ENTERTAINMENT NEWS

THEATRE/ TEPID NOTICES FOR "MRS WARREN": The Broadway revival of "Mrs Warrens Profession" opened last night on Broadway to lukewarm reviews. George Bernard Shaw's play, a show focused on the proprietress of a chain of high-class was 1st staged in New York City in 1905 and was shut down by the police after 1 performance. Not that the words whorehouse or prostitute or brothel are ever mentioned in "Mrs. Warren's Profession". Shaw writes intricate, fast-paced dialogue that manages to tiptoe around precisely exactly what Mrs. Warren does for a living. The play revolves around the relationship of Mrs. Warren ( Cherry Jones) and her daughter, Vivie (Sally Hawkins), who has been raised in the idyllic English countryside, educated at fine schools, and kept far, far away from her mother's secretive business. Mrs. Warren returns to foster a life with her now grown daughter, amid a supporting cast of men that includes Vivie's poor love interest. A series of revelations culminates in spectacular fireworks between the 2 women in the last of the show's 4 acts. The New York Times said: The delightful surprise of the generally less-than-delightful “Mrs. Warren’s Profession,” which opened on Sunday night at the American Airlines Theater, is that Cherry Jones, in the title role, does not nearly glow. She glitters". The Times goes on to praise Jones and compares her to many of theatre's greatest actors, yet has little to praise of the show itself. New York Magazine said: "There’s something tangled about this new Roundabout production, too, a bit of chaos hiding behind those high, blind hedges, some of it intentional, much of it, I sense, not". Entertainment Weekly gave the show at C+ and said the show was "arduous," while The Faster Times called the show "competent," but "unexciting". "Mrs Warrens Profession" runs 135 minutes and is playing at the American Airlines Theater on Broadway in a limited engagement thru November 21.

 

THEATRE/ ACTOR INJURED WHEN GUN PROP FIRES: Stephen Sondheim’s musical “Passion” in London’s West End was suspended this weekend after actor David Birrell sustained a serious eye injury during a matinee performance on Saturday. Birrell, who had TV roles in “Coronation Street” and “Midsummer Murders,” among others, was part of a scene, in which his character challenged another to a duel. According to media reports, there was a fault with the gun used on stage, which was meant to fire blanks, but instead hurt the 35 year old actor. He was rushed from the Donmar Warehouse theater to a hospital. The theater does not use understudies, so there was no immediate replacement. A Donmar spokesman said that the actor had indeed suffered an eye injury, but said details were still under investigation. The spokesman confirmed that all performances were cancelled until at least Thursday and that patrons would be refunded.

TV/ TOSHIBA UNVEILS 3D TV WITH NO GLASSES: Toshiba has launched what it claims are the 1st 3D television sets that do not require special glasses. The 2 sets are able to create 3D effects in real time from standard film and television pictures. The televisions use a special lenticular sheet to create an array of 9 overlapping images. A viewer then sees different images with each eye, creating the illusion of a 3D picture. The system is similar to that used in the Nintendo 3DS handheld console. Both Toshiba televisions use the Cell processor, originally designed for the PlayStation 3, to process the pictures. The president of Toshiba Visual Products said it was "obviously more natural to watch TV without glasses". However, the technology requires a person to be sat in an optimal position to see clear 3D images. Toshiba suggests a person sits 35in from its 20in set and 25in from the 12in screen. The picture is also best viewed with a 40-degree "sweet spot" in front of the set. These limitations are why most manufacturers, including Sony, Samsung and Panasonic, use glasses to generate 3D effects. These rely on images for each eye being broadcast one after the other in rapid succession. Filters in the glasses flash on and off in sync with the picture, filtering the correct image to each eye. The brain recombines the image into a 3D picture. 3D TV is still in its infancy, but broadcasters are already ramping up efforts to provide content in major markets around the world. Last week, Sky launched Europe's 1st dedicated 3D television channel, while Virgin has launched a 3D movie channel. Toshiba said the smaller version of its new sets will cost about $1400 and the larger one will be double the price. It is also working on a larger 56 inch model.  It said it hoped to sell 1000 units a month but currently has no plans to sell the sets outside of Japan.

BOOKS/ ALYSON GOING ALL DIGITAL: In a sign of the times, the country's oldest gay and lesbian book publishing house is going all digital. Parent company Here Media has announced that Alyson Books, which has not put out a print book since 2009, will from now on exclusively publish e-books. A spokesman said he doesn't expect Alyson to begin publishing e-books for 9 to 12 months. 'We want to develop a strategy that makes sense,' he said, adding that Here Media would like to have the new publisher on board an involved with creating a new business model. Many Gay bookstores, which Alyson relied on to stock its books, have gone out of business in the last few years, done in by the big box chains and internet sales.