March 30, 2012 | Theatre,

Check out these films, books and music related to CAFÉ VARIATIONS

By Corrie Glanville

FILMS

Brief Encounter (1945)

I had the opportunity to see Kneehigh Theatre’s captivating stage adaptation at the American Conservatory Theater a few years ago, which incorporated clips from David Lean’s mournful 1945 film. Written by Noel Coward and based on his own play, Stillife, a shabby railway station café becomes the backdrop of a casual encounter between Laura Jesson and Alec Harvey. Though Laura is trapped in a stifling marriage, they fall helplessly in love, knowing that any future is impossible. With Trevor Howard and Celia Johnson.   

Baghdad Café (1987)

This delightful 1980s gem is set in a remote truck stop café and motel in the Mohave Desert owned by the financially struggling Brenda. When a German woman, recently abandoned by her husband, arrives out of nowhere, Brenda, also separated, has her suspicions, but they develop an unlikely alliance as the café is transformed into a flourishing oasis.

The Girl in the Café (2005)

Two of my very favorite actors, Bill Nighy and Kelly McDonald, play a pair of May-December lovers in this unusually intelligent romance. Lawrence (Nighy) is an older, lonely and much overworked British civil servant who falls hard for McDonald’s Gina, a haunted young woman he meets by chance in a café. On a whim, he asks her to attend the G8 Summit in Reykjavik with him. But their nascent relationship is tested by Lawrence’s professional obligations and her unwavering convictions.

 BOOKS

Conversations with Anne  by Anne Bogart (2012)

Anne Bogart has been siting down with many of the great theatre artists of our age in her SITI company studio since 2002; now, 24 of these riveting conversations are collected in this brand new release from Theatre Communications Group. Exploring everything from what drives them to create to the future of theatre, Bogart’s interviews include Bill T. Jones, Julie Taymor, Tina Landau, Paula Vogel, Peter Sellars and Mary Zimmerman.

A Nearly Normal Life:  A Memoir by Charles Mee (2000)

Playwright Charles Mee recalls growing up in the relentlessly cheerful Midwest of the 1950s filled with football and girls until he was diagnosed with polio at the age of 14. As his carefree childhood came to an abrupt end, this elegant memoir traces how his diagnosis shaped him as a survivor and the vital role books played in his “rebirth.”

 The Great Good Place: Cafes, Coffee Shops, Bookstores, Bars, Hair Salons, and Other Hangouts at the Heart of a Community by Ray Oldenburg (1999)

Arguably, Americans place more emphasis on the concept of the private unlike much of the rest of the world who depend on public spaces. Oldenburg makes the case for the absolute necessity of places like cafés and bookstores that allow people to gather for conversation and company; more than just hangouts to relax, but are crucial for strengthening both community and democracy.

 

MUSIC

Gershwin Greatest Hits (1991)

The perfect introduction to Gershwin with the inimitable Arthur Fiedler conducting the Boston Pops in this collection that includes “Rhapsody inBlue,” “Concerto in F” and a remastered version of An American in Paris.

Essential George Gershwin (2003)

For those who want a more extensive and varied collection, this two disc set contains both songs and orchestral works with classic recordings such as Billie Holiday’s “Summertime” and Fred Astaire’s “Let’s Call the Whole Off,” as well as contemporary interpreters of Gershwin that include Tony Bennett and Michael Feinstein.

Oh Lady Be Good: Best of Gershwin Songbook by Ella Fitzgerald (1996)

Very little makes me as happy as hearing Ella Fitzgerald sing “Someone to Watch Over Me”; this collection includes that classic along with other jewels like “S’Wonderful,” “Funny Face,” “But Not For Me,” and “Embraceable You.”