Thursday, November 02, 2006

Someday Broadway Transfers: London's National Theatre Announces Season


The National Theatre has announced it's lineup for this season, making it that time again... time to play the "which National show will transfer to Broadway?" game!

In the running:
1) A revival of Happy Daysdirected by Deborah Warner and starring Fiona Shaw. Strong candidate, if predictable.
2) Nicholas Hytner's staging of The Man of Mode, George Etherege’s restoration comedy. Nick Hytner is a genius, but big boring potential.
3) Nicholas Wright’s The Reporter, featuring Ben Chaplin (hottie from The Truth About Cats & Dogs... and The Retreat from Moscow on Broadway, but to me, he'll always be the hottie from the Jeanene Garafalo movie). The play is about the suicide of BBC reporter James Mossman.
4) Revival of Attempts on Her Life, about "late 20th century obsessions [such] as pornography, ethic violence and terrorism. Could be a winner.
5) And rounding it out, we have Sizwe Banzi Is Dead, a play that was one of South Africa's first post-apartheid collaborations between white and black theater companies. John Kani and Winston Ntshona re-create the roles they originated in 1973. Sounds groundbreaking and interesting.

All of them sound pretty incredible, and make Moxie yearn for her days as a drama student in London. However, bets must be placed, and my money's on #3, the Ben Chaplin vehicle. All others, place your bets now!

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