By Harry Haun A galaxy of guests/stars negotiated the "tough commute" from theatre to club, where Tony-winning choreographer Savion Glover is currently bringing in 'da noise and 'da funk. Among them: Josh Hartnett, Claire Danes, Tony Roberts, Tony Danza, Samantha Mathis, Byron Jennings and Ben Shenkman (hanging together, having just closed in Sight Unseen), Keri Russell, Roger Rees, Jayne Atkinson, Raul Esparza, Dick Latessa (free of his Tony-winning Hairspray role at last—"You become a recluse when you do a show that long"—and looking forward to grandfatherhood in December), Margaret Colin, Danny Gerroll, Peter Frechette, Tom Irwin, Carolyn McCormick, Kathryn Meisle and Miller's sis, Joan Copeland, glammed up for the occasion.
Richard Widmark hit the entrance the same time as Miller, saw the party commotion ahead of him, turned on his heel and split, setting some sort of a speed record for a 90-year-old. The League of American Theatres and Producers' Jed Bernstein stood back and gave the paparazzi spotlight to his date for the evening, Fox news chick Teresa Estrada. One reporter complimented Asian beauty Bai Ling on her performance in The Manchurian Candidate. "I didn't get that part," she shot back sweetly. "I'm in She Hate Me."
Fresh from his one-man contribution to the Kennedy Center salute to Tennessee Williams (A Distant Country Called Youth), Richard Thomas was hoping aloud that the piece would find a home in New York. It's based on the letters of the young Tennessee Williams and goes up to the early drafts of A Streetcar Named Desire when Stanley was still called Ralph. "Those letters are so charming, I think, and very revealing," he said. "We're working to put the second edition of letters in now. There's going to be three volumes. I don't know where or what kind of venue it would have here, but I'm hoping."
But the first order of business is spy business, heading the American cast of Michael Frayn's Democracy for director Michael Blakemore. And, even before that, unpack: "We moved back to New York last week and just got a place. We move in Tuesday."
30 Jul 2004
Edie Falco, whom Mayer will next direct in Marsha Norman's 'night, Mother with Brenda Blethyn, skipped the party but sent along her friend and former stage husband, Sideman's Tony winning Frank Wood. He's just back from Hartford, riding the raves he got in Peter and Jerry, Edward Albee's prequel to his classic, The Zoo Story. It opens here in October at The Little Shubert, co-starring Johanna Day and Frederick Weller.
Headed for Hartford is character actor Bill Raymond. He'll do his annual Ebenezer there and stick around for What the Butler Saw, both shows directed by Hartford Stage Company's artistic director, Michael Wilson. You may even catch Raymond on the screen before that. "A Hole in One will, hopefully, make it out. It's a very difficult, kind of unattractive movie, but I love it. It's about the lobotomy craze in the '50s. I play a renegade lobotomist, based on a real-life character named Walter C. Friedman."
After 'night, Mother, Mayer may be directing—possibly for Roundabout in the spring—a new play by a Juilliard twentysomething named Noah Haidle called Mr. Marmalade. Director Ethan McSweeney has been testing it out at South Coast Rep and the Westport Playhouse. "It's about a young girl and her imaginary friend, who turns out to be abusive and delinquent," said McSweeney. Next, he's off to La Jolla Playhouse to world-premiere Lee Blessing's latest barb at The Bard, The Scottish Play. (You may recall Blessing once did a play called Fortinbras, about what happened after Hamlet.) "This one," according to McSweeney, "is about a theatre troupe that's done every play of Shakespeare's but one—and then finally does it." The curse goes into effect like clockwork. It's a comedy.
Scott Elliott, artistic director of The New Group, said he's ripe for a revival of David Rabe's Hurlyburly, most likely in January. "It's a play about the '80s," he said. "There's something about this period that reflects on where we are now. I'm very fond of the play."
F. Murray Abraham, back from the international filming wars, has been in Spain, toiling with fellow Oscar winners Robert De Niro and Kathy Bates over a remake of a 60-year-old film, The Bridge of San Luis Rey. Also: "I just did a film with Sophia Loren, directed by Lina Wertmuller. It's called The House of Geraniums. I play her lover. I get to kiss her. Full on the lips."
The screen Salieri admitted he was thinking of returning to theatre in a piece, written by and co-starring Christopher D'Amboise, son of Jacques. It's untitled at the moment.
Tom Hulce, who had the Oscar-nominated role of Amadeus opposite Abraham, is currently making his debut as a film producer, financing Mayer's first fling at the medium, A Home at the End of the World, starring Colin Farrell, Off-Broadway's Dallas Roberts, Robin Wright-Penn and Sissy Spacek. He also lent his L.A. home to Mayer so Krause and Gugino could get a slight jump before regular rehearsals began in New York
As it was, said the director, "We had a ridiculously short time to rehearse—19 rehearsals and four days of tech—because of Peter's shooting schedule for his series. It was crazy. That's the fastest show I've ever done for Broadway—and one of the fastest shows I've done anywhere, really—other than the Hanger Theatre, where I had only 12 rehearsals."
Author Miller spent the whole party huddled in a corner booth with Sam Cohn and Co. Beside him was a 32-year-old painter, Agnes Barlow, who identified herself to one inquiring reporter as Miller's "partner." Ah, hope and Arthur Miller spring eternal...
