It's Hats Off to a Brand New Crowns at Arena Stage

The completely restaged, redesigned hit musical Crowns features Zurin Villanueva (center), a local Howard student, in her professional debut at the Lincoln Theatre March 27-April 26. Photo by Scott Suchman.

Crowns is back in town, and with it the incarnation of a new star - Howard University student Zurin Villanueva who was discovered in Arena’s January “Finding Yolanda” one-day casting search. This production marks her debut professional performance.

"Crowns is a pageant, in the great African-American tradition of pageants,” remarked Director and Choreographer Kenneth Lee Roberson. “This show teaches audiences about the values, style and grace of the African-American church community. Crowns demonstrates the handing down of culture from one generation to the next and celebrates the refuge, equality and healing that occurs in this place of spirituality.”

With musical direction by Grammy nominee e’Marcus Harper, this soulful musical will be bigger than ever in the Lincoln Theatre. In addition to Villanueva, Arena favorites Marva Hicks (The Women of Brewster Place) and E. Faye Butler (Dinah Was, Ain’t Misbehavin’) are joined by NaTasha Yvette Williams (Broadway’s The Color Purple), as well as Mary Millben, Kara Tameika Watkins and Phillip Boykin.

"The beauty of Crowns is in the stories and the relationship between the women,” notes Arena Stage Artistic Director Molly Smith. “It's a show about community, and it beautifully articulates the ties that bind us all. We are particularly excited to stage this show at the Lincoln Theatre, the historical home of so many great African-American performers like Duke Ellington and Billie Holiday.”
Another view of the Hat Queens.

Written by Regina Taylor and adapted from the acclaimed book by photographer Michael Cunningham and journalist Craig Marberry, Crowns takes an intimate look at six women whose storied lives are woven into the hats that adorn their heads. This gospel-infused musical presents an oral history of the African-American women affectionately known as “hat queens,” as seen through the eyes of Yolanda, a Brooklyn teenager sent to live with her South Carolinian grandmother. Crowns features soulful, joyful music that celebrates family and faith.

This season’s production marks the fourth (and likely most spectacular) staging of Crowns at Arena. The musical made its Arena debut during the 2003/04 season–winning four Helen Hayes Awards, including Best Resident Musical–and returned for a limited engagement that summer. Due to popular demand, Arena produced it again in the summer of 2005.

Tickets may be purchased online, by phone at (202) 488-3300 or at the Arena Stage Sales Office at 1800 S. Bell Street, Arlington, VA 22202. A limited number of $10 tickets for patrons ages 30 and under go on sale beginning each Monday for performances that week. (All patrons must present valid ID.) Check out HOTTIX, where a limited number of half-price, day-of-performance tickets, are available 90 to 30 minutes before curtain of every performance.

(L-R)  E. Faye Butler as Mother Shaw, Zurin Villanueva as Yolanda, Marva Hicks as Velma in Crowns at Arena Stage at the Lincoln Theatre, March 27 — April 26, 2009. Photo Scott Suchman.

In addition, there are three special nights during the run:

The Salon – Monday, March 30, 2009 at 7:00 p.m.
In the spirit of artistic and literary salons of the past, The Salon features artistic leaders from Arena Stage in a series of lively, in-depth conversations with the playwrights, actors, directors, designers, dramaturgs and audiences that make Arena Stage unique. Reservations must be made through the Arena Stage Sales Office at (202) 488-3300.

Southwest Night – Friday, April 3, 2009 at 8:00 p.m.
An invitation is extended to our Southwest D.C. neighbors to buy $20 tickets, plus applicable fees, for one designated Friday evening performance of each production. Proof of Southwest D.C. residency or employment for each audience member of each party must be presented at the time of purchase. Tickets are limited to four per person and are based on availability. To purchase tickets, call (202) 488-3300 or stop by the Arena Stage Sales Office.

Out at Arena – Wednesday, April 8, 2009 at 7:30 p.m.
For gay and lesbian audiences on selected Wednesday evenings, a post-show discussion with cast members and a reception following the performance are offered. This could be quite interesting as most churches that serve African Americans are notoriously homophobic and in denial about the number of gay people of color. Indeed, young black men who are gay - and find little support in the community - have alarming rates of suicide. Check with the Arena Stage Sales Office at (202) 488-3300 for further details.

Mureen McGovern premieres A Long and Winding Road at D.C.'s Arena Stage

Maureen McGovern

Cabaret singers are extraordinary artists who bring a depth of interpretation and emotion to love songs, Broadway show tunes and "personal" songs, those intimate tunes that break our heart or bring us to the edge of tears. Maureen McGovern is among that rarified group of artists, though her choice of music is unabashedly American. Washington's Arena Stage has collaborated with Boston's Huntington Theatre Company on this production, the latter having recently sponsored a workshop of this show last month. This evening promises to be something quite original - an evening with the other American songbook.

A Long and Winding Road is an entertaining and introspective look at the songs that inspired Maureen McGovern before her Academy Award-winning hit song “The Morning After.” A nostalgic tribute to Maureen’s roots as a folk singer, this theatrically infused concert celebrates her love affair with the early works of James Taylor, Jimmy Webb, Carole King, Bob Dylan, Randy Newman and other groundbreaking singer-songwriters from her youth. The repertoire includes an eclectic selection of iconoclastic singer-songwriter material including "The Circle Game," "Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow?" "The Moon's a Harsh Mistress," "Imagine," "Fire and Rain" and many others.

Co-conceived and written by McGovern and director Philip Himberg, with musical direction by Jeffrey D. Harris and production design by Clifton Taylor, A Long and Winding Road runs March 27–April 12, 2009 at Arena Stage in Crystal City.

“At this time in my life, looking back, what interested me most were those introspective singer/songwriters who influenced my musical coming of age on the way to ‘The Morning After,’” says McGovern. “I started out as a folk singer in the late ‘60s, so it was an emotional journey for me to go back and explore this particular section of my musical influences. The concert takes us on a vivid journey back to a time when everything was possible and people set out to change the world."

Arena's Artistic Director Molly Smith observes, “Maureen McGovern has the kind of voice you never forget. In this intimate show, she shares her personal perspective on her years growing up and into her talent. These songs and stories take us back to a time many will remember dearly, and it’s a true pleasure to share an evening with her.”

Tickets may be purchased online, by phone at (202) 488-3300 or at the Arena Stage Sales Office at 1800 S. Bell Street, Arlington, VA 22202.

Dennehy, Falls and Chicago's Goodman Theatre Look Ahead

Desire Under the Elms with Carla Gugino and Brian Dennehy slated for Broadway in April. (Ephraim Cabot). Photo by Liz Lauren.
Lots of news from Chicagoland. The success of the Goodman Theatre's Desire Under the Elms has propelled them to take it to Broadway with actor Brian Dennehy driving the star vehicle. Looking ahead, the company has also announced plans for the 2009-10 season, with Dennehy returning for two more challenging roles, plus a Marx Brothers Musical, a new play by Rebecca Gilman, and the directing debut of the multi-faceted actor Philip Seymour Hoffman.

The Broadway transfer of Goodman Theatre’s critically-acclaimed production of Desire Under the Elms, directed by Robert Falls, is set to begin preview performances April 14 at the St. James Theatre on 44th Stret for a thirteen week limited engagement with the opening date scheduled for April 27. The New York production features the original Chicago cast of Brian Dennehy , Carla Gugino, Pablo Schreiber, Boris McGiver and Daniel Stewart Sherman.

Desire received an operatically scaled production and became the unabashedly sexual centerpiece of the current season. The work just closed, but has been followed by Goodman Theatre’s world-premiere production of Magnolia by Regina Taylor, directed by Anna D. Shapiro—which began previews on March 14 and runs through April 19, playing in the Goodman's Albert Theatre.

As to the 2009-10 season, artistic director Robert Falls has come up with a diverse program that has something for everyone.

During the Animal Crackers period, there were four Marx Brothers.
Foremost among the offerings is the still-popular-after-all-these-years musical, a contemporary update of Animal Crackers made famous by the Marx Brothers. "Hello, I must be going!" My Amtrak tickets from the Berkshires to the Windy City are almost confirmed. The last production I saw was at Boston's Huntington Theatre, under Peter Altman, and I have rarely enjoyed a show so much. Animal Crackers had its own pre-Hollywood tryout, playing Broadway in 1928, before being made into the 1930 film.

Animal Crackers has a book by George S. Kaufman and Morrie Ryskind, music and lyrics by Bert Kalmar and Harry Ruby, directed by Henry Wishcamper, and launches the season in the Albert Theatre (September 2009).

The Goodman Theatre's Artistic Director Robert Falls. Photo: Peter Wynn Thompson

Next, Falls and Brian Dennehy team up again for a Broadway-bound double-bill of Eugene O’Neill’s Hughie directed by Falls, and Samuel Beckett’s one-man-show Krapp’s Last Tape (January 2010) helmed by Canadian director Jennifer Tarver. You can read a fascinating tale about Beckett's Endgame which is just winding up its run at the American Repertory Theatre in Cambridge, MA in the current Berkshire Fine Arts.

In March 2010, Rebecca Gilman’s Goodman commission, A True History of the Johnstown Flood makes its world premiere production.

Finishing the season in June 2010—and launching the fifth biennial international Latino Theatre Festival—is Karen Zacharías’ The Sins of Sor Juana, directed by Henry Godinez, following one of the legendary figures of Mexican arts and literature. Still to be announced is one Spring 2010 production directed by Chuck Smith in the Albert Theatre.

Magnolia with Annette O'Toole and John Earl Jelks, written by Regina Taylor, directed by Anna D. Shapiro begins March 14, 2009 in the Goodman's Albert Theatre.
Also scheduled are three provocative world premiere productions debut in the Goodman's Owen Theatre, beginning with Joan D’Arc, a co-production with Austria’s prestigious Linz Festival; acclaimed Bosnian artist Aida Karic and Tanya Palmer put a contemporary spin on Friedrich Schiller’s great romantic tragedy The Maiden of Orleans (September 2009).

Also appearing in the Owen are High Holidays, Alan Gross’ boisterous, darkly comic look at coming of age in suburban Chicago in the early 1960s (October 2009) and Brett C. Leonard’s searing The Long Red Road, directed by Philip Seymour Hoffman in his Goodman Theatre directorial debut (February 2010).

Subscriptions are now on sale. Further information: Visit Goodman's website or call 312.443.3800.

Stratford Shakespeare Festival - Penny Wise and Pound Foolish?

The brilliant Christopher Plummer as Julius Caesar. Photo: David Hou, Stratford Shakespeare Festival

From the National Post in Canada comes word that the Stratford Festival came up $2.6 million short in 2008, and that a request for a government bailout is in the works.

The blame is put on dwindling sales of tickets to Americans:

“I think we were poised to have an extremely good year … We had Christopher Plummer and Brian Dennehy … My sense is that if this had been a normal year, we would have done extremely well,” said Antoni Cimolino, the company’s general director, in an interview yesterday. “We’ve never had better press in terms of the reviews, especially in the United States. It’s especially hard to watch the American attendance drop in a year when we got such great attention in the United States.”

But perhaps part of their problem is that their "press" coverage is not well targeted. When I contacted Richard Kornberg, Stratford's American press rep to inquire about covering Stratford for Berkshire Fine Arts, i was given a politely worded but transparently oozy turndown that was akin to disposing of of a wet kleenex into the trash. They could hardly be bothered with such minor annoyances as an online digital magazine, or (gasp!) a blog like this which recently covered the International Shakespeare Conference. . After telling Kronberg that I was quite flexible on dates, he informed me that to give out comps to reviewers means sacrificing the sale of those same tickets. I let the matter drop.

With this news of scads of unsold tickets, I don't think I believe you, Mr. Kornberg.

But good luck with your problem. We tried to help spread the word to our ticket buying-readers. There is not much more we can do. Besides, we still haven't been added to their press list to get the news releases after two requests. The problem seems to be one of their own making.

Another CHANGE in the Anglo-American Special Relationship, As Well?

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown visited Washington DC to talk with US President Barack Obama and give a speech at the Congress on March 3 and 4. Though media focused how President Obama hosted Prime Minister Brown, things must be discussed through reviewing a set of ministerial diplomacies, including multilateral talks such as NATO meetings.

Opinion leaders on both sides of the Atlantic interpreted fact that Barack Obama did not mention Britain in his inauguration speech implied a change to end the special relationship. Let me mention some commentaries by the media. The Daily Telegraph notices that White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said “The United States and the United Kingdom share a special partnership”, instead of relationship. Steven Clemons, Senior fellow at the New America Foundation, says that current administration will not admit the special relationship unless Britain does not make sufficiently impressive contribution. On the other hand, Foreign Secretary David Miliband and Ambassador to the United States Sir Nigel Sheinwald stress Britain’s strength in managing the global economy, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Iran (“Will Barack Obama end Britain's special relationship with America?”; Daily Telegraph; 29 February, 2009).

News Week is more skeptical to the special relationship. The only superpower can found a special relationship with any country, including Germany, France, Japan, China, Saudi Arabia, and so forth. It argues that Britain should stop talking of punch above its weight through acting with the United States on the global stage. Instead, the writer insists that Britain be confident of its soft power, like top universities, role model of parliamentary democracy, and financial infrastructure in the City, and act more on its own (“An Island, Lost At Sea”; News Week; February 14, 2009).

Professor John Dumbrell at Durham University in England comments that US-UK special relations do exist in defense and intelligence, but there are some problems of imbalances. Dumbrell points out that the focus of US-UK security cooperation has changed from military intervention under Tony Blair to soft power promotion under Gordon Brown, as seen in the speech at the Kennedy Library in Boston in April 2008. Though Britain is the largest contributor to the United States in the War on Terror, opinions on the British side are not necessarily reflected in Washington policymaking. The case of British prisoners in Guantánamo is a typical example. This imbalance is due to America’s global hegemonism and fragmented policy processes ―― such as sectionalism between the White House and the Congress, between the federal and state government, and among the department (“The US–UK Special Relationship: Taking the 21st-Century Temperature”; British Journal of Politics and International Relations; Vol. 11, Issue 1, 2009).

It is true that President Obama is so pragmatic that he does not value the Anglo-Saxon brotherhood. News Week is right to mention that he is the first black president. Actually, Obama is cold blooded enough to reject to appoint some liberal loyalists to his cabinet positions. From this point of view, the Anglo-American relations will change into more business-like one.

Prior to Prime Minister Brown’s visit to the White House and Capitol Hill, Britain and America had some ministerial talks. Foreign Secretary David Miliband met Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton on February 3, and both nations attended NATO Defense Ministers Meeting in Krakow of Poland on February 19 and 20. After the US-UK Summit, Secretary Clinton flew to Brussels to attend the NATO-Russia Coucil on March 5. Vital security issues are discussed in the above mentioned meetings. At the bilateral foreign ministers talk, Britain and America confirmed further commitment to Afghanistan and Pakistan (“Press Conference with Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton”; UK Foreign & Commonwealth Office Newsroom; 3 February 2009). At NATO meetings, key issues were Afghanistan, Ukraine, and Georgia. Among these issues, Britain is the most supportive of American operations in Afghanistan (“Hutton calls on NATO partners to do more in Afghanistan”; UK Ministry of Defence―Defence News; 19 February 2009 and “NATO Foreign Ministers”; UK Foreign & Commonwealth Office Newsroom; 5 March 2009).

When Prime Minister Brown visited Washington, leaders of both countries focused more on the economy as G20 London Summit will be held on April 2. At the joint press conference with President Obama and the speech to the joint congress, the Prime Minister talked extensively on the economy, including financial crisis, protectionism, and the global economy. Also, the Prime Minister stressed common political values between Britain and the United States at the Congress (“Speech to US Congress”; UK Prime Minister’s Office News; 4 March 2009 [and the video] and “Press conference with President Obama”; UK Prime Minister’s Office News; 3 March 2009 [and the video]).

Though Gordon Brown is the second leader to visit the White House after Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso, agendas at the meeting were more global and transatlantic. Britain will play a crucial role in G20 Summit in London and NATO Summit in Strasburg/Kehl. Taro Aso may have talked on economic crisis and Afghanistan, but issues were more bilateral. Apparently, it is the problem solving capability that determines the agenda and special relationship with the United States.

Britain will remain the primary ally to the United States, despite some imbalances. The problem is, the Obama administration is willing to develop partnership with Russia and China over democratic allies. On the first trip to Asia, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton agreed to found a ministerial level hotline with China to manage global security issues. She even thanked China for buying US bonds. This raises a serious concern that China will see America as weak. At the NATO-Russia Council this month, Secretary Clinton was more enthusiastic to talk with Russia than traditional allies in Europe.

There are a lot of lessons to be leaned from the Anglo-American relations. They are important for other primary US allies such as France, Germany, and Japan. News Week is right to say that allies must upgrade its own capability to deal with global problems. This is the key to make partnership with the United States more helpful to their national interests.

NEA Announces Guidelines for $50 Million in Recovery Grants

"Angels in America" - the NEA prepares to help the arts
Yesterday, the National Endowment for the Arts announced the availability of grant guidelines for The Arts and the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.. This opportunity was created in response to passage of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, which includes $50 million to assist the nonprofit arts sector through funding to the National Endowment for the Arts. The new program will fund projects that focus on the preservation of jobs in the arts.

"Amidst these dire economic circumstances, the NEA and its partner organizations have been called to marshal our extensive grantmaking expertise to direct federal funds to organizations across the country to preserve jobs. We embrace this responsibility and this unprecedented opportunity. We look forward to working with our partners and our many constituents to reinvigorate the arts in our great nation."
- NEA Acting Chairman Patrice Walker Powell

The NEA will offer two categories of one-time support based on its existing distribution mechanism of 40 percent to the designated 56 state and jurisdictional arts agencies and their six authorized regional arts organizations, and 60 percent awarded through competitive direct grants. These direct grants will be available to nonprofit arts organizations including local arts agencies, statewide assemblies of local arts agencies, arts service organizations, and other arts organizations.
NEA Guidelines
Applicants must have received NEA funding in the last four years to be eligible to apply. In addition, applicants can receive these funds through only one source – from the Arts Endowment directly, or from a state arts agency, a regional arts organization, or a local arts agency eligible to regrant.
The new NEA granting program embodies the goals of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to be transparent, targeted, timely, and temporary.

Funded projects must address two areas, salary support and contractual fees. Projects may support full or partial salaries for one or more positions that are critical to an organization’s artistic mission and that are in jeopardy or have been eliminated as a result of the current economic climate. Projects also may support fees for previously engaged artists and/or contractual personnel to maintain or expand the period during which such persons would be engaged.

Grants will be implemented on an expedited timeline to help get funds to communities quickly so that jobs in the arts are preserved.
NEA Deadlines
For state arts agencies and regional arts organizations:

Applications due: March 13, 2009

Awards announced: April 2009

Project start date: on or after April 1, 2009.

For nonprofit arts organizations:
Applications due: April 2, 2009

Awards announced: July 2009

Project start date: on or after July 1, 2009.

To read the guidelines for these grants, use this link to the Recovery section of the NEA Web site for more information.

Learn more about the workers and organizations that make up the arts sector of the economy.

"Bad Dates" Travels to Merrimack Repertory Theatre for a Month

Elizabeth Aspenlieder in the original production at Shakespeare & Company. Kevin Sprague photos, courtesy Shakespeare & Company.

Watch out Lowell - the play may revolve around all her bad dates, but this delightful show is an evening out that will make the boys laugh as much as the girls. They may even catch a few clues! Elizabeth Aspenlieder is about to move in on the Merrimack scene, and she is telling all. Her one woman show, Bad Dates has warmed up the Berkshire's normally frigid winter theatre scene with sell out performances for two months. At yesterday's press conference announcing the 2009-10 season for Shakespeare & Company everyone was delighted to learn that her triumphant one-woman show was getting a run of its own within driving distance of Boston. Now you can see what all the excitement has been about.

The hilariious Theresa Reebock play has its final Lenox performance on March 8, and then Aspenlieder moves to the Merrimack Repertory Theatre from March 19 to April 12 to recreate the role. You can also read a review in Berkshire Fine Arts.

Merrimack Rep's blurb describes it this way:

A hilarious and touching comedy. A single mother with a teenage daughter, a screamingly stressful job, and a collection of 600 pairs of shoes, Haley Walker tries to find love in the big city. Relive her rotten romances as Tibetan Buddhists and even the Romanian mob get in the way of her finding “Mr. Right.” Her story is a love and fashion odyssey that has had audiences across the country rolling in the aisles!

"Do you think this pair matches?"

For the actress the only question remaining is which shoes to take.

Key Info: Merrimack Repertory Theatre has online ticket ordering and is centrally located at the convergence of Routes 3, 93 and 495 in the heart of historic downtown Lowell. If you live in the Boston area, you are probably less than 30 minutes away from what people say is “the best kept secret of the Merrimack Valley.” Merrimack Rep is professional theatre at affordable prices and without the hassle of traffic and parking. For more information you can call them at 978-654-4678.