Chekhov's Mistress

Bill and Jim’s Excellent Adventures

by Bud Parr

It’s a beautiful day here in Brooklyn. A light spring rain has saturated the green of the abundant low hanging trees framing the brownstones the borough is known for; birds are chirping outside the window where all I can see are trees and the Martyrs Monument in Ft. Greene Park. You almost forget…


But soon, much too soon, spring will give way to heat and humility humidity and those that can, head for the Hamptons, or wherever it is they go.


Fortunately, for those of us still here in the city over the summer there are myriad events to keep us occupied. Here are two:


Bloomsday on Broadway XXIV

June 16th


Hopefully in its 101st year, the Bloomsday celebration at Symphony Space won’t be so packed. Every year over a hundred readers take a character and participate in what must be one of the largest readings (and for that matter, literary events) in the world. Frank and Malachey McCourt are always there and many other well-knowns from the stage take part (last year Barbara Feldon read, for any of you that remember Agent 99 from Get Smart. It’s amazing to watch the energy that the event’s director puts into coordinating all these readers, particularly since they seem to have so much fun doing it.


This year’s theme is “Love Literature Language Lust: Leopold’s Women Bloom.” From the Symphony Space Website:


Join Stephen Colbert as Bloom, Terry Donnelly as Molly, the 34 Molly chorus, six sopranos singing from Molly’s repertoire, plus many other stars of stage, screen and literature. These passionate Joyceans read about Bloom and his women from James Joyce’s Ulysses for the 101st anniverary of the most famous date in literature.


Shakespeare in the Park



Every year since 1954 The Public Theater has put on free performances of Shakespeare in Central Park. The plays are always well produced and include movie and stage stars in the lead roles. The Public tends to emphasize the wit and lighthearted aspects of the plays and these more than others make you feel involved. Plus, there’s something about being in an outdoor theater that makes it feel like a big event.


This season we have:


AS YOU LIKE IT

directed by Mark Lamos

June 25-July 17, 2005


Enter the Forest of Arden, where melancholy spreads joy and poetry hangs from the trees. Rosalind, the brilliantly smart and cultured princess, and her strong-willed cousin, Celia, will try anything – including cross-dressing – to find both independence and love. As You Like It is a gem of philosophy and desire, gender confusion and romantic fantasy.


According to Playbill, the cast for As You Like It includes Brian Bedford, Jennifer Ikeda, Richard Thomas and James Waterston.


TWO GENTLEMEN OF VERONA

Adapted by John Guare & Mel Shapiro

Lyrics by John Guare

Music by Galt MacDermot

Based on the play by William Shakespeare

Directed and Choreographed by Kathleen Marshall

August 16-September 11


Two Gentlemen of Verona is a wildly hilarious adaptation that infuses Shakespeare’s frothy comedy about love, sex and mistaken identities with the exhilarating sounds, colors, and textures of big city life. The original 1971 Delacorte production was hailed by The New York Times as “an entertainment smorgasbord of, by and for real New Yorkers.” Rolling Stone embraced the colorful score by Galt MacDermot that “sounds like a tenement in which all the neighbors play their radios one after the other,” ranging from soul, rock, funk, Latin, gospel, pop in a magical celebration of Shakespeare, summer and love.


This from Playbill:


Verona holds a big place in the Public’s history. It was the first Public Theater production to transfer to Broadway. The show made its 1971 debut at the Delacorte, with Shapiro directing a cast featuring Raul Julia and Clifton Davis. The locale of the play was switched from Milan and Verona to New York City and Puerto Rico, and the 1971 text made references to contemporary issues such as Vietnam and psychoanalysis.


Also note that the “free” tickets, like so many free things in New York City, can be bought so you don’t have to stand in line. At $100 per ticket, that option is not for everyone, but the last few years line sitters have started increasingly early and tickets are more difficult to get (reminder on this thanks to NewYorkology). Or, if you become a subscriber to The Public’s regular season at the same time, you can get the SICP tickets for $50. We like to deal in these parts!


Spacer-3


Read widely, think well, and write often

posted May 20, 2005

comments

No Comments
Commenting is not available in this weblog entry.

This site employs rank-denial and other anti-spam measures.
Your link here will do nothing for your rankings or traffic. Off-topic comments will be deleted.




Next entry: Is Don Quixote a Coward?
Previous entry: “Reading the World” Event: Lost in Translation

« Back to main

About this Post




Barack Obama Logo