Contra Costa Civic Theatre to Present NINE, Beginning February 6, 2009
Contra Costa Civic Theatre will open its production of Nine (The Musical) on Friday, February 6, 2009. Directed and choreographed by Amy Nielson, with musical direction by Joe Simiele, Nine was the winner of numerous Tony awards, including Best Musical and Score in 1982 and Best Revival in 2003, and will soon be made into a movie.. It features a book by Arthur Kopit and music and lyrics by Maury Yeston. The musical was inspired by Federico Fellini's movie 8 1/2 and was adapted from the Italian by Marrio Fratti.
CCCT's production features Derrick Silva as Guido Contini, a famous Italian film director. His last three films have been flops. A creative block sends him into the fearful throws of a mid-life crisis, questioning his life's direction and his own mortality. What does an artist do if he cannot create?
A combination of memory, dream, and reality, Contini's struggle is laid out for us via his relationships with the women in his life, both past and present, including his wife Luisa (Jennifer Stark), his lover, Carla Albanese (Patricia Pitpitan), and his protégé, actress Claudia Nardi (Maggie Tenenbaum).
In an attempt to escape his troubles and help his ailing marriage, Contini takes his wife Luisa to a spa in Venice . But he is unable to avoid his fame and soon everyone knows where he is. This includes Carla, who has left her husband and comes to Venice to be with Contini and his producer Liliane La Fleur ( Ali Lane ), who is a constant reminder of the film he must, but cannot, make. His muse Claudia gives him an idea for the film by calling him a "Casanova." Soon Contini has cast everyone at the spa in the film and shooting begins.
As with Fellini's 8 ½, Contini's film becomes somewhat autobiographical, and the women in his life see their stories played out in front of the camera. Through this he drives away those who love him most and is left alone to contemplate the future of his unfinished film, his career and his own existence. It is the final exchange with Contini's nine-year-old self that may bring him the answers for which he's been searching.
Other Nine cast members include Sheri Pearl (Guido's mother), Alexis Wong (Stephanie Nercophorus), Jessica Magers-Rankin (Sarraghina), Karla Downey (Lina Darling); and Tina Maria Garcia (Mama Maddelena). The ensemble includes Kate McDermott, Leanna Cooper, Christie Hernandez, Monica Lenk, Martha Paquin, Sherae Honeycutt, Heather Speer, and Jill Onyett. Ben Krantz and Kyle Nash are producers, and Cameron Sharp is technical coordinator. Set design is by Matt Flynn, lighting by Adam Fry, costumes by Jenine Hillai, and sound design by Travis Rexroat.
Nine plays Fridays and Saturdays at 8 pm and Sundays at 2 pm through March 8. Tickets are $24 for adults, $15 for youth 16 and under and may be ordered at www.ccct.org or by phone at 510-524-9012. CCCT is located at 531 Pomona Avenue (at Moeser) in El Cerrito , with free parking in an adjacent lot.
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