PINK is the new BLOG
Everybody's Business Is My BusinessTM






Friday, March 07, 2008

The Cat Is Out Of The Bag

Last night in NYC, the first all-African-American cast of the Tennessee Williams play Cat on a Hot Tin Roof officially opened for a limited run on Broadway at the Broadhurst Theatre. The play's director Debbie Allen was joined by attendees Eartha Kitt, Spike Lee, Jeremy Piven and others on the red carpet for opening night last night ... here are a few pics:


Photo credit: Wireimage

The stars of the play themselves weren't able to walk the red carpet before the show but they did get themselves all dolled up for the after-party at Strata. Here are pics of Anika Noni Rose, Terrence Howard, Phylicia Rashad and James Earl Jones on that red carpet:


Photo credit: Wireimage

The play itself has been getting good reviews altho there are a few folks who didn't seem to care for it. Personally, I loved the show. David and I were able to see a preview performance of the show during my last trip to NYC and I enjoyed every minute of it. For me, the hilarity was a plus .. tho, one review seems to think that all the funny takes away from the intended tone of the play:


Who knew that "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof" was such a laugh riot? Certainly, Tennessee Williams' classic play contains its share of humor, as do many of his works. But the current revival directed by Debbie Allen resembles nothing so much as a raucous family sitcom. The results, while undeniably entertaining, cheapen the overall effect -- though apparently not for an audience that was laughing uproariously from start to finish. An all-star black cast has been assembled for the production, including Oscar nominee Terrence Howard, making his stage debut as the alcoholic Brick; Anika Noni Rose ("Dreamgirls") as the sex-starved Maggie; and theater veterans James Earl Jones and Phylicia Rashad as Big Daddy and Big Mama. The director's efforts to enliven the proceedings are apparent from the beginning, with a saxophone player wandering onstage to play some New Orleans-style jazz and a glimpse of a bare-chested Howard -- cue catcalls from the female audience members -- showering in the background. In the first scene, Rose, wearing Maggie's trademark slip, writhes and poses suggestively with all the subtlety of a porn star. The play rises or falls based on the performances of its leads, and the two younger players are disappointing. The over-the-top Rose conveys Maggie's sexual and emotional hunger in more irritating than poignant fashion. The underplaying Howard retains his dignity, but he's so intent on portraying Brick's existential despair that he forgets to signal his underlying dark humor. Although a bit too histrionic at first, Rashad soon settles down and delivers a finely wrought, moving performance. But not surprisingly, the real star of the evening is Jones, tearing into his role with all the gusto one would expect. This version features particularly salty language that Williams restored for a later production of the play, and hearing the booming-voiced actor delivering it with such relish is surely one of the highlights of the theater season. The second-act scene in which Big Daddy confronts his errant son is the most effective of the evening, thanks to the canny parrying of the two actors. The supporting cast, which also includes the reliable Giancarlo Esposito as the aggrieved son Gooper and Lisa Arrindell Anderson as his hectoring wife, do well enough by their roles. Although much has been made of the all-black casting, it has little effect on the play, with the exception of a few lines that seem jarring in this context. The bigger problem is that the director and actors too often fail to trust the material, hammering its more outrageous elements home with a lack of subtlety that robs the play of its essential poeticism.

Since I had never seen or read the play before nor have I seen the movie version, I don't have a point of reference to compare this version to. All I know is that I was entirely entertained thruout the almost 3 hour performance of this show from beginning to end. I suppose I can see the "sitcom-iness" of the show but maybe that's what I really responded to. The show is very funny and I felt the performances were really great. Yes the veteran actors did an amazing job but I also found the newcomers (especially Anika Noni Rose) very entertaining. I wouldn't at all call her performance annoying. I'm more of a musical person but this is one play that I really, really enjoyed ... I really recommend that y'all check it out ... the run has been extended thru June. I might even have to go back and see it again. [Source]


[Permalink]


Advertisement


For The Honor
Of Gossip ...

I Have The Power!


This is where I create and regurgitate all the news that's fit to type.

Hearsay & Gossip,
Rumor & Fact ...

Pink is the new Blog!

Comin' atcha from the West Coast, all updates occur in Pacific Time


[ Email Me ]



So Yesterday
The Archives




search this site

Google search the web

This blog originates HERE.
Hot Pink
My Fave Posts From Days Of Yore



Your Ad Here



    Please support the advertisers who sponsor this site. Thank you.




Princess Zakiya
Baby Z's Picture O' The Moment


My Book Club
What I'm Reading











MiTunes
What I'm Listening To














Viddy This
What I'm Watching













Blowin' Up
Mobile Phones Of The Moment


Motorola RAZR² V8 Luxury Edition



iPhone



Blackberry Curve 8320


You Know You Wanna



eLUXURY brand banner

Paparazzi
Photos Of The Beautiful People
Reg. Req'd. @ Imagestation.com



www.flickr.com
This is a Flickr badge showing public photos from pitchatrent. Make your own badge here.

The Hotness
Other Must Read Blogs


Ch-Check It Out
On The Pulse; Hot Shizz












Oh Snap!
Picture O' The Moment


Love Me, Love Me
    Say That You Love Me

  • "Pink is the new Blog: Must Star Hazer -- Why This: Trent Vanegas may run the uproarious gossip roundup from his home outside Detroit, but he doesn't need proximity to make riotous observations about celebs -- often typed directly onto scary paparazzi photos." -- Entertainment Weekly

  • "Anyone looking for a case study in the convergence of homespun blog culture and market-driven mainstream media need look no further than pinkisthenewblog.com and its creator, Trent Vanegas ... It's Not Just a Blog, It's a Brand" -- The New York Times

  • "Finest use of Photoshop: Nothing escapes the keen eyes of Pink is the New Blog, which concerns itself with all types of celebrity lambasting, sartorial style included. Arrows point to flashes of errant celebrity panty; the blog's trademark pink stencil lettering announces "CHER COMES TO TOWN" over photos of a raven-haired Lindsay Lohan." -- The Village Voice

  • "[Pink is the new Blog] offers a hysterical, no-frills treasure trove of photos (enhanced like a football commentator, with arrows and play-by-play markings), gossip and a sweet bank of links directed to stories all over the Web. [The posts are] more like delicious dispatches each day. Vanegas is a concise writer but offers plenty of description to keep things interesting." -- The St. Petersburg Times

  • "The site has just blown up and a Pink mushroom cloud is expected to replace the smog above Hollywood any day now ... Now everyone who's anyone knows that pink is the new blog." -- URB magazine

  • "Brilliantly Bitchy Blogging -- [T]his celeb-obsessed photo blog combines the wit of Oscar Wilde with the wisdom of US Weekly." -- Blender magazine

  • "Hilarious, photo-driven Web site ... covers the trashy trials of Britney & Kevin, Tara Reid, Paris Hilton, Lindsay Lohan et. al with acidic glee." -- The New York Post

  • "If you don't like having a chuckle at celebrity misfortunes or enjoy a good gossip about Britney's latest blunder, then you might want to refrain from visiting this site. This is our sort of gossip - the piss-taking, ass-shaking stuff that'll keep you coming back for more. A mix of scandal and send-up, hearsay and gossip, rumour and fact." -- NZgirl

  • "i <3 your blog" -- Ultragrrrl

  • "Pink is the new Blog ... It's on a whole 'notha level!" -- Josh M.

  • "wanna check out a funny website? pinkisthenewblog.com, this guy is funny. i always laugh at it at least." -- Joel M.

  • "pink is the new blog is more hotter and tender than jamie lynn spears at her sweet 16 party" -- Thigh Master

  • "I look forward to your update every single day - you are hilarious, my friend." -- Andy Towle

  • "We always loved PINK. Now that we have met the brain of this Magnifique blog, we love it even more ... C'est La Vie en Pink" -- Steph & Alek

  • "[Pink is the new Blog] just passed smoking crack in my top three best ways to pass time at work. obvs." -- Peabs

  • "you can now add Fleshbot to the expanding list of sites that love you" -- Jonno

  • "there must be like 10 trents running your site. it's huge. always great work" -- Spencer

  • "It's hilarious and informative at the same time ... Better than E!" -- Jim Henry

  • "Pink has never looked so good! Rumor has it that even the midgets love him!" -- Christie

  • "Trent is one of the few gay bloggers I could actually get along with in real life." -- Toby

  • "Pink is the new crack" -- Johnnie



This page is powered by Blogger. Isn't yours?


<a href="http://www.bloginspace.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.bloginspace.com/_assets/img/badges/bloginspace_145x100.gif" width="145" height="100" border="0" alt="BlogInSpace.com"></a>

A-List Blogger

  eXTReMe Tracker  
Now I Can Die ...



Me and Madonna
NYC 10.17.05