Now, I feel like I can be an even more in-the-know Broadway theatergoer.
My local PBS station, WSBE, has started showing Theater Talk, produced by WNET in New York and cohosted by New York Post theater columnist Michael Riedel. He describes the show as "a sort of Meet the Press of Broadway. We want viewers to feel that they are sitting around with theater insiders at a Broadway hangout, talking, gossiping and joking about the theater.''
The guests on last night's program were Ian McShane and Raul Esparza, currently starring in The Homecoming. It was a great conversation about playwright Harold Pinter, about both actors' careers and about the future of straight plays on Broadway. I just wish their costar, the very talented Eve Best, has been a guest, too.
Upcoming programs will feature Chazz Palminteri from the one-man show A Bronx Tale, Irish actors Ciaran Hinds and Conleth Hill from The Seafarer, and Rock 'n' Roll playwright Tom Stoppard. Even though I won't get to see A Bronx Tale, The Seafarer or The Homecoming, and I didn't like Rock 'n' Roll very much, I know I'll enjoy the interviews.
Plus, I know this is totally superficial, but when I was watching Raul Esparza, the first thing I thought was, "Wow, he has really big, beautiful eyes." And the picture above doesn't do them justice.
If the show doesn't air on your PBS station, you can watch the latest episode at the Theater Talk Web site. Plus, you can download the audio from previous shows as podcasts. But you really should watch it, especially the current show, just for Raul's eyes.
