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      ‘Bridgerton’ Star Simone Ashley Talks Chemistry and Representation

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      The “Bridgerton” star spoke about chemistry on set and representation onscreen in an interview.Simone Ashley, who plays the fiercely independent Kate Sharma in the new season of “Bridgerton,” found a lot to relate to in her character — a young woman who doesn’t have time for love and who struggles when she’s confronted with it.“I’m still on that same journey, learning that balance between being serious and brave and headstrong and heartstrong, but also sharing space and relating to people and letting people in,” Ms. Ashley, 27, said.Season 2, which arrived on Netflix in late March, centers on Kate and her little sister, Edwina (Charithra Chandran), who have traveled with their mother from India to find a husband for the younger Sharma daughter. But Kate ends up developing feelings for Anthony Bridgerton (Jonathan Bailey), the viscount who has been courting Edwina, and tries her best to deny those emotions.Though this season contains notably fewer steamy scenes than the first, it still serves up plenty of juicy gossip, extravagant style and instrumental pop covers, as well as several nods to South Asian culture.Ms. Ashley, who grew up in England, had a breakout role in “Sex Education,” a Netflix comedy that follows the lives of high school students, but “Bridgerton” is her first time playing a lead character in a major production. In a video interview last week, the actress spoke about establishing chemistry with her co-star and the importance of representation onscreen. This conversation has been condensed and edited.“I’m still on that same journey, learning that balance between being serious and brave and headstrong and heartstrong, but also sharing space and relating to people and letting people in,” Ms. Ashley said.Rosie Marks for The New York TimesWhich were your favorite scenes from this season of “Bridgerton”?I love the scene where Kate and Anthony dance for the first time. And the bee sting scene — I think that’s such a pivot in the story. The stakes are really raised, and they realize they have feelings for one another and that there’s this obstacle now between everything that they’ve worked for. And, I love all the horse riding scenes.Inside the World of ‘Bridgerton’The Netflix series, which infuses period-drama escapism with modern-day sensibilities, is back with a second season.Sparkling Period Piece: The show is a Regency romance and society drama with an unstuffy pop aesthetic, writes our television critic.Approach to Race: The first season was notable for including aristocratic Black characters. The second chapter touches on colonialism in India.The Secret Is Out: A big reveal in the first season put Nicola Coughlan at the center of the action. Here is what the star says about her new fame.Trends: The show has helped fuel the resurgence of period clothing (corsets included) and inspired immersive experiences and “Bridgerton”-themed travel itineraries.Across the Pond: “Bridgerton,” which is filmed in Bath, is one of several productions made in Britain, drawn by the labor pool and tax incentives.What was the most awkward scene to shoot?There were never any awkward moments. Uncomfortable, maybe. With the mud scene, we were just covered in mud all day long, but we got really accustomed to it by the second take. I try not to ever indulge in thoughts of feeling awkward or uncomfortable. I just tried to get on with it and find the positives and see it as a challenge and have fun with it so that I can leave and know that I did my best.As a viewer, the chemistry between Kate and Anthony was palpable. What was it like when you first met Jonathan Bailey?We met for our chemistry read, and it was so bizarre. We sat on a sofa, and we did three scenes. I think we did the horse riding scene where Kate and Anthony first meet, the library scene and, God, I can’t remember the last one. We just clicked.What were the intimacy coordinators like?We worked with Lizzy Talbot, who was an amazing intimacy coordinator. She really encouraged us to portray what it is like for a woman to be empowered and to communicate that sense of knowing what she wants. And I loved that about Kate — she’s always been a woman who’s very self-realized, and I think she is incredibly sexy in that sense. She has a sense of spirit within her that Anthony is so entranced by, and it’s such a safe space for her to share that with him and to have fun with it and to receive pleasure herself.I found it incredibly empowering, as a woman of color especially. I’m so proud of my body, and I love my body. I’m grateful that it’s healthy and that it’s strong enough for me to get up every day and do the things that I need to do.“We just clicked,” Ms. Ashley said of meeting Jonathan Bailey, her co-star and love interest on “Bridgerton.”Liam Daniel/NetflixWhat were the great romance books or films that influenced how you view love?I grew up watching a lot of Disney classics, a lot of classical movies and a lot of musicals. I think we all just love to see humans overcome whatever it is in life that gets in the way of them following their heart.Which heroines did you look up to?There was something about Uma Thurman’s character in “Kill Bill” that I didn’t completely understand but was entranced by. She was a woman that was so focused on her objective, and that was to get her baby and to kind of get revenge as well, but we won’t dive into that. I thought she was so serious and overcame anything, physically or mentally. And I remember being a kid and watching that — being really inspired by her.Women of color online have spoken about how much it means for them to see you, a dark-skinned Indian woman, starring in such a widely watched Netflix show. What does that mean to you?I’m so grateful and wonderfully overwhelmed by the response that we’ve received. I’m very proud of my heritage, and I’m proud that there are any effects that I’ve had, just me doing my job, especially if they’re positive, and uplifting other women and making them feel seen.The conversation surrounding race in “Bridgerton” seems to have two sides. Some say it’s done wonders for representation, while others argue that colorblind casting isn’t used to make a bigger point in the series. How do you view representation in the series?It’s 100 percent color-conscious casting, and not colorblind. We are acknowledging the fact that these characters are Indian and they are women of color, but it’s so beautifully done because when the Sharmas arrive, they fit in so seamlessly. It isn’t on the nose that they’re from India. And it’s celebrated in so many different ways. We certainly haven’t been brought to this series as two Tamil women for that to be completely ignored. It’s celebrated completely in everything from the costumes to the makeup to the story line to the scenes.“I try not to ever indulge in thoughts of feeling awkward or uncomfortable,” Ms. Ashley said.Rosie Marks for The New York TimesMany South Asian viewers loved the show’s nods to Indian culture, including the conversations about chai, the fabric the Sharmas’ dresses were made out of and the inclusion of “Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham” in the soundtrack. Did any of these moments, in particular, stand out to you?I love the scene where Kate is applying coconut oil to Edwina’s hair. That scene is such a shift in the story line where you see Edwina’s frustration and determination to become the viscountess. That’s where Kate starts to lose control, and Edwina starts to take the reins of this plan. Everything changes in that moment, but then at the same time, it so happens to be a scene where Kate’s applying coconut oil to Edwina’s hair. I’m sure women from so many different heritages resonate with it. It’s such an intimate bonding moment between two women — two sisters — that I think a lot of women can relate to.What’s a passion outside of acting for you?I love singing. I love cooking. I’m quite sporty and very outdoorsy. The perfect day for me would be just spending hours in the sunshine and going for a swim.What was being at fashion week like?I love fashion. I love clothes. It’s a part of my job that I’m so privileged and grateful to be able to explore. I’ve learned so much about myself and about fashion in general along the way. And I love the few red carpet moments I’ve had. It gets all the more exciting thinking: What am I going to do next? And what kind of things do I want to explore? What kind of message or feelings do I want to convey?Who’s a director you’d love to work with?I’ve got a few. I’d say Greta Gerwig, Quentin Tarantino, Mimi Cave. Jeremy O. Harris is brilliant. I could go on, but I’ll leave it there.Rosie Marks for The New York Times More

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      Late Night Teases Rudy Giuliani About Seized Devices

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      Prosecutors recovered 18 devices during their current investigation into Trump’s former lawyer. “Eighteen devices? Man, that’s a lot of porn,” Stephen Colbert said.Welcome to Best of Late Night, a rundown of the previous night’s highlights that lets you sleep — and lets us get paid to watch comedy. Here are the 50 best movies on Netflix right now.Left to His Own DevicesFederal prosecutors recovered 18 electronic devices from Rudy Giuliani during their investigation into his lobbying Ukraine for dirt on Joe Biden ahead of the 2020 election.“Eighteen devices? Man, that’s a lot of porn,” Stephen Colbert joked on Wednesday’s “Late Show.”“Always a good sign when you have three phones.” — JIMMY KIMMEL“But this week, Rudy generously offered to assist the feds in finding reasons to charge him when he helped investigators unlock several electronic devices by providing a list of possible passwords. It’s a real bad sign when you have to carry around a piece of paper with a list of possible passwords.” — STEPHEN COLBERT“He gave them a list of possible passwords to two other devices they seized, and even let investigators look inside the coffin he sleeps in during daylight hours.” — JIMMY KIMMEL“I’m happy to say ‘The Late Show’ has acquired a copy of the list. There’s ‘L3akyheadjuice21,’ ‘seckswithcousin69,’ and ‘4SeasonsTotalManscaping.’” — STEPHEN COLBERTThe Punchiest Punchlines (Smile, You’re Not on Camera Edition)“And there is some good news: The Brooklyn subway shooting suspect has been arrested. That’s nice. That’s fast. The suspect’s name is Frank R. James. Authorities know this because a credit card with Mr. James’s name on it had been found at the scene of the shooting, as had a key to a van Mr. James had rented. He also left a cheek swab, a filled-out tax return and his SoulCycle emergency contact. Very generous of him.” — STEPHEN COLBERT“One of the unusual facts about this shooter is that he is 62 years old, which means technically he wasn’t on the run — he was on the mall walk.” — STEPHEN COLBERT“It’s fortunate that James left behind plenty of evidence, because none of the station’s security cameras were in full operation at the time of the shooting. Well, that’s what the M.T.A. gets for hiring the same guy who did the cameras in Jeffrey Epstein’s cell.” — STEPHEN COLBERT“Really? really? Out of 10,000 cameras in the subway system the only three that weren’t working are the ones that could have helped? Really? That is a crazy stroke of bad luck if it were true.” — TREVOR NOAH“It does explain the new subway safety posters: ‘If you see something, that’s cool — we didn’t.’” — STEPHEN COLBERT“Let’s not get hung up on the details. The important thing is that those cameras cost New York taxpayers $800,000 each. Don’t forget that — that is all that matters.” — TREVOR NOAHThe Bits Worth WatchingLouis Virtel, a writer for “Jimmy Kimmel Live,” protested Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” law on his recurring segment, “Virtel It Like it Is.”What We’re Excited About on Thursday NightThe “Flight Attendant” star Rosie Perez will appear on Thursday’s “Daily Show.”Also, Check This Out“The worst nightmare is, do you wake up one day and you’re not funny anymore?” Billy Crystal, 74, said of the anxiety that comes with being an aging comedian. “Do you wake up and you’re not relevant?”Philip Montgomery for The New York TimesBilly Crystal is returning to Broadway in “Mr. Saturday Night,” a musical version of his 1992 movie about an aging performer who won’t accept that his time in the spotlight is up. More

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      Stephen Colbert Scoffs at John Eastman’s Obsession With the Election

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      “Our ex-president isn’t allowed a do-over just because he didn’t like the result the first time. That’s how you get an Eric,” Colbert joked.Welcome to Best of Late Night, a rundown of the previous night’s highlights that lets you sleep — and lets us get paid to watch comedy. Here are the 50 best movies on Netflix right now.Can’t Stop, Won’t StopJohn Eastman, a former legal adviser to Donald Trump, has continued pushing to decertify the 2020 election, as recently as March.“That’s right, the election that’s been over for a year and a half, and that Biden won,” Stephen Colbert said on Tuesday. “To put that into perspective, when the election was decided, J. Lo was engaged to a different guy,” Stephen Colbert said.“Here’s what happened: About three weeks ago, Eastman took a trip to Wisconsin and urged Republican Wisconsin Assembly speaker Robin Vos to nullify the 2020 election — specifically, to start ‘reclaiming the electors’ and move forward with either having a new slate of electors seated that would declare someone else the winner, or a ‘do over. ‘A ‘do over’? Our ex-president isn’t allowed a do over just because he didn’t like the result the first time. That’s how you get an Eric.” — STEPHEN COLBERT“One problem with Eastman’s plan — all of it. He’s trying to re-litigate the 2020 election, which legal experts say is impossible. Only if you don’t believe in yourself — that’s why I’ll never throw away my Mondale ’84 signs.” — STEPHEN COLBERTThe Punchiest Punchlines (Spirit of the Times Edition)“Well somehow, Spirit Halloween has inspired a movie. Strike Back Studios and Hideout Pictures are teaming up to make a Spirit Halloween film. Two companies thought this was a good idea. Maybe they figure if they go broke, they can turn their offices into Spirit Halloween stores, I don’t know.” — JIMMY KIMMEL“The movie is about how, a month earlier, this movie was a Lady Foot Locker.” — STEPHEN COLBERT“I don’t get — why not a movie about the 99-cent store? Spirit Halloween isn’t even a real store — it’s a parasite that feeds off the bodies of dead stores.” — JIMMY KIMMELThe Bits Worth WatchingRoy Wood Jr. investigates the history of Black classical musicians for his regular “Daily Show” segment, “CP Time.”What We’re Excited About on Wednesday NightThe comedian Jerrod Carmichael will talk with Trevor Noah about his new HBO special, “Rothaniel,” on Wednesday’s “Daily Show.”Also, Check This OutMichael Tran/Agence France-Presse — Getty ImagesLaurence Fishburne’s must-haves include a chef’s knife, trampolines and crystals. More

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      Stephen Colbert Laughs Off Trump’s Shilling for Dr. Oz

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      “Come on, he’s a con man. And so is Dr. Oz,” Colbert joked of the former president.Welcome to Best of Late Night, a rundown of the previous night’s highlights that lets you sleep — and lets us get paid to watch comedy. Here are the 50 best movies on Netflix right now.Con Men ClubOver the weekend, former President Donald Trump endorsed Dr. Mehmet Oz in the Pennsylvania Senate race.“Come on, he’s a con man. And so is Dr. Oz,” Stephen Colbert joked.“Now, I’d like to list all the scams Dr. Oz has tried to foist on his audience, but we only have an hour show.” — STEPHEN COLBERT“Among the many snake oil supplements he has peddled are raspberry ketones for fat burning, lavender soap for leg cramps and strawberries for teeth whitening. None of these work, of course, but hey, there is one simple trick to make you healthier: Take two household bananas, then jam one in each ear until you can’t hear Dr. Oz anymore. You’ll be fine, or you’ll be better!” — STEPHEN COLBERT“Aw, grandpa thinks his TV friends are his real friends. [imitating Trump] ‘You know who should be attorney general? That nice lady from “Murder, She Wrote.” She solved all of the murders in Cabot Cove. Also, when are they going to make Pat Sajak secretary of transportation? He knows wheels!’” — STEPHEN COLBERTThe Punchiest Punchlines (Pumpkin Crown Father Edition)“CNN got their hands on text messages between Don Jr. and Trump’s chief of staff, Mark Meadows, on Nov. 5, 2020. D.J.T.J. sent Meadows a number of ideas of how to ‘win’ the election they lost. He said, ‘We have multiple paths. We control them all.’ Junior would have texted his dad directly, but apparently Trump didn’t add him to the family plan.” — JIMMY KIMMEL“Listen, if you’re gonna text your plans to overthrow an election, at least disguise it with emojis: ‘I got an idea: ballot box, trash can, American flag, poop emoji, pumpkin, crown, father.’” — STEPHEN COLBERT“Junior was so confident in the plan that he was concerned that not everyone was looped in, texting, ‘This is what we need to do. Please read it and please get it to everyone that needs to see it.’ Oh, I’m pretty sure the F.B.I. has seen it.” — STEPHEN COLBERTThe Bits Worth WatchingBen Stiller, the director of “Severance,” sat down with Trevor Noah on Monday’s “Daily Show.”What We’re Excited About on Tuesday NightGillian Anderson will talk about playing Eleanor Roosevelt in “The First Lady” on Tuesday’s “Jimmy Kimmel Live.”Also, Check This Out“Ava is controlled chaos,” Janelle James said of her character on “Abbott Elementary,” a mockumentary-style sitcom on ABC praised for both its humor and its poignancy.Kendall Bessent for The New York TimesJanelle James, the breakout star of “Abbott Elementary,” loves playing a hilariously terrible elementary school principal. More

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      What’s on TV This Week: ‘The First Lady’ and ‘Abbott Elementary’

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      Viola Davis, Michelle Pfeiffer and Gillian Anderson star in a new series about first ladies in the White House. And “Abbott Elementary” airs its season finale.Between network, cable and streaming, the modern television landscape is a vast one. Here are some of the shows, specials and movies coming to TV this week, April 11-17. Details and times are subject to change.Monday2022 CMT MUSIC AWARDS 8 p.m. on CBS. The country-pop singer Kelsea Ballerini and the actor Anthony Mackie will host this year’s CMT Music Awards ceremony, which will be broadcast live from the Nashville Municipal Auditorium in Tennessee, about a 10-minute walk from the honky-tonk bars of Broadway. The singer Kane Brown has the most nominations of the night, with four. Ballerini, Mickey Guyton, Breland and Cody Johnson are also among the most-nominated acts. The lineup of performers includes Brown, Guyton with Black Pumas, Miranda Lambert, Little Big Town, Maren Morris with Ryan Hurd, and Jason Aldean with Bryan Adams.INDEPENDENT LENS: JIM ALLISON: BREAKTHROUGH (2019) 10 p.m. on PBS (check local listings). When James P. Allison and Tasuku Honjo were awarded the 2018 Nobel Prize in medicine, a statement from the Nobel committee said it all: The two researchers’ breakthrough work, which used the body’s immune system to attack cancer, amounted to “an entirely new principle for cancer therapy.” This documentary from Bill Haney (“The Price of Sugar”) is a profile of Allison, looking at the life that led him toward his groundbreaking research — in part, the loss of family members to cancer — and the challenges he faced moving his unconventional ideas forward. In his review for The New York Times, Ben Kenigsberg wrote that the documentary itself lacks the kind of innovative touch that it celebrates in its subject, but still “does a solid job of explaining the barriers — justified skepticism, professional groupthink, the high cost of long-term research — that Allison faced in proving that a new kind of treatment could work.”TuesdayQuinta Brunson in “Abbott Elementary.”Temma Hankin/ABCABBOTT ELEMENTARY 9 p.m. on ABC. The first season of Quinta Brunson’s sitcom ends on Tuesday night with an episode about a school field trip to a zoo. The show stars Brunson as a teacher in a Philadelphia public elementary school whose staff members are as passionate as they are wacky — and it has been a very big hit this season. In a recent article, The Times’s chief television critic, James Poniewozik, called it the best sitcom of the season. It’s “not a year’s supply of pencils,” he wrote. “But it is something else significant: Sustained attention for a profession that, however much lip service we pay it, usually gets lost among TV’s stable of doctors, lawyers and police.”WednesdayChristopher Rivera and Brooklynn Prince in “The Florida Project.”A24THE FLORIDA PROJECT (2017) 5:20 p.m. on Showtime Showcase. After offering an idiosyncratic, shot-on-an-iPhone slice of Los Angeles in “Tangerine” (2015), the writer-director Sean Baker crossed the country to tell a story about a trio of children who live near Disney World in a ramshackle, sherbet-colored motel called the Magic Castle. This is the setting of “The Florida Project,” a drama centered on a 6-year-old girl, Moonee (Brooklynn Prince), who has summertime adventures even as she and the adults around her grapple with the stresses and desperation of poverty. The result is a movie that “is honest about the limits of benevolence, and about the wishful thinking that can cloud our understanding of the world,” A.O. Scott said in his review for The Times. “Its final scenes,” he wrote, “are devastating, and also marvelously ambiguous, full of wonder, fury and cleareyed self-criticism.”ThursdayTHE TIME MACHINE (1960) 8 p.m. on TCM. H.G. Wells’s formative 1895 novella “The Time Machine” was one of the first books to imagine a device that would allow people to hop through time. This 1960 film adaptation starts its story in the same Victorian time period that the original book came out. Watching its protagonist (played by Rod Taylor) feels especially surreal when the viewer is in 2022.FridayA scene from “Chamber Music Society Returns.”Chamber Music Society of Lincoln CenterCHAMBER MUSIC SOCIETY RETURNS 10 p.m. on PBS (check local listings). This two-part documentary looks at the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center’s efforts to come back fully from a pandemic hiatus. It covers the challenges of bringing live performances back to Alice Tully Hall and the planning of a multicity tour that must allow for the uncertainty of the era. Part 1, which debuted last week, is now available to stream on PBS.org and the PBS app; Part 2 will air on Friday night.SaturdayFANTASTIC BEASTS AND WHERE TO FIND THEM (2016) and FANTASTIC BEASTS: THE CRIMES OF GRINDELWALD (2018) 7:55 p.m. and 10:53 p.m. on USA Network. The third movie in the “Harry Potter” spinoff series “Fantastic Beasts” — subtitled “The Secrets of Dumbledore” — hits U.S. theaters this week. These first two entries weren’t particularly well received, but for families who want to brush up on the lore, this double feature offers a refresher. And for those seeing the new movie, it offers an interesting opportunity to judge two takes on one character: The titular evil wizard in “Crimes of Grindelwald” was played by Johnny Depp, who has been replaced by Mads Mikkelsen in the new movie.SundayTHE FIRST LADY 9 p.m. on Showtime. In truth, the singular “lady” in the title of this new drama series is a little misleading: There are three of them. The show layers the stories of a trio of first ladies of the United States — Michelle Obama, Betty Ford and Eleanor Roosevelt — comparing and contrasting their experiences navigating the White House during different eras of American political life, but contending with many common expectations. It has three heavy-hitting performers in Viola Davis (as Obama), Michelle Pfeiffer (Ford) and Gillian Anderson (Roosevelt). More

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      Rae Allen, Tony Winner and TV Mainstay, Dies at 95

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      In a varied career, she had memorable roles in “Damn Yankees” and on “Seinfeld” and was nominated for three Tonys. She later became a director.Rae Allen, a Tony Award-winning actress who was seen in both the stage and film versions of the hit musical comedy “Damn Yankees,” and whose many television roles included a world-weary unemployment counselor to the jobless George Costanza on “Seinfeld” and Tony Soprano’s aunt on “The Sopranos,” died on Wednesday in Los Angeles. She was 95.Her death, at the Motion Picture & Television Fund retirement home, was confirmed by her niece Betty Cosgrove.Ms. Allen made her Broadway debut in 1948 and her big splash seven years later, when she was cast as the sports reporter Gloria Thorpe in “Damn Yankees, the story of a middle-aged Washington Senators fan who makes a Faustian bargain to become a slugger named Joe Hardy and help his team keep the hated Yankees from winning the pennant. She led a group of nimbly dancing Senators in celebration of Hardy’s beneficial impact on the team with the showstopping song “Shoeless Joe From Hannibal, Mo.” (“Who came along in a puff of smoke? Shoeless Joe from Hannibal, Mo.”)Ms. Allen earned her first Tony Award nomination for that performance, which she reprised in the 1958 movie version, her first film. She received her second Tony nomination in 1965 for Jean Anouilh’s play “Traveller Without Luggage,” and won the Tony six years later, as best featured actress, for Paul Zindel’s “And Miss Reardon Drinks a Little,” in which she played a neighbor in a story about the relationship between three neurotic sisters.“The awful neighbors are also given precisely the right clumsy boorishness by Rae Allen and Bill Macy,” Clive Barnes wrote in his review in The New York Times. He called their scenes “among the most entertaining of the evening.”Her comedic skills were also on display in a memorable two-part episode of “Seinfeld.” She played Lenore Sokol, a deadpan counselor skeptical about George Costanza’s attempts to get an extension on his unemployment benefits, including his claim to have interviewed for a job as a latex salesman for a phony company, Vandelay Industries. She softens when he sees a photograph of her plain-looking daughter on her desk.Ms. Allen and Roberts Blossom in the 1961 Off Broadway production of Edward Albee’s “The Death of Bessie Smith.” Leo Friedman“This is your daughter? George says. “My God! My God! I hope you don’t mind my saying. She is breathtaking.”She asks if he wants her phone number, but after they briefly date, her daughter dumps him because he has no prospects.Ms. Allen later had roles in “A League of Their Own” (1992), as the mother of the baseball players portrayed by Geena Davis and Lori Petty,” and the science-fiction film “Stargate” (1994), as a researcher. She was also seen on TV series including “Brooklyn Bridge” and “Grey’s Anatomy.”In four episodes of “The Sopranos” in 2004, she played Quintina Blundetto, the aunt of Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini) and the mother of the mobster Tony Blundetto, played by Steve Buscemi.Steven Schirripa, who played Bobby Baccalieri on “The Sopranos,” wrote in an email that Ms. Allen was “acting royalty” who was “respected by everyone in the cast.”Rae Julia Abruzzo was born on July 3, 1926, in Brooklyn. Her mother, Julia (Riccio) Abruzzo, was a seamstress and hairdresser. Her father, Joseph, was a chauffeur and an opera singer whose brothers performed in vaudeville. At 15, Rae played Buttercup in a production of Gilbert and Sullivan’s “H.M.S. Pinafore” in Greenwich Village.After graduating from the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in 1947, Ms. Allen started her Broadway career as a singer in the musical “Where’s Charley?” She followed that with a role in another musical, “Alive and Kicking.” Her next three shows, also musicals, were “Call Me Madam,” “The Pajama Game” and “Damn Yankees,” all directed by the Broadway luminary George Abbott, who became a mentor and father figure.In the 1960s, Ms. Allen was in the Broadway productions of “Oliver!,” “Fiddler on the Roof” and “On a Clear Day You Can See Forever.”From left, June Lockhart, Betty Garrett and Ms. Allen in a 2006 episode of “Grey’s Anatomy.”Ron Tom / © ABC /Everett CollectionBy then, her television and film career had begun to take off; in the 1970s, she also started directing. In 1975 she was named director of the Stage West Theater Company in Springfield, Mass., and in 1991 she directed a revival of “And Miss Reardon Drinks a Little” at the Zephyr Theater in Los Angeles.She twice directed productions of “Cyrano de Bergerac” — the first in 1978 at the Long Beach Center Theater, in Long Beach, Calif., starring Stacy Keach, and the second in 2010 at the Ruskin Group Theater in Santa Monica, starring John Colella.Reviewing Ms. Allen’s staging of Ibsen’s “When We Dead Awaken” at Stage West in 1977, Mr. Barnes wrote that it had “speed, conviction and perception.”She also ran acting workshops and was a personal coach. In her 40s, she received bachelor’s and master’s of fine arts degrees in directing from New York University.Ms. Allen’s marriages to John Allen and Herbert Harris ended in divorce. No immediate family members survive. More

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      Marjorie Taylor Greene Calls the Police on Jimmy Kimmel

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      Kimmel said of Greene’s angry tweets about a joke he made earlier this week: “She’s a snowflake and a sociopath at the same time — a ‘snowciopath.’”Welcome to Best of Late Night, a rundown of the previous night’s highlights that lets you sleep — and lets us get paid to watch comedy. Here are the 50 best movies on Netflix right now.Marjorie Is the New KarenJimmy Kimmel struck a nerve with Marjorie Taylor Greene this week, prompting some tweets from the congresswoman in which she said she’d filed a threat report with the Capitol Police..@ABC, this threat of violence against me by @jimmykimmel has been filed with the @CapitolPolice. pic.twitter.com/nxYX1LF2jK— Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (@RepMTG) April 6, 2022
      Kimmel was chuffed, saying, “This is what she does instead of working — she tweets.”“On our show Tuesday night, M.T.G. — ‘Klan Mom’ as we call her — earlier in the day called three of her fellow Republicans ‘pro-pedophile’ for supporting Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson’s nomination to the Supreme Court — which is lovely. A lovely thing to say. So I made a joke. I said, ‘Where is Will Smith when you need him?’ And the audience laughed. And then she saw it, and she decided she was going to get some political mileage out of this.” — JIMMY KIMMEL“She called the police. Not only did she call the police, she called the same police she voted against giving a congressional gold medal to for defending our Capitol against the insurrection she helped incite on Jan. 6. That’s who she called — the people she wanted to defund.” — JIMMY KIMMEL“It’s amazing how quickly you can go from ‘These liberals! You can’t say anything anymore’ to ‘What did you say? I’m calling the cops!’ Must be that cancel culture they’re always talking about.” — JIMMY KIMMEL“So I, after processing the fact that someone called the police on me — believe it or not, that has never happened to me in my life — I tweeted back, ‘Officer? I’d like to report a joke.’” — JIMMY KIMMEL“This woman, remember, she is the one who endorsed fringe conspiracy theories and repeatedly indicated support for executing prominent Democratic politicians. Now she’s dialing 911 because she got made fun of. She’s a snowflake and a sociopath at the same time — a ‘snowciopath.’” — JIMMY KIMMEL“And nobody does anything. I feel like maybe other Republicans like having her around to make the rest of them seem normal.” — JIMMY KIMMELThe Punchiest Punchlines (Justice Jackson Edition)“‘Ladies and gentleman, the newest member of the United States Supreme Court, Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson’ — is what I will be saying in a few months, when she’s actually sworn in. It’s a long process.” — STEPHEN COLBERT“Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson today became the first Black woman to be confirmed to the Supreme Court, in case you’re wondering why the flag over the Fox News building is at half-staff.” — SETH MEYERS“Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson is the first Black woman on the Supreme Court. She got ‘yes’ votes from all Senate Democrats and three pro-pedophile Republicans.” — JIMMY KIMMEL“That’s right, she’s going to be Justice Jackson. When Disney heard that name, they immediately added her to the Marvel Cinematic Universe.” — JIMMY FALLON“Yep, Jackson will now debate the most important issues facing our country, like freedom of speech, states’ rights, and ‘Is it cake?’” — JIMMY FALLONThe Bits Worth WatchingThe rapper Pusha T talked about his writing process and collaborating with Jay-Z for his new album on Thursday night’s “Desus & Mero.”Also, Check This OutQuinta Brunson, center, created and stars in “Abbott Elementary,” a surprise hit in its first season.Liliane Lathan/ABC“Abbott Elementary,” a sitcom about the dynamics of public school in 2022, is this season’s best new network comedy, James Poniewozik writes. More

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      Sarah Jessica Parker Tests Positive for Coronavirus

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      Sarah Jessica Parker, who is currently starring on Broadway in a revival of the Neil Simon comedy “Plaza Suite,” tested positive for the coronavirus on Thursday, according to a spokesman for the production.Parker’s co-star, Matthew Broderick, who is also her husband, had tested positive earlier this week, and has been out of the show since Tuesday. The show had continued with his understudy, Michael McGrath, but will be canceled Thursday night, and it was not clear when it will resume.“Plaza Suite” is now one of four Broadway shows currently shuttered by the resurgent coronavirus in New York City, an increase in cases powered by the Omicron subvariant known as BA.2.A revival of “Macbeth” canceled more than a week of performances after its star, Daniel Craig, and other members of the company tested positive, and a new musical called “A Strange Loop,” which won the Pulitzer Prize for drama in 2020, postponed the start of its preview performances, also citing positive tests. Both shows are hoping to be back onstage on Monday.And “Paradise Square,” a new musical that opened last weekend, canceled its Thursday night performance, citing “Covid cases in the company.”Off Broadway, a much-anticipated musical, “Suffs” at the Public Theater, has also canceled its performances this week, including its scheduled opening night, because of virus cases. More