We’re in that annual lull between the shows that rushed to open
before the holidays and those waiting in the wings to make their bows in the
spring. A few shows have bravely ventured out over the past few weeks and I’ve
already talked about some of them (you really should try to see Constellations
if you can before it closes on March 15) and I plan to chat about some others
once they’re officially open (although I’m going to cheat a bit and say that you
really should see Hamilton if you can find a way to get a ticket). But like
most theater lovers at this time of year, I’m on the prowl for other kinds of theater-related
diversions, particularly those that can be enjoyed at home on cold wintry
nights. Here are three that have recently kept me good company:
Shakespeare Uncovered: PBS has been airing the second season of this terrific show
that devotes an hour to one of the Bard’s plays. Each installment is hosted by
a celebrated actor who has starred in that play and he or she interviews others
who have taken on the same role about its challenges and delights. It’s great
fun to see clips of past productions (including silent movie versions), to be
reminded of more recent stagings and to hear the lore and the gossip that
accompany them all. The last two episodes of the six-show season will air on
Friday night and are scheduled to feature Kim Cattrall talking about Antony &
Cleopatra, while Ralph Joseph Fiennes discussing Romeo and Juliet. You can find out more about it here.
The Producer’s Perspective podcast: I’ve really missed the old “Downstage Center” shows in which
my pal Howard Sherman conducted hour-long interviews with all sorts of theater
people who shared stories about their careers and so I’m delighted to have
discovered this new podcast in which the industrious producer Ken Davenport
talks to Broadway insiders about the jobs they do. His guests so far have
ranged from playwright Terrence McNally (represented on Broadway this season by the hit comedy
It’s Only a Play and the book for the upcoming Kander and Ebb musical The
Visit) to PR wiz Rick Miramontez (who oversaw publicity for the notorious Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark and just parted ways with the Peter Pan musical Finding Neverland). This week, the controversial New York Post theater columnist Michael Riedel spouts off on a whole bunch of stuff. Davenport,
who’s worked as a company manager as well as a producer, has personal
relationships with all his guests and so the sessions are like eavesdropping on a
conversation at one of the side tables at Joe Allen. You can subscribe to them here.
Dancing Sondheim iPhone app: There have been so many tributes to, and interpretations of, Stephen Sondheim’s music that I thought the possibilities had been exhausted. And
then I came across this app, which is the most recent installment of
choreographer Richard Daniels’ “Dances for an iPhone” series. Each video runs
between three and four minutes and features a dance set to a Sondheim song and
performed mainly by dancers of a certain age, adding an extra layer of poignancy to the lyrics
of Sondheim’s wistful love songs. I dare you to watch 84-year-old Carmen de Lavallade’s rendition
of Sunday in the Park with George's “Children and Art” without swooning. You can get a sneak peek here.
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