THAT
DOROTHY PARKER
Charming! Lempert gives a lovely resonate performance as Parker, the acerbic critic, poet and general wit, and covers the peaks and valleys of her career and life.
- The New York Times
Check out a Youtube clip of the show here!
Lastest News. Summer 2009.
We were invited to participate in The Summer Solo Series at the Soho Playhouse. The house was packed! Got some lovely blogged comments too:
Carol Lempert exploded the frame by doing something more than acting; she “embodied” Dorothy Parker... We heard the word “embodied” about Charlize Theron’s portrayal in Monster, and the two portrayals of Truman Capote one by Charles Seymour Hoffman in the film named after its protagonist and the other by Toby Jones in Infamous. It seems as if it would be easier to “embody” these more extreme figures than it would be the subtleties of Mrs. Parker, which Carol Lempert does so well with her words (how she wrote them; how she delivers them) and her movement across the stage.
- www.moviesightings.com
Currently there is interest in remounting the show.
In August 2008 That Dorothy Parker played at the SoHo Playhouse during FringeNYC to sold-out houses and rave reviews. And then, we received an ENCORE!!
That Dorothy Parker was selected as one of only 10 shows (out of 200!!) to participate in the FringeNYC Encore Series. We again played to huge houses and received tremendous audience response.
Carol Lempert's one-woman show….. delivers a beautifully modulated turn as the woman who, as one of the wits of the Algonquin Round Table, helped define her literary times….The piece captures the spirit of a writer who was far more than the witticisms ("Men don't make passes at girls who wear glasses") that made her famous.
- New York Post
Even before FringeNYC, the show was gaining momemtum in New York!
In March 2008, Tony Sportiello, artistic director of Algonquin Productions, saw a stage reading of a recent re-write of That Dorothy Parker at The Bridge Theatre - Shetler Studios. He thought it was a perfect fit for his theatre and has invited me to do a 2 week run in May.
Algonquin Productions is dedicated to the success of playwrights and new plays. Their sole mission is to move plays onto the next level, be that Broadway, Off Broadway, Regional Theater, Film or Television.
The show sold out! Roland Tec of Pinkplot Productions said:
There are some wonderfully unexpected moments in the piece--little gems, tidbits about Ms. Parker that go beyond the obvious one-liners we've all heard a thousand times. Under Janice Goldberg's skillful direction, the play dances effortlessly from poetry to prose to direct address and back again and the effect is rich and seamless.
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ABOUT THE SHOW
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That Dorothy Parker, a 90 minute one act, is a one woman biographical drama about the life and work of the famous writer Dorothy Parker.
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In it Carol Lempert plays Dorothy as well as a dozen other characters including: Alexander Woollcott, George S. Kaufman, Edna Ferber and Robert Benchley.
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It's a memory play that weaves together hilarious anecdotes of the 10 years Mrs. Parker spent lunching at New York’s famed Algonquin Round Table, her relationship with Hemingway (and scores of other men), her involvement in the Spanish Civil war and selections of her writing.
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The story takes place on January 24, 1943 the day after the death of her dear friend Alexander Woollcott.
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Dorothy comes to the lobby of the Algonquin Hotel to mourn his passing, and in doing so she encounters a group of gawkers (the audience) and begins to reminisce about her life.
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Carol Lempert is absolutely sensational in That Dorothy Parker
- Peter Filichia of Theatermania.com
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HISTORY OF PERFORMANCES
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Premiered at the Toronto Fringe, July 1998. (20 minute version)
- Carol received a tremendous amount of positive feedback and worked on expanding the show.
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Remounted at Canadian Stage - Toronto, May 1999. (60 minute version)
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Theatre Aquarius - Hamilton Ontario, January 2002 (60 minute version)
- Again, Carol continued to receive wonderful response to the show. She let it percolate until 2007 when she undertook a complete re-write and further expansion of the script.
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Plays in Progress, Artistic New Directions at the Bridge Theatre - New York, March 2008 (new 90 minute version)
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Summer Solo Series at SoHo Playhouse - New York, August 2009 (90 minute version)
"Lempert Delivers! "
- The Globe and Mail
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AWARDS
Awarded Emerging Artists Grant - Toronto Arts Council, 1999
Best Solo Drama Award San Francisco Fringe, 2000
Pick of the Fringe San Francisco Fringe, 2000
Outstanding Performer Award, Toronto's NOW Magazine, 2001
Nominated for a Canadian Comedy Award, 2001
Picked as Best of FringeNYC, 2008 - participated in FringeNYC Encore
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