Zach Braff's All New People

Zach Braff (or Dr John "JD" Dorian as some of us know him better in comedy-phenomenon Scrubs), has been touring his play, All New People, around the UK this year, starting in Manchester, then up to Glasgow, before finishing with a ten week run on the West End. Unlike the NY production that was put on Broadway last year, Zach is actually performing as the lead, giving theatre-goers the Brafftacular evening of both his sharp writing, and acting talents. And, being the sophisticated, play-watching, arts-appreciator that I am, (as well as a huge Scrubs fan), I was lucky enough to go see it... and more.

  The premise is a simple one: Four strangers (well, sort of) meet by chance at a desolate beach house in Long Island, NY, in the middle of Winter. What comes next is a display of the hardships of being young, the regret of the past, and the human curse of belonging vs loneliness. Braff is the bittered and cold Charlie, a guarded and sarcastic guy who we find in a pretty dark place at the start of the play. But he's not alone for long before Welsh actress and star of Torchwood, Eve Myles shows up as kooky-but-with-a-mysterious-past Emma, in a state of desperation to stay in work as to not get sent back to her native Britain. Soon what began as a peaceful "getaway" for Charlie turns into a madhouse as Byron the fire-chief/drug-dealer and Kim the prosti-- "Escort", round out this unlikely quad of varied, humourous and realistic (if a little quirky) characters.

 At its core, All New People is a Dramedy, mixing potent and contemporary themes with an edgy comedic balance slickly interwoven throughout. At various points we are treated to visual, pre-filmed back stories of the characters, which set in stone the freshness and post-modernity of the play, and allow a number of laughs to be had that stretches outside the limits of a one set piece, as well as connecting plot points and providing an emotional connection that the audience has with the characters, which they themselves may lack between each other.

Not surprisingly, Zach was great as down-in-the-dumps Charlie, teasing us only slightly with his morbid prologue, and pulling off a pained and tortured soul pushed to the edge. It's certainly a way off from the optimistic, goof-ball tones of JD, and I found it very weird to hear him drop numerous f-bombs throughout from his usually cheery voice. And then there's Eve Myles, who also shines outside of the badass Gwen Cooper of Torchwood, and gives a stand-out portrayal of a woman who's "Damaged goods", yet devotes her life trying to hide that fact.

And once the curtain's fallen and the terrific actors take their bow, letting the depth of the play sink in to the viewers mind, Zach just carries on giving. There was a quite a crowd to greet him outside by the stage door, all gratefully gathered to get a glimpse of the talented 37 year old. Like a true pro, he willingly signed programmes and tickets, and posed for photos with those camera-ready.

Thankfully, I'd picked up the show's script earlier, and so am now in possession of a signed copy from the writer/actor, as well as this very exciting picture:

Guy love?

The conversation between us went a little like this:

Zach: Hey thanks for coming.
Me: Yeah, it was really, really good.
Zach: Thank you so much.
Me: I'd ask you to Eagle with me, but it seems a little inappropriate here...
Zach: (Laughs) I get that request a lot, as you could imagine.
Me: Ha, yeah. Okay, thanks man.
Zach: No problem, thanks, take care buddy.

And yes, I totally had a fantasy where he said "There's no such thing as inappropriate!" and gracefully lifted me onto his back while we screamed "EAGLE!" to our hearts' content...

So in summary, this was an incredible night. Not only did I see an amazing new play, but got a picture with one of my favourite actors, as well as a signed script, which will all add to my collection of awesome, famous-people-related things. If you can get down to the Duke of York's Theatre in London before the end of April, and if there are any tickets left, then you really should consider going, even if it's just for a glimpse of the man himself.

ATR

The Sunday Supdate: 11/12/2011

Ah, Supdate, your aroma is but a distant memory of my past - one which has long since drifted from the metaphorical air, only to be cast down unto us once more. Not since October have you poked your head out from underneath the mass of reviews, news and awesome, and so I call upon you once more! You know, to talk and stuff...

But What To Talk About?
Well, now that's a tricky one. How about all the reviews I've done recently? Pretty hectic, seeing as things on the critical front had slowed substantially. Now I'm whacking out the TV RE:Views (Community S1 incoming!) like it's nobody's business. Except it is... A lot of people's actually. Maybe even mine someday! Anyway, so that's cool. Also: 9000 hits! Squeee!

Are You  Mocking Me?
Last week was pretty bombed out due to my Mock GCSE exams. Word from the wise: they're not fun. What's even less fun though is the fact that I have real ones after Christmas; literally the second week of January. What's up with that?! That means that precious week off that I have after Christmas will be spent revising... Bleh.

Wait, Did You Say Christmas?
Oh right, amid my ranting there was mention of the "Most Wonderful Time of The Year". Of course, Christmas is around the corner, so perhaps I'll do a couple Christmas posts before the big day. I have no idea what I'll talk about, but you'll have to wait and see. Other than that, Christmas-wise, I'll try and post some stuff about my own i.e. what I got, what I'm going to do with what I got and why you should get what I got too. Plus I'll capture Santa for an interview, and hold a live blog-auction (blauction?) for his reindeer and sleigh.

Isn't That Guy From Scrubs in a Play Soon?
So here's something pretty awesome: Zach Braff (yeah, that guy from Scrubs) has written his own play, "All New People", which ran on Broadway earlier this year and is now coming to London in 2012. The best part: Zach's going to be starring in it (he didn't in New York) and I've got second row seats! The even bester part is that after the show, I'll be hanging around stage door to procure a picture with JD himself. I'm not sure whether I'm more excited for the show, or the chance to get a photo with him... Hell, I may even ask to "Eagle" with him. Disclaimer: Not Sexual.


A Short Film, You Say?
Over the past 6 months in my Media class, a group of friends and I have been making our own short film. It's called "Facehook" (play on words = win), and it's a friendly tale of how paedophiles exploit social networking sites for their "Immoral Pleasures".  No, I'm not kidding. Dark, a little twisted and slightly unsettling, you can expect a masterful piece of film, from a talented cast and crew of 15 year olds. I acted as more of the writer (duh)/director/editor guy, (as my vlogs have more than proven that the screen is not where I belong), and you can expect to appear here before the year is out. That is, of course, as long as I manage to upload it from DVD. Just don't expect an Oscar winning piece (not yet anyway).  Fingers crossed for no copyright infringement! *cough*TheSocialNetworkSoundtrack*cough*

You Done?
That just about raps it up here, so to sing us out is OneRepublic, with their new Christmas song, "Christmas Without You". Available for download now, folks:

ATR




Hey, Wait! What's This?

Shhhhh... Spoilers...

The Sunday Supdate: 03/04/11

Happy Mothers Day everyone!

Hope you're all well and coping with your everyday lives. This week's been... somewhat fast, I'd like to say. That of course is in no way a bad thing, I guess. Just felt like it was only yesterday I was typing on about 1000 hits (which has now nearly grown to 1300).  Maybe it's just me. Life seems to be whizzing me by lately, things changing and evolving. And even the hours pass without me knowing. I just looked at my watch and realised it was already half nine. No time for reading tonight I guess...

  So, what's been Sup this week? There were two new posts, if you read them. The usual trailer Tuesday and a slightly different post focusing on seats and the like. If my quote hadn't given it away already, I watched the Scrubs season 8 finale for the 4th time this week. Man, those final scenes never fail to well my eyes up. Yeah, I know I'm such a wuss. Anyway, some of the stuff in it really related to me this time around - about things ending and how they never match what you'd hoped in your head. 

    However, I have get some awesome (and very geeky) news to share. Next Sunday, I shall be going to Comic-Con! Well, Kapow! Comic-Con, which is the UK's equivalent to the mighty San-Diego convention. Expect some awesome photos dropping next Supdate or after, of all the geeky goodness. Comics, movies, TV, games, and of course Cosplay are abound. Don't worry though, you won't catch me in a dodgy costume...

 Coming up... Well, I I recently obtained the book Plague (which you can buy through the link at the bottom), which is the 4th in a series of novels known as the Gone series. I am a massive fan of this series, so it's likely there'll be some sort of RE:View inbound. Also, I'll probably see Sucker Punch soon, because it does look rather awesome. Some negative reviews have turned me off slightly, but I'll be sure to try and get my thoughts across in another RE:View if and when I see it.  And stick around for tomorrow, because I've got something scary up my sleeve. Plus I really should post some more doodles soon...

   Alright, that'll be about it. See you next week (which at this rate will feel like tomorrow) for another Supdate of possible Comic-Con-ness and take care. And remember the polls to your right, people!

ATR

Oh, and I thought it'd be cool to leave my initials at the end of Supdates, all professional like.

Plague (Gone)

The Sunday Supdate: 13/03/11

It's Sunday. It'Sup. It's a Date.

Let's do this.

"Get ya blank piece of papers folded together to look like a paper that no-one has written on!"

 So this week saw me plagued with the ailment of flu, forcibly chained to a sofa-bed for a 3-day Scrubs marathon of achy-ness.  And for that same reason, I am unable to write up my planned article on the Forest Band Night, because unfortunately I couldn't go... I heard it was good though, so maybe that's good enough for you?

  Anyway, I'm nearing the 1000 hits mile-stone, so I'd like to take this opportunity to thank all and everyone who has clicked on. Whether it was out of interest, jealousy or plain boredom, here's a big cheers to you 919 people so far who've read something or other. Oh, and it turned out my last two pieces have been the most popular yet,  amassing nearly 80 views between them on individual hits. Impressive, considering I didn't even share one of them on Facebook... Plus Charlie Sheen's still a douchebag.

 Scary week in news though... Poor Japan. That Tsunami has left half it unrecognisable with all its sludge and water, and even Nuclear meltdowns now. Jeez, where are the Power Rangers when you need them? Still 12,000 people missing too, so this looks like it's going to take a while to die down. Uh, I guess that wasn't the best choice in words... Anyway, my thoughts go out to all those who have lost or are still looking for loved ones.

  On a lighter note, I got a job! Yep, that's right, I'll be delivering papers every morning bright and early! Not the most enterprising of career opportunities, but I'm 15, what do you expect? So that makes me £20 richer every week, allowing me to buy more things to RE:View! I'm just too kind to you guys.