FROM THE FOOTLIGHTS - February 1998

Spring Madness Series Begins

On Thursday, February 19, Footlights begins our Spring Madness series with one of the longest-running plays in Broadway history, "Harvey" (1944), by American playwright Mary Coyle Chase. Harvey is a 6-foot tall invisible white rabbit, whose constant companion is sweet, inebriated, middle-aged Elwood-or is the other way around? Newsweek praised the play's "subtle humor & charm," while The Nation called it "astonishingly fresh," adding "'Harvey' purges the soul." "Harvey" won the Pulitzer Prize & became a hit film with James Stewart. In February we will meet at the North China Restaurant, 7814 Old Georgetown Rd. at Cordell Ave., 4 blocks N of the Bethesda Metro. The restaurant has valet parking & you can park at cheap nearby garages. Dinner begins at 6:30 & our discussion at 7:30. Make reservations now by e-mail to [email protected] or by calling 202-638-0444. In our area you will see "Harvey" only in NW DC at Backstage Books, 2101 P St., Olsson's, 1307 19th St.; & Politics & Prose, 5015 Connecticut Ave.. Mention Footlights for a special discount. David Sobelsohn has an extra copy; send e-mail to [email protected].

The Madness Continues

Our Spring Madness series continues on Monday, March 23, with what Life Magazine called "one of the most sensational theater works of our time": "The Persecution & Assassination of Jean-Paul Marat as Performed by the Inmates of the Asylum of Charenton Under the Direction of the Marquis de Sade" (1964), by German playwright Peter Weiss. Our meeting will feature director Jesse Berger, whose production of "Marat/Sade" we will attend at the Washington Shakespeare Co. Sunday, March 29 at 2 p.m. Tickets are $12. Send your check, payable to "Washington Shakespeare Co.," to Robin Larkin, 5403 Nibud Court, Rockville, MD 20852.

Radio Theater-Live!

Last season Footlights attended a radio adaptation of John Guare's "The House of Blue Leaves." Now Voice of America, the Smithsonian, &LA Theatre Works join again to present Washington Theatre on the Air: 3 live radio plays, taped for later broadcast on VOA worldwide &public radio in the US. The series begins Wednesday, February 18, with "The Heiress," based on Henry James's "Washington Square" &directed by the Shakespeare Theatre's Michael Kahn. Later productions include Arthur Miller's "All My Sons" (with Julie Harris) & the musical "Working," from the book by Studs Terkel. For further information call 202-357-3030.

Meet the Playwrights

In addition to John Guare's "The House of Blue Leaves," last season Footlights also discussed Terrence McNally's "Love! Valour! Compassion!" You can meet Guare & McNally this March when the Corcoran Gallery of Art hosts a series of public interviews between prominent American playwrights & director Michael Kahn. Playwrights include Paula Vogel (February 25), Terrence McNally (March 4), Christopher Durang (March 18), & John Guare (March 25). All interviews take place at 7:30 p.m. at the Corcoran, 500 17th St., NW. For further information call 202-639-1770.

Another Chance to Visit "Arcadia."

University theater represents one of the best bargains in the Washington area. From February 26-March 1, at the Dorothy Betts Theater, 800 21st St., NW, the George Washington University Performing Arts Department will present Tom Stoppard's "Arcadia," which Footlights discussed & attended (at the Arena Stage) last season. Tickets are $8. For further information, call 202-994-6178.

Footlights Plays at Stratford

Every summer, Stratford, Ontario, hosts an annual theater festival, mixing Shakespeare with more contemporary fare. This summer's program features plays ranging from "Julius Caesar" to 2 plays Footlights discussed last season: "Waiting for Godot" & "A Man for All Seasons." The festival runs May 11-November 8. Depending on the level of interest, Footlights may organize a trip. For further information about the festival call 800-567-1600.

Help Keep Footlights On!

We couldn't keep the group going without the help of members like you! To help defray Footlights expenses, make checks payable to our treasurer John Glynn & mail to John at 3741 Yorktown Village Pass, Annandale, VA 22003. Missing: One Invisible White Rabbit. If you have a copy of "Harvey" with some of his, err, its passages already highlighted, please send him to David Sobelsohn at [email protected].

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