Arts & Society

Gary Tischler • November 3, 2011

If ever there was a moment in the theater that you could without a doubt call a real Washington moment, it occurred at the Kennedy Center’s Eisenhower Theater on June 1, the opening night of “Thurgood.”

Here, at the end, taking bows was American Film Institute Founder, filmmaker and television director George Stevens, Jr., the author of the one-man biographical play about the legendary first African American Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall.

Right next to him was actor Laurence Fishburne who, during the course of the play, simply disappeared and all but resurrected the grand civil rights warrior Marshall up close and personal.

There in the audience was Marshall’s widow, his two sons and enough Supreme Court justices to at least make a singing group: Chief Justice John Roberts, Stephen Bryer and Ruth Bader Ginsburg, not to mention Washington insider and civil rights leader Vernon Jordan, who is a producer for the show.

Did we forget to mention that the timing couldn’t be more historically atmospheric? By now, everyone knows that Elena Kagan, President Barack Obama’s choice to fill the seat of retiring Justice John Paul Stevens, was a clerk for Marshall.

It doesn’t get any more Washington than that.

“For me, it’s so gratifying, so appropriate to bring this play to the Kennedy Center,” Stevens said in an interview with the Georgetowner. “This is where Marshall accomplished so much, it’s where he was a giant in front of the Supreme Court, arguing the Board of Education versus Brown case, and on the court as a major force.”

Stevens, the son of the late Oscar-winning director George Stevens, is himself a noted film director of major, much-talked-about television mini-series and documentaries. He’s a man whose life has been split between Hollywood and Washington, where he began his career being asked to work on the film division of the U.S. Information Agency in the early 1960s. A long-time Georgetown resident, he’s also the founder of the American Film Institute and producer of the Kennedy Center Honors.

A strong streak of fairness for outsiders runs through much of Stevens’ own work, including the mini-series “The Murder of Mary Phagan” and “Separate But Equal,” the 1991 mini-series about the 1957 Brown vs. Board of Education case which starred Sidney Poitier as Marshall and Burt Lancaster as the opposition attorney.

“I think a lot of that came from my father,” Stevens said. “If you look at his major works after the war — which changed him tremendously — there is a strong sense of justice and fairness in his films like ‘Giant’ and ‘The Diary of Anne Frank.'”

“When we did ‘Separate but Equal’ I thought a lot about the possibility of writing a play, but not a narrative drama necessarily,” he said. “The film was about a specific historical event. The play is Thurgood Marshall in full, so to speak. I wanted people to see the human being who was so important to the events and history of his time. I didn’t want people to go to the play so that they could feel good, to have a good moral feeling, with nothing but factual incidents.

“Laurence is perfect in the part,” he said. “When it debuted in New York in 2008, Marshall’s wife was in the audience. She loved Fishburne’s performance and kidded him, saying ‘I wish you weren’t married.’”

What Fishburne, who has a persona, voice and track record that’s instantly recognizable (Three “Matrix” films, the lead role in the current “CSI” series), does in “Thurgood” is to bury himself in the man. The characteristic Fishburne voice is gone, and what’s left of it has an old man’s grunt and growl to it.

“He’s also very funny,” Stevens said. “People are surprised that there are so many humorous moments.”

The conceit of the play is that it’s a rather casual address made by Marshall to a law school class at Howard, where he went to school, talking about his life and work, growing up, taking on cases that broke the all-white spell at the University of Maryland law school, taking on voting rights cases in Texas, meeting his first wife (who passed away) and his second wife, taking on the Board of Education case, the legal strategies and his ascent to the high court, which includes memorable stories about LBJ.

So emphatic and vivid is Fishburne that the arrival of a number of late-comers (because of traffic snarls on opening night) folded right in as Thurgood Marshall welcomed them warmly.

Stevens, meantime, is busy on his next project.

“You’ll like this one,” he said. “It’s called “Herblock of N Street.”

That would be Herblock, the late, great Pulitzer Prize-winning political cartoonist of the Washington Post.

We can’t wait.

“Thurgood” runs at the Kennedy Center’s Eisenhower Theater through June 20.
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Georgetowner •

On Wednesday, June 30, Ryan Zimmerman held this years 2nd Annual ” A Night At The Park” which featured wonderful auction items such as signed memorabilia and performances by country singer Rodney Atkins and magician David Blaine.

Multiple Sclerosis is a disease quite close to Ryan’s heart. In 1995, his mother Cheryl was diagnosed with MS, a chronic and unpredictable disease that affects the central nervous system. MS affects roughly 400,000 Americans and can impact the body in almost as many ways. Ryan looks at his mother’s condition as an influence on his development as a person. It forced Ryan and his brother, Shawn, to assume responsibilities in his home at an earlier age than most of their peers.
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Gary Tischler •

Michael Danek comes to Washington frequently—he has friends and relatives here in the suburbs and it’s not that far away from New York where he lives when he’s not on the road, which is often.

But he hasn’t been at the National Theatre on Pennsylvania Avenue in a long time in a professional capacity.

Not since he was Harry.

Not since he was an actor in the legendary “Hello Dolly,” with the legendary Carol Channing back on 1978.

“You know the song, right,” he says in a phone interview, “the title song where everyone’s singing ‘Hello Dolly’ by way of greeting. Well, back then I was one of the waiters that comes on, guy named Harry, and she sings ‘Well, hello, Harry…’”

“That was pretty cool,” he says. “And Carol Channing, well, she was something, no question.”

Well Harry, that is, Michael, is back at the National Theatre, only this time, as stage manager for the touring company. He’s running the whole show – the show being “Rock of Ages,” the hit Broadway show about a bunch of kids finding love and music, 1980’s style.

Put another way, it’s a long way from “Hello Dolly” to “Hit Me with Your Best Shot,” the iconic femme rock song sung by Pat Benatar in the 1980s. It’s a long way from the music of Jerry Hermann to Styx, or for that matter, from bustles to Afros.

“Yeah, it’s different,” Danek said. “But one things the same, they’re both big shows, big hits.”

Danek, who switched from being a performer (including long runs in “A Chorus Line”) in the 1980s, to stage managing, from onstage to backstage, couldn’t be happier. “I had a good run,” he said. “Especially the Chorus Line gig, because that was one of the most original Broadway shows ever. There’s nothing like it, so many talented people in it.”

But as stage manager, he’s basically responsible for running the show on the road, the pacing, the calling, the scheduling, getting people squared away, making sure everything runs as smoothly as it should. “The director’s going to call in, but once a show, a play gets on stage, the director basically is finished,” he said. “It’s my job now that this tour, which is pretty hectic, goes smoothly, how the company and the sets and everything work in relation to the size of the venue. Every place is a little different.”

“I love this show,” he says. “I guess it’s sort of part of my musical memory. Sure, so the music is great, but everybody in it is super. This is a great cast, a great group of people, enthusiastic as all get out. I know sometimes in road shows you get performers that sort of coast or wing it. Not here. These guys and girls, they make it fresh every night, they work like fiends.”

“And then there’s the equipment,” he says. “There’s a lot of amps, you could say it’s loud, but then the music was loud and the hair was big. Bring ear plugs.”

He continued, “We’re unloading five trucks, including the sound stuff, and the amps, so yeah, it’s a lot to get down right. And yeah, there’s a lot of hair.”

“Rock of Ages” is huge in the minds of its fans, everywhere they go. “You’ve got to like living on the road,” he says. “Especially on this show. It’s a short run show, nothing more than a month, most of it less. We had a nice run in San Francisco, with a little more leisure time. But basically you’ve got to be cool about packing up, living in hotels, out you go again kind of thing.”

Constantine Maroulis of American Idol fame is the headliner in this version, which weaves comedy and romance with a young cast of actors, singers and performers through a rich bag of 1980s hits. It runs at the national through July 24. Kristin Hanggi, who snagged a Tony Award nomination for her work on “Rock of Ages” directs. “We’re in touch pretty much constantly,” Danek says. “If there’s a problem that she needs to deal with, we talk.”

The tour includes Seattle, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Des Moines, Kansas City, Fort Laudesrdale, Clearwater, Houston and Dallas among its 15 stops. “I’ve been with the show since January,” he said. “It’s been a great ride, no kidding.”

And “Rock of Ages” is soon – in 2012 – coming to a theater near you. You’ve probably seen the clips of Tom Cruise in bare-chest vest for the movie version. “He plays an aging rocker,” Danek said. “He came backstage during the tour. He was really nice, posed for pictures with everyone, very cool guy.”

Folks come for the love story, but mostly, and most likely for the music. Songs include the anthem-like “Anyway You Want It” and “Don’t Stop Believing” from Journey’s salad days, “Every Rose Has Its Thorn” by Poison “I Wanna Rock” from the wonderfully named Twisted Sister, David Lee Roth’s “Just Like Paradise,” Styx’s “Renegade,” Benatar’s “Shadows of the Night” and “Hit Me With Your Best Shot,” Bon Jovi’s “Wanted Dead or Alive,” Foreigner’s “Waiting for a Girl Like You.”

“I’m not sorry about not performing, I don’t miss it,” Danek said. “This is theater, too and it’s the life that I picked. It’s the nuts and bolts stuff. Every night and every place is different.”

“Rock of Ages” started out in Los Angeles, performed four times in two days at King, then was performed once at the Warner Brothers Soundstage in LA before formally opening in LA at the Vanguard Hollywood for six weeks. In 2006, it had a limited run at the Flamingo in Las Vegas, then hit off-Broadway in 2008. In April of 2009, it opened at the prestigious Brooks Atkinson Theatre on Broadway. It has since toured nationally, and opened in productions in Korea and Melbourne.

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Mary Bird •

The Choral Arts Society of Washington kicked off the “Legacy Season” of retiring founder and artistic director Norman Scribner at the home of board member Jenny Wallace and her husband Jim on Sept. 15. Longtime patrons and donors came out in full force to celebrate Maestro Scribner’s 47 years of visionary leadership. The evening also served as a kick-off for the 31st Annual Holiday Concert & Benefit, “Holiday Treasures from Russia,” which will be held at the Kennedy Center Dec. 19 under the patronage of the Ambassador of the Russian Federation Sergey Kislyak and his wife Natalia. Brooke Stroud Carnot and Stephane Carnot are co-chairing this year’s benefit with former benefit chair and longtime Choral Arts chorister Kandy Stroud as honorary chair.
 
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Mary Bird •

On Oct. 6, store director of Louis Vuitton Chevy Chase Yasmine Abdo hosted Knock Out Abuse with 2011 event chair Jaci Reid and co-founders Cheryl Masri and Jill Sorensen. The well-attended cocktail reception benefited KOA’s support for organizations in the Washington metropolitan area that offer services, assistance and shelter to women and children who are victims of abuse as Louis Vuitton donated a portion of event sales to the KOA Foundation. [gallery ids="100332,108592" nav="thumbs"]

Mary Bird •

On Oct. 14, Susan and Michael Pillsbury welcomed friends to their stunning Georgetown home to celebrate the launch of Alexandra Villard de Borchgrave’s Light of Healing Hope Foundation. Her prayers on 9/11 led Alexandra to write three books of poetry that have been given as gifts to the 9//11 survivors’ families, military families and those experiencing personal tragedy. She has now founded The Light of Healing Hope Foundation, a charitable organization dedicated to providing inspirational books as gifts in hospitals to bring hope to patients and their families. After Alexandra thanked everyone for their support, a patient spoke of the gift packages as “a reminder of what is good in the world.” Alexandra closed her remarks with a quote “Earth has no sorrow that heaven cannot heal.” [gallery ids="100334,108622,108638,108627,108635,108632" nav="thumbs"]

Mary Bird •

The Alliance Française in DC hosted an Oct. 13 reception showcasing next year’s celebration of Belgian gastronomy. Annette Choynacki, Director of the Belgian Tourist Office in New York, came here to herald Brussels-US cooperation for the upcoming events which will start this Christmas and continue throughout next year. She proudly introduced the Executive Chef at the Belgian residence, Jan Van Haute, who won first prize at the 2010 Embassy Chef Challenge and served as a jury member this year. He described Belgium as a crossroads featuring “French food with German portions. “ He said “what we lack in sun, we make up with food. Guests departed with a bag of Belgian temptations from Rob “The Gourmets’ Market” in Brussels. [gallery ids="100335,108653,108637,108649,108645,108642" nav="thumbs"]

Robert Devaney •

The pop artist was also a pop editor. Andy Warhol’s serious playfulness with the tabloid media, news and society makes newspaper editors smile with art lovers. Friends and admirers got a chance to do just that at a Oct. 5 trustee dinner for the National Gallery of Art exhibit, “Warhol: Headlines” in its East building. [gallery ids="100339,108683,108679,108675,108662,108671,108667" nav="thumbs"]

Mary Bird •

Ambassador of the Russian Federation and Mrs. Sergey Kislyak hosted the American-Russian Cultural Foundation (ARCCF) for a special evening on Oct. 12 at the Giants of Science Gala celebrating Benjamin Franklin and Mikhail Lomonosov, who initiated scientific exchange between the two countries. The black tie event was highlighted by a performance “Eavesdropping on “Mike and Ben’” performed by no less than Justice Antonin Scalia and ARCCF Board Chair James Symington. Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution Dr. G. Wayne Clough received the annual Foundation Award. Since 1992 ARCCF has promoted American-Russian relations through education, art and cultural exchanges. [gallery ids="102424,121801,121793,121808,121813,121819,121825" nav="thumbs"]

Georgetowner •

Castle Hill Cider in Keswick, Virginia celebrated our Grand Opening on Oct. 2, 2011. We were graced with locals and celebrities from around the Commonwealth of Virginia ! We poured our four ciders called Celestial, Terrestrial, Gravity and Levity!
We are located on a 600-acre estate that has a prominent position in America’s political, artistic and culinary history and we have recently renovated and introduced The Barn as a premier venue for weddings and large events. To arrange for group tastings or schedule an event please contact Castle Hill Cider at 434.296.0047 [gallery ids="100342,108699,108692,108696" nav="thumbs"]