Of the four nominees for the Tony Award for best new play, three had Off-Broadway runs, and each of them was honored by the Obie judges.
Author: Matthew Westphal
Dina Merrill, 93, Actress, Heiress, Philanthropist
“[She was] an actress whose aristocratic poise and willowy good looks earned her many film and TV roles as well-bred society women – parts that reflected her own life as a scion of two of America’s richest families.”
Jeanne Button, 86, Award-Winning Broadway Costume Designer
“If Mark Twain was right that clothes make the man, then Ms. Button helped define hundreds of characters in Broadway and Off Broadway plays, operas and films. … As a designer, Ms. Button was often lauded for her range and the breadth of her imagination.”
Ben Franklin Didn’t Write Most Of The Aphorisms In ‘Poor Richard’s Almanack’ – He Stole Them
What’s more, most of them weren’t even American. (We’re crushed.) Daniel Crown explains – and basically exonerates the dear old fellow.
We’ve All Totally Misunderstood Murphy’s Law – It’s Really A ‘Call To Excellence’
Anything that can go wrong, will go wrong. “The phrase has a dour fatalism to it – if everything’s bound to fail, why bother trying? But time has distorted the law’s intended meaning entirely. There really was a Murphy, and the law that bears his name is not an admission of defeat. It is a call to excellence.” Corinne Purtill explains. (Has she ruined it for the rest of us?)
David Lynch, Mark Frost, And The Cast On How ‘Twin Peaks’ Lost Its Way – And Found It Again
Finn Cohen talks to the showrunners and actors about how the second season of the original went so bad and what led to the decision by all the parties to revive the show after 25 years.
‘Wait, Is That Really A Word?’ How Do You Figure Out The Answer To That Question?
In the English language, that effort is just about futile, argues linguist John McWhorter in this Lexicon Valley podcast.
Laura Linney And Cynthia Nixon Talk About Exchanging Roles Every Night On Broadway
“In the revival of Lillian Hellman’s The Little Foxes, the actors alternate between playing the lead role (the cunning, assertive Regina Giddens) and a supporting one (Regina’s timid, abused sister-in-law, Birdie). … In a free-flowing conversation at BuzzFeed‘s New York headquarters, the actors talked about taking on this unique challenge, as well as their thoughts on the theater at large, aging, and roles for women over 40.”
Why Turning The Play ‘King Charles III’ Into A TV Special Just Didn’t Work
Mind you, this wasn’t a telecast of the theatre performance; decades’ experience has shown that those can be just dandy. (Yes, yes, it’s not the same as being there. Not everyone can get there.) This was a BBC television adaptation, with television conventions. Yes, sometimes that can work; Time Out London theatre editor Andrzej Lukowski analyzes why, for this play in particular, it did not.
Why Does This Enda Walsh Play Have A 20-Minute Dance Solo In The Middle Of It?
“It’s an unusual choice for a playwright, especially one prone to having his characters gush torrents of words. Speaking over the phone from London last week, Mr. Walsh said he knew early in the writing of Arlington that the middle segment had to be dance.” Brian Seibert reports.