A Week Of New York Theater Tweets, 12/07/09

Ashlee Simpson-Wentz is grateful to Bob Fosse, but sore, because of her appearance in “Chicago.” James Franco considers his appearance in the soap opera “General Hospital” to be an example of performance art. There is a new handheld Wi-Fi device being used in London theaters that allows foreign tourists and hearing-impaired theatergoers to follow every word.

I have been spending a lot of time on Twitter lately, which is where I have been picking up a lot of this stuff, and where I have been sending out a lot more — more than I have anywhere else. It suddenly occurred to me that it may be worth repeating some of it in a more traditional medium, i.e. The Faster Times. Consider this a mash-up or a tech trend or cross-medium-something or whatever they are calling cool these days.

Monday, November 30, 2009:
Playwright David Mamet turns 62 years old today. His “Oleanna” closes Jan. 3rd. His “Race” opens December 6th.

Theater abroad: Israel and Romania issue postage stamp of first Yiddish theater (1876); first theater ever (under Acropolis) being rebuilt.

Kelsey Grammer to star in La Cage Aux Folles; Christopher Walken, who appeared headless in Sleepy Hollow, to be in A Behanding in Spokane

Mark Twain was born today in 1835. Best-known as a humorist, least-known as a playwright. Centennial in 2010 of his death may change that.

Flahooley, Flopped 1951 Broadway Musical Political Satire By Finian’s Rainbow Creators, gets Off-Off Broadway Revival

Tuesday, December 1:

Woody Allen turns 74 today, Bette MIdler,64.

Today is World AIDS Day. Ceremony at Washington Square Arch at 6 p.m. Broadway theater marquees dim at 8 pm for one minute.

‘Oleanna’ Will Close on Sunday almost a month ahead of schedule.

Openings in Brooklyn tonight: Fight Fest @bricktheater ; Cate Blanchett in Streetcar Named Desire @bam

Young playwright, canned from day job, wins $25,000 Wasserstein Prize

David Mamet’s “Oleanna” now closing on Broadway on December 6th, the same day his “Race” is opening on Broadway

Wednesday, December 2:
Understudy Matthew Hydzik Named West Side Story’s New Tony; Matt Cavenaugh Exits Dec. 13

NY State Senate votes down Marriage Equality Act @CivilRightsFrnt urges demonstration on red staircase #tkts Times Square 6 p.m. tonight

Nearly everything about @tkts is wonderful, including its staff, like @allihouseworth. And TKTS gift cards . Even has great protest rallies.

Terry Teachout is a talented critic and biographer. But he’s hard to take. At least his Tweets are. Exhibit 1: “The next five days are scary: two speeches, three plays, three deadlines, four radio shows, and a newspaper interview.”

Thursday, December 3:
Grammy Nominees for Best Musical Show Album: Ain’t Misbehavin’, Hair, 9 to 5, Shrek, West Side Story. Grammy nominations, complete list (109 categories!). Best Spoken Word Grammy nominations (category 78) include Carrie Fisher’s Wishful Drinking.

Today in #Broadway history: “A Streetcar Named Desire” opens with Marlon Brando, 1947. Now with Cate Blanchett.

Primary Stages announces its 2010 season: A.R. Gurney’s “Black Tie; “In Transit” subway musical; Jonathan Tolins’ “Secrets of the Trade,” which is about the theater world.

Ashlee Simpson-Wentz Makes Her Broadway Debut In ‘Chicago’

Friday, December 4:
James Franco on performance art and his role in the soap opera “General Hospital” which he considers performance art

About-to-be-jailed Garth Drabinsky hired by two New Jersey producers to consult on revival of “Barrymore”

Altar Boyz will close on Jan. 10th.

RT [retweeted from] @ElizabethReese “ALTAR BOYZ IS CLOSING?!! I HATE MY LIIIIIFE” ok, elizabeth, cheer up, there are still good things in life -Fela? Naked Boys?

Off to Times Square again. Should I try Yahoo’s outdoors Wi-Fi – hasn’t worked 3 times –Or should I just go to the Drama Book Shop?
ok, I’m at the Drama Book Shop, sitting between a woman reading BackStage and a man reading “Good Boys and True” A refuge!
Next Thursday at the Drama Book Shop: David Henry Hwang, Edward Albee and Francis Jue in person, 5:30 PM, on “Yellow Face” free event!
Drama Book Shop’s “play of the week” — The Walworth Farce and The New Electric Ballroom by Enda Walsh
Y.Vee, comedian and actress sitting next to me at Drama Book Shop (the one reading Backstage), loves hanging out here
Y.Vee: “I can ask Stu to recommend a monologue for me.” Stu works at Drama Book Shop

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame NY Annex is closing Jan 3 for good. Here was my review of Yoko’s exhibition John Lennon in NYC

New York Drama Critics Circle admits its first online critic — a mere 15 years after the birth of the Web.

2010 Broadway orchestras will downsize from the heights of South Pacific, West Side Story,Ragtime, Finian’s Rainbow RT (retweeted) from Variety

Broadway=education RT @LoveBroadway42 I got extra credit in Spanish because I knew phrases we hadn’t learned yet. Thank you In the Heights!

Saturday, December 5
“Success consists of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm.” Winston Churchill

Theatergoers still spending on #Broadway, but only for familiar musicals or plays with big-name stars. RT @Variety

Will Hulu start to charge when Comcast takes over NBC? Advocates are worried.
Hulu, like Twitter, is a way to make you feel as if you’re managing your time while wasting it.

Angela Lansbury to receive first Stephen Sondheim Award from Signature Theatre (of DC, not NYC).
Angela Lansbury, who is on Broadway in Sondheim’s “A Little Night Music,” debuted on musical stage in Sondheim’s “Anyone Can Whistle”
In preparation for Sondheim’s @alittlenightmusic, I just watched Ingmar Bergman’s 1955 film “Smiles of a Summer Night” on which it is based.
Lines from “Smiles of a Summer Night”(translated from the Swedish): “Love is juggling heart, words, loin”
Desiree Armfeldt wooing Frederic Egerman in “Smiles of a Summer Night”: “You’re a terribly boring normal person and I’m a great artist”

Sunday, December 6
City Island Theater Group, one of 100s of vibrant community theaters in NYC, celebrates its 10th anniversary

Entertainment Weekly’s quirky 100 Greatest of Decade list includes August: Osage County (#36), Wicked (49), Twitter (65), Avenue Q (89)

Ending today: A Steady Rain, After Miss Julie, Hamlet w/Jude Law, Oleanna, The Lady With All The Answers (e.g. Ann Landers)

RT @HESherman RT @americanrep: “Life is short but art is long.” (from Robert Brustein’s new play “Mortal Terror” )

Television is called a medium because it is neither rare nor well done.

RT @ashsimpsonwentz Mr. Bob Fosse you were an absoulte genius.. My body is sore though and I love it : 8 more weeks to go..ALL that jazzzz

Great idea from London theater: subtitles in choice of 8 languages available on Wi-Fi handset