June 5, 2012
Recording of '8' with Pitt, Clooney to be on Radio
Jason St. Amand READ TIME: 2 MIN.
NEW YORK (AP) - The star-studded West Coast performance of the gay marriage play "8'' led by George Clooney and Brad Pitt will be heard again this month - on radio and online.
A recording by L.A. Theatre Works of the March 3 performance in Los Angeles will be broadcast in the coming days on 90.7 KPFK in Southern California, 89.7 WGBH in Boston, 91.5 WBEZ in Chicago, 94.9 KUOW in Seattle, 91.1 KRCB in San Francisco, 89.3 WPFW in Washington, D.C.; and over 100 other markets nationwide. June is Gay Pride Month.
The play is about the 2010 federal court fight against Proposition 8, the gay-marriage ban that California voters approved in 2008. The play by Oscar winner Dustin Lance Black made its Broadway debut last year in similar starry fashion.
Relying largely on transcripts from court proceedings, "8'' introduces viewers to the couples who challenged the California initiative, the attorneys who argued their case and witness who spoke out against them. The legal fight over Prop. 8 is ongoing.
The play made its world premiere on Broadway last year starring Morgan Freeman, Anthony Edwards, John Lithgow and Cheyenne Jackson.
The trial is important to gay activists because former U.S. Solicitor General Theodore Olson and attorney David Boies - who represented opposing sides in the disputed 2000 presidential election - put on a powerfully clear argument in favor of same-sex marriage. It was recorded but Prop. 8 backers have so far succeeded in getting the U.S. Supreme Court to bar broadcast of the landmark case.
In addition to Clooney and Pitt, the Los Angeles edition also featured Kevin Bacon, Jamie Lee Curtis, Christine Lahti, Jane Lynch, Martin Sheen and John C. Reilly. It was directed by Rob Reiner.
The Los Angeles production is also available for streaming, download and CD at www.latw.org .
