[ motion pictures ] [ the theatre ] [ voice work ] [ television ]
Theater of the New Ear (2005)
Brooklyn: April 28, 29 and 30;
London: May 13;
Los Angeles: September 14-16"Leave your eyes at home!" Steve Buscemi, Hope Davis, Peter Dinklage, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Brooke Smith and Meryl Streep starred in a new theatrical production originally presented at St. Ann’s Warehouse in Brooklyn, a collaboration between Joel and Ethan (aka The Coen Brothers) and recent Academy Award winner Charlie Kaufman. The performances were taped for future broadcast on Sirius Satellite. Theater of the New Ear featured the Coens’ Sawbones and Kaufman’s Hope Leaves the Theater.
(Special thanks to Bonnie for the playbill, and to Meryl and the cast for the autographs!)
Alice in Concert (1978)
New York Shakespeare Festival:
The Delacorte, Central ParkProduced and directed by Joseph Papp as a Public Theatre Workshop of the New York Shakespeare Festival in December of 1978 for 3 performances as a musical in two acts. Meryl was the very embodiment of a seventeen-year old girl, and the pinnacle of her performance was her nonstop account of The Trial of the King of Hearts, in which she played all the characters, spinning from voice to voice in an improvised monologue. The critics were completely charmed by Meryl's performance. This made-for-TV production of Elizabeth Swados' musical was adapted from Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll. Based on the acclaimed New York Shakespeare Festival production produced by Joseph Papp, Alice at the Palace follows Alice's surreal adventures with the Mad Hatter, the March Hare, the Queen of Hearts, and the Cheshire Cat, among many others. Produced for NBC television, Alice at the Palace also features Debbie Allen, Betty Aberlin, Michael Jeter, and Mark Linn-Baker.
An American Daughter (1996)From Wendy Wasserstein, the author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning The Heidi Chronicles and The Sisters Rosensweig, a riveting look at a woman's struggles with politics and fame. Lyssa Dent Hughes is the privileged, well-educated daughter of a Republican senator. She is the wife of a professor and the owner of a lovely house in Georgetown. She is also the president's nominee for Surgeon General. When the media discovers that once, long ago, she failed to respond for jury duty, this relatively minor misstep is portrayed as a serious moral lapse. A good friend uses the incident to make a point, scarcely thinking of the implications, and Lyssa must suffer the consequences. From that moment on, Lyssa Dent Hughes sits helplessly as the press investigates her family and friends, shattering her privacy, her career, and her world. Wendy Wasserstein's trenchant humor and sizzling dialogue combine with biting political commentary to produce a masterful, and topical, drama. Meryl Streep played Lyssa, Adam Arkin was Lyssa's professor-husband Walter, and Julianne Moore played Quincy Quince, a seductive neo-feminist.
The Cherry Orchard (1977)
The Vivian Beaumont TheaterMeryl cast as the comedic maid Dunyasha in Rumanian director Andrea Serban's version of Chekhov's The Cherry Orchard. Raul Julia played Lopakhin, it also starred Irene Worth as Madame Ranevskaya and Mary Beth Hurt as Anya. Meryl's brother Harry choreographed the waltz sequences in the classic play.
Happy End (1977-78)
Martin Beck TheatreRepresenting the "lighter" side of the collaboration between Bertolt Brecht and Kurt Weill, Happy End (1929; set in 1915 gangland Chicago, written in German) was short-lived when it finally arrived on Broadway, but it prominently showcased an incandescent young actress – one Meryl Streep - as “Hallelujah Lil.” Lil is a Salvation Army doll, who falls hard for an independent man she wants to reform (read: change and marry), and proves to be the iron-fist-in-the-velvet-glove sort (she gets what she wants!) – kind of like Guys and Dolls’ Sergeant Sarah Brown. Happy End co-starred Christopher Lloyd and Joe Grifasi.
Henry V (1976)
New York Shakespeare Festival: The Delacorte, Central ParkPaul Rudd stars as Henry and Meryl Streep as Katharine in the New York Shakespeare Festival's Shakespeare-in-the-Park mounting of Henry V. Among the costars are Michael Moriarty (as Chorus), Jay O. Sanders, Stephen Lang, Philip Bosco (as Pistol), Gerry Bamman and Lenny Baker. New York Times critics praised her performance as the "subtle, coquettish, altogether delightful" French Princess Katherine.
Kiss Me, Petruchio ("The Taming of the Shrew") (1978)
New York Shakespeare Festival: The Delacorte, Central ParkAfter filming Manhattan with Woody Allen, Meryl returned to Joseph Papp's New York Shakespeare Festival in Central Park, and played Kate to Raul Julia's Petruchio.
Measure for Measure (1976)
New York Shakespeare Festival, The Delacorte: Central ParkJoseph Papp invited Meryl back to perform in the NY Shakespeare Festival and that summer played in both Henry V and Measure for Measure. In this play, Meryl played the "impressive, moralistic" nun Isabella to John Cazale's Angelo. They both received rave reviews for their portrayals.
A Memory of Two Mondays (1976)
The Phoenix TheatreMoving to New York at 26, Meryl was cast by Joseph Papp in a double bill of one acts -- earning a Tony nomination and was awarded the prestigious Outer Critics Circle Award as overweight floozy Flora in Tennessee Williams' 27 Wagons Full of Cotton, which she performed in the afternoon; then transforming into sleek secretary Patricia each evening. Opening Night Cast: Leonardo Cimino (Jim); Joel Colodner (Jerry); Alice Drummond (Agnes); Pierre Epstein (Raymond); Clarence Felder (Mechanic); Joe Grifasi (Frank); Thomas Hulce (Bert); Calvin Jung (William); Ben Kapen (Mr. Eagle); John Lithgow (Kenneth); Tony Musante (Larry); Roy Poole (Gus); Rex Robbins (Tom); Meryl Streep (Patricia). The Setting: The shipping room of a large auto parts warehouse in Manhattan. It is a hot Monday morning in summer, just before nine in a bygone year; and a morning in winter. Scenic Design for both "Memory" and "27" by James Tilton; Lighting Design by James Tilton; Costume Design by Albert Wolsky; Hair Design by Roy Helland. Directed by Arvin Brown. That summer, Joseph Papp invited Meryl back to perform at the New York Shakespeare Festival, where she appeared in 'Henry V' and 'Measure for Measure' at the Delacorte Theatre in Central Park.
Necessary Targets (1996)
The Public TheaterEve Ensler's play about an American psychiatrist who goes on a mission to help Bosnian refugees who have been traumatized. She goes to save them and in the process really saves herself." In a benefit performance, Meryl Streep portrayed the psychiatrist -- also starred Anjelica Huston, Cherry Jones, Lois Smith, and John Cullum.
THE PUBLIC SINGS: A 50th ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION (2006)
A ONCE-IN-A-LIFETIME EVENT SHOWCASING GROUNDBREAKING MUSICAL THEATER HISTORYA one-night-only event dedicated to the rich history of musicals produced by The Public Theater, including Hair, A Chorus Line, Runaways, Bring in ‘Da Noise, Bring in ‘Da Funk, Caroline, or Change, and many others. Directed by James Lapine and featuring legendary Public Theater artists, THE PUBLIC SINGS will be an original musical interpretation of shows that engaged the social and political issues of their times and reshaped our experience of American musical theater. With non-traditional juxtapositions of voices and images, expect this once-in-a-lifetime theatrical event to be fresh, innovative and unprecedented. THE PUBLIC SINGS was held Monday, January 30th at 7:30PM at New York City Center, located at West 55th Street (between 6th and 7th Avenues).
The Seagull (2001)
The Delacorte
Anton Chekhov
Directed by Mike NicholsFor more than a hundred years, The Seagull has remained a modern classic, resonating with contemporary question of sex, love, family and fame. Madame Arkadina is a well-known B-list actress. Trigorin a well-known writer, Arkadina's young lover and lapdog, falls madly in love with an even younger want-to-be actress, Nina. Enter Konstantin, Arkadina's son, a would-be writer who is fiercely jealous of his mother's lover, and is dying to write the ultimate modern theatrical tragedy. As his own play unfolds, so does Konstantin's real tragedy, when he must choose between his art and his love.
The Cast: MERYL STREEP - Irina Nikolayevna, stage name: ARKADINA (Celebrated actress; mother of Konstantin; sister of Sorin); KEVIN KLINE - TRIGORIN, Boris Alexeyivich (Famous Writer); PHILIP SEYMOUR HOFFMAN - Triplev, KONSTANTIN Gavrilovich (Aspiring writer; son of Arkadina; nephew of Sorin); NATALIE PORTMAN - Zarechnaya, NINA Mikhailovna (Aspiring actress; lives on estate across the lake); CHRISTOPHER WALKEN - SORIN, Piotr Nikolayevich (Retired government official and owner of the estate; brother of Arkadina; uncle of KONSTANTIN); STEPHEN SPINELLA - Medvedenko, Semyon Semyonovich (A schoolteacher); MARCIA GAY HARDEN - MASHA, Maria Shamrayev (Daughter of Polina and Shamrayev); JOHN GOODMAN - SHAMRAYEV, Ilya Afanasevich (Manager of Sorin's estate; husband of Polina; father of Masha); HENRY GUMMER - YAKOV (Worker on Sorin's estate); LARRY PINE - DORN, Yevgeny Sergeyivich (Country Doctor) and DEBRA MONK - POLINA, Andreyevna (Wife of Shamrayev; mother of Masha).
"Chekhov has written a play about a lake, trees, and a stage, and a young man who has written a play about a lake, trees and a stage. Without invoking the laws of relativity, we find ourselves watching this play in a park with a lake and trees and a stage. This felicity would have amused him. "The Seagull" is perhaps the clearest play by Chekhov. Later plays are denser with the tumult of more people living together, battling with separate lives. Still, we are beguiled by Nina when she complains, "I think there ought to be love in a play." Chekhov wrote to a friend, "There is lots and lots of love in this new play of mine," but we don't see his half smile below his merry eyes. Anton Pavlovich's life began in 1860, pitifully fraught with hardship. His youth was buffeted by a cruel father and by a fierce grandfather who had bought his freedom from the hopeless life of a serf. Poverty and beatings were the way of life. Small wonder that this heightened sense of irony made Chekhov call his plays "comedies." When Anton became a doctor he knew his own life would be short because he had tuberculosis. His talents however led him to writing. His great heart led him to the Theater. His first concern was for people, and he observed them through the microscope of his imagination. No one was overlooked, everyone and everything was of value, and thus he wrote with simultaneous humor and pathos."
Excerpted from "Fireflies and Mosquitos" by Irene Worth
Secret Service (1976)
The Playhouse TheaterMeryl Streep, John Lithgow, Marybeth Hurt, Joe Grifasi and Roy Poole star in William Gillette's play at the Playhouse Theater. Setting: Drawing Room at General Varney's House, Franklin Street, Richmond, an evening in October, 1864; Telegraph Office, War Department.
Taken in Marriage (1979)
New York Shakespeare FestivalAfter Kramer vs. Kramer, Meryl returned to the Festival in January of '79 to play Andrea in Thomas Babe's play 'Taken in Marriage,' the story of a wedding rehearsal, and the bond between a mother and her daughters. Kathleen Quinlan, Colleen Dewhurst, Elizabeth Wilson and Dixie Carter also starred.
Trelawny of the Wells (Meryl's debut: 1975)
Vivian Beaumont TheatreMeryl received favorable reviews in Joseph Papp's production of Trelawny of the Wells, set in New York at the turn of the century. Meryl's played Miss Imogen Parrot. 'Trelawny' also featured John Lithgow (Ferdinand Gadd); Mary Beth Hurt (Miss Rose Trelawny); Mandy Patinkin (Arthur Gower); and Michael Tucker (Tom Wrench). Synopsis: Pinero wrote Trelawny of the Wells in 1898, a time of great innovation in the Victorian theatre. Pinero’s play is set in the 1860s. Rose Trelawny (Mary Beth Hurt) is a young actress at the Sadler's Wells Theatre. She is leaving the company to marry Arthur Gower (Mandy Patinkin), prodigal grandson to a stuffy aristocratic despot. She is required by Arthur's family to forsake her theatrical, and therefore morally suspect, past and live with the Gowers for a period before the marriage. The deadly dullness of respectable life drives Rose to distraction. One night when her theatre friends come calling to impart some good news, Rose is forced to make a difficult decision about her future. Back at Sadler's Wells, the company is in upheaval: ambitious playwright and angry young man Tom Wrench (Michael Tucker) has written a new style of play about ordinary people which nobody wants to produce. Produced by The New York Shakespeare Festival (Joseph Papp, Producer); Associate Producer: Bernard Gersten; Written by Sir Arthur Wing Pinero; Incidental music by Peter Link. Directed by A. J. Antoon. Scenic Design by David Mitchell; Costume Design by Theoni V. Aldredge; Lighting Design by Ian Calderon; Hair Design by J. Roy Helland.
27 Wagons Full of Cotton (1976)
The Phoenix TheatreDirected by: Arvin Brown. Meryl was awarded the prestigious Outer Critics Circle Award for her portrayal of Flora, one of only 3 characters in an afternoon production of Tennessee Williams' play. She was also nominated for the prestigious Tony award for this role. Later that same night, Meryl played the sexy ingenue in Arthur Miller's A Memory of Two Mondays. She was so good that very few knew the same actress played both roles. Meryl explained: "What the people saw fed into what I wanted for myself -- which was not to be typed." Opening Night Cast: Tony Musante played Silva Vicarro (superintendent of the Syndicate Plantation); Roy Poole played Jake Meighan (a cotton-gin owner, pictured, with Meryl); and Meryl Streep played Flora Meighan (Jake's wife). The Setting: The front porch of the Meighans' cottage near Blue Mountain, Mississippi.
UNDOING DEPRESSION: A New Dramatic Presentation (April 17-18, 1999)
by David RabeWith Jill Clayburgh, Ed Hermann, Meryl Streep and Sam Waterston; Inspired by case studies in Undoing Depression and events from Richard O'Connor's twenty years as a practicing psychotherapist, the past twelve as Executive Director of the Northwest Center for Family Service and Mental Health, Litchfield County, Connecticut. Inquiries: Contact Robin O'Connor at (860) 435-0588 Robin O'Connor (Thank you, Robin!) www.undoingdepression.com
The World of Nick Adams (November 19, 2001)
to benefit www.holeinthewallgang.org
Avery Fisher Hall, 10 Lincoln Center Plaza, New York, NY 10023 212-573-6933An extraordinary galaxy of luminaries from the worlds of film, music, literature, theater, and opera present a concert version of The World of Nick Adams, based on the immortal short stories by Ernest Hemingway with incidental music by Aaron Coplan (dramatized by A.E. Hotchner). The all-star cast includes Paul Newman, Meryl Streep, Matt Damon, Julia Roberts, Morgan Freeman, Brian Dennehy, Robert Denior, Kevin Kline, Alec Baldwin, Joanne Woodward, Gwyneth Paltrow, Philip Seymour Hoffman, and James Naughton. Frank Corsaro directs. The evening benefits the Association of Hole in the Wall Gang Camps, retreats for many thousands of children stricken with cancer and other life-threatening diseases. First founded by Paul Newman in 1988 these non-profit residential camps are located in Connecticut, New York, Florida, Ireland and France, with new camps in formation in California, North Carolina, and Israel attended by children from the various countries of the region. All children in all the camps are enrolled free of charge. At the camps they find camaraderie, joy, and a renewed sense of being a child.
Meryl was Yale's leading lady. The School recognized her remarkable talent and worked her unmercifully.
-Christopher Durang
1972-73
"Shearwater" - William Hauptman
"The Royal Pardon" - John Arden
"Major Barbara" - George Bernard Shaw
"Lower Depths" - Maxim Gorky1973-74
"Edward II" - Christopher Marlowe
"The Brothers Karamazov" - Christopher Durang
"The Balcony" - Jean Genet
"Cock-a-Doodle Dandy" - Sean O'Casey
"The Frogs" - Stephen Sondheim1974-75
"The Possessed" - Fyodor Dostoyevsky
"Idiots Karamazov" - Christopher Durang/Albert Innaurato
"Happy End" - Bertolt Brecht
"The Father" - August Strindberg
"Shaft of Love" - Charles DiZenzo
"A Midsummer Night's Dream" - William Shakespeare
Special thanks to Janine and Pamela at The Yale School of Drama for researching Meryl's credits for MSO
[ motion pictures ] [ the theatre ] [ voice work ] [ television ]
