Through a Naked Lens
Encyclopedia
Through a Naked Lens is an American play by author George Barthel. It received its world premiere Off-Broadway
at the Wings Theatre in New York City
. The play itself uses historical evidence and imagined circumstances to depict the rise of early Hollywood film star Ramón Novarro
. While a celebration of Novarro’s life, the drama
is told largely through the perspective of reporter Herbert Howe
. While Barthel places Howe and Navarro in a romantic relationship, it is unknown if such a connection actually existed. Howe did, however, spend a great deal of time with Navarro as his publicist
. The play also features Alice Terry
, Rex Ingram
, Irving G. Thalberg, Jim Quirk, Adela Rogers St. Johns
, and Louis B. Mayer
as characters.
magazine, discussing Herbert Howe’s latest article and his general reputation around Hollywood as an ace reporter willing to do nearly anything to get an interview or story. Howe enters, and after a brief discussion about the tactics Howe implements to get his stories, St. Johns and Quirk leave. Tracy, a new reporter, enters and attempts to seduce Howe so that he might mentor her. She is quickly rebuffed. Howe does, however, give her one piece of advice: to never make any friends.
Quirk eventually drops a bomb on Howe: That the bosses at MGM want him to follow around new star Ramón Novarro and help promote Rex Ingram’s latest film, The Arab. Howe seems hesitant, but at the insistence of Quirk and thanks to a hefty paycheck from the studio, he agrees. Howe eventually meets Navarro as their ship is ready to depart for Tunisia
. At first the pair do not seem to get along, but Howe is impressed with Novarro’s poise and confidence. After a very brief courtship
, the two men become an item.
On location Rex Ingram
directs Navarro and his wife, Alice Terry
in The Arab. While all four individuals are friends, Howe becomes frustrated with the long hours Navarro spends on set and his willingness to do whatever Ingram demands of him. Meanwhile, back in California
, St. Johns tells Terry that Howe’s latest articles are unlike anything she’s seen from the writer. They are complementary. The play cuts back to Tunisia where Ingram and Howe come to blows over Navarro’s schedule, and eventually Ingram relents and lets the two spend more time together.
As the articles continue down the path of homosexual innuendo, L.B. Mayer grows agitated. “Boy Wonder” Irving G. Thalberg seems more relaxed and understanding of the situation, but agrees to ask Howe to tone things down. The first act ends with Navarro learning that he has been selected to play the lead in the epic film Ben-Hur
, implying that he is about to become very famous
.
The second act opens with a sympathetic St. Johns warning Howe that Navarro’s career is on the rise and his life very public. Quirk infuriates Terry, who was covering for Howe in his absence, by demoting her to covering small stories.
Howe meets with Navarro who is busy preparing for a press conference and expresses dismay that he can never be close to him in public. A shouting match ensues in front of a few crewmembers that threatens to blow their “cover.” Navarro, desperate, punches Howe in the face and then runs into his dressing room. Howe becomes uncharacteristically tender and offers his support.
Navarro then has a miserable time on the set of Ben-Hur. The director calls him a “stupid Mexican
.” Navarro is almost killed filming the chariot
race and is show to have large bruises up and down one side of his body. Howe becomes infuriated and Navarro is desperate to leave and see Ingram. Howe agrees to assist in his boyfriend
’s escape. Production on the film
shuts down immediately and Mayer becomes infuriated while Thalberg becomes panicked. Navarro and Howe show up and Rex Ingram’s house for cover. Thalberg is able to convince the pair to return to the film
set, giving increased power to Navarro.
Unfortunately, an article
written by an anonymous
author has revealed the relationship and exposed their romantic entanglement, threatening to end Navarro’s career. Quirk informs Howe that Mayer wants to see him at MGM studios and the two of them arrive in the movie mogul’s office. Quirk defends his star reporter, but Mayer grows furious and demands and end to their relationship. Thalberg agrees to let Howe end it his own way, which the reporter reluctantly does. One of the final scenes shows Navarro telling Alice Terry that he was going to break up with Howe as well.
Back in his office, Howe concludes that Terry wrote the article in order to get his job. He compliments her on her style, and says that he needs to get out of the business. The final scene shows all the characters reading excerpts from Howe’s articles on Navarro.
was as follows:
Off-Broadway
Off-Broadway theater is a term for a professional venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, and for a specific production of a play, musical or revue that appears in such a venue, and which adheres to related trade union and other contracts...
at the Wings Theatre in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. The play itself uses historical evidence and imagined circumstances to depict the rise of early Hollywood film star Ramón Novarro
Ramón Novarro
Ramón Novarro was a Mexican leading man actor in Hollywood in the early 20th century. He was the next male "Sex Symbol" after the death of Rudolph Valentino...
. While a celebration of Novarro’s life, the drama
Drama
Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance. The term comes from a Greek word meaning "action" , which is derived from "to do","to act" . The enactment of drama in theatre, performed by actors on a stage before an audience, presupposes collaborative modes of production and a...
is told largely through the perspective of reporter Herbert Howe
Herbert Howe
-Career:Howe was one of the most popular Hollywood news writers of his day during the 1920s and 30s, writing for early film fan magazine Photoplay.-Personal life:...
. While Barthel places Howe and Navarro in a romantic relationship, it is unknown if such a connection actually existed. Howe did, however, spend a great deal of time with Navarro as his publicist
Publicist
A publicist is a person whose job is to generate and manage publicity for a public figure, especially a celebrity, a business, or for a work such as a book, film or album...
. The play also features Alice Terry
Alice Terry
Alice Terry was an American film actress who began her career during the silent film era, appearing in thirty-nine films between 1916 and 1933.-Career:...
, Rex Ingram
Rex Ingram (director)
Rex Ingram was an Irish film director, producer, writer and actor. Legendary director Erich von Stroheim once called him "the world's greatest director."-Early life:...
, Irving G. Thalberg, Jim Quirk, Adela Rogers St. Johns
Adela Rogers St. Johns
Adela Rogers St. Johns was an American journalist, novelist, and screenwriter. She wrote a number of screenplays for silent movies and, late in life, appeared with other early twentieth-century figures as one of the 'witnesses' in Warren Beatty's Reds, but she is best remembered for her...
, and Louis B. Mayer
Louis B. Mayer
Louis Burt Mayer born Lazar Meir was an American film producer. He is generally cited as the creator of the "star system" within Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer in its golden years. Known always as Louis B...
as characters.
Synopsis
The play opens with journalist Adel Rogers St. Johns and Jim Quirk, editor of PhotoplayPhotoplay
Photoplay was one of the first American film fan magazines. It was founded in 1911 in Chicago, the same year that J. Stuart Blackton founded a similar magazine entitled Motion Picture Story...
magazine, discussing Herbert Howe’s latest article and his general reputation around Hollywood as an ace reporter willing to do nearly anything to get an interview or story. Howe enters, and after a brief discussion about the tactics Howe implements to get his stories, St. Johns and Quirk leave. Tracy, a new reporter, enters and attempts to seduce Howe so that he might mentor her. She is quickly rebuffed. Howe does, however, give her one piece of advice: to never make any friends.
Quirk eventually drops a bomb on Howe: That the bosses at MGM want him to follow around new star Ramón Novarro and help promote Rex Ingram’s latest film, The Arab. Howe seems hesitant, but at the insistence of Quirk and thanks to a hefty paycheck from the studio, he agrees. Howe eventually meets Navarro as their ship is ready to depart for Tunisia
Tunisia
Tunisia , officially the Tunisian RepublicThe long name of Tunisia in other languages used in the country is: , is the northernmost country in Africa. It is a Maghreb country and is bordered by Algeria to the west, Libya to the southeast, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east. Its area...
. At first the pair do not seem to get along, but Howe is impressed with Novarro’s poise and confidence. After a very brief courtship
Courtship
Courtship is the period in a couple's relationship which precedes their engagement and marriage, or establishment of an agreed relationship of a more enduring kind. In courtship, a couple get to know each other and decide if there will be an engagement or other such agreement...
, the two men become an item.
On location Rex Ingram
Rex Ingram (director)
Rex Ingram was an Irish film director, producer, writer and actor. Legendary director Erich von Stroheim once called him "the world's greatest director."-Early life:...
directs Navarro and his wife, Alice Terry
Alice Terry
Alice Terry was an American film actress who began her career during the silent film era, appearing in thirty-nine films between 1916 and 1933.-Career:...
in The Arab. While all four individuals are friends, Howe becomes frustrated with the long hours Navarro spends on set and his willingness to do whatever Ingram demands of him. Meanwhile, back in California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, St. Johns tells Terry that Howe’s latest articles are unlike anything she’s seen from the writer. They are complementary. The play cuts back to Tunisia where Ingram and Howe come to blows over Navarro’s schedule, and eventually Ingram relents and lets the two spend more time together.
As the articles continue down the path of homosexual innuendo, L.B. Mayer grows agitated. “Boy Wonder” Irving G. Thalberg seems more relaxed and understanding of the situation, but agrees to ask Howe to tone things down. The first act ends with Navarro learning that he has been selected to play the lead in the epic film Ben-Hur
Ben-Hur (1959 film)
Ben-Hur is a 1959 American epic film directed by William Wyler and starring Charlton Heston in the title role, the third film adaptation of Lew Wallace's 1880 novel Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ. The screenplay was written by Karl Tunberg, Gore Vidal, and Christopher Fry. The score was composed by...
, implying that he is about to become very famous
Celebrity
A celebrity, also referred to as a celeb in popular culture, is a person who has a prominent profile and commands a great degree of public fascination and influence in day-to-day media...
.
The second act opens with a sympathetic St. Johns warning Howe that Navarro’s career is on the rise and his life very public. Quirk infuriates Terry, who was covering for Howe in his absence, by demoting her to covering small stories.
Howe meets with Navarro who is busy preparing for a press conference and expresses dismay that he can never be close to him in public. A shouting match ensues in front of a few crewmembers that threatens to blow their “cover.” Navarro, desperate, punches Howe in the face and then runs into his dressing room. Howe becomes uncharacteristically tender and offers his support.
Navarro then has a miserable time on the set of Ben-Hur. The director calls him a “stupid Mexican
Mexican people
Mexican people refers to all persons from Mexico, a multiethnic country in North America, and/or who identify with the Mexican cultural and/or national identity....
.” Navarro is almost killed filming the chariot
Chariot
The chariot is a type of horse carriage used in both peace and war as the chief vehicle of many ancient peoples. Ox carts, proto-chariots, were built by the Proto-Indo-Europeans and also built in Mesopotamia as early as 3000 BC. The original horse chariot was a fast, light, open, two wheeled...
race and is show to have large bruises up and down one side of his body. Howe becomes infuriated and Navarro is desperate to leave and see Ingram. Howe agrees to assist in his boyfriend
Boyfriend
A boyfriend is a person's regular male companion in a romantic or sexual relationship, although normally not in long-term committed relationships, where other titles A boyfriend is a person's regular male companion in a romantic or sexual relationship, although normally not in long-term committed...
’s escape. Production on the film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
shuts down immediately and Mayer becomes infuriated while Thalberg becomes panicked. Navarro and Howe show up and Rex Ingram’s house for cover. Thalberg is able to convince the pair to return to the film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
set, giving increased power to Navarro.
Unfortunately, an article
Article (publishing)
An article is a written work published in a print or electronic medium. It may be for the purpose of propagating the news, research results, academic analysis or debate.-News articles:...
written by an anonymous
Anonymity
Anonymity is derived from the Greek word ἀνωνυμία, anonymia, meaning "without a name" or "namelessness". In colloquial use, anonymity typically refers to the state of an individual's personal identity, or personally identifiable information, being publicly unknown.There are many reasons why a...
author has revealed the relationship and exposed their romantic entanglement, threatening to end Navarro’s career. Quirk informs Howe that Mayer wants to see him at MGM studios and the two of them arrive in the movie mogul’s office. Quirk defends his star reporter, but Mayer grows furious and demands and end to their relationship. Thalberg agrees to let Howe end it his own way, which the reporter reluctantly does. One of the final scenes shows Navarro telling Alice Terry that he was going to break up with Howe as well.
Back in his office, Howe concludes that Terry wrote the article in order to get his job. He compliments her on her style, and says that he needs to get out of the business. The final scene shows all the characters reading excerpts from Howe’s articles on Navarro.
Original production
The original production of Through a Naked Lens opened on December 16, 2005 at the Wings Theatre and ran for 28 performances. It closed on January 21, 2006. The direction was by L.J. Kleeman with costumes by L.J. Kleeman, sets by L.J. Kleeman and Ray Wagner, lighting by Sean Linehan, and multi-media effects by Jas McDonald. The production stage manager was Parys Le Bron. The opening night castCast member
A cast member is:* An actor who performs in a theatrical production, motion picture, or television program. The actors who perform in the show are collectively referred to as the cast....
was as follows:
- Stephen Smith as Herbert Howe
- JoHary Ramos as Ramón Novarro
- Richard Bacon as Rex Ingram
- Shay Coleman as Jim Quirk
- Tracy M. Gaillard as Tracy
- Heather Murdock as Alice Terry
- Tom Patterson as Irving G. Thalberg
- Joe Pepe as Eason and Lon
- Sheila Shaigany as Reba and Sally
- Laura Beth Wells as Adela Rogers St. Johns
- Raymond O. Wagner as Louis B. Mayer
Critical reception
The play opened to mixed reviews with some publications declaring the new play “compelling” and others saying it was concerned more with image than content. The play ran for little over a month and was considered a moderate success at the box office.See also
- Ramón NovarroRamón NovarroRamón Novarro was a Mexican leading man actor in Hollywood in the early 20th century. He was the next male "Sex Symbol" after the death of Rudolph Valentino...
- Louis B. MayerLouis B. MayerLouis Burt Mayer born Lazar Meir was an American film producer. He is generally cited as the creator of the "star system" within Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer in its golden years. Known always as Louis B...
- Irving G. Thalberg
- Rex IngramRex Ingram (director)Rex Ingram was an Irish film director, producer, writer and actor. Legendary director Erich von Stroheim once called him "the world's greatest director."-Early life:...
- PhotoplayPhotoplayPhotoplay was one of the first American film fan magazines. It was founded in 1911 in Chicago, the same year that J. Stuart Blackton founded a similar magazine entitled Motion Picture Story...