Tony Awards' decision on 'Oleanna' shows inconsistency in dramatic revival category

The Tony Awards Administration Committee announced Thursday that the recent Broadway production of David Mamet's "Oleanna" will be eligible in the Best Revival of a Play category.

For people familiar with "Oleanna," the committee's decision points to the byzantine and often contradictory logic at work when it comes to determining what is a revival and what is a new play. 

The production of "Oleanna" at the John Golden Theatre, starring Bill Pullman and Julia Stiles, represented the first time that the Mamet play had been staged on Broadway. It therefore stands to reason that the drama should have been eligible for the Best Play category.

But the rule book for the Tony Awards states that a production can qualify as a "revival" if the committee deems the work a "classic" or part of "the popular or historical repertoire," even if it has never before been produced on Broadway. "Oleanna" has been kicking around regional theaters since 1992 and enjoyed a lengthy off-Broadway run in the '90s. 

A spokesman for the Tony Awards said the play 
"has been performed in over 25 countries across the globe, with several hundred productions in the U.S. alone. To that end, the Tony Awards Administration Committee deemed that the play holds a position in the 'popular repertoire.' "

Fair enough. But what was the committee's reasoning for placing Patrick Marber's "After Miss Julie" in the revival category? The play is currently having its U.S. debut on Broadway and was earlier performed in London in 2003. It is neither a classic nor is it a widely performed drama, and so Tony rules say that it should be considered a new work.

This isn't the first year that the Tony committee has flown in the face of its own logic. A look back at its decisions shows a number of glaring inconsistencies when it comes to the revival category.

Daniel Radcliffe reportedly prepping for stage musical 'How to Succeed in Business'

As fans of the "Harry Potter" films will surely attest, Daniel Radcliffe, who created the on-screen role of the young wizard, has those "cool, clear eyes of a seeker of wisdom and truth."

That's also a refrain from "I Believe in You," the hit song from "How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying." Citing unnamed sources, Variety reports that Radcliffe is going to kick the tires on the role in an upcoming reading for a possible revival of the satire on corporate striving that opened on Broadway in 1961. 

If a production comes to fruition and he takes the role of Finch, Radcliffe would be making his musical debut as a window-washer who rises to company top dog with the help of his trusty talking self-help book, whose title is the same as the play's.

Big business as farce? Never say that theater producer-types don't try to feed off the zeitgeist. Radcliffe earned critical huzzahs on stage in 2007 and 2008, starring as the stable boy in London and Broadway revivals of Peter Shaffer's psychological drama, "Equus."

Monster Mash: Annie Leibovitz still negotiating loan repayment; Jordan Roth takes over Jujamcyn Theaters; iPhone becomes popular musical toy

-- In talks: Photographer Annie Leibovitz is reportedly still negotiating with her creditor, Art Capital, after a deadline passed on Tuesday to repay her $24-million loan.

-- Moving up: Jordan Roth is taking over as head of Broadway's Jujamcyn Theaters, succeeding Rocco Landesman who was appointed chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts.

-- Search is on: San Diego Museum of Art has named four interim leaders as it looks for a permanent replacement for Derrick Cartwright.

-- Digital sounds: Musicians are finding a lot to love about several instrumental applications designed for the Apple iPhone and iPod Touch. 

-- Setting a date: The 2010 Tony Awards will take place on June 13 at Radio City Music Hall in New York.

-- Honored: Director Mel Brooks, opera singer Grace Bumbry, actor Robert De Niro and musician Bruce Springsteen will receive the 2009 Kennedy Center Honors.

-- Legal wrangling: Jewish heirs have settled a seven-year dispute with a Swedish museum over an Emil Nolde painting that was looted by the Nazis.  

-- Shipping news: A proposed cargo port in Venice, Italy, is prompting criticism from preservationists.

-- All about him: Singer-pianist Michael Feinstein is headed for Broadway in "All About Me."

-- Lifeline: The financially troubled Pittsburgh Symphony receives a $1-million gift from its board chairman.

-- Dance on film: Members of the New York City Ballet work to create a screen version of Jerome Robbins' "N.Y. Export: Opus Jazz."

-- David Ng

Photo: Annie Leibovitz. Credit: Associated Press

A sneak peek at Spike Lee's 'Passing Strange'

Spike Lee's "Passing Strange" -- his pseudo-documentary of the Tony-winning Broadway musical -- won't air on PBS until 2010, but you can get a quick preview of the movie thanks to the trailer that recently surfaced on YouTube.

The film debuted earlier this year at the Sundance Film Festival and had its local premiere last week at the Downtown Film Festival Los Angeles.

"Passing Strange" will be available on the Sundance Channel's new video-on-demand service starting Aug. 26. In New York, the movie will open at the IFC Center in the West Village on Aug. 21.

Lee filmed the final two Broadway performances of the show, and also shot footage without an audience. Created by L.A. musician Stew of the band The Negro Problem, the show follows the adventures of a middle-class African American youth as he leaves his family to pursue a bohemian life in Amsterdam and Berlin. The show features songs written by Stew and Heidi Rodewald.

Stew won a Tony Award for book of a musical, and the show was nominated for six other Tonys.

-- David Ng

Related coverage:

Spike Lee's 'Passing Strange the Movie' to open Downtown L.A. film fest

Spike Lee to make Sundance debut with musical "Passing Strange"

Just Stew being Stew

Daniel Breaker's big year

Monster Mash: S.M. Puppetry Center closing; Dallas Cowboys decorate stadium; money problems for 'Spider-Man' musical?

--Cash crunch? Have money woes grounded the Broadway-bound musical "Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark," staged by Julie Taymor, with music by Bono and The Edge?

--It's curtains: Santa Monica Puppetry Center is closing.

--Here today … : Questions surround abrupt departure of Ringling Museum of Art director.

--Culture at the arena: Dallas Cowboys commission Franz Ackermann, Olaf Eliasson, Annette Lawrence and others to create art for new stadium.

--The sun shines: Tony Award-winning revival of "Hair" on Broadway recoups investment. (Read about the cast's trip to L.A.)

--Trading pen for brush: Stirling Prize winner Will Alsop gives up architecture to "spend more time painting."

--First photography exhibition: British Museum displays rarely seen images from the early days of photography.

--Crossing the pond: Olivier Award-winning "La Cage Aux Folles" sets April 18, 2010, Broadway opening date.

--Art therapy: Iraq veterans create art out of shredded uniforms as part of a healing exercise.

--Sorry, no Niemeyer house: MAK Center announces stops on its annual architecture tour.

--Attention, fans: Barbra Streisand auctions off artwork and movie costumes to raise money for charity.

--Heads up: Artist Bruce Nauman plans an exhibit in the sky.

-- Lisa Fung

Credit: Columbia Pictures

Monster Mash: Swed weighs in on Wagner-'Ring' debate; LACMA loses a curator; dispute over Wikipedia images

--Why the 'Ring' matters: Music critic Mark Swed weighs in on why the Ring Festival should move ahead as originally planned.

--Strong reactions: County Supervisor Mike Antonovich revives debate over composer Richard Wagner and "Ring": "If we had a book fair, you wouldn’t put Hitler’s ‘Mein Kampf’ as the focus."

--Two-year tenure ends: Photo curator Charlotte Cotton leaving Los Angeles County Museum of Art for job in England.

--Well, duh--what did they expect? Decision to dump journalists from Tony Award voting pool causes outcry.

--Copyright protected or not? Britain's National Portrait Gallery threatens legal action over 3,300 images uploaded to Wikipedia.

--Stepping down: After 23 years, Robert Rodzinski to retire as head of the prestigious Van Cliburn Foundation. 

--Sudden burst of interest: Andy Warhol's portrait of Michael Jackson temporarily pulled from auction block. 

--Andy Warhol, the musical: Yale Rep plans world premiere of "Pop!" based on events in the life of the Pop artist.

--Trail-blazing writer: Playwright-screenwriter Judi Ann Mason dies at 54.

--Longtime collaborator: Avant-garde theater director Robert Wilson pays "last" homage to ailing Japanese dancer.

--Next best thing to being there: Christie's auction house introduces an iPhone app.

--Lisa Fung

Photo: Arnold Bezuyen as Loge, center, and Graham Clark as Mime, center foreground, with the ensemble in Los Angeles Opera's production of Wagner's "Das Rheingold." Credit: Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Opera

Monster Mash: Supervisor wants Wagner out of Ring Festival; big advances for Jackman-Craig play; art dealer re-arrested

--Guess they'd have to change the name too:  L.A. County Supervisor Mike Antonovich wants L.A.'s planned Ring Festival to drop "Nazi composer" Wagner and instead replace his with works by other composers.

--We'd pay to hear them read a phone book: Advance sales of Broadway play "A Steady Rain," starring Hugh Jackman and Daniel Craig, hit $3 million. 

--Coveted architecture prize: Beijing's "birds' nest" Olympic Stadium, designed by Herzog and de Meuron, wins the Lubetkin Prize.

--Questioning conflicts of interest: Journalists voted out of the voting for Tony Awards.

--Columnist Steve Lopez reports: Former Doors member John Densmore drums up support for community arts. 

--Worth the price of admission: British patron wins lawsuit against theater over musical that didn't feature live music.

--Celebrity connection to alleged fraud: New charges brought against New York art dealer who sold works by Robert DeNiro's late father without the actor's permission, and his assistant.

--Loveless in L.A.: Composer-lyricist Leslie Bricusse parts ways with "Sleepless in Seattle" musical.

--There's still some money left: Federal economic stimulus funds make their way to to local arts groups.

--Longtime representative is charged: Manhattan lawyer charged with stealing funds from union that represents American Ballet Theatre dancers and stagehands.

--Forced to take drastic measures: Facing $4-million deficit, North Carolina Symphony cuts salaries of musicians and conductor.

--Lisa Fung

Follow us on Twitter: @culturemonster

Photo: Los Angeles County Supervisor Mike Antonovich. Credit: Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times

Gavin Creel of Broadway's 'Hair' details whirlwind trip to L.A.

As Culture Monster reported earlier this month, the Tony Award-winning cast of "Hair" will be appearing today on "The Tonight Show" with Conan O'Brien. The cast completed the Sunday matinee performance, then the tribe -- 50 members strong -- hopped on a bus to catch a chartered plane from Teterboro Airport to L.A. Today they'll rehearse in the morning, perform on the show, then hop back onto the plane, returning to New York in time for their Tuesday night performance.

Tony nominee Gavin Creel (best actor in a musical) agreed to share with Culture Monster some behind-the-scenes details of the Hair tribe's whirlwind journey to the City of Angels. Here's his diary: 

11:25 a.m. (EST): Today¹s the day. The "HAIRplane" will take to the skies to whisk 50 hippies to the West Coast. "Tonight Show," here we come!  I'm at my apartment doing some last-minute packing and truly starting to contemplate what we are about to do. This is insane!!

2:25 p.m.: Nancy Harrington (our stage manager) and Penny Daulton (our company manager) just had a meeting with us about the ambitious travel plans. The "tribe," as usual, talked though the entire thing. We¹ll be lucky if we make it onto the plane! Now let's do a matinee!

5:45 p.m.: Steel Burkhardt and I are hangin' with Anthony Hollock (Mr. Broadway!) while we wait for the bus. "I wanna get outta heeeeere," Anthony says.

6:25 p.m.: Boarding the bus. We maaaaaay have taken a trip to the liquor store. No security on a private plane baby! We can make our own drinks!!!!

Monster Mash: Frank Lloyd Wright house for sale; Long Beach Museum's art for sale?; Thomas Kinkade loses in court

--Own a landmark: Frank Lloyd Wright-designed Ennis House in Los Feliz can be yours for $15 million -- but side aside some funds for cost of repairs.

--Desperate measures: Cash-strapped city of Long Beach threatens to sell artwork from Long Beach Museum of Art to raise money.

--Outrage continues: More museum leaders speak out against Orange County Museum of Art's sale of 18 paintings to a private collector.

--Dark day for artist: Court rules "Painter of Light" Thomas Kinkade must pay two gallery owners plus lawyer fees to the tune of $2.1 million. 

--Grand opening: $55.6-million branch of Russia's State Hermitage Museum opens in Amsterdam.

--At least the telecast will be shorter: The Tony Awards scrap Special Theatrical Event category.

--New diet: Actor Jeremy Piven says he's been fish-free since dropping out of Broadway's "Speed-the-Plow" due to high levels of mercury.

--Crack the code: Is there a pattern to the new Gensler-designed Ritz-Carlton and Marriott building under construction in downtown L.A.?

--MOCA show: Judge gives go-ahead to art fraud lawsuit against Louis Vuitton over Murakami prints.

--Top honor: Museum dedicated to Wedgwood wins Britain's Art Fund Prize.

--New leader: Berlin Philharmonic names a new director.

--'Classical Idol' returns: Pianists and singers face off in the Jose Iturbi International Music Competition. 

--Last-minute fundraising: Oregon Ballet lives to dance another day.

--Um, yes: Are theatergoers becoming more disruptive?

-- Lisa Fung

Photo (top): Frank Lloyd Wright-designed Ennis House. Credit: Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times

Photo (bottom): Artist Thomas Kinkade. Credit: Handout

Broadway's 'August: Osage County' to close on June 28 (updated)

After more than 600 performances, five Tony Awards and a Pulitzer Prize, Tracy Letts' "August: Osage County" is set to close on Broadway after a nearly 20-month run. The epic three-and-a-half-hour drama about a highly dysfunctional family in rural Oklahoma will play its last performance at the Music Box Theatre on June 28.

The production had only recently added Phylicia Rashad in the lead role of Violet Weston, the wealthy pill-popping matriarch who makes life hell for her grown children. The actress, who began her run in late May, took over the character from Estelle Parsons and Tony winner Deanna Dunagan.

Produced by the Steppenwolf Theatre Company, "August" had its world premiere in Chicago in 2007. The Chicago Tribune's Chris Jones wrote at the time that "Letts has penned a major, not-to-be-missed new American work that eulogizes the perversely nurturing dysfunction of family life on the Plains."

The play opened on Broadway in December 2007 at the Imperial Theatre and went on to win Tonys for play, actress, featured actress (Rondi Reed), direction (Anna Shapiro) and scenic design (Todd Rosenthal). The production moved to the Music Box in April 2008. A national tour of "August," starring Parsons, kicks off in Denver in July. The tour will play at L.A.'s Ahmanson Theatre from Sept. 8 to Oct. 18.

Last year, Times theater critic Charles McNulty wrote that the play contains "strands of a half-dozen domestic classics (from 'Long Day's Journey Into Night' to 'Buried Child') refracted through a pop sensibility that's as comfortable with parody as it is with soap opera."

-- David Ng

(This version of the story updates the play dates at the Ahmanson Theatre.)

Photo: A scene from the Broadway production of "August: Osage County." Credit: Joan Marcus