Monday, April 12, 2010

*Next to Normal* wins the Pulitzer


The soundtrack has some overlapping songs that are just chilling, given the big twist (not be be revealed here). The Pulitzer server is jammed, so no word yet on finalists or judges. (Bobo was calling The Orphans' Home Cycle by Horton Foote as the winner, with Sarah Ruhl's In the Next Room, or, the Vibrator Play as a finalist.
But then what does he know? More later.

ADDED later on Monday:
Brian Yorkey has an Issaquah connection.
(In fact, he was associate a.d. at the Village Theater for seven years.)

Here is a link to the Pulitzer ("pull it, sir") announcement, with the plays by Diaz, Joseph and Ruhl listed as finalists.
Can anyone clarify the "moved into contention by the Board" phrase? Does this repeat the squabbling of the year Rabbit Hole won after the Board rejected the Jury's choice? Or the time long ago (1961?), when Virginia Woolf lost out to How To Succeed?)

ADDED early Tues. morning:
Charles McNulty of the L.A. Times, who chaired this year's drama jury, explains: They got overruled, and he's not too happy about it, and he chalks it up to the board's geographical chauvinism. (If it wasn't produced on the East Coast, then it must not be very good.) Bobo had a review-writing workshop with McNulty two years ago, and he is fastidious with detail, committed, reasonable and insightful. As for the board -- there isn't a theater person among them.
And look at those stats: 15 times the board has overturned the jury on drama (as much as three other categories combined). Makes me feel kinda good: theater is still considered dangerous, subversive. At least in some towns.


[ photo: from Washington City Paper -- with Alice Ripley, in the New York production ]

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