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Category Archives: Theater
Ann Roth Oscar Shoe-In for Ma Rainey’s Pitch Perfect Costumes
“Nothing wrong with having nice shoes. A man gotta have some shoes to dance like this.”— Chadwick Boseman aka Levee in “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom.” Nicole’s nose. Meryl’s caftan. Tippy’s mink coat. Brenda’s red fox coat. Viola’s gold teeth and … Continue reading
Tina Turner Is Simply the Best on HBO
“I had an abusive life. It’s a reality so you have to accept it,” says Tina Turner, as she contemplates the physical and emotional blows she absorbed as the abandoned child of sharecroppers in Nutbush, TN, and as the physically … Continue reading
PBS Delves Inside the Mind of Agatha Christie
“She saw blood, she saw gore, she saw death, and she wasn’t afraid to use it.” I confess… I haven’t cracked open an Agatha Christie novel in decades. Although I never miss film or TV adaptations of her work, especially … Continue reading
Mae West: Dirty Blonde Takes Center Stage on PBS
“When I’m good, I’m very good. But when I’m bad, I’m better.”–Mae West. Mae West lived to be 87 or 88… her birth year seems to be a matter of debate. For at least 80 of those years, she gave … Continue reading
Posted in Film, Theater, TV
Tagged American Masters Mae West Dirty Blonde, Bette Midler, Diamond Lil, Film Comedies, Julia Marchesi, LGBTQ, Mae West, PBS, Sally Rosenthal, Sex the play, The Drag, Women on Film
4 Comments
Jane Fonda in Five Acts Takes Center Stage on HBO
“I just wanted to be ok. I wanted to be a good girl.”—Jane Fonda. Those are startling admissions from the two-time Oscar®-winning actress and polarizing political activist who President Richard M. Nixon and his cronies loved to hate. Emmy® Award-winning filmmaker … Continue reading
Posted in Cable, Film, Politics, Theater
Tagged Hanoi Jane, HBO, Henry Fonda, Jane Fonda, Klute, On Golden Pond, Roger Vadim, Susan Lacy, Ted Turner, They Shoot Horses Don't They, Tom Hayden, Vietnam War, Women's Studies
3 Comments
Remembering Perry Miller Adato 1920-2018
“I don’t think you can teach anybody anything, whether it’s about art, architecture, literature, or social issues unless you entertain them. You simply cannot lecture people. You have to involve them emotionally: make them laugh, excite them or make them … Continue reading
Robin Williams: Come Inside My Mind Debuts on HBO
“He was like the light that never knew how to turn itself off,” recalls comedian Lewis Black in the engaging new documentary, Robin Williams: Come Inside My Mind. The two-hour love and laugh-fest, directed by Emmy® Award-winner Marina Zenovich, debuts … Continue reading
Posted in Cable, Film, Theater, TV
Tagged Billy Crystal, Comedy and Comedians, David Letterman, Eric Idle, Film Comedies, HBO, Jonathan Winters, Lewy Body Dementia, Marina Zenovich, Mork & Mindy, Robin Williams, Suicide
3 Comments
Playwright Arthur Miller Profiled by Daughter Rebecca on HBO
“The parent is always a mythological figure,” muses playwright Arthur Miller in his daughter Rebecca’s captivating new feature film profile of her dad, Arthur Miller: Writer. “It’s the basis of all mythology, after all,” he continues. “What’s Zeus? He’s the father. … Continue reading
Posted in Cable, Film, Theater, Theatre, TV
Tagged After the Fall, All My Sons, Arthur Miller, Death of a Salesman, Family Relationships, HBO, HUAC, Inge Morath, Marilyn Monroe, Playwrights, Rebecca Miller, The Crucible, The Misfits, Tony Kushner
2 Comments
Lorraine Hansberry: Sighted Eyes Feeling Heart Debuts on PBS
“We had her voice for as long as we really needed it, if we were wise enough to listen.” Actress/activist Ruby Dee makes that startlingly prophetic statement (Dee died in June 2014) about her lifelong friend and colleague at the … Continue reading
HBO Debuts Bright Lights…Starring Carrie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds
“She’s me, and I’m her,” says actress/writer Carrie Fisher in the delicious new feature-length documentary Bright Lights. Fisher’s remark caps one of her grueling gigs at a Star Wars fan convention and refers to her breakout film role as Princess Leia. But she might as … Continue reading
