Friday, August 29, 2025
The romance of Gene Wilder and Gilda Radner was only 8 years long, cut short by her death from ovarian cancer. But for those who were around in the 1980s, we remember a romance for the ages. Playwright Cary Gitter has crafted a wonderful script here that shows their passion, their idiosyncrasies and their insecurities. The show begins with Wilder (Jonathan Randall Silver) being interviewed by Dick Cavett (who provided the voice) a couple years after the death of Radner (Jordan Kai Burnett). Wilder does not want to talk about the relationship so Radner pops into his mind and prods him
Tag: 59E59 Theaters
Smart Blonde at 59 E 59
“There are some who think Judy Holliday was the greatest comic actress of all time, and some who think she was simply the greatest comic actress of the century.” That’s David Shipman in The Great Movie Stars (the International Years), but it could be any film historian or astute film buff. The former Judith Tuvim of Queens just had a lighter, subtler touch, and greater ability to make you laugh and move you at the same time, than anybody else; her line readings were so precise, said George Cukor, who directed five of her 11 films, she’d give you a
Vivian’s Music, 1969 at East to Edinburgh, 59E59 Theaters
Vivian’s Music, 1969 is a sensuous, intoxicating experience. It is inspired by a tragic true story that leaves you feeling bereft. This production doesn’t require any additional bells and whistles. The text and the performances are so rich, complex, layered and absorbing you really don’t need any further embellishments. This magical piece is on its way to the the Edinburgh festival where productions famously have about 8 minutes to “get-in” i.e. no time for elaborate sets, costumes, lightings etc. It is vital for a theater company to strip down the staging to its bare bones whilst maintaining a mighty punch.