Project #3: Too Hot to Handle



1. NYC Today
-Zombie
-Theatre Row Studio
-Razors Edge Productions
-February 21, 2009 - March 29, 2009

This play is about a serial killer, archetypal in nature, looking to create a zombie to use for his own personal sexual pleasure. He stalks and kid-naps his victims and then lobotomizes them to create a "zombie-like" sexual being for his own purposes. While the audience exammines Quinten P.'s life, they are not to sympathize with or feel sorry for him. This play showcases the life of the main character for a kind of clinical purpose for understanding.

Bill Conington


2. Naked Broadway
-Oh! Calcutta! by: Kenneth Tynan
-Edison Theatre
-Off-Broadway in 1969/ Revival in 1976 (5,959 performances)

Oh Calcutta is famous for its full-frontal nude revue, which appeared to be taken lightly in London, at first. However, the obscene publications squad is documented to have attended several performances of this play undercover in order to study it for ridicule. It was called to be banned, but was challenged by a panel of experts that found the production neither shocking or embarrassing. In fact, one panelist suggested that teenagers not be taken and that the show was not all that impressive.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2000/dec/23/alantravis

Nude dancers in Kenneth
Tynan's avant-garde revue 'Oh!
Calcutta!' at the Roundhouse,
29th July 1970.

3. Gay Broadway
-Corpus Christi by: Terrence McNally
-Manhattan Theatre Club
-Directed by Joe Mantello
-Opened: 13 October 1998

"--pissed off the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights and inspired telephone threats to burn down the theater, kill its staff, and exterminate the playwright."
http://www.donshewey.com/theater_reviews/corpus_christi.htm

This play stirred much controversy from the depiction of Jesus Christ and the diciples as homosexuals. While the story is some-what auto-biographical, Jesus co-exists with the world contained within present day Corpus Christi, Texas (the playwright's birthplace). For obvious reasons, the Catholic League and christian protestors alike rallied at many of the performances. Even death threats were made to the theater and playwright.

4. Racist Broadway
-Miss Saigon by: Claude-Michel Schönberg and Alain Boublil
-lyrics by Boublil and Richard Maltby, Jr
-Broadway Theatre NYC
-April 11, 1991 - January 28, 2001

NexisLexis Article:
"...claiming the show was racist and sexist, and that Asian actors were being discriminated against as the leading role was given to a European." (April 14, 1991)
http://www.lexisnexis.com.unx1.shsu.edu:2048/us/lnacademic/results/docview/docview.do?docLinkInd=true&risb=21_T5976360266&format=GNBFI&sort=RELEVANCE&startDocNo=1&resultsUrlKey=29_T5976360273&cisb=22_T5976360272&treeMax=true&treeWidth=0&csi=314237&docNo=4

Miss Saigon is a modern adaptation of the opera Madame Butterfly, following the same basic plot line of romance between an asian woman and her american lover. In an attempt to modernize, the play is set during the Vietnam War and revolves around events of war and despair. Many asian americans were outraged at the idea of the lead roles being played by europeans. The New York Actors' union had banned the production at first, for these casting reasons, but the production was allowed after a threat to cancel the travel of the show from London to Broadway was made by the producer.

5. Raided or Closed
-Hair by James Rado and Gerome Ragni
-music by Galt MacDermot
-Boston, Massachusetts in 1970
-set to open at Wilbur Theater on February 20, 1970 but was delayed until May 22, 1970

"The Massachusetts State Supreme Court's decision was appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court; however, that court did not clear the way for HAIR to reopen (without threat of criminal action) until May 22, 1970. The vote to reopen HAIR was a 4-4 tie."
http://www.geocities.com/hairpages/hairhistory.html

The musical Hair has often created controversy because of naked members of the cast as well as acts that could be considered lewd and unpatriotic. This particular production was criticized for containing acts that desecrated the American flag. This free-spirirted and extemely progressive musical has set a fire under the asses of many cities including Boston, Chattanooga, and Washington D.C.

6. Arrested
-Pleasure Man by Mae West
-October 1-2, 1928

-The Casino Theater

"...the same judge who broke a gavel, pounding to keep order and erase from the record a question by Miss West about how a police officer could tell if he were addressing a young lady or a man in drag."

http://www.talkinbroadway.com/bway101/5.html

This show set precidence among New York court cases involving obscene material. The show was raided in 1928 and shut down by police. Police arrested 52 cast members, much of whom were males in drag. The charges brought to the theater and cast were dropped as a new rule would be set in the theatre world in New York. A decision was made in 1930 stating that the people who hold sole responsibility for the display of obscene material could only be the writers and producers of a single production and not the cast.

7. NEA (National Endowment for the Arts) 4
-Glory Box by Tim Miller
-Ohio Wesleyan University’s Chappelear Drama Center
-March 19, 2008

"Miller said, “I want the piece to conjure for the audience a new...kind of hope chest, that can be an alternative site for the placing of memories, hopes, and dreams of gay people’s extraordinary potential for love."

http://www.delawareohrealestate.com/2008/03/15/glory-box-coming-to-ohio-wesleyan/

This play examines immigration laws and deals with the struggles of a gay American citizen and his undocumented partner from another country. This "autobiography of the future" allows the audience to see what will happen to the lead of the one-man show if things are to remain as they are as of now. This is meant to energize the audience and move them to try and change the rules of today, therefore alluding to the notion that "we can change the future."

8. Regional Theatre
-Liquid Moon by John S. Green

-Barter Theater

-Abingdon, Virginia

"...news of its nude scene spread like killer kudzu along the Blue Ridge Parkway"

http://www.allbusiness.com/services/amusement-recreation-services/4570488-1.html

Liquid Moon was controversial in this community because of the (now famous) 5 minute nude scene between a man and a woman. To many this would not be held as "too hot to handle", however to produce this play inside the bible belt would send off and explosion like no other. The characters are seeminly platonic up until this point in the show. Many protestors at packed performances labeled this production as porn.

9. College/University
-Caberet by Joe Masteroff

-lyrics by Fred Ebb
-music by John Kander
-City College of San Francisco

-posted: 4/11/08

"The notoriety only increased interest in the production."
http://www.forallevents.info/gaetanaplayreviews/2008_04_01_gaetanaplayreviews_archive.html

This particular production caused and uproar in the administration of this college because of its controversial poster. This poster feratured a naked woman with a german military hat and swastikas over her breasts. The poster caused such calamity on campus that it was removed from campus and edited in order to meet approval.

10. High School

-Picasso at the Lapin Agile by Steve Martin

-La Grande High School

-Oregon

-March 2009

"I was appalled," said Casey Dreher, president of the Student Democrats. "The people who got the play canceled were not the majority."

http://www.oregonlive.com/news/index.ssf/2009/03/play_banned_at_la_grande_high.html

This play written by comedian Steve Marin is about the strange meeting of Albert Einstein and Pablo Picasso in a bar in Paris, France. It was banned by the school board and failed to be reproduced at a nearby college campus because of its reputation by parents with complaints and signed petitions. It features references to sex and alcohol while dealing with the themes of atistry and and genius of the last century.

Project #2

Stages of Development and Criticism

Angels in America by Tony Kushner

OPTION #2

1. Pre-1993 Productions (Los Angeles, San Francisco, London)

http://www.lexisnexis.com/us/lnacademic/results/docview/docview.do?docLinkInd=true&risb=21_T5780010117&format=GNBFI&sort=DATE,A,H&startDocNo=76&resultsUrlKey=29_T5780002799&cisb=22_T5780010162&treeMax=true&treeWidth=0&csi=8213&docNo=85

"In the middle of it all is an AIDS patient who has a droll angel crashing into his bedroom, commencing a spiritual odyssey with the cheerful air of The Wizard of Oz."

Objective Summary: Tony Kushner's Angels In America is being produced at many locations on the west coast and many more are already set to come in the future. Kushner's work, to an extent, is being molded and tested in productions while showing potential to have a seismic effect on 20th century theatre. The plot consists of events having to do with themes of AIDs, homosexuality and the shift to the new order from the old.

2. Original Broadway Production (1993)

http://www.lexisnexis.com/us/lnacademic/results/docview/docview.do?docLinkInd=true&risb=21_T5780010117&format=GNBFI&sort=DATE,A,H&startDocNo=126&resultsUrlKey=29_T5780002799&cisb=22_T5780010162&treeMax=true&treeWidth=0&csi=8213&docNo=130
"Tony Kushner's play Angels in America has always been devilishly difficult to produce because of its size and scope."

Objective Summary: Angels in America's opening in New York was delayed a week because of all the technical obstacles in the show. This includes the wings for the angel as well as the set and it's "dancing" within the show to change locations throughout the show. This is unlike the Los Angeles production, where the actors created and shifted the props and set in transitions themselves, as it did not have computer engineering for scene changes. Concerns for the amount of money that the show will make are present as the theater is donating one dollar for every ticket to non-profit organization called Broadway Cares. Actors feel that the show is more important in the big picture, as they have rehearsed for free in lobbies in order to be apart of this experience.

3. A non-NYC based professional production

http://www.spanglemagazine.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=130%3Afallen-angels-failure-to-take-flight&Itemid=70

"I went in fully aware this is a student cast — although many have professional credits — and walked out feeling the show’s problems have far less to do with the actors and far more to do with some poor choices by the production team."

Objective Summary: The critic had expectations for this Cleveland production of Angels In America that were not met, however his reservations of the show were focused more on the design elements and it's practicality in execution. The critic states that he felt removed from the actors more than he would have liked. The show was missing a sexual element as the director staged the park scene and hospital scene without sex or nudity. Casting choices come into question but overall he feels that the script still resonates with today's audience.

4. College production

http://blog.mlive.com/kzgazette/2008/05/kcollege_theater_hits_most_not.html

"It sounds like it could be a melodrama, and with added hallucinatory appearances..."

Objective Summary: The production hit most of the notes essential for the 3 hour piece. An artistic director from a New York Company comes in to guest direct this production. Plot summary is given as the critic describes the show as more of an soap opera. The cast had mute chorus members to change the scenes which were comprised of little to no set and props as well as deceased AIDs victims. The critic coments on many of the actors and their standout performance qualities.

5. HBO mini-series (2003)

http://www.movie-gazette.com/cinereviews/1022

"Prior, understandably, isn't best chuffed, and before he knows where he is he's taking it out on the large angel (Emma Thompson) who starts invading his room at night and yelling nasties at him. "

Objective Summary: Critic begins by calling to attention the need for "believers" in an audience in order to absorb the powerful production. He goes into plot summary and character break downs while touching on the essential themes of the production while commenting on the hair-do of Al Pacino's character. The critic sees the cast of characters as a "miserable bunch" and offers his opinion on the length of the show, which he feels could have been done in one piece instead of two. The critic was not satisfied by the production.