tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5641398182926491003.post7460822254004079968..comments2024-03-23T10:31:52.756-04:00Comments on Rick On Theater: On "Re-Imagining" 'Porgy And Bess'Rickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08164037407475532693noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5641398182926491003.post-22757633566215621632015-02-28T11:07:07.028-05:002015-02-28T11:07:07.028-05:00On Tuesday, 24 February 2015, the New York Times p...On Tuesday, 24 February 2015, the New York Times published the following announcement:<br /><br />"The critically acclaimed epic play 'Father Comes Home from the Wars (Parts 1, 2, & 3)' by Suzan-Lori Parks has won the Edward M. Kennedy Prize for a theatrical work inspired by American history, the stewards of the award announced Monday. A check for $100,000 will also go to Ms. Parks, a Pulitzer Prize winner for the drama 'Topdog/Underdog.'<br /><br />"'Father Comes Home' depicts sacrifices and soul-searing moments in the Civil War through the eyes of a slave, Hero, who goes off to fight with his plantation master and, with echoes of 'The Odyssey,' eventually returns to his loved ones as a transformed man. Ms. Parks is now working on Parts 4 through 9 of 'Father Comes Home,' which will follow descendants of her Civil War characters.<br /><br />"'Father Comes Home' was produced at the Public Theater last fall and is running through Sunday [1 March] at the American Repertory Theater in Cambridge, Mass. The winner was announced by Columbia University and Jean Kennedy Smith, a sister of Mr. Kennedy who established the prize to honor him."<br /><br />~RickRickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08164037407475532693noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5641398182926491003.post-51170935771394908312014-09-08T01:10:03.629-04:002014-09-08T01:10:03.629-04:00On Friday, 5 Sept., the New York Times reported th...On Friday, 5 Sept., the New York Times reported that Suzan-Lori Parks had been awarded the 2014 Horton Foote Prize for her new play, 'Father Comes Home From the Wars (Parts 1, 2, & 3),' recognized for promising new American play. The play, about a slave who must make decisions about participating in the Civil War and the consequences of his choices, is scheduled to première at New York's Public Theater in October and then transfer to the American Repertory Theater in Cambridge, Massachusetts, in January 2015. <br /><br />Parks, a Pulitzer Prize-winner for 'Topdog/Underdog' in 2002, will receive $15,000 for the award. The Foote Prize, given every other year for excellence in American theater, was established in 2010 to honor Foote, the Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright of 'The Trip to Bountiful' and Oscar-winning screenwriter of 'To Kill a Mockingbird' who died in 2009.<br /><br />~RickRickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08164037407475532693noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5641398182926491003.post-16582968762443860922012-07-21T13:21:44.714-04:002012-07-21T13:21:44.714-04:00On Thursday, 19 July, the "New York Times&quo...On Thursday, 19 July, the "New York Times" reported:<br /><br />"'The Gershwins' Porgy and Bess' will close on Sept. 23, a week earlier than planned, its producers said. According to a news release the change was made to accommodate the next production at the Richard Rodgers Theater, which was not identified."<br /><br />~RickRickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08164037407475532693noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5641398182926491003.post-81130097644527454912012-06-12T15:03:46.172-04:002012-06-12T15:03:46.172-04:00On Sunday, 10 June, the 2011-12 Tony Awards were a...On Sunday, 10 June, the 2011-12 Tony Awards were announced at the usual televised gala in New York. "Porgy and Bess" received the Tony for Best Revival of a Musical and Audra McDonald won the award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical for her portrayal of Bess. <br /><br />Norm Lewis, who played Porgy, was nominated as best lead actor in a musical and Diane Paulus was nominated as the director of a musical. Phillip Boykin and David Alan Grier were each nominated as featured actors in a musical for their roles as Crown and Sporting Life, respectively. The production also recieved Tony nominations for orchestration, costume design, lighting design, and sound design.<br /><br />The adaptation/revival is scheduled to run at the Richard Rodgers Theatre until 30 September.<br /><br />~RickRickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08164037407475532693noreply@blogger.com