A Few Little Extras...

• Firstly, a nice little photo of the former Mr and Mrs Macbeth at the Nominees' Brunch at the Marriott Marquis. (Scroll down, fourth photo).
• Mark Shenton of The Stage gives his opinions on the Tony situation, including notable omissions. He notes how Mr O'Brien is the sole American entrant competing for Best Director of a play.
• The Independent leads the British publications who have well-intentionally (if erroneously) tried to claim Ms Ehle as one of their own. (I apologise for my country!)
• Rexsteed ran the penultimate marathon and found it 'stunningly beautiful, awesome, intriguing' and 'thrilling'.
• Fan Sean meanwhile has decided that 'the world needs a lot more Martha Plimpton' and is rooting for her in the Featured Actress category.
• Here is an old interview with Ethan Hawke regarding his second novel, Ash Wednesday.
• All you Stoppardians out there, mark your diaries for October 19, the date Rock 'n' Roll is coming to Broadway! (as reported by Playbill)
• eBay has a Coast programme signed by five main Utopians. If you did not buy any memorabilia, there are still some window cards available. Or if you're free on June 10th, there are two Tony Awards tickets up for grabs! Playbill.com meanwhile is still selling opening night playbills for each part.

From the other shore

The Outer Critics Circle awards have been announced: see Playbill. Eve Best won in Jennifer Ehle's category, but Coast of Utopia scored six gongs, the most for the season. Congrats!

[...] Among its honors are Outstanding New Broadway Play, Outstanding Director of a Play (Jack O'Brien), Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play (Martha Plimpton), Outstanding Lighting Design (Brian MacDevitt, Kenneth Posner and Natasha Katz), Outstanding Set Design (Bob Crowley and Scott Pask) and Outstanding Costume Design (Catherine Zuber). [...]

There are now some photos up from the Drama League awards at BroadwayWorld; Utopia was represented by Ethan Hawke, Brian F. O'Byrne and Billy Crudup. Here are the boys at the meet and greet. At Stage Notes, you can see a shot of some of Team Utopia from the Broadway Show League.

Tonys predictions are stepping up, with Utopia quite prominent. The Record's Robert Feldberg is tipping it for Best Play and Mr O'Byrne for Lead Actor; Jacques Le Sourd of the Journal News and Michael Kuchwara of AP more or less concur. Michael Riedel of the NY Post goes straight to the source, gauging Tonys temperature from some nominators; according to them, Utopia will be battling Frost/Nixon and Radio Golf for Best Play. Steve on Broadway's poll comes up with the same.

Bloggers are getting in on the predictions as well: Carajoy of Full Force Theater Musings considers Jennifer Ehle a lock in Featured (spin round, spit thrice!) along with some other Utopians in their categories, while Josh R at Edward Copeland on Film thinks Martha Plimpton is a chance:

[...] I'm starting to really like Martha Plimpton's chances for Featured Actress in Play - she was absolutely brilliant in Salvage, which was the last play in the Utopia cycle and consequently the last one voters will have seen (Ehle's triumph came in Part 2). Of course, I love Ehle, but actually, it's a close call for me - and of course, Jennifer has her Tony, so I won't be upset if Martha takes her out. [...]

Michael Baker of Lunar Gemini bats for a few Utopians too. Another blogger, mole_underfield, went to see Voyage especially for Ms Ehle. He missed her at the stage door but says nice things about her "intelligence and her compassionate persona" in Pride and Prejudice. Peter saw the last Salvage performance, enjoying the acting and production. Manderson at The Art of Possible posts this wrapup:

[...] Of everything this season, I only missed one show... nothing has been as amazing and overwhelming that is the journey with the cast of The Coast of Utopia.

The sets, the lights, the costumes, and the most remarkable cast of 44 actors make this an experience unlike any other. Guided by, I am going to say it - Theatrical Genius, Jack O'Brien, The Coast of Utopia takes the amazing words of the fabulous Tom Stoppard and turns them into the most captivating philosophical drama I have ever experienced. [...]

A wee description of Utopia I liked from Chris Jones' review of Arcadia in the Chicago Tribune:

[...] Stoppard’s “The Coast of Utopia,” which recently finished its run at New York City’s Lincoln Center, has that riveting, hopelessly impassioned quality. [...]

And possibly the highest praise one can give a writer chez Sacha:

[...] I'm over the moon. The actors in this ensemble are storytellers on an elite level, Stoppard is gutsy and unsparing and assumes his audiences' intelligence, the light designer painted with light, shade after shade drawing me in, and the music wrapped the whole passionate, noisy, glorious mess in an embrace. Jack O'Brian, the director, had a vision and it was one that as many people as possible should see, love it or hate it. The productions were more than worth every cent I spent, every minute spent on the cancellation line . . . what line? Any memory of that left as soon as my eyes met the stage. What a wonderful, miraculous thing this is, stories told on stage. The very best ones scoop you up, and take you into their world, forcing you to forsake the daily life you have just for a few hours. And when you come back, even the real world has changed as a result of seeing good, very good storytelling. If I ever got a chance to really meet Tom Stoppard, I'd tell him that. He altered the way I see people, my world, choices, and events and that I'm disturbed by this, and I'm glad. And I think he'd be one of those people who could take something like that as a compliment. [...]

Elsewhere in blogland, love for Utopia and funny comments at Allison Williams' LJ, plus some general "saw it, liked it" from Tom & Alissa and Sandy. On the forums there's a sweet "Farewell to Utopia" thread at BroadwayWorld about how it's inspired people, some discussion of accents at All That Chat and another thread where daveylow writes about the last Salvage performance:

[...] I also found Salvage much more involving today, much sadder. The whole cast was in tears this afternoon. I was in the second row center so I was thrilled to be there. [...]

Anthony Grafton reviews Utopia for the New York Review of Books. It begins with observations about some marathoner' reactions:

[...] The marathon version of Tom Stoppard's Russian trilogy is charged with excitement. When I saw the three plays in one day at the end of March, virtually the entire audience stayed until the end. Some of those present—who ranged from eager students to slippered pantaloons—clutched battered blue copies of Isaiah Berlin's Russian Thinkers. Others congratulated one another enthusiastically on seeing plays "that are so much more demanding than the usual." One young man who passed me during an interval on the plaza outside the Vivian Beaumont, talking and gesturing as wildly as the young Russian intellectuals in the first of Stoppard's plays, cried "Knowledge! I want more knowledge" as he went by, smiling seraphically.

When the audience gave the actors a standing ovation—something that happens more often than it should these days—the actors applauded the audience in their turn. Some of them even appeared in costume after the show and joined the ushers in handing out buttons that read "I ran the mara-thon." The ties of feeling that bound cast and audience were almost visible and broke slowly. An older man, behind whom I walked to the subway after the third play came to an end, used his cell phone to give a friend or loved one an urgent, detailed, scene-by-scene account of what we had just watched. [...]

In the "links that fit nowhere else" category, have a read of Aileen Kelly's introduction to Isaiah Berlin's Russian Thinkers, posted at Slow Muse. Also, Dying City playwright Christopher Shinn was asked his opinion on Utopia at one of the Platform Series sessions. Oh yeah Brits, tune your tellies to BBC2 this Monday at 11.50pm to see Bedrooms and Hallways.

Phew, that's the news done! Now for the navel-gazey bit....as of Sunday, the grand Utopian voyage has finally come to an end. There have been more than 200 performances of the show, which must add up to a hell of a lot of sacrifice, man hours and creative energies spent so that hundreds of thousands of spectators could experience this epic event. Congratulations to every single person in the Utopia family - cast, creative team, crew, admin. And thank you. I can't do justice to the scope of this momentous achievement; surely there will be an elegy for Utopia in the NY Times or something. We all need some closure!

On our part, we've been chronicling the show from June 2006 when it was announced that Jennifer Ehle was cast (see hysterical post). Since then, it became an almost daily part of our lives as we hunted down every snippet of Utopia news and opinion available online. It's been a joy watching it take flight.

A lesser milestone passed a couple of weeks ago, the blog's second anniversary. We made it! Hilarious, wristslitty, absurd, humbling, hectic, exhilarating...that hardly begins to describe the year. For me personally, this was the year that web fandom converged with real life as I had the privilege of seeing Utopia with some fellow fans. It was incredible. The report from this is criminally overdue but on the verge of completion.

Said report contains an announcement I've been meaning to make for some time now. The short version is that I am soon stepping down from blog management, passing the torch to Abi and Kate. Officially I'm staying until the Tonys, but impending exam madness means my departure will be a gradual decrescendo rather than an abrupt silence come June. Afterwards I will still be around to enjoy my successors' work and help with technical hitches if necessary, but the blog will be in Kate and Abi's capable hands.

There are many thanks due to everyone who's helped with the blog over the past couple of years, but I think I'll keep my list of specific acknowledgments til June to avoid repetition. For now, thanks to you, dear readers, for your silent support. The little numbers ticking over on our visitor counter has been great reassurance that we're not talking into a void.

PS. Sorry about the weird popup, not quite sure how to get rid of it.

'Distinguished Production of a Play'

There are only three days of performances left, but first, the awards:

This afternoon, The Drama League presented The Coast of Utopia with the award for 'Distinguished Production of a Play.' See Playbill.com for a complete list of the nominees and winners. Note that Jennifer Ehle's former Macbeth costar, Liev Schreiber, took home the 'Distinguished Performance Award.'

Broadway.com has announced the nominees for the 2007 Audience Awards. The Coast of Utopia garnered seven nominations, including 'Favorite New Broadway Play,' and Jennifer Ehle has been nominated for 'Favorite Featured Actress in a Broadway Play' alongside castmates Amy Irving and Martha Plimpton. Vote for your favorites by May 24.

The website manager for the Tony Awards, Andrew McGibbon, announced that the first of three videos in the newly created "Road to the Tonys" series will be available online on Monday May 21st. These videos can be viewed at TonyAwards.com. Jennifer Ehle's "Tony Memories" video is not online yet, but keep checking the Tonys Site.

On the message board front, more Tony victories are predicted for The Coast of Utopia and Jennifer Ehle by idoleyes at All That Chat. Whyohwhyoh, also of All That Chat, is critical of the American cast, but commends the "brilliant Jennifer Ehle" for her performance.

Review-wise, Misha Berson of The Seattle Times attended the April 28th marathon (when Tom Stoppard was in the audience). Her review includes a mention of Ms. Ehle:

[...] Herzen's complicated relations with wife Natalie (the outstanding Jennifer Ehle), a tempestuous mistress (Martha Plimpton, also terrific), many children and a fierce German nanny (also played by Ehle) attest to the limits of 'free love' in an age without birth control (or mental-health care). [...]

Meanwhile, marathon runner Deborah Barlow of Slow Muse left the theater in a state of transcendence:

[...] I’ll be blatantly bloggish and personal and just say that I was in an altered state through the entire 12 hour marathon. (Still am.) Stoppard isn’t everyone’s cup of tea–during the breaks I overheard people who thought it was a bit 'wordy' or that they had fallen asleep through some of it–but he is definitely mine. Why stop at 12 hours? I could do 100. More! No other playwright I know blends the history of Western ideas with theatrical intensity like Stoppard. And there are so many large arc ideas in this trilogy, ones that I care about deeply. [...]

David Fischer at Blog About Town prays for an extension ("I saw Part I courtesy of TKTS last night and loved it--my main disappointment is that, barring a miraculous extension, I won't be able to see the other two parts."), while Elizabeth Maupin of The Orlando Sentinel offers a few words of caution.

Some news about the cast members' post-Utopia projects has begun to trickle out. For instance, Playbill.com reports that Dan Lipton, The Coast of Utopia's pianist, will be performing his own music at Ars Nova on June 3rd. Martha Plimpton will also be taking part in this concert.
Ethan Hawke is off to Australia to begin filming a new movie about vampires called Daybreakers, as reported by Ed Perkis of Cinema Blend. No news of any upcoming projects for Jennifer Ehle. As of now, Pride and Glory is scheduled to be released 04 January 2008.

In other news, Spider-man 3 has been setting box-office records, according to CBC.ca. Gina Carbone of Seacoastonline offers some heartening words about Rosemary Harris in an otherwise mixed review:

[...] At least there's still Aunt May. Rosemary Harris — class itself — grounds the film with her soulful warmth, reminding us that 'Spider-Man' is more than special effects and witty quips. [...]

Had we but ADSL enough, and time

No time for the full roundup that Utopia's final weekend deserves, but have a few random links to tide you over.

• NY Magazine reminds us tongue-in-cheekily that Coast of Utopia is closing this Sunday.
• Some love for the show from Elizabeth Maupin of the Orlando Sentinel and at Primo Clarinetto.
  
• Utopia is doing well at the Broadway Show (Softball) League, winning both their matches against A Chorus Line and Fantastiks/Crime/829.
• Word at BroadwayWorld is that the Coast of Utopia CD is now available at the Lincoln Centre, presumably in the lobby. It's listed at Amazon as well. There are also results for the Munky Awards in which BWW forumers vote for their favourites. Utopia scored Best Play and wins in costume design, lighting design, scenic design and direction. Jennifer Ehle and Billy Crudup took out Best Featured Actress and Actor respectively. Check out the voting breakdowns.
  

t-6

What surely must be a record number of famous faces attended the final Utopia marathon, according to Lawson Taitte of Over The Top Blog. A few All That Chatters also present spotted Tony voters and more VIPs. Another final-marathon runner, Heather, sez:

...I will just say - it is surely one the most beautiful things I have ever seen a group of human beings do together. I hope wherever you are there is something to cause you to ruminate on beauty, art, and love. [...]

And more marathon reportage from Wendell Brock of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution:

[...] A very long journey, indeed, but a starry, satisfying and wholly opulent one.

"Starry" as in the constellation of Ethan Hawke, Billy Crudup and Brian F. O'Byrne.

"Opulent" as in sets by Bob Crowley ("Aida," "The History Boys") and Scott Pask ("The Pillowman"). I'm talking about images that got applause before a single word was spoken. I'm talking about an enormous crystal onion dome hanging from the ceiling like some Dale Chihuly chandelier. I'm talking about a tableau vivant representing what looked like hundreds and hundreds of serfs. (Call it the magic of theater.) [...]

Jere-Rigged, who liveblogged from the marathon earlier, posts this summary:

The Coast of Utopia - This was the very definition of epic in every way...huge cast, huge sets and costumes, huge running time. I saw all three of the plays that comprise this work in a single day and it was a bit overwhelming. Cast was terrific, especially Ethan Hawke, Brian F. O'Bryne (terrific in everything and New York's most reliable character actor), and Jennifer Ehle. It about a group of real-life Russian philosphers/rabble rousers and follows the group from their student days in St. Petersburg through their lives for 40 or 50 years. It's like Chekov by way of Stoppard. You just sort of have to go with it and let the whole thing wash over you. Go, if you have a chance. We don't get big theatrical epics like this very often and this is a chance to catch something the likes of which you probably won't see again.

rm on Shipwreck and curtain calls:

[...] The staging of the revolutionary stuff in France was particularly compelling, especially with the singing, and it really gave me chills and moved me to tears just for the sheer scale of it -- it put me in mind of the awe, but in a much darker way, that I felt at the end of Act II of Luhrmann's staging of Bohemme with that damn streamer cannon.
...
One of the stranger things that's stuck with me from both parts 1 and 2 were the curtain calls. Part of it is how exceptionally well choreographed they are (curtain calls always feel like last minute disasters to me when I'm in them), but it's also a sense of how between fact and fiction I find them -- with the thematic music and the victorious, almost martial, staging of them -- is this the heroes of the play celebrating? or the actors? There's a real gleaming pride in these curtain calls and a ferociousness to the body language from all the actors and it interests me, both as a glance into the nature of performing something as insane as this piece, but also as a glance into the characters in a way that's out of Time (even more than the plays themselves) and into the authorial and directorial mindsets of the presentation. [...]

At a thaumaturgical compendium, the Utopia marathon prompts interesting musings on contempory technological utopias - sorta reads like an essay in the LCT Review. Here's his wrapup of the show, but click through for the thinky bits.

[...] I won’t review, because I am rarely very good at that. It was, however, an excellent production. The plays were well written, though the third seemed a bit more harried than the first two. The acting was generally excellent. Ethan Hawke got on my nerves—I am sure that was why he was cast in the role—and tripped on the lines at one point, but I’m sure it has to be a bit harrowing to do three different shows in a day. Tom Stoppard was in the audience (as were some familiar faces, including Bill Bradley, Nathan Lane, and Jane Krakowski), and was dragged on stage to take a bow at the curtain call. The staging was breathtaking, and director Jack O’Brian deserves special credit for making this an astoundingly engaging performance, making use of lighting, a stage turntable, sets, sounds, and odors to draw the audience into the dialogue. In all, a great experience. [...]

There's a fascinating comparison of Turgenev translations at Steamboats Are Ruining Everything. Only tenuously linked to the premise of this blog but that's never stopped us before. Finally, on the awards-tipping front, Modern Fabulosity's Tony predictions are up, with nods to Utopia and a number of cast members. Ditto at BroadwayWorld.

Less than one week til Utopia closes! If you haven't seen the show yet...get out from under that rock!

173 down, 7 to go...

As of today, it's a tearful au revoir to the Marathon!

Meanwhile:

Tim at My Stupid Dog considers Utopia 'quite simply the best thing I have ever seen on a stage.'

The feat performed by Mr. Director is given the thumbs up once again:

[...] With a cast of forty-four and more than eighty speaking parts, this production would be massive by any standard. (The cast of the 2002 London production was smaller by a third.) Yet fluid, ingenious direction from Jack O’Brien ensures that every moment of this trilogy is enthralling, delightful, and deeply heartfelt. [...]

He also gives perhaps the highest praise yet for Mr. O'Byrne:

[...] Brian O'Byrne may be the only living American actor capable of the emotional, intellectual, physical and vocal demands of this enormous role. His booming baritone easily fills the thousand-seat Vivian Beaumont Theater - no easy task, since most of this production is performed without amplification. On days when all three parts of Coast are performed back-to-back, O’Byrne appears onstage for nearly five exhausting hours, all but shouting to the gallery the entire time. [...]

The commendations extend to the rest of the cast, although a few people are omitted:

[...] Ethan Hawke ... gives O’Byrne a fair run for his money. Hawke endows his young Mikhail Bakunin with movie-star glamour (and, more slyly, more than a little movie-star narcissism), then ages convincingly into a bitter, unsympathetic bomb-thrower. Amy Irving successfully tackles multiple roles, as Bakunin’s flibbertigibbet mother in Voyage and a shocking bisexual temptress in Shipwreck. As author Ivan Turgenev, who may well serve as the artistic conscience of Coast, Jason Butler Harner gives an initially restrained performance that grows more intense and powerful as the trilogy progresses. In the performances I saw of Voyage and Shipwreck, the character of Russian literary critic Vissarion Belinsky, usually played by Billy Crudup, was handled by understudy Scott Parkinson. Parkinson acquitted himself admirably, even drawing spontaneous applause for a lengthy first-act monologue in Voyage. [...]

He then parts with the crowd by proposing that Part 1 is the best option for a single play:

[...] Voyage would prove the most satisfying. Shipwreck, a domestic drama, feels like a middle chapter, while Salvage can seem pedantic to those who have yet to see the first two parts. [...]

• Daily Motion speaks to Rosemary Harris briefly about her career and all things arachnidan. (And you can brush up on your language skills with the complimentary French subtitles.)
• Visit the Tom Stoppard Bibliography for a comprehensive list of all Stoppardian creations including unpublished works.
• eBay.co.uk has a few things up for grabs: 1) a The Real Thing programme from the Donmar's production 2) a copy of the Radio Times from March 1983, with cover girl Rosemary Harris 3) a programme from the Apollo's production of The Best of Friends, starring Ms Harris, from 1988. 4) a programme from the Strand's 1992 production of Lost in Yonkers, also starring Ms Harris.

A Splendid Showdown!

Hello everyone, I'm Kate, the newest member of the Jennifer Ehle blog team. I'm a long-time fan, theatre buff, and perennial student. Please bear with me as I make my blogging debut.

Awards season is upon us! Normally, we have to sit back and await the decisions of others, but here is our chance to influence the outcome. Support The Coast of Utopia, Jennifer Ehle, and all of your other favorites by nominating them for Broadway.com's 8th Annual Audience Awards. Here's what they have to say:

[…] Nominate your favorites in each category and later vote for the winners of this annual prize ... Voting takes place through Thursday, May 10 at 11:59pm. We'll announce the nominees on Friday, May 11, at which point final voting will start. Be sure to check back and see if your favorites made the cut! […]

Broadway.com and Playbill.com have posted photos from the 2007 Drama Desk Nominee Reception. Martha Plimpton, who has been nomiated for Outstanding Featured Actress, was there representing The Coast of Utopia. The awards will be presented on May 20.

For those of you who haven't had your fill of reviews, there is much praise from Everett Evans of The Houston Chronicle, who recently ran the marathon. He singles out one scene in particular:

[…] The entire cast, in fact, is uniformly superb, but there is no more space for individual commendations — other than to praise Jennifer Ehle and Amy Irving's splendid showdown in a Paris garret in Shipwreck, Ehle at that point playing Herzen's wife Natalie, with Irving as Ogarev's estranged wife, Maria. […]

He also has this to say about the "all head and no heart" debate regarding Tom Stoppard's works:

[…] Stoppard has at times been accused of being too cerebral, abstruse and devilishly tricky. Yet for all its heady political and philosophical debate, Utopia is not the offputting tract some might fear. Because Stoppard stresses the humanity of his flawed, complicated (and yes, brainy) characters, the trilogy remains involving throughout … It's about human relationships, too: romances thwarted or enduring, betrayals real or imagined, parent-child relationships, the tragedy of three key figures doomed to an early death by consumption. Whether considering how societies evolve or pondering the meaning in the death of a child, Stoppard's people are passionate as they are intelligent. […]

Remember that Spiderman 3 starts today! Here is a cute interview at Relish Now! with the lovely Rosemary Harris, who recounts a potential disaster (that was thankfully averted) while filming part deux.

[...] “They had built four stories of the building, and I was standing on the window ledge,” she recalled. She was protected with a thin body-fitting harness (“It’s the same thing the Cirque du Soleil people wear,” she said) and wires that supported her … for the most part. “One time just before they were going to take a shot of me falling, they suddenly shouted out ‘Don’t jump yet! Your wires have lost their memory!’ It was alarming.” She isn’t sure exactly what a wire having lost its memory means, but waited for them to reprogram the computers that controlled the wires. “Then they said, ‘OK, now you can jump’ and I said, ‘Thanks a lot.’” She enjoyed her brief foray into stunt work. “I loved it. I got quite addicted to it. It was sort of an adrenaline rush.” [...]

Not only does she enjoy doing her own stunt work, she's quite the world traveler as well.

[...] “Rosemary Harris has been busy lately on a worldwide tour promoting Spider-Man 3, and she’s having a blast. "I’m ready for beer and skittles, raring to go," she said by phone from New York, just back from a trip to Tokyo and just before she jetted off to London, Paris, Berlin and Rome. "When you’re flying first class, it spoils you for anything else.… It’s red carpet all the way." [...]

Well, we're down to the wire. Only 11 performances remain, and the cast and crew will be running their final marathon tomorrow, May 5. Don't despair but remember, "Life's bounty is in its flow."

Wunderbar!

• MissSummerLee was present on the 24th and is glad she 'devoted a whole day' to Utopia. She says:

[...] The plays are...very well written and funny with that biting bit of dry sarcastic British humor that I adore ... The design is beautiful. Simple and striking and very well done. It was such an amazing experience and I would totally do it all over again. ... I don't have words for how amazing this was to see! [...]

She also spotted Nathan Lane and Eric Stoltz in the audience, aside from Sir Tom and Mr.O'Brien.

• Echoing similar sentiments, marathon runner Johnna was at the same performance and 'loved every second of it'. Even a little mental drifting didn't lessen the impact:

[...] I admit there was approximately 20 to 40 minutes in the combined show running times of nearly 9 hours where the script was way more intelligent than I was and I couldn't follow the political discussions. But I filled the time with stuff more on my level (admiring the pretty costumes, ... looking for the ventilated wig fronts and microphones.) ... I amused myself even during the cerebral parts. ...

I could have come back two hours after the final curtain and watched another installment if they were willing to present a part four at 1 in the morning. [...]

She isn't the only one contemplating a sequel - Snarksmith nominates The Coast of Realism as a possible title for a part quatre.

Meanwhile:

• Martha Plimpton meets up with singer/songwriter Feist.
• The Guardian has an interesting (albeit loosely related) piece on the current pre-eminence of British playwrights at the expense of their American counterparts. Sir Tom is mentioned briefly with regard to Utopia and Rock'n'Roll.
• Pairs-of-eyes wise, Utopia took silver for the week ending April 29th. (Utopia: 90.2%, The Year of Magical Thinking: 94.6%). For a comprehensive breakdown of Utopia's progress over the last seven months, click here.
• Only 14 plays now remain....if you're in the vicinity, you know what to do. If you're stuck, eBay has a ticket for the penultimate Salvage and the final Voyage. If you buy the latter....I might see you there!

BelinskyBlog

Hap Erstein from the Palm Beach Post speaks of the rapturous standing ovation at the marathon he attended, and more:

[...] Standing ovations have become distressingly commonplace in the theater, devaluing their meaning, but after spending eight-and-a-half hours with pamphleteer Alexander Herzen, novelist-poet Ivan Turgenev, revolutionary hothead Michael Bakunin and Communist Manifesto writer Karl Marx, the sold-out Lincoln Center audience rose as one, in awe of the cast - which included the likes of Ethan Hawke, Billy Crudup, Amy Irving, Martha Plimpton and Tony winners Brian O’Byrne and Jennifer Ehle.

During the curtain call, someone had the good sense and chutzpah to yell out “Author!,” something you hear about, but I really can’t recall ever seeing done. Sure enough, the shaggy-headed Stoppard had been lurking about the theater all day and he came out onstage to the crowd’s delight.

The Coast of Utopia is the sort of play that you want to read and study to learn how much you missed in performance, so that is probably a failing, but it is breathtaking in its overload of ideas and wit. No matter what I see the rest of this week, there will surely be nothing to compare to it. [...]

Annie shares her marathon trick: caffeine. She also notes the "author" call:

[...] Before posting my comments, I have to say that Mr. Stoppard was in attendance at the shows. Word got around the audience, and after the curtain call (the company only does one at the very end on marathon days,) someone shouted 'author!' and the entire audience burst into applause once again. He had ducked out of the house, but the thunderous clapping was hopefully going to bring him back for acknowlegement... it went on and on, and no Tom. Suddenly, the focus shifted back to the stage, where some of the company had trickled back, and Mr. Stoppard and the director, Jack O'Brien, entered from the side of the house and took the stage. The impromptu recognition gave me chills - for, whatever one's opinion about the pieces, it is obvious that the work as a whole is a tremendously intense and brilliant undertaking. [...]

and I thought this praise of Billy Crudup was on the money:

[...] Mr. Crudup is always a joy to watch on stage, as he inhabits each character he portrays with individual humanity. As an actor, he raises the level of quality of those performing with him onstage. [...]

Jere of Jere-Rigged liveblogged from the same marathon - which he got rush tickets for! - during the breaks: lunch, dinner (he goes against the tide, preferring Voyage over Shipwreck) and post-show (he spotted actress Jane Krakowski in the audience).

At deliasherman's LJ, there's this on Voyage:

[...] The Coast of Utopia: Voyage doesn't threaten Arcadia's throne, but it shares some of the things I like best about it. It's intelligent (duh. It's Tom Stoppard); it has heart without being sentimental; parts of it are very funny at the same time they're harrowing; it demonstrates and makes comprehensible the glories and the horrors of intellectual passion.
....
I'll have to read the play to figure it all out, but the point was, last night, I didn't care. I was too busy mourning the death of the gently clueless Liubov, and the blindness (both moral and physical) of her father, who owned 500 souls yet called himself a liberal, and adoring the literary critic (Russian names skate right out of my mind--Vassarion, that was it) played by Billy Crudup as an earnest, passionate, clumsy, socially-challenged and still utterly charming and period-appropriate politics geek who, were he alive today, would have a huge and widely read political blog. [...]

And yet more love for Voyage and Billy Crudup from rm:

Amazing. More amazing than I was anticipating and in ways I didn't expect. The staging was both intelligent and innovative and really perfectly, perfectly executed -- certainly, I didn't expect the play to make me have directorial itchiness, but that was exactly what it provoked. Also, great use of music.

The performances were also astounding, with people in, what I thought, were somewhat unlikely roles. Or, perhaps I was just surprised by the nuance in the characters in a time and place and style of play that really could have easily chosen to forgone it and not received too much criticism for it. Billy Crudup plays this bumbling, unnattractive, nervous, lovesick, overwraught critic, and yet, we find out at the end of the play, he's the only guy getting laid, and suddenly we are aware of the character as more deeply human than than perhaps even his peers are. [...]

To the forums: some All That Chatter on marathon dining and similarities between Utopia's musical theme and a Hindemith concerto. At BroadwayWorld, nomdeplume is impressed by Billy Crudup and the production in Voyage, though finds the philosophy a bit much. Another poster shares his Tony predictions- there's much agreement that Utopia is a strong contender.

If reading Russian Thinkers, Romantic Exiles, My Past and Thoughts, etc etc wasn't enough for you, check out these further background reading recommendations from Ask Metafilter.

Keep an eye on the Ghostlight Records site, the company that is releasing the Coast of Utopia score. The CD isn't listed yet, but apparently they will ship free to the US. Thanks to Pinky for the tip.

Another date for your calendars is May 8th, when the 2007 Tonys site will be updated with new "Tony memories" daily from previous winners Jennifer Ehle, Richard Easton and Liev Schreiber amongst others, according to site manager Andrew McGibbon. Oh and the very last marathon ever is on this Saturday May 5th - don't miss out!

PS. She blogs! Ok not really. But cute.

The cows are noted for their beauty

• Judd Hollander of The Epoch Times thinks Salvage is too much like a soap opera and it left him feeling 'jumbled'. But he does have a few good words to say:

O'Byrne is quite good as Herzen, as is Ethan Hawke as Michael Bakunin ... Richard Eastman and Jennifer Ehle, both of whom played other roles in the earlier episodes of the trilogy, are also enjoyable here.

Eastman? This is followed by what is potentially the understatement of the century:

Direction by Jack O'Brien is okay.

Meanwhile:

• Ethan Hawke's new role is leading him to think about cows. He is also preparing to put pen to paper once more.
• At Chowhound, aimeezing marathoned March 10, felt pleasantly 'immersed' and is consequently another advocate of the back-to-back approach. Food-wise, she gives a thumbs-up to Fiorello's and Josephina's, both of which seem to have a prix fixe for marathon attendees.
• Bronze again for Utopia bums-on-seats-wise; joint first were Moon for the Misbegotten and The Year of Magical Thinking both at 94%, with Utopia effectively therefore third at 91%.

(It's a line from Salvage, in case you were wondering...)

Score!

• Joyous! The Coast of Utopia soundtrack is going to be released by Ghostlight on June 12th. Pre-order now at CD Universe. Tip from BroadwayWorld, where there's also discussion whether Utopia is a chance in the Best Score category, and it's suggested several times in a thread about the one must-see straight play on Broadway.
• Brian F. O'Byrne was interviewed about Utopia on CUNY's Theater Talk program that aired last weekish. Watch it online in RealPlayer format.
  
• Anne Marie Walsh of the San Diego Union Tribune reviews Utopia. Extremely long but good.
• Amy Irving is going to be one of the hosts at this year's Broadway Cares Easter Bonnet competition on April 23rd-24th, reports Playbill.
  
• SuperJen talks about the marathon, with special mention of Ms Ehle in Shipwreck. Later, she reflects on how "freaking unbelieveably awesome" it was - and how she's glad she didn't see Natalie as Lizzy in a certain lunch scene.
• Todd saw the three shows on consecutive days, rating Shipwreck as best.
  
• A reminder from Stage Door Rants: Outer Critics' Circle nominations are due tomorrow.
  
• Brian D. Johnson muses about colour, birth and death in Utopia, and why Belinsky gels with Sir Tom.
• At Show Showdown, discussion on whether Coram Boy or Utopia are likely wins at the Tonys.
• Apparently, Road to the Sky/Keral/Kerala has been renamed once again to Before the Rains. Thanks Kate- good spotting!
  

Expecting the unexpected

• The NY Times has a nice piece on the plethora of unplanned disasters that can occur mid-performance. One of the disasters mentioned is Mr Easton's collapse in Utopia previews:

Martha Plimpton heard a thud. When she turned and saw her “Coast of Utopia” co-star Richard Easton prone on the stage floor during the second preview, she presumed he had merely tripped. But Ethan Hawke, who had seen Mr. Easton collapse, said he “thought Richard had passed away.”

The two actors found Mr. Easton unconscious. “I never thought I’d say those words, but I said, ‘Is there a doctor in the house?’ ” Ms. Plimpton recalled. The Lincoln Center audience that night in October did not respond, thinking that the moment was part of the show, especially since Mr. Easton’s character had just finished a fiery diatribe that ended with “That is my last word,” and since the house lights remained down. “The audience just thought, ‘Oh, Tom Stoppard is getting all Pirandello on us,’ ” Mr. Hawke said, referring to the “Utopia” playwright. “Breaking the fourth wall is harder than you think.” [...]

In the fall the “Coast of Utopia” audience realized that Mr. Easton’s collapse was not scripted only when Mr. Hawke made an announcement, stepping center stage and, as Ms. Plimpton did, asking for medical help. (Will Coholan, a stagehand, stepped forward to perform CPR.) That night the actors had no need to stay in character. After what seemed like an eternity, they said, emergency medical workers finally took Mr. Easton, who had suffered an arrhythmia, to the hospital, and everyone went home. “It was the only time I didn’t finish a show,” Mr. Hawke said. “That felt strange.” But leaving the theater early was nothing, Mr. Hawke said, compared with how he and Ms. Plimpton felt when Mr. Easton returned. They felt normal with the understudy in the scene in which Mr. Easton had collapsed, but with Mr. Easton back, they were petrified about it. “I just kept looking at Ethan,” Ms. Plimpton said, while Mr. Hawke said he was busy “hoping the moment would just pass.” It is a feeling the two actors can’t quite shake. “It all depends on how Richard performs it,” Ms. Plimpton said. “If he does it differently, it’s fine, but when he does it just like that night, then we spend the whole scene feeling worried.”

• Robert Simonson of Playbill.com interviews Jack O'Brien. On whether he still checks up on Utopia, he said:

I [still] wander through [the Beaumont dressing rooms] at half hour and then I go my merry way.

• NY Times reader reviewer cagott admires the show as a whole, but is troubled by Ms Ehle's apparent breathlessness at the end of lines. francisdyer implies that Salvage was best, and like so many people, gives a big thumbs up to the visual and musical elements of the entire production:

...Being in touch with the mind of Herzen as rock amid the stormy emotions of his fellow reformers, was dramatic experience. But it was the grandness of the visual, music, ballet-like movement, lighting that held me spellbound. [...] It was just grand theater and these people were daring breaking new ground. [...] I thank them all. Broadway is here and just fine.

• Peter Daniels of the World Socialist Web Site gives a long round-up of the play.
• Dan Irwin at nnseek discusses the viability of Utopia going national.
• Past famous faces: the fabulous Julianne Moore.
• Future famous faces: Tom Stoppard, Bob Crowley and Jack O'Brien are marathoning April 28th, if you are deciding which of the few remaining shows to attend.
• For those of you who live in the NYC vicinity, tomorrow is ATW seminar day. For those of us who don't, watch this space for the link!

"Captivating study in contradictions"

• Listen to an interesting discussion about the thinkers in The Coast of Utopia at KCRW, featuring William Grimes of "The College Reading List of Utopia" fame and Keith Gessen who wrote the New Yorker feature on Herzen.
• Coming soon: Utopia the Rock Opera. Brendan Lemon reports at the LCT blog about the cabaret night when cast members showed off their musical chops.
  
• Love letter at Edward Copeland on film (part of a long and thoughtful review):

  [...] As impressive as everyone in the cast is, top acting honors must be conferred upon the luminous Ms. Ehle, who excels in three strikingly different roles. The tremulous delicacy that she brings to her performance in “Voyage” as the frail, gentle Liubuv, who finds bittersweet if fleeting happiness in the blush of first romance, exists in stark contrast to the firm-minded pragmatism of “Salvage’s” Malwida, the perspicacious German governess who exerts a steadying influence on the children of the Herzen household while keeping a wary eye fixed on the reckless behavior of its elders. It is in “Shipwreck,” however, that the actress is most prominently featured, and where she makes her most indelible impression. Far from the square-shouldered, sensible spinster of Part 3, or the pale, shy ingenue of Part I, Natalie Herzen is a rose in full bloom, a ravishing, vibrant romantic heroine who follows her heart into uncharted territory even as the ground beneath her feet begins to give way. The actress creates a captivating study in contradictions; winsome yet seductive, incisive yet wrong-headed, alternately reflective and impulsive, she provides the trilogy with its richest characterization, and its most lyrical.
  
  As evidenced by her brilliant, Tony-winning turn in The Real Thing, Ehle has an instinctive grasp of the nuances of Stoppard’s language; her delivery is so natural and assured that it doesn’t even sound scripted, but rather something being thought up freshly on the spot. This is something I haven’t observed with any other actor in a Stoppard play, or really with many stage actors in general (stage acting seemingly necessitates a certain degree of staginess). The actress’s proficiency with dialogue is made all the more remarkable by its artlessness; although her physical transformation from role to role is quite stunning, her command of the language allows her to thoroughly embody her characters to a point where the effort is no longer visible. [...]

• Ann Midgette of the NY Times interviews the tireless Jack O'Brien, who is directing Puccini's Il Trittico. He compares the two trilogies:

  [...] “ ‘The Coast of Utopia’ is very different,” he added. “The story is evolving in a historical perspective. The pieces of ‘Trittico’ are bound by Puccini’s own imagination and the sound of his music.”

  Another difference: “The incessant, extremely complex voice of Stoppard needed to be banged off surfaces,” he said. “I had to refresh you, not tire you. ‘Il Trittico’ has different problems, especially prejudices. This is not the first time you’ve seen these operas. Whereas with ‘Coast of Utopia,’ no one knew what the hell it was.” [...]

• Tom Bestor of Rational Feast reviews Salvage. Verdict:

  [...] Although I can see how some might be disappointed in this last installment (it's a bit clunkier than the first two), taken as a whole, the production of "The Coast of Utopia" trilogy is one of the most stunning works of theater I've ever seen. The scale of the sets and staging and effects and lighting that Lincoln Center can put on never ceases to amaze me. The cast is terrific, maintaining focus and energy throughout these long works. I can hardly imagine what they must look (and feel) like on the days they perform all three plays as a marathon. [...]

• Jesse Jarnow has a Thoughts from Utopia bit on his blog. He ponders:

  [...] For numerous reasons -- rhythm, dialogue, conceits -- it could never translate to film. Does the fact that it can't be mass entertainment make it pretentious? (It is, of course, but for other reasons, often indistinguishable from why it's so grand.) [...]

• At Pater Familias, Mr Schaefer has high praise for the show:

  [...] We have now watched all three parts of THE COAST OF UTOPIA. We watched all nine hours with continuous delight. We left the theater each night elated. I can’t imagine a better production of any play. The direction and production took full advantage of the resources of an enormous theater. The acting was terrific. I had thought after the first play that the production was lucky to have world class actors like Jennifer Ehle and Amy Irving in small but pivotal parts. The two later plays provided acting challenges worthy of them. I should comment that in an earlier post I said that I thought Ethan Hawke was a better movie actor than a stage actor, based on his Hotspur, which I had thought was good, but not great. I take it all back. Ethan Hawke was magnificent in COAST OF UTOPIA. [...]

  He also wonders whether Utopia would play well in the provinces. If you're a West Coaster you can see for yourself - there's an auction for a private reading of Coast of Utopia by the Shotgun Players at Berkeley.
• Elisabeth Vincentelli of The Determined Dilettante has this complaint about Salvage:

  [...] The other men are reduced to bellowing gasbags (particularly Ethan Hawke's Bakunin) and the women pretty much disappear—the etch-a-sketch treatment awarded to Malwida von Meysenbug, played with very dry humor by Jennifer Ehle, is particularly irritating. [...]

• Chris Riley of Suspended Conversation makes this unusual comparison from watching Voyage:

  [...] there was a very bizarre, disturbing character towards the end of the play - a six foot ginger cat, reminiscent of donnie darko's bunny rabbit, both in the style of its insertion into ordinary life and the sense of fate and doom that it conveyed within the story. [...]

• Star-spotting of sorts: NY Times Op-Eder Maureen Dowd is seen in the audience.
• A couple of Utopia-related conversations are going on at BroadwayWorld: on who of Jennifer Ehle, Amy Irving and Martha Plimpton might get a Featured nomination, and on which part of the trilogy to see if you can only make one (Shipwreck seems to be the favourite), and more predictions that Utopia will take out Best Play.
  
• Huzzah, a fan report from a marathon! This is from Ann, who went to the December meetup as well. Go to the forum to read it. By the way, we welcome any reports you have from the show. Email them in or post in the forum thread - no registration required.
  

Tonys betting etc

• Getty Images has a couple more photos of Billy Crudup, Jennifer Ehle and Brian F. O'Byrne from the Leonard Leopate interview. Search for "coast of utopia".
• Randy Gener of the Star-Ledger interviews some of the understudies from Utopia. Much interesting quotage, such as this from Scott Parkinson who went on for Billy Crudup:

  [...] "Understudying is licensed stealing," says Parkinson. "It's one of the positions in the arts where you're expected to copy someone else's work. The job is to faithfully and truthfully recreate the performance of the actors you're covering. It's a meta-version of acting. ... It's almost a purer kind of acting, one step removed from yourself." [...]

• Tom O'Neil of the LA Times says that Coast of Utopia is the front-runner in the Best Play race, although there are some contenders that haven't opened yet.
• Marathon runner timaroosky hearts the play:

  [...] This show was the most brilliant thing that I have EVER seen on stage. The production values were the highest I have ever seen, the effects, scene changes, lighting and sound design were flawless. The acting was brilliant and the play(s) were both interesting and informative. [...]

• Helen Lawson has more of a mixed reaction, agreeing with some of Charles Isherwood's criticisms, but nevertheless dug the production and most of the acting.

  [...] I thrilled to Jack O'Brien's brilliant stage pictures and fluid direction, keeping everything moving and crackling with all the wit and panache at his command. [...]

  And look, a convert:

  [...] I thought there was a lot of sensational acting -- Jennifer Ehle (not a favorite of mine ere now) in three sharply differentiated roles... [...]

• Michael gives a nice account of the Beaumont experience (squashy seats and all) at Voyage. Plus he gives this reassurance:

  [...] I wasn't expecting the play to be as funny as it was and the jokes ran the gamut from the esoteric to the near-vulgar, the wordplay was involved and entertaining, the whole audience laughed outloud quite a few times . . . the offputting notion in the beginning that the whole play is going to be about Russian politics and philosophy is misguided, I know absolutely nothing about either beyond the scantest basics and I was able to follow the action and discussions with little trouble, Stoppard keeps it fairly accessible, although the notes they give you in the beginning do help. [...]

• Lucy Komisar goes against the tide of "Stoppard is all head no heart" critique by complaining of the opposite. On the womenfolk:

  [...] And what about the women? Amy Irving, Jennifer Ehle, and Martha Plimpton in multiple roles, especially Irving as Maria Ogarev, estranged wife of Herzen’s hard-drinking friend Nicholas; Ehle as Herzen’s wife Natalie and then as his children’s governess; and Martha Plimpton as Natalie’s friend, the intense Natasha Tuchkov, offer excellent portrayals as the action turns to revolve around them.

  They play a major role, but not for the reasons one might expect in a political play. The female characters are mostly reasonably bright women who spend their free moments thinking about husbands. Bakunin argues for the education of women and for love matches. Did none of the women in that radical milieu ever challenge women’s role? Even the one woman who attends political meetings seems more interested in men than ideas. [...]

• At All That Chat, there's discussion about Jennifer Ehle's Tony category and more tipping that Utopia will win Best Play.
  
• Meanwhile, BroadwayWorld is talking about whether Utopia will be on Live from Lincoln Center (if only!) and there's advice on past-dating Utopia tickets and such. In another thread, one guy is batting hard for Ms Ehle in the Featured Actress category, though there's some debate. Potential competitors mentioned include Susan Lynch in Translations, Dana Ivey in Butley, Jan Maxwell in Coram Boy and Tonya Pinkins in Radio Golf.
  
• More star-spotting: Warren Beatty and Annette Bening were in the audience at a performance of Utopia. Just thought of something - given that there is a minute chance some audience members have discovered our humble blog, and given that Utopia audiences seems to be teeming with VIPs...hands up if you've won a Tony, Oscar, Pulitzer? Anyone? Ex-presidents?
  
• Sanford Marcus at Queersighted interviews Scott Pask, one of the genius designers on Utopia.
• Jason Grote reminds us that Utopia dramaturg Anne Cattaneo is going to be on CUNY's Women in Theatre program on April 27 and 29.
• One fan wrote to the LCT asking about when and where the Utopian Dozen calendar is being sold. Here's the reply she got. "This week" was a while ago, so it should be available now; also, note that while signed calendars are $50, plain unsigned ones are only $20.

  "The calendars will be sold as part of the Broadway Cares fundraising drive which will begin for us this week. We anticipate beginning fundraising following this Wednesday's performance and will sell signed COAST OF UTOPIA posters as well as signed and unsigned copies of the Utopia calendars. All proceeds from the sale of these items will go to Broadway Cares and are completely separate from the items regularly sold in the Beaumont lobby gift shop. As you mentioned, the calendars are also available for purchase from the Broadway Cares website."

'Beautiful', 'wonderful', 'charismatic' Ehle

Saturday's marathon seems by all accounts to have been another runaway success. Famous faces spotted this time included Ms Ehle's former co-star Ralph Fiennes as well as Brian Cox and Randy Harrison.

The show certainly lived up to emomango's expectations, who is another advocate of the three-in-one approach:

[We were] excited about the event for its event-ness itself, but we quickly fell in love with the production and thrived in our 12-hour experience with all 3 parts of the play.

The set, by Bob Crowley, was gorgeous and genius; the lighting by Brian McDevitt stunning. The acting was fantastic all around, and, instead of feeling like we had crammed too much in one day (as it is possible to see the 3 parts on separate nights as well), we finished the day feeling that the marathon was the best way to see The Coast of Utopia -- it was a journey for the actors as well as for the audience.

There was much praise for the cast as well as the crew, not least for a certain person:

Jennifer Ehle was beautiful and wonderful, as was Billy Crudup, who transformed so completely that he was almost unrecognizable. Ethan Hawke was impressive, too, which redeemed him in my eyes as a stage actor. ... Tonight, he was passionate and charismatic as well as endearingly engaging throughout the 3 parts.

The entire production was executed beautifully... and we left the theater feeling we'd witnessed a spectacularly special show. The Coast of Utopia reminded us of the beauty and power of theater, just how wonderful and magical a theatrical experience could be.

ImTedGreen was also present on Saturday, and came to a similarly laudatory conclusion:

The acting is amazing and, as usual, Tom Stoppard's writing is fascinating. I actually found this show easier to understand than other Stoppard shows I've seen.

thechorine, meanwhile, who attended an earlier marathon, described Brian O'Byrne as 'magnetic' and Ms Ehle as 'charismatic'. But perhaps more interestingly, here is another person for whom Mr Hawke's portrayal of Bakunin has managed to turn their previously negative opinion of him around.

This person also speaks highly of the theatre and Utopia's use of it:

...the sets and effects are MAGNIFICENT. The Vivian Beaumont...is a beautiful theater, and what they can do with it boggles the mind.

It does indeed.

Tingly-spined whizzofactory ran a marathon last month and describes Utopia as...

...one of the most extraordinary theater experiences of all. Stoppard is able to weave ideas, history, drama, love and culture together in a wide 40-year arc. It was wonderful seeing it in one take. The staging is also outstanding, with elements that send tingles down the spine. It was worth every minute and every dollar.

Critic-wise, no reviews today, but two captivating discussions instead...

Alice T. Carter of the Tribune talks about the trend of live theater being packaged as 'events' in an effort to attract the modern, spoilt-for-choice audience member. Utopia is mentioned very briefly as an example of a production marketed in this manner.

The NY Times meanwhile, discusses the debate the legendary Stephen Fry provoked, regarding British accents. The Times uses the Lincoln's production of Utopia to argue that a British accent is not a prerequisite for a successful production of Stoppard:

...it doesn’t necessarily take a Briton to do justice to Tom Stoppard, whose dialogue is replete with tongue twisters and intellectual rhapsodies. Like Mr. Frayn’s “Copenhagen,” “The Coast of Utopia,” Mr. Stoppard’s sprawling trilogy about philosophizing Russian revolutionaries, is more exciting in New York (at Lincoln Center, where it runs through mid-May) than it was at the National in London. Granted, in the London production everyone seemed to be more on the same page, or reading from the same sheet music. The American cast (which includes the odd Briton, Canadian and Irishman) is more eclectic, more emphatic and less nuanced. Which is sometimes just what British erudition needs to acquire the racing pulse that makes theater come alive.

Now I'm a Brit, but I can't argue with the box office!

Utterly transported...(and this time really)

Substantiating my theory that almost everyone of theatrical consequence is currently in New York, the great Mr Kevin Spacey talks about his new project, O'Neill's A Moon for the Misbegotten, which has just begun previews at the Brooks Atkinson.

He also discusses his significant role at The Old Vic in London. There is quotage from Ms Ehle, who speaks highly of both the theatre and its artistic director. Referring to her work there with Mr Spacey for The Philadelphia Story in 2005, she says:

It was a wonderful experience and a really warm, exciting place to work. The Old Vic is a beautiful theatre to work in. It's quite a large house but it has a feeling of intimacy. And Kevin was utterly focused at rehearsals. He left his other hats at the door.

Utopia-wise...

RADIO

Tom Vitale of NPR talked to some marathon runners at 11am and then 11pm. There are also words from the famous Ben Brantley as well as the arguably more infamous Charles Isherwood. Mr Hawke also gives his argument for seeing the marathon. Namely, that you will remember it more than a day where you hung out your washing. (Well, one can't argue with that, can one?)

TELEVISION

Mr O'Byrne's appearance on Theater Talk was aired on April 6. It should be available online here in a couple of days.

CRITICAL REVIEWS

Aaron Riccio discusses the idea of connectedness in theatre in which he makes a brief mention of Utopia. We've already covered it, but his actual review of Salvage is here.

AUDIENCE REVIEWS

Jesse Rosen was "completely transported" by the show. He ignored his friends' advice regarding pre-show reading, and thinks he made the right decision. (I do, too)

Jesse Jarnow gives some nice comments on the experience of Parts 1 & 2, including a bit about a four-legged audience member who was better behaved than some of his two legged counterparts. (Strange but true, shockingly)

Antonia Malchik advocates running the marathon. She also said the production was so well done that she felt like standing up and warning the characters what they were getting themselves into. (I like it)

H Catherine meanwhile, is falling in love with dead revolutionaries. (Aren't we all!)

UTOPIA CAST AND CREW

Utopia's Dan Lipton is involved in an exciting new project.

There is an interview with the lovely Mr Crudup from the Times (UK) published in February.

CAPACITY

Utopia achieved 89.1% capacity last week (ending April 1) putting it at....first place. Frost/Nixon and Moon for the Misbegotten came a very close second and third respectively, while former premier uno The Year of Magical Thinking achieved a lesser (but still respectable) 79%. I predict some leapfrogging over the next five weeks. Sadly, five weeks is all it is. Let them pass Coast-lessly at your peril...

Yet another Utopia roundup

Sorry this is late.

• Carlin Romano of the Philadelphia Inquirer compares contemporary Russian intellectuals to those portrayed in Coast of Utopia.
• Walter C. Uhler challenges Mr Romano in the Huffington Post, with a long article that discusses the ideas of some of the main players.
• Subscription-only reviews abound this week. Terry Teachout has one in Commentary, Brooke Allen in New Criterion, and Robert Brunstein in New Republic. Complete Review keeps an eye on the debate.
  
• Blogger Simon Crowe attended a marathon, and responds to Mr Brunstein thusly:
  

  [...] Some critics (Robert Brustein in The New Republic) claim the plays are too much about ideas and not enough about character, but I can honestly say I was never bored since the production is acted, directed, and designed by top-drawer artists. [...]

• Jeff Goldstein, an usher at the Vivian Beaumont, notes how some Utopian actors tend to flock together at mealtimes during the marathon.
  
• At Gorky Rises, another marathon survivor who's impressed - albeit a little overwhelmed - and who rates Ms Ehle as one of the standouts along with Mr Crudup. He also had a brief post live from an intermission at the show.
  
• Susannah saw Salvage and found it easiest to understand.
  
• Stacey, mother of Annabel, who plays one of the kids in Utopia, writes about how her daughter has been embraced by the LCT family. Check out the pic of Annabel with Ethan Hawke.
• Joe Pi (!) ran the marathon as well (for $60!), and found it "stunning. incredible. phenomenal. breathtaking. fantastic."
• More adjectival goodness from olivia_cerce:"incredible. Extraordinary. Sublime."
• caliban24601 says that Utopia is one of Tom Stoppard's snobbier plays, not that there's anything wrong with that, and is glad of having seen the trilogy spread over different days.
  
• W. Scott Smoot reviews the text of the plays.
• At All That Chat, discussion on whether Utopia will be extended once more, and a heads-up about Utopia tix being on TDF.
• BroadwayWorlders are talking about how Utopia will be treated by the Tonys committee, once again. Brian F. O'Byrne's chances are mentioned, and one person says Ms Ehle should be up for Featured Actress.
• There's word that some of the Utopia cast, possibly including Mr Hawke, will be guest speakers for NYU's Grad Acting program.
• Just a reminder- the show closes in about six weeks. If you're in the hemisphere, go see it!
  One reader notes that you can buy last-minute tickets at the box office on marathon days, at least to single shows.
• One more thing. The Western USA/Canada DVD set of the lending library has reached the end of the list, and the Australian set is almost there. So if you sign up now, you'll be the first to get it. For new readers, the lending library includes an interview DVD, Self Catering, Pleasure, Beyond Reason and The Maitlands.
  

Дженнифер Ель

• Babel the above and you get "Dzhennifer Fir Tree", how cool is that. It's from a photo-riddle comp at Jein Gallaher's blog (in Russian) with pics of Ms Fir Tree from the Tony anniversary days.
  
• Utopians on the town: Ethan Hawke, Billy Crudup and Brian F. O'Byrne will be hosting the Drama League lunch on May 11. Tix are available, call (212) 244-9494. Mr Hawke, Josh Hamilton and Amy Irving were also spotted at The Year of Magical Thinking.
  
• At BizBuzz, there's a long, enthusiastic chronicle from last week's Utopia marathon. Here's a description of one of my favourite scenes in Shipwreck:
  

  [...] Jennifer Ehle plays Herzens wife, who justifies an affair with Herzen’s best friend on the grounds that she has so much love for both of them, the love should be allowed to flourish freely. The ultimate disaster visited upon the Herzens and their friends brings about a stunning final scene in which philosophy and human drama seamlessly meld. It is truly transcendent. [...]

• More love for the marathon from David's blog. Verdict:

  [...] What can I say? Watching top actors at the top of their form, even Ethan Hawke was good (not great, but good…), it was a stirring day of theater I will never forget. If you have have a chance to see any of them, do, and if you can only see one, make it "Shipwreck". [...]

• Was everyone at that marathon? This is Clarence Carter for Reverse Shot.

  [...] This is not to say that his nautically inflected trilogy (Voyage, Shipwreck, and Salvage) about the exploits of the erstwhile crew of Russian thinkers and would-be revolutionaries circling around the lesser-known figure of Alexander Herzon doesn’t falter or lag across is nearly nine hours of length. This is largely to be expected. But even when the humor flattens out, the expository dialogue grows unwieldy, and historical accuracy jumps the shark, the entire project coasts (pun intended) on a forceful perspective and historical sweep that’s all too rare these days in any art form. I can’t imagine not seeing Utopia in a single afternoon—the bits that rhyme across plays would most likely be forgotten, and more importantly, the salvage act Stoppard performs on his group would be far less apparent, and less affecting because of it. [...]

• Broadway & Me laments the NY Times' grudge against Utopia/Stoppard as evinced by the reading list and Isherwood articles. But, um...what about this, this, this, this, this and this? Nevertheless, a nice defence of the show, and some more star-spotting: Lauren Bacall and historian Arthur Schlesinger were at the performance of Voyage that he attended. And there's this unusual analogy:

  [...] And yes, there are major philosophical issues to ponder like the role of literature in cultural identity and the role of rich men in proletarian revolutions, but there are also laugh out-loud jokes and who's-bedding-whom storylines that are as accessible as those on Desperate Housewives. [...]

• Leonard Jacobs of Backstage reviews Salvage. Positive overall.
  
• ALR of A Collection of Tomes gives The River King 3.5 stars and mentions the hair colour and accent thing.
• eBay has auctions for tickets to Shipwreck and the March 31st marathon at or below cost.
• Also up for auction is a script of Utopia annotated by Tom Stoppard, presumably from the London production.
  
• Terry Teachout of the Wall Street Journal names all three parts of Utopia in his list of Broadway recommendations.
  

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• In the Winston-Salem Journal, an article about the 35th anniversary of the Creative Learning Center for Very Young Children. There's mention of Ms Ehle as one of its first alumni.

  [...] Agnes David, a retired private kindergarten teacher who donated a watercolor painting to the silent auction, called the school "the best children's program around." The program started with [founder Othella] Johnson's own sons, Nathan and Matthew, actress Jennifer Ehle and two other children. Today about 45 children, ages 1 1/2 to 5, are enrolled, and five other teachers work with Johnson. [...]

• These BroadwayWorlders report from the latest marathon: an absolute ball by all accounts. Sez D2:

  This is why I prefer live theater above all other art forms. THE COAST OF UTOPIA, all twelve glorious hours of it, was one of the most thrilling theatrical events I've ever witnessed in over 30 years of theater-going - a true masterpiece where all the pieces come together into one seamless, enthralling whole. Everything about it, from the design, to the performances, to the direction and of course the writing, is exceptional, and it all adds up to one exhilarating experience that should not be missed by anyone who really cares about theater and the ideas and emotions it can inspire.

  Note this little exchange in the thread:
  

  jewishboy: D2- didn't you love Jennifer Ehle at curtain call?
  D2: She and Martha Plimpton were laughing hysterically throughout the curtain call tonight. Plimpton also tripped on the hem of her dress as she ran off.

  Among the marathon survivors were Meryl Streep, Mikhail Baryshnikov, Tony Roberts, Penny Fuller and Clare Danes, as spotted by D2.
• Eileen also loved the occasion as well, recounting how camaraderie grew among the audience members.
• Dafna's another happy Vegemite marathoner. Mention:
  

  [...] None of the women played roles that went through all three plays, but Jennifer Ehle (I've seen her in "The Real Thing" on stage since then, but she's still Elizabeth to Colin Firth's Darcy in my brain) was definitely the lead actress -- she played Herzen's wife in the second play and his nanny/housekeeper in the third and one of the key Bakunin sisters in the first. She was also great -- and as much fun as it is to see someone play the same character over time it's almost more fun to see them play different ones -- as the nanny in the third play, for example, even though most of her scenes were again with O'Byrne, she made you forget they'd been playing husband and wife just two hours before. [...]

• ThePowerThatIs also ran the marathon and recommends the show to everyone who isn't averse to Mr Hawke, or names ending in -sky or -ev.
• Can't please everyone- author Gwen Davis walked out midway through Shipwreck at the marathon. Before the best part!
  At Condition Critical is an audio review of Utopia by Bill Marx, mixed-to-negative.
• June Cohen saw Voyage and was disappointed about the lack of meatiness of the female roles, but was impressed by the production as a whole.
• Ethan Stanislawski saw the same play with his history professor dad. Verdict?

  [...] After the first act, my father stormed out of the theater—and went straight to the box office, to buy tickets to the two other plays in the trilogy. [...]