 |
|
|
|||
|
Interviews
|
|||
|
|
Eric Weinberger - Ideal Fare for the Edinburgh Fringe Philip Fisher meets US playwright Eric Weinberger. The tall, slim Eric Weinberger is a lovely man, almost too nice to survive in the pushy world of show business. The interview took place at his Greenwich Village apartment with views across a sunlit New York. He clearly loves the area and knows almost everyone. His neighbours are a kind of Who's Who. Glenn Close lives below and Calvin Klein and Donna Karan over the road. This is nice for someone who shows no shame in name-dropping. One opportunity for this is well-deserved. For nine years, Weinberger has acted as patron of a support project charity that helps children with ataxia-telangiectasia. His annual benefit gala for A-T Children's Project has been presented by star actresses Olympia Dukakis and Priscilla Lopez. It has also been patronised by amongst others, Ben Affleck. Weinberger has been a playwright for seven years. Before that he worked in TV for almost two decades, including nine with the Donahue Show. Last year, the reviewer was fortunate to see his vehicle for the remarkable talents of Priscilla Lopez, Class Mothers of 68 Off Broadway. This is a show memorialised in his apartment by a commemorative champagne bottle. Weinberger is hoping to turn this delightful, insightful comedy into a fully-cast movie and mentally has some big names in mind for each part. He is keen that one of these should be Miss Lopez, who assisted in the play's development over a seven year period and received a Drama Desk nomination. "I was delighted. That gave her the credit she deserved". He happily describes her as the ultimate professional. On one occasion last January she risked life and limb in 38° to keep a chilly full house happy. "She is such a trouper, she was literally blue at the end but still did the final dance routine". Weinberger is a busy man as two short plays have also been produced recently. Six Hands, a play about adoption was relatively successful. Far more intriguing is The Night-Watchman, a play that received great notices. It tells the story of a 300lb night-watchman in an art gallery whose life is told through the paintings that he guards. More recently, he has been bringing two projects to fruition. One is a big cast post 9/11 show for young teens. It is called The Light Under the Door and he has been developing with a Canadian actor-teacher Dean Armstrong. Weinberger discovered him playing a "cute" drug addict in the US version of Queer as Folks. The second project opens in New Jersey in the first week of January and sounds fascinating. It is another one-woman show starring Elaine Bromka from The Sopranos and ER, who also assisted in the development. Three for Tea, Ladybird, Betty and Pat is the result of tremendous research into three First Ladies, the wives of Presidents Johnson, Ford and Nixon. Like his Class Mothers, Weinberger has a real empathy for these real life characters and is desperate to do them justice. "I enjoyed the research which included a long interview with Lucy Johnson (daughter)and I was so touched by each of their stories". Eric Weinberger is a delightful man and a witty writer and it would be nice to think that one day soon, a British producer might bring one of his shows over. They would be ideal fare for the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.
|
||
|
|