This splendid actor is perhaps best known for her performances in Wit and Angels in America and now has recurring roles on The Affair, The Americans, and House of Cards. We spoke at the National Black Theater, an event produced with Epic Theater Ensemble, featuring original music from the cast of Shakespeare Remix: Hamlet & … Continue reading »

 The Tony-winning director of Raisin in the Sun, he was the artistic director of Atlanta’s Alliance Theater and has directed at Washington’s Arena Stage, Boston’s Huntington and Chicago’s Goodman. Among his film and TV credits are a remake of Steel Magnolias and a musical built on the work of Tupac Skakur. I’m almost certain these are two … Continue reading »

  The lead theater critic of the Times talks about the fantasy metropolis he’s searched for since he arrived in New York and offers his thoughts on innovation, grand gestures, and Gloria Vanderbilt.  Person: Gloria Vanderbilt  PLACE: London’s National Theater  THING: a framed hundred dollar bill RANDY’S THING: his first Emmy     Continue reading »

No one moves more gracefully between Hollywood and New York. Out west, she wrote for NYPD Blue, among many TV shows, before creating her own, Smash. Back east, her plays include Mauritius, Seminar, and the Pulitzer finalist Omnium Gatherum. She won the Edgar Award from the Mystery Writers of America, which isn’t really between Hollywood … Continue reading »

 A director who’s received pretty much every award going, Jack O’Brien is celebrated for his productions of big musicals like Hairspray, big brainiacs like Tom Stoppard, and big Shakespeare. His Macbeth with Ethan Hawke is currently at Lincoln Center. Jack Be Nimble, his memoir of working with Ellis Raab, was published last spring. He really … Continue reading »