Star-Studded Selected Shorts

I am a huge fan of Symphony Space's Selected Shorts program. The brainchild of brilliant Isaiah Scheffer, Selected Shorts is a live program in which three short stories are read to audiences by local talent. Sounds good, but consider these two facts that make it even better: a) the stories are selected and introduced by some of the most talented authors writing today, and b) in New York, the local talent runs pretty deep. In the past, authors have included Stephen King, Jennifer Egan, T.C. Boyle, David Mitchell, Julia Alvarez, and many more (I have not seen all of these, alas), and readers have included Alec Baldwin (I did see him!), Parker Posey, Cynthia Nixon, and Mike Birbiglia. I have never seen a reading by a disappointing actor. Many of the readers are not big names outside of the theater world, but in New York they often have celebrity status because of past performances in hot Broadway musicals and plays.

B.D. Wong

The much beloved Isaiah Scheffer used to be the host of Selected Shorts, but most unfortunately he passed away just a few weeks ago. B.D. Wong, actor and fellow board member, has stepped up to take his place for the rest of the season. Wong has done a number of well-known TV shows (like Law and Order), movies (like Jurassic Park), and Broadway productions (like M. Butterfly). He seemed nervous on his first night taking over for Scheffer, but last night was better; he was more relaxed and pretty funny. There's still something intrinsically awkward about him, but somehow the overall impression is charming. Wong kicked the evening off by introducing the guest hosts of the night, Jad Abumrad and Robert Krulwich. These were the guys I'd come to see. Abumrad and Krulwich host RadioLab, a podcast I really enjoy. Technically, it's about science, but the format is creative and accessible, and they do a brilliant job of teasing out the impact that science has on everyday people.

I've listened to RadioLab for a long time, and it was very surreal to see two unknown faces spouting out voices that have become very familiar to me. Both men are pretty goofy looking, to be honest. But I love their voices-Abumrad's in particular-and they've got the rhythm to their give-and-take down pat so that they work seamlessly together. I really enjoy their sense of humor on the show, and their introductions to the stories did not disappoint. They delved into neuroscience and explanations about how the moon's path has changed over the millennia, then hurried off the stage to make room for the impressive line-up of readers.

Kyra Sedgwick

The first story, the shortest of the three called "The History of Everything Including You" by Jenny Hollowell, was read by a very trim Kyra Sedgwick. I was a fan of her fitted coral-colored pants, but not so much of her shaggy hair that seemed to get in her eyes a lot. She did a nice job of reading the story, which was one of those pieces that becomes more beautiful the more you think about it. It had a haunting ending and I felt rather morose when it was over. Luckily, Abumrad and Krulwich came back onto the stage and said they thought that the author might be in the audience, and moments later, Hollowell had popped up and was waving cheerfully to thunderous applause. My somber mood shifted to incredulity: Surely such a wise, soulful story was written by an old woman, and not this perky 30-something with a short, black bob?

Jane Curtain

Krulwich introduced the next reader as a woman with a long and varied career. He said that the two of them had actually collaborated on a radio comedy show ages ago that no one remembered, but that we knew her best as "Jane, you ignorant slut." Fans of vintage-era Saturday Night Live roared with laughter and clapped as Jane Curtain took the stage and did a masterful reading of "Voodoo Child (Slight Return)" by Paul Broks. It's a true story, apparently, written by an eminent scholar of neuroscience about both a case he researched and a lecture he gave and the impact of both on his life. It was reflective and poignant and, thanks to Jane, funny. I was sorry to see her turn the last page. There's something almost magical about her stage presence, though I don't think I can explain exactly what it is that makes her so delightful to listen to and to watch.

Liev Schreiber

As the crowd settled back down after the intermission, Abumrad announced that the reader of the next story, Liev Schreiber, is Robert's "boy crush." Krulwich actually giggled and looked rather coquettishly into the wings where Schreiber was waiting, then stammering a bit, launched into an explanation of how he'd once seen a play in which Schreiber, before a word was uttered, simply sat in a chair onstage and turned a single page of a newspaper and Krulwich became aware that he was looking not at a character but at a real three-dimensional person, indeed, a universe laden with meaning and a purpose informed by a complex past. He added, rather breathlessly, that he thinks Schreiber is our best living actor. Goodness. I'm not sure I'd jump to such a dramatic conclusion, but I will say that Schreiber has a rich, resonant voice and that I loved the way he performed his story. Called "The Distance of the Moon" by Italo Calvino, it was a bit strange, but very entertaining, particularly given what Abumrad and Krulwich had taught us about the changing path of Earth's moon. The author had made up a fantastically imaginative account of the ways those changes affected an invented tribe of ancient people who were accustomed to being able to climb up onto the moon using ladders propped in the bottom of boats. Schreiber brought out the humor hidden in the lines that a hasty reader (like myself) may well have missed.

Selected Shorts always delivers, but this evening was particularly enjoyable. I don't know whether it because of Wong's relaxed manner, the stellar guest hosts, the talent of the readers, or the two margaritas I had before the show began, but whatever the reason I found this to be a particularly exemplary evening. Next up: Lorrie Moore and Sherman Alexie in February!