By Harry Haun
Even before applause for the evening's performance subsided, paparazzi and camera crews were forming their press gauntlet in the theatre's long corridor entranceway — including Richie Ridge, gamely carrying on his "Broadway Beat" without his ace cameraman of 30 years, Bradshaw Smith, who died of a stroke the day before. The sadness of those who've worked alongside him was palpable.
Director Gordon Edelstein met the press first, praising his "thoroughbred" cast down the line, then bolted — and not for the post-show party-site.
Fugard went him one better by also skipping the press line. Opening nights are, after a half-century, still hard for him — and he has three more coming up this year, an 80th birthday present from Off-Broadway's Signature Theatre inaugurating its new home with his Blood Knot, My Children! My Africa! and The Train Driver.
18 Jan 2012
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Judith Ivey and Maria Tucci both came in support of different people but wound up at the same table, shop-talking about their upcoming plans.
Two-time Tony winner Ivey was there for director Edelstein, who recently steered her through a marvelous Amanda Wingfield. Right now, she's bracing for her Broadway-directing debut, waiting for a theatre to revive Beth Henley's 1984 The Miss Firecracker Contest with "Ugly Betty" Emmy winner America Ferrera. Acting-wise, "I'm staying close to home because it's my son's senior year in high school. I've turned down some stuff. It hasn't been too hard, but there have been a couple of things where you thought, 'Hurry up! Go to college!'"
Tucci, who co-starred Off-Broadway with James Earl Jones and Harris Yulin in an early Fugard (1980's A Lesson From Aloes), is quietly turning playwright herself these days — but, for the immediate present, is rebounding to the stage (the DR2) for Michel Wallerstein's Flight.
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| Amy Irving and Kenneth Bowser | ||
| photo by Joseph Marzullo/WENN |
Another who was touching the past was Amy Irving. When she originated the role of Elsa in 1988's Off-Broadway production of The Road to Mecca, opposite Fugard and the late Yvonne Bryceland, she was Mrs. Steven Spielberg, and he attended her opening night, creating some commotion. This time she was accompanied by her third director-husband, Kenneth Bowser.
Gugino's support team hailed from her last Roundabout show, Suddenly, Last Summer — Blythe Danner, Becky Ann Baker and Karen Walsh (her Mecca understudy). "Carla Gugino's a great, great friend — I'd see her read the phone book," cracked Baker, who came alone to the party. Dylan Baker, her actor husband, "is in L.A., casting a movie he's going to direct," she said. "It's his first feature, '23 Blast.' It's a football film — a true story about a young boy in Kentucky who went blind from a virus but was a natural, gifted athlete. He played football for his high school football team. He didn't throw the ball, thank goodness. He carried the ball, and they went to playoffs and did really well. It's a pretty exciting story."
Gordana Rashovich, A Shayna Maidel in her day (1987) and an Obie-winning one as well, has been doing understudy work for Roundabout in recent years. "I did go on for Olympia Dukakis in The Milk Train Doesn't Stop Here Anymore, but I haven't gone on for Rosemary Harris," she said, "nor do I expect to. Rosemary's a very sturdy, agile actress. We both trained at the same school and were taught, 'Unless you're dead, you go on.' We both hold to that credo."
A couple of director-choreographers with Roundabout pasts — Kathleen Marshall and her former assistant, Rob Ashford — put in appearances despite their dizzyingly busy schedules of late. She's going from last season's Anything Goes to this season's Nice Work If You Can Get It, which really is nice work, and he's going from last season's How To Succeed to showing Ricky Martin the right moves for this season's Evita.
Has anyone mentioned that Michelle Williams owes her Golden Globe to Marshall for choreographing her through some inserted Marilyn Monroe routines in "My Weekend With Marilyn," thus legitimately lifting her out of Meryl Streep's slam-dunk dramatic category and into an easy-win musical category?
Ashford has movie news as well. His "new flick" — Dori Berinstein's documentary, "Carol Channing: Larger Than Life" — shows him gingerly guiding La Channing through a number for the Kennedy Center salute to Jerry Herman. The movie, set for release Jan. 20, has been drawing big cry-for-happy responses at its preview screenings. It's quite a love offering, all right. One priceless moment shows Angela Lansbury, Channing and Chita Rivera going over their lyrics together, each one of them in the process defining why she's a star.
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| Jim Dale | ||
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Santino Fontana, the king of workshops/readings (Yank! and Lorenzaccio) and Roundabout's golden boy of late (via Sons of the Prophet and The Importance of Being Earnest), was drinking in his first Fugard, "enjoying being in the audience." Tony Roberts was beaming about his new movie, "The Longest Week," with Jason Bateman, Olivia Wilde and Billy Crudup. "I play a psychiatrist," he announced with an incredulous expression. "Lie down. "I'll take care of everything you want."
A heavy-duty Tony winner for Side Man, Warren Leight was almost giddy about getting back on the Main Stem when Leap of Faith begins previews April 3. Lest we forget, "it's my first musical on Broadway since Mayor," he said. "That show moved from the Village Gate, which is now a Duane Reade, to a theatre that was torn down about six weeks after we left. And I don't believe they demolish buildings just because of my work." The songwriter of Mayor, Charles Strouse, said the buzz about a spring workshop of his musical on Sammy Davis Jr., Yes I Can!, is bogus. No it won't.
The book writer and the lyricist of She Loves Me — Joe Masteroff and Sheldon Harnick — were in attendance, as were the costume designer, scenic designer and leading man of Roundabout's 1993-4 revival: Jane Greenwood, Tony Walton and Boyd Gaines, the latter with his actress-wife, Kathleen McNenny. Other celebrity couples present: Byron Jennings and Carolyn McCormick, The Addams Family's Roger Rees and Jersey Boys' Rick Elice, playwright Neil Simon and his Sugar, Elaine Joyce.
Also: Kate Mulgrew of Tea at Five, Edward Hibbert, Harris' two-time Tony-winning daughter Jennifer Ehle, writer-director James Lapine, playwright Stephen Karam, Equity's Nick Wyman, agent George Lane, Chinglish producer Dasha Epstein, Master Class' Alexandra Silber, two-time Tony winner Cherry Jones, The Unsinkable Molly Brown reviser Dick Scanlan and Colman Domingo, the Scottsboro Boy who'll bow Feb. 16 in Fugard's Blood Knot over at Signature Center, a few blocks down on West 42nd Street.
