Taut suspenders, taped spectacles, that musty smell…by God, it’s the Festival of the Book! For C-VILLE’s SparkNotes on the must-see events at this year’s, go here; for a full listing visit the festival’s easy-to-use website here.
- I met with Jennifer Hoyt Tidwell and Sian Richards yesterday to talk about their plans to take Our American Ann Sisters on the road (it showed December at Live Arts). Sounds like they’ve got their plates full. In addition to preparing for the play’s upcoming run at the Hamner Theater, running the Assembly artists’ salon at the Bridge and planning for an August CLAW blowout, Tidwell recently launched a social networking website for Charlottesville’s arts community, cvilleartists.com.
- Speaking broadly of literature, now we can add to the canon of great stage courtroom dramas (Twelve Angry Men, Inherit the Wind…) John Grisham’s A Time To Kill. The frequent Petit Pois patron’s 1989 bestseller is being adapted for the stage by playwright Rupert Holmes—the Tony Award-winning playwright who began his career as the guy who wrote "Escape (The Pina Colada Song)." It will be performed at Washington D.C.’s Arena Stage next year. Theater expert and C-VILLE Art Director Bill LeSueur says that works often pass through Arena on their way to Broadway. So look out, New York!
Exhibit A: The trailer for Joel Schumacher’s 1996 film adaptation of A Time To Kill.
Exhibit B: Rupert Holmes performs "Escape" live.
