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Tuesday, September 25, 2012

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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On All Things ConsideredPlaylist

Tuesday, September 18, 2012

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.

Transcript

On All Things ConsideredPlaylist

Thursday, September 06, 2012

Performing Arts

In New York, Two Big Arts Institutions Go Small

LCT3's Claire Tow Theater is a two-story structure built on a steel truss that straddles the roof of Lincoln's Vivian Beaumont Theater. Before or after performances, theatergoers can mingle over drinks at a roofdeck bar that overlooks Lincoln Center and the surrounding neighborhood.

September 6, 2012 Lincoln Center and the Brooklyn Academy of Music recently opened new, smaller theater spaces designed by architect Hugh Hardy. There, new works can be performed without the financial pressure of filling a large theater — and with cheaper tickets, they can attract the younger generation, too.

Transcript

On All Things ConsideredPlaylist

Turner Channels Molly Ivins In 'Red Hot Patriot'

Kathleen Turner stars as Molly Ivins in Red Hot Patriot.

September 6, 2012 Academy Award nominee and Golden Globe winner Kathleen Turner stars as the sassy Texas newspaper columnist in the comedic one-woman show. Turner talks about the role, her career and the challenges of playing a political character.

Transcript

On Talk of the NationPlaylist

Sunday, September 02, 2012

Broadway Spoofers Return To 'Forbidden' Territory

Natalie Charle Ellis, Scott Richard Foster, Jenny Lee Stern and Marcus Stevens are part of Gerard Alessandrini's Forbidden Broadway troupe, which is returning to the stage after a three-year hiatus.

September 2, 2012 After a three-year hiatus, satirist Gerard Alessandrini is back with Forbidden Broadway: Alive and Kicking! Alongside Once and The Book of Mormon, they also target the Broadway-centric TV series Smash — but like all good parody, the skewering comes from a loving place.

Transcript

On Weekend Edition SundayPlaylist

Saturday, September 01, 2012

George Takei Takes Story Of Internment To The Stage

George Takei rehearses a scene from Allegiance, a new musical inspired by Takei's childhood in Japanese-American internment camps during World War II.

September 1, 2012 The actor was born in 1937 to a Japanese-American family that, after Pearl Harbor, was sent to live in internment camps for the duration of World War II. His experience growing up in the camps inspired a new musical, Allegiance, which Takei also stars in.

Transcript

On Weekend Edition SaturdayPlaylist

Thursday, August 30, 2012

Performing Arts

Audra McDonald: Shaping 'Bess' On Broadway

Audra McDonald plays Bess in the current Broadway production of Porgy and Bess.

August 30, 2012 The actress plays Bess in the Broadway musical Porgy and Bess. The show, which won two Tony Awards, closes next month.

Transcript

On Fresh Air from WHYYPlaylist

Performing Arts

David Alan Grier's 'Sporting Life' On Broadway

In Porgy and Bess, David Alan Grier plays the drug dealer Sporting Life, a role closely associated with Sammy Davis Jr. and Cab Calloway.

August 30, 2012 The stand-up comedian and star of In Living Color played Sporting Life in the opera Porgy and Bess. The show, which won Tony Awards, closes on Broadway next month.

Transcript

On Fresh Air from WHYYPlaylist

Thursday, August 23, 2012

In The Theater Of Politics, Staging Is Everything

Mitt Romney, the presumptive Republican presidential candidate, arrives to announce his choice of running mate aboard the U.S.S. Wisconsin in Norfolk, Va., on Aug. 11.

August 23, 2012 As the party conventions approach, elaborate theatrics on the part of presidential candidates are at the forefront. NPR critic Bob Mondello takes a look at the ways campaigns frame their candidates to make them stand out like Broadway stars.

Transcript

On All Things ConsideredPlaylist

Friday, August 10, 2012

Monkey See

'Into The Woods' All Over Again, This Time In An Actual Urban Jungle

Sarah Stiles and Ivan Hernandez are Little Red and the Wolf — whose encounter in Into the Woods brings the fairy tale's charged sexuality forcefully to the surface.

August 10, 2012 Stephen Sondheim's fractured musical fairy tale is getting a major revival in Central Park. NPR's Trey Graham had a look.

Summary

Tuesday, August 07, 2012

Destination Art

Stratford's Big Stars, From The Bard To The Bieb

The Festival Theater in Stratford, Ontario, is the main venue for the town's annual Stratford Shakespeare Festival. The town lies on the Avon River — just like Shakespeare's British birthplace — and had schools named after Romeo and Juliet before the festival started in 1953.

August 7, 2012 When it opened in 1953, nobody expected much of the Stratford Shakespeare Festival. But what began 60 years ago as two plays in a tent is now a major theater festival. It attracts half a million ticket-buyers a year to the small Ontario town — which also boasts homegrown heartthrob Justin Bieber.

Transcript

On All Things ConsideredPlaylist

Thursday, August 02, 2012

Playwright Fugard Bucked South Africa's 'Racist Ideas'

South African playwright, actor and director Athol Fugard was a thorn in the apartheid regime's side. Now 80, he calls any suggestion that he would slow down "nonsense."

August 2, 2012 South African playwright, actor and director Athol Fugard was a thorn in the apartheid regime's side. Now 80, he calls any suggestion that he would slow down "nonsense."

Transcript

On Tell Me MorePlaylist

Friday, July 27, 2012

Shots - Health News

A Walk Through The AIDS Conference's Global Village

"You've been condomized!" said Joy Lynn Alegarbes, of The Condom Project, which promoted safe sex at the 19th International AIDS Conference. The group handed out more than 850,000 condoms this week.

July 27, 2012 The International AIDS Conference isn't only about medical research. People from around the world met at its Global Village to share their experiences with the AIDS epidemic through music, art and dance. This year's highlights included a condom campaign and lube tasting booth.

Summary

Thursday, July 26, 2012
Sunday, July 15, 2012

Remembrances

'Oklahoma!' Actress Celeste Holm Dies At 95

Academy Award-winning actress Celeste Holm was best known for roles in Gentleman's Agreement, All About Eve and Oklahoma!

July 15, 2012 The Academy Award-winning actress was a star on both stage and screen, best known for roles in Gentleman's Agreement, All About Eve and Oklahoma!

Transcript

On All Things ConsideredPlaylist

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