Issue #226: April 1, 2009
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I was recently in New York and happened to catch a Wednesday matinee performance of Eugene Ionesco’s Exit the King starring Jeffrey Rush, Susan Sarandon, Lauren Ambrose (Six Feet Under) and Andrea Martin at the Ethel Barrymore Theater. It was a quirky, laugh out loud play with Rush stealing the show….this is his Broadway debut. Of course Martin was her usual hilarious self almost overshadowing Rush …almost. However, sadly, the weakest link was Sarandon who has not been on stage for 37 years and it shows. It was great leafing through the Playbill only to discover that this piece of theatre has its roots firmly planted in Australia. In fact Company B, one of the originating theatres is in Surry Hills, Sydney, which was a stone’s throw from the place I was staying back in the early nineties when I lived there for a number of months. As well John Frost a very successful commercial theatre producer in Oz is also a producer on the show so I was thrilled to see he is still thriving. So far the critics agree that this is a great romp and I suspect tickets will be hard to come by for this limited run.
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On another note, I have added to my “Favourite Sites” The Group Tix Company. This is the go-to organization for groups whether they are students or seniors….and everything in between. Founded by Martin Onrot, whose career spans decades including a stint as one of Canada’s original rock and roll promoter as well as heading up some of Canada’s most prestigious venues. Whether you are looking for an event in Canada or around the world, this site is where you want to start.
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Alas, two talented actors taken from us far too soon. A tragic skiing accident robbed us of the talented Natasha Richardson, a member of one of the most celebrated acting dynasty’s of our time. Although many may be familiar with her film roles, it was the stage where she was most comfortable. In 1996 she won the Tony Award for her breakthrough performance in Sam Mendes’ revival of Cabaret. In her Broadway debut in 1992 in Eugene O’Neill’s Anna Christie she met and fell in love with Liam Neeson with whom she had two sons. She also appeared on Broadway in Closer and in the 2005 revival of Streetcar Named Desire. In London she did repertory theatre at the Old Vic and her West End debut was in the1986 production of Chekhov’s The Seagull opposite her mother and Jonathan Pryce. Her family pedigree includes her mother Vanessa Redgrave, father film director Tony Richardson, aunt Lynn Redgrave, sister Joely Richardson (Nip/Tuck), grandparents the late Sir Michael Redgrave and Rachel Kempson.
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The other loss in March was Ron Silver at the age of 62. He won a Tony Award for his performance in David Mamet’s Speed-the-Plow in 1988. Silver also had a celebrated television career earning an Emmy nomination for his recurring role on The West Wing, roles on Veronica’s Closet, Chicago Hope and Wiseguy. Silver also appeared in numerous TV movies including Kissinger and Nixon, When Billie Beat Bobby as well as narrating the 2004 film Fahrenheit 9/11. Also on the big screen he played Alan Dershowitz in Reversal of Fortune opposite Jeremy Irons.
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