12/5/08: Christopher Plummer & Liz Ashley

I took several shots of these two great actors, each one blurrier than the last.

Plummer said that others had also tried to photograph them together with little success. "No camera can stand the force of the light."

12/5/08: Ashley, Fierstein & Foote

Harvey Fierstein and Elizabeth Ashley compared notes - between tapings- on pantyhose.

Harvey said that unless he got pedicures, he tore Edna's pantyhose. Liz said that to wear pantyhose, she "needed combat pay." The great playwright Horton Foote (left) enjoyed the repartee.

Stephen Daldry

After seeing Blasted at SoHo Rep, I knew I had to speak about it, trying to convey my unabashed enthusiasm for this powerful play as a countermeasure against the backlash that such graphic productions often get. Yes, there is extreme violence, methodically, hyper-realistically depicted by director Sarah Benson, but just like any double-sided coin, it's necessary to wholly embrace and evoke this darkness in order to show the light at the other end, too. And so I thought I'd speak as a reminder of just why it's worth crawling through Sarah Kane's increasingly fragmented work. But, talk about coincidence: Stephen Daldry was there to talk about Billy Elliot, and reminded me that when he'd been artistic director for Royal Court ('92-'98), he'd actually commissioned Blasted, and been a huge supporter for the young talents (Kane was 23 when she wrote Blasted, her first play). His attention is turned now more toward helping young actors--there are three Billy Elliots alternating in the Broadway musical--but it's the distinguished mark of a director who sees potential and seeks to help it grow.

Radcliffe and Griffiths from EQUUS

Richard Griffiths showed us his cool Tony Award ring and Daniel talked politics. I'm fairly sure he's for Obama. Anyway, Daniel was the most outgoing and down-to-earth young man. You'd forget he was a superstar, if it weren't for his large and prepossesing (though very nice as well) bodyguard. You can tell that he and Griffiths have a great friendship.