Sep 30, 2016

When we spoke at Wave Hill, these fine actors who work together on Billions suggested that Sadahuro Oh is the Vanessa Redgrave of Japanese baseball. Or is Redgrave the Oh of actors? Either way, why are we inspired by such titans rather than beaten down by their inimitable genius? Plus a few jokes about Ibsen - that guy...

Sep 16, 2016

If an audience doesn't laugh, the play/movie/book isn't funny. Or might it be? Can an audience fail the writer? It's complicated says Paul Rudnick, and he should know, having written for the screen (Adams Family Values), the stage (Jeffrey) and the page (The New Yorker). A conversation about comedy and stained glass...

Sep 9, 2016

His screenplay Tex X evolved into Blazing Saddles after he spent happy hours writing and rewriting with Richard Pryor and Mel Brooks: workmates! He directed Marlon Brando in a rare - and terrific - comedy performance in The Freshman. And he believes movies are finished as a cultural force. Over. Done. Hear why,...

Sep 2, 2016

He created the role of Motle the tailor in Fiddler on the Roof. He directed Liz Tailor in The Little Foxes. He... well, it would be easier to list what he has not done during a life in the theater.