1. Education

The Miracle Worker

One of the best biographic plays ever written, "The Miracle Worker" tells the story of Anne Sullivan, the teacher who brought language and compassion into Helen Keller’s dark, silent world.

Classic American Dramas
Plays / Drama Spotlight10

Vampire Monologue #3: Aria's Story

Tuesday May 8, 2012

The following monologue is the third installment of an ongoing creative project called "The Vampire Monologues" by Wade Bradford. It is an original monologue series published exclusively at About.com.

What Has Happened So Far:

In Part One, three recently "turned" vampires enter a funeral parlor. They meet Cunningham the Minion, who briefly tells them some words of wisdom. Mangle the Half Zombie enters to take the "new bloods" things.

In Part Two, Morgenroth the Elder enters. She is a stunning, young-looking vampire from ancient days. She welcomes the new bloods, warning them that not many survive their first few months of being a vampire, and that she (being the eldest in North America) eliminates any vampire unsuitable for existence. Morgenroth then requests to hear each of the new blood's stories.

Monologue #3 begins as Morgenroth glares at them, her gaze burning into them, until the one of the new bloods (the only girl vampire of the three new arrivals) begins to speak.

Read onward to find out what Aria has to say...

"Barefoot in the Park" by Neil Simon

Saturday May 5, 2012

Choose a good location for your play, and the rest will write itself. That's what seems to happen in Barefoot in the Park. The entire play takes place on the fifth floor of an New York apartment building, one without an elevator. In Act One, the walls are bare, the floor is vacant of furniture, and the skylight is broken, allowing it to snow in the middle of their apartment at the most inopportune of moments.

Walking up the stairs completely exhausts the characters, granting hilarious, out-of-breath entrances for telephone repairmen, delivery men, and mother-in-laws alike. Corie loves everything about their new, dysfunctional home, even if one must turn the heat off to warm up the place and flush down in order to make the toilet work. Paul, however, does not feel at home, and with the mounting demands of his career, the apartment becomes a catalyst for stress and anxiety. The setting initially creates the conflict between the two lovebirds, but it is the neighbor character who furthers he tension.

Neil Simon's Barefoot in the Park script still connects with today's audiences, despite being nearly four decades old. Read more about this light hearted romantic comedy.

Best Musical Nominees (2012 Tony Awards)

Thursday May 3, 2012

And the nominees are:

  • Leap of Faith
  • Once
  • Newsies
  • Nice Work If You Can Get It

Poor Spider Man. He tried so hard. And yet, his ambitious (often painful) show did not garner a nomination for Best Musical. I am a little sad the Tonys left Peter Parker hanging, but that's simply because I'm partial to U2 and comics books and I don't care for Leap of Faith. I didn't like the ol' Steve Martin film, and the music soundtrack of the Broadway show has left me unimpressed.

This year's nominees seem to be a tepid bunch. Of course, it's a lot better than 1995 when only Sunset Boulevard and Smokey Joe's Cafe were the only selections. If you want the not-so-humble opinion from a West Coaster who only listens to the soundtracks and watches YouTube clips, I'd say that Once looks like the most musically innovative (despite the fact that it's yet another Broadway musical adapted from a film). Newsies has an enormous cult following from its film origins (featuring a singing dancing Chistian Bale). Nice Work If You Can Get It seems like the most traditional of the musicals, creating a romantic comedy built around Gershwin tunes. So, that's the musical round up. Which one do you think deserves the award?

2012 Tony Awards: Best Play Nominees

Tuesday May 1, 2012

Later this week, I'll blog about the nominated musicals (slim pickings, by the way). But today it's all about the plays. There are some lively choices this Tony Award season. I think Clybourne Park has an excellent chance of receiving the top prize. But deep down, since I'm still a kid at heart, I hope that the Tony goes to Peter and the Starcatcher.

Have you seen or read any of the nominees for Best Play? Which one deserves the award?

Discuss in my forum

©2012 About.com. All rights reserved.

A part of The New York Times Company.