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Theater in the Before and After times
Gwendolyn Rice watched a lot of theater this year, even after live productions were shut down
As we all know, this year was strange. Every part of our lives was upended, and for those whose work involves live performances, this was an understatement. Collectively, we have lost so much during the COVID-19 pandemic. Along with epic loss of life and livelihoods, we have lost intimate connections with friends and loved ones. We have also lost the experience of being an audience â united in a time and place, attention rapt, heartbeats in sync, inhaling a singular performance and exhaling applause.
Like President-elect Joe Biden, I am embarking on a challenging new path in my 70s.
In early 2021, the Jewish Repertory Theatre of Western New York will have a Zoom staged reading of my play “Finding Mr. Rightstein.” A June 8, 2020 in-person reading there was canceled because of the pandemic. The artistic director, who accepted my play two years and three drafts ago, the play director, and the marketing director are “excited” and “delighted.”
I share their ‘excitement’ and ‘delight’; however, I am not sharing the date and registration information with relatives and friends I invite to my essay readings. This first reading of my first play is a personal work about loss, family, the effects of mental illness on the members and too many Wrongstein men. I am biting my nails.
Hiram Alejandro Durán/THE CITY
The $900 billion federal pandemic relief bill expected to be passed by Congress on Monday will provide a major if temporary boost to New Yorkers grappling with unemployment and food and housing insecurity.
There’s at least $4 billion on the way to help keep the trains and buses running. And while the city and state won’t reap any direct aid, there’s new leeway to use funds allocated under the CARES relief bill passed in March to balance current fiscal year budgets without major spending cuts.
Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) Sunday night characterized the deal he helped negotiate over recent fraught weeks as providing much-needed “emergency aid” with tough times destined to drag on.
Hamilton have set their sights on May 2021 reopening dates. Both productions hail from Cameron Mackintosh (along with Disney Theatrical Productions on the former and Jeffrey Seller on the latter), who s been a vocal proponent of pushing to reopen theatres at full capacity to ensure financial viability. Both had announced they
Mary Poppins is aiming for a May 22 return at the Prince Edward Theatre, while
Hamilton hopes to get back to work a week earlier, reopening May 15.
The
Mary Poppins company at the time of the shutdown included Zizi Strallen as the title nanny opposite Charlie Stemp as Bert (both earned Olivier Awards for their performances). Rounding out the cast were Joseph Millson as George Banks, Petula Clark as the Bird Woman, Amy Griffiths as Winifred Banks, Claire Moore as Miss Andrew, Claire Machin as Mrs. Brill, Jack North as Robertson Ay, and Barry James as Bank Chairman and Admiral Boom.