On this week's THEATER TALK, writer David Ives, whose new play THE LIAR is now at NYC's Classic Stage Company through Feb. 26, proves to be a fascinating conversationalist - sharing insights into his writing tactics, his enthusiasms throughout his career, his approach to adaptations (The Liar is based on a 17th-century French play by Pierre Corneille) and his work with Stephen Sondheim on a new musical set to open next year.
Ives made his mark in New York with All in the Timing, a 1993 evening of short plays. He later was Tony-nominated for his erotic two-hander, Venus in Fur in 2012. He also adapted 33 American musicals for New York City's celebrated Encores! Great American Musicals series. Although he was a crack temp typist at one time, Ives still writes his plays longhand. Writing on a computer, he explains to Theater Talk co-host Susan Haskins and substitute co-host Jesse Green of New York Magazine, makes writers glib. He works "totally on impulse and inspiration. ... I never want to do the same thing twice, which is not a good career move!"
His current reimagining of The Liar came about because he fell in love with Corneille's play - "It was as if someone had sent me A Midsummer Night's Dream and no one knew about it." He also says that working with Sondheim, on a musical combining two Luis Buñuel movies (The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie and The Exterminating Angel), is "as much fun as one could possibly have."
The David Ives episode of THEATER TALK premieres Friday, January 27 (2017) on
PBS station Thirteen/WNET at 1:30 AM (Saturday morning) and repeats there on Sunday 1/29 at 11:30 AM; it reairs on CUNY TV* Saturday 1/28 at 8:30 PM, Sunday 1/29 at 12:30 PM, and Monday 1/30 at 7:30 AM, 1:30 PM, and 7:30 PM; and also airs on WLIW/21 on Monday 1/30 at 5:30 PM and on NYCLife/25 on Thursday 2/2 at 11 PM.
THEATER TALK is jointly produced by the not-for-profits Theater Talk Productions and CUNY TV. The program is taped in the Himan Brown TV and Radio Studios at The City University of New York (CUNY) TV in Manhattan, and is distributed to 100+ participating public television stations nationwide. THEATER TALK is made possible in part by The New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, The CUNY TV Foundation, and The Friends of THEATER TALK.
*CUNY TV, the City University of New York television station, is broadcast in the NYC metropolitan area on digital Ch. 25.3 and cablecast in the city's five boroughs on Ch. 75 (Time Warner & Optimum Brooklyn), Ch. 77 (RCN), and Ch. 30 (Verizon FiOS). THEATER TALK episodes are available online anytime at www.cuny.tv and www.theatertalk.org
Image courtesy Theater Talk Prod./CUNY TV
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