Requiem for a clown...

TUESDAYS WITH MORRIE

2007-04-24T07:45:00.000-07:00

MY VERONA PRODUCTIONS

presents

a play by Jeffrey Hatcher and Mitch Albom

TUESDAY WITH MORRIE

based on the book by Mitch Albom

StarringRAY GABICA and ADAM MICHAEL LEWIS

...and the piano and vocal stylings of Ms. Kitty Karn

APRIL 28-MAY 6

Saturdays at 2:00 p.m. and Sundays at 2:00 and 7:30 p.m.

DIRECTED by Tristan L. Tapscott and CJ Langdon

SOUND DESIGNER Jacob Schenk

STAGE MANAGER Gary Baker

PRODUCED by Sean Leary

through special arrangement with DRAMATISTS PLAY SERVICE, INC.

Comedy Sportz/My Verona Theatre

1818 3rd Avenue

The District

Rock Island, Illinois

For more info check out seanleary.com or tristantapscott.com

YOUR FAVORITE BAND Cast Announced!

2007-04-03T07:05:00.001-07:00

Here it is... the cast list for My Verona's up-coming feature film YOUR FAVORITE BAND. Filming begins in August with a release expected in December....

OFFICIAL CAST FOR ``YOUR FAVORITE BAND''

JUDE PAGE…………..Rick Davis
GINA MARKHAM……………Jamie Em Johnson
LEAH PAGE……………….Kylie Jansen
ADAM COPELAND……………….Adam Lewis
DAMON STRODE…………………Chad V. Holtkamp
BARRETT SPADER………………..Sean Leary
MARLEY…………………………Tristan Layne Tapscott
ALLMAN BAKER……………….Tom Walljasper
JACK FREED…………………….Don Hepner
AMBER…………………………Jessica Nicol
RHIANNON………………….Marianna Caldwell
BILLY JOE…………………….Gary Baker
JERRYMANIA (SEINFELD IMPERSONATOR)………….Drew Pastorek

WOMAN AT BAR / SCENE ONE……………. t.b.a.
FIRST MAN HITTING ON WOMAN/SCENE ONE…….Kyle Cassady
SECOND MAN H.O.W./S.O. ………………CJ Langdon
THIRD MAN H.O.W. / S.O. AKA TUPAC………….Chris White
BARTENDER SCENE ONE………………………….Bobby
LAVONDA/WOMAN IN BATHROOM……………… t.b.a.
MAN FROM BATHROOM…………………..Greg Kerr
BARTENDER / SCENE TWO…………………..Jim Siokos
LURLEEN……………………………………. t.b.a.
JERICHO GRAYE…………………………..Chris Rice
BIG LOUIE………………………………Brian Nelson
BLUES NARRATOR…………………………Walter Smith
TACO WOMAN……………………………… t.b.a.
ROOSTER JUICY…………………………..Justin Marxen
CHICKENZILLA………………………….Chickenzilla
BOUNCERS…………………………….Brad Morris, Charles John, Chris Zerbonia
THE SILVER FOX……………………. Ed ``Jonesy'' Jones
DRAKE DARCY…………………………….Darren Pitra

CLUB PATRONS, EXTRAS, ETC. ………………. Brad Morris, Charles John, Chris Zerbonia, CJ Langdon, Kyle Cassady, Jessica Duncan, Jessica Stratton, Alyssa Grimes, Jillian Kate Weingart, Kate Farence, Lionel Marcoux, Kathleen Myers, Lauren Kapolnek, Michele Stine, Julia Sears, Angela Zerbonia, Indigo Carroll, David Truitt, Mitch Payne

KIDS IN LEAH'S BAND……………………. Jack McNeil, James McNeil, Rhythm Rice, Amanda Merritt

KIDS WATCHING LEAH'S BAND………………. Garrett Larsen, Mackenzie Larsen, Ellie McNeil, Gina Sears

For more info, check out seanleary.com or tristantapscott.com

OSCAR picks

2007-02-16T09:41:00.001-08:00

the Oscars - My Predictions

*picks in bold

ACTOR -- LEADING
Leonardo DiCaprio – BLOOD DIAMOND
Ryan Gosling – HALF NELSON
Peter O'Toole – VENUS
Will Smith – THE PURSUIT
OF HAPPYNESS
Forest Whitaker – THE LAST KING
OF SCOTLAND

ACTOR -- SUPPORTING
Alan Arkin – LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE
Jackie Earle Haley – LITTLE CHILDREN
Djimon Hounsou – BLOOD DIAMOND
Eddie Murphy – DREAMGIRLS
Mark Wahlberg – THE DEPARTED

ACTRESS -- LEADING
Penélope Cruz – VOLVER
Judi Dench – NOTES ON A SCANDAL
Helen Mirren – THE QUEEN
Meryl Streep – THE DEVIL WEARS
PRADA
Kate Winslet – LITTLE CHILDREN

ACTRESS -- SUPPORTING
Adriana Barraza – BABEL
Cate Blanchett – NOTES ON A SCANDAL
Abigail Breslin – LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE
Jennifer Hudson – DREAMGIRLS
Rinko Kikuchi – BABEL

ANIMATED FEATURE
CARS
HAPPY FEET
MONSTER HOUSE

DIRECTING
BABEL
THE DEPARTED
LETTERS FROM IWO JIMA
THE QUEEN
UNITED 93

SCREENPLAY -- ADAPTED
BORAT
CHILDREN OF MEN
THE DEPARTED
LITTLE CHILDREN
NOTES ON A SCANDAL

SCREENPLAY -- ORIGINAL
BABEL
LETTERS FROM IWO JIMA
LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE
PAN'S LABYRINTH
THE QUEEN

BEST PICTURE
BABEL
THE DEPARTED
LETTERS FROM IWO JIMA
LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE
THE QUEEN

YOUR FAVORITE BAND

2007-02-11T20:59:00.000-08:00

YOUR FAVORITE BAND

My Verona Productions presents

YOUR FAVORITE BAND
The Movie!

Wanna read part one of the script? CLICK HERE.
Details to come...

In the meantime.....
Get Listed In The Credits
of a movie! For just FIVE BUCKS!

How would you like to have your
name listed in the credits of a
film?

A film that'll be released
worldwide on DVD, that will be
screened at Quad-Cities and
Chicagoland theaters, and will be
sent to film festivals across the
world?

And all for the cost of a beer or
four?

Okay, if you're still reading, here's
the deal : We're looking for
investors in My Verona's new film,
YOUR FAVORITE BAND.

And if you donate money to the film, you'll get your name in the
credits. It's really that simple.

For more info, visit SEANLEARY.COM

Be sure to check out TRISTANTAPSCOTT.COM as well.

YOUR FAVORITE BAND

2007-02-11T13:06:00.000-08:00

My Verona's debut film YOUR FAVORITE BAND is currently in pre-production.... Check out the script by clicking HERE.

For more info on the film be sure to visit tristantapscott.com or seanleary.com.

Update on the film and other projects coming soon...

A 'Dick Tracy' Christmas, or the Year I Found Out Santa Wasn't Real

2006-12-25T00:54:00.000-08:00

A 'Dick Tracy' Christmas, or the Year I Found Out Santa Wasn't Real

I miss believing in Santa Claus.

I really do.

I fondly remember the excitement I used to feel on the days leading up to Christmas Eve. I would swear to myself that I would be in bed by like 4 p.m. (because everyone knows that time goes by much faster when you're sleeping) only to have so much energize that I would fly around my house. Not literally, of course, as I was not Peter Pan (but still wish to be someday). That's a whole other story.

But Santa… I miss believing, etc… yes…

A typical Christmas Eve experience in the Tapscott house (pre-divorce, of course) was a VERY cool deal. We would have dinner, and then talk our parents into letting us open one present. (It is to be noted that as child we were given masses of presents. We were poor back in the day but man did we have presents.) Then we would proceed to play with that toy (for me, it was often some really kick ass Hotwheels or Matchbox collector sets. - they rule) until my parents would put on some classic Christmas movie. Regulars in our house were the likes of "It's a Wonderful Life," "White Christmas," or one of the many classic from what I call the early clay-mation series or many of the traditional cartoons. And always, and I mean ALWAYS, "The Grinch who Stole Christmas." I am talking pre-Howard and Carrey here; the classic film narrated by THE Boris Karlof. Brilliance, indeed…

Following that my brothers and I would be off to bed. Though we had our own rooms, we would often build a triumphant blanket fort with bunk beds in one of our rooms. It was a truly spectacular event. For about the first hour, we would desperately try to fall asleep. Of course, this never worked because my brothers and I have an unbelievable ability to make each other laugh. And I mean, laugh like no holds bar, arms flailing, knee slapping laughter. It was insane. (We still do this today and oddly enough, usually around Christmas time.) We would then quietly and carefully retreat to the top bunk of my brother's bed and peer out the window at the moon, which I awkwardly remember always being full on Christmas Eve. We would sit for hours and wait for Santa to fly over the moon. My brothers would inevitably fall asleep around 4 a.m. Not me: I wanted to see that sleigh glide across the sky. There were moments when I would drift off, but I would always wake up and wait anxiously for the big fat man and the eighty tiny reindeer to fly through the sky. I wanted to see that silhouette in the moon's glow. Sadly, I never did.

Year after year, until I was maybe 7 or 8, I was convinced that I had missed in those few moments of shut-eye. I think part of me did not want to admit to the fact that maybe Santa did not exist. Many things challenged my belief in him (or her to completely PC here - I don't want any scary feminist on my back about this one) but I remained a faithful believer in the 'Ole St. Nick.

I held onto because I had really never seen anything that could prove the idea otherwise. I always compared it to religion and this Jesus character. In the church, we are told that this person existed and this thing happened, but nobody can really prove it. Yet we still believe. I took that same approach with Santa. No one really had any proof of it yet as children we all still believe. The odd thing is we all stop believing in Santa yet still believe most of what we're told in church. But you have to ask yourself, is there really much difference? They are both referenced heavily in books, movies, songs…

Only major difference? Santa is celebrated once a year. Jesus and all the religion stuff is celebrated year round. It's because Santa is fat isn't? And Jesus is a fox. It's a fat issue. Ok. Anyway, moving along…

So, I remained a firm believer in Santa until I stumbled upon something that really changed my view. Until now, my parents had been amazingly successful in hiding the "Santa" gifts that would magically appear on Christmas morning. This year, however, they were rather sloppy. I found them. I found all of the classic Dick Tracy stuff I had asked for that year while rifling in the back of their closet. My dad kept his Playboys there and every now and then I would like to take a peek (yes, I was an early bloomer). I went in turned on and ready to see some naked girls, but I came out limp with shattered dreams. I didn't even take a look at any girls in cute college cardigans. That's how devastated I was. I quickly told myself that maybe Santa dropped the toys off early this year or maybe he was punishing me because I looked at nudey women. I couldn't help the fact, however, that maybe my… big gulp… parents were, in fact, Santa.

I kept this to myself. I didn't tell anyone. Not my friends at school. Not my dogs (who I would tell things to occasionally). And especially not my brothers. Christmas Eve came and while I still had the same amount of energy and excitement, it had been lessened by the afore mentioned occurrences. This is what I believe to my first big acting gig. I had to act like nothing was wrong and it was Oscar worthy. I did everything the same. Everything. I was bound and determined to find the truth.

My brothers and I were watching the moon as always when they fell asleep. Lucky for me, it was a little earlier than usual. That's when I heard a sound I'll never forget. My parents were up. Had they always done this? Obviously, but I had never heard them before. It was rather odd. I waited until they were both in the living room and rummaging around. This was my shot to see if what I felt was actually true. I crept off the bed and to the door. Luckily, the bed room was at the end of hallway that led to the living room and if I positioned myself just right I could see what was happening. I did. I saw everything. My mother setting out my collectible Dick Tracy sleeping bag, my Father setting out some random Police stuff for brother Jared, and other random toddler things for Ethan. My heart started racing. I began to sweat. I must have let out an audible groan because my mother stopped and stared my way. She made a weird face. I just stood there stunned. Did she see me? I quickly backed away and shut the door quietly. To this day, I don't know if she saw me. (After she read this, she confirmed that she did see me...)

I then closed the curtain, got back into bed, and just stared at the ceiling. I felt a sudden relief come over me. I giggled. It was oddly reminiscent of that scene in Jim Carrey's "Man on the Moon" when he finally realizes that the "cure" was a hoax. I had cracked the code, but did I really want to?

No. I don't think so. I enjoyed believing in that aspect of Christmas. I always believed in the whole family togetherness, giving and sharing thing but this was a very cool thing.

I am still convinced that my Grandpa is the real Santa Claus. "Miracle on 34th Street" my ass… this guy is it.

And another thing...

Who is to say that Santa doesn't exist? A man flying around the world in one night with 8 reindeer is not any crazier than that whole Noah and his Ark business.

Happy Holidays!

Peeking in on me in my PJ's....

2006-12-25T00:34:00.000-08:00

I work retail during the holidays.

Need I say more?
(and I WILL but later...)

And what can no store be without around the holidays? (Insert cheesy game show music here) That's right... Christmas music! The thought of it stuns me to the core. Ok, that's a bit strong. I don't hate Christmas music. In fact, some of its ok... but when you're forced to listen to the same holiday station that plays that same song at least 4 times in one hour it can get a little old. Of course, by little I mean RRRREAAAAALY, RRRRREEEEAAAAALY fucking old.

Such is the case with a little jingle called "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town." (Small note: for the longest time I was convinced Claus was spelled with an "e" at the end. Damn you, Hollywood! Moving on...) With this ever popular holiday song (which has a millions different version, many of which sound exactly the same...) comes many concerns. It's sad, really...

Around 3 p.m., in the midst of the craziness that was December 23 in the coveted John Deere Store, I was listening to what was my 26-28 dose of this yule tide number and suddenly something changed. I was actually listening to the lyrics. I've always known them, and known them by heart but had never actually listened to them before. Man, I was really listening... and wow...

"He sees you when you're sleeping..."
WHAT? Great! So , I gotta fat man peeking in on me in my PJ's. Wonderful! Just what I need is some other dude watching me sleep! I can see it now in households across America... "Jimmy, are you gonna be ok in your room all alone?" "It's ok, Mom, I've got some hippy named Jesus and fat guy with a beard watching me while I sleep. It's just fine."

"He knows when you're awake..."
So, two dudes are watching do everything else during the day. Perves, I say, perves! It's like a holiday version of Brokeback Mountain. Yeah, come on... Santa is Ennis and, well, Jesus is Jack Twist for obvious reasons. Think about it.

Perhaps I have been thinking about this too much. Perhaps I have said "Happy Holidays" to one too many people. Perhaps I am sick of people really getting the wrong idea about this holiday... ?

I don't know.

All I know is... for me:
It's not about presents. It's not about how much someone spent on you. It's not about impressions. It's not about the food (although, I do love the food... even if it is tacos with my Dad - ha!).

It's about family. It's about friends. It's about love. It's about being together. It's about being ok with imperfections (let's be honest, perfection is boring anyway). It's about realzing that you're doing alright...

It's about being able to say it's a wonderful life...

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Spring Awakening

2006-12-22T20:37:00.000-08:00

This new rock musical just opened on Broadway...

It kicks ass.

Check it out.

springawakening.com

Baby put through X-Ray machine at LAX

2006-12-21T21:30:00.000-08:00

Baby put through X-Ray machine at LAX

I worked retail for 8 hours in Redneck heaven, spent close to 45 minutes in a wretched combo of holiday traffic and Walmart (please, don't get started on that one) mania where I stood in line wedged in between some yokels with maybe 7 teeth between the 2 awkward parents and 4 obese children and a 400 pounder who thought she was Rachel McAdams, and then I get online only to see this as a headline...

Baby put through X-ray machine at LAX

1-month-old checked, cleared by hospital after grandmother's mistake

-Associate Press

LOS ANGELES - A one-month-old baby has been checked and cleared by a Los Angeles hospital after being put through an airport X-ray machine.

Authorities at Los Angeles International Airport say an inexperienced traveler mistakenly put her grandson through a carry-on luggage screener.

A startled security worker noticed the shape of a child and immediately pulled the baby out.

A spokesman for LAX says the incident Saturday was an innocent mistake.

Ok. Wow. Really? A baby through an x-ray machine? Really? REALLY? So... All I wanna know is...

WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH PEOPLE?

I honestly don't get it...

Happy Holidays!

Baby put through X-Ray machine at LAX

2006-12-20T17:52:00.000-08:00

Baby put through X-Ray machine at LAX?

I worked retail for 8 hours in Redneck heaven, spent close to 45 minutes in a wretched combo of holiday traffic and Walmart (please, don't get started on that one) mania where I stood in line wedged in between some yokels with maybe 7 teeth between the 2 awkward parents and 4 obese children and a 400 pounder who thought she was Rachel McAdams, and then I get online only to see this as a headline...

Baby put through X-ray machine at LAX
1-month-old checked, cleared by hospital after grandmother's mistake
-Associate Press

LOS ANGELES - A one-month-old baby has been checked and cleared by a Los Angeles hospital after being put through an airport X-ray machine.

Authorities at Los Angeles International Airport say an inexperienced traveler mistakenly put her grandson through a carry-on luggage screener.

A startled security worker noticed the shape of a child and immediately pulled the baby out.

A spokesman for LAX says the incident Saturday was an innocent mistake.

Ok. Wow. Really? A baby through an x-ray machine? Really? REALLY? So... All I wanna know is...

WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH PEOPLE?

I honestly don't get it...

Happy Holidays!

MVP'S Holiday Gift to the QCA

2006-11-20T23:48:00.000-08:00

My Verona Productions would like to thank Quad-Cities theater fans for their support of our shows in 2006, so for the final weekend of our last show of the year -- DAVID SEDARIS' ``SANTALAND DIARIES'' -- we're offering SPECIAL DEALS on tickets AND we've added a special MATINEE SHOW!

Tickets for our 10 p.m. Friday, Nov. 24 and 8:30 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 26 shows will get a GREAT deal -- BUY ONE TICKET AT THE REGULAR $12 PRICE, GET ANOTHER TICKET ABSOLUTELY FREE!

Also, due to popular request, the start time for our Saturday, Nov. 25 show has been MOVED UP from 10 p.m. to a NEW 2 p.m. matinee. AND the ticket price has been reduced for the matinee -- from $12 to $8 per ticket!

All shows are at Comedy Sportz Theater, 1818 3rd Ave., Rock Island, IL.

Tickets are available at the Circa '21 box office or by phone at (309) 786-7733, ext. 2.

Written by NY Times best-selling author David Sedaris and adapted by Tony Award-winning writer/director Joe Mantello, ``SANTALAND'' tells the hilarious story of an aspiring soap opera star forced to work at Macy's as an elf over a particularly hellish holiday season. It stars Circa '21 and My Verona favorite Adam Michael Lewis.

All performances of ``SANTALAND'' will be preceded by a staged reading of Sean Leary's one-act holiday comedy, ``IN SEARCH OF WARM FUZZIES,'' starring Tristan Tapscott, Jessica Nicol, Denise Yoder, Ashley Brummitt, Chris White and Sean Leary.

For more information, see www.seanleary.com.

Flurry of Randomness

2006-11-20T20:02:00.000-08:00

*There is nothing fun about unions. So, Funions? Really?

*Drunk people are funny… and I don't mind taking care of them. J

*Why don't people read to me in the bath tub? I could really go for that. Some suds. Maybe a little "Cat in the Hat."

*Car Tag? Why? Is that entertaining? Yes, so says Ms. Sara King.

*So, religious folk frown upon pre-marital sex. Fair enough. Ok. I guess my question is, shouldn't we start arranging animal weddings? I don't about you, but a friend of mine and I decided that we can't abide by a steed of bastard hell-Westies. Something to think about... (and yes, I know "steed" was used inappropriately... it's an inside joke. Yes, they exist outside your little circle...)

*David Sedaris' "Holidays on Ice" is a hilarious read. Pick up it now! Sedaris is a comic virtuoso…

*Twins. I am ok with them. But now when one has an incredibly cool name and one has the most boring name on the planet. Example: Tallulah. And… (insert awkward look on face here)… Jane.

*I love a Starbucks with a Drive-Thru. They may take a thousand years… but it's still worth my $3.14. I forgive them.

*Pimps, listen up! Feed your whores… plump is the new pink.

*Actual discussion I over heard at the John Deere Store: "Oh yeah, our foreign exhange student is from Japan. Yeah, he's oriental, so you know he's small." Their friends quickly replied in a harsh tone, "Yeah, they all doin that thse days, those Chinese." What? Get small on purpose? Yes, they get small on purpose just to piss you're redneck, Nascar lovin' ass off. You prick.

*Ray Stevens in funny. I don't care what anyone says. He may be old and he may be very "Branson"… but he makes me laugh. "Guitarzan" is an achievement.

*When did the QC actually become cool? There is much to do here…Maybe it's because I go to school in Macomb. It's boring-ville and I am Mayor…

*Mr. Adam Lewis is a GENIUS Catch him next weekend in "Santaland Diaries"… he's a delight.

*I am in love with Bill Hick's "Dinosaur" argument. Look it up… it will stop any religious discussion in seconds.

*BORAT is worth the hype. Really. It's one of the funniest and most offensive movies I have ever seen. See it NOW!

*The Quad Cities arts scene disappoints me. For a community of artists that constantly bitches about the same old shit… they certainly don't support anything new. Perfect example? "Santaland" had terrible numbers during its first weekend… Sadness prevails.

*And finally… Check out Sean Leary's Barnes and Noble Best Seller "Every Number is Lucky to Someone." It's a triumph. You'll laugh, you'll cry… and the wonder why someone like him is not famous.

Have a greay day!

A 'Dick Tracy' Christmas, or the Year I Found Out Santa Wasn't Real

2006-11-20T18:50:00.000-08:00

"A 'Dick Tracy' Christmas, or the Year I Found Out Santa Wasn't Real"

By Tristan Tapscott

I miss believing in Santa Claus.

I really do.

I fondly remember the excitement I used to feel on the days leading up to Christmas Eve. I would swear to myself that I would be in bed by like 4 p.m. (because everyone knows that time goes by much faster when you're sleeping) only to have so much energize that I would fly around my house. Not literally, of course, as I was not Peter Pan (but still wish to be someday). That's a whole other story.

But Santa… I miss believing, etc… yes…

A typical Christmas Eve experience in the Tapscott house (pre-divorce, of course) was a VERY cool deal. We would have dinner, and then talk our parents into letting us open one present. (It is to be noted that as child we were given masses of presents. We were poor back in the day but man did we have presents.) Then we would proceed to play with that toy (for me, it was often some really kick ass Hotwheels or Matchbox collector sets. - they rule) until my parents would put on some classic Christmas movie. Regulars in our house were the likes of "It's a Wonderful Life," "White Christmas," or one of the many classic from what I call the early clay-mation series or many of the traditional cartoons. And always, and I mean ALWAYS, "The Grinch who Stole Christmas." I am talking pre-Howard and Carrey here; the classic film narrated by Karlof. Brilliance, indeed…

Following that my brothers and I would be off to bed. Though we had our own rooms, we would often build a triumphant blanket fort with bunk beds in one of our rooms. It was a truly spectacular event. For about the first hour, we would desperately try to fall asleep. Of course, this never worked because my brothers and I have an unbelievable ability to make each other laugh. And I mean, laugh like no holds bar, arms flailing, knee slapping laughter. It was insane. (We still do this today and oddly enough, usually around Christmas time.) We would then quietly and carefully retreat to the top bunk of my brother's bed and peer out the window at the moon, which I awkwardly remember always being full on Christmas Eve. We would sit for hours and wait for Santa to fly over the moon. My brothers would inevitably fall asleep around 4 a.m. Not me: I wanted to see that sleigh glide across the sky. There were moments when I would drift off, but I would always wake up and wait anxiously for the big fat man and the eighty tiny reindeer to fly through the sky. I wanted to see that silhouette in the moon's glow. Sadly, I never did.

Year after year, until I was maybe 7 or 8, I was convinced that I had missed in those few moments of shut-eye. I think part of me did not want to admit to the fact that maybe Santa did not exist. Many things challenged my belief in him (or her to completely PC here - I don't want any scary feminist on my back about this one) but I remained a faithful believer in the 'Ole St. Nick.

I held onto because I had really never seen anything that could prove the idea otherwise. I always compared it to religion and this Jesus character. In the church, we are told that this person existed and this thing happened, but nobody can really prove it. Yet we still believe. I took that same approach with Santa. No one really had any proof of it yet as children we all still believe. The odd thing is we all stop believing in Santa yet still believe most of what we're told in church. But you have to ask yourself, is there really much difference? They are both referenced heavily in books, movies, songs…

Only major difference? Santa is celebrated once a year. Jesus and all the religion stuff is celebrated year round. It's because Santa is fat isn't? And Jesus is a fox. It's a fat issue. Ok. Anyway, moving along…

So, I remained a firm believer in Santa until I stumbled upon something that really changed my view. Until now, my parents had been amazingly successful in hiding the "Santa" gifts that would magically appear on Christmas morning. This year, however, they were rather sloppy. I found them. I found all of the classic Dick Tracy stuff I had asked for that year while rifling in the back of their closet. My dad kept his Playboys there and every now and then I would like to take a peek (yes, I was an early bloomer). I went in turned on and ready to see some naked girls, but I came out limp with shattered dreams. I didn't even take a look at any girls in cute college cardigans. That's how devastated I was. I quickly told myself that maybe Santa dropped the toys off early this year or maybe he was punishing me because I looked at nudey women. I couldn't help the fact, however, that maybe my… big gulp… parents were, in fact, Santa.

I kept this to myself. I didn't tell anyone. Not my friends at school. Not my dogs (who I would tell things to occasionally). And especially not my brothers. Christmas Eve came and while I still had the same amount of energy and excitement, it had been lessened by the afore mentioned occurrences. This is what I believe to my first big acting gig. I had to act like nothing was wrong and it was Oscar worthy. I did everything the same. Everything. I was bound and determined to find the truth.

My brothers and I were watching the moon as always when they fell asleep. Lucky for me, it was a little earlier than usual. That's when I heard a sound I'll never forget. My parents were up. Had they always done this? Obviously, but I had never heard them before. It was rather odd. I waited until they were both in the living room and rummaging around. This was my shot to see if what I felt was actually true. I crept off the bed and to the door. Luckily, the bed room was at the end of hallway that led to the living room and if I positioned myself just right I could see what was happening. I did. I saw everything. My mother setting out my collectible Dick Tracy sleeping bag, my Father setting out some random Police stuff for brother Jared, and other random toddler things for Ethan. My heart started racing. I began to sweat. I must have let out an audible groan because my mother stopped and stared my way. She made a weird face. I just stood there stunned. Did she see me? I quickly backed away and shut the door quietly. To this day, I don't know if she saw me.

I then closed the curtain, got back into bed, and just stared at the ceiling. I felt a sudden relief come over me. I giggled. It was oddly reminiscent of that scene in Jim Carrey's "Man on the Moon" when he finally realizes that the "cure" was a hoax. I had cracked the code, but did I really want to?

No. I don't think so. I enjoyed believing in that aspect of Christmas. I always believed in the whole family togetherness, giving and sharing thing but this was a very cool thing.

I am still convinced that my Grandpa is the real Santa Claus. "Miracle on 34th Street" my ass… this guy is it. I think? Maybe…

And, really, who is to say that Santa doesn't exist? A man flying around the world in one night with 8 reindeer is not any crazier than that whole Noah and his Ark business.

Happy Holidays!

Sean Leary's "Every Number is Lucky to Someone"

2006-11-18T23:16:00.000-08:00

Sean Leary's Short Story Collection

"EVERY NUMBER IS LUCKY TO SOMEONE"

Available NOW in stores worldwide. Visist seanleary.com for more information.

SANTALAND DIARIES

2006-11-06T14:05:00.000-08:00

DAVID SEDARIS' SANTALAND DIARIES COMING BACK TO COMEDY SPORTZ IN NOVEMBER

My Verona is bringing their annual holiday smash Santaland Diaries back to the Quad Cities in November.

Starring My Verona favorite Adam Lewis (The Pillowman, Bill Hick's It's Just a Ride) and directed by Circa '21 legend Michael Oberfield, the comedy tells the story of an aspiring soap opera star forced to take work as an elf at Macy's department store. SantaLand follows the new elf, ``Crumpet,'' as he recounts his journey through retail and holiday hell. Adapted by Tony Award winner Joe Mantello, the show is based on the award-winning short story by best-selling author and NPR contributor David Sedaris.

SantaLand will run November 16-November 27. Shows are at 10:00 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and 7:30 p.m. Sundays. Tickets ($12) are available at the door or in advance at Circa '21 box office, 1828 3rd Ave., Rock Island or by phone at (309) 786-7733, ext. 2.

For more information, see seanleary.com.

Check out Leary's SPEED OF SOUND

2006-11-06T13:52:00.000-08:00

Check this out:

My friend (and business partner) Sean Leary is taking the One Novel in One Month challenge...

Click here to check out his latest work SPEED OF SOUND.

For more info be sure to visit SEANLEARY.COM.

AMADEUS opening October 17

2006-10-16T07:26:00.000-07:00

University Theatre Presents "Amadeus" Oct. 17-21

MACOMB, IL - - “Amadeus,” a provocative work that weaves a confrontation between mediocrity and genius, will be performed by the Western Illinois University Theatre at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday, Oct. 17-21 in the Horrabin Hall Theatre.

The Tony Award-winning play is set in the 18th century Vienna and is told through the eyes of Antonio Salieri, the Austrian Emperor’s established composer whose only ambition is to be a great composer. However, Salieri’s talents are average, not great; and when the heavenly-gifted Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart enters his world, Salieri, driven by envy and hatred, tries to destroy Amadeus.

The production, directed by MFA directing student Fulton Burns, includes MFA acting student Peter Eli Johnson (Beaverton, OR) as Salieri, and senior musical theatre major Tristan L. Tapscott (Hampton, IL) as Mozart.

Designers for the play include MFA student Conya Thompson (Rhineland, MO), costume, and theatre professors David Patrick (set) and Tim Kupka (lighting). Choreographer is MFA student Jamie McCoy (Berryton, KS).

The 19-member cast for “Amadeus” includes the following:

MFA students – Colin Wasmund (Morris, MN); Jonathon Self (Greenbrier, AR); Nick Schell (Jacksonville, IL); and Melody Betts (Chicago, IL.).

Senior theatre majors Adam Habben (Homewood, IL) and Greg Foster (Edelstein, IL);
Junior theatre majors Steve Svec (Downers Grove, IL) and Susan Knobloch (Edwards, IL), and musical theatre majors Cari Downing (Coal Valley, IL) and Tori Ekstrom (Frankfort, IL);

Sophomore theatre majors Jillian Weingart (Crystal Lake, IL); Zack Meyer (Aurora, IL); and Maren Lundgren (Rockford, IL);

Freshmen – Matthew Wyss (Plainfield, IL), a communication major; Lily Blouin (Anchorage, AK), a theatre major; Trevor Mitchell (Rushville, IL), an English major; and Sara King (Lebanon, IL), a musical theatre major.

Tickets – $13 for adults and $11 for senior citizens, students and children – may be purchased at the Browne Hall Hainline Theatre Box Office from noon-5 p.m. weekdays, telephone 309/298-2900.

Copy By: Bonnie Barker, University Relations
Phone: (309) 298-1993 * Fax: (309) 298-1606

Hicks/Bogosian REVIEW - Quad City Times

2006-09-28T13:49:00.000-07:00

"Double Bill a great piece of theatre"

By Ruby Nancy, Quad City Times

The latest late-night production from My Verona Productions is called “The Non-Conformists Double Bill,” a pairing of two one-person shows that touch on a number of controversial subjects.

Tied together by a common format and by references to drug use and sex — but little else — “Sex, Drugs, Rock & Roll,” by Eric Bogosian, and “It’s Just a Ride,” featuring material by Bill Hicks, are the shows presented on this bill.

The first stars Jason Conner in a series of short monologues, all of which center on the topics featured in its title, and the second showcases the talents of Adam Michael Lewis.

Conner’s delivery of each section of the “Sex, Drugs, Rock & Roll” script is more than adequate, covering a range of accents and types of characters well. Simply dressed and often seated, Conner delivers bits that vary in length and relative obscenity, and — though the material is not as good as his performance — he applies himself throughout. Given the nature of the material, his lovely blond looks and gleaming smile are actually a distraction from his performance, and the result comes across more like an extended audition than a play.

In the case of “It’s Just a Ride,” which is described as “a tribute to a man who … never sold out, never compromised, and never backed down,” the text comes from an interwoven collection of standup material from Hicks’ comedy routines. Put together in a seamless way, they blend into a single standup performance that is broad in scope and riveting in its passion — and, true to Hicksian form, also absolutely hilarious.

Lewis is a stellar performer, and his work here is wonderfully done.

He captures the essence of true standup, which blends prepared jokes with audience interaction, and he also manages to channel quite a bit of Hicks as well. (For the uninitiated, Hicks was a passionate and articulate comic whose thoughtful, side-splitting rants had political and cultural insight as well as outrageous humor. His death in 1994, following a bout with pancreatic cancer, ended a varied, controversial, influential, below-the-radar career far too soon.)

Lewis is natural and nuanced in this performance. His delivery is so unaffected throughout that afterward I heard someone ask the person next to them if “Ride” was an all-improv show. Whether pacing the small stage or delivering a stream of jokes stockstill, Lewis (as Hicks) is full of energy and emotion. His complete immersion in the work is an amazing feat of top-notch acting that pays off in a major way, earning huge, gut-busting laughs and even mid-rant applause that is completely deserved.

While many may find something to challenge them in Hicks’ rather salty monologues — and, undoubtedly, a certain ultra-conservative segment of the population would find most of this material highly offensive — he had plenty to say about the state of the world. Sadly, much of his material concerning war, hatred, ignorance and hypocrisy is just as relevant in 2006 as it was when he first delivered it.

It is a show for adults, no doubt, and probably is not to be recommended for the faint of heart (regardless of age). Full of observations on hot-topic issues, it has plenty for audiences to get worked up about, but these are not caveats. Its words deserve to be heard by a larger audience than this production will probably get — and some who do hear them might become angry or uncomfortable.

“It’s Just a Ride” is, regardless, a great piece of theater.

Contact the features desk at (563) 383-2400 or newsroom@qctimes.com.

Hicks/Bogosian Double Bill: REVIEW - River Cities Reader

2006-09-27T09:36:00.000-07:00

Half Crazy: "The Nonconformists Double Bill,"
at ComedySportz through September 30

Written by Mike Schulz, River Cities Reader
Wednesday- September 27, 2006

My Verona Productions' The Nonconformists Double Bill is composed of two comedic, one-man performance pieces; Jason Conner and Adam Lewis star, arranged the material, and serve as the show's directors. In the show's first half, Conner enacts a half-dozen vignettes from bohemian performance artist Eric Bogosian's Sex, Drugs, Rock & Roll; in the second, It's Just a Ride: A Tribute to Bill Hicks, Lewis has fashioned a 40-minute monologue from the stand-up routines of the late comedian. And while the work is a local debut, I'm probably one of the few people in the area who initially caught the production when it opened out-of-town.

Conner and Lewis first presented this two-fer, in only slightly altered form, at Western Illinois University in 2003, and although I'm personal friends with both performers, I can't imagine that my enjoyment of 2003's The Nonconformists Double Bill (as it has been renamed for My Verona's presentation) was much more than slightly biased; both actors had - and have always had - sensational comic timing and terrific interpretive skills, and best of all, both seemed to really love Bogosian's and Hicks' work. Conner and Lewis attacked their comics' frequently hysterical, often explosive material not just with vigor, but with empathy, which grounded the laughs with a refreshing air of realism.

In the three-plus years since that WIU performance, Conner's and Lewis' talents haven't waned, and neither, it seems, has their affinity for the material; The Nonconformists Double Bill is a fine showcase for the pair's gifts. But for reasons that don't have much to do with acting ability, the presentation does feel a little lopsided, and the audience reactions on Saturday night appeared to back up that claim.

The Sex, Drugs act begins with Bogosian's monologue "Grace of God," in which Conner, entering from the back of the ComedySportz house, portrays a needy panhandler who matter-of-factly asks the audience for money. Yet the opening is a puzzler, and not because the audience is unaccustomed to being directly addressed, but because Conner doesn't look the least bit needy.

Conner performs all six Bogosian pieces in a basic black T-shirt and black jeans, but since the lights and Conner's character voices change with each new monologue, the wardrobe isn't what makes the sequence confusing, but rather the actor's physicality. Tall and thin, with a strong jaw and a spectacular mane of hair, Conner looks like the poster boy for physical health, and so - if you don't know the material, at any rate - it takes a while to glean that this introductory figure is supposed to be on the skids, and probably mentally disturbed. Conner's good looks and confident presence work against the character here, and unfortunately, not for the last time.

In the "Dirt" and "Bottleman" routines, Conner portrays very specific types of aggrieved, ranting New Yorkers, and his readings are vocally energetic and clever. But, again, we don't quite buy them, as Conner doesn't seem insane so much as he seems to be doing a fine job of acting insane. It takes quite some time, at the start of each new vignette, to get a mental picture of Conner's new character in our heads; the audience has to do perhaps too much work is determining what these comically wretched characters would look like if they weren't blessed with the actor's healthy presence.

The best thing about Conner here is that he doesn't condescend to his characters - if anything, he gives them more dignity than they deserve. Yet based on the nervous half-laughs among the crowd, I'm guessing that many of the show's attendees didn't quite understand what was going on, aside from a talented actor revealing his gifts for character comedy. (The travails of New Yorkers in the early '90s don't quite have the same impact with a Midwestern audience in the middle part of this decade.) Once Conner gets a rhythm going, he's fine and gets his laughs - especially when enacting an egocentric rock star on a talk show - but with too much time spent trying to determine whom we're dealing with in any given segment, and what relation the disassociated pieces have with one another, there's a lurching rhythm to the Nonconformists' first half; it's a fun acting exercise, but little more.

No such problem, though, plagues It's Just a Ride, which has the benefit of being one uninterrupted monologue, allowing Lewis to sustain a rhythm for the entire piece. Stitching together material from nearly a dozen Hicks routines, Lewis, as Hicks, gets to rail against American drug policy, evangelical Christians, right-wing blowhards, and other elements of society that were major bees in Hicks' bonnet, and Lewis' anger and comic exasperation appear deeply felt - he continually works himself into a state of high dudgeon, and then works himself into a higher one. (Twice, the climaxes of Lewis' rants were met with applause.)

Pacing with pent-up frustration, and performing outré physical gestures to underline the gags - the things that Lewis does to a water bottle ... - the actor's performance energy never wanes, and by the end, the material has been shaped so that it actually means something; unlike the Bogosian piece, It's Just a Ride feels like a full show, and not just a series of comedic highlights. The actors' talents are such that you wouldn't want to miss either half of The Nonconformists Double Bill, but I was delighted that they were performed in the order they are - Sex, Drugs, Rock & Roll feels like a warm-up to a more satisfying Ride.

For tickets, call (309)786-7733 extension 2.

My Verona 2006/2007 Season Outlook

2006-09-15T11:43:00.000-07:00

September 22-September 30
The Non-Conformists Double Bill
Featuring…
IT’S JUST A R IDE by Bill Hicks
SEX, DRUGS, ROCK & ROLL by Eric Bogosian
Comedy Sportz Theatre – Rock Island

October 7-15
In Conjunction with Ballet Quad Cities
BALLET ROCKS
Capitol Theatre – Davenport

November 16-November 27
Adam Michael Lewis returns for a holiday classic…
SANTALAND DIARIES
Comedy Sportz Theatre – Rock Island

January 26-February 3
David Mamet’s OLEANNA
Comedy Sportz Theatre – Rock Island

Late Winter/Early Spring 2007
Table Readings/Stage Readings/Pitch Parties for the film version of
YOUR FAVORITE BAND
By MVP Co-Founder Sean Leary

March/April – Dates TBA
World Premiere!
RED OVEN
By Quad City writer Devin Hansen

April 26-May 6
Jeffrey Hatcher’s adaptation of Mitch Albom’s
TUESDAYS WITH MORRIE
Comedy Sportz Theatre – Rock Island

Summer 2007
Principle photography for the film version of our 2004 debut production
YOUR FAVORITE BAND
By Sean Leary

My Verona fall season kicks off September 22

2006-09-15T11:21:00.000-07:00

MY VERON PRODUCTIONS

presents

ADAM MICHAEL LEWIS
JASON CONNER

in

"IT'S JUST A RIDE" by Bill Hicks

"SEX, DRUGS, ROCK & ROLL" by Eric Bogosian

September 22-September 30
Friday and Saturday ONLY!
9:30 p.m.

Comedy Sportz Theatre
in the District of Rock Island

Tickets are available at the door 30 minutes before showtime.

seanleary.com/myverona

EMMY AWARDS

2006-08-30T18:48:00.000-07:00

2006 EMMY AWARDS

(Disclaimer: I am feeling rather scattered today and I am going to my writing style and the format will be as well. Enjoy…)

I don’t really watch TV. Ever. By that I mean I don’t watch TV shows until they come out on DVD. Why? Two reasons: I don’t really have the time and my apartment has no cable (classically). Truth time: I hadn’t really planned on watching the coveted event nor had I planned on making any commentary however, I got an offer I couldn’t refuse. Well, ok, I could have refused it but what the hell else was I going to do on a random Sunday night? So, I went and while I still hadn’t planned on really participating as a critic or a faux entertainment columnist, I couldn’t help but make a few notes. Now, without further adieu…

***

Let’s start with my disappointments, shall we?

LACK OF INFO
Ok, I really knew nothing about this past TV and MOW season. It’s really sad.

LOST. NOMINATIONLESS?
Let me first say that I am a huge fan of LOST. Though I have only seen a few episodes, I love this show just as much as FRIENDS. (Go ahead, insert the gay joke here) I plan on seeing the remainder of the 1st season within the next few weeks and will start the 2nd after that and play catch up with CJ this fall. Back to the point: I love this show. And why the fuck wasn’t it nominated? I am going to say it again… why the fuck wasn’t it nominated? This Emmy committee must be out of their fucking minds! Ok. Issue No. 1. Check. Issue No. 2? Matthew Fox for Best Actor in a Drama Series, anyone? Hello. Issue No. 3? Terry O’Quinn for the same? He’s a brilliant folks!

WHERE IN THE WORLD IS CONAN?
There was about 30 minutes where Conan completely disappeared. It was rather awkward. It made me quite sad. I will get over it.
Conan, where did you go?

CHARLIES ANGELS?
I started to think they were going to kill Bob Newhart. They were soooooooo long winded and looked that they would rather die than pay homage to the late Aaron Spelling. That and Farrah Fawcett is fucking crazy, man! (Anyone see her on Shatner’s roast. Yikes.)

RAY, IS THAT YOU?
Holy. Shit. Man. Ray Liotta, what have you done with yourself? You looked awkward as hell. That is all.

MR. PRODUCER, DON’T CUT THEM OFF. Seriously DON”T Look, I realize you are under time constraints but come on; there is no reason to cut someone off during their speech. It’s extremely rude. I understand, yes, but really… Fuck. You. (Unless you’re going to give me a job someday… then I guess I say “way to go.”) Whatever.

***

Some of my favorite things!

WHAT A HOST!
Conan was an excellent choice. Inspired, really. He really knows how to work a crowd and brings his own touch to this high profile soiree. Could he be an Oscar host contender? We’ll see.

NEWHART IN THE CAPSULE
And the award for “Best Long Running Joke on TV” goes to Conan and Newhart for their time capsule gag. It’s a very funny bit and it provided for many great lines throughout the night.

CLARK’S STANDING O!
Dick Clark’s standing ovation was well deserved. I mean, this dude has been in the business for years and is a true American icon. Despite the stroke effects, he stuck it out and gave a very nice little speech… and I will admit I had some little tears in my eyes when he finished. Well done, sir.

LITHGOW
John Lithgow, I love you. You make me feel warm and fuzzy. And not in a gay way. That is all.

AND MY TWO FAVOURITE QUOTES FROM THE NIGHT ARE…

“I lost to Barry Manilow!”
-Stephen Colbert

“I guess I have to thank Showtime even though they canceled us.”
-Blythe Danner

I also thoroughly enjoyed the jabs made by several presenters about the weak nominations process, people who should have / should not have been nominated, etc. This was VERY funny. Even funnier when I later learned that much of this was actually scripted. Ha!

Oh, and I really wanna see “My Name is Earl”… looks hysterical.

***

As for my usual winner commentary, I will refrain from going to length about each one as I have done in the past for the Oscars and Tony Awards. Instead, I will mention just a few quick things. Cool?
*Jeremy Piven’s win for Supporting Actor, Comedy Series. Piven is terrific on that show, but I thought it should have gone to Hayes. It was W&G’s final season after all.

*Ellen Burstyn’s nomination for her 15 second role in HBO’s Mrs. Harris. What?

*Tony Shaloub. Ok, we get it; you are brilliant on Monk. Give the award to someone else! Like, oh, I don’t know… Steve Carell. Now Carell is a comic genius. You, Mr. Shaloub, are not.

*Colbert’s loss to Manilow. Wow. That’s all I have to say.

So, there it is… my official Emmy Awards commentary. Yep. I’m special.

It’s a good time.

THE NERD. September 6-9. WIU.

2006-08-27T21:23:00.000-07:00

"Nerd" revival to open September 6

2006-08-23T21:54:00.000-07:00

"The Nerd" revival opens September 6

MACOMB, IL - - Western Illinois University’s Summer Music Theatre presentation of "The Nerd" is back September 6 for one week only! The show previously served as the finale for the 2006 Summer Music Theatre season, and is back with its original SMT cast for 4 more performances.

Larry Shue’s comedy about payback showcases a seven-member cast directed by Assistant Theatre Professor Jason Conner.

Willum Cubbert, played by Tristan L. Tapscott (Hampton, IL), a senior WIU musical theatre major, is an aspiring young architect in Terre Haute, IN who was seriously wounded in Vietnam. He has often told his friends about Rick Steadman, a fellow ex-GI whom he has never met but who saved his life in Vietnam.

Rick played by CJ Langdon (O’Fallon, IL), a junior musical theatre major, shows up after Willum writes to him, explaining that as long as he is alive, Rick will have somebody on Earth who will do anything for him.

At first Willum is delighted but the delight soon fades as it becomes apparent that Rick is a hopeless nerd, a bumbling oaf with no social sense, little intelligence and even less tact.

As Rick stays on, one uproarious incident after another pushes Willum to contemplate violence — a dire development which, happily, is staved off by the surprising twist ending of the play.

Other cast members include Ben Gougeon (Alpena, MI), a third-year MFA student as Axel; Samantha Dubina (Lockport, IL), a senior musical theatre major as Tansy; and Jennifer Drew (Knoxville, IL), a third-year acting MFA student, playing Clelia. Brian Clark, an assistant libraries professor, is playing Waldgrave; and Dylan Streveler, a Macomb eighth grader, is playing Thor.

"The Nerd" will play Wednesday, September 6 through Saturday, September 9 in Horrabin Hall Theatre. All shows are at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $12 for adults, $10 for students and senior citizens (62 and above). For more information call the Browne Hall Hainline Theatre Box Office at 309/298-2900. Box office hours are from noon-5 p.m. weekdays.

"Snakes on a Plane"

2006-08-22T09:01:00.000-07:00

"Snakes" wildly entertaining

Friday. 3:00 p.m. My phone rings.
It is Ben Gougeon… friend, actor, fellow lover of crappy, yet immensely entertaining movies (i.e. “High School Musical” – yay summer 2006). So, it was no surprise to me when he called and said, “dude, let’s go see ‘Snakes on a Plane.’” I admit, at first, I was a little concerned about spending $7 on a movie that I would ultimately hate. Turns out, this was the best decisions I have made in a long time…

I will start out by making this statement:
I have never been so motherfuckin’ entertained in a motherfuckin’ movie theatre.

It truly is the “Rocky Horror” of our generation. Seriously. I mean we (along with the frest of audience) were laughing, screaming, quoting, clapping… I am talking everything! I have never had so much fun seeing what was essentially bad movie. Let’s face it; he plot is awkward, the acting is special (Jackson made me laugh consistently although, I am not sure I supposed to), script and direction is pretty poor, and sometimes things got a little unrealistic. However… I honestly believe the creative behind this movie knew exactly what they were doing. Ok, yes, a few things set it apart from a real film, but I really don’t think it’s trying to be one. I think it’s trying to be exactly what it was marketing itself as: a cult classic slash summer popcorn flick slash faux horror thriller. It succeeds admirably.

“Snakes” really gives you everything you wanted from a movie like this on a silver platter. New Line has created a successful “for the people” movie and kudos to them. It’s definitely not going to be on anyone’s “top list” at the end of Oscar season nor will it garner any award noms, but it’s not trying to. And maybe that’s the best part about. That and the creativity in its, to quote Peter Travers’ “motherfuckin’ marketing campaign.”

So, please, do yourself a favor and see this one. Really. It’s worth it…

Depp to star in film version of SWEENEY TODD

2006-08-18T12:14:00.000-07:00

Timetable Set for Burton's Sweeney Todd Film Starring Johnny Depp
by Broadway.com Staff

What's been rumored is now apparently official: Johnny Depp is set to star in Tim Burton's big-screen version of Sweeney Todd, according to Variety. The movie is set to begin shooting in early February at Pinewood Studios near London, with rehearsals and pre-recordings beginning in November and December. A late 2007 release date is planned.

The script for the movie is by John Logan, whose big-screen credits include The Aviator, The Last Samurai, Star Trek: Nemesis, Gladiator and Any Given Sunday. Theater fans will recall that Logan began his career as a Chicago-based playwright. He is the author of Never the Sinner, a well-received play about murderers Leopold and Loeb, which had a five-month run off-Broadway at the John Houseman Theatre in 1998, and Hauptman, about the Lindbergh baby kidnapping, which ran for a month at the Cherry Lane Theatre in 1992 with Denis O'Hare in the title role.

In a collaboration that has spanned more than 15 years, Burton has directed Depp in such films as Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Sleepy Hollow, Ed Wood and Edward Scissorhands. The timetable for Sweeney Todd moved forward when both Depp and Burton had projects fall through.

The film version of Sweeney Todd will be produced in a partnership between Dreamworks (producers of the upcoming Dreamgirls film) and Warner Brothers.

MVP in 2007

2006-08-14T21:34:00.000-07:00

MY VERONA preparing 2007 season...

So far, we've locked in David Mamet's OLEANNA for our winter slot, Mitch Albom's TUESDAYS WITH MORRIE for the spring, and of course, our holiday classic SANTALAND DIARIES for the usual holiday slot. We will also be hosting a table reading/pitch session for the up-coming film version of our debut show YOUR FAVORITE BAND sometime in the summer. In addition, we will be produce some staged readings of new original works by local authors. For the fall, we are working on securing rights to a very important new show. I can't say much more about it right now... but it's a killer!

The full season should be announced with the next month.

Keep checking this blog and seanleary.com for updates!

Whackin' away at Borders...

2006-08-14T21:32:00.000-07:00

So, today was my first official day off since I ended my summer gig at WIU. And I was enjoying it immensely…

I made time to get my oil changed in my car, run to the post office and place some overdue bills in the mail, and lovingly roam the aisles of Borders and shoppes in the mall in search of things I can’t afford to buy.

While at Borders, I realize I haven’t picked out audition material for WIU’s fall main stage season cattle call. What do I do? I raid the “drama” section of the store and do what every poor, self respecting actor would do; pirate and copy cool monologues from various new plays and play anthologies. In addition, I pick up a copy of David Sedaris’ Barrel Fever just for fun (if you haven‘t read it, please, do yourself a favor). Anyway… As I was sitting, sifting through pages of crap (literally), I notice, out of the corner of my eye, that someone is staring at me…

Perhaps it is a disgruntled store employee that has caught on to what I am doing. Perhaps it is some that knows me from somewhere.
Perhaps it is a distant relative that I have forgotten about (believe me it happens). Perhaps… ok, let’s just face the facts; they’re crazy. Ok. So. They’re staring at me for the longest time. Then they disappear. Odd… but I think nothing else about it because I am used to awkward crazy people (after all, I live in Macomb and my theatre company is in The District).

Moments later… I decide that I need to use the facilities. I go in and someone is at the urinal and so I go into the next stall. One stall over I hear that very recognizable sound of someone whackin’ it. Yep, someone was jerkin’ it in a Border’s. Wow. So, I immediately start laughing… and who wouldn’t? I mean, come on, who does that? I finish draining myself, come out of the stall, start to wash my hands (cuz I am a good little boy)… and guess who comes out of the stall. That’s right, the awkward man that was staring at me about five minutes before I walked into the bathroom. He comes out, red faced, and does not say a word. I just stare straight ahead because I know that if I do look at him I will laugh. And I will laugh hysterically. I finish washing my hands and I quickly dry them… and run out of the bathroom.

I then look for Adam Lewis (who I had seen maybe 15 minutes ago) because I need to tell someone this story. No luck, Adam is gone… but I notice the man is back in the café. This time, he is staring at someone else. I decide that this is really too good to miss. So, I have a seat and start watching this little carnival. Sure enough, after about 10 minutes or so, he retreats to the bathroom.

Now, I am not saying he went back in and whacked it again… but I am going to bet he probably did.

Norbert Leo Butz... UNINHIBITED, YES, BUT UNDER CONTROL

2006-08-13T20:33:00.000-07:00

UNINHIBITED, YES, BUT UNDER CONTROL
By Patrick Pacheco, LA Times

Norbert Leo Butz takes his comedic work seriously, making him one trusted "Scoundrel."

Six months ago, Norbert Leo Butz was arrested on the New Jersey Turnpike on suspicion of driving with an expired license and failing to pay a parking ticket. As the actor was handcuffed and placed against the hood of his car, he tried to tell the officer that he was on his way to perform in the Broadway musical "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels." "Dude, I've got to get to my show!" he pleaded.

"And you know what the cop said?" the 39-year-old actor recalled somewhat sheepishly last week as the tour of "DRS" was poised to open at Seattle's Paramount Theatre. " 'I'm sure you're very good at what you do, but I'm also good at what I do, so it would behoove you to shut up.' And this is the thing: I was arrested at 10 minutes to 2, released on my own recognizance and still made my matinee at 3. I'm not disciplined enough to renew my license and I will get arrested, but I'm disciplined to make it to the theater in time."

That inimitable blend of chaos and rigor will be on display when "DRS" opens at the Pantages this week, with Butz re-creating his Tony Award-winning portrayal of Freddy Benson, the "so deliciously low, so horribly dirty" con man who's an over-caffeinated, simian Eliza to the debonair Henry Higgins of swindler Lawrence Jameson. Based on the 1988 Michael Caine-Steve Martin film about a couple of scam artists working the same mark on the French Riviera, the musical, with a book by Jeffrey Lane and a score by David Yazbek ("The Full Monty"), opened 17 months ago on Broadway, where it is still running. The show received mostly positive reviews and unanimous raves for Butz, then known largely for being the one saving grace in Harry Connick Jr.'s poorly received musical, "Thou Shalt Not."

Clive Barnes, writing about "DRS" in the New York Post, cautioned that the scene-stealing Butz should be added to W.C. Fields' classic caveat to never act with children or dogs, and Ben Brantley in the New York Times wrote that the "criminally talented" actor totally dominated the stage with "a vocal and comic power that jolts an audience to attention." It was a classic star-making performance after a Tony-nominated turn in 2001 as a lively ghost in "Thou Shalt Not" and roles as the emcee in the touring production of "Cabaret" and in the off-Broadway musical "The Last Five Years."

Having worked his comic mayhem as Freddy opposite John Lithgow and later Jonathan Pryce, Butz is now teamed with Tom Hewitt ("Dracula"), who, judging by the dress rehearsal in Seattle, brings a silver fox elegance to Lawrence, in a show accented by a new opening number, "The Only Game in Town," written by Yazbek for the touring production.

Hewitt says that acting with Butz has been both an exuberant and daunting experience. "It's scary because you get the sense with Norbert that anything can happen out on that stage — and does," Hewitt says with a laugh. "Yet while it may seem spontaneous, there are very exacting rhythms that make the chemistry work."

Describing himself as "restless and kinetic" — "bored" is too strong a word, he says — Butz is always eager to find new aspects to his character. At the same time, he insists, "I've invented nothing" — every bit of business stems from the blueprint laid down by Lane and Yazbek, from Freddy's mooning of the audience (a relatively new detail) to his floor-rolling fight with a piece of jerky.

"It has to be rooted in reality. The stakes have to be sky high for these two guys or it isn't funny," Butz says, acknowledging that he is relying on director Jack O'Brien now more than ever to bring into check any temptation to play to an audience. Getting those laughs is "like heroin, like crystal meth," he says, "but, frankly, I'm brand new at this. Before I got this part I hadn't done comedy since Molière in college."

O'Brien, the artistic director of San Diego's Old Globe Theatre who has won Tonys for both a musical ("Hairspray") and a drama (Lincoln Center's revival of "Henry IV"), says he would love to see Butz as Iago, and, in fact, he tried to cast him in his new production of Tom Stoppard's "The Coast of Utopia" but was undone by scheduling. "Norbert's fearless — he'll try anything," O'Brien says. "This is a comedy, but there are scenes between Tom and Norbert that are positively Strindbergian. Norbert can tap into Freddy's wild side but also his feelings of vulnerability and insecurity."

Indeed Butz is friendly yet not ingratiating as he sits in his spacious dressing room at the Paramount, mindful of the clock because he's due to pick up his girlfriend at the airport in an hour. (He's amicably divorced from his wife, Sydney, with whom he shares custody of daughters Clara, 8, and Maggie, 6). On the coffee table is a copy of Eric Metaxas' "Everything You Always Wanted to Know About God (but Were Afraid to Ask)," a book Freddy wouldn't be caught dead with unless it was part of a con. It is part of Butz's spiritual journey that bears little relation to the Catholicism of his youth as the seventh of 11 children — eight boys, three girls — born to Elaine and Norbert Butz, a St. Louis insurance salesman.

"I guess I am a seeker in that way. I'm absolutely convinced of his or her existence, but the church itself never did it for me," he says. "I dig God, but I'm uncomfortable speaking about my faith, so I'll just leave it at that."

Though the dogma of the Roman Catholic Church was not attractive, the theater of it certainly was. Butz was an altar boy and lector at daily Mass, notwithstanding his shyness. "In old family movies, all my brothers are in front mugging and I'm in the background peeking out," he recalls.

An early trauma occurred when, at age 8, Butz auditioned with his brothers for a local production of "The King and I." Everyone but little Norbert got a part. "I was really, really upset. I felt this tremendous sense of injustice," he says. "I wanted to be in this show so bad, and I knew they didn't want it nearly as bad as I did. That stayed with me a long, long time." No doubt, his Tony triumph decades later provided some vindication. "Isn't that pathetic?" he says, sardonically. "My entire career has been about getting even with that high school theater director."

Standing out and getting attention in a family of 11 can be tough, but Butz managed to do that by alternating bad boy behavior ("I did some really, really stupid things," he says with chagrin) with stints in high school and local productions. After receiving an undergraduate degree from the rigorous acting conservatory at Webster University in St. Louis, he followed a girlfriend to Omaha. After their breakup, he headed east to the Alabama Shakespeare Festival, where his four-year stint got him involved in the classics and earned him a master's degree. "I was crazy for Shakespeare," he says. "I wanted to get my mouth around those magnificent words and do those plays."

Musicals and more

HIS intent to become a dramatic actor was sidelined, however, when he arrived in New York in 1996 and was quickly cast in "Rent," graduating to the role of Roger before being snatched by Sam Mendes and Rob Marshall to head the road production of "Cabaret." Other musical roles followed in quick succession, including the original Fiyero in the smash hit "Wicked." "Musicals were never part of the game plan," he says. "I hated musicals, what I thought of as this 'fake, singing, dancing world.' But I quickly realized after 'Rent' and 'Cabaret' that it's only fake if you let it be fake. They felt like great plays with music and just as dimensional."

Adding to those dimensions is a rubber-limbed virtuosity that brought the actor Theater Development Fund's prestigious Fred Astaire Award as best male dancer for "DRS," even though he has never taken a dance lesson. Since, as a child, he saw James Cagney in "Yankee Doodle Dandy," Butz yearned to move as fluidly, though he was too embarrassed to take a dance class, much less put on a pair of tights for fear of what people would say. Instead, he picked up his moves playing lead guitar in a rock band and going to clubs.

"I think with my body," he says. "I have to let my body explore a role before my mind does. I have never been able to sit down and memorize lines; I'm hopeless until I know what I'm doing physically with the character." That may account in part for the honesty and uninhibited nature of Butz's work. "I think it's impossible for the human body to lie; it cannot hide behind anything. That's the difference between the theater and all the other mediums: The story is told through the live human body."

Nonetheless, Butz is assaying all the different media. A CBS-TV deal, developed by Joe Roth, never materialized, but the actor has been cast in his first major film role: "Dan in Real Life," a comedy about a loud, chaotic family written and directed by Peter Hedges ("Pieces of April") and co-starring Steve Carell and Dane Cook. "It reminded me of my family," says Butz, "good-hearted and loving, but under the surface of all those rituals there are demons lurking. It's funny and sort of sad."

Not that Butz plans to abandon the theater soon. He hopes to realize a lifelong ambition to play "Hamlet" and other classic roles, a dream galvanized during an 18-month stay in London when he was an undergraduate. In addition to being inspired by the likes of Judi Dench, Michael Gambon and Antony Sher, he says, he studied, hung out, went to pubs — and got arrested. "For fighting in a bar," he recalls. "Look, this is all making me sound like Russell Crowe or early Johnny Depp, which I'm not. I just have bad luck sometimes. It was with this crazy Australian friend of mine. Granted we'd had too much to drink, but we weren't even fighting — we were staging this fake fight, screaming and shouting. I don't think anyone even threw a punch. I almost got deported."

With a laugh, he adds, "This is the part of me that is like Freddy: I'm incredibly impulsive. I tend to jump in and not think about the consequences. I pay later."

MVP Fall/Winter Season...

2006-08-12T01:07:00.000-07:00

MY VERONA PRODUCTIONS
Fall/Winter 2006

SEPTEMBER 22 - SEPTEMBER 30 - Double Bill

SEX, DRUGS, ROCK N ROLL
IT'S JUST A RIDE
Starring Adam Lewis and Jay Conner

The Non-Conformist's Double-Bill: Eric Bogosian's ``Sex, Drugs Rock N Roll'' and Bill Hicks' ``It's Just A Ride'' will roll Sept. 22-30. Adam Michael Lewis and Jay Conner will rock the stage with the edgy works of two of the greatest comic writers of the last two decades. Showtimes are 9:30 p.m. - Friday and Saturday ONLY

***

OCTOBER 7 - OCTOBER 15

Ballet Quad Cities and My Verona present
BALLET ROCKS

For something completely different... My Verona and Ballet Quad-Cities presents the second annual Ballet Rocks Oct. 7-15. Combining classical dance choreographed to modern rock, alternative and pop music provided by area bands, Ballet Rocks features the music of the mighty Metrolites -- whose track ``Man From Metro (a.k.a. the theme from `Dingo Boogaloo') can be heard here on our homepage. The shows will be performed at the Capitol Theater, Davenport. Times and ticket prices are t.b.a.

***

NOVEMBER 16 - NOVEMBER 27

SANTALAND DIARIES
Starring Adam Lewis

The year closes with our annual holiday show, Joe Mantello's adapation of David Sedaris'``SantaLand Diaries,'' performed by Adam Michael Lewis, The show is a hilarious story about an aspiring soap opera star forced to take a job as an elf at Macy's over the holiday season to make ends meet. If you've never read Sedaris'short stories, you're missing out. Showtimes are 9:30 p.m. Friday-Saturday and 7 p.m. Sunday.

***

Details coming soon on MVP's anitcipated mounting of OLEANNA...

For further info, check our myveronaproductions.com or seanleary.com.

Where can I be found this weekend?

2006-08-12T01:04:00.000-07:00

Well...

SATURDAY
2:00 p.m. - THE SECRET GARDEN - Galvin Fine Arts Center / Davenport, IA.
7:00 p.m. - THE SECRET GARDEN - Galvin Fine Arts Center / Davenport, IA.
10:00 p.m. - THE BLUE HOUR - My Verona's Tribute to David Mamet - My Verona Productions (Comedy Sportz Theatre) / Rock Island, IL.

SUNDAY
2:00 p.m. - THE SECRET GARDEN - Galvin Fine Arts Center / Davenport, IA.

So... if you have the time and money... come check them out. THE SECRET GARDEN is a benefit for the Children's Therapy Center of the Quad Cities, and as for THE BLUE HOUR goes... well, that's just fun!

The summer is so close to being over...

There is beauty in the end. TRUST me.

What movie was that guy in?

2006-08-04T14:14:00.000-07:00

So… I am currently teaching at Black Hawk College’s College for Kids program. It’s my third year of teaching three sections of Theatre Arts to a bunch of “I’m-too-cool-to-really-participate-so-I-am-going-to-pretend-like-I-don’t-have-a-real-personality” junior high kids. 80% of the time I thoroughly enjoy my job and the other 20% I really, really, really feel life would be better if I were to have strong addiction to heroin or some other drug that, if busted, would lock me away for years. Alone.

(Don’t worry, I am getting to the actually point of the story…)

Alas, here I am… with no drug addiction (well, not heroin anyway) and sometimes it amazes me how un-cultured these teens really are…

In my first class…
In the midst of one of my favorite improv games (Black Bart), I yelled out, “Ok, you’re all Tom Cruise! Go!” They all stopped laughing, talking, and said… said… “Who’s that?” I was shocked. Shocked. I had no freakin’ idea what to say to that. This ended in a 15 minute discussion about who he was and finally someone goes, “Oh, he’s that old guy from ‘War of the Worlds.’ ” I honestly could not believe that these kids, who knew every single actor from “Napoleon Dynamite,” “Jeepers Creepers,” and “John Tucker Must Die,” did not even know the name. What the hell…

In my third class…
The game was “Party Guest.” Simple idea: one person (the host) goes out into the hall, three are chosen as the “guests.” Each is given a personality to work with and it is their job to accurately portray said personality so that they can be named by the host. For this one guy the class chose “Jim Carrey,” which I thought was bold choice. It’s easy to perform, should be no problem for this kid. Wrong. This kid had no idea who he was. Unbelievable. About 10 minutes later, he discovered that he had seen half of “Bruce Almighty” once. So Sad…

Same class. Same guy. Same game.

After we discovered he could not even begin to act Jim Carrey, I decided to give him someone he’d surely know. Michael Jackson. I said it, and his reply was “I don’t know what movie that guy is in.” Oh boy. The King of Pop. Shafted by a 12 year old…. which is ironic because usually little boys love Michael!

Awkward yet classic…

(For this next line, put on pretentious actor voice)
How I do weep for our future.

It’s not a good time.

Pradas & Pirates

2006-08-02T13:01:00.000-07:00

DEVIL WEARS PRADA

Small-town girl Andrea Sachs (Anne Hathaway) gets a job working in New York City for Runway fashion magazine, where she has to cope with a high-powered, dictatorial editor, Miranda Priestly (Meryl Streep).

So, I LOVED this movie. LOVED. Streep is on her game here, a supreme knockout. Hathaway holds her own against her as does the rest of the supporting cast. Truth be told I had no interest in seeing this flick but a bunch of my friends were making the trip so I went along... and I am extremely happy that I saw this one. When it's like $10 at Family Video, I'll buy it...

PIRATES 2 - DEAD MAN'S CHEST

Capt. Jack (Johnny Depp) owes a blood debt to the legendary Davy Jones (Bill Nighy), captain of the dreaded Flying Dutchman. He threatens to curse Jack to an afterlife of eternal servitude and damnation if he can't settle up. Soon-to-be-married Will Turner (Orlando Bloom) and Elizabeth Swann (Keira Knightley) join Jack on a quest to find the Dead Man's Chest, which may contain a treasure that Jones will accept as payment.

This took two viewings for my to totally appreciate everything about this movie. First time? Not so impressed, expected a lot more from what became one of the favorite films of 2004. Still loved things about... but I guess I went in expecting far more. Second time? I thoroughly enjoyed the movie. I sat back and loved nearly every minute of it. I can't really explain it...
Two quick things:
*Still LOVE Depp with a immense passion
*Still HATE Bloom with the same immense passion

Final thought:
I wonder if they should have stopped while they were ahead? I fear for the third installment.

It's only been 5 years, Mr. Stone...

2006-08-02T12:44:00.000-07:00

I called it 5 years ago. I told a buddy of mine, "In less than 5 years someone like Spielberg or Stone will make all of this into a movie." And what's happened? Stone's new picture WORLD TRADE CENTER is opening across the nation next week.

I think it's too soon.

I just finished watching the trailer for the Nicolas Cage vehicle. It's really... really... scary? Almost too real? I don't know. I can't explain it...
I guess on one hand, kudos to the director and design team for recreating something like that and on the other, I have to ask, "what the fuck were you thinking?" I literally had goose bumps within the first 8 seconds of it. I am talking I-just-grew-a-beard-in-2-seconds kind of goose bumps. This trailer features one of the most haunting images I have ever seen on film... you have to see it to really understand what I am talking about.

Bravo on what looks like a very moving motion picture.

It's not been long enough, however, for me to really enjoy it...

I did not see UNITED 93 and I doubt I see this. In the years to come, perhaps... but not now.

CHECK OUT THE CLIP AND DECIDE FOR YOURSELF:
http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/1809260612/trailer

Illustrious Summer of Artistry

2006-08-01T22:10:00.000-07:00

Illustrious Summer of Artistry

Summer is almost over. ALMOST. And I wouldn't trade MOST of it for anything.
It’s been very long, very interesting… filled with amazing opportunities.

THE PILLOWMAN
Spent the early part of the summer doing what I would say is by far my favorite show to date: THE PILLOWMAN. I was working along side some of the local actors that I have always looked up to… and I managed to do, what I believe to be, some of my best work on stage…
This was such a cool, artsy show. People managed show up and enjoyed it as much as we did. And for those of you familiar with our work know that is very rare. Ha. But really, it was a triumph... I VERY proud of that show.

PROFESSIONAL THEATRE IN A CORN FIELD
The day PILLOWMAN closed I began work on my professional summer gig with WIU’s Summer Music Theatre. Summer Stock in Macomb… if you can imagine…

The awkward season was as follows:

MEET ME IN ST. LOUIS
A show I was definitely not looking forward to… but I ended having a ball. It really turned out to be a decent production. I don’t know what it was… but I really enjoyed myself. I think it was because I knew what was to come when ST. LOUIS closed… something worse. Yes, worse than ST. LOUIS...

I SHALL NOT BE MOVED
Short Bus of Musicals, this is I SHALL NOT BE MOVED. I SHALL NOT BE MOVED, Short Bus of Musicals. Hop on! It’s a gospel show with NO dramatic structure, NO plot, NO real meaning, NO real heart… but truth be told, audiences loved it. It also turned out to be a hit and the biggest money maker of the season. As bad as the show was, I truly enjoyed the staff I was working with and there were moments where I felt some sort of spirit… and Gougeon and I managed to have a good time. And I think that was because we knew what was to come…

THE NERD
Playing Willum in this show ranks up there with Younger Brother in RAGTIME and Michal in PILLOWMAN as one of my favorites. I LOVED this show… it’s some of the most fun I ever had on stage. I was working with one hell of a director (Jay Conner) and some of my best friends (Ben Gougeon, CJ Langdon, Sam Dubina, etc.). We had almost TOO much fun…
I am really very excited to revive this production in the fall…

TRIUMPHANT RETURN TO THE QCA
On July 30, I made my journey back to the QCA… only to have merely hours off before I began my next project. Well, projects…

COLLEGE FOR KIDS
For the last two years, I have been teaching the youth of the QCA the art of theatre... and I have returned for my third. Ok, that sounds really pretentious… ok…
So. I teach them. Right… it’s decent money for something I really enjoy. This year I even made up a syllabus, handouts, and adapted two children’s scripts for the little bastards. It’s a good time…

THE SECRET GARDEN
Last week, I received an e-mail from Derek Bertelsen, a local director from Millikin…. And he had been having some casting issues in his benefit production at Galvin Fine Arts Center. He was looking for a replacement for Albert Lennox, a decent supporting role…
I looked at it this way: I have already done 4 shows this summer, have another on the slate, and I figured why not make my summer total 6, right? So… I said “Cool, I’ll take it.” I explained I wouldn’t be able to begin until July 31... And he was down. I jumped in and in two days have learned the entire show. It’s always exciting to work that fast…
The show opens August 11...

And so does…

BLUE HOUR: CITY SKECTHES - MVP’s Tribute to DAVID MAMET
I am stoked about this show. CJ and I have been looking forward to this for months and here we are only a week away! This, too, opens August 11... (I will do GARDEN at 7 and do this at 10... and on Saturday will perform SG at 2 and 7 and BH at 10)… it’s all very exhilarating…

MY BREAK BEGINS
Beginning August 13 (around 4:45 when SECRET GARDEN finishes its matinee), I will be taking a much needed vacation from my theatrical life. I have been going non-stop since January and I need a break…
I am going to hang in the QC for a day or two and then retreat back to Macomb to prep my apartment for my roommate, research grad schools, and get things organized before the fall semester begins…

The summer’s been an artistic high and, for lack of a better cliché phrase, an emotional roller coaster…

I think I’ve grown a lot and really fallen into who I really am. It’s… cool.

I enjoyed the ride.
We all need to do that sometimes.

Summer Music Theatre - THE NERD

2006-07-21T14:49:00.000-07:00

Summer Music Theatre Finale: "The Nerd" July 21-22, 27-29

MACOMB, IL - - Western Illinois University’s Summer Music Theatre presents its last performance of the season, “The Nerd,” July 21, 22, 27, 28 and 29 in Horrabin Hall Theatre. Show time is 7:30 p.m.

Larry Shue’s comedy about payback showcases a seven-member cast directed by Assistant Theatre Professor Jason Conner.

Willum Cubbert, played by Tristan L. Tapscott (Hampton, IL), a senior WIU musical theatre major, is an aspiring young architect in Terre Haute, IN who was seriously wounded in Vietnam. He has often told his friends about Rick Steadman, a fellow ex-GI whom he has never met but who saved his life in Vietnam.

Rick played by CJ Langdon (O’Fallon, IL), a junior musical theatre major, shows up after Willum writes to him, explaining that as long as he is alive, Rick will have somebody on Earth who will do anything for him.

At first Willum is delighted but the delight soon fades as it becomes apparent that Rick is a hopeless nerd, a bumbling oaf with no social sense, little intelligence and even less tact.

As Rick stays on, one uproarious incident after another pushes Willum to contemplate violence — a dire development which, happily, is staved off by the surprising twist ending of the play.

Other cast members include Ben Gougeon (Alpena, MI), a third-year MFA student as Axel; Samantha Dubina (Lockport, IL), a senior musical theatre major as Tansy; and Jennifer Drew (Knoxville, IL), a third-year acting MFA student, playing Clelia. Brian Clark, an assistant libraries professor, is playing Waldgrave; and Dylan Streveler, a Macomb eighth grader, is playing Thor.

Tickets are $20 for adults, $15 for senior citizens (62 and above) and $10 for children under 12. For more information call the Browne Hall Hainline Theatre Box Office at 309/298-2900. Box office hours are from noon-5 p.m. weekdays.

My Verona presents tribute to DAVID MAMET

2006-07-20T15:18:00.000-07:00

My Verona announces tribute to legendary writer/director David Mamet

My Verona Productions, the company behind such critical hits as Santaland Diaries, Closer and the recent Midwest debut of The Pillowman, is back again this summer! This time, with Blue Hour: City Sketches A Tribute to David Mamet.

2 actors. 75 minutes. All Mamet. Blue Hour will features 14 scenes and monologues by the 1984 Pulitzer Prize winning author that Mamet himself considers to be some of his best writing he has ever done. Performed rapidly with a quick wit by local favorite Tristan Tapscott and MVP regular CJ Langdon, Blue Hour run just over one hour making you leave the theatre wanting more.

Blue Hour: City Sketches A Tribute to David Mamet will RUN ONLY TWO PERFORMANCES ONLY on August 11 and 12 at Comedy Sportz Theatre, 1818 3rd Avenue in the District of Rock Island. Shows are 10:00 p.m. Tickets are $12 and are available at the Circa 21 Box Office, by calling 309-786-7733 (Ext. 2), or at the door 30 minutes before show time.

Blue Hour is rated PG 13.

things i never thought would really happen

2006-06-30T15:55:00.000-07:00

two things i never thought would happen in real life...

1. being crushed by a fat man. read it again... and let it sink in. :) more details to come...

2. cj going to bed with a girl and having her gone when he woke up. yep. special. details to come...

A new obsession...

2006-06-13T16:27:00.000-07:00

i am only 3 episodes in to season 1 at this point... and already i am OBSESSED with LOST.

yes, that's right... i jumped on the band wagon and i am not looking back. i am little late, i know... but I LOVE THIS SHOW. it ridiculously delicious and addictive...

more to come later... probably after i watch a few more episodes tonight after the MEET ME IN ST. LOUIS run. i always need something to get me out of St. Louis in 1903. :)

peace.

TONY AWARDS 2006

2006-06-13T15:54:00.000-07:00

Ok, so... these are a few days late... but DEAL WITH IT!
(Sorry this was late... but...for those of you that don't know, I am working at Summer Music Theatre (original name, huh?), WIU's professional summer stock company which keeps me FREAKIN' BUSY!)

Here are my official 2006 Tony Predictions... complete with limited commentary, list of winners, and random articles from playbill.com. :)

TONY PREDICTIONS:
(You will see the nominees listed first, followed by my pick and the actual winner)

Special Note: I watched the TONY AWARDS at Marcus Olson's house, an original Broadway member of the Tony Award winning PASSION. :) So, yeah... he performed at the Tony's... :) Exciting, eh?

Moving ON....

BEST MUSICAL
The Color Purple
The Drowsy Chaperone
Jersey Boys
The Wedding Singer

MY PICK: JERSEY BOYS
WINNER: JERSEY BOYS

I think this was an obvious choise... although I was doubting myself throughout the ceremony. DROWSY looks and sounds like a hit... but BOYS' music has been legendary for years. :) That, and their cast sounds amazing...

LEADING ACTRESS IN A MUSICAL
Sutton Foster, The Drowsy Chaperone
La Chanze, The Color Purple
Patti LuPone, Sweeney Todd
Kelli O'Hara, The Pajama Game
Chita Rivera, Chita Rivera: The Dancer's Life

MY PICK: PATTI LUPONE
WINNER: LACHANZE

One of the bigger upsets of the evening... but well deserved. LaChanze is FANTASTIC...

LEADING ACTOR IN A MUSICAL
Michael Cerveris, Sweeney Todd
Harry Connick, Jr., The Pajama Game
Stephen Lynch, The Wedding Singer
Bob Martin, The Drowsy Chaperone
John Lloyd Young, Jersey Boys

MY PICK: MICHAEL CERVERIS
WINNER: YOUNG

I called Young's win early on in the game... but I assumed the award would be given to Broadway icon Cerveris for his brilliant Sweeney. I was wrong. No harm, though... Young's voice is SIMPLY AMAZING! If you don't have the BOYS cast recording, get off your computer and go buy it... NOW! Young's voice is amazing...

BEST PLAY
The History Boys
The Lieutenant of Inishmore
Rabbit Hole
Shining City

MY PICK: HISTORY BOYS
WINNER: HISTORY BOYS

Though I am HUGE fan of McDonagh and INISHMORE (brilliant script, read it)... HISTORY BOYS was a huge hit in London and recouped its investment on Broadway in six weeks. They must be doing something right...

REVIVAL - MUSICAL
The Pajama Game
Sweeney Todd
The Threepenny Opera

MY PICK: SWEENEY
WINNER: GAME

Perhaps the biggest upset of the night... I never though GAME would end up winning this one. I thought SWEENEY has this award in the bag. It's new, inventive...
Of course, GAME is a classic show with catchy music... and come on, it starred Connick, Jr. and O'Hara. They're good people...

LEADING ACTOR - PLAY
Ralph Fiennes, Faith Healer
Richard Griffiths, The History Boys
Zeljko Ivanek, The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial
Oliver Platt, Shining City
David Wilmot, The Lieutenant of Inishmore

MY PICK: RICHARD GRIFFITHS
WINNER: RICHARD GRIFFITHS

Called that one... no doubt in my mind. This dude really commands a stage... and has been lauded by critics world wide for years. But... what a category, huh? It really could have been given to any of them...

LEADING ACTRESS - PLAY
Kate Burton, The Constant Wife
Judy Kaye, Souvenir
Lisa Kron, Well
Cynthia Nixon, Rabbit Hole
Lynn Redgrave, The Constant Wife

MY PICK: CYNTHIA NIXON
WINNER: NIXON

Obivous choice... :)

FEATURED ACTOR - MUSICAL
Danny Burstein, The Drowsy Chaperone
Jim Dale, The Threepenny Opera
Brandon Victor Dixon, The Color Purple
Manoel Felciano, Sweeney Todd
Christian Hoff, Jersey Boys

MY PICK: JIM DALE
WINNER: CHRISTIAN HOFF

Wow. Newcomer beats out legend... good for him! This was the point in the night where I began to wonder if BOYS was going to take home more than I expected...
:) ...and they did!

FEATURED ACTRESS - MUSICAL
Carolee Carmello, Lestat
Felicia P. Fields, The Color Purple
Megan Lawrence, The Pajama Game
Beth Leavel, The Drowsy Chaperone
Elisabeth Withers-Mendes, The Color Purple

MY PICK: First... it was BETH LEAVEL but I went with FIELDS
WINNER: LEAVEL

Should have stuck with Leavel. I changed my pick because I figured PURPLE would at least winner one thing... and Fields is fabulous. Leavel it is...

PLAY - REVIVAL
Awake and Sing!
The Constant Wife
Edward Albee's Seascape
Faith Healer

MY PICK: AWAKE AND SING
WINNER: AWAKE AND SING

Odets is genius... PERIOD!

DIRECTOR - MUSICAL
John Doyle, Sweeney Todd
Kathleen Marshall, The Pajama Game
Des McAnuff, Jersey Boys
Casey Nicholaw, The Drowsy Chaperone

MY PICK: JOHN DOYLE
WINNER: DOYLE

Do I even have to go into this with you?

BEST SCORE (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre
The Color Purple
The Drowsy Chaperone
The Wedding Singer
The Woman in White

MY PICK: DROWSY
WINNER: DROWSY

After seeing clips and their performance at the ceremony... there was no doubt in my mind. :)

Best Book of a Musical
Chad Beguelin and Tim Herlihy, The Wedding Singer
Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice, Jersey Boys
Bob Martin and Don McKellar, The Drowsy Chaperone
Marsha Norman, The Color Purple

MY PICK: DROWSY
WINNER: DROWSY

DROWSY has some funny stuff going on...
Their bit on the Tony's where Martin was watching the last speech on TV was priceless.

DIRECTOR - PLAY
Nicholas Hytner, History Boys
Wilson Milam, The Lieutenant of Inishmore
Bartlett Sher, Awake and Sing!
Daniel Sullivan, Rabbit Hole

MY PICK: HYTNER
WINNER: HYTNER

Again, BOYS is really getting BRILLIANT press... :)

CHOREOGRAPHY
Rob Ashford, The Wedding Singer
Donald Byrd, The Color Purple
Kathleen Marshall, The Pajama Game
Casey Nicholaw, The Drowsy Chaperone

MY PICK: NICHOLAW
WINNER: MARSHALL

Go ahead, Kathleen, I guess you're talented! Just kidding... you're fabulous... well deserved!

FEATURED ACTRESS - PLAY
Tyne Daly, Rabbit Hole
Frances de la Tour, History Boys
Jayne Houdyshell, Well
Alison Pill, The Lieutenant of Inishmore
Zoë Wanamaker, Awake and Sing!

MY PICK: de la TOUR
WINNER: de la TOUR

Again, the reviews... :)

FEATURED ACTOR - PLAY
Samuel Barnett, The History Boys
Domhnall Gleeson, The Lieutenant of Inishmore
Ian McDiarmid, Faith Healer
Mark Ruffalo, Awake and Sing!
Pablo Schreiber, Awake and Sing!

MY PICK: MCDIARMID
WINNER: MCDIARMID

I watched several clips that featured this guy... he's captivating...

All in all, I was pretty close...
Definitely bagged BEST PLAY and MUSICAL categories. :)

Until next year....

****************

FROM PLAYBILL.COM

The History Boys, Jersey Boys, Awake and Sing! and The Pajama Game won 2006 Tony Awards in production categories June 11.

The 60th annual awards, representing excellence in Broadway theatre for the 2005-06 season, were presented at Radio City Music Hall. In lieu of a single host, multiple presenters introduced portions of the show and handed out the awards.

Jersey Boys, the pop-hit-filled backstage tale of Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons snagged the Best Musical Tony Award, one design award and two acting nods.

The History Boys, Alan Bennett's comic and dramatic rumination on education, history and ambition, won a record six Tonys. Nicholas Hytner earned the Tony for Best Direction of Play for his work with the ensemble of History Boys. The play freely shifts time and place, includes film sequences, a scene in French, a couple of cabaret numbers and soliloquies from its main characters.

Richard Griffiths, the British actor whose career has included classics, films and new works, was named Best Leading Actor in a Play for essaying Hector, an inspirational yet emotionally-closeted high school teacher in The History Boys. He created the role at the National Theatre in England (as did the entire company). The cast reunited for the world tour that culminated in the current Broadway run. They will also appear in the film version, due out later this year.

The one Tony for The Color Purple went to LaChanze, as Best Leading Actress in a Musical, for playing Celie in the musical inspired by the novel by Alice Walker.

The Roundabout Theatre Company revival of The Pajama Game, which boasted a revised script and included songs not in the original run 50 years ago, won as Revival of a Musical.

Kathleen Marshall's choreography for The Pajama Game was also embraced by Tony voters (many fans of the show regard "Hernando's Hideaway," with Harry Connick Jr. playing jazz piano in a nightclub, as the cast struts around him, as one of the season's musical high points).

Cynthia Nixon, a New York theatre actress since her childhood, won her first Tony this year, for Best Leading Actress in a Play for playing a grieving mother in Rabbit Hole. Beth Leavel, who plays the delicious, and often drunk, title character in The Drowsy Chaperone snagged the Tony for Best Featured Actress in a Musical. Leavel previously told Playbill.com she never played ingénue roles, not even when she was in school. Blowsy, been-around and jaded suited her just fine from the beginning of her career, she said.

Christian Hoff was rewarded in the category of Best Featured Actor in a Musical for his muscular, tough turn at mob-linked Tommy DeVito in The Jersey Boys. Playing falsetto-happy Frankie Valli, John Lloyd Young won the Tony for Best Actor in a Musical.

Lincoln Center Theater's production of Clifford Odets' Awake and Sing!, a rarely-performed naturalistic slice of Depression life that was a product of the famed Group Theatre in the 1930s, was named Best Revival of a Play. The staging is currently playing the Belasco Theatre, where the work was first performed 70 years ago.

LCT producer Andre Bishop called the play "not only worth reviving, but in need of reviving…"

John Doyle, the British director known for creating musical productions in which actors create characters and play their own instruments on stage, won the Tony for Best Direction of a Musical for Sweeney Todd. His work for the revival of the Sondheim classic is widely considered to be a directorial masterstroke. (His version of Sondheim's Company, with the cast playing its own accompaniment, is due on Broadway this coming fall.)

The Drowsy Chaperone, the only nominated Best Musical this year that is not based on history or existing source material (like a book or film) was rewarded for its ambition to be fresh: Bob Martin and Don McKellar won the Best Book of a Musical Tony, and Lisa Lambert and Greg Morrison won for Best Original Score (they share music and lyric credit).

The musical has its roots in an evening of entertainment created by Lambert, Morrison, McKellar and others to celebrate the wedding of Bob Martin and Janet van de Graaf, their friends in the Toronto comedy and theatre community. They wrote a spoof of a '20s show, with characters named Bob and Janet. The idea was too good to not expand into a full, commercial evening. The Drowsy Chaperone, with a choice leading role added for Martin, was the result.

Drowsy won five 2006 Tony Awards.

In the design categories, Howell Binkley won the Lighting Design of a Musical Tony for his potent work on The Jersey Boys, which shows dimly lit back rooms and flashy concert appearances in the lives and times of the pop group The Four Seasons. The Best Lighting (Play) Tony went to Mark Henderson, whose work included fluorescent fixtures for the institutional British high school setting (Bob Crowley won for Best Scenic Design of a Play for History Boys).

The 1920s-set The Drowsy Chaperone earned musical design awards for costumes (Gregg Barnes) and scenic design (David Gallo).

The Depression era, working-class costumes of Awake and Sing! won Catherine Zuber a Tony for Best Costume Design of a Play.

Sarah Travis, who created the unique, intimate orchestrations for the chamber-sized Sweeney Todd, won the Best Orchestrations Tony.

Sarah Jones, Harold Prince and The Intiman Theatre in Seattle were among the early recipients of 2006 Tony Awards. Their awards were announced in early May. Their three respective non-competitive categories are Special Tony Award, Special Tony for Lifetime Achievement and Regional Theatre Award.

Actress-writer Jones created Bride & Tunnel, a collection of solo pieces in which she portrays immigrant characters who are performing at an open-mike night at a venue in Queens, NY. The lauded Off-Broadway staging jumped to Broadway in 2005-06, and performances continue to Aug. 6 at the Helen Hayes Theatre.

Legendary Broadway producer-director Prince, whose career includes producing The Pajama Game, West Side Story and Fiddler on the Roof, and directing Company, Follies, Sweeney Todd and Evita, was not at the Tony ceremony in Manhattan. He was too busy overseeing final rehearsals for a new Las Vegas version of his triumph, Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Phantom of the Opera. Re-dubbed Phantom – The Las Vegas Spectacular, the production begins June 12 in Nevada.

The Intiman Theatre is the respected resident theatre in Seattle. Under the leadership of artistic director Bartlett Sher (The Light in the Piazza) and managing director Laura Penn, the company is committed to reinterpreting the classics, staging contemporary plays and developing new works. Founded by Margaret Booker in 1972, Intiman takes its name from a playhouse started by August Strindberg in Stockholm. The name translates as "the intimate."

MY VERONA'S `THE PILLOWMAN' IS A MUST-SEE SHOW!

2006-06-02T01:37:00.000-07:00

THE CRITICS ARE UNANIMOUS: MY VERONA'S `THE PILLOWMAN' IS A MUST-SEE SHOW!

TWO PERFORMANCES LEFT! 10 P.M. FRIDAY AND SATURDAY AT COMEDY SPORTZ

The reviews are in and the critics are unanimous in their praise of My Verona's ``The Pillowman!''

Ruby Nancy of the Quad-City Times gave the show high praise in her rave review, calling ``Pillowman'' ``a riveting, often very funny drama that is unlike anything else you will see this year'' and said it was a ``must see show!''

Mike Schulz of the River Cities Reader also raved about the show, calling it a ``stunning achievement'' and ``invigorating, hugely entertaining theatre!''

Jason Tanamor of the Dispatch and Rock Island Argus also gave it a positive review, and called the show ``intense,'' ``dramatic'' and full of ``twists and turns,'' saying it kept the audience ``intrigued and captivated.''

My Verona is only the SIXTH THEATER GROUP IN THE WORLD to produce the Tony and Olivier Award winning thriller by Martin McDonagh, debuting it before theaters in Chicago, Los Angeles and Philadelphia, among others. The show, rated R for violence and language, has been described as ``Quentin Tarantino meets Stephen King.'' It is set in a totalitarian state where a horror writer, Katurian, has been taken into custody for a series of child murders that bear an eerie resemblance to his grim short stories. But did Katurian do it? How does his mentally-unbalanced brother fit into the crimes? And what is the chilling secret of The Pillowman?

Directed and produced by Sean Leary, My Verona's ``Pillowman'' stars Adam Michael Lewis, Tom Walljasper, Chris Browne, Tristan Tapscott, Carrie Clark and Gary Baker.

There are only TWO PERFORMANCES LEFT of My Verona's ``The Pillowman'' -- at 10 p.m. Friday, June 2 and 10 p.m. Saturday, June 3 at Comedy Sportz, 1818 3rd Ave., Rock Island, IL. Tickets ($12) are available at the door, at the Circa '21 box office and by phone at (309) 786-7733, ext. 2.

For more information, see www.seanleary.com and www.myveronaproductions.com.

PILLOWMAN Review - Quad City Times

2006-06-01T09:13:00.000-07:00

PILLOWMAN Review - Quad City Times
My Verona's `Pillowman' a must-see show

By Ruby Nancy
Quad City Times

Martin McDonagh's 'The Pillowman' is as unsettling as it is unusual, but anyone familiar with his other work -- such as his finely-written, disturbing 'The Beauty Queen of Leenane' -- won't be surprised to find themselves both touched and creeped out by this startlingly funny, often discomfiting play.

Set in a totalitarian state (which, hilariously, is described as such in a line delivered by a police detective), 'Pillowman' centers on the experiences and imagination of a writer named Katurian, whose stories have landed him in a dank, oppressive interrogation room. There's a detective and a cop who are looking for answers in their investigation of a series of child murders, and Katurian's mentally challenged brother is in a holding cell just down the hall, but it is the writer's experience that resonates throughout.

Adam Michael Lewis, who plays Katurian, is absolutely brilliant in the role -- a virtual case study for any budding actor -- and his deeply emotional, fundamentally passionate performance is a stunning work that will burn into the consciousness of every audience member who sees this show. His development over the arc of the play -- from a cowering mass of fear who is willing to cut almost anything from his stories in case it has offended the government in some way, providing that the editing saves his hide -- into an impassioned defender of his work's worth is a thoroughly satisfying dramatic performance. Likewise, Lewis delivers the slivers of wry and sometimes caustic humor that slip out of Katurian with an easy naturalness, and he makes the emotional and intellectual shifts required in this performance with a seamless, spare, earnest elegance that is a thrill to watch.

The show itself is something of a thriller, and I assure you that anyone not already familiar with the story will have no idea what direction the story will take -- a way refreshing change in what can sometimes be a too-predictable genre. Even the sections of script comprised of Katurian's fiction are fascinating, especially as delivered by the multi-faceted Lewis, and director Sean Leary has wisely opted to let the words of the text unfold without a heavy-handed visual style that would have competed with the great work done by the show's star.

The balance of the cast also turns in first-rate portrayals. Chris Browne is droll and understated as Tupolski, the totally dry detective who deadpans lines you can hardly believe he actually said. As Ariel, the uber-aggressive cop charged with beating a confession out of suspects, Tom Walljasper is rough and vicious -- an animalistic force of anger barely contained.

Tristan Layne Tapscott (who also co-produces the show with Leary) gives a subtle performance as Katurian's brother, Michal, and he lends the character a gentle indifference that is wonderfully done. Carrie Clark enlivens several cameo roles and Gary Baker (who is also the show's stage manager, lighting designer and bartender) does great work providing a range of off-stage voices (and not boring ones, either).

Long by modern theater standards -- but with two intermissions -- this is a riveting, often very funny drama that is unlike anything else you will see this year. Though it might not be everyone's cup of tea, it's a must-see for anyone (at least who isn't easily frightened) who craves the chance to experience a new play.

copyright 2006 The Quad City Times

PILLOWMAN Review - River Cities Reader

2006-05-31T09:28:00.000-07:00

Pillow Talk: The Pillowman, at ComedySportz through June 3
Written by Mike Schulz
River Cities Reader

Degree of difficulty counts for a lot, so director Sean Leary and his estimable cast would earn points merely for the area existence of Martin McDonagh’s horrific fairy tale The Pillowman, the latest – and certainly riskiest – endeavor from My Verona Productions.

McDonagh’s play is, quite simply, stunning, a beautifully written, subversively funny, and frequently nerve-racking dramatic thriller. Set in an interrogation room within a fictitious totalitarian regime, author Katurian Katurian (Adam Michael Lewis) endures verbal and physical abuse at the hands of detectives Tupolski (Chris Browne) and Ariel (Tom Walljasper); two local children have been found murdered, another is missing, and as the particulars of the crimes bear a striking similarity to the imagined child-killings in stories Katurian himself writes, the detectives demand a confession. (They’re not “good cop/bad cop” so much as “pretty bad cop/really bad cop.”) What follows is a nightmare meditation on the power, and responsibility, of storytelling, fashioned by a storyteller of remarkable skill and subtlety.

The playwright has a great many things to say about childhood trauma and its effect on the artistic process – both for artist and audience – yet considering the show’s often-repellent subject matter, its themes are presented with the lightest of touches. Plenty of scenes in the work are designed to make audiences wince and recoil – the violence comes swiftly, and the threat of violence is ever-present – but just as many lull you in with an unexpected gentleness; The Pillowman has gravitas but is never oppressive, and McDonagh’s raffish humor is like a tonic. It’s the sort of magical theatrical work that audiences can simply enjoy as a spine-tingling creepshow, or, after the curtain call, excitedly discuss with friends, over drinks, for hours on end.

Leary – who, with Pillowman co-star Tristan Tapscott, serves as My Verona’s co-founder and producer – deserves props for bringing McDonagh’s 2003 play to area audiences; it’s exactly the kind of unpredictable, thrilling entertainment we’re exposed to all too infrequently and deserve far more often. Yet a work of its caliber brings with it an intimidating set of expectations – if you’re gonna do The Pillowman, you’d better be able to do The Pillowman right – and with the unique challenges faced by My Verona in its presentation of this show, it’s understandable that audiences could enter the production feeling somewhat, shall we say, leery.

ComedySportz is, oftentimes, a perfectly acceptable theatrical venue, and last season, My Verona did fine things with the limited, narrow space in Closer and The Santaland Diaries. Yet there’s not much to be done about the building’s minimal stage space and bare-bones lighting and sound systems – ComedySportz isn’t designed for the effects that would make The Pillowman as viscerally entertaining as it probably could be. (The Broadway production received Tony Awards for scenic and lighting design.) Beyond technical constraints, the weekend performances by the ComedySportz improv group itself require that The Pillowman begin at 10 p.m., so audiences shouldn’t expect to leave the building until close to 12:45 a.m., which can be a long haul even if you’re mad about McDonagh’s work. There are, I’m sure, a great many reasons for My Verona’s loyalty to the ComedySportz space, but, for this particular production, seeking another venue (and an earlier starting time) may have been appropriate.

And then there’s this mention, from last Thursday’s Rock Island Argus/Dispatch – Leary, describing the differences between the Broadway and My Verona productions of McDonagh’s work: “Ours is more of a multimedia show, using a projector during some scenes to simulate kind of a live-action graphic novel.” That description, for me at least, set off a few alarms. (The phrase “multimedia,” in relation to theatrical works, always makes me nervous, as it suggests an impatience with basic narrative tenets, and The Pillowman doesn’t really have any kind of graphic-novel sensibility – it’s more of a wicked, ghastly bedtime story.) It’s been said that if you cast your show correctly, half of your work as a director is done, and with the actors assembled for The Pillowman, Leary’s work was, to put it mildly, halfway done. What about the other half?

It’s quite good. Leary orchestrates the escalating tension with a sure, deft hand, and while the actors’ conversational rhythms are marvelously well-calibrated – particularly when Lewis’s and Walljasper’s overlapping dialogue reaches a boil – he has a terrific ear for silence, and the disquieting moments that interrupt it; when one of the detectives shakes a small white box in Katurian’s face, the light rattling of the contents within gives you the heebie-jeebies, and at one point, the full menace of Browne’s cop is crystalized with the perfectly-timed click! of his pen. The Pillowman gains in creepy, suggestive heft as it progresses, and Leary’s passion for the project is evident through his stage compositions – the interrogation room actually seems to tighten as the show nears its climax – and the breathing room he gives his sensational performers.

Chris Browne is a peerless dry comic here. He invests his line readings with a hysterical, withering incredulity, and enacts something I’m not sure I’ve ever seen on-stage before – malevolent ennui. Browne’s portrayal proves a splendid counterpoint to Tom Walljasper’s blistering, nervous energy, and the two play off each other with seasoned flair. (I could go on about Walljasper’s focused, heartfelt work here, but after last week’s Reader article on the actor, I’m not sure what more I could say without lapsing into embarrassing fan-boy gushing.)

Tristan Tapscott, who plays Katurian’s childlike brother, Michal, gives what is easily the best performance I’ve yet seen from him, and that’s saying a lot; his outstanding actor’s instincts and inventiveness in the role are a little overwhelming. And Lewis blazes through his demanding role with great enthusiasm – in the scenes of Katurian breaking down in sobs, Lewis’ physical and emotional abandon are devastating – although he does engage in a bit too much stand-up-comic blitheness during his on-stage re-tellings of Katurian’s stories. Lewis’ delivery doesn’t reveal an author’s energy so much as an actor’s energy; his Katurian tosses off the tales’ narration like a performer eager to get to the good parts, without taking the time to luxuriate in their grim (and Grimm) preambles – the entirety of the stories, and not just the gruesome punchlines, is “the good parts.”

A couple of Katurian’s tales are also slightly impeded by the staging, which is where that “multimedia” angle comes in. McDonagh’s language is so sublime, and the actors delivering the dialogue are so strong, that you don’t want to miss anything through changing points of focus – as happens when we’re looking at screened, “graphic-novel” visualizations – and watching action in both the front and rear of the ComedySportz venue, as in a demented ping-pong match. These moments, however, are only momentary lapses. My Verona’s The Pillowman is invigorating, hugely entertaining theatre. I just don’t want Leary and his organization to be afraid of simplicity; the power of a good tale well-told can, in and of itself, be exhilarating. Sometimes, less is most definitely more.

For tickets to The Pillowman, call (309)786-7733 extension 2.

PILLOWMAN Diaries: Part Three

2006-05-29T22:34:00.000-07:00

I always hear actors talk about those moments of intense realization, amazement… those “wow” moments in their careers that really define their work. I have been lucky enough to have a few - in 2001, working on a Walljasper original that was to open on 9/11, in 2004 with Sean Leary’s Your Favorite Band, and earlier this year with WIU’s Harold and Maude directed by Ray Gabica….

The Pillowman is now on that list…

It has been one of, if not the, best experiences I have had artistically. I think it has everything - the script, the cast, the staff… EVERYTHING. Ok, maybe not a huge budget… but fuck that. Who needs it when you’re creating this kind of electricity.

I am playing Michal Katurian, a rather psyhocologically complex individual who was tortured most of his childhood. It’s truly one of the most interesting characters written for the contemporary stage in the last few years. The character is really forced to run gamut of human emotions within a span of about 50 minutes. It’s an incredible piece of work. It’s also VERY satisfying… it’s not often you get to play EVERYTHING in a play, let alone a single scene. Tears, laughter, anger, tenderness… it’s all there. It’s BRILLIANT…

It’s one of the most artistically satisfying roles I have ever played…
A role of a lifetime. (A cliché statement, I know… but work with me here!)

I am fortunate enough to have WIU alum Adam Michael Lewis playing my brother Katurian. Lewis could not be a more generous actor if he tried. He is an incredible actor. An amazing individual. He is so honest… and supportive. He’s everything you could want in a co-star. There are moments that are so real on stage that I get lost in the moment… and I have to try to remind myself “hey, we’re doing a play here… remember all of your lines!” He’s that real.. He’s that committed.

It’s performers like him that justify why I am going to WIU…

In addition to Adam, the show features Tom Walljasper, Chris Browne, Carrie Clark, and Gary Baker. Walljasper has been one of my favorites for years. He’s a very intense, very specific actor… and is always doing stuff. And as a professor of mine has said “acting is doing and there is always more to do.” This man definitely gets that. Tom is very much a stage version of Al Pacino. By that I mean he loves detail work. You can tell. He is always doing, pretending… he never lets up. Ever! He is truly one of the finest actors in the area. And Browne is really something special. Well known for his rather comical performances at Playcrafters, he has not been given too many chances to really let loose. He’s definitely let loose and is not turning back. I have always loved Chris’ work… and seeing him in this role is making me realize that I love it even more.

In addition we have Gary Baker working for us again! There is no one like him… he’s really into whatever he is working at the time and because of it does very solid work. He’s meticulous. He’s a perfectionist. And… he’s always there and ready to work. Gary is one of the best in the area.

I am really thrilled that I talked Sean Leary into directing this. He’s really taken the show to a whole new level with innovative concepts and rather laid back directing style. Sean is really what all actors want: someone who lays out the skeletal work but lets the action be fluid and natural. That’s what he’s all about. Sean was also amazingly free about letting the actors find their characters. Some directors (and those who go to WIU will know exactly who I am talking about).. Some directors enjoy giving you EVERYTHING. They know that you do this one thing well and make you use it rather than letting you explore. Sean let us explore and I think the result was a powerful exploration into the minds of these characters… and that resulted in a some VERY STRONG performances. For me, that has really helped shape what I consider to be my best work yet…

It’s all very inspiring…
It’s a good time.

Blogging ``Pillowman'' In The Spirit Of Gary Troup

2006-05-29T22:33:00.000-07:00

Director Sean Leary gives away some PILLOWMAN details...

Blogging ``Pillowman'' In The Spirit Of Gary Troup
By Sean Leary

The first weekend of My Verona's ``The Pillowman'' is in the books, and the reaction has been very, very positive. Audiences have been quite receptive and impressed with the show, which obviously pleases us to no end.

I'm extremely happy with the show. I think the cast has been terrific. The performances are amazing and they've all been a real treat to work with -- consummate pros with great, laid-back attitudes and a palpable joy about the work they're doing. Honestly, these guys are the best.

Another great thing about it is that many people have stuck around after the show to discuss certain aspects of it. Our audiences have been a pretty sophisticated lot, picking up on a lot of the little nuances of the script and on the production side of things.

One of the things I loved about directing the show was the abundance of opportunities to throw subtle details into the staging that echo what's going on in the script. We may not have the space or budget to match the fireworks or massive props used in the Broadway or London productions, but there's plenty of room for the kind of theater-of-the-mind imaginative staging that works quite well in our theater's confined and intimate space.

McDonagh's stageplay is so rich with complexities that it's a director's dream to match them up with environmental cues. The kind that are going to have more of a subconscious effect on the audience. That's just one of the reasons this has been such a fun experience for me.

Since we're halfway through the show's run, with only two performances left -- 10 p.m. Friday, June 2 and 10 p.m. Saturday, June 3 at Comedy Sportz Theater, 1818 3rd Ave., Rock Island -- I thought I'd peel back the curtain a bit on some of the thoughts that went into staging ``The Pillowman.'' For those who have seen the show, consider this something like the multimedia stuff that the creators of ``Lost'' are always throwing out there to make the experience more intriguing. For those who haven't seen the show, consider this a form of enticement to get you out to one of the last two performances. If you haven't seen the show and don't want anything to be spoiled, STOP READING RIGHT HERE. Come back later on after you've seen it.

Anyway, here are SOME of the geeky little details I threw into the staging of the show...

* There are only two characters that leave the stage during the show. I won't offer the reason why, I'll let viewers figure it out or draw their own interpretations, but it's intentional that those two characters are the only ones to break free of that space.

* The characters' wardrobes are color-schemed not only to fit in or contrast against the darkness of the stage around them, but also in relation to one another and their roles in the play. The individual actors came up with their own wardrobes based on instructions in regard to color schemes and type of clothing.

* The only non-drab colors used in the show are green and red. The only other color that's used is a dirty light blue. Again, intentional. Again, I'll let you figure out why or come up with your own theory.

* Yes, that is the theme song of a famous children's show you're hearing in the background of Act One, Scene Two. It's in there to draw an ironic juxaposition to the material in the scene as well as the prior scene. And, it's also kind of a creepy gag. I thought of it the first time I read the script and never considered another song for that moment.

* The music accompanying the action in Act Three, Scene One (the ``L.J.'' sequence) is choreographed in time with the underlying soundtrack. The scene begins slow and sinister and builds in intensity with the music. Likewise, the frequency and intensity of the lighting varies in accordance with the action and music.

* Speaking of music, if you're familiar with the backstory of Kurt Cobain and the crux of many of his song's themes you've probably already figured out why I used Nirvana as the sole artist during the duration of the show.

* All of the sound effects were done by me and Scott Morschhauser, of Metrolites and Kabalas fame, in Scott's home studio. One of them (the one at the end of Act Three, Scene Two) involved a MalletKat xylophone with a programmed effect. Another (the one at the end of Act Three, Scene One) involved a crocodile skin suitcase. On the latter, in the background, if you listen in very carefully, you can hear muffled screams, which were done by Scott, standing across the room from the microphone, with his hands over his mouth.

* Also during that latter sequence, Gary Baker, our board op, is rolling the sound back and forth slowly between the speakers to create a sense of the audience being surrounded by the sound.

* The two multi-media slide sequences feature three different styles of art -- photographic, black-and-white graphic novel style and children's crayon drawings. (I provided all the illustrations.) Again, I'll let you figure out why each is used, but there are reasons for each of the styles in relation to the action taking place and in relation to where it lies in the realm of fantasy vs. reality.

* A few of the images used during the slide sequences were sampled from my graphic novel, ``Exorcising Ghosts.''

* There are a lot of subtle variations in lighting within scenes, set up in accordance with the characters on stage and the relationships between them. Certain characters are almost always seen in full, intense lighting. Others are almost never seen in full light.

* The lighting scheme, such as it is, during the Katurian monologues was inspired by the thought of him telling ghost stories at sleepaway camp.

* Originally my thoughts were that the police would have a very Aryan -- fair skin, blue eyes, light hair -- look to them and the prisoners would be darker in features. However, as casting evolved, that caprice took a distant back seat to being able to cast the high-caliber talent that we did.

* That said, there were some slight concerns about the physical dissimilarities between blonde, blue-eyed Tristan Tapscott and brunette, brown-eyed Adam Lewis when casting them as brothers. However, one of the reasons I thought the combination worked as brothers is because I was thinking of them as -- unbeknownst to the characters in the show -- step-brothers. The younger of the two characters undergoes a lengthy period of unpleasantness, shall we say, in the script. And while I was trying to come up with a rationale for that (aside from just general psychopathic tendencies by the parents) one of the things that came to mind was that the mother had been fooling around and once the baby was born, her infidelity was pretty obvious from the looks of him in comparison to the father and the other sibling. The resentment and hatred boiling over from that, and conversely the perverse desire to favor the older child, the father's child, to an extreme measure, was one of the factors leading to the treatment of the younger child. I have absolutely no idea if that was a factor in casting any of the other productions or was even a thought in the mind of the playwright, but it was a consideration for me (aside from the sheer talent of those involved) in justifying the casting.

* There is an obvious leitmotif in the show involving a prop that echos the title.

* The ``missing child'' posters handed out prior to the show as a geeky little prop feature the exact details from the script and a mug shot of the actress from the show. The format of the posters, as well as the actual 800 number and website on the flyers, is cribbed directly from the missing child posters that are sent out in mass mailings and are on display at the post office. A couple of people who attended the show the first weekend thought they were real. Nope. Please don't call the number.

littly tiny entries on various things!

2006-05-24T23:42:00.000-07:00

IDOL FINALE!

i only caught the first few moments of the finale...

and, uh, hmmm... how can i say this nicely? MEATLOAF, you fucking SUCK! i am a huge fan of your early stuff... but you've lost it. mcphee scored MANY points above you. now you're just creepy.

now, i don't like paris that much... but i LOVE al juraeau. they worked VERY well together.

unfortunately, chris's stint with LIVE fell flat on my ears. something was missing.

look for more on this when i actually finish watching them...

oh, and TAYLOR HICKS WON! yaya! i love me some taylor hicks.... :)

FED EX!

have you seen the new fed ex commercial with the cave men? FUNNY SHIT. way to go. watch for it... it will make you heart happy.

RUDE BRITS?

is that really what America wants? a bunch of rude simon cowell wanna-bes? enough with the act. simon is BRILL at it... you're boring.

TALENT BASED REALITY TV?

ok, we got it. there's talented hacks in America. i LOVE idol... but all these "America's Got Talent" and "So, You Think You Can Dance?!" shows are getting a little out of hand. :) Simon, stop while you're ahead...

THE PILLOWMAN

going to be a freakin' brilliant show. if you have the time (and i know you do)... come check it out. i promise it will be a very cool experience.

The Pretender

2006-05-24T16:34:00.000-07:00

The Pretender
Things You Should Know About – and From – the Area’s Best Actor, Tom Walljasper

Story by Mike Schulz
River Cities Reader, www.rcreader.com

“I think my forte is storytelling. I just like to pretend. And any experience that I have where I believe the actor or actors are as close to pretending as possible? That’s what gets me off, man. To me, that’s what acting’s all about.”
– Tom Walljasper

Tom Walljasper is a professional pretender. After graduating from Davenport West High School and studying film acting at Los Angeles’ prestigious Strasberg Institute, he returned to Davenport in 1986 to major in theatre at the city’s now-defunct Marycrest College. (“I never planned on going to college whatsoever,” he says. “I came back because everyone there said, ‘You need a degree. Get a college degree. We’ve all got ’em.’”) Upon returning, Tom was immediately introduced to his future wife, Shelley – “Shelley and I met in late August, we started goin’ out in September, and I believe it was March or April we found out we were gonna be Mom and Dad.”

Tom and Shelley married, graduated, raised a family – Bristy, 18, Myka, 12, and Krianna, 3 – and, from 1994 to 1999, ran a performing-arts studio for students called Ta Da. (“We were really proud of the stuff that we did,” he says. “We really pushed the envelope.”) While Shelley currently teaches music at Jordan Catholic School, Tom has forged a life as both “a stay-at-home dad” and a professional actor for the Circa ’21 Dinner Playhouse ... unsteady though a full-time performing career can be. (“Shelley deserves all of the credit in my life,” he says. “Without her, we’d be homeless, obviously.”)

Tom is nearly legendary for his loose-limbed performance as the Scarecrow in The Wizard of Oz, but he has also, since 1992, appeared in more than 40 other productions at Circa ’21, and will be seen there again this summer in On Golden Pond (opening June 30), in addition to co-starring in My Verona Productions’ The Pillowman, premiering at Rock Island’s ComedySportz venue this Friday.

Tom isn’t just an actor in the Quad Cities. He happens to be the finest actor in the Quad Cities. And while Tom explains his craft, allow others who’ve worked with him over the years to explain why.

“He does everything with such ease on stage. You know, a lot of actors have to put on a character. Tom doesn’t. You don’t really have to direct Tom. You’re like, ‘Okay, we got Tom. There’s one less person to worry about.’”
– Paul Bernier, director, performer (Catch Me If You Can, Who’s Under Where?, Father of the Bride)

Freshman year, I was doing The Lion in Winter. I came to rehearsal – like, the second or third rehearsal – and I made the mistake of going up to [director Leslie Shimmelpfinnig] and going, “What are we doing at rehearsal today?” And he said, “You don’t know what we’re doing?” I was like, “Well ... no.” He was like, “Then you need to go. And you come back tomorrow when you know what we’re doing. You’re not prepared.” And I got that pit in my stomach, like ... he’s right.

Now, to this day, I want to know what we’re doing at rehearsal tomorrow, because I will be somewhat prepared – look over the pages, the music, whatever it is that is called for tomorrow is my homework. I need to know what we’re doing at rehearsal. ’Cause if I show up unprepared, then I’m gonna let people down.

“Tom sets the bar, and you quickly realize you haven’t set your own bar nearly high enough. He is what a Method actor should be – professional, always bringing something to the table, always open, and always nice. That’s something you don’t see in a profession full of egos and suck-ups.”
– Adam Lewis, performer (The Pillowman, On Golden Pond, Grease)

It was kicked into my head very, very early about what you do and what you don’t when you’re working. You gotta practice hard, man, and you just have to give everything you have. You have to leave exhausted. If you leave singin’ and f---in’ dancing, you haven’t worked, man. You need to be ready to sit down, have a beer, smoke a cigarette, and say, “Jesus, man, I’m exhausted.” Emotionally, physically... and I don’t work with a lot of people who see it that way. My college professor, Peggy [Brinkoft], said to me that everybody exhausts and exhumes the same amount of spirit and physical energy during the show, whether they’re on stage every minute, or they have a walk-on. Everybody should – when the curtain goes down and everybody bows – everybody should feel the same. Drained. And I’ve always said, “Yeah. That’s right.”

“I have worked all over the country, and Tom Walljasper is one of the most giving, versatile, and utterly professional actors I have ever had the pleasure of working with. We all love working with actors that make us look good. Tom is one of those actors.”
– Kimberly Kurtenbach, performer (On Golden Pond, The King & I, The Three Little Pigs)

One of the things they taught us [at Strasberg] was, “You cannot be a true actor until you let all the walls down and feel free to do whatever needs to be done.” And so I kinda bought into that. No matter what it is. If a character needs to do it, it needs to be done. It needs to be said. As an actor, I feel you gotta get that embarrassment feeling out. You’ll never be able to try anything, you’ll never be able to pretend with somebody, if you feel embarrassed about it.

“I directed him in Whose Wife Is It Anyway?, and unfortunately, I’ve been acting with him ever since. I will never work with him again. He’s never prepared . ... It’s like pulling teeth to work with that guy. ... What can I say? He’s a joy. He stayed on-stage for that whole intermission. Did he tell you about that?”
– Michael Oberfield, director, performer (Almighty Bob, Aesop’s Dynamic Duo, A Christmas Carol )

The first main-stage show that I did at Circa was Whose Wife Is It Anyway? I was playing a dead body. And Denny [Hitchock, the show’s co-director] was like, “Hmmm ... how do we get you out of there without people seeing?” And I was like, “Well, I’ll just stay there.” He was like, “Really?” “Well, why not?” “You don’t want to take a break?” It’s like, “Take a break? I don’t want the audience to see me!” I didn’t want to break that illusion. So, for the whole intermission, every show, I stayed there in the window, trying to do the breathing exercises they taught us sophomore year. Breathe in, breathe out, through the nose, relax myself. ... To me, it wasn’t a big deal. In my head, that’s what you’re supposed to do.

“Tom and I have a resemblance. And when he’s in a show, customers will always tell me what I great job I’m doing up there, thinking I’m him. I always say, ‘Thank you.’ I’ve always been happy to take credit for his work.”
– Brad Hauskins, performing waiter, performer (Who’s Under Where?, Sing Hallelujah, Stuart Little)

[In The Wizard of Oz] my thought was, “It’s a dude made of straw.” So, to me, that meant there’s no balance, and there’s always movement, all the time, because there’s nothing there to sustain him. I figured he can’t stand there. He’s a straw dude!

“During our run of Annie, Tom and I shared a dressing room. Every night, Tom would sit at his station, in costume, staring at himself in the mirror ... and I always wondered, even into the 10th and 11th week of the run, why he was still doing this. But as an actor, you tell the story with your eyes. And with Tom, you can make that eye connection and know he’s giving back more than you’ll ever need. He’s just f---ing brilliant.”
– Jonathan Goodman, performer (Joseph & the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Annie, Cinderella)

I believe that with musicals, the story is most important. That’s what I love about musicals. I love trying to figure out, you know, why this scene is important to the musical. Why this song is important to the musical. It’s not about looking good and flashy and singin’ the right notes. It’s about what it does for the story.

[In Jesus Christ Superstar] I was very intimidated musically. They were all f---in’ singers – they were rock-band singers, they sounded great – and here I am an actor. But what happened by the end of the run was that I had a lot of the cast coming up to me and telling me that they could always count on me being there. And I didn’t understand, at first, what they were talking about, until Jesus said to me one night, “I can look into everybody’s eyes, but when I look in your eyes, I know that we’re there. I am Jesus. And you’re there.” And I’m like, “All right, dude.”

“Tom Walljasper brings a naturalism to the stage that is impossible to teach. His instincts and ease on the stage make him the kind of actor every director clamors to have.”
– Corinne Johnson, St. Ambrose University theatre professor, director, performer (Never Too Late, The Three Little Pigs)

It’s really hard to teach somebody how to be an actor. I think you can teach somebody how to sing. And I think you can probably teach somebody to move, too. But to pretend and to communicate and be a character? Be somebody else and really make somebody believe it? You can’t teach it, man. You either got it or you don’t. You can either be a storyteller or you can’t. I just don’t think there’s any in-between.

“I remember being in one of his original musicals that was to preview on September 11, 2001, and open the next day. I thought for sure we were going to close the show, or at the very least postpone the preview, but Tom made it very clear that what we are doing is an escape from what is happening outside. It was our job to do the show as planned, and let the 30, 40 people that were there get away from all of it. That was one of the ‘wow’ moments, you know? One of those moments where I learned that what I do is so important, not only to myself but to others.”
– Tristan Layne Tapscott, former Ta Da student, performer (The Pillowman)

I never really liked to consider myself a teacher. I always told ’em I was a coach. But I was kind of a hard-ass, too, at times. I just tried to make them respect theatre, and the etiquette of it. This is something that Peggy Brinkoft taught me. Before you walk in the theatre door, there’s a rug there. No matter what theatre you go to. New York, Alabama, f---in’ Hawaii ... there’s a rug at the theatre door, and you take your shoes and you wipe the shit off. ’Cause when you walk into the theatre? Nothing else exists except the show. The world, the characters, the relationships ... that’s all there is. Anything else has nothing to do with it. Leave it outside.

“I’ve always admired Tom’s ability. In every show I’ve seen him in, regardless of how large or small the part, he’s always made an excellent impression.”
– Sean Leary, The Pillowman director, Rock Island Argus / Dispatch arts editor

I saw an interview with Meg Ryan, and she said, “I used to read reviews but I don’t anymore. Because when they would be positive, I would think, ‘Wow, I’m really good,’ and I wouldn’t work as hard. And when they were negative, I would think, ‘God, they’re right,’ and I would push, and it wouldn’t be good.” And I started to think, “You know what? I’m the same way. I’m exactly the same way.” So I don’t read ’em. I think they’re probably more for the producers and the audience than they are for the actors. Actors wanna hear great things said about ’em. They don’t want to hear that they suck.

“More than one director with Broadway experience who has worked with him at Circa ’21 has said he should be acting on Broadway. I certainly agree. I know when Tom is in a show that his work will be impeccable, his discipline beyond reproach, and his performance will be spectacular.”
– Dennis Hitchcock, Circa ’21 producer/director

To tell you the truth, I’m not a theatre-goer. F---in’ hate it. If you would say to me, “I have front-row tickets for you for a Broadway play, a Broadway musical of your choice, or the state championship of the Idaho high-school football team. Which would you choose?” There’s no choice for me, man. No decision whatsoever. I’m goin’ to the football game. I cannot stand to go to the theatre.

I’m envious. That’s what I feel the most. I sit there the whole time wishing I was up there. “Yeah, you guys are doing great, you look like you’re having a great time, but I don’t want to be out here! I want to be up there with you! You guys get to have all the fun and I get to sit out here and applaud? Come on!”

“He is the Fred Astaire of actors. He’s the gold standard.”
– Ann Nieman, director (Grease, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Jesus Christ Superstar)

I’ve never found the perfect performance. But I sure damn well try every time.

For tickets to both The Pillowman and On Golden Pond, call (309)786-7733, extension 2.

PILLOWMAN Diaries: Part Two

2006-05-21T20:56:00.000-07:00

there will be more to come later... but...

i just wanted to note that this show is going to kick ass. and if you can make it, please give yourself the pleasure. it's a brilliant script. we have an amaxing cast. and it's fairly well executed. sean and i have some of the best working with us on this one and it shows. from our SM to our star vehicle, it's solid.

quick notes:

ADAM LEWIS
let's face it; the man is one of the best in the QC. and perhaps one of the best PERIOD. his talents are unmatched. he is ALWAYS a must-see.

TOM WALLJASPER
one of the best character actors in this business. he's created something truly special here... he's the QC's Pacino. he is always doing something. "acting is doing and there's always more to do"... he really drives that point home.

CHRIS BROWNE
browne delivers a break-out performance. the QC is used to him playing the typical i-am-a-good-father-and-oh-so-nice-to-everyone role... but not this time. he is fierce. it's VERY cool.

CARRIE CLARK
the only female in the show, she holds her own with her small stuff. she does some cool work... especially in the Little Jesus sequence.

GARY BAKER
one of the best SM's and designers in the area. as always, he's doing SOLID work with the tech. aspects of the show. he always brings in a "let's-do-it-PERFECTLY" mentality that really works for shows like this. baker also lends his vocal talents as the evil step-parents. :)

SEAN LEARY
he's at the helm... and doing one hell of a job. being an avid tarantino fan and fiction writer himself, he really digs the material and knows how to work it. it's going to be a very cool product when he is through with it.

have plenty more to write... but i gotta back to work...
3 more days before we preview and then open. it should be a GOOD TIME.

will & grace... huh?

2006-05-21T20:48:00.000-07:00

so... i took a break from working on various PILLOWMAN related things and decided i should do my duty to canned sitcom television and watch the finale to WILL & GRACE...

i will freely admit... and have no shame in saying... that once upon a mattress i was a huge fan of the show. (do you catch my gay musical reference there?) i loved it. i thought jack and karen were brilliant creations. and rosario and beverly leslie? are you kidding? brill. but... as it is with most shows (my fave FRIENDS included) the last 2 or 3 seasons really, well, SUCK! w&g is no different. i will refrain from launching into a lenghty diatribe on the topic... but will just say that this finale BLEW! BLEW! there were few inspiring moments. so sad. this was such a cool show back in the day... and it's sad to see it come to end on such a bad note.

oh well... what can you expect...
the gays are always fun at first and then totally fucking lame and dramatic in the end. :)

oh, wait... was that mean? eh, well...

i like fake chicken from taco bell

2006-05-18T15:40:00.000-07:00

i do... i really do. I LOVE FAKE CHICKEN FROM TACO BELL!

yeah, that's right; i said TACO BELL. their spicy chicken taco is so freakin' brilliant. i am serious. try it. you'll understand the infatuation...

for those of you that know about my insane addiction to the mcrib (they took off the menu again... thos bastards!)... you'll never believe this:

IT'S WORSE!

oh, the horror...

but seriously, try it.

is it better than sex? no. better than masturbating? perhaps. it's delic.

PILLOWMAN... real quick dribble...

2006-05-18T00:04:00.000-07:00

PILLOWMAN... real quick...

I will elaborate when I have more time...

I am working on an intense production of THE PILLOWMAN in the QC and it is fuckin' BRILLIANT. I will say that again... BRILLIANT. I share the stage for roughly 30 pages with THE Adam Lewis... and it's incredible. He's truly one of the best actors in the area... and one of the best I have ever worked with.

It's been one hell of a ride... and we've been in rehearsal for 3 days. 8 more to go before we open on the 26th...

If you're in the area you should come check it out. It's a good time...

PILLOWMAN promo

2006-05-17T14:49:00.000-07:00

PILLOWMAN Diaries: Part One

2006-05-13T23:39:00.000-07:00

(What follows is the it's 4:45 a.m.-
on-Saturday-night-and-I-just-need-
to-write-because-I-am-frustrated-
and-can't-sleep-type-thing. Disregard any grammatical errors, please...)

THE SHOW
I had been following THE PILLOWMAN since it opened in New York in the spring of 2005.
I was becoming rather obsessed with the idea of this show... and I hadn't even read it. I finally got a hold of a copy in August and FELL IN LOVE. It was one of the best plays I had read in years. McDonagh is a freakin' master. I knew that someday I was going to have to do this show... and thought why not produce it?

DRAMATISTS
When the show closed on Broadway in September '05, I immediately started contacting Dramatists Play Service as to when the rights may be available. They said that I should check back in a few weeks... it didn't look like they would be available until late spring/early summer. So... I did just that. Except I checked in EVERY WEEK. I wanted this show... and I worked close to six months to lock it in. I think they got tired of me calling them and they granted My Verona (a tiny, TINY theatre company) the first independent license in the US. Not only that... but we're the first to stage the show in the Midwest. Pretty cool, eh? I think so...

DIRECTOR? CAST?
I immediately suggested that Sean take the project on. Of course, he was slightly nervous... and I guess he had the right to be... but I knew this was a play he would really dig. And he did, of course. I'm smart; I know these things. With him at the helm, we began to discuss the cast. Within minutes Sean suggested local actor Chris Browne for Tupolski. Excellent choice. We then decided that our SANTALAND DIARIES star Adam Lewis would be THE perfect Katurian. Right on. The came some interesting choices: me as the hot headed Ariel and Justin Marxen as Michal. Very bold moves. The thought was this: a younger Ariel could make an interestin dynamic with Browne's older, dryer sensibility... and this would be the first time Marxen would have been able to tackle something outside his usual canon. That's always interesting to see...

THE TALENTED MR. MARXEN
Just days before we were to have the official read thru for the much anticipated area debut of THE PILLOWMAN, the actor originally tapped to play Michal - Justin Marxen - was forced to leave the production. Disappointment. Marxen is one of the finest actors in the area... and I love working with him. He did an outstanding job for us last summer with both DB2 and THIS IS OUR YOUTH. Sean and I were really looking forward to having him on board. Sad... but the show must go on...

HELLO, MR. WALLJASPER
So... we sent out feelers and our star - THE Adam Lewis - suggested we check out Tom Walljasper. Obviously, he's brilliant. No question. Is he interested? Yes. Is he available? Yes. Can he play Michal? Tough call. What if we put him into the Ariel role? Oh hell yeah! We offered it to him... and HE ACCEPTED. Yay. We rolled with that punch and moved me into the Michal role which changed the dynamic we were originally going for with the two detectives... but for the better...

READ THROUGH
Yeah... so... this SHOW IS GOING TO BE AMAZING. AMAZING. The cast if PERFECT. Absolutely fantastic. It's gonna be a very good time...
Everyone just played the material so well... and played off each other so well. What more could ask for? Walljasper-Lewis-Browne? Um, yeah... to get these guys in the same show is incredible...

1ST REHEARSAL
We began blocking today. We finished up the entire 1st Act... and it is looking very cool. There is so much skilled work happening here. Browne and Walljasper have an excellent rapport on stage... and the stuff between Lewis and Walljasper is going to be a highlight for sure. Emotionally, Lewis is a powerhouse...And his first monologue/story is going to be creepy as hell. I can't wait to do more with this show...
It's going to go down as one of my faves.

That's all for now...
Look for another entry sometime this week.

MY VERONA Season 2006

2006-05-13T23:31:00.000-07:00

My Verona announces 3rd consecutive season of contemporary theatre

Critics have hailed their productions as sharp, innovative, exhilarating, and simply too good to miss. Others (and even sometimes the same critics) have called other shows theyve done smug, ridiculous, and different. In a single season they've produced one of the best dramas of the year and the biggest creators-vs.-critics conflicts of the year. And just when you thought that they might have given up,the Quad-Cities' much-talked-about indie theatre My Verona is back with a full season of new works.

My Veronas third season will see the independent theatre premiere of The PIllowman by Tony/Oscar winner Martin McDonagh, the return of Joe Manetellos hilarious adaptation of David Sedaris Santaland Diaries, and a plethora of other area premieres.

The season kickied off with a one night only, standing room only engagement of Spank. One Night. One Monkey. In the vein of Triumph the Insult Comic Dog from Late Night with Conan OBrien, Spank. was an R-rated comedy by Dave and Darren from the 97 Rock morning show. It featured the famous sock monkey puppet doing a blue stand-up routine and then taking questions from the audience.

My Veronas summer will begin with the anticipated independent theatre premiere of the acclaimed 2005 Broadway hit The Pillowman. Written by Tony/Oscar winning playwright/director Martin McDonagh, the play is A brilliantly idiosyncratic, Kafka-esque exploration of the role of artists and artistic responsibility in contemporary culture. Set in a totalitarian state, a series of child murders spurs authorities to arrest and detain a horror writer, Katurian, whose works parallel the gruesome details of the murders. But did Katurian do it? That's the big question.

The Pillowman will open May 26 and run through June 3 at Comedy
Sportz Theater in the District. Shows are Friday and Saturday at 10:00 p.m.
Tickets are $12.

The Pillowman is rated R.

August will see another QC first when My Verona will present its very sincere salute to legendary playwright David Mamet. 2 actors. 75 minutes. All Mamet. Blue Hour: City Sketches and More, will feature 14 scenes and monologues by the 1984 Pulitzer Prize winning author that Mamet himself considers to some of the best writing he has ever done.

Blue Hour: City Sketches: A Night of David Mamet will run for ONE WEEKEND ONLY August 11 through August 12 at Comedy Sportz Theater in the District. Shows are Friday and Saturday at 10:00 p.m. Tickets are $12.

Blue Hour is rated PG-13.

Next up is The Non-Conformist's Double-Bill. It will feature Eric Bogosian's ``Sex, Drugs Rock N Roll'' and Bill Hicks' ``It's Just A Ride.'' Adam Michael Lewis and Jason Conner will rock the stage with the edgy works of two of the greatest comic writers of the last two decades.

Sex, Drugs, Rock N Roll and Its Just a Ride will open September 22
and run through September 30 at Comedy Sportz Theater in the District.
Shows are Friday and Saturday at 10:00 p.m. Tickets are $12.

Sex, Drugs and Its Just a Ride is rated R.

And then for something completely different... My Verona will team up with Ballet Quad-Cities to present the second annual Ballet Rocks. Combining classical dance choreographed to modern rock, alternative and pop music provided by area bands, Ballet Rocks features the music of QC favorite The Metrolites.

Ballet Rocks runs October 7 through October 15 at the Capitol Theater, Davenport. Times and ticket prices are t.b.a.

Rounding out our third consecutive season is the return of our popular holiday show, SantaLand Diaries starring Adam Michael Lewis. Joe Mantellos adapatation of David Sedaris SantaLand is a one man show about a thirtysomething aspiring soap opera star who finds himself desperate and has to work as an elf at Macy's over the holidays. What ensues is a hilarious trip through the bizarre, goofy underbelly of retail life in the Christmas season.

Directed by the lauded Michael Oberfield, My Verona's Production of David Sedaris' ``SantaLand Diaries'' was a hit in 2005! Critics and audiences raved about the ``superb'' performance of star Adam Lewis and called the show ``hilarious.''

SantaLand Diaries opens November 17 and runs through November 26 at Comedy Sportz in the District. Friday and Saturday shows are at 9:30 p.m. Sunday shows are at 7:30 p.m.

SantaLand'' is rated PG-13 for some adult language.

All My Verona performances are held at Comedy Sportz Theatre, 1818 3rd Avenue, Rock Island, Illinois. Tickets are available at the door beginning 30 minutes before show time, at the Circa 21 Box Office or by calling (309) 786-7733, ext. 2.

For more information, see www.myveronaproductions.com,
www.myspace.com/myverona, or the My Verona page on seanlaery.com.

My Verona is paid solely by its founders, Sean Leary and Tristan
Tapscott. Why? For the fun of it, for the creative experience and because
they want people to see these excellent shows. All the shows we bring in are area, if not regional or Midwest, debuts.

Slightly Philosophical Dribble: Part One.

2006-05-12T19:20:00.000-07:00

Someone once told me “Not knowing gives me a terrible feeling inside.”

That miserable feeling? It’s part of being alive, I think. Everyone has questions… everyone is mysterious in their own way. And, you know, not everyone has to tell everything… explain everything to everybody. It’s what makes you human. An individual.

Questions are part of life. We don’t always have the answers… and sometimes we don’t even know what the question is. Sounds crazy, I know… but sometimes you know something is wrong, something is eating at you and… you have no idea what the deal is. And, of course, there are people in your life that want an answer. And the funny thing is… you can’t answer it. They expect some elaborate expose on the topic… and you can’t deliver it. That causes anger in others…. It’s funny. That is a little thing I have learned… and those questions are never gonna go away, really.

So… you learn to deal with it in your own way. And if that doesn’t make sense to others… fuck it. You gotta do what works for you. And that is an important thing to remember: there is no one scenario or rule to follow. I am me… and I have to do what works for me. In that moment. In that situation.

It’s a never ending cycle of mystery… and unanswered puzzles…

Acting, huh? Ok...

2006-05-02T19:08:00.000-07:00

THOUGHTS ON ACTING… by Shawn Telford and others.

Keep it simple. It's only as hard as you make it, so do your homework and find the easiest way to tell the story. Listen, listen, listen, put the performance on the other person, give it away. Above all, be honest, don't "Act" it, find some way to "do" it. Product oriented work will fail you whereas process will not. So find the way....

So. What is acting?

A simple answer from method acting master Lee Strasberg: Acting is realistic behavior in imagined circumstances.

Some ways to proceed and/or guidelines toward good acting:

1 Speak your lines loudly and clearly.

Not only must you talk to the people in the scene but you must also be mindful that the people in the back rows of the theatre must hear you too. If they cannot, or anyone for that matter, they will not come into your worldthe world of the story in which you are functioning. Volume is an undeniable artifice of the theatre. You must be heard.

Speak clearly so that the words can be heard or chose specifically the places when you will throw it away. Clarity is invaluable to the actor. First, you must understand the material and your function within it. Next, you must further that understanding to others beyond yourself includingbut not limited tothe people in the scene.

2 Dont bump into the furniture.

Know where you are onstage, how to move, when to move, where to move and what the movement will mean, even the smallest movement will help you tell the story. Know what it means to not move at all. Know the stage picture you are creating with the movementhow are you shaping the larger aesthetic? How are you affecting the focus of the scene? (To know this you must know where the focus wants to beso, where does the focus want to be?)

3 Know what it means to be the person you are.
(This is intentionally twofold: first partknow thyself; second partknow your character.)

Know thyself. There is a Buddhist proverb that saysparaphrasingif you look at anything long enough you will see the universe in it. In knowing yourself, you will better understand the universe through which you live and operate. This knowledge is the unique gift you bring to the roles you play. In your search to find yourself, you will find both the character and the story. As Socrates says, there is no learning, only remembering. Its already there, inside you.

Know the character. Like you, this person is complex and the process of knowing is really an exploration. So you must continually ask, what does it mean to be this person in these circumstances and have to do and say these things as they are written? Then you must do and say these things realistically and truthfully so that the wants and desires of this person may be fulfilled.

INSPIRATIONAL QUOTES FOUND THIS SEMESTER

"Remember that acting is ego-less. There is an ancient human mystery to the exercise. Acting is not about the Actor. Participate in that mystery which is greater then the sum of it's parts. A great performance is the one that does not draw attention to itself at the expense of the greater "reality" in the play, does not get in get in the way of the script, of the total experience of the Play. Serve the Text. Try to make everybody else's ideas work first. Don't be afraid. What are they gonna do? Send you to Mazaar-E-Sharif? Become a conduit through which the ideas of the playwright may pass unhindered to those unrehearsed and willing players out front, the ones that got a baby-sitter, drove across town, paid money to get into the room where the lights go out and everyone decides to 'Let's Pretend'. And, when you know you've done a good job, don't be shy in taking your curtain call. Eat when you can and don't get caught Acting."
-DENNIS ARNDT, Actor

“Just let the scene play itself… let the play take you there. Don’t try and act it… be it.”
-RAY GABICA, Actor/Director/Designer

“Get involved, do staged readings, volunteer, audition. You’re not an actor if you’re not acting. And, please, self produce. If you’ve got a story to tell, tell it. Never wait for them to find you because they won’t. Act, write, study, if you’re not doing something, you’re not doing it for a reason, maybe you’re not an actor. Quit telling yourself that you are and get on with your life. Acting isn’t ideas, it’s doing, so go do it. Lastly, there’s no money in this. If money is important to you, think again.”
-SHAWN TELFORD, Actor

“If there's any message to my work, it is ultimately that it's OK to be different, that it's good to be different, that we should question ourselves before we pass judgment on someone who looks different, behaves different, talks different, is a different color.”
-JOHNNY DEPP, Actor

“Trust yourself. Be patient with yourself. Have faith in yourself... and listen. See where the road takes you. I know this sounds corny, but is truer than you might think. I ride motorcycles and here's why: When you drive somewhere in a car, it is all about getting to the destination--that's where the vacation begins. On a bike, it begins the minute you sit in the saddle, and the getting there becomes the best part of the vacation... Get it? But also, study your ass off. Know your craft. Looks, charisma and natural ability are all great, but they are not skill. Skill is finesse, discipline, craft. No matter what your raw talents are, always develop them further. This will give you dimension and flexibility, and knowledge is truly power. You cannot know where you are or where you are truly going without knowing where you came from. Too many
people come to NYC waiting, expecting for people to see how brilliant they are. I believe in a career, not a moment. Experience truly defines.”
-MARC KUDISCH, Actor

AND WHY DO I LOVE TO SOMETHING A TINY BIT DIFFERENT AT EACH PERFORMANCE… WHETHER IT BE A DIFFERENT INFLECTION, PHRASING, ETC…

IT’S BECAUSE OF THIS:

"I think it's an actor's responsibility to change every time. Not only for himself and the people he's working with, but for the audience. If you just go out and deliver the same dish every time... it's meatloaf again... you'd get bored. I'd get bored."
-Johnny Depp

I AGREE, DON’T YOU?

A delicate blend……

“What I find sometimes that is tricky is if actors are using too much of their own life in a picture, in a scene, they get locked into a particular way to play the scene, and it lacks an immediacy.”
-Tom Cruise

I happen to agree. Obviously, I am not a serial killer; if I were to play a serial killer, I must be able to actually play the role void of my personal morality. If I were to drown in my own personal beliefs, I would be limiting the character; therefore, lacking immediacy. However…

“With any part you play, there is a certain amount of yourself in it. There has to be, otherwise it’s just not acting. It’s lying.”
-Johnny Depp

….I believe that in everything I do there must be a part of me in it. It’s the delicate blend of the two that an actor must struggle to find…

"THE PILLOWMAN" coming to the QC...

2006-04-30T20:15:00.000-07:00

My Verona Productions to present “The Pillowman” May 26 – June 3

My Verona Productions, the area’s premiere independent theatre company that has brought you last season’s smash hit drama “Closer” and David Sedaris’ hilarious “Santaland Diaries,” is starting their summer off with a bang. Join them as they produce the Midwest independent theatre debut of Martin McDonagh’s “The Pillowman.”

“The Pillowman” is an exhilarating and viciously funny new comedy-drama about a fiction writer who is interrogated about the gruesome content of his short stories, and their similarities to a number of bizarre incidents occurring in his town.

Written by Tony/Oscar winning playwright/director Martin McDonagh, the play is a brilliantly idiosyncratic, Kafka-esque exploration of the role of artists and artistic responsibility in contemporary culture. Set in a totalitarian state, a series of child murders spurs authorities to arrest and detain a horror writer, Katurian, whose works parallel the gruesome details of the murders. But did Katurian do it? That's the big question.

“The Pillowman” had its world premiere on November 13, 2003 at The National Theatre, where it quickly became one of the most sought after theatrical events in London's West End. It received the 2004 Olivier Award and an Evening Standard Award nomination for Best New Play. “The Pillowman” made its critically acclaimed US premiere on April 10, 2005 at the Booth Theatre in New York starring Jeff Goldblum and Billy Crudup. McDonagh's heart pounding drama received 6 Tony nominations, including Best Play.

The Rock Island production comes months before the Chicago and Minneapolis mountings making My Verona’s production the Midwest independent theatre debut. “It’s exciting to see our area getting a show before Chicago,” co-founder Tristan Tapscott said. Co-Founder and Director Sean Leary added, “We are thrilled to bring this exhilarating work to our audience.” “I have been working with Dramatists Play Service in New York since the show closed on Broadway (in September) to make this happen. We finally got the official word in February and we were ecstatic,” Tapscott added.

“We will be the first non-professional ‘indie’ theatre to obtain the rights in 2006,” Leary said. Tapscott added, “When we get the show it will have only played in London, New York, Seattle, Pittsburgh, Houston, and New Brunswick.” Leary quickly noted that, “After we produce it, the show will then play throughout the next year in Chicago, Portland, Philadelphia, Washington DC, and several locations in Canada.”

My Verona’s “The Pillowman” will feature "SantaLand Diaries" star Adam Michael Lewis as Katurian, Circa ’21 favorite Tom Walljasper as Ariel, local theatre mainstay Chris Browne as Tupolski, MVP co-founder Tristan Tapscott as Michal, and newcomer Carrie Clark as the Little Girl. MVP co-founder and award winning writer/critic Sean Leary will direct the production.

“The Pillowman” will open May 26 and run through June 3 at Comedy Sportz Theater in the District.

“The Pillowman” is rated R.

Shows are 10:00 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays at Comedy Sportz Theater, 1818 3rd Ave., Rock Island. Doors open at 9:30 p.m. Tickets will be $12. For more info call (309) 786-7733, ext. 2.
Check out www.myveronaproductions.com, seanleary.com, or
www.myspace.com/myverona for further information

My Verona is paid solely by its founders, Sean Leary and Tristan Tapscott. Why? For the fun of it, for the creative experience and because they want people to see these excellent shows. All the shows we bring in are area, if not regional or Midwest, debuts.

"SPANK! One Night. One Monkey."

2006-04-16T19:56:00.000-07:00

My Verona presenting “Spank. One Night. One Monkey.” on April 28

My Verona Productions, the QC’s very own indie theatre, will begin its exciting third season by bringing the area yet another new stage show…

MVP will kick off their 2006 season with a one night only engagement of “Spank. One Night. One Monkey.” In the vein of Triumph the Insult Comic Dog from Late Night with Conan O’Brien, “Spank.” is an R-rated comedy by Dave and Darren from the 97 Rock morning show

"Edgar Bergen, Paul Winchell and Shari Lewis are all amateurs in comparison to this," says 97 Rock morning host Dave Levora about his upcoming show "Spank! One Night. One Monkey," featuring the foul-mouthed sock simian famous for its off-color humor. "It's a puppet show, yes, but your kids are not welcome to see it."

Spank, a recurring character on the Dave and Darren radio show (airing 5:30 to 10 a.m. weekdays on 96.9 FM) will present a "blue" vaudeville standup routine, songs and a question-and-answer session with co-host Darren Pitra.

"He's been in the business forever -- he's a monkey-about-town," Levora said of the title character. "His love of the audience's laughter is surpassed only by his love of dry martinis and gorgeous birds. Can you call this monkey a swinger? You damn well better, baby.

"Will he make you laugh? Yes. Will he make you think? It's probably better if you didn't.

"Is it offensive? Unapologetically so. Is it juvenile? Only if you don't get it, loser," Levora added.

The adult comedy presented by 97 Rock’s Dave and Darren and My Verona Productions will debut Friday, April 28 at Comedy Sportz, 1818 3rd Ave., Rock Island. Doors open at 9:30 p.m., the show begins at 10. Admission is FREE.

For more information, see www.daveanddarren.com, www.myspace.com/myverona or www.myveronaproductions.com.

Watch for details on the rest of My Verona’s eclectic season… which include the Midwest independent theatre debut of “The Pillowman” opening May 26.

Finally... TOP 10 in 2005...

2006-04-16T19:45:00.000-07:00

TOP 10 Picks from the 2005 Oscar Season:

1. BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN

2. THE SQUID AND THE WHALE

3. CAPOTE

4. WALK THE LINE

5. HUSTLE AND FLOW

6. WAR OF THE WORLDS

7. JUNEBUG

8. HISTORY OF VIOLENCE

9. THE LIBERTINE

10. 40 YEAR OLD VIRGIN

(Note: I have yet to see MUNICH and SYRIANA. I know, I know... I'm a loser.)

My Verona announces 3rd consecutive season of contemporary theatre

2006-04-06T14:56:00.000-07:00

My Verona announces 3rd consecutive season of contemporary theatre

Critics have hailed their productions as “sharp”, “innovative”, “exhilarating”, and “simply too good to miss.” Others (and even sometimes the same critics) have called other shows they’ve done “smug”, “ridiculous”, and “different.” In a single season they've produced “one of the best dramas of the year” and ““the biggest creators-vs.-critics conflicts of the year.” …And just when you thought that they might have given up,the Quad-Cities' much-talked-about indie theatre My Verona is back with a full season of new works.

My Verona’s third season will see the independent theatre premiere of
“The PIllowman” by Tony/Oscar winner Martin McDonagh, the return of Joe
Manetello’s hilarious adaptation of David Sedaris’ “Santaland Diaries,” and a plethora of other area premieres.

The season will kick off with a one night only engagement of “Spank. One Night. One Monkey.” In the vein of Triumph the Insult Comic Dog from Late Night with Conan O’Brien, “Spank.” is an R-rated comedy by Dave and Darren from the 97 Rock morning show. It'll feature the famous sock monkey puppet doing a blue stand-up routine and then taking questions from the audience.

“Spank” will take the stage at 10 p.m. Friday, April 28 at Comedy Sportz Theater in the District. Admission is free.

“Spank” is rated R.

My Verona’s summer will begin with the anticipated independent theatre
premiere of the acclaimed 2005 Broadway hit “The Pillowman.” Written by
Tony/Oscar winning playwright/director Martin McDonagh, the play is A
brilliantly idiosyncratic, Kafka-esque exploration of the role of artists and artistic responsibility in contemporary culture. Set in a totalitarian state, a series of child murders spurs authorities to arrest and detain a horror writer, Katurian, whose works parallel the gruesome details of the murders. But did Katurian do it? That's the big question.

“The Pillowman” will open May 26 and run through June 3 at Comedy
Sportz Theater in the District. Shows are Friday and Saturday at 9:30 p.m.
Tickets are $12.

“The Pillowman” is rated R.

August will see another QC first when My Verona will present its very sincere salute to legendary playwright David Mamet. 2 actors. 75 minutes. All Mamet. “Blue Hour: City Sketches: A Night of David Mamet,” will feature 14 scenes and monologues by the 1984 Pulitzer Prize winning author that Mamet himself considers to some of the best writing he has ever done.

“Blue Hour: City Sketches: A Night of David Mamet" will open August 4 and run through August 12 at Comedy Sportz Theater in the District. Shows are Friday and Saturday at 9:30 p.m. Tickets are $12.

“Blue Hour” is rated PG-13.

Next up is The Non-Conformist's Double-Bill. It will feature Eric Bogosian's ``Sex, Drugs Rock N Roll'' and Bill Hicks' ``It's Just A Ride.'' Adam Michael Lewis and Jason Conner will rock the stage with the edgy works of two of the greatest comic writers of the last two decades.

“Sex, Drugs, Rock N Roll” and “It’s Just a Ride” will open September 22
and run through September 30 at Comedy Sportz Theater in the District.
Shows are Friday and Saturday at 9:30 p.m. Tickets are $12.

“Sex, Drugs…” and “It’s Just a Ride” is rated R.

And then for something completely different... My Verona will team up with Ballet Quad-Cities to present the second annual “Ballet Rocks.” Combining classical dance choreographed to modern rock, alternative and pop music provided by area bands, Ballet Rocks features the music of QC favorite The Metrolites.

“Ballet Rocks” runs October 7 through October 15 at the Capitol Theater, Davenport. Times and ticket prices are t.b.a.

Rounding out our third consecutive season is the return of our popular holiday show, “SantaLand Diaries” starring Adam Michael Lewis. Joe Mantello’s adapatation of David Sedaris’ “SantaLand” is a one man show about a thirtysomething aspiring soap opera star who finds himself desperate and has to work as an elf at Macy's over the holidays. What ensues is a hilarious trip through the bizarre, goofy underbelly of retail life in the Christmas season.

Directed by the lauded Michael Oberfield, My Verona's Production of David Sedaris' ``SantaLand Diaries'' was a hit in 2005! Critics and audiences raved about the ``superb'' performance of star Adam Lewis and called the show ``hilarious.''

“SantaLand Diaries” opens November 17 and runs through November 26 at
Comedy Sportz in the District. Friday and Saturday shows are at 9:30 p.m.
Sunday shows are at 7:30 p.m.

“SantaLand'' is rated PG-13 for some adult language.

All My Verona performances are held at Comedy Sportz Theatre, 1818 3rd
Avenue, Rock Island, Illinois. Tickets are available at the door beginning 30 minutes before show time, at the Circa ’21 Box Office or by calling (309) 786-7733, ext. 2.

For more information, see www.myveronaproductions.com,
www.myspace.com/myverona, or the My Verona page on seanlaery.com.

My Verona is paid solely by its founders, Sean Leary and Tristan
Tapscott. Why? For the fun of it, for the creative experience and because
they want people to see these excellent shows. All the shows we bring in are area, if not regional or Midwest, debuts.

"Spank! One Night. One Monkey."

2006-03-28T17:43:00.000-08:00

MVP presenting ``Spank! One Night. One Monkey.'' on April 28

We'll be presenting a new comedy with Dave and Darren from 97 Rock on April 28. Should be a lot of fun. The full story is below...

"Edgar Bergen, Paul Winchell and Shari Lewis are all amateurs in comparison to this," says 97 Rock morning host Dave Levora about his upcoming show "Spank! One Night. One Monkey," featuring the foul-mouthed sock simian famous for its off-color humor. "It's a puppet show, yes, but your kids are not welcome to see it."

The adult comedy presented by 97 Rock, My Verona Productions and Comedy Sportz will debut Friday, April 28 at Comedy Sportz, 1818 3rd Ave., Rock Island. Doors open at 9:30 p.m., the show begins at 10. Admission is free.

Spank, a recurring character on the Dave and Darren radio show (airing 5:30 to 10 a.m. weekdays on 96.9 FM) will present a "blue" vaudeville standup routine, songs and a question-and-answer session with co-host Darren Pitra.

"He's been in the business forever -- he's a monkey-about-town," Levora said of the title character. "His love of the audience's laughter is surpassed only by his love of dry martinis and gorgeous birds. Can you call this monkey a swinger? You damn well better, baby.

"Will he make you laugh? Yes. Will he make you think? It's probably better if you didn't.

"Is it offensive? Unapologetically so. Is it juvenile? Only if you don't get it, loser," Levora added.

For more information, see www.daveanddarren.com, www.myspace.com/myverona or www.myveronaproductions.com.

MVP 2006 Slate

2006-03-20T13:39:00.000-08:00

News direct from SEANLEARY.COM...

Potential MVP 2006 slate: `Matt and
Ben,' `Oleanna,' `Spank The Monkey'

My Verona Productions is currently in negotiations to add three
new shows to its 2006 schedule.

``Matt and Ben,'' an original comedy about the genesis of Matt
Damon and Ben Affleck's script for ``Good Will Hunting'' is
tentatively set for August. About an 80 percent chance on this
one.

``Spank The Monkey,'' an original show written by 97 Rock
morning show hosts Dave Levora and Darren Pitra, would be
presented in April or early May. About a 90 percent chance on
this one.

``Oleanna'' will be presented either this fall or in spring 2007.
This is 100 percent; the only question is when. And that
depends on the availability of our cast for Eric Bogosian's ``Sex
Drugs Rock and Roll'' for this fall. If they have to bow out until
the spring, we'll roll with ``Oleanna.''

More info with a definitive slate to come.

For now though, here's our schedule of DEFINITES:
* ``The Pillowman'' - - - May 26-June 3
* ``SantaLand Diaries'' - - - Nov. 17-26

Rachel Corrie: Too Hot for New York

2006-03-19T19:28:00.000-08:00

Rachel Corrie: Too Hot for New York

By Philip Weiss, The Nation
www.alternet.org

The slim book that was suddenly the most controversial work in the West in early March was not easy to find in the United States. Amazon said it wasn't available till April. The Strand bookstore didn't have it either. You could order it on Amazon-UK, but it would be a week getting here. I finally found an author in Michigan who kindly photocopied the British book and overnighted it to me; but to be on the safe side, I visited an activist's apartment on Eighth Avenue on the promise that I could take her much-in-demand copy to the lobby for half an hour. In the elevator, I flipped it open to a random passage:

I can't cool boiling waters in Russia. I can't be Picasso. I can't be Jesus. I can't save the planet single-handedly. I can wash dishes.

The book is the play My Name Is Rachel Corrie. Composed from the journal entries and e-mails of the 23-year-old from Washington State who was crushed to death in Gaza three years ago under a bulldozer operated by the Israeli army, the play had two successful runs in London last year and then became a cause celebre after a progressive New York theater company decided to postpone its American premiere indefinitely out of concern for the sensitivities of (unnamed) Jewish groups unsettled by Hamas's victory in the Palestinian elections.

When the English producers denounced the decision by the New York Theatre Workshop as "censorship" and withdrew the show, even the mainstream media could not ignore the implications. Why is it that the eloquent words of an American radical could not be heard in this country -- not, that is, without what the Workshop had called "contextualizing," framing the play with political discussions, maybe even mounting a companion piece that would somehow "mollify" the Jewish community?

"The impact of this decision is enormous -- it is bigger than Rachel and bigger than this play," Cindy Corrie, Rachel's mother, said. "There was something about this play that made them feel so vulnerable. I saw in the Workshop's schedule a lesbian play. Will they use the same approach? Will they go to the segment of the community that would ardently oppose that?"

In this way, Corrie's words appear to have had more impact than her death. The House bill calling for a U.S. investigation of her killing died in committee, with only seventy-eight votes and little media attention. But the naked admission by a left-leaning cultural outlet that it would subordinate its own artistic judgment to pro-Israel views has served as a smoking gun for those who have tried to press the discussion in this country of Palestinian human rights.

Indeed, the admission was so shocking and embarrassing that the Workshop quickly tried to hedge and retreat from its statements. But the damage was done; people were asking questions that had been consigned to the fringe: How can the West condemn the Islamic world for not accepting Muhammad cartoons when a Western writer who speaks out on behalf of Palestinians is silenced? And why is it that Europe and Israel itself have a healthier debate over Palestinian human rights than we can have here?

The death of a writer

When she died on March 16, 2003, Rachel Corrie had been in the Middle East for fifty days as a member of the International Solidarity Movement (ISM), a group recruiting Westerners to serve as "human shields" against Israeli aggression -- including the policy of bulldozing Palestinian houses to create a wider no man's land between Egypt and then-occupied Gaza. Corrie was crushed to death when she stood in front of a bulldozer that was proceeding toward a Palestinian pharmacist's house. By witnesses' accounts, Corrie, wearing a bright orange vest, was clearly visible to the bulldozer's driver. An Israeli army investigation held no one accountable.

Corrie's horrifying death was a landmark event: It linked Palestinian suffering to the American progressive movement. And it was immediately politicized. Pro-Israel voices sought to smear Corrie as a servant of terrorists. They said that the Israeli army was merely trying to block tunnels through which weapons were brought from Egypt into the occupied territories -- thereby denying that Corrie had died as the result of indiscriminate destruction. Hateful e-mails were everywhere. "Rachel Corrie won't get 72 virgins but she got what she wanted," said one.

Few knew that Corrie had been a dedicated writer. "I decided to be an artist and a writer," she had written in a journal, describing her awakening, "and I didn't give a shit if I was mediocre and I didn't give a shit if I starved to death and I didn't give a shit if my whole damn high school turned and pointed and laughed in my face."

Corrie's family felt it most urgent to get her words out to the world. The family posted several of her last e-mails on the ISM website (and they were printed in full by the London Guardian). These pieces were electrifying. They revealed a passionate and poetical woman who had long been attracted to idealistic causes and had put aside her work with the mentally ill and environmental causes in the Pacific Northwest to take up a pressing concern, Palestinian human rights. Thousands responded to the Corries, including a representative of the Royal Court Theatre in Sloane Square, London, who asked if the theater could use Rachel's words in a production -- and, oh, are there more writings? Cindy Corrie could do little more than sit and drink tea. She had family tell the Royal Court, Give us time.

It was another year before Sarah Corrie dragged out the tubs in which her sister had stored her belongings and typed passages from journals and letters going back to high school. In November 2004 the Corries sent 184 pages to the Royal Court.

It had been the intention of the two collaborators, Alan Rickman and Katharine Viner, a Guardian editor, to flesh out Rachel Corrie's writings with others' words. The pages instantly changed their minds. "We thought, She's done it on her own. Rachel's voice is the only voice you had to hear," Viner says. The Corrie family, which holds the rights to the words, readily agreed. Rachel Corrie was the playwright. Any royalties would go to the Rachel Corrie Foundation for Peace and Justice. The London "co-editors" then set to work winnowing the material, working with a slender blond actress, Megan Dodds, who resembles Corrie.

A year ago the play was staged as a one-woman show in a 100-seat theater at the Royal Court. The piece was critically celebrated, and the four-week run sold out. Young people especially were drawn to the show.

My Name Is Rachel Corrie -- the title comes from a declaration in Corrie's journal -- is two things: the self-portrait of a sensitive woman struggling to find her purpose, and a polemic on the horrors of Israeli occupation.

The work is marked by Plath-like talk about boys -- "Eventually I convinced Colin to quit drowning out my life" -- and rilling passages about her growing understanding of commitment: "I knew a few years ago what the unbearable lightness of being was, before I read the book. The lightness between life and death, there are no dimensions at all…. It's just a shrug, the difference between Hitler and my mother, the difference between Whitney Houston and a Russian mother watching her son fall through the sidewalk and boil to death…. And I knew back then that the shrug would happen at the end of my life -- I knew. And I thought, so who cares?… Now I know, who cares…if I die at 11.15 p.m. or at 97 years -- And I know it's me. That's my job…" As the work grinds toward death, Corrie's moral vision of the Mideast becomes uppermost. "What we are paying for here is truly evil…. This is not the world you and Dad wanted me to come into when you decided to have me."

'Mollifying' the opposition

The show returned last fall to a larger theater at the Royal Court, and sold out again. Most viewers tended to walk off afterward in stunned silence, but some nights the theater became a forum for discussions. Rickman or Viner or Dodds came out to talk about how the show had come about.

The Royal Court got bids from around the world, including a theater in Israel, seeking to stage the production. But the priority was to bring the show to "Rachel's homeland," as Elyse Dodgson, the theater's international director, says. At bottom, Corrie's story feels very American. It is filled with references that surely escaped its English audience -- working at Mount Rainier, swimming naked in Puget Sound, drinking Mountain Dew, driving I-5 to California.

The New York Theatre Workshop agreed to stage the show in March 2006. But by January the Royal Court began to sense apprehension on the Workshop's part. "I went to New York to meet them because I didn't feel comfortable about what they were saying," Dodgson says.

The Workshop was evidently spooked. Its artistic director, James Nicola, spoke of having discussions after every performance to "contextualize" the play, of hiring a consultant who had worked with Salman Rushdie to lead these discussions and of hiring Emily Mann, the artistic director of the McCarter Theatre in Princeton, New Jersey, to prepare a companion piece of testimonies that would include Israeli victims of Palestinian terrorism.

"We've had some brilliant discussions, we told them, but the play speaks for itself," Dodgson says. "It is expensive and unnecessary to have that after every single performance. Of course we knew some of the hideous things that were said about Rachel. We took no notice of them. The controversy died when people saw that this was a play about a young woman, an idealist."

Dodgson was further upset when a Workshop marketing staffer, whom she won't name, used the word "mollifying." "It was a very awkward conversation. He said, 'I can't find the right word, but "mollifying" the Jewish community.' It shocked me."

Corrie's connection to the International Solidarity Movement was politically loaded. The ISM is committed to nonviolence, but it works with a broad range of organizations, from Israeli peace activists to Palestinian groups that have supported suicide bombings, which has been seized on by those who want it to get lost.

At the heart of the disagreement was an insistence by supporters of Israel that Corrie's killing be presented in the context of Palestinian terror. And that specifically, the policy of destroying Palestinian homes in Gaza be shown to be aimed at those tunnels -- even though the pharmacist's house Corrie was shielding was hundreds of yards from the border and had nothing to do with tunnels. One person close to NYTW, who refused to go on the record, elaborates: "The fact that the Israelis and such were trying to bulldoze these houses was not due to the fact that they were just against the Palestinians, but the underground tunnels, ways to get explosives to this community. By not mentioning it, the play was not as evenhanded as it claims to be." Another anonymous NYTW source said that staffers became worried after reading a fall 2003 Mother Jones profile of Corrie, a much disputed piece that relied heavily on right-wing sources to paint her as a reckless naif.

Just whom was the Workshop consulting in its deliberations? It has steadfastly refused to say. In the New York Observer, Nicola mentioned "Jewish friends." Dodgson says that in discussions with the Royal Court, Workshop staffers brought up the Anti-Defamation League and the mayor's office as entities they were concerned about. (Abe Foxman of the ADL visited London in 2005 and denounced the play in the New York Sun as offensive to Jewish "sensitivities.") By one account, the fatal blow was dealt when the global PR firm Ruder Finn (which has an office in Israel) said it couldn't represent the play.

In its latest statement, the Workshop says it consulted many community voices, not only Jews. These did not include Arab-Americans. Najla Said, the artistic director of Nibras, an Arab-American theater in New York, says, "We're not even 'other' enough to be 'other.' We're not the political issue that anyone thinks is worth talking about."

The run had been scheduled for March 22-May 14. Tickets were listed on Telecharge in February. But the Workshop had not announced the production. According to the Royal Court, Nicola at last told them he wanted to postpone the play at least six months or a year to allow the political climate to settle down and to better prepare the production. The Royal Court took this as a cancellation. The news broke on February 28 in the Guardian and the New York Times.

The Times article was shocking. It said the Workshop had "delayed" a production it had never announced, and reported that Nicola had been "polling local Jewish religious and community leaders as to their feelings." Nicola was quoted saying that Hamas's victory had made the Jewish community "very defensive and very edgy…and that seemed reasonable to me."

The Red Sea parted. Or anyway the Atlantic Ocean. The English playwright Caryl Churchill, who has worked with both theaters, condemned the decision. Vanessa Redgrave wrote a letter urging the Royal Court to sue the Workshop. At first, the New York theater community was quiet.

Enter the blogosphere, stage left. Three or four outraged theater bloggers began peppering the Workshop's community with questions. Whom did the Workshop talk to? Why aren't theater people up in arms? Garrett Eisler, the blogger Playgoer, likened the decision to one by the Manhattan Theater Club to cancel its 1998 production of Corpus Christi, a play imagining Christ as a gay man -- a decision that was reversed after leading voices, including the Times editorial page, denounced the action.

The playwright Jason Grote circulated a petition calling on the Workshop to reverse itself. Signers included Philip Munger, a composer whose cantata dedicated to Corrie, The Skies Are Weeping, also had experienced politically motivated cancellations. The young playwright Christopher Shinn spoke out early and forcefully, saying the postponement amounted to censorship. "No one with a name was saying anything," says Eisler. "And Chris Shinn is not that big a name, but he is a practicing theater artist whose name gets in the New York Times."

A 'ghastly' situation

By the time I visited the Workshop, a week into the controversy, it was a wounded institution. Linda Chapman, the associate artistic director, who had signed Grote's petition, said she couldn't talk to me, because of the "quicksand" that any statement had become. The Workshop had posted and then removed from its website a clumsy statement aimed at explaining itself. Playgoer was demanding that the opponents of the play come forward and drumming for a declaration from Tony Kushner, who has staged plays at the Workshop, posting his photo as if he were some war criminal.

In an interview with The Nation, Kushner said that he was quiet because of his exhaustion over similar arguments surrounding the film Munich, on which he was a screenwriter, and because he kept hoping the decision would be made right. He said Nicola is a great figure in American theater: "His is one of the one or two most important theaters in this area -- politically engaged, unapologetic, unafraid and formally experimental." Never having gotten a clear answer about why Nicola put off the play, Kushner ascribes it to panic: Nicola didn't know what he was getting into, and only later became aware of how much opposition there was to Corrie, how much confusion the right has created around the facts. Nicola felt he was taking on "a really big, scary brawl and not a play." Still, Kushner said, the theater's decision created a "ghastly" situation. "Censoring a play because it addresses Palestinian-Israeli issues is not in any way right," he said.

The Royal Court came out smelling like a rose. It triumphantly announced that it was moving the Megan Dodds show to the West End, the London equivalent of Broadway, and that it couldn't come to New York till next fall.

The Grote petitioners (519 and counting) want that to happen at the Workshop, which itself was reaching out with another statement on the matter, released on the eve of the anniversary of Corrie's death. "I can only say we were trying to do whatever we could to help Rachel's voice be heard," Nicola said. The cut may be too deep for such ointment. As George Hunka, author of the theater blog Superfluities, says, "This is far too important an issue for everyone to paper it over again, with everyone shaking hands for a New York Times photographer. It's an extraordinarily rare picture of the ways that New York cultural institutions make their decisions about what to produce."

Hunka doesn't use the J-word. Jen Marlowe does. A Jewish activist with Rachelswords.org (which is staging a reading of Corrie's words on March 22 with the Corrie parents present), she says, "I don't want to say the Jewish community is monolithic. It isn't. But among many American Jews who are very progressive and fight deeply for many social justice issues, there's a knee-jerk reflexive reaction that happens around issues related to Israel."

Questions about pressure from Jewish leaders morph quickly into questions about funding. Ellen Stewart, the legendary director of the theatrical group La MaMa E.T.C., which is across East 4th Street from the Workshop, speculates that the trouble began with its "very affluent" board. Rachel's father, Craig Corrie, echoes her. "Do an investigation, follow the money." I called six board members and got no response. (About a third appear to be Jewish, as am I.) This is of course a charged issue. The writer Alisa Solomon, who was appalled by the postponement, nonetheless warns, "There's something a little too familiar about the image of Jews pulling the puppet strings behind the scenes."

Perhaps. But Nicola's statement about a back channel to Jewish leaders suggests the presence of a cultural lobby that parallels the vaunted pro-Israel lobby in think tanks and Congress. I doubt we will find out whether the Workshop's decision was "internally generated," as Kushner contends, or more orchestrated, as I suspect. What the episode has demonstrated is a climate of fear. Not of physical harm, but of loss of opportunities. "The silence results from fear and intimidation," says Cindy Corrie. "I don't see what else. And it harms not only Palestinians. I believe, from the bottom of my heart, it harms Israelis and it harms us."

Kushner agrees. Having spent five months defending Munich, he says the fear has two sources: "There is a very, very highly organized attack machinery that will come after you if you express any kind of dissent about Israel's policies, and it's a very unpleasant experience to be in the cross hairs. These aren't hayseeds from Kansas screaming about gays burning in hell; they're newspaper columnists who are taken seriously." These attackers impose a kind of literacy test: Before you can cast a moral vote on Palestinian rights, you must be able to recite a million wonky facts, such as what percentage of the territories were outside the Green Line in 1949. Then there is the self-generated fear of lending support to anti-Semites or those who would destroy Israel. All in all, says Kushner, it can leave someone "overwhelmed and in despair -- you feel like you should just say nothing."

Who will tell Americans the Middle East story? For generations that story has been one of Israelis as victims, and it has been crucial to Israeli policy inasmuch as Israel has been able to defy its neighbors' opinions by relying on a highly sympathetic superpower. Israel's supporters have always feared that if Americans started to conduct the same frank discussion of issues that takes place in Tel Aviv, we might become more evenhanded in our approach to the Middle East. That pressure is what has stifled a play that portrays the Palestinians as victims (and thrown a blanket over a movie, Munich, that portrays both sides as victims). I've never written this sort of thing before. How moving that we have been granted that freedom by a 23-year-old woman with literary gifts who was not given time to unpack them.

Philip Weiss is the author of American Taboo: A Murder in the Peace Corps.

© 2006 Independent Media Institute. All rights reserved.
View this story online at: http://www.alternet.org/story/33669/

My Verona season shaping up...

2006-03-19T19:14:00.000-08:00

MY VERONA PRODUCTIONS 2006 Season

THE PILLOWMAN
May 26-June 3

THE PILLOWMAN is McDonagh's exhilarating and viciously funny new comedy-drama about a fiction writer who is interrogated about the gruesome content of his short stories, and their similarities to a number of bizarre incidents occurring in his town.

THE PILLOWMAN had its world premiere on November 13, 2003 at The National Theatre, where it quickly became one of the most sought after theatrical events in London's West End. It received the 2004 Olivier Award and an Evening Standard Award nomination for Best New Play. THE PILLOWMAN made its critically acclaimed US premiere on April 10, 2005 at the Booth Theatre in New York starring Jeff Goldblum and Billy Crudup. McDonagh's heart pounding drama received 6 Tony nominations, including Best Play. Before reaching the Quad Cities, it will play New Brunswick, Houston, and Seattle.

"THE SEASON'S MOST EXCITING AND ORIGINAL NEW PLAY.
'The Pillowman' is A SPELLBINDING STUNNER OF A PLAY, and THIS BRILLIANT PRODUCTION, filled with successive coups de théåtre, DAZZLES WITH A BRIGHTNESS NOW LARGELY ABSENT FROM BROADWAY. APPALLINGLY FUNNY, ENDLESSLY QUOTABLE, DELICIOUS AND WONDROUS, 'The Pillowman' is, above all, about THE THRILLING NARRATIVE POTENTIAL OF THEATER ITSELF."
- Ben Brantley, THE NEW YORK TIMES

For further information check out:
seanleary.com
myveronaproductions.com
or e-mail
qcpillowman@yahoo.com or myveronaproductions@yahoo.com

***********************************************************************************

Tentatively (We're still working on this one!)

MATT & BEN
August 4-August 12

MATT & BEN is ostensibly about Ben Affleck and Matt Damon and how the script for ``Good Will Hunting'' literally dropped from the heavens into their laps as they were spending their time drinking beer and eating cold pizza, attempting to write an Oscar-winning script for Miramax.

We will keep you posted...

***********************************************************************************

ENCORE PRESENTATION of...

Joe Mantello's adaptation of
David Sedaris'
SANTALAND DIARIES

STARRING last year's favorite ADAM LEWIS
DIRECTED BY MICHAEL OBERFIELD

A thirtysomething aspiring soap opera star finds himself desperate and has to work as an elf at Macy's over the holidays. What ensues is a hilarious trip through the bizarre, goofy underbelly of retail life in the Christmas season.

``SantaLand'' is rated PG-13 for some adult language.

SHOWS ARE NOV. 17-NOV. 25 at Comedy Sportz, 1818 3rd Ave., Rock Island. Friday and Saturday shows are at 9:30 p.m. Sunday shows are at 7:30 p.m.

Tickets are available at the door, at the Circa '21 box office and by phone at (309) 786-7733, ext. 2.

For more info, see www.seanleary.com.

***********************************************************************************

We also have a few other projects in the works... we should be announcing the full season within the next few weeks...

For more info continue to check seanleary.com and myveronaproductions.com.

Baldwin on SNL

2006-03-18T23:12:00.000-08:00

so... we all know SNL really sucks. right? right.
tonight, however, i happened to catch alec baldwin in a rather odd looking elf costume, it made me laugh... so i decided to watch. i am glad i did. it was funny as hell...
it was baldwin doing his GLENGARRY speech to a bunch of elves. brilliant idea...

CLASSICS:
"always be cobbling"
"set of candy canes"
"put that cocoa down. cocoa is for closers. you think i am screwin' with you? i am not screwin' with you."
"i am here for kris kringle."

ah, funny.

A slacker's picks...

2006-03-18T18:14:00.001-08:00

So I have yet to see the best of 2005...and once I do I will compose my official TOP TEN. For now let's take a look at my favorites:

BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN
CAPOTE
HISTORY OF VI0LENCE
HUSTLE AND FLOW
JUNEBUG
WAR OF THE WORLDS
40 YEAR OLD VIRGIN
ARISTOCRATS
WALK THE LINE
CONSTANT GARDNER

Films that I am really looking forward to seeing from this past Oscar season:

MEMOIRS OF GEISHA
GOOD NIGHT, AND GOOD LUCK
SYRIANA
THE SQUID AND THE WHALE
MUNICH
ME AND YOU AND EVERYONE WE KNOW

Movies that everyone loved but I loathed entirely... ok maybe not loathed... but they definitely did not live up to their expectation:

CRASH
2046
MILLIONS

The films that were worth the hype: BROKEBACK, CAPOTE, WAR OF THE WORLDS
The films that I did not expect to love as much I did: HUSTLE AND FLOW, ARISTOCRATS

MY OVERALL FAVORITE:
**BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN**

LIBERTINE Reviews...

2006-03-18T18:10:00.000-08:00

The Libertine

Starring: Johnny Depp, John Malkovich, Samantha Morton, Rosamund Pike, Rich...

Directed by: Laurence Dunmore

Rating: 3.5 /4 Stars

2006 Weinstein Company Drama

The film follows the second Earl of Rochester's adventures in London, from his passionate romance with a young actress, Elizabeth Barry, to the writing of a scurrilous play which blisteringly and bawdily lampoons the very monarch who commissioned it, Charles II, leading to the Earl's banishment and eventual downfall.

The newly formed Weinstein Company is giving this wild thing a limited release in the hopes of getting Oscar attention for Johnny Depp. No argument here. You have to admire an actor who finds time between the family franchises of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Pirates of the Caribbean to sandwich in the role of the dazzlingly debauched John Wilmot, the second Earl of Rochester. It's hard to tell what shocked seventeenth-century England the most about the earl. His depraved poetry? His skill as a cocksman with both ladies and gentlemen? His play about Charles II (John Malkovich) that portrays the king as a giant dildo? This one-of-a-kind spellbinder from first-time director Laurence Dunmore is not afraid to shock. Depp is a raunchy wonder, especially in a time-capsule-worthy opening monologue. Any Wonkaphiles who can't endure watching the earl's nose fall off from syphilis are just wussies.

PETER TRAVERS

***************************

The Libertine
A film review by Chris Cabin - filmcritic.com

Rating: 3.5/5 Stars

It seems that Johnny Depp, who may be our most consistently dazzling actor, will forever be nominated for his lesser roles. No one of major merit nominated him for Jim Jarmusch’s Dead Man, Tim Burton’s Edward Scissorhands, or Ted Demme’s Blow but we sure as hell will nominate him for playing a drunk, silly pirate. How does our strongest actor’s most gritty, complex role get snuffed? Hell, even his performance in Ed Wood, his best performance, only scored a Golden Globe nomination. Don’t expect his latest in Laurence Dunmore’s The Libertine to go anywhere past his British Independent Film Awards nod. There’s a better chance of his performance as Willy Wonka getting a nomination 'round these parts.

Depp plays John Wilmot, the second Earl of Rochester, about as depraved and destructive a dissident as there ever was in 17th century England. Besides his duties as an Earl, Wilmot was also a poet, playwright and acting teacher. He married Elizabeth Malet (Rosamund Pike), a woman he tried to kidnap only 2 year prior to marriage, and wrote plays that openly mocked King Charles (a business-as-usual John Malkovich) in his plays and poems, likening him to dildos and limp phalluses. Tell me you wouldn’t love to party with this guy. Before he got syphilis and fell apart (literally), he had a short affair with an actress, Elizabeth Barry (the radiant Samantha Morton). Dunmore’s film supposes that Wilmot had great emotions for Barry and that her leaving him was what made him die emotionally while syphilis ate away his body.

Johnny Depp has never been this flamboyantly ferocious and fantastic. He takes great glee in stewing in the perversity and abusive distancing of Wilmot, who liked to take a man for a toss in bed every once in awhile. In an off-putting but well delivered opening monologue, Depp takes his time with his glinting English drawl and rolls his tongue with a titillating spark in his eyes. Depp’s performance won’t get noticed, of course, because the film isn’t bankable and John Wilmot is a terrible person for the most part. The only main problem with the film, in fact, is that the script and Dunmore both labor for us to eventually cheer for Wilmot, to like and respect him. Much more rewarding would be to keep him as the depraved debaucher he was, make the audience deal with someone they truly dislike, and cut out that grand end scene where he pontificates to the magistrates.

What is even more interesting and profound is Dunmore, a first timer who shows deep wells of promise and style. Lit darkly and with a dirty, foggy feel by newcomer Alexander Melman, who also shows amazing talent, the film feels like remembering a nightmare. Dunmore knows exactly what he’s doing with the material and brings Wilmot’s world into grimy relief. Most impressive is the way that Depp’s performance never outshines the material. Where many debuting directors have a great actor surrounded by a flimsy story (Pierce Brosnan in The Matador, Felicity Huffman in Transamerica), Dunmore’s film covers Depp in lush details and landscapes. And although the film shows the faults of a first timer (the pacing is a tad bumpy, the relationship between King Charles and Wilmot isn’t very well defined), there is no debating that this is a substantial first outing.

...have you seen THE LIBERTINE yet?

2006-03-18T10:21:00.000-08:00

THE LIBERTINE

have you seen THE LIBERTINE yet?

if not, GO.

is it the best movie of the year? of course not. it is, however, one of the most daring. the script lacks many things (there are few inspired moments). sometimes the photography is a bit awkward.
but.... it's the performances (depp, morton, malkovich) that are well worth seeing. and, you'll appreciate it for its risks.

not a bad debut for the director...
and the academy overlooked depp in what i will call one of the best performances of 2005.

it's a good time.

a few things...

2006-03-18T09:39:00.000-08:00

A few things... very brief things that I elaborate on at a later date...

QUIBBLE 1:
It's kinda sad that a TV show has taken more action than our own government in Katrina relief...

Dear Bushey and Company,

You are sad.

Best wishes,
American People (the half that wear shoes)

p.s. EXTREME HOME MAKEOVER has trumped you in relief efforts. Congrats!

QUIBBLE 2:
AMERICAN INVENTOR? Come on, Simon...
I watched the premiere of AMERICAN INVENTOR... and ok, so... the show sucks. The judges are entertaining (the woman judge needs to be shot, however)... but it is a big Waste Of MY TIME!
Reality TV needs to go. NOW!

NOT SO MUCH A QUIBBLE BUT SOME THOUGHTS 3:
New Season of IDOL
I admit; I am obsessed. I can't help it.
I am in love with Katharin McPhee and TAYLOR HICKS (he's brilliant). I enjoy others... but I DESPISE... let me say that again DESPISE Bucky and the Chicken Little (or whatever the fuck his name is)...
I think the top 2 will be McPhee and Hicks. If they're not, I will boycott Idol just as I have decided to boycott the Academy Awards!

OSCAR reaction...

2006-03-06T21:09:00.000-08:00

Initially I was going to go on a huge rant about my disappointment with the Academy Awards... but I think it's a waste of time. The article I posted earlier today from the LA Times sums it up... of course it sums it up without the phrases "WHAT THE FUCK" or "HOW IN THE HELL"... and I think I can live with that. I think.

Moving on... a few things...

BEST PICTURE
I will refrain from going on and on about CRASH winning Best Picture...
We all know it DID NOT deserve it. BROKEBACK did.
That's all I will say. :)

SONG
Three-Six Mafia? Yes, their excitement was refreshing... but I will quote John Stewart and say "Martin Scorsese 0 Oscars, Three-Six Mafia 1." That's sad. I think that says it all right there.

JOHN STEWART
Loved him. He was brilliant. Let's have him back next year... (as if it were my choice)...

JACK NICHOLSON
Always a classic. I really enjoyed how suprised he looked when CRASH won. That was priceless. Still... I have to think... was he joking? Hmmm...
In my mind I will always think so.

FOREIGN FILM
Come on... show some clips. Excuse me Academy producers... yeah, you voted CRASH your best picture of the year... didn't you learn anything from it?
Oh, and give them some time to talk. Fuck! You give Three-Six Mafia and Dolly Parton 8 minutes, but an award winner only 38 seconds? Bullshit.

That's all for now. I may post some other thoughts later... but right now, I am still distraught over CRASH'S victory...
Oh well...

If you wish to read more Oscar reactions check out seanlearyblog.blogspot.com or IMDB (there is some funny shit on there)...

Best wishes!

Academy voters play it safe...

2006-03-06T11:25:00.000-08:00

'BROKEBACK' DREAMS CRASH AND BURN AS THE ACADEMY'S VOTERS PLAY IT SAFE

By Kenneth Turan
Times Staff Writer

March 6, 2006

Sometimes you win by losing, and nothing has proved what a powerful, taboo-breaking, necessary film "Brokeback Mountain" was more than its loss Sunday night to "Crash" in the Oscar best picture category.

Despite all the magazine covers it graced, despite all the red-state theaters it made good money in, despite (or maybe because of) all the jokes late-night talk show hosts made about it, you could not take the pulse of the industry without realizing that this film made a number of people distinctly uncomfortable.

More than any other of the nominated films, "Brokeback Mountain" was the one people told me they really didn't feel like seeing, didn't really get, didn't understand the fuss over. Did I really like it, they wanted to know. Yes, I really did.

In the privacy of the voting booth, as many political candidates who've led in polls only to lose elections have found out, people are free to act out the unspoken fears and unconscious prejudices that they would never breathe to another soul, or, likely, acknowledge to themselves. And at least this year, that acting out doomed "Brokeback Mountain."

For Hollywood, as a whole laundry list of people announced from the podium Sunday night and a lengthy montage of clips tried to emphasize, is a liberal place, a place that prides itself on its progressive agenda. If this were a year when voters had no other palatable options, they might have taken a deep breath and voted for "Brokeback." This year, however, "Crash" was poised to be the spoiler.

I do not for one minute question the sincerity and integrity of the people who made "Crash," and I do not question their commitment to wanting a more equal society. But I do question the film they've made. It may be true, as producer Cathy Schulman said in accepting the Oscar for best picture, that this was "one of the most breathtaking and stunning maverick years in American history," but "Crash" is not an example of that.

I don't care how much trouble "Crash" had getting financing or getting people on board; the reality of this film, the reason it won the best picture Oscar, is that it is, at its core, a standard Hollywood movie, as manipulative and unrealistic as the day is long. And something more.

For "Crash's" biggest asset is its ability to give people a carload of those standard Hollywood satisfactions, but make them think they are seeing something groundbreaking and daring. It is, in some ways, a feel-good film about racism, a film you could see and feel like a better person, a film that could make you believe that you had done your moral duty and examined your soul, when in fact you were just getting your buttons pushed and your preconceptions reconfirmed.

So for people who were discomfited by "Brokeback Mountain" but wanted to be able to look at themselves in the mirror and feel as if they were good, productive liberals, "Crash" provided the perfect safe harbor. They could vote for it in good conscience, vote for it and feel they had made a progressive move, vote for it and not feel that there was any stain on their liberal credentials for shunning what "Brokeback" had to offer. And that's exactly what they did.

"Brokeback," it is worth noting, was in some ways the tamest of the discomforting films available to Oscar voters in various categories. Steven Spielberg's "Munich"; the Palestinian territories' "Paradise Now," one of the best foreign language nominees; and the documentary nominee "Darwin's Nightmare" offered scenarios that truly shook up people's normal ways of seeing the world. None of them won a thing.

Hollywood, of course, is under no obligation to be a progressive force in the world. It is in the business of entertainment, in the business of making the most dollars it can. Yes, on Oscar night it likes to pat itself on the back for the good it does in the world, but as Sunday night's ceremony proved, it is easier to congratulate yourself for a job well done in the past than to actually do that job in the present.

What the fuck is up Academy?

2006-03-05T20:32:00.000-08:00

CRASH?

CRASH?

The BEST PICTURE?

What the fuck is wrong with you? Bullshit.

More to come...

OSCAR PICKS

2006-02-26T17:40:00.000-08:00

MY OFFICIAL OSCAR PICKS...

Best Picture
BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN

Actor in a Leading Role
Philip Seymour Hoffman - CAPOTE

Actor in a Supporting Role
Jake Gyllenhaal - BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN

Actress in a Leading Role
Reese Witherspoon - WALK THE LINE

Actress in a Supporting Role
Amy Adams - JUNEBUG

Animated Feature Film
WALLACE & GROMIT IN THE CURSE OF THE WERE-RABBIT

Art Direction
KING KONG

Cinematography
BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN

Costume Design
MEMOIRS OF A GEISHA

Directing
BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN

Documentary Feature
MARCH OF THE PENGUINS

Documentary Short Subject
THE MUSHROOM CLUB
Film Editing
CRASH

Foreign Language Film
PARADISE NOW

Makeup
STAR WARS: EPISODE III REVENGE OF THE SITH

Music (Score)
BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN

Music (Song)
"In the Deep" - CRASH

Short Film - Animated
THE MOON AND THE SON: AN IMAGINED CONVERSATION

Short Film - Live Action
OUR TIME IS UP

Sound
WAR OF THE WORLDS

Sound Editing
WAR OF THE WORLDS

Visual Effects
WAR OF THE WORLDS

Writing (Adapted Screenplay)
BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN

Writing (Original Screenplay)
CRASH

MVP presents MidWest debut of PILLOWMAN...

2006-02-03T10:56:00.000-08:00

My Verona will be presenting the MidWest debut of THE PILLOWMAN May 26-June 3. We will be only the 6th production in the world... yes, that's right; ONLY THE 6TH PRODUCTION IN THE WORLD.

London - New York - Jersey - Houston - Seattle - ROCK ISLAND - Philly - Chicago -LA...
:)

It's a good time. More info? Keep reading.

What is THE PILLOWMAN?

THE PILLOWMAN is McDonagh's exhilarating and viciously funny new comedy-drama about a fiction writer who is interrogated about the gruesome content of his short stories, and their similarities to a number of bizarre incidents occurring in his town.

THE PILLOWMAN had its world premiere on November 13, 2003 at The National Theatre, where it quickly became one of the most sought after theatrical events in London's West End. It received the 2004 Olivier Award and an Evening Standard Award nomination for Best New Play. THE PILLOWMAN made its critically acclaimed US premiere on April 10, 2005 at the Booth Theatre in New York starring Jeff Goldblum and Billy Crudup. McDonagh's heart pounding drama received 6 Tony nominations, including Best Play.

"THE SEASON'S MOST EXCITING AND ORIGINAL NEW PLAY.
'The Pillowman' is A SPELLBINDING STUNNER OF A PLAY, and THIS BRILLIANT PRODUCTION, filled with successive coups de théåtre, DAZZLES WITH A BRIGHTNESS NOW LARGELY ABSENT FROM BROADWAY. APPALLINGLY FUNNY, ENDLESSLY QUOTABLE, DELICIOUS AND WONDROUS, 'The Pillowman' is, above all, about THE THRILLING NARRATIVE POTENTIAL OF THEATER ITSELF."
- Ben Brantley, THE NEW YORK TIMES

For further information check out:
pillowmanonbroadway.com
seanleary.com
myveronaproductions.com

GLOBES

2006-01-17T13:04:00.000-08:00

Because of my current rehearsal schedule I was unable to catch the Globes last night...
Thank you, Mr. Internet; at least I know who the winners are...

(Below you will find my initial guess in caps... and if I guessed correctly you will see two stars next to it. If I was wrong, the winner will be posted below it.)

Picture - Drama
BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN**

Picture - Musical or Comedy
WALK THE LINE**

Actor - Leading Role - Drama
HEATH LEDGER - Brokeback Mountain
Phillip Seymour Hoffman - Capote**

Actor - Leading Role - Musical or Comedy
JOAQUIN PHOENIX - Walk the Line**

Actress - Leading Role - Drama
GWYNETH PALTROW - Proof
Felicity Huffman - Transamerica**

Actress - Leading Role - Musical or Comedy
REESE WITHERSPOON - Walk the Line**

Actor - Supporting Role
PAUL GIAMATTI - Cinderella Man
George Clooney - Syriana**

Actress - Supporting Role
FRANCES MCDORMAND - North Country
Rachel Weisz - The Constant Gardner**

Director
ANG LEE, Brokeback Mountain**

Screenplay
BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN**

6/10 isn't too bad...

MVP 2006 Season...

2006-01-12T20:01:00.000-08:00

Here's what we are looking at for our 2006 season:

Max Allan Collins' ELLIOT NESS
If everything works out, this may be our '06 season opener. Sean is currently working with Max on brining the show to the Quad Cities for the first time.
(TENTATIVE)

***

For our early summer slot, we are considering a number of shows:

Martin McDonagh's THE PILLOWMAN
This new work by acclaimed playwright Martin McDonagh recently ended a successful, Tony-nominated run in New York. It is a shocking work that may make its regional debut in the QCA. I am currently working with Dramatists to help this become a reality.
(TENTATIVE)

Neil LaBute's THIS IS HOW IT GOES
(TENTATIVE regional debut outside of NYC)
Neil LaBute's IN THE COMPANY OF MEN
(QCA debut)
Harold Pinter's THE BIRTHDAY PARTY

***

We will be closing out the summer with the hit musical THE SECRET GARDEN. Derek Bertelsen (RAGTIME) will helm the production that will feature several local musical theatre favorites. The production will be mounted at the Galvin Fine Arts Center and all the proceeds will benefit The Children's Therapy Center of the Quad Cities.

***

If all goes as planned, the fall will bring Western Illinois University professor Jason Conner and WIU alumnus and local favorite Adam Lewis to the MVP stage. The evening will feature a double bill: Bill Hicks' IT'S JUST A RIDE and Erik Bogosian's SEX, DRUGS, ROCK AND ROLL.

***

To ring the holiday season, we are planning an encore of our acclaimed production of SANTALAND DIARIES by David Sedaris. If their schedules permit, we will welcome back director Michael Oberfield and actor Adam Lewis back to our stage for the holidays!

It should be a fun season... Watch this blog or seanleary.com for updates!

Dr. Pepper

2006-01-12T19:57:00.000-08:00

So, I love Dr. Pepper. And, I mean LOVE! It's become a hardcore addiction.
It literally helps me live. :)

That's all...

BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN

2006-01-09T13:25:00.001-08:00

It's truly one of the best films I have seen in the last couple of years...

It will rank right up there on my list with IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE, WIZARD OF OZ, and AMERICAN BEAUTY... it's that good.

I am still letting it all sink in... and I can't seem to really compose all of it right now...
It's one of those movies that really affects you.

A few things:
*Ledger has made his mark. He's AMAZING. Simply amazing. I have not seen work like that in a long time. (I usually hate him... but not anymore.) I think he can start planning his Oscar speech...
*Jake Gyllenhaal is great... in a different way...
*The script is so brilliant. It says so much with so little...
*The cinematography is remarkable... beautiful images.
*Solid direction
*AMAZING supporting cast (Randy Quaid... yes, Randy Quaid... imparticular)

My advice:
SEE IT.
It's this year's BEST PICTURE.

GOLDEN GLOBES... part 2!

2006-01-09T13:25:00.000-08:00

After seeing BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN, I needed to revamp my list...
(my original can be found under "GOLDEN GLOBES")

Picture - Drama
BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN

Picture - Musical or Comedy
WALK THE LINE

Actor - Leading Role - Drama
HEATH LEDGER - Brokeback Mountain

Actor - Leading Role - Musical or Comedy
JOAQUIN PHOENIX - Walk the Line

Actress - Leading Role - Drama
GWYNETH PALTROW - Proof

Actress - Leading Role - Musical or Comedy
REESE WITHERSPOON - Walk the Line

Actor - Supporting Role
PAUL GIAMATTI - Cinderella Man

Actress - Supporting Role
FRANCES MCDORMAND - North Country

Director
ANG LEE, Brokeback Mountain

Screenplay
BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN

DIVA in training...

2006-01-09T13:16:00.000-08:00

While I was in Seattle I was able to catch former WIU student (and 2005 BFA graduate) Rachel DeShon in rehearsal for Civic Light Opera's production of NUNSENSE II! The show is lame... but her performance is inspiring. This girl has it. She WILL be a star. DeShon has one of the most amazing voices I have ever heard... and simply lights up a stage. If she does this kind of work with a show as ridiculous as NUNSENSE II imagine what she could do with something like WICKED? All I am saying is...
Look out, Idina Menzel. This girl can hit those notes at ALL THE TIME...
:)

THE PRODUCERS... and a quibble...

2005-12-28T23:12:00.000-08:00

Quickly...

I saw THE PRODUCERS tonight...
and it was BRILLIANT. Very old school movie musical. Love it!

FLASHES OF BRILLIANCE: Nathan Lane, Matthew Broderick, Gary Beach, Roger Bart
IN-BETWEENERS: Will Ferrel... he was ok.
DOWNERS: Uma Thurman... yikes. Lane's first big number "The King of Old Broadway" was cut from the picture. Bad news. Still not as bad of Uma. Ms. Thurman, stick with those Kill Bill flicks, leave the movie musical to Catherine Zeta Jones.

(More to come on this movie later!)

A quibble...

What the hell is with these new movies that can't decide if they're a comedy or drama? During the previews this evening, Rachel and I watched about 5. Two brilliant examples: Tyler Perry's new flick about wife beating, cross-dressing-trying-to-be-EddieMurphy-in-Nutty-Professor, family reunion. Not a good time. Perry is trying to make a statement about beating your wife, family, and how an actor can be funny dressed as old woman and an old man in the same scene. The other, a flick about an American Idol-esque show where an Iraqee is one of the contestants... and somehow the dumb Bush-esque President is there... and the whole Iraqee performer's goal is to blow him up on national TV. Wow. Special.

Happy Holidays!

2005-12-24T21:24:00.000-08:00

Happy Holidays!

MVP News

2005-12-24T21:12:00.000-08:00

What's in store for My Verona in 2006?

SPRING LINE UP:
Note: Just possibilities...

Max Allan Collins' new one man show
ELLIOT NESS (recently made into a film)

Bill Hicks' IT'S JUST A RIDE featuring Adam Lewis
Eric Bogosian's SEX, DRUGS, and ROCK AND ROLL featuring Jay Conner

SUMMER LINE UP:
Note: Just possibilities...

A new work by Jason Tanamor - about a drunk driver who recalls the incident that took another's life... a play in which one actor plays several roles in re-telling the happenings of one tragic night.

THE PILLOWMAN by Martin McDonagh - the Broadway hit and one of the best plays to come out in New York in years.

THE GRADUATE. Directed by Michael Oberfield. The stage version of the classic film.

THE BIRTHDAY PARTY by Harold Pinter.

FALL LINE UP:

TBA - Probably the show that gets tossed from the summer line up.

WINTER LINE UP:

SANTALAND DIARIES starring Adam Lewis
A reprise of Joe Mantello's adaption of David Sedaris' comical tale of being en elf at Macy's.

Check www.myveronaproductions.com for updates...

Movies I plan to see SOON:

2005-12-24T20:43:00.000-08:00

SYRIANA -
A good source tells me to see this ASAP as it is his pick for best picture this year. It is supposed to be brilliant...

BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN -
Too bad it's not playing in the QC. Hopefully it's playin in Seattle while I am there (Dec. 26-Jan. 6)...
I am SO excited to see this... I have heard amazing thingd about this.

THE PRODUCERS -
I think I will love this. I fell in love with this show when I purchased the soundtrack in 2001... and I finally saw in New York last spring. Mel Brooks, you are a genius!

MUNICH -
Spielberg and Kushner. Yeah, I wanna see this.

When these come out on DVD, I will see them:

GOOD NIGHT, AND GOOD LUCK -
I am a Clooney fan (go ahead, make fun)... so I am sure I will love this.

HISTORY OF VIOLENCE -
Sounds promising.

I am sure KING KONG is great... but I would rather see something like BROKEBACK...
sorry, Mr. Jackson. :)

What Christmas is all about?

2005-12-24T20:41:00.000-08:00

What is Christmas all about?

Well, according to a customer at the John Deere Store... and I quote... "It's Christmas; it's about opening things. That's what it's about."

That's sad.

All I can really say is...
Wow.

Golden Globes...

2005-12-13T09:21:00.000-08:00

GOLDEN GLOBE noms are in... and as of 11:22 AM today these are my picks...

(Note: I have yet to see many of these... however... I am banking on the buzz and the many reviews I have read thus far...)

Picture - Drama
BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN

Picture - Musical or Comedy
WALK THE LINE

Actor - Leading Role - Drama
PHILIP SEYMOUR HOFFMAN - Capote

Actor - Leading Role - Musical or Comedy
JOAQUIN PHOENIX - Walk the Line

Actress - Leading Role - Drama
GWYNETH PALTROW - Proof

Actress - Leading Role - Musical or Comedy
REESE WITHERSPOON - Walk the Line

Actor - Supporting Role
PAUL GIAMATTI - Cinderella Man

Actress - Supporting Role
FRANCES MCDORMAND - North Country

Director
STEVEN SPIELBERG - Munich

Screenplay
MUNICH - Tony Kushner

The film industry is falling apart...

2005-12-12T09:53:00.000-08:00

The film industry is falling apart...

Miramax is gone.
Dreamworks is gone.
The end is near.

It's very sad for my life. VERY SAD. I can it now; the best thing in theatres (if they're still open) will be White Chicks 3: The Return of the Dick."

When did people stop appreciating good filmmaking? BASTARDS!

Articles below...

Spielberg studio bought by Viacom
Matthew Goodman and Mark Kleinman

THE Hollywood studio set up by Oscar-winning director Steven Spielberg and responsible for the hit films Gladiator and American Beauty, was this weekend on the verge of being sold to rival Paramount for $1.6 billion (£912m).
The swoop by Paramount, part of the US media giant Viacom, finally brings the curtain down on a bidding war with rival entertainment studio NBC-Universal, the group behind the remake of King Kong, which hits British cinema screens this week.

Dreamworks, co-owned by Spielberg and entertainment executives Jeffrey Katzenberg and David Geffen, had been in takeover talks with Universal for several months, but the two sides had been unable to agree a price. The bidding war underlines the demand for quality film-making assets in the cut-throat world of Hollywood.

The deal is part of a broader shake-up in Tinseltown, following the defection of the Weinstein brothers, Bob and Harvey, from their Miramax studio earlier this year. The Weinsteins have set up their own business with backers that include Goldman Sachs, the investment bank, and Sir Martin Sorrell’s WPP advertising group.

Viacom is thought to be investing between $600m and $700m of the asking price, with the remaining cash coming from a group of private-equity investors. The $1.6 billion cost includes about $400m of Dreamworks’ debt.

As well as acquiring the studio, Viacom will end up owning Dreamworks’ library of 60 titles, including Saving Private Ryan, and the right to distribute films made by its animation division, which was separated from the live action studio last year and given its own listing on the New York Stock Exchange.

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Paramount Buys Itself a Christmas Present: DreamWorks Pictures

Posted by Scott Weinberg on Monday, Dec. 12, 2005, 03:17 AM

Scott Weinberg writes: "Paramount Pictures, a unit of Viacom Inc., has signed a definitive agreement to acquire DreamWorks SKG for $1.6 billion in cash and assumption of debt. The deal brings Paramount key assets, including all of DreamWorks' current projects in development. an ongoing production partnership with Steven Spielberg and David Geffen, an exclusive, worldwide distribution agreement with DreamWorks Animation beginning in 2006, DreamWorks' live-action library, DreamWorks' television division and its properties, and exclusive rights to future DreamWorks Animation characters in TV shows.

The announcement was made today by Brad Grey, Chairman and CEO of Paramount Pictures.

Paramount also indicated that it is in advanced discussions with identified investors to sell DreamWorks' film library, promptly after closing. Paramount would continue to have distribution rights to the film library.

Grey said, "With the incredible talents of Steven Spielberg, Hollywood's most gifted and respected director and producer, and David Geffen, the most creative mind in show business, Paramount will be able to significantly enhance its pipeline of groundbreaking motion pictures -- a key strategic objective in restoring Paramount's stature as a leader in filmed entertainment. Further, our new distribution partnership with Jeffrey Katzenberg and DreamWorks Animation will be an important driver in building our business internationally. All together, the worldwide marketing firepower and creativity of the new Viacom brands like Nickelodeon and MTV make Paramount an ideal home for DreamWorks and a fantastic partner for DreamWorks Animation."

Under the terms of the agreement, Paramount will acquire the entire DreamWorks live-action library, which includes 59 films including such titles as "Gladiator," "American Beauty," both of which were winners of the Academy Award for Best Picture, as well as such acclaimed Steven Spielberg-directed blockbusters as "War of the Worlds," "Catch Me If You Can," "Saving Private Ryan" and "Minority Report," along with the upcoming Spielberg-directed drama "Munich," produced in association with Universal Pictures. All DreamWorks' development projects will also be acquired by Paramount as part of the agreement, including "Dreamgirls," starring Eddie Murphy, Beyonce and Jamie Foxx.

Paramount will also acquire the DreamWorks' television division and its properties, including the long-running series (now in syndication) "Spin City," as well as current shows, including the NBC hit "Las Vegas."

"We couldn't be more excited about having Steven Spielberg and David Geffen and the amazing roster of talent at DreamWorks join the Paramount family, and we look forward to our new partnership with Jeffrey Katzenberg and DreamWorks Animation," said Tom Freston, co-President and co-Chief Operating Officer of Viacom. "This is a major milestone in our efforts to re-establish Paramount as an industry leader and fuels the momentum for their emergence as a real global film company. The world-class production, development and sales teams we are gaining will certainly fuel the turnaround that Brad and his team are leading. Overnight, this makes Paramount a key contributor to new Viacom's revenue and earnings growth story."

Sumner Redstone, Chairman of the Board and CEO of Viacom, said, "The acquisition of DreamWorks is an enormous step forward in our ongoing work to unlock the full potential of Viacom's brands and businesses. The founders of DreamWorks represent some of the most creative and respected executives in this industry, and the talent and vision they will bring to Paramount cannot be overstated. We can look forward to an exciting and successful future with such a powerful team under one roof."

David Geffen said, "I have known Tom Freston for more than 25 years and Brad Grey for almost as long and have tremendous respect for both of them. I am excited and energized to be in business with them and look forward to a successful new partnership. This is a great deal for both companies and for our shareholders, investors and employees."

Steven Spielberg said, "I am thrilled by today's announcement of the deal with Viacom/Paramount, who came recently to the table and were able to conclude and sign agreements quickly. Due to my very long history and my loyalty to Universal, I was saddened that after long negotiations and many compromises, we were unable to come to terms with Universal's parent company, GE. Nevertheless, I am truly looking forward to working with Tom Freston, Brad Grey and Gail Berman, as this is an exciting opportunity for each of us to embark on a new adventure together."

Jeffrey Katzenberg, CEO of DreamWorks Animation, said, "I am excited about the benefits and new opportunities that the Paramount partnership brings to our company. Brad and his team are a first-class organization and the chance to work with Paramount and promote our movies on Viacom's network provides us a unique platform to showcase our products and build our brand. DreamWorks Animation is a company that strives to reach the broadest audience with its films and now with access to Nickelodeon and the rest of the MTV Networks brands, I believe we have a great partner for helping us achieve that goal."

Upon completion of the acquisition, the DreamWorks library is expected to be sold to a third party investor, leaving Paramount with a greatly enhanced distribution pipeline and an ongoing production partnership with Steven Spielberg and David Geffen.

Mike Dolan, Chief Financial Officer of Viacom, said, "The sale of the library allows us to reduce our investment in the transaction and enables us to focus on our key objectives -- leveraging and strengthening our distribution network through the addition of more 'A' level product and creating stronger production partnerships. As always, we focused on financial metrics that drive shareholder value, including discounted cash flows and return on invested capital, and this transaction exceeded our hurdle rates. Additionally, the transaction is accretive to net income and free cash flow in 2006. Pro-forma for the sale of the library, we will have accelerated the turnaround of Paramount, while insuring adequate capital for tuck-in digital growth opportunities and share buybacks going forward."

Also, upon completion of the acquisition, Messrs. Spielberg and Geffen of DreamWorks will enter into new employment agreements in the respective roles of producer/director and Chairman. Mr. Katzenberg will remain in his role as Chief Executive Officer of DreamWorks Animation. As part of the new organization, the production and development operations will continue under the leadership of Mr. Spielberg and Mr. Geffen, who will be responsible for producing 4-6 live action films per year of Paramount's total target slate of 14-16 films, which the company expects to achieve by 2006. Sales and other infrastructure will be integrated with Paramount operations.

Additionally, Paramount will enter into an exclusive theatrical/home video/television distribution agreement to release films from DreamWorks Animation, the business unit spun off from DreamWorks as a public company in 2004, throughout the world for the next seven years. The first picture for release under the new agreement is "Over the Hedge," scheduled to open in summer 2006.

The purchase price of the acquisition will be financed by Viacom working capital and committed financing facilities. The transaction is expected to close in the first quarter of 2006, and is subject to expiration of regulatory waiting periods.

Movies...

2005-12-09T21:08:00.000-08:00

BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN
It is being hailed as one of the most gripping movies in 2005. Travers is calling it "an eye opener" and "a landmark film"...
Set against the sweeping landscapes of Wyoming and Texas, this epic love story tells of two young men -- a ranch-hand and a rodeo cowboy -- who meet in the summer of 1963 while driving cattle on a mountain range. They unexpectedly forge a lifelong connection, one whose complications, joys and tragedies provide a testament to the endurance and power of love.

THE LIBERTINE
Johnny Depp. Enough said.
The film follows the second Earl of Rochester's adventures in London, from his passionate romance with a young actress, Elizabeth Barry, to the writing of a scurrilous play which blisteringly and bawdily lampoons the very monarch who commissioned it, Charles II, leading to the Earl's banishment and eventual downfall.

MUNICH
Can you really go wrong with a team like SPIELBERG and KUSHNER?
Uh, NO!
MUNICH recounts the dramatic story of the secret Israeli squad assigned to track down and assassinate 11 Palestinians believed to have planned the 1972 Munich massacre -- and the personal toll this mission of revenge takes on the team and the man who leads it.

Also...
RENT and THE PRODUCERS...
in addition to SYRIANA, CAPOTE, and ELIZABETHTOWN...

BLUEBOX WINS!

2005-12-06T10:55:00.001-08:00

QC based film company BLUEBOX LIMITED wins MTVu film festival!

I am very proud of these guys... I have known them for years and I knew it was only a matter of time before their dream would come true...

Check them out: www.blueboxlimited.com

Off the shelf...

2005-11-29T18:04:00.000-08:00

I had some free time last night so I checked out two films I haven't seen in a while... and I highly reccomend revisiting them...

SLEEPERS
I haven't seen this since 1999 (three years after its release)... I was really too young to fully appreciate it then. It's amazing. The ensemble members are terrific (Pitt, Bacon, Crudup, Eldard, Patric, etc) but it is astonishing to watch Dinero and Hoffman in these subtle supporting roles. Dinero understates everything a the boy's father figure Father Bobby ... and Hoffman plays drunken attorney Danny Snyder (his court room scenes are freakin' brilliant)...
This is the kind of film that inspires aspiring actors like me. Such brilliance...

ROAD TO PERDITION
I LOVE this film... Mendes, you are a God.
It's a cool, old fashioned crime story. I love this noir type of stuff. Hanks (in one of his best) and Newman are riveting... and Jude Law gives one hell of a nuanced performance as well.
Interesting to note that Newman's character is based upon real life gangster John Looney who was originally from Rock Island (Quad Cities... where I grew up)...

MVP '05 season comes to a close...

2005-11-29T17:50:00.000-08:00

SANTALAND DIARIES ended the 2005 MVP season with a bang.
BRILLIANTLY directed... thank you, Michael Oberfield.
BRILLIANTLY performed... thank you so very much, Adam Lewis.
It was a thrill to have these guys on board... it was an honor to work with them! The show sold EXTREMELY well and was well received by the audience. It's a tough call in that area; we're never sure what will or will not sell. All of our shows have been articitically successful (in their own way)... and we're happy SANTALAND was commercially successful...

MVP has been rocking since June and Sean and I plan on taking a break until sometime this spring. We will be back... with what we don't know... but there are some ideas out there:

THE GRADUATE (Directed by Michael Oberfield) - the new stage adaptation fresh from New York City. We will be the first to tackle in the Quad City Area...

TITLE TBA -
a variety hour in the vein of the Dean Martin and Carol Burnett Shows... a joint production with QC favorite THE METROLITES.

We have some other projects in mind as well... including several short/feature films. I am currently working on two projects: FLASHING PINK FLAMINGOS (one man show about a young man's experiences with his redneck family) and a three man drama about the Rock Island crime ring in the 1920's...

Check myveronaproductions.com and seanleary.net for further info...

SANTALAND DIARIES...

2005-11-26T01:06:00.000-08:00

ONLY TWO MORE CHANCES TO SEE THE HOLIDAY SHOW CRITICS ARE CALLING A ``MUST SEE!'' --- ``SANTALAND DIARIES''

My Verona's Production of David Sedaris' ``SantaLand Diaries'' is a hit! Critics and audiences have raved about the ``superb'' performance of star Adam Lewis and called the show ``hilarious.''

Ruby Nancy of The Quad City Times says, ``...ANYONE WITH A CLEVER --- OR EVEN JUST SLIGHTLY WICKED --- SENSE OF HUMOR NEEDS TO BE MAKING PLANS NOW TO SEE THIS TERRIFICALLY FUNNY SHOW'' and ``THIS SHOW IS SIMPLY TOO GOOD TO MISS.''

Jason Tanamor of the Rock Island Argus/Dispatch says, ``FOR FANS OF DAVID SEDARIS AND/OR HOLIDAY HUMOR, AND FOR THOSE THINKING ABOUT PICKING UP AN EXTRA JOB OVER THE HOLIDAYS, `THE SANTALAND DIARIES' IS SOMETHING YOU SHOULD SEE.''

There are only two more shows left --- 9:30 p.m. Saturday and 7:30 p.m. Sunday at Comedy Sportz, 1818 3rd Ave., Rock Island. Tickets ($12) are available at the door, at the Circa '21 box office and by phone at (309) 786-7733, ext. 2.

For more information, see www.myveronaproductions.com.

Macy's...

2005-11-24T08:11:00.000-08:00

Several of Broadway's biggest hits were featured on Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade this morning... and here's a recap...

SWEET CHARITY
I am not a huge fan of this show... or the current production... but I was pleasantly suprised by Christina Applegate. That's a long way from MARRIED WITH CHILDREN. Good for you...

DIRTY ROTTEN SCOUNDRELS
I LOVE Norbert Leo Butz. Love him. It's too bad his big Tony Award winning number had to be sensored (it has some clever lyrics that are not appropriate for national television)... in its full form, it's brilliant. Butz had fun, though... as usual... and seemed to even make fun of the fact that he had to change so much...
If you are ever in NYC check this show out. Butz is electrifying... and so is his partner in crime (literally) John Lithgow. They are a winning comedy team (watch out Lane and Broderick)...
It's worht seeing.
But hurry, Lithgow leaves the show in January...

CHITTY CHITTY BANG BANG
Raul Esparza, where in the hell were you? You are one of my favorites and you're a no show? Lame. You understudy (Chicago actor Rick Hilsabeck) rocked, though... and so did Erin Dilly (who I believe could be the next Julie Andrews).
{I saw Rick Hilsabeck in the Chicago production of RAGTIME. He
was a brilliant Henry Ford. Hilsabeck was also in the ill-fated
pre-Broadway try out of Sondheim's BOUNCE...}

JERSEY BOYS
I am so excited about this show. I can't wait for this soundtrack!
I have watched several clips and medleys now... and this looks like the real thing. A "jukebox musical" (please don't shoot me for using the term) that actually works. These four guys are incredible. Keep a close eye on this show... I think it will be a hit (unlike similar shows LENNON and GOOD VIBRATIONS). Watch out MAMMA MIA... the BOYS are in town...

...and Broadway doll and current WEST WING cast member KRISTIN CHENOWETH was adorable! Her rather classical rendition of the title song from OKLAHOMA was... ok, I will use the word... "darling." Yes, absolutely darling. I think we will be married some day...

Another Oscar nom for Depp?

2005-11-23T23:04:00.000-08:00

Depp and Oscar...

They may meet again this year. A win is VERY doutbful, but a nomination is a very serious possibility...

This time with the underground release of THE LIBERTINE in which Depp plays the debauched John Wilmot, the second Earl of Rochester. It's one of the first releases from the newly formed Weinstein Company that Rolling Stone's Peter Travers calls "a wild thing."

Very exciting...

Rent?

2005-11-23T22:41:00.000-08:00

I have not yet seen this.. but since it opened today, I have already received two calls from friends...

Their reactions?

Anthony Rapp's "performance is fantastic"

Jesse L. Martin's voice is "amazing"... his performance is "the best in the film"

"too busy"

"loses its simplicity... and its beauty" (called that one)

"a disappointment"

I am VERY apprehensive... I am expecting so much because it is one of my favorite shows. I think Larson's music and the cast will save this film... and Columbus and the fact that this IS a stage show (and was meant to be one) will kill it...

Columbus, Schumacher. Schumacher, Columbus.
You have something in common; you both makes BAD movie musicals. :)

"I have such doubts" (anyone?)

We'll see...

(I am a huge musical theatre geek and will probably love it... at first. I will honestly enjoy it. That's me. I love the show. I love the characters - which I have not been able to say too much this year. However... I don't think it will go down in the books as one of my favorite movies. In fact, shortly after the viewing I will probably realize how poorly this beautiful show was adapted to the screen... and realize how much I really disliked it. That's sad. That's ok... I have THE PRODUCERS...)

The Interpreter

2005-11-23T12:29:00.000-08:00

I finally watched THE INTERPRETER tonight...

I thought it was great... Directed by Sydney Pollack, it was a solid character driven piece led by a subtle Sean Penn (well, subtle for him) and an intense Nicole Kidman.

Strong story. Strong cast. Worth seeing.

It's a wonderful acting piece - two power houses doing their thing VERY WELL...
For fans of Pollack, Penn, or Kidman I would say it's not their career best, but definitely something in their collection that is worth seeing...

Keep It Gay?

2005-11-23T00:17:00.000-08:00

One of the reviews came out for SANTALAND today. It was rather amusing. Remember when MVP shows were TOO gay? Not anymore... they are not gay enough. Apparently, our production of SANTALAND DIARIES was too straight? Look, I know author David Sedaris is gay. Everyone who is a Sedaris fan knows this. It's not a big secret. His work, however, does not have homo written all over it.... and I don't think that aspect of this hilarious work should be played up. It's not a gay satire. SANTALAND is simply story of a man who once worked as en elf at Macy's. Yes, it's the account of Sedaris' personal experience... but I don't think the actor is to actually become Sedaris. It's a performance piece. A stand up act. A one man show with a rather funny and often touching story of one man's journey into Macy's SANTALAND... not "I-Suck-Some-Serious-Dick-LAND."

Check out the review: www.rcreader.com

I really hate critics who let their own "personal preference" (or whatever they call it these days) get in the way of their enjoyment of a show. It always has to be an issue...

I guess that means that everytime I watch ANGELS IN AMERICA (one of my favorite films... and yes, I call it a film not a series... a whole other issue we'll get into later)... so, everytime I watch ANGELS I will detest it because there an utter lack of straight people involved... ? Yank.

Sad.

The Good Shepherd

2005-11-22T19:45:00.000-08:00

Keep a close eye on this project currently in development...

THE GOOD SHEPHERD

Directed by ROBERT DINERO
Written by Eric Roth (Forrest Gump fame)

Cast list features DINERO and PESCI (together... FINALLY) in addition to
MATT DAMON, BILLY CRUDUP, ALEC BALDWIN, TIMOTHY HUTTON, WILLIAM HURT, ANGELINA JOLIE, JOHN TURTORRO, JASON PATRIC, and ANN HAMPTON CALLAWAY (brilliant jazz singer)...

It's a brilliant line up.
Hopefully it's a brilliant film.

Interesting flicks to see in the next few weeks...

2005-11-22T19:31:00.000-08:00

SYRIANA
George Clooney, Matt Damon, Jeffrey Wright, Amanda Peet, Tim Blake Nelson
One of the best films of the year? Brilliant reviews thus far. Clooney is said to be in top form...

WALK THE LINE
Great reviews. Strong cast. Crazy Oscar buzz.

THE PRODUCERS
Brooks. Stroman. Lane. Broderick. Ferrell. Bart. Beach. Thurman.
I am not sure this has the ability to suck...
(P.S. the stage show is amazing)

RENT
I am a huge fan of the simplicity of the stage version... I am apprehensive...
Columbus, this better not be HOME ALONE. It's great material.

THE LIBERTINE
Depp's latest... he plays John Wilmot (Depp), a.k.a. the Earl of Rochester, drank and debauched his way to an early grave; in death, the work of this 17th century poet won universal acclaim. Could be interesting...

FUN WITH DICK AND JANE
Jim Carrey doing the comedy thing again. Could be fun...

TOP 10 Enjoyments...

2005-11-22T18:32:00.000-08:00

1. Christmas music performed by The Rat Pack... and Harry Connick, Jr.
2. My Verona Productions (SANTALAND is freakin hilarious)
3. DONNIE BRASCO - Depp and Pacino. Enough said.
4. Broadway.com (JERSEY BOYS and SWEENEY TODD clips)
5. FRIENDS - seasons 4 and 5
6. Of Montreal - thanks, CJ!
7. TABOO - Hate me... but Raul Esparza and Liz McCartney fucking rock on this soundtrack. Euan Morton and Jeffrey Carlson are also entertaining...
8. Abbott and Costello - NAUGHTY NINETIES at the moment
9. Comedian Louis CK - his latest HBO gig was brilliant
10. Queen / WE WILL ROCK YOU soundtrack - vocalist Tony Vincent is amazing...

Close calls:
Billy Crudup, The Nadas, Your Favorite Band soundtrack, writing a one man show entitled "FLASHING PINK FLAMINGOS"...