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Dick Latessa
Richard Robert Latessa (September 15, 1929 – December 19, 2016) was an American stage, film, and television actor. Early life Latessa was born in Cleveland, Ohio in 1929. After serving in the Army in maybe 1952, he began performing in Cleveland before moving to New York in 1959 to pursue acting professionally. Stage career He made his Broadway debut in ''The Education of H*Y*M*A*N K*A*P*L*A*N'' in 1968. His subsequent theatre credits include ''Follies'', ''Rags'', ''The Cherry Orchard'', ''Damn Yankees'', '' A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum'', ''Awake and Sing!'', ''Cabaret'', ''The Will Rogers Follies'' and ''Hairspray'', for which he won both the Tony- and Drama Desk awards for Best Featured Actor in a Musical. In 2012, he appeared opposite Linda Lavin in the Nicky Silver drama, ''The Lyons''. Latessa was featured in several Neil Simon plays, including '' Chapter Two'', ''I Ought to Be in Pictures'', ''Brighton Beach Memoirs'', ''Broadway Bound'', ''Rumors'' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. maritime border with Canada, northeast of Cincinnati, northeast of Columbus, and approximately west of Pennsylvania. The largest city on Lake Erie and one of the major cities of the Great Lakes region, Cleveland ranks as the 54th-largest city in the U.S. with a 2020 population of 372,624. The city anchors both the Greater Cleveland metropolitan statistical area (MSA) and the larger Cleveland–Akron–Canton combined statistical area (CSA). The CSA is the most populous in Ohio and the 17th largest in the country, with a population of 3.63 million in 2020, while the MSA ranks as 34th largest at 2.09 million. Cleveland was founded in 1796 near the mouth of the Cuyahoga River by General Moses Cleaveland, after whom the city was named ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Awake And Sing!
''Awake and Sing!'' is a drama written by American playwright Clifford Odets. The play was initially produced by The Group Theatre in 1935. Summary and characters The play is set in The Bronx borough of New York City, New York, in 1933. It concerns the impoverished Berger family, who all live under one roof, and their conflicts as the parents scheme to manipulate their children's relationships to their own ends, while their children strive for their own dreams. The audience is introduced to a unique family. The matriarch of the family, Bessie, had high hopes and dreams for her family; however, despite her hopefulness, her largest fear is that her family will lose their home and all their possessions. This fear stems from a woman down the street who had this exact thing happen to her. The household consists of extended family such as Bessie's father, Jacob, her husband Myron, and their son Ralph, 21, and spinster daughter Hennie, 26. To top it all off, in order to ease the fin ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Proposals (play)
''Proposals'' is a comedy-drama by Neil Simon, his 30th play. After running in Los Angeles and the Kennedy Center in 1997, the play opened on Broadway in 1997. Productions ''Proposals'' had its world premiere at the Ahmanson Theatre in Los Angeles, followed by a run at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC in October 1997. The play opened on Broadway at the Broadhurst Theatre on November 6, 1997Brantley, Ben"Theater Review. A Lone Woman in the Forest? Is This a Neil Simon Play"November 7, 1997 and closed on January 11, 1998 after 76 performances and 11 previews.Viagas, RobertNeil Simon's Proposals To Close Jan. 11"playbill.com, January 11, 1998 Directed by Joe Mantello, the cast included Kelly Bishop, Suzanne Cryer Katie Finneran, Dick Latessa and L. Scott Caldwell as Clemma. The sets were by John Lee Beatty, costumes by Jane Greenwood, lighting by Brian MacDevitt and incidental music by Stephen Flaherty. ''Proposals'' had "one of the shortest runs ever for a Neil Simon play on ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Rumors (play)
''Rumors'' is a farcical play by Neil Simon that premiered in 1988. Plot summary The play starts with Ken Gorman and his wife, Chris Gorman, at the 10th anniversary party of Charlie Brock, the Deputy Mayor of New York, and his wife, Myra. Unfortunately, things are not going quite to plan. All the kitchen staff are gone, Myra is missing, and Charlie has shot himself in the head. Chris calls Charlie's doctor, but before Chris can tell him what has happened, Ken dictates that she not inform the doctor of anything that has happened, for the bullet only went through Charlie's ear lobe. It appeared that he had taken some Valium, and was falling asleep as he fired the gun, managing to miss his head. Chris gets off the phone with Dr. Dudley just as the doorbell rings. Chris opens the door and lets in Lenny and Claire Ganz, also friends of the Brocks. Lenny and Claire have just been in a car accident, and Lenny calls his doctor, who also happens to be Dr. Dudley, to ask him about his neck ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Broadway Bound
''Broadway Bound'' is a semi-autobiographical play by Neil Simon. It is the last chapter in his Eugene trilogy, following ''Brighton Beach Memoirs'' and '' Biloxi Blues''. Plot overview The play is about Eugene and his older brother, Stanley, dealing with their parents' relationship falling apart as the brothers work together toward being comedy writers for the radio, and, eventually, television. They discover that their father, Jack, has been cheating on their mother, Kate. It is obvious to the family before Jack even admits it, and they try to find ways for Kate to cope with the loss when Jack may eventually leave. Jack reveals that the woman he has been seeing is dying. When Eugene and Stanley find a job where they can write short comedic skits for the radio, they obscurely make fun of their own family. Jack can hear the similarities between the fictional family in the broadcast and their own family, and becomes outraged. He gets into a major argument with Stanley, which turns ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Brighton Beach Memoirs
''Brighton Beach Memoirs'' is a semi-autobiographical play by Neil Simon, the first chapter in what is known as his Eugene trilogy. It precedes '' Biloxi Blues'' and ''Broadway Bound''. Productions ''Brighton Beach Memoirs'' had a pre-Broadway engagement at the Ahmanson Theatre in Los Angeles on December 10, 1982, and following an additional pre-Broadway engagement at the Curran Theatre in San Francisco, the play premiered on Broadway at the Alvin Theatre on March 27, 1983 and transferred to the 46th Street Theatre, where it closed on May 11, 1986 after 1,299 performances and 7 previews. Directed by Gene Saks, the cast featured Matthew Broderick (Eugene Jerome), Elizabeth Franz (Kate Jerome), Peter Michael Goetz (Jack Jerome), Mandy Ingber (Laurie Morton), Željko Ivanek (Stanley Jerome), Jodi Thelen (Nora Morton) and Joyce Van Patten (Blanche Morton). Van Patten joined the cast after Piper Laurie was let go during rehearsals. Scenic design was by David Mitchell, Costumes were ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
I Ought To Be In Pictures
''I Ought to Be in Pictures'' is a comedy drama play written by Neil Simon, his 18th. The play opened on Broadway in 1980. It was subsequently made into a film, released in 1982. The play involves a film screenwriter who has abandoned his family, and his daughter who arrives at his home, seeking his help in becoming an actress. Production Produced by Emanuel Azenberg, the play had its premiere at the Ahmanson Theatre in Los Angeles in 1979, with Tony Curtis as Herb. After 17 previews, the Broadway production, directed by Herbert Ross, opened on April 3, 1980 at the Eugene O'Neill Theatre, where it ran for 324 performances. Ron Leibman (replacing Tony Curtis) as Herb, Dinah Manoff as Libby and Joyce Van Patten as Steffy comprised the cast. Bill Macy and Dick Latessa subsequently portrayed Herb. Dinah Manoff won the 1980 Tony Award, Best Featured Actress in a Play. Plot overview The three-character comedy-drama involves Herbert Tucker, a struggling screenwriter with writer's b ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Chapter Two (play)
''Chapter Two'' is a semi-autobiographical play by Neil Simon. The play premiered on Broadway in 1977, where it ran for 857 performances. History According to Sheridan Morley, "This was in some ways the turning-point for Simon, the moment when he started to use his own life as something more than an excuse for a gag-fest. It was written as a tribute to Marsha Mason, his second wife, and her tolerance with his long-lasting grief over the death of his first wife...There is something very painful here, in among the gags, about a man trying to come to terms with death rather than a new life."Morley, Sheridan"Choice of Plays for the In-Laws"''The New York Times'', February 28, 1996 Overview The play focuses on a recently widowed writer, George Schneider, who is introduced by his press agent brother to soap opera actress Jennie Malone. Jennie's marriage to a football player has dissolved after six years. Both are uncertain of their readiness to start dating and developing a new romance ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Neil Simon
Marvin Neil Simon (July 4, 1927 – August 26, 2018) was an American playwright, screenwriter and author. He wrote more than 30 plays and nearly the same number of movie screenplays, mostly film adaptations of his plays. He has received more combined Academy Award, Oscar and Tony Award nominations than any other writer. Simon grew up in New York City during the Great Depression. His parents' financial difficulties affected their marriage, giving him a mostly unhappy and unstable childhood. He often took refuge in movie theaters, where he enjoyed watching early comedians like Charlie Chaplin. After graduating from high school and serving a few years in the United States Army Air Forces, Army Air Force Reserve, he began writing comedy scripts for radio programs and popular early television shows. Among the latter were Sid Caesar's ''Your Show of Shows'' (where in 1950 he worked alongside other young writers including Carl Reiner, Mel Brooks, Woody Allen, Larry Gelbart and Sel ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Lyons
''The Lyons'' is a play by Nicky Silver. The play first ran Off-Broadway in 2011 and then premiered on Broadway in 2012. This marks the Broadway debut of a Nicky Silver play.Jones, Kenneth" 'The Lyons', Led By Linda Lavin and Dick Latessa, Opens on Broadway"playbill.com, April 23, 2012 The setting is mainly in a hospital where Ben, the husband and father, is dying from cancer. Productions ''The Lyons'' opened at the Vineyard Theatre on September 22, 2011 (in previews) and closed on November 20, 2011. Directed by Mark Brokaw, the cast featured Linda Lavin (Rita Lyons), Dick Latessa (Ben Lyons), Michael Esper (Curtis Lyons), Kate Jennings Grant (Lisa Lyons), Gregory Wooddell (Brian) and Brenda Pressley (A Nurse). Scenic design was by Allen Moyer, lighting by David Lander, costumes by Michael Krass and the original music and sound design by David Van Tieghem.Brantley, Ben"Theater Review.The Curse of Kinship, but a Fear of Isolation"''The New York Times'', October 11, 2011 ''The Lyo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Linda Lavin
Linda Lavin (born October 15, 1937) is an American actress and singer. She is known for playing the title character in the sitcom '' Alice'' and for her stage performances, both on and off-Broadway. After acting as a child, Lavin joined the Compass Players in the late 1950s. She began appearing on Broadway in the 1960s, earning notice in '' It's a Bird...It's a Plane...It's Superman'' in 1966 and receiving her first Tony Award nomination for ''Last of the Red Hot Lovers'' in 1970. She moved to Hollywood in 1973 and began to work on television, making recurring appearances on the sitcom ''Barney Miller'' before landing the title role on the hit comedy '' Alice'', which ran from 1976 to 1985. She appeared in many telefilms and later she appeared in other TV works. She has also played roles in several feature films. In 1987, she returned to Broadway, starring in ''Broadway Bound'' (winning a Tony Award), ''Gypsy'' (1990), ''The Sisters Rosensweig'' (1993), ''The Diary of Anne Fr ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Drama Desk Award
The Drama Desk Award is an annual prize recognizing excellence in New York theatre. First bestowed in 1955 as the Vernon Rice Award, the prize initially honored Off-Broadway productions, as well as Off-off-Broadway, and those in the vicinity. Following the 1964 renaming as the Drama Desk Awards, Broadway productions were included beginning with the 1968–69 award season. The awards are considered a significant American theater distinction. History The Drama Desk organization was formed in 1949 by a group of New York theater critics, editors, reporters and publishers, in order to make the public aware of the vital issues concerning the theatrical industry. They debuted the presentations of the ''Vernon Rice Awards''. The name honors the ''New York Post'' critic Vernon Rice, who had pioneered Off-Broadway coverage in the New York press. The name was changed for the 1963–1964 awards season to the ''Drama Desk Awards''. In 1974, the Drama Desk became incorporated as a not-for-pr ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
