Fame or Famine

It’s the end of an era: RENT is scheduled to end its Broadway run on June 1 of this year (though at least one extension of the run is almost inevitable.
However, happily, you can get just a taste of what my kids call the “OBC” – Original Broadway Cast – because Adam Pascal and Anthony Rapp, who played Mark and Roger in both the play and the movie, are back on board for the 2009 tour.
Says producer Jeffrey Sellers: “Adam and Anthony are to Rent what Joel Grey was to Cabaret and Zero Mostel was to Fiddler on the Roof. …read more

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I’ve written before about how the real training for an action star should be in dance. The new Batman? Christian Bale, a trained dancer. Jackie Chan? Dancer in the Chinese Opera. And if, like me, you were in love with Joss Whedon’s Firefly, you thrilled to see Serenity, where Summer Glau gave more than a glimpse of the virtuosic control she has of her body.
But all of these examples are not really examples of dancing for the camera; they’re examples of people who have used their dance training to augment the fight choreography of their scenes in movies. Of course, …read more

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In looking over my various Google Alerts, I was pleased to see yet another celebrity apparently heading to Broadway: Sarah Jessica Parker, of Sex & the City fame, was slated to appear in the U.S. version of Boeing Boeing, a comedy about three airline attendants who get engaged to the same man.
Currently playing in London, it’s supposed to open in the Longacre Theatre in NYC. Parker has been quoted as saying, “…this will be a fantastic new challenge.” But it may be more of a challenge than she thinks: according to ContactMusic, representatives from the show have vehemently denied her …read more

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As part of a competition here at B5Media, we’re trying to come up with lists – namely, lists of 50 that fit the theme of our blog. I think I’ve got the easiest one of all: my beat is the performing arts, so I can come up with lots of things. 50 Best Plays; 50 Best Dancers; 50 Best Theatres…the ideas are infinite.
But let’s make it useful. Let’s make it “the 50 Performances You Should See Live”, and then you can print them out and check them off as they happen (or as they’ve already happened). I’m also going to …read more

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I confess, I have as much trouble as anyone taking seriously someone named P Diddy – but Sean Combs seems to be the king of re-invention, going from rapper to clothing designer to yes, Broadway actor.
In 2004 he starred in the revival of Lorraine Hansberry’s classic, Raisin in the Sun, which garnered Tony awards for co-stars Phylicia Rashad and Audra McDonald. It’s a powerful play about the struggles of an inner city black family, and other great actors including Sidney Poitier, Danny Glover, and Lou Gossett Jr. have played roles in the past.
While Combs’ acting skills were deemed less than …read more

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How to Do Something Right
Let me beam with pride at being a citizen of the fine city of Madison.
Last night there was a disturbance – worried neighbors called the police to say that they could see people with guns silhouetted through a window. The police responded as they would to any hostage situation, with multiple officers and ready to take action – until they learned that it was actually a local theatre group rehearsing a play about Irish terrorism called the “Lieutenant of Inishmore.”
The police issued no tickets, no warnings, not even a “hey, maybe you should use …read more

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Actually, they are five people, stars that you’ve seen on stage and screen but who are coming instead to Broadway to show that they’re not just pretty faces in edited footage – they have the chops to get on a stage and command your attention.

Stephen Rea in Sam Shepard’s “Kicking a Dead Horse,” a one-man, one-act, one-horse play opening at the Public Theatre on July 14.
John Turturro, who you may have seen most recently in “the Bronx is Burning“, will be tackling a Beckett play, “Endgame”, April 25th. While he’s known for a lot of roles and directing triumphs, my …read more

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What would I do without loyal readers to point out to me the error of my ways (or, at least, my writing):
Danica’s not the first.
“…actually, Janet Guthrie was the first woman to compete in Indy car races, back in the 1970s. See: http://www.janetguthrie.com/biofr.htm”
Thanks, Sandy, for pointing that out. My daughter and I talked about it some more yesterday, also. “I heard Danica Patrick is not that good,” she said, kind of embarrassed.
I looked at her. “From a male, I bet.” She nodded. “Well…does she come in last?”
“No…”
“So just because she’s not the best Indy driver out there (yet) that’s …read more

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Just an amusing little sidenote to set off the morning – Danica Patrick has been a bit of a family hero since she has the same name as my 16 year old daughter. So when she popped up on the Dancing with the Stars radar, I had to take notice.
“It won’t be enough to do it now; you’ll have to win it,”
That was apparently her answer to the Indianapolis Star when they asked if she would be competing on the hit show, perhaps following in the footsteps of last years champion Helio Castroneves, a fellow racer who recommended her. Apparently …read more

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It’s getting scary.
I was fine – excited, even – when the Lion King came out. Even though it took until last month for me to actually see it, the fact that it was directed and designed by Julie Taymor was more than enough to make me forgive Disney for taking a cartoon and using up valuable stage space – space that could have been used by the next Neil Simon or Stephen Sondheim.
Then came Beauty and the Beast. Haven’t seen it, but I hear it’s impressive. The costume of the candlestick alone was pretty cool, and I raised four daughters …read more

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