September 02, 2009
An Evening with Curb Your Enthusiasm
A great night ensued when Larry David, the cast and creative team behind HBO hit Curb Your Enthusiam came to Goldenson Theatre. Story and pics.
The air was blue and the laughs were red-hot when the cast and creative team of Curb Your Enthusiasm took the stage at the Leonard H. Goldenson Theatre for a behind-the-scenes look at HBO’s innovative, irreverent hit.
Held November 9 before a waitlist-required crowd, “An Evening with Curb Your Enthusiasm” was as freewheeling and f-word-full as the series itself, thanks to the nonstop repartee among panelists: Larry David, the show’s creator and star; castmates Jeff Garlin, Cheryl Hines, Susie Essman, Richard Lewis and Shelley Berman; and executive producer–directors Robert B. Weide and Larry Charles. Dan Snierson, senior writer at Entertainment Weekly, moderated.
David, who cemented his place in television history as co-creator of Seinfeld, decided for Curb to nix a script in favor of a detailed outline and cast improvisation.
As he explained, “I took an acting class at one time, and I remember memorizing lines and not listening to the other actors. I just wanted to talk, but I couldn’t. Another time I took an improv class, and that was fun because I could talk any time I wanted to. I liked that.” Hines mentioned that her improv background with the Groundlings has served her well.
“If I didn’t have that training, I probably would have been intimidated to even audition," Hines said. "It’s a really fun process — you don’t even have to do anything but drive to the set.”
Garlin said he had started his career with the Second City troupe, which was co-founded by Berman. “It’s always fresh,” Berman observed of Curb, “even if you do it again and again. What you’re seeing is incredibly funny.”
So funny, in fact, that David — whom the cast said laughs more than anyone — has caused some consternation with all the retakes his breaking-up requires.
Doing a scene with Seinfeld alum Jason Alexander, Weide recalled, “Larry cracked up. It was a daylight scene, but we were losing the light."
"If you look at the windows [in the final show], it’s light, it’s dark, it’s light, it’s dark." Weide explained. "If I’m directing, I want to put a [sign] up: ‘Not my fault, not my fault.’”
Some of the actors would like to know more about the storylines before filming, while others prefer not to. And some would like to know during filming. “I’ll say [to a castmate], ‘Do you have any idea what this scene is about?’” Garlin said with a chuckle. “I have no idea.”
With David adamant about keeping the cast in the dark, his old friend Lewis has been known to sneak a peek at the outline. “He cheats,” David said. “I can always tell.”
Occasionally David will write a specific scene, Hines revealed. “When that happens, you perform it 1,000 times.”
The actors have helped develop their characters. Essman, for instance, decided that her character has a fondness for alliteration and gave the Academy audience a spirited — and unprintable — demonstration involving words beginning with f and c. “Susie has a foul, foul mouth,” she said, as if anyone were in doubt.
David believes that his television persona is closer to the Larry he was in his twenties than the Larry of today. “I really like that guy,” he said. “He’s very honest. He doesn’t have the social constraints that handcuff the rest of us.”
According to Charles, “What Larry has illustrated is the thin line between genius and madness. He’d be doing this wherever he was, whether he was a street person or on stage. Success is not that important — it’s the doing.”
Amid the laughs, the actors expressed their appreciation to David for the Enthusiasm experience. As Lewis said, “He has allowed everyone to be as authentic as we can be. This is one of the most surreal, greatest situations an actor can be in. I’ve never been more grateful.”
And David himself was gratified by the Academy evening, particularly the chance it afforded to watch an episode (“The Ski Lift,” which aired November 20) with so many others. “This was great,” he said. “I’m really glad we did it.”
The evening, which was captured by a live webcast at www.emmys.com, was produced by Rocci Chatfield and Barbara Wellner. Robert O’Donnell is director of activities for the Academy.
Held November 9 before a waitlist-required crowd, “An Evening with Curb Your Enthusiasm” was as freewheeling and f-word-full as the series itself, thanks to the nonstop repartee among panelists: Larry David, the show’s creator and star; castmates Jeff Garlin, Cheryl Hines, Susie Essman, Richard Lewis and Shelley Berman; and executive producer–directors Robert B. Weide and Larry Charles. Dan Snierson, senior writer at Entertainment Weekly, moderated.
David, who cemented his place in television history as co-creator of Seinfeld, decided for Curb to nix a script in favor of a detailed outline and cast improvisation.
As he explained, “I took an acting class at one time, and I remember memorizing lines and not listening to the other actors. I just wanted to talk, but I couldn’t. Another time I took an improv class, and that was fun because I could talk any time I wanted to. I liked that.” Hines mentioned that her improv background with the Groundlings has served her well.
“If I didn’t have that training, I probably would have been intimidated to even audition," Hines said. "It’s a really fun process — you don’t even have to do anything but drive to the set.”
Garlin said he had started his career with the Second City troupe, which was co-founded by Berman. “It’s always fresh,” Berman observed of Curb, “even if you do it again and again. What you’re seeing is incredibly funny.”
So funny, in fact, that David — whom the cast said laughs more than anyone — has caused some consternation with all the retakes his breaking-up requires.
Doing a scene with Seinfeld alum Jason Alexander, Weide recalled, “Larry cracked up. It was a daylight scene, but we were losing the light."
"If you look at the windows [in the final show], it’s light, it’s dark, it’s light, it’s dark." Weide explained. "If I’m directing, I want to put a [sign] up: ‘Not my fault, not my fault.’”
Some of the actors would like to know more about the storylines before filming, while others prefer not to. And some would like to know during filming. “I’ll say [to a castmate], ‘Do you have any idea what this scene is about?’” Garlin said with a chuckle. “I have no idea.”
With David adamant about keeping the cast in the dark, his old friend Lewis has been known to sneak a peek at the outline. “He cheats,” David said. “I can always tell.”
Occasionally David will write a specific scene, Hines revealed. “When that happens, you perform it 1,000 times.”
The actors have helped develop their characters. Essman, for instance, decided that her character has a fondness for alliteration and gave the Academy audience a spirited — and unprintable — demonstration involving words beginning with f and c. “Susie has a foul, foul mouth,” she said, as if anyone were in doubt.
David believes that his television persona is closer to the Larry he was in his twenties than the Larry of today. “I really like that guy,” he said. “He’s very honest. He doesn’t have the social constraints that handcuff the rest of us.”
According to Charles, “What Larry has illustrated is the thin line between genius and madness. He’d be doing this wherever he was, whether he was a street person or on stage. Success is not that important — it’s the doing.”
Amid the laughs, the actors expressed their appreciation to David for the Enthusiasm experience. As Lewis said, “He has allowed everyone to be as authentic as we can be. This is one of the most surreal, greatest situations an actor can be in. I’ve never been more grateful.”
And David himself was gratified by the Academy evening, particularly the chance it afforded to watch an episode (“The Ski Lift,” which aired November 20) with so many others. “This was great,” he said. “I’m really glad we did it.”
The evening, which was captured by a live webcast at www.emmys.com, was produced by Rocci Chatfield and Barbara Wellner. Robert O’Donnell is director of activities for the Academy.