Lia Chang: Manu Narayan, Mark Bennett, Lea Salonga, Michael K. Lee and Stafford Arima Among 2012 Craig Noel Award Nominees

Congrats to Bombay Dream vet Manu Narayan, who has been nominated for a 2012 San Diego Critics Circle Craig Noel Award for his electrifying turn as Ricky Roma in La Jolla Playhouse’s revival of David Mamet’s Glengarry Glen Ross, in the category of outstanding male featured performance in a play.
Multimedia: Manu Narayan Dazzles as Richard Roma in La Jolla Playhouse’s Revival of David Mamet’s Glengarry Glen Ross

Manu Narayan (Photo by Lia Chang)

Upon hearing the news, Narayan said, “Wow! I am humbled to be nominated by the San Diego Critics Circle. It’s an honor to be recognized for my work, and I share it with my fellow castmate and nominee James Sutorious, as well as my other brilliant castmates Peter Maloney, Jeff Marlow, Matt MacNelly, Ray Anthony Thomas, and Johnny Wu. Working with Christopher Ashley and the rest of my castmates on Glengarry Glen Ross is one of the highlights of my career. La Jolla Playhouse and San Diego are filled with amazing people, and I look forward to working there again soon.”

Narayan can be seen next in a guest starring role as a doctor on the pilot episode of NBC’s “Deception” on Monday, January 7, 2013 at 10pm EST.

On Monday, February 4, 2013, more than 110 local and national theater artists representing more than 45 San Diego theatrical productions will compete for the 2012 San Diego Critics Circle Craig Noel Awards at the Museum of Contemporary Art, San Diego, 700 Prospect Drive, La Jolla, CA. The award ceremony, which will take place from 6 to 10 p.m., is produced by the San Diego Theatre Critics Circle. Admission to the ceremony is free. Reservations and details can be found at www.sdcriticscircle.org.

Michael K. Lee as Frankie Suzuki and Lea Salonga as Kei Kimura in the World Premiere of Allegiance – A New American Musical, with music and lyrics by Jay Kuo and book by Marc Acito, Kuo and Lorenzo Thione, directed by Stafford Arima, at The Old Globe. Photo by Henry DiRocco.

Allegiance, The Old Globe’s world premiere musical starring George Takei, Telly Leung and Lea Salonga, is in the lead with six nominations including Outstanding New Musical; an outstanding female featured performance nomination for Salonga’s portrayal of Kei Kimura and an outstanding male featured performance in a musical nod for Michael K. Lee as Frankie Suzuki. Helmer Stafford Arima was nominated for outstanding direction of a musical, Howard Binkley for outstanding lighting design and Darrel Maloney for outstanding projection design. The Old Globe’s Production Photos of George Takei, Lea Salonga, Telly Leung and Paolo Montalban in World Premiere of Allegiance – A New American Musical

Moxie Theatre’s revival of Lorraine Hansberry’s, A Raisin in the Sun also received six nominations. Cygnet Theatre’s production of the musical, Parade and The Old Globe’s production of the musical The Scottsboro Boys received five.

Productions with four nominations included The Old Globe’s world premiere musical Nobody Loves You, Moonlight Stage Productions’ Sweeney Todd, The Old Globe’s Summer Shakespeare Festival revival of Inherit the Wind, and two productions from ion theatre: Top Dog/Underdog, and The Little Flower of East Orange.

(center, from left) Lea Salonga as Kei Kimura, Telly Leung as Sammy Kimura, George Takei as Ojii-san and Paul Nakauchi as Tatsuo Kimura with the cast of the World Premiere of Allegiance – A New American Musical at The Old Globe. Photo by Henry DiRocco.

Competing for the outstanding resident musical award will be The Scottsboro Boys, Parade, and Moonlight’s Fiddler on the Roof. Allegiance is up against the Broadway-bound La Jolla Playhouse production of Hands on a Hardbody, Nobody Loves You, Diversionary Theatre’s world premiere production of Harmony, Kansas, and La Jolla Playhouse’s adaptation of the Flaming Lips’ Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots in the category of outstanding new musical. Competing for the outstanding dramatic production award will be A Raisin in the Sun, Inherit the Wind, Top Dog/Underdog, and two La Jolla Playhouse offerings, Blood and Gifts, and An Iliad.

In the musical acting categories, the nominees for outstanding female leading performance in a musical are Sandy Campbell (Parade), Bets Malone (Sweeney Todd), along with Natalie Storrs for the Welk Resorts Theatre’s production of How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying and Hilary Maiberger for Moonlight’s Little Women: The Musical. The nominees for outstanding male lead in a musical are Hunter Foster (Hands on a Hardbody), and Robert Townsend (Sweeney Todd), along with Sean Murray (Man of La Mancha, produced by Cygnet Theatre), Nicholas Mongiardo-Cooper (Words By…, produced by North Coast Repertory Theatre), and Shaun Tuazon (Deconstruction of a Drag Queen, produced by Circle Circle dot dot Theatre).

In the dramatic acting categories, the outstanding female leading performance nominees are Sylvia M’Lafi Thompson (A Raisin in the Sun), Dana Green (As You Like It, produced by The Old Globe’s Summer Shakespeare Festival), Yolanda Franklin (The Sugar Witch, produced by OnStage Playhouse) Eva Kaminsky (Good People, produced by The Old Globe), and Catalina Maynard (Julia, produced by ion theatre). The outstanding male lead performance in a play nominees are co-stars Robert Foxworth and Adrian Sparks (Inherit the Wind), Laurence Brown (Top Dog/Underdog), Jeffrey Jones (The Little Flower of East Orange), and Mark Christopher Lawrence for performances in both Top Dog/Underdog and A Raisin in the Sun.

Mark Bennett (Photo by Lia Chang)

The outstanding sound design nominees are Mark Bennett (An Iliad at La Jolla Playhouse), Kevin Anthenill, (The Trestle at Pope Lick Creek, Moxie Theatre), Melanie Chen (Blasted, ion theatre), Lindsay Jones (The Recommendation, The Old Globe), Shahrokh Yadegari (Blood and Gifts, La Jolla Playhouse)Mark Bennett Receives Lucille Lortel Nomination for Outstanding Sound Design for An Iliad

The outstanding ensemble award will be presented to the cast of one of the following productions: A Raisin in the Sun, Parade, The Scottsboro Boys, The Little Flower of East Orange, Kita y Fernanda (produced by Mo’olelo Performing Arts), or In the Red and Brown Water (produced by the University of California, San Diego’s Department of Theatre and Dance).

Founded in 1983 and re-established in 2002, the San Diego Theatre Critics Circle is an independent, nonprofit organization of print and online theater critics dedicated to open and honest dialogue about theatre in San Diego County and to honoring artistic excellence. The members of the organization are professional critics writing for daily newspapers, magazines, alternative weeklies, entertainment trade publications, broadcast media, and web sites in San Diego County. The Circle’s annual awards for outstanding San Diego theatre are named for the late Craig Noel, founder and longtime artistic director of The Old Globe and a recipient of the National Medal of Arts for his contributions to American regional theater in the 20th century.

Nominees for the 2011 Craig Noel Awards:
Outstanding Resident Musical
Fiddler on the Roof, Moonlight Stage Productions
Parade, Cygnet Theatre
The Scottsboro Boys, The Old Globe

Outstanding New Musical
Allegiance, The Old Globe
Hands on a Hardbody, La Jolla Playhouse
Harmony, Kansas, Diversionary Theatre
Nobody Loves You, The Old Globe
Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots, La Jolla Playhouse

Outstanding Lead Performance in a Musical, Female
Sandy Campbell, Parade, Cygnet Theatre
Hilary Maiberger, Little Women, The Musical, Moonlight Stage Productions
Bets Malone, Sweeney Todd, Moonlight Stage Productions
Natalie Storrs, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying Welk Resorts Theatre

Outstanding Lead Performance in a Musical, Male
Sean Murray, Man of La Mancha, Cygnet Theatre
Hunter Foster, Hands on a Hardbody, La Jolla Playhouse
Nicholas Mongiardo-Cooper, Words By … North Coast Repertory Theatre
Robert Townsend, Sweeney Todd, Moonlight Stage Productions
Shaun Tuazon, Deconstruction of a Drag Queen, Circle Circle dot dot

Outstanding Featured Performance in a Musical, Male
Anthony Carrillo, Sweeney Todd, Moonlight Stage Productions
David Kirk Grant, Man of La Mancha, Cygnet Theatre
Michael K. Lee, Allegiance, The Old Globe
Kurt Norby, Man of La Mancha, Cygnet Theatre
Taylor Peckham, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, The Musical, Intrepid Shakespeare Company

Outstanding Featured Performance in a Musical, Female
Eileen Bowman, Guys and Dolls, Lamb’s Players Theatre
Eileen Bowman, Joe vs. the Volcano, Lamb’s Players Theatre
Lauren Molina, Nobody Loves You, The Old Globe
Lea Salonga, Allegiance, The Old Globe
Karen Ziemba, A Room with a View, The Old Globe

Stafford Arima (Photo by Lia Chang)

Outstanding Direction of a Musical
Stafford Arima, Allegiance, The Old Globe
Sean Murray, Parade, Cygnet Theatre
Susan Stroman, The Scottsboro Boys, The Old Globe
Michelle Tattenbaum, Nobody Loves You, The Old Globe
James Vasquez, Harmony, Kansas, Diversionary Theatre

Outstanding Musical Direction
Eric Ebbenga, The Scottsboro Boys, The Old Globe
Elan McMahan, As You Like It, The Old Globe
Elan McMahan, Fiddler on the Roof, Moonlight Stage Productions
Elan McMahan, Sweeney Todd, Moonlight Stage Productions
Billy Thompson, Parade, Cygnet Theatre

Outstanding Choreography
Michael Mizerany, Altar Boyz, Noah Longton Presents at Diversionary Theatre
Bradley Rapier, Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots, La Jolla Playhouse
Colleen Kollar Smith, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, The Musical Intrepid Shakespeare Company
Susan Stroman, The Scottsboro Boys, The Old Globe
Javier Velasco, Zoot Suit, The San Diego Repertory Theatre

Outstanding New Score
A Room with a View, music and lyrics by Jeffrey Stock with additional lyrics by Marc Acito, The Old Globe
Hands on a Hardbody, music by Trey Anastasio and Amanda Green; lyrics by Amanda Green, La Jolla Playhouse
Harmony, Kansas, music by Anna K. Jacobs; lyrics by Bill Nelson, Diversionary Theatre
Nobody Loves You, music by Gaby Alter; lyrics by Itamar Moses and Gaby Alter, The Old Globe

Outstanding Dramatic Production
A Raisin in the Sun, Moxie Theatre
An Iliad, La Jolla Playhouse
Blood and Gifts, La Jolla Playhouse
Inherit the Wind, The Old Globe
Topdog/Underdog, ion theatre

Outstanding Ensemble
A Raisin in the Sun, Moxie Theatre
In the Red and Brown Water, University of California, San Diego, Department of Theatre & Dance
Kita y Fernanda, Mo’olelo Performing Arts
Parade, Cygnet Theatre
The Little Flower of East Orange, ion theatre
The Scottsboro Boys, The Old Globe

Outstanding Lead Performance in a Play, Male
Laurence Brown, Topdog/Underdog, ion theatre
Robert Foxworth, Inherit the Wind, The Old Globe
Jeffrey Jones, The Little Flower of East Orange, ion theatre
Mark Christopher Lawrence, A Raisin in the Sun, Moxie Theatre
Mark Christopher Lawrence, Topdog/Underdog, ion theatre
Adrian Sparks, Inherit the Wind, The Old Globe

Outstanding Lead Performance in a Play, Female
Yolanda Franklin, The Sugar Witch, OnStage Playhouse
Dana Green, As You Like It, The Old Globe
Eva Kaminsky, Good People, The Old Globe
Catalina Maynard, Julia, Ion Theatre
Sylvia M’Lafi Thompson, A Raisin in the Sun, Moxie Theatre

Outstanding Featured Performance in a Play, Female
Kaja Amado Dunn, Around the World in 80 Days, Lamb’s Players Theatre
Yolanda Franklin, A Raisin in the Sun, Moxie Theatre
Samantha Ginn, Hickorydickory, Moxie Theatre
Dana Green, Richard III, The Old Globe
Trina Kaplan, The Little Flower of East Orange, Ion Theatre

Manu Narayan (left) as “Richard Roma” and James Sutorius as “Dave Moss” in La Jolla Playhouse’s production of GLENGARRY GLEN ROSS, by David Mamet, directed by Christopher Ashley. Photo by Craig Schwartz

Outstanding Featured Performance in a Play, Male
Phil Johnson, The Man Who Came to Dinner, Coronado Playhouse
Stu James, Hoodoo Love, Mo’olelo Performing Arts
Manu Narayan, Glengarry Glen Ross, La Jolla Playhouse
Claudio Raygoza, The Little Flower of East Orange, ion theatre
Mike Sears, A Behanding in Spokane, Cygnet Theatre
James Sutorius, Glengarry Glen Ross, La Jolla Playhouse

Outstanding New Play
Julia, Claudio Raygoza, ion Theatre
The Recommendation, Jonathan Caren, The Old Globe
Tortilla Curtain, T. C. Boyle, as adapted by Matthew Spangler, San Diego Repertory Theatre

Outstanding Direction of a Play
Adrian Noble, Inherit the Wind, The Old Globe
Delicia Turner Sonnenberg, A Raisin in the Sun, Moxie Theatre
Delicia Turner Sonnenberg, Topdog/Underdog, ion Theatre
Lucie Tiberghian, Blood and Gifts, La Jolla Playhouse
Gregory Wallace, In the Red and Brown Water, UC San Diego, Department of Theatre & Dance

Outstanding Sound Design
Kevin Anthenill, The Trestle at Pope Lick Creek, Moxie Theatre
Mark Bennett, An Iliad, La Jolla Playhouse
Melanie Chen, Blasted, ion theatre
Lindsay Jones, The Recommendation, The Old Globe
Shahrokh Yadegari, Blood and Gifts, La Jolla Playhouse

Outstanding Costume Design
Deirdre Clancy, Inherit the Wind, The Old Globe
Mary Larson, Zoot Suit, San Diego Repertory Theatre
Shirley Pierson, Pippin, Diversionary Theatre
Jeanne Reith, Joe vs. the Volcano, Lamb’s Players Theatre
Deborah Roberts, White Christmas, San Diego Musical Theatre

Outstanding Lighting Design
Howell Binkley, Allegiance, The Old Globe
Alan Burrett, As You Like It, The Old Globe
David Lander, A Room With a View, The Old Globe
Jean-Yves Tessier, Fiddler on the Roof, Moonlight Stage Productions
Scott Zielinski, An Iliad, La Jolla Playhouse

Outstanding Scenic Design
Robert Brill, Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots, La Jolla Playhouse
Wilson Chin, Anna Christie, The Old Globe
Jennifer Brawn Gittings, Hickorydickory, Moxie Theatre
Todd Rosenthal, Glengarry Glen Ross, La Jolla Playhouse
Bruce Wilde, The Sugar Witch, OnStage Playhouse

Outstanding Projection Design
Darrel Maloney, Allegiance, The Old Globe
Michael McKeon, Joe vs. the Volcano, Lamb’s Players Theatre
Shawn Sagady, American Night: The Ballad of Juan Jose, La Jolla Playhouse
Ian Wallace, Tortilla Curtain, San Diego Repertory Theatre

Other awards to be announced on February 4 include Outstanding Young Artist/Sandra Ellis Troy Scholarship, Outstanding Technical Achievement, Outstanding Orchestrations, Outstanding Featured Musical Performance in Play, Outstanding Special Event, Outstanding Solo Performance, Actor of the Year, and Don Braunagel Award for Outstanding Work by a Small Theater Company.

Founded in 1983 and re-established in 2002, the San Diego Theatre Critics Circle is an independent, nonprofit organization of print and online theater critics dedicated to open and honest dialogue about theater in San Diego County and to honoring artistic excellence.

The members of the organization are professional critics writing for daily newspapers, magazines, entertainment trade publications and Web sites in San Diego, Riverside and Los Angeles counties.

The organization’s major event is an awards program held each January, honoring the previous year’s finest in theater production, direction, acting, playwriting, scoring and technical achievements. The event is presented free of charge to the theatrical community thanks to the gracious support of private underwriters.

In 2002, the awards were renamed in honor of Craig Noel, longtime artistic director at San Diego’s Old Globe Theatre and the founding father of San Diego’s theater community, who passed away in 2010.

The Craig Noel Awards program is underwritten by San Diego arts philanthropists, including Donald & Darlene Shiley, Danah H. Fayman, Audrey Geisel, The Harvey & Sheryl White Foundation, Osborn & Dea Hurston, Jay & Julie Sarno, Yolanda Braunagel and Ted & Trina Kaplan.

Other Articles by Lia Chang:
Sudhish Kamath’s Good Night | Good Morning starring Manu Narayan and Seema Rahmani on J. Hurtado’s Top Ten Indian Films of 2012
Master Chef Sanjeev Kapoor Hosts 1st Annual Varli Culinary Awards with Co-hosts Manu Narayan, Jehangir Mehta & Gaurav Tandon in New York
Photos: Partying with the Cast of David Henry Hwang’s Golden Child
Photos: World Premiere of Samrat Chakrabarti and Sanjiv Jhaveri’s BUMBUG The Musical at The Clurman Theatre
Photos: Opening Night with Hold These Truths’ Playwright Jeanne Sakata and Star Joel de la Fuente, a Revelation as Gordon Hirabayashi; Performances Extended through November 25, 2012
Harlem Nights with Lorey Hayes, Actress, Director and Award-Winning Playwright of Power Play and Massinissa
Playing Lady Thiang in the Harbor Lights’ Production of The King and I is a dream come true for Christine Toy Johnson
Photos: Q & A with Mel Sagrado Maghuyop, The King in Harbor Lights’ Production of The King and I
Click here for the Lia Chang Articles Archive and here for the Lia Chang Photography Website.

Lia Chang. Photo by Brianne Michelle Photography

Lia Chang is an actor, a performance and fine art botanical photographer, and an award-winning multi-platform journalist.
All text, graphics, articles & photographs: © 2000-2012 Lia Chang Multimedia. All rights reserved. All materials contained on this site are protected by United States copyright law and may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, displayed, published or broadcast without the prior written permission of Lia Chang. You may not alter or remove any trademark, copyright or other notice from copies of the content. For permission, please contact Lia at liachangpr@gmail.com

Lia Chang Photos: Maurice Hines, Jonathan Groff, Mercedes Ellington, Charles Randolph Wright at The Laurie Beechman for André De Shields’s I PUT A SPELL ON YOU

Freida Williams, André De Shields and Marléne Danielle in concert at The Laurie Beechman on October 5, 2012. Photo by Lia Chang

André De Shields in I Put a Spell on You at The Laurie Beechman on October 5, 2012. Photo by Lia Chang

Following a sold-out engagement of his acclaimed theatrical concert BLACK BY POPULAR DEMAND at the Laurie Beechman Theatre last May, two-time Tony Award nominated and Emmy Award winning performer André De Shields returned to the cabaret stage for his latest theatrical concert, I PUT A SPELL ON YOU on Friday, October 5, at The Laurie Beechman Theatre Downstairs at The West Bank Café in New York.

Larry Spivak, Freida Williams, André De Shields and Marléne Danielle in concert at The Laurie Beechman on October 5, 2012. Photo by Lia Chang

The evening featured De Shields along with his longtime partners in crime, vocalists Freida Williams and Marléne Danielle, with accompaniment by pianist Larry Spivack, and special guest appearances by vocalist Ula Hedwig and composer Steve Margoshes.

Freida Williams, Ula Hedwig and Marléne Danielle in concert at The Laurie Beechman on October 5, 2012. Photo by Lia Chang

Certainly no stranger to New York’s famed cabaret scene, De Shields reigned as King of Cabaret during the 1970s with the creation of his innovative theatrical concerts in such popular clubs as Reno Sweeney, Horn of Plenty, The Grand Finale, Les Mouches, The Club at La MaMa and many other venues around the world. The Hollywood Reporter dubbed De Shields “the most lethal pelvis since Elvis!”

Composer Steve Margoshes in concert at The Laurie Beechman on October 5, 2012. Photo by Lia Chang

Maurice Hines, Jonathan Groff, Mercedes Ellington, Motown helmer Charles Randolph Wright, Mark Nadler, James Rado, Kimberly Grigsby were among the standing room audience that leapt to their feet at the end of the concert with wild applause.

Maurice Hines, André De Shields and Motown helmer Charles Randolph Wright
at The Laurie Beechman on October 5, 2012. Photo by Lia Chang

James Rado, Jonathan Groff, Kimberly Grigsby and André De Shields at The Laurie Beechman on October 5, 2012. Photo by Lia Chang

André De Shields in I Put a Spell on You at The Laurie Beechman on October 5, 2012. Photo by Lia Chang

De Shields and Company will be performing one more show tonight at 11:00 PM. General admission tickets booked in advance are $25 plus $15 food/beverage minimum. Tickets are available at www.smarttix.com or by calling 212-868-4444. The Laurie Beechman Theatre Downstairs at The West Bank Café (407 West 42 Street) in New York.

André De Shields was recently awarded a Fox Foundation Fellowship Grant for Distinguished Achievement of $25,000 to support his work at the Victory Gardens Theatre in Chicago. De Shields will further develop his experimental methodology, The Golden Triangle and the 5W Stack/Inner Athlete System. He will deepen this unique style of Griot Performance Art that combines rigorous physical exertion, discipline and contemplation through a new, original work, Confessions of a P.I.M.P. (Positive Individual Making Progress). De Shields will also mentor artists and young people in Victory’s Poets Conservatory and school programs. De Shields’ residency at Victory Gardens will begin in the Spring, 2013.

André De Shields in I Put a Spell on You at The Laurie Beechman on October 5, 2012. Photo by Lia Chang

In a career spanning more than forty years, De Shields has distinguished himself as an unparalleled actor, director, choreographer and educator. He is the recipient of the 2009 National Black Theatre Festival Living Legend Award, the 2009 AUDELCO Award for Outstanding Performance by a Lead Actor in a Musical/Male (Archbishop Supreme Tartuffe), and the 2007 Village Voice OBIE Award for Sustained Excellence of Performance. De Shields is best known for his show stopping performances in the original Broadway productions of four legendary musicals: The Full Monty, for which he received Tony, Drama Desk and Astaire Award nominations, in addition to both the Outer Critics Circle and Drama League Awards; Play On! (Tony nomination), Ain’t Misbehavin’ (Emmy Award) and The Wiz (title role). He recently performed a featured role in Chicago’s Goodman Theatre production of Camino Real and the New York Times had this to say “De Shields essentially walks off with the show, or rather slinks off with it!”

André De Shields as W.E.B. Du Bois in Charles Smith’s Knock Me A Kiss © Lia Chang

De Shields is currently in rehearsal to reprise his role as W.E.B. Du Bois in KNOCK ME A KISS (by Charles Smith) at Crossroads Theatre Company in New Brunswick, NJ. The show called “a dandy play…rollicking fun” by the New York Times, runs from October 25 through November 4.

For more information, visit www.andredeshields.com.

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Other articles by Lia Chang:
Photos: Tonya Pinkins, André De Shields, S. Epatha Merkerson, Billy Porter and George C. Wolfe at 54 Below
André De Shields Returns to The Laurie Beechman Theatre with I Put A Spell on You, October 5 and 12
Black By Popular Demand’s André De Shields on Seth Rudetsky’s Sirius XM radio show “Seth Speaks” & in person at Don’t Tell Mama for Chatterbox
André De Shields in BLACK BY POPULAR DEMAND at the Laurie Beechman, 5/4, 5/11 & 5/18
Multimedia: Manu Narayan Dazzles as Richard Roma in La Jolla Playhouse’s Revival of David Mamet’s Glengarry Glen Ross
Signature Theatre’s Production of Golden Child by David Henry Hwang has been extended through December 9, 2012
David Henry Hwang to Receive the 2012 Steinberg Distinguished Playwright Award at the 5th Annual Steinberg Playwright “Mimi” Awards on October 29, 2012
Photos: All-Access Pass to Disney’s Aladdin at The Muny with Thom Sesma, Francis Jue, Robin De Jesus, John Tartaglia, Jason Graae, Curtis Holbrook, Eddie Korbich, Samantha Massell and Ken Page
Performing Arts Images from the Asian American Pacific Islander Collection on Display at the Library of Congress to Celebrate APA Heritage Month
Photos: Yellow Fever Playwright Rick Shiomi Explores New Territory with An All-Female Cast
Click here for the Lia Chang Articles Archive and here for the Lia Chang Photography Website.

Lia Chang

Lia Chang is an actor, a performance and fine art botanical photographer, and an award-winning multi-platform journalist.
All text, graphics, articles & photographs: © 2000-2012 Lia Chang Multimedia. All rights reserved. All materials contained on this site are protected by United States copyright law and may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, displayed, published or broadcast without the prior written permission of Lia Chang. You may not alter or remove any trademark, copyright or other notice from copies of the content. For permission, please contact Lia at liachangpr@gmail.com

Lia Chang Multimedia: Manu Narayan Dazzles as Richard Roma in La Jolla Playhouse’s Revival of David Mamet’s Glengarry Glen Ross

Manu Narayan is taking no prisoners as Richard Roma, the smooth talking, ruthless, sleazy, dishonest, immoral top salesman, in La Jolla Playhouse’s critically-acclaimed revival of Glengarry Glen Ross, David Mamet’s Pulitzer Prize-winning lacerating play about a group of desperate salesmen in a Chicago real estate office, currently playing to packed houses in the Sheila and Hughes Potiker Theatre through October 21, 2012.

Manu Narayan as Richard Roma, in the dressing room of the Sheila and Hughes Potiker Theatre in La Jolla, CA. on September 30, 2012. Photo by Lia Chang

Playhouse Artistic Director Christopher Ashley is at the helm of Glengarry Glen Ross, and has assembled a seasoned multi-cultural cast featuring Narayan, Peter Maloney (Broadway’s West Side Story, Six Degrees of Separation) as Shelly Levene, James Sutorius (Broadway’s The Farnsworth Invention) as Dave Moss, Ray Anthony Thomas (Broadway’s Race) as George Aaronow, Jeff Marlow (Colony Theatre’s Around the World in 80 Days) as James Lingk, Matt MacNelly (NY Fringe Festival’s Fourteen Flights) as Baylen, and Johnny Wu (Playhouse’s Peter and the Starcatchers, Broadway’s Chinglish) as John Williamson, who are at the top of their game in the lyrical language of “Mametspeak.”

Set designer Todd Rosenthal, lighting designer David Lander and sound designer David Corsello set the scene for the depressing tone of Glengarry Glen Ross, in the first act with the worn down Chinese restaurant, complete with goldfish in a fish tank, where the salesmen ply their trade. When a contest is announced to earn the new sales leads, it results in a feeding frenzy as the salesmen resort to manipulation, bribery and even theft to keep their jobs. Toni Leslie James has nailed each of her men in the 80′s- Richard Roma’s suits are tailored for his success, complete with steel toe cowboy boots; office manager John Williamson, looks very much the corporate company man. The restaurant set piece rises at the top of the second act, revealing the dilapidated real estate office in disarray after the robbery. The Darwinian struggle that ensues is a stinging indictment of a culture that rewards the strong, punishes the weak and values success above all else.

Johnny Wu, director Christopher Ashley and Manu Narayan on the set of David Mamet’s Glengarry Glen Ross at the La Jolla Playhouse in La Jolla, CA on September 30, 2012. Photo by Lia Chang

“Glengarry Glen Ross debuted in 1982 in the midst of a real estate crisis very similar to the one we’re experiencing today,” said Christopher Ashley. “In the nearly 30 years since it first burst upon the scene, Glengarry Glen Ross hasn’t lost an ounce of its ferocity, relevance or impact. It’s a long-overdue privilege to bring the work of David Mamet to The Playhouse’s stage. This great American play is timelier than ever.”

Peter Maloney, Manu Narayan, Johnny Wu and Ray Anthony Thomas in La Jolla Playhouse’s production of GLENGARRY GLEN ROSS, by David Mamet, directed by Christopher Ashley, running through Oct. 21. Photo by Craig Schwartz.

Los Angeles Times Theater Critic Charles McNulty writes, “The success of Ashley’s tight and tense production owes a good deal to the actors in these roles, Peter Maloney as down-and-out Shelly Levene determined to regain his office mojo, and Manu Narayan as Richard Roma, the slick, unscrupulous king of the conspicuously placed sales leader board, which never lets anyone forget who’s on top…Closing deals is clearly a high-testosterone activity. When Roma puts the moves on a prospective buyer, it’s as though he’s making love to them. Narayan has the character strut around like a foul-mouthed Casanova. It’s an attention-grabbing performance — any minute you half-expect this Roma to break out some “Saturday Night Fever” dance moves — and it adds to the velocity of Ashley’s thrillingly paced production.”

Manu Narayan as “Richard Roma” and Jeff Marlow as “James Lingk” in La Jolla Playhouse’s production of GLENGARRY GLEN ROSS, by David Mamet, directed by Christopher Ashley, running through Oct. 21. © Jim Carmody

Pam Kragen of the North County Times writes, “Manu Narayan is dazzling as the testosterone-fueled Richard Roma, the slick, charismatic sales leader who easily overwhelms the resistance of his timid, awe-struck mark with a blizzard of self-important, nonsensical phraseology. It’s clear that Roma is selling more than swamp land in Glengarry Highlands to his wimpy, henpecked customer James Lingk. He’s selling machismo and Lingk (a quivering, cowering Jeff Marlow) is most definitely buying.”

Manu Narayan in La Jolla, CA. on September 30, 2012. Photo by Lia Chang

SDGLN Theater Critic Jean Lowerison writes,”Narayan’s Roma is everything you’d expect a sleazebag salesman to be: fleet of tongue, shy on ethics and a human verbal bulldozer who doesn’t take “no” for an answer.”

La Jolla Light Theater Critic Jessica Ordon writes, “Manu Narayan gives an energetic performance as Richard Roma, a character made up of off-color charm, luck, and lies.”

San Diego City Beat Theater Critic David L. Coddon writes, “Even the comparatively successful Richard Roma (Manu Narayan) is in fierce competition not only with his fellow agents, but also with a creeping part of himself that wants to F-bomb it all… Narayan’s performance as Roma, which manages gestures of tenderness toward the pitiable Shelly, is the stoutest among a cast…”

SanDiegostory.com Theater Critic Ken Herman writes, “However, whenever Manu Narayan as the eerily captivating Ricky Roma was on stage, the play soared. Narayan not only delivered a pitch-perfect take on the character of this devious, narcissistic hawker of worthless real estate, but he vigorously telegraphed the terse, staccato scan of Mamet’s prose. Roma believes he is larger than life, and Narayan made even the slightest gesture stoke his smarmy illusion.”

Sriram Ganesan (center, left) and Manu Narayan lead the company of Bombay Dreams
photo by Joan Marcus

Manu Narayan made his Broadway debut as Akaash, the romantic lead in the A.R. Rahman / Andrew Lloyd Webber musical Bombay Dreams, for which he received a Drama League Award nomination. A musical based on the popular cinema of India, Bollywood, Bombay Dreamswas the first musical on Broadway ever to be composed by an Indian and starring an all South Asian cast.

Highlights from Narayan’s stage career include the male leads in Romeo and Juliet (Shakespeare & Company); Tom Stoppard’s Indian Ink (Wilma Theatre); Rostand’s Cyrano, Sheridan’s The Rivals, and Rodgers and Hammerstein’s The Boys from Syracuse (Baltimore CenterStage), and in The People Next Door (Yale Repertory Theatre). He appeared in Second Stage’s Off Broadway Revival of Eric Bogosian’s subUrbia; the world premiere of Suzan-Lori Parks’ Fucking A at the New York Shakespeare Festival at The Public Theatre; the Kennedy Center’s revival of Terrence McNally’s The Lisbon Traviata; the musical Yeast Nation (NY Fringe Fest—La MaMa) from the creators of Urinetown; and the national tour of Miss Saigon.

Manu Narayan and the company of the Muny production of Les Misérables.
photo by Larry Pry/The Muny

Other regional credits include Two Gentlemen of Verona (Shakespeare Theatre); Love’s Labour’s Lost (Shakespeare & Company); Metamorphoses (Cincinnati Playhouse); The Winter’s Tale (Missouri Rep); and Les Miserables(St. Louis MUNY).

Mike Myers as Guru Pitka and Manu Narayan as Rajneesh in The Love Guru. Photo Credit: George Kraychyk. © 2008 by PARAMOUNT PICTURES. All Rights Reserved.

On film, Narayan is best known for co-starring with Mike Myers, in the Paramount Pictures comedy The Love Guru. Click below for a clip of The Love Guru.

Manu Narayan and Seema Rahmani at the New York premiere screening of Sudhish Kamath’s Good Night | Good Morning at the SVA Theater on October 28, 2010. Photo by Lia Chang

Narayan stars as the romantic lead in Sudhish Kamath’s Good Night | Good Morning, which he co-produced, and Shailja Gupta’s Walkaway. He recently co-starred with Lucy Hale in the Warner Brothers/ ABC Family comedy A Cinderella Story: Once Upon a Song, is featured in M. Night Shyamalan’s The Last Airbender; and co-starred with Canadian Comic Russell Peters in Quarterlife Crisis (Showtime). His guest starring appearances on TV include “Unforgettable” (CBS), “Rubicon” (AMC), “Nurse Jackie” (Showtime), “The Sopranos” (HBO), “Law & Order: SVU” (NBC),”Cashmere Mafia” (ABC), “Lipstick Jungle” (NBC).
Click below for the trailer of Good Night | Good Morning.

Manu Narayan (Photo by Lia Chang)

Narayan, whose other love has always been music, is an accomplished vocalist and songwriter, plays classical and Indian Classical saxophone, and is a graduate of the Carnegie Mellon University School of Music.

In 2003, he was invited to sing at a small state dinner for the first official visit of President George W. Bush to the UK. Narayan sang for and met the Queen of England, The Royal Family, President Bush and Colin Powell. He has had the privilege to sing for then Senator John Kerry’s presidential campaign sponsored by Hillary Clinton as well as elsewhere with Cyndi Lauper, Garth Hudson and Martha Wainwright. As a recording artist, Narayan has collaborated on and recorded original and cover tracks for feature film soundtracks including The Love Guru, Cinderella Story: Once Upon a Song, Hiding Divya, Good Night|Good Morning, Walkaway and Vanessa Williams’ And Then Came Love. Narayan collaborated with Grammy winner Frank London numerous times around the world, most recently recording and performing for his Soundbrush records’ Klezmer concept album A Night in the Old Marketplace. As the lead vocalist, Narayan has performed the concert version of the album throughout Europe and North America.
Click below for Narayan in performance with Frank London in A Night in the Old Marketplace.

Darunam bandmates Radovan Jovecevic and Manu Narayan at New York premiere screening of Sudhish Kamath’s Good Night|Good Morning at SVA Theater in New York on October 28, 2010. Photo by Lia Chang

In addition to solo work, Narayan is lead singer of the band Darunam with Radovan Jovicevic, founding member of Yugoslavia’s Grupa Zana. The band brings together the melodies and rhythms from three homelands: America, India, and Serbia. Their album of Electronic Lounge/World Gypsy music with Canadian Clarinetist Milan Milosevic entitled The Last Angel on Earth was released live on CBC national radio in Canada in 2010 and is available on itunes.
Click below for All That’s Beautiful Must Die video.

I flew to La Jolla over the weekend to see Manu Narayan and Johnny Wu in Glengarry Glen Ross, and to photograph them for my Library of Congress collection, the Lia Chang Asian Pacific American Theater Photography Portfolio in the AAPI Collection. After giving me a backstage tour of La Jolla Playhouse, Narayan and I chatted poolside and in the dressing room about his star turn as Richard Roma, the importance of non-traditional casting, and his latest stage and musical projects.

Manu Narayan (Photo by Lia Chang)

Lia: What is your connection to Glengarry Glen Ross?
Manu: I had seen the original film with my father in the theatres when I was still in Jr. High. He was a Jack Lemmon fan and I was an Al fan. Didn’t really know what it was about, but after the initial shock of the language wore off, we loved it.

Christopher Ashley, Artistic Director of La Jolla Playhouse and director of Glengarry Glen Ross with Manu Narayan, backstage at La Jolla Playhouse in La Jolla, CA. on September 30, 2012. Photo by Lia Chang

Lia: What is your history with Christopher Ashley?
Manu:Working with Christopher is a dream. He is so smart and has been so even keeled throughout the entire process. He brings out the best in his actors and allows us to play throughout the process. He’s such an actor’s director, in that he has a clear vision and is so creative. He allows the actor to explore and allow moments in rehearsal to remain questions, with the trust that it will be figured out. You really couldn’t ask for anything more in a director.

Manu Narayan, Malcolm Gets, John Glover and Chris Hartl in Lisbon Traviata.
photo by Carol Rosegg

This is the second time we’ve worked together. A couple of years ago, we worked on a rarely done but spectacular Terrence McNally play, The Lisbon Traviata, at the Kennedy Center. What an amazing experience, as Terrence was there as a part of the process. I had a nice role as Mike, and I worked with these amazing actors, John Glover, Malcolm Gets and Chris Hartl. It can be a difficult play because it is has a very comedic seeming first act and a tragic seeming second act. But Christopher was able to direct the production in such a way bringing out the tragedy and comedy in both acts so that the audience, press, etc. were able to see, feel and enjoy the power of the play as a whole.

Manu Narayan (Photo by Lia Chang)

Lia: How were you cast in Glengarry Glen Ross?
Manu: I have wanted to work at La Jolla Playhouse for so long, knowing the high quality of work that they do here. Actually, in the past few years, there have been a couple of opportunities where I had been offered a show that was going to be at La Jolla Playhouse and for whatever reason, I wasn’t able to do those. When Christopher called and asked me to do this play, which I love, I was so happy. I knew that I had to do it, for the opportunity to work with Christopher again on Mamet, and for this great role.

Manu Narayan (left) as “Richard Roma” and James Sutorius as “Dave Moss” in La Jolla Playhouse’s production of GLENGARRY GLEN ROSS, by David Mamet, directed by Christopher Ashley, running through Oct. 21. Photo by Craig Schwartz.

Lia: Joe Mantegna won a Tony in the Broadway production as Richard Roma, and Al Pacino played it the movie. How did you prepare?
Manu: Early in rehearsal, Christopher encouraged me to be bold and unapologetic and to create a character that is more “Street Smart” than “School Smart.” I think that was a great start. Also, the text in Mamet is very specific and has a lot of quick changes of thought that are not spelled out. So there was a lot of work to figure out the way I moved through space, the way I spoke, and what I was intending to say and what I was actually saying. We got there through my imagination and work with my fellow actors and Christopher through rehearsals, with Toni our costume designer, growing a beard, choosing to wear cowboy boots with shiny metal which to me signified Roma’s Alpha Male King of the Salesmen aspect and also the American Wild West ‘Lawless’ quality of the world of these salesmen, and finally with the audience.

Manu Narayan, stage manager Lisa Porter and Jeff Marlow in the dressing room of La Jolla Playhouse in La Jolla, CA on September 30, 2012. Photo by Lia Chang

Lia: What has your experience been like working at La Jolla Playhouse?
Manu: The Playhouse has a great staff and awesome board. What a great place to work.

Manu Narayan (Photo by Lia Chang)

Lia: The press materials mentions the multi-racial cast. Please share your thoughts.
Manu: It is a shame to me that more productions aren’t cast in this way, with an eye to what America is today. Kudos to The La Jolla Playhouse, this production works like gang busters. Audiences and the critics are loving that this production represents what America is, a collection of Americans whose families at one time came here from all over the world. Casting non-traditionally provides opportunities for myself and other actors to do roles that allow our artistry to grow. If more productions were like this, there would be a higher quality of American theater actor of all ethnicities.

The cast of Glengarry Glen Ross: Johnny Wu, Jeff Marlow, Manu Narayan, James Sutorius, Peter Maloney, Matt MacNelly in the dressing room at La Jolla Playhouse in La Jolla, CA. on September 30, 2012. Photo by Lia Chang

Lia: What is it like to work with this particular group of actors?
Manu: These actors that I am privileged to share the stage with – Peter, James, Ray, Jeff, Johnny, and Matt – are really amazing. We have created these tough characters who are in complete competition with each other without losing our care and respect for each other as actors and now friends. Also each one of the actors has such a diverse and/or long career that there is always a wonderful theater or film story that is waiting to be told.

Manu Narayan as Captain Jack Absolute and Zoe Winters as Lydia Languish in Centerstage’s production of The Rivals. Photo by Andriy Portyanko

Lia: What have you been up to lately?
Manu: On stage, I played Captain Jack Absolute in The Rivals at Baltimore Centerstage, directed by David Schweizer. David is someone, who I’ve enjoyed working with. I have had the opportunity to play amazing roles like Cyrano, and Antipholus (The Boys from Syracuse), because of his continued belief in my talent. I am so thankful to him and to Christopher.

Manu Narayan gets pampered by (from left) Jessica Wu, Rosa Curry, Laura Lee Anderson, and Charlotte Cohn in the Boys from Syracuse.

In the Spring, I was in concert with Frank London (of The Klezmatics) in Copenhagen. Over the summer, I was in a three week workshop of a new version of Ibsen’s Peer Gynt, as Peer with Grace Zandarski and Felix Ivanov directing. Some Moliere at the Lincoln Center Directors Lab, which was blast.

Lia: What’s next for you?
Manu: I’m traveling to Asia for a project, and then I’ll be in Manhattan on November 15 to host The Varli Awards, a big Indian Food Awards show.

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The Glengarry Glen Ross performance schedule is Tuesday and Wednesday at 7:30 p.m., Thursday and Friday at 8 p.m., Saturday at 2 and 8 p.m., Sunday at 2pm and 7pm. Tickets for Glengarry Glen Ross are available online at LaJollaPlayhouse.org or by calling The Playhouse Box Office at (858) 550-1010. La Jolla Playhouse is located on the UCSD Campus via the Revelle Entrance, 2910 La Jolla Village Drive in La Jolla, CA.

Official Manu Narayan Youtube.com Channel

Other Articles on Manu Narayan:
Master Chef Sanjeev Kapoor Hosts 1st Annual Varli Culinary Awards with Co-hosts Manu Narayan and Pooja Kumar in New York on November 15, 2012
Manu Narayan, Johnny Wu, Peter Maloney, Jeff Marlow, Matt MacNelly, James Sutorius, Ray Anthony Thomas Set for La Jolla Playhouse’s Glengarry Glen Ross, September 18- October 21, 2012
Sudhish Kamath’s Good Night | Good Morning Starring Manu Narayan and Seema Rahmani in Theaters
Shailja Gupta’s WALKAWAY Featuring Manu Narayan and Samrat Chakrabarti, Opens on 26 Screens Across 18 Cities on 10/29/10
Sudhish Kamath’s Good Night|Good Morning Starring Manu Narayan & Seema Rahmani Screens in Mumbai 10/24, NY on 10/28
ONE Musical stars Paolo Montalban, Manu Narayan, Pearl Sun and Michael Winther
Photo Call: BD Wong and the Cast of Heading East at the Asia Society

Other Articles by Lia Chang
Photos: Maurice Hines, Jonathan Groff, Mercedes Ellington, Charles Randolph Wright at The Beechman for André De Shields’s I PUT A SPELL ON YOU
Celebrating my mom – AN ACTIVE VISION: BEVERLY UMEHARA…LABOR ACTIVIST…1945-1999
Signature Theatre’s Production of Golden Child by David Henry Hwang has been extended through December 9, 2012
David Henry Hwang to Receive the 2012 Steinberg Distinguished Playwright Award at the 5th Annual Steinberg Playwright “Mimi” Awards on October 29, 2012
Berkeley Rep’s Production Photos of David Henry Hwang’s Chinglish, Starring Michelle Krusiec and Alex Moggridge, Extends through October 21, 2012
Photos: David Henry Hwang, Oskar Eustis, BD Wong, Brian d’Arcy James, Francis Jue, Jennifer Lim and Leigh Silverman at WNYC’s The Greene Space
Mu Performing Arts’ Artistic Director Rick Shiomi takes home Ivey Award for Lifetime Achievement
MTC’s An Enemy of The People Starring Boyd Gaines and Richard Thomas Begin Previews at Samuel J. Friedman Theatre
Video: Academy Award Winner Chris Tashima Talks About His Roles in Lily Mariye’s Model Minority and Lil Tokyo Reporter
André De Shields Returns to The Laurie Beechman Theatre with I Put A Spell on You, October 5 and 12
Photos: Tonya Pinkins, André De Shields, S. Epatha Merkerson, Billy Porter and George C. Wolfe at 54 Below
Sean Dugan Set for West Coast Premiere of George C. Wolfe’s Tony Award-Winning Production of The Normal Heart at A.C.T., September 13 – October 7, 2012
Raul Aranas, Kate Baldwin, Brian d’Arcy James, P.J. Griffith, Bobby Steggert and Michele Pawk Set for New York Premiere of GIANT at The Public Theater, October 26-December 2, 2012
Photos: All-Access Pass to Disney’s Aladdin at The Muny with Thom Sesma, Francis Jue, Robin De Jesus, John Tartaglia, Jason Graae, Curtis Holbrook, Eddie Korbich, Samantha Massell and Ken Page
Performing Arts Images from the Asian American Pacific Islander Collection on Display at the Library of Congress to Celebrate APA Heritage Month
Photos: Yellow Fever Playwright Rick Shiomi Explores New Territory with An All-Female Cast
Click here for the Lia Chang Articles Archive and here for the Lia Chang Photography Website.

Lia Chang

Lia Chang is an actor, a performance and fine art botanical photographer, and an award-winning multi-platform journalist.
All text, graphics, articles & photographs: © 2000-2012 Lia Chang Multimedia. All rights reserved. All materials contained on this site are protected by United States copyright law and may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, displayed, published or broadcast without the prior written permission of Lia Chang. You may not alter or remove any trademark, copyright or other notice from copies of the content. For permission, please contact Lia at liachangpr@gmail.com

Manu Narayan, Johnny Wu, Peter Maloney, Jeff Marlow, Matt MacNelly, James Sutorius & Ray Anthony Thomas Set for La Jolla Playhouse’s Glengarry Glen Ross, September 18- October 21, 2012

La Jolla Playhouse is presenting David Mamet’s Pulitzer Prize-winning Glengarry Glen Ross, directed by Playhouse Artistic Director Christopher Ashley in the Sheila and Hughes Potiker Theatre, with performances from September 18 – October 21, 2012. Click here for the complete performance schedule and to purchase tickets online, or call The Playhouse Box Office at (858) 550-1010. La Jolla Playhouse is located on the UCSD Campus via the Revelle Entrance, 2910 La Jolla Village Drive in La Jolla, CA.

Manu Narayan (Photo by Lia Chang)

The cast features Peter Maloney (Broadway’s West Side Story, Six Degrees of Separation) as “Shelly Levene,” Jeff Marlow (Colony Theatre’s Around the World in 80 Days) as “James Lingk,” Matt MacNelly (NY Fringe Festival’s Fourteen Flights) as “Baylen,” Manu Narayan (Broadway’s Bombay Dreams) as “Richard Roma,” James Sutorius as “Dave Moss,” Ray Anthony Thomas (Broadway’s Race) as “George Aaronow” and Johnny Wu (Playhouse’s Peter and the Starcatchers, Broadway’s Chinglish) as “John Williamson.”

Johnny Wu (Photo by Lia Chang)

The creative team includes: Christopher Ashley, director; Todd Rosenthal, set design; Toni Leslie James (Playhouse’s Milk Like Sugar), costume design; David Lander (Playhouse’s 33 Variations), lighting design; David Corsello, sound design; Shirley Fishman, dramaturg.

Winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, Glengarry Glen Ross is Mamet’s scorching play about a group of desperate salesmen in a Chicago real estate office. When a contest is announced to earn the new sales leads, the men resort to manipulation, bribery and even theft to keep their jobs. The Darwinian struggle that ensues is a stinging indictment of a culture that rewards the strong, punishes the weak and values success above all else. Playhouse Artistic Director Christopher Ashley brings Mamet to The Playhouse stage for the very first time with this modern masterpiece.

“In the nearly 30 years since it first burst upon the scene, Glengarry Glen Ross hasn’t lost an ounce of its ferocity, relevance or impact. It’s a long-overdue privilege to bring the work of David Mamet to The Playhouse’s stage,” said Ashley.

Tickets for Glengarry Glen Ross are available online at LaJollaPlayhouse.org or by calling The Playhouse Box Office at (858) 550-1010.

David Mamet is the author of the plays: Race, Keep Your Pantheon, School, November, Romance, Boston Marriage, Faustus, Oleanna, Glengarry Glen Ross (1984 Pulitzer Prize and New York Drama Critics Circle Award), American Buffalo, The Old Neighborhood, A Life in the Theatre, Speed-the-Plow, Edmond, Lakeboat, The Water Engine, The Woods, Sexual Perversity in Chicago, Reunion and The Cryptogram (1995 Obie Award). His translations and adaptations include: Faustus and Red River by Pierre Laville; and The Cherry Orchard, Three Sisters and Uncle Vanya by Anton Chekhov. His films include: The Postman Always Rings Twice, The Verdict, The Untouchables, House of Games (writer/director), Oleanna (writer/director), Homicide (writer/director), The Spanish Prisoner (writer/ director), Heist (writer/ director), Spartan (writer/director) and Redbelt (writer/director). Mr. Mamet is also the author of: Warm and Cold, a book for children with drawings by Donald Sultan, and two other children’s books, Passover and The Duck and the Goat; Writing in Restaurants, Some Freaks, and Make-Believe Town, three volumes of essays; The Hero Pony and The China Man, a book of poems; Three Children’s Plays, On Directing Film, The Cabin, and the novels The Village, The Old Religion and Wilson. His most recent books include the acting books, True & False and Three Uses of the Knife. Glengarry Glen Ross was awarded the Tony Award for Best Revival of a Play in 2005.

Christopher Ashley has served as Artistic Director at La Jolla Playhouse since October, 2007. During his tenure, he helmed the world premieres of Claudia Shear’s Restoration and Arthur Kopit and Anton Dudley’s A Dram of Drummhicit, as well as A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and the acclaimed musicals Xanadu and Memphis, which went on to Broadway, winning four 2010 Tony Awards including Best Musical. In addition, he spearheaded The Playhouse’s Resident Theatre program and oversaw the world premieres of Hands on a Hardbody, Milk Like Sugar, Little Miss Sunshine, Limelight: The Story of Charlie Chaplin, Surf Report, Bonnie & Clyde, Doug Wright’s adaptation of Creditors, the Page To Stage workshop of Charlayne Woodard’s The Night Watcher, and the West Coast premiere of 33 Variations. Prior to joining The Playhouse, Mr. Ashley directed the Broadway productions of Xanadu (Drama Desk nomination), All Shook Up and The Rocky Horror Show (Tony, Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle Award nominations), as well as the Kennedy Center Sondheim Celebration productions of Sweeney Todd and Merrily We Roll Along. Other New York credits include: Leap of Faith, Blown Sideways Through Life, Jeffrey (Lucille Lortel and Obie Awards), The Most Fabulous Story Ever Told, Valhalla, Regrets Only, Wonder of the World, Bunny Bunny, Communicating Doors, The Night Hank Williams Died, Fires in the Mirror (Lucille Lortel Award), among others. He also directed the feature film Jeffrey and the American Playhouse production of Blown Sideways Through Life for PBS. Mr. Ashley is the recipient of the Princess Grace Award, the Drama League Director Fellowship and an NEA/TCG Director Fellowship.

The nationally acclaimed, Tony Award-winning La Jolla Playhouse is known for its tradition of creating the most exciting and adventurous new work in regional theatre. Founded in 1947 by Gregory Peck, Dorothy McGuire and Mel Ferrer, The Playhouse is considered one of the most well-respected not-for-profit theatres in the country. Numerous Playhouse productions have moved to Broadway, including the currently-running hits Jersey Boys and Peter and the Starcatcher, as well as Big River, The Who’s Tommy, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, A Walk in the Woods, Billy Crystal’s 700 Sundays, the Pulitzer Prize-winning I Am My Own Wife, Thoroughly Modern Millie, The Farnsworth Invention, 33 Variations, Memphis and Bonnie & Clyde. Located on the UC San Diego campus, La Jolla Playhouse is made up of three primary performance spaces: the Mandell Weiss Theatre, the Mandell Weiss Forum Theatre, and the Joan and Irwin Jacobs Center for La Jolla Playhouse, a state-of-the-Art Theatre complex which features the Sheila and Hughes Potiker Theatre. La Jolla Playhouse is led by Artistic Director Christopher Ashley and Managing Director Michael S. Rosenberg.

Other Articles by Lia Chang:
Greg Watanabe, Julyana Soelistyo and Jennifer Lim Lead the Cast of Signature Theatre’s Production of David Henry Hwang’s Golden Child, October 23-December 2, 2012
Mu’s landmark 21st Season features a brand new Taiko Concert, Lauren Yee’s The Tiger Among Us, and Rick Shiomi’s Award-Winning comedy Yellow Fever
Marvels and Monsters: Unmasking Asian Images in U.S. Comics, 1942 -1986 and Alt.Comics: Asian American Artists Reinvent the Comic Book on View at MOCA, September 27 – February 24, 2013
Epic Theatre Ensemble Presents New York Premiere of Jeanne Sakata’s Hold These Truths Starring Joel de la Fuente at the Theatre at the 14th Street Y, October 12-November 18, 2012
David Henry Hwang to Receive the 2012 Steinberg Distinguished Playwright Award at the 5th Annual Steinberg Playwright “Mimi” Awards on October 29, 2012
Berkeley Rep’s Production Photos of David Henry Hwang’s Chinglish, Starring Michelle Krusiec and Alex Moggridge, Extends through October 21, 2012
The Old Globe’s Production Photos of George Takei, Lea Salonga, Telly Leung and Paolo Montalban in World Premiere of Allegiance – A New American Musical
Three Year Swim Club, Encounter, TEA, Christmas in Hanoi and Chess set for East West Players 47th Anniversary Season
André De Shields Returns to The Laurie Beechman Theatre with I Put A Spell on You, October 5 and 12
Photos: Tonya Pinkins, André De Shields, S. Epatha Merkerson, Billy Porter and George C. Wolfe at 54 Below
Sean Dugan Set for West Coast Premiere of George C. Wolfe’s Tony Award-Winning Production of The Normal Heart at A.C.T., September 13 – October 7, 2012
Raul Aranas, Kate Baldwin, Brian d’Arcy James, P.J. Griffith, Bobby Steggert and Michele Pawk Set for New York Premiere of GIANT at The Public Theater, October 26-December 2, 2012
Video: Academy Award Winner Chris Tashima Talks About His Roles in Lily Mariye’s Model Minority and Lil Tokyo Reporter
Photos: 4 Wedding Planners’ Illeana Douglas, Kimberly-Rose Wolter and Michael Kang at Screen Actors Guild Foundation Conversations Series in NY
10 minutes with Sullivan & Son’s Jodi Long, Award Winning Actor and Filmmaker
Multimedia: Screen Actors Guild Foundation’s Conversations with Derek Ting, Linus Roache and Michael Park of $upercapitalist
Photos: All-Access Pass to Disney’s Aladdin at The Muny with Thom Sesma, Francis Jue, Robin De Jesus, John Tartaglia, Jason Graae, Curtis Holbrook, Eddie Korbich, Samantha Massell and Ken Page
Photos: 4 Wedding Planners’ Illeana Douglas, Kimberly-Rose Wolter and Michael Kang at Screen Actors Guild Foundation Conversations Series in NY
André De Shields Returns to The Laurie Beechman Theatre with I Put A Spell on You, October 5 and 12
MTC’s An Enemy of The People Starring Boyd Gaines and Richard Thomas Begin Previews at Samuel J. Friedman Theatre
Tony Award – winning Playwright Terrence McNally to be Honored at Westport Country Playhouse Annual Gala, September 24, 2012
Signature Theatre’s World Premiere of Sam Shepard’s Heartless Starring Lois Smith, Gary Cole, Jenny Bacon, Betty Gilpin, and Julianne Nicholson Extends through September 30, 2012
10 minutes with Sullivan & Son’s Jodi Long, Award Winning Actor and Filmmaker
George Takei, Lea Salonga, Telly Leung and Paolo Montalban star in the World Premiere of Allegiance – A New American Musical at The Old Globe, September 7 – October 21, 2012
Performing Arts Images from the Asian American Pacific Islander Collection on Display at the Library of Congress to Celebrate APA Heritage Month
Photos: Yellow Fever Playwright Rick Shiomi Explores New Territory with An All-Female Cast
Photos: All-Access Pass to Disney’s Aladdin at The Muny with Thom Sesma, Francis Jue, Robin De Jesus, John Tartaglia, Jason Graae, Curtis Holbrook, Eddie Korbich, Samantha Massell and Ken Page
Performing Arts Images from the Asian American Pacific Islander Collection on Display at the Library of Congress to Celebrate APA Heritage Month
Photos: Yellow Fever Playwright Rick Shiomi Explores New Territory with An All-Female Cast
Click here for the Lia Chang Articles Archive and here for the Lia Chang Photography Website.

Lia Chang

Lia Chang is an actor, a performance and fine art botanical photographer, and an award-winning multi-platform journalist.
All text, graphics, articles & photographs: © 2000-2012 Lia Chang Multimedia. All rights reserved. All materials contained on this site are protected by United States copyright law and may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, displayed, published or broadcast without the prior written permission of Lia Chang. You may not alter or remove any trademark, copyright or other notice from copies of the content. For permission, please contact Lia at liachangpr@gmail.com

André De Shields Returns to The Laurie Beechman Theatre with I Put A Spell on You, October 5 and 12

André De Shields Photo by Lia Chang

Following an SRO engagement of his acclaimed theatrical concert BLACK BY POPULAR DEMAND at the Laurie Beechman Theatre last May, two-time Tony Award nominated and Emmy Award winning performer André De Shields returns to the cabaret stage! His latest theatrical concert, I PUT A SPELL ON YOU will be performed for two shows only, Friday evenings October 5 and 12 at The Laurie Beechman Theatre Downstairs at The West Bank Café (407 West 42 Street). Showtime is 11:00 PM. General admission tickets booked in advance are $25 plus $15 food/beverage minimum. Tickets are available at www.smarttix.com or by calling 212-868-4444.

Certainly no stranger to New York’s famed cabaret scene, De Shields reigned as King of Cabaret during the 1970s with the creation of his innovative theatrical concerts in such popular clubs as Reno Sweeney, Horn of Plenty, The Grand Finale, Les Mouches, The Club at La MaMa and many other venues around the world. The Hollywood Reporter dubbed De Shields “the most lethal pelvis since Elvis!”

I PUT A SPELL ON YOU will feature De Shields along with his longtime partners in crime, vocalists Freida Williams and Marléne Danielle, with accompaniment by pianist Larry Spivack, and special guest appearance by composer Steve Margoshes.

In a career spanning more than forty years, André De Shields has distinguished himself as an unparalleled actor, director, choreographer and educator. He is the recipient of the 2009 National Black Theatre Festival Living Legend Award, the 2009 AUDELCO Award for Outstanding Performance by a Lead Actor in a Musical/Male (Archbishop Supreme Tartuffe), and the 2007 Village Voice OBIE Award for Sustained Excellence of Performance. De Shields is best known for his show stopping performances in the original Broadway productions of four legendary musicals: The Full Monty, for which he received Tony, Drama Desk and Astaire Award nominations, in addition to both the Outer Critics Circle and Drama League Awards; Play On! (Tony nomination), Ain’t Misbehavin’ (Emmy Award) and The Wiz (title role). He recently performed a featured role in Chicago’s Goodman Theatre production of Camino Real and the New York Times had this to say “De Shields essentially walks off with the show, or rather slinks off with it!” For more information go to www.andredeshields.com

Other Articles by Lia Chang:
Black By Popular Demand’s André De Shields on Seth Rudetsky’s Sirius XM radio show “Seth Speaks” & in person at Don’t Tell Mama for Chatterbox
André De Shields in BLACK BY POPULAR DEMAND at the Laurie Beechman, 5/4, 5/11 & 5/18
Click here for the Lia Chang Articles Archive and here for the Lia Chang Photography Website.

Lia Chang

Lia Chang is an actor, a performance and fine art botanical photographer, and an award-winning multi-platform journalist.
All text, graphics, articles & photographs: © 2000-2012 Lia Chang Multimedia. All rights reserved. All materials contained on this site are protected by United States copyright law and may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, displayed, published or broadcast without the prior written permission of Lia Chang. You may not alter or remove any trademark, copyright or other notice from copies of the content. For permission, please contact Lia at liachangpr@gmail.com