2 plays.

BitchSlap! opens tonight at the Roxy Theatre in Edmonton and runs through December 9. For the Vue Weekly, David Berry talks with playwright and sound designer Darin Hagen, who also happens to play Joan Crawford, and Trevor Schmidt, the director - who plays Bette Davis:

"People ask why gay men love those women so much, and the reason is that in the 40s, when there was no such thing as gay rights, or at least they weren't very visible, people like Bette and Joan became the politicians in gay mens' minds," says Hagen, ably transitioning, as he frequently does in both person and script, from ribald outrageousness to sedate cogency. "They were the strong, feminine creatures, they got the man, they got the gigs, they got everything."

Updated through 12/2.

"I've got nothing against gay rights, there's just nothing in it for me," paraphrases Schmidt, joined by Hagen for the last bit.

"It goes beyond that, too," continues Hagen. "They were men in dresses, in a lot of ways, because they fought like men, they didn't take any shit like men, they basically played a game that very few women were willing to play; they'd risk everything to keep their career going."

"Othello is arguably the most intense and immediate of Shakespeare's mature tragedies," writes Paul Taylor in the Independent:

Casting is crucial to the chemistry that bubbles in a production between hero and villain. In this [sold out] account [at the Donmar Warehouse], Iago is played by Ewan McGregor, last seen on stage as charming, personable Sky Masterson in [Michael] Grandage's production of Guys and Dolls and better known as a screen actor who embraces both the indie end of the spectrum (Young Adam) and the mainstream (Star Wars, Moulin Rouge!).

The role of Othello is taken by Chiwetel Ejiofor who, though he has lately concentrated on movies (for directors ranging from Woody Allen to Ridley Scott), boasts an impressive list of theatrical credits.

Update, 12/2: More on Bitchslap! from Paul Matwychuk.

Posted by dwhudson at November 29, 2007 3:15 PM