I want to gooooooooooo. *sniff*

No moneys.

redeem147 | May 29, 01:22 CET

Wow. What a coincidence. Isn't this the production that NPH had to drop out of because of conflicts with the Tonys?

pixiedust | May 29, 01:40 CET

Fabulous - he returns to his roots on the stage!

baxter | May 29, 02:03 CET

Not a lot of tickets left, I got mine!

Xane | May 29, 02:25 CET

pixiedust - yes it is the play NPH was suppose to be in.

RavenU | May 29, 02:28 CET

Fun play. I wish I could go. I look forward to reports.




I'm lookin' at you, Xane. ;-)

newcj | May 29, 02:38 CET

Thanks for the heads up, I love this play! Just got my tickets. :)

Lil Firecracker | May 29, 04:16 CET

I freaking love that play. I wish they told us who he was actually playing.

azzers | May 29, 04:27 CET

I'd love to see that! It's one of my favourite plays. Anyone know what part he's playing?

ilion | May 29, 04:52 CET

That, I'd *love* to see!! But, wrong continent, as usual :-((((

JotheCat | May 29, 05:40 CET

I'm on the right continent...just the wrong side of it.

Those of y'all who get to go, have fun! I'm sure he'll be awesome.

Lirazel | May 29, 07:19 CET

A handbag? I haven't seen that play in years. This would be fun to go to. I wonder who he will play.

Simon | May 29, 07:26 CET

I actually got to see James perform in a little play called "The Why" years ago. I literally walked out of that theater knowing why it was that I always wanted to be an actor. I wanted to affect people the way that James did that night. Literally, when people ask me who my favorite actor is, who I think the best actor is, I always say James Marsters because of that night. He's absolutely phenomenal, and if you're able, I strongly encourage you to see him in anything you can.

XanMan | May 29, 07:28 CET

Woot!

debw | May 29, 07:33 CET

Sorry, what's NPH _or who for?

Small Blue Thing | May 29, 08:43 CET

@Small Blue Thing

Neil Patrick Harris.

Winther | May 29, 08:49 CET

D'oh! Thanks.

Small Blue Thing | May 29, 09:33 CET

Oh I would have loved to have seen him in this, but being in the UK soon puts a stop to that. *g*

Looking forward to reports from those who do manage to snag a ticket though.

sueworld2003 | May 29, 10:47 CET

One of my favourite actors in one of my favourite plays. And only a continent and an ocean to separate us. ::sob::

I wonder who he's playing. Jack or Algy, I hope - he's got the timing to do either, but his irrepressible youthfulness would shine through most as Algy. I know he's the right generation to play Canon Chasuble, but on stage he really doesn't look it.

Please, those of you with tickets, report back on this?

ETA: This is on the LA TheatreWorks website:

All performances of "The Play's the Thing!" are recorded live for later broadcast on Satellite and Public Radio worldwide! Performed at The Skirball Cultural Center in Los Angeles, 2701 North Sepulveda Blvd., Los Angeles 90049. Showtimes: Wed., Thurs., and Fri. at 8PM, Sat. at 2:30 PM and Sun. at 4PM. Call 310-827-0889 for more details. Check back for casting updates! - it looks like we'll be able to listen to it at least!

[ edited by Gill on 2009-05-29 11:42 ]

Gill | May 29, 11:30 CET

He'd make a kick-ass Lady Bracknell. :)

redeem147 | May 29, 11:50 CET

Well, they already have a 'drag legend' (Charles Busch) cast so James will have to play one of the gender-appropriate roles ;-)

baxter | May 29, 11:56 CET

I know he's the right generation to play Canon Chasuble, but on stage he really doesn't look it.

Excuse me while I scream silently to myself!!! (I'm five days older than JM, and if you do a Google image search for Miles Malleson, who plays Chasuble in the version of Earnest I like best, you'll see why I'm shrieking!) ETA: Malleson was 64 when he played Chasuble in the 1952 film.

[ edited by Kirochka on 2009-05-29 15:28 ]

Kirochka | May 29, 15:27 CET

BTW - this is a radio reading of the play, not a full stage performance. So appearance is not as importance as voice and James has quite a range with his voice.

RavenU | May 29, 15:53 CET

One of my all-time favourite plays. Wish I could be there to see it! Darn the cost of plane fare these days.

We'll need a full report after the performances from those lucky ticket holders !

pollyprissypants | May 29, 18:35 CET

Kirochka, most of the actors in that film were way too old for their roles, as they had mostly been cast in Gielgud's production of a decade earlier - Dame Edith was 64, for example, way too old to have a daughter in her 20s. Ditto Margaret Rutherford, as Miss Prism, who was only four years younger. If you do the sums, both characters ought to have been in their 40s, not their 60s. And James may look like an eternal youth, but he is that age-group, not Jack's or Algy's.

I love that film too, though a highlight of my West-End theatre visiting was Maggie Smith as Lady B.

James would make a wonderful Algy or Jack, though. And even if it's a rehearsed reading, he'll never be able to stay still!

Gill | May 29, 19:18 CET

James will be playing Jack.

http://twitter.com/LATheatreWorks/statuses/1963308481

Yoga Lady | May 29, 23:20 CET

Gill, thanks for that - very interesting stuff! (And to be honest, I've never thought about the logic of the relative ages.) (And I see that Tom Wilkinson played Chasuble in the 2002 version, which I hadn't remembered, when he was 53... still older, though!)

Kirochka | May 30, 01:14 CET

for those interested the tickets left as of now:
17-Jun
A - 102
E - 124 - 125
F - 101 - 102
G - 101 - 102
H - 101 - 102 - 103 - 124 - 125
I - 101 - 102 - 103 - 104 - 122 - 124 - 125
J - 101 - 102 - 103 - 104 - 105 - 106 - 107 - 124 - 125
K - 101 - 102 - 103 - 104 - 105 - 106 - 107 - 108 - 120 - 121 - 122 - 123 - 124 - 125
L - 101 - 102 - 103 - 104 - 105 - 106 - 107 - 108 - 109 - 110 - 111 - 115 - 116 - 120 - 121 - 122 - 124 - 125
M - 106 - 109 - 110 - 111 - 112 - 113 - 114 - 115 - 116 -124 -125
UU - 1 - 2
VV - 1 - 2
18-Jun
I - 101 - 102
J - 101 - 102 - 103 - 104 - 125
K - 101 - 102 - 103 - 109 - 121 - 122 - 124 - 125
L - 101 - 102 - 103 - 104 - 013 - 114 - 121 - 124 - 125
M - 109 - 110 - 111 - 112 - 113 - 114 - 115 - 116 - 123 - 124 - 125
RR - 1 - 2
SS - 1 - 2
TT - 1 - 2
UU - 1 - 2
VV - 1 - 2
19-Jun
H - 103 - 104 - 122 - 123 - 124 - 125
J - 101 - 102 - 107 - 122 - 123
K - 101 - 102 - 109 - 122 - 123 - 124 - 125
L - 101 - 102 - 103 - 104 - 105 - 106 - 122 - 123 - 124 - 125
M - 109 - 110
TT - 2
UU - 1 - 2
VV - 1 - 2
20-Jun
K - 125
21-Jun
H - 101
I - 101

RavenU | May 30, 01:59 CET

I'm guessing he'll play Algernon. I could totally see him playing that role well.

mysteryshadesman | May 30, 02:12 CET

mysteryshadesman as Yoga Lady posted a few post up, "James will be playing Jack."

RavenU | May 30, 02:23 CET

One of my favorite plays of all time!! Congrats to James!

Harmalicious | May 30, 04:58 CET

Dame Edith was 64, for example, way too old to have a daughter in her 20s.

So you're saying that it's impossible (and in fact, way too late) for a woman to give birth while she's in her late 30s/early 40s?

deanna b | May 30, 11:20 CET

deanna b, I'm certainly not saying that now this is the case, but in 1874 or thereabout it almost certainly would have been! Aristocrats were married off young in those days and produced their children early. Lady B was penniless when she "trapped" Lord Bracknell, so the odds are strong she had her children early before consigning him to a regimen of separate bedrooms.

I've directed the play and taught it at a senior level a couple of times, so I've put in a lot of thinking on this play!

BTW, as it happens, I will still have a daughter in her 20s when I'm 64, so I know full well it's normal these days!

Gill | May 30, 14:55 CET

Age doesn't matter as much on stage. That's what makeup and lighting are for. (Okay, they do some other stuff too...)

redeem147 | May 30, 15:07 CET

Then again, Gill, women had more miscarriages, but just kept trying to have children. Safe, consistent, birth control was not available, so women sometimes had babies late.

One of my grandmothers had her only child in her 30's because she did not want children at all and birth control was very hit or miss at that time. The other one had her last children (twins)well into her 40's and lost 2 as babies. My father was in his 30's when his children were born and I will also be in my 60's when my son is in his 20's. It is not new to have children late, it is just more common.

More to the point, redeem147 is absolutely right. Liberties with age are accepted on stage with no problem. It is much different than film, but older films often used the stage sensibilities.

newcj | May 30, 17:20 CET