Little goes right in Nothing On, the farce within a farce featured in Michael Frayn's Noises Off, now being revived uproariously (***½ out of four stars) on Broadway by the Roundabout Theatre Company. And that is precisely what has made Frayn's 1982 comedy an enduring favorite among theater junkies.
On
its face, Frayn’s play sends up its subjects: a vain, womanizing
director and the motley crew of actors he has assembled to stage what’s
clearly a stale sex romp, and the romp itself. Over three acts
(presented with a single intermission), we follow the team as they
stumble through a dress rehearsal and one particularly rough performance
on the road, then come undone altogether while their tour is limping to
a close.
But Noises Off is also a valentine to the
theater and to these people, who get on with the show and with their
lives, however haplessly at times, so that we may laugh. And this
production at Roundabout’s American Airlines Theatre ensures that we do, in just the right spirit.
We meet the characters, and their characters, late at night, less than 24 hours before Nothing On
is set to open at a theater in southwest England. The aptly named Dotty
Otley, a trouper of a certain vintage, is the first to appear, as Mrs.
Clackett, the housekeeper. She is supposed to be doing something with a
plate of sardines, but Dotty – played by Andrea Martin, as perfect as you would expect – can’t remember exactly what that is.
Nothing On’s
director, one Lloyd Dallas, who can’t figure out what he’s doing with
this tiresome company – other than sleeping with at least one actress
(not Dotty) and the stage manager – has already exhausted his short
supply of patience. But Lloyd, made exquisitely arrogant by a dashing Campbell Scott,
will soon have to deal with the other cast members. There’s Brooke
Ashton, for starters, the bubbly but dim blonde who’s one of his
extracurricular interests, and Selsdon Mowbray, a stage vet whose
fondness for the bottle leaves his colleagues questioning whether or
when he’ll show up.
Those two, played in turn by a scrumptiously dizzy Megan Hilty and a delightfully daft Daniel Davis, are joined by the elegant but endlessly curious Belinda Blair (a fine Kate Jennings Grant) and two actors who end up battling over the much-older Dotty: David Furr as Gary Lejeune and Jeremy Shamos as Frederick Fellowes, both hilarious. Tracee Chimo and Rob McClure lend more goofiness and some poignance as, respectively, the stage manager and a much put-upon stage hand.
Under Jeremy Herrin’s
affectionate direction, these players endure their share of pranks and
pratfalls; Furr, in particular, has a stunt that makes one hope he has a
good chiropractor. Still, it'a fair bet that he and his colleagues are
sharing in the grand fun they provide here.
restaurateur and lifestyle maven.
Kit Harington is speaking out (finally) about what happened in the Game of Thrones season five finale. And he's in denial. Clearly.
The (still long haired!) actor spoke with the about his upcoming role in the play Doctor Faustus on
London's West End, and of course his
not-really-dead-we-desperately-hope-and-pray-and-hey-there's-evidence-to-support-our-theories Game of Thrones character came up.
Here's what Harington — adorable, innocent child who thinks he can fool us — had to say about it:
"(Fans) should tune in and watch (Game of Thrones) because whatever happens in the next season will be very exciting. But Jon Snow is dead I'm afraid."
Sir. SIR. You jest. You do remember the first bit of promo art for season 6, right? BECAUSE WE DO.
But still, STILL he kept up with his ruse:
"I think (fans' speculation) is great for the show — but they shouldn't get their hopes up about anything because Game of Thrones is very good at dashing hopes."
Yes Thrones is excellent at dashing hopes. We all saw the Red Wedding episode. And the one with Ned. And you know, most of
the episodes. But this. This one thing. They can't do it. And not just
because we love Jon Snow. We obviously love Jon Snow. But there is real
actual evidence that he's not dead that expands beyond HBO's marketing
campaign (we lay out the theories here). It just makes more sense for him to be alive.
Maybe
we're in denial. But if we're right, Harington is the one who's in
denial. Or he's just flat-out lying to us. Whatever we'll forgive him as
soon as he returns to the screen with his luscious locks.
Barbara “B.” Smith has always sought the limelight — leveraging her fame as one of the country’s first high-profile black models to become a cookbook author, restaurateur and lifestyle maven.
Her diagnosis with Alzheimer’s disease in 2013 has not driven her into the shadows.
While her syndicated TV show and her three restaurants are gone, you can still find B. Smith linens and dishes at Bed, Bath & Beyond, and B. Smith olive oil at Walmart. And while Smith’s daily life has grown much more private — she walks on the beach with her dogs, cooks simple meals with her husband and watches old sitcoms at her home in Sag Harbor, N.Y. — she still is sharing her life story.
While the book is largely a memoir — with Smith and Gasby (mostly Gasby) telling the story of Smith’s diagnosis and gradual decline (she has gone from the mild to the moderate stage since they first went public in mid-2014) — it’s also a call to action, particularly for African Americans.
Heather Weston
B. Smith's book, written with her husband, Dan Gasby, and Vanity Fair's Michael Shnayerson, is largely a memoir.
“The reason we are launching this during Martin Luther King weekend is that Alzheimer’s is a 21st-century civil rights issue,” Gasby says in a video Skype interview with Smith, 66, at his side. “Two out of three people with Alzheimer’s disease are women. Blacks are two to three times more likely to have Alzheimer’s. … And it drives people into poverty, in many cases taking away the gains that a sizable and growing portion of people in the African-American community have made.”
Stephanie Monroe, director of the African Americans Against Alzheimer’s Network, says that’s a vital concern. According to the advocacy group, African Americans who leave the workforce to care for a family member with Alzheimer’s lose, on average, more than $300,000 in earnings and benefits and are much more likely to live in poverty than whites in the same situation.
“We are only 13% of the population, but blacks are bearing 30% of the cost of Alzheimer’s,” Monroe says. “It can just have an incredibly devastating effect.”
The reasons that more blacks — and more Hispanics — develop Alzheimer’s disease are not clear, says Goldie Byrd, a professor of biology and dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at North Carolina A&T State University. Some genetic differences that might contribute have been found among blacks, she says. Higher rates of diabetes, high blood pressure and other cardiovascular conditions probably contribute, too, she says. Byrd has been among researchers urging more African Americans to join studies so that clearer answers can be found.
“When we have role models like B. Smith who are willing to share their stories, it helps families all over the place,” Byrd says.
Monroe agrees: “She is a household name in the black community. She is a Martha Stewart for us.”
Smith and Gasby have urged more African Americans to get involved in research. And, Gasby says, they want to help more families recognize the early signs of Alzheimer’s and seek care, with less fear of stigma.
Smith, who was diagnosed at age 64, probably was showing signs for years before that, Gasby says in the book. Once punctual and unflappable, she started missing appointments and flubbing TV tapings. She would ask the same questions over and over. During a Today show cooking segment, she simply froze, unable to think of a thing to say.
In the years since, the couple have faced some dark days. The darkest came just before Thanksgiving 2014, when Smith disappeared for 17 hours: She had gotten off a bus at the wrong stop and spent the night wandering New York City — in heels. She escaped with nothing worse than blisters, but her days of travelling independently were over.
Nothing like that has happened since, but there are difficult moments on many days now, Smith and Gasby agree.
“We have to tell her every day that she can’t drive her car, and that drives her very crazy. She cries and she gets upset with me,” Gasby says.
“I have to remind her that her mother and father are not alive, and she gets sad.”
Even as Gasby finishes that sentence, Smith tears up. And, then minutes later, Gasby is talking about Smith’s undiminished beauty and sweet disposition — and she breaks into her famous, dazzling smile, the one that once graced the covers of Mademoiselle andEssence.
When asked what’s she’s looking forward to, Smith mentions flower season. And she says, “I’m looking forward to learning more, doing more things. I’ve always done a lot.”
Some facts from the Alzheimer’s Association:
• Alzheimer's is the most common form of dementia. It affects memory, thinking and behavior and eventually leads to death. About 5.3 million Americans have it.
• It is not a normal part of aging, but about 95% of cases develop after age 65.
• People with Alzheimer’s live an average of 8 years after symptoms emerge.
• Current treatments can ease some symptoms but cannot cure or change the course of the disease.
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