Another display of 'Wit'

Lynne Meadow and Margaret Edson Cynthia Nixon and Kim Cattrall The story about "Wit" is that the play was written by an elementary school teacher. That's not quite true, scribe Margaret Edson revealed at Thursday's Broadway opening-night shindig at B.B. King's. Yes, she's been an elementary school teacher for 19 years, but she wrote the play 20 years ago -- when she worked in a bike shop. Leading lady Cynthia Nixon arrived at the party with her shaved head on proud display. But as past stars of cancer drama "Wit" know, you can get cold with no hair -- which is why Judith Light, who played the part during the show's original Off Broadway run, gave Nixon a cashmere cap as an opening-night gift.Nixon recalled that the night before opening, just as the play ended, one theatergoer shouted out, "You're my girl!" It startled Nixon."But it felt very validating," said the actress. "Sadly, I never got to meet that woman whose girl I am." Contact Gordon Cox at gordon.cox@variety.com

New image for Prometheus

The steady drip-feed of Prometheus promotional material continues apace, with a new still of that mysterious stone head surfacing online.The new image tells us little more than the original batch of pictures did, but it does afford us a look at the giant statue from a different perspective. What are those little pods surrounding it? And what does the statue represent?Ridley Scott is keeping all such details closely under-wraps, but that hasn't stopped our anticipation growing by the week. Whereas the constant stream of Dark Knight Rises images continually threatened spoilers, the new Prometheus pics are cryptic enough to excite discussion without giving anything away.The film will star Michael Fassbender, Noomi Rapace, Idris Elba and Charlize Theron as a crew of intergalactic explorers who encounter more than they had bargained for when attempting to learn more about the history of the Earth.Prometheus will be released in the UK on 1 June 2012. We've got it marked on the calendar alongside The Dark Knight Rises and The Hobbit as one of the three most exciting films of the year...

Keck's Exclusives: A Revealing Ringer

Sarah Michelle Gellar, Ringer Round the Golden Globes' red-colored-colored carpet, Ringer's Sarah Michelle Gellar (Bridget/Siobhan) mentioned her Monique Lhuillier-designed dress reminded her of "an inkblot Rorschach test," and added it absolutely was so comfortable she didn't have to be "excessively Spanxed." Fortunately, SMG does not need to stress about fabric whatsoever inside an approaching episode in the CW drama for just about any flashback scene with "Bridget the stripper within the strip club." Plus, the actress adds, "inside a couple of days we're shooting a principal character." Subscribe to TV Guide Magazine now!

They are Sundancing as quickly as they are able to

'Lay the Favorite' brings Randall Emmett, Stephen Frears, Bruce Willis, Rebecca Hall and D.V. DeVincentis to Sundance Film Fest. Sigourney Weaver and Rodrigo Cortes.The Sundance Film Festival found "Red-colored Lights" stars Sigourney Weaver, Cillian Murphy and Elizabeth Olsen joining with director Rodrigo Cortes and professional producer Cindy Cowan for any low-key dinner prior to the pic's world premiere in the Eccles on Friday evening. Olsen downplayed her role within the film, which received ho-hum response.Also on Friday, following a preem of "Celeste and Jesse Forever," director Lee Toland Krieger partied together with his stars, including Rashida Johnson and Elijah Wood, who manned the decks in the Gray Goose Blue Door afterparty.Richard Gere held court Saturday in the "Arbitrage" fete, where visitors incorporated "Simon Killer" thesp Lila Salet."Lay the favouriteInch stored its publish-screening party raging late Saturday evening with stars Bruce Willis and Rebecca Hall in the DirecTV- and Sundance Funnel-backed affair.However the most difficult door to enter was at Bing Bar, where rapper Drake turned up after night time -- a lot more than two hrs after expected -- simply to toss the industry-heavy Primary Street crowd right into a gyrating craze having a five-song perf which was preceded with a bawdy standup set from Aziz Ansari.Later, lower the hill only a couple of blocks, individuals lucky enough to get slip beyond the heavy-handed security at nightly after-hrs hotspot TAO saw multiple thesps dancing onstage, on tables and nearly anywhere their Sorel boots were grown around the snowiest evening from the fest to date. Contact Shaun Sneider at shaun.sneider@variety.com

'West Side Story' Dancers Celebrate Film's 50th Anniversary

The film version of "West Side Story" marked its 50th anniversary in 2011. The beloved screen transfer of the legendary Broadway musical won 10 Oscars in 1961, including best picture and best director for Robert Wise and Jerome Robbins. AFI ranks it number 41 on its list of 100 greatest American movies, and it ranks number two on AFI's greatest movie musicals list. In 1997, the film was chosen for preservation in the National Film Registry for being deemed "culturally significant" by the U.S. Library of Congress. In the film, dance is as important as Stephen Sondheim's lyrics and Leonard Bernstein's music. The dancers are front and center, acting through Robbins' difficult, stylized, and emotional choreographythe story of a modern Romeo and Juliet torn apart by gang warfare. Not much is known, however, about the amazing actor-dancers who played the Jets and the Sharks. Some of them were not even listed in the film's credits.Robert Banas and Tony Mordente, who played the Jet gang members Joyboy and Action, had the idea to put together a memoir of the "West Side" actor-dancers. "Our StoryJets & SharksThen and Now" covers their auditions, their filming experience, and how the film influenced their lives and careers. The book was released in 2011 to mark the film's half-century celebration, as was a three-disc Blu-ray DVD.Back Stage sat down with several of the "gang members," who shared their memories of working on a cinematic landmark. On the Impact of Dance in "West Side Story" Nobuko Miyamoto, aka Joanne Miya (Francisca, a Shark girl): I think the thing that distinguishes "West Side Story," to me, is the fact that the dancers were such an important part of the film. In every film that I had ever done, dancers were usually in the background. In this case, if it wasn't for the dance and the music, there wouldn't be a "West Side Story." The dance pushed the story. There was no dead time in a piece of music. The construction of it was a masterpiece. It came with hard work and the best in the businessBernstein, Robbins, Sondheim, [Arthur] Laurents [author of the original book of the musical].Gina Trikonis (Graziella, a Jet girl): The dance moves the story along. What isn't being said in dialogue is said with our bodies. "Cool," to me, is an absolute masterful piece of choreographythe best piece of choreography I've ever seen on filmbecause it's drama that is expressed through the body, and that's what makes it so wonderful and intense. That was part of Jerry's genius. Also, he made everyone write a backstory about their character. We weren't just dancers; we were actors that happened to be extraordinary dancers. When we were on set, we weren't just background "fluff." We were characters, and we brought that backstory with us in every single step, every snap, everything. There isn't a wasted movement in that movement. Nothing. Everything counts as far as the choreography.Carole D'Andrea (Velma, a Jet girl): I was in the original Broadway production as well, and even then, to get us into character, Jerry would scream at us, "Stop dancing and walk!" We had to constantly learn how to walk. The guys especially. "What are you doing? You're dancing. Walk! You're a juvenile; you're not a dancer." On Getting Cast Russ Tamblyn (Riff, the leader of the Jets): I actually auditioned for the part of Tony. I never thought in a million years of playing Riff. I had the same agent as Robert WisePhil Gersh. So I felt like I had an in. Certainly doesn't help you get a part, because Bob and Jerry made up their own minds. But I would call Phil every night and say, "Phil, where is it now?" I finally get the call, and he says, "Well, boy, have I got some news for you. You didn't get the part of Tony." Damn. You know? "But they offered you the role of Riff." And I said, "Riff?!" But I didn't know if I could handle the dancing. Then he said, "Well, they switched the 'Cool' number and the 'Krupke' number. So you'd do 'Krupke.' " It worked out beautifully. Made total sense.D'Andrea: They tested me for Maria one day, right before they cast Natalie [Wood]. They gave me the lines, put a black wig on me, the whole thing. I still remember going over to the studio, and I did the whole scene, and that was it, that day. I never heard about it. They never said anything. I must have been atrocious. Miyamoto: As an Asian-American, I didn't really think I had a chance at all. I had worked for Jerome Robbins actually on the film "The King and I." I was in [the ballet number] "The Small House of Uncle Thomas." At the end of the shoot, he talked about a new musical he was working on called "East Side Story." Then it was called "Gangway," before he changed it to "West Side Story." I saw the show, and of course I was crying. It was just amazing. I auditioned to be a Broadway replacement, but I was contracted in "Flower Drum Song," so I couldn't do it. When I went to the film auditions in L.A. I thought, "This is a film. They're not going to use me in this, looking the way I do." But they did the screen test, and they put a lot of dark makeup on me, and somehow I passed for Puerto Rican. That was really a big thing for me. I was trained in ballet and all these [different styles], but I had never done anything where I played anything other than an Asian. For me, it was a big deal to be a Puerto Rican.Maria Henley (Teresita, a Shark girl): I think the only real Puerto Ricans were Yvonne Wilder, who played Consuelo, and Rita [Moreno]. I was Mexican-American; Susie Kaye, who played Rosalia, was Jewish; but it's just really kind of interesting how we all blended.D'Andrea: I think Jerry had an eye for the exact combination of acting abilityintensityand I know from the Broadway auditions, he was looking for just a few who could do it all.Henley: I thought I was cast because of my technique until the first day I saw Jerry make an entrance at rehearsal. A light bulb went on. There was a purpose and reason for every single person that was there. It was all about your character. On Jerome Robbins Getting Fired From the Film D'Andrea: 99 percent of the world does not know that Jerry was let go in the middle of filming "West Side Story." Every dancer I've ever met, they'll go, "What?" Bert Michaels (Snowboy, a member of the Jets): It was a Friday. Howard [Jeffrey, the dance assistant] didn't like the way we were doing our class, but the Jets had just got through doing "Cool," and the blisters were breaking on our knees every time we plid. The next thing we know, Jerry comes storming in and goes up to each one of us and says, "Just because you have a little film on you doesn't mean you can't be released. Anybody can be replaced." Then, Monday morning when we were rehearsing the drugstore sequence, at lunch Russ Tamblyn called us over and said, "Jerry was absolutely right; anybody can be replaced, and he was." We all were like, "What?!" I mean, you can't replace God. What are you talking about? That was an incredible moment. We were all standing there, and we were in shock. And I think we were in shock for the rest of the time. D'Andrea: It was his baby. How do you remove him? Still, to this day, it's like, what?Tamblyn: My understanding was that when they decided to have co-direction between Jerry and Bob Wise, in the contract it said if it didn't work out after three months or something like that, they had an option to let Jerry go. Jerry spent a lot of time [filming], going overboard on takes, and they were running out of money. And nobody knew how much the film was going to make, of course. We all got like a couple of weeks off; we thought we may not even complete the movie. I don't know all the problems, but that's basically what it was. Trikonis: "West Side Story" was Jerry's last film. It was absolutely devastating for him [to be fired]. You should hear [executive producer] Walter Mirisch talk about how he's the one that told him. Walter said Jerry would never talk to him again and was totally devastated and went back to ballet.On the Intensity of Working for Robbins Trikonis: When we were shooting "Cool," no matter what the shot or angle was, we had to do the whole dance from the beginning every single time. To get the emotional juices going. I think that's one of the reasons it's so powerful. Henley: I remember it took two and a half weeks to shoot "America." We finally got it in the can, and then two days later we heard he wanted to reshoot the whole thing again from another angle. Robert Banas (Joyboy, a member of the Jets): If Jerry didn't like the way you were doing ballet barre at a rehearsal, you were gone. It kind of put a little fear into you. You really had to work at doing your technique and make it worthy of him, or otherwise you were out.Trikonis: He always was kind of intimidating in that way. That's the way he kept us on our toes, because he made us feel like any one of us could be replaced in an instant if he found somebody that he liked better.Tamblyn: Remember when we did that dance number, dancing down the street in the summer? It's like 110 degrees, and we did it over and over, dancing down the whole block, snapping and leaping and jumping until Bob Wise finally said, "Okay, that was good." Then Jerry said, "Yeah, I'd like to do one more though. But I would like all you Jets to do it on the other foot." Remember that, Bert? On the other foot. Michaels: I think that worked, because I don't know if it was conscious on Jerry's part, but just the absolute terror. I don't know what the rest of you felt, but just the absolute numb terror that we would do the other footthat's what he got onscreen, and that's what he wanted.Banas: It was a little trying and hard, but I had worked with Jerry twice before, and I knew what his demands were. But it opened doors for a lot of us; it did for me. I'm sure all of us benefited by it. On Being in the Original Broadway Show D'Andrea: I will never forget opening night. Ten in the morning, Jerry calls a meeting with all the dancers and everybody and says, "Okay, this is what's gonna happen: The critics are either going to kill us tonight because I'm trying something that they're going to say should have been made uptown at NY City Ballet, and that it does not belong on Broadway originally, or we're going to make history tonight." And then he went, "I picked each one of you." And it was like, you better f--king show up. I will never forget that. I get chills thinking about that. We knew what was at stake. Reactions From Fellow Dancers and the Public Trikonis: When dancers I meet find out I was Graziella, I've had several young dancers come up and say to me, "I became a dancer because of you, because I saw you in 'West Side Story.' " That's cool. I can't tell you how many young people have been inspired by this movie.Henley: When we did the 40th anniversary up at Radio City, there must have been five thousand people in the audience. There were people there who had the original Broadway program! I love hearing how the film changed people's lives, because the Broadway show changed my life. I'd never seen anything like it, and I said, "That's what I want to do with my life." So to do the movie and people are touched by the movie, it's awesome. I never thought this movie would be as great as it is.Michaels: My son recently said to me, "What an amazing thing that you guys did and how wonderful. It's like time stood still. You're the same now 50 years later as you were back then." It is a lesson to be learned. And I'm so grateful.

Exclusive 'Chronicle' Clip: What Every Secondary School Guy Would Use Superpowers

It is time we moved past the whole "With great energy comes great responsibility" factor. It totally ruins all the fun you may have with superpowers. In "Chronicle," a completely new found-footage film three teenage boys who acquire superpowers, we learn what continues when superheroes forget responsibility while focusing much more about getting a lot of fun. Also, it's basically what every guy you understood in secondary school would do if he and also the pals got forces. Michael B. Jordan, Dane DeHaan and Alex Russell play in the three secondary school student who mysterious earn an opportunity to move objects utilizing their minds. (A quick Search notifies them this can be referred to as "telekinesis.") Inside the clip above, the males adjust their new abilities, some yard equipment plus an unlucky girl's skirt. Throughout the time from the film, the gang's forces advance, and therefore do their egos. Simply because they drift further and extra toward super villain territory, Uncle Ben's old adage proves wiser and wiser. Even though film doesn't hit theaters before the following month, "Chronicle" has started to produce the very best kind of buzz. The producers in the film previewed some footage for journalists in LA a few days ago, as well as the response was generally positive. And basically today, Variety reported that director Josh Trank is just about the leading runner to reboot the "Fantastic Four" franchise. Moves like these, days just before the film's release, are frequently signs and signs and symptoms of excellent stuff later on and confidence within the studio. "Chronicle" flies into theaters on February 3. Whoever else consider the clip? Inform us inside the comments below and also on Twitter!

'Letterman's' Eddie Brill axed

"The Late Show With David Letterman" has lost its comedy booker, Eddie Brill, who is also Letterman's warm-up comic. Larry Getlen of freshman comedy industry mag Mirth reported Monday that Brill was given the pinkslip for "speaking to the press without authorization," and a source confirmed the report. Brill caused a stir this weekend when he told the NY Times that "there are a lot less female comics who are authentic. I see a lot of female comics who to please an audience will act like men." The article in question was a profile of Brill by Jason Zinoman, and Brill was responding to a question about why so few female comics were booked on the show. The controversy was dissected over at Mirth, where Brill said in the comments section that his words had been taken out of context. Zinoman responded with transcribed questions and quotes, and Brill subsequently apologized to "all who have been affected by this." Brill is expected to remain at Letterman as warm-up comedian, and the booking process will likely return to its pre-Brill system, in which comics scouted at standup venues will be invited to perform for producers of the show. A spokeswoman for "The Late Show" declined comment. Contact Sam Thielman at sam.thielman@variety.com