IT'S ONLY A PLAY
A comedy by Terrence McNally, Directed by Michael P. Simpson
The play ran from 25 March to 3 April 2004 at Krudttønden, Serridslevvej 2 B, Østerbro
THE CAST |
THE CREW |
THE STORY
It is the opening night of The Golden Egg on Broadway, and the wealthy producer (Julia Budder) is throwing a lavish party in her plush Manhattan townhouse. Downstairs the celebrities are pouring in, but the real action is upstairs where a group of insiders have staked themselves out in the producer's bedroom, waiting for the reviews to come in.
Included are the excitable young author; the brilliant but unstable director (who courts failure and is devastated when his work is well received); the pill-popping leading lady (who is hoping to revive her career after a series of flop movies); and the playwright's best friend, an egotistical but insecure comic actor who passed up a chance to star in the play for a television series that has since been cancelled.
Also present are a fawning, hypocritical drama critic (who is a closet playwright), a would-be singer working as a part-time servant, and a hard-boiled lady taxi driver who has seen it all, many times over.
The good natured bonhomie with which the evening begins grows steadily bitchier and funnier as the reviews come in.
DIRECTOR'S NOTES
There's no business like ... the one we're in!
Imagine having a thought or dream and spending months, sometimes years trying to
get it down on paper. Endless moments looking for just the right words that will amuse, provoke, inspire and
somehow illuminate the human experience.
Imagine spending countless hours with very little money in hand trying to find a theater, lights, sets,
costumes and props to give this dream a physical shape.
Imagine living for days and weeks in small dark rooms going over and over the same words and gestures, songs and dances hoping to get it just right. Then saying goodbye to partners, children, friends and dinner at seven so that you can perform night after night for weeks, months or, if you're lucky, years.
Then imagine all these people waiting breathlessly praying for that nod of approval that says, "we got it and we thought it was great", from you the audience.
Welcome to our world!
This is the world that Terrence McNally paints for us in It's Only a Play. On the surface it's about a very special place in New York City - Broadway. But it extends far beyond that and reflects not just the professional theater's efforts but also many other forms of theater. It includes student groups, amateur theatrical societies and semi-professional theater companies in cities and towns. It encompasses mime, circus artists and carnival acts that criss-cross the highways and byways all over the globe. It springs from storytellers in jungles, forests and deserts in remotely populated areas. These people, one and all, have a special mission that they burn for. That is, to hold a mirror up so that humanity can see its own reflection and to entertain.
The hours are long, the pay is little in dollars and cents and, as Virginia in the play says, "Where else but in the theater do you get to rehearse and rehearse for weeks and weeks just to make a horse's ass of yourself?" The bottom line though is this, we do it for love. Love of the dream, love of the word and most importantly love of you, the audience.
So sit back, relax and let us entertain you. Let us make you smile, let us do a few tricks, some old and some new. We are very versatile! Here's to us and to you!!!
Michael P. Simpson
THE AUTHOR
Tony-award winning author Terrence McNally has been described by New Yorker Magazine as "one of America's most original and audacious dramatists and one of the funniest". His volume of work includes plays such as Frankie and Johnny and Love! Valour! Compassion! (both of which have been made into major motion pictures) and Master Class, which has been performed on the Danish stage. He also wrote the book for The Full Monty, another Broadway smash hit that was also enjoyed by Danish audiences.
THE DIRECTOR
Michael P. Simpson, born 1954 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA.
He received his theatre education at the University of Wisconsin and the
American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco. He has worked as an actor at several regional theatre
companies in the States. Since arriving in Europe in 1979,
Michael has worked as an actor here in
Denmark with, among others, London Toast Theatre, The Royal Danish Theatre, Vintapperteater and Way Off
Broadway Theater. In Holland he acted with InPlayers and Brakke Grond Theater in Amsterdam.
Michael has appeared in various films in Danmark, including the works of Lars von Trier, Thomas Vinterberg, Helle Ryslinger and, most recently, Bille August.
He has directed plays at Copenhagen University, Vandrefalken, CTC and his own theater company, Saw Red
Theater.
He was co-Artistic Director of Terra Nova Theater and Project Leader for the Dance/Theater
Festival in connection with Copenhagen Cultural Capital 1996.
Frank Theakston: James Wicker
|
Frank has been a member of the CTC since arriving in Denmark in 1979. He has since been active on the committee
(several times as Chairman) and on stage. More recent productions have included Educating Rita, Hay Fever,
What the Butler Saw, Season's Greetings and The Dresser. |
Lakmini Besbroda: Virginia Noyes
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A true native New Yorker, Lakmini is thrilled to join the cast of It's Only a Play. She earned a BFA in Theatre from Emerson College in Boston and has worked as a professional actor in off Broadway, regional theatre, television and film. Lakmini would like to thank the warm members and fantastic staff of CTC for making her Danish debut so welcoming! |
Braedon Clark: Peter Austin
Braedon was born in 1978 in Fremantle, Australia and has studied drama in Hong Kong and Australia. He has lived and perfomed in a number of countries, and during the past five years was involved with amateur theatre groups at Cambridge University in the UK. Productions include The Crucible, Dogs Hamlet and The Terrible Fate of Humpty Dumpty. Braedon arrived in Denmark in 2002 and was involved in the last CTC rehearsed reading of The Memory of Water.
Sylvain Verdier: Guy Le Grand (Gus)
Sylvain was born in 1977 and has acted in various plays (Molière, Feydeau, Shakespeare, etc.) with several amateur groups. He arrived in Denmark in 2001 and took part in the CTC's last production, Accidental Death of an Anarchist by Dario Fo, in the spring of 2003. Sylvain is really grateful to the cast and the staff for the last months. Merci pour tout!
Sue Hansen-Styles: Julia Budder
Sue has been treading the boards for years with amateur theatre groups in London, Luxembourg and Brussels. Roles include Joy in Shadowlands, Marge in Absent Friends, Rachel in Season's Greetings, Ruth in Blythe Spirit and Beatrice in Much Ado About Nothing. Arriving in Denmark in 2001, she was Assistant Director on the CTC production of Accidental Death of an Anarchist last year and took part in the rehearsed reading of The Memory of Water earlier this year. This is her first acting role with the CTC.
Paul Little: Frank Finger
Paul has been a member of the CTC for two years and appeared in last season's Accidental Death of an Anarchist as the Superintendent. He looks forward to this new production and gratefully acknowledges the tremendous support of friends and family and especially Ditte. To play this role and with this cast is a privilege.
Paul Bjergfelt: Ira Drew
Paul's last acting role for the CTC was as Peregrine Potter in A Tomb with a View in 1990. In 1991 he was a founding member the theatre group Projektmagerne: acting roles include John Hale in The Crucible, Mercutio in Romeo and Juliet and Claudius in Hamlet. Since 1997, Paul has focused on directing and has directed numerous college productions, as well as Projektmagerne's 10th anniversary production of A Midsummer Night's Dream. Paul's latest venture is to organise a series of acting workshops, each looking at a different acting approach. After a 13-year absence, he is happy to be part of the CTC again.
Nathalie Johnston: Emma
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Nathalie's roots are a mixture of French and English (with a little Italian thrown in!!). She caught the acting bug at primary school and has continued ever since (both in local theatre and London), with shows as diverse as Oliver! Annie, Sound of Music, Sparrows can't Sing, Romeo and Juliet and The Tempest . She is still, however, waiting for her big breakthrough, so ... who knows? |