"The Hail Mary Pass" -- THIS WEEK

Our friend Patrice Hamilton is presenting a one act play, The Hail Mary Pass, at The Manhattan Repertory Theater on Wednesday, Feb. 2nd at 9:00 PM and Saturday, Feb. 12th at 5:00 PM.

Tamara is marrying Curtis Thompson, who manages mutual funds for Langdon Financial Advisors, and it is the day before the wedding. Tamara is sitting in bed sneaking a cigarette and talking to Curt on her cell when her ex-boyfriend knocks at the door pretending to deliver room service. He knows of Tamara’s upcoming marriage and is determined to stop her from making a mistake. He overpowers Tamara and ties her hands together. When he discovers Curt is on the cell, he devises a game: If Curt can answer three of the eight questions right, Jake will concede defeat and leave them alone. Curt agrees and the game is on. At first, Jake’s questions seem insignificant, but as the play progresses, the game becomes more sinister. Eventually, Curt and Tamara are forced to acknowledge how little they know one another. When Curt finally ends the game, he’s got a score to settle with Jake and some questions of his own for Tamara.

Presenting at:
Manhattan Repertory Theater
303 W 42nd St # 3
New York, NY 10036-6908

FOR TICKETS, CALL: (646) 329-6588

throwing up the hands

The idea -- I think -- is that we want more representative theater and film not because it's ethical, or reparations for past sins, or because it's a good business decision -- the argument I like to put forward is that more diverse stores simply make better stories.

So I find it to be a bit counter-productive when works featuring white casts are re-made with minority casts, as though (a) minority audiences couldn't understand the lines when they're read by white people, or (b) the stories from one group are basically interchangeable with the other group (although maybe you need to tweak someone's day job here or there).

Photo-negative racial remakes argue simultaneously for an exclusionary and universal principles that I find unpersuasive -- even if they weren't mutually contradictory.

And then we get this:

Will Smith, Jay-Z team to remake "Annie"

Overbrook Entertainment partners James Lassiter, Ken Stovitz, Jada Pinkett Smith and Will Smith are partnering with Jay-Z to release movies.

One of the first projects they're discussing is a remake of the Broadway classic "Annie," in which the Smiths' daughter, Willow, 9, would star.

You know that scene in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid when Paul Newman is kidding-but-not-kidding about seducing Katharine Ross on the bicycle while Robert Redford's sleeping, and then Redford catches them, and is all like What are you doing? and Paul Newman figures he might as well be honest and says Stealing your woman, and Redford scratches his ass saying Take her...take her and walks away?

Yeah, I'll kinda feel like that if they make a black Annie. Whatever, black Hollywood people.You're terrible.

[Of course, maybe they just need to make an all-minority Butch Cassidy because I CAN'T UNDERSTAND WHAT WHITEY IS SAYING.] (Happy February, America!)

batman mash-up

Would love to see Kate Beaton's submission to the Brick. Can we make this happen?

"The Hail Mary Pass" -- NEXT WEEK

Our friend Patrice Hamilton is presenting a one act play, The Hail Mary Pass, at The Manhattan Repertory Theater on Wednesday, Feb. 2nd at 9:00 PM and Saturday, Feb. 12th at 5:00 PM.

Tamara is marrying Curtis Thompson, who manages mutual funds for Langdon Financial Advisors, and it is the day before the wedding. Tamara is sitting in bed sneaking a cigarette and talking to Curt on her cell when her ex-boyfriend knocks at the door pretending to deliver room service. He knows of Tamara’s upcoming marriage and is determined to stop her from making a mistake. He overpowers Tamara and ties her hands together. When he discovers Curt is on the cell, he devises a game: If Curt can answer three of the eight questions right, Jake will concede defeat and leave them alone. Curt agrees and the game is on. At first, Jake’s questions seem insignificant, but as the play progresses, the game becomes more sinister. Eventually, Curt and Tamara are forced to acknowledge how little they know one another. When Curt finally ends the game, he’s got a score to settle with Jake and some questions of his own for Tamara.

Presenting at:
Manhattan Repertory Theater
303 W 42nd St # 3
New York, NY 10036-6908

FOR TICKETS, CALL: (646) 329-6588

whose form is it anyway?

At Parabasis last week, 99 Seats continued what I find to be a perplexing argument over crumbs at an otherwise bare table; to wit -- how to add minority voices into the mix of live theater:

We need muscle and courage, on all sides of this. We need productions, not awards and honors. The black artists I know are chomping at the bit and aren't waiting for diversity programs to find them anymore. And they shouldn't be. There's an audience that needs them, needs their stories. If the larger institutions want to conect to those audiences, as they continually profess they do, they have to start competing. Otherwise, they're going to get left behind.

But if the problem is that minority playwrights are underproduced, the question is -- left behind by whom? Live theater must continually scramble to assemble any kind of sustainable audience.

I don't believe in racial essentialism, nor do I believe in the rational market. The race of the performer/playwright and the race of the audience do not have to match in order for there to be comprehension. And the most expensive tickets are not necessarily to the highest-quality shows.

And so long as Ibsen can speak so persuasively to a brown person like me, I'm not willing to argue that changing the last name of the playwright's being produced is the short road to better theater.

some words about you kids and my lawn

(Actually, no, it's about the adults behind the shows aimed at kids.)

What's less surprising about the MTV Skins controversy is that anyone expects anything but the worst bottom-feeding instincts from the same network that has brought...well, basically scan the entire TV Schedule on any given day and find the most offensive item that fits your spectrum of outrage. Even without manufactured controversy, it's all blandly awful.

But expected. As David Carr notes,

objectifying teenage pathology, along with teenage bodies, is a complicated business — and the business that MTV is in.

So why are we outraged that flesh peddlers are fulfilling their job description?

PS: Dear Knicker-Twisting Parent Groups -- Please don't call works of entertainment 'dangerous', especially works that I would otherwise like to criticize. It puts me in the unenviable position of having to defend crap, or take your side on something.

don't send us your money. yet.

We know that you've been clamoring to fill our coffers, but just hold your horses.

We're about to unveil a new campaign, and we'd love to make your efforts a part of it. so fold your wallets, put them in your pocket, and edge the mouse away from the 'donate' button ... nice and slow ...

(Of course, if you can't help yourself, we don't want to stop you...)