Time travel is the theme of the Gallery Players’ 35th season.
Two years ago, the Park Slope-based players took audiences on
a round-the-world cruise, last year on a journey of the mind.
This year they’re inviting audiences to visit the past through
the magic of theater.
Theater veteran Mary Ruth Goodley, president of the Gallery Players,
said that this year the play selection committee decided to give
the board more of a say in choosing which plays to produce. The
Players’ 2001-2002 season reflects an interesting mix of heavy
drama, light comedy and groundbreaking musicals with highlights
ranging from February’s "Over the River and Through the
Woods" to March’s "The Front Page."
The journey begins in September with "The Musical Comedy
Murders of 1940." Like last year’s "Noises Off,"
it will be directed by Bruce Merrill. John Bishop’s play is "funny
and farcical," said Goodley. The play presents an array
of wacky suspects, boozers and imposters, including the director,
the maid, an innocent-looking dancer and even a policeman who
may not be a policeman. "The Musical Comedy Murders of 1940"
will run Sept. 8 to Sept. 30.
Next comes "The Student Prince," a four-act operetta
with music by Sigmund Romberg and lyrics by Dorothy Donnelly.
Originally produced as "The Student Prince of Heidelberg,"
the Shubert brothers’ 1924 sumptuous production at Manhattan’s
Jolson Theatre, was the longest-running musical of the 1920s.
The play is about the romance between Karl Franz, crown prince
of Karlsberg, and Kathie, the daughter of an innkeeper, and how
their love is shattered when he’s called home to become king.
The challenging score is filled with marches, drinking songs
and the deeply romantic "Deep in My Heart." Michael
Jackson will direct; runs Oct. 20 to Nov. 11.
Eugene O’Neill’s 1922 Pulitzer Prize-winning drama "Anna
Christie" takes place during the great seafaring days of
the early 20th century. Anna is the daughter of the Swedish captain
Chris Christopherson, who sends her to Minnesota to be brought
up far from "dat old davil sea." In the play, she turns
up in port and falls in love with the sea and a brawny Irish
seaman named Pat Burke. The classic story of sin and reconciliation
was unusually explicit for its time in both language and story
and liberated the stage for the more graphic material that was
to follow. Directed by Laura Josepher, the play runs Dec. 1 to
Dec. 16.
The Gallery Players go all the way back to Biblical times with
the ever-popular "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat."
The music, by Andrew Lloyd Webber, with lyrics by Tim Rice, includes
country and western, calypso, ballads, rap and rock ’n’ roll.
This retelling of how Joseph triumphs over his spiteful brothers
is a family show for people of all ages – if you enjoy Webber’s
music. David Leidholdt directs. "Dreamcoat" runs Jan.
12 to Feb. 3.
"Over the River and Through the Woods," recently closed
in its off-Broadway production, will have its first New York
revival with the Gallery Players. Joe DiPietro’s play is about
two sets of Italian grandparents and how they deal with their
grandson’s growing up and leaving home.
"It is deeply human and very funny," Goodley said of
the play to be directed by Susan Smith. (Smith’s last directorial
effort with the Players was "Marvin’s Room," staged
five years ago.) "Over the River" runs Feb. 23 to March
10.
"The Front Page," a fast-paced satire on the ethics
of the tabloid press by Ben Hecht and Charles MacArthur, is every
bit as timely in 2001 as it was in its Broadway premiere in 1928.
One of America’s most enduring comedies, the play is based on
both authors’ experiences in the newspaper business and the shenanigans
in the big-city press room, where reporters encounter con men,
prostitutes and corrupt politicians. Directed by Jose Zayas,
"The Front Page" runs March 30 to April 14.
Along with Lindbergh’s flight to Paris and the kidnapping of
his baby, the story of Floyd Collins’ fight for survival in a
cave, where he was trapped, was one of the biggest news stories
between the world wars, said Goodley. The story also inspired
the 1994 musical, "Floyd Collins," written by Tim Landau
with music and lyrics by Adam Guettel. It will be directed by
Goodley ("Someone to Watch Over Me," "Assassins,"
"She Loves Me," "Big River") and runs, in
its first New York revival, May 4 to May 19.
From a new look at a 19th century tale, to a 1970s musical take
on a Biblical tale, the Gallery Players’ 35th season promises
to present an impressive range of the breadth and depth of 20th
century theater.
The Gallery Players season opens Sept.
8 with "The Musical Comedy Murders of 1940" by John
Bishop. Tickets are $15, $12 seniors & children under 12.
Performances are Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 8 pm and
Sundays at 3 pm through Sept. 30. The Gallery Players’ theater
is located at 199 14th St. in Park Slope. For more information,
call (718) 595-0547.
