Video and photos: Zoë chats about rehearsing her first musical since 1975 and appears in Zorba! cast pics

30 April 2015 00:24

With the first performance of Zorba! now just days away, New York City Center has released this great video, featuring press rehearsal footage and interviews with Zoë and other cast members.

Zoë points out that Zorba! is actually the first musical she has appeared in since very early on in her career. During the 1970s, she performed in Guys and Dolls (1972), Cabaret (1974) and Kiss Me Kate (1975). And she is clearly thrilled to have the opportunity to revisit musical theatre, for what will be her first appearance in a Broadway musical. She emphasises: 'I'm laughing a lot; I'm having a great time.'

Her enthusiasm is a source of delight to the choreographer, Josh Rhodes, who remarks: 'Zoë Wanamaker – she's just the dearest one in rehearsal [...] you should see her face! She just stops and giggles, and just says, ''Oh, pinch me – I'm in a musical!'''

Zoë and her castmates certainly look happy in City Center's newly released Zorba! publicity photos, which I have permission to reproduce here. The photos are by the talented photographer Joan Marcus. (Please click on each image to see the full version.)

Zorba! runs from 6-10 May. Tickets are available now.

perma-linktweet this

Please make a donation to The Esther Benjamins Trust's Nepal Earthquake Appeal

28 April 2015 17:22

As you may know, Zoë supports The Esther Benjamins Trust, a charity working in Nepal to rescue and care for victims of child trafficking. Below is the video she made last year about the charity's work.

Following Nepal's devastating earthquake on Saturday, which the UN estimates has affected eight million people, The Esther Benjamins Trust has launched the Nepal Earthquake Appeal in order to raise funds to support survivors. To help fund this urgent, vital relief work, you can donate to the charity online, by cheque or text.

The money raised by the Nepal Earthquake Appeal will help The Esther Benjamins Trust to feed and provide for the children they look after; carry out search and rescue work; and support impoverished families as they rebuild and replant crops.

The people of Nepal need our help – if at all possible, please make a donation to support The Esther Benjamins Trust's earthquake relief efforts.

perma-linktweet this

Video: Zoë discusses her 'delicious' character in Zorba!

27 April 2015 23:01

This brand new video by TheaterPizzazz.com takes us behind-the-scenes during rehearsals for the musical Zorba! It also features interviews with several cast members, including Zoë.

Zoë is clearly delighted to play the 'delicious' role of Hortense, the innkeeper who is the object of jack-of-all trades Zorba's affections.

'When I was very young, I remember seeing the film [Zorba the Greek], which was quite spectacular; and my Dad worked with [the film's director] Michael Cacoyannis,' she remarks.

If the rehearsal footage is anything to go by, Zorba! looks set to be spectacular too. Zoë points out she is laughing a great deal during rehearsals, while Santino Fontana (who plays Zorba's shy friend, Niko) emphasises, in an interview with BroadwayWorld.com, that working on Zorba! with actors he greatly admires such as Zoë 'makes this really exciting for me and I am really looking forward to doing it'.

Performances will take place from 6-10 May at New York City Center. Tickets are available now.

Updated 28 April: New York City Center has released several brand new photos of Zoë and her Zorba! castmates. You can see the hi-res images on BroadwayWorld.com.

Thanks to Janet for the link to the video.

perma-linktweet this

Video: Zoë reads her favourite poems – including Stevie Smith's!

25 April 2015 01:05

If you were lucky enough to get tickets to Stevie, you'll have had the pleasure of watching Zoë perform Stevie Smith's beautiful, witty poetry on-stage, in the role of the poet herself. In this new video by Connell Guides, which produces guides to great works of literature, Zoë reads and discusses two of her favourite poems – including Smith's most famous work, 'Not Waving but Drowning'.

As Zoë points out during her discussion with the founder of Connell Guides, Jolyon Connell, Smith's poignant poem cautions us against making assumptions about how people feel. It suggests, in Zoë's words, that 'we never know the truth about ourselves or each other'.

Zoe's other choice is also very memorable: 'This Be The Verse' by Philip Larkin. The poem's exploration of people's relationships with their parents, she emphasises, 'makes me laugh, and it's so true!'

If the video whets your appetite for literature, you'll be pleased to know Zoë has recommended a novel on Twitter. Ronald Forfar's A Wilderness of Monkeys focuses on an actor, Oliver Brandon, whose decision to take part in a production of The Merchant of Venice leads to his illusions – about himself and others – being shattered. It received great acclaim from Zoë's late friend Richard Griffiths.

perma-linktweet this

Zoë pictured at Something Rotten

24 April 2015 00:35

While Zoë is in New York – where she will star in City Center's revival of the musical Zorba! next month – she is clearly making the most of the city’s vibrant theatrical scene. She was photographed on the red carpet at Wednesday's press night for Something Rotten, also a musical, held at Broadway's St James Theatre.

Something Rotten is a comedy set in the 1590s. It focuses on two brothers who hit upon the idea of putting on the first ever musical – in the hope of topping Shakespeare's amazing success!

Other special guests at the press night included Tina Fey, Debra Messing, Anna Wintour and many more.

perma-linktweet this