Theatrical bits, theatrical bobs

• Firstly, one reader went to see Oscar and the Pink Lady with a fellow fan the weekend before last and has very kindly sent us a few words about the experience:

The Old Globe complex was a beautiful place, and the staff members were quite friendly and helpful. They did their jobs well. We are now fans of The Old Globe as well as Rosemary Harris! The theater is small and contributed to our enjoyment of the show. Ms. Harris was really close to the audience the whole time. She was always moving around, so people on every side could see her face easily.

We found the play to be very endearing, and Rosemary Harris was impressive from start to finish. It really was a treat to experience her performing so many distinct roles and voices at once. Kudos to her for a job well done! She is gracious, talented, and inspiring.

It was a highlight that will stand out for each of us when we look back at 2007. We loved the entire experience and highly recommend the show to anyone who is able to see it before it closes this Sunday, November 4.

Many thanks for that, and if anyone else has seen the play or is planning to in the next four days, we would love to hear from you!

• In the run-up to the New York opening of Rock 'n' Roll on November 4, Robert Feldberg of North Jersey speaks to Tom Stoppard about the play, while Hilton Als of The New Yorker argues for the oft-ignored generosity of the playwright:

[...] few if any reviewers of his increasingly ambitious work have ever called him generous. But how else would one describe this largely self-educated man, whose passion for books, ideas, and biography constitutes what’s thrilling about his work? Last season’s Tony Award-winning trilogy, “The Coast of Utopia,” was not only a lesson in how to put together an epic drama; without fear of being labelled pretentious, it gave audience members permission to care about history again. [...]

• On the subject of Rock 'n' Roll, eBay have a copy of the play signed by Tom Stoppard, being auctioned for a local charity.
• Playbill meanwhile announces that Ethan Hawke is cast in a new film, while Broadway.com talks to the actor about 'zen koans' and road-trips with fellow ex-Utopian Josh Hamilton. On what The Coast of Utopia meant to him meant to him, he says:

[...] It was so powerful to be involved in something like that. Part of it felt like going back to grad school in some weird Russian studies course combined with a master class in theater taught by [director] Jack O'Brien and [playwright] Tom Stoppard. Being part of a company doing the plays in rep was the most powerful element of the whole thing. If you're going to do a nine-hour play, you've gotta rehearse the hell out of it. To be part of those all-day performances—to be that tired and look out at the audiences who were staying right with us. It's why you wanted to be a performer. The toughest among us were moved by those days. [...]

On Tom Stoppard, meanwhile:

[...] You don't want to idolize people too much, but Tom Stoppard is a real heavyweight on the planet. He's got an amazing mind and an amazing intellect. So has Jack O'Brien. If you're interested in a life in the arts, these guys make you want to grow old. And in a culture that's always trying to convince you that you want to go back in time somehow, it was wonderful. [...]

• Lastly, IMDb are listing two more release dates for Pride and Glory - France: 26 March 2008; Netherlands: 17 April 2008. The aforementioned ones were 14 March for the UK and USA.