Performing Arts

Colonial History, Through The Eyes Of The Colonized

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 00:01:00 -0500

Danai Gurira's play The Convert interrogates the experiences of the indigenous population in 1890s Rhodesia. Jeff Lunden talks with Gurira about her and her family's experiences in Zimbabwe, and the play's relation to the country today.

New Staging Of 'Yentl' Tells A Transgender Story

Sun, 05 Feb 2012 17:00:00 -0500

Singer-songwriter Jill Sobule is best known for her hit single "I Kissed a Girl." But today she's taking on a new kind of project: writing original music for a new staging of the play Yentl. Her version shares little with Barbra Streisand's movie musical.

'Backstage With' Fred Willard And Martin Mull

Sat, 28 Jan 2012 08:00:00 -0500

Martin Mull and Fred Willard are comic partners in many minds. They helped create Fernwood Tonight in the late 1970s, and while they went on to solo careers in films and stage, they were reunited to play one of TV's first gay couples on Roseanne. Host Scott Simon sat down with the duo for the public television show Backstage With.

In Broadway's 'Wit,' A Documentary Of Our Demise

Thu, 26 Jan 2012 15:33:00 -0500

Cynthia Nixon, best known for her glamorous role in Sex and the City, stars in a Broadway revival of the Pulitzer Prize-winning play Wit. Jeff Lunden talks with Nixon — and Wit's playwright Margaret Edson — about depicting disease and pain with humor.

Ralph Fiennes On Taking Risks With 'Coriolanus'

Sun, 22 Jan 2012 14:48:00 -0500

Ralph Fiennes is known for being a multi-faceted character actor. On film, he's immersed himself in roles as varied as a Hungarian count to one of the most memorable screen villains, Lord Voldemort. But his latest role, as Shakespeare's Coriolanus, may be one of his most challenging, the actor says.

Is It OK To Leave A Show During Intermission?

Tue, 17 Jan 2012 04:00:00 -0500

Have you ever gone to a concert or a play and, for whatever reason, just didn't come back after intermission? Some people have no qualms about leaving. Others wouldn't dream of it, no matter how awful the performance.

Wim Wenders On 'Pina': A Dance Documentary In 3-D

Sat, 14 Jan 2012 06:01:00 -0500

Germany's official entry at the 84th Oscars is Pina, a documentary showcasing the groundbreaking work of the late choreographer Pina Bausch. Director Wim Wenders discusses Bausch, representing dance on screen, and working in 3-D.

Eddie George Trades Touchdowns For Togas

Fri, 13 Jan 2012 12:57:00 -0500

The Heisman Trophy-winning football player has moved from the field to the stage. He's pursuing an acting career and plays the title role in Julius Caesar at the Nashville Shakespeare Festival.

'Intergalactic Nemesis': From Radio To Page To Stage

Thu, 12 Jan 2012 13:01:00 -0500

Three actors, one foley artist, one keyboardist and 1,200 graphic novel images share the stage in the performance of this live-action, science-fiction graphic novel. The Intergalactic Nemesis started as a radio play, morphed into a graphic novel and is now a live performance that combines all of the above.

Playwright Battles For Injured Vets On Stage

Sat, 07 Jan 2012 08:00:00 -0500

The more Kate Wenner heard about the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the more she felt compelled to act. Wenner was struck by the thousands of U.S. troops returning with traumatic brain injuries. To make people take notice, she wrote a stage play about troops with TBIs. NPR's Daniel Zwerdling reports.

Elizabeth McGovern, Acting At An Intersection

Sat, 07 Jan 2012 06:02:00 -0500

The Illinois-born actress left Hollywood for London — and love — 20 years ago. Now she's a star again in her home country, playing an American who married into the English aristocracy in Downton Abbey.

Up Close And Personal: Introducing Intimate Theater

Mon, 02 Jan 2012 00:01:00 -0500

There's a new kind of theater in town, one where the audience participates as keenly as the performers, and there's nowhere to hide.

'The Enchanted Island' A Mashup Of Classic Masters

Sat, 31 Dec 2011 08:00:00 -0500

Shakespeare, Vivaldi, Handel and Placido Domingo all are part of the Metropolitan Opera's new production, The Enchanted Island, opening on New Year's Eve. Taking a cue from 18th-century pastiches and masques, several artists have stitched together an evening that throws the lovers from A Midsummer Night's Dream onto Prospero's enchanted island in The Tempest and has everyone singing arias from a variety of Baroque composers.

Stephen Sondheim On Piano Jazz

Fri, 30 Dec 2011 14:59:00 -0500

The musical theater composer performs "Send in the Clowns" and more with host Marian McPartland.

South Park Creators Talk 'Book Of Mormon'

Fri, 30 Dec 2011 11:24:00 -0500

Trey Parker and Matt Stone talk about their blasphemous, hilarious and oddly endearing Broadway hit, which led the Tony nominations field this year — and will probably go down in history as the only Broadway musical ever to combine Mormons, Uganda, filthy language and a chorus line.

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