EXTRA CRITICUM

Hey, folks, Glad to be posting here... I'll try not to be too big a diva!

So this ain't really much of a post but I just wanted to get my feet wet, so bear with me. OK. So, I direct an opera company somewhere in this land we call the great U.S.A. I'm posting under a pseudonym to protect the innocent (and not-so) and hope you all won't mind.

When Rolando invited me to join this forum, which I've been reading for almost a year now, I have to admit I balked. Mainly because I play in the high-stakes world of opera, where egos are large and I'd like to keep my job, which I love.

Drag Me to Hell: Haiku Review #2

(ed. note: Upon seeing that Licata had posted his own Haiku, I rushed to join him with my own before reading his. Interesting, how similar they are, no?)

The sounds of evil
Carry us to ecstasy
Where laughter meets howl

Drag Me to Hell: Haiku Review

Sam Raimi, you Drag Me

To Hell, laughing and screaming.

Evil Dead? No. But close.

Pulled from the Archives: Yearley and Stewart

Every couple of weeks or so, the editors at E.C. take a stroll through our archives and pull a group of interesting posts that are loosely related in theme to offer up to our readership for a second read. If you have a favorite post you'd like us to "pull from the archives," just email us and we'll try to locate it for you. Or, you could also just use the handy Lijit Search box in the right sidebar.

Straight Man Comes Out – Why I Love Project Runway by John Yearley

Hello, Wall-E, yes Hello, Wall-E, it's so nice to see you! by Sylvie Stewart

Why do the "procedurals" make for the best repeat TV viewing?

The other night, I had returned home from an out of town trip and needed some down time. I decided to order in and see what mind-numbing fare I could find on the boob tube.

When I discovered TNT was running back-to-back Law & Orders I knew I'd hit pay dirt. Bingo! Just what the doctor ordered. I could sit back with my dinner and enjoy 2 or 3 repeat episodes of a show I'd seen many times.

This got me thinking. What is it about the so-called "procedurals" that give them such a long shelf life while other shows, like Lost, for example, quickly die on the vine and lose their original appeal?

Here's a list of what I came up with:

Unbearably Intimate: Some Thoughts on Joe Turner's Come and Gone

I’m supposed to be a playwright. I write plays. I’m not sure why. I’m often not really sure that I like theatre that much. But I’m a playwright. That’s what it says on my resume.

My writing here at Extra Criticum has been almost exclusively about movies. This is because my little buddy Hank makes it very difficult to get to the theatre. In fact, until last week I had only seen one play in a year. It starred my wife (she was great).

Two weeks ago I saw Joe Turner’s Come and Gone. August Wilson is one of my favorite playwrights, so when a Tony-voting friend offered me a free ticket there was no way I was going to miss it. So I saw it. And while the production is not quite the wall-to-wall success it has been claimed to be (a few scenes were poorly directed, a couple performances were a little off), it’s pretty damn good.

And the play?

The Beautiful Storm

Despite the fact that New York seems poised to become The New Seattle (gee, thanks global warming), I do love the beautiful storm.

Beautiful?

The drip drip drip of drops on the outside provide rhythm and insistence, the curlique breeze that wends it ways through the barely cracked open window brings refreshment and even the general gloom casts the city in a pale that softens and shades the often harsh corners and edges of a city that must move at lightning speed if for no other reason than because it can.

Hey! Theatre People! Stop HURTING THEATER!

On Saturday my wife and I went to see a site specific piece about the environment. We went because my sister in law in the video installation had a short movie.  Now, until we got there I didn't realize it was going to be one of those site specific pieces which drags the audience from site to site.  Generally, I hate that kind of work.  Rarely does it work, does moving the audience from place to place actually ADD to the story.  I feel more like a child being ushered around a museum where I am talked down to by the guide.

And much to my surprise...I wasn't surprised.  It was EXACTLY as I expected.

It's a tie! We have two winners of the Broadway Legends Quiz!

Joseph Millett and Robin Rothstein both scored 100% on our recent quiz and for their efforts they are now proud owners of their very own 100% organic cotton EXTRA CRITICUM T-shirt.

Congratulations! You're both very very smart!

Correct answers are listed below.

If you missed this Quiz and would still like to test your knowledge, first click here.

RHODA - First Season on DVD

A few weeks ago I answered some trivia questions that NEXT Magazine put out about the 1974 – 1978 tv show, Rhoda, and was rewarded with a free copy of the first season dvds now out from SHOUT video. Back in the day, growing up in Wisconsin, I was a huge Mary Tyler Moore fan and was heartbroken when Rhoda left Minneapolis to spin off in her own show, the Charo-inspired one-named, Rhoda.

So this past week I’ve been working my way through the first season and after eight episodes including her big wedding episode, I think I can safely say that it’s just about as good as I remember it overall and very funny in many places.

Where Memory, Community, and Art Meet: Part I

Marianne R. Petit is an artist, animator, and teacher. As an associate Arts Professor at New York University’s Interactive Telecommunications located within the Tisch School of the Arts, she teaches courses in digital media, collective storytelling, and oversees the Technology and Social Justice and Assistive Technology curriculum. In addition, she is the co-founder of Greylock Arts, a non-commercial arts space located in the Northern Berkshires dedicated to technology and emerging arts practice. Her artwork has been broadcast on the Independent Film Channel and has appeared in festivals and exhibitions internationally. For more about Marianne and to see some of her work, visit her website.

 

Tell me about Recollecting Adams? 

Recollecting Adams is an episodic illustrated storytelling project. It's a year long project, with new episodes launching approximately every two weeks. It uses first person storytelling and very simple animation to paint a portrait of Adams, a small town located in the Northern Berkshires.