Orphans wraps up this weekend on Broadway. I’m sure it’s been a tremendous experience for Ben and I’m so proud of him. Photos: Rene Scotland
The first clip from Ain’t Them Bodies Saints, featuring setting, cinematography and foreshadowing.
Never cut a tree down in the wintertime. Never make a negative decision in the low time. Never make your most important decisions when you are in your worst moods. Wait. Be patient. The storm will pass. The spring will come.
First teaser poster for Ain’t Them Bodies Saints.
Ben Foster appreciation, The Messenger (2009)
Four new stills from Ain’t Them Bodies Saints
How Broadway Has Changed
I have not acted in a legit show on Broadway since A Streetcar Named Desire in 1992, having chosen the not-for-profit route on Broadway or regional for my last four shows. Broadway has changed in the past 21 years and I wanted take a moment to look at that.
Ben walked (or perhaps ran) the red carpet at the Lucille Lortel Awards with girlfriend Robin Wright. Ben presented the award for Outstanding Solo Show to All the Rage’s Martin Moran.
BF was a presenter at the Lucille Lortel Awards on May 5. The awards honor excellence in Off-Broadway theater.
'Orphans' to Close Early on Broadway
The Tony-nominated play Orphans will end its Broadway run early. The NY Times Arts Beat partially explains why:
Ticket sales for the play averaged about $600,000 a week during preview performances, which began March 26, but fell off after the play opened to mixed reviews on April 18; the weekly box office gross was $444,469 for the play’s first full week of performances after opening, and it was $397,646 last week. The weekly operating costs for “Orphans” are roughly $320,000 – so while the show has not lost money, ticket sales have been trending downward and were likely looking even softer after May 19, the new closing date.
The show’s ticket sales have been at about 70% for the past two weeks. That’s not bad. There are shows with lower sales that are still open. Patrick Pacheco explains that “dramas traditionally have a tough time at the box office.” Another of this season’s Tony-nominated plays, The Testament of Mary, closed early last Sunday after only 16 regular performances.
When Orphans closes on May 19, it will have played 27 previews and 37 regular performances. This sort of thing comes with the territory on Broadway, even for Tony nominees.
Resident artist Justin “Squigs” Robertson headed to the Gerald Schoenfeld Theater to watch the drama unfold, then sketched a portrait of (from left) Foster as Treat, Sturridge as Phillip and Baldwin as Harold.
Oh, we’re back on that again?*
James Franco took some time off from Making Art and doing his university homework to review plays for the Huffington Post. The Sean Penn comparison reared its three** heads again.
Orphans. Good. I saw this a while ago, in previews and forgot to write about it. I heard, as everyone did, that Ben Foster replaced Shia Labouf in the role of Treat. Ben is very good. Reminded me of a young Sean Penn for some reason, a combination of being tough and vulnerable. But also a bit awkward, in a good way. All three actors are very watchable.
*I still reference I Got A Man on occasion.
** This comparison has always been both good and frightening, but now it’s also awkward.
Charlie Rose interview with the cast of "Orphans"
A 30-minute interview with Orphans’ Alec Baldwin, Ben Foster and Tom Sturridge.
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There are so many reasons for Ben Foster to be on your favorite actors list. He's cute, he's ginger-y, and he's becoming one of the best actors of our generation. More...