David was in the audience for Saturday night's "Theater for a New Ear," and sends along this great report for we poor saps who couldn't attend:

saw "hope leaves the theater," saturday night. quite hilarious. a kaufmanian play within a play with the interior monologue of an audience-member watching the whole proceedings. begins with lights up as davis, streep and dinklage, seated, provide the dialogue and (in the case of davis, our protagonist) thoughts of attendees taking their seats (and obsessing over an oversized ass). the play included faux television news coverage of a story that was indeed covered on the news that very morning, a critic's disparaging review of the play and all its post-modern, self-referential game playing and streep breaking character to berate the lack of respect davis' character has shown in allowing her mobile phone to go off during the show, this being the heartfelt final work from kaufman, having been completed just prior to his tragic suicide (she berates davis, the actress, as well for her snide manner all through rehearsals). close to 30 characters portrayed by the three of them sitting on stools in front of the orchestra and a very busy foley artist. and, believe me, it was even less linear than I've indicated - I've omitted the dialogue in the elevator of the 2,000 story medical center, the cyber sex, the british actor and his sister, the dead baby robby, the bus accident, the teenage louise in 1997 (the purported year of the play's creation), streep's recollections of the public theater in the '70's and the chorus of angels.

Phwoar.

The NY Daily News has a bit to say about Charlie's play, too (scroll down to "A clown called 'Hope'"), and a longer article is over at Fox (Seriously Hip Sirius).

These radio plays are grouped under the reading "Theatre for the New Ear." The Coen brothers' "Sawbones" — a short, intricate sketch — is the opener. With Burwell's witty faux TV theme, they pulled off a funny satire about dysfunctional people watching their favorite show.

Twice as long and a little more developed, Kaufman's piece is just phenomenal, albeit a "meta" story within a story within a story.

...[Streep] said she's told him to write a full-length play, and she's right.

...[Kaufman said] it took him three months to write "Hope," but also that he was working on revisions right until the last minute.