Lovely Dubai

In my review of Losing Something I made a grievous geographical error. I labeled Eyeliner a Swedish technology. In fact, "it was created in Dubai and a Danish company called Vision 4 owns the US licensing rights." Apologies!

Stories Left to Blog (courtesy Richard Termine)

A rather incomplete itinerary this week as needs must book into something for Tuesday. Maybe I Land or Jane Eyre or Smoke and Mirrors. Tonight I'm off to Realism at the Exchange (nee the Cocteau) and tomorrow it's Spalding Gray: Stories Left to Tell, featuring OBIE judge Ain Gordon.

Inherit the Blog

This week in the Village Voice Theater section:

Michael Feingold tracks the evolution of two American dramas in revival, Inherit the Wind and A Moon for the Misbegotten. He labels them both "studies in lying." Of Inherit, he pronounces, "If the issues aren't engaged powerfully, Hughes's staging keeps the personal combats lively and fluid." On Moon: "This is big, grim stuff, which O'Neill tries to enliven with heavy helpings of folk comedy.... Howard Davies's production lets you feel the bigness, though none of his performers are really up to it."

Feingold lets fly at David Harrower's Blackbird, about the aftermath of a rather unusual relationship: "Maybe you'll care; I couldn't."

I hoped to aid and abet the Accomplices but found Bernard Weinraub's drama about attempts to involve America in saving Jews from Nazis an affecting history lesson, but not very much of a play. I also found my way to Losing Something, a woefully disappointing debut of a nifty new theatrical technology.

Good Enough to Eat: Madeleine George

Welcome to another instance of Plays in the Drawer wherein we ask soem of our favorite playwrights to offer selections from unproduced plays. We're currently featuring the plucky playwrights of 13P. (Sarah, Young Jean, Julia, do you not love us?)

This week we offer a selection from Madeleine George's THE FOOD PROJECT, a collaboration with Lightbox Theatre. "a multimedia collage-like piece about Americans and appetite, slated to go up at 3LD in October 2007." Click here for more information.

Madeleine George's plays have been developed or staged at the Eugene O'Neill Theater Center, New York Theatre Workshop, The Playwrights' Center/Guthrie Theater, Rude Mechanicals, Cherry Lane Alternative, HERE, Playwrights Horizons, and the Public Theater. Her play THE MOST MASSIVE WOMAN WINS is included in the anthologies PLAYS FOR ACTRESSES and BEST AMERICAN SHORT PLAYS 1997-1998, and has had over 100 productions. Support includes a MacDowell Fellowship, the Princess Grace Playwriting Award, a Manhattan Theatre Club Playwriting Fellowship, and the Jane Chambers Award. Madeleine holds an MFA in Dramatic Writing from NYU. During the day she is the director of the Bard College satellite campus at Bayview Women¹s Correctional Facility in Manhattan.

After the jump, The Food Project:

Hats Off: Roscoe Lee Browne

Roscoe Lee Browne – Celebration of Life Schedule

"A Celebration of the life of Roscoe Brown will be held in both California and New York on Sunday April 22, 2007. NY Services will be held at Saint Charles Borromeo Church – 241 West 141st St. at 6-8 PM. IN CA, The celebration is at the Mark Taper Forum. The celebration of Brown’s life has been arranged by Tyne Daly in New York and Laurence Fishburne in California. Ms. Daly will be joined by Maya Angelou, Campbell Scott and
others."

This man is shocked at Anne Kauffman's talent!

Another edition of our much beloved weekly feature in which we quiz directors on what they might stage had they not a care in the world as to time, costs, space, rights, etc. This week we feature the charms of Anne Kauffman, who is currently directing GOD'S EAR by Jenny Schwartz with New Georges and EXPECTING ISABEL by Lisa Loomer at Asolo Repertory Theater. Most recent: THE THUGS by Adam Bock, ACT A LADY by Jordan Harrison, SIDES: THE FEAR IS REAL, TYPOGRAPHER'S DREAM by Adam Bock, THE LOYAL OPPOSITION by Jorge Ignacio Cortias, HANG TEN by Karen Hartman, THE LADIES by Anne Washburn with The Civilians. She is a Usual Suspect at New York Theatre Workshop, an alumnus of the Soho Rep Writers and Directors Lab, Lincoln Center Directors Lab, The Drama League of New York, a founding member of The Civilians and was a 2003-2004 New Dramatist Resident Director and a member of New Georges Kitchen Cabinet. She is also on the directing faculty at NYU in the Playwrights Horizons Theater Studio. Anne received her MFA in directing from UCSD.

Anne would direct:

In the Heights: Congratulations, Quiara

Are we trendspotters or what? Shortly after we profile the impressive appetites and talents of Quiara Alegria Hudea, we’ve learned she was a finalist for the Pulitzer for Elliott a Soldier’s Fugue. Other finalists were Orpheus X by Rinde Eckert and Bulrusher by Eisa Davis. I’d love to read those The winner? Rabbit Hole by David Lindsay-Abaire.

Do you think it’s a fundamentally better play than last year’s nominated works by Adam Rapp, Rolin Jones, and Chris Durang. As you may recall, last year no prize was given.

The Long goodbye: Curt Dempster

We’ve received information on the memorial service for EST Founder Curt Dempster. (Do also see Michael Feingold’s lovely appreciation.)

A MEMORIAL SERVICE WLL BE HELD FOR CURT DEMPSTER, FOUNDING ARTISTIC DIRECTOR OF ENSEMBLE STUDIO THEATRE, AT JOHN JAY COLLEGE

Sunday, APRIL 29th

A memorial service for Curt Dempster, Founding Artistic Director of Ensemble Studio Theatre, will be held at the Gerald W. Lynch Theater at John Jay College, 899 10th Avenue (between 58th and 59th Streets) on Sunday, April 29th, at 5 PM. Curt Dempster founded the Ensemble Studio Theatre in 1971. Mr. Dempster led EST to prominence as the most influential developmental theatre in the United States.

After the jump: More on Dempster’s career and information on reservations:

Shhh!: Low Library is home to CTH's benefit

13P, the pellucid playwright’s collective, will celebrate themselves with a benefit entitled “The Secret Lives of Ps,” revealing playwrights’ hidden talents (singing and cake baking feature). Directed by Peter Dubois and hosted by Douglas Carter Beane, it will feature Estelle Parsons, Lisa Kron, David Grimm, and 13P member Sheila Callaghan. Tickets include reserved seating at Joe's Pub and admission to a post-show reception and silent auction.

Sunday April 29, 7pm.
Tickets: $100, 212-967-7555 or joespub.com or 13p.org

Hosted by Moet Hennessy (best host ever!), the Classical Theatre of Harlem gala will unfurl in a rather classical setting, Columbia University’s Low Library. Honorees include New York State Lieutenant Governor David A. Paterson, Tony nominee André De Shields, and cable star Wendell Pierce. Mario Van Peebles will MC. Cocktails, entertainment, dinner, and auction feature.

Monday, May 7, 6pm.
Tickets: $250, 212-868-4444.

Our Leading Lady

Do ready your rotting tomatoes (red’s a great color on me) as I’ll be participating in an all-crtitics reading of George Bernard Shaw’s Androcles and the Lion, sponsored by the Shaw Project. See me stretch myself as a lovely Christian lass! I’ll be joined by Jeremy McCarter, Charles Isherwood, Michael Musto, Adam Feldman, Michael Riedel, Howard Kissel, David Finkle, Eric Grode, Frank Scheck, Patrick Pacheco, David Cote, Michael Schulman, Raven Snook, and Rex Reed.

The performance takes place April 23 at 7pm at the Players.

Tickets are all $15. 212-352-3101 or www.PROJECTSHAW.com