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    The CultureMap Interview

    Jennifer Egan's new novel has special meaning in Harvey aftermath as Inprint ensures reading will go on

    Tarra Gaines
    Nov 3, 2017 | 11:31 am

    See if this description feels familiar: Once there was a city of good people facing tumultuous change and besieged by outside chaos they couldn't control, yet they continued to live, strive and create. Could be a number of U.S cities today, especially Houston, right? But instead I’m describing the World War II era, 1940s New York depicted in Pulitzer Prize-winning author, Jennifer Egan’s new novel Manhattan Beach.

     

    Though it was only published last month, the book was earlier long-listed for the National Book Award, and now Houston bibliophiles have a chance to get an up close personal reading as Egan comes to town for the November 6 Inprint Margarett Root Brown Reading Series at Rice University’s Stude Concert Hall. I recently had a chance to speak with Egan about her latest work and why her Houston visit has such meaning for her.

     

    While the event, which also features acclaimed author Claire Messud, will occur on its scheduled date, the reading was originally planned for the Wortham Center. Inprint, like so many arts organizations who present in the Theater District, had to valiantly scramble for an alternate venue to make certain the reading would go on. Manhattan Beach seems quite the appropriate novel for this post-Harvey move as the power of water and the way humans can grow stronger during great upheavals are integral themes of the book.

     

     An Era of Change

     

    Taking place in the mid-1930s and then later during World War II, Manhattan Beach weaves together the story of three main characters, Anna Kerrigan, her father Eddie, and night club owner/gentleman mobster, Dexter Styles. Anna’s quest to become the first woman diver in the Brooklyn Navy Yard is one of the novel’s main plots, but the many other narrative currents bring a myriad of rich characters and stories ashore on Manhattan Beach.

     

    Though Egan set Manhattan Beach during the war years because she thought it a fun time to explore in her imagination, she came to see later that how 21st century America and New York survived but changed during tragedies like 9/11 and super storm Sandy had fueled her writerly urge to depict an earlier time period of great transformation.

     

    “I felt explicitly interested in American power and the time when it amassed for the first time, American global power as we know it,” she explained. “9/11 felt like such a clear event in the trajectory of that power. The ultimate meaning of that of that event I think we’re still figuring out, and, of course, it was also a response to that power. It led me to think about the roots of all that.”

     

     A Sea of Contradictions

     

    Unlike Egan’s Pulitzer Prize-winning last novel, A Visit from the Goon Squad, Manhattan Beach contains a fairly traditional structure. The novel does, however, blend genres, immersing mob noir, a life at sea tale, a poignant narrative of father/daughter relationships and a framing wartime story with Anna its stubborn, complex hero. Yet all these genres flow together to create a great sea of a book.

     

    “I want any work of art that I create to be as many things as it can comfortably be. The idea of something just being a father daughter story, my first reaction would be: How boring,” Egan says with a laugh.

     

    In fact, as she got deeper into the writing, Egan consciously worked to create characters and stories of contradictions.

     

    “My idea of perfection is when I can manage two seemingly irreconcilable things at the same time,” she describes. “If something can be a sea story and a mob noir, and a domestic story but also an urban city story and a wonky technically story and a powerful human story, that’s what I like. I like it to be as many things at once. If I have a formula that would be it.”

     

    For all its contradictory co-existing stories, the novel has a cinematic quality to it, so it’s perhaps not surprising that Scott Rudin Productions purchased the film rights. Egan seems quite elated at the prospects.

     

    “I’m really happy because this is the most cinematic book I’ve ever written and probably that I ever will write. It would be really fun. Scott Rubin does amazing work. They’re such a high quality company, so I’m excited that they’re sort of turning their attention to this project.”

     

     A Meaningful Visit

     

    When artists and performers tour, many times getting in an out of a city as quickly as possible remains a high priority. Egan is decidedly not one of those artists. The author has many Houston connections and intents to take some time to visit family, an aunt and cousins while she’s here.

     

    “It’s always wonderful to combine a book tour with other things that have meaning,” she explains, and while her best-selling author status and her many literary fans could probably fill Stude Concert Hall on her own, she says she’s very happy to share the stage with another author, especially Messud.

     

    “I think it’s really dynamic to read with someone else. I happen to like Claire and admire her work very much, and that was a splendid outcome, but even if it was someone I’ve never read before, I do get sick of the sound of my own voice. It’s nice to have another point of view in the mix and a conversation when possible.”

     

     Jennifer Egan and Claire Messud appear November 6 at Rice University’s Stude Concert Hall for the Inprint Margarett Root Brown Reading Series.

    Jennifer Egan comes to Houston for the November 6 Inprint Margarett Root Brown Reading Series at Rice University’s Stude Concert Hall.

    Jennifer Egan
      
    Photo by Pieter M. Van Hattem
    Jennifer Egan comes to Houston for the November 6 Inprint Margarett Root Brown Reading Series at Rice University’s Stude Concert Hall.
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    Best July & August Theater

    Broadway hits and Shakespeare festival headline Houston's 12 best summer shows

    Tarra Gaines
    Jul 1, 2025 | 9:30 am
    Broadway at the Hobby Center presents Parade
    Photo by Joan Marcus
    Broadway at the Hobby Center presents Parade

    Lions and tigers and zebras and murder. Oh, my! From big blockbuster shows to annual chilly thrillers, summertime is some of the best time for theater in Houston. Shakespeare, jukebox musicals, mysteries, and madcap comedies always headline our summer must-sees. This year is no different, but we’re also got intriguing musical dramas, Tony Award winning Broadway shows, bittersweet love stories, and even a local world premiere. There’s no place like Houston for summer theater.

    The Wizard of Oz at A.D. Players (July 9-August 10)
    Something wicked this way comes from A.D. Players this summer. Yes, long before the musical told from certain witches’ perspectives, L. Frank Baum’s original journey to Oz began with a Kansas girl’s ride on a tornado. She found a magical and musical land filled lively lions, tin men, and scarecrows. Follow the yellow brick road to classic songs like “Over the Rainbow” and “We’re Off to See the Wizard,” but after a great adventure, learn that enduring message that there’s no place like home. Our favorite Galleria area Players say this newly imagined production will have incredible production values to delight the whole family.

    Crabs in a Bucket at MATCH (July 10-19)
    This satire comes by Houston-raised, nationally acclaimed playwright Bernardo Cubría gets its first regional production with a stellar local cast. Amargo and Pootz are two bitter crabs living in a shucking bucket. They spend their days judging the other crabs that got out, the ones who couldn't take it, and the losers who still live among them. When a new crab arrives filled with hope and change, they are faced with who they once were and their incessant dream of getting the shuck out. Any similarities between this crabby circumstance and human relationships are purely intentional.

    The Mirror Crack’d at Alley Theatre (July 11-August 17)
    Move over Hercule Poirot and you too Sherlock, because it takes a woman to untangle all the mysterious threads of jealousy, lies, and ambition in those seemingly charming English towns. One of Agatha Christie’s greatest detectives, Miss Marple, uses a cheerful and kind-auntie demeanor to disguise a keen intellect and nose for solving crime. For this Miss Marple case, the filming of a star-studded movie in a quaint village leads to a chilling murder, and everyone becomes a suspect. The Alley’s annual Summer Chills mystery production is usually one of their most popular shows, but this one will also make a bit of theatrical history as this production of the Christie classic, adapted by Rachel Wagstaff, marks the first time iconic sleuth Miss Marple has appeared on the U.S. stage.

    The 39 Steps at Main Street Theater (July 12-August 10)
    The classic Alfred Hitchcock spy thriller becomes exhilarating comic mayhem onstage when performed by just four actors. The original 39 Steps film is the story of an ordinary man accused of a murder he did not commit after he accidentally becomes involved with a mysterious and deadly woman. He must then go on the run over the English and Scottish countryside trying to allude both the police and an international spy ring attempting to steal British military secrets. In this hilarious parody adaptation by Patrick Barlow, the four actors leap in and out of over 150 characters, sometimes playing multiple roles in the span of seconds while also performing dynamic chase scenes, including an onstage plane crash. Look for some of our local favs to get quite the theatrical workout in this breakneck comedy.

    Parade presented by Broadway at the Hobby Center (July 15-20)
    For the penultimate show of Broadway at Hobby’s 24-25 season, they’re bringing in the 2023 Tony Award winner for Best Revival of a Musical. Set at the turn of the 20th century, the dramatic and still very timely story chronicles what happens when murder, politics, and prejudice meet during a sensationalized murder trial. Based on a true story, Parade depicts newlywed Jewish couple, Leo and Lucille Frank, struggling to make a home and find community in Georgia. When Leo is accused of an unspeakable crime, it propels them into an unimaginable test of faith, humanity, justice, and devotion. Riveting and complex, Parade reminds us that to love, we must truly see one another.

    Iolanthe from the Gilbert and Sullivan Society of Houston (July 19-27)
    We always look forward this annual summer performance treat, as Houston’s own esteemed Gilbert and Sullivan Society presents another opera gem from the Gilbert and Sullivan treasure trove of musicals. Marrying fantasy and satire, Iolanthe is set in a magical version of England filled with both snobby aristocrats and equally smug faeries. The fairy and human world clash when Strephon, the half-fairy, half-human son of the title character falls in love with the lovely human Phyllis, a ward of the Lord Chancellor. Chaos ensues amid a lively and beautiful score as the fairies interfere in British politics, elevating Strephon to Parliament and upending tradition. The comic opera skews the British legal system, the House of Lords, and Victorian sensibilities all with clever lyrics. Keeping with the fairytale setting, the production design will showcase dreamy lighting, larger-than-life flora set pieces, and costumes inspired by whimsical bugs.

    The Last Five Years at Queensbury Theatre (July 23-27)
    When this bitter sweet musical made its debut in the early 2000s, it garnered lots of critics and audience acclaim with its fresh way to tell its love story, simultaneously from both the ending and beginning. Cathy, an aspiring actress, sings their story from the end of their marriage looking back, while Jamie, a rising novelist, begins with their first meeting full of sparks and attraction. The musical tellings of their love and loss cross just once, with a wedding song they sing together in the middle of the show. Then, fate pulls them apart. Queensbury plans on updating the already innovative show for our cell phone-obsessed digital age. The show will blend live performance with social media and technology to reflect how we connect, communicate, and fall apart today. Get ready for a fresh take on this iconic musical, where texts, tweets, and time collide.

    Honky Tonk Laundry at Stages (July 25-August 17)
    The history of this show at Stages has all of the highs and lows of a real honky tonk song. The feel-good musical created by Roger Bean, who also brought the world The Marvelous Wonderettes, was supposed to be one of the first shows through the wash cycle when Stages’ Gordy campus opened back in 2020, but the pandemic put it on hold after only a week of shows. Stages did release a streaming version of the show, but now it’s back in its full live and in-person glory. The title says it all as a woman tries to turn an inherited washeteria into a honky tonk club. Two unlikely friends spin suds, stories, and songs by Reba, Dolly, Carrie, and more. This musical load contains over 20 country hits, including “Before He Cheats,” “These Boots Are Made for Walkin’,” and “Wide Open Spaces.” At the center of all the sudsy songs is a story of friendship, grit, and finding your voice, one spin at a time.

    Houston Shakespeare Festival at Miller Outdoor Theatre (July 31-August 8)
    It wouldn’t be summer without free Shakespeare productions at Miller thanks in no small part to the University of Houston School of Theatre & Dance. This year brings a bard-tacular pairing with one of the great history plays, Henry V, and the effervescent comedy, As You Like It. Henry V lets us explore the qualities of leadership in all its challenges, complexities, and compromises as the young English king attempts to claim the French throne via battlefields and princess wooing. As You Like It marries some of Shakespeare’s best comic tropes including women disguised as men and urbanities losing their way, and sometimes sanity, in forests. Mix in some brotherly hate, mistaken identity, mixed up lovers, and a happy ending, and what’s not to like. The annual festival also offers some of the greatest roles for young regional actors getting their professional start and local favorites who have graced many a Houston stage.

    Life of Pi presented by Broadway at the Hobby Center (August 19-24)
    The Broadway at the Hobby Center 24-25 season ends not with a musical, but with this epic play. Based on the internationally award-winning novel and visually stunning film, this show won three Tony Awards and the Olivier Award for Best Play. After a shipwreck in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, a sixteen-year-old boy named Pi survives on a lifeboat with four companions: a hyena, a zebra, an orangutan and a Royal Bengal tiger. On this makeshift, floating menagerie, boy and animals must survive together. Told with jaw-dropping visuals, world class puppetry and exquisite stagecraft, this beguiling show creates a breathtaking journey filled with wonder, awe and joy.

    While Childhood Slept from Garden Theatre (August 15-17)
    This emotional musical has some deep Houston history, as it had its world premiere here in 1999. It later received an off-Broadway reading, and its finale number, “We Will Not Forget,” was featured in the documentary Paperclips. In 2005, a revised version with new songs was performed once again in Houston. Based on a true story of the boys of Home Number One in the Nazi concentration camp, Terezin, the musical chronicles how the children create a secret republic within the camp, publishing their own magazine of art, poetry, and short stories. A visit from The Red Cross presents the opportunity to disguise their magazine as a secret message and a means of escape. The show will be produced in partnership with Holocaust Museum Houston.

    The Chosen Ones from Thunderclap Productions (August 28-September 6)
    While we have many new takes on classic stories on stages across the city this summer, if you’re looking for something new with some timely resonance, don’t miss this world premiere musical, by local and award winning playwright Aaron Alon. The show chronicles the stories of a group of LGBTQ+ teens sent to a conversion therapy summer camp, led by an “ex-gay” minister. With humor, sorrow, and hope the Chosen Ones explores themes of living authentically, found families, and defying conventions. Look for a large cast of fresh and up and coming local performers in this funny and moving musical, which is also a part of Thunderclap’s John Steven Kellett Memorial Series of works relating to LGBTQ+ equity.

    Broadway at the Hobby Center presents Parade
      

    Photo by Joan Marcus

    Broadway at the Hobby Center presents Parade.

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