Theater

‘Life and Fate’ at the Lincoln Center Festival

Eunice Wong / Truthdig Aug 19, 2009 “Life and Fate” by Vasily Grossman is one of the greatest works of 20th century literature. A new theatrical adaptation is innovative, but ultimately loses the epic's profound meditations on good and evil.A theatrical adaptation of one of the great works of the 20th century falls short of the original epic. Dig deeper ( 8 Min. Read )

Lincoln and Douglas Debate Again in ‘The Rivalry’

Staff / Truthdig Nov 2, 2008 Just in time for Election Day, actors David Strathairn and Paul Giamatti are resurrecting the formidable historical figures of Abraham Lincoln and his rival for the Senate in 1858, Stephen A. Douglas, respectively, in L.A. Theatre Works' production of "The Rivalry," Norman Corwin's play about the famous Lincoln-Douglas debates. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Royal Shakespeare Company’s ‘Seagull’ Soars

Eunice Wong / Truthdig Sep 19, 2007 The Royal Shakespeare Company's production of Anton Chekhov's "The Seagull" seems, at first, to be merely a skillful and familiar rendition of a masterpiece. But like many great works of art, the power of this production is cumulative. Dig deeper ( 5 Min. Read )

‘Jihad The Musical’ Hits Edinburgh Stage

Staff / Truthdig Aug 9, 2007 You've heard the hype, now see the show -- or at least its standout number, if you're not currently in Edinburgh, Scotland. Here, we present footage of foolhardy star Sorab Wadia as self-styled megalomaniac Hussein Al Mansour, singing "I Wanna Be Like Osama" in "Jihad The Musical," playing at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival until the last week of August. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

War and Censorship at Wilton High

Amy Goodman / Truthdig Jun 13, 2007 Students at Wilton High School in Connecticut weren't allowed to discuss the war, unless it was with a military recruiter, so they wrote a play about it. "Voices in Conflict," which was quickly banned by the school, has made it to New York where it brought the audience to tears. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

New York Theater Review: ‘The Year of Magical Thinking’

Eunice Wong / Truthdig May 30, 2007 In her first Truthdig theater review, actor and writer Eunice Wong takes in director David Hare's stage production of "The Year of Magical Thinking," Joan Didion's haunting memoir about the sudden death of her husband (she would also later lose her daughter) and the heartbreaking mind tricks she used to try to conjure him back. Dig deeper ( 5 Min. Read )

New York Theater Review: ‘The Year of Magical Thinking’

Eunice Wong / Truthdig May 30, 2007 In her first Truthdig theater review, actor and writer Eunice Wong takes in director David Hare's stage production of "The Year of Magical Thinking," Joan Didion's haunting memoir about the sudden death of her husband (she would also later lose her daughter) and the heartbreaking mind tricks she used to try to conjure him back. Dig deeper ( 5 Min. Read )

‘A Nation Deceived’: Work in Progress

Staff / Truthdig Nov 17, 2006 Acclaimed actor and progressive activist Ed Asner played the lead in the first reading of a new play that dramatizes the perfidy of the Bush administration's push for continued war in Iraq. Check out this behind-the-scenes description by writer Jayne Stahl. Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

No Sacred Cows at Edinburgh Fringe

Staff / Truthdig Aug 10, 2006 Tales of Mary Magdalene and a 21st-century stripper hooked on heroin; Jesus Christ doing time at Guantanamo for aspiring to be a martyr; they're just a few of the plays taking place at the Scottish festival. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

The Horror, the Horror! Ads Come to Theater

Staff / Truthdig May 24, 2006 Just before the start of a theater show in the East Village of New York, a woman on stage extols the virtues of London honeymoons. It's an advertisment that is itself advertised as the first live theatrical commercial. Are those the four horsemen of the apocalypse I see yonder? Dig deeper

TD Original

Year of the Queer: Hollywood and Homosexuality

Larry Gross / Truthdig Feb 27, 2006 Truthdig's Larry Gross, a pioneer in the field of gay studies, argues that for all the hoopla surrounding "Brokeback Mountain" and this year's spate of gay-themed films, there is little about them that upends Hollywood conventions or challenges popular ideas about homosexuality. "Hollywood and much of the media may be awash in liberal self-congratulation," Gross writes, "but they--and we--are also soaking in the familiar hypocrisy of homophobia." Update: Down to the WireGross argues that for all the hoopla surrounding "Brokeback Mountain" and this year's spate of gay-themed films, there is little about them that upends Hollywood conventions or challenges popular ideas about homosexuality. Dig deeper ( 22 Min. Read )