Supporting The Arts

It seems that my brain-wave transmissions are finally getting through to the appropriate powers-that-be in Hollywood, on Broadway and in the Bay Area theatrical community.

I first realized this might be true in October of last year when I heard, straight from the mouth of the latter-day Brendan Behan himself, that Johnny Depp would be starring in and producing a film adaptation of J.P. Donleavy's The Ginger Man. You can't believe everything that falls from the lips of an Irishman with a glass of whiskey in his hand, but further research bore out the gist of his story.

It appears that though the novel squeaked into the Top 100 Modern Novels as ranked by Random House several years back, there has never been a successful film adaptation. That may still be the case as, for the most part, the Internet has been strangely silent on the details of the current project, leading one to believe it might be in jeopardy.

Then I heard from my friend Boris in New York that the footlights in the Booth Theatre on Broadway will soon shine on a theatrical production of Joan Didion's 'The Year of Magical Thinking'. A astonishingly frank and genuine account of the author's struggle with the sudden and unexpected loss of the love of her life and the near-loss of her only daughter (she would recover briefly and then succumb to acute pancreatis) is one of the literary highlights of the past decade. As a hard-core Didion devotee, I have my doubts about this one, despite the fact that Joan herself penned the script. I'm just not sure that Vanessa Redgrave, or anyone for that matter, can pull off a convincing portrayal of the singular Ms. Didion.

Finally, I stumbled across a gallery opening in Beverly Hills last week showcasing some of Hunter S. Thompson's photography. Largely self-portraits and intimate shots of his first wife and son in the picturesque landscapes in which they have lived over the years, the exhibit also included some candid shots of the Hell's Angels, as well as the infamous self-portrait of Hunter after suffering a savage beating at the hands of the biker gang. The opening was packed with beautiful people and also drew Fear and Loathing bit player Harry Dean Stanton. This must have been a portent, because days later, back in San Francisco, I happened to see a flyer for a local theater production of a play called Gonzo celebrating the life and times of the Good Doctor.

What with the upcoming film version of Bret Easton Ellis' Glamorama, it looks like a good year for the boss and arts appreciation. So with a nod to a couple of my friends in the film industry, I say bravo to 2007, the year of the shrewd producer!