E6
Television
HBO’S ‘TREME’
Actor John Goodman, embodying New Orleans feistiness
by Tina Dirmann
new orleans — John Good-
man isn’t the kind of actor who revels in the media spotlight. His default conversation is self-depre- cating, his words tumbling forth in a low grumble that makes him all at once difficult to hear and cur- mudgeonly charming.
But mention one of his most be- loved topics and his voice booms
with clarity. “For so many reasons, it has just never been an over- achiever,” he says. He’s speaking of New Orleans, the adopted city he’s called home for more than a decade. “Or even an achiever,” he adds. “But all that indifference, corruption and greed came to a head during and after Katrina. And we can’t just tread water anymore.” And for the first time in a long time, momentum is building in his
BSO AT STRATHMORE
April 15
Spanish conductor Juanjo Mena lights up the night in this spirited program with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra. A masterful violin concerto by blind composer Rodrigo evokes the atmosphere and rhythms of a sultry Spanish summer, Respighi’s
Ancient Airs and Dances III explores Italian Renaissance dance
motifs and Nielsen’s Symphony No. 4, “The Inextinguishable,” celebrates the indomitable human spirit.
Presenting Sponsor: DLA Piper Supporting Sponsor: RBC Wealth Management
WORLD PREMIERE! April 17 - 25
Boxer Joe Louis, “The Brown Bomber,” became an American hero in an era when a black idolwas unthinkable, but when the bell has rung and the gloves are off, howis a hero remembered? Knocking out traditional concepts of the genre,
April 22
Feel the groove as the BSO SuperPops and Maestro Damon Gupton play the cool sounds of Motown, along with one of today’s hottest and most talented vocal groups, Spectrum.
Presenting Sponsor: Vocus
BSOmusic.org | 1.877.BSO.1444
Shadowboxer is a uniquely visual, jazz-infused opera.
KAY THEATRE TICKETS: $32
Join us after the April 18 and 25 performances for a Talk Back with the artists.
WWW.SHADOWBOXER.UMD.EDU
UMSchool of Music MarylandOpera Studio
city. There’s a new mayor. This sea- son’s Mardi Gras brought the big- gest crowds since before Hurri- cane Katrina, local authorities es- timate. And, of course, the New Orleans Saints won the Super Bowl, the first time in the team’s 43-year history. “There’s just a good spirit in the
air,” Goodman says, flashing a rare smile. “This is the most optimistic I’ve felt since I’ve lived here. Be- lieve me, I wouldn’t have said that
a few months ago.” And yet, Goodman co-stars in
the new HBO series “Treme,” which forces him to look back — with no small amount of anger — at the worst moment in the city’s history. Named after a working- class neighborhood, the gritty dra- ma, which premieres Sunday, fo- cuses on the lives of local musi- cians just three months after Hur- ricane Katrina devastated the city. Created by David Simon and Eric
Overmyer, who worked together as writers on “Homicide: Life on the Street” and again on Simon’s crit- ically acclaimed series “The Wire,” the show is already gaining posi- tive chatter. Goodman, however, acknowl-
edges early jitters. He doesn’t want the show, which marks his most recent return to series television after “Roseanne” ended 13 years ago, to be a buzz kill for locals. “Remember, I have to live here,”
jokes Goodman, who was working in Los Angeles during Katrina and suffered minor personal losses. “We were lucky.” It was after his turn as Dan Conner on the hit ABC series that he decid- ed to move permanently to New Orleans, a base from which he contin- ued to act, mostly in film. In part, the relocation was motivated by a de- sire to escape the tabloid journalists of Los Ange- les, but it was also to get a handle on a drinking problem that has plagued him most of his life. (He’s been sober now for nearly three years, he says.) And today, he’s mindful how a
Goodman
add-on, with the feisty professor created after Simon and Overmyer had their main characters in place. “But after we looked at the origi- nal constellation for the pilot,” Overmyer says, “we realized we needed another character. And we needed that person to be a Tulane professor and a sort of commenta- tor for the city. And the first person we thought of was John.” That’s because Goodman, like his character, understood the out- rage pouring out of locals living in Katrina’s wake. “Not only is John an incredibly complicated and subtle actor,” says Over- myer, “but he lives in New Orleans. . . . He feels passionately about this city, and its problems, the way we do.” Overmyer mentions one soliloquy that he wrote for Goodman’s character, who rails against everyone, includ- ing the Army Corps of
fictional series, set amid the real- life tragedy, might not be wel- comed by those just feeling strong enough to put hopelessness be- hind them. “I don’t want it to be seen as we’re whining and raining on people’s parade. It’s a part of our history. A painful part. But if it’s done right, it can show where we are coming from now. Why we have so much to celebrate. And it can show where we can still go.” In fact, Goodman suffers a little
Where it’s more than a great performance
301.405.ARTS (2787)
angst every time he reads over the next week’s script. “There’s still something in me,” he says, point- ing toward his chest, “that just doesn’t want to deal with what this character is going through.” The 57-year-old actor plays Creighton Bernette, a New Or- leans transplant who moved here “with a romanticized ideal of what New Orleans could be,” Goodman says. Bernette is a Tulane profes- sor, rumored to be based on the ed- ucator and colorful personality Ashley Morris, who died recently. The character was actually a late
Engineers and the federal govern- ment. “And after we ran through that speech once,” he says, “John came over to me and he said, ‘I’ve thought this so many times.’ We were in sync. And I couldn’t think of anyone else playing this role.” Because he wasn’t born in Loui- siana, Goodman swore off at- tempting a Louisiana accent for the role, knowing the verbal beat- ing Dennis Quaid took in 1986 af- ter his caricature-like stab at a Ca- jun accent in “The Big Easy.” And Goodman still cringes at his own effort in a 1995 CBS version of “A Streetcar Named Desire.” “I didn’t even read what the crit-
ics said,” he says. “They were prob- ably right. I stunk.” But it’s not just the city’s accent
that seems hard for TV and movie folks to capture on film. There’s an elusive sultriness to New Orleans that Goodman says is hard to de- fine, but it’s palpable the moment you arrive. And he has faith that “Treme” will come the closest to getting it right so far, particularly because of its focus on musicians. “They are the heartbeat of this city.”
style@washpost.com
Dirmann is a freelance writer.
BD
KLMNO
SUNDAY, APRIL 11, 2010
BALTIMORE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA AT STRATHMORE
Life is Better
with Music
MARIN ALSOP | MUSIC DIRECTOR
STEFAN JACKIW
MIDORI
EMANUEL AX
Up-and-coming artists, scintillating repertoire, imaginative BSO programming and concerts featuring the always informative and engaging Marin Alsop. The 2010-2011 season explores the early works by legendary composers that are now regarded as masterpieces, introduces accomplished young artists who are destined to become leading stars and celebrates 100 years of Gustav Mahler. Join the BSO in a journey across the centuries and an exploration of the joys of shared musical adventure.
2010–2011 Season Subscriptions on Sale Now
BSOmusic.org/subscribe | 1.877.BSO.1444
KAREN GOMYO
JUDY COLLINS
Subscribe Today!
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112 |
Page 113 |
Page 114 |
Page 115 |
Page 116 |
Page 117 |
Page 118 |
Page 119 |
Page 120 |
Page 121 |
Page 122 |
Page 123 |
Page 124 |
Page 125 |
Page 126 |
Page 127 |
Page 128 |
Page 129 |
Page 130 |
Page 131 |
Page 132 |
Page 133 |
Page 134 |
Page 135 |
Page 136 |
Page 137 |
Page 138 |
Page 139 |
Page 140 |
Page 141 |
Page 142 |
Page 143 |
Page 144 |
Page 145 |
Page 146 |
Page 147 |
Page 148 |
Page 149 |
Page 150 |
Page 151 |
Page 152 |
Page 153 |
Page 154 |
Page 155 |
Page 156 |
Page 157 |
Page 158 |
Page 159 |
Page 160 |
Page 161 |
Page 162 |
Page 163 |
Page 164 |
Page 165 |
Page 166 |
Page 167 |
Page 168 |
Page 169 |
Page 170 |
Page 171 |
Page 172 |
Page 173 |
Page 174 |
Page 175 |
Page 176 |
Page 177 |
Page 178 |
Page 179 |
Page 180 |
Page 181 |
Page 182 |
Page 183 |
Page 184