Stagefright |
by Javier |
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Playwright August Wilson (pictured above) died on October 2 at the age of 60. Wilson chronicled the African-American experience in the 20th century in a series of ten plays that covered each decade, earning Pulitzer Prizes for Fences (set in the 1950s) and Two Trains Running (set in the 1960s). His play, Gem of the Ocean (set in the 1900s), opened on Broadway last year, starring Ruben Santiago-Hudson from Lackawanna. The final installment of the cycle, Radio Golf (set in the 1990’s) is scheduled for the 2006-07 Broadway season. To honor his achievements, the Virginia Theater on Broadway will be renamed the August Wilson Theater and the new marquee will be unveiled on October 17. The renaming was announced in September, weeks after the playwright revealed that he had been diagnosed with liver cancer.
Buffalo’s Steven Henderson appeared in many of Wilson’s plays, becoming one of the primary interpreters of his work, including Broadway’s King Hedley (set in the 1990s ) and the widely popular Jitney (set in the 1970’s ) which was produced all over the country, including at Studio Arena, and also in London. And who can forget Mary Craig as Ma Rainey in Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (set in the 1920’s) produced by the Paul Robeson Theatre. Studio Arena also produced the play with the original Broadway star, Theresa Merritt. Wilson was married to Colombian-born Constanza Romero, a costume designer he met when she worked on The Piano Lesson (set in the 1930s). In a 1999 interview, Wilson cited his major influences as being the “four B’s”: the blues, Argentine literary figure Jorge Luis Borges, playwright Amiri Baraka, and painter Romare Bearden.
A bit of Argentina with a combination of Spain will play Shea’s on October 20 at 7:30 when tango and flamenco fuse together in (what else?) “Tango Flamenco,” a show featuring Spanish dancers, Argentine musicians, and two orchestras. Tickets to the performance (on sale now) also include a post-show Latin Dance Party at La Luna on Chippewa. Sabor!
The touring production of the musical Miss Saigon (yes, the one with the helicopter) arrives at UB’s Center for the Arts for two performances October 29 and 30. Miss Saigon is the seventh longest running show in Broadway history (4,097 performances) but will probably be surpassed by the popular Rent (3,937 performances) which is surely going to get a huge boost from the soon to be released movie. The Center for the Arts has a great line-up of performers this season: Bebe Neuwirth on November 19, Megan Mullaly on February 18, and Colm Wilkinson, back on March 25.
A seldom-produced musical, 110 in the Shade, will be presented by The Aurora Players from October 28 to November 13 at the Roycroft Pavilion in East Aurora’s Hamlin Park. Based on N. Richard Nash’s play The Rainmaker, the score was written by Harvey Schmidt and Tom Jones (The Fantasticks), and opened on Broadway in 1963 starring Inga Swenson.
The local production stars Mary Moebius.
Laurel Case, Studio Arena Theatre’s Media Relations Manager, will be leaving her position at the end of this week after a successful two year tenure. Case will be moving to Syracuse to work for a public relations firm. We wish her all the best! And by the way, what happened with the Artistic Director position at Studio Arena?
Michele Ninacs is set to direct Tracey Scott Wilson’s The Story, the opening show for Ujima’s 27th anniversary season. Starring the fabulous Beverly Dove, Tanika Allen, Jermain Cooper, Faith Wardlaw, Adair Luhr, Rich McGrath, Maryam Muhammad, Dorian White, and Victoria Gray, the production opens October 21st .
Michael Hake will present “Welcome to my Nightmare,” a Halloween extravaganza featuring the music of Alice Cooper. The production features the band Wunderland, Mark Partyka, and Kerry Gray. It will be performed at the Tralf Oct. 28-31 at 8 pm.
Michelle Gigante will give a solo dance-theatre concert called “Words, Music, Movement Round Two.” The show, which features several guest musicians, will take place at The Buffalo Seminary on November 6 at 7 pm.
“Stage Left Lunch,” a fundraiser for Subversive Theatre Company, will be held on Saturday, October 15 at 445 Ellicott St. Described as “an afternoon of food, skits, and organizing the glorious future of political theatre in Buffalo, NY,” the event begins at 1 pm. By the way, Subversive’s artistic director/founder Kurt Schneiderman is teaching “Playwrighting Basics,” a course for new and veteran playwrights, at Just Buffalo Literary Center.
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