Barrymore Play

Christopher Plummer admits to having been a little uneasy when John Barrymore's widow came to see his portrayal of her late husband in William Luce's play "Barrymore." "I laid it on with a trowel in the beginning and then relaxed," Plummer says of his performance that evening. But he needn't have worried. Elaine Barrymore came back a second time, shared with Plummer some private love letters from her husband "and said she closed her eyes and heard him.

It's only February, but the abysmal "50 First Dates" will be hard to beat as the worst movie of the year. It reteams Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore, a charming duo in "The Wedding Singer," but here either separately or together they're just dreadful. They don't seem to be acting but rather engaged in a contest as to see who can most consistently recite dialogue with a catch in his or her voice.

It's only February, but the abysmal "50 First Dates" will be hard to beat as the worst movie of the year. It reteams Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore, a charming duo in "The Wedding Singer," but here either separately or together they're just dreadful. They don't seem to be acting but rather engaged in a contest as to see who can most consistently recite dialogue with a catch in his or her voice.

Christopher Plummer admits to having been a little uneasy when John Barrymore's widow came to see his portrayal of her late husband in William Luce's play "Barrymore." "I laid it on with a trowel in the beginning and then relaxed," Plummer says of his performance that evening. But he needn't have worried. Elaine Barrymore came back a second time, shared with Plummer some private love letters from her husband "and said she closed her eyes and heard him.

Performances by the Royal Shakespeare Company, the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and singing hoofer Liza Minnelli highlight the Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts' eclectic third season, unveiled today by center officials. Shirley MacLaine will kick off the 1994-95 season on Sept. 16. Also among the 41 groups and performers coming to the center are Neville Marriner with the Academy of St.

The Royal Shakespeare Company, the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and singing hoofer Liza Minnelli highlight the Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts' eclectic third season, being announced today by center officials. Shirley MacLaine will kick off the 1994-1995 season on Sept. 16. Also among the 41 groups and performers coming to the center are concerts by Neville Marriner with the Academy of St.

"First you're young. Then you're old. Then you're wonderful. " - Alice Roosevelt Longworth STRATFORD, Canada - Christopher Plummer is in the wonderful phase of his career - and at 82 he's seizing the opportunity. In February, the six-decade veteran of 100-plus movies and uncounted opening nights on stage, vaulted back to the top of the heap while becoming the oldest actor to win an Oscar, for his compelling turn as an out-of-the-closet-at-life's-end character in the movie "Beginners.

On Sunday night's new, improved, three-hour Tony Award telecast, host Rosie O'Donnell described herself as "Broadway's biggest fan." But she was a subtle critic, too. She exclaimed over the number performed from the sensational revival of "Chicago," while remaining suspiciously tight-lipped over a song from "The Life," which featured actresses in grotesque get-ups playing angry but proud prostitutes. The Tony broadcast offered no major gaffs and few surprises.

Three out of three ain't bad. All three San Fernando Valley area finalists won $5,000 each last week in the Music Center's Spotlight Awards competition at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion. The high school students competed against one challenger each in their respective categories in a contest that aims to encourage professional careers in the performance arts.

It's not as if Sam Rockwell wasn't prepared. He had read game-show icon Chuck Barris' "unauthorized autobiography," "Confessions of a Dangerous Mind." He had gone over the script for the movie based on it a million times, it seemed. He watched old "Gong Show" tapes, including rehearsal tapes, to hone Barris' Philly accent and alternately authoritative and nebbishy mannerisms. Still, when it came time to shoot, the pressure was nerve-racking, Rockwell says.

According to playwright Paul Rudnick, it wasn't 40 years of nuclear brinkmanship that brought down the Berlin Wall. It was Vogue magazine. "Those people behind the Iron Curtain didn't want the vote," Rudnick said with characteristic insouciance. "They wanted Levi's, cappuccino bars, miniseries. There is some natural human yearning directed toward glitter and frivolity, and that's pretty healthy, if you ask me."