Of Notoriety: Dunes Summer Theatre's 74th anniversary Sunday celebrated with sold-out ‘Misery'
Elise Kermani, managing director of the Dunes Arts Foundation and Steve Scott, a director emeritus from Chicago's Goodman Theater, later named Dunes Theatre artistic director in fall 2021, are sharing the same amazement this summer.
They opened their 2025 stage season with a sold-out run of a newly imagined telling of Stephen King's 'Misery,' which opened May 30 and concludes with a final performance 2 p.m. Sunday, and scattered seats still available at all three remaining shows.
Dunes Summer Theatre, 288 Shady Oak Drive in Michigan City, celebrated the marking of the 74th anniversary last Sunday, June 8, with standing audience ovations for this new and cleverly devised staging of 'Misery.'
The run stars Chicago TV news personality Janet Davies, completely transformed as the menacing recluse nurse Annie Wilkes, opposite brilliant Kevin Giese as tortured novelist Paul Sheldon who is held captive by 'his biggest fan.' The production is directed by John Hancock, our noted filmmaker and Oscar-nominated movie director local claim-to-fame who hails from LaPorte and did the filming for his 1989 holiday classic 'Prancer' at his family's farm in LaPorte.
Also in this 'Misery' cast are Jim Lampl as skeptical rural town Sheriff Buster and Emmie Reigel, the latter molded into a new character, not previously featured in the original stage work or readings of this adaptation from two decades ago in New York.
Reigel is cast as the ever-looming spirit of author Sheldon's novel heroine Misery Chastain and appears in nearly all the scenes. And many times, she 'earns her oats' helping with inventive transitions for scene needs. Creative wiz Michael Lasswell has built an entire rustic cabin farmhouse set design, complete with hidden secret reveals for the audience.
Davies was the TV entertainment reporter for Chicago's ABC 7 News for more than 30 years and the host of the award-winning '190 North' Chicago entertainment, dining and lifestyle TV series. A world-traveled, seasoned broadcast journalist and winner of 18 Emmy awards for producing, writing and reporting, Davies has covered the British Royal Family, reported live from the red carpets of the Oscars and the Primetime Emmy Awards, as well as the American Music Awards.
In February 2021, Davies left ABC-owned WLS Channel 7 after a 37-year history and now divides her time between her beloved Chicago, world travels and her home in Galien, Michigan. She is also the board chair of the tiny but mighty stage at The Acorn Theatre in quaint Three Oaks, Michigan.
'You have to remember, I started out as a theatre major in college, and communication was my secondary career study,' said Davies, who was born in Richmond, Virginia, and raised in Fairfield, Ohio, before she earned a BA from Miami University in Ohio majoring in communications and theater.
When chatting with Davies on Sunday, I told her of my amazement that she could remember all of the script lines and blocking sequences for the two-hour stage epic. (I still have my own nightmares about not remembering lines on stage, and that's without working full-time in the theater industry).
In her world of working in the television field, a teleprompter is nothing out of the ordinary for anchor desk reporting.
'I spent considerable time learning lines, and a great director and cast help the process,' she said.
Davies' 'Misery' co-star Giese is a graduate of Portage High School and trained at Second City in Chicago. He is familiar to audiences at both Dunes Summer Theatre and Memorial Opera House in Valparaiso.
I asked Davies if she already has another stage project in the works, and her only answer was a glint in her eye paired with a smile.
I'm casting my own vote to see her play the mother superior nun in 'Doubt' or 'Agnes of God.' Maybe the theater gods will hear my request.
Tickets for 'Misery' are $30 to $35 and available at www.dunesarts.org or call 219-879-7509.
Up next at Dunes Summer Theatre opening June 27 and playing until July 13 is 'Outside Mullingar,' a delicious dark company and one of my favorite stage stories by Irish playwright John Patrick Shanley and being directed by the Dunes' Michael Lasswell.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New York Post
28 minutes ago
- New York Post
'Silicon Valley' star Kumail Nanjiani says Elon Musk hated HBO satire
Elon Musk hated HBO's 'Silicon Valley' so much that he reportedly felt compelled to gripe about its satirical portrayal of lame 'tech bro' parties — and brag to the show's star about the superior shindigs he has attended himself. Kumail Nanjiani said that the world's richest mogul complained to him that the tech gatherings depicted on the HBO comedy were nothing like his exclusive billionaire bashes. 'He was like, all the parties I go to are much cooler than these parties,' Nanjiani, 47, told comedian Mike Birbiglia on his podcast last week about meeting Musk. 5 Kumail Nanjiani, star of the hit HBO satire 'Silicon Valley,' said that Elon Musk panned the show. YouTube / Mike Birbiglia 5 Musk supposedly told Nanjiani, that 'all the parties I go to are much cooler than these parties.' AP The 'Silicon Valley' star had the perfect comeback: 'I was like, yeah man, you're one of the richest people in the world. We're, like, losers on the show. Of course your parties are better than my parties.' Nanjiani's revelation offers a rare glimpse into Musk's thinking on how Hollywood portrays the tech elite — even in a show that never actually featured him as a character. The Tesla CEO's reaction sparked renewed interest in the real Silicon Valley party scene, which in years past has gained notoriety for pushing boundaries far beyond what HBO ever showed. 'Silicon Valley,' which was created by Mike Judge of 'Beavis and Butt-Head' fame, ran for 53 episodes across six seasons from 2014 to 2019. The series followed Richard Hendricks, an awkward programmer building a startup called Pied Piper with his misfit friends. The show earned five consecutive Emmy nominations for Outstanding Comedy Series by savagely mocking 'brogrammer culture' and the eccentricities of tech billionaires. While Musk never appeared as a character, the series featured various fictional moguls like Gavin Belson of 'Hooli' who parodied traits associated with real tech titans. Nanjiani revealed he'd met several Silicon Valley heavyweights during the show's run, including Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg. But Musk stood out for his particularly negative reaction, according to the actor. The HBO show particularly irritated Musk with its opening scene featuring Kid Rock performing at a sparsely attended tech party, according to Nanjiani. 'The first scene of the show is — it's such a funny opening — it's Kid Rock playing on stage,' Nanjiani explained, 'and then it cuts to the audience and it's at, clearly, some tech party. There's seven nerdy dudes standing there, (and) nobody's paying attention.' 'Elon was upset. He was like, 'Well, the parties I go to are much cooler than these parties,'' the 'Big Sick' star recalled. 5 Nanjiani is seen alongside co-stars Martin Starr (left) and Thomas Middleditch (right) in a scene from 'Silicon Valley.' AP 'It was like, 'Yeah man, you're one of the richest people in the world. We're like losers on the show. Of course your parties are better than my parties. What are you talking about?'' Back in 2014, Musk showed up at a special screening of 'Silicon Valley' and made it clear he wasn't impressed, according to Vox. Speaking to reporters afterward, Musk complained that Judge had missed the essence of the tech world's party scene. 'I really feel like Mike Judge has never been to Burning Man, which is Silicon Valley,' Musk said at the afterparty. 5 While Musk never appeared as a character, the series featured various fictional moguls like Gavin Belson of 'Hooli' who parodied traits associated with real tech titans. 'If you haven't been, you just don't get it. You could take the craziest LA party and multiply it by a thousand, and it doesn't even get fucking close to what's in Silicon Valley. The show didn't have any of that.' Musk contrasted Silicon Valley's social culture with Hollywood's, adding: 'The parties in Silicon Valley are amazing because people don't care about how they're perceived socially, which I don't think Mike got. Hollywood is a place where people always care about what the public will think of them, and it's f–king sad, and the show felt more like that.' 'I've lived in Hollywood 12 years, and I've never been to a f–king good party,' Musk said. He even went so far as to suggest he'd personally take Judge to Burning Man—though it's unknown if the offer was ever taken up. The billionaire's complaint about party accuracy becomes more intriguing considering what really goes down at elite tech gatherings. Emily Chang's explosive 2018 book 'Brotopia' exposed secretive Silicon Valley parties featuring drug use and open sexual behavior among venture capitalists and founders. 5 Back in 2014, Musk showed up at a special screening of 'Silicon Valley' and made it clear he wasn't impressed. AP These events allegedly involved MDMA and 'cuddle puddles' encouraging intimacy, with women reporting feeling pressured to participate. Chang claimed Musk attended at least one such gathering in 2017 at investor Steve Jurvetson's house — though Musk vigorously disputed her characterization. The SpaceX founder insisted he thought it was a costume party and saw nothing inappropriate before leaving early. 'Nerds on a couch are not a 'cuddle puddle,'' Musk told Wired in 2018. 'I was hounded all night by DFJ-funded entrepreneurs, so went to sleep around 1am. Nothing remotely worth writing about happened.' His reference to Draper Fisher Jurvetson-funded entrepreneurs suggests even Musk's 'cooler' parties involve relentless networking and startup pitches. DFJ is a prominent Silicon Valley venture capital firm that funds technology startups. The Post has sought comment from Nanjiani and Musk.
Los Angeles Times
an hour ago
- Los Angeles Times
Could this movie based on a Hindu epic become India's ‘Avatar?'
Movies from India's prolific film industry have found success on the world stage before. 'RRR,' an over-the-top Telugu-language action film, energized audiences in the U.S. and elsewhere a few years ago, even scoring a history-making Oscar for its original song 'Naatu Naatu.' Hindi screenings have long drawn crowds to American multiplexes. But the filmmakers behind 'Ramayana' — an upcoming two-part epic based on one of the most important ancient texts in Hinduism — have something more ambitious in mind. The massive productions — each estimated to cost $200 million to $250 million — are aimed not merely at an Indian audience, nor are they meant to appeal primarily to Hindus, who number an estimated 1.2 billion globally, according to Pew Research Center. Rather, the goal is to turn 'Ramayana,' with its grand-scale adventure story and high-tech computer-generated effects, into a full-blown international blockbuster, filmed specifically for Imax's giant screens in what is intended to be the largest-ever rollout for an Indian film, according to its backers. Executive Namit Malhotra — who is financing and producing the project through his firm Prime Focus — set the bar high in a recent interview with The Times, comparing his film to the likes of James Cameron's 'Avatar,' Ridley Scott's 'Gladiator' and the movies of Christopher Nolan. While Hollywood studio bosses talk about reaching all four demographic 'quadrants' (men and women, young and old) with their tentpole movies, Malhotra wants to draw two additional categories: believer and nonbeliever. For such a so-called six-quadrant movie to work, to use Malhotra's terminology, it would have to succeed in the U.S. 'In my mind, if people in the West don't like it, I consider that as a failure,' Malhotra told The Times recently. 'It is meant for the world. So if you don't like it, shame on me. We should have done a better job.' It's a major gamble for Malhotra, who founded Prime Focus in Mumbai in 1997. The firm expanded significantly when it acquired British effects house Double Negative, and rebranded as DNEG. Malhotra owns nearly 68% of the parent company, Prime Focus Ltd. He's going to great lengths to make sure his big bet pays off. DNEG, headquartered in London with offices in India, Los Angeles and elsewhere, is handling the visuals. The firm has produced special effects for global studio features for years, creating Oscar-winning work for such movies as Denis Villeneuve's 'Dune: Part Two' and Nolan's 'Tenet.' 'Ramayana' is directed by Nitesh Tiwari, the man behind 2016's 'Dangal,' the highest-grossing Bollywood film ever, including huge sales in China. Hans Zimmer and prolific Indian musician-composer A.R. Rahman ('Slumdog Millionaire') are collaborating on the score, while the visual effects and production design team includes veterans from 'Mad Max: Fury Road,' 'Avengers: Endgame' and the 'Lord of the Rings' franchise. The success of 'RRR,' which told the story of two Indian legends with larger-than-life abilities fighting British imperialism, is one reason Malhotra is confident that 'Ramayana' might connect with Westerners more familiar with the Bible and 'The Odyssey' (the subject of a much-hyped 2026 Nolan film) than with Hindu mythology. U.S. cinephiles have in the past embraced mythical Asia-set films such as Ang Lee's 'Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon' and 'Life of Pi.' So why not 'Ramayana?' After all, family, good vs. evil and personal striving are all key themes that transcend national borders. 'Emotions are universal,' said Tiwari in a video call. 'If the audience connects with you emotionally, I think they will connect with the whole story. Emotions have powers to travel across boundaries.' Filmed entirely on soundstages, the first part of 'Ramayana' is scheduled to hit theaters next year, with a significant push from Imax. 'Part 2,' currently in production, is planned for 2027. Each part is timed for Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights. The films do not yet have a U.S. distributor. This comes as Imax has beefed up its clout as what is increasingly seen as a linchpin component for the release of big-screen movies, not just for Hollywood spectacles but also, lately, for local language films. Imax showcased just a handful of Indian movies on its screens in 2019, according to Chief Executive Richard Gelfond. Last year, the company played 15. So far this year, international films made in their local language have accounted for more than 30% of Imax's total global box office revenue, Gelfond said. Much of that tally came from 'Ne Zha 2,' a Chinese-produced animated film that grossed roughly $2 billion worldwide, mostly from its home country. As such, Gelfond has high hopes for 'Ramayana.' 'Judging from what we've seen, this has all the elements to be a global success,' Gelfond said. At its core, 'Ramayana,' based on the epic poem from thousands of years ago, tells the story of Hindu deity Rama, an incarnation of the god Vishnu, and his quest to rescue his love Sita from the demon king Ravana. A three-minute teaser trailer introduced the concept, emphasizing the big names attached (including actors Ranbir Kapoor as Rama, Sai Pallavi as Sita and Yash as Ravana), displaying some 'Game of Thrones' opening credits-style visuals and conveying the tale's historical importance. 'Our truth. Our history,' reads the onscreen text. The video has 9.4 million views on YouTube. 'Ramayana' is a quintessentially Indian story. It has been adapted for stage and screen before, perhaps most notably as a series for Indian TV in the late 1980s. For the new version, Malhotra wants to eliminate any language barriers. DNEG is using syncing technology from its Brahma AI unit to seamlessly present the film in local languages for international audiences. In the U.S., for example, the movie will screen in English. 'It's a global film from the day we start,' he said. 'I'm not trying to make it to appease Indian people in India. … If you go and watch 'Ramayana' and your family watches it, and people in India watch it, what's the difference? It should speak to you like any other film.' Airing election misinformation continues to be expensive for cable news networks. Newsmax will pay $67 million to settle a defamation suit filed by Dominion Voting Systems over false claims about voter fraud in the 2020 election that aired on the right-wing news channel. The network announced the settlement with the voting equipment maker Monday but did not apologize for its reporting. Fox News settled a similar case with Dominion in 2023 for $787.5 million after it aired incorrect election claims. Newsmax is much smaller than Fox, which continues to battle a lawsuit from another voting machine company, Smartmatic. Streaming is getting closer to another major milestone. According to Nielsen's the Gauge report, streaming services accounted for 47.3% of U.S. TV usage in July, compared with 22% for cable and 18.4% for broadcast. That's what happens when there's new 'Squid Game' on Netflix and there's not much on regular TV. Listen: No Joy, 'Bugland.' Excellent '90s-style rock.
USA Today
an hour ago
- USA Today
Kimmel defends Colbert amid cancellation, calls Paramount's money excuse 'nonsensical'
If the defense of late-night is a lost cause, Jimmy Kimmel will go down swinging. The ABC comic told Variety in a recent interview that the money issues Paramount cited for their recent cancellation of "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert" were "nonsensical." Colbert's show, one of the top-rated programs in the genre, was cancelled permanently earlier this year, with the CBS parent company citing financial difficulties. Others, however, didn't buy that explanation, positing instead that Paramount, which was hoping for approval of a merger from the Trump Administration's FCC, bent the knee to the president to grease the wheels. The merger was approved shortly after the cancellation was announced. Kimmel, whose own show is an institution in late-night comedy, falls firmly in that camp. "I just want to say that the idea that Stephen Colbert's show was losing $40 million a year is beyond nonsensical," the "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" host told Variety in the interview published Aug. 18. "These alleged insiders who supposedly analyze the budgets of the shows −I don't know who they are, but I do know they don't know what they're talking about." Kimmel went on to say that those claiming Colbert was hemorrhaging money were too focused on advertising revenue, and not looking at the whole pie, which includes affiliate fees: the dollar amounts TV providers pay networks for the right to carry their channels. USA TODAY has reached out to Paramount for comment. "It really is surprising how little the media seems to know about how the media works. There's just not a snowball's chance in hell that that's anywhere near accurate," he said, later adding: "Who knows what's true? All I know is they keep paying us − and that's kind of all you need to know." He also expressed frustration at the narrative that the late-night format is a "rotting corpse," which he called a "great storyline for the press" but "simply not true." "The idea that late-night is dead is simply untrue. People just aren't watching it on network television in the numbers they used to − or live, for that matter," Kimmel told the outlet, pointing to growing viewership on streaming and YouTube. Whether those formats add up to the same payout as a live audience is a different story, however. The media environment, across genres, has been contorting rapidly for over a decade, as creators of myriad forms of content compete for shrinking attention spans in an increasingly crowded market. Whether Colbert, Kimmel, and their comrades on NBC can break through the noise is an ongoing experiment. But, in the meantime, Kimmel says he's hoping Colbert can nab an Emmy. "It seems like voting for Stephen is the least we could do at this point, and I think it will be a nice statement if he does win," he said of the television awards. "Obviously, awards don't mean much, but every once in a while they do, and in this case, I think it will. So I fully expect Stephen to win the Emmy as I think people are very, very upset about what happened to him and his show."
