”In honor of the repeal of “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell”: Rare archival footage of Reed Martin, Dee Ryan, and Austin Tichenor singing ‘Gay!’ from the RSC’s original 1998 production of The Complete Millennium Musical (abridged) at the Pittsburgh Public Theatre. (Special thanks to Twitter follower @khedwar for the idea!) (m4v. Length 3:26)
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Javier Muñoz (Hamilton, In The Heights) stars in The Devil Wears Prada, the new musical based on the film and novel, with songs by Elton John and Shaina Taub. Javier plays Nigel (instantly erasing any memories of Stanley Tucci), and discusses how creating a role is less about ego and more about serving the story and character; the challenges of rehearsing changes during the day while performing the existing show at night; how he gave his first Broadway performance of Alexander Hamilton in front of President Barack Obama and his First Lady Michelle; what originating the song “Seen” means to him and his activism (and how precious it is to work with his “Seen” partner); and how debuting a song written by Sir Elton John differs from performing songs written by Sir Lin-Manuel Miranda. (Length 33:05) (PICTURED: Above, Javier Muñoz in The Devil Wears Prada, directed by Anna D. Shapiro. Photo by Joan Marcus. Below, Javier Muñoz, Renée Elise Goldsberry, Leslie Odom Jr, and the cast of Hamilton greeting President Barack Obama backstage, July 2015. Photo by Pete Souza.)
Madeline Sayet's one-woman show Where We Belong tells the story of her journey from discovering Shakespeare as a child to studying him in England and directing him (and others, and opera) around the world. Madeline is a director, educator, and writer, a member of the Mohegan Tribe in Connecticut, and she discusses her play's origins; how different audiences react to it; how Shakespeare became a part of her normal childhood fairy-tale world; the sometimes thorny challenge of adapting personal relationships to accommodate the art; an uncomfortable reminder about how history works; possible sequel titles; how everybody wants to be in the play now that it’s a success; the art – and importance – of loving a thing and still being able to criticize a thing; and how theatre can also be good medicine. Where We Belong ran at the Goodman Theatre and will play Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival in August 2022, Seattle Repertory Theatre and New York's Public Theatre in the Fall of 2022, and Portland Center Stage and Oregon Shakespeare Festival in 2023. (PHOTO: Madeline Sayet in Where We Belong. Photo by Liz Lauren.) (Length 21:33)
(No, not that one.) This weekend is the 399th anniversary of the death of William Shakespeare’s wife Anne Hathaway, and to commemorate the occasion we talk to Dr. Katherine Scheil, author of Imagining Shakespeare’s Wife: The Afterlife of Anne Hathaway. Dr. Scheil discusses what drew her to Hathaway as a subject for study; how Hathaway is almost always portrayed in relationship to Shakespeare; what to make of the “second best bed” she received in Shakespeare’s will; the wonderful democratization and liberating opportunities of biofiction; how sex is frequently the default source of Shakespeare’s “inspiration;” a discussion of the relative merits of the films Shakespeare In Love and All Is True, the TV series Upstart Crow, and the novel Hamnet; and ultimately, how biofiction can be a more insightful way of understanding historical figures, and even how sitcoms can reveal greater story and character nuance than drama. (Length 25:59)
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