By Mabel Pais

“It was really after the 2016 election, that Beau (Willimon, playwright) went in and changed the political surround. And, what it did because the stakes of the world got higher, it just really raised the stakes… like the personal stakes of every single character.” Pam  McKinnon, director

 “Presidents are assets. They exist to be bought, sold and managed.” Martin Csokas, actor

The Parisian Woman has gone through significant rewrites since its first production at South Coast Repertory (Costa Mesa, California). “After the 2016 election I felt the need to completely rework the play,” says playwright Beau Willimon. “The core remains the same, but given its setting and milieu, there was an opportunity to address our current political landscape through Chloe’s (Uma Thurman) lens…. to put a sharper edge on her journey….. It’s a different play than the version Pam MacKinnon and I originally put on stage. One of the things I love about the theater is that you can respond to the present moment in real time. We’re excited to take on that challenge.”

Willimon’s inspiration for The Parisian Woman came from French dramatist Henri Becque’s controversial play, La Parisienne which debuted in Paris in 1885.

The Parisian Woman, the electrifying new play by “House of Cards” creator Beau Willimon, directed by Tony Award winner Pam MacKinnon (“Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?”, “Clybourne Park”) and starring Academy Award nominee Uma Thurman in her Broadway debut.  The play also marks the Broadway debut of playwright Beau Willimon.

Willimon sets The Parisian Woman in Washington, D.C., where powerful friends are the only kind worth having, especially after the 2016 election. At the center is Chloe (Uma Thurman), a socialite armed with charm and wit, coming to terms with politics, her past, her marriage and an uncertain future. Dark humor and drama collide at this pivotal moment in Chloe’s life, and in our nation’s, when the truth isn’t obvious and the stakes couldn’t be higher.

“You need a really charismatic person to step into that role and that is Uma…. that is Uma Thurman. She’s an incredibly smart, incredibly well-read, and incredibly charismatic person. And that translates.”Pam McKinnon, director

 “I feel that this is the greatest challenge of my career.” I think (that) this is the perfect play for me. So, it is my best shot to set my first foot on Broadway.” Uma Thurman, actor

The play also stars Josh Lucas (“Sweet Home Alabama,” “American Psycho,” “The Mysteries of Laura”), Tony Award winner Blair Brown (“Orange Is The New Black,” “Fringe,” “Copenhagen,” “Nikolai” and the Others), Marton Csokas (Loving, The Lord of the Rings) and Tony Award nominee Phillipa Soo (Hamilton, Amélie).

The creative team for The Parisian Woman is Tony Award winner Derek McLane (scenic design), Tony Award winner Jane Greenwood (costume design), Tony Award winner Peter Kaczorowski (lighting design), three-time Drama Desk Award nominee Darrel Maloney (projections), and Broken Chord (sound design and original composition). Hair Design is by Tom Watson and Make-up Design is by Tommy Kurzman. Casting is by Telsey + Company, Will Cantler CSA.

It is produced on Broadway by Marc Routh, Richard Frankel, Tom Viertel, Steven Baruch, and Steve Traxler, along with Grad/Ragy, Jam Theatricals, and Gabrielle Palitz; in association with Marvin Rosen, Andy Okoskyn/Ivanna de Benito, Peter and Susan Crampton Davis, Peggy Hill, Terence and Lori Street, Lucille Werlinich, Cecelia Joyce Johnson/Deep End Productions,

Thomas Kranz/Robert Shelley, and Joe Watson.

The Parisian Woman is running at Broadway’s Hudson Theatre (141 West 44th Street). Performances are scheduled to continue until March 11, 2018.

Tickets are available through www.thehudsonbroadway.com or (855) 801-5876. For more information on the play, visit www.ParisianWomanBroadway.com.

NJ’s Bollywood Boulevard

 New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC) presents Bollywood Boulevard: A Journey Through Hindi Cinema.

Experience all the artistry of India’s movie industry with Bollywood Boulevard, a spectacular fusion of live music, dance and multimedia imagery that leads audiences on a journey through Hindi cinema – from black-and-white classics and the timeless songs of Bollywood’s Golden Era to the colorful, foot-stomping blockbusters of today.

Inspired by the music of R.D. Burman, Lata Mangeshkar and A.R. Rahman, the dance moves of superstars like Amitabh Bachchan and Priyanka Chopra, and the lush romance personified by big-screen actors like Raj Kapoor and directors like Yash Raj Chopra, this is Bollywood as you’ve never experienced it before.

The cast of this exuberant stage show comes to NJPAC with all the spirit and romance of India’s grand palaces, mountain vistas, and sweeping mustard fields.

Bollywood Boulevard invites lifelong fans and novices alike to fall in love with the vibrancy, sweeping emotions, and heart-pounding beats that continue to inspire the world’s largest entertainment industry.

Bollywood Boulevard is a production of US-based executive producer, creator and dancer Heena Patel’s MELA Productions and India-based executive producer, creator, and music director Rushi Vakil’s Aaditaal Music Project.

To learn more on the event, check out the link:

 http://www.njpac.org/events/detail/bollywood-boulevard

Saturday, February 24, 2018….. 3:00 PM & 8:00 PM

 For tickets to see Bollywood Boulevard, visit NJPAC.org or the NJPAC Box Office, or call 888.GO.NJPAC (888.466.5722).

(The author writes on The Arts and Entertainment, Social Issues, Health and Wellness, and Spirituality)