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Boston Globe
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Boston Globe
A raucous night at the Elliot Norton awards
The cast of the Sullivan Rep performs a song from "A Little Night Music." JOSH REYNOLDS FOR THE BOSTON GLOBE There were, as always, heartwarming stories. Jenny Tsai, who won outstanding music direction for Sullivan Rep's 'A Little Night Music,' told us that when she came to the US from Taiwan at age 23, she knew nothing about musical theater. Accepting outstanding lead performance in a musical for her work in 'Next to Normal,' Sherée Marcelle said, 'There was a time that I was told I was not cut out for this industry,' before confessing, 'This is only the second professional show of my career.' Advertisement Armando Rivera, who directed Gloucester Stage/Teatro Chelsea's 'The Hombres' (outstanding play and outstanding director in the midsize division), said, 'We Latino hombres are not bad men, we are human,' and 'If you tell stories in any language, I promise you will be understood. Because the heart is there.' Winners for outstanding sound design (large) for the Huntington's 'Toni Stone,' Lucas Clopton and Aubrey Dube hugged each other at the podium before Clopton explained that 'We haven't seen each other for a year' and Dube gave a shout-out to his native Botswana. From left, Aubrey Dube and Lucas Clopton celebrate their prize for Outstanding Sound Design in a large play for their work on "Toni Stone." JOSH REYNOLDS FOR THE BOSTON GLOBE There's always room for humor at the Norties. When it seemed no one from American Repertory Theater was coming to accept the outstanding lighting design (large) award, BTCA member Bob Verini offered to fill in: 'I saw 'Gatsby' and I'll be happy to tell you about the lighting.' Presenting the outstanding featured performance (midsize) award, a cheeky Mishka Yarovoy caught the audience off guard with 'And the winner is' before the nominees had even appeared on the screen. A special citation honoring the Boch Center Wang Theatre's 100th anniversary was unexpectedly interrupted by the opening bars of 'The Music of the Night' from 'The Phantom of the Opera,' prompting the observation that 'There are ghosts in these old theaters.' Presenter Paul Melendy appeared in a T-shirt bearing the image of this year's Elliot Norton Prize for Sustained Excellence recipient, Kathy St. George, and announced he'd be selling copies from the back of his Subaru after the show. St. George's five-minute acceptance speech was a show in itself, as the Stoneham native told the crowd how at age seven she decided she wanted to be a second-grade teacher and that she actually taught second grade before becoming an actress. In New York, she played a life-size Lamb Chop alongside Shari Lewis; she answered an ad to 'Work on Broadway this Christmas' and got the part — as an elf at Macy's. Her real Broadway debut came in 1981 when she was cast in the Jerome Robbins–directed 'Fiddler on the Roof.' Advertisement But Boston called her back: 'You are my people. Being part of the Boston theater community is the best thing ever.' Channeling her one-woman show 'And Now Ladies and Gentlemen, Miss Judy Garland,' she whispered mischievously toward the wings, 'Auntie Joyce?,' before concluding, three times, 'There's no place like home.' Even then St. George wasn't done: she appeared in the musical number 'Streets of Dublin,' from SpeakEasy Stage Company's ' Four awards were given in memory of theater luminaries whom we lost over the past year. Former BTCA member Terry Byrne remembered James Earl Jones. Lenelle Moïse recited a poem to honor South African playwright Athol Fugard. Paula Plum recalled getting her first job in Boston from Lyric Stage Boston co-founder Ron Ritchell. And Scott Edmiston extolled 'Falsettos' creator William Finn. As the ceremony wound down, I created a couple of unofficial awards. The Huntington's ' Advertisement Despite giving out 39 actual Elliot Norton Awards, the BTCA wrapped up the show in just over three hours. In what's become an Elliot Norton Awards Ceremony tradition, the entire BTCA crew assembled on stage to announce the outstanding ensemble winner. After they'd shouted out 'Titanic' and no one from NSMT immediately responded, Kulhawik peered anxiously into the audience and wondered, 'Did the ship go down?' It didn't; the award was accepted and the Boston theater community sailed exuberantly into the ceremony's afterparty. Jeffrey Gantz can be reached at
Daily Mirror
11-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Fans in disbelief over Hollywood actor Vin Diesel's real name
Fans have been stunned to learn that Fast & Furious legend Vin Diesel isn't actually called Vin Diesel, with the story of his stage name dating back to his pre-fame years as a New York bouncer Known for his tough guy persona, the very name Vin Diesel conjures up images of an action hero ready for any scenario, whether that be racing cars at top speeds or fighting in intergalactic battles. Many have therefore been stunned to learn that Vin Diesel isn't actually called Vin Diesel at all, having deliberately picked a stage name that would better reflect his super buff public image. Away from the bright lights of the movie studio, however, the 57-year-old Fast & Furious legend goes by a very different moniker. In a 2005 appearance of The Ellen Show, a clip of which has since gone viral, host Ellen DeGeneres pressed Vin on the moniker 'Vin Diesel', which she asserted couldn't "possibly" be the name on his birth certificate. To the amazement of viewers, California-born Vin confessed: "You know what, it's not." He then went on to reveal: "My real name is Mark Vincent." Going on to detail the origins of his famous stage name, Vin explained that it dates back to his time working as a New York City nightclub bouncer. He shared: "I was a bouncer for nine years, and the name stuck. We all had fictitious names just in case we got in trouble or anything." While Vin is of course a shortened version of Vincent, 'Diesel' is a reference to the star's love of working out. Vin continued: "Vin from Vincent. [...]When you're probably built up a little, you say, 'that guy is diesel'." Fans have naturally been baffled by this revelation, with one aghast person tweeting: "Vin Diesel has a real name?" In a humorous nod to Vin's most famous character, another commented: "I think we all know that his REAL name is Dominic Torreto." Of course, Vin is far from the only Hollywood star who has opted to go for a completely different name. Whoopi Goldberg of Sister Act fame was, in fact, born Caryn Elaine Johnson, but wanted something that would stand out a little bit more in the world of showbiz. As Whoopi explained in her 2024 memoir, Bits and Pieces: My Mother, My Brother, and Me, the name she is best known for was partially inspired by her tendency for flatulence. She admitted: "Some people at the Rep called me Whoopi because I would sometimes let loose with a fart." Meanwhile, acclaimed Golden Globe winner Jamie Foxx is actually called Eric Marlon Bishop. During a 2024 appearance on Angie Martinez's radio show, the Django Unchained actor divulged how his pick dates back to his early days as a stand-up starting out in LA. He recalled: "I went on as Eric Bishop [and] killed. Standing ovation. I come back the next weekend. You sign your name. I don't get on. Next week, I don't get on again. Come to find out, the comics are running the list. So I could never get on." After trying out another venue, Jamie found he had more success using "unisex names" due to male comics vastly outweighing the number of female comics. The name Jamie Foxx git him booked, and he's stuck with it ever since. Legally Blonde icon Reese Witherspoon is another A-lister who has opted for a different name. Born Laura Jeanne Reese Witherspoon, Reese ultimately decided on a name that felt more 'Hollywood', as previously reported by Women's Health.
Yahoo
19-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
'Ma Rainey's Black Bottom' at Detroit Repertory Theatre delivers a solid performance
Detroit Repertory Theatre continues its exploration of legendary playwright August Wilson's Century Cycle with 'Ma Rainey's Black Bottom,' a work especially well known to many since 2020's Netflix adaptation starring Viola Davis and Chadwick Boseman. During the freezing winter of 1927, 'Mother of the Blues' Gertrude 'Ma' Rainey and her band struggle to record a few new songs in a rundown Chicago studio. Egos and tempers clash, and lives are changed in a mostly solid production that's proven very popular with local audiences. The real meat on the bones of this premise is the interactions between Ma's four sidemen as they prepare for and work their way through the gig. Their bickering, reminiscing, storytelling and wisecracking form the majority of the show's content, and the four actors portraying them here – Antoine McKay (Cutler), T. Pharoah Muhammad (Toledo), Will Bryson (Slow Drag) and Evan Lewis Smith (Levee) – display a great, lived-in chemistry together. Muhammad's world-weary Toledo is a treat, and Smith shows great range in an iconic role without chewing the scenery. And it's always an embarrassment of riches when Detroit Rep regulars McKay and Bryson share the stage together; their hilarious back-and-forth jabbing shows the mark of an excellent comedic duo, but they bring the fire and fury when things turn serious. Melanie Jones does some terrific singing as Ma, but lacks some of the booming force that's needed from the character. It's a pleasure to see X'ydee Alexander again after her great work in Detroit Public Theatre's 'Fat Ham' earlier this season, but she's given sadly little to do here as Dussie Mae, Ma's kept girl. In his Rep stage debut, James Herriotte give a warm and winning performance as Sylvester, Ma's nephew with an unfortunate speech impediment. Matt Hollerbach (recently seen in the Rep's 'Between Riverside and Crazy') and Jeff Nahan make a humorous duo as Irvin and Sturdyvant, the beleaguered and possibly shady duo trying to wrangle the circus of characters. You can practically smell the stale air in the recording studio of Jamie Hope's well-done set, and costumer Sandra Landfair Glover ensures everyone looks period-perfect. Cassaundra Freeman's direction varies when it comes to pacing, which stretches the show to nearly three hours with intermission, and also with movement, frequently stranding the ensemble in the same locations for very long periods, creating static energy; it's unusual to watch someone give a lengthy and impassioned rant while firmly planted in one spot. With such agitation among the characters, one wants more movement as the tension amps. Still, as the action careens toward a devastating conclusion that feels somehow inevitable, quality performances bring it home. One wonders what might be done to help with audience etiquette at the Rep, however. Talkative viewers and active cell phones tend to be a regular issue, but a recent matinee performance of 'Ma Rainey' was so rife with audience chatter and frequent cell phone noises that the actors were clearly thrown off their game a few times and the audience had to be admonished by theater admin before the second act. (Which didn't stop yet another phone from ringing – at length – during Act Two.) The Rep is a valuable community asset worth supporting. Which means it's worth supporting politely so that all present may enjoy its offerings. 'Ma Rainey's Black Bottom,' currently one of the hottest tickets in town, is sold out for all remaining performances. But standby rush seating is available for every performance, and thus far, no one has been turned away. To purchase rush tickets, you must be present in the lobby one hour before a performance, check in at the lobby box office, and ask to put your name on the standby list. Closer to showtime, tickets for any open seats are sold on a first-come, first-served basis. Tickets are $30. Performances continue through March 2. Contact Free Press arts and culture reporter Duante Beddingfield at dbeddingfield@ This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Review: 'Ma Rainey's Black Bottom' at Detroit Repertory Theatre
The Guardian
11-02-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Sign of the four: Sherlock Holmes returns for Christmas comedy by two duos
New songs by musical colossi Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice. A script by Humphrey Ker and David Reed, old muckers from sketch troupe The Penny Dreadfuls. And a fresh grisly-merry case for Sherlock Holmes. You can only deduce from this evidence that Birmingham Rep has a likely hit on the horizon. Sherlock Holmes and the 12 Days of Christmas – which will open at the Rep in November – follows Arthur Conan Doyle's great detective around London's Theatreland. Holmes suspects someone is bumping off actors, Rice explains, 'matching each gory death with something from the 12 days of Christmas'. He chuckles over our video call: 'Quite a funny idea!' The plot was cooked up by Ker and Reed, who have been pastiching the mastermind sleuth since what Ker calls their 'unbelievably populist move' to make 'all-Victoriana-centric sketch comedy' as Edinburgh fringe favourites The Penny Dreadfuls. Reed says the play 'has the spirit of a pantomime – it's warming people's cockles in the winter, and it's deeply daft and fun. And there are some cracking songs.' Those tunes have reunited lyricist Rice and composer Lloyd Webber whose three big hits from the 1970s – Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Jesus Christ Superstar and Evita – have proved imperishable and are all on stage again this year. Reed explains how the two duos collaborated on the play. As he and Ker wrote the script, they highlighted 'a nice place for a song' here and there. The pages were then dispatched to Rice and Lloyd Webber. 'And then a song you can't get out of your head comes back … My phone's just full of bangers now!' Ker says he would receive voice notes from Lloyd Webber: 'They're like, 'Oh, I was sort of knocking around, having a bath this morning, and I found myself going pom-pom tiddly pom-pom-pom and anyway, here's this!' And then he'll play something.' Reed adds: 'You suddenly discover he is sat at his grand piano.' The project dates back to lockdown. 'Humphrey was in the States [where his projects have included Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney's takeover of Wrexham AFC, as documented in a popular TV series]. I was living in York at the time, and so the script has been written largely by email,' says Reed. 'It reminded me of the old days when we started out, living in Edinburgh together. I recently found our old sketchbook which had the first sketches we ever wrote together in it. We'd sit in a pub called the Pear Tree and one of us would just keep writing until we dried and didn't know what the next line of dialogue was. Then we'd hand it over. And the other one would do it, like the consequences game.' Holmes and Dr Watson inspired characters on their 2008 BBC radio series The Brothers Faversham: 'Theseus Faversham was the world's greatest detective, and he had a slightly hapless sidekick.' How funny do they find Conan Doyle's original stories? Reed suggests most of the humour comes from Holmes' relationship with Watson ('it's mostly Holmes being mean to him') and Ker finds a dry humour in the detective's misanthropy. 'But what's really funny,' he adds, 'is Brigadier Gerard, Conan Doyle's less well-known series about the greatest cavalry officer in Napoleon's army, in his opinion. Everyone else thinks he's kind of a wally. He's incredibly brave because he's slightly too stupid to understand the danger he is in.' Funny lyrics are 'usually easier to write than serious love ones', says Rice. 'Everything's been said about love.' His eyes flash and he picks up a pen. 'I'm going to write that down. That's a good title for a song. A bit long-winded but you never know … If you're trying to write a love song, it is true that everything's been said by people much greater than I, like Sammy Cahn or Cole Porter.' Rice outlines how his own partnership with Lloyd Webber worked in the 70s. 'I'd submit the story to Andrew, he would then write music inspired by the plot and then I would add lyrics. And then a big process of endless meetings and something like that would take a year or two.' This project is different because the story was already worked out and they were called on to 'provide a half a dozen little light moments. I mean, I think some of the songs are quite good, so I hope they won't be too light.' He went round to Lloyd Webber's last week for a 'get-together around the piano' and the composer played one of the tunes, which Rice recorded on his phone. 'Then I can take the tune home immediately, listen to it a few times, stick some words on it, paying attention to the storyline. And then it goes back to Andrew and we sing it together. And if it works, which so far they have, then we say, well, this is a suggestion. It's then up to the directors and the producers to a) like it, and b) put it in the show if possible.' Lloyd Webber's reign as 'king of the musicools' is brilliantly spoofed in comedy duo Flo & Joan's One Man Musical, starring George Fouracres, currently at the Underbelly Boulevard in Soho. 'Yes, that got very good reviews,' observes Rice. 'I want to go and see it, but I don't want to cause a fuss by turning up. Apparently I'm played by a bag of rice or something. It's probably more lively than me. I don't think Andrew's seen it.' Anyway, the pair have their songs to polish for Sherlock. The show is produced by Birmingham Rep in association with Rice's company Heartaches Ltd, whose team includes his son Donald (Ker's brother-in-law). It opens in November, directed by Phillip Breen with Becky Hope-Palmer, for audiences 'aged 10 to 110'. Ker says that he and Reed 'both love Christmas. I mean we're both very much anti-grinches. I've long maintained, whenever anyone asked me what my dream job is, that I'd like to be the sort of Christmas TV tsar across all channels. I'd like to coordinate between ITV, BBC, Sky One, Channel 4, whatever. So, OK, you're doing the Agatha Christie this year, you're doing the beloved sitcom reboot …' Winter is a great time for storytelling, they agree. Reed recently took his seven-year-old daughter to her first panto. 'I think her first experience has perhaps skewed her expectations,' he says. 'She got to go up, quite randomly, on stage and save Maddie Moate from CBeebies. You don't always save the life of someone you recognise off telly. She's now hooked!' Sherlock Holmes and the 12 Days of Christmas is at Birmingham Rep, 14 November-11 January 2026
BBC News
29-01-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Theatre adaptation of Neil Gaiman book scrapped
A new musical based on Neil Gaiman's book Coraline has been scrapped following sexual misconduct allegations against the show had been due to open at Leeds Playhouse in April before being staged at Edinburgh's Royal Lyceum Theatre, the Birmingham Rep and Manchester's a joint statement, the theatres said: "After careful consideration, we feel it would be impossible to continue in the context of the allegations against its original author."Gaiman, 64, has denied allegations of sexual misconduct made by eight women, saying he has "never engaged in non-consensual sexual activity with anyone. Ever". Coraline, a dark fantasy horror children's novella, was first published in 2002, and made into an animated film in three venues due to host the stage adaptation said ticket holders had been contacted directly via details to follow The "family friendly" musical was based on Gaiman's best-selling 2002 shiow had been described as "a darkly imaginative, richly rendered fantasy story", and had been written by playwright Zinnie Harris with music by Louis had been due to be a major production for the four theatres, and will leave a major hole in their schedules and they said they could not carry on after details of allegations against the British author emerged in recent weeks.
