The Big Door Prize season 2, episode 8, doesn’t necessarily focus on any one character in the show. I suppose that’s what makes the title so accurate. “Our Town,” as it’s named after the play by the American playwright Thornton Wilder, focuses on a lot of members of the Deerfield population, just as the play does. Also, the kids finally get to put on their play for the whole town. The episode is wholesome as always, and we get to see a lot of characters embrace change while others struggle to understand what they’re really looking for. The episode does also focus on Father Reuben, though not in the obvious ways we saw some other characters in other episodes. We finally get to learn about his vision and how he might find his footing as a changed human.
Spoiler Alert
How does the play go?
Episode 8 begins with...
Spoiler Alert
How does the play go?
Episode 8 begins with...
- 5/29/2024
- by Ruchika Bhat
- DMT
The Tony award-winning play Our Town is getting another revival on Broadway!
Jim Parsons and Katie Holmes are set to the lead the cast of the upcoming adaptation, which will have a very limited engagement on the Great White Way, Deadline reports.
Also joining the cast is Zoey Deutch in her Broadway debut!
Keep reading to find out more…
“Thornton Wilder’s Our Town in my mind stands at the top of the Mount Rushmore of great American Theatre,” director Kenny Leon shared in a statement. “I feel blessed and fortunate to have gained the trust of The Wilder estate to present this classic to another generation of theatre lovers. It’s long been a burning desire to collaborate on a Broadway production of such magnitude that speaks so beautifully and intimately to all people about our shared time on the planet.”
Jim will star as the Stage Manager, Katie...
Jim Parsons and Katie Holmes are set to the lead the cast of the upcoming adaptation, which will have a very limited engagement on the Great White Way, Deadline reports.
Also joining the cast is Zoey Deutch in her Broadway debut!
Keep reading to find out more…
“Thornton Wilder’s Our Town in my mind stands at the top of the Mount Rushmore of great American Theatre,” director Kenny Leon shared in a statement. “I feel blessed and fortunate to have gained the trust of The Wilder estate to present this classic to another generation of theatre lovers. It’s long been a burning desire to collaborate on a Broadway production of such magnitude that speaks so beautifully and intimately to all people about our shared time on the planet.”
Jim will star as the Stage Manager, Katie...
- 4/3/2024
- by Just Jared
- Just Jared
Jim Parsons, Zoey Deutch and Katie Holmes will star in the Broadway revival of Thornton Wilder’s Our Town this fall.
In the production, directed by Kenny Leon, Parsons will play the role of Stage Manager, Deutch will play Emily Webb and Holmes will play Mrs. Webb. They lead a cast of 28 actors, who also include Richard Thomas (The Waltons, To Kill a Mockingbird) as Mr. Webb, Ephraim Sykes (Ain’t Too Proud, Hairspray Live!) as George Gibbs and Billy Eugene Jones (Purlie Victorious) as Dr. Gibbs.
The play will begin previews at the Barrymore Theatre on Sept. 17, ahead of an Oct. 10 opening.
Known for his role as Sheldon Cooper on The Big Bang Theory, Parsons also has extensive stage credits, including a role in Mother Play, which begins Broadway previews April 3. He has previously appeared on Broadway in productions including The Boys in the Band, An Act of God and The Normal Heart.
In the production, directed by Kenny Leon, Parsons will play the role of Stage Manager, Deutch will play Emily Webb and Holmes will play Mrs. Webb. They lead a cast of 28 actors, who also include Richard Thomas (The Waltons, To Kill a Mockingbird) as Mr. Webb, Ephraim Sykes (Ain’t Too Proud, Hairspray Live!) as George Gibbs and Billy Eugene Jones (Purlie Victorious) as Dr. Gibbs.
The play will begin previews at the Barrymore Theatre on Sept. 17, ahead of an Oct. 10 opening.
Known for his role as Sheldon Cooper on The Big Bang Theory, Parsons also has extensive stage credits, including a role in Mother Play, which begins Broadway previews April 3. He has previously appeared on Broadway in productions including The Boys in the Band, An Act of God and The Normal Heart.
- 4/3/2024
- by Caitlin Huston
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Random House will publish a memoir by Wicked director Jon M. Chu this summer.
Titled Viewfinder: A Memoir of Seeing and Being Seen, the book, co-authored with Jeremy McCarter, will be released July 23.
An announcement by Random House today says, “With striking candor and unrivaled insights, Chu offers a firsthand account of the collision of Silicon Valley and Hollywood – what it’s been like to watch his old world shatter and reshape his new one. Ultimately, Viewfinder is about reckoning with your own story, becoming your most creative self, and finding a path all your own.”
Before he directed such films as Crazy Rich Asians, In The Heights and the upcoming movie adaptation of the musical Wicked, Chu was “a movie-obsessed first-generation Chinese American, helping at his parents’ Chinese restaurant in Silicon Valley and forever facing the cultural identity crisis endemic to children of immigrants,” the release states. “Growing up...
Titled Viewfinder: A Memoir of Seeing and Being Seen, the book, co-authored with Jeremy McCarter, will be released July 23.
An announcement by Random House today says, “With striking candor and unrivaled insights, Chu offers a firsthand account of the collision of Silicon Valley and Hollywood – what it’s been like to watch his old world shatter and reshape his new one. Ultimately, Viewfinder is about reckoning with your own story, becoming your most creative self, and finding a path all your own.”
Before he directed such films as Crazy Rich Asians, In The Heights and the upcoming movie adaptation of the musical Wicked, Chu was “a movie-obsessed first-generation Chinese American, helping at his parents’ Chinese restaurant in Silicon Valley and forever facing the cultural identity crisis endemic to children of immigrants,” the release states. “Growing up...
- 3/14/2024
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
Don Murray, the venturesome actor who earned an Oscar nomination for playing a rodeo cowboy smitten by Marilyn Monroe in Bus Stop, then spurned Hollywood’s attempts to mold him, has died. He was 94.
Murray’s son Christopher announced his dad’s death to The New York Times without providing details.
The actor was also known for the interesting parts he went after in such serious films as A Hatful of Rain (1957), The Hoodlum Priest (1961) and Advise & Consent (1962).
Fresh off a starring role in a 1955 Broadway revival of Thornton Wilder’s The Skin of Our Teeth, Murray was sought by director Joshua Logan to portray Bo Decker, the naive Montana man who falls for the chanteuse Chérie (Monroe), in Bus Stop (1956). It was his first movie, and he was 26 at the time.
“No one could have been less equipped for the job,” he once said. “I was a New...
Murray’s son Christopher announced his dad’s death to The New York Times without providing details.
The actor was also known for the interesting parts he went after in such serious films as A Hatful of Rain (1957), The Hoodlum Priest (1961) and Advise & Consent (1962).
Fresh off a starring role in a 1955 Broadway revival of Thornton Wilder’s The Skin of Our Teeth, Murray was sought by director Joshua Logan to portray Bo Decker, the naive Montana man who falls for the chanteuse Chérie (Monroe), in Bus Stop (1956). It was his first movie, and he was 26 at the time.
“No one could have been less equipped for the job,” he once said. “I was a New...
- 2/2/2024
- by Mike Barnes
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Film historians, critics and cineastes have heralded 1939 as the greatest year for Hollywood films. It was the year that saw the release of such classics as “Gone with the Wind,” “Stagecoach,” “Love Affair,” “The Wizard of Oz,” “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington,” “Young Mr. Lincoln” and “Wuthering Heights.” That’s just the tip of the iceberg
But what about Broadway? A case can be made for 1964, which saw the debuts of three musicals that became classics: “Fiddler on the Roof,” “Funny Girl” and “Hello, Dolly!”
Broadway was changing in the 1960s. Oscar Hammerstein II died in 1960; Irving Berlin’s last show was the disappointing 1962 “Mr. President”; and Cole Porter, who died in 1964, hadn’t had a musical on Broadway since the 1950s. Sixty years ago, a group of young talented composers and lyricists were the toast of the Great White Way.
Like Jerry Herman. He was all of 30 when “Milk...
But what about Broadway? A case can be made for 1964, which saw the debuts of three musicals that became classics: “Fiddler on the Roof,” “Funny Girl” and “Hello, Dolly!”
Broadway was changing in the 1960s. Oscar Hammerstein II died in 1960; Irving Berlin’s last show was the disappointing 1962 “Mr. President”; and Cole Porter, who died in 1964, hadn’t had a musical on Broadway since the 1950s. Sixty years ago, a group of young talented composers and lyricists were the toast of the Great White Way.
Like Jerry Herman. He was all of 30 when “Milk...
- 2/1/2024
- by Susan King
- Gold Derby
Prince’s classic film Purple Rain is heading to the stage. Based on Albert Magnoli and William Blinn’s screenplay for the 1984 film, the musical will be directed by Lileana Blain-Cruz, The New York Times reports.
Producer Orin Wolf, who is shepherding the theatrical adaptation of a separate music industry movie, Buena Vista Social Club, announced the news on Monday that he’s developing the stage adaptation. The resident director of Lincoln Center Theater, Blain-Crus was nominated for a 2022 revival of Thornton Wilder’s The Skin of Our Teeth, which...
Producer Orin Wolf, who is shepherding the theatrical adaptation of a separate music industry movie, Buena Vista Social Club, announced the news on Monday that he’s developing the stage adaptation. The resident director of Lincoln Center Theater, Blain-Crus was nominated for a 2022 revival of Thornton Wilder’s The Skin of Our Teeth, which...
- 1/8/2024
- by Althea Legaspi
- Rollingstone.com
Exclusive: With interest in the great 20th Century American writer Thornton Wilder about to get one of its periodic surges – a major Broadway revival of Our Town is coming this year, and Hello, Dolly!, the musical based on Wilder’s 1954 play The Matchmaker, will open on London’s West End this summer in a revival starring The Crown‘s Imelda Staunton – the estate guarding the author’s works has named its first non-family Literary Executor in 28 years to oversee all of its intellectual properties.
Jeremy McCarter, the former New York Magazine drama critic and co-author with Lin-Manuel Miranda of the bestselling behind-the-scenes non-fiction book Hamilton: The Revolution, has been named Literary Executor of the Wilder Family LLC. He assumes the role this month from Thornton Wilder’s nephew Tappan Wilder, who has held the post since 1995.
Tappan Wilder announced McCarter’s appointment to Deadline today. McCarter will serve as a...
Jeremy McCarter, the former New York Magazine drama critic and co-author with Lin-Manuel Miranda of the bestselling behind-the-scenes non-fiction book Hamilton: The Revolution, has been named Literary Executor of the Wilder Family LLC. He assumes the role this month from Thornton Wilder’s nephew Tappan Wilder, who has held the post since 1995.
Tappan Wilder announced McCarter’s appointment to Deadline today. McCarter will serve as a...
- 1/8/2024
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
Purple Rain, Prince’s smash 1984 music-packed film, is being developed for the stage by a Broadway producer, with a book by two-time Pulitzer Prize finalist Branden Jacobs-Jenkins and direction by Tony nominee Lileana Blain-Cruz.
Jacobs-Jenkins’ Appropriate is currently a hit on Broadway and an all-but-certain shoo-in for multiple Tony nominations this year. Blain-Cruz was Tony-nominated for her direction of the Lincoln Center Theater’s 2022 production of Thornton Wilder’s The Skin of Our Teeth.
The stage adaptation will feature music and lyrics from Prince’s Purple Rain movie and album.
The project was announced today by Broadway producer Orin Wolf. Additional production details and timing will be announced in the coming months.
Although Wolf’s announcement did not specifically mention Broadway, instead simply saying the project is being developed for the stage, Broadway almost certainly must be on minds given the high-profiles and previous credits of the individuals involved, not...
Jacobs-Jenkins’ Appropriate is currently a hit on Broadway and an all-but-certain shoo-in for multiple Tony nominations this year. Blain-Cruz was Tony-nominated for her direction of the Lincoln Center Theater’s 2022 production of Thornton Wilder’s The Skin of Our Teeth.
The stage adaptation will feature music and lyrics from Prince’s Purple Rain movie and album.
The project was announced today by Broadway producer Orin Wolf. Additional production details and timing will be announced in the coming months.
Although Wolf’s announcement did not specifically mention Broadway, instead simply saying the project is being developed for the stage, Broadway almost certainly must be on minds given the high-profiles and previous credits of the individuals involved, not...
- 1/8/2024
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
Frances Sternhagen, a Tony-winning actress with many decades on the stage and screen, died Monday of natural causes in New Rochelle, N.Y.
She was known for her recurring role as the regal grandmother of Dr. Carter (Noah Wyle) on “ER” and as Cliff’s mother on “Cheers,” for which she was twice nominated for Emmys.
“Frannie, as she was known to her family, friends, and colleagues was a hardworking, award-winning, beloved and celebrated actress for over 60 years. Her foundation was the theater, but she was known for roles in film, television, and spoken arts. She was versatile – adept at comedy as well as drama, character roles and leading ladies,” her family said in a statement.
Sternhagen made a distinct impression in her role as the doctor who helps Sean Connery’s cop in Peter Hyams’ 1981 sci-film “Outland” and in “Misery,” she played the sheriff’s wife Virginia, who was...
She was known for her recurring role as the regal grandmother of Dr. Carter (Noah Wyle) on “ER” and as Cliff’s mother on “Cheers,” for which she was twice nominated for Emmys.
“Frannie, as she was known to her family, friends, and colleagues was a hardworking, award-winning, beloved and celebrated actress for over 60 years. Her foundation was the theater, but she was known for roles in film, television, and spoken arts. She was versatile – adept at comedy as well as drama, character roles and leading ladies,” her family said in a statement.
Sternhagen made a distinct impression in her role as the doctor who helps Sean Connery’s cop in Peter Hyams’ 1981 sci-film “Outland” and in “Misery,” she played the sheriff’s wife Virginia, who was...
- 11/29/2023
- by Carmel Dagan
- Variety Film + TV
Frances Sternhagen, the versatile actress whose half-century on Broadway included two Tony Awards, seven nominations and memorable roles in Equus, On Golden Pond and The Heiress, has died. She was 93.
Sternhagen died peacefully Monday of natural causes at her home in New Rochelle, New York, her family said in a statement obtained by The Hollywood Reporter. “We continue to be inspired by her love and life,” they noted.
With all her success on the stage, Sternhagen is perhaps best known for playing two mothers on television: the blue-blooded Bunny MacDougal on HBO’s Sex and the City and the overbearing Esther Clavin on NBC’s Cheers. She received Emmy nominations for both performances.
Sternhagen specialized in portraying characters who had a no-nonsense, overbearing attitude and plucky fortitude. She relished roles that were off the beaten track — the odder and more eccentric, the better.
“I must say it’s fun to play these snobby older ladies.
Sternhagen died peacefully Monday of natural causes at her home in New Rochelle, New York, her family said in a statement obtained by The Hollywood Reporter. “We continue to be inspired by her love and life,” they noted.
With all her success on the stage, Sternhagen is perhaps best known for playing two mothers on television: the blue-blooded Bunny MacDougal on HBO’s Sex and the City and the overbearing Esther Clavin on NBC’s Cheers. She received Emmy nominations for both performances.
Sternhagen specialized in portraying characters who had a no-nonsense, overbearing attitude and plucky fortitude. She relished roles that were off the beaten track — the odder and more eccentric, the better.
“I must say it’s fun to play these snobby older ladies.
- 11/29/2023
- by Chris Koseluk
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Exclusive: The Crown’s Imelda Staunton will lead a revival of the classic Jerry Herman-Michael Stewart Broadway musical Hello, Dolly! into the Andrew Lloyd Webber-owned London Palladium next summer.
Echoing words in composer and lyricist Herman’s titular number, the show’s producer Michael Harrison observed that “it’s so nice to have Imelda back on stage where she belongs.”
Directed by Dominic Cooke, the production — with Staunton playing matchmaker Dolly Levi — will begin performances at the Palladium on July 6 for a strictly limited 10-week season ending September 14.
The Palladium, designed by Frank Matcham, opened on a site close to Oxford Circus in 1910, the year King Edward VII died. It was to become a favorite venue of the Royal Family, often hosting the annual Royal Variety Show in the presence of the late Queen Elizabeth II, great-granddaughter of Edward VII.
Related: 2023 Premiere Dates For New & Returning Series On Broadcast,...
Echoing words in composer and lyricist Herman’s titular number, the show’s producer Michael Harrison observed that “it’s so nice to have Imelda back on stage where she belongs.”
Directed by Dominic Cooke, the production — with Staunton playing matchmaker Dolly Levi — will begin performances at the Palladium on July 6 for a strictly limited 10-week season ending September 14.
The Palladium, designed by Frank Matcham, opened on a site close to Oxford Circus in 1910, the year King Edward VII died. It was to become a favorite venue of the Royal Family, often hosting the annual Royal Variety Show in the presence of the late Queen Elizabeth II, great-granddaughter of Edward VII.
Related: 2023 Premiere Dates For New & Returning Series On Broadcast,...
- 11/1/2023
- by Baz Bamigboye
- Deadline Film + TV
Vivien Leigh was the two-time Oscar winner who made only a handful of films before her untimely death in 1967 at the age of 53. Yet several of those titles remain classics. Let’s take a look back at 10 of her greatest films, ranked worst to best.
Born in British India, Leigh appeared in a number of roles on both the stage and screen in England, including a production of “Hamlet” opposite her husband, Laurence Olivier.
She came to international attention after landing the coveted role of Scarlet O’Hara in David O. Selznick’s massive adaptation of Margaret Mitchell‘s bestseller “Gone with the Wind” (1939). Leigh was far from the first choice to embody the headstrong Southern belle who pines after a married man (Leslie Howard) while wedding another (Clark Gable) against the backdrop of the Civil War. Yet the relatively unknown thespian beat out the likes of Bette Davis, Claudette Colbert,...
Born in British India, Leigh appeared in a number of roles on both the stage and screen in England, including a production of “Hamlet” opposite her husband, Laurence Olivier.
She came to international attention after landing the coveted role of Scarlet O’Hara in David O. Selznick’s massive adaptation of Margaret Mitchell‘s bestseller “Gone with the Wind” (1939). Leigh was far from the first choice to embody the headstrong Southern belle who pines after a married man (Leslie Howard) while wedding another (Clark Gable) against the backdrop of the Civil War. Yet the relatively unknown thespian beat out the likes of Bette Davis, Claudette Colbert,...
- 10/28/2023
- by Zach Laws and Chris Beachum
- Gold Derby
Emily Rebecca Swallow is a celebrated American actress who is most well-known for her role as The Armorer in the popular Star Wars series The Mandalorian.
Emily Swallow Biography: Age, Early Life, Family, Education
Emily Swallow was born on December 18, 1979 (Swallow: Age 43) in Washington, D.C. She was raised in Sterling Virginia, as well as Jacksonville, Florida.
While attending Stanton College Preparatory School in Jacksonville, Swallow started acting in numerous amateur, college and professional theater productions. She wound up graduating from the University of Virginia in 2001 with a Bachelor of Arts in Middle Eastern Studies, where an acting teacher took note of her incredible talent and passion for singing and acting and encouraged her to pursue it further. She proceeded to study in order to get an Mfa in acting at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts.
Emily Swallow Biography: Career
While Swallow is best known for her appearance...
Emily Swallow Biography: Age, Early Life, Family, Education
Emily Swallow was born on December 18, 1979 (Swallow: Age 43) in Washington, D.C. She was raised in Sterling Virginia, as well as Jacksonville, Florida.
While attending Stanton College Preparatory School in Jacksonville, Swallow started acting in numerous amateur, college and professional theater productions. She wound up graduating from the University of Virginia in 2001 with a Bachelor of Arts in Middle Eastern Studies, where an acting teacher took note of her incredible talent and passion for singing and acting and encouraged her to pursue it further. She proceeded to study in order to get an Mfa in acting at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts.
Emily Swallow Biography: Career
While Swallow is best known for her appearance...
- 8/25/2023
- by Trevor Hanuka
- Uinterview
With “Asteroid City,” has Wes Anderson directed one of his best movies yet or is it a misstep in an otherwise lauded career? Is the new film, due out in June, a return to form after “The French Dispatch” or a disappointment following his 2021 ensemble anthology? Those are the questions critics are asking following the debut of “Asteroid City” at the Cannes Film Festival, where the response to Anderon’s new film seemingly traveled to the moon and back.
“Like any movie by Wes Anderson, ‘Asteroid City’ is the epitome of a Wes Anderson movie,” Indiewire critic David Ehrlich wrote in his rave review. “A film about a television program about a play within a play ‘about infinity and I don’t know what else’ (as one character describes it), this delightfully profound desert charmer — by far the director’s best effort since ‘The Grand Budapest Hotel,’ and in some...
“Like any movie by Wes Anderson, ‘Asteroid City’ is the epitome of a Wes Anderson movie,” Indiewire critic David Ehrlich wrote in his rave review. “A film about a television program about a play within a play ‘about infinity and I don’t know what else’ (as one character describes it), this delightfully profound desert charmer — by far the director’s best effort since ‘The Grand Budapest Hotel,’ and in some...
- 5/24/2023
- by Christopher Rosen
- Gold Derby
It’s hard to think of a worse time to release a half-assed horror movie involving fungus than right now, when an excellent horror show about fungus has captivated America for seven consecutive Sunday nights.
The overwhelming success of “The Last of Us” can partially be attributed to this being the perfect moment for eco-horror — as humanity’s neglect of our planet keeps making us anxious, there’s something perversely compelling about watching the earth use mushrooms to hit us back. But while it’s fun to watch great artists meet the moment, watching bad ones swing at topicality and miss is a uniquely demoralizing experience. If “The Last of Us” is an exploration of how a deadly fungus could cause society to break down, the new “Children of the Corn” remake is an exploration of how apathetic direction and a lethargic screenplay can make a cult horror franchise created...
The overwhelming success of “The Last of Us” can partially be attributed to this being the perfect moment for eco-horror — as humanity’s neglect of our planet keeps making us anxious, there’s something perversely compelling about watching the earth use mushrooms to hit us back. But while it’s fun to watch great artists meet the moment, watching bad ones swing at topicality and miss is a uniquely demoralizing experience. If “The Last of Us” is an exploration of how a deadly fungus could cause society to break down, the new “Children of the Corn” remake is an exploration of how apathetic direction and a lethargic screenplay can make a cult horror franchise created...
- 2/27/2023
- by Christian Zilko
- Indiewire
Exclusive: In a competitive situation, Tony-nominated Gabby Beans has signed with Brillstein Entertainment Partners for management.
Beans was recently nominated for a Tony Award for lead actress in a play for her star-making role in Thornton Wilder’s The Skin of Our Teeth at Lincoln Center Theater. Directed by Lileana Blain-Cruz, the play marked Beans’ Broadway debut.
Beans’ previous acting credits include guest-starring roles in HBO’s Succession, CBS’ The Good Fight, Netflix’s House of Cards and Showtime’s Ray Donovan.
Writer and filmmaker Beans also recently founded production company Chaotic Good Content, which produces work dedicated to telling strange and sublime stories with a social conscience.
Beans continues to be repped by TalentWorks.
Beans was recently nominated for a Tony Award for lead actress in a play for her star-making role in Thornton Wilder’s The Skin of Our Teeth at Lincoln Center Theater. Directed by Lileana Blain-Cruz, the play marked Beans’ Broadway debut.
Beans’ previous acting credits include guest-starring roles in HBO’s Succession, CBS’ The Good Fight, Netflix’s House of Cards and Showtime’s Ray Donovan.
Writer and filmmaker Beans also recently founded production company Chaotic Good Content, which produces work dedicated to telling strange and sublime stories with a social conscience.
Beans continues to be repped by TalentWorks.
- 8/10/2022
- by Denise Petski
- Deadline Film + TV
David McCullough, the two-time Pulitzer Prize winning historian whose biographies gave character and compelling narratives to figures and moments that make up the fabric of the American experience, has died. He was 89.
His publisher, Simon & Schuster, said that McCullough died on Sunday at his home in Hingman, Ma, surrounded by his five children.
Two of McCullough’s most famous works, presidential biographies of Harry Truman in 1992 and John Adams in 2001, not only won Pulitzer Prizes but were turned into TV miniseries. His gift for storytelling translated into that of a narrator of documentaries like Ken Burns’ Civil War.
McCullough received the National Book Award for The Path Between the Seas, about the building of the Panama Canal, and Mornings on Horseback, a biography of Theodore Roosevelt. Other best sellers included The Johnstown Flood, The Great Bridge, Brave Companions, 1776, The Greater Journey, The Wright Brothers, and The American Spirit. He also...
His publisher, Simon & Schuster, said that McCullough died on Sunday at his home in Hingman, Ma, surrounded by his five children.
Two of McCullough’s most famous works, presidential biographies of Harry Truman in 1992 and John Adams in 2001, not only won Pulitzer Prizes but were turned into TV miniseries. His gift for storytelling translated into that of a narrator of documentaries like Ken Burns’ Civil War.
McCullough received the National Book Award for The Path Between the Seas, about the building of the Panama Canal, and Mornings on Horseback, a biography of Theodore Roosevelt. Other best sellers included The Johnstown Flood, The Great Bridge, Brave Companions, 1776, The Greater Journey, The Wright Brothers, and The American Spirit. He also...
- 8/8/2022
- by Ted Johnson
- Deadline Film + TV
HBO’s “The Last Movie Stars,” Ethan Hawkes’ exceptional six-part series on Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward, works on so many levels. For baby boomers who grew up watching the Oscar-winning couple, the series is a strong emotional tug at the heartstrings. For actors and those who love acting, it’s a primer on the craft. For those who love and admire the fact they remained married for 50 years, it’s a perceptive depiction of the highs, lows and struggles of a marriage. And by peeling away the legend of their union, you end up admiring and loving Newman and Woodward more than ever. And be prepared to blubber several times in the final episode.
The couple collaborated on 16 movies and three plays. And in honor of “The Last Movie Stars,” here’s a look at several of those projects.
The two fell in love while working on William Inge’s 1953 Pulitzer-Prize-winning romantic drama ‘Picnic.
The couple collaborated on 16 movies and three plays. And in honor of “The Last Movie Stars,” here’s a look at several of those projects.
The two fell in love while working on William Inge’s 1953 Pulitzer-Prize-winning romantic drama ‘Picnic.
- 7/25/2022
- by Susan King
- Gold Derby
Apple TV +’s “Schmigadoon” is the musical equivalent to a warm, happy smile. The six-part limited series that premiered on the streaming service last July is a smart, clever and fun parody of the classic musicals of the 1940s and 1950s. It was a golden era of the Broadway musical dominated by such influential, eminent composers as Irving Berlin, Cole Porter, Alan Jay Lerner Lerner & Frederick Loewe, Richard Rodgers & Oscar Hammerstein II, Leonard Bernstein & Stephen Sondheim, Meredith Willson, and Richard Adler & Jerry Ross.
Cecily Strong and Keegan-Michael Key star as two doctors who have grown tired in their relationship and decide to get on a camping retreat. Before you can say “Brigadoon” they get lost in the woods only to cross a bridge into a Hallmark Card of a town where every day is a musical. But checking out of Schmigadoon is no easy task. They can’t leave...
Cecily Strong and Keegan-Michael Key star as two doctors who have grown tired in their relationship and decide to get on a camping retreat. Before you can say “Brigadoon” they get lost in the woods only to cross a bridge into a Hallmark Card of a town where every day is a musical. But checking out of Schmigadoon is no easy task. They can’t leave...
- 6/27/2022
- by Susan King
- Gold Derby
"Why didn't they bring out the brontosaurus?" is an esoteric demand only comprehended by theatergoers who devoured nearly all of the Broadway season. The Tony Awards ceremony missed its opportunity to parade the ginormous James Ortiz-designed Brontosaurus puppet in the sprawling epic revival of Thornton Wilder's "Skin of Our Teeth," unlike the time the event galloped out Neil Patrick Harris on the horse puppets of "War Horse" at the 65th Annual Tony Awards ceremony.
But anyway, the 75th Tony Awards, broadcast from the Radio City Music Hall on CBS, may have been a succession...
The post The Tony Awards Hits and Misses: Ariana DeBose Hosts, A Strange Loop Wins, and a Brontosaurus Puppet Fails to Make an Appearance appeared first on /Film.
But anyway, the 75th Tony Awards, broadcast from the Radio City Music Hall on CBS, may have been a succession...
The post The Tony Awards Hits and Misses: Ariana DeBose Hosts, A Strange Loop Wins, and a Brontosaurus Puppet Fails to Make an Appearance appeared first on /Film.
- 6/13/2022
- by Caroline Cao
- Slash Film
The 75th Tony Awards was held on Sunday, June 12 in a two-part telecast staged at Radio City Music Hall. Nominations were announced on May 9, 2022. Of the 34 eligible productions from the 2021-2022 Broadway season, 29 reaped bids across 26 competitive categories.
All 13 eligible musicals and musical revivals earned at least one nomination. The Pulitzer Prize-winning musical “A Strange Loop” leads with 11 nominations, including Best Musical and for three of its cast members. Two other new musicals — “Mj The Musical” and “Paradise Square” — are right behind with 10 bids apiece. Both took slots in the top category of Best Musical and performed exceedingly well in the design categories. Of the four eligible musical revivals, the late Stephen Sondheim‘s “Company” leads with nine nominations.
On the play side, “The Lehman Trilogy” leads the exceptional pack with eight nominations. The revival of “for colored girls” follows right behind with seven bids. The nominators certainly spread the wealth in the play categories,...
All 13 eligible musicals and musical revivals earned at least one nomination. The Pulitzer Prize-winning musical “A Strange Loop” leads with 11 nominations, including Best Musical and for three of its cast members. Two other new musicals — “Mj The Musical” and “Paradise Square” — are right behind with 10 bids apiece. Both took slots in the top category of Best Musical and performed exceedingly well in the design categories. Of the four eligible musical revivals, the late Stephen Sondheim‘s “Company” leads with nine nominations.
On the play side, “The Lehman Trilogy” leads the exceptional pack with eight nominations. The revival of “for colored girls” follows right behind with seven bids. The nominators certainly spread the wealth in the play categories,...
- 6/12/2022
- by David Buchanan
- Gold Derby
“I had an intuition,” reveals Gabby Beans on her approach to playing Sabina in “The Skin of Our Teeth.” The “very meta” role in the revival of Thornton Wilder’s Pulitzer Prize winning play requires an immense stamina from the actress, as she takes the character across three acts full of allegory, physical comedy and apocalyptic disasters. Her intuition proved to be right on the money, as she earned a Tony Award nomination for Lead Actress in a Play, the first of her career, for her Broadway debut. Watch the exclusive video interview above.
Those who witnessed her performance as Sabina will be shocked to hear Beans’ actual speaking voice. It sits in a relaxed tone at the back of her throat. A far cry from the hyper-stylized, high-pitched dramatics she employed when making her entrance on “Teeth’s” mid century modern Act 1 set. The performer confesses she actually used...
Those who witnessed her performance as Sabina will be shocked to hear Beans’ actual speaking voice. It sits in a relaxed tone at the back of her throat. A far cry from the hyper-stylized, high-pitched dramatics she employed when making her entrance on “Teeth’s” mid century modern Act 1 set. The performer confesses she actually used...
- 6/6/2022
- by Sam Eckmann
- Gold Derby
Update, with revised figures for Birthday Candles, Mrs. Doubtfire Broadway box office held steady last week, the first week of the new 2022-23 season, with the 35 productions grossing a total of 33,347,304, with attendance at 257,210. Both figures for the week ending May 29 indicate a less-than-1 change from the previous week.
Overall, the productions played to about 83 of capacity, pretty much in keeping with recent trends. Average ticket price was 129.94.
Three shows played their final performances: Birthday Candles starring Debra Messing took in 328,372, a boost of 57,735 over the previous week, with attendance at 81 of capacity during the last week of its limited engagement. Mrs. Doubtfire, which resumed performances in April following a winterlong Covid-prompted hiatus, closed out its shortened engagement with a 725,700, a 215,725 jump, and attendance at 95 of capacity.
The Skin of Our Teeth, Lincoln Center Theater’s revival of the Thornton Wilder classic, played all eight of its scheduled performance after...
Overall, the productions played to about 83 of capacity, pretty much in keeping with recent trends. Average ticket price was 129.94.
Three shows played their final performances: Birthday Candles starring Debra Messing took in 328,372, a boost of 57,735 over the previous week, with attendance at 81 of capacity during the last week of its limited engagement. Mrs. Doubtfire, which resumed performances in April following a winterlong Covid-prompted hiatus, closed out its shortened engagement with a 725,700, a 215,725 jump, and attendance at 95 of capacity.
The Skin of Our Teeth, Lincoln Center Theater’s revival of the Thornton Wilder classic, played all eight of its scheduled performance after...
- 6/1/2022
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
BroadwayWorld has a first look at Pioneer Theatre Company 's Hello, Dolly as the closing musical for the current season. Hello, Dolly, based on the Thornton Wilder play The Matchmaker, went on to earn over ten Tony Awards, including Best Musical, Best Book, and Best Score for authors Michael Stewart and Jerry Herman. The turn-of- the-century romance, bursting with music and energetic dance will run through May 28, 2022.
- 5/17/2022
- by Stage Tube
- BroadwayWorld.com
Out of all the nominees spread across the 26 categories at the 2022 Tony Awards, a number of them stand out as particularly noteworthy. Check out the complete list of nominees here.
SEEJennifer Hudson may Egot at the Tonys: ‘Strange Loop’ producer already has an Oscar, Emmy, and 2 Grammys
1. The following productions nominated this year were originally scheduled to open in the 2019-20 Broadway season before performances shut down due to Covid-19: “American Buffalo,” “Caroline, or Change,” “Company,” “Diana,” “Flying Over Sunset,” “Hangmen,” “How I Learned to Drive,” “The Lehman Trilogy,” “The Minutes,” “Mrs. Doubtfire,” “Plaza Suite,” “Six,” and “Take Me Out.” While “Girl From the North County” did actually open just the week before Broadway shutdown, it was too late for that show to be eligible for the 74th Tony Awards as not enough voters were even able to see it then.
2. The following shows that only received one Tony nomination are: “Diana,...
SEEJennifer Hudson may Egot at the Tonys: ‘Strange Loop’ producer already has an Oscar, Emmy, and 2 Grammys
1. The following productions nominated this year were originally scheduled to open in the 2019-20 Broadway season before performances shut down due to Covid-19: “American Buffalo,” “Caroline, or Change,” “Company,” “Diana,” “Flying Over Sunset,” “Hangmen,” “How I Learned to Drive,” “The Lehman Trilogy,” “The Minutes,” “Mrs. Doubtfire,” “Plaza Suite,” “Six,” and “Take Me Out.” While “Girl From the North County” did actually open just the week before Broadway shutdown, it was too late for that show to be eligible for the 74th Tony Awards as not enough voters were even able to see it then.
2. The following shows that only received one Tony nomination are: “Diana,...
- 5/10/2022
- by Jeffrey Kare
- Gold Derby
Eighty years after Thornton Wilder’s Pulitzer Prize-winning “The Skin of Our Teeth” debuted on Broadway, the sprawling work has returned to the New York stage in a lavish production at Lincoln Center. Unspooling over three distinct periods of history in its three acts, “Teeth” blends the modern with the Paleolithic as the Anthrobus family and their maid Sabina withstand environmental and human devastation as the great world spins.
In this production, which opened at the Vivian Beaumont Theatre on April 25, the Anthrobus family and the majority of the cast are portrayed by Black actors. Lileana Blain-Cruz directs the large ensemble cast, which includes James Vincent Meredith and Roslyn Ruff as Mr. and Mrs. Anthrobus, Gabby Beans as their maid Sabina, and Priscilla Lopez as the fortune teller in the second act. This production also features contributions and some revisions by Pulitzer-finalist Branden Jacobs-Jenkins.
Watch 2022 Tony Awards slugfest: 21 productions vie...
In this production, which opened at the Vivian Beaumont Theatre on April 25, the Anthrobus family and the majority of the cast are portrayed by Black actors. Lileana Blain-Cruz directs the large ensemble cast, which includes James Vincent Meredith and Roslyn Ruff as Mr. and Mrs. Anthrobus, Gabby Beans as their maid Sabina, and Priscilla Lopez as the fortune teller in the second act. This production also features contributions and some revisions by Pulitzer-finalist Branden Jacobs-Jenkins.
Watch 2022 Tony Awards slugfest: 21 productions vie...
- 5/6/2022
- by David Buchanan
- Gold Derby
A Brontosaurus and a Woolly Mammoth taking up residence among the mid-century modern trappings of a middle-class New Jersey household will now and forever make a theatrical impact – that, at least, hasn’t changed since playwright Thornton Wilder’s days – but so much else has, not least of all the ability of The Skin of Our Teeth, a seminal post-modern avant-garde winner of the 1943 Pulitzer Prize, to beguile merely on the strength of the post-modern avant-gardeness of it all.
Lincoln Center Theater’s major new revival of the play, directed by Lileana Blain-Cruz, with additional material by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins and the tireless efforts of an exemplary cast, does, in fact, afford some newfound vitality for a work so often more admired than loved. An exercise in endurance – for the cast, for the audience – The Skin of Our Teeth long ago passed along the novelty of its time-tripping, allegorical flourishes to subsequent heirs, from Caryl Churchill to Tony Kushner to the Wachowskis, so any attempt to meet and rise above the play’s inherent challenges would seem to require a vision, maybe a ruthlessness and certainly a firm grasp of the play’s continued reason for being.
Blain-Cruz does in fact display occasional moments of just those things, and so this Skin of Our Teeth, in fleeting sequences, lifts itself from the play’s traditional slog.
With a Black cast, loving references to bell hooks and allusions to youthful rage that seem as ferociously essential as the Black Lives Matter protests of 2020, Blain-Cruz reshapes Wilder’s universe just enough to encompass the Black experience, placing it firmly within the sweep of Wilder’s epoch-spanning tragicomic history of humanity.
As always, The Skin of Our Teeth opens with Sabina, maid to the upwardly mobile Antrobus family of Excelsior, New Jersey. Sabina nervously tidies the attractive house while catching us all up on the who’s who and what’s what – Mr. Antribus (James Vincent Meredith) has been very busy at the office of late, consumed as he is with inventing the wheel, while Mrs. Antribus (Roslyn Ruff) fusses protectively over the kids, little Gladys (Paige Gilbert) who is picking up some bad lipstick habits from the girls at school and young Henry (Julian Robertson) who just can’t keep his hands off rocks and other boys’ skulls any more than he can outrun the real name – Cain.
And on top of everything, the Ice Age is heading toward New Jersey, and not even the friendly
Bronto who lumbers around the living room – a marvelous and massive hand-operated puppet designed by James Ortiz – or the orange mammoth who romps like a puppy are likely to survive.
And so they don’t. Come Act II, when the action and the Antrobus Family finds itself on the boardwalk of Atlantic City during what appears to be both the 1920s and the Biblical Flood, the mammoth and the dinosaur will not be among the chosen two-by-twos to take refuge on that big boat just off the Jersey Shore. Violent Henry is still causing trouble, Sabina now calls herself Lily and Mrs. Antrobus has all but had it with her pathetic excuse for a husband, but, hey, family’s family, and that storm is coming hard.
When Skin finally arrives at Act II, the Antrobuses have been torn asunder by war – the blue and gray uniforms and antebellum dresses leave no doubt which war – and the long-in-coming, but never resolving, conflicts between father and son, husband and wife, mother and daughter, reach both a zenith and, Wilder suggests, a sort of equilibrium that can only exist in forgiveness. The next calamity is always in the offing, so stop squabbling.
Except of course that Wilder couldn’t have imagined nuclear holocaust or existential climate change, so The Skin of Our Teeth is always going to feel a bit, well, quaint in its ancient disasters and feel-good proposals. As theater, the Lincoln Center staging makes impressive use of the puppetry and the projections of hurricanes and a gorgeous evocation of the Atlantic City boardwalk as a modern-day Sodom and Gomorrah – which, by the way, looks like terrific fun, with loads of cool people, not least the all-knowing fortune teller played, in a relatively brief but wonderfully commanding performance, by the great stage star Priscilla Lopez. In a lovely final image, human wanderers follow the sun through distant fields. Here’s hoping they get where they are going – it’s been a long hike.
Lincoln Center Theater’s major new revival of the play, directed by Lileana Blain-Cruz, with additional material by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins and the tireless efforts of an exemplary cast, does, in fact, afford some newfound vitality for a work so often more admired than loved. An exercise in endurance – for the cast, for the audience – The Skin of Our Teeth long ago passed along the novelty of its time-tripping, allegorical flourishes to subsequent heirs, from Caryl Churchill to Tony Kushner to the Wachowskis, so any attempt to meet and rise above the play’s inherent challenges would seem to require a vision, maybe a ruthlessness and certainly a firm grasp of the play’s continued reason for being.
Blain-Cruz does in fact display occasional moments of just those things, and so this Skin of Our Teeth, in fleeting sequences, lifts itself from the play’s traditional slog.
With a Black cast, loving references to bell hooks and allusions to youthful rage that seem as ferociously essential as the Black Lives Matter protests of 2020, Blain-Cruz reshapes Wilder’s universe just enough to encompass the Black experience, placing it firmly within the sweep of Wilder’s epoch-spanning tragicomic history of humanity.
As always, The Skin of Our Teeth opens with Sabina, maid to the upwardly mobile Antrobus family of Excelsior, New Jersey. Sabina nervously tidies the attractive house while catching us all up on the who’s who and what’s what – Mr. Antribus (James Vincent Meredith) has been very busy at the office of late, consumed as he is with inventing the wheel, while Mrs. Antribus (Roslyn Ruff) fusses protectively over the kids, little Gladys (Paige Gilbert) who is picking up some bad lipstick habits from the girls at school and young Henry (Julian Robertson) who just can’t keep his hands off rocks and other boys’ skulls any more than he can outrun the real name – Cain.
And on top of everything, the Ice Age is heading toward New Jersey, and not even the friendly
Bronto who lumbers around the living room – a marvelous and massive hand-operated puppet designed by James Ortiz – or the orange mammoth who romps like a puppy are likely to survive.
And so they don’t. Come Act II, when the action and the Antrobus Family finds itself on the boardwalk of Atlantic City during what appears to be both the 1920s and the Biblical Flood, the mammoth and the dinosaur will not be among the chosen two-by-twos to take refuge on that big boat just off the Jersey Shore. Violent Henry is still causing trouble, Sabina now calls herself Lily and Mrs. Antrobus has all but had it with her pathetic excuse for a husband, but, hey, family’s family, and that storm is coming hard.
When Skin finally arrives at Act II, the Antrobuses have been torn asunder by war – the blue and gray uniforms and antebellum dresses leave no doubt which war – and the long-in-coming, but never resolving, conflicts between father and son, husband and wife, mother and daughter, reach both a zenith and, Wilder suggests, a sort of equilibrium that can only exist in forgiveness. The next calamity is always in the offing, so stop squabbling.
Except of course that Wilder couldn’t have imagined nuclear holocaust or existential climate change, so The Skin of Our Teeth is always going to feel a bit, well, quaint in its ancient disasters and feel-good proposals. As theater, the Lincoln Center staging makes impressive use of the puppetry and the projections of hurricanes and a gorgeous evocation of the Atlantic City boardwalk as a modern-day Sodom and Gomorrah – which, by the way, looks like terrific fun, with loads of cool people, not least the all-knowing fortune teller played, in a relatively brief but wonderfully commanding performance, by the great stage star Priscilla Lopez. In a lovely final image, human wanderers follow the sun through distant fields. Here’s hoping they get where they are going – it’s been a long hike.
- 4/26/2022
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
The Drama Leauge announced the nominations for the 2022 Drama League Awards on Monday morning. Deneé Benton and André DeShields announced the nominees at this morning’s official event at The New York Library for the Performing Arts. The Drama League honors both Broadway and Off-Broadway productions in their annual celebration. Winners will be announced at the 88th Annual Drama League Awards, which will be held at the Ziegfeld Ballroom on Friday, May 20.
While the League doles out four production prizes, what makes them unique is their “Distinguished Performance” award. Up to fifty performers are nominated for the honor each year in a category that combines roles of all genders and sizes. An actor can only win this prize once in their career, and once they have prevailed they can not be nominated again. This year, forty three performers contend in the category.
SEE2022 Tony Awards nominations announcement moving to May 9
This year,...
While the League doles out four production prizes, what makes them unique is their “Distinguished Performance” award. Up to fifty performers are nominated for the honor each year in a category that combines roles of all genders and sizes. An actor can only win this prize once in their career, and once they have prevailed they can not be nominated again. This year, forty three performers contend in the category.
SEE2022 Tony Awards nominations announcement moving to May 9
This year,...
- 4/25/2022
- by Sam Eckmann
- Gold Derby
Robert Morse, a legend of the New York stage who had a late-in-life resurgence as the eccentric businessman Bertram Cooper on “Mad Men,” is dead at the age of 90. His death was made public by writer-producer Larry Karaszewski on Twitter.
My good pal Bobby Morse has passed away at age 90. A huge talent and a beautiful spirit. Sending love to his son Charlie & daughter Allyn. Had so much fun hanging with Bobby over the years – filming People v Oj & hosting so many screenings pic.twitter.com/H1vCD3jjul
— Larry Karaszewski (@Karaszewski) April 21, 2022
Morse had some small roles on the boards beginning in the mid-1950s, then got his big break in “How To Succeed in Business Without Really Trying” in 1961. Indeed, this iconic Camelot-era musical later reworked into a film in which Morse also starred, worked as a significant wink to insiders when Morse appeared in “Mad Men” decades later.
My good pal Bobby Morse has passed away at age 90. A huge talent and a beautiful spirit. Sending love to his son Charlie & daughter Allyn. Had so much fun hanging with Bobby over the years – filming People v Oj & hosting so many screenings pic.twitter.com/H1vCD3jjul
— Larry Karaszewski (@Karaszewski) April 21, 2022
Morse had some small roles on the boards beginning in the mid-1950s, then got his big break in “How To Succeed in Business Without Really Trying” in 1961. Indeed, this iconic Camelot-era musical later reworked into a film in which Morse also starred, worked as a significant wink to insiders when Morse appeared in “Mad Men” decades later.
- 4/21/2022
- by Jordan Hoffman
- Gold Derby
Almost a decade after her Broadway debut, Emmy-winner Debra Messing has returned to the New York stage in new play “Birthday Candles,” which taps into her gifts of comedy and sentimentality. The first play by Noah Haidle to hit Broadway, “Birthday Candles” centers on Messing’s character Ernestine and unspools over nearly a century, as scenes focus on her ritual of baking a cake on her birthday over the course of her lifetime, chronicling her joys and losses. The Roundabout Theatre Company production, which also boasts John Earl Jelks, Enrico Colantoni, and others, opened at the American Airlines Theatre on April 10 under the direction of Vivienne Benesch.
This new drama received a divided reception from critics, who thought the grand aspirations of the work felt a touch under-baked. In a positive notice, Chris Jones (Chicago Tribune) calls the show “wonderful,” “wise and sad.” Touting the sophistication of Haidle’s ideas,...
This new drama received a divided reception from critics, who thought the grand aspirations of the work felt a touch under-baked. In a positive notice, Chris Jones (Chicago Tribune) calls the show “wonderful,” “wise and sad.” Touting the sophistication of Haidle’s ideas,...
- 4/12/2022
- by David Buchanan
- Gold Derby
Previews are now underway forLincoln Center Theater's production of Thornton Wilder's Pulitzer Prize-winning classic The Skin of Our Teeth, at the Vivian Beaumont Theater 150 West 65 Street. The production, which will coincide with the 125th anniversary of Mr. Wilder's birth, will also mark the Beaumont and Broadway debuts of Lct Resident Director Lileana Blain-Cruz and will open on Monday, April 25th.
- 4/5/2022
- by Nicole Rosky
- BroadwayWorld.com
The large ensemble cast of Lincoln Center Theater’s upcoming revival of Thornton Wilder’s Pulitzer Prize-winning classic The Skin of Our Teeth will include Priscilla Lopez, James Vincent Meredith (The Book of Mormon) and Gabby Beans (Succession).
Directed by Lileana Blain-Cruz, making her Broadway debut, The Skin of Our Teeth begins previews Friday, April 1, at the Vivian Beaumont Theater with opening night set for Monday, April 25. (Previews had previously been scheduled to begin March 31).
Lincoln Center also announced that playwright Branden Jacobs-Jenkins will contribute additional material for the production.
In addition to Lopez, Meredith and Beans, the cast will include Eunice Bae, Terry Bell, Ritisha Chakraborty, William DeMeritt, Jeremy Gallardo, Paige Gilbert, Avery Glymph, Donnetta Lavinia Grays, Tyrone Mitchell Henderson, Maya Loren Jackson, Anaseini Katoa, Cameron Keitt, Megan Lomax, Kathiamarice Lopez, Lindsay Rico, Julian Robertson, Julian Rozzell, Jr., Roslyn Ruff, Julyana Soelistyo, Phillip Taratula,...
Directed by Lileana Blain-Cruz, making her Broadway debut, The Skin of Our Teeth begins previews Friday, April 1, at the Vivian Beaumont Theater with opening night set for Monday, April 25. (Previews had previously been scheduled to begin March 31).
Lincoln Center also announced that playwright Branden Jacobs-Jenkins will contribute additional material for the production.
In addition to Lopez, Meredith and Beans, the cast will include Eunice Bae, Terry Bell, Ritisha Chakraborty, William DeMeritt, Jeremy Gallardo, Paige Gilbert, Avery Glymph, Donnetta Lavinia Grays, Tyrone Mitchell Henderson, Maya Loren Jackson, Anaseini Katoa, Cameron Keitt, Megan Lomax, Kathiamarice Lopez, Lindsay Rico, Julian Robertson, Julian Rozzell, Jr., Roslyn Ruff, Julyana Soelistyo, Phillip Taratula,...
- 2/22/2022
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
Many plays and musicals have had to wait a long year and a half to open on Broadway, with premieres delayed because of the coronavirus pandemic. But none are more overdue than Alice Childress’ “Trouble in Mind.” First staged in 1955, the play never arrived on Broadway until now. After almost seven decades, “Trouble in Mind” opened at the Roundabout Theatre Company’s American Airlines Theatre on Nov. 18.
“Trouble In Mind” centers on the rehearsals of a poorly-written play about lynching in the South penned by a white playwright. Tony Award winner Lachanze stars as Wiletta, an actress in the play who knows how to navigate the racism of show business but is becoming increasingly exasperated doing so, especially as she works with condescending director Al Manners, played by Michael Zegen. Charles Randolph-Wright directs the ensemble cast.
See ‘Caroline, or Change’ reviews: ‘Thrilling’ revival showcases Sharon D Clarke’s ‘titanic’ performance...
“Trouble In Mind” centers on the rehearsals of a poorly-written play about lynching in the South penned by a white playwright. Tony Award winner Lachanze stars as Wiletta, an actress in the play who knows how to navigate the racism of show business but is becoming increasingly exasperated doing so, especially as she works with condescending director Al Manners, played by Michael Zegen. Charles Randolph-Wright directs the ensemble cast.
See ‘Caroline, or Change’ reviews: ‘Thrilling’ revival showcases Sharon D Clarke’s ‘titanic’ performance...
- 11/19/2021
- by David Buchanan
- Gold Derby
The Skin of Our Teeth, Thornton Wilder’s 1943 Pulitzer Prize-winning comedy-drama, will return to Broadway next spring in a Lincoln Center Theater production directed by Lileana Blain-Cruz.
Blain-Cruz, the Lct’s resident director, will be making her Broadway debut with the production, which will begin previews Thursday, March 31 at the Vivian Beaumont Theater, with an official opening on Monday, April 25.
The fantastical Skin of Our Teeth chronicles a New Jersey family as it perseveres through one apocalypse after another, including the Ice Age, the Biblical flood and war.
“The Skin of Our Teeth is a play for right now,” said Blain-Cruz in a statement. “It’s a title that has been in my consciousness for a long time and while searching for the perfect play with which to make my Beaumont debut I re-read it. I was so deeply moved by Thornton Wilder’s story of a family going through apocalypse after apocalypse,...
Blain-Cruz, the Lct’s resident director, will be making her Broadway debut with the production, which will begin previews Thursday, March 31 at the Vivian Beaumont Theater, with an official opening on Monday, April 25.
The fantastical Skin of Our Teeth chronicles a New Jersey family as it perseveres through one apocalypse after another, including the Ice Age, the Biblical flood and war.
“The Skin of Our Teeth is a play for right now,” said Blain-Cruz in a statement. “It’s a title that has been in my consciousness for a long time and while searching for the perfect play with which to make my Beaumont debut I re-read it. I was so deeply moved by Thornton Wilder’s story of a family going through apocalypse after apocalypse,...
- 9/27/2021
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
Concord Launches Originals Division to Develop Movies, TV and Podcasts From Its IP Vault (Exclusive)
Concord is diving deeper into its IP vault of music and theatrical performance rights to develop movies, TV shows and podcasts through the newly established Concord Originals division.
Sophia Dilley has been promoted to senior vice president to lead the push at Concord Originals from Los Angeles. Dilley told Variety the company plans to be nimble in its dealmaking and aims to work with a range of production and distribution partners, depending on the needs of each project.
Among the properties that Concord is actively developing is a new take on “Flower Drum Song” with Daniel Dae Kim’s 3Ad production banner and Janet Yang Prods. The 1958 Rodgers & Hammerstein musical was adapted as a 1961 movie starring Nancy Kwan, James Shigeta and Miyoshi Umeki. Concord represents the voluminous Rodgers & Hammerstein for theatrical licensing.
“The Bluesman” is conceived as an “elevated genre film” revolving around the life and music of legendary 1930s Mississippi Delta musician Robert Johnson,...
Sophia Dilley has been promoted to senior vice president to lead the push at Concord Originals from Los Angeles. Dilley told Variety the company plans to be nimble in its dealmaking and aims to work with a range of production and distribution partners, depending on the needs of each project.
Among the properties that Concord is actively developing is a new take on “Flower Drum Song” with Daniel Dae Kim’s 3Ad production banner and Janet Yang Prods. The 1958 Rodgers & Hammerstein musical was adapted as a 1961 movie starring Nancy Kwan, James Shigeta and Miyoshi Umeki. Concord represents the voluminous Rodgers & Hammerstein for theatrical licensing.
“The Bluesman” is conceived as an “elevated genre film” revolving around the life and music of legendary 1930s Mississippi Delta musician Robert Johnson,...
- 8/5/2021
- by Cynthia Littleton
- Variety Film + TV
Emmy and Tony winner Hal Holbrook, an actor best known for his role as Mark Twain, whom he portrayed for decades in one-man shows, died on Jan. 23. He was 95.
Holbrook’s personal assistant, Joyce Cohen, confirmed his death to the New York Times on Monday night.
Holbrook played the American novelist in a solo show called “Mark Twain Tonight!” that he directed himself and for which he won the best actor Tony in 1966. He returned to Broadway with the show in 1977 and 2005 and appeared in it more than 2,200 times (as of 2010) in legit venues across the country. He began performing the show in 1954.
He received an Emmy nomination for a TV adaptation of “Mark Twain Tonight!” in 1967, the first of multiple noms. He won four Emmy Awards.
He also drew an Oscar nomination for supporting actor for his role in the film “Into the Wild” in 2008. At the time of the nomination,...
Holbrook’s personal assistant, Joyce Cohen, confirmed his death to the New York Times on Monday night.
Holbrook played the American novelist in a solo show called “Mark Twain Tonight!” that he directed himself and for which he won the best actor Tony in 1966. He returned to Broadway with the show in 1977 and 2005 and appeared in it more than 2,200 times (as of 2010) in legit venues across the country. He began performing the show in 1954.
He received an Emmy nomination for a TV adaptation of “Mark Twain Tonight!” in 1967, the first of multiple noms. He won four Emmy Awards.
He also drew an Oscar nomination for supporting actor for his role in the film “Into the Wild” in 2008. At the time of the nomination,...
- 2/2/2021
- by Carmel Dagan
- Variety Film + TV
Oscar-winning director Ron Howard (“A Beautiful Mind”) is a strong contender at this year’s Academy Awards over in Best Documentary Feature for his well-received film “Rebuilding Paradise.” After premiering in January at Sundance, it was released theatrically in July, and will debut ad-free on National Geographic on November 8.
That is the second anniversary of the devastating Camp Fire that destroyed almost all of the picturesque town of Paradise, California and surrounding areas killing 85 people, destroying some 95% of the town’s structures including hospitals and schools, with losses of upwards of $16 billion.
Paradise, which is located in Northern California in Butte County, had a population of 26,500 before the Camp Fire, but only 2,900 lived there a year after firestorm. For Howard, “the year we spent watching what happened in Paradise was sort of a reminder that community adds up to something. We live in an increasingly complicated global society that challenges...
That is the second anniversary of the devastating Camp Fire that destroyed almost all of the picturesque town of Paradise, California and surrounding areas killing 85 people, destroying some 95% of the town’s structures including hospitals and schools, with losses of upwards of $16 billion.
Paradise, which is located in Northern California in Butte County, had a population of 26,500 before the Camp Fire, but only 2,900 lived there a year after firestorm. For Howard, “the year we spent watching what happened in Paradise was sort of a reminder that community adds up to something. We live in an increasingly complicated global society that challenges...
- 11/8/2020
- by Susan King
- Gold Derby
BroadwayWorld has learned that online rumors about a Broadway revival of Our Town are true. Producer Scott Rudin has plans to bring Thornton Wilder's play back to Broadway for the first time since 2002. Rudin has tapped Tony winner Bartlett Sher To Kill a Mockingbird to direct the play, which will be led by Dustin Hoffman, who last appeared on Broadway in 1990. A timeline for the production remains unknown.
- 6/30/2020
- by Rialto Chatter
- BroadwayWorld.com
Exclusive: Producer Scott Rudin will bring actor Dustin Hoffman to Broadway in a 2021 staging of Our Town, to be directed by Bartlett Sher (To Kill A Mockingbird).
Hoffman will play the role of the Stage Manager in the classic Thornton Wilder play, sources close to the production say.
The production will be Hoffman’s first Broadway role since his Tony Award-nominated performance of Shylock in 1989’s The Merchant of Venice. He played Willy Loman in an acclaimed 1984 revival of Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman, and appeared in several productions during the 1960s, including Jimmy Shine, The Subject Was Roses and A Cook for Mr. General.
Hoffman, most recently seen on screen in Noah Baumbach’s Netflix 2017 film The Meyerowitz Stories, won an Emmy Award for Volker Schlöndorff’s 1985 television adaptation of Death of a Salesman, costarring his Broadway revival castmates Kate Reid, John Malkovich and Stephen Lang.
Broadway Shutdown...
Hoffman will play the role of the Stage Manager in the classic Thornton Wilder play, sources close to the production say.
The production will be Hoffman’s first Broadway role since his Tony Award-nominated performance of Shylock in 1989’s The Merchant of Venice. He played Willy Loman in an acclaimed 1984 revival of Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman, and appeared in several productions during the 1960s, including Jimmy Shine, The Subject Was Roses and A Cook for Mr. General.
Hoffman, most recently seen on screen in Noah Baumbach’s Netflix 2017 film The Meyerowitz Stories, won an Emmy Award for Volker Schlöndorff’s 1985 television adaptation of Death of a Salesman, costarring his Broadway revival castmates Kate Reid, John Malkovich and Stephen Lang.
Broadway Shutdown...
- 6/30/2020
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
Playwright Terrence McNally’s death from coronavirus-related causes in late March deprived the theater world of one of its greatest talents, a four-time Tony Award winner known for Master Class and Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune, among many other works. Just how much he achieved in his 81 years comes into focus in the Emmy-contending documentary Terrence McNally: Every Act of Life, directed by Jeff Kaufman and produced by Marcia Ross.
“At every stage of Terrence’s life, he keeps pushing himself in a new direction,” Kaufman tells Deadline. “He never plays it safe. He’s a truth teller.”
The film premiered on PBS last year as part of American Masters. That series, winner of 28 Emmys to date, is once again up for consideration as Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Series, and the Terrence McNally episode will appear on nomination ballots in the directing, editing, cinematography and sound categories.
“At every stage of Terrence’s life, he keeps pushing himself in a new direction,” Kaufman tells Deadline. “He never plays it safe. He’s a truth teller.”
The film premiered on PBS last year as part of American Masters. That series, winner of 28 Emmys to date, is once again up for consideration as Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Series, and the Terrence McNally episode will appear on nomination ballots in the directing, editing, cinematography and sound categories.
- 6/8/2020
- by Matthew Carey
- Deadline Film + TV
In the decades since Danny Huston made his feature directing debut with “Mr. North,” his 1988 film adaptation of the Thornton Wilder novel “Theophilus North,” he has kept busy in front of the cameras as one of film and television’s most versatile and sophisticated character players. In just the past year, small-screen viewers have been treated to his essential work on “Yellowstone” and “Succession,” and big-screen aficionados have watched him move deftly from intimate Guillermo Arriaga’s “No One Left Behind” to the blockbuster hit “Angel Has Fallen.” Perhaps closest to his heart is the recently released film “The Last Photograph,” which he directed and stars in.
You have something from the film to show us.
Yes, it’s “The Last Photograph” of the title. It’s the center of the story because it represents something that means something significant to one person unlike its meaning for anyone else. We all have something like that,...
You have something from the film to show us.
Yes, it’s “The Last Photograph” of the title. It’s the center of the story because it represents something that means something significant to one person unlike its meaning for anyone else. We all have something like that,...
- 11/15/2019
- by Steven Gaydos
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: Power may be coming to an end with this summer’s sixth season but co-showrunner Gary Lennon is plugging into to a new creative source.
Having helmed several episodes of the well-watched Courtney Kemp-created Starz drama, Ep Lennon is now set to direct his first feature, I’ve learned.
Coming off the mean streets of 1970s NYC and based on the Emmy-nominated scribe’s own life, Jerry is a coming-of-age drama that follows a young man’s rough and ultimately redemptive ride to discover his sexuality and true passion.
“It has taken me over 20 years to tell this story,” Lennon told Deadline of the film co-written with Christopher Rossi.
“After directing episodes of Power, I’ve been inspired to take the reins as director of my script, co-written with Christopher Rossi,” the Ep added, noting that Jerry will be produced through his Street Kids shingle with Authentic Talent & Literary Management.
Having helmed several episodes of the well-watched Courtney Kemp-created Starz drama, Ep Lennon is now set to direct his first feature, I’ve learned.
Coming off the mean streets of 1970s NYC and based on the Emmy-nominated scribe’s own life, Jerry is a coming-of-age drama that follows a young man’s rough and ultimately redemptive ride to discover his sexuality and true passion.
“It has taken me over 20 years to tell this story,” Lennon told Deadline of the film co-written with Christopher Rossi.
“After directing episodes of Power, I’ve been inspired to take the reins as director of my script, co-written with Christopher Rossi,” the Ep added, noting that Jerry will be produced through his Street Kids shingle with Authentic Talent & Literary Management.
- 5/14/2019
- by Dominic Patten
- Deadline Film + TV
There’s a certain tingle that sets in when you realize that a thriller is naturalistic enough not to rely on thriller tricks. It means that you may be denied some of the knee-jerk pleasures audiences have come to expect — the jump scares and violent climaxes. The tradeoff is that it’s a lot easier to place yourself in the main characters’ shoes, to imagine what they’re going through as something that might actually be happening. And that, ironically, just ups the thriller juice.
“Blow the Man Down,” directed by Bridget Savage Cole and Danielle Krudy (it’s their first feature), is a drama of murder, sex, and small-town secrets set in Easter Cove, a fishing village in Maine that brings to mind the windswept coastal town of “Manchester by the Sea” — in fact, the place is so tiny and barren and gnarled it makes Manchester by the Sea look like Rome.
“Blow the Man Down,” directed by Bridget Savage Cole and Danielle Krudy (it’s their first feature), is a drama of murder, sex, and small-town secrets set in Easter Cove, a fishing village in Maine that brings to mind the windswept coastal town of “Manchester by the Sea” — in fact, the place is so tiny and barren and gnarled it makes Manchester by the Sea look like Rome.
- 4/28/2019
- by Owen Gleiberman
- Variety Film + TV
(L-r) Shari Sebbens, Calen Tassone, Siria Kickett and Marcus Graham in ‘The Heights’ (Photo: Ben King)
When Shari Sebbens graduated from Nida and Waapa she expected her fair complexion would mean she would be cast mostly as white characters in shows about Indigenous people.
Happily she was wrong. After making her screen debut in Wayne Blair’s 2012 hit The Sapphires she starred in a bunch of series including Redfern Now, The Gods of Wheat Street, 8Mmm Aboriginal Radio and Black Comedy, all true to her cultural identity.
“I think The Sapphires confused the hell out of everybody as they thought, ‘She looks white but she says she’s Aboriginal,’ she tells If. “It’s something our community has known since colonisation: our people come in very different shades. I call it the Fifty Shades of Black.”
The actress will next be seen in the Matchbox Pictures/For Pete’s Sake Productions 30-episode drama serial The Heights,...
When Shari Sebbens graduated from Nida and Waapa she expected her fair complexion would mean she would be cast mostly as white characters in shows about Indigenous people.
Happily she was wrong. After making her screen debut in Wayne Blair’s 2012 hit The Sapphires she starred in a bunch of series including Redfern Now, The Gods of Wheat Street, 8Mmm Aboriginal Radio and Black Comedy, all true to her cultural identity.
“I think The Sapphires confused the hell out of everybody as they thought, ‘She looks white but she says she’s Aboriginal,’ she tells If. “It’s something our community has known since colonisation: our people come in very different shades. I call it the Fifty Shades of Black.”
The actress will next be seen in the Matchbox Pictures/For Pete’s Sake Productions 30-episode drama serial The Heights,...
- 2/13/2019
- by The IF Team
- IF.com.au
Audra McDonald and Michael Shannon will star in a Broadway revival this May of Terrence McNally’s Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune, producers announced today. The production will be directed by Obie Award winner Arin Arbus in her Broadway debut.
The 16-week revival, described as a strictly limited engagement, will begin previews in May at a Shubert Organization theater to be announced. The engagement will be produced by Hunter Arnold, Debbie Bisno and Tom Kirdahy, and marks McNally’s 80th birthday.
First produced Off Broadway in 1987, McNally’s two-hander romance arrived on Broadway for the first time in 2002 in a production directed by Joe Mantello and starring Edie Falco and Stanley Tucci as the lonely waitress and short order cook whose one-night stand turns (possibly) into something more. Al Pacino and Michelle Pfeiffer starred in the 1991 film version Frankie and Johnny.
The new production will be an...
The 16-week revival, described as a strictly limited engagement, will begin previews in May at a Shubert Organization theater to be announced. The engagement will be produced by Hunter Arnold, Debbie Bisno and Tom Kirdahy, and marks McNally’s 80th birthday.
First produced Off Broadway in 1987, McNally’s two-hander romance arrived on Broadway for the first time in 2002 in a production directed by Joe Mantello and starring Edie Falco and Stanley Tucci as the lonely waitress and short order cook whose one-night stand turns (possibly) into something more. Al Pacino and Michelle Pfeiffer starred in the 1991 film version Frankie and Johnny.
The new production will be an...
- 1/23/2019
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
Carol Channing, a Broadway legend who was known for her signature lead role in Hello, Dolly! and continued performing well into her 90s, has died of natural causes at her home in Rancho Mirage, CA. She was 97.
B Harlan Boll, Channing’s publicist, confirmed the news to multiple news outlets. “It is with extreme heartache that I have to announce the passing of an original Industry Pioneer, Legend and Icon – Miss Carol Channing,” Boll said in a statement to Broadway World. “I admired her before I met her, and have loved her since the day she stepped … or fell, rather … into my life.”
A native of Seattle, Channing’s distinctively gravelly enunciation, lanky, energetic frame and carefree laugh marked her many decades in show business. Along with her remarkable 4,500 performances in the title role of Hello, Dolly!, she appeared in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, The Vamp and Lorelei. On movie screens,...
B Harlan Boll, Channing’s publicist, confirmed the news to multiple news outlets. “It is with extreme heartache that I have to announce the passing of an original Industry Pioneer, Legend and Icon – Miss Carol Channing,” Boll said in a statement to Broadway World. “I admired her before I met her, and have loved her since the day she stepped … or fell, rather … into my life.”
A native of Seattle, Channing’s distinctively gravelly enunciation, lanky, energetic frame and carefree laugh marked her many decades in show business. Along with her remarkable 4,500 performances in the title role of Hello, Dolly!, she appeared in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, The Vamp and Lorelei. On movie screens,...
- 1/15/2019
- by Dade Hayes
- Deadline Film + TV
Chris Cummins Nov 29, 2018
Because you're never too old to find time to play, here's this year's best toys and games!
We've searched far and wide to bring you the best shopping recommendations! Just a note: Den of Geek may receive a small commission from links on this page. Prices & stockage are accurate as of time of publication.
You know that scene in Our Town where the character poignantly asks "do any human beings ever realize life while they live it?" The point being raised here is that the experience of being alive is so utterly wondrous, that it should be cherished every possible second.
That said, Thornton Wilder would be absolutely agast at our co-opting his words to say that one of the best things about being alive right now is the sheer variety of ways people can keep boredom away by playing with toys and games in his free time.
Because you're never too old to find time to play, here's this year's best toys and games!
We've searched far and wide to bring you the best shopping recommendations! Just a note: Den of Geek may receive a small commission from links on this page. Prices & stockage are accurate as of time of publication.
You know that scene in Our Town where the character poignantly asks "do any human beings ever realize life while they live it?" The point being raised here is that the experience of being alive is so utterly wondrous, that it should be cherished every possible second.
That said, Thornton Wilder would be absolutely agast at our co-opting his words to say that one of the best things about being alive right now is the sheer variety of ways people can keep boredom away by playing with toys and games in his free time.
- 11/21/2018
- Den of Geek
Vivien Leigh would’ve celebrated her 105th birthday on November 5, 2018. The two-time Oscar inner made only a handful of films before her untimely death in 1967 at the age of 53. Yet several of those titles remain classics. In honor of her birthday, let’s take a look back at 10 of her greatest films, ranked worst to best.
Born in British India, Leigh appeared in a number of roles on both the stage and screen in England, including a production of “Hamlet” opposite her husband, Laurence Olivier.
She came to international attention after landing the coveted role of Scarlet O’Hara in David O. Selznick’s massive adaptation of Margaret Mitchell‘s bestseller “Gone with the Wind” (1939). Leigh was far from the first choice to embody the headstrong Southern belle who pines after a married man (Leslie Howard) while wedding another (Clark Gable) against the backdrop of the Civil War. Yet the...
Born in British India, Leigh appeared in a number of roles on both the stage and screen in England, including a production of “Hamlet” opposite her husband, Laurence Olivier.
She came to international attention after landing the coveted role of Scarlet O’Hara in David O. Selznick’s massive adaptation of Margaret Mitchell‘s bestseller “Gone with the Wind” (1939). Leigh was far from the first choice to embody the headstrong Southern belle who pines after a married man (Leslie Howard) while wedding another (Clark Gable) against the backdrop of the Civil War. Yet the...
- 11/5/2018
- by Zach Laws and Chris Beachum
- Gold Derby
Montgomery Clift would’ve celebrated his 98th birthday on October 17, 2018. The iconic actor gave only a small number of onscreen performances before his untimely death in 1966 at the age of 45. Yet several of those titles remain classics. In honor of his birthday, let’s take a look back at 12 of his greatest films, ranked worst to best.
A product of the Actor’s Studio, where he studied under Lee Strasberg and Elia Kazan, Clift had a successful Broadway career before moving to Hollywood. Among his notable stage credits was the role of Henry in Thornton Wilder’s Pulitzer Prize-winning “The Skin of Our Teeth.” Like James Dean and Marlon Brando, he was one of the original method actors, calling upon past memories and experiences to inform his performances.
He came to the attention of movie audiences in 1948 with a pair of releases: Howard Hawks‘ western “Red River” and Fred Zinnemann‘s WWII drama “The Search.
A product of the Actor’s Studio, where he studied under Lee Strasberg and Elia Kazan, Clift had a successful Broadway career before moving to Hollywood. Among his notable stage credits was the role of Henry in Thornton Wilder’s Pulitzer Prize-winning “The Skin of Our Teeth.” Like James Dean and Marlon Brando, he was one of the original method actors, calling upon past memories and experiences to inform his performances.
He came to the attention of movie audiences in 1948 with a pair of releases: Howard Hawks‘ western “Red River” and Fred Zinnemann‘s WWII drama “The Search.
- 10/17/2018
- by Zach Laws and Chris Beachum
- Gold Derby
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