In addition to writing the screenplay for the much anticipated (in the sense that I'm flipping out over it and therefore everyone else should, too, probably. I mean, magic + New York + Steampunk time period + ALL THE ANIMALS!? Are you flipping kidding me!?) Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them film adaptation, J.K. Rowling is also working on a stage play about our dear friend Harry Potter's formative, pre-Hoggy-hoggy-Hogwarts years. Honestly, it sounds pretty depressing. From what we've read, Harry's childhood was mostly super sad on top of super abusive on top of even more super-er sad, but maybe this is her way of doing a "gritty reboot" before Christopher Nolan does. Aside from the Battle of Hogwarts and certain scenes involving certain elves, godfathers, kindly father-figures, facing one's own death, and unconditional, eternal love, Harry's childhood might just be the darkest part of the series.
If Ms. Rowling's working on it, it's sure to be great, so for whatever reason she's returning to Harry's world (even if it is pre-magic), I'm delighted to hear about it and then come up with an excuse to go to London and see it!
Showing posts with label theater. Show all posts
Showing posts with label theater. Show all posts
Tuesday, December 31, 2013
Saturday, September 28, 2013
The 10 People You Meet in Improv Class
College Humor has a fun article about the types of people you meet in improv classes. I'd love to add a few:
1. The guy who plays all the female characters even though there are several women in class.
2. The guy who always makes the women he plays with his mom or girlfriend.
3. The girl who only plays children.
4. The quiet person who's only there because people told them it would help them to be less shy, but if anything it's made them want to never speak again.
5. The extremely competitive everyone.
1. The guy who plays all the female characters even though there are several women in class.
2. The guy who always makes the women he plays with his mom or girlfriend.
3. The girl who only plays children.
4. The quiet person who's only there because people told them it would help them to be less shy, but if anything it's made them want to never speak again.
5. The extremely competitive everyone.
Friday, March 30, 2012
April Fools Day: A History
In case you're wondering where April Fools Day came from:
Ok, it looks like the creator of that video doesn't really know either, though he makes some educated guesses. My thinking is that in Shakespearian plays, the fools were always secretly the wisest characters, and that April Fools really is just everyone being jealous of all the secretly wise fools that are born every April.
Makes perfect sense, right?
And, of course, I am in no way biased just because I was born in April. That's utterly foolish.
Happy Early April Fools Day!
[via Neatorama]
Monday, April 6, 2009
Can Do! Plays on the Bright Side
On Saturday I went to see my cousin Cynthia perform in one of a series of short plays written by children and directed/performed by professional actors and directors. It was for a group called "The 52nd Street Project" and it brings kids from the Hell's Kitchen area into the world of the arts. Great project, presumably great kids. All good stuff.
And the show was fun. The plays were hit or miss,* but the acting was generally silly and adorable (Cynthia was great, of course) and there were a couple of famous people in it (Billy Crudup!).
The only beef I had was that my secondary reason for going (primary being Cynthia) was that it was supposed to be all positive, happy plays. It's called "Can Do!" and if there's anything at all that I need right now, it's positive reinforcement. I'm like a lost, wandering puppy on a street corner and all I want is for some friendly person to give me a behind-the-ears scratch and a new home. And yet the two arguably best, well-written plays were about
1) child abuse, and
2) divorce
That doesn't sound very bright-sidey to me! Don't get me wrong, they were very good and mature, especially for twelve-year-olds. But I had gone to see Billy Crudup dress in plastic armor and defeat a stilts-wearing Cyclops and giant snake (even more hilarious than you can imagine). I had not gone to watch a poor girl get abused by her father and only barely make it out alive (with the shadowy specter of the father chasing her in closing moments). I got both.
Again, it was great, but I think a more appropriate title would have been: "Can Do? Plays Straddling the Fence of Bright and Terrifying." Although, I guess that wouldn't have made for great marketing.
*Some hilarious miss's in the following post.
And the show was fun. The plays were hit or miss,* but the acting was generally silly and adorable (Cynthia was great, of course) and there were a couple of famous people in it (Billy Crudup!).
The only beef I had was that my secondary reason for going (primary being Cynthia) was that it was supposed to be all positive, happy plays. It's called "Can Do!" and if there's anything at all that I need right now, it's positive reinforcement. I'm like a lost, wandering puppy on a street corner and all I want is for some friendly person to give me a behind-the-ears scratch and a new home. And yet the two arguably best, well-written plays were about
1) child abuse, and
2) divorce
That doesn't sound very bright-sidey to me! Don't get me wrong, they were very good and mature, especially for twelve-year-olds. But I had gone to see Billy Crudup dress in plastic armor and defeat a stilts-wearing Cyclops and giant snake (even more hilarious than you can imagine). I had not gone to watch a poor girl get abused by her father and only barely make it out alive (with the shadowy specter of the father chasing her in closing moments). I got both.
Again, it was great, but I think a more appropriate title would have been: "Can Do? Plays Straddling the Fence of Bright and Terrifying." Although, I guess that wouldn't have made for great marketing.
*Some hilarious miss's in the following post.
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