Latest news with #JonathanSpector
Yahoo
30-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Ferdinand praises West Ham fans in America
Former Wet Ham players Anton Ferdinand and Jonathan Spector join the crew pitchside at Soldier Field ahead of West Ham's Premier League Summer Series showdown with Everton.
NBC Sports
30-07-2025
- Sport
- NBC Sports
Ferdinand praises West Ham fans in America
Former Wet Ham players Anton Ferdinand and Jonathan Spector join the crew pitchside at Soldier Field ahead of West Ham's Premier League Summer Series showdown with Everton.
Los Angeles Times
12-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
Pasadena Playhouse wades into the vaccine debate with 2025-26 season led by Tony winner ‘Eureka Day'
Pasadena Playhouse announced a 2025-26 season Thursday led by Jonathan Spector's satire 'Eureka Day,' a newly minted Tony Award winner for best revival of a play, which centers on a mumps outbreak at a progressive private school in Berkeley whose PTA tries to come up with a vaccine policy that suits everyone — to hilarious results in an era of vaccine skepticism. 'In these times we need laughter and we need to be able to think critically about ourselves,' Playhouse artistic director Danny Feldman said. 'An audience laughing together is such a good entrance to heavy themes and big ideas.' Next up will be Peter Shaffer's 'Amadeus,' which opened in 1979 and won the Tony for best play in 1981 with Ian McKellen winning lead actor honors. Director Miloš Forman made it into a 1984 film, which won eight Oscars including best picture. Shaffer also won an Oscar for best adapted screenplay. The story is a fictional account of the contentious relationship between Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and his rival, Antonio Salieri, the court composer of the Austrian emperor. Calling 'Amadeus' one of the great pieces of historical fiction for theater, Feldman said it's a show he's been planning for the Playhouse for quite some time. Another Feldman favorite, and the third show on next season's calendar, is a world-premiere adaptation of Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe's 1947 musical, 'Brigadoon.' The adaptation, by Alexandra Silber, remains true to the original, Feldman said, but 'really puts it forward for today's audience ... with covert but impactful changes that sharpen it in an exciting way.' The two-person hip-hop musical, 'Mexodus,' rounds out the main stage offerings. A fifth show will be announced at a later date. Written by and starring Brian Quijada and Nygel D. Robinson, 'Mexodus' explores the little known history of the Underground Railroad to Mexico. Using looped musical tracks that the men lay down live during the show, the production follows the journey of an enslaved man who flees south and meets a rancher. 'It's more of a musical experience than a traditional musical, so it's very genre busting and innovative,' Feldman said of the technique used to bring the music to life. 'It's a bit of a magic trick.' Two family shows are on the schedule: 'The Song of the North,' created, designed and directed by Hamid Rahmanian for children ages 6-12; and 'The Lizard and El Sol,' originally developed and produced by the Alliance Theater in Atlanta for ages 5 and younger. The former will be presented on the Playhouse's main stage, which is a departure from past family programming. 'The Song of the North,' based on a classic Persian love story and presented near the Iranian New Year, promises breathtaking visuals through the use of 483 handmade shadow puppets wielded by talented puppeteers. 'The Lizard and El Sol,' staged at local parks as well as in the Playhouse courtyard, tells the charming tale of a lizard in search of the newly missing sun. It's based on a Mexican folktale and presented mostly in Spanish, although it can be enjoyed by non-Spanish speakers too, Feldman said. 'We don't look at our family programming as separate,' says Feldman. 'It's really core to our mission.' The season announcement comes during a banner year for Pasadena Playhouse. The State Theater of California celebrated its 100th anniversary in May, and in April it announced it had raised $9.5 million to buy back the historic campus it lost to bankruptcy in 1970 — putting the company in charge of its fate for the first time in more than 50 years. That good news came two years after the theater became the second-ever L.A. organization to win the the Regional Theatre Tony Award. 'As we purchased our building and came into this moment of thinking about the next century, it felt like there was a very big assignment with this season,' Feldman said. 'How are we turning the corner into our next chapter?' His answer: 'An expansion and continuation of what I think we do best at the Playhouse,' which is to think about the presentation of art and theater through a California lens. Feldman said that with it being the state theater, he feels a unique responsibility to ensure that the work presented on the Playhouse stage engages with the world — but that it is also theater for everyone. 'What I love about this year is that it really is the full spectrum,' Feldman said. 'Comedies and tragedies and musicals and plays — old things and new things and kids' things.' For tickets and additional information about the upcoming season, go to
Daily Mail
03-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Tony Awards 2025 nominees
Best Musical Buena Vista Social Club Dead Outlaw Death Becomes Her Maybe Happy Ending Operation Mincemeat: A New Musical Best Revival of a Play Eureka Day — Author: Jonathan Spector Romeo + Juliet Thornton Wilder's Our Town Yellow Face — Author: David Henry Hwang Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play George Clooney — Good Night, And Good Luck Cole Escola — Oh, Mary! Jon Michael Hill — Purpose Daniel Dae Kim — Yellow Face Harry Lennix — Purpose Louis McCartney — Stranger Things: The First Shadow Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical Darren Criss — Maybe Happy Ending Andrew Durand — Dead Outlaw Tom Francis — Sunset Blvd. Jonathan Groff — Just In Time James Monroe Iglehart — A Wonderful World: The Louis Armstrong Musical Jeremy Jordan — Floyd Collins Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Play Glenn Davis — Purpose Gabriel Ebert — John Proctor Is The Villain Francis Jue — Yellow Face Bob Odenkirk — Glengarry Glen Ross Conrad Ricamora — Oh, Mary! Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical Brooks Ashmanskas —SMASH Jeb Brown — Dead Outlaw Danny Burstein — Gypsy Jak Malone — Operation Mincemeat: A New Musical Taylor Trensch — Floyd Collins Best Direction of a Play Knud Adams — English Sam Mendes — The Hills Of California Sam Pinkleton — Oh, Mary! Danya Taymor — John Proctor Is The Villain Kip Williams — The Picture Of Dorian Gray Best Book of a Musical Buena Vista Social Club — Marco Ramirez Dead Outlaw — Itamar Moses Death Becomes Her — Marco Pennette Maybe Happy Ending — Will Aronson and Hue Park Operation Mincemeat: A New Musical — David Cumming, Felix Hagan, Natasha Hodgson and Zoë Roberts Best Scenic Design of a Play Marsha Ginsberg — English Rob Howell — The Hills of California Marg Horwell and David Bergman — The Picture of Dorian Gray Miriam Buether and 59 — Stranger Things: The First Shadow Scott Pask — Good Night, and Good Luck Best Costume Design of a Play Brenda Abbandandolo — Good Night, And Good Luck Marg Horwell — The Picture of Dorian Gray Rob Howell — The Hills Of California Holly Pierson — Oh, Mary! Brigitte Reiffenstuel — Stranger Things: The First Shadow Best Lighting Design of a Play Natasha Chivers — The Hills Of California Jon Clark — Stranger Things: The First Shadow Heather Gilbert and David Bengali — Good Night, And Good Luck Natasha Katz and Hannah Wasileski — John Proctor Is The Villain Nick Schlieper — The Picture Of Dorian Gray Best Sound Design of a Play Paul Arditti — Stranger Things: The First Shadow Palmer Hefferan — John Proctor Is The Villain Daniel Kluger — Good Night, And Good Luck Nick Powell — The Hills Of California Clemence Williams — The Picture of Dorian Gray Best Choreography Joshua Bergasse — SMASH Camille A. Brown — Gypsy Christopher Gattelli — Death Becomes Her Jerry Mitchell — BOOP! The Musical Patricia Delgado and Justin Peck — Buena Vista Social Club Best Play English — Author: Sanaz Toossi The Hills of California — Author: Jez Butterworth John Proctor Is The Villain — Author: Kimberly Belflower Oh, Mary! — Author: Cole Escola Purpose — Author: Branden Jacobs-Jenkins Best Revival of a Musical Floyd Collins — Book/Additional Lyrics: Tina Landau; Music & Lyrics: Adam Guettel Gypsy Pirates! The Penzance Musical Sunset Blvd. Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Play Laura Donnelly — The Hills Of California Mia Farrow — The Roommate LaTanya Richardson Jackson — Purpose Sadie Sink — John Proctor Is The Villain Sarah Snook — The Picture Of Dorian Gray Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical Megan Hilty — Death Becomes Her Audra McDonald — Gypsy Jasmine Amy Rogers — BOOP! The Musical Nicole Scherzinger — Sunset Blvd. Jennifer Simard — Death Becomes Her Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play Tala Ashe — English Jessica Hecht — Eureka Day Marjan Neshat — English Fina Strazza — John Proctor Is The Villain Kara Young — Purpose Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical Natalie Venetia Belcon — Buena Vista Social Club Julia Knitel — Dead Outlaw Gracie Lawrence — Just In Time Justina Machado — Real Women Have Curves: The Musical Joy Woods — Gypsy Best Direction of a Musical Saheem Ali — Buena Vista Social Club Michael Arden — Maybe Happy Ending David Cromer — Dead Outlaw Christopher Gattelli — Death Becomes Her Jamie Lloyd — Sunset Blvd. Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre Dead Outlaw — Music & Lyrics: David Yazbek and Erik Della Penna Death Becomes Her — Music & Lyrics: Julia Mattison and Noel Carey Maybe Happy Ending —Music: Will Aronson; Lyrics: Will Aronson and Hue Park Operation Mincemeat: A New Musical — Music & Lyrics: David Cumming, Felix Hagan, Natasha Hodgson and Zoë Roberts Real Women Have Curves: The Musical — Music & Lyrics: Joy Huerta and Benjamin Velez Best Orchestrations Andrew Resnick and Michael Thurber — Just in Time Will Aronson — Maybe Happy Ending Bruce Coughlin — Floyd Collins Marco Paguia — Buena Vista Social Club David Cullen and Andrew Lloyd Webber — Sunset Blvd. Best Scenic Design of a Musical Rachel Hauck — Swept Away Dane Laffrey and George Reeve — Maybe Happy Ending Arnulfo Maldonado — Buena Vista Social Club Derek McLane — Death Becomes Her Derek McLane — Just In Time Best Costume Design of a Musical Dede Ayite — Buena Vista Social Club Gregg Barnes — BOOP! The Musical Clint Ramos — Maybe Happy Ending Paul Tazewell — Death Becomes Her Catherine Zuber — Just In Time Best Lighting Design of a Musical Jack Knowles — Sunset Blvd. Tyler Micoleau — Buena Vista Social Club Scott Zielinski and Ruey Horng Sun — Floyd Collins Ben Stanton — Maybe Happy Ending Justin Townsend — Death Becomes Her Best Sound Design of a Musical Jonathan Deans — Buena Vista Social Club Adam Fisher — Sunset Blvd. Peter Hylenski — Just In Time Peter Hylenski — Maybe Happy Ending Dan Moses Schreier — Floyd Collins
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
‘Eureka Day' playwright Jonathan Spector talks vaccine debates, vicious comment sections, and ‘the failure of a utopia'
Playwright Jonathan Spector describes his arrival on Broadway as a "wild" and "out of body" experience. Not only did he make his mainstream debut with Eureka Day, a comedy about vaccine mandates at an elementary school, he also became a Tony nominee. Speaking to Gold Derby, Spector describes the creation of that infamous Zoom live-stream scene, and why he believes that the play is actually about "the failure of a utopia." More from GoldDerby 'The worst has already happened, so now I have everything to gain': Meagan Good on love, loss, and empowering women in 'Forever' Breakout star Owen Cooper admits 'Adolescence' was 'very out of my comfort zone' Keanu Reeves gets his wings in 'Good Fortune' teaser, Taron Egerton sees 'Smoke,' and today's other top stories Gold Derby: was first produced in 2018. So much has happened in the world since then, especially as it relates to the core topic of this play, including a worldwide pandemic. How do you think the play lands now versus that 2018 production? Jonathan Spector: We were in rehearsal during the election and I guess I, probably naively, thought it was going to go the other way. So I had one idea about what I thought the play was going to mean in that context of opening with incoming President Kamala Harris. And then I have a different idea about how it landed now. It almost feels more like a document of how we got here, of the way in which caretaking and thoughtfulness and all of these tools of liberalism are just not quite up to meeting certain kinds of challenges, as evidenced by our failure to prevent [Donald] Trump from being reelected. Now [vaccines] are an issue that people have a much stronger personal connection to. Before the pandemic, people could engage with the metaphor of the play more easily as a sort of metaphor for democracy, or how you create a society with people when you can't agree on what's true. And then, coming out of the pandemic, it was hard for anybody to see anything but COVID in the play. And I think now it's a little more of a balance. The live-stream scene, although it's changed very little from what it was before, is very different for the audience because now everybody in the audience has lived through that experience many times. There's a much more visceral response to it. Did you ever want to alter the script in any way considering those changes in the world? There were a couple of very minor changes I made of just taking out a line here or there. Before COVID, I had to explain things a little more but now everybody knows what herd immunity is, so we don't need a character to explain that. Obviously the last line of the play is new, of looking forward to the 2019-2020 school year. Beyond that, all the changes I made were less about the pandemic and more about continuing to work on the play and just make it the best version of itself. That live-stream moment you mentioned gets the entire audience laughing with such recognition as we see these vicious comments projected on screen. What was the impetus behind that scene? When I was researching the play, I spent a lot of time on internet message boards where people would fight about vaccines and they would get so vicious with each other. So much of how we live now, how we engage with an issue, is online. So there was something that would be missing if I wrote a play about [vaccines], but left out that big part of how we engage with this. I also didn't want to make my characters be as nasty as people get online. The other part was just a desire to bring more of the school community into the play and not have it just be these five people who are representing everybody. The first production in Berkeley, that theater has a very old subscriber base. I think when they had done plays in the past with text projection, they found that people didn't really pay a lot of attention to it. So our expectation was that maybe most people wouldn't pay attention to it. But the first time we had an audience, you couldn't hear a word on stage because people were laughing so much. So I used to have continuous comments all the way through the scene. Then after realizing how people react, I then went through and I had to sculpt it much more to make sure that the things that are important to hear come in the clear, so the focus can shift back to the actors and then go back to the comments. The five main characters all have these very different views, and yet they are all firmly committed to creating this ideal world for the kids and families. Why was that sense of empathy important to include within the main characters? I think it's much more interesting if you're going to have any play with any kind of political valence or issue, that it's hard for people to be dismissive of each other. Prior to COVID, vaccines and vaccine skepticism was not particularly politicized. Knowing someone didn't vaccinate their kids didn't actually tell you if they were Democrat or Republican in the way that it now is very correlated, but back then it was maybe the only contentious issue that was not correlated with your politics. People on the right and left were both skeptical of vaccines for different reasons. So that then allowed it to be about people who all basically had the same worldview and the same values and wanted the same things, and it was just this one thing that they lived in different realities about. To me, the play is really about the failure of a utopia. They had this thing that worked really well for a really long time, until it finally came up against something that it couldn't overcome. The skepticism side of the argument is highlighted quite beautifully in Jessica Hecht's monologue. Her character Suzanne reveals a heartbreaking loss of a child, which led her down the path of vaccine denialism. What went into creating that moment? When I was writing that, my daughter was less than 1. That first year, you're so paranoid, you're always going in and checking if they're breathing constantly. So, when I listen to that monologue now, I think that's a very visceral fear. It's so distant from my life now, but at the time you could really touch it. And then I feel like it's always the most interesting, sometimes the most fun, to be writing from the point of view of the character who you disagree with, and trying to find the most truthful and empathetic way that they got there. The other thing that informed that monologue is I watched this documentary created by Andrew Wakefield, who's the discredited doctor who put forward the link between autism and vaccines and lost his medical license in the U.K. He is kind of a charlatan, but he put out this documentary about vaccines, and they have these parents whose kids have really severe developmental disabilities that they believe are caused by vaccines. And the thing is, even though that guy is clearly just a fraud, when you see these parents, even if I think they're wrong about the reason their kids are like this, the pain they're feeling about their kids is very real. I wanted to somehow hold onto it as well. Just because you might not be right about what's happening doesn't mean that there's not real suffering there. After the show ended, I heard a lot of audience members remarking that they unexpectedly felt for Suzanne. Have you heard positive reactions from audience members on both sides of this issue? I wanted to be really careful about feeling like you're being fair and truthful about where people are coming from, but not just ethically. If I felt like if somebody walks out of the play and feels like, oh no, maybe I shouldn't vaccinate my kids now, that would be like I was doing some real harm. I don't think that's where the play comes down. And all the research is that it's actually extremely difficult to change someone's mind about vaccines, and so it's not going to happen with a play. I mostly found that people have responded pretty positively. I guess a handful of pretty committed people that I've talked to who have seen the play, felt like their point of view was represented fairly. Somebody said they feel like everybody's ganging up on them all the time, and that's what was shown in the play. And so I was like, okay, well, I'm glad that they felt that. But, it's a tricky line to walk. That's what's so great about having these wonderful actors like Jess and Amber [Gray], who can hold such nuance in their performances. This interview has been edited for length and clarity. SIGN UP for Gold Derby's free newsletter with latest predictions Best of GoldDerby Who Needs a Tony to Reach EGOT? Sadie Sink on her character's 'emotional rage' in 'John Proctor Is the Villain' and her reaction to 'Stranger Things: The First Shadow' 'It should be illegal how much fun I'm having': Lea Salonga on playing Mrs. Lovett and more in 'Stephen Sondheim's Old Friends' Click here to read the full article.
