The taste of the theater
351040
Gives you the taste of the movie theater in your home, just be sparing with it. It is quite powerful. I throw it into the whirleypop with the cocunut butter to get to to cover the popcorn evenly.
3548867
I enjoyed this in the theater when it was released and its still fun to watch periodically. Nice introduction to Shakespeare and to Richard III. Film does a nice job of explaining the historical context of the play. I've recommended this film to a couple of friends as an introductory step to Shakespeare. They both found it a positive experience.
2090320
After reviewing the skits & plays in this book, I find them to be very refreshing and original.  I have performed in several of them at local public gatherings and clubs and they have all been well received.  The extra information and tips are very helpful.  If you participate in Reader's Theatre, you will certainly gain using this book.
Karen
3036591
This is a collection of one-act plays by Tennessee Williams, most from the late 1930s to `40s. These are sketches and slighter works by a great dramatist, but there is enough here to fill an evening. Student and amateur or small theater groups, scholars, and anyone with a serious interest in Williams will appreciate this offering. If you are new to Tennessee Williams, this is not the volume to start with. Some of the plays have appeared in an actors' edition or in journals, but are more readable and accessible here, and several are appearing in print for the first time.

The quality of the early short sketches varies. They reveal a young Williams developing his craft in comedy, melodrama, tragedy, and social commentary. We might not be interested in all of them if we didn't know they were written by Williams. "At Liberty," "Honor the Living," "The Dark Room," and "Every Twenty Minutes" show his gift for dialogue. "The Case of the Crushed Petunias" is a highly enjoyable playlet written after Williams' first major play production failed in Boston. It features a young shopkeeper in the town of "Primanproper," Massachusetts and a young man who encourages her to explore new things and advises that "Boston's a state of mind that you'll grow out of."

"The Pretty Trap" and "Interior: Panic" present the characters and ideas of "The Glass Menagerie" and "A Streetcar Named Desire," but with more optimistic outcomes than the famous plays. "Kingdom of Earth" also exists as a full-length play, and "I Never Get Dressed Till After Dark on Sundays" is a somewhat experimental treatment of characters who appear at greater length in "Vieux Carre."

One of the most powerful pieces in this collection is the 1980 play "Some Problems for the Moose Lodge." It was expanded into a full-length play ("A House Not Meant to Stand") but works well as a one-act. The aging and probably dying mother Bella, becoming more incoherent as the play proceeds, speaks with unintended poetry at the end, expressing Williams' insight, stated in his plays in so many different ways, that her life and everyone's life is "a question of time."

It's too bad that the one-act play "American Gothic" did not make it into this collection. It premiered at the 2010 Provincetown Tennessee Williams Theater Festival. In it, Williams brings the Midwestern farm couple from the famous Grant Wood painting to life, the husband with a pitchfork and the wife who observes that thirty dry summers have made her hard. Their son, a bank robber on the run from the law, arrives with his "floozie" wife, followed not long after by the police. In the notes, the editor states that the existing drafts of this play are unfinished or incomplete, but readers and audiences will certainly enjoy this play, even in an incomplete or somewhat reconstructed form. Let's hope that it appears in a future volume.

Thanks to New Directions and all involved who are promoting the rediscovery of Tennessee Williams.
355239
In 2008 I visited this theater and made a tour behind the stage.
We had a meeting with a Rockette and could ask her questions about her life and performing and made a photo together with her.
Despite the free information collected during that visit I wanted to have a more in detail book about this so special theater.
The Radio City Hall An Affectionate History of the world's Greatest Theater is now a valuable asset in my souvenir collection.
I can recommend this book as a very good buy for anybody interested in the subject may it be from theater or architectural point of view.

Jan Verweerde (MrClogz1947) New Zealand
3709271
The edits to the through-sung score are very judicious and logical. Great performances and above-average acoustics/mix. A must have for theater fans.
1689894
I bought this at Polly's Cafe in Lake Elsinore, California. I took it home and it was fun to pop and tasted great. Our house smelled like a movie theater!! I am giving these to everyone for Christmas. I know they will like them too!!! Thanks, Sandi Leonard
3886740
Even if you're just an enthusiastic consumer/supporter of theatre, this book will be a fun peek behind the curtains.
1399718
I remember seeing on PBS a previous Met production with Placido Domingo, June Anderson, and Sherill Milnes, and this is the identical, realistic production, so much so that it nearly looks like a movie.  As theater, it is a well-acted, detail-rich entertainment.  I'm not qualified to discuss the quality of the singing, but I enjoyed it thoroughly.  There are no famous arias, yet the emotions come through Puccini's score.  The New York Times review stated it isn't time for a re-invention of this opera, and agreed the lavish, realistic setting was the right choice.  I also agree it would've been a nice touch had the stars departed by horse (several are used in the production).  The extras are much welcomed, hosted by Sondra Radvanovsky.  Deborah Voigt owns the role with much charisma and charm, and superb acting.  Lucio Gallo, the Sheriff Jack Rance, is thoroughly menacing (not a Scarpia) yet conflicted.  And Marcello Giordani is very believable at Dick Johnson.  And all the cowboys are outstanding. Too bad I couldn't see this live or at the movie theater, but it's great to watch at home, and a worthy addition to a DVD opera collection.
4771370
"The Best of Broadway Musicals, Original Cast Performances from the Ed Sullivan Show" is a treasure. Ed was a Great White Way columnist who became very popular when he hosted his Sunday night television performance show. On his show were comedians, vaudeville acts, the hottest new musicians like the Beatles and Elvis, and best of all his presentation of now rare scenes from the then current Broadway hits. Were it not for his show many of these scenes would have been lost forever. It starts with Ethel Merman belting out "There's No Business like Show Business."
There's a 1955 video of Richard Rodgers conducting an orchestra and chorus for a sung number from "Oklahoma". There are performances by Carol Channing, John Raitt, Anthony Newley, Julie Andrews, Richard Burton, Gwen Verdon, Richard Kiley, and Pearl Bailey. The early years are in black and white with color showing up in 1966 episodes; the quality is very good. Watching Richard Burton from "Camelot" whistling and doing a high-stepping dance is a treat.
These are not just snippets but full performances with sets and costumes. There are brief interviews with Lerner and Loewe and Rodgers and Hammerstein. This is a must-see for people who love the American musical.
1746720
As a classics hobbyist it was a real pleasure to watch this staging from the comfort of my home. The beauty of having this on a dvd is that I can watch it multiple times, gaining new insights and a better understanding of the text with each viewing. All of the actors did an excellent job of bringing the text to life. I noticed the pronunciation they used to be very helpful, being based on Latin scholarship rather than the old theater norms. This staging is very entertaining and you can tell they did their research.
1199200
I can get a pretty good sense of what a theatrical experience this show must be from listening to its London cast recording.  All that thundering, overpowering, eerie but beautiful music, which is actually pretty good and  may very well be Andrew Lloyd Webber's best.  The above-average,  occasionally beautiful and touching lyrics to such songs as "Music of  the Night," "All I Ask of You," "Wishing You Were  Somehow Here Again," and "Point of No Return."  The fine  performance of Michael Crawford as the Phantom, which does a great job of  conveying the character's passion and pain and thankfully doesn't really  conjure up memories of his best-forgotten days as a juvenile lead in such  fimusicals as "A Funny Thing..." and "Hello, Dolly!"  The beautiful voice of Sarah Brightman as Christine.  The supporting cast,  from Steve Barton's Raoul to Rosemary Ashe's stunning Carlotta to the two  theatrical agents, Andre and Farmin (or something like that).  All  contribute to the enjoyment and, yes, spectacle of this recording, and no  doubt did and, in the case of the music and lyrics, still do contribute to  the success of the stage show.  All are reasons for buying it, so why not?
2900418
Great combo of storytelling and musical talent in the song listing. A must for anyone who loves theater
1054146
I love listerning to this bit of theatre history. woolf has always been one of my favorite plays and listening to the original cast is a great experience.
3715468
We were fortunate to see the first preview on Broadway of "A Tale of Two Cities" in August 2008.  To view this concert version brings back such wonderful memories of a superb cast and recall the magnificent staging.  I remember sobbing tears of sadness in the final 20 minutes of this production and it had the same effect as I watched this DVD.  Such a wonderful piece of music and singing.  Thank you so much for recording this concert.  On another note, I hope a film company will film "The Mystery of Edwin Drood" with all optional endings.
2585606
This is a review of the Blu-ray edition. It restores the material censored by the Breen Office and the Legion of Decency. The PG rating is absurd; the material justifies a PG-13.

The story has a dark humor I hadn't caught before. Stanley's passion for food is as strong as his lust for women. When he eats, he stuffs his face. Kazan (who also directed the play) properly keeps the focus on Blanche, without letting Stanley's presence overwhelm her.

It's hard not to feel sympathy for Stanley. He's oversexed, rude, and brutish -- but not stupid. If it's true that rape is an act of violence, not sex, that is what Stanley commits on Blanche. He knows from the start that she's not the delicate, "virginal" creature she pretends to be, and resents a slut calling him a greasy Pollock. His attack seems to be revenge for a phony "high-toned" woman belittling him -- especially one who's trying to seduce him. (The film alters the play by having Stella leave Stanley as "punishment" for what he did to Blanche.)

The transfer is magnificent (apparently from the negative), with deep, almost perfect blacks, and retains the photography's air of decay and desperation. The supplemental material (//in addition to// the commentaries) comprises several hours on Kazan's career, the making of the film, the play's production, etc. I also appreciated Alex North's score more than I had previously. It might not impress on the first hearing, because his "sleazy" music has become something of a clich&eacute; -- but he was apparently the first major film composer to write such a score.

A terrific movie with classic performances, especially Malden's.
443358
I went to see the play in a pub here in D.C. where I live.  It is performed by five actors, who double as musicians, and at times as the stage set.  There is no stage; the play is performed in the midst of the audience, indeed with audience participation!  It is hilarious, and profound.  It is almost entirely performed in verse, except for a section in the second act where it is prose.  It is a brilliant piece of theatre, so I bought the script because the language is an integral part of the plot.  I highly recommend it.