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Actress Camryn
Manheim walks the runway at the Heart Truth Red Dress Collection 2008
fashion show during Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Fall 2008 at Bryant Park
February 1, 2008 in New York City.
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...[Camryn]
is heartbreaking when the Nurse reveals her pained devotion
while lying to Juliet about the benefits of forsaking Romeo to
marry
Paris. |
Lauren
Ambrose and Oscar Isaac star as the star-crossed lovers in the
Shakespeare in the Park
production of 'Romeo & Juliet.' |
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| Lauren Ambrose plays Juliet on a watery stage Verona in Central Park. |
Public
Theater's Starry Romeo and Juliet Begins
Previews June 6 at the Delacorte
Previews June 6 at the Delacorte
Manheim envisions a bawdierElizabethan Nurse
Shakespeare in the Park lures TV star to supporting role in 'Romeo and Juliet'
Friday, June 01, 2007
by MICHAEL SOMMER
Romeo and Juliet
Where: Delacorte Theater in Central Park, New York. The closest entrance point on the West Side is 81st Street at Central Park West. Handiest subway from Penn Station and Port Authority is the uptown C train to 81st Street stop.
When: Tuesday through July 8. 8 p.m. Tuesdays-Sundays
How much: Free. Tickets (two per person) are available on the day of the performance at the Delacorte Theater beginning at 1 p.m. or at the Public Theater, 425 Lafayette St., from 1-3 p.m. Call (212) 539-8750 or visit www.publictheater.org.What else: Ticket lines often form before 9 a.m. Last-minute cancellations before show time occasionally become available. Advisable to pack a portable umbrella and a sweater.
NEW YORK -- "There's just nothing like the audiences in Central Park because everybody really wants to be there," declares Camryn Manheim. "They come with love in their hearts, wanting the show to be good."
A dozen years ago, before Manheim became a familiar TV face thanks to "The Practice," she appeared in the outdoor Delacorte Theater staging of the comical "The Two Gentlemen of Verona," depicting a sharp-tongued lady-in-waiting.
" It was the best summer I ever had," remembers Manheim.
Now the Emmy Award winner portrays another servant -- the Nurse to Lauren Ambrose's Juliet -- in the Public Theater's free Shakespeare in the Park production of "Romeo and Juliet" at the Delacorte. Performances begin Tuesday and run into early July.
Hanging out in the Public Theater lobby before a run-through rehearsal, Manheim is a frank, friendly individual who believes the show is bound to be popular. "Everybody knows the story of Romeo and Juliet," observes Manheim. But this time everybody should expect a different sort of Nurse than the prune-faced biddy usually hovering about the teen heroine.
" Traditionally, the Nurse has been a little older, jollier and wiser than the way I'm doing it," says Manheim, aiming for a "salt-of-the-earth" portrait. "My tagline is: She smokes, she drinks, she fights, she (unprintable)."
Manheim envisions the Nurse as a joyful soul who's a mite anxious the Capulets might dismiss her now that Juliet's grown up. "She's looking forward to Juliet getting married and having babies so Juliet will need her to take care of them," says Manheim. "I also think she's really interested in Juliet experiencing how wonderful sex is -- she doesn't care whether it's with Romeo or Paris -- so let's get you married off so you can get some."
Director Michael Greif has trimmed the text and staged it "with one foot in the contemporary and the other in the old world," notes Manheim, who'll be garbed in the latter mode. "Honey, you don't have my kind of figure and not go into Elizabethan bodices," says the voluptuous actress, laughing.
"For me, the biggest challenge is to convey the story given that the language I'm using is not what everyone today is familiar with," says Manheim, who owns a master's degree from New York University and includes classical plays among her credits. "The words themselves will not entirely tell the story without my helping them along with emotions, intensity and gestures."
Former "Six Feet Under" ingenue Lauren Ambrose proves to be a natural at it, notes Manheim. "Lauren has this incredible ability to make the words sound like today's speak," remarks Manheim with a touch of envy. "It's as if she's saying the words for the first time out of her mouth."
Both of them will navigate an al fresco setting dominated by a large, shallow pool and a movable bridge. Manheim anticipates mishaps with relish.
" Part of the fun about acting in the park is so much can go wrong. There'll be rain and people slipping and body mikes getting wet," she says, imitating the zaps of electrocutions. "Anyway, it'll keep us on our toes and I think the audience loves to see how actors deal with adversity."
A single mom, Manheim sometimes brings her 6-year-old son Milo to rehearsals. Fight director Rick Sordelet invited the boy into a practice session, putting him in charge of handing out swords to the actors. "You should have seen his little chest swell up with pride," says Manheim fondly. "He's a groovy dude."
Once an avid motorcyclist, Manheim traded her chopper for a bicycle when Milo was born. "I'm being more responsible now that I've got a kid," she explains. Born in Essex Fells, but raised in the Midwest, Manheim maintains her old East Village apartment, although she and Milo primarily reside in Venice Beach, Calif.
Two days after "Romeo and Juliet" closes, Manheim will be back in Los Angeles to begin filming the third season's episodes for the CBS-TV series "The Ghost Whisperer," in which she depicts the other-worldly heroine's chum.
" Jennifer Love Hewitt does all the work, and I just stand around and look pretty," says Manheim, promising to return soon to New York's stages.
GOOD NIGHT, NURSE
By: Brian Scott Lipton
Shakespeare in the Park is one of the summer's biggest treats -- not just for audiences, but for actors as well. So says Camryn Manheim, who's returning to the Delacorte Theatre for the first time in 13 years to play the Nurse in Michael Greif's staging of Romeo and Juliet, beginning June 5. "Doing Two Gentlemen of Verona in the park was the most fantastic summer I ever spent in New York," she remarks. "Now I know how to deal with 2,000 people, planes overhead, and lots of rain. But since I've spent the last 10 years working in television [starring in The Practice and Ghost Whisperer], I am a little concerned that if a cell phone goes off during the show, I may just yell 'cut.'"
Manheim says that her performance will differ from some of her celebrated predecessors -- in part because, at 46, she's a bit more age-appropriate for the role. "It never made sense to cast her so much older; she would've had to be of childbearing age when Juliet was born," she notes. "But what I really bring to the table is what I do best, which is being brassy." She also brought food to the table, literally: "I couldn't stand the idea of all these kids not having a craft table, so I went out to Costco and bought hundreds of dollars in snacks. I guess I am the nurse in more ways than one."
The Emmy Award-winning actress is particularly excited that Juliet is being played by her friend and fellow television star Lauren Ambrose (of Six Feet Under fame). "Her language skills are so phenomenal that these words just sound contemporary coming from her mouth. She's really quite astonishing," says Manheim. "It's a thrill to be on stage with 29 talented people who are working towards the same end."
An Off-Broadway stalwart in the early '90s, Manheim is beyond happy to be back in her old apartment on the Lower East Side; but, the day after the show closes, she's jetting back to L.A. to resume production on Ghost Whisperer, in which she plays Delia. "It's exactly what I need as a single mom [her son, Milo, is six years old], since they're respectful if I need to take time off," she notes. "It's also been interesting that the show has really struck a chord with people. I think anything that helps people grieve or mourn their loved ones is useful. I loved doing The Practice -- it combined perfectly with my interest in fighting the death penalty and working with the ACLU -- but I don't think it offered much comfort to anyone."
By: Brian Scott Lipton
Shakespeare in the Park is one of the summer's biggest treats -- not just for audiences, but for actors as well. So says Camryn Manheim, who's returning to the Delacorte Theatre for the first time in 13 years to play the Nurse in Michael Greif's staging of Romeo and Juliet, beginning June 5. "Doing Two Gentlemen of Verona in the park was the most fantastic summer I ever spent in New York," she remarks. "Now I know how to deal with 2,000 people, planes overhead, and lots of rain. But since I've spent the last 10 years working in television [starring in The Practice and Ghost Whisperer], I am a little concerned that if a cell phone goes off during the show, I may just yell 'cut.'"
Manheim says that her performance will differ from some of her celebrated predecessors -- in part because, at 46, she's a bit more age-appropriate for the role. "It never made sense to cast her so much older; she would've had to be of childbearing age when Juliet was born," she notes. "But what I really bring to the table is what I do best, which is being brassy." She also brought food to the table, literally: "I couldn't stand the idea of all these kids not having a craft table, so I went out to Costco and bought hundreds of dollars in snacks. I guess I am the nurse in more ways than one."
The Emmy Award-winning actress is particularly excited that Juliet is being played by her friend and fellow television star Lauren Ambrose (of Six Feet Under fame). "Her language skills are so phenomenal that these words just sound contemporary coming from her mouth. She's really quite astonishing," says Manheim. "It's a thrill to be on stage with 29 talented people who are working towards the same end."
An Off-Broadway stalwart in the early '90s, Manheim is beyond happy to be back in her old apartment on the Lower East Side; but, the day after the show closes, she's jetting back to L.A. to resume production on Ghost Whisperer, in which she plays Delia. "It's exactly what I need as a single mom [her son, Milo, is six years old], since they're respectful if I need to take time off," she notes. "It's also been interesting that the show has really struck a chord with people. I think anything that helps people grieve or mourn their loved ones is useful. I loved doing The Practice -- it combined perfectly with my interest in fighting the death penalty and working with the ACLU -- but I don't think it offered much comfort to anyone."
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Christian
Slater, Stella Arroyave, Fionnula Flanagan (seated)
Anthony Hopkins, Lisa Pepper and Camryn Manheim
2007 Sundance Film Festival - "Slipstream" Portraits
Anthony Hopkins, Lisa Pepper and Camryn Manheim
2007 Sundance Film Festival - "Slipstream" Portraits
The
8th Annual Family Television Awards. Dec. 12, 2006.
IN
PRODUCTION:
"Slipstream" (2007)
Written and directed by Sir Anthony Hopkins
Written and directed by Sir Anthony Hopkins
2006
Crystal and Lucy Awards, with Maria Bello - June 06, 2006
2006
Crystal and Lucy Awards - June 06, 2006
"American
Idol" Season 5, Finale Show - May 24, 2006
with Deirdre Lovejoy
with Deirdre Lovejoy
"American Idol" Season 5 - Performance Show - April 11, 2006
Lisa Rinna, Randy Jackson
Lisa Rinna, Randy Jackson
Gil Cates • Geffen Playhouse Presents "All My Sons" - April 19th, 2006
Eli Roth and Barbara Nedeljakova
Sony Pictures Entertainment Celebrates Director Eli Roth's Birthday
and the DVD Launch of His Film "Hostel"
Sony Pictures Entertainment Celebrates Director Eli Roth's Birthday
and the DVD Launch of His Film "Hostel"
No
Available on DVD! Visit
the Official Website!
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World
Poker Tour Invitational® • 02/22/06 • Richard Kind, Kathy Griffin
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63rd
Annual Golden Globes • Red Carpet Arrival 1/16/06 |
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63rd
Annual Golden Globes • Red Carpet Arrival 1/16/06 •
Tony Kushner |
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InStyle
& Warner Bros. After Party • 1/16/06 Robert Patrick, Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Esposito |
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InStyle & Warner
Bros. After Party • 1/16/06 Jamie Foxx • And the Weinstein Co.,/Glamour After Party |
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Blair
Underwood, Diane Lane, Elizabeth Perkins, Nia Vardalos,
Camryn Manheim and Maria Bello, Santa Monica, California 12/31/05
Camryn Manheim and Maria Bello, Santa Monica, California 12/31/05
New Year's Resolution for Peace and Justice
For more photos and info visit http://resolution4peace.com
Every holiday season we wish each other peace on earth. And
as the New Year creeps in we sometimes even make a resolution
or two. This year let's do something small and personal to remind
ourselves that peace is not just a word relegated to Hallmark
cards. Let's make a resolution that this New Year, the one
coming up right now, will be one of peace and justice.
For more photos and info visit http://resolution4peace.com
Every holiday season we wish each other peace on earth. And
as the New Year creeps in we sometimes even make a resolution
or two. This year let's do something small and personal to remind
ourselves that peace is not just a word relegated to Hallmark
cards. Let's make a resolution that this New Year, the one
coming up right now, will be one of peace and justice.
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'2006
Resolution for Peace' held in Santa Monica, California 12/31/05.
Camryn and Valerie Harper. |
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Janet Shaw, Camryn Manheim, Milo, Aaron Drozin and Chloe
Shaw
Los Angeles Mission's Christmas Meal For The Homeless - 12/23/05
Los Angeles Mission's Christmas Meal For The Homeless - 12/23/05
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Co-stars,
Morgan Freeman, Camryn Manheim and Becca Gardner in
New York, Wednesday, Sept 7, 2005 |
From
left to right, Jennifer Lopez talks to her co-stars, Morgan Freeman,
15 year old Becca Gardner and Camryn Manheim during the arrivals
at the premiere of their film titled "An Unfinished Life", in New
York, Wednesday, Sept 7, 2005. |
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