Nick Leshi's Open Salon Blog

Message from the Director

Fri, 1 Jun 2012 13:06:22 -0400

As I previously wrote, I'm directing a staged reading of John Patrick Shanley's Danny and the Deep Blue Sea this Friday and Saturday night. Here's a message I wrote for the program:

DIRECTOR’S NOTE

John Patrick Shanley dedicates his play, Danny and the Deep Blue Sea, “to everyone in the Bronx who punched me or kissed me, and to everyone whom I punched or kissed.” That neatly sums up why I love this play (and pretty much everything else that Shanley has written) – it captures the complexity of this borough that holds a grip on my heart.

I was born in the Bronx, went to school here, got married here, still work and live here. (I always joke that they will likely bury me here.) Danny and the Deep Blue Sea depicts the raw, sometimes scary yet often endearing emotional energy of the people who live in our city. The characters of Danny and Roberta have struck a chord with audiences since John Turturro and June Stein first brought them to life in the early 1980s. For me at least, it’s because I find their combustible interactions to be captivating drama, but the words and actions are also quite familiar. Like the best characters and stories in fiction, they ring true. Whether through some acquaintance or a loved one, or maybe even through a mirror image of ourselves, we recognize the pain, the loneliness, the confusion, the desperation that these two lost souls find themselves struggling to overcome. Hopefully, we will also recognize the hope and redemption that hit Danny and Roberta like a tsunami when their lives cross.

I’m so glad to have this opportunity to direct Danny and the Deep Blue Sea as a staged reading here at Center Stage Playhouse. I’ve worked with Joe Laureiro in numerous productions, and some of my finest stage memories have been as an actor, performing in scenes with him, whether it was The Brothers Karamazov, Romeo and Juliet, or Henry V. Donna Bellone introduced me to John Patrick Shanley after casting me in his play Italian American Reconciliation, another wonderful memory, so now I feel it’s all come full circle on this terrific project with these dear friends. I remember chatting with Mr. Shanley at the New York Times Arts Center a few years ago. He seemed genuinely excited to hear about Center Stage Playhouse. It was absolutely clear that he cherishes his Bronx roots, still a source of inspiration for his award-winning plays. I encourage all of you to continue to support this fine theater group in the Bronx, where characters like Danny and Roberta continue to live on for new audiences to discover again and again.

SPECIAL THANKS go out to the Board of Center Stage for their dedication, hard work, and brilliant accomplishments during this transition year. Also, my personal thanks to Lucille Loiselle, Howard Brundage, James Evangelista, Elliott Robinson, Eric Schuster, Jenifer King, and everyone who was part of the Staged Reading Series during the last two years. Of course, many thanks to my wife Juliana and daughter Victoria. This has been a truly satisfying labor of love.

Baseball Nicknames

Thu, 31 May 2012 22:05:17 -0400

I'm continuing to have a great time reading the history of the New York Yankees, Pinstripe Empire. Even though it's all based on true events, the characters are more entertaining than anything you'll find in fiction. I especially like all the nicknames that baseball players have. Every sport has interesting names for some colorful athletes, but the National Pastime seems to have an over-abundance of them.

From the early days of the Babe or the Iron Horse through modern times with the Sandman, nicknames reflect the personality and the special qualities of the guys they describe. Part of baseball's charm is the seemingly never-ending flow of memorable figures -- heroes and villains -- whose nicknames add even more character to the characters they identify -- Scooter, the Rocket, Joltin' Joe.

Sometimes it's just a play on the player's name -- A-Rod or Goose Gossage. Other times, it's sheer poetry, such as my favorite, Louisiana Lightning.

I never get tired of hearing nicknames like Donnie Baseball or Captain Clutch. Is there any sport that's greater?

De Niro and Stallone in Boxing Comedy?

Wed, 30 May 2012 22:05:27 -0400

Imagine the stars of Raging Bull and Rocky uniting in a boxing comedy. Yes, Robert De Niro and Sylvester Stallone are negotiating with Warner Bros. to star in Grudge Match, an allegedly humorous movie about retired pugilists who step in the ring against each other for one last fight.

This wouldn't be the first time the two actors have worked together. They headlined the excellent drama Cop Land.

Personally, I'm a bit tired of seeing De Niro and Stallone in comedies, even though they have done some fine work in that genre. I still think their finest perfromances have been in "serious" roles. Grudge Match sounds intriguing, though, and I'm interested in seeing what develops. Let's hope it doesn't turn into a TKO for the fans.

History Channel Looks at an Infamous Feud

Tue, 29 May 2012 22:05:39 -0400

The History Channel's new mini-series, Hatfields & McCoys, is a ratings hit, drawing a network record almost 14 million viewers its first night. It's a popular tale about the feud between two Southern American families after the Civil War and the cast is outstanding -- Kevin Costner, Bill Paxton, Tom Berenger, Jena Malone and others.

Costner teams up once again with director Kevin Reynolds who gave us the laughable Waterworld but also Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, which, despite its flaws, I actually enjoyed.

The saga of the rivalry between the Hatfields and the McCoys has become ingrained in the public imagination as the epitomy of blood feuds. What is real historic fact and what is now embellished legend?

I'm always happy to see a good Western so I welcome the series. I'm glad to see it's doing well and attracting a lot of viewers.

Too Much Stuff on TiVo, Not Enough Time

Mon, 28 May 2012 21:05:19 -0400

I was sick pretty much all Memorial Day Weekend, but I spent some quality time with the family. Here it is, Monday night, and I'm starting to finally feel better (except for a lingering, annoying runny nose), so I settle down to catch up on some shows on my DVR, and the big dilemma faces me -- Where to begin? I have so much content recorded on my TiVo, it's overwhelming just to look at the menu screen. Shall I watch the final episodes of Alcatraz? Maybe I should finally view those movies I recorded, like HBO's Game Change. There are a couple of episodes of Prophets of Science Fiction I still haven't seen. Decisions, decisions.

Digital Video Recorders are a great invention that revolutionized how we watch television. Time-shifting TV viewing has impacted how content is created, delivered, marketed, and of course finally received by the consumer. More power is in the hands of the previously passive audience.

But it has also added to the growing mountain of content at our disposal. Now we no longer need to see something live or at the times predetermined by the networks.

We can now record everything -- but when do we have time to watch?