From IMDB’s Studio Briefing:
Affleck Looking To Buy Gay Drama
Ben Affleck is among those attempting to acquire movie rights to Richard Greenberg’s Tony Award-winning play Take Me Out, about the coming-out of a gay baseball player, the New York Post reported today (Wednesday). Affleck also hopes to play the role of Kippy, the player’s (straight) best friend, he told the newspaper. “There are four characters at the center of the play,” he told the Post. “I always considered Kippy the lead–he represents the audience’s point of view–but an argument can be made for the other three as well.”
(Thanks to Eric for the link.) Which reminds me, Take Me Out is definitely on the must-see list for my next New York jaunt, whenever that may be. Sigh. Why doesn’t Washington have a cohesive Broadway touring series like San Francisco‘s? Is it ’cause we’re close enough to New York that show tours tend to pass us by? I suppose it’s largely a matter of monopoly, though. In San Francisco, three of the major theaters are under the direction of the singular Shorenstein Hays-Nederlander group, so they have some collective power in bringing shows to town and promoting them as one series, which at least makes the theater scene look more robust.
Yeah, I know, D.C. has the Kennedy Center and the National and Warner Theatres–so I can’t really complain–but the Kennedy’s theater season is usually play (rather than musical) heavy, and for the latter theaters, it seems very ad hoc. You just wait and see what shows up. Anyway, a few of the upcoming shows: at National, Cats and Mamma Mia! this fall and Urinetown in the spring; and The Producers at the Kennedy Center next spring, along with a Tennessee Williams festival, which I’m really looking forward to.
Speaking of the arts, why does opera have to be so damn expensive? I got the Washington Opera subscription brochure in yesterday’s mail, and it’s taunting me. I want to see Die Fledermaus and La Cenerentola, both of which feature Jesús Garcia–whom I saw as Rodolfo in Baz’s La Bohème on Broadway–and Plácido Domingo will be Siegmund in Die Walküre, so I want to catch that as well. (Gee, does that sentence have enough italics and accent marks?) I guess I’ll spring for the cheap seats. The second tier side section at the Opera House isn’t so bad; I once saw La Bayadère from the front far-leftmost seat, and it was actually a good spot. Though, I don’t know about the cavernous Constitution Hall, the company’s current home until next March, while the Opera House is being renovated.
Ah, the sweet burden of good taste.
3 replies on “Out on stage”
Let’s chat; I’d definitely like to see a couple of the plays you mentioned (notably Mamma Mia, Urinetown and The Producers). Years ago I used to have season subscriptions to the Shakespeare Theatre as well as one or two of the alternative theatres (Wooly Mammoth, the Studio or the Source, usually), and I’ve been thinking about doing that again. Finally, I went to my first professional opera (Tosca) just earlier this year, in Tucson, and loved it much, much more than I expected, and I might be up for getting a subscription to the Washington Opera with you.
As for Ben, *coughcoughEgocoughcough* well, I wish I’d gone to see it in NY, but I’m not so sure I want him in a movie-version.
I do love me some Tennessee! Of course, it probably helps that I’ve done sections from five or six of his plays… He’s sort of ingrained in my theatre mind. Summer & Smoke was the first piece I ever did!
A little (well-dressed) birdie told me that two girls may be on their way to NYC in October. The girls will also be well-dressed.