Connie Danese
OPENING NIGHT CHAT CHOICE: If you select but one show to see this season, get thee to the Ahmanson to witness an incredible cast at the top of its game in God of Carnage, the Tony-winning play by Yasmina Reza, translated by Christopher Hampton. All four original Tony-nominated actors are back together on stage and “in the zone”–Marcia Gay Harden (Best Actress Tony), Jeff Daniels, Hope Davis and James Gandolfini are united with their Tony-winning director Matthew Warchus.
The opening on Wednesday, April 13 was star-studded and attracted Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, who avoided the crowds and paparazzi by entering the theater from a side door; nonetheless someone seated nearby was observed snapping pix of the couple with a cell phone. After a tremendous standing ovation, cast and friends met at Chaya Downtown, where the room was buzzing with excitement. The Asian/Japanese cuisine served by the staff included chicken skewers, panini, tuna and veggie rolls, shrimp and a selection of sushi.
Janet Shaw (L) and actress Camryn Manheim (R) pose during the arrivals for the opening night performance of "God of Carnage" (Photo by Ryan Miller/Capture Imaging)
Stacy Keach gave a big hug to Gandolfini. Angelica Huston sat in a corner booth with friends while Gina Gershon and Sandra Oh were seen congratulating Harden. Actress Camryn Manheim was perfectly clear when asked how she enjoyed the show, “I was totally f…king jealous that I wasn’t in the play, and I think Marcia Gay Harden is one of the best actresses of our generation. I mean that from the bottom of my heart.” Hmm! Has Manheim discovered a new role she’d like to tackle? “I’d have to kill her first, then yes, I want that role. I loved it! Having a 10-year-old son, I also found it interesting and poignant to watch the politics and diplomacy that goes along with parents navigating through relationships and schools. The play shows what truths are uncovered in 90 minutes — if we can stay on topic that long.”
Jeff Daniels smiled as he explained how similar the LA audience is to the one in New York with one definitive exception. “We wondered what the California vibe would be like and whether it would be a little mellower than that gritty, hard-edged New Yorker vibe. Well, it was no different until we got to one part of the play where we talk about doing something to a hamster and we heard an audible ‘awww.’ We didn’t get that in New York. Other than that, the laughs and involvement with the audience is the same. It’s like a rock and roll event.”
Perfectly described. Rock out with this remarkable cast at the Ahmanson, where the show is extended to May 29.
THE BOOK NOOK: The Library of America, “dedicated to publishing and keeping in print authoritative editions of America’s best and most significant writing,” celebrates Tennessee Williams’ centennial with the release of a magnificent, two-volume boxed collection of this prolific author’s plays, edited by Mel Gussow and Kenneth Holditch. The Collected Plays of Tennessee Williams incorporates 32 plays preceded by Williams’ introductions, notes, interesting stories of opening nights and thoughts.
Alan Arkin
This poignant and personal excerpt precedes Cat on a Hot Tin Roof: “There is too much to say and not enough time to say it. Nor is there power enough. I am not a good writer. Sometimes I am a very bad writer indeed… I have never for one moment doubted that there are people –millions!—to say things to. We come to each other, gradually, but with love. It is the short reach of my arms that hinders, not the length and multiplicity of theirs.” To partially quote a line from The Glass Menagerie “–for nowadays the world is lit by lightning! Blow out your candles –and so good-bye.” The must-have edition is a fitting tribute to one of our greatest playwrights…Alan Arkin’s new book is an insightful glimpse into how the improvisational prowess of this Oscar-winning actor has given him a deeper understanding of life. The title, an improvised life: a memoir (all in lower case) may be somewhat misleading. If readers are expecting the typical autobiography, this is not that. In exploring his love of improvisation, Arkin reveals it is more than the way he grew as an actor; improvisation also defines how he lives life — embracing the unexpected and creating something more from whatever is at hand. In his workshops, which are often attended by non-actors, Arkin encourages participants to live in the moment and says, “I believe this fervently, both in life and in a workshop — that if this present moment is lived whole-heartedly and meticulously, the future will take care of itself.”
Published by Da Capo Press, an improvised life presents Arkin’s philosophies and acting techniques, discovered as though by accident while living.
