“I always believed that sounding like a fast-talking used-car salesman was worth it if it made people chuckle, even at your expense. It was better to come off as an amateur than a good salesman. No one wants to talk to a good salesman.”
Tag: 11.11.12
Remembering Flanders Fields (And Beyond) With A John Singer Sargent Painting
“The setting sun is low in the sky as a line of gassed soldiers, their sightless eyes covered by strips of cloth, stumbles toward the dressing station, a tent whose guy ropes are seen at the far right. Each soldier grasps the shoulder of the man in front of him, and most still hold their Enfield rifles and carry their now useless gas masks in canvas bags.”
Isaiah Sheffer, 76, A Founder Of Symphony Space
“The stage was part of Mr. Sheffer’s life even before he was born; he was still in his mother’s womb when she appeared in a Yiddish play. He went on to an exuberantly varied theatrical career as a librettist, playwright, director and impresario.”
No, Really, Community Theatre Can Hold Its Own With The Pros
“There were directors who swore through their roll-up cigarettes, there was gossiping backstage and tantrums over plum roles, and not everyone – I hold my hands up – was especially gifted at acting. But there was also passion, commitment, fun, friendship, the thrill of performing. And there were actually some very good shows, with real ambition.”
The Brilliant, Loaded Career Of David Henry Hwang
“Along the way, [the prize-winning playwright] was anointed as spokesman, standard-bearer and, unavoidably, lightning rod of sorts among Chinese-Americans, freighted with their expectations, jealousy, anger and pride, sometimes all at once.”