Six months later...

I did it, I wrote about theatre for Popdose. As I promised. Now as you were. Oh, that's Jessica Chastain and Dan Stevens in The Heiress, now on Broadway. More soon.

Signed, sealed, delivered

Those of you who visit no doubt realize that I post new material only very rarely these days, and that the reviews, etc, that I write are logged on the Facebook and Twitter links to the right. After six+ years, two children, and a new Blogger interface that I loathe I've decided to suspend Between Productions for the foreseeable future, but as I ponder what path to take on the www do stop by to see what's up with me on Facebook and Twitter, or, better yet, just visit the sites themselves to friend and like and follow me or whatever. I plan to add theatre coverage to my Popdose duties, so save me the aisle seat, and thanks for dropping by.

Popdose: Prometheus

I saw it last Sunday, and finally finished my review. It's that kind of movie. Sadly, if not surprisingly. We all need to move past Alien. You, too, Fassy.

The Summer Cineaste

It's online and on sale. Up on the site is my review of the nifty Andrew L. Stone thriller The Steel Trap, with Joseph Cotten and Teresa Wright absconding to Brazil with a million in cash.

Popdose: Star Wars Memories

May the Force...you know. My recollections of the phenomenon 35 years later. Jabba, we hardly knew ye.

Popdose: The Greatest Movie Summer Ever

Return with me to 1982, when E.T. phoned home, Spicoli enjoyed Fast Times, and I wasn't The Last American Virgin. And Mel Gibson ruled in the movie I saw three times, two of them driving on my own.

Drama Desk noms: Follies in front

Plus Death Takes a Holiday, Nice Work if You Can Get It, and Richard III, and others in the usual potpourri derived from the bustling New York theater scene. I was a nominator once, and, like Sally in Follies (pictured), I felt like I was "losing my mind" as I saw all those shows. But away we go. The awards will be held on June 3.

Live Design: The scoop on Newsies

Extra! Extra! The new Disney musical isn't bad at all. In fact it's quite enjoyable. A surprise.

Popdose: A Night to Remember

I'm posting this review of the excellent Criterion Blu-ray of the 1958 classic almost to the minute the Titanic sank a century ago, which is a sobering thought.

Popdose: A world of Whedon

Writer-producer-director wunderkind Joss Whedon, that is, represented by no less than two films this week as the world awaits his superheroic mashup The Avengers: the monster mash The Cabin in the Woods (pictured) and the doc Comic-Con Episode IV: A Fan's Hope. Let's give the man a hand!

On the theater beat

Reviewed for Live Design magazine, Death of a Salesman with Philip Seymour Hoffman and the late, unmourned revisal of Carrie. And, for Theater News Online, a largely successful screen to stage adaptation (pictured). The cast album is gorgeous, by the way.

Popdose: Chewing Over The Hunger Games

Considering Katniss, Battle Royale (pictured), and the whole adaptations thing. Why are these young adult genre efforts so boring?

Popdose: The Raid: Redemption

Action, action, and more action from Indonesian silat sensation Iko Uwais. Did I say there was action in this one?

Popdose: Footnote

The only one of the 15 movies opening in New York today that may be worth seeing.

Live Design: Blood Knot and Richard III

Off Broadway this week with an Athol Fugard revival and Kevin Spacey (pictured) before the curtain rings down on the Bridge Project at BAM this Sunday.

Popdose: Being Flynn

Robert De Niro gets out of movie jail. Temporarily.

Popdose: Top 10 for 2011

Hangin' with Tom Cruise as I (finally) tackle a Top 10 movie list for Popdose, just in time for tonight's thing. Check my Twitter feed below for my Oscar picks and cast your ballot accordingly.

The Spring issue of Cineaste, online and on sale

The site's up now, and the magazine will be on newsstands and in your hands by early March. Look for my mini-review of Criterion's Island of Lost Souls.

Popdose: The Oscar Nominated Short Films 2012

The long and the "short" of it this year, including Ciaran Hinds and Kerry Condon at The Shore.

Popdose: The River

Up the lazy TV show for Popdose. I'm not in it for the duration, that's for sure.

Live Design: The Gershwins' Porgy and Bess

Ah, Audra. And two more plays on and Off Broadway. (Broadway, land of Smash, which had its moments last night, if not the most compelling first episode. I hear it improves--the American Idol beginning was amusing, the other more embedded nods to that type of performing not so much-- and with a roster of local talent to draw from how could it not?)

Popdose: 2012 Oscar nominations

Extremely loud and incredibly close analysis featuring, who else, The Artist.

Live Design: Leo

A little, topsy-turvy show that I thoroughly enjoyed. And my first show of the year.

Popdose: The Iron Lady

Meryl Streep rules Britannia.

Popdose: Thoughts. Impressions. Observations.

One year ends, another begins. Working toward a Top Ten list, which Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy will surely be on.

Henry Hewes winners announced

Here's the release. Pictured is the outstanding design for The Normal Heart.

"Six theater artists will be honored by the Henry Hewes Design Awards Committee during the presentation of its 47th Annual Awards in a luncheon ceremony this winter. Eighty-six theater artists were nominated for outstanding work in 61 productions presented during the 2010-2011 New York season.

These annual awards honor designers for work in venues on Broadway, Off Broadway and Off Off Broadway, recognizing not only the traditional categories of Scenic Design, Costume Design and Lighting Design, but also "Notable Effects," which encompass sound, music, video, puppetry and other creative elements. All nominated designs must have originated in United States productions. The Hewes Awards Committee considered more than 200 productions when making its nominations.

John Lee Beatty extends his record of honors with his seventh Hewes Award; William Ivey Long receives his fourth; Jeff Croiter, David Rockwell and Batwin+Robin each receive their first such honor. Beatty, Long, Rockwell, Ben Stanton, David Zinn and Catherine Zuber led all nominees with three nominations each. Eight other designers received two nominations for their work during the 2010-2011 season.

Theatre for a New Audience's production of Notes From Underground and Rattlestick Playwrights Theater's production of The Hallway Trilogy each received four distinct nominations to lead all other contenders. Broadway productions of Anything Goes, Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo and Good People received three nominations each, as did the Signature Theatre Company's Angels in America, New York Theatre Workshop's Peter and the Starcatcher and Three Pianos, the Public Theater's The Intelligent Homosexual's Guide to Capitalism and Socialism With a Key to the Scriptures and Manhattan Theatre Club's The Whipping Man. Another 10 productions on, Off and Off Off Broadway each received two nominations.

The HHDA Committee named honorees in four categories: Scenic Design, Costume Design, Lighting Design and Notable Effects. As of the 2011 awards, the Committee has bestowed 277 honors on 174 artists representing 191 productions.

Originally known as the Maharam Awards at their inception in 1965, the Hewes Awards were later known as the American Theatre Wing Design Awards in honor of the Wing’s generous sponsorship. They were renamed in 1999 for noted critic Henry Hewes, who created the awards and served as a board member of the American Theatre Wing until his death in 2006 at age 89.

2011 HENRY HEWES DESIGN AWARDS HONOREES
Scenic Design
John Lee Beatty
The Whipping Man (Manhattan Theatre Club)

Costume Design
William Ivey Long
The School for Lies (Classic Stage Company)

Lighting Design
Jeff Croiter
Peter and the Starcatcher (NY Theatre Workshop)

Notable Effects
(Scenery and Projections)
David Rockwell
The Normal Heart (Broadway)
Batwin+Robin
The Normal Heart (Broadway)"