"And Everything Is Going Fine," Film Portrait of Spalding Gray, Will Screen at Goodman | Playbill

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News "And Everything Is Going Fine," Film Portrait of Spalding Gray, Will Screen at Goodman Steven Soderbergh's indie biopic "And Everything Is Going Fine," about the life and work of the late celebrated monologist Spalding Gray, will make its Chicago premiere at Goodman Theatre Jan. 18, 2011.

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Spalding Gray in 1964

Presented by IFC Films, the 89-minute film features footage from the late Gray's numerous stage appearances at the old Goodman Theatre between 1985 and 1999. "And Everything Is Going Fine" will be screened at 7:30 PM in the Goodman's Owen Theatre.

Kathleen Russo, the film's producer and Spalding Gray's widow, said in production notes, "At the very first meeting I had with Steven to discuss making the film, he said, 'I want Spalding to tell the story of Spalding.' After that, there was no question in my mind about anyone else directing this movie other than Steven. As I have said from the very early stages of making this film: this is a labor of love between the director, the editor, the producers and the family of Spalding Gray. A collaboration whose main goal was to have one more story be told by one of the most unique monologists of our time."

"And Everything…" premiered at the 2010 Slamdance Film Festival, followed by screenings at the True/False, South by Southwest, Full Frame Documentary, Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary and Edinburgh International Film Festivals.

Director Soderbergh, who collaborated with Gray on "Gray's Anatomy" (1996), "has sifted through rare and revealing footage to construct a riveting final monologue," according to notes. "There are glimpses of Gray's father, and of his son Forrest (who provides soaring music for the end credits), but mostly this is an inspired one-man show, a bittersweet display of Spalding's playful and embattled intelligence, his gift for tracking universal truths by looking himself squarely in the eye."

"And Everything…" features Spalding Gray as himself and was produced by Amy Hobby, Kathleen Russo and Joshua Blum; the crew included Steven Soderbergh (director), Susan Littenberg (editor), Larry Blake (post production sound) and Forrest Gray (music). Writer, actor and performer Spalding Gray appeared at the old Goodman Theatre on numerous occasions, including A Spalding Gray Retrospective (1983), Swimming to Cambodia (1985), Monster in a Box/Terrors of Pleasure (1990), Gray's Anatomy (1993), It's A Slippery Slope (1996) and Morning, Noon and Night (1999).

His other monologue works include Sex and Death to the Age 14; Booze, Cars and College Girls; A Personal History of the American Theater and India and After (America). His Obie Award-winning Swimming to Cambodia was later made into a film by Jonathan Demme. From 1969 through 1985, Gray worked with The Performing Garage in New York, performed with The Performance Group, directed by Richard Schechner, and with The Wooster Group, directed by Elizabeth LeCompte.

Director Soderbergh won an Academy Award for Best Director for his 2000 ensemble drama "Traffic." He earned dual Best Director Oscar nominations that year, also receiving one for "Erin Brockovich," starring Julia Roberts in her Oscar-winning performance. Soderbergh earlier received an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Screenplay for his feature film directorial debut "Sex, Lies, and Videotape."

For Goodman tickets and information, call (312) 443-3800.

 
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