Luck be a lady tonight! Bring your best girl to Iowa City Community Theatre's sassy performance of the timeless classic "Guys and Dolls," opening January 21st at 8:00 p.m. at the Iowa City Fairgrounds. Considered by many to be the perfect musical comedy, Guys and Dolls brings a cast of vivid characters who have become legends: Sarah Brown, the upright but uptight "mission doll," out to reform the evildoers of Time Square; Sky Masterson, the slick, high-rolling gambler who woos her on a bet and ends up falling in love; Adelaide, a nightclub performer whose 14-year-long engagement to the same man induces a chronic allergic reaction; and Nathan Detroit, Adelaide's long-term fiancé, desperate to find a spot for his infamous floating crap game.
Based on the Damon Runyon's 1932 short story "The Idyll of Miss Sarah Brown," Abe Burrows and Jo Swerling's hilarious, fast-paced book and Frank Loesser's bright, brassy, immortal score makes Guys And Dolls one of the most frequently performed musicals ever, and an ideal production for audiences and performers of any age.
PERFORMANCES:
Friday, January 21st at 8:00 p.m.
Saturday, January 22nd at 8:00 p.m.
Friday, January 28th at 8:00 p.m.
Saturday, January 29th at 8:00 p.m.
Sunday, January 30th at 2:30 p.m.
Friday February 4th at 8:00 p.m.
Saturday February 5th at 8:00 p.m.
Sunday, February 6th at 2:30 p.m.
Doors open for evening performances at 7:00, and at 1:30 for matinees. Tickets for adults are $12 for evening performances, $11 for matinees. Students and seniors pay $10 for evening performances and $9 for matinees. Kindergarten through Sixth Grade students pay $6. For tickets, call the ICCT Box Office at 1-319-338-0443, or visit J. Hall Keyboards or the Robert A. Lee Recreation Center. Group rates are also available. Visit the ICCT Web site at www.iowacitycommunitytheatre.com for additional information.
Tomorrow night I've got my first read-through for Hedda.
I've actually not worked onstage with Adam or Ron before despite their respective impressive lists of theatrical accomplishments. Everybody else is, of course, nothing short of phenomenal. Last night, I was talking with Josh, our AD, and Janet, who is an incredibly intelligent and kind person who 1) plays Sarah Brown in Guys and Dolls, 2) was a finalist for the Hedda role and 3) is now going to be dramaturg for Hedda. Both of them have already given extensive thought to some of the levels of depth in the script. Janet's even started pulling resources on Scandinavian society in the period. Wow.
BTW, that's one of the coolest things about local theater in our area, at least th e people I've been privileged to work with. Janet would've been an awesome Hedda. Kara and Dorreen, the other two I saw read, would also have put on an extremely good show. Regardless, it was never a question that whichever of us got the part, the others would try to help to make it the best production possible. It's really an extended family. A rather disfunctional one, at times, but that's another story.
I've also got to remember to give a plug for Dreamwell's production of Someone Who'll Watch Over Me. The relevance of the piece to the situation in the Middle East alone should make it worth the ticket price:
Someone Who'll watch Over Me
by Frank McGuinness
directed by Gerry Roe
assistant directed by Brian Tanner
February 4,5, 11, 12, 18, 19 2005
Tickets are $10.00 for the general public, Seniors 65 and over $8.00, and $7.00 for students (with ID), and can be picked up and paid for (by cash or check only) the night of the show.
A play that is perhaps more relevant today than when it was first produced, Someone Who’ll Watch Over Me explores the daily crises of three hostages, an Englishman, an Irishman and an American, who are imprisoned in the Middle East. Dreamwell first brought this show to Iowa City audiences in 1998. The original cast and director return to re-create one of our finest shows.
Cast:
Michael - Matthew Falduto
Adam - Thomas Williams
David - Matthew Brewbaker
You might notice familiar names in the cast, no? It is a recreation, and I heard really good things about the first run.
City Circle Acting Company will be auditioning for Mornings at Seven.
Mornings at Seven
Director Pauline Tyer ("1776", "Quilters") brings this classic comedic drama to life on our Oakdale stage. The play, by screenwriter Paul Osborn ("East of Eden", "The Yearling") tells the story of four sisters, three husbands, one forty year old son, and his fiancee of ten years that none of the family has met. A perfect "well-made" play, "Mornings at Seven" features some of the best, most experienced actors to ever grace the City Circle stage in a show designed to move the heart and get a laugh at the same time.
Audition Info:
Sun, Jan 30, 2-4 pm
Mon, Jan 31, 7-9 pm
(location TBA)
Production Info:
Runs April 1, 2, 3, 7, 8, 9, 10. Thurs-Saturdays at 8:00 pm, Sunday Matinees at 2:30 pm.
Pauline Tyer directed Rosenstrasse, and I highly recommend it if you get a chance to work with her. It's less like doing a show and more like taking an intensive course in acting, with the show as the eventual outcome. No matter how much you've tried, no matter how well you think you nailed the line, she'll come up with something more she'd like to see. And somehow, you find it in yourself to pull that last little bit of meaning out of a part of your brain and soul you never even knew you had. It's hard work, but worth it.
Finally, if you've got kids you might want to take them to see City Circle's A Year with Frog and Toad:
"A Year with Frog and Toad" is the musical adapation based on the classic childrens books by Arnold Lobel. Follow the adventures of best friends and neighbors Frog and Toad, as well as assorted birds and woodland creatures as they make their way through the year to the infectious score by brothers Willie and Robert Reale.
A four time Tony nominee in 2003, this is a sure fire delight for the whole family! Director Bret Gothe promises a perfect escape from the February chill with this heart warming, toe tapping, madcap musical feast, perfect for children of any age.
This also marks City Circle's first formal collaboration with the Iowa Childrens Museum at Coral Ridge Mall, in what we hope will be an annual tradition. So, find a kid, or at least someone young at heart, and make your way to the marsh for "A Year with Frog and Toad" you won't soon forget!
February 11, 12, 13, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 27. Fridays at 7: 30 pm, Satudays at 2:30 and 7:30 pm, Sundays at 2:30 pm.
I know Kate Thompson and Patty McTaggert are in it, and they always do brilliant work, and that's just part of the ensemble. I didn't get the scoop on anyone else yet, and I can't seem to find it on the website.
A final "by the way" - I see City Circle's site now has production photos in the upper right hand corner, apparently randomly shuffling. I saw scene from Psycho Beach Party and Metamorphoses and the New Play Festival, then one from the Allergist's Wife. Then it occurred to me: does anybody know if they put all the photos into the shuffle?
Specifically, did I not half-jokingly swear I'd come after people if certain Allergist's Wife photos started circulating on the web? I showed less than I typically do at the beach, so I suppose I don't care, but it still would've been a bit of a shock if I hadn't seen this and someone had, say, emailed me a bra shot at work.
Don't make me choke on my coffee, people.
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