The 24 Hour Plays On Broadway: From Warren Leight, Christopher Oscar Peña and Jonathan Marc Sherman

November 14th, 2016 § 2 comments § permalink

Having spent 13 of the past 21 hours embedded at the American Airlines Theatre with The 24 Hour Plays, I’m reaching my natural state of exhaustion, without the participatory exhilaration of pending performance to boost my energy. But here are images from the latter group of plays on tonight’s bill, once again with the caution that these may not be the costumes, props or lighting that will end up on stage in just two hours time.

For a post about the meet and greet, click here.

For a post with rehearsal photos from the other three plays, click here.

UNION SQUARE INCIDENT by WARREN LEIGHT

Julie White

Julie White

Michael Cerveris

Michael Cerveris

Russell G. Jones

Russell G. Jones

Olivia Washington and Julie White

Olivia Washington and Julie White

Jason Biggs and Olivia Washington

Jason Biggs and Olivia Washington

Julie White, Olivia Washington and Russell G. Jones

Julie White, Olivia Washington and Russell G. Jones

WILLIE NELSON by CHRISTOPHER OSCAR PEÑA

Anson Mount

Anson Mount

Gaby Hoffman

Gaby Hoffman

Justice Smith

Justice Smith

Hugh Dancy

Hugh Dancy

Genevieve Angelson

Genevieve Angelson

Patrick Wilson

Patrick Wilson

Justice Smith and Gaby Hoffman

Justice Smith and Gaby Hoffman

Patrick Wilson, Gaby Hoffman and Genevieve Angelson

Patrick Wilson, Gaby Hoffman and Genevieve Angelson

RUMPUS by JONATHAN MARC SHERMAN

Amber Tamblyn

Amber Tamblyn

Mike Carlsen

Mike Carlsen

David Krumholtz

David Krumholtz

Mike Carlsen and Justin Bartha

Mike Carlsen and Justin Bartha

Daveed Diggs and Amber Tamblyn

Daveed Diggs and Amber Tamblyn

Daveed Diggs

Daveed Diggs

 

All photos © Howard Sherman

Daveed Diggs Of ‘Hamilton’ Is Your Favorite Toy Tiger

April 26th, 2016 § 0 comments § permalink

Hobbes and Me

Hobbes and Me

Years from now, newer converts to Hamilton fandom will marvel at how Lin-Manuel Miranda and Thomas Kail assembled such a notable cast. It will be viewed like Rent, like American Graffiti, a remarkable gathering of young talent that’s a tribute to those who managed to bring them together, including the casting team at Telsey + Company. It’s not that the Hamilton cast was entirely unknown, to be sure, but the acclaim for the project raised the public’s awareness of each and every one of them, regardless of what they had – or hadn’t – done before.

In the case of Daveed Diggs, who is surely one of the true breakout stars of Hamilton due to his Act 1 performance as Lafayette and Act 2 role of Thomas Jefferson, his primary prior recognition was as a rapper. But that’s not to say that Diggs hadn’t acted before. In one of the wonderful discoveries hiding in plain sight on YouTube, Diggs can be found in the eight-episode video series Hobbes and Me, playing Bill Watterson’s beloved philosophically named tiger from the comic strip Calvin and Hobbes.

The decidedly low-budget series was created by Bay Area actor, rapper, writer and producer Rafael Casal in 2014; Casal also plays Watterson’s Calvin – though that name never appears on the videos. Neither does Diggs’s or, for that matter, Watterson’s. The “scripts” are eight selected original strips; the settings suggest they were filmed at Casal’s home. Diggs’s tiger costume is a tiger-patterned coat and striped pants seemingly out of a 1930s prison film.

Of course, as more people learn of Hobbes and Me, it’s possible that recognition may also prove the undoing of these charming novelties. It’s widely known that Watterson has never permitted any adaptation of his strips, live-action or animated. No doubt Hobbes and Me, which doesn’t even carry credits, is an unauthorized riff that, by both showing Calvin and Hobbes strips and utilizing their dialogue verbatim, is very likely on the wrong side of the copyright line.

But with Diggs’s star on the rapid rise, the eight episodes are a four and a half minute (in total) opportunity to see him before the glossy magazines and TV interviews came calling. Take a look while you can.

Incidentally, Hobbes and Me isn’t the only Casal-Diggs collaboration. There’s also a Star Trek riff called The Away Team, with Diggs playing a key role in Episode 2, “Boletus Frequencia.”

P.S. Casal’s website says he’s developing a musical called The Limp for Diggs. Stay tuned.

 

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