From everything I’ve heard informally, this is a one horse race. Ruined seems destined to give Lynn Nottage her first Pulitzer. It’s a combination of topical cultural relevancy, emotional heft, and cumulative recognition of one of our brightest theatrical lights. I better get in to see it this week before it wins the award.
Of course…there’s one other possibility, and Playbill addresses it. If the prize is given “for a distinguished play by an American author, preferably original in its source and dealing with American life,” then maybe Ruined slides a bit from the top spot, opening the door for, say, In The Heights.
What I’m saying is, it’s a one horse race, but maybe, it’s a two horse race. And a Latin horse at that.
I don’t exactly find them exciting. What are the changes here? Contemporary (kinda) dress and hair? The staging feels a little like Laurents’ recent Gypsy, which makes sense, I guess — he’s going for the “keep the sets simple and let the show be the star” kind of aesthetic, I think — but man, I don’t know about this.
The good news, of course, is that I’m going to see it on February 27th.
Playbill is one of my favorite sources for theater news. They’ve got a season preview up today. I urge you to check it out, keeping in mind the recent discussions here and throughout the theater blogosphere about the underrepresentation of women and people of color on the New York stage. Playbill certainly cannot list every Off-Broadway production, or even every major Off-Broadway production, in a given season’s preview article. What they’ve chosen to preview here might shed a little light on the available offerings.
Not a single work by a female playwright is mentioned.
One single work by an artist of color is mentioned: Samm-Art Williams’ Home, presented as part of Signature’s Negro Ensemble Company season (and written in 1979).
(One caveat: it’s a bit harder to be sure how folks self-identify, and it is possible that someone in the article has a little color in them someplace).
That’s a dumb title for this post. I was thinking of making some kind of “Defying Gravity” reference in this post, mainly so I could mention the name Idina Menzel and get a ton of hits as a result, but I’m way such cheap ploys.
Ahem.
So the real thing we’re talking about today (only took 47 words to get to it this time around) is this news article from playbill.com. If you’re too lazy to skip over to the link, here’s the nutshell version: Starting as soon as next month, passengers on American Airlines flights to New York City will be able to buy Broadway tickets right there on the flight. Only four shows are involved in the pilot (ha!) program so far, and they’re big shows–Chicago, Phantom, Mamma Mia!, and Spamalot–the kind of shows that out-of-towners are certainly going to see as events. And I guess that people must like to spend money in the air, as evidenced by Skymall’s continued success selling stuff like this that travelers seem to feel urgent needs for while en route. So there is certainly potential for some sales there.
I think the greater (and ultimately unmeasurable) impact of something like this is that it’s yet another chance for these shows to get in front of the eyes of the target Broadway consumer: the out-of-towner with disposable income and an as-yet-unformed itinerary. And it’s obviously a way for the airline to wring a few extra bucks out a passenger here and there (they’ll take a fee for each ticket purchased). But is there really a value for the consumer? They could get the same seats (probably better seats) for the same cost (probably cheaper) if they wait until they hit the ground.
It’ll be interesting to follow this one.
(In other news…I am back in NYC. School starts Wednesday. I’ve got lots to do before then. I do anticipate being back at the blog full-time though. Lots of socks to post, draft to finish, Chicago recap stuff…and of course, that Obama guy.)
Posted by Kristoffer 
Posted by Kristoffer 
Posted by Kristoffer 
