http://dctheatrescene.com Washington DC's Liveliest Theater Website Fri, 25 May 2012 19:37:45 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 Washington DC's Liveliest Theater Website DC Theatre Scene no Washington DC's Liveliest Theater Website http://dctheatrescene.com/wp-content/plugins/powerpress/rss_default.jpg http://dctheatrescene.com http://dctheatrescene.com/2012/04/04/on-the-waterfront/ http://dctheatrescene.com/2012/04/04/on-the-waterfront/#comments Wed, 04 Apr 2012 14:12:00 +0000 Rosalind Lacy http://dctheatrescene.com/?p=33814 http://dctheatrescene.com/2012/04/04/on-the-waterfront/feed/ 0 http://dctheatrescene.com/2012/01/19/little-murders/ http://dctheatrescene.com/2012/01/19/little-murders/#comments Thu, 19 Jan 2012 15:55:12 +0000 Terry Ponick http://dctheatrescene.com/?p=31807 http://dctheatrescene.com/2012/01/19/little-murders/feed/ 0 http://dctheatrescene.com/2011/09/12/the-country-girl/ http://dctheatrescene.com/2011/09/12/the-country-girl/#comments Mon, 12 Sep 2011 15:21:16 +0000 Larry Bangs http://dctheatrescene.com/?p=28673 http://dctheatrescene.com/2011/09/12/the-country-girl/feed/ 0 http://dctheatrescene.com/2011/07/12/visit-to-a-small-planet/ http://dctheatrescene.com/2011/07/12/visit-to-a-small-planet/#comments Tue, 12 Jul 2011 20:16:51 +0000 Rosalind Lacy http://dctheatrescene.com/?p=27130 http://dctheatrescene.com/2011/07/12/visit-to-a-small-planet/feed/ 1 http://dctheatrescene.com/2011/04/14/stage-door/ http://dctheatrescene.com/2011/04/14/stage-door/#comments Thu, 14 Apr 2011 12:58:35 +0000 Terry Ponick http://dctheatrescene.com/?p=24565 http://dctheatrescene.com/2011/04/14/stage-door/feed/ 0 http://dctheatrescene.com/2011/01/19/beyond-the-horizon/ http://dctheatrescene.com/2011/01/19/beyond-the-horizon/#comments Wed, 19 Jan 2011 14:24:12 +0000 Rosalind Lacy http://dctheatrescene.com/?p=22172 http://dctheatrescene.com/2011/01/19/beyond-the-horizon/feed/ 1 http://dctheatrescene.com/2010/11/12/esther-covington-on-playing-fanny-brice/ http://dctheatrescene.com/2010/11/12/esther-covington-on-playing-fanny-brice/#comments Fri, 12 Nov 2010 19:23:00 +0000 Joel Markowitz http://dctheatrescene.com/?p=20859 http://dctheatrescene.com/2010/11/12/esther-covington-on-playing-fanny-brice/feed/ 1 american century She’s on the stage for two hours – singing many of Fanny Brice’s best-known songs while tap dancing, twirling, telling funny jokes,  relating Fanny's personal life and career highs and lows, while  ‘Baby Snooking’ her way into the hearts of the audienc... She’s on the stage for two hours – singing many of Fanny Brice’s best-known songs while tap dancing, twirling, telling funny jokes,  relating Fanny's personal life and career highs and lows, while  ‘Baby Snooking’ her way into the hearts of the audiences. I asked Esther Covington to talk about preparing for and performing the role of the legendary comedienne in The American Century Theater’s production of One Night With Fanny Brice. Esther: The premise of the show is that Fanny Brice has returned from the dead (not like a zombie… although that would be kind of cool) for this one night to this particular stage to share with the audience the events from her life that shaped her earthly existence, complete with songs that she loved and performed when she was alive. The script doesn’t provide a reason why this particular phenomenon happens, which is one of the challenges of the script. Why is Fanny here on this stage on this night? I believe that Fanny has returned as a tribute to her children, grandchildren, etc. and to share one last night with the people who meant the most to her and never hurt her. Regardless of the reason, the show is two-acts of Fanny recounting actual events from her life. Joel: Who was Fanny Brice? Esther: Fanny Brice was the most famous and highest paid female comedian in America in the early Twentieth Century. Made famous by Barbara Streisand’s portrayal of her in the musical Funny Girl, Fanny Brice was the forerunner and inspiration for women like Carol Burnett, Lucille Ball, and Carol Channing. She performed in Burlesque, on Broadway (most notably the Ziegfeld Follies), in movies, and for more than 12 years on the radio as the character ‘Baby Snooks.’ In addition to her successful career as an actress, singer, and comedian, she was also well known for her 15-year tumultuous relationship with crook and con man Nick Arnstein. She was also a devoted and loving mother of two children. Fanny Brice died in 1951 at age 59 of a cerebral hemorrhage. Joel: Why did you want to play Fanny Brice? Esther: Honestly, the desire to play Fanny Brice was initially no different than my desire to play any character. I find that each role I play helps me further develop my skills as an actress so I’m always thrilled to be cast in any role.  As I learned about Fanny Brice, the excitement and apprehension grew exponentially. I mean, she was the funniest woman in America, which is a wonderful opportunity to improve my comedy chops and to be given a great deal of artistic license to just play and have fun with the role.  Yet there is also the huge challenge of playing a factual person, especially a fairly contemporary one, because there are many people who remember her, saw her perform, and knew her and I wanted to make sure I preserved the integrity of who she was, even without my personal knowledge of her. Joel: How do you relate to Fanny? Esther: I do find that I certainly relate to Fanny Brice, particularly when it comes to my own desires and insecurities. She was never considered beautiful, yet she has a very unique look and is a very pretty woman. I’ve heard similar things my whole life. She hated her nose (so much that she had rhinoplasty late in her career) and I’ve never been too fond of mine (no rhinoplasty for me though… yet). She had three siblings and was the second daughter, which is the same in my family. She adored her father and was always able to see only the good in him, despite some huge personal flaws, which I can definitely relate to in my own life. She was never afraid to take risks and was never too proud to take any role offered her. And she worked so stinkin’ hard her entire career. She never became complacent or assumed that fame would always be hers.  Up until the day she died, she was working. I definitely echo her work ethic. She was a devoted friend, wife, and mother, almost to a fault. Her marriages didn’t last, DC Theatre Scene no http://dctheatrescene.com/2010/11/11/one-night-with-fanny-brice/ http://dctheatrescene.com/2010/11/11/one-night-with-fanny-brice/#comments Thu, 11 Nov 2010 12:04:00 +0000 Debbie Jackson http://dctheatrescene.com/?p=20822 http://dctheatrescene.com/2010/11/11/one-night-with-fanny-brice/feed/ 1 http://dctheatrescene.com/2010/09/21/the-tenth-man/ http://dctheatrescene.com/2010/09/21/the-tenth-man/#comments Tue, 21 Sep 2010 14:30:59 +0000 Steven McKnight http://dctheatrescene.com/?p=19557 http://dctheatrescene.com/2010/09/21/the-tenth-man/feed/ 0 http://dctheatrescene.com/2010/07/28/serenading-louie/ http://dctheatrescene.com/2010/07/28/serenading-louie/#comments Wed, 28 Jul 2010 08:53:33 +0000 McCall Noelle Doyle http://dctheatrescene.com/?p=18435 http://dctheatrescene.com/2010/07/28/serenading-louie/feed/ 14 http://dctheatrescene.com/2010/06/01/treadwell-bright-and-dark/ http://dctheatrescene.com/2010/06/01/treadwell-bright-and-dark/#comments 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http://dctheatrescene.com/2007/07/16/hellzapoppin/ http://dctheatrescene.com/2007/07/16/hellzapoppin/feed/ 1 http://dctheatrescene.com/2007/04/09/that-championship-season/ http://dctheatrescene.com/2007/04/09/that-championship-season/#comments Mon, 09 Apr 2007 18:39:35 +0000 Lorraine Treanor http://dctheatrescene.com/2007/04/09/that-championship-season/ http://dctheatrescene.com/2007/04/09/that-championship-season/feed/ 0 http://dctheatrescene.com/2007/02/27/drama-under-the-influence/ http://dctheatrescene.com/2007/02/27/drama-under-the-influence/#comments Tue, 27 Feb 2007 13:43:42 +0000 Lorraine Treanor http://dctheatrescene.com/2007/02/27/drama-under-the-influence/ http://dctheatrescene.com/2007/02/27/drama-under-the-influence/feed/ 0 http://dctheatrescene.com/2006/09/12/macbird/ http://dctheatrescene.com/2006/09/12/macbird/#comments Wed, 13 Sep 2006 00:18:24 +0000 Lorraine Treanor http://dctheatrescene.com/2006/09/12/macbird/ http://dctheatrescene.com/2006/09/12/macbird/feed/ 0 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