#Arin Arbus

[caroleditosti]

'Des Moines,' the Opaque and Mysterious Artfully Shine at TFANA

You won't want to miss 'Des Moines.' It is at TFNA and ends on 8 January.

Arliss Howard, Johanna Day in Des Moines (courtesy of Gerry Goodstein) In Des Moines by award winning writer Denis Johnson nothing vital seems to happen during the time Dan, his wife Marta, their grandson Jimmy, Father Michael and Mrs. Drinkwater get smashing drunk and have a wild party in Dan and Marta’s modest second floor apartment in Des Moines, Iowa. Yet, in the 12 hours they spend…

[shakespearenews]

While negotiating his loan with Antonio, Shylock retells the biblical story in which clever Jacob tricks his shifty uncle into promising to give him all the lambs that were “streaked and pied”—e.g., not all white—then finagles (through highly improbable means) to ensure that the ewes in mating season produce mixed-color lambs. In a period when Jews were routinely disparaged as black, Smith posits, “Shylock’s Jacobean construction of blackness is coterminous with ingenuity, resilience, and tactical surety that resists cooptation.” I thought immediately of a moment in Arin Arbus’s 2022 production of Merchant when John Douglas Thompson as Shylock made a servile bow and flashed a disarming trickster’s grin at Antonio as he calculated his revenge. Smith’s book is clearly aimed at fellow scholars, but insights like these on Othello and Merchant could prove valuable to theatre practitioners preparing for production—and prepared to wade through some eye-glazingly academic prose.

[antonio-velardo]

Antonio Velardo shares: ‘Waiting for Godot’ Review: Old Friends Falling in and Out of Sync by Laura Collins-Hughes

By Laura Collins-Hughes Michael Shannon and Paul Sparks star in Arin Arbus’s pandemic-delayed production at the Polonsky Shakespeare Center. Published: November 14, 2023 at 09:00PM from NYT Theater https://ift.tt/l8y4gNZ via IFTTT

[ignatiaimpsley]

are there any famous people that y'all think are members of V.F.D.? I think the entire Arbus family are Volunteers.

[honeydrippingbeehives]

promotional photo of Audra McDonald and Michael Shannon for the revival of Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune (x)

[jorahssquire]

Audra McDonald, Terrence McNally, Michael Shannon, and Arin Arbus at the May 4th Preview for Frankie and Johnny at the Broadhurts Theatre on Broadway /  Michael is looking very very fine ☺

[insanityclause]

The Drama League has announced the 2020 Drama League Awards Nominees for Outstanding Production of a Play, Outstanding Revival of a Play, Outstanding Production of a Musical, Outstanding Revival of a Musical, and the much- coveted Distinguished Performance Award.

The nominations were announced this evening during The Gratitude Awards by Beetlejuice's Alex Brightman and Leslie Rodriguez Kritzer. Voting is open for Drama League members from May 1 - May 22. Award winners will be announced by Gabriel Stelian-Shanks & Bevin Ross via livestream in June. The Drama League Awards Event Chair is Bonnie Comley.

The Drama League announced that the spirit of The Gratitude Awards will live on via a new honorary category for the 87th Annual Drama League Awards starting in 2021 with The Gratitude Award, for a person or organization who has shown fearless support and kindness to the theater community.

[...]

OUTSTANDING REVIVAL OF A PLAY

Betrayal Directed by Jamie Lloyd Written by Harold Pinter Jacobs Theatre

for colored girls who have considered suicide/when the rainbow is enuf Directed by Leah C. Gardiner Written by Ntozake Shange Public Theater

Fires in the Mirror Directed by Saheem Ali Written by Anna Deavere Smith Signature Theatre Company

Frankie and Johnny in the Claire de Lune Directed by Arin Arbus Written by Terrence McNally Broadhurst Theatre

Judgment Day Directed by Richard Jones Written by Ödön von Horváth, Adapted by Christopher Shinn Park Avenue Armory

Medea Directed by Simon Stone Written by Simon Stone after Euripides Brooklyn Academy of Music

Native Son Directed by Seret Scott Written by Nambi E. Kelley, based on the novel by Richard Wright The Acting Company

The Rose Tattoo Directed by Trip Cullman Written by Tennessee Williams Roundabout Theatre Company

A Soldier's Play Directed by Kenny Leon Written by Charles Fuller Roundabout Theatre Company

The Woman in Black Directed by Robin Herford Written by Stephen Mallatratt, based on the novel by Susan Hill The McKittrick Hotel

DISTINGUISHED PERFORMANCE AWARD

David Acton, The Woman in Black Jeffrey Bean, Dublin Carol Ato Blankson-Wood, The Rolling Stone and Slave Play Christian Borle, Little Shop of Horrors Danielle Brooks, Much Ado About Nothing Danny Burstein, Moulin Rouge! Rose Byrne, Medea Len Cariou, Harry Townsend's Last Stand Patrice Johnson Chevannes, runboyrun & In Old Age Liza Colón-Zayas, Halfway Bitches Go Straight to Heaven Kate del Castillo, the way she spoke Edmund Donovan, Greater Clements Raúl Esparza, Seared Francesca Faridany, The Half-Life of Marie Curie Halley Feiffer, The Pain of My Belligerence Danyel Fulton, Broadbend, Arkansas Annie Golden, Broadway Bounty Hunter Donnetta Lavinia Grays, Where We Stand David Alan Grier, A Soldier's Play Jonathan Groff, Little Shop of Horrors Jake Gyllenhaal, Sea Wall/A Life Tom Hiddleston, Betrayal Paul Hilton, The Inheritance Kathryn Hunter, Timon of Athens Galen Ryan Kane, Native Son Brittney Mack, Six April Matthis, Toni Stone Susannah Millonzi, The Crucible Kate Mulgrew, The Half-Life of Marie Curie Joe Ngo, Cambodian Rock Band Deirdre O'Connell, Dana H. Brenock O'Connor, Sing Street Okwui Okpokwasili, for colored girls who have considered suicide/when the rainbow is enuf Karen Olivo, Moulin Rouge! Larry Owens, A Strange Loop Lauren Patten, Jagged Little Pill Chris Perfetti, Moscow Moscow Moscow Moscow Moscow Moscow Ben Porter, The Woman in Black Isaac Powell, West Side Story Jonathan Pryce, The Height of the Storm Elizabeth Rodriguez, Halfway Bitches Go Straight to Heaven Michael Shannon, Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune Tom Sturridge, Sea Wall/A Life Marisa Tomei, The Rose Tattoo Blair Underwood, A Soldier's Play Michael Urie, Grand Horizons Adrienne Warren, Tina: The Tina Turner Musical Michael Benjamin Washington, Fires in the Mirror Portia, Stew

(Congratulations to all - and nice to see Tom and Jake’s names side-by-side... ☺️)

ETA: A quick note on the Distinguished Performance category - you can only win it once in your lifetime. It really is a case of the nomination being the reward for this one.

[blackonbroadway]

“Starring six-time Tony winner Audra McDonald and Tony nominee Michael Shannon, the two-hander is directed by Arin Arbus in her Broadway debut. Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune opened at the Broadhurst Theatre on May 30, 2019.”

[theatreforanewaudience]

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"This is about the fate of humanity." - Arin Arbus

#TBT all the way to the first rehearsal of the Obie Awards winning production, THE SKIN OF OUR TEETH.

[brothermarc7theatre]

“Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune” show #794

A romance blossoming out of an at-work crush and late night hookup is the stirring recipe for Terrence McNally’s recently closed play, Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune. Audra McDonald and Michael Shannon delivered stellar performances, crafted out of natural chemistry that exuded life and spontaneity. Helmed with ever-clear intent by Arin Arbus, the evening in Frankie’s, the role performed by Ms. McDonald, apartment turned into an enthralling peek into the beginning of Frankie and Johnny’s wildly engaging evening.

The world Mr. McNally creates in the opening moments was made crystal clear, two people having a post-date hookup session. However, rather than the usual awkward goodbye or insistent post-coitus cuddle, Johnny, played by Mr. Shannon, dives into an anecdote about a fart that killed the romance between a past lover and himself, and from there the weird doesn’t let up. However, Mr. McNally’s script is so chalk full of unconventional romantic quips, power plays, and deep diving looks into both Frankie and Johnny’s pasts and current wants, that the weaving of coincidences which bond the two together are quite intriguing. For a good long while, the audience is not necessarily rooting for these two to be together simply on the their personalities. No, the inquiry lies in just how much Frankie is willing to put up with Johnny’s random pontifications, rants, and comments before kicking him out or leaving her own apartment. With such a back-and-forth outing for these two stalwarts, a disciplined commitment in executing a rhythm of natural, logical progression was necessary to keep the energy and chemistry palpable, and this was delivered with sublime precision.

Mr. Shannon’s unpredictable delivery and genuine attention given to Ms. McDonald’s Frankie achieved a balance of endearing and eerie. It doesn’t matter if the constant similarities between the two were legit or not; Mr. Shannon’s delivery helped create the recurring realizations that these two are more similar than they thought, then breaking the tension and offering up the chance for guffaws and laughs while still moving towards connection. Mr. McNally’s writing paired with Mr. Shannon’s acting chops to reach a level of uncertainty as to where Johnny was going with his next question or response or distraction. Ms. McDonald delivered a master class in what it means to be ever-present in a scene, whether acting or reacting to your partner. Her vulnerability as Frankie grew with every scene, building to having more trust, annoyance, and attraction to Johnny. Not once was there a false moment between the two, and the beats set forth by Ms. Arbus’ impeccable, intimate pacing were leaned in to and filled with perfect emotional calibration. Ms. Arbus gave great attention to the passing of time by effectively using Nevin Steinberg’s beautiful sound design, Natasha Katz’s moon and sun-based lighting design, and taking up the space in Riccardo Hernandez’s interpretation of what a New York apartment set looks like.

Though the play has concluded its Broadway run, there is nothing stopping you from picking up a copy, turning on your favorite instrumental tune, and getting lost in this romantic masterpiece by Terrence McNally.

[shakespearenews]

“What is it that drives someone to say, ‘No more’?” Thompson asked. “How does one who has been discriminated against horribly and treated horribly, how does that person get agency for themselves in a world that refuses, wants to keep them as a second-class or no-class citizen?”

Thompson wants to examine why Shylock abandons rationality, insists on a moral wrong and then — this is the sticking point — refuses to relent.

[popculturebrain]

Broadway’s ‘Frankie And Johnny…’ Starring Audra McDonald, Michael Shannon Finds Theater, Sets Opening

Broadway’s upcoming revival of Terrence McNally’s Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune starring Audra McDonald and Michael Shannon has a home and opening date: The production directed by Obie Award winner Arin Arbus will begin previews Saturday May 4 at the Broadhurst Theatre, with an opening

[likeniobe]

theater for a new audience’s 2018 production of the winter’s tale, directed by arin arbus 

Most productions I have seen work too hard to make these elements emulsify. (The rustic act is a chore in any case.) Ms. Arbus...doesn’t try; rather, she emphasizes the lumps. She begins with a severe white set (by Riccardo Hernandez) but also with the Bohemian bear, dancing in the snow and demonstrating that what follows will be both grisly and giddy.

From there until the final image, which powerfully reminds us that not every loss can be undone, the production insists on pushing the tonal contrasts rather than smudging them. The different seasons of the year and the different experiences of restraint and freedom within them are skillfully sketched in Marcus Doshi’s lighting, Justin Ellington’s music and Emily Rebholz’s costumes, which go from tails and evening gowns to hayseed overalls.

[willywaldo]

At home in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn, he has five to 10 copies of each of Shakespeare’s plays, he said — and 15 separate editions of “The Merchant of Venice,” lately placed strategically around his prewar apartment, so that one is never more than an arm’s length away,

“It’s a one-bedroom kind of loft,” he said, “but everywhere there’s a chair or a table, I just want to have it, because I don’t want to go searching for the script, you know what I mean?”

It helps to immerse himself that way, and he likes that each version has different scholars’ notes, with possibly slightly varied text. He has even more copies of “Othello” — 16 or 17, he thinks.

Arbus, applauding the wisdom of keeping multiple editions, cited a version of “Othello” whose editor had reassigned one of Desdemona’s lines to Emilia, and in the process done away with a key to Desdemona’s character.

“You see?” Thompson marveled. “That is fascinating. From a line.”

[newyorktheater]

Terrence McNally

McNally as a young man

Terrence McNally

McNally receiving Doctor of Letters from NYU

Terrence McNally and his husband Tom Kirdahy kissing on the day that New York State made same-sex marriage legal

Playwright Terrence McNally, 81, has died,  reportedly from complications from the coronavirus. His prolific career included winning Tony Awards for the plays “Love! Valour! Compassion!” and “Master Class” and the musicals “Ragtime” and “Kiss of the Spider Woman,” His full oeuvre (see list below): 36 plays, books for 10 musicals, the librettos for four operas and several screenplays for film and television. His screenwriting was mostly adaptations of his theater, his true love.

“Theater changes hearts, that secret place where we all truly live. The world needs artists more than ever to remind us what truth and beauty and kindness really are,” he said last year when receiving the Tony Award for lifetime achievement. The full speech below

Obituary

Terrence McNally’s plays

Tyne Daly in Mothers and Sons

the Broadway revival of It’s Only A Play

Bebe Neuwirth and Lee Pace in Terence McNally’s Golden Age

The Visit, with a book by Terrence McNally, a score by Kander and Ebb

Douglas Hodge and James Cusati-Moyer as Diaghilev and Nijinsky in Fire and Ice

Marin Mazzie, Douglas Hodge, Marsha Mason in Fire and Ice,

Frankie and Johnny in the Claire de Lune written by Terrence McNally and directed by Arin Arbus starring Audra McDonald and Michael Shannon premiere Thursday May 30 2019 at the Broadhurst Theatre New York.

And Things That Go Bump in the Night (1964) Botticelli (1968) Sweet Eros (1968) Witness (1968) ¡Cuba Si! (1968) Bringing It All Back Home (1969) Noon (1968), second segment of Morning, Noon and Night Next (1969) Where Has Tommy Flowers Gone? (1971) Bad Habits (1974) Whiskey (1973) The Tubs (1974), early version of The Ritz The Ritz (1975) Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune (1982) It’s Only a Play (1986) Hope (1988), second segment of Faith, Hope and Charity The Lisbon Traviata (1989) Prelude and Liebestod (1989) Lips Together, Teeth Apart (1991) A Perfect Ganesh (1993) Hidden Agendas (1994) Love! Valour! Compassion! (1994) By the Sea, By the Sea, By the Beautiful Sea (1995) Master Class (1995) Corpus Christi (1998) The Stendhal Syndrome (2004) Dedication or The Stuff of Dreams (2005) Some Men (2006) The Sunday Times (2006) Deuce (2007) Unusual Acts of Devotion (2008) Golden Age (2009) And Away We Go (2013) Mothers and Sons (2014) It’s Only a Play (2014) Fire and Air (2018)

Musical Theater:

Here’s Where I Belong (1968) The Rink (1984) Kiss of the Spider Woman (1992) Ragtime (1996) The Full Monty (2000) The Visit (2001) A Man of No Importance (2002) Chita Rivera: The Dancer’s Life (2005) Catch Me If You Can (2011) Anastasia (2016)

Opera:

The Food of Love (1999), music by Robert Beaser Dead Man Walking (2000), music by Jake Heggie Three Decembers (2008), music by Jake Heggie Great Scott (2015), music by Jake Heggie

Film: The Ritz (1976) Andre’s Mother (1988) Frankie and Johnny (1991) Love! Valour! Compassion! (1997)

TV: Andre’s Mother (1990) The Last Mile (1992) Common Ground (2000) Mama Malone (1984)

“Theater changes hearts” – Terrence McNally (November 3, 1938 – March 24, 2020), Playwright Terrence McNally, 81, has died,  reportedly from complications from the coronavirus. His prolific career included winning Tony Awards for the plays “Love!

[frontmezzjunkies]

#frontmezzjunkiesinterview #TFANATheWintersTale . #frontmezzjunkies posted a @Michaelraver #Interview with #ArinArbus director of #TheWintersTale @theatreforanewa On Mystery, Miracles and #Shakespeare #TFANA @blakezidell . https://frontmezzjunkies.com/2018/04/10/the-michael-raver-interview-with-arin-arbus/ . And here’s the #theatrereview of #TheWintersTale: . https://frontmezzjunkies.com/2018/04/06/the-winters-tale/ . tw: frontmezzjunkie IG/tumblr/FB: @Frontmezzjunkies #OuterCriticsCircle (at Theatre for a New Audience)