Latest news with #MinettaLaneTheatre
Time Out
22-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Time Out
The Half-Life of Marie Curie
On my seven-month-old baby's bookshelf sits a brightly illustrated children's book about Marie Curie. Its pages celebrate her love of science, her marriage to physicist Pierre Curie, and her status as the first woman to win a Nobel Prize. These are the facts most often recited, but women are rarely one-dimensional. Alongside moments of triumph, often lie moments of despair and self-doubt. It is one of those lesser-known chapters that Lauren Gunderson explores in The Half-Life of Marie Curie, a play that premiered off-Broadway at the Minetta Lane Theatre in 2019, and was later released as an audio drama on the Audible platform. The play now makes its Australian premiere at Sydney's Ensemble Theatre under the direction of Liesel Badorrek (The Glass Menagerie). Gunderson, frequently referred to as 'the most produced living playwright in America', has a signature formula across her 20-plus plays: identify a compelling duo, hone in on a pivotal historical moment, inject sharp, rhythmic dialogue, and keep it snappy – 90 minutes or less. The result is a biographical vignette interspersed with theatrical poetry. The plays often just recount history – however, at its best, her formula can thrillingly heighten a core emotional conflict. In this case, it's the friendship between Marie Curie and Hertha Ayrton, and the impact these women had on each other. Though often relegated to a footnote in Curie's story, here Ayrton commands center stage... The narrative begins at Curie's (Gabrielle Scawthorn) home in Paris, shortly after she wins her second Nobel Prize, amid personal scandal. Her affair with fellow scientist Paul Langevin has ignited a media frenzy, threatening to overshadow her legacy and forcing her into self-imposed house arrest. Enter Hertha Ayrton (Rebecca Massey), a mathematician and engineer, who quite literally bursts through the door of Curie's exile and whisks her off to the British seaside. There they frolic, quarrel, and find themselves in each other. Despite its title, The Half-Life of Marie Curie seems more captivated by the woman history barely remembers – Hertha Ayrton –than the woman it promises to center. Though often relegated to a footnote in Curie's story, here Ayrton commands center stage: sassy, witty, progressive, a suffragist, and the persistent voice on Curie's shoulder declaring how extraordinary she is. Massey has all the best lines, crafting a performance that's physical, sharp, and full of warmth and joy. She's the best friend everyone wants – the kind who shows up, speaks truth, and doesn't let you drown. Through Ayrton, Gunderson poses the play's most potent questions: What makes someone become themselves? And what makes them worth saving? These are big, existential inquiries – about art, science, nature – that, while thematically rich, don't always sit comfortably within Curie's historical context. As a result, Curie is too often sidelined, reduced to a figure of gloom. She is the catalyst for the audience to hear Ayrton's worldview, rather than the other way around. Gunderson's Marie feels like a faint sketch of the scientific titan that I came to revere during my university physics studies. Here, she is made small. On one hand, there's something refreshing about seeing a woman of such legendary stature portrayed as fallible – torn by heartbreak, plagued by self-doubt, unsure of how to move forward. But this portrayal lingers on it a bit too long. This take on Curie is stuck in a single emotional register: brooding, passive, and more consumed by rejection than inflamed by the institutional sexism that shut her out of her own lab. The result is a character who feels diminished to her worst summer. To her credit, Scawthorn brings depth where she can. She infuses Curie's desperation with stakes that feel novel, nuanced and grounded. But she's let down by this production. The staging relies on ethereal video projections cast onto sheer curtains, encircling a central dais (perhaps a nod to Ayrton's work on arc lamps). But the effect is more clinical than intimate. The bulky wooden platform limits movement and undercuts the unpolished banter of the relationship at the play's heart. Aside from a hilarious, engaging drunken reconciliation atop the dais, the physicality seems cumbersome, and there is very little visual variety to enhance the emotional arc. The lighting by Verity Hampson and video projections by Cameron Smith bring to life the theatrical poetry elements that effectively bridge the show's time jumps, and create visually captivating moments. Is this the first woman to win a Nobel Prize? Or a damsel in distress? The portrayal leans so hard into her mediocrity, it risks erasing her fire altogether. That said, perhaps Gunderson is intent on proving she was just as ordinary as you or I, so that we may feel that we can also do great things. Ultimately, it's Massey's Ayrton who anchors the play. She is the rambunctious spark – jibing, compassionate, insistent – and she transforms Curie's despair into something bigger. Even when the text falters or the staging feels distant, she keeps the light on and the laughs rolling.
The Guardian
18-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
‘Making sure everyone can see the plays': can Hugh Jackman make theater less elitist?
One night last month in the West Village, I had the pleasure of being nervous for Hugh Jackman. On stage at the Minetta Lane Theatre, the 56-year-old movie star and Broadway veteran appeared startlingly undefended and vulnerable. In character as a middle-aged university professor infatuated with his 19-year-old pupil, Jackman addressed the audience for a play called Sexual Misconduct of the Middle Classes with the lights up, as if helming a lecture full of shy students put on the spot; when one viewer sneezed during Jackman's monologue, he paused to say bless you. I fretted a few rows from Wolverine, more aware of my fellow audience members' faces and cellphones than I've ever been at a New York show and acutely attuned to the fact that this all could go awry at any moment. Theater is always a contract between audience and performer, but years attending big Broadway shows have inured me to its fragility. At the Minetta, with just the commanding presence of Jackman and the lit audience at his feet, that contract felt thrillingly, temporarily exposed. That electric current was the point of Together, a new initiative prioritizing intimate, affordable theater founded by Jackman, director Ian Rickson and producer Sonia Friedman, which has occupied the Minetta for the better part of the spring. 'The starting point for this company was to not have a filter between [actors] and the audience, and for there to be a real connection, an intimate connection,' said Friedman, recently deemed the 'most prolific and powerful theater producer working today' by the New York Times for launching such Broadway and West End juggernauts as Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Stranger Things and Funny Girl. 'It's a partnership spiritually, creatively, artistically, and we're all there to support one another.' The company, launched in conjunction with the Amazon subsidiary Audible, seeks to provide an alternative to Broadway's ballooning ticket prices and large, technically intricate productions. Together's first two shows – Sexual Misconduct of the Middle Classes, a #MeToo-themed play from Canadian writer Hannah Moscovitch, and a reworking of August Strindberg's 1888 play Creditors – are heady, relatively low-tech and actor-forward, with two and three performers, respectively. (Notably, all performers have big screen credits – Liev Schreiber, Maggie Siff and Justice Smith starred in Creditors.) And at a time when the average Broadway ticket goes for over $120 – or as much as $921 this spring, for a starry production of Othello – a quarter of Together tickets are comped and distributed through the Theater Defense Fund to seniors, students, veterans, teachers and other community groups. Another quarter are sold the day of performance, via digital lottery or in-person box office, for $35. 'We're trying to make theater less elitist,' said Rickson, a veteran Broadway and West End director who is based in London. 'I have felt existential about curating work for an increasingly elitist audience, but I hate saying that because they're people too. What you want is a range of people to experience the work.' The company's ticket model 'in and of itself is allowing for a different demographic', said Jackman via email. 'You can absolutely feel it. The audience is wildly different for every show.' In production and in ethos, Together emphasizes a return to basics: an actor, a director, a stage and community. The trio, who worked together on the Broadway 2014 show The River, first conceived of the idea on, fittingly, a river walk in London in 2020. It was the height of the pandemic, and the group longed not just for the return of theater, but the return of a certain freedom from their early careers, when the pressure was off, the stakes were low and the enthusiasm was high. 'There's huge expectations when Hugh's in a play, there's huge expectations when I'm producing a play,' said Friedman. 'And we just thought, how can we approach this work as if we were doing this at the beginning? Can you have that fearlessness? Why can't we go back to basics?' 'Together was created with the idea of community – removing barriers so that everyone is able to participate in theater,' said Jackman. 'Making sure that everyone can see the plays no matter who they are. Also, encouraging experiences of theater that are electric, elemental and relatively simple in terms of bells and whistles. Material that goes right to the heart.' Rickson returned to the history of radical, public-art theater in New York, from the Yiddish theater district of the early 20th century, to the pioneering Group Theatre collective of the 1930s, to the New York outfit of the New Deal's Federal Theatre Project, to the Actors Studio. 'There's a radical ancestry here,' he said, that inspired the new company's rules: equal pay for actors, no star billing, an element of public access and no designated press nights. The group tinkered with Together over several years, meeting every few months in New York or London to discuss ideas. Meanwhile, the financial landscape for live theater in New York only grew more challenging. Costs shot up anywhere from 20-30% after the pandemic, and never came back down. On Broadway, 'something that was going to cost $4m pre-pandemic is now $7m', said Friedman. 'If it costs so much to put on a piece of work, and it costs so much to run that piece of work, you have to charge a particular ticket price.' Together self-consciously stops short of proposing to fix Broadway's price creep – 'I don't have the answers,' said Friedman. 'If what we are doing helps create a conversation about how the system might change, fantastic. But that is not our driving force.' But it does provide an alternative to that system, from power players within that system who espouse, as Friedman put it, 'huge respect for the industry I work in, but also with a huge sense of concern and caution about the way we're going'. It's worked financially, at least so far, because, unlike Broadway, Together is a non-commercial business. Audible, the audiobook subsidiary of Amazon, funded its first season. The corporation recorded the works for distribution on its platform, and Together got access to the Minetta, which has been in partnership with Audible for live theater since 2018. The shows are deliberately low-tech, the sets minimalist – a few pieces of furniture, drinks and, in the case of Sexual Misconduct, one (non-functioning) lawnmower – keeping costs low. The first technical rehearsal, a process of moving from the rehearsal room to the theater that can take weeks on Broadway, took a single day. The changeover between plays takes just 15 minutes. Though the company has attracted big names so far, Together retains a sense of a scrappy, experimental theater group with no set path. All three founders described the company as a sort of professional pressure release valve, an ideas generator rather than an endpoint. 'I love the idea of it being ephemeral – it could happen in London, it could happen in Sydney, it could happen in anywhere,' said Rickson. Creditors wraps in June, but the trio is already in brainstorming mode, positing potential future iterations of Together that could include a mentoring program, a different home base, a continuation of its inaugural panel series, or allowing big-name screen actors the chance to test out theater without the pressure of an eight-days-a-week Broadway commitment. 'When we announced it and launched it, I think we were quite timid in terms of what we're trying to achieve, because we don't want to come across as having found the answers to Broadway or finding the answers to how you do work,' said Friedman. 'But we're ambitious about the future and we're talking about it constantly.' 'I think the only thing we absolutely know is we're going to make a commitment for as long as we feel we can,' she added. 'Is that years? Is it the rest of our lives? Who knows? But we're in. We're in for the long haul with Together.'
Daily Mail
12-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Hugh Jackman looks in good spirits as he's mobbed by fans in New York despite claims ex Deborra-Lee Furness is 'planning to release divorce tell-all'
Hugh Jackman looked in high spirits as he was mobbed by fans outside Minetta Lane Theatre in New York City on Wednesday. The Australian actor, 56, was all smiles despite recent reports that his ex Deborra-Lee Furness, 69, is 'planning to release a divorce tell-all.' The revelations come weeks after Deborra-Lee filed official divorce papers, ending her 27-year marriage to Hugh and issuing a powerful public statement where she spoke of her 'traumatic journey of betrayal'. Brushing off his divorce drama, Hugh was noticeably upbeat as he departed the theatre following his incredible performance in the new play Sexual Misconduct of the Middle Classes. The Wolverine star cut a smart figure in a light blue Ralph Lauren polo top and dark blue trousers as he carried a large black backpack. From A-list scandals and red carpet mishaps to exclusive pictures and viral moments, subscribe to the Daily Mail's new showbiz newsletter to stay in the loop. Hugh beamed as he greeted fans and signed autographs outside before heading home on his bicycle. Deborra-Lee is reportedly planning to release a no-holds-barred 'divorce diary' detailing her painful split from Hugh and the heartbreak that followed. The Australian actress is said to be currently documenting her emotional roller-coaster journey, with plans to publish the memoir once her divorce from the Wolverine star is legally finalised, according to New Idea. 'Deb's been desperate to have her side of the story out there,' an alleged source told the outlet. 'She's been writing down all her thoughts, the good and the bad, and logging every detail of this ugly roller-coaster divorce. As soon as her lawyers allow it, she will be talking to publishers about a deal.' Hugh and Deborra-Lee's split appeared to turn bitter when she spoke about her 'traumatic journey of betrayal' in the wake of her divorce filing last month. 'My heart and compassion goes out to everyone who has traversed the traumatic journey of betrayal,' she said. 'It's a profound wound that cuts deep. However, I believe in a higher power and that God/the universe, whatever you relate to as your guidance, is always working FOR us.' The revelations come weeks after Deb filed official divorce papers, ending her 27-year marriage to Hugh and issuing a powerful public statement where she spoke of her 'traumatic journey of betrayal' (both pictured 2023) 'This belief has helped me navigate the breakdown of an almost three-decade marriage.' She continued: 'I have gained much knowledge and wisdom through this experience. Even when we are presented with apparent adversity, it is leading us to our greatest good, our true purpose. 'It can hurt, but in the long run, returning to yourself and living within your own integrity, values and boundaries is liberation and freedom.' She concluded her statement with the 'one thing' she has learned, which is 'that none of this is personal.' Deb's emotional declaration signalled a turning point in what had largely been a quiet and dignified separation - until now. Sources claim that while Deb is remaining composed publicly, behind closed doors she's preparing to reclaim her narrative with a raw and honest memoir that could shine a spotlight on Hugh's new romance with Broadway star Sutton Foster. The New Idea insider added that the actress won't be holding back: 'She won't be silenced. This is her truth.' Daily Mail Australia reached out to Deborra-Lee Furness for comment. The Wolverine star cut a smart figure in a light blue Ralph Lauren polo top and dark blue trousers as he carried a large black backpack It comes as MailOnline revealed that Hugh and Deborra-Lee have put their (UK£28million) New York apartment on the market amid their messy divorce. reports that the former couple is offloading the stunning five-bedroom 'triplex' apartment in the West Village that they purchased back in 2008 for AU$32million (UK £23million). The penthouse boasts an eye-watering 1000 sqm of floor space and spans the top three floors of a glass tower overlooking the Hudson River. The three floors are connected via a spiral staircase, and the luxe abode also boasts seven bathrooms. It also features a library, private sauna and an indoor gym, while the kitchen boasts a massive island bench, stainless steel appliances and plenty of cabinet space. Designed by lauded architect Richard Meier, the property is described as a 'modernist masterpiece'. The main bedroom, meanwhile, occupies an entire floor and includes a luxurious spa bath and dressing area. Hugh and Deborra-Lee tried to offload the apartment back in 2022 but paused the sale in favour of putting it on the rental market. The listing comes after it was recently revealed that the ex-couple had decided to split their other New York abode down the middle. The former couple filed records with the city regarding their shares of their former love nest, as seen in documents obtained by Hugh and Deborra-Lee, who had been married since 1996, announced their separation back in 2023 after 27 years of marriage. At the time, they cited a desire to pursue 'individual growth'. Though the pair have not publicly revealed the reasons behind their separation, rumours have run rampant as fans speculate that Hugh growing close to his fellow Broadway co-star Sutton in The Music Man play was a factor in their split.
Daily Mail
05-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Hugh Jackman snaps selfies with fans as he leaves the theatre amid reports ex Deborra-Lee Furness is 'planning to release divorce tell-all'
Hugh Jackman snapped selfies with fans outside Minetta Lane Theatre in New York City on Wednesday. The actor, 55, flashed a smile in the snaps despite his ex Deborra-Lee Furness, 69, is 'planning to release a divorce tell-all.' The revelations come weeks after Deb filed official divorce papers, ending her 27-year marriage to Hugh and issuing a powerful public statement where she spoke of her 'traumatic journey of betrayal'. Wearing a pair of dark sunglasses, Hugh departed the theatre during his stint in Sexual Misconduct of the Middle Classes. He took a moment to pose for snaps with fans before heading off with a helmet to go and find his bicycle. From A-list scandals and red carpet mishaps to exclusive pictures and viral moments, subscribe to the DailyMail's showbiz newsletter to stay in the loop. Deborra-Lee is reportedly planning to release a no-holds-barred 'divorce diary' detailing her painful split from Hugh and the heartbreak that followed. The Australian actress is currently documenting her emotional roller-coaster journey, with plans to publish the memoir once her divorce from the Wolverine star is legally finalised, according to New Idea. 'Deb's been desperate to have her side of the story out there,' an alleged source told the outlet. 'She's been writing down all her thoughts, the good and the bad, and logging every detail of this ugly roller-coaster divorce. As soon as her lawyers allow it, she will be talking to publishers about a deal.' Hugh and Deborra-Lee's split appeared to turn bitter when she spoke about her 'traumatic journey of betrayal' in the wake of her divorce filing last month. 'My heart and compassion goes out to everyone who has traversed the traumatic journey of betrayal,' she said. 'It's a profound wound that cuts deep, however I believe in a higher power and that God/the universe, whatever you relate to as your guidance, is always working FOR us.' 'This belief has helped me navigate the breakdown of an almost three-decade marriage.' She continued: 'I have gained much knowledge and wisdom through this experience. Even when we are presented with apparent adversity, it is leading us to our greatest good, our true purpose. 'It can hurt, but in the long run, returning to yourself and living within your own integrity, values and boundaries is liberation and freedom.' She concluded her statement with the 'one thing' she has learned, which is 'that none of this is personal.' Deb's emotional declaration signalled a turning point in what had largely been a quiet and dignified separation - until now. Sources claim that while Deb is remaining composed publicly, behind closed doors she's preparing to reclaim her narrative with a raw and honest memoir that could shine a spotlight on Jackman's new romance with Broadway star Sutton Foster. The New Idea insider added that the actress won't be holding back: 'She won't be silenced. This is her truth.' Daily Mail Australia has reached out to Deborra-Lee Furness for comment. Meanwhile, tensions are said to be rising between Jackman and Foster, 50, as he pushes to integrate his new partner into the family unit he once shared with Deb. The Aussie actor is reportedly eager for Sutton to form a bond with his and Deborra-Lee's adopted children - Oscar, 25, and Ava, 19 - but the process hasn't been smooth. 'Sutton begged Hugh to stop forcing the situation,' a source claimed to New Idea, adding that the Broadway star is keen to delay any introductions until the divorce is officially settled. 'It was Oscar's birthday recently and Ava's is coming up in July and Hugh couldn't see an issue with wanting to include his other half,' the insider explained. 'But Sutton's anxious about rushing things and believes it's too soon.' Foster, who also shares an adopted daughter, Emily, 7, with ex-husband Ted Griffin, is said to be treading carefully, especially with the shadow of Deb's scathing comments still lingering. If Deborra-Lee's book plans go ahead, it's likely to be one of the most anticipated celebrity memoirs in years - and with decades of Hollywood secrets, personal struggles, and a headline-grabbing split to unpack, publishers will no doubt be lining up. Hugh has yet to release his own statement on the split, but a source told the Daily Mail he had been left 'extremely disappointed' by Deborra-Lee's words as he believed they had an 'understanding' they would not publicly trash one another. 'There was no stipulation that she could not address this but there was an unwritten understanding that she would not trash him to the press,' an insider said.
Daily Mail
04-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Hugh Jackman is in high spirits as he's mobbed by fans in New York despite reports ex Deborra-Lee Furness is 'planning to release divorce tell-all'
Hugh Jackman was in high spirits as he was mobbed by fans outside Minetta Lane Theatre in New York City on Tuesday. The actor, 55, was all smiles despite recent reports that his ex Deborra-Lee Furness, 69, is 'planning to release a divorce tell-all.' The revelations come weeks after Deb filed official divorce papers, ending her 27-year marriage to Hugh and issuing a powerful public statement where she spoke of her 'traumatic journey of betrayal'. Brushing off the drama, Hugh was noticeably upbeat as he departed the theatre during his stint in Sexual Misconduct of the Middle Classes. He waved to the crowd and singed autographs outside before riding away on a bicycle. From A-list scandals and red carpet mishaps to exclusive pictures and viral moments, subscribe to the DailyMail's new Showbiz newsletter to stay in the loop. Deborra-Lee is reportedly planning to release a no-holds-barred 'divorce diary' detailing her painful split from Hugh and the heartbreak that followed. The Australian actress is currently documenting her emotional roller-coaster journey, with plans to publish the memoir once her divorce from the Wolverine star is legally finalised, according to New Idea. 'Deb's been desperate to have her side of the story out there,' an alleged source told the outlet. 'She's been writing down all her thoughts, the good and the bad, and logging every detail of this ugly roller-coaster divorce. As soon as her lawyers allow it, she will be talking to publishers about a deal.' Hugh and Deborra-Lee's split appeared to turn bitter when she spoke about her 'traumatic journey of betrayal' in the wake of her divorce filing last month. 'My heart and compassion goes out to everyone who has traversed the traumatic journey of betrayal,' she said. 'It's a profound wound that cuts deep, however I believe in a higher power and that God/the universe, whatever you relate to as your guidance, is always working FOR us.' 'This belief has helped me navigate the breakdown of an almost three-decade marriage.' He waved to the crowd and singed autographs outside before riding away on a bicycle Hugh dressed smartly in a navy shirt which he teamed with a pair of linen trousers She continued: 'I have gained much knowledge and wisdom through this experience. Even when we are presented with apparent adversity, it is leading us to our greatest good, our true purpose. 'It can hurt, but in the long run, returning to yourself and living within your own integrity, values and boundaries is liberation and freedom.' She concluded her statement with the 'one thing' she has learned, which is 'that none of this is personal.' Deb's emotional declaration signalled a turning point in what had largely been a quiet and dignified separation - until now. Sources claim that while Deb is remaining composed publicly, behind closed doors she's preparing to reclaim her narrative with a raw and honest memoir that could shine a spotlight on Jackman's new romance with Broadway star Sutton Foster. The New Idea insider added that the actress won't be holding back: 'She won't be silenced. This is her truth.' Daily Mail Australia has reached out to Deborra-Lee Furness for comment. Meanwhile, tensions are said to be rising between Jackman and Foster, 50, as he pushes to integrate his new partner into the family unit he once shared with Deb. The Aussie actor is reportedly eager for Sutton to form a bond with his and Deborra-Lee's adopted children - Oscar, 25, and Ava, 19 - but the process hasn't been smooth. 'Sutton begged Hugh to stop forcing the situation,' a source claimed to New Idea, adding that the Broadway star is keen to delay any introductions until the divorce is officially settled. 'It was Oscar's birthday recently and Ava's is coming up in July and Hugh couldn't see an issue with wanting to include his other half,' the insider explained. 'But Sutton's anxious about rushing things and believes it's too soon.' Foster, who also shares an adopted daughter, Emily, 7, with ex-husband Ted Griffin, is said to be treading carefully, especially with the shadow of Deb's scathing comments still lingering. If Deborra-Lee's book plans go ahead, it's likely to be one of the most anticipated celebrity memoirs in years - and with decades of Hollywood secrets, personal struggles, and a headline-grabbing split to unpack, publishers will no doubt be lining up. Hugh has yet to release his own statement on the split, but a source told the Daily Mail he had been left 'extremely disappointed' by Deborra-Lee's words as he believed they had an 'understanding' they would not publicly trash one another. 'There was no stipulation that she could not address this but there was an unwritten understanding that she would not trash him to the press,' an insider said. 'She got around this by not naming him - instead focusing on how she felt.'
