The Reviews Are In: Mamet is a ‘Sexist’

Last night, David “I’m No Longer a Brain-Dead Liberal” Mamet’s “Oleanna” opened on Broadway.  The production (a transfer from Los Angeles’ Mark Taper Forum) stars Bill Pullman and Julia Stiles.  As discussed on these pages Friday, this play was originally produced off-Broadway 18 years ago and is now receiving its first, official Broadway production. “Oleanna” and the upcoming “Race” are two opportunities for Mr. Mamet’s work to be evaluated by the heavily-left-leaning theatre critics.

The play received quite positive reviews.  Here are some interesting things I read in the reviews…

In Elysa Gardner’s positive review in USA Today, she refers to the contrasting times in which the play is now produced versus the original production:

When David Mamet’s Oleanna premiered in 1992, it was widely perceived as a response to the confirmation hearings for Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, in which Thomas was accused of sexual harassment by former assistant Anita Hill.  It has been 18 years since that real-life drama played out. But as the very different controversy now surrounding David Letterman reminds us, the debate over what constitutes an abuse of power between a male authority figure and a female subordinate isn’t going away. (more…)

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Tags: anita hill, backstage, ben brantley, bill pullman, broadway
Posted Oct 12th 2009 at 4:34 pm in Featured Story, Politics, Theatre | 24532231 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/sright/2009/10/12/the-reviews-are-in-mamet-is-a-sexist/The+Reviews+Are+In%3A+Mamet+is+a+%27Sexist%272009-10-12+23%3A34%3A05Stage+Right

‘Non-Liberal’ Mamet In For Big Year on Broadway

“I took the liberal view for many decades, but I believe I have changed my mind.” – David Mamet

As I discussed in my very first post here at Big Hollywood, many in the theatre world were surprised to read David Mamet’s amazing article, “Why I am No Longer A Brain-Dead Liberal” in the Village Voice.  In my post, I used the play “Oleanna” as an example of a conservative lean that I recognized in Mamet’s work when it premiered off-Broadway in 1992.  I concluded with a couple of questions: (more…)

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Tags: broadway, david mamet, NY Times, oleanna, race
Posted Oct 9th 2009 at 2:55 pm in Politics, Theatre | 24145440 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/sright/2009/10/09/non-liberal-mamet-in-for-big-year-on-broadway/%27Non-Liberal%27+Mamet+In+For+Big+Year+on+Broadway2009-10-09+21%3A55%3A02Stage+Right

How to Get Your Play Produced on Broadway

Playbill announced that the very successful Off-Broadway play “Next Fall” will be transferring from its home at the non-profit theatre “Naked Angels” to the Helen Hayes theatre in the Spring of 2010.  In many circles this is seen as a New York success story.  A small, non-profit produces a new American play, it sells well after a glowing NY Times review and backers finance a move to the big time.  So, let’s take this play as a “teachable moment,” if you will, and let’s discover what kind of plays get transferred to Broadway.  This way, many of my readers who happen to be playwrights can also figure out a way to get their plays produced.

I always find it instructive to examine the press agent’s description of the play because the language is always carefully thought out.  The thought process is always “don’t give away too much about the play so that we reveal key plot points, and also, make sure we don’t make the theme come across as too controversial so as not to alienate potential ticket buyers.” (more…)

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Tags: Atheists, bigotry, braodway, Christians, Naked Angels
Posted Oct 4th 2009 at 6:51 am in Featured Story, Politics, Religion, Theatre | 23481885 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/sright/2009/10/04/how-to-get-your-play-produced-on-broadway/How+to+Get+Your+Play+Produced+on+Broadway2009-10-04+13%3A51%3A04Stage+Right

Michael Moore: Mainstream Media Boosts Dishonesty

Somewhat fresh off the trail from despicable attempts to distort the events and facts surrounding Columbine, 9/11 and the American health care system, filmmaker Michael Moore is back to perpetuate new mis-truths and to face off with a new “villain” – capitalism. In case of shear irony, in his new film entitled, “Capitalism: A Love Story,” Moore sets out to unravel the very system that gives him notoriety, fame and, no doubt, opulence.

Fortunately for Moore, we live in a free society. Despite the fact that his films are comprised of antics and obnoxious absurdities that only small-minded Americans would believe in their totality, he has every right to continue his idiocy. It is the coverage of Moore and his half-witted films that cause one to question the media’s promotional motives.

Mainstream outlets can’t seem to get enough of Moore, as they offer him positive coverage galore and provide him with valuable air time to push his insidious projects. Meanwhile, conservative film projects receive little to no praise – or even attention, for that matter. (more…)

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Tags: American media, capitalism, documentary, media, michael moore
Posted Sep 28th 2009 at 8:55 am in Featured Story, Film, Media Criticism | 231138158 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/bhallowell/2009/09/28/michael-moore-mainstream-media-boosts-dishonesty/Michael+Moore%3A+Mainstream+Media+Boosts+Dishonesty2009-09-28+15%3A55%3A11Billy+Hallowell

Drink My Red Blood!

Hollywood is at it again, pulling out all the stops on a genre and twisting it to promote their backwards value system of unbridled debauchery while at the same time taking a swipe at conservatives and more importantly, people of faith.

In this NY Times article titled “Necks Overflowing With Rivers of Metaphor,” the argument is gleefully made that the vampire genre is the perfect platform to expose the idiocy of the right and our strange repulsion against poor vampires who merely want to fuck all night and sleep all day.

You want to see an accurate portrayal of the modern day leftist liberal, using the vampire genre correctly? Watch my very first short film that I wrote, produced, directed and edited back in 2005 on pocket change, in 5 days in rural New Jersey using a digital camera and all unknown actors.

It is based on a short story by Richard Matheson titled “Drink My Red Blood” and what compelled me to make it was one scene in particular where the lead character, Jules, shares his composition in school called “My Ambition.” The movie is 15 minutes long. I broke it into two parts and uploaded it to YouTube for you to watch (NSFW). (more…)

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Tags: Blood Son, Hollywood agenda, Liberal Vampires, Michael McGruther, NY Times
Posted Aug 30th 2009 at 2:52 pm in Culture, Politics, Video | 21301473 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/mmcgruther/2009/08/30/drink-my-red-blood/Drink+My+Red+Blood%212009-08-30+21%3A52%3A35Michael+McGruther

NY International Fringe Festival: Already a Parody of Itself

The NY International Fringe Festival is in full swing in New York.  The festival runs now through August 30th.  What is the Fringe Festival?  Well, their web page helpfully describes themselves this way:

…the largest multi-arts festival in North America, with more than 200 companies from all over the world performing for 16 days in more than 20 venues – that’s a total of more than 1300 performances! FringeNYC generates an atmosphere of extreme excitement, and our energy is contagious!

That explains things, right?

Here is Stage Right’s description: (more…)

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Tags: A Really Green Musical, ArtBeat, Clemenza and Tessio are Dead, Dream Lovers, George and Laura Bush Perform Our Favorite Sitcoms
Posted Aug 20th 2009 at 8:49 am in Art, Culture, Entertainment | 20689019 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/sright/2009/08/20/ny-international-fringe-festival-already-a-parody-of-itself/NY+International+Fringe+Festival%3A+Already+a+Parody+of+Itself2009-08-20+15%3A49%3A21Stage+Right

Obama’s NEA Chair Is a Broadway Baby

So Rocco Landesman is the new chairman of the NEA. The gregarious and outspoken producer and theatre executive has long been known for his bold risk-taking, his penchant for publicity and his leftward lean.

As it is no big surprise that the Obama administration would select a liberal to head up the endowment, the fact is it could have been a lot worse. And, his first interview with the NY Times (natch) he spoke of the arts as an economic engine and how he will implement his new “Our Town” program which would subsidize artists and institutions when they move into a downtown area:

“When you bring artists into a town, it changes the character, attracts economic development, makes it more attractive to live in and renews the economics of that town,” he said. “There are ways to draw artists into the center of things that will attract other people.”

If you close your eyes you can almost hear Jack Kemp cheering this supply-sider on! (more…)

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Tags: nea, NY Times, Obama, rocco landesman
Posted Aug 17th 2009 at 6:23 pm in Culture, Politics | 20571822 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/sright/2009/08/17/obamas-nea-chair-is-a-broadway-baby/Obama%27s+NEA+Chair+Is+a+Broadway+Baby2009-08-18+01%3A23%3A54Stage+Right