When Brecht Met Streep

Don’t you love when material that is decades old still holds up, and rings as true as the day it was first introduced to the world? This little moment comes from the Delacourte Theater’s production of Mother Courage and Her Children in 2006. Meryl Streep plays Mother Courage in this show, one of nine plays that Brecht wrote in an attempt to counter the rise of Fascism and Nazism.  Mother Courage is considered to be one of the greatest anti-war plays of all time and its message is one that still holds up today.

The song you will hear is Jeanine Tesori’s reworking of Bretcht’s words. She worked with each of the actors and composed for them specifically with their voices and performance styles in mind.

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Some Things Get Better with Age

I can begin to explain how much I am obsessed with this video. Came across it recently and I honestly have no idea how a song that features Julie Andrews and Carol Burnett rapping about how they “still got it” doesn’t have a million and one views.

Get ready to see these ladies of the stage show off their best moves. Instead of some older female stars who try to dress decades younger than their age and pretend like the years haven’t flown by, these amazing women poke fun at growing older and what it really means to be a sexy mama.

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You Are Theatre

Recently came across this wonderfully inspiring YouTube project: I Am Theatre. Their mission is to capture pivotal moments in the lives of theatre-makers over the course of 50 weeks.

This video I found particularly inspiring since Mallory is a woman who had to reconsider her dream. Watch to see how she was able to turn the craft that she loved into a fulfilling career.

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The Best Onstage Cameo of All Time

In the midst of all the SOPA and Protect IP madness, I figured I would share a lil’ video pick-me-up to help you manage with the otherwise harrowing news about the future of the interwebs.

Ellen DeGeneres makes her Broadway debut in the most recent revival of Promises, Promises. While this was her first time on the Great White Way, I hope it’s not her last.

Fashion So Good, It Should be Illegal

And it is.  Everything had to be created from “found, recycled or stolen materials.”One of the costume designers that I had the chance to work with last year, the brilliant Ann-Closs Farley, recently took the idea of “Forbidden Fashion” onto the runway. The following photos and excerpts are from China Shop Mag’s writeup on the event.

“When the lights dimmed for the series of shows, models bearing everything from comic book accessorized suits to dresses made of playing cards and Dixie cups took to the catwalk with ease. The shows were a success, keeping the audience on the edge of their seats and occasionally bringing them to laughter.”

Ann’s inspiration for the event was the idea of a fundraiser Fashion Show for The Bootleg Theater using their offbeat name.

“I thought it would create a sexy line of clothes. I also didn’t want the participating designers to have to spend any money in building these clothes that we would auction off. They so generously were offering their time and talents. So, I added a twist to the fashion construction challenge by asking the designers to make their designs from found, recycled or stolen items. I thought it would give the show this black market feel and create a desire for a “hot property” purchase with our audience.”

She created three tracks for the show and divided the outfits up by the following themes:

1) Track 1: Guilty Pleasure

2) Track 2: Illegal

3) Track 3: Fatal

See more photos from the event below:

French Fashionista Ready to Fire

Shazaam

Comic Book Couture

Alley-oop

Swattin’ Flies, Breakin’ Hearts

Animal Pelts Abound

Dixie Cup Drunk

Great Gobs of Green

52 Card Pin-up

What’s the craziest thing you’ve ever worn? Stuff like this makes me want to dig through my closet and create something wild.

When the Curtain Rises

“The Glorious Ones” opens this evening and I couldn’t be happier. Not only do we have a fantastic cast, but this process has been an incredibly rewarding one. This show is one that I have wanted to share with others ever since I first fell in love with it in New York four years ago. Here’s to a great run all. You continue to surprise me with each rehearsal. Let’s show them what we’ve got tonight.

 

““All men dream: but not equally. Those who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their minds wake in the day to find that it was vanity: but the dreamers of the day are dangerous men, for they may act their dreams with open eyes, to make it possible.”

– T.E. Lawrence

Well, You Can Tell By the Way I Use My Walk

Last night, the cast got acquainted with the Little Zanni walk, a commedia style stride characterized by high knees and bird-like head movements. All that striding around led me to this brilliantly filmed, and well-acted example of the Zanni stock character.

In the commedia tradition, Zanni was a typical comic servant. The longer the mask’s nose, the ‘stupider’ the character. Take a look at this gal’s interpretation.

The ending is surprisingly effective as well.