J. H. Authors

One Woman. Three Names. Many Books.

Media

A Christmas Carol Challenge

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My favorite story of all time is Charles Dickens’ 1843 A CHRISTMAS CAROL. I hear some of you groaning. But hear me out. Have you read the book? While there is sentiment, there is also a brutal portrayal of the times. The themes of selfishness and redemption transcend generations. Dickens balances light and dark beautifully, which helps make the payoff so great.

Because of some overly sentimental versions the story is often dismissed. That is a mistake. Dickens condemns the London of Ebenezer Scrooge as he tells the story of redemption. Some of these scenes are difficult to watch (or read), and they are often cut. I am thinking specifically of the scene that Marley shows Scrooge of the ghosts who have lost the power for good, and are condemned to walk the earth powerless to help. Or the two children (Ignorance and Want) that the Ghost of Christmas Present has under his robe. Or Old Joe…

Knowing that I love this story (and I do) I have set up my own December Challenge. To write about a different version of A CHRISTMAS CAROL every day. Think that is impossible? I have a dozen DVDs sitting here right now that give me a good head start on the project.

I’d love to hear your thoughts on the daily offerings. The Christmas Carol Challenge 2010 begins tomorrow–see you then!

Level Best Books and Regina

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This weekend I am going to Crime Bake. During the weekend I will be on a signing panel for THIN ICE, the new anthology by Level Best Books. “Tag, You’re Dead” is the first story I’ve ever had published. Here’s the blog post that featured me as an author. I am thrilled to be part of this collection. For a lot of reasons.

I missed the first Crime Bake, but have been to every one since. My friend Regina went with me that first year, 2003, the year  Level Best Books first anthology was released. Regina bought it, and walked around asking everyone to sign their stories.

“Wouldn’t it be cool to be in it some year?” she asked me.

Maybe next year I said.

But next year Regina wasn’t able to make it to Crime Bake. She had been diagnosed with inflammatory breast cancer in May, and was in the hospital.  The next year she was gone.

Regina was a force. I didn’t know her long (we’d met in a mystery writing class),  but I do think of her every year around Crime Bake.  This year another friend of ours is also in THIN ICE. When I sent Mary a congratulatory email, she wrote back.

“Wouldn’t Regina be proud?” she said.

Regina would be very proud. As am I.

Sherlock

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Did you watch SHERLOCK on PBS? Didn’t love the ending (not a fan of indeterminate amount of time cliff hangers) but I loved the too short series. A wonderful homage to the stories. Fabulous updates within the spirit. I especially loved the retake on John Watson. In many ways this is his story as well, and it is a good one. If you missed it, find it. And let me know what you think.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cSQq_bC5kIw&fs=1&hl=en_US]

The Shirley VT Marathon

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My friend Stephanie and I went to the BCA on a Saturday and saw all three Shirley VT plays. Haven’t heard of them? You will. If not them, you will know about the talented playwright, Annie Baker.  All three plays take place in the fictional town of Shirley VT, but Ms. Baker and her voice are the thread that weaves them together.

I liked them (as you will see in the video), but more than that, I was grateful for them. Because they are plays. Not screen plays on stage.  They are theatrical, contained within their world and helping you explore your world through them.

CIRCLE MIRROR TRANSFORMATION closes Sunday. BODY AWARENESS and ALIENS close on the 21st. If you live here, don’t miss them. Ben Brantley didn’t.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ggAITut-hs4&fs=1&hl=en_US]

Sarah Ruhl’s Talent

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Just back from Sarah Ruhl’s IN THE NEXT ROOM OR THE VIBRATOR PLAY at Speakeasy Stage. A great production under the extremely talented guidance of Scott Edmiston, with a wonderful cast and stunning production elements. All of these things create an amazing evening of theater. But then you add Sarah Ruhl.

Sarah Ruhl is an amazingly talented playwright. She does not aspire to be a scriptwriter, or a TV scribe. She is a playwright. And her works are very theatrical. They live in the theater. They require theater in order to live. I am awed and inspired and so grateful that she is still young enough that I will be able to enjoy her career for a long time.

See the play at Speakeasy. And then keep thinking about it. And thank Sarah Ruhl for that.

Here’s an interview with her from Downstage Center.

Phèdre and NT Live

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On Monday I went to see Phèdre at the Coolidge Corner Theatre.  Phèdre was a live theater production in London, at the National Theatre, last spring. It filmed as part of the NT Live series, where theater is broadcast live around the world. I suspect what we saw was edited down (it ran around two hours). Dame Helen Mirren (and a host of other very talented actors) were in it, and it was very good.  But it wasn’t great. And that is wonderful.

Let me explain. In this world where live performance is struggling to “prove” its worth, I think that filmed plays are a slippery slope. Plays aren’t movies, or tv. Plays are unique. And they are magic. I truly believe that–the interchange between the audience and the production produces a unique experience that is akin to magic. And so the idea of something capturing that magic on film…that makes me nervous for live performance. But while Phèdre was a fine movie experience, it made me wish I’d seen the live performance.

During the film the camera kept panning to different actors. Of course. You can’t stay with a wide angle the whole time. It would be too boring. But I bet seeing it live, and watching the other actors react was far from boring. I bet seeing the lighting effects and hearing the sound design was brilliant. I bet seeing the costumes on that fascinating set was striking. It was all good on the screen, but made me regret not seeing it live.

How great is that? A film that makes you miss theater. I’m already looking forward to seeing the NT Live version of King Lear with Derek Jacobi. I’d rather see it in London, but that is not in the budget. A good alternative. Not perfect, but that in itself is perfect.