November 2007
Dear Subscriber:
TELEVISION, RADIO AND PRINT ADVERTISING are all screaming the same refrain: the holidays are here. With Thanksgiving under (or quite possibly, over) our belts and Halloween a distant memory, the flurry of family, friends, shopping, festivities and food that is December is nearly upon us. Holidays, in most households, mean tradition, and that holds true at The Rep as well, sort of. To celebrate the season in both our Mainstage and Off-Ramp venues, we turn to the work of Shakespeare, arguably the world’s most recognizable name in the theatrical tradition, presented in a most untraditional way. On the Mainstage, we bring you Kiss Me, Kate, Cole Porter’s absolutely wonderful musical revisitation of the Bard’s The Taming of the Shrew, and continuing its run at The Grandel in our Off-Ramp series is The Bomb-itty of Errors, a fresh new hip-hop-inspired look at The Comedy of Errors. Both are sure to add sparkle and style to your merry-making.
ON THE MAINSTAGE, PORTER’S CLEVER LYRICS and unforgettable tunes partner beautifully with Sam and Bella Spewack’s witty dialogue to craft the perfect show within a show. Fred Graham, writer/director/producer/performer extraordinaire, is preparing to open his musical theatre version of Shrew in try-outs in Baltimore before (hopefully) taking it to Broadway. He leads as Petruchio with his stage and screen star ex-wife, Lilli Vanessi as Katharine. With a passion every bit as great as that of Shakespeare’s original love/hate couple, they bring an explosive chemistry to their roles. The opening happens to coincide with the anniversary of their divorce, and the stakes are raised onstage and off when a bouquet of flowers intended for Fred’s current love interest, Lois Lane—making her transitional debut from nightclub singer to Broadway baby as Bianca—is delivered to Lilli by mistake. The flub rekindles surface deep feelings that Lilli still harbors for Fred and relationships become a bit complicated. Add to that a Lucentio—one Broadway dancer, Bill Calhoun—with a major gambling problem, two surprisingly refined mobster thugs in pursuit of Bill’s filched on I.O.U., another case of (purposefully) confused identity, a U.S. Army General fiance for Lilli and an overheated chorus—and madcap adventures ensue both “backstage” and on the boards. With Porter classics like “Another Op’nin’, Another Show,” “Too Darn Hot,” and “Always True to You in My Fashion,” the music is irresistible. The version of the show we are doing is the 1999 Broadway revision which sharpened some of the jokes and tightened the show slightly for enjoyment by a contemporary audience—never destroying the work of the Spewacks or Mr. Porter. British theatre critic Michael Coveney lauded this revival for “combining the show’s old-fashioned, lip-smacking literacy with a contemporary, vibrant mood of the battle of the sexes”, noting: “It does honor to a musical theater classic without embalming it in reverential fluid.”
VICTORIA BUSSERT RETURNS to direct a stunning cast, with inventive and dazzling choreography by Ralph Perkins (Urinetown) and superb musical direction from Dale Rieling. Scenic designer John Ezell, costume designer Dorothy Marshall Englis and lighting designer Peter Sargent all pull double duty, not only creating the busy backstage world of Kiss Me, Kate, but also the designs for the internal production of Shrew. Our outstanding cast is led by real-life husband and wife team Diane and Brian Sutherland (She Loves Me) as Lilli and Fred with Jessica Leigh Brown as Lois and David Larsen as Bill. Also brushing up their Shakespeare are Stacey Sargeant, Darryl Reuben Hall (Crowns), Amanda Kloots, John Woodson (Gypsy), Haven Eaves and Andrew Cao along with local Rep favorites Ben Nordstrom, Whit Reichert, Joneal Joplin and Steve Isom. Rounding out the troupe of backstage/onstage players are Webster Conservatory students Tyler Adcock, Michael Baxter, Megan Kane and Kelli Stryker.
IN OUR OFF-RAMP SERIES, The Bomb-itty of Errors continues its rap-infused retelling of the tale of the boys from Syracuse through December 9th. Written by Jordan Allen-Dutton, Jason Catalano, Gregory Qaiyum and Erik Weiner with music by Jeffrey Qaiyum, this original work is a nominee for Best Lyrics at the Drama Desk Awards and a winner of the Jefferson Award in Chicago. Under Nick Corley’s direction, the show features four extremely versatile, extremely vibrant actors—Jason Babinsky, Omar Evans, Jake Mosser and Jason Veasey—who weave their way through no fewer than five roles apiece and a series of lightning-quick costume changes as they portray the two sets of twins and every other role in the play (male and female), while Jordan Connors spins the beat as DJ Spae. Scenic designer Luke Hegel-Cantarella, costume designer Maiko Matsushima and lighting designer Jeff Nellis craft an environment where rhythm and image are everything and lend this production real street cred. For extra fun, see how many Shakespearean play titles you can find written on the set; every last one appears somewhere onstage. With the funkiest iambic pentameter you have ever heard (and occassionally some strong street language), this is not your father’s Shakespeare—but he probably wishes it had been. Just in case you think that you aren’t hip enough to hang with this crowd, consider this review from Edinburgh’s The Scotsman: “The exuberance that sells from the stage creates a hugely positive atmosphere and the crowd are soon clapping, waving their hands in the air and whooping.” Get ready to whoop.
WHETHER YOU ARE FROM DOWNTOWN OR SUBURBIA, the hip-hop circuit or the vaudeville circuit, both of these productions are joyful celebrations of theatre and make excellent outings with (or escapes from) your holiday guests. Remember that The Bomb-itty of Errors closes on December 9th, and adults and teenagers both will get a big kick out of this inventive and fast- paced way to see Shakespeare. Kiss Me, Kate plays through December 28th, so there is also time between celebrations to catch up with the antics of the show folk trying to put on The Taming of the Shrew. We wish you all good things and lots of great surprises during this holiday season.
See you at the theatre,
Steven Woolf
Artistic Director
P.S. By the time you get this, there is every chance the Stagehands’ strike in New York will be settled, but it’s probably worth checking on the Internet just to make sure. And if you have the good fortune to visit London over the holidays, don’t miss War Horse at the National Theatre. It is the striking story of an English cavalry horse serving during World War I and his young civilian owner’s quest to reunite with him. A production that is moving and powerful, it features the renowned Handspring Puppet Company operating full-sized horse puppets unlike anything you have seen before. And keep watch for the production of Macbeth starring Patrick Stewart that will be in New York at the Brooklyn Academy of Music this winter. It is a staggering interpretation of the show.
As we are all too aware, the Highway 40 construction project is hard upon us. I would encourage you to start to think about how you will travel to see our shows here after the first of the year.
Don’t miss an opportunity for family fun with the Imaginary Theatre Company’s production of The Ant and the Grasshopper on the Mainstage December 20-22.