Fatale attraction: Blanche (Cate Blanchett) takes the measure of her Stanley (Joel Edgerton) in A Streetcar Named Desire. (Lisa Tomasetti/Sydney Theatre Company)

By Trey Graham

Health-care overhaul isn't the only thing that's got Washington tied in knots these days: Theater geeks in the nation's capital have been consumed with conflicting passions about a sold-out production of A Streetcar Named Desire — with Cate Blanchett as a Blanche DuBois who's jumpier than some — that's been running at the Kennedy Center since late October. (It's headed to New York for a stint at BAM starting Nov. 27.)

Jeff Lunden, who regularly covers theater for us here at NPR, has talked to both Blanchett and director Liv Ullmann for a Weekend Edition Saturday story that's coming up soon. Meantime, Diane Rehm talked to Blanchett today on her NPR show. The hour-long conversation ranged from the pitfalls of playing Streetcar to Blanchett's occasional urge to run away from acting — "it can seem very irrelevant very quickly" — to putting her own Sydney Theatre Company to work in service to her other major passion: environmental activism.

And The Diane Rehm Show, remember, is a call-in program, which is always good fun. Today's listeners got Blanchett going on the depths of Blanche's alcoholism, why a good Southern accent is pretty much essential to playing Tennessee Williams, and why her husband got jealous of the young Bob Dylan when Blanchett played him in I'm Not There. (Also: Why the "tremulous fragility" that's so much a part of her Blanche is core to the character.)

You can listen to the archived interview in RealAudio here or in your Windows Media player here — or just subscribe to the Diane Rehm Show podcast and get it that way.

Abigail Breslin is the latest big star to head for Broadway. (Andrew H. Walker / Getty Images)

by Linda Holmes

You know, even a 13-year-old sometimes has to polish her credentials with a little high-profile trip to the theater.

Abigail Breslin made her huge splash in Little Miss Sunshine in 2006 and has struggled since then to get involved in anything quite as well-regarded. Instead, she's done a lot of very mainstream projects like the romantic comedies Definitely, Maybe and No Reservations, the kids' film Kit Kittredge: An American Girl, and the weepy Her Sister's Keeper.

But, like everyone who wants to recapture an air of seriousness, Breslin is headed for Broadway, where she will play Helen Keller in a revival of The Miracle Worker opening in March.

Perhaps even better is the news that Alison Pill, who was in Milk as well as HBO's In Treatment, will play Annie Sullivan. As is noted at the link above, they could have gone with someone much more famous for that part, but Pill seems like an awfully good choice to me.

Carrie Fisher's show Wishful Drinking covers a lot of territory, including some of the Hollywood people she's known. (Joan Marcus)

by Michael Portantiere

Carrie Fisher's Wishful Drinking, her one-woman show based on her book of the same title, is a wry, hilarious, insightful, and occasionally touching theatrical memoir of the woman who grew up as the daughter of celebrity parents (Debbie Reynolds and Eddie Fisher); went on to become a film icon with her role of Princess Leia in the first three Star Wars films; struggled with manic-depression and substance abuse; and had emotionally fraught relationships with Paul Simon, the super-famous musician to whom she was very briefly married, and agent Bryan Lourd, who left her for another man after they had a child together.

A few chapters of her life were previously covered in the semi-autobiographical novel and film Postcards from the Edge, and now she's earning critical acclaim and deep audience affection for letting it all hang out in Wishful Drinking, which is playing at the Roundabout Company's Studio 54 after previous engagements in other cities. I had the golden opportunity to speak with Carrie just before one of her recent performances, and I asked her to complete these sentences.

"If Meryl Streep and Shirley MacLaine had been unavailable to play me and my mother in the film of Postcards from the Edge, I would like to have seen ... "

At the time? My mother playing my mother, and Debra Winger playing me. If the movie were made today, I'd like Mary Louise Parker to play me, but I don't know who's out there now who could really play my mother. It's a hard role. That's why my mother is so good at it.

"My favorite holiday to spend with family is ... "

[Laughs] It's hard to answer that! [Pauses] I'll say Christmas. I mean, we always have to have Christmas together. I don't know if it's my favorite, but it's the one that we do spend.

"The popular song whose title best reflects my life is ... "

"Mad World."

"The best and worst things about the Star Wars experience were ... "

I guess you could say the best thing was that it made me into a star, and the worst thing was that it made me into a star.

"Some interesting things that most people don't know about Mark Hamill and Harrison Ford are ... "

[Laughs] Well, if there are such things, then there's a reason they're not known, which is that Mark and Harrison don't want them to be known. I will say that Harrison is a wonderful person when he's intoxicated, but Mark ... is not.

Tacky Princess Leia memorabilia, Carrie Fisher's celebrity crush, how to sabotage a marriage, and lots, lots more, after the jump.

Continue reading "Carrie Fisher Finishes Our Sentences About Family, Work And That Bikini" >

John Cudia is the current Phantom on Broadway. (Timothy A. Clary / AFP/Getty Images)

by Linda Holmes

Some stories elicit gasps, some elicit sighs. This one elicits this: "Huh."

Andrew Lloyd Webber decided a while ago that the ending of The Phantom Of The Opera was boring, so he's putting on a sequel, which will finally open in London in March and in New York in late 2010. And where will it take place?

Coney Island, naturally.

More details, after the jump.

Continue reading "Andrew Lloyd Webber Sets The 'Phantom' Sequel At ... Coney Island?" >

Hugh Jackman, seen here at an event earlier this month, did not respond well when a cell phone went off during a Broadway performance. (Emmanuel Dunand / Getty Images)

by Linda Holmes

People, please. If you are going to go to a Broadway show, turn off your cell phone. Not only is it incredibly rude to your fellow theatergoers not to, but you run the risk of an actor turning all the force of his performance to a simple attempt to shame you mercilessly until you break down.

That's what happened when Hugh Jackman was interrupted during a performance (with Daniel Craig) of "A Steady Rain." Rather than express himself to the offender explicitly (like Patti LuPone), Jackman simply asked the person to please answer the phone.

But he or she did not comply. Apparently so horrified at the idea of being identified that it was preferable to simply let the ringing continue, the offender let the phone go, and that was what became appalling. "Don't be embarrassed," he finally said sarcastically, "Just grab the phone."

Perhaps you'd like to see it for yourself.

The video, after the jump...

Continue reading "Hugh Jackman Is Very Disappointed In You For Leaving Your Cell Phone On" >

Don't look so dismayed, Jeremy Piven -- you've been cleared of wrongdoing! (Sam Morris / Getty Images)

by Linda Holmes

Hey, remember that whole thing about how Jeremy Piven quit Speed-The-Plow because he supposedly had mercury poisoning from overindulging in sushi? And remember how it turned out that you should never infuriate a guy who writes witty dialogue (in this case David Mamet), because he'll say something kind of amazingly great about how you are leaving show business to "pursue a career as a thermometer"?

Well, The Piv is getting the last laugh. After Actors' Equity didn't punish him based on their grievance, the producers of the show went to arbitration, and Piven has won again. The arbitrator looked at the evidence and also cleared Piven of wrongdoing.

... And then put Piven under his tongue and came out at a healthy 98.6 degrees. But I kid Jeremy Piven!

Therein lies the rub. Piven may have won the day, but this story is entirely too funny to really go away. During a recent cutthroat game of Celebrity at the home of some friends, I watched a participant -- an actor, no less -- go through an entire pantomime in an effort to get his team to yell out "Jeremy Piven!" and as much as it may grieve Piven's heart, the entire thing involved chopsticks, sushi, and an ensuing swoon of illness.

For good or for ill, Jeremy Piven is always going to be The Big Thermometer, but it's only fair to point out that he was, in fact, vindicated. So if you see him at a club or something, do not make your funny fish jokes.

by Linda Holmes

You know, there are sayings in the theater. The show must go on, and so forth.

Another one of them emerged from last night's Tony Awards, and it's this: Whenever it takes five minutes to sort out a tech issue at the beginning of, say, a live-blog, you can guarantee that those will be the five minutes during which Bret Michaels, lead singer of Poison, will be standing his ground instead of retreating and will get conked on the head by a descending stage segment.

You can sort of see the other guys run back behind what turns out to be the problematic piece of scenery the minute the music stops, because they clearly remember from rehearsal that it's time to hustle and get out of the way. Michaels, however, was enjoying his moment (probably unlikely to appear on the Tonys too many times in the future, even before this happened), and he forgot to dash behind the backdrop. Gotta wave to the fans! Give 'em a wave! Love you!

[BONK.]

(His publicist seems to be suggesting he's okay and even hoped to "hit some after-parties," and he didn't break his nose, don't worry.)

The other notable thing, I think, is that while she clearly didn't have any idea what was happening, Stockard Channing managed to launch into "Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered" in a manner that unavoidably comes off like she's giving you her best exasperated "Aaaanyway..."

Best headline goes to the Times-Picayune, for this: "Opening the Tony Awards, Bret Michaels of Poison chews scenery on Broadway."

And we're live!

This is where, tonight at 8:00 p.m., we will be running our very special Tony Awards liveblog event. What of the battle between Liza Minnelli and Will Ferrell? Will American Idol yield a Tony winner? And what will be the pinnacle of Neil Patrick Harris' hosting greatness? (Or what we're assuming will be his hosting greatness.)

Join us, share your thoughts in the comments, and enjoy the one awards show of the year that usually contains actual meritorious entertainment content right there on the stage!

On commenting: Rather than use the liveblog box to take your comments, which can cause things to turn into a chaotic mess with everyone talking at once, we'll be taking your comments on the ceremony in the regular comments section for this post. When everybody talks at the same time, it becomes really hard to follow anything that's being said by anybody, and it's extremely confusing (at least for me). So comment early and often, in the regular comments section.

The Tony Awards: This handsome fellow is your host, Neil Patrick Harris. CBS

 

by Linda Holmes

You probably know that Neil Patrick Harris is one of the Official Favorite People Of Monkey See, and we're just terribly excited that he's hosting The Tony Awards on Sunday night.

So I will be joined by regular Monkey See contributor Marc Hirsh for Sunday night's telecast. We are both, shall we say, theater enjoyers but not necessarily theater nerds, so we hope you'll come and appreciate it as a singing, dancing barrel of fun, which is what we're hoping for.

Check out the list of people who are scheduled to appear: Dolly Parton, Elton John, Liza Minnelli, and Poison. COME ON, people. That's entertainment.

If nothing else, you'll want to be here in case former American Idol contestant Constantine Maroulis wins a Tony for his performance in Rock Of Ages, because my head will truly explode.

Sunday night, 8:00 p.m., be there or be...watching reruns, and nobody wants that.

by Linda Holmes

That, up there, is one Constantine Maroulis, doing one of my least favorite performances in the history of American Idol, back in April 2005.

I found this preposterous slow-jam "My Funny Valentine" so grotesque that I vented about it in an e-mail I have pulled from the dustbin of history (which was addressed to my pal, Stephen Thompson, editor of the Webby-award-winning NPR Music, who had earlier randomly subject-lined an e-mail to me, "Let's Rock This Thing: A Personal Message From Constantine Maroulis"):

Well. What's interesting about that "interesting" arrangement of "My Funny Valentine" is that it reminds me eerily of the way "The Christmas Song" (chestnuts roasting and all that) was performed by Hootie and the Blowfish on "A Very Special Christmas 3." I just can't tolerate his appallingly phony performance style. It's ridiculous to the point of being comical and totally distracting. "Not if you care for me-ah!" Furthermore, it is once again a destruction of a perfectly perfect melody that *does not need help*, thank you very much.

In a development to be filed under "Shows You What I Know," Constantine Maroulis has now been nominated for a Tony for Best Performance By A Leading Actor In A Musical for his work in Rock Of Ages. Let's rock this thing!

You know how you would feel if you woke up tomorrow and the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction had been given to, say, the guy who does the Shamwow infomercials? That's how I feel today.

Among the other big winners in the nominee derby: musicals Billy Elliott and Shrek, and the play God Of Carnage and its entire cast, including James Gandolfini, Jeff Daniels, Marcia Gay Harden and Hope Davis.

But not Ryan Seacrest. Yet.

So no, we don't necessarily expect modesty from Marvin Hamlisch. He is, as his Wikipedia entry notes, one of "the only two individuals to have been awarded an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar, a Tony, and the Pulitzer Prize for Drama."

(Don't you just love Wikipedia entries, and the opportunities they offer for ego-driven factoids?)

Still, the anecdote in the clip above — taken from the documentary Every Little Step, opening Friday — is a real eye-roller.

'Cause what I hear him saying is, "Isn't it droll, the way I left Hollywood glamour behind and took a chance on this odd Broadway project about the little people, which went on to win me a Pulitzer and make me exceedingly rich?"

Check it out, and tell me if I'm wrong here — but for a composer, Maestro Hamlisch strikes me as amusingly tone-deaf.

— Trey Graham

John Stamos: "Hey, baby, do you like a song-and-dance man?" Kevin Winter/Getty Images

 

by Linda Holmes

Sure, ER is ending tonight and bringing a close to one surprising chapter in the life of John "Uncle Jesse" Stamos. But he's moving on.

He's coming to the Broadway revival of Bye Bye Birdie set for this fall, where he will play Albert Peterson. If you have frequently had the thought, "Why, that John Stamos, I believe he is the Dick Van Dyke of our time," then this will make perfect sense to you.

And in yet another example of people with outside-Broadway fame coming to Broadway productions, Stamos' Rose Alvarez will be Gina Gershon, whose genuinely eclectic career has included quite the pile of episodic television appearances as well as two entirely different movies about relationships between girls and other girls: Showgirls and Bound. She's also, it's worth noting, been in Cabaret.

At the moment, you may be on the fence. You are wondering whether this revival will be any good or not. Gina Gershon is interesting, and John Stamos is...charismatic, at least, right? And he's been on Broadway before, in Cabaret and How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying.

I will now attempt to push you over the fence.

The best news about a Bye Bye Birdie revival...maybe ever, after the jump...

Continue reading "You Just Can't Stop John Stamos" >

by Linda Holmes

If you're familiar with Avenue Q, the Broadway hit that is, in fact, a raunchy puppet musical while being much more than a raunchy puppet musical, you know that the closing number, "For Now," features a line about George Bush that generally got a roar during the opening years of the Broadway run.

Now, of course, the line -- which you can hear above in a performance of the song by the cast at an appearance in Bryant Park in 2007 -- is a little outdated, so the show started auditioning possible replacements. Ultimately, though, they kept it. I saw the show on tour here in D.C. in February, and I have to say, I think the line got a stronger response now than when I saw it on Broadway in 2005. I'm not surprised it wasn't fussed with.

If you're considering seeing the tour, by the way, I'd highly recommend it -- I enjoyed the touring production just as much as the Broadway production, much to my own surprise. You never know what you're in for with a touring show you know well about which you have lots of expectations, but it was very satisfying.

By Trey Graham

So, Linda's mildly dispiriting note about the Sleepless in Seattle musical — not to mention last week's aside about the current Broadway season's penchant for star-driven dramas — got me thinking about the commercial theater's on-again, off-again love affair with familiar names and famous faces.

As noted in the item Linda linked to, it tends to heat up when times get tight, not least because producers know big names will work cheap in a "classy" project — and classy projects often involve playwrights too dead to demand royalties.

(Still: Geoffrey Rush and Susan Sarandon in Exit the King? Isn't that overkill, even if you're trying to sell Ionesco?)

There's an upside, of course. Some of those famous faces actually remember how to be good onstage. (As opposed to, say, Kelsey Grammer in Macbeth. Or poor, miscast Jena Malone and Lili Taylor in that viciously reviewed new revival of Mourning Becomes Electra.)

And when an actor with chops clicks with a solid project, whether it's a new-minted show or a canonical chestnut, you get theater with both glamour and guts. The gold standard in recent years? Vanessa Redgrave, mopping the floor with both Brian Dennehy and Philip Seymour Hoffman in that 2003 revival of Long Day's Journey Into Night.

After the jump: a few prospects for this season, and why high hopes might be in order for at least one or two of them ...

Continue reading "Look! On Broadway! People You've Actually Heard Of!" >

by Linda Holmes

That's right: they're bringing Sleepless In Seattle to the stage. For a musical. With songs. And maybe dancing. I, for one, happily look forward to the pas de deux featuring Sam and his deceased wife as he ponders whether to go to the Empire State Building. But what else might we expect? I don't want to be pushy, but I am hoping the following ten songs are already being written.

1. "I Want A Stranger For A Mom"

2. "Take It From Your Sassy Friend"

3. "This Pea-Soup Fog Of Grief"

4. "I'm Somewhat Sorry I Called You A Brat (A Father's Apology)"

5. "The Unaccompanied-Minor Negligence Lawsuit Blues"

6. "Marry That Mope, Annie"

7. "The First And Only Time Ever I Saw Your Face"

8. "Am I Looking Too Hard For A Sign In The Form Of The Lights In The Shape Of A Heart?"

9. "It's Tiramisu, Buddy!"

10. "You Can't Spell 'Kismet' Without Me"

Jeremy Piven: Here, at the curtain call on Speed-The-Plow's opening night, he doesn't look sick. Slaven Vlasic/Getty Images

 

If you're going to get cute, don't get cute with David Mamet.

Actor Jeremy Piven started his Broadway run in Mamet's Speed-The-Plow in October -- one of the few Broadway (non-musical) plays I can remember seeing television commercials for outside New York. He was appearing with Elisabeth Moss, of AMC's critically adored Mad Men, and Raul Esparza, a respected theater actor. It sure looked promising.

But this week, Piven suddenly left the play, citing illness -- more specifically, a "high mercury count."

Now, it's important to understand the position of Jeremy Piven in the world of celebrity. He's a multiple-Emmy-winning actor for his work in HBO's Entourage (which is the origin of "hug it out," a phrase you may hear dropped now and then), but he's also probably the most popular target of "why does this person keep winning Emmys?"-style ranting every year.

He further has a tendency to appear in ridiculous stories like this 2006 gem, in which it was reported in the New York Post that he almost got into a fight over the line for the bathroom at a club. Oh, and he recently told Us magazine that he didn't know how he accidentally wound up at Britney Spears' birthday party.

He's a bit of a love-to-hate kind of guy.

So after he gave the "too much mercury" explanation for bailing out of the play, Variety went to Mamet himself for a reaction. Mamet's somewhat skeptical response? ""I talked to Jeremy on the phone, and he told me that he discovered that he had a very high level of mercury. So my understanding is that he is leaving show business to pursue a career as a thermometer."

And you thought only television and movies could reach that level of sophistication.

Update: We now know that the role Piven is abandoning will be taken over, beginning December 23rd, by the Tony-winning Norbert Leo Butz, and then by Mamet veteran William H. Macy. That's right: If you had your heart set on seeing Piven in Speed-The-Plow between January 13 and February 22, you will now have to settle for William H. Macy. Try to contain your grief.

Also, for all the skepticism with which this announcement was greeted, Piven's doctor says it was for real.