The blues played by a suburban white teenager, a book about Orson Welles turned into a movie starring Zac Efron, and the real woman behind D.H. Lawrence’s “Lady Chatterley’s Lover.” It’s Out of Context, on this episode of State of the Arts.
On NJN1: Thursday, November 19, 2009
@ 8:00 pm On NJN2: Friday, November 20 - Thursday, November 26, 2009
@ 5:00 pm • 11:00 pm
Most people under 30 have no idea who Orson Welles is – but they do know who Zac Efron is. Efron, the heartthrob star of High School Musical, is the lead in a new movie by Richard Linklater based on a book by New Jersey author Robert Kaplow. Both the book and the movie of Me and Orson Welles plunge the reader into the world of a teenager enthralled with 1937’s musical theater. From his home in Westfield, New Jersey, 17 year old Richard Samuels makes frequent pilgrimages to New York City, where he has a chance encounter with the young Orson Welles – an encounter which leads to a small part in the Mercury Theatre production of Caesar, and to a series of personal encounters with Welles and members of his entourage that are literally life-changing.
Robert Kaplow struggled for years to find a publisher for Me and Orson Welles. State of the Arts Producer Susan Wallner hears from Kaplow the story of how the book not only found a publisher but was optioned by Linklater, considered one of the leading directors of our day (School of Rock, Fast Food Nation, Dazed and Confused). The story is set in the time and place when Kaplow’s own father – a lover of musical theater – was a teenager. Meticulously researched, the book is also a fast paced adventure and romance story. Kaplow takes Wallner on a tour of the real life locations featured in the book, including- Richard Samuel’s house and high school in Westfield – the same town Kaplow himself grew up in. The story also features clips from the movie, to be released in the United States on November 25, 2009.
Robert Kaplow, a Metuchen, New Jersey resident, is a teacher and writer who has written satirical songs and sketches for National Public Radio’s Morning Edition, where he created “Moe Moskowitz and the Punsters.” His acclaimed young adult novels include Alessandra in Love and Alex Icicle: A Romance in Ten Torrid Chapters. He teaches AP English, creative writing, and film studies at Summit High School.
At 15, Jay Gaunt from Mahwah, New Jersey is a master of the blues harmonica. It all started when he was 12 and saw the The Blues Brothers movie. Since then, he’s shared the stage with some of the greats. State of the Arts Producer Eric Schultz visits Jay at home, and at school, where the former Vice President of the student body is an accomplished runner on the track team. Schultz also goes with Jay on the road, catching him in performance at the recent Cape May Jazz Festival.
Jay has performed with, among others, the James Cotton Blues Band, Tab Benoit, Jason Ricci & New Blood, Bob Margolin, Zac Harmon, Eric McFadden, Jimmy Hall, Mark Hummel, Jon Paris, The Hudson River Rats, Michael Powers, Richie Canata, and Mike Zito. He’s played at venues such as B.B. King’s in New York and Memphis, Terra Blues, Ground Zero Blues Club, Biscuits & Blues, and The Cutting Room. He has also played The Greeley Blues Fest (2008 & 2009) and Blues from the Top (2008 & 2009), in Colorado. In the spring of 2008, Jay recorded Blown Away with producer and musician Ed Ivey in San Francisco. The CD, released in November 2008, features some of the Bay Area’s finest musicians such as Eric McFadden on Guitar and Nelson Lunding on piano.
where to see
Garden State Harmonica Club Festival
November 19-21, 2009
The Holiday Inn
Hasbrouck Heights, NJ www.gardnestateharmonicaclub.org
State of the Arts has a conversation with actress Jane Alexander, director Edwin Sherin, and playwright Thom Thomas about the play A Moon to Dance By, which opens at the George Street Playhouse on November 17th. Alexander talks to State of the Arts producer Christopher Benincasa about her role as Frieda Weekley, based on the real-life widow of D.H. Lawrence. Weekley was the inspiration for his most controversial works including Lady Chatterley’s Lover and Women in Love. Alexander stars in this beautiful, lyrical new play about what Lawrence’s muse was like from the woman’s point of view.
Jane Alexander is a Tony Award and Emmy Award winner, an Academy Award nominee, and the former Chair of the National Endowment for the Arts. Tony Award-nominee and Emmy Award winner Edwin Sherin is a long-time producer of television’s Law & Order and director of Broadway’s landmark Tony Award and Pulitzer Prize-winning production of The Great White Hope (starring Miss Alexander). Thom Thomas is a playwright whose work includes the plays The Interview, Approaching Zero, and The Ball Game.
where to see A Moon to Dance By November 17 - December 13, 2009
George Street Playhouse
9 Livingston Avenue • New Brunswick, NJ
732-246-7717 www.georgestplayhouse.org
On NJN1: Thursday, November 19, 2009
@ 8:00 pm
Preview
