retreat into Same Old Same Old White Guy Theater***. But Chicago's Goodman Theatre has taken the ball and run with it, with programming like Sarah DeLappe's <a href="https://www.goodmantheatre.org/thewolves"><i>The Wolves</i></a>, directed by Vanessa Stalling, who earned her MFA in directing at Illinois State University.<br />
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<a href="https://www.goodmantheatre.org/thewolves"><i>The Wolves</i></a> is a wonderful choice, an inside look at a team of girls playing soccer and what's important to them. Stalling is the perfect director for it, too, with her emphasis on the physical side of theater, and appreciation for women on stage who can "look strong, be aggressive or take up space." That is exactly what these soccer players do as they run through practice, joke around, pick at issues they may not exactly understand, vie for playing time, and struggle with things like friendship, teamwork, sexuality, parents and mortality. None of it is revolutionary, just <i>new</i>, because somebody is finally listening in to teenage girls who find joy in strength and competition, pushing and kicking their way in a world that isn't all that welcoming.<br />
<br />
DeLappe's script uses overlapping, fragmented dialogue that kicks around in a much less disciplined fashion than the drills the girls are running, veering from global atrocities to yogurt, yurts, tampons and maxi pads with breathless speed. Both the dialogue and the action are choreographed and tricky, but Stalling keeps her actors on their toes throughout the play and together, they drive the narrative perfectly. Whether or not any of these women actually played soccer during their high school years, they've brought their skills up to a level that reads like the real thing. Their stamina and focus are amazing.<br />
<br />
As #46, Erin O'Shea stands out both with her soccer prowess as well as her acting, delivering emotional depth as an outsider who can't quite figure out the social cues that come so easily to her teammates. ISU grad Cydney Moody is a delight as #8, the more naïve one who falls apart when she finds out that the national tournament will be in Tulsa instead of Orlando, while Sarah Price makes smart girl #11 a real treat. I also enjoyed Isa Arciniegas as the no-nonsense captain of the team, Taylor Blim as a sweet girl who shows signs of an eating disorder, Angela Alise as the stressed-out goalie, Mary Tilden as a goofball whose jokes don't exactly land, and Aurora Real De Asua and Natalie Joyce as the most socially advanced of the bunch. Meighan Gerachis arrives late in the game, but she makes quite an impact with a heartbreaker of a monologue.<br />
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<a href="https://www.goodmantheatre.org/thewolves"><i>The Wolves</i></a> is staged in the round (or rectangle) in the Goodman's Owen Theatre, with the audience up close to the action. Set Designer Collette Pollard has created a simple but effective space lined with artificial turf and surrounded by netting that allows for in-your-face athletics. Mikhail Fiksel's sound design and Keith Parham's lighting design add a blast of energy, as well.<br />
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Because it has proved so popular, <a href="https://www.goodmantheatre.org/thewolves"><i>The Wolves</i></a> has been extended past its original end date. That means you can still see it through March 18 if you can get a ticket.<br />
<br />
<b><a href="https://www.goodmantheatre.org/thewolves">THE WOLVES</a></b><br />
By Sarah DeLappe<br />
<br />
The Owen Theatre at the Goodman Theatre<br />
February 9 to March 18, 2018<br />
<br />
Directed by Vanessa Stalling<br />
Set design by Collette Pollard<br />
Costume design by Noël Huntzinger<br />
Lighting design by Keith Parham<br />
Original music and sound design by Mikhail Fiksel<br />
Dramaturgy by Kristin Idasak<br />
<br />
Production Stage Manager: Nikki Blue<br />
Soccer Skill Building Coach: Katie Berkopec<br />
<br />
Cast: Angela Alise, Isa Arciniegas, Taylor Blim, Aurora Real De Asua, Meighan Gerachis, Natalie Joyce, Cydney Moody, Erin O'Shea, Sarah Price and Mary Tilden<br />
<br />
<br />
*<i> Illinois State University has done excellent work in spotlighting plays by women, people of color and from authors outside the United States, in its last two seasons. In Urbana, the Station Theatre is devoting most of its current season to women playwrights and women directors.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>** New Route Theater in Bloomington-Normal continues its mission of giving a voice to underrepresented communities and ethnically and culturally diverse playwrights. </i><br />
<br />
<i>*** Heartland Theatre has just announced a new mainstage season that will be 100% white male voices, after two seasons with paltry representation (a play by Anna Zeigler in 2017 and book and lyrics by Tina Landau in this year's </i>Floyd Collins<i> are the sole contributions of women) and more than double the number of roles available to men over those seasons. </i></div>
JulieKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12521424567356348282noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6816366806127608207.post-14663583616174147072018-03-06T09:41:00.000-06:002018-03-06T09:41:09.400-06:00American Theatre Critics Announce Steinberg/ATCA New Play Finalists<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<br />
The <a href="http://americantheatrecritics.org/">American Theatre Critics Association</a> has released the names of the <a href="http://americantheatrecritics.org/homepublic/2018/3/4/atca-selects-six-finalists-for-steinberg-award-1.html">six finalists for the 2018 Harold and Mimi Steinberg/ATCA New Play Award</a>, which spotlights playwrights for professionally produced work premiering outside New York City. The Steinberg/ATCA Awards hand out $40,00 each year, making these awards the largest national new play program of its kind.<br />
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This year's finalists are <i>The Book of Will</i> by Lauren Gunderson, <i>Cry It Out</i> by Molly Smith Metzler, <i>Linda Vista</i> by Tracy Letts, <i>The Minutes</i> by Tracy Letts, <i>Objects in the Mirror</i> by Charles Smith, and <i>The Wolf at the End of the Block</i> by Ike Holter. Chicago is strongly represented in this group, with two plays from Letts that premiered at Steppenwolf, Smith's play from the Goodman Theatre, and Holter's play, which was presented by Teatro Vista at Victory Gardens.<br />
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Here's how the ATCA committee describes the plays chosen:<br />
<blockquote>
<b><i>The Book of Will</i> by Lauren Gunderson</b>, about the efforts of Shakespeare's contemporaries to preserve his words after his death, "fires on all cylinders" according to one panelist. Said another, it "wrestles with big questions: Why we create and how we deal with death? What constitutes a legacy? And how a surpassing love for something bigger can make every sacrifice worth it." It's "all the more impressive given that we know how the story will end." "And it's funny — genuinely funny — in a way that feels contemporary and yet not cynical." <i>The Book of Will</i> had its world premiere at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts.<br />
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<b><i>Cry It Out </i>by Molly Smith Metzler</b> focuses on the bonds and barriers between two new mothers across a backyard and across class differences. According to panel members, it is "heartbreakingly original in wrestling with issues of female friendship and class and privilege while still being a story about two people one quickly feels strongly about." "Their challenges come across as very real and accessible without being trivialized." <i>Cry It Out</i> premiered at the Humana Festival.<br />
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<b><i>Linda Vista</i> by Tracy Letts</b> focuses on "a man-child who is lonely and wants to be loved — while remaining too immature to do the work involved in making that happen." With, according to a panelist, some of the "smartest, funniest dialogue of any play this year, it also features female roles exceptionally fresh and well crafted." "Letts runs it out of control and then brings it back," said another. It features, "smart observations on marriage, fatherhood, and aging" and, noted yet another, "It's like getting smacked with a metal ruler while someone's telling jokes." <i>Linda Vista</i> premiered at Steppenwolf Theatre Company in Chicago.<br />
<br />
<b><i>The Minutes</i>, also by Tracy Letts,</b> reads like "this is Grover's Corners and Winesburg, Ohio through the eyes of Shirley Jackson." It's "a very weird roller coaster ride" through an absurd town council meeting that leads to "a magnificent tribal reveal soaked in the saddest truth about humanity." "I could see where this would be an actor's and director's dream with a WOW finish." <i>The Minutes</i> also premiered at Steppenwolf Theatre Company.<br />
<br />
<b><i>Objects in the Mirror</i> by Charles Smith</b> "compellingly takes us into the mindset of the masses of refugees fleeing wars and other violence and their struggle against great odds to survive and escape." It's about both "the price of immigration, and the importance of identity, with a second act that feeds on the first act in clever ways but takes us in a new direction." "I was also moved," said one panelist, "by the identity crisis at the heart of the play—the hunger to reclaim a self and name that no longer belong to you." It conveys "a great deal about how worlds apart people can be, how different their ideas of how to help." <i>Objects in the Mirror</i> premiered at Chicago's Goodman Theatre.<br />
<br />
<b><i>The Wolf at the End of the Block</i> by Ike Holter</b> is, according to one panelist, "a play I can't get out of my head, from one of the most exciting emerging voices in American theater." It "melds gorgeous, often comedic dialogue into a very dark reality" in "a play that matters." Centered on a beating outside of a Chicago bar, it's "honest about how flawed the would-be heroes of the piece are — refreshing, given the amount of paint-by-numbers agitprop out there right now." Presented by Teatro Vista, <i>The Wolf at the End of the Block</i> premiered at Chicago's Victory Gardens Theater.</blockquote>
These six finalists were selected from eligible scripts recommended by ATCA members from across the country. To read about the history of the Steinberg/ATCA awards and see past winners, <a href="http://americantheatrecritics.org/steinberg-atca-award/">click here</a>.<br />
<br />
The top award of $25,000 and two citations of $7,500 each, plus commemorative plaques, will be presented April 7 at the 2018 Humana Festival of American Play at Actors Theatre of Louisville. </div>
JulieKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12521424567356348282noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6816366806127608207.post-56682636088634822432018-03-05T11:03:00.000-06:002018-03-05T14:39:20.409-06:00Oscars, Year 90, Now One for the Books<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<br />
In a year when some of the biggest Oscar drama happened on the red carpet, with lots of speculation that the major stars would be sidestepping E! network's Ryan Seacrest, things shaped up pretty well and pretty much as expected inside the 90th annual Academy Awards ceremony. Jimmy Kimmel was an affable host, the proceedings went along smoothly with no major gaffes, and there were undoubtedly a lot of ties for prizes at Oscar parties.<br />
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In the biggest categories, Guillermo del Toro and his <i>Beauty and the Beast</i> story, <i>The Shape of Water</i>, emerged victorious, scooping up Best Picture and Best Director to go with awards for its score and production design. <i> </i><br />
<br />
<i>Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri</i> won two of the big acting awards with Best Actress for Frances McDormand and Best Supporting Actor for Sam Rockwell, while first-time producer/director/screenwriter Jordan Peele walked away with the Best Original Screenplay trophy for <i>Get Out </i>and 89-year-old James Ivory became the oldest Oscar winner ever with his win for his adapted screenplay for <i>Call Me By Your Name</i>.<br />
<br />
Adding a little more fuel to the fire that real (as opposed to fictional) characters are more likely to win awards, Gary Oldman won Best Actor as Winston Churchill in <i>Darkest Hour</i> and Allison Janney added to her awards season sweep as Tonya Harding's horrible mother in <i>I, Tonya</i>.<br />
<br />
<i>Dunkirk</i> won for its film and sound editing as well as sound mixing, while <i>Blade Runner 2049</i> picked up awards for its cinematography and visual effects.<br />
<br />
Disney/Pixar's <i>Coco</i> won as Best Animated Feature, with songwriters Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez winning with their sweet song "Remember Me"<b> </b>from that film.<b> </b><br />
<b><br /></b>
And here's your complete list of winners:<br />
<br />
<b>BEST PICTURE</b><br />
<i>Call Me by Your Name<br />
Darkest Hour<br />
Dunkirk<br />
Get Out<br />
Lady Bird<br />
Phantom Thread<br />
The Post<br />
<b>The Shape of Water</b><br />
Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri</i><br />
<br />
<b>BEST DIRECTOR</b><br />
Paul Thomas Anderson, <i>Phantom Thread</i><br />
<b>Guillermo del Toro, <i>The Shape of Water</i></b><br />
Greta Gerwig, <i>Lady Bird</i><br />
Christopher Nolan, <i>Dunkirk</i><br />
Jordan Peele, <i>Get Out</i><br />
<br />
<b>BEST ACTOR</b><br />
Timothée Chalamet, <i>Call Me by Your Name</i><br />
Daniel Day-Lewis, <i>Phantom Thread</i><br />
Daniel Kaluuya, <i>Get Out</i><br />
<b>Gary Oldman, <i>Darkest Hour</i></b><br />
Denzel Washington, <i>Roman J. Israel, Esq.</i><br />
<br />
<b>BEST ACTRESS</b><br />
Sally Hawkins, <i>The Shape of Water</i><br />
<b>Frances McDormand, <i>Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri</i></b><br />
Margot Robbie, <i>I, Tonya</i><br />
Saoirse Ronan, <i>Lady Bird</i><br />
Meryl Streep, <i>The Post</i><br />
<br />
<b>BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR</b><br />
Willem Dafoe, <i>The Florida Project</i><br />
Woody Harrelson, <i>Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri</i><br />
Richard Jenkins, <i>The Shape of Water</i><br />
Christopher Plummer, <i>All the Money in the World</i><br />
<b>Sam Rockwell, <i>Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri</i></b><br />
<br />
<b>BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS</b><br />
Mary J. Blige, <i>Mudbound</i><br />
<b>Allison Janney, <i>I, Tonya</i></b>
Lesley Manville, <i>Phantom Thread</i><br />
Laurie Metcalf, <i>Lady Bird</i><br />
Octavia Spencer, <i>The Shape of Water</i><br />
<br />
<b>BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY</b><br />
Scott Frank, James Mangold and Michael Green, <i>Logan </i><br />
<b>James Ivory, <i>Call Me by Your Name</i></b><br />
Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber, <i>The Disaster Artist</i><br />
Aaron Sorkin, <i>Molly’s Game</i><br />
Virgil Williams and Dee Rees, <i>Mudbound</i><br />
<br />
<b>BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY</b><br />
Guillermo del Toro and Vanessa Taylor, <i>The Shape of Water</i><br />
Greta Gerwig, <i>Lady Bird</i><br />
Emily V. Gordon and Kumail Nanjiani, <i>The Big Sick</i><br />
Martin McDonagh, <i>Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri </i><br />
<b>Jordan Peele, <i>Get Out</i></b><br />
<br />
<b>BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY</b><br />
<b>Roger Deakins, <i>Blade Runner 2049</i></b><br />
Bruno Delbonnel, <i>Darkest Hour</i><br />
Dan Laustsen, <i>The Shape of Water</i><br />
Rachel Morrison, <i>Mudbound</i><br />
Hoyte van Hoytema, <i>Dunkirk</i><br />
<br />
<b>BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM</b><br />
<b><i>A Fantastic Woman</i> (Chile)</b><br />
<i>The Insult</i> (Lebanon)<br />
<i>Loveless</i> (Russia)<br />
<i>On Body and Soul</i> (Hungary)<br />
<i>The Square</i> (Sweden)<br />
<br />
<b>BEST ORIGINAL SONG</b><br />
"Mighty River" from <i>Mudbound</i>, Mary J. Blige<br />
"Mystery of Love" from <i>Call Me by Your Name</i>, Sufjan Stevens<br />
<b>"Remember Me" from <i>Coco</i>, Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez</b><br />
"Stand Up for Something" from <i>Marshall</i>, Diane Warren and Common<br />
"This Is Me" from <i>The Greatest Showman</i>, Benj Pasek and Justin Paul<br />
<br />
<b>BEST ORIGINAL SCORE</b><br />
Carter Burwell, <i>Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri</i><br />
<b>Alexandre Desplat, <i>The Shape of Water </i></b><br />
Jonny Greenwood, <i>Phantom Thread</i><br />
John Williams, <i>Star Wars: The Last Jedi</i><br />
Hans Zimmer, <i>Dunkirk</i><br />
<br />
<b>BEST ANIMATED FEATURE</b><br />
<i>The Boss Baby</i><br />
<i>The Breadwinner</i><br />
<b><i>Coco</i></b><br />
<i>Ferdinand</i><br />
<i>Loving Vincent</i><br />
<br />
<b>BEST ANIMATED SHORT</b><br />
<b><i>Dear Basketball</i></b><br />
<i>Garden Party<br />
Lou<br />
Negative Space<br />
Revolting Rhymes</i><br />
<br />
<b>BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE</b><br />
<i>Abacus: Small Enough to Jail<br />
Faces Places<br />
<b>Icarus</b><br />
Last Men in Aleppo<br />
Strong Island</i><br />
<br />
<b>BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT</b><br />
<i>Edith+Eddie;</i><br />
<b><i>Heaven is a Traffic Jam on the 405</i></b><br />
<i>Heroin(e)</i><br />
<i>Knife Skills</i><br />
<i>Traffic Stop</i><br />
<br />
<b>BEST LIVE ACTION SHORT
<i> </i></b><br />
<i>DeKalb Elementary </i><br />
<i>The Eleven O’Clock </i><br />
<i>My Nephew Emmett </i><br />
<b><i>The Silent Child </i></b><br />
<i>Watu Wote/All of Us</i><br />
<br />
<b>BEST FILM EDITING</b><br />
Jonathan Amos and Paul Machliss, <i>Baby Driver</i><br />
Jon Gregory, <i>Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri</i><br />
Tatiana S. Riegel, <i>I, Tonya</i><br />
<b>Lee Smith, <i>Dunkirk</i></b><br />
Sidney Wolinsky, <i>The Shape of Water</i><br />
<br />
<b>BEST VISUAL EFFECTS</b><br />
Joe Letteri, Dan Lemmon, Daniel Barrett and Joel Whist, <i>War for the Planet of the Apes</i><br />
Ben Morris, Mike Mulholland, Chris Corbould and Neal Scanlan, <i>Star Wars: The Last Jedi </i><br />
<b>John Nelson, Paul Lambert, Richard R. Hoover and Gerd Nefzer, <i>Blade Runner 2049</i></b><br />
Stephen Rosenbaum, Jeff White, Scott Benza and Mike Meinardus, <i>Kong: Skull Island</i><br />
Christopher Townsend, Guy Williams, Jonathan Fawkner and Dan Sudick,<i> Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2</i><br />
<br />
<b>BEST SOUND EDITING</b><br />
<b>Alex Gibson and Richard King, <i>Dunkirk</i></b><br />
Ren Klyce and Matthew Wood, <i>Star Wars: The Last Jedi</i><br />
Mark Mangini and Theo Green, <i>Blade Runner 2049</i><br />
Nathan Robitaille and Nelson Ferreira, <i>The Shape of Water</i>
Julian Slater, <i>Baby Driver</i><br />
<br />
<b>BEST SOUND MIXING </b><br />
Mary H. Ellis, Julian Slater and Tim Cavagin, <i>Baby Driver </i><br />
Glen Gauthier, Christian Cooke and Brad Zoern, <i>The Shape of Water</i><br />
Mac Ruth, Ron Bartlett and Doug Hephill, <i>Blade Runner 2049</i><br />
<b>Mark Weingarten, Gregg Landaker and Gary A. Rizzo, <i>Dunkirk</i></b><br />
Stuart Wilson, Ren Klyce, David Parker and Michael Semanick, <i>Star Wars: The Last Jedi </i><br />
<br />
<b>BEST COSTUME DESIGN</b><br />
Consolata Boyle, <i>Victoria and Abdul </i><br />
<b>Mark Bridges, <i>Phantom Thread</i></b><br />
Jacqueline Durran, <i>Beauty and the Beast</i><br />
Jacqueline Durran, <i>Darkest Hour</i><br />
Luis Sequeira, <i>The Shape of Water</i><br />
<br />
<b>BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN</b><br />
<b>Paul D. Austerberry, Jeffrey A. Melvin and Shane Vieau, <i>The Shape of Water</i></b><br />
Nathan Crowley and Gary Fettis, <i>Dunkirk</i><br />
Dennis Gassner and Alessandra Querzola, <i>Blade Runner 2049</i><br />
Sarah Greenwood and Katie Spencer, <i>Beauty and the Beast</i><br />
Sarah Greenwood and Katie Spencer, <i>Darkest Hour</i><br />
<br />
<b>BEST MAKEUP AND HAIR </b><br />
Daniel Phillips and Lou Sheppard, <i>Victoria and Abdul</i><br />
<b>Kazuhiro Tsuji, David Malinowski and Lucy Sibbick, <i>Darkest Hour</i></b><br />
Arjen Tuiten, <i>Wonder</i><br />
<br />
<br /></div>
JulieKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12521424567356348282noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6816366806127608207.post-63944333756777106392018-02-27T15:02:00.000-06:002018-02-27T15:02:55.994-06:00Opening Tonight: RHINOCEROS at IWU<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQoVMD9K6qak42r8ExEoYevhH0rzKrIecy6OD5qnsZNE42-fJO4AD9VF_LKcJUqHjhnmfBUxpRviGiH_Ia_gBogUSZyWFIkLNFL3X5lD2DqCfQ0PEUfAf-uL9or9AHa1UbH1K2uFRlQvo/s1600/iwu+rhino+large.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1036" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQoVMD9K6qak42r8ExEoYevhH0rzKrIecy6OD5qnsZNE42-fJO4AD9VF_LKcJUqHjhnmfBUxpRviGiH_Ia_gBogUSZyWFIkLNFL3X5lD2DqCfQ0PEUfAf-uL9or9AHa1UbH1K2uFRlQvo/s320/iwu+rhino+large.jpeg" width="207" /></a></div>
Eugène Ionesco was really big in the 70s, when I came of age. My junior high theater teacher assigned two of his plays (<i>The Lesson</i> and <i>The Bald Soprano</i>) for a whole semester's worth of class work. I seem to recall Ionesco in my French textbook,
including an image of a nose shaped like a circular stair. And I saw (and fell in love with) <i>Rhinoceros</i> when another high school used it for its contest play. There was no actual rhinoceros in that one, just puffs of dust as they supposedly ran by and physical work by the actors whose characters turned into them. The <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0070605/?ref_=nv_sr_1">1974 movie</a> starring Gene Wilder and Zero Mostel, who'd played the same role in the <a href="https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-production/rhinoceros-2283">1961 Broadway production</a>, also eschewed real rhinoceroses in favor of Mostel chewing the scenery. But the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis built immense rubbery rhino outfits for their production in the 80s. And that, too, worked like a charm. Or a rhinoceros.<br />
<br />
Whether Illinois Wesleyan University is giving their prop and costume people a rhino-sized workout remains to be seem. But their own <i><a href="https://www.iwu.edu/theatre/season/rhinoceros.html">Rhinoceros</a></i>, that timely parable about regular people inexplicably embracing the beasts inside (and outside) to go along with the crowd, opens tonight at 8 pm at the Jerome Mirza Theatre at McPherson Hall on the IWU campus.<br />
<br />
Here's how IWU's press materials describe their take on <i>Rhinoceros</i>:<br />
<blockquote>
The sublime is confused with the ridiculous in this savage commentary on the human condition. A small town is besieged by one roaring citizen who finds himself turning into a rhinoceros and who proceeds to trample on the social order. As with any "disease," more citizens become infected. "An allegory for our times." - <i>The New York Times</i> "It’s satirical humor, combined with its provocative theme and surprisingly moving ending, results in an evening that is strange, disturbing and arresting." - <i>New York Post</i></blockquote>
The <a href="https://www.iwu.edu/theatre/season/rhinoceros.html">IWU <i>Rhinoceros</i></a> stars Chris Woodley as Berenger, a listless young man who is nonetheless a holdout from rhinomania; Will Mueller as Jean, his more punctilious friend; and Maya McHowan as Daisy, the woman Berenger loves. Brooke Emmerich, Holden Ginn, Melissa Iheakam, Paola Lehman, Jean Salgado, Juna Shai, Megan Spencer, Cami Tokowitz, Tuxford Turner, Travis Ulrich, Robert Wilson and Libby Zabit will make up the rest of the rhino-ravaged town.<br />
<br />
<i>Rhinoceros</i> runs from February 27 to March 4, with performances at 8 pm Tuesday through Saturday and a matinee at 2 pm on Sunday. You can order tickets <a href="https://tickets.vendini.com/ticket-software.html?t=tix&e=11bf8e84624c171340226b4d7dce307e&vqitq=4e0013f6-c581-4ee7-8458-56348ef39531&vqitp=7679c7b9-9d96-4962-99dc-a099df97f8fa&vqitts=1519765214&vqitc=vendini&vqite=itl&vqitrt=Safetynet&vqith=68077753e1f47e11d83e9f7811682b07">online here</a> or call the box office at 309-556-3232.</div>
JulieKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12521424567356348282noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6816366806127608207.post-17256479088164201492018-02-26T15:07:00.000-06:002018-02-26T15:07:04.073-06:00MR. BURNS Electrifies at ISU<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<br />
Anne Washburn's <i>Mr. Burns: A Post-Electric Play</i> has been around since 2012, but it seems even more timely now than it did then. Are we edging closer to the kind of apocalypse Washburn envisioned? Probably. As other playwrights and authors continue to grapple with the end of the world, Washburn is the only one that uses <i>The Simpsons</i>, blending pop culture, humor and wit into her dystopic nightmare.<br />
<br />
Washburn opens with a small group of survivors after some kind of nuclear meltdown. They are sitting around a fire, trying to occupy themselves by retelling a classic <i>Simpsons</i> episode, the one where Sideshow Bob plots to kill Bart by trapping the whole family on a houseboat. That's the "<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0701080/">Cape Feare</a>" episode, riffing on <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0101540/"><i>Cape Fear</i></a>, the 1991 movie remake of the previous <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0055824/"><i>Cape Fear</i></a> from 1962. As the survivors in <i>Mr. Burns</i> focus on the fragments of "Cape Feare" they can remember, they also drop desperate pieces of information about their current reality, the one where whole cities lie empty, supplies are limited, almost everyone is dead or missing, and the few who are left are wary of everyone else, guns at the ready.<br />
<br />
From this minimalist beginning, we move seven years into the future for Act II, where the campfire group from Act I plus a few new friends are part of a traveling troupe of players whose stock in trade is now performing "Cape Feare," complete with commercials for things like chablis and Diet Coke, goodies they remember from their pre-meltdown life. We learn there are other rival companies trying to monopolize <i>The Simpsons</i> turf, lines from the show have become a sort of currency, and surviving is still a cut-throat business.<br />
<br />
And in Act III, 75 years farther along, we see just how far this storytelling odyssey has taken humanity, as they now use <i>Simpsons</i> characters like Homer and Bart in a grand mythic pageant. <i>The Simpsons</i> -- or at least a version transformed, overwritten and mixed up by 75 years of retelling -- has become the ritual and scripture of the new world, layered with new meaning to try to make sense of what happened way back when.<br />
<br />
By the end, Illinois State University's production of <i>Mr. Burns: A Post-Electric Play</i> plays like Greek tragedy, liturgy and <i>Simpsons</i> cosplay put in a blender, and that's exactly as it should be. Director Kristin L. Schoenback keeps the pace humming, with the necessary snap and crackle to hold an audience over three acts, and a strong overall vision of how and why we build stories.<br />
<br />
The entire company is strong, doing equally well with the spontaneity of the early going and the stylization of the end. Thomas Russell and Johanna Kerber carry the narration nicely in Act I, while Megan Compton and Owen McGee step up as wannabe actors in Act II, and Sarah Ford and Everson Pierce face off sharply in Act III. <br />
<br />
Scenic designers Allison McCarthy and John C. Stark, costume designer Amanda Bedker, lighting designer Laura Gisondi and properties manager Nick Chamernik make valuable contributions to the edgy and striking visual landscape that shifts from a dark campfire to a
quick-and-dirty world of found objects and then a golden temple. I'm not sure who was responsible for the masks, but they're pretty nifty, too.<br />
<br />
Choreographer Mattilyn Nation and fight choreographer Paul Dennhardt deserve credit for keeping things moving when they need to, and sound designer Morgan Hunter, music director Pete Guither and "chart hit" composer Jordan Coughtry up the ante on the aural side.<br />
<br />
All in all, this <i>Mr. Burns</i> is provocative and snarky, with all the jagged pieces in place. It's also a helpful reminder to start memorizing <i>Simpsons</i> episodes now. You may need them in the coming nuclear apocalypse.<br />
<br />
<b>MR. BURNS: A POST-ELECTRIC PLAY</b><br />
By Anne Washburn<br />
Music by Michael Friedman. Lyrics by Anne Washburn<br />
<br />
The School of Theatre and Dance at Illinois State University<br />
Westhoff Theatre<br />
February 16 to 24, 2018<br />
<br />
Director: Kristin L. Schoenback<br />
Music Director: Pete Guither<br />
Choreographer: Mattilyn Nation<br />
Fight Choregrapher: Paul Dennhardt<br />
Scenic Designers: Allison McCarthy and John C. Stark<br />
Costume Designer: Amanda Bedker<br />
Lighting Designer: Laura Gisondi<br />
Sound Designer: Morgan Hunter<br />
Dramaturg: Nicole R. Kippen<br />
Properties Master: Nick Chamernik<br />
Chart Hit Composer: Jordan Coughtry<br />
Assistant Director: Asa Wallace<br />
Stage Manager: Kiara Irizarry<br />
<br />
Cast: Paige Brantley, Erika Clark, Megan Compton, Sarah Ford, Emily Franke, Josh Harris, Lauren Hickle, Johanna Kerber, Emma Lizzio, Owen McGee, Daija Nealy, Everson Pierce, Pat Regan, Cody Rogers, Thomas Russell, Deanna Stewart and Caitlin Wolfe.<br />
<br />
Running time: 2:30, including two 10-minute intermissions.</div>
JulieKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12521424567356348282noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6816366806127608207.post-91871709110718582322018-02-03T13:41:00.000-06:002018-02-03T13:41:19.106-06:00ASSASSINS Is a Misfire at U of I<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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In <i>Look, I Made a Hat</i>, Stephen Sondheim's book that collects and discusses lyrics he wrote from 1981 to 2011, he talks about the genesis of the show <i>Assassins</i>, which he describes as a "book musical masquerading as a revue, featuring nine of the thirteen assassins who have attempted to kill the president of the United States."<br />
<br />
It's an odd idea for a musical, perhaps, to look at the infamous assassins who have slithered around the underbelly of America, but no stranger than <a href="https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-show/chicago-9942">murderous women in Chicago in the 20s</a> or the<a href="https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-production/nine-4172"> midlife crisis of an Italian director</a> or Sondheim's own forays into <a href="https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-production/anyone-can-whistle-3058">loony bin inmates</a> and <a href="https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-production/sweeney-todd-3925">a barber consumed with razor-sharp revenge</a>. But perhaps because its subject matter seemed "a little wrong," <i>Assassins</i> was produced off-Broadway first, at Playwrights Horizon, in 1990, with a cast that included Victor Garber, Terrence Mann and Debra Monk among its assassins. It's been steadily produced since then, with a very strong production at Urbana's Station Theater all the way back in 1992, and a <a href="https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-production/assassins-13580">splashy revival on Broadway</a> in 2004 that earned a Tony for Michael Cerveris. Along the way, through London and San Jose and St. Louis, <i>Assassins </i>has been adjusted a bit here and there, including the addition of a song, but its basic structure, that book musical masquerading as a revue, remains constant.<br />
<br />
Sondheim called John Weidman's book "a collage," and that's as accurate as anything, mixing people from different times in American history, working within its own time and space, overlapping pointy, sharp-edged pieces of the American Dream with gunpowder and fried chicken, with a sense of the theatrical infusing its grimy deeds. At its heart, it's a small musical, one that works just fine in a black box theater. (See: Station Theater production mentioned above.) That means it should be fine in the University of Illinois Studio Theatre in Krannert Center for the Performing Arts. And yet... It isn't.<br />
<br />
Director J.W. Morrissette and scenic designer Daniela Cabrera rely on thin candy-cane-striped scaffolding and a circular stair set against the east side of their black box, with seating on the other three sides. There are signs and ephemera scattered here and there, with big dollar signs or "the right to bear arms" or other evocative phrases painted on set pieces, strings of twinkly lights, and a nine-piece orchestra tucked under the narrow platform that spans the top of the scaffolding. Unfortunately, Morrissette has chosen to play significant scenes on that gallery, up there next to the ceiling, which is hard to light and hard to see from major portions of the audience. And the orchestra is pitched too loud and too close, often drowning out singers valiantly trying to negotiate Sondheim's lyrics. Since this is a show that tells its story through its lyrics, that's a big problem.<br />
<br />
Morrissette has the benefit of MFA actor Jordan Coughtry as John Wilkes Booth; Coughtry has the vocal and acting skills to make his part of the narrative really sing. Yvon Streacker is also good as Guiseppe Zangara, the man who tried to kill FDR, and the other members of the ensemble have good moments, but they are too often hampered by staging that leaves them isolated and distant from their fellow players and choreography that seems chaotic and messy. As a result, the pace and the individual characterizations suffer.<br />
<br />
I saw the show on opening night and it may be that the pieces will gel as it continues its run, that everyone will settle in and find the truth instead of indicating the drama in their characters. I hope so. <i>Assassins</i> is too good a show for missed opportunities.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://krannertcenter.com/events/assassins"><i>Assassins</i></a> continues through February 11 at the Studio Theatre at Krannert Center for the Performing Arts in Urbana. Although there is currently a waiting list for every performance, there were quite a few empty seats on the night I saw the show, which should mean there's a chance you'll get in from that waiting list.</div>
JulieKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12521424567356348282noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6816366806127608207.post-88355088651900410002018-01-29T13:33:00.000-06:002018-01-29T13:33:24.166-06:00Community Players 2018-19 Season<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Community Players Theatre has <a href="https://www.communityplayers.org/18-19-season-announce/">announced</a> plans for its <a href="https://www.communityplayers.org/18-19-season-announce/">2018-19 schedule</a>, opening the season with <i>Peter and the Starcatcher</i> in September of 2018 and finishing it with <i>The Addams Family</i> musical in July of 2019. Their season is the usual mix of plays and musicals, with one Tony-Winning Best Musical (<i>A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum</i>), one musical based on characters from cartoons (<i>Addams Family</i>), one play based on characters from another beloved play (<i>Starcatcher</i>), one play based on a beloved American novel (<i>Little Women</i>), one musical based on a movie from the 90s (<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120888/"><i>The Wedding Singer</i></a>) and one play that spawned a movie in the 90s (<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0104257/"><i>A Few Good Men</i></a>).<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-production/peter-and-the-starcatcher-491597"><i>Peter and the Starcatcher</i></a>, Rick Elice's freewheeling, let's-put-on-a-show take on <i>Peter Pan</i>, spun off from a novel with a very similar name (<i>Peter and the Starcatchers</i>) written by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson. Although it features music by Wayne Barker that was nominated for a Tony, it isn't really a musical and it was also <a href="https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-production/peter-and-the-starcatcher-491597/#awards">nominated</a> as Best Play in 2012. It won a Tony for Best Featured Actor Christian Borle, who played the villainous Black Stache. As described on the <a href="https://www.communityplayers.org/18-19-season-announce/">Community Players site</a>, "From marauding pirates and jungle tyrants to unwilling comrades and unlikely heroes, <i>Peter and the Starcatcher</i> playfully explores the depths of greed and despair… and the bonds of friendship, duty and love." Auditions for <i>Peter and the Starcatcher</i> will take place July 9 and 10, with performances from September 6 to 16, 2018.<br />
<br />
Next up is <a href="https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-production/a-funny-thing-happened-on-the-way-to-the-forum-2779/#awards"><i>A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum</i></a>, the Broadway musical that played for 964 performances and won six Tonys in 1964, with another 156 performances and two Tonys in 1972 and 715 performances and one more Tony in 1996. In the original Broadway production, star Zero Mostel, featured actor David Burns, director George Abbott, producer Hal Prince, writers Burt Shrevelove and Larry Gelbart and the show itself all won Tonys. Stephen Sondheim's songs ("Comedy Tonight," "Everybody Ought to Have a Maid," "Lovely") were part of the Best Musical award even if he didn't get singled out for his score. "<i>A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum</i> takes comedy back to its roots, combining situations from time-tested, 2000-year-old comedies of Roman playwright, Plautus, with the infectious energy of classic vaudeville." With auditions in September, <i>Forum</i> is set to open November 1 and run through the 18th.<br />
<br />
To open 2019, they'll be back in play territory with <a href="http://www.marishachamberlain.com/published-works/little-women/"><i>Little Women</i></a>, which is not the 2005 <a href="https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-production/little-women-386281">musical</a><i>,</i> but a 1996 drama version of Louisa May Alcott's Civil War era novel adapted for the stage by <a href="http://www.marishachamberlain.com/">Marisha Chamberlain</a>.
There have been any number of takes on Alcott's story of the five March sisters growing up and figuring out who they are against the backdrop of war, loss and love, with actresses as different as Katharine Hepburn, June Allyson, Susan Dey, Winona Ryder and Sutton Foster all taking on Jo, the second-oldest, who dreams of becoming a writer. Maya Thurman-Hawke played the role last year in a three-episode <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b09ld2ht"><i>Little Women</i></a> from the BBC. "Interlaced with warmth, family loyalty and traditional values, all these important events provide us with a better understanding of our own lives. Penned by Louisa May Alcott 150 years ago, this much-loved classic tale’s message is still relevant for audiences today." Look for <i>Little Women</i> auditions in November 2018 and performances January 10 to 20, 2019.<br />
<br />
The main character in the original film version of <a href="https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-production/the-wedding-singer-402890"><i>The Wedding Singer</i></a> was a schlubby 80s guy who made his living, such as it was, performing at weddings. On Broadway, stars Stephen Lynch and Laura Benanti took on the roles played by Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore on film, with a new score written by Matthew Sklar (music) and Chad Beguelin (lyrics), plus two songs -- "Somebody Kill Me" and "Grow Old With You" by Tim Herlihy and Adam Sandler. Herlihy wrote the script for the movie and co-wrote the book for the Broadway show with Beguelin. This is how Players describes the plot: "It’s 1985, and rock star wannabe, Robbie Hart, is New Jersey’s favorite wedding singer. He’s the life of the party until his own fiancée leaves him at the altar. Shot through the heart, Robbie makes every wedding as disastrous as his own. Enter Julia, a winsome waitress who wins his affection. As luck would have it, Julia is about to be married to a Wall Street shark, and, unless Robbie can pull off the performance of a decade, the girl of his dreams will be gone forever." With all the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yHXy_FIWmK8">big hair and crazy dances</a> you'd expect from the 1980s, <i>The Wedding Singer</i> will play from March 7 to 24, 2019, with its auditions scheduled for January.<br />
<br />
On the big screen, <a href="https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-production/a-few-good-men-4255"><i>A Few Good Men</i></a>
was famous for Jack Nicholson snarling "You can't handle the truth," but Aaron Sorkin's 1989 Broadway play featured Tom Hulce, Megan Gallagher and Stephen Lang in the roles Tom Cruise, Demi Moore and Nicholson took on film. The play also put Sorkin on the map and paved the way for critical successes like <i>The West Wing</i>, <i>The Social Network</i>, <i>Moneyball</i> and <i>Molly's Game</i>. <i>A Few Good Men</i> centers on court martial proceedings where two Marines face possible court martial stemming from the death of a fellow Marine at Guantanamo Bay. "The Navy lawyer, a callow young man more interested in softball games than the case, expects a plea bargain and a cover-up of what really happened. Prodded by a female member of his defense team, the lawyer eventually makes a valiant effort to defend his clients and, in so doing, puts the military mentality and the Marine code of honor on trial."After auditions March 11 and 12, <i>A Few Good Men</i> will be up and running May 2 through 12, 2019.<br />
<br />
Ooky and spooky, <a href="https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-production/the-addams-family-484632/"><i>The Addams Family</i></a>
musical had its try-out in Chicago in 2009 with Nathan Lane and Bebe Neuwirth playing Gomez and Morticia. After some tune-ups and fixes from bookwriters Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice and composer Andrew Lippa, <i>The Addams Family</i> hit Broadway in March, 2010. It focuses on parental and marital issues as Wednesday comes of age and falls for a regular boy, while Mom and Dad deal with their own romance going stale. Meanwhile, Uncle Fester is in love with the moon, Mama, Pugsley and Lurch are up to no good, a host of Addams ancestors are swirling around the rafters, and Wednesday's boyfriend's uptight parents are caught in the middle. As Players would have it, "Everything will change for the whole family on the fateful night they host a dinner for Wednesday’s ‘normal’ boyfriend and his parents." This one gets three nights of auditions -- May 11, 12 and 13, 2019 -- with performances set to start July 11 and finish up July 28, 2019.<br />
<br />
For details and information, visit the <a href="https://www.communityplayers.org/18-19-season-announce/">season announcement page</a> at the Community Players website. </div>
JulieKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12521424567356348282noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6816366806127608207.post-33214289449053033112018-01-23T14:14:00.003-06:002018-03-05T10:34:18.602-06:00The Shape of the Oscars, 2018<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Guillermo del Toro's <i>The Shape of Water</i>, a fantastical modern twist on <i>Beauty and the Beast</i>, leads the pack with 13 nominations. The film has done very well thus far during awards season, so it's no surprise to see it at the top of the list. What is surprising is the size of its lead: The nearest contender, World War II drama <i>Dunkirk</i>, has eight nominations, with Best Picture favorite <i>Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri</i>, with seven. After that, another World War II film, this one with Winston Churchill front and center in <i>The Darkest Hour</i>, and Daniel Day Lewis's proclaimed last movie, <i>The Phantom Thread</i>, each have six nominations. That's a much better take for both than expected, but especially <i>Phantom Thread</i>.<br />
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In good news, Jordan Peele's comic horror story, <i>Get Out</i>, made the list for Best Picture and Peele earned nods for Best Screenplay and Best Director as well, Greta Gerwig joins the list of Best Director nominees for <i>Lady Bird</i>, and <i>Mudbound</i> cinematographer Rachel Morrison becomes the first woman ever nominated as Best Cinematographer. On the odd side, Christopher Plummer's last-minute performance in <i>All the Money in the World</i>, replacing Kevin Spacey after he crashed and burned because of sexual misconduct allegations, earned him a spot on the Best Supporting Actor list. Director Ridley Scott reshot all Spacey's scenes with Plummer about five minutes before it was due to open, but that act of heroism was enough to get Plummer a nod<br />
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Snubs? James Franco won a Golden Globe for his performance in <i>The Disaster Artist</i>, but he's nowhere to be found on the Oscar Best Actor short list. #TimesUp fallout? Maybe. If there's an explanation for Tom Hanks and Michelle Williams being overlooked for their work in <i>The Post</i> and <i>All the Money in the World</i>, respectively, I don't know what it is. And director Dee Rees certainly deserved a nomination for <i>Mudbound</i>, but she and the film were passed by. Other curiosities: Perennial bridesmaid Steven Spielberg was once again overlooked, this time for <i>The Post</i>, much beloved <i>Wonder Woman</i> got nothing, Martin McDonagh didn't make the Best Director cut for <i>Three Billboards</i>, and Holly Hunter's terrific performance in <i>The Big Sick</i>, which got exactly one nomination -- for its screenplay -- was egregiously overlooked. Personally, I could've taken four or five more nominations for <i>The Big Sick</i>. It ain't easy to do romance well, and this film knocks it out of the park with humor, wit and genuine sentiment.<br />
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Of local interest, Illinois State University's Laurie Metcalf has been nominated for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in <i>Lady Bird</i>, while Illinois Wesleyan alum Richard Jenkins earned a nomination as Best Supporting Actor for <i>The Shape of Water</i>.<br />
<br />
On to the complete list of nominations for the 2018 Academy Awards:<br />
<br />
<b>BEST PICTURE</b>
<i> </i><br />
<i>Call Me by Your Name<br />
Darkest Hour<br />
Dunkirk<br />
Get Out<br />
Lady Bird<br />
Phantom Thread<br />
The Post<br />
The Shape of Water<br />
Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri</i><br />
<br />
<b>BEST ACTOR</b><br />
Timothée Chalamet, <i>Call Me by Your Name</i><br />
Daniel Day-Lewis, <i>Phantom Thread</i><br />
Daniel Kaluuya, <i>Get Out</i><br />
Gary Oldman, <i>Darkest Hour</i><br />
Denzel Washington, <i>Roman J. Israel, Esq.</i><br />
<br />
<b>BEST ACTRESS</b><br />
Sally Hawkins, <i>The Shape of Water</i><br />
Frances McDormand, <i>Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri</i><br />
Margot Robbie, <i>I, Tonya</i><br />
Saoirse Ronan, <i>Lady Bird</i><br />
Meryl Streep, <i>The Post</i><br />
<br />
<b>BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR</b><br />
Willem Dafoe, <i>The Florida Project</i><br />
Woody Harrelson, <i>Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri</i><br />
Richard Jenkins, <i>The Shape of Water</i><br />
Christopher Plummer, <i>All the Money in the World</i><br />
Sam Rockwell, <i>Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri</i><br />
<br />
<b>BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS</b><br />
Mary J. Blige, <i>Mudbound</i><br />
Allison Janney, <i>I, Tonya</i><br />
Lesley Manville, <i>Phantom Thread</i><br />
Laurie Metcalf, <i>Lady Bird</i><br />
Octavia Spencer, <i>The Shape of Water</i><br />
<br />
<b>BEST DIRECTOR</b><br />
Paul Thomas Anderson, <i>Phantom Thread</i><br />
Guillermo del Toro, <i>The Shape of Water</i><br />
Greta Gerwig, <i>Lady Bird</i><br />
Christopher Nolan, <i>Dunkirk</i><br />
Jordan Peele, <i>Get Out</i><br />
<br />
<b>BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY</b><br />
Scott Frank, James Mangold and Michael Green, <i>Logan </i><br />
James Ivory, <i>Call Me by Your Name</i><br />
Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber, <i>The Disaster Artist</i><br />
Aaron Sorkin, <i>Molly’s Game</i><br />
Virgil Williams and Dee Rees, <i>Mudbound</i><br />
<br />
<b>BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY</b><br />
Guillermo del Toro and Vanessa Taylor, <i>The Shape of Water</i><br />
Greta Gerwig, <i>Lady Bird</i><br />
Emily V. Gordon and Kumail Nanjiani, <i>The Big Sick</i><br />
Martin McDonagh, <i>Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri </i><br />
Jordan Peele, <i>Get Out</i><br />
<br />
<b>BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY</b><br />
Roger Deakins, <i>Blade Runner 2049</i><br />
Bruno Delbonnel, <i>Darkest Hour</i><br />
Dan Laustsen, <i>The Shape of Water</i><br />
Rachel Morrison, <i>Mudbound</i><br />
Hoyte van Hoytema, <i>Dunkirk</i><br />
<br />
<b>BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM</b><br />
<i>A Fantastic Woman</i> (Chile)<br />
<i>The Insult</i> (Lebanon)><br />
<i>Loveless</i> (Russia)<br />
<i>On Body and Soul</i> (Hungary)<br />
<i>The Square</i> (Sweden)<br />
<br />
<b>BEST ORIGINAL SONG</b><br />
"Mighty River" from <i>Mudbound</i>, Mary J. Blige<br />
"Mystery of Love" from <i>Call Me by Your Name</i>, Sufjan Stevens<br />
"Remember Me" from <i>Coco</i>, Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez<br />
"Stand Up for Something" from <i>Marshall</i>, Diane Warren and Common<br />
"This Is Me" from <i>The Greatest Showman</i>, Benj Pasek and Justin Paul<br />
<br />
<b>BEST ORIGINAL SCORE</b><br />
Carter Burwell, <i>Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri</i><br />
Alexandre Desplat, <i>The Shape of Water </i><br />
Jonny Greenwood, <i>Phantom Thread</i><br />
John Williams, <i>Star Wars: The Last Jedi</i><br />
Hans Zimmer, <i>Dunkirk</i><br />
<br />
<b>BEST ANIMATED FEATURE</b><br />
<i>The Boss Baby</i><br />
<i>The Breadwinner</i><br />
<i>Coco</i><br />
<i>Ferdinand</i><br />
<i>Loving Vincent</i><br />
<br />
<b>BEST ANIMATED SHORT</b><br />
<i>Dear Basketball</i><br />
<i>Garden Party<br />
Lou<br />
Negative Space<br />
Revolting Rhymes</i><br />
<br />
<b>BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE</b><br />
<i>Abacus: Small Enough to Jail<br />
Faces Places<br />
Icarus<br />
Last Men in Aleppo<br />
Strong Island</i><br />
<br />
<b>BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT</b><br />
<i>Edith+Eddie;</i><br />
<i>Heaven is a Traffic Jam on the 405</i><br />
<i>Heroin(e)</i><br />
<i>Knife Skills</i><br />
<i>Traffic Stop</i><br />
<br />
<b>BEST LIVE ACTION SHORT
<i> </i></b><br />
<i>DeKalb Elementary </i><br />
<i>The Eleven O’Clock </i><br />
<i>My Nephew Emmett </i><br />
<i>The Silent Child </i><br />
<i>Watu Wote/All of Us</i><br />
<br />
<b>BEST FILM EDITING</b><br />
Jonathan Amos and Paul Machliss, <i>Baby Driver</i><br />
Jon Gregory, <i>Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri</i><br />
Tatiana S. Riegel, <i>I, Tonya</i><br />
Lee Smith, <i>Dunkirk</i><br />
Sidney Wolinsky, <i>The Shape of Water</i><br />
<br />
<b>BEST VISUAL EFFECTS</b><br />
Joe Letteri, Dan Lemmon, Daniel Barrett and Joel Whist, <i>War for the Planet of the Apes</i><br />
Ben Morris, Mike Mulholland, Chris Corbould and Neal Scanlan, <i>Star Wars: The Last Jedi </i><br />
John Nelson, Paul Lambert, Richard R. Hoover and Gerd Nefzer, <i>Blade Runner 2049</i><br />
Stephen Rosenbaum, Jeff White, Scott Benza and Mike Meinardus, <i>Kong: Skull Island</i><br />
Christopher Townsend, Guy Williams, Jonathan Fawkner and Dan Sudick,<i> Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2</i><br />
<br />
<b>BEST SOUND EDITING</b><br />
Alex Gibson and Richard King, <i>Dunkirk</i><br />
Ren Klyce and Matthew Wood, <i>Star Wars: The Last Jedi</i><br />
Mark Mangini and Theo Green, <i>Blade Runner 2049</i><br />
Nathan Robitaille and Nelson Ferreira, <i>The Shape of Water</i>
Julian Slater, <i>Baby Driver</i><br />
<br />
<b>BEST SOUND MIXING </b><br />
Mary H. Ellis, Julian Slater and Tim Cavagin, <i>Baby Driver </i><br />
Glen Gauthier, Christian Cooke and Brad Zoern, <i>The Shape of Water</i><br />
Mac Ruth, Ron Bartlett and Doug Hephill, <i>Blade Runner 2049</i><br />
Mark Weingarten, Gregg Landaker and Gary A. Rizzo, <i>Dunkirk</i><br />
Stuart Wilson, Ren Klyce, David Parker and Michael Semanick, <i>Star Wars: The Last Jedi </i><br />
<br />
<b>BEST COSTUME DESIGN</b><br />
Consolata Boyle, <i>Victoria and Abdul </i><br />
Mark Bridges, <i>Phantom Thread</i><br />
Jacqueline Durran, <i>Beauty and the Beast</i><br />
Jacqueline Durran, <i>Darkest Hour</i><br />
Luis Sequeira, <i>The Shape of Water</i><br />
<br />
<b>BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN</b><br />
Paul D. Austerberry, Jeffrey A. Melvin and Shane Vieau, <i>The Shape of Water</i><br />
Nathan Crowley and Gary Fettis, <i>Dunkirk</i><br />
Dennis Gassner and Alessandra Querzola, <i>Blade Runner 2049</i><br />
Sarah Greenwood and Katie Spencer, <i>Beauty and the Beast</i><br />
Sarah Greenwood and Katie Spencer, <i>Darkest Hour</i><br />
<br />
<b>BEST MAKEUP AND HAIR </b><br />
Daniel Phillips and Lou Sheppard, <i>Victoria and Abdul</i><br />
Kazuhiro Tsuji, David Malinowski and Lucy Sibbick, <i>Darkest Hour</i><br />
Arjen Tuiten, <i>Wonder</i>
</div>
JulieKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12521424567356348282noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6816366806127608207.post-88411760611074429102018-01-22T20:21:00.001-06:002018-01-22T20:23:14.842-06:00Normal Theater Six-Week Film School Focuses on "Wonder Women Directors"<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Professor William McBride will be starting a new <a href="http://www.normaltheater.com/73/The-Six-Week-Film-School">six-week film school</a> at the Normal Theater tomorrow night. You may recall previous offerings centered on <i>film noir</i>, Hitchcock and Martin Scorsese. This time, McBride will be looking at films directed by women, starting with Dorothy Arzner’s <i>Christopher Strong </i>(1933), starring Katharine Hepburn as an independent-minded aviator, January 24 at 7 pm, and in subsequent weeks moving on to Ida Lupino’s thriller <i>The Hitch-Hiker</i> (1953); <i>A League of Their Own</i> (1992), Penny Marshall’s love letter to professional women’s baseball during World War II; Sofia Coppola’s <i>Lost in Translation </i>(2003), a highly cinematic look at two lost souls navigating the modern world; <i>Selma</i> (2014), Ava DuVernay’s take on Martin Luther King Jr. and the struggle for voting rights; and the superhero phenomenon <i>Wonder Woman </i>(2017), directed by Patty Jenkins.<br />
<br />
That's quite a range of styles and themes, but Professor McBride <a href="http://www.normaltheater.com/73/The-Six-Week-Film-School">is clear</a> on why he chose them:<br />
<blockquote>
"On my way out of the Normal Theater following the post-screen discussion of one of Scorsese’s films, a female patron approached me and asked why not do a series of female directors? I have been working on our new series ever since—and given the current cultural moment regarding harassment and gender inequality in Hollywood, Washington, and everywhere else, the timing of Wonder Women Directors seems perfect. Joining me for individual screenings will be Shari Zeck, Interim Dean, Milner Library, Illinois State University; Li Zeng, Head of Theatre and Film Studies and Film Minor, Illinois State University; Chamere Poole, Dept. of English Ph.D. candidate, Illinois State University; and Ann Johnson, Dept. of Sociology Masters student, Illinois State University, who will discuss the overarching cultural concepts of sex, power, history, and film style in these six films directed by women."</blockquote>
Although it's called a film school, there are no tests and no assignments. McBride will be there to introduce each movie and lead the post-show discussion, and he also offers hand-outs and extra material to supplement your viewing, but anyone is free to attend the films for free at the Normal Theater, Tuesday nights at 7 pm from January 24 to March 7, with a week off for Valentine's Day. <br />
<br />
This time out, McBride and the Normal Theater are asking you to RSVP or reserve a seat, with a link to do just that on the <a href="http://www.normaltheater.com/73/The-Six-Week-Film-School">program's page at the Normal Theater website</a>. You'll find details on each film there, and that's also where the extra materials will go once they're up.<br />
<br />
<i>Christopher Strong </i>alone has generated pages and pages of commentary on what it says about <a href="http://www.btchflcks.com/2017/05/dorothy-arzner-christopher-strong.html">gender</a>, <a href="https://books.google.com/books?id=-utJ21PSCAwC&pg=PA89&lpg=PA89&dq=christopher+strong+feminism&source=bl&ots=h5vLjDR_Ih&sig=aihr2lW1JyACtIF07LNZzZJQ8dc&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjGg_eRge3YAhUPPN8KHRwpAs8Q6AEIQjAE#v=onepage&q=christopher%20strong%20feminism&f=false">feminism</a>, <a href="https://girlsdofilm.wordpress.com/2015/04/06/christopher-strong-dorothy-arzner-takes-on-hollywood-convention/">professional</a> <a href="http://thegreatkh.blogspot.com/2012/08/the-strength-of-christopher-strong-1933.html">women</a>, <a href="http://filmfanatic.org/reviews/?p=4784">culture</a>, <a href="https://www.artforum.com/film/id=39338">romance</a>, and what a girl <a href="http://the-toast.net/2014/04/14/katharine-hepburn-flying-abortionist/">had to do</a> to get by in the 1930s, as well as its <a href="https://witness2fashion.wordpress.com/tag/christopher-strong-katharine-hepburns-metallic-lame-moth-costume/">sensational costume design</a>, so I know you'll enjoy hearing what McBride and his experts have to say on that one!</div>
JulieKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12521424567356348282noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6816366806127608207.post-50861024052049496112018-01-12T13:27:00.001-06:002018-01-12T13:38:05.233-06:00MARVELOUS MRS. MAISEL Streaming Free All Weekend at Amazon.com<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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The sprightly Amazon comedy known as <i>The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel</i> is having a very happy new year. It's <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt5788792/awards">already been named</a> the best comedy series on TV by <a href="https://www.goldenglobes.com/">Golden Globes</a> and <a href="http://www.criticschoice.com/">Critics Choice</a> voters, with Rachel Brosnahan, who really is marvelous as Mrs. Maisel, nabbing Best Actress awards from both groups. To celebrate all that awards success, Amazon is now making <i>The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel</i> <a href="http://variety.com/2018/tv/news/marvelous-mrs-maisel-amazon-free-1202661619/">available to everyone</a> (not just Amazon Prime subscribers, in other words) this weekend, so that everyone can share the joy. You can stream it for free starting at 12:01 am today and ending at 11:59 pm Monday January 15.<br />
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All eight episodes of <a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06WPB59TM"><i>The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel</i></a> bowed on Amazon last November. I admit: I binged the minute they were available. The series looks great -- no surprise costume designer Donna Zakowska is nominated for <a href="http://costumedesignersguild.com/awards-2018/">awards</a> of her own -- and it has enough humor and heart to really sell its story.<br />
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What story? When we first meet Miriam "Midge" Maisel, she's enjoying her life as a housewife on the Upper West Side in the late 1950s. Nice Jewish husband, two babies, lovely apartment in the same building as her parents... Midge Maisel has it all under control. She can hire Broadway dancers and give the perfect speech to make her wedding zing, she can make the perfect brisket to get her wannabe standup comedian husband a slot in a club (he has a cushy day job but longs to don a turtleneck and do standup in Greenwich Village) and she can perform the perfect calisthenics necessary to keep her perfect figure. Unfortunately, her husband shows pretty quickly he isn't really up to all that perfection. He's gone, her parents are having a meltdown, and her whole identity is on the line. And, at that moment, with her well-ordered life tipped upside-down, Midge discovers her talents may be very different from what she expected. After a couple of meetings with Lenny Bruce (winningly played by Luke Kirby of <i>Slings and Arrows</i> fame) and some help from a scruffy comedy manager (very funny Alex Borstein), Mrs. Maisel is on her way.<br />
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<i>The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel</i> has all the rapid-fire, breezy dialogue you'd expect from an Amy Sherman-Palladino project. Rachel Brosnahan doesn't exactly offer a Jewish 1958 version of Lorelai Gilmore, but she's close. Her Midge is also funny, smart, complicated and beautiful. And again, that wardrobe!<br />
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I am not all that into standup comedy as a milieu, but it doesn't really matter. It's Midge and how she steamrolls her life that makes it magic. Brosnahan carries the show beautifully, with all kinds of help from a terrific supporting cast. Borstein and Kirby are part of that, with Marin Hinkle and Tony Shalhoub making a huge contribution -- they're crazy and infuriating, but fiercely funny -- as Midge's neurotic parents, with guest actors like Nate Cordrry, Joe Grifasi, Jane Lynch, David Paymer, Kevin Pollak, Wallace Shawn and Mary Testa making vivid impressions along the way. And then there's Michael Zegen, given the unenviable task of bringing to life limp noodle Joel Maisel, Midge's husband. He is successful at making Joel a weasel, but it seems like a no-brainer that she's better off without him.<br />
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It remains to be seen in Season Two just how independent Mrs. Maisel will become with her newfound standup confidence and whether Mr. Maisel will appear as anything more than a distant memory. Given that she's still got his name and his kids, I have to think Joel will be sticking around in some capacity. But there's plenty of conflict left to explore with her parents and how they'll react to the new downtown Midge, how she manages being a mother while she's on stage, where she lives and how she keeps brisket on the table, and where, if anywhere, Midge looks for romance. Who needs Joel?<br />
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You'll find <i>The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel</i> streaming this weekend at Amazon.com. </div>
JulieKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12521424567356348282noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6816366806127608207.post-9382431622442770482018-01-11T15:06:00.000-06:002018-01-11T15:07:37.172-06:00Opening Tonight: COMPLETE WORKS (ABRIDGED) at Community Players<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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As you might expect from the name of the theatrical organization itself, the Reduced Shakespeare Company's first in a collection of various kinds of "works" sewn together in a fast, funny and "abridged" condition was the one about Shakespeare. I've seen it called <a href="http://reducedshakespeare.com/productions/shakespeare/"><i>The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged)</i></a>, <i>The Compleat Wrks of Wllm Shkspr (Abridged)</i> and a few other variations on that theme.<br />
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The basic idea is that three actors (in early days, Adam Long, Daniel Singer and Jess Winfield, who are also credited with the script) perform a very abbreviated romp through all of Shakespeare's plays, done up with silly wigs, goofy props, lots of physical and verbal humor that generally aims for the lowest common denominator, and a certain amount of audience interaction. Puns! Football! Julia Child! And even a little Shakespeare. It's good stuff for performers with lots of energy and very little shame. <br />
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The Reduced Shakespeare Company's <i>Complete Works</i> is a popular choice -- it appeared twice in four seasons on the <a href="https://illinoisshakes.com/plays/past/">Illinois Shakespeare Festival</a> schedule -- plus it's been done in pieces by a long parade of high school actors in speech and theater competitions and it's even toured through these parts by the Reduced Shakespeare guys themselves. Each trio that performs it makes it new, dependent upon the skills and special talents they bring to the table. Will it a be a grad-school-hangover <i>Reduced Works</i>, a hillbilly <i>Reduced Works</i>, a serious-actors-stuck-in-purgatory <i>Reduced Works</i>, or something completely different?<br />
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<a href="https://www.communityplayers.org/complete-works/">Community Players</a> opens its very own version of the "cultural touchstone" that is <a href="https://www.communityplayers.org/complete-works/"><i>The Reduced Works</i> </a><i><a href="https://www.communityplayers.org/complete-works/">of William Shakespeare (Abridged)</a> </i>with a preview performance tonight at 7:30 pm, directed by Brett Cottone, with Dave Montague, Chris Stevenson and Missy Freese standing in for Daniel, Adam and Jess, in that order. It's a little unusual to see a woman taking part in a <i>Reduced Work</i>, but, hey, girls want to have fun, too.<br />
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This <i>Reduced Works</i> continues through January 21, with all Thursday, Friday and Saturday performances at 7:30 pm and Sunday matinees at 2:30 pm.<br />
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For more information, click <a href="https://www.communityplayers.org/complete-works/">here</a> for the Players webpage on this production or <a href="https://sa1.seatadvisor.com/sabo/servlets/EventSearch?presenter=COMMPLAY&tck=true">here</a> to purchase tickets. You can also call the box office at 309-663-2121 for more information.</div>
JulieKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12521424567356348282noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6816366806127608207.post-90448299166836954252017-12-30T12:05:00.000-06:002017-12-30T13:01:11.633-06:00Normal Theater Ends 2017 and Begins 2018 with BOMBSHELL and Hedy Lamarr<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="http://www.normaltheater.com/">The Normal Theater</a> has chosen to close out 2017 and open 2018 with three movies that trace the career of one of the most beautiful women ever to grace a Hollywood screen. Hedy Lamarr's luminous beauty jumps off the screen in both <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0034415/"><i>Ziegfeld Girl</i></a>, a potboiler from 1941 with Judy Garland and Lana Turner alongside Lamarr as women chasing rainbows and putting their virtue on the line to make it in show biz, and <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0036719/"><i>The Conspirators</i></a>, a 1944 spy thriller starring Paul Henreid and Lamarr against a backdrop of Nazis and the Resistance in Lisbon during World War II. <i> </i><br />
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<i>Ziegfeld Girl</i> played Thursday night at the Normal Theater and it's repeated this afternoon at 1 pm, while <i>The Conspirators</i> is up January 4th and 6th at 7pm.<br />
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If you need proof that Lamarr was gorgeous, you'll find it in either of those films as well as any number of images scattered across the internet. But there was a lot more to Hedy Lamarr than her stunning looks, and that's what a documentary called <i>Bombshell: The Hedy Lamarr Story</i> is all about.<br />
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It's hard to be taken seriously as an inventor when you look like Hedy Lamarr, Vienna-born actress and Hollywood star. In fact, the story goes that when Lamarr tried to join the National Inventors Council to help the American effort in World War II, she was basically patted on the head and told she should stick to being pretty and selling war bonds and leave important war stuff to the big boys.<br />
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But that didn't stop her. And she and a "bad boy" pianist named George Antheil came up with something called "frequency hopping spread spectrum" broadcasting that scholars have deemed the forerunner to current GPS, Bluetooth and Wifi technology. Hedy called it "tinkering." We call it "genius." Whatever you call it, it meant that Hedy Lamarr was a pioneer -- an unsung, unwanted pioneer -- on the <a href="https://w2.eff.org/awards/pioneer/1997.php">electronic frontier</a>.<br />
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Lamarr's off-screen brilliance -- as well as the intriguing fact that nobody really paid any attention to it -- is the premise of <i>Bombshell</i>, with director /writer Alexandra Dean striving to paint a more complete picture of this enigmatic, complex "<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fIP-4mmzGhg">icon, immigrant, inventor.</a>" And all-around amazing woman.<br />
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<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt6752848/"><i>Bombshell: The Hedy Lamarr Story</i></a> is on screen at the Normal Theater tonight at 7 pm, with repeat showings on January 5 and 7 at 7 pm.</div>
JulieKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12521424567356348282noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6816366806127608207.post-72233858829428823902017-12-28T13:09:00.000-06:002017-12-29T22:38:41.314-06:00Grable, Hutton, Kelly, Astaire and Powell: TCM Goes Musical All Night Long<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
On this, the last Thursday of December 2017, Turner Classic
Movies offers one last selection of "Great American Songbook" films. Or, in other words, musicals! Musicals to brighten your evening and make you forget just how <i>horribilis</i> this <i>annus</i> has been. It's hard to be grumpy when people are singing and dancing all over your TV. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rhOTMf84gFo"><i>Got no mansion, got no yacht... Still I'm happy with what I got...</i></a><br />
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The marquee movie airing at 8 pm Eastern/7 pm Central is <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0037651/?ref_=ttsnd_snd_tt"><i>The Dolly Sisters</i></a>, the 1945 pseudo-bio-pic from 20th Century Fox, starring Betty Grable and June Haver as a highly fictionalized version of Jenny and Rosie Dolly, Hungarian-American twin sisters who were major stars in the U.S. and Europe in the early 20th century. John Payne plays Harry Fox, Jenny Dolly's dancer husband, but it's S.Z. "Cuddles" Sakall who steals the show every time he appears as the adorable but irresponsible Uncle Latsie. Standards that qualify for the Great American Songbook like "Carolina in the Morning" and "I'm Always Chasing Rainbows" are performed in the movie.<br />
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After the Dolly Sisters take a bow, Miss Annie Oakley is up in <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0042200/"><i>Annie Get Your Gun</i></a>, the big, boffo 1950 Hollywood version of Irving Berlin's <a href="https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-production/annie-get-your-gun-1440">stage musical</a>. With "more bounce per ounce" Betty Hutton as Annie instead of Broadway's Ethel Merman, this technicolor extravaganza definitely has energy to burn. Howard Keel is handsome and tuneful as Annie's husband and shooting rival, Frank Butler, and Berlin's dandy score, stuffed with hits like "There's No Business Like Show Business," "You Can't Get a Man with a Gun" and "Anything You Can Do" can't be beat. <i>Annie Get Your Gun</i> airs at 9:15 pm Central time tonight on TCM.<br />
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The Bronx is up and the Battery's down when Gene Kelly, Frank Sinatra and Jules Munshin dance all over Manhattan in <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0041716/"><i>On the Town</i></a>, the 1949 film musical based on the Broadway show with music by Leonard Bernstein and book and lyrics by Betty Comden and Adolph Green. Kelly, Sinatra and Munshin play sailors looking for fun and romance during their 24 hours of leave, with Vera-Ellen, Betty Garrett and Ann Miller providing the romance part. "New York, New York" is the song you'll know from this one, which begins tonight at 11:15 pm Central time.<br />
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<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0045537/"><i>The Band Wagon</i></a>, often listed as one of the best movies ever made about theater, follows at 1 am Central time. Fred Astaire plays Tony Hunter, a star with his best years behind him, cast in a new Broadway show with a much younger, more serious leading lady, played by Cyd Charisse, with Jack Buchanan as an artiste of a director who plagues them with strange ideas. Nanette Fabray and Oscar Levant are Lily and Les Marton, stand-ins for Comden and Green, who got story credit for the film. The soundtrack is first-class, with gems from Arthur Schwartz and Howard Dietz like "That's Entertainment," "A Shine on Your Shoes" and "I Guess I'll Have to Change My Plan." This 1953<i> Band Wagon</i>, directed by Vincente Minnelli, took its name from a 1931 <a href="https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-production/the-band-wagon-11380">Broadway revue</a> with a Dietz/Schwartz score that starred Fred and Adele Astaire. Other than borrowing a few songs like "New Sun in the Sky," "I Love Louisa" and "Dancing in the Dark," the film <i>Band Wagon</i> is a new cinematic creation.<br />
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After a short called <i>MGM Jubilee Overture</i>, TCM's Great American Songbook ends in the wee hours of morning with <i>Broadway Melody of 1936</i>, scheduled to begin at 3:30 am Central time. The plot is convoluted, circling around Eleanor Powell as a dancer who wants to be in Robert Taylor's new show, but they were sweethearts in the past and he doesn't want her anywhere near Broadway, so she falls in with a crazy scheme concocted by meanie show biz columnist Jack Benny but hijacked by Taylor's snappy secretary Una Merkel, who likes Powell. To get her chance, Powell pretends to be a made-up French star visiting New York, complete with terrible accent. It's all pretty crazy, but it's backed up by music like "You Are My Lucky Star," "I've Got a Feelin' You're Foolin'" and "Broadway Rhythm," as performed by the likes of Buddy and Vilma Ebsen, Frances Langford, June Knight and, of course, Eleanor Powell.<br />
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When <i>Broadway Melody of 1936</i> is over, TCM moves on to <i>The Beast with Five Fingers</i> and other decidedly non-musical fare. As we celebrate the death of net neutrality and skyrocketing cable bills, we'll have to content ourselves with these last moments of 2017. <i>Got no diamonds, got no pearls...</i></div>
JulieKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12521424567356348282noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6816366806127608207.post-16933062503801234512017-12-26T12:14:00.002-06:002017-12-26T12:14:22.433-06:00Kennedy Center Honors Tonight on CBS<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Tonight's the night to see the annual broadcast of the <a href="http://www.cbs.com/shows/kennedy_center_honors/">Kennedy Center Honors</a>. It's always a good show, as honorees from various walks of the entertainment business are celebrated through clips, performances and laudatory speeches from their peers, who are also show biz greats.<br />
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<a href="http://www.cbs.com/shows/kennedy_center_honors/news/1008005/get-to-know-the-2017-kennedy-center-honorees/">This year's honorees</a> are actress, dancer and choreographer Carmen de Lavallade; "singer-songwriter, actress, philanthropist, author, and overall hyphenate" -- as well as seven-time Grammy Award winner and the subject of a Broadway musical -- Gloria Estefan; rapper L L Cool J, who also stars in <i>NCIS: Los Angeles</i>, hosts and produces the TV show <i>Lip Sync Battle</i>, and has his own radio station in the works; TV legend Norman Lear, probably best-known for developing and writing hugely influential series like <i>All in the Family</i>, <i>Good Times</i>,<i> One Day at a Time</i> and <i>Sanford and Son</i>, but he's also produced movies, including <i>The Princess Bride</i>; and music icon Lionel Richie, who has written and performed his way to over 100 million albums sold as well as an Oscar, a Golden Globe, and four Grammy Awards, with songs like "Endless Love," "Hello," "Say You, Say Me" and "We Are the World" on his glittery resume.<br />
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Left to right in the image below, you'll find Richie, Lear, de Lavallade, LL Cool J and Estefan. To read more about these megastars and their accomplishments, <a href="http://www.cbs.com/shows/kennedy_center_honors/news/1008005/get-to-know-the-2017-kennedy-center-honorees/">click here</a>.<br />
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If you'd like to check out a video preview of tonight's event, <a href="http://www.cbs.com/shows/kennedy_center_honors/video/IhI1ZHD2OV3OcZSpQg2bxbNesMgH_PLX/kennedy-center-honors-preview-/">click here</a>. You can expect to see artists like Luke Bryan, Misty Copeland, Becky G, Chaka Khan, Queen Latifah, Rob Reiner, Busta Rhymes, Meryl Streep and Stevie Wonder on hand to offer tributes.<br />
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Kennedy Center Honors air tonight, December 26, at 9 pm Eastern and 8 pm Central Time, on CBS.</div>
JulieKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12521424567356348282noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6816366806127608207.post-44098644605695594812017-12-22T16:33:00.001-06:002017-12-22T16:33:51.383-06:00Peter Capaldi's Last DOCTOR WHO in Movie Theaters Dec 27 and 28<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Peter Capaldi has brought a different energy to Doctor Who, that's for sure. He will go out (or regenerate) in style in <a href="https://www.fathomevents.com/events/doctor-who-twice-upon-a-time?trk_msg=SD8M1DIJ4C8KP5HNBQFK6OF25C&trk_contact=AIELPDDMEHKV49FASLAGTASNPK&trk_sid=PP7I2GQ136TQQF0OEB5FMUAE78&utm_source=fathom&utm_medium=email&utm_term=Doctor+Who+Christmas&utm_campaign=Doctor+Who%3a+Twice+Upon+a+Time+comes+to+cinemas+"><i>Doctor Who: </i>"Twice Upon a Time,"</a> a special <i>Who</i> movie screened in theaters nationwide next week. It's also the end of the <i>Who</i> road for Stephen Moffat, who has been executive producer and head writer since 2008. He wrote this episode.<br />
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As a send-off for both Capaldi and Moffat, "Twice Upon a Time" has earned a big-screen splash. Here's the official tagline: "The epic finale to the Peter Capaldi era of <i>Doctor Who</i>, 'Twice Upon a Time,' is coming to cinemas for only one night, featuring the return of Pearl Mackie and special guests Mark Gatiss (Sherlock) and David Bradley (Filch in the Harry Potter movies)."<br />
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It's actually in cinemas two nights -- December 27 and 28 -- here in Bloomington, but if you can't wait for the big screen treatment or you want to see it more than once, it will be screened on television on Christmas Day. In the UK, it airs at 5:30 pm, while in the United States, it's scheduled for 8 and 11:40 pm Central time on BBC America.<br />
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As you can tell from the poster, the current Doctor, Peter Capaldi, will have to match wits with the very first Doctor, now played by David Bradley. It's fitting to put Bradley in the role since he played William Hartnell, who really was the first Doctor, in a 2013 <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2663812/">TV movie about the beginnings of the <i>Who</i> universe</a>.<br />
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We are promised tears, joy and a moving farewell in this meeting of alpha and omega doctors, neither of whom wants to say goodbye, set against a World War I story about two soldiers on opposite sides. If you'd like some a few <a href="http://www.denofgeek.com/us/tv/doctor-who/269669/doctor-who-christmas-special-twice-upon-a-time-spoiler-free-review">hints</a> or even <a href="http://www.digitalspy.com/tv/doctor-who/feature/a845429/doctor-who-christmas-special-2017-spoilers/">minor spoilers</a>, you can click under those links. And the trailer, as well as the cast list and more info about the plot, are available <a href="http://www.bbcamerica.com/shows/doctor-who">here</a> and <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt6968542/">here</a>.<br />
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In Bloomington, <a href="https://www.fathomevents.com/events/doctor-who-twice-upon-a-time?trk_msg=SD8M1DIJ4C8KP5HNBQFK6OF25C&trk_contact=AIELPDDMEHKV49FASLAGTASNPK&trk_sid=PP7I2GQ136TQQF0OEB5FMUAE78&utm_source=fathom&utm_medium=email&utm_term=Doctor+Who+Christmas&utm_campaign=Doctor+Who%3a+Twice+Upon+a+Time+comes+to+cinemas+"><i>Doctor Who:</i> "Twice Upon a Time"</a> will play at 7 pm on December 27 and 28 at the Ovation Cinema Grill and the Bloomington Galaxy Cine 14. You can buy tickets ahead <a href="https://www.fathomevents.com/events/doctor-who-twice-upon-a-time?trk_msg=SD8M1DIJ4C8KP5HNBQFK6OF25C&trk_contact=AIELPDDMEHKV49FASLAGTASNPK&trk_sid=PP7I2GQ136TQQF0OEB5FMUAE78&utm_source=fathom&utm_medium=email&utm_term=Doctor+Who+Christmas&utm_campaign=Doctor+Who%3a+Twice+Upon+a+Time+comes+to+cinemas+">at the Fathom Events site</a> if you're so inclined. </div>
JulieKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12521424567356348282noreply@blogger.com0