Connie Chats

by Connie Danese | February 25, 2011

Connie Danese

OPENING NITE CHAT CHOICE: The Ahmanson Theatre lobby and outdoor plaza were infused with excitement and paparazzi as a star-studded audience arrived to witness the Tony-nominated performance of Jane Fonda in 33 Variations, written and directed by Moisés Kaufman (The Laramie Project). After receiving a well-deserved standing ovation, the cast gathered at the Border Grill to celebrate. Co-owned by chefs Mary Sue Milliken and Susan Feniger, the downtown LA restaurant serves a modern Mexican cuisine. Waiters wandered about the room with trays of mojitos, sangria or spicy margaritas. The evening fare included roasted plantain empanadas, bacon-wrapped dates stuffed with bleu cheese, beef brisket taquitos with avocado crème dip and the most delectable Baja ceviche served on tostaditas. Yum!

Tall and beautiful Anjelica Huston, dressed in shimmering white and silver, partied with a group of friends at the bar. Cher, seated in a booth near the entrance, was dressed head to toe in simple black, looking understated and sensational. She later joined Fonda, who was escorted by boyfriend and music producer Richard Perry celebrating with her brother Peter Fonda and son Troy Garity.

At the next booth Samantha Mathis, repeating her Broadway turn as Fonda’s daughter Clara, said, “I feel so blessed to work with Miss Fonda and this strong company every night.” Referring to changes in the play, Mathis explained, “I’m really proud of the work we’ve done since playing New York. I love that my character has this arc and a lot of it is in the subtext. I get to go through a big journey. It’s juicy and exciting. There are several things that stand out to me. I love when Jane talks at the end of the play and says Beethoven was teaching us about life and its minutiae; how life in its haste robs us of the little moments. It’s a daily reminder to me that we get so immersed in the technology of texting and e-mailing and basically doing everything at the same time that we neglect to cherish the little moments in life.”

Cast member Don Amendolia (L) and Playwright/Director Moises Kaufman (R) Photo by Ryan Miller/Getty Images

Don Amendolia, who created the part of Anton Diabelli and played it on Broadway and now in LA, is one of those character actors who immerse themselves so completely in roles you often don’t recognize them. This was no exception. Although his career began in New York, Amendolia left at a young age and moved to Minneapolis, where he worked at the Guthrie and other local theaters. “I knew I was a character actor and needed to put years on before I’d have a career. I also needed to work out so I moved where I could do that. I ended up returning to New York to do Cloud Nine (Off-B’way 1981). I always try to be challenged by my work and I go where the work challenges me.”

“Italian-born and raised in Vienna, at one point Diabelli was in the priesthood,” said Amendolia. “I read William Kinderman’s book [a renowned musicologist who mentored author Kaufman] but tended not to agree with what I pulled from it. I think Kinderman believes Beethoven was making fun of Diabelli. I don’t think he would have done that because they were friends and worked together. You don’t spend three years of your dying days to make fun of someone. Another book came out by Maynard Solomon and he felt much like I did.”

Amendolia believes the most interesting part of developing a role is the detective work of navigating through information and research. “The process. I just keep looking. You’re informed by so many things. This was put together in workshops so you find what works and what is honest for your character. I think if you have a feeling for the part, you follow your instincts, and the director is there to guide those instincts. I don’t parse my process at all. I do my research and then use instinct.”

While on the road as the Wizard in the musical Wicked, Amendolia was asked to re-join 33 Variations. He smiles happily, “They were very kind to let me out with a leave of absence to do this production. When we close I rejoin the Wicked cast in Costa Mesa and give back the time, but it was generous of the producers to agree to let me do this. I am very, very lucky.”

The not-to-be-missed production ends March 6.

Linda Eder

MUSIC, MUSIC, MUSIC: Masterworks Broadway (a label of Sony Masterworks) has released three rare albums: Originals-Musical Comedy 1909-1935, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty and Inner City. Collectors will want to explore the website, www.masterworksbroadway.com where digital releases of out-of-print Broadway and Off-Broadway recordings are available as downloads through major digital service providers. Later this year they will add the 1946 revival of Showboat, which commemorates its 65^th anniversary, and Tommy Tune’s album Slow Dancin’… Broadway star Linda Eder (Jekyll & Hyde) has reunited with Broadway and pop composer Frank Wildhorn for her newest album, Now, from Sony Masterworks. Before American Idol there was Star Search (1987) where Eder began her career and developed a huge fan base after winning 12 consecutive weeks. Twenty years later the voice is still a rich and perfect match for Wildhorn’s soaring music. Now includes songs from Cyrano de Bergerac, Camille Claudel, Victor/Victoria and Wildhorn’s anticipated new musical Wonderland. Eder is currently on a concert tour and will appear at the McCallum Theatre in Palm Desert on Mar. 30 and Northridge Performing Arts Center Oct. 30.

THE BIZ REPORT: Alan Ayckbourn’s Emmy-nominated trilogy The Norman Conquests is now available on DVD. It was originally broadcast in the late ’70s as part of PBS’ Great Performance series. The three-disc set may be of interest to fanciers of Ayckbourn and British humor. A very young Tom Conti is delightful as Norman. This Acorn Media DVD includes a Bonus Feature biography of the author and background information about the trilogy.

CHIT CHAT: Peter Schneider directs a two-week rehearsal/workshop of Pal Joey followed by four performances scheduled sometime during the last week of March at the Theatre @ Boston Court. Marketing Manager Brian Polak reports this incarnation is a staged concert of the musical re-conceived by Patrick Pacheco (journalist/documentary writer) and Schneider. The Roundabout Theatre revival of the musical in 2008 featured a new book by Tony winner Richard Greenberg (Take Me Out) based on the original book by John O’Hara. As a side note, Jane Krakowski’s recent album The Laziest Gal in Town recorded during a concert at Feinstein’s in New York includes her rendition of Pal Joey’s “Zip” transformed to “Tweet” (a bow to Twitter) with Lorenz Hart’s lyrics updated to recent satire… To honor the 50^th anniversary of MGM’s 1961 classic film musical West Side Story, the Los Angeles Philharmonic will play Leonard Bernstein’s glorious score live while the newly re-mastered film is shown in high definition on the Hollywood Bowl’s big screen with original vocals and dialogue intact, July 8 and 9.