THE THEATER MIRROR, Boston's LIVE Theater Guide
|
MARQUEE | USHER | SEATS |
INTERMISSION | CURTAIN |
Here's a blast from our past! One of our first Reviewers has turned pro, but as an ACTOR!
: Sun, 16 Nov 1997 20:18:01 -0600
From: "James and Caroline Dube'" omadubme@sprintmail.com
Subject: hello larry!
Hi Larry,
It's me, Jamie McGonnigal. Long time, no chat. I'm out in Omaha right
now, rehearsing for a production of A Christmas Carol with The Nebraska
Theatre Caravan.
I will be on the East Coast Tour which will leave Omaha
November 21 for Elyria, Ohio. Following that we will perform at The
Shubert in New Haven and on December 13 we will be in New Bedford MA.
That's the closest we come to Boston. We will be performing at 2PM & 7PM
at the Zeiterion theatre.
Please come if you can make it. It's really a
very charming production. And it has been touring for twenty years now.
So it has stood the test of time.
I am unfortunately not on email very
often (as I have no computer and am now on the road) This is my host
family's computer in Omaha. But my email address (if I ever get to check
my mail is JamieCampbell@rocketmail.com so, feel free to reply (I can't
say when I'll read it, but it's worth a shot. And if you think you can
make it to New Bedford, leave a message on my voicemail at 212.591.0547
Nice writing to you. Best wishes!
love, jamie mcgonnigal
LARRY STARK ASKED: Jamie, last we heard you were a Bridgewater undergraduate. What happened? Can you give other aspiring actors some tips on how to do it? And are you keeping a journal of experiences on tour that might be seen in The Mirror? And Jamie replied:
Date: Mon, 17 Nov 1997 18:53:14 -0800 (PST)
From: Jamie McGonnigal jamiecampbell@rocketmail.com
Subject: Re: hello larry!
Hi, me again...
Yes I graduated from Bridgewater in May. Following
that I did another summer of stock in Vermont with
the Saxtons River Playhouse (a.k.a.
"Summertheater.com")
Directing Plaza Suite, playing Herbie in Gypsy,
Sanderson in Harvey, Paul in A Chorus Line, Action in
West Side and Andy in Love Letters. Kind of a good
summer.
Probably won't return-three summers were
quite enough...
No, I don't have my equity card ---
its a non-eq. tour. I
have been offered a card twice ant turned it down,
because it would not be a smart idea for me right
now. I still have a lot of places to go and things to
do before I can be an equity actor. I'm too young as
of yet. But I know that it is not difficult to get
when I need it (i.e. - when I go to NY).
In Boston I had been working at The Wilbur full time
as an admin. ass't (before I came out here)
I am keeping a journal.
I auditioned for this at
NETCs in Boston last March. It's just that there are
very few "year-round" acting opportunities offered at
NETCs, so per the advice of several other actors on
this tour and producers at NETCs, I will be
auditioning for UPTAs (United Professional Theatre
Auditions) and maybe SETC's (the Southern version of
NETCs).
I would love to see you in New Bedford if you
can make it, please let me know.
Talk to ya later.
Love, jamie
From: "Richard" richard@edgenet.net
Subject: Guys and Dolls @ Bishop Feehan High School
Date: Fri, 28 Nov 1997 17:10:22 -0500
Larry, my name is Justin Jutras and I'm a student @ Bishop Feehan High
School in Attleboro, MA. I don't know if you pay any attention to high
school theater at all or do any reviews on it, well here is the message
anyway. Bishop Feehan will perform "Guys and Dolls" next year in April and
May(April 30th, May 1st & 3rd), it is sure to be a great show with the array
of unbelievable talent we have at our school. We just performed "Lost in
Yonkers" by Neil Simon, and have only received good reviews. Yes, it is a
high school but we have been known to put on shows that rival any community
theater. Believe me, if you do decide to watch the show next year... you
won't be disappointed. Thanks.
-Justin- jrjuice@aol.com
LARRY STARK REPLIES:
I tried several ways to reply to this message.
I'll put up the sketchy and incomplete information here, but I'd like to
know things like the street address of the high school, and a number for reservations or tickets or information.
I have no car, and few of my friends who do are as theater-mad as I am. I won't say "no", but don't get your hopes up, Justin.
Break a leg, though.....
Love,
===Anon.
Date: Tue, 25 Nov 1997 09:59:34 +0800 (U)
From: Nancy Willis nancy_willis@qm.ir.lmco.COM
Subject: re: Deathtrap
Hi Larry . . .
Welcome back from your mini vacation. Any chance you'll get out to Deathtrap this weekend. We still have two performances on Friday and Saturday. The show has been extremely well received and I'd love to have you see it.
I also wanted to thank you for the posting on the Theater Mirror for my auditions for "A Few Good Men". We had a very high percentage of those auditioning who heard about it through the posting. We got most of the auditioners from either the Theater Mirror or the Stage Source hotline. I don't know how I would have found/cast 20 men who look and sound like the Marines without those two resources. Thanks again.
Have a nice holiday. Hope to see you this weekend.
Best,
Nancy Curran Willis
LARRY STARK REGRETS:
This will be a week of catching-up for me, so I'll have to miss it. Pity, because I've never seen the play, and I have liked your work and wish to see more of it. My major problem is no car, and no theater-mad friends who do have one.
It's important to know, though, that people are benefitting from things we do in The Mirror. Until now, I have ignored audition-notices unless they come to The Mirror directly by snail- or e-mail, so we're nowhere as complete as possible. But apparently those who chose to send us announcements and audition-notices are getting results.
Great!
Love,
===Anon.
Date: Sun, 16 Nov 1997 04:03:56 -0500 (EST)
From: angel@antistatic.com
Subject: Re: Man.. Review and Free Speech Wisdom needed
Now, I have a serious question for you. What does one do - what do YOU do when you are told (and you must have been at least a couple times) that they don't want a review of the show done (especially on the (gag snort) Web!)???
I had this experience tonight when we attempted to get into the "Sound of Music" in Nashua this weekend.. I had called the person in charge of tickets three times over the past three days and left detailed messages. Basically I had said I was a reviewer for a theater site on the Web and I wanted two tickets for the show. I inquired about reviewers comps, but said I would be happy to pay for tickets if they didn't offer those. She did not return my call at all. We went anyhow as it was a show I really wanted to see. We ended up getting lost on the way and therefore being a few minutes late, had a terrible time getting parking and then were told we could not get in because they sold out. At the reserved tickets table I said I was hoping tickets had been reserved for us and explained the situation to the man at the desk. He asked me what paper I reviewed for. I mentioned your website and told him I had left messages with the ticket person (who then came over). He got rather shaken up and said that they hadn't reserved any and that they had not agreed to have a review done by anyone for the "World Wide Web" (sneer).
I was surprised that tickets hadn't been held anyhow and ticketlady then stepped in and said she was sorry she didn't get back to me but they weren't going to allow the review anyhow so she didn't- and besides they were sold out (despite her answering message which said there would be tickets at the door tonight). I told him that I still wanted to see the show and had indicated in my messages that I would purchase tickets if they didn't want to give any to reviewers. He insisted they didn't want a review - at all. I asked what he meant, why didn't they want a review? He said, "The Board hasn't agreed to any reviews for the Web and you can't just call a week or so before the show and expect that to be approved." (Apparently this theater group is run by a Board of Directors.) I was pretty shocked but I really wanted to see the show ANYHOW. The reason I DO these things in the first place is cause I love theatre so much.
Ticketlady insisted we couldn't get in cause they had no seats (meanwhile other people were still purchasing unreserved seats). I told the man I still wanted to see the show and I would be happy to pay for my seats (about the tenth time I'd said it.) He said they only had balcony seats left.. and I told him that was fine. Apparently I at least convinced him I sincerely wanted to see it since he did allow me to purchase two seats and then gave me a couple seats at the very back of the main level. At least it was an enjoyable show.
Do they have the right to refuse a review? What has happened to Free Speech?????? It's unfortunate since it was a very good show (some pieces better than others) and I coulda/woulda/shoulda done a very comprehensive review of it. It's ashame I can't do a review of their work. But in any case, what do I do to 1) prevent this problem - get the review or at LEAST the tickets if they don't want the review? and 2) educate these technologically backward folks? Why don't website reviews/reviewers get the same credit and respect that newspapers do? Have you run into these issues before? How do you deal with them?
If they don't want us to review them, do we have any right to do it anyhow or can we get in legal trouble? It seems such an injustice to the performers. I was thinking of writing a full cast and production list and then under the review area state, "Permission to review was declined as reviews for websites have not been approved by the Board." - Much like famous people who decline comment get published as saying, "No Comment" or "So and so refused to comment." That should be Legal anyhow, right? Grrrr. I'm SO irritated with this bureaucratic bull~! Suggestions Please
Looking forward to learning from your wisdom and inspiration ;)
~Kind Regards,
Angel
LARRY STARK SHRUGS:
I don't think there's anything we can do, Angel. The Huntington Theater sent us an E-mail announcing they have a web-site and asking for a link, but they only once sent us any press information, and the only time I was given seats for press-night it was up in the middle of the balcony and I had to chase their P/R bloke for a week to get those.
None of the flacks for the Broadway shows coming through Boston acknowledge our existence either. The tub-thumpers for "The Diary of Anne Frank" e-mailed us to proclaim they had a web-site for the pre-Broadway tour, but though I mentioned its existence and told them by return e-mail to deal with the indifference of the local flacks.
I didn't even get a reply to that.
And there was this experience from Don Gillis down in Connecticut:
Date: Tue, 21 Oct 1997 22:37:51 -0700
From: Don Gillis dgillis@ici.net
Subject: October-November Reviews-RI
On another note, Diane(my wife) and I wanted to get to see
Goodspeed's Musical "The Tin Pan Alley Rag", which opens Oct 30 -
November 23. I called and explained to them about your theatre mirror
and the fact that I reviewed a previous production of their's .."Lucky
in The Rain". They asked me if I meant "press comps" and of course I
said yes, and they said they were not interested in "internet reviews".
So, I guess that ends that...too bad because I really like Goodspeed and
LOVE Scott Joplin and Irving Berlin's music. Maybe I'll go anyway...we
will see..
Don
LARRY STARK REPLIES:
As Dottie Parker is reputed to have said:
" You can lead a horticulture but you can't make her think. "
Love,
===Anon.
From: "Sharyn" Sharyn@wolfenet.com
Subject: Fw: Theatre vs. Theater
Date: Tue, 4 Nov 1997 09:42:37 -0800
Thought you'd like to read this. Hope all's well and the mirror is
supporting you.
Haven't heard from the Papp yet.
All best,
Sharyn
----------
> From: Olga Humphrey Orhum@AOL.COM
> To: ICWP-L@LISTSERV.ACSU.BUFFALO.EDU
> Subject: Theatre vs. Theater
> Date: Monday, November 03, 1997 8:59 PM
I gathered the following from a friend of mine.
The original English *and* American spelling was Theater (although, of
course, this was before spelling was standardized at all, so there were
lots
of personal
variations). Almost all references in Shakespeare's day, for example,
use
the Theater spelling.
In the 1700s, the English switched to Theatre for
two basic reasons: To make the etymology clear by being closer--well,
identical in fact--to the French spelling, since the word arrived in
English from French by way of the Latin "Theatrum" and Greek "Theatron".
And, less important, but a side benefit, to make the relationship with
words like "theatrical" more logical.
Joe Papp, by the way, was vehement about using "er."
Olga
From: "InFocus Publications" ifpub@shore.net
Subject: theater vs. theatre
Date: Thu, 6 Nov 1997 16:28:05 -0500
Dear Larry,
First, Larry, you have the ne plus ultra of New England theater web pages. I rely on it and am a loud supporter of your work.
But, Larry, why oh why did you tell innocent people that Theater is an art practiced in Theatres? As an overworked editor with some experience in thespian trenches, I maintain that the only difference between Theater and Theatre is the passport of the writer. With all due respect to Anglophiles everywhere, "theater" is the only standard spelling of that venerable edifice north of Tijuana and south of Quebec. At Proscenium, we certainly follow the spelling of any venue that opts for "Theatre," and I understand the historical precedent for that. Just, however, because a brewer labels a product "Lite Beer" does not make "Lite" a legitimate alternative to "light."
Please, Larry, give up the dark side and return to American orthographic rectitude.
JD at Proscenium magazine
LARRY STARK REPLIES:
In a word:
N E V E R !!!!!!!!!!!
Obstinance only makes the heart grow harder!
Even if first my old friends and then my new friends ridicule my stand, The Theater Mirror will forever be the one place on this continent where that oh so subtle distinction reigns supreme. (even The Oxford English Dictionary gets it wrong, you know.) You can't make me give up my convictions just by proving they're an out-and-out lie.
(And if I were you, JD, I wouldn't be casting aspersions on this kettle's darkness. I mean, you who can't even spell PROSCENiUM without getting your fonts mixed up, and that on your front page too!)
It's enough to make a man switch from Bass Ale to porter it is!
And one more word out of either of you and I'll be drinking Stout!
Date: Tue, 04 Nov 1997 23:34:15 -0800
From: David Lieberman 102545.2324@compuserve.com
Subject: Les Mis. in Boston
Could anyone tell me if Les Miserables is going to come to the Boston
are in the near future? ...or if it is already in Boston and I just
missed it on the list?
thanks,
Chris Mauro
cmauro@bu.edu
LARRY STARK REPLIES:
Nope.
I'd list it under "L" because I am a strange old man, but it's not there.
Its not in Boston, nor coming to Boston.
It's due in Hartford in 1998, in Rhode Island in 2000, and in New Haven in 2002.
Like to know how I found out?
Jill Hobgood's website on musicals called "Theatricopia" http://www.saintmarys.edu/%7Ejhobgood/Jill/theatre.html has several websites for "Les Miserables", and the first one I tried had a search-thingie to find out where tours worldwide might be on any given date. That web page is:
http://dbase.lesmis.com/scripts/lesmis/asktour.idc.
Love,
===Anon.
From: MBGJ85A@prodigy.com (MR STUART R HAMILTON)
Date: Tue, 4 Nov 1997 16:48:44, -0500
Subject: Dining
Could you suggest a good restaruant to take a ten-year-old after
Annie at the Wang Center next Sunday?
Thanks
LARRY STARK REPLIES:
Frankly, no.
I'm retired, and eating food-stamps. I can't remember how long ago I bought a restaurant meal.
However, there is a "New York Deli" just across the street from the Wang that serves big sandwiches and similar foods. If you walk down Tremont to the corner of Stuart Street, across Stuart to your left there are several eating places, one of which serving very good hamburgers; and there was a joyce Chen's too, I think.
I'm sorry I can't go much farther on this topic, but I'd be interested in hearing what your decision turns out to be.
Perhaps readers in The Greenroom will give better answers.
Love,
===Anon.
Date: Tue, 04 Nov 1997 00:07:37 +0100
From: "Nancy E. Gertz" gertzn@tiac.net
Organization: Portal Theater Co.
Subject: MAIDS Review
Would that every theater-goer had your knowledge and appreciation of the
art! Thanks for the wonderful review! You are welcome anytime--just
yell!
Nancy E. Gertz (Claire)
LARRY STARK REPLIES:
Is the "Women Play" workshop still active? If so, I might like to "review" one of your workshop sessions. I'd like to see the part of the iceberg that supports the visible tip which is the performance.
I really like your work.....
Love,
===Anon.
Date: Tue, 4 Nov 1997 13:58:52 +0100
From: gertzn@tiac.net (Nancy)
Subject: Re: MAIDS Review
The story:
Womenplay was a workshop that Rachel started when she could barely speak English about two+ years ago. It was a beginner's acting class at the JCC in Newton. We met For 3 hours weekly and did improvisation and some technique work. In June of that year we had a workshop "recital" so to speak, and that was Scenes From the Family Album (from The Three Sisters-Chekov). We started working together again in the Fall of 96, again at the JCC, with new students, a combo of beginners and advanced students. It didn't work for a variety of reasons, primarily the various levels of skill left people feeling dissatisfied. In the Spring of 96 we split up and Jane, Rachel and I sparked the idea of starting a new group of our own, separate from the JCC. In the spring of 97 we launched Portal Theatre with our own investments and some generous donations from supporters of Rachel's previous work in Israel. (By the way, she is absolutely brilliant and any credit for the show is hers--it is entirely her vision.)
So we started analyzing the text and continued our acting training with her at own of our homes and slowly came to understand THE MAIDS (which Rachel selected). After 2-3 months of study and workshop, we began working more intently on Claire and Solange--character development, biographies, movement, voice, etc. We had a voice coach and a movement instructor. We auditioned many actresses for the part of Madame and finally found Deborah about 2 months before opening night. We rented studio space in a church in Newton and worked endlessly on bringing more and more understanding of the text to the life on the stage. The play is nothing without the total understanding of Genet and the lives of the characters, as you know. Over time we stripped away layer after layer of illusion, only to find more. As we moved through each scene study we realized we now understood more and needed to re-shape the scenes we had already finished. It was always evolving, and remains so now. Every night, as I drive to the theater and review lines, I am struck by another revelation in the text. Genet may not be everyone's favorite, but he was brilliant nonetheless and the play is amazingly rich, even after doing it for months.
Rachel tok enormous risks with this production, not the least of which was using two inexperienced actors in the lead roles. I hope we have done the characters and the play justice, and I think we have. I'm so pleased that you enjoyed it. Rachel has said all along that the more someone knows Genet and THe Maids, the more they will appreciate this production. I think she was right.
Thanks for your support and passing along the good words. We hope to use
this as a launching pad for Portal Theatre, and any advice or assistance
you can give us as we move along this path will be greatly appreciated.
Hope your cold is improving!
Best, Nancy Gertz
From: HowardSB@aol.com
Date: Sun, 2 Nov 1997 09:25:40 -0500 (EST)
Subject: Vokes City of Angels Review
Larry,
Thanks for taking the time to see and review our show. As always, I
appreciate your comments, be they thumbs up or thumbs down, as they act as a
litmus test for me for future theatrical endeavors. And as you pointed out,
the production doesn't stop growing on opening night!
I just wanted to clear up one factual point you mentioned in your review. Although it may have sounded like an army of musicians, there are only ever 12 musicians playing at any given performance, not 24 (4 in the rhythm section, 4 brass, and 4 reeds). The reason there are so many names listed in the program is that musicians often cannot commit to playing every performance of a 4-week run of a show due to previously existing commitments at the time I hired them, so they will "split the book" with one or more other musicians. Sometimes, in fact, a player will "sub in" for only a single performance. So that's why so many names were listed. I suppose this could have been made clearer in the program.
Anyway, I'm continually working on the balance problem between cast and orchestra. In fact, as of last night's performance, I've cut some musicians out of certain musical numbers and repositioned the orchestra to face the stage left wall rather than facing the audience directly, just so as not to drown out the lyrics in places where I've gotten feedback that they were getting lost. This is an ongoing problem that I'm faced with, and I hope to achieve the right balance as soon as possible. Of course, I'd someday love to work in a theatre that could afford body mics, but the economics of community theater tend to preclude that option.
Thanks again for your comments and your support.
- Howard Boles, Music Director, "City of Angels"
LARRY STARK REPLIES:
Actually, Howard, I stayed after the curtain-calls Friday watching you and the gang go through a driving ensemble passage, and you could have been Herman's Herd for my money! But I admit I wasn't counting faces. I was really looking for Harlan Feinstein, and now I know why I didn't see him.
Some shows really ought to be reviewed on opening and on closing night, because of the growth during performances.
Love,
===Anon.
Date: Thu, 30 Oct 1997 00:44:42 -0500
From: "denny J Huber,Writer" djhuber@hotmail.com
Reply-To: Pittsburgh+@pitt.edu, PA+@pitt.edu
Organization: University of Pittsburgh
To: greenroom@theatermirror.com
CC: djhuber@hotmail.com
Subject: Tour-act "Poe"
Please have actor Norman George get in touch about booking him here, as Edgar A.Poe, (read review from Tennessean..& great Photo!) Seeking touring acts for 4 restored theatres) Huber,Box-10749 Pittsburgh PA 15203
LARRY STARK REPLIES:
???????????
Love,
===Anon.
( a k a larry stark)
Date: 28 Oct 97 13:14:47 -0500
From: Susan Cassidy scassidy@cadmuscustom.com
This has been driving me crazy and finally I had to give in and send you a note. Your point about the confusion re. theater/theatre is well taken, but I think the word you want is "obstinate" pedantry, not "obstinant." I don't think there is such a word as "obstinant," at least not in Webster's dictionary.
I'm an editor, so unfortunately I notice this kind of thing.
LARRY STARK CONFESSES:
[ gulp! ]
Red-faced embarrassment......
I wonder when we got it wrong?
I wonder why we never Read it?????
I wrote a story once in which a very uppity, pompous person waved away some objection to his words by saying
"I was just speaking hermetically!"
But this makes me feel as though my entire life is really a short-story by Jorge Luis Borges!
Thanks for noticing!
Love,
===Anon.
Date: Sat, 25 Oct 1997 12:17:51 -0400
From: Katie Woo kwoo@emerald.tufts.edu
Organization: Tufts University
Subject: noise/funk
hi! love the site! i heard a rumor...maybe you can help...
i heard that bring in 'da noise, bring in funk is coming to boston. is
that true? please let me know when you get the chance. thank you.
love, katie
LARRY STARK REPLIES:
Yes. I've been told it MAY be here in the Spring, but whether at the Shubert or the Emerson Majestic is not yet decided. Glover won't be part of the cast, though.(This is all not confirmed and released yet)
You should call DANCE UMBRELLA, who will be a sponsor.
Love,
===Anon.
From: BradWalt@aol.com
Date: Sat, 25 Oct 1997 01:43:40 -0400 (EDT)
Subject: Mystery play at the Wilbur
Is it Quentin Tarentino in Wait Until Dark?
Do I win something if I'm right ?
Brad
PS: My second guess is Ben Kingsley in Waiting for Godot but I don't think
I'd run out to buy tickets for that one.
LARRY STARK REPLIES:
Shhhh! Shhh!
Let's not guess F. Murray Abraham in "Oliver!" again, Brad!
But "It will come when it will come.
The readiness is all..."
Love,
===Anon.
From: edy@tiac.net
Subject: Happiest of Birthdays!
Date: Wed, 22 Oct 1997 19:28:07 -0400
Larry,
Love your site! Glad to see it is entering the "terrible twos".
Seriously, you know my views on what a terrific service your web site
provides.
Keep going, keep growing!
Russ
Date: Wed, 22 Oct 1997 09:52:04 -0700
From: marc bauman mbauman@sirius.com
Subject: Thanks For Signing!
Dear Larry,
Thanks for visiting my website, and for taking the time to sign the
guestbook. I just posted the first part of an interview with Marco
Barricelli. I hope you will visit again soon to check it out... So,
you're in New England. I'll be teaching an acting workshop in New
England (Deerfield Academy, Deerfield, MA) in December. "Que le monde
est petit..." Thanks again for visiting...
Best wishes,
Marc Bauman
P.S. I visited your site. Congratulations on having one of the most
comprehensive sites on New England theatre that I have ever seen -
Bravo!
--------------------------------------------------------
Bauman Theatre Forums
http://www.geocities.com/Broadway/1723/
mbauman@sirius.com
"risk and respect…"
--------------------------------------------------------
Date: Tue, 21 Oct 1997 22:37:51 -0700
From: Don Gillis dgillis@ici.net
Subject: October-November Reviews-RI
H A P P Y B I R T H D A Y TO YOU !!!!!!!!!
YOU HAVE COME A LONG WAY !!!! BABE!!!!
2 candles - finally out of diapers!!!!!!
On another note, Diane(my wife) and I wanted to get to see
Goodspeed's Musical "The Tin Pan Alley Rag", which opens Oct 30 -
November 23. I called and explained to them about your theatre mirror
and the fact that I reviewed a previous production of their's .."Lucky
in The Rain". They asked me if I meant "press comps" and of course I
said yes, and they said they were not interested in "internet reviews".
So, I guess that ends that...too bad because I really like Goodspeed and
LOVE Scott Joplin and Irving Berlin's music. Maybe I'll go anyway...we
will see..
Don
LARRY STARK REPLIES:
As Dottie Parker is reputed to have said:
" You can lead a horticulture but you can't make her think. "
Love,
===Anon.
Date: Tue, 21 Oct 1997 14:33:45 -0400
From: aseltine aseltine@sover.net
Subject: My Favorite Obstinent Pedant and His Technical Wizard
Happy, Happy, HAPPY Birthday!!!
Your site has been a god send in so many ways and getting to know you a
bit has been a true, personal pleasure. When I visit the MIRROR I am
entertained, enlightened and sometimes enraged, but never, ever bored.
May this be the first of many happy returns of the day.
Love and appreciation,
Rosann
Date: Mon, 20 Oct 1997 20:35:55 GMT
We will pay you a nickel per click ($.05) to place an ad for Microsoft's
Boston city guide on your site http://www.theatermirror.com/. The guide is called Boston.Sidewalk. It is full of current event information, restaurant and nightclub reviews, maps and information, and other news that people living in the Boston area will be interested in.
To get started, simply cut and paste the HTML below onto the page where you
would like to run the banner. You start generating revenue when the first
click on the banner occurs. To see other ads available for placement and
register for payment go to http://www.eads.com/bostsoci
Best regards, LARRY STARK IMMEDIATELY REPLIED:
Hi John. This is larry stark.
What nakes you think we do NOT have a banner-ad for boston.sidewalks on our THEATER MIRROR website? Haven't you been keeping track of the thousands and thousands of nickels you've had to pay us for hits on that banner? It doesn't mean we think boston.sidewalks is a good thing.
We think e-Guide is a good thing. That's e-guide: If you want to give us a banner for the e-guide that would give us a nickel a click, you'd see it on every damn page The Theater Mirror puts up. We think it's that much better than boston.sidewalks .
e=guide is on our list of USEFUL links.
boston.sidewalks isn't.
Know what you should do? From: laserman1@ibm.net
Hi, My wife and I go to the theater 4 or 5 times a year and we get our
tickets from Show Of the Month Club. I'd like to know where on the net I
can get the theaters seating plans. I'd like to have the seating plans so i
know when i get my tickets where i will be seating and to also buy tickets
base on the seats at the theather that I like. Thanks for any info, David
Polizzotti
LARRY STARK REPLIES: From: MNWillers@aol.com
I knew I should have looked sooner to find the great review on Scott
Wakefield. We just got through doing a run of the follies here at Diamond
Head Theater in Honolulu Hawaii and Scott was amazing. I had the honor of
being his dresser and he was just a joy to work with and y'know what...he's
just as funny off-stage as he is on-stage. That Will Rogers banter comes
natural for him. We ended up extending for 2 more shows which is rare for a
DHT production. The only one we extended recently was Crazy for You- our
season closer a few months ago. In fact, Eileen Grace came by for 9 days to
teach the girls the Tommy Tune choreography and they nailed it, especcially
"Campaign" - so people out there..don't underestimate theater here in Hawaii.
Thank you for such a fantastic review of him and the show by Beverly Creasey.
We had a patron who had seen the Keith Carradine version and liked Scott much
better. I never got to see Keith's version or anybody else's version, but I
do admit it will be hard to better Scott at this point - of course, working
closely with him I am a bit biased.
He should be home today. He left last night. Keep him busy...more people need
to see his work.
LARRY STARK REPLIES:
Date: Thu, 16 Oct 1997 16:30:34 -0400 (EDT)
Dear ART-list Subscriber, /Date: Sun, 12 Oct 1997 03:20:20 -0400 Hi, LARRY STARK REPLIES: Date: Sun, 12 Oct 1997 19:16:32 +0100
Larry, LARRY STARK REPLIES:
If you want a squib in SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENTS on our front-end page, send it to us. I put a short precis there, and then quote your entire press-release at the top of the ANNOUNCEMENTS page. Same for audition-calls. meganbell1@juno.com
At 03:56 PM 10/7/97 -0500, you wrote:
I was just wondering how I could find out about future auons in the New
England area. Any info. you could give me would be helpful. Your web
site is an excellent resource and very well organized, Great Job !!
LARRY STARK REPLIES:
For New England, I've been told that NEW ENGLAND ENTERTAINMENT DIGEST is the biggest and most reliable spread of audition notices. Problem is, it's a Monthly.
The Boston GLOBE's Thursday Calendar publishes audition notices, and perhaps the Boston PHOENIX (and their regional clones in Providence and Worcester) carry them as well, and they're all weekly.
There is a Subscription Phone Service maintained by STAGE SOURCE that is the only other good, reliable source I've heard of. You must pay to learn their phone number, and that number is changed periodically. As I said, subscription service. But changes go up there immediately, so it's the most current list of auditions Which They Have Found Out About.
That last line is important, because all these services have the same problem The Mirror does: people don't always publicize auditions as widely as possible. There were listings in last week's GLOBE Calendar, for instance, that never got to The Theater Mirror, and there were LOTS in N.E.E.D. that never got to us either. Community Theatres may only notify members, by mail, and then rely on "the grapevine"; and often the grapevine will be the only way a director will look for actors for a one remaining part not yet cast, or for suddenly needed replacements when an actor quits.
Frankly, that grapevine is really your Best source --- for several unpleasant reasons. One of the unfortunate realities of the theater job-market here is that most of the parts are for men, and most of the actors are women. Women who know about casting for a part they would kill to play would rather keep the audition-pool for that part as small as possible, so they don't share. And very often directors know before the audition who they'd prefer to cast, so an "open" casting-call is actually a fiction. And the only way to know what's really going on in such situations is that grapevine.
I wish it were easier.
The Theater Mirror only lists audition-notices that come directly to us, and we pass on casting-calls that come through the NETC electronic bulletinboard. We don't steal notices from N.E.E.D. (though we do steal performance-listings!) because their unique completeness in this area is a major selling-point for them, and we'd like to make certain they stay in business because of the benefit to theater they provide acorss the board.
I don't know about STAGE SOURCE, but I don't think a serious actor can live without it, regardless of cost.
I wish it were easier!!!
Break a leg! Date: Tue, 30 Sep 1997 13:42:38 -0400
WOW...I actually found someone who agrees with me:
"A note of pure obstinant pedantry:
How true you speak! I'm impressed. Thank goodness there are anal
people like us in the world! LARRY STARK'S REPLY:
"We few......... From: EAHInc@aol.com
Larry, LARRY STARK ADVISES: From: Merritt101@aol.com
Hello Larry,
There is a glaring error in Ms. Creasley's review of AS YOU LIKE IT. She
states that Rosalind is "Shakespeare's longest role."
Hamlet is Shakespeare's longest role in a single play, while Falstaff is
Shakespeare's longest role period, appearing in HENRY IV PTS. 1 & 2, and THE
MERRY WIVES OF WINDSOR.
Am I becoming a curmudgeon?
LARRY STARK INSISTS:
Will you have any reviews for us, or are classes too taxing this season?
Love, From: "Sharyn Shipley" Sharyn@wolfenet.com Papp Public Theatre asked the producer for a play. She sent mine. I'll
keep you posted, of course.
Sharyn Shipley
"Felicity" is being featured in the Theater Mirror at
http://www.theatermirror.com/reflect.htm
LARRY STARK REPLIES: Larry, Date: Mon, 22 Sep 1997 11:15:49 -0400
Dear Larry, LARRY STARK EXPLAINS: Date: Mon, 15 Sep 1997 17:58:41 -0700 Thanks for the information and biography. It was interesting to me, and
I'm sure a lot of other readers. Thanks for sharing your life, and
especially those wonderful memories that NO ONE can take away! From: "Sharyn Shipley" Sharyn@wolfenet.com
Dear Larry --
LARRY STARK EXPLAINS:
Sharyn's play --- initially called "Hamlet: The Women" has gone through several workshops and re-writes. An episodic history of its many permutations can be found in The Theater Mirror's "Reflections" section. Take a look!
From: edy@tiac.net
Larry,
While I do not dispute Mr. Marx's rights concerning ownership of his
thoughts and opinions, I strongly dis-agree with his "jab" at your website
as being merely designed to "publicize Boston theatres" and are afraid of
discomforting them. Your Web site does a great deal more in one week to
enlighten and inform the public as to what is happening in the New England
theatre scene than Bill Marx, and the rest of the print media in the Boston
area, will in their entire "blinkered" lifetime.
I have noticed that many of your reviews are "tempered" in their criticism,
and I don't always agree with some of your opinions. But I DO respect your
willingness to take productions at face value and understand that things
like budgets and time commitments have an effect. I also respect the fact
that you realize that most people are involved in theatre at whatever level
they can be because they love it and are giving it their all.
The fact that the "official Boston theatre scene" is currently in such a
lamentable state, is that they do not support the "outer circle theatres"
with any kind of consistancy. Your web site and NEED are the only ones that
have remained vigilant. It is through efforts such as this that the
theatres outside of the "golden circle" will continue to thrive, and have a
place to share and build a community of theatres.
Sorry to have sounded so passionate, but, it touched a nerve, ya know?!
Russ NOTE: Russ is referring to the the letter below:
Date: Thu, 28 Aug 1997 15:52:06 -0400
August 28, 1997
Dear Mr. Stark,
You have every right to criticize my reviews, but you don't have
the right to reproduce them without my permission. If you would like to
put my work on ``The Theater Mirror'' you can. But we must agree to a
reasonable fee: the Globe buys first publication rights,s to the paper
would probably want you to remove ``Globe Correspondent'' from underneath
my name. Pay me a fee and I will also send you a correct version of the
piece to replace the messy representation you have now.
LARRY STARK REPLIES: From: edy@tiac.net
To:
LARRY STARK REPLIES: From: LSwerd999@aol.com
Thanks so much for J's e-mail address. I'll try it today.
Although the Pocket Mime was originally my idea, I only stayed with the
company the first year. J and Anegrette and the others deserve the credit for
sticking with it so many years. Many times I wondered if I made the right
choice leaving the company.
I dropped out of Emerson in my junior year and spent two years kicking around
Boston as an actor, doing musicals at the Rose Caberet and some legit work at
the Charles Playhouse. In '72 I moved to San Diego and did 2 years of stock
work, mostly as a stage manager. After that, I got to the point where I
couldn't stomach another Niel Simon play, so I took a pay cut and went over
to the Old Globe Theatre where I stage managed 2 Shakespeare festivals and
the first educational tour the company produced. I then returned to school
at UCSD where I studied directing stage and film. After graduating, I spent
2 years directing shows in San Diego theatres including the San Diego
Repertory and the Globe.
In '79 I moved to L.A. and broke into television. I've directed and produced
a few TV series for children and eventually got into writing. I won a
National Emmy Award for my writing on Jim Henson's Muppet Babies. I've also
worked on "Winnie the Pooh" and the Simpsons. A couple years back I wrote
and directed a children's feature film titled "The Skateboard Kid".
Currently I am directing live music concerts that are broadcast on the
internet with Billboard Live. But lately I've been thinking seriously about
returning to Boston with my wife and children -- if I can find the right
employment opportunity.
It's nice to see that the Boston theatre scene is still flourishing. I was
delighted to discover your web site earlier this week. I'll be logging in
frequently. Date: Fri, 22 Aug 1997 23:06:15 -0700
Hello Larry:
LARRY STARK REPLIES: From: LSwerd999@aol.com
I read J's feature about the Pocket Mime Theater with interest, as I was one
of the founding members. I'd like to get in touch with J. Do you have his
e-mail address, or is it possible to e-mail him here.
Larry Swerdlove
LARRY STARK REPLES:
Date: Mon, 11 Nov 1996 23:16:20 -0500
From: J Tormey 70511.1513@compuserve.com
You know, if we work it right, maybe we can reunite the entire POCKET MIME THEATER troop once again! From: MajorTom18@aol.com
Theatre is the art LARRY STARK REPLIED: Date: Sun, 17 Aug 1997 16:29:31 -0400
Wish all the spams which I received were this good! Thanks for the
link, I just got around to link back to you. I will try and keep you
informed about Oddfellows current productions. Thanks again.
The Theater Mirror wrote:
Hi. This is larry stark, from The Theater Mirror, and I apologise for what must look like SPAM to you.
The Theater Mirror [ http://www.shore.net/~greenrm or
http://www.theatermirror.com ] --- in case you hadn't noticed --- has a link to your very website on our quite selective links-list, and we probably list information about your productions, updated once a week,. ((If you'd like to e-mail information about current or planned productions directly to us, any time, we'd certainly like it, since it might save time getting the information into our pages. But we'll do it the hard way if we have to!))
But at the moment I have something else in mind:
Reviewers.
Including me, we have three people reviewing plays in and around Boston, and for a while we had a reviewer in Connecticut, until he had a baby and ran out of time.
But there's a lot going on in the six-state New England area we cover, and though I'd love to see it all, the next best thing would be to get reviewers to tell us what's going on at your theatre and any others in your neck of the stage. It's one thing for me to know from your listing what you're doing, but quite another to have a sensitive pair of eyeballs report to me (and the to 80 or so people who look into The Mirror every day) what they saw you do.
Now, I don't make any money out of this, and I certainly can't pay reviewers anything either, but I'd certainly like to give them a by-line and exposure, and to put up their reviews uncut no matter how tempted I might be to edit a sentence or argue with an opinion.
And by "reviewers" I don't really mean professionals. People who see a lot of theater and can tell other people about what they saw --- I am,
personally, much more interested in what a reviewer SAW than what they
thought about it --- are exactly the kind of people I'd like to hear from
regularly.
And we're not committed exclusively to E-mail either. Beverly Creasey send her reviews by snail, and I re-type them. (I'm retired, and the Mirror keeps me off the streets)
This is going to web sites that are NOT in the immediate Boston area, in the hope of giving our readers a window on the state of theater in other states.
So, if you can scare up anyone interested, have them get in touch with me.
And, break a leg on YOUR next show too!
Love,
LARRY STARK EXPLAINS: The word, though, is important to the expanding curiosity of The Theater Mirror. Don Gillis down in Rhode Island took our bait, and you've read his reviews right here in The Mirror. He's seen shows I didn't even know existed, and because he did those 80 people a day know about them too. From: "Sharyn Shipley" Sharyn@wolfenet.com Dear Larry, I'm on the List of women playwrights on the web (and so is GL Horton,
lucky us). I'm hard at work on the rewrite. LARRY STARK HOPES: Date: Fri, 15 Aug 1997 10:16:32 -0400
Hi Larry! I typed my own name into a search engine on the World Wide Web,
and it found your retelling of the Three Russian Musicians shaggy dog
story. So I see that you are doing the same thing you always loved,
just better and more technologically. Or let's say that you have found
a way to combine fanzinedom and theater reviewing. Wayles Browne, Assoc. Prof. of Linguistics LARRY STARK REMEMBERS: From: maryann_zschau@putnaminv.com Dear Larry, Guilty Children Comedy company WOW! LARRY STARK'S STANDARD REPLY IS: Opening - closing DATES And your link is up Right Now! Date: Thu, 24 Jul 1997 09:34:48 -0500 (CDT) Dear Larry, Date: 24 Jul 1997 15:49:46 U Larry . . . Just wanted to drop a line and thank you for the very supportive
and encouraging review of our production and for getting it out in
record-setting time! How do you do it? It was a pleasure to finally get to
meet you in person and to share a little discussion on our differing opinions
about "Company." From: "Sharyn Shipley" Sharyn@wolfenet.com
Dear Larry, My new work "Felicity" will be presented at the Skirball Cultural Center on
Aug.3,1997 at 1:00 PM.
Notes from the program: Date: Mon, 21 Jul 97 08:18:17 PDT
Thanks for the reply. All worked out well, as I booked
tickets for "Other People's Money," at Deco Boston Dinner Theatre
in Woburn. Nice show! And at a good price, although there was a
very small turn-out, probably since it was Sunday afternoon. LARRY STARK REPLIES:
Date: Thu, 17 Jul 1997 15:21:42 -0400
Larry,
Hi! Legend has it that you're going to be visiting us at Turtle Lane's
Carnival sometime soon. Since the pit can't be seen at all there, you'll
have to tell me when you're there so I can come out and say hi! :-) Or
send word back to the pit. We're actually the first show in a while (I
understand) not to use the underground pit they've got; we're actually
off-stage to the left, up on a platform. From: Playomatic@aol.com Hey Larry!
AND LARRY STARK REPLIES: Date:Tue, 08 Jul 1997 09:03:48 -0700 I've just been browsing through your reveiws of plays in
the Boston area. They're interesting & informative. But in the
list of "Reviews of Current Productions", I only found a couple
of plays that are actually still running! All the rest have
finished their runs, according to the 'til ___' date at the end
of the review. LARRY STARK SYMPATHIZES:
I'm really sorry to have wasted your time. Every review is "archived" when it goes up, and the list of reviews is
actually by DATE, with the newest review added at the top of the list each
time. I'm really sorry that wasn't clear.
Date: Wed, 02 Jul 1997 23:28:31 -0400
I'm looking for an upcoming production of The Secret Garden and/or the
name of the company that holds the rights. AND LARRY STARK REPLIED: Hi. Sorry to be so long in answering, but every time I looked at your
message I was doing something else and didn't have the time, and most often
when I did "have the time" I used it to get som sleep. Date: Thu, 26 Jun 1997 22:54:30 -0400 Dear Larry, LARRY STARK EXPLAINS: From: Gaston28@aol.com Thanks for your reply! LARRY STARK REPLIES: Date: 26 Jun 1997 09:47:18 U Hi Larry . . . The only disappointment to the entire weekend was the lower than expected
attendance. We (EMACT) are at a loss as to how to create more interest in
attendance both from the groups entered in the festival and the public in
general. Any ideas your audience can suggest would be greatly appreciated.
On a different note, a reminder that my production of "Lips Together, Teeth
Apart" opens on July 17th and runs through August 2nd at Vokes in Wayland. I
think Donnie Baillargeon who's doing the publicity will be getting in touch
with you regarding a review. Hope you can make it. The rehearsals are going
really well and the set is BEAUTIFUL! We're thinking of renting it out as a
summer vacation spot for $750 a week!
Also, just read the comments in the Greenroom regarding your review of
"Company." I was happy to see that someone else agreed with my feelings about
the show. Hope to see you at "Lips." Date: Fri, 27 Jun 1997 16:51:41 -0400 Regarding "Gaston28@aol.com" little, nasty commentary to you dated June
23, about the Company Review, may I point out an error that this
self-expressed "expert" has made, while being so quick to correct your
error. Donna MacKechnie was NOT a member of the vocal minority. She
played Kathy, one of the trio of Bobby's girlfriends who sing "You Could
Drive a Person Crazy", and she also danced the "Tick Tock Dance" in Act II
(which was cut from the revival). In fact, she had been Michael Bennet's
girlfriend for some time already, and many say that the Tick Tock Dance
was inserted into Act II (it took place while Bobby and April were
having sex -- a descriptive dance) to showcase her dancing. LARRY STARK REPLIES: Date: Tue, 24 Jun 1997 11:09:11 -0400 I'm writing in response to: LARRY STARK REPLIES:,BR>
Arun? Haven't I actually TALKED to you once or twice before? Date: Tue, 24 Jun 1997 14:01:16 +0000 Good luck on your new website. Keep up the good and great fight and
may your work, like the universe, keep expanding. By the way, whatever
happened to the web page you were gonna give the Lyric? Ciao. Mort
LARRY STARK REPLIES: From: "Dean O'Donnell" dodo@world.std.com I have had a bit of an adventure. I got invited to a "World Literature
Conference" in Washington, DC. It was sponsored by the Washington Times
Foundation, which is a front group for Rev. Sun Myeung Moon's Unification
Church (better known as the Moonies). It was a hoot! They flew me down
and put me up in a 5 star hotel (along with a lot of other writers), and
then preached to us all weekend. Since I'm a whore, I took the trip
and skipped most of the indoctrination to do touristy things. I also
got a chance to see the national touring production of "Chicago", and DC's
Shakespeare Theatre's production of "Mourning Becomes Elektra".
Seeing "Chicago" was just like wandering into the Colonial or the Wilbur,
another hit Broadway show on its national tour. My neighbors and I
commiserated over the lack of legroom in our mezzanine seats, but agreed
that for seeing everything onstage the seats were fine. The little girl in
front of me (yes, a nine year old was there to see "Chicago" with her
parents) kept turning around to look at me when I laughed, because my laugh
is rather loud and distinctive. I waved to her.
At "Mourning Becomes Electra" they sat me with two other "single ticket
holders". We struck up a conversation and talked about the play during the
intermissions. I knew about the original Greek tragedies O'Neill based the
play on and talked about that. One of the others had seen a lot of the
Shakespeare Theatre's other productions and told us about the actors that
he had seen before-- which ones he liked and which ones he didn't. I think
we made the show much more enjoyable for each other.
I found out something great-- >As soon as I get the pictures developed, I'm going to put together a web
page about the whole thing. And something makes me think that I won't be
invited to the next one... From: Gaston28@aol.com Interesting, I have been reading your reviews for awhile now and yet I
have yet to read a bad review. I would like to note an error in your
review of Company, which I myself found lacking in "believable"
relationships. You mention that Donna MacKechnie sang the "marriage"
song, while in actuality it was Beth Howland. Donna M. played one of
the vocal minority. LARRY STARK REPLIES: From: Merritt101@aol.com Hello Mr. Stark: AND LARRY STARK REPLIES: How it works is: go see a show. Write a description of what you saw, and
maybe what you thought about it, and send it to The Theater Mirror, either
by E-mail or snail-mail. 11:53 PM 6/17/97 -0400, Dear Larry,
AND I REPLIED: But that won't stop me from blathering anyway. Those seem to ME to be the possibilities available to someone with a new
script, the ink still wet, clutched in their hands. Obviously, I have no concrete answers to your questions. A good friend of
mine has been preparing to produce a one-man show entirely himself; he is
incredibly experienced, informed, and connected --- yet he has been at this
for over a year, and the kinds of problems I've heard about him tackling are
staggering to my mind. Then again, he's hoping eventually to make money
enough to live on from this show. AND, this is what Dean O'Donnell had to say:
From: "Dean O'Donnell" Larry's pretty much already explained the opportunities in Boston. As for
Centastage, if you submitted the script right now, it wouldn't be read
until next year. The deadline for Centastage scripts is March 1, and
anything that comes in after that date gets put in the "next year" pile.
On March 1, they clean out the box and put it on the desks to start
reading.
If you want the play produced anywhere (which is usually fine with most
people), I'd suggest getting a copy of the Dramatist's Sourcebook,
published by Theatre Communications Group (TCG). The whole book is just
listings of opportunities for playwrights, with appropriate due dates.
They'll also tell you if listed theatres accept unsolicited manuscripts,
and they have listings of playwrighting contests around the country. The
big local one that has a due date soon is the Clauder Competition (June
30). Some places will send you critiques of your script even if they don't
produce it. The Dramatist's Sourcebook is available at most bookstores (I
know Wordsworth in Harvard Sq. has it) in the drama section. The new
edition comes out in Sept., and, since things change in the theatre world,
it's best to get a new one every year.
It also describes correct things to do when submitting scripts (like bind
it, send a SASE with it, include a brief cover letter, don't pester the
theatre, etc.) It's all good advice, I know when reading scripts for the
DarkNight series I've rejected scripts because they're submitted in hard to
read fonts, or the playwright has sent just a loose stack of papers (which
I think shows poor planning, and a bit of contempt for the theatre).
The best advice is send it out everywhere you can, wait patiently to hear,
and while you're waiting start writing your next play. NOTE: 04:24 PM 6/17/97 -0500 Dear Larry, AND NATURALLY I REPLIED: Date: Fri, 20 Jun 1997 11:21:18 -0500 (CDT)
From: sharyns@ix.netcom.com (Sharyn Shipley) EXPLANATION: Subject: NHCTA 26th Annual Drama Festival The New Hampshire Community Theatre Association 26th Annual Drama Festival
will be held on Sunday, June 29, 1997 at the historic Palace Theatre in
Manchester, NH. Six companies will participate, with performance time limited
to one hour each. Performances will be followed by public adjudication:
adjudicators are Bob Shea, formerly Artistic Director of the the New Hampshire
Performing Arts Center, and Craig Foley, free-lanch director and drama
Professor at Emerson College and Norhteastern University.
First production starts at 8 AM, and there will be exciting theatre all day
long. Tickets are $10 in advance, $12 at the door. There is also a $5 special
student ticket, available in advance only. Tickets are available from Jerry
White: phone (603)673-1691; FAX (617)271-6131, e-mail jwhite@mitre.org.
AND I REPLIED: Regrettably, to date (this date is 24 June) no further information has come
to us out of New Hampshire. Date: Thu, 12 Jun 1997 14:25:31 -0600 We'd be pleased to have a the link to our site, Theatre on the Brink in
Nashville, TN, a professional alternative theatre company.
The URL is http://mindspring.com/~edhaggard
The email Address is bigmoose@mindspring.com
LARRY STARK REGRETS: And you're right that we try to find and make a link to every website
for individual theatrical groups anywhere in that six-state area.
Date: Thu, 05 Jun 1997 09:57:35 -0500
http://grace.it.emerson.edu/acadepts/pa/usitt_ne/
Special Thanks to Jeff Gardiner for his help in uploading and improving
the page.
Crystal Tiala AND LARRY STARK HAUGHTILY REPLIES:
No WAY, Jeff!!!
((It's been there about a week already!!!!!!))
But I'll put in a SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENTS squib, and quote you in The Greenroom. Date: Tue, 03 Jun 1997 21:02:59 -0400
Larry,
Larry, LARRY STARK REPLIES:
Paul Daigneault
Dear Mr. Stark;
LARRY STARK REPLIES:
From: eAds
To: eastcomp@theatermirror.com;
Subject: Microsoft Sponsorship Request
Please feel free to email me with any additional questions.
John Nail
Ad Buyer
eAds
http://www.eads.com
hundreds and hundreds?
dozens and dozens???
some, maybe?
Well, it could be that the banner is on a page from our website that reprints my column-entry in the monthly NEW ENGLAND ENTERTAINMENT DIGEST that talked about the boston.sidewalks site.
We put it there so people could use the banner to prove to themselves that boston.sidewalks does NOT even now have a front-end method of going from your first page to the THEATER coverage.
That's a little short-sighted, in my opinion, and I said so.
But we put your banner up, because a nickel is a nickel after all, and even nickels from the gullible are nickels, after all, so what the hell.
http://www.e-guide.com/lists/venues.htm
check it out. When you get there, click on THEATER and see what we mean.
Tell Bill Gates that he should buy e-guide, and put boston.sidewalks into the dustbin of history where it belongs.
He can afford it.
And if you do that, every time people jump from our Links-list to the e-guide, instead of using your banner, YOU will save a Whole Ghoddamned N I C K E L !!!
That's a bottom line you shouldn't ignore, right? Right???
Love,
===Anon.
( a k a larry stark )
Date: Sun, 19 Oct 1997 10:02:59 -0400
Subject: seating plan for Boston theaters.
In a word, David:
N O W H E R E
None of the big Broadway barns who use Show of The Month even have web-sites.
IMPORTANT NOTE:
You can find seating charts for The Lyric Stage or The New Repertory Theatre, because we, The Theater Mirror, made their websites for them. They're not Show of The Month theatres, but we like them. We happen to like seating charts too, truth to tell.
Maybe you can get a seating-chart from TICKETRON or some other on-line ticket-agency. Frankly I doubt it.
Part of the reason that the only seating-chart you can see is physically in the theatre lobby is that the bigger the theatre, the more complicated ticket-selling becomes. Many seats may have been kept off-sale on specific dates, for instance --- reviewer's comps, house-seats, ARTS/mail, Show of The Month, or seats reserved for the star, the producer, the artistic staff, and for other peculiar reasons. The ticket-sellers know what's available and what's not, they can get you the best possible combination of date/price/location THAT IS AVAILABLE FOR SALE, and they can confer with you personally about what aspects of that formula are most important when deciding on other seats than those you have your heart set on. The computer that will make mechanical decisions about these things is not in Boston, it's in Peoria, and it doesn't know you very well.
Why don't you call the Wang and ask THEM why their seating-chart isn't on the Internet? If you do, please tell us at The Mirror what their answer is.
Love,
===Anon.
Date: Thu, 16 Oct 1997 18:44:30 -0400 (EDT)
Subject: Will Rogers Follies
Aloha,
Mindy Willers
What a wonderful letter to find in my electronic mailbox!
I didn't make it to Waltham to see the show, but I've learned to trust Beverly's eye. How amazing to get a confirmation from half a world away!
Love,
===Anon.
From: Doug Kirshen dkirshen@fas.harvard.edu
Subject: CABARET at Hasty Pudding
The A.R.T. has nothing whatsoever to do with the production of Cabaret now
at the Hasty Pudding Theatre except that one of the stars, Jonathan
Hammond, is a graduate of the A.R.T. Institute for Advanced Theatre
Training. Ed Siegel was nice enough to mention this in the Globe
today (review follows below). It's nice to get some credit, but you
can't teach talent!
-Doug
From: Fernando Paiz fpaiz@MIT.EDU
Subject: Theater Mirror
Firstly I wanted to say that I think the web page is great.
And since, I am the web master for The Shakespeare Ensemble at MIT,
I was hoping to add our web page to your listing, since you have such a
nice list that includes an MIT section anyway...
The URL is:
http://www.mit.edu:8001/activities/ensemble/
Thanks,
Fernando J. Paiz
(The Bastard in that production of King John you liked so much :) )
Well, as one Bastard to another, I should point out that the Shaxpy Ensemble did indeed have a link on our list when it started out. Then, roughly a year later, I cruised through taking out URLs that didn't work anymore or hadn't been updated, and the Shagsper Ensemble fitted that latter description perfectly.
But you changed all that, didn't you?
And now it's back.
If you send me a little more about the production of FUENTE OVEJUNA I'll put it into SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENTS; and, unless you bar the door, I'll probably even review it!
Break a aleg all.....
Love,
===Anon.
From: Nancy Gertz gertzn@tiac.net
Organization: Portal Theater Co.
Subject: Portal Theater Co. presents THE MAIDS
I'm a reader of your website and also an actress and founder of a newly
established theater company in Boston. We are Portal Theater Co.,
directed by Rachel Rahav Shatil, and we are opening at the BCA Black Box
Theater on October 30 with THE MAIDS by Jean Genet. Our press kits have
gotten around but I was wondering how we get listed on your webpage.
And can we get you to review the show? Please respond to me personally
at the address listed. Many thanks!!
Nancy Gertz
But, Nancy, you ARE listed on our webpage, under COMING ATTRACTIONS; look:
All that's required is getting the words to me, by e-mail, or snail-mail, or by the flier I found in the lobby of the BCA when I saw "Merrily We Roll Along".
As for reviewing, give me a call at 1(617)277-5573 and tell me when to come.
I don't have a car, but I think I can find my way from the MBTA stop to the BCA again ... unless the damn crows have eaten the crumbs again..
Break a leg all!
Love,
===Anon.
( a k a larry stark )
Megan Bell
meganbell1@juno.com
Sorry to be so late with this.
Love,
===Anon.
( a k a larry stark )
From: Matt Leavitt mleavitt@jimmy.harvard.edu
Subject: Obstinance
THEATER is an art.
It is practiced in THEATRES."
--Matt Leavitt
--Webmaster, The Footlight Club
--mleavitt@jimmy.harvard.edu
We happy few.............."
Date: Sun, 28 Sep 1997 00:53:04 -0400 (EDT)
Subject: FYI
Just some good news from the source. Maryann Zschau, this summer's
"Adelaide" in the Publick Theatre's production of "Guys and Dolls", and
Steven Bergman, composer of Centastage's "Jack The Ripper : The Whitechapel
Musical" were married on September 7th on Cape Cod. They will be on a
professional honeymoon as both are involved in the National Tour of "Sister
Amnesia's Country Western Nunsense Jamboree", which also played in Boston
last spring. Well wishes can be sent to Email :
EAHInc@aol.com.
And just a word of thanks for providing a wonderful service to the theatrical
community online.
Sincerely,
Steve Bergman
By all means Have FUN, guys! That's what marriage is For!!!
Love,
===Anon.
Date: Thu, 25 Sep 1997 20:32:00 -0400 (EDT)
Subject: Correction
Hope all is well.
Todd
A pedant, perhaps, Todd; you're much too young to be a curmudgeon.
(I speak with authority!)
===Anon.
Subject: Hope - that dreadful beast
Date: Thu, 25 Sep 1997 17:58:46 -0700
Oh, be still my beating heart!!!!
Love,
===Anon.
From: edy@tiac.net
Subject: Thank you!
Date: Sat, 20 Sep 1997 16:41:08 -0400
Just got a chance to read your review of our production of FALSETTOS, and
had to write and thank you for your kind words. Although, when I heard that
you were coming on OPENING NIGHT (the scariest night in a show's life), I
was more than a bit nervous.
FALSETTOS is one of the most challenging pieces it has been my honor to
direct. I have an excellent and courageous cast of actor/singers that
trusted in the material (and in my vision) and to see it fully realized and
appreciated it a singular joy known only to those in this business.
Thanks again!
Russ
From: Don Baillargeon dbaillar@psgroup.com
Subject: Re: wow.
I am so happy you were able to attend the production this past weekend. It
was nice seeing you once again. I was rather overwhelmed by the audience
response when we all got into the lobby after the show. The WERS show this
weekend was incredibly fun. I really appreciated you review of the show.
I think this is truly the epitome of an ensemble! Sorry, I wasn' table to
chat with you longer. I am so blessed to be working with a cast of such
talented performers. Thanks for sharing in a fantastic theater experience!
Kind Regards,
Donnie Baillargeon
These aren't here because they flatter me. People who waited after the show opening night and talked to cast or crew at The Footlight Club would have seen the feelings they all had for one another.
But I don't think that was necessary. Those felings were obvious in the performance --- in the sincere commitment each actor brought to the realization of the lines, the unfolding of the dialogues, the way the pieces fit into the whole.
I was glad to see both the director and one of his actors crediting the success for the show not to themselves but to everyone. I heard once that a jazz musician and teacher said that the job of a jazz player was to try to make everybody else in the ensemble sound better.
Good theater is the same thing.
Love,
===Anon.
( a k a larry stark )
From: Don Gillis dgillis@ici.net
Subject: Now We All Know- WHO IS LARRY STARK!
Don
Subject: Felicity synopsis
Date: Sun, 31 Aug 1997 08:20:03 -0700
The play's changed so much, would you like a new synopsis?
Got my first call from a theatre group in LA that may want to do the
play.
How's it going?
Sharyn Shipley
To: greenroom@theatermirror.com
Subject: Mr. Marx's Comments
Date: Sat, 30 Aug 1997 00:35:34 -0400
X-MSMail-Priority: Normal
X-MimeOle: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE Engine V4.71.1008.3
From: Bill Marx WMarx@compuserve.com
Subject: Use of Globe review
To: Larry Stark greenrm@shore.net
Content-Disposition: inline
I am amused, but slightly puzzled, by your takingmy ``Guys and
Dolls'' review without contacting me. Since your avowed purpose is to
publicize Boston theaters, why include any critical material that may
discomfort them?
As you must know, Mr. Marx, I don't have any money.
What I ran was obviously badly "scanned" and sent to me (I don't read the GLOBE as a general rule), and I do apologise for misrepresentations of your work. I ran it for comparison's sake along with every review I could find.
But since it obviously discomforts you, I am removing it at this moment.
Love,
===Anon.
( a k a larry stark )
Thanks again!
Russ
Whew!
Don't you just LOVE happy endings!!!!!
Love,
===Anon.
Date: Sun, 24 Aug 1997 11:51:12 -0400 (EDT)
Subject: Re: J Tormey Feature
Larry Swerdlove
From: Don Gillis dgillis@ici.net
Subject: Biography of Larry Stark?
Since I have been doing theatre reviews, I have a lot of people
asking me about the theatre mirror(especially...WHO IS LARRY STARK?)
I know that you and I have talked on the phone, and you are a reviewer
for the Boston Phoenix( which I tried to pick up here in Rhode
Island...and was unsucessful...if you know where I can get a copy let
me know)....but back to LARRY STARK ... how about a nice bio of you on
the theatre mirror? I am sure a lot of people are interested in knowing
(especially those of us out-of-state(ers) would be interested.. How
about it?
Don Gillis
Pawtucket Community Players
Well, oddly enough the necessity never occurred to me, but why not?
Let me work on it a while...
Date: Sat, 23 Aug 1997 13:15:24 -0400 (EDT)
Subject: J Tormey Feature
Took a while, but I found it! to whit:
Failing that, people can relive the glories of their past in the historey we call "Life Upon The Wicked Stage..."
Love,
===Anon.
Date: Sun, 17 Aug 1997 18:31:41 -0400 (EDT)
Subject: mistake in web page
Theater is the placed where that art is practiced
just thought I'd let you know,
Melanie
Do you have a reference for that?
Seriously. It was Joe Hanlon's speculation, and I've nevr gone to the Boston Public Library and delved into the O.E.D. for any back-up information. Every six months or so someone questions me on it, but you're the first one who's Agreed with the dichotomy.
Most editors decide, dogmatically, on one; and people who do NOT spell it that way are often miffed that the name of their group or playspace is being misspelt. Since I've forced myself, by the pedantic quip, to think about how I'm using the word each time, I've remained sensitive to how other people spell their name. In that one sense, it's a useful quirk.
But I'd really love to tell the entire Theater Mirror audience that I've been 180-degrees Wrong all these months!
Not that I'd conform, you understand....
But where did you find out?
Love,
===Anon.
From: Christopher Foran : cforan@world.std.com
Subject: Spamming me.
http://world.std.com/~cforan/op.htm
cforan@world.std.com | Christopher T. Foran
All we can offer is worldwide fame, and 80 readers every day.
I'm certain there IS theater on the other side of Route 128, and I want to know what it's like!
The e-mail you know.
By snails it's
LARRY STARK
117B Thorndike Street
Brookline MA 02146
and by phone
1(617)277-5573
===Anon.
( a k a larry stark)
Yes, that "spam" message might be familiar to the all-too-few theater groups that have web-sites. I hate, detest, and abominate SPAM, and apologise for resorting to it, but that was the best way I knew to get the word out.
So if you'd like to send in a note about the next show you see, anywhere in New England, I'll turn it into a review, and you'll become, instantateously, just as famous as Don Gillis.
Give it a try!
Subject: site
Date: Sat, 16 Aug 1997 08:20:40 -0700
Your website is getting pretty spectacular these days. Is it supporting
itself ( and you) now? I hope so. It sure looks good, is easy to get
around and is chock full of interesting info.
I was wondering if the theatres would let us know if they are
interested in seeing new works, what criteria etc? Is there room in your
site for this info?
Am very happy and seem to be adopting a horse.
Love
Sharyn
Well, that may mean some more SPAM, but I'll see what I can do.
The plight of the playwright, script in hand and eager for fulfillment, is one that the companies in our links-list should contemplate. So I'll see what I can do.
From: ewb2@cornell.edu (E. Wayles Browne)
Subject: shaggy dog
And I'm doing the same old things: teaching people languages and lin-
guistics. But now, when I introduce them to Serbo-Croatian, I have to
explain how there is Croatian, Bosnian, and Serbian, each in its own
area. We've been aiding a lot of Bosnians: refugees and students
coming here, also contacting Bosnians around the world by e-mail, and I
was invited to Tuzla, Bosnia, for 10 days last fall to visit the
new university there and talk about linguistics.
Best,
Wayles
Department of Linguistics
Morrill Hall, Cornell University
Ithaca, New York 14853, U.S.A.
I met Wayles Browne while crewing the second play performed in the new Loeb Drama Center at Harvard --- "Peer Gynt" I think it was. Ordered to plug something into one of the onstage sockets, I dutifully un-plugged the first one I found, only to hear a gruff, gutteral, offended "Hey!" from a bespectacled undergraduate with an electric drill in his hands. We met, backstage and elsewhere, for years after.
Wayles was one of two stage-managers for a production of "Ajax" done at Loeb later that year. They needed Wayles to keep track of the book, and my friend Jean Young to call cues, because the play was done in Greek and only Wayles could read or understand it. I remember a train-ride coming back from New York or New Haven when, to while away the time, Wayles taught me the Russian alphabet. I forgot it almost imediately, but not because learning it wasn't fun.
It was while I was busily setting props for an original play in the Loeb's Experimental Theatre that Wayles followed me about the empty stage for what felt like hours telling me the tale of thoseThree Russian Musicians. I learned that evening a corollary of Aristotle's dictum that tragedy fills the soul with fear and pity, then empties and cleanses it. A good pun does the same for the inside of your skull, and Wayles' story left me speechless. I have always credited him with its origin --- mostly out of self defense.
When I met Wayles, I was beginning to become who I am.
Apparently, he was too.
Date: Thu, 14 Aug 97 11:44:37 -0500
To: larrystark@theatermirror.com
Subject: Thank you...
My name is Maryann Zschau and I am currently playing Adelaide in the
Publick Theatre's production of "Guys & Dolls". I have just had the
pleasure of reading your review and had to write to thank you for
noticing the little details we (Spiro and the actors!) incorporated
into our production to make it unique from all the others.
As you must know, when you are playing a character that is so classic,
you search long and hard to come up with something just a little
different to make "her your own" and the glasses for Adelaide were
Spiro's idea but I made it fit so it was a combined effort as you
indicated.
I also have to take this opportunity to thank you on behalf of my
fiancee Steven Bergman who wrote the music for the April production of
"Jack the Ripper: The Whitechapel Musical" produced by Centastage.
Your kind words were greatly appreciated and worthy of thanks.
Again, I really appreciate your mentioning our hard work and you will
be happy to know that I have blown up the last line of the review
"Maybe it's just that Spiro Veloudos happens to know a hell of a lot
of good, imaginative actors..." and put it in Spiro's office at the
Publick!!!!
Thanks again,
Maryann Zschau - MZtheDiva@aol.com
guilty@cybercom.net
www.cybercom.net/~guilty
That's all I can say after finding your website. Thank you for creating
this great reference!
I'd be thrilled if you added a link to Guilty Children's new web site.
Also, may I inform you about upcoming productions? Should we email a
press release?
Thanks again, keep up the fabulous work.
WOW!
Brian Jewell
If you'll get basic info to us bt E-mail, it might get into the listings
faster. This is Standard Form:
" title "
GUILTY CHILDREN (i.e. name of either Producing Company or Theatre)
Street Address
1(area code)phone-number
Love,
===Anon.
From: sharyns@ix.netcom.com (Sharyn Shipley)
Subject: Re:Reading of "Felicity" Aug 3 Skirball Museum LA
Then are having a dinner in my honor. Oh my.
All best,
Sharyn
From: "Nancy Willis" nancy_willis@qm.ir.lmco.COM
Subject: RE: Your review of "Lips Together, Teeth Apart"
I saw your comments to Jim Shea regarding writing a review of what he liked or
didn't like about "Other People's Money." I would love to have more "just
audience folk" take the time to give their opinions of shows. After all,
they're the ones who buy the tickets and pay the bills! Let's hope he takes
you up on your dare!
Again, thanks for your kind words about our production at Vokes. The entire
experience has been a pleasure . . . see you at the theatre!
Love,>BR>
Nancy CW
Subject: "Felicity"
Date: Sat, 19 Jul 1997 19:08:46 -0700
This is the most interesting time. Waiting for the first staged
reading. I'm really pleased with the script. And it's almost here. I'm a
little intimidated by the fact that Judaic and Shakespearean scholars are
coming to see it, and I'm expected to talk after it. But I imagine it'll
be great fun to say me, mine, ours. Wish you weren't so very far away.
The dramaturg says it goes like wildfire now (I can't take credit for
that, it has that incredible "Hamlet" engine under it) and I like the fast
pace.
Here's the blurb, and I'll send you the very impressive flyer put out by
the Skirball if you like (in hard copy, with a stamp.) They've done
serveral mailings and news etc. but I'm so far away and they don't send
them to me. I guess they figure I'm going to be there, so what the
hell?
Anyone in LA you want to send to see it? Let me know.
All best,
Sharyn
"In playwright Shipley's extraordinary
re-investigation of 'Hamlet' a young Jewish girl gets mixed up in the
intrigues of the world's most dyfunctional family, with an ending that's
sure to surprise!"
If you'd like to send a representative to attend the staged reading, or
would like to read the script please contact me via email.
Sharyn@wolfenet.com
Please see notes on "Felicity" (previously "Hamlet: the Women") at the
Theatre Mirror in the Reflections section.
From: jshea@buckey.ssd.loral.com (Jim Shea )
Subject: theatre mirror
It wouldn't have been possible to arrange this without
the Theatre Mirror, so thanks so much for the service! (Well,
last year I made similar arrangements by having a friend to fax
pages from the Globe to me.) The only drawback was that, since
I got the title and number from the list of currently running
plays, there was no review with it. Thus I had to go on the
title itself and from whatever description that I got from the
front office - not the best way to go aout this! But as I say,
we all had a good time and enjoyed the show.
All best,
Jim Shea
I'm really glad everything worked out, Jim, and thanks for telling us about
it.
But let me expand on your problem --- because it's a problem with me too.
In the past two weeks, I saw nine plays, and I have yet to write my review
of the last one. (Thank Ghod Beverly Creasey already did!)But that means
there were 399 other shows that were NOT reviewed in The Theater Mirror at
all.
But think about this: "Nice show!" is now the ONLY review that show has had
so far.
Why didn't Y O U review it?
I'm serious. You know what you saw, you know what you liked, the show is
still running, and you know our e-mail address. What else do you need?
When I started The Theater Mirror nineteen months ago, I expected that
"Minority Reports" would be the most active page it had. Think of it:
anyone who reads the Mirror and sees plays has the opportunity of telling
the whole world what they saw and what they thought about it --- even
agreeing or disagreeing with previous opinions, reviews, and reports ---
even telling people about a show they may never get to see.
I don't read reviews to find out what reviewers loved or hated, but what
they say --- what you just said --- gives me more information about the
show than the bare-bones listings ever can.
How 'bout it, Jim?
I dare you!
Love,
===Anon.
( a k a larry stark)
From: Edward Yasi
Subject: Footlight Club Casts Falsettos
Thank you for posting our audition notice for Falsettos; I know that more
than a few of our "auditionees" heard about the show from your web site.
We have recently completed casting the show and are extremely excited.
The cast is as follows:
Marvin: Donnie Baillargeon
Trina: Maria Wardwell
Mendel: David Berti
Whizzer: Peter Adams
Charlotte: Candace Hopkins
Cordelia: Isabel Davis
We are still in search of a boy (age 11-13) to play the role of Jason.
If you know of anyone interested, they can contact me via email at
"edy@tiac.net" or by phone (617) 893-2693.
Performance dates are set for September 19, 20, 26, 27 and October 2,
3. We hope that you will be able to make it!
Thanks aain,
Russ
From: Harlan Feinstein harlan@cie.cuc.com
Date: Sat, 19 Jul 1997 23:55:02 -0400 (EDT)
Subject: howdy & Carnival question
But, the show's starting to gel, and I'm looking forward to finding out what
it looks like and sounds like from the front.
--Harlan
Date: Mon, 14 Jul 1997 11:36:26 -0400 (EDT)
Subject: Hey Larry!
I loved the review of Whoa Nellie! Thanks for what sounds like a big
endoresement. I'm glad you enjoyed it.
I think you've really
captured the essence of my work in a very
succinct fashion too, by the way.
The whole "living cartoon" and "satire" bit
is very accurate in my estimation.
Hey, thanks!
- Steven Stuart
Aw gee, Steve, you don't have to thank me --- you'll get my bill in
tomorrow mirning's mail! (Insert wry emoticon of your choice here!)
Stick with the "living cartoon" concept; I think you can really say a lot
with that framework. And with more rehearsal-time to explore the physical
possibilities of these situations, actors should really have a ball with
plays like these.
It's also good to see a playwright getting his ink-stained fingers dirty
actually doing the work of bringing a play or two of his own to the stage.
Yes, it's good to give a show to actors and directors who are Not the
playwright --- plays have to live outside the theatre inside the writer's
head --- but plays get written better when the writer's personal experience
of what Can and Can't be made to work on stage comes out of practical
experience.
End of sermon.
Now, Steve, get back to the damn keypad and finish some more plays!
Love,
===Anon.
( a k a larry stark )
From:Jim Shea jshea@buckey.ssd.loral.com
Subject: reviews
I'm trying to arrange for a night at the theater when I
go into town. Since I live nowhere near there, I thought that I
could read through your list, find some interesting shows, and
call for ticket prices, etc. But all the shows on your list are
over!
I ended up wasting a lot of time - maybe you could move
the old reviews off to another list.
Jim Shea
I keep all references to reviews of Currently Running shows on our front-end
page, so that's all you needed to read.
Love,
===Anon.
From: Michael L Howard mlhoward@erols.com
Subject: The Secret Garden
Also, does anyone know of a
source for pictures of the Virginia Rep or New York production?
I just flipped through the COMING ATTRACTIONS list, and that's the only
listing So Far for the show.
HOWEVER, my copy of NEW ENGLAND ENTERTAINMENT DIGEST hasn't arrived in my
mailbox yet --- which is odd --- and there may be some production still
unrecognized.
As to rights, maybe the Academy Playhouse people would be able to answer
your questions. If not, BAKER'S PLAYS deals in rights, and so does TAMS
WHITMARK. (I hope I've spelled that right!) Baker's at least is:
http://www.bakersplays.com/
and they might even arrange the rights for you via E-mail, if they can.
About pictures of productions in those two sothron states, I can't help you
at all. Phone the theatres directly and they may have more information.
I hope the delay hasn't inconvenienced you.
Break a leg...
Love,
===Anon.
From: aseltine aseltine@sover.net
Subject: Scrambling!
I've been madly scratching for work--a fall & 2 summer prospects
now in the works. Finally had a chance to read THE MIRROR.
Loved the whole simplictic (or should that be simpliktick?) thing.
Todd O made me laugh, Bev Creasey made me jealous that I don't live
closer to all that theatre. The budding playwright made me -- hmmm...
I don't know, want to pat him on the head?
Congrats on the SPONSOR!
Would it be okay to use the spinning globe icon/gif on my page
for your link? If I ever get around to that kind of fine tuning. Right
now I just struggle to get some updating done once a week, but things
should settle down soon. Think lovely thoughts about me getting the
Adamant & Cabot jobs.
It truly is midsummer here; the sky is not fully dark until
almost 10PM. And the fireflies are about.
Love, Rosann
Rosann Hickey is webmaster for
THE LAMOILLE COUNTY PLAYERS, in Hyde Park, Vermont, a director and
actor, and a warm friend of The Theater Mirror.
And she can use our spinning globe any time she wants!
Love,
===Anon.
Date: Thu, 26 Jun 1997 18:39:23 -0400 (EDT)
Subject: Re: Company Review
Your original letter, Gaston, elicited two specific comments quoted
below.
Your original letter is several inches or screens down below, and it gave
me a chance to explain again my own philosophy of reviewing --- to myself,
among others! It's always useful to have to think about what I'm doing.
Thanks for giving me the opportunity.
Love,
===Anon.
From: "Nancy Willis" nancy_willis@qm.ir.lmco.COM
Subject: RE: It's been a while!
It's been a while since we last communicated. I got really busy getting the
Quannapowitt Player's production of "Stye of the Eye" ready for the EMACT
festival. Thanks for the great listing in Special Announcements. What an
incredible experience it was for all of us. We were proud to be chosen to
perform in the finals with the likes of Vokes Players, Concord Players and
Hovey Players.
I also felt that the relationships were diminished by the flash
(literally) of the directorial concept. Until the Greenroom comments, my
friend and I thought we were the only ones in Boston who didn't like the show.
In fact, we left at intermission. Although, she didn't tell me until the
next day that we missed a "hot" love scene and some nudity!!! In "Company?"
Nancy Curran Willis
Reply-To: pkatz@bedford.progress.com
Subject: Mistakes
The vocal minority, on the other hand, were never seen. They were basically
members of the orchestra pit.
As I said to Gaston in a much longer letter, I did see "Company" at the
Shubert Theatre before it opened on Broadway, but that was 27 years ago and
I didn't save either the program or the lp record. And Gaston was correct
that she was NOT the one singing "Not Getting Married" which would have been
a stretch for an excellent dancer.
From: Arun Mammen Thomas arun@alum.mit.edu
Subject: Hello
THEATER is an art.
It is practiced in THEATRES"
Webster's Dictionary being my source.
Or have I missed the point entirely?
-Arun
Let me go back into this in some detail: When the building called
"The Theatre" was built, people who could write spelled somewhat
phonetically and quite creatively. I take sniggering delight in
spelling the name "Wilm Shaxpy" or "Shagsberd" or "Shakesper" because
those are spellings he used at different times when he signed his
name. And, frankly, my spellings are usually consistent whether they
are right or wrong.
Newspaper Style Books often settle on only one spelling, and copy-editors
use that one consistently no matter which one it is.
But other people, not knowing the local dogma, send in their listings
as they spell them --- and linotypists like my father or computer-
compositors today are often brainwashed by the paper's style-book so that
a company calling itself a "Theatre Company" will find their name
MISspelled in some papers and right in others.
MY Style-Book on the subject is as you've quoted it --- and I put that
bald statement of dubious fact into the first Theater Mirror manifesto
as a wqay to defuse the sneering complaint that "Larry Stark can't be
much of a critic; he can't even spell the word 'theater' the same way
twice!"
Well, I'm careful to spell a company's name exactly the way they want it
in all the listings, but in things I'm writing, when I speak of the art
I love, I call it "theater" and when I refer to places where I have spent
many happy hours watching or working on shows, I call them "theatres".
And I giggle a little deep down inside when I do!
Have you seen any good plays lately, Arun?
Love,
===Anon.
From: Mort Kaplan mrex9@erols.com
Subject: CONGRATULATIONS
Thank you, Mort.
"TheaterMirror.com" is a "domain name" --- and, frankly, Lee VanderLaan
can tell you much more than I can about what that means. It's certainly
easier to type and easier to remember than the old URL!!
We will be spending the summer making web-sites for local companies, but
some of us at The Mirror don't know beans about computers, and some of
us have to make a living --- and Both of us thought it would be a much
easier job than it's turned out to be!
We're impatient too.
Love,
===Anon.
Date: Sat, 21 Jun 1997 03:11:58 -0400
when I'm alone in a strange town and surrounded by bizarre people, I can
head to the theatre and feel right at home.
Dean
Date: Mon, 23 Jun 1997 09:11:25 -0700
Subject: Company Review
I guess anyone with a webpage can review anthing they want, I just
wonder what credentials you have to be reviewing these plays with such a
simplictic viewing.
You're mostly right: I don't review bad shows.
I print what other reviewers say (Beverly Creasey's review of CHESS was the
antithesis of my own; which of us do you think was "Right"?
Sometimes, I've written reviews that are in the REVIEWS archive, but didn't
advertise them on our front page. Look at my reviews of THE CRUCIBLE, and THE
PRIME OF MISS JEAN BRODIE for instance.
I didn't print a review of (Pirandello's) HENRY IV or
THE SUPREME MINISTER'S EDUCATION or MURDER IN THE CATHEDRAL SYLVIA or some
other productions, but I did talk to either the playwright, the director,
or an actor or two about those shows. I figure it's better to close a show
with my withering silence rather than --- as some reviewers seem to do ---
standing on a streetcorner yelling "Read all about it! Really shitty theater
being perpetrated right down the block from here! What a story!"
My negative reviews (and those of A.R.T.'s world premiere of David Mamet's
THE OLD NEIGHBORHOOD and Tina Packer's production of KING JOHN at MIT were
as negative as I ever get) are usually up front on our front page because I
had expected to enjoy the show, and was really surprised when I didn't.
But you're right: I like theater, and I like to talk about theater I like.
What's wrong with that?
Date: Fri, 20 Jun 1997 02:40:48 -0400 (EDT)
Subject: Could you use another reviewer?
I must say that after having just found you on the web, I am blown away by
the service you provide and the information you have gathered. You are
instantly on my favoraite places list.
My name is Todd Olson and I am a directing student and teaching fellow at
ART. I have written reviews for Baywindows, The Worchester Telegram-Gazette,
and NEED. I noticed you have guest reviewers. Could I review for you? How
does that work actually?
In a word, Todd, YES!!! The Theater Mirror can use SEVERAL new reviewers ---
in particular anyone in Vermont, Maine, New Hampshire, Rhode Island,
Connecticut, or west of the Newtons! --- but the more reviewers the more
people will know about what happens on the many active stages in New England.
That's it.
If you say you're reviewing for us, you may be
given free tickets; taking reviewers comps, though, obligates you to
stay long enough to applaud the performers, and obligates you to write a
review, though it does NOT obligate you to say you liked something you
really didn't.
Charles Maynard
CMayn41163@aol.com
I am an experienced stage actor and have written a new play called "Henry
Miles". It is unusual in that only one character is onstage- an 86 year old
male, but the protagonist is never seen or heard. The dialog of the onstage
character is such that the audience can construct the words and action of the
protagonist in their head.
How do I start to get this play produced?
Charles Maynard
Hi. I am forwarding your plea to Dean O'Donnell from CentaStage and G.L.
Horton from Playwrights' platform. (Geralyn is actually in Ireland until
6 July, so be patient.) They can tell you more than I can.
Questions:
What do you mean when you say "produced"?
The people at Firedog Theatre, for instance, can probably offer you a bare
room with seats, and some advertising and a primitive light-plot. YOU would
have to arrange a producer, a director, a cast --- but you could go just as
far as you'd like in that line.
The result would be a week-end of performances before a couple dozen curious
individuals in Allston, and maybe a review from me.
Would that be enough for you?
At Playwrights' Platform, you could probably get a script-in-hand reading
from a handfull of people, perhaps with a director's advice, and a discussion
of the show and what might need re-writing by a collection of people who are
involved in writing their own plays and talking about others' plays.
Would THAT be enough for you?
CentaStage does only new plays, and last I talked to someone there a stack of
NINETY scripts was on the producers' desks waiting to be read. Some of these
might be so amazingly finished they will go straight into the "Produce this
as a full-up play next season" stack, some into the "Let's do a one-night
Dark-Night READING of this", and some will be returned to the playwright.
Would you want to enter this lottery and take your chances?
And it's bleak.
But then I've been writing short-stories for 51 years and I've had them
published exactly TWICE.
My feeling is that, since you are an actor, you could perform your own
one-character play somewhere like Firedog, and I'd certainly come to the
production --- it's a short walk down Harvard Street from where I live.
Of course, as someone experienced in theater, you know that very little comes
to the stage without others cooperating --- even if it's just a lights-
operator, and the owners of the hall. And those people might need to know
things like how long is your play, and what any audience might get out of
experiencing it.
So I come again to the basic question:
What do YOU mean when you say "produced"?
Seriously, let's turn this into a dialog. I learn a lot that way.
Love,
===Anon.
( a k a larry stark )
To:
Cc:
Subject: Re: New Play- HELP
Date: Sat, 21 Jun 1997 02:56:00 -0400
Dean
When I sent her a copy of Dean O'Donnell's discussion of new plays,
I got this reply:
From: sharyns@ix.netcom.com (Sharyn Shipley)
Subject: Re: Putting one foot in front of the other.
Thanks for copy of the interview. It was impressive.
Last night I dreamed I was talking to a producer about my play. That
we were looking for a director. And, what do you know, I woke up, and
it was true!
Fun
All Best
Sharyn
Finally a Full Production?????
Wheeeeeeeeeee!!!!
How the hell did that happen???
Love,
===Curious
Subject: Re: Putting one foot in front of the other.
Dear Larry,
This is how rumors get started. Wishful thinking on my part and
inaccurate reporting. No, just the staged reading, so far. But
Everyone is being paid. I figure that's a step up. So, not yet, but
soon, soon.
Loved the excitement.
It made me laugh.
Sharyn
The Theater Mirror got this notice through the NETC bulletinboard:
From: jwhite@mail11.mitre.org (Jerome V. White)
Date: Fri, 13 Jun 97 08:16:24 -0400
Hi. larry stark here, from THE THEATER MIRROR
[ http://www.shore.net/~greenrm/ ]
We list every theatrical event we can find in New England every week,
so we'd look foolish if we couldn't give our readers a complete rundown of
the scheduled participants in the New Hampshire Community Theater
Association's Drama Festival. (We did it for "EMACT" about a week ago, and
we're carrying a complete list of awards-winners in out SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENTS
section right now. We'd hate for all our readers in New Hampshire to get the
impression we're chauvinistically impaired!)
If you can get me a schedule, it'll be reflected in The Theater Mirror.
Love,
===Anon.
( a k a larry stark )
We did try...
From: Ed Haggard edhaggard@mindspring.com
Subject: URL link submission
Ed, your company's work looks interesting, from what I can gather from the
website, and I note that you tour. If your tour ever includes any of
the New England states, be sure to contact The Theater Mirror as soon as
dates and places are firm, and we'll do our best to get you listed, and
maybe even reviewed.
But we don't do that for companies Outside New England. (If we did, we'd
have a file as huge and confusing as that of THEATRE CENTRAL!)
What we do link to are sites that try, as The Theater Mirror tries, to
cover ALL the theatrical activities within their area. If you were listing
all the shows playing in Nashville this week, you'd have a link in a minute.
I hope you understand.
Break a leg --- and give us E-mail when you visit New England.
Love,
===Anon.
From: Jeff Gardiner jeffg@osf.org
Subject: USITT - New England Web Site
Hi,
Can you put the following announcement on your Web Site and the link on
your Theatre Links Page?
Thanks,
Jeff
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
USITT New England announcement.
USITT New England finally has a presence on the web.
Check us out.
Send suggestions.
We can be found at:
And to Emerson College and Russ Swift for hosting the page.>BR>
Enjoy...
Chair, USITT NE
Crystal Tiala
Scene Designer
11 Hunting Lodge Road
Storrs, CT 06268
email tiala@neca.com
Phone: 860-429-0494
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Jeff Gardiner ____ ___ ___ Voice: (617) 621-8710
The Open Group / / / / / Fax: (617) 225-2782
11 Cambridge Center / / / / __ Pager: (617) 765-8865
Cambridge, MA 02142 / /__/ /__/ >BR>
E-Mail: j.gardiner@opengroup.org
WWW: http://www.opengroup.org/~jeffg/
"What if, there were no hypothetical situations ..."
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
I can't POSSIBLY put your URL into The Theater Mirror's links-list this afternoon!
No Can DO!!!!!!!
That'll hafta do!
Love,
===Anon.
(a k a larry stark)
From: "Edward J. Yasi" edy@tiac.net
Subject: Music Director needed
I have been hired to direct a production of FALSETTOS for JP's Footlight
Club this fall. Could you please post this notice (below) on your site
for me.
Your site is getting so much traffic these days (deservedly so,
I might add) that I am sure that it will be a great help in finding the
right person to work on this project.
Thanks,
Russ
***********************************************************************
A Music Director is needed for the Footlight Club's fall production of
FALSETTOS to be directed by Russell Greene. The show will audition in
mid/late July with performances slated for mid September/early October.
This is a paid position. If interested (or for more information),
please call Russell at (617) 893-2693 or reply by email with a way
to contact and a copy of resume.
***********************************************************************
Date: Mon, 2 Jun 97 17:21:33 UT
From: "Paul Daigneault" SpeakEasyStage@msn.com
Subject: Chess
Thanks for your coverage of Chess. Your comments were very constructive and
insightful.
I am glad you enjoyed the 2nd Act more. I have always thought the 1st to be
the stronger and I worked real hard to get the 2nd act to where it is.
Once again,
Thanks
Paul Daigneault
I can't remember when a director has ever acknowledged a review of mine --- certainly never so promptly!
And I'm so glad you did, because my printer refuses to feed itself, and I hadn't yet found a friend who could print a copy and mail it to you.
I hope you know that my reviews of LIPS TOGETHER, TEETH APART and LOVE!VALOUR!COMPASSION! were shamelessly adoring raves. And I have resolved to do a better job in future of getting to SpeakEasy's work at the BCA next season. (I can't wait to see what you'll do with MERRILY WE ROLL ALONG, and I had given up hope of Ever seeing a local production of COASTAL DISTURBANCES.)
Thanks so much for the note!
Love,
===Anon.
Return-Path:
Date: Mon, 2 Jun 1997 19:31:09 -0400 (EDT)
Subject: Review question
I just want to drop a line saying what a great site the Theatre Mirror is. I
have turned a lot of other acting friends to the site, who find it a great
place for the type of info they need. I was just wondering if there were any
plans to review the current production of "The Mystery of Edwin Drood" by the
Footlight Club in Jamaica Plain?
The reason I'm asking is that
representatives of that show as well as the Speakeasy's "Chess" were both on
WERS' Standing Room Only show plugging their respective efforts, and the
"Chess" group was reviewed. My question is, does there have to be a certain
number of scheduled performances to make a review practical, or is it just
simply a case of not enough hours in the day? Thanks for your time, and keep
up the good work!
I'll call The Footlight Club to make certain I can have a ticket to EDWIN DROOD this week.
Actually, I had planned to use that "free Saturday" between "Chess" and "Dirt" to see "Drood", but decided last minute to go see G.L.Horton in what I discovered was a fine, unpretentious production of "Awake And Sing" with The Actors' Playhouse.
But "Drood" is something I really want to see, and the Footlight Club is always a reliable group doing serious, meaty shows. Their "Follies" was a delight, and "Six degrees of Separation" better than the Jerry Zachs production at the Shubert.
Let me know where you're working next, and I'll see if I have a night free...
Love,
===Anon.
THE THEATER MIRROR, Boston's LIVE Theater Guide
|
MARQUEE | USHER | SEATS |
INTERMISSION | CURTAIN |