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The Bride Collector
John's audiobook of Ted Dekker's The Bride Collector got a pretty awesome review from AudioFile: "Celebrated stage and film actor John Glover plants his molars in Ted Dekker’s thriller and hangs on like an English bulldog. In this white-knuckle ride, FBI Special Agent Brad Raines faces off with psychopath Quentin Gauld. Here's a character so intelligent yet so twisted and evil that there are times the listener forgets to breathe. You want it to stop, but you don't want to miss a word. Glover relishes each twisted, bloodcurdling phrase as he climbs into the skin of the killer, allowing listeners a glimpse into the psyche of a monstrous creation. Kudos to Dekker and Glover."
Backstage has another great review: "Like Nathan Lane before him, John Glover, in "The Lisbon Traviata," is tearing the house down with his wildly funny turn as Mendy, the Callas-obsessed queen panting to hear a live bootleg recording of her performance of "La Traviata" in Lisbon. The brilliant Glover makes the outrageous Mendy completely his own while never neglecting the lonely, needy man underneath."
And we have two more stills, (R) Mark Gail/The Washington Post:
A new page for The Lisbon Traviata has been added, where we will be archiving reviews and articles about the play shortly. The On stage page has also been updated.
Two more reviews are out, even though the play is only running for less than another two weeks. Metro Weekly writes: "If this were Shakespeare, Glover would be the fool to Gets's King. Funny and outrageous yet, ultimately, the character that best understands the dangerous games being played around him, Glover's Mendy is beautifully rendered. He is, without question, pushing the boundaries but manages to do so without leaving the realm of reality. He is extravagant though not unrecognizable. A clown, but most certainly not a cartoon."
And the Baltimore Sun: "The well-knit cast, directed by Christopher Ashley, features a knock-out performance by John Glover as Mendy, the ultimate opera queen, desperate for the latest pirate recording of his beloved Maria. Glover does flamboyance fabulously, but in such a natural manner as to create a three-dimensional and endearing, not just amusing, character. The actor's delivery of the why-I-love-Callas monologue over the phone (McNally's writing at its best) achieves remarkable eloquence."
DC Theatre Scene concurs: "A word begs to be said here about the lively, spontaneous, moment-to-moment acting of both John Glover and Malcolm Gets. Glover underplays the gay queen’s dandyish behavior and endows Mendy with a twinkling, cagey, warm charm that dips to sardonic tones to betray the character’s deep sense of loneliness and anxiety. Overall, Glover delivers a high-octane, tour-de-force performance that this aria and the entire play need. And Malcolm Gets is a worthy foil. We sense an anxiety, even despair, in the two main characters. Both actors make this show so worth seeing."
And The Washington Examiner: "Mendy is a total contrast to Stephen, a flamboyant, larger-than-life character who is, in his own words, "too much for most people." Mendy is an opera fanatic who sees life through the lens of operatic performance: Everything is measured against his own opinions of great arias and astonishing divas, primarily the Greek/American singer Maria Callas. Glover's Mendy is the hilarious embodiment of opera itself, taking every reaction to the extreme, pronouncing every feeling with fortissimo emotion."
Theatermania agrees: "Glover is simply magnificent: the jokes are perfectly timed, the looks are priceless, and the harangues are just this side of insufferable [...] Glover fully captures Mendy's essential loneliness; he's a man longing for emotional and sexual companionship with one too many strikes against him -- including the sword of potentially catching AIDS from a random encounter over his head."
In addition, DC Agenda has an interview with John and Lisbon Traviata director Christopher Ashley.
The Kennedy Center has added two great videos to their website: the hour-long Masters of McNally moderated discussion of Terrence McNally's plays with John, Zoe Caldwell, Audra McDonald, and Richard Thomas, and clips of John's performance in The Lisbon Traviata with commentary from the playwright himself.
And Metro Weekly has a great interview with John and his Lisbon Traviata co-star Malcolm Gets about the play, opera, and the unique situation of being "two openly gay actors playing gay characters in a play by an openly gay playwright."
Secrets of the Trade Off-Broadway
As The Lisbon Traviata prepares for opening night, it was revealed in this interview with director Matt Shakman that John's next play will be an off-Broadway transfer of Jonathan Tolins' play Secrets of the Trade, in which John starred at LA's Black Dahlia Theatre in 2008. John will be reprising his award-winning role as Martin Kerner, with Amy Aquino and Bill Brochtrup in supporting roles. According to Primary Stages' website, Secrets of the Trade will run July 27 - September 4 this year.
February 7, 2010
Lisbon Traviata Casting
Additional casting has been announced for John's next play, Terrence McNally's The Lisbon Traviata. Tony Award nominee Malcolm Gets has been cast as Stephen, and Chris Hartl will be playing Paul.
Ojai Playwrights' Conference
On January 30, John participated in the Ojai Playwrights' Conference annual benefit. There are articles about the show from the Ventura County Star and the Ojai Valley News, and a very brief video of a photo session on YouTube. Photo from the Ventura County Star.
January 27, 2010
Worst Case Audiobook
In addition to Ted Dekker's The Bride Collector, mentioned in the last update, John has recorded the audiobook for James Patterson and Michael Ledwidge's crime thriller Worst Case. The audiobook will be released on February 1, and you can listen to a short excerpt of John's performance here (contains slight spoilers, but appears to be from the very start of the book).
The Royal Family Round-Up
For those of you loath to see the exploits of the Barrymores Cavendishes disappear from Broadway, you can check out Broadway Beat's scenes and interviews from opening night and a similarly-themed video from Broadway World. The must-see, though, is John's episode of Theater Talk, also featuring Tony Roberts.
The Lisbon Traviata
As revealed in Playbill, John will be playing the role of "flamboyantly bitchy and viciously wicked opera queen" Mendy in Terrence McNally's The Lisbon Traviata. The play will be directed by Christopher Ashley, and will run at the Kennedy Center in Washington DC from March 10 to April 11 as part of a short season of McNally's opera-related plays. Ticket and other information can be found on the Kennedy Center's website.
Audiobook
John has recorded a new audiobook that will be released in the coming months - Ted Dekker's The Bride Collector, which will be released in April.
Ojai Playwrights' Conference
John will be performing at the Ojai Playwrights' Conference on January 30 alongside such stars as Sally Field, Dana Delany, Zachary Quinto, and Ted Danson.
And now for some pictorial updates...
The Out 100
John was selected by Out magazine as one of their top 100 openly gay people of the year. The issue had a school theme, with John named as "the bad boy":
Memphis Opening Night
John attended the opening night of Memphis on October 19 with his Sorrows & Rejoicings co-star Judith Light and some vey fetching scarves. Photos courtesy Broadway.com and Broadway World:
Primary Stages' 25th Anniversary
Another excellent scarf at Primary Stages' 25th Anniverary Benefit Gala, on November 17. Photo from Playbill:
Ragtime Opening Night
John attended the opening night of Ragtime with Carol Kane on November 15. Photos from Playbill, Broadway.com, Broadway World, and the Ragtime Twitter:
Gypsy of the Year
John served as a judge for the BCEFA Gypsy of the Year competition, which took place on Monday 7 and Tuesday 8 December. Photos from Playbill, Broadway.com, and Broadway World:
Gimme A Break!
And finally (for now), John presented Terrence McNally with the "Transporting American Theatre" award at Transport Group's 2009 "Gimme A Break!" benefit. Photos from Gettyimages and Broadway World:
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