The Theatre Development Fund (TDF) Theatre Development Fund (TDF), a not-for-profit organization, has supported live theatre and dance in New York City for the past 43 years. Besides providing discount tickets, either to the public through its ticket booths (TKTS) in Times Square, lower Manhattan and Brooklyn, students, educators and members of the theatre industry, TDF also promotes theatre education and grants to theatrical companies.
TDF also maintains a Costume Collection which includes more than 75,000 costumes and accessories from Broadway and Off-Broadway productions, opera companies and touring companies. These costumes and accessories are available for rent at low cost primarily to not-for-profit performing arts companies, educational institutions and other charitable groups nationwide.
Tomorrow night, Wednesday, August 17th, there will be a free screening of the new documentary feature Carol Channing, Larger than Life . Presented by the New York City Parks Department, Central Park Conservancy, NYC Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment and IFP, the free outdoor screening will be at the Terrace of Tavern on the Green. Before the film, director Dori Berinstein will introduce the film.
The film features performance clips of and interviews with legendary Carol Channing, along with interviews with other show biz greats about Miss Channing, including Jerry Herman, Angela Lansbury, Kaye Ballard, Tyne Daly, the late Betty Garrett, Chita Rivera, Tommy Tune and more.
Carol Channing, Larger than Life premiered earlier this year at the Tribeca Film Festival, where it came in 3rd Place in the Heineken Audience Award Race. Dori Berinstein previously directed the film Show Business - The Road to Broadway and is the Tony Award winning producer of Thoroughly Modern Millie and other productions.
Finally, Capriccio Renée Fleming will be on Great Performances at the Met this Thursday, August 14th on PBS. We've been waiting all summer for this one. Go check your local PBS listings.
This is required reading - New York Magazine's Jesse Green's feature on Bernadette Peters and Follies:
Follies is about the psychosis of nostalgia, but its pungency comes in part from making the past so damned attractive: a Peters specialty. Sondheim’s songs, too, play off period models but are better than the originals in almost every instance. Sally’s “Losing My Mind”—a pastiche of Gershwin’s “The Man I Love”—packs so much lyrical acuity into its moan of a melody that only a very brave actress will step fully onboard. Peters does. Singing it, she usually starts crying by the bridge. At the end, you think, This woman’s life is over.
"'I had friend that came to talk to me in Houston and he said, 'Here in Houston, if you dance, are talented, and extremely unusual they call you a sissy or a weirdo, in New York, they call you a star!' I was outta there! But this chum of mine, just threw me in his Ford Fairlane and brought me to New York. The day I arrived, it was St. Patrick's Day and I went to an audition and I got the job. I was out of college, 22. Irma La Douce. My dream came true. My dream was to dance in the chorus of a Broadway show and it came true on my first day in New York.
Tommy Tune, Texpatriot and nine time Tony Winner, on Vine Talk, Episode 113, 2011
Hey Book of Mormon Fans! Boneau/Bryan-Brown, press agents for The Book of Mormonsent me the original cast album and souvenir program! But since I haven't seen the show and unless there's an act of God, or Joseph Smith perhaps, I probably won't see it since tickets are sold out for months in advance...I'm giving you the chance to win these for your own theatre memorabilia collection.
Personally, I know only a tiny bit about Mormons. When my dad was transferred to Camp Pendleton in 1974, base housing wasn't available immediately so we were guests of his colleague's family in Vista, CA. That family happened to be Mormon. I was a little kid and really, the only thing I remember about the experience is that they had a cool fort in the backyard, the complete set of L. Frank Baum Oz books, and they didn't drink certain kinds of soda. Their son eventually went to BYU and then off to some French-speaking African nation as a missionary for a year.
Answer these questions in the comment section and on Friday the 19th, I'll pick a random winner amongst the commentators:
1. Have you seen Book of Mormon? If so, did you buy a ticket, or win tickets via the ticket lottery?
2. Have you ever been to Utah?
3. Have you ever been on a mission trip?
4. Have you ever had an encounter with a Mormon missionary?
We are mere days away from the start of the 15th annual New York International Fringe Festival (FringeNYC). One of the best selling plays of the festival is SAMMY GETS MUGGED!, a play by Dan Heching. Sammy Gets Mugged! is directed by Noah Himmelstein and stars Dan Heching as Sammy, Stephanie Pope Caffey as Rue Felicite, Patrick Byas as the Mugger and the voice of Hanley Smith as the ATM.
SAMMY GETS MUGGED! will run at The Living Theatre, on Monday August 15 @2pm, Thursday August 18 @6pm, Saturday August 20 @9pm, Friday August 26 @8:45pm, and Sunday August 28 @12pm. Tickets are available via www.fringenyc.org.
I had the opportunity to ask Dan Heching, the author and star, a few questions about himself and the piece:
Tell me a little bit about your play. Is it autobiographical?
SAMMY GETS MUGGED! definitely has strong autobiographical elements. It is loosely based on something that happened to me while I was living in Paris 6 years ago, but the way I remember it, and how my perspective has changed, are incorporated into the piece as well. Even the process of writing about it is an element within the play!
You’re a writer by trade, yes? Is this is your first play or the first time you’re being produced?
This is my second play -- I've workshopped both SAMMY and a previous piece in various places both in Paris and New York. But this opportunity with FringeNYC is definitely the first time I'm seeing my work produced, yes! On the side I work as a freelance reviewer, journalist and copywriter. I've even translated some French comic books into English.
What made you want to share this story as a play?
As I constantly recounted the incident to friends and family, including specific thoughts that went through my head at different points throughout the exchange, it grew into a performance of sorts in its own right. Transforming it into a play only seemed natural, as it is the best way to explore this curious moment, its effects and the impressions it leaves on those involved (both imagined and real).
Was writing the play cathartic?
Honestly, writing the play was LONG. I started writing about the mugging in 2007, went through millions of versions (including a short film script), and held a few readings during the process. Writing this last draft, while getting ready for the Fringe, was definitely cathartic.
First exposure to the fringe?
Yessir!
Talk about your first time as an actor?
I was a child actor. My grandfather had to take me on auditions on Lafayette Street because I didn't know my way around south of Union Square (even as a high school freshman). I had an agent around the time of my bar mitzvah, did a few things here and there, but then walked away from it to concentrate on school (that was dumb!). But I never forgot how much I loved this process.
Does acting in this piece feel organic since it’s your own play?
In a way, it does. The language is of course natural-feeling, but Sammy is by no means me - he is a gross extension or extrapolation of me from a certain point in time. My director (Noah Himmelstein) has helped pinpoint how to differentiate between them - and it's been a challenge. The easy way out would have been to simply perform this as 'Dan'. But we're not going in that direction.
I understand you did a Kickstarter to fund some of the production. Do you feel like getting your story out there is a community effort?
What's great about Kickstarter is that it focuses on one sole thing when selecting which projects to approve for backing: creativity. I was thrilled to be approved, and when backers started coming in, I can't tell you how touching it was.
Would you say you’re more excited or nervous?
Nercited!
Were you able to have the mugger prosecuted and were you physically okay?
You'll have to come watch to find out ;)
Have you been back to Paris since the incident and specifically that neighborhood since this happened?
Absolutely. That's actually a huge element within the play. I went back a year or two later, while I was writing, and the story grew from there...
After talking about it all season, I finally got around to seeing Jez Butterworth's Jerusalem at the Music Box on Broadway last week. My motivation to see it was mainly for two reasons: Mark Rylance and because it's an English story. It closes on Broadway on August 21st, after several extensions.
But this play is not just an English story. While it's set on St. George's Day, a celebration dating back to medieval times, and refers to some British history and culture, it's a story of degradation of society that could easily be American.
Mark Rylance plays Romany Gypsy "Johnny Rooster Byron" who has been a hero to the local misfit teenagers, even though he is way past his prime due to years of living in squalor and drug and alcohol use. At first glance and thru most of the first act, he is charming and funny. He's a cross between the Pied Piper and Peter Pan. It's easy to see why the teens love him, aside from the fact that he keeps them high. He regales them of stories that are larger than life. By intermission, he's become despicable. By the final curtain, he's become pitiful. No one seems to be able to resist him, although in the end it's clear that what they can't resist is his wares.
It seems a comedy, but its depth soon reveals itself, especially in its look at society and references to the William Blake poem "And did those feet in ancient time." On the comedy side, the cast of misfits - a dotty old man, the local pub older who is Johnny's childhood mate, a young near do well named Ginger who thinks he is not just a client but a real friend of Johnny's and a passel of outcast delinquents. It is difficult not to find all of these funny and lovable, even while disapproving of their life that is quickly going nowhere.
Buried in all of this wildness and ridiculousness is a man who has a tender heart - Johnny is hiding a teen-aged girl named Phaedra from her lecherous stepfather. She flutters in and out, seemingly ethereal and fragile. At first she is believed to be a runaway until it is clear where she has been all along. In the end, as Johnny is facing the end of his existence as he knows it as the town and law have finally had enough of his drunken shenanigans, trespassing, tax evasion and drug dealing, he is done in by his attempt at chivalry for the girl. It's at once shocking and heartbreaking.
I have seen Mark Rylance in three very different plays on Broadway now - Boeing Boeing, La Bete and Jerusalem. He is a miracle of the theatre. He has the audience in the palm of his hand every moment he is on stage. Every time I've been in a theatre with him, it has been filled with laughter and awe. His sheer physicality and vocal ability and the lengths at which he will go for the character is something far beyond what we normally see. With Jerusalem, it was not only laughter but horror at the place he took us, where probably none of us wanted to go - down that road of pity and empathy for one so despicable.
The production itself, directed by Ian Rickson, is fast paced and rich. The set and lighting, by Ultz, are terrific - the British version of an Airstream trailer, looking much dilapidated, amongst a beautiful lush wood with a lawn on which a sundry of broken down furniture and accoutrement are strewn about. There is even a chicken coop under the trailer - and those chickens did not go unnoticed as they had to have their say in the second act with much loud squawking and clucking.
I can't say I loved this play, but I was amazed by the production and was especially thrilled by the acting.
Mark Rylance has been playing this role for about two years now and will continue to play it in the future, as the production is moving back to London from whence it came. It first opened in 2009 and transferred to West End in 2010. He won the Olivier for this role in London in 2010 and in 2011, won the Tony for Best Actor. It is scheduled to re-open at the Apollo in the West End in October. Further, Mark Rylance has no understudy on Broadway which is just yet another witness to the miracle of an actor that he is.
I realized last night, as I was re-stocking and organizing my Ticket Vault, that I will be seeing three separate George Frideric Handel operas this season! I am extremely excited about this. His music is so lush and romantic and is one of my favorite composers. It uplifts my spirit and floats me in suspension of beauty and calm.
The first opera will be Xerxes (Serse) at the San Francisco Opera in November. I'm especially excited for this one for several reasons: 1) I'm visiting another American Opera house; 2) I will get to hear my favorite mezzo-soprano Susan Graham sing "Ombra mai fù" live again and in context; and, 3) best of all, my mother and sister will be with me. Countertenor David Daniels co-stars.
The second opera will be at the Metropolitan Opera - Renée Fleming in Rodelinda. I think this will be my fourth time seeing this opera. The first time was in 2004 at the Met and it was the first time I saw Renée in an opera. I was over the moon with excitement in seeing her at the Met for the first time. My friend Paul and subscription partner at the time, called is "Bordelinda" and stormed out, but for me it was a thrilling experience. It was basically the whole reason I wanted to buy a subscription (not knowing then what I know now). It is easily one of the Met's most beautiful productions, both in set and costumes. Fortunately, Stephanie Blithe will be joining Renée once again - she all but steals the show! I absoluately LOVE Renée's "Mio Caro Bene", which is nothing short of joyous.
The third will be The Enchanted Islandin January, again at the Met. It's an opportunity to hear David Daniels again, this time with the effervescent mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato. While it's not strictly Handel, since it includes music of other 18th century composers, it looks divine and my excitement builds knowing that it brings together the the lovers from Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night’s Dream who are shipwrecked on his other-worldly island of The Tempest (my most beloved Shakespeare). The costumes look absolutely delicous.
David Daniels & Joyce DiDonato
Photo: Nick Heavican/Met Opera
After months of preparation, I proclaim the 2011/2012 Ticket Scramble a success. I, with a little help from my friends, pour over the websites and season brochures of the Metropolitan Opera, City Opera, Carnegie Hall, Opera Orchestra of New York, the New York Philharmonic, Lincoln Center, Collegiate Chorale, The Tucker Foundation, Opera LaFayette, opera companies in other cities, Feinstein's and City Center. I came up with a list of 52 possible entertainment opportunities, not including events that pop up serendipidously (and inevitably going more than once).
Yesterday, we attended the first day of single sales for Met Guild Members at the Metropolitan Opera (general sales for single tickets begin next Sunday). Kari and I arrived at 7:00 a.m.; the first hopeful ticket buyer in line arrived at 4:30 a.m. Roxie and Sally joined us shortly after 8:00 a.m. One reason we like to buy early is to have first crack at the productions that might potentially sell out, especially in the Family Circle where tickets are only $27.50 on a week night. We are among the youngest in the line, and probably Roxie was the youngest yesterday.
Yesterday, we purchased a variety of 12 different operas for five separate attendees: Anna Bolena (Angela Meade!), Siegfried, Satyagraha, Rodelina (Renée Fleming!), Madama Butterfly, Faust (Bobby Alagna!), The Enchanted Island, Götterdämmerung, Ernani (Angela Meade! Dmitri Hvorostovsky), Manon (the only price flub - we accidentally chose the gala opening night & were charged an extra $30!), The Makropulos Case (Karita Mattila!), and Billy Budd. We plan on rushing a few others as well, thanks to the legacy of Dr. Agnes Varis.
After celebrating and settling up over Bloody Mary's and brunch at Cognac, Sally and I headed back up to Lincoln Center and purchased tickets for Britten's War Requiem performed by the London Symphony Orchestra and Sabina Cvilak, Ian Bostridge and Simon Keenlyside, and two soprano recitals at Alice Tulley Hall - Anna Caterina Antonacci and Christine Brewer, respectively.
Still to purchase will be the Met's Live in HD broadcasts tickets, Carnegie Hall and a variety of miscellaneous performances, of course, not including Broadway and off-Broadway entertainment that will inevitably come my way. We do pretty well on our choices and spend as little as possible in order to see as much as possible. For this pursuer of endless entertainment, fall through spring is definitely the best time to be in New York City.
We started the wait in the concourse.
At 9 a.m., they moved us upstairs to the lobby
(too crowded)
A year ago, Roxie wouldn't even listen
to opera. Now, she patiently & productively waits.
We heard today that Dr. Agnes Varis passed away on Friday. She was 81. Although I never met Dr. Varis, I felt very fond of her and often wished that I would cross paths with her at the Met. I loved her attitude of generosity and admired her success as a self-made entrepreneur. She was known as Saint Agnes in New York, by those who knew her or who knew of her because of her generosity.
She grew up in Brooklyn, the daughter of Greek immigrants. She graduated from Brooklyn College with a degree in chemistry and then NYU. At age 39, she founded Agvar Chemicals, which is a leader in ingredients to generic pharmaceuticals. She was proud of her success and strived to ensure it for other women.
She was an extremely generous patron of the arts, especially opera and jazz. She put her money where her mouth was: “I believe opera is for everyone, and so everyone should have access to it,” said Dr. Varis. She gave away millions of dollars, simply by writing checks.
She donated money to the Opera Orchestra of New York, the Jazz Foundation of America, Jazz at Lincoln Center and The Metropolitan Opera, among other arts organizations. Personally, I encountered her generosity through the Agnes Varis and Karl Leichtman Rush Ticket Program. Any person could stand in line on Monday through Thursday to pay only $20 for an orchestra seat for that evening's opera at the Met. That was 800 seats a week - $20.00 for a seat that would normally cost over $100.00! Additionally, due to her generosity, weekend discount tickets were made available through an on-line lottery. While I normally never mind sitting in the Family Circle, it is a treat to sit in an orchestra seat for a change. It's also nice to fall back on when it's a weeknight and the house is sold out.
In February 2011, the Met Opera announced that the Agnes Varis and Karl Leichtman Rush Ticket Program would continue for a 6th season in 2011 and 2012. Last year, Met Opera General Manager Peter Gelb said, “Agnes Varis is justifiably beloved by opera fans for her saintly generosity.” said Peter Gelb, General Manager of the Metropolitan Opera."
"The theatre can do things that you can't legislate, or preach, or make laws about. The theatre can do this thing of getting in, into your heart." ~George Hearn, Words and Music by Jerry Herman
and is the Tony Award winning 
