So much

There’s so much to write about and so little time! But first I should link to the slew of reviews that have come out recently, from Ms. Haubenstock’s coverage of Henley Street’s “Shining City,” Triangle Players’ “The New Century” and Richmond Shakspeare’s “Much Ado About Nothing" to Ms. Lewis's take on Theatre IV's "The Ugly Duckling."

I will weigh in on everything I saw this weekend eventually, particularly the exceptional production of “Much Ado” that is gracing the Gottwald Theatre at CenterStage. But first, I just wanted to mention in passing that recently the American Theatre Wing podcasts started up again after a nine-month hiatus. I hadn’t made catching up on these a priority because, frankly, a lot of the interviews are a fairly plodding recounting of a guest’s career (“And so how do you get that opportunity? So what was it like to star in X?”) Two exceptions in my recent listening are the interesting chat with press agent Adrian Bryan-Brown – a generally delightful talk with glancing relevance to some of the conversation around the blogs here in Richmond and that includes the line, “I would never become friends with a critic” – and the fascinating conversation from last July with Royal Shakespeare Company artistic director Michael Boyd, a really comprehensive view of his vision for one of the world’s most celebrated companies.

Update: In other podcast news, the first segment of This American Life this past weekend features the story of a woman who was obsessed with Broadway legend Moss Hart. Kind of a fun story.