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Saturday, November 24, 2012

Princess Marty Is A Smarty If She's At A Child's Party

Mary Alice LeGrow, otherwise known as "Princess Marty," hugs a young girl during a birthday party in a Philadelphia suburb. A graphic artist and "cosplay" (costume play) fanatic, LeGrow became a full-time professional party princess to make ends meet during the economic downturn.

November 24, 2012 Her highness — known outside the big dress as Mary Alice LeGrow — is a professional party princess. She uses her best princess voice and dresses up in full regalia to charm children. But life in the kingdom isn't all candy and sugarplums; it takes a lot of muscle to be a princess.

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Friday, November 16, 2012
Thursday, November 08, 2012

Monkey See

Circus Roboticus, Or: This Actor Is A Serious Heavyweight

The cast and creative team of Sans Objet learned the hard way that a 2,800-pound robot can be a bit of a diva: Because he's run by a computer program, he never forgets his blocking.

November 8, 2012 A repurposed robot prototype named KUKA, originally designed by the auto industry, is the breakout star of Sans Objet, a performance piece making its debut in the U.S. this month. Randy Gener describes the rewards — and the challenges — involved in working with a nearly 3,000-pound diva.

Summary

Friday, November 02, 2012
Thursday, November 01, 2012

Superstorm Sandy: Before, During And Beyond

Broadway To Sandy: The Show Is Back On

Superstorm Sandy starting hitting New York on Monday. By Wednesday, life had returned to the Time Square theater district.

November 1, 2012 New York's theater workers mobilized to get their shows back up and running by Wednesday. But with no trains, very few buses and massive traffic jams, the commute wasn't easy. One actress had to walk about two hours to Manhattan from her home in Queens.

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Sunday, October 28, 2012

Theater

Star-Studded 'Heiress' Considers A Woman's Worth

Jessica Chastain makes her Broadway debut as Catherine Sloper in The Heiress. Chastain says she was moved by the arc of her character's story — initially defined by the men in her life, but ultimately finding strength in herself.

October 28, 2012 A much-anticipated revival of The Heiress, a 1947 play based on the Henry James novella Washington Square, opens in New York on Thursday. It marks the Broadway debut of two young stars — Jessica Chastain, the Academy Award nominee from The Help, and Dan Stevens from the hit series Downton Abbey.

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Thursday, October 25, 2012
Sunday, October 21, 2012

Theater

A Celebration Of Janis Joplin And All Her Swagger

Mary Bridget Davies as Janis Joplin and Sabrina Elayne Carten as Blues Singer in the Cleveland Play House production of One Night with Janis Joplin.

October 21, 2012 In her short time on the scene, Joplin helped define the music of a generation with her bluesy rasp. A musical honoring her talent and her muses is playing now in Washington, D.C. While it doesn't get into the darker chapters of her life, the show is captivating lifelong fans — including the lead actress.

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On Weekend Edition SundayPlaylist

Tuesday, October 16, 2012
Sunday, October 14, 2012

Theater

'Beat Generation,' Kerouac's Lost Play, Hits Stage

The cast rehearses a scene from Jack Kerouac's only play, The Beat Generation.

October 14, 2012 WBURLegendary beat novelist Jack Kerouac shot to fame with On the Road, but unknown to many fans, he also wrote a play. The Beat Generation was never produced and quickly forgotten. Rediscovered in 2004, the play is now set to premiere in the writer's hometown.

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Wednesday, October 03, 2012

Theater

Racial Issues, Far From 'Invisible' On D.C. Stage

Teagle F. Bougere plays the titular Invisible Man in The Studio Theatre's adaptation of Ralph Ellison's novel.

October 3, 2012 An adaptation of Ralph Ellison's landmark novel The Invisible Man is electrifying audiences in the nation's capital. NPR's Audie Cornish talks to the writer, director and star about bringing a complicated story to the stage.

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Friday, September 28, 2012
Tuesday, September 25, 2012

Theater

A Broadway Mystery Worthy Of 'Rebecca'

The original Vienna production of a new musical based on the novel Rebecca didn't fall prey to the woes plaguing a planned New York staging.

September 25, 2012 A musical adaptation of Daphne du Maurier's Gothic novel Rebecca was set to come to Broadway — until the existence of its major investor came into question. New York Times theater writer Patrick Healy discusses the mystery on All Things Considered.

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Tuesday, September 18, 2012

Theater

Shorts Inspire Music In 'Sounding Beckett' Trilogy

In Ohio Impromptu, one of three short plays featured in Sounding Beckett, the silent character (Philip Goodwin, left, with Ted van Griethuysen) inspired music based on knocks and repetitions.

September 18, 2012 Samuel Beckett, the author of Waiting for Godot, is known for the spare, modern rhythms of his plays. Now, as Jeff Lunden explains, the off-Broadway show Sounding Beckett brings together three of the playwright's short works with new pieces of contemporary music they inspired.

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