| re: IT"S ONLY - NO, BARELY- A PLAY....or not... | |
| Posted by: | boyartist 01:04 pm EST 01/17/15 |
| In reply to: | IT"S ONLY - NO, BARELY- A PLAY. - portenopete 12:43 am EST 01/17/15 |
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| I was involved in the early 1990's production in Los Angeles, ( I illustrated the poster...), where the role of FRANK FINGER was played by David Hyde Pierce, ( this was just before "Frasier"). In my notes from the producer, I was told that FINGER was based on PETER SELLARS, who, at that time was called a "boy wonder director". Mr. Sellars was known for being very over-the-top and experimental in his theatrical and personal style. I don't think he was British, but a home grown type. I also remember that during the out-of-town tryout of "My One & Only" in Boston, Sellars was fired and replaced by Mike Nichols. The BOY WONDER is pushing SIXTY, and does anyone know or care where he is today, or what he's doing? | |
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| re: IT"S ONLY - NO, BARELY- A PLAY....or not... | |
| Posted by: | ptownguy 03:55 pm EST 01/17/15 |
| In reply to: | re: IT"S ONLY - NO, BARELY- A PLAY....or not... - boyartist 01:04 pm EST 01/17/15 |
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| I believe he was replaced by Thommie Walsh and Tommy Tune (Tony nom), not Mike Nichols. | |
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| re: IT"S ONLY - NO, BARELY- A PLAY....or not... | |
| Posted by: | portenopete 03:15 pm EST 01/17/15 |
| In reply to: | re: IT"S ONLY - NO, BARELY- A PLAY....or not... - boyartist 01:04 pm EST 01/17/15 |
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| That's an interesting piece of information. Peter Sellars recently directed a chamber version of A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM at the Stratford Festival that was quite well-received. I'm assuming he still does a lot of opera? My gut feeling is that McNally feels that some directors will screw with and ruin his vision as a writer by making it their own. I agree that it happens with great plays by masters, but I can only imagine that the work of Sellars or his ilk might make McNally's pieces more interesting as theatre. | |
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| re: IT"S ONLY - NO, BARELY- A PLAY....or not... | |
| Posted by: | larry13 02:55 pm EST 01/17/15 |
| In reply to: | re: IT"S ONLY - NO, BARELY- A PLAY....or not... - boyartist 01:04 pm EST 01/17/15 |
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| You really didn't know where Peter Sellars is today? And couldn't be bothered with looking it up instead of displaying your ignorance here? And IF he WAS ever known a "the boy wonder" it must have been long before the early '90s; maybe back in the early '80s at the time of MY ONE AND ONLY. Wasn't this McNally opus originally written even before that? | |
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| re: IT"S ONLY - NO, BARELY- A PLAY....or not... | |
| Posted by: | LegitOnce 02:17 pm EST 01/17/15 |
| In reply to: | re: IT"S ONLY - NO, BARELY- A PLAY....or not... - boyartist 01:04 pm EST 01/17/15 |
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| Sellars directed an extremely well-received staging of the Bach "Johannes-Passion" that sold out the Park Avenue Armory in October 2014. He's currently in London working with the English National Opera on a new piece by John Adams, The Gospel of the Other Mary and an adaptation of Purcell's The Indian Queen. Also last year he supervised revivals of his production of Handel's Hercules and Wagner's Tristan und Isolde in Madrid, Toronto and Paris, a collaboration with Bill Viola that has been touring for 10 years. And the Met's most controversial production in years, The Death of Klinghoffer is a work Sellars originally conceived, though it was presented in a production by another director. Not everyone likes or appreciates Sellars' work, but he has directed and curated steadily for more than 30 years. But since when have facts stood in the way of McNally's making a cheap joke at the expense of a greater artist than himself? | |
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| re: IT"S ONLY - NO, BARELY- A PLAY....or not... | |
| Posted by: | portenopete 03:24 pm EST 01/17/15 |
| In reply to: | re: IT"S ONLY - NO, BARELY- A PLAY....or not... - LegitOnce 02:17 pm EST 01/17/15 |
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| I don't blame the poster for not looking his s**t up: I'm guilty of that on this board. But as you say, despite his detractors, Sellars has been a major force in American Theatre (and World Theatre) and McNally does seem to be taking a cheap shot rather than a pointed jab at someone whose work he probably can't fathom and is threatened by. And the whole idea of people calling this kid director "Sir Frank" is pretty ludicrous. The only knight of the realm whom I've heard likes the honorific used is Ben Kingsley, but I'm pretty sure that Olivier was "Larry", Gielgud "Johnny" and Maggie Smith is "Mags". | |
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| re: IT"S ONLY - NO, BARELY- A PLAY....or not... | |
| Posted by: | 15minutecall 01:59 am EST 01/18/15 |
| In reply to: | re: IT"S ONLY - NO, BARELY- A PLAY....or not... - portenopete 03:24 pm EST 01/17/15 |
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| How is it a cheap shot at Peter Sellars if there's nothing in the text or McNally's comments that would link his character to Sellars? | |
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| re: IT"S ONLY - NO, BARELY- A PLAY....or not... | |
| Posted by: | larry13 03:36 pm EST 01/17/15 |
| In reply to: | re: IT"S ONLY - NO, BARELY- A PLAY....or not... - portenopete 03:24 pm EST 01/17/15 |
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| I'm sure I too have been lazy and asked questions here instead of trying to get the info myself. What really irked me with this poster was how he worded HIS "cheap shot" AND "pointed jab" at Sellars combined with his seeming proud ignorance of the director's career. No one has to like Sellars or anyone else but just say that. | |
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| re: IT"S ONLY - NO, BARELY- A PLAY....or not... | |
| Posted by: | whereismikeyfl 01:26 pm EST 01/17/15 |
| In reply to: | re: IT"S ONLY - NO, BARELY- A PLAY....or not... - boyartist 01:04 pm EST 01/17/15 |
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| "The BOY WONDER is pushing SIXTY, and does anyone know or care where he is today, or what he's doing?" Only people who keep up with theater and opera care about what Sellars does today. He is no longer fashionable, but Met production of Nixon in China improved on his original version and showed that he is still one of the best opera directors around. But most of his productions take place in California or Europe. | |
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