this week in lectures, signings, panel discussions, workshops, and Q&As

SHAKESPEARE’S BIRTHDAY BASH: SHAKESPEARE AND THE LANGUAGE THAT SHAPED A WORLD

Who: Shakespeare & Company
What: Virtual celebration of William Shakespeare’s birthday
Where: Online
When: Friday, April 23, free with RSVP, 7:00
Why: Massachusetts-based Shakespeare & Company is paying tribute to the Bard with “Shakespeare’s Birthday Bash,” taking place online April 23 at 7:00. The virtual party will feature a performance of Shakespeare and the Language that Shaped a World by the troupe’s Northeast Regional Tour of Shakespeare, which includes Courtney Bryan Devon, Devante Owens, Eliana Rowe, Emily Díaz, Kirsten Peacock, Madeleine Rose Maggio, and Nick Nudler. Written by Kevin G. Coleman in collaboration with the cast and reimagined for online viewing, the show is a fast-paced, family-friendly trip through the world of Shakespeare, delving into his life while presenting various scenes from his plays. This summer, Shakespeare & Company will be staging King Lear at the outdoors New Spruce Theatre, starring Christopher Lloyd as the troubled ruler, overlapping with Debra Ann Byrd’s Becoming Othello: A Black Girl’s Journey at the outdoor Roman Garden Theatre, followed by a workshop production of Measure for Measure, also at the Roman Garden.

SHAKESPEARE HOUR LIVE! ROMEO & JULIET PRESHOW CELEBRATION

Who: Claire Danes
What: Shakespeare Hour Live! discussion about Romeo + Juliet
Where: Facebook Live and YouTube Live
When: Friday, April 23, free, 8:00
Why: Twenty-five years ago, Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes starred as the title lovers in Baz Luhrmann’s Romeo + Juliet, a modern-day adaptation of Shakespeare’s tragedy, pitting two business empires against each other, the Montagues and the Capulets, while using the the Bard’s original dialogue. On the night that PBS’s Great Performances presentation of the National Theatre’s Romeo & Juliet, which was filmed following Covid-19 protocols, is making its US premiere, Danes will talk about the movies and the play in the latest Shakespeare Hour Live!, the ongoing series hosted by DC’s Shakespeare Theatre Company, whose artistic director, Simon Godwin, directed the National Theatre production. Luhrmann’s 1999 movie features Brian Dennehy and Christina Pickles as Romeo’s parents, Paul Sorvino and Diane Venora as Juliet’s folks, John Leguizamo as Tybalt, Dash Mihok as Benvolio, and Miriam Margolyes as the nurse, while Godwin’s version, which makes full use of the National Theatre space, stars Jessie Buckley as Juliet and Josh O’Connor as Romeo, with Tamsin Greig as Lady Capulet, Lloyd Hutchinson as Lord Capulet, Colin Tierney as Lord Montague, David Judge as Tybalt, Alex Mugnaioni as Paris, Shubham Saraf as Benvolio, Adrian Lester as the prince, Fisayo Akinade as Mercutio, and Deborah Findlay as the nurse.

SHAKESPEARE SONNET SLAM

Who: Gingold Theatrical Group
What: Virtual open mic Shakespeare birthday celebration
Where: Gingold Zoom and Facebook
When: Friday, April 23, free with RSVP, 6:00
Why: This month marks William Shakespeare’s 457th birthday as well as the 405th anniversary of his death, and New York City’s Gingold Theatrical Group, which specializes in works by George Bernard Shaw, will be paying tribute to the Bard with a free, virtual Shakespeare Sonnet Slam open mic on April 23 at 6:00. Among those who will be reading from Shakespeare’s writings are Stephen Brown-Fried, Robert Cuccioli, Tyne Daly, George Dvorsky, Melissa Errico, Alison Fraser, Tom Hewitt, Daniel Jenkins, John-Andrew Morrison, Patrick Page, Maryann Plunkett, Tonya Pinkins, Laila Robins, Jay O. Sanders, Renee Taylor, and Jon Patrick Walker — and the general public, who is invited to offer their own favorite pieces either by or inspired by Will, kept to less than three minutes. “We’re eager to celebrate as much as we can with whatever we can these days,” GTG artistic director David Staller said in a statement. “And since nobody has contributed more to the world of the theater than William Shakespeare, we’re going to celebrate like mad. He wrote more than 150 magnificent sonnets and I doubt we’ll get through them all but we’ll give it our best shot.” In order to be part of the interactive festivities, you must register by April 22 at 4:00.

ASK THE EXPERTS: STEFAN FALKE

Who: Stefan Falke
What: Illustrated discussion live on Zoom
Where: Coney Island USA online
When: Wednesday, April 21, $5, 7:00
Why: We have known photojournalist Stefan Falke for several decades and have enjoyed watching his career soar. The award-winning German-born, NYC-based photographer travels the world, documenting stilt walkers in the Caribbean (“Moko Jumbies: The Dancing Spirits of Trinidad”), artists on either side of the southern border (“LA FRONTERA: Artists along the US–Mexico Border”), film shoots, and, for his latest project, New Yorkers during the time of Covid in Keep Going New York!, celebrating the spirit of the city as it battles a pandemic, economic distress, and sociopolitical rage. On April 21 at 7:00, Falke, whose work is represented in “The Flag Project” at Rockefeller Center through the end of the month, will talk about his work in the popular Coney Island USA series “Ask the Experts,” which used to take place at the Coney Island Museum but is currently being held over Zoom. The series continues April 28 with lover-of-the-unusual Marc Hartzman, May 5 with visual artist and Wild Style director Charlie Ahearn, and May 12 with Sideshows by the Seashore painter Marie Roberts.

WE PERSIST! I CAN’T REMEMBER ANYTHING

Who: Penny Fuller, Bob Dishy, James Naughton, Susan Charlotte
What: In-person and livestreamed play reading
Where: Theatre 80 St. Marks and Zoom
When: Monday, April 19, live and on Zoom, 2:00 (available on demand April 24-25, 646-366-9340 / info@foodforthoughtproductions.com)
Why: Food for Thought Productions is now in its twenty-first season of presenting all-star readings of little-known and classic one-act plays by major writers. Its current series, “We Persist!,” kicked off with Christopher Durang’s For Whom the Southern Belle Tolls and Tennessee Williams’s Life Boat Drill, presented live at Theatre 80 St. Marks to a limited, masked audience. The award-winning company is now back for Arthur Miller’s I Can’t Remember Anything, directed by Antony Marsellis and starring Penny Fuller and Bob Dishy as an elderly widow and her late husband’s best friend, respectively; FFTP previously presented the play two decades ago with Elaine Stritch and Dishy, with Miller in attendance. (Miller would later go on to direct shows for the troupe.) The play will be followed by a Q&A with the cast, moderated by FFTP founder Susan Charlotte, with a special appearance by James Naughton, who directed Dishy in Miller’s The Price at the 1999 Williamstown Theatre Festival. In addition, FFTP regular Tony Roberts will read from his 2015 memoir, Do You Know Me? Free tickets to see the show in person are first come, first served, for those who agree to be part of a documentary being made about the company; the recording will be available for a small fee April 24-25. Next up for FFTP is Charlotte’s The Hairdresser on May 24.

THE CIVILIANS PRESENTS SHOWING UP

Accra Shepp’s portraits of BLM activists are inspiration for virtual evening of music and theater (photo © Accra Shepp)

Who: The Civilians
What: Livestreamed music, art, and performance
Where: Civilians online
When: Friday, April 16, free with RSVP (suggested donation $15), 7:30
Why: In the spring of 2020, award-winning photographer Accra Shepp began taking pictures of Black Lives Matter activists on the front lines, posting them to Instagram; his Covid Journals started with “Contagion,” with “Hunger” and “Justice” to follow. Those portraits are now the basis for Showing Up, a livestreamed event led by Brooklyn-based “investigative theater” specialists the Civilians in which four actors (Becca Blackwell, Cecil Blutcher, Sheldon Best, and Marsha Stephanie Blake) and a group of musicians and singers (bassist Rashaan Carter with vocalist Anaïs Maviel; composer Jacinth Greywoode and singer-songwriter Rebecca Hart; Jamie Lozano, with Javier Ignacio; and Katie Madison and composer-musician Jarret Murray, with Deborah Cowell) will perform new material inspired by the New York City native’s photos and by interviews with some of his subjects conducted by Blake, Jesse Baxter, Bailey Jordan Garcia, Dee Harper, Matt Maher, and Riley Tollen.

“I was introduced to Shepp’s Covid Journals this past fall and was moved by his striking ability to connect with each subject,” Civilians artistic director Steve Cosson said in a statement. “In Shepp’s photos, I saw an individual assert their presence on his or her own terms, giving a human-scale dimension to these larger, collective events. I’m delighted that Shepp agreed to work with us on this project, offering an opportunity for the voice of the individuals in these photos to ‘show up’ through their conversations with our company of interviewers and the interpretation of their words by actors and musicians.” Copresented with the International Center for Photography and Alice Austen House and with the collaboration of the Alfred Stieglitz Society at the Met, Showing Up is directed by Colette Robert, with video direction by Sadah Espii Proctor; Nidra Sous la Terre serves as host. Admission is free with advance RSVP; a talk with Shepp bookends the evening. Up next for the Civilians is Black Feminist Video Game April 27 to May 9.

JOHN CULLUM: AN ACCIDENTAL STAR

John Cullum shares a life in the theater in one-man show (photo by Carol Rosegg)

JOHN CULLUM: AN ACCIDENTAL STAR
Available on demand through May 6, $28.75 – $81 (pay-what-you-can)
Live watch party: Saturday, April 17, 2:00
irishrep.org
www.vineyardtheatre.org

“Most of the shows I’ve done – and the parts I’ve played – have come to me through the back door, by accidents, you might say, or coincidence, or just plain luck. And tonight, I’d like to share with you some of my lucky accidents,” two-time Tony winner John Cullum says at the start of his wonderful one-man show, An Accidental Star, streaming on demand through April 21. Copresented by three theaters that have played an important role in Cullum’s long, distinguished career, the Vineyard, the Irish Rep, and Goodspeed Musicals, the eighty-minute production takes viewers behind the curtain as Cullum relates funny and poignant anecdotes and sings songs from throughout his more than sixty years in the business.

Cullum, who turned ninety-one last month, was born in Tennessee and had dreams of making it as an actor. When he arrived in New York City in 1956, he was ready to do whatever it took to land an audition and get an acting job. Through a series of lucky accidents, he soon found himself cast in three summer plays for Joe Papp’s Shakespeare in the Park, even though he had zero experience with the Bard. That led directly to auditioning for Moss Hart for Camelot on Broadway, where Cullum would meet Richard Burton, who became a lifelong friend.

Julie McBride plays piano as John Cullum reflects on his long career in An Accidental Star (photo by Carol Rosegg)

Cullum, who won Tonys for Shenandoah and On the Twentieth Century, was nominated for On a Clear Day You Can See Forever, Urinetown, and 110 in the Shade, and scored an Emmy nomination for his role as Holling Vincoeur in Northern Exposure, also chronicles experiences involving Maximilian Schell, Louis Jourdan, Lerner & Lowe, Hal Prince, Robert Preston, Robert Goulet, Madeline Kahn, The Scottsboro Boys, and his wife of more than sixty-one years, choreographer and writer Emily Frankel. Filmed by Carlos Cardona in January onstage at the Irish Rep, An Accidental Star was conceived by Cullum and Jeff Berger, written by David Thompson (The Scottsboro Boys; Priscilla, Queen of the Desert), and directed by Lonny Price and Matt Cowart (110 in the Shade, Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar & Grill), with music supervision by Georgia Stitt and music direction by Julie McBride, who accompanies Cullum on piano. The cameras shoot Cullum, dressed in an unbuttoned vest, purple shirt, and brown pants, from all sides as he sits on a stool, gets up and spreads his arms for a big finale, and walks over to the piano to join McBride. He’s an engaging raconteur who is deservedly proud of what he’s accomplished yet humble enough to understand how fortunate he’s been on this amazing journey, which includes a live watch party on April 17 at 2:00.