Ann Reinking - Working?

[BosBroad]

Posted: 8/5/10 at 4:47am

The thread about having dinner with certain theater personalities reminded me of Ann Reinking. I realized I haven't heard anything at all about her lately, which seems odd.

I know that she choreographed the LuPone / Patinkin show and did The Visit for Goodman and Signature. But, I haven't heard anything about her working anywhere lately. I wonder if that's by choice? Or not?

She also seems to be teaching less - she used to be so active with classes.

Anyone have any info?


Updated On: 8/5/10 at 04:47 AM

[DAME]

Posted: 8/5/10 at 4:08pm

Anyone???

[BosBroad]

Posted: 8/5/10 at 4:38pm

Hmmmm... curiouser and curiouser....

Somebody just told me Reinking completely pulled out of the Broadway Theater Project in FL that she founded and doesn't even teach there anymore. I thought that thing was her baby - and a huge success.

I wonder what's up....


Updated On: 8/5/10 at 04:38 PM

[BrodyFosse123]

Posted: 8/5/10 at 5:06pm

I heard she alternates nights with Donna Murphy over at the Olive Garden on Times Square.

[sondheimboy2]

Posted: 8/5/10 at 5:27pm

She was supposed to choreograph a production of "Time After Time" for Point Park University in Pittsburgh last season.

[wonderwaiter]

Posted: 8/5/10 at 5:33pm

Updated On: 8/6/10 at 05:33 PM

[DAME]

Posted: 8/5/10 at 5:56pm

I thought I had heard that there were some health issues with her son.

[BosBroad]

Posted: 8/5/10 at 6:09pm

She was supposed to choreograph a production of "Time After Time" for Point Park University in Pittsburgh last season.


Did she do it?
Updated On: 8/5/10 at 06:09 PM

[doombuggy25]

Posted: 8/5/10 at 7:18pm

There are health issues with her son. She left Broadway Theatre Project to Debra McWaters (associate choreographer on Chicago and Fosse), who also founded the project with her. She now runs Broadway Theatre Dance Project in New Mexico, where the climate/weather conditions are safer for her son. That's from the BTP mouth

[doombuggy25]

Posted: 8/5/10 at 7:19pm

http://www.btdw.org/feature.html

The link to her new summer camp

[BosBroad]

Posted: 8/5/10 at 9:39pm

^Thanks, Doombuggy, for the info and link. Interesting. I hope her son's okay.

I did some more specific googling after reading your post and found a link that says she produced a documentary about the condition her son has - I guess that's what she's mostly been doing.

http://www.marfan.org/marfan/4004/In-My-Hands-Documentary
(includes radio interview with Rosie O'Donnell at the bottom of the page, mostly regarding her documentary but also some Fosse stuff at the end)

There are some clips from the documentary on the same page - here's one of two girls learning a dance.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w74TLpAczTc

Thanks again for the info.



Updated On: 8/6/10 at 09:39 PM

[ghostlight2]

Posted: 8/5/10 at 9:47pm

I knew her son was challenged, but I didn't know he had Marfan syndrome. That's serious. It killed off-Broadway and soap actor Brent Collins, Joey Ramone and jonathan Larsen. My heart goes out to her.

[BosBroad]

Posted: 8/5/10 at 10:05pm

^
Honestly, I've never heard of it until now. That clip of the sisters is gut-wrenching.

From what Ann said in the Rosie interview, judging from the serious operations he's had, it would seem that he has a very severe form.

I also wish them the best, and I'm glad she can use her skills to increase awareness. It's actually a very brave thing to do, in many ways. I was struck how she talked about not wanting to "expose" herself for so long.


Updated On: 8/5/10 at 10:05 PM

[ghostlight2]

Posted: 8/5/10 at 10:24pm

I knew about it because of Brent, who was a dwarf. He was in many off-Broadway plays and was a regular at the time of his death on the soap Another World. One of the more dangerous things about Marfan syndrome is sudden growth spurts late in life. Brent was under five feet tall and over forty years old when he grew six inches in less than a year. It was too much for his heart, which failed him. With Larsen it manifested as an aneurysm. Not sure about Joey. People with Marfan rarely live past 50. This is very sad news. Bless her for raising awareness for it. Maybe it will help another sufferer.

[ljay889]

Posted: 8/5/10 at 10:27pm

This is all very sad and touching. What an amazing woman she is.

[matineeidol2013]

Posted: 8/5/10 at 10:29pm

Ann Reinking did work on "Time After Time" at Point Park in March.

Here are some video clips:

http://www.pittsburghplayhouse.com/OnStage/PhotoVideoGallery/VideoGallery/TimeAfterTimeVideos

[BosBroad]

Posted: 8/5/10 at 10:57pm

^ thanks, but I'm confused.

Gabriel Barre is listed as Dir / Choreographer in the videos at your link. Also skimmed the reviews there and didn't see any mention of Ann Reinking (could have missed something, since I was going quickly). Doesn't seem she worked on it, even though she was announced.

Regardless ...

I hope we get to see more Ann Reinking work soon. Loved the last thing I saw at Ballet Hispanico. Wouldn't mind more of that. :)



Updated On: 8/5/10 at 10:57 PM

[Eris0303]

Posted: 8/6/10 at 12:27am

was a regular at the time of his death on the soap Another World.

I remember him. He played Wally. They did a bit of a tribute to him on the finale episode.

[BosBroad]

Posted: 8/6/10 at 1:42am

Now that I know about Marfans, I've followed some links to try to find out more.

This blog in The Atlantic talks about the documentary and Ann Reinking's association with it.

http://www.theatlantic.com/culture/archive/2010/04/in-my-hands-a-film-about-life-with-marfan-syndrome/39511/

[ghostlight2]

Posted: 8/6/10 at 3:21pm

"[Brent Collins] was a regular at the time of his death on the soap Another World."

"I remember him. He played Wally. They did a bit of a tribute to him on the finale episode. "

That's Wallingford, thank you Yes, that tribute was very sweet. He had gone onto another world as a one-off bad guy (aren't all dwarves evil?) but he was so popular that they kept him for many more years, and he was a much-beloved character (yes, he turned good, it was a soap, what do you want?).

Thanks for remembering him. I did several off-broadway shows with Brent. He was also a playwright. A wise and good man, and I miss him to this day. He lived well and travelled often, so it is possible for a Marfan sufferer to work and live, if not long lives, then at least good ones.

Thanks for posting this info. There is not enough awareness about this syndrome, and I'm glad that Ms Reinking finally feels comfortable with letting this information out. All my best to her and her son.
Updated On: 8/6/10 at 03:21 PM

[backwoodsbarbie]

Posted: 8/6/10 at 3:35pm

Thanks for the updates on Ann. Best wishes to her family.

Side note...when I saw this thread I thought it meant Ann Reinking was in a production or choreographing a production of "Working".

[BosBroad]

Posted: 8/6/10 at 6:10pm

ghostlight2, thanks for sharing your memories and thoughts. Your description of Brent makes it clear that he really lived - took a sad situation and made it better. There's a lesson in that and it's wonderful that he left such a legacy.

backwoodsbarbie - that hadn't even occurred to me! Very funny -sorry!

Now, to brighten things up, I leave this little clip from the LuPone - Patinkin concert, choreographed by Ann Reinking. Cute little "dance," and as usual, Patti knows how to get a laugh.


Patti LuPone & Mandy Patinkin - Updated On: 8/6/10 at 06:10 PM

[mar97]

Posted: 8/6/10 at 8:34pm

She definitely did NOT work on TIME AFTER TIME in Pittsburgh this past February/March. She had to pull out for personal reasons.

[BosBroad]

Posted: 8/6/10 at 9:15pm

^
Thanks. That's what I thought. I hope things improve for her soon.

[Eris0303]

Posted: 8/6/10 at 11:04pm

That's Wallingford, thank you Yes, that tribute was very sweet. He had gone onto another world as a one-off bad guy (aren't all dwarves evil?) but he was so popular that they kept him for many more years, and he was a much-beloved character (yes, he turned good, it was a soap, what do you want?).

Thanks for remembering him. I did several off-broadway shows with Brent. He was also a playwright. A wise and good man, and I miss him to this day. He lived well and travelled often, so it is possible for a Marfan sufferer to work and live, if not long lives, then at least good ones.

I only remember him vaguely. I was very young when he was on the show. Another World was my mother's soap opera so we grew up watching it.