Peter Thomasson as White, E. Roger Mitchell as Black; Photo: Cristopher P. Kettrey
Cormac McCarthy’s play “The Sunset Limited” is now at Theatrical Outfit. I haven’t seen it yet, but it was first produced by one of my favorite theaters, the Steppenwolf Theatre in Chicago, in 2006 and later in the year moved to New York City. McCarthy also wrote “All the Pretty Horses” and “The Crossing.”
I am not familiar with the work of the two actors starring in the show, but I am a big fan of actor Jessica Phelps West, who is directing the production.
West answered some questions about this two-character play via e-mail.
Plays with two characters sitting around talking are often really difficult to come alive on stage. As a director, how do you ensure that a play with two characters and minimal action is something that is riveting to watch?
Well, actually, the playwright has done that for me. His words literally fly off the page into our minds and hearts. McCarthy’s words are active and thus “action” is not missed or even desired. I direct most plays as if they were a piece of music, and my focus is very kinetic, paying close attention to the physical movement of the actors as it correlates to the movement of the script and the relationships of the characters. In this case, the smallest of movements by the actors can speak volumes, and there is great power in stillness as well.
How do you make sure that these characters bring an element of surprise to their roles?
The actors are in command of the energy they contain and expend on the stage, heightening tension by containing their energy, and expending energy by exploding it at the appropriate moment.
What is it about this play that compelled you to direct it and Theatrical Outfit to produce it?
I am most attracted to plays that are concerned with issues of faith and faiths of every kind. They seem to be the most relevant in these times and have the capability to speak to us as human beings on so many levels. McCarthy’s play evokes such strong passions of the mind and spirit for the reader and viewer as well as the characters, and the story is told with such incredible power in its simplicity.
What makes E. Roger Mitchell and Peter Thomasson the right actors for this play?
One of the major themes in the play is the opposing views of a given idea and belief system. McCarthy presents contrast in all aspects of the characters, especially in their polemic views. In casting, I looked for actors that would help to support this theme by their striking physical contrast. Peter is very analytical when he approaches a role, and Roger is very organic. Both approaches are perfect for their characters as Peter is playing the professor, who has arrived at his views of the world with great forethought, almost systematically. Roger plays a simple man of God who is far more instinctual. Normally their opposing approaches could be a challenge to a director in scene work, but I have found it quite helpful in exploring the play. They are both very adept at comedy as well, which helps us bring out the humor in the play.
What should Atlanta audiences expect to see in this production?
I think the ideas presented are universal and very personal at the same time. I hope the audience is moved by a theatrical experience that will stay with them long after the performance is over. I hope, too, that we will all discover something about ourselves, specifically what sustains us and how to become aware of the traps we set for ourselves.
“Sunset Limited” runs through April 11 at Theatrical Outfit.
Harvey Fierstein and Company--Photo Credit Joan Marcus
Harvey Fierstein as Tevye? Could the same man known for penning “La Cage aux Folles” and playing a drag queen in his Tony Award-winning play “Torch Song Trilogy” play Tevye in “Fiddler on the Roof”?
Actually, yes. Sometimes, he goes a little overboard with his mugging, and he doesn’t always live in the moment, but he is a believable and funny Tevye.
So, it’s not Fierstein’s fault that there is something not quite right with this “Fiddler on the Roof,” now playing at Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre.
The play tells the tale of Jewish life in Tzarist Russia, but this cast doesn’t seem to live the tale. It never quite comes to life. The acting and singing are very good, especially that of Chava (Deborah Grausman), whose passion rips at the heart. However, the show lacks drama and electricity.
For example, in what should have been the most dramatic scene in the play in which the Cossacks come to ransack the town of Anatevka, neither the audience nor the actors seemed to be scared. The Cossacks threatened and battered the town, but that scene works a lot better when they ransack and plunder the village. When done right, that scene can put the fear of death into anyone watching it.
Based on a book by famed Yiddish writer Shalom Aleichem, “Fiddler on the Roof” won nine Tony Awards when it opened in 1964. It was one of the longest running shows on Broadway and was revived in 2004. Fierstein starred in the revival after Alfred Molina left.
So, should you see the show at the Cobb Energy Center? To alter a line from the song “Matchmaker:” It’s a nice show, a good show, true? True. But if you want to see a great version of this show, you’ll have to see the movie or a different live production.
“Fiddler on the Roof” plays at the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre through Sunday, March 21.
For all you rock and rollers who can’t imagine going to the theater and seeing a play, much less a musical, the Broadway touring company of “Spring Awakening” now at the Fox Theatre may change your mind.
Winner of eight Tony Awards in 2007, “Spring Awakening” is a coming-of-age story that looks into the lives of teenagers in Germany in 1891. It’s a time when girls and boys go to school separately, sex is a forbidden topic, and corporal punishment in school and at home is the norm. Although the story takes place more than 100 years ago, the teenagers’ rebellion against society and struggle for independence and sexual expression could match that of any generation since.
The musical version, by Steven Sater, is based on the original play written in Germany in 1891 by Frank Wedekind. His play was scheduled to run in New York City in 1917, but it was deemed pornographic by the New York City Commissioner of Licenses and closed after one performance.
Not exactly obscene by today’s standards, the play presents some explicit sex scenes. Hanschen (Andy Mientus) sits on stage with his legs spread far apart and masturbates himself underneath his nightgown, Melchior (Jake Epstein) and Wendla (Christy Altomare) simulate making love on stage, and Hanschen seduces his male friend Ernst (Ben Fankhauser).
As much as the show focuses on the sexuality of adolescents, it also highlights their pains from living with and being taught by elders who disrespect and abuse them. Martha’s father sexually molests her and her mother ignores it, a schoolmaster whips Melchior with a long stick, and Herr Stiefel (John Wajda) repeatedly slaps his son Moritz (Taylor Trensch) in the face.
What makes this play work is that all the characters and their stories come across as authentic. Their life situations are the same ones we hear and read about today. Their failures and quest for self expression remind us to question the status quo and decide for ourselves what is right for us.
Yes, there are F-bombs and sex, but none of it is gratuitous.
The music, by Duncan Sheik, mixes styles similar to ballads by Andrew Lloyd Weber, indie and art-rock, and punk from the late 1970s. The costumes (by Susan Hilferty) are styles from 100 years ago, but the mixture of hairstyles — traditional cuts, Mohawks, spikes and high-rise towers (think of the ’70s band Split Enz) — remind us that these youngsters could hail from any generation, especially our own. Bill T. Jones makes the dancing seem as natural as the scenes, the singing and the story.
“Spring Awakening” runs at the Fox Theatre through March 14.
Atlanta actor Brad Sherrill has been performing his one-man show “The Gospel of John” for 10 years. With 600 performances in 40 states, as well as in England, Ireland and Canada, Sherrill has created an acting career that keeps him busy eight months of the year and allows him time to do other acting work.
“The Gospel of John” will be playing in repertory with his new one-man show “Prophets” at Georgia Shakespeare March 24-28.
One of Atlanta’s finest actors, Brad brings a character and a story to life. I spoke with him on the telephone.
You’re doing two shows based on the Bible. Were you always very religious?
I grew up in a church that had a strong drama ministry. I acted at the church as I was growing up in Chamblee and acted in plays throughout my 20s and 30s. I never went to New York or L.A. cause I found steady work in Atlanta. In my late 30s I got burned out going from play to play, some that I didn’t like. One day I started memorizing the prologue to John, my favorite gospel. I had no acting plans when I started memorizing it. It’s almost 20,000 words and took me four and a half months to learn. I was led to the material in a devotional way. As I learned sections I invited people over to my house to perform it. My church said share it with us. The response was positive, and that’s when I went to Theatre in the Square, and it turned into eight well-attended weeks. Other church theater runs followed.
Had you been thinking about doing a one-man show?
I never saw myself doing a one-person performance. The interaction between me and another person is what thrills me. In these shows the audience is the acting partner. Those individuals are the ones you’re working with.
How did you decide on doing Prophet?
These are texts that I was interested in that the three major faiths share. The show is taken from the books of Isaiah and Jeremiah. It’s multimedia with contemporary images that put stories into modern times. It’s ninety nine minutes with no intermission. Gospel is two and a half hours with an intermission.
Where are you performing your shows?
I’ve played to diverse audiences across the country, in small towns with one traffic light and in big cities, mostly in churches but in theaters too. The church books the show for a fee and it charges tickets or gives it free to the community. I’ve performed in a thousand-year old cathedral in England and in church basements and cafeterias. If the story is good, it can be told around a campfire or on a little set.
What kind of advice do you have for aspiring actors and young actors today?
Actors are in a submissive position. They’re dependent on someone hiring them. I’d tell them to create your own work. Don’t wait around for the right play. Write a show for yourself. You have to have a story to tell or express. That’s where the creative urge arises. What do you want to say? With these biblical sources, I found my voice. I’m interested in the questions they ask. How are we supposed to live in this world? These ancient texts answer that question.
Singer-songwriter Craig Taubman and Cantor Alberto Mizrahi perfom “To Life: A Musical Tribute to the Life and Spirit of Dr. Sam Schatten z’l” on Sunday at AA Synagogue in Atlanta.
Taubman has performed in venues across the country, including three performances at the White House. Chita Rivera and Jennifer Holliday have each recorded Taubman’s songs, and he was featured, along with the Grammy Award-winning Klezmatics and with Emmy Award-winning actress Mare Winningham, in the 2008 PBS special “Lights! Celebrate Hanukkah Live in Concert.”
Taubman, whose music features flavors of Israeli and American folk-rock, is based in Los Angeles. He has composed and directed music for Fox and HBO, and his music has been featured in three films: “Andre,” “Pinocchio,” and “Recycle Rex.” The singer-songwriter launched his career performing on the Disney Channel and at Disneyland.
Alberto Mizrahi, a renowned tenor who is cantor of the historic Anshe Emet Synagogue in Chicago, was featured on the 2003 PBS special “Cantors: A Faith in Song” as well as in the aforementioned PBS Hanukkah special. In addition to performing at the White House, he has performed with Dave Brubeck, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and the New York Philharmonic.
The concert will also feature performances by The Epstein School Choir and the Atlanta Jewish Male Choir.
The tribute will be held at Ahavath Achim Synaogue Sunday, March 7 at 7 p.m.
Catch Joe Gransden’s 16-piece Big Band tonight with guest singer Melanie Massell, daughter of former Atlanta Mayor Sam Massell, at Cafe 290.
Massell has been singing since she was a child and repeatedly has been a featured performer at the Atlanta Jazz Festival. She was nominated as “Outstanding Jazz Artist” at the Coca-Cola Music Awards and appeared at Atlanta Symphony Hall with the Atlanta Concert Band.
In addition to performing on “Star Search” in the ’80s, Massell has appeared in bit parts on TV and film and as a singing talent on radio commercials.
Gransden’s big band, which plays the first and third Mondays at Cafe 290, features a rotating list of the finest musicians in and around Atlanta, as well as a new guest each week. Before starting his own band, Gransden played as a sideman with the big bands of Tommy Dorsey and Glenn Miller and subbed in for Toshiko Akiyo’s band. He has also played sideman gigs with Barry White, The Moody Blues, The Temptations and Aretha Franklin. His big band repeatedly packs the house at Cafe 290—yes, even on a Monday—so call ahead and reserve tickets. Show times are 8:30 and 10 p.m.
L to R: Anthony Rodriguez, Ingrid Cole, Jeremy Wood & Laura Floyd, Photo: James M. Helms
The Broadway musical “A Catered Affair,” book by two-time Tony Award-winner Harvey Fierstein with music and lyrics by John Bucchino hits the Aurora Theatre in Lawrenceville this week. The Broadway show, starring Harvey Fierstein, ran on Broadway in 2008. The musical was nominated for three Tony awards and 12 Drama Desk awards.
Aurora is giving away two tickets for any performance to each of the first three people who leave a comment on this blog.
I spoke with John Bucchino last week via telephone.
Can you give us a one or two sentence what “A Catered Affair” is about?
It’s about communication within a family and being honest with one another and with yourself.
What do you personally relate to?
I relate to the young people in the show and what they go thorough between trying to please their parents and being who their parents want them to be. They struggle with asserting their individuality, being who they truly are and deciding what they want for themselves. We all go through that.
How did you go about composing for this?
Harvey wrote a straight play without any songs. Then he emailed me a copy of it and said let’s each read this and think of where we think individual songs should happen. We each made our own list of where we thought songs should go and then compared our lists. They were almost identical.
Which song gave you the most difficulty when you were writing it?
“Immediate Family” is one of Harvey’s (Harvey played Uncle Winston) big up-tempo numbers. It’s funny but also angry. It’s always hardest to write a funny song. I know there are writers who love writing big funny numbers but hate writing emotional ballads. I’m the opposite. On the other hand the easiest song to write was “Coney Island,” another song Harvey (Uncle Winston) sings. Writing that was a remarkable experience for me. One morning—I think it was three-thirty or four in the morning—I bolted up in bed, heard it in my head and sang it straight through into a memo recorder. The whole melody just popped into my head fully formed. That’s never happened before to me. I was working on it in my sleep, I think. It just poured out of me. The song has remained exactly the same. The next morning I wrote the lyrics.
What’s your favorite song in the show?
I love a song called “Vision” where the mother is envisioning her daughter’s wedding, the wedding she herself never had. It’s poignant. I love the way the music and chords build in that song.
Which do you compose first, the music or the lyrics?
I almost never write the music first. I usually write at least part of the lyrics first because the lyrics create the framework. The lyrics are the hard part, so I force myself to deal with that part I don’t like so much and then let myself deal with the part I really like, which is the music.
How did this collaboration come about?
Harvey heard my first CD, “Grateful” with me on piano accompanying some illustrious singers: Liza Minnelli, Judy Collins, Art Garfunkel, Patti LuPone. He wrote me a wonderfully complimentary letter saying he loved the CD. A month later he wrote me again saying he was playing it over and over again and asked if I wanted to have dinner. We had dinner and he asked if I wanted to collaborate on this with him. Initially I said no. I asked my best friend, Steven Schwartz, who wrote music for “Wicked,” “Pippin,” and lots of other musicals what he thought. He said he thought I’d be suited to do it perfectly. So I eventually said yes.
How did the show end up at Aurora?
Ann-Carol Pence (Aurora’s musical director) saw the show on Broadway and I guess fell in love with it. She said the first time the cast went through it there were lots of tears, which is always good. My primary concern is that any piece of my writing elicits an emotional response. I want my work to resonate and touch them.
How did you first start in music?
I started playing piano when I was about a year old. Not banging on it, actually playing delicate melodies, making up songs. I taught myself how to play. I still play only by ear. I know what notes are. I play things into a computer and have someone transcribe it.
What would you be doing if you weren’t earning money as a musician?
I spent some time in Africa a few years ago working with orphans who have AIDS. I worked with them and started a music program. I taught them Beatles songs and learned their songs. I haven’t really made a living just from my writing yet. Lately I’ve been doing master classes with college kids where they learn my songs, and I coach them on performance of my music. I like working with young people in music. Their energy and enthusiasm reminds me of when I was young and optimistic.
What’s your favorite thing about “A Catered Affair”?
My favorite thing is that the show really moves people. I saw people in the audience in New York who when the show was over they just sat there and didn’t leave the theater for many minutes because they were so emotionally affected by it.
Why should people go see the show?
The show will transport them to a time and place that will be relevant to their lives, even though they may not have been around in the 1950s. The show will make them think and reevaluate some aspects of their lives and make them feel very deeply.
Bucchino will attend the opening night at Aurora Theatre March 4 at 8 p.m. The show runs through March 28.
Masters of Persian Music will be improvising and playing classical Iranian music at the Ferst Center for the Arts at Georgia Tech this Friday. World music somewhat reminiscent of Ravi Shankar, Masters of Persian Music includes three generations of performers.
Hossein Alizadeh (shourangiz and tar) has played with the National Orchestra of Iran and was conductor and soloist of the Iranian National Radio and Television Orchestra. He has taught at the University of Tehran, the Tehran Music Conservatory and the California Institute of the Arts.
Kayhan Kalhor (5-stringed kamancheh) is a three-time Grammy Nominee and has written scores for film and TV, including for Francis Ford Copolla’s “Youth Without Youth.”
The band’s tour includes major cities across the country, including New York, Chicago and Washington, D.C. MPM’s album “Faryad” was nominated for a Grammy Award.
Show time is Friday at 8 p.m. at Ferst Center for the Arts.
Saturday at 8 p.m. at Ferst Center for the Arts it’s Kenny Barron, Kurt Elling and Regina Carter!
