Robert Sean Leonard, Ken Ludwig, Josh Rhodes Slated for The Old Globe's 2017 Summer Season
By: BWW News Desk Oct. 28, 2016
The Old Globe today announced the remaining productions in its 2017 Summer Season, including a brand-new comedy, Ken Ludwig's Robin Hood!, and a Summer Shakespeare Festival lineup featuring Robert Sean Leonard in the title role of the towering history play Richard II, directed by Erica Schmidt. Shakespeare's exhilarating tragedy Hamlet follows, directed by Old Globe Erna Finci Viterbi Artistic Director Barry Edelstein, one of the leading American authorities on the works of Shakespeare.
They join the previously announced musical fable of Broadway Guys and Dolls, directed and choreographed by Josh Rhodes, presented in association with Asolo Repertory Theatre.
Get ready to rollick with Ken Ludwig's Robin Hood! Inventive comic genius Ken Ludwig, whose Baskerville brought Sherlock Holmes to the Globe, is back with a brand-new Globe-commissioned world premiere comedy about another icon: Robin Hood. Packed with thrills, romance, laughs, and great characters like Little John, Friar Tuck, and Maid Marian, Robin Hood! tells the timeless story of a hero of the people who takes on the powers that be. So get ready to duck a quarterstaff or two-you won't want to miss a moment of the swashbuckling fun! Ken Ludwig's Robin Hood! will play July 22 - August 27, with Opening Night on July 30.
"For God's sake, let us sit upon the ground/And tell sad stories of the death of kings." The Summer Shakespeare Festival will include Globe and television favorite Robert Sean Leonard (the Globe's Pygmalion, "House") in the title role of one of the greatest of Shakespeare's towering cycle of history plays, Richard II, directed by Erica Schmidt (A Month in the Country Off Broadway starring Peter Dinklage). Convinced of his divine right to rule, King Richard acts recklessly and provides the canny Henry Bolingbroke an opening to seize the crown. Filled with magnificent verse and Shakespeare's characteristic wisdom and insight, Richard II is a deeply moving and insightful portrait of how the forces of history collide and combust to shape a nation's political landscape. Richard II plays June 11 - July 15, with Opening Night on Sunday, June 18.
"To be or not to be, that is the question." Shakespeare's exhilarating tragedy Hamlet follows, with the Globe's Barry Edelstein returning to the outdoor Festival Stage to bring Shakespeare's classic to life under the San Diego stars. He will direct a cast featuring some of the nation's finest classical actors in one of the greatest plays ever written-revenge thriller, ghost story, psychological drama, political epic, family saga, all packed with unforgettable characters, theatrical masterstrokes, and world famous lines. The Prince of Denmark comes home from college to find his father dead, his mother remarried to his uncle, and a spine-chilling apparition roaming the palace grounds. Hamlet plays August 6 - September 10, with Opening Night on Saturday, August 12.
"In the summer of 2017, San Diego audiences will see on our stages everything that makes The Old Globe one of our country's greatest theatres," said Erna Finci Viterbi Artistic Director Barry Edelstein. "Guys and Dolls is as close to perfect as any American musical ever, and in the hands of the immensely talented Josh Rhodes, it's going to Raise the Roof in Balboa Park. Josh triumphed here two summers ago with Ken Ludwig's Baskerville; now Ken is back with the Robin Hood play he's been wanting to write for years, and it's sure to be one his funniest and most riotous works. The Globe's good friend Robert Sean Leonard will assay a role he was born to play, the sensitive and eloquent Richard II, in a fresh and energetic production by the highly imaginative Erica Schmidt. And-what an honor and a privilege!-I will direct Shakespeare's supreme achievement, Hamlet, a play I've worked on in various capacities over the years but have never had the good fortune to stage. As always, the leading theatrical talents in America will join us to bring these four amazing works to life, and the Globe will surround the shows with exciting arts engagement and humanities programs to enrich the theatregoing experience. The summer season is going to be vivid, fun, entertaining, and excellent. I can't wait to share it!"
As previously announced, the classic musical fable of Broadway Guys and Dolls will open the Summer Season. Based on a story and characters by Damon Runyon, with music and lyrics by Frank Loesser and book by Jo Swerling and Abe Burrows, Guys and Dolls will be directed and choreographed by Josh Rhodes, returning to the Globe after the great successes of Ken Ludwig's Baskerville: A Sherlock Holmes Mystery, which he directed, and Bright Star, which he choreographed. Roll the dice as Guys and Dolls runs July 2 - August 13, with Opening Night on Friday, July 7, presented in association with Asolo Repertory Theatre.
Guys and Dolls tops Entertainment Weekly's list of the Greatest Musicals of All Time, and for good reason: it's everything we love in musical theatre. Now fast-rising director/choreographer Josh Rhodes returns to the Globe to direct our first-ever production of this Broadway masterpiece. Nathan Detroit needs some serious dough to keep his "oldest established permanent floating crap game" going. He's also got his hands full with his marriage-minded girlfriend Adelaide. But when Nathan makes a bet with high-roller Sky Masterson, his problems appear to be solved. Based on Damon Runyon's famous tales of small-time hoods and showgirls, Guys and Dolls is filled with some of the most wonderful showtunes ever, including "Luck Be a Lady," "I've Never Been in Love Before," and the irrepressible anthem "Sit Down, You're Rockin' the Boat." Guys and Dolls will put a spring in your step and a smile on your face and remind you how much fun it is to see a top-notch Globe revival of a classic American musical!
SEASON SUBSCRIPTIONS offer substantial savings with special subscriber benefits. Tickets to the Globe's 2017 Summer Season are currently available by subscription only, and range from $116-$374. Single tickets for most shows begin at $29. Subscription packages can be purchased online at www.TheOldGlobe.org, by phone at (619) 23-GLOBE [234-5623], or by visiting the box office at 1363 Old Globe Way in Balboa Park. Discounts are available for full-time students, patrons 29 years of age and younger, seniors, and groups of 10 or more.
Don't miss the many humanities-based events surrounding each production-including Insights Seminars, Post-Show Forums, Subject Matters, and Shakespeare in the Garden. Ongoing outreach and value-added programs include the New Voices Festival and Behind the Curtain workshops in the community. Watch for details of exciting new guests to be announced for In Conversation with Barry Edelstein and for pioneering arts education programs including the Free Student Matinee Series, Sensory-Friendly Performances, and Grinch Children's Initiative. The Old Globe is an internationally recognized cultural icon striving to serve its audiences with the best possible theatrical experiences while providing year-round education and community programs for the citizens of San Diego County.
The Old Globe ~ 2017 Summer Season:
Donald and Darlene Shiley Stage, Old Globe Theatre, Conrad Prebys Theatre Center
July 2 - August 13, 2017, with Opening Night on Friday, July 7
Guys and Dolls
A Musical Fable of Broadway
Based on a story and characters by Damon Runyon
Music and lyrics by Frank Loesser
Book by Jo Swerling and Abe Burrows
Directed and choreographed by Josh Rhodes
Presented in association with Asolo Repertory Theatre
Guys and Dolls tops Entertainment Weekly's list of the Greatest Musicals of All Time, and for good reason: it's everything we love in musical theatre. Now fast-rising director/choreographer Josh Rhodes returns to the Globe to direct our first-ever production of this Broadway masterpiece. Nathan Detroit needs some serious dough to keep his "oldest established permanent floating crap game" going. He's also got his hands full with his marriage-minded girlfriend Adelaide. But when Nathan makes a bet with high-roller Sky Masterson, his problems appear to be solved. Based on Damon Runyon's famous tales of small-time hoods and showgirls, Guys and Dolls is filled with some of the most wonderful showtunes ever, including "Luck Be a Lady," "I've Never Been in Love Before," and the irrepressible anthem "Sit Down, You're Rockin' the Boat." Guys and Dolls will put a spring in your step and a smile on your face and remind you how much fun it is to see a top-notch Globe revival of a classic American musical!
Frank Loesser (Music and Lyrics), one of America's great composer/lyricists, began his songwriting career during the Depression as a lyricist, contributing songs to Broadway revues and nightclub acts. His work with composer Irving Actman in the 1936 revue The Illustrator's Show led to a songwriting contract in Hollywood, where he spent the next 11 years working with such composers as Burton Lane, Jule Styne, Arthur Schwartz, and Hoagy Carmichael. Some of his film songs from that period include "Two Sleepy People," "Jingle Jangle Jingle," and "I Don't Want to Walk Without You." The first song for which Mr. Loesser wrote both words and music was "Praise the Lord and Pass the Ammunition," written during his World War II service. His Hollywood work after the war included the hit songs "Spring Will Be a Little Late This Year," "A Slow Boat to China," and the 1949 Oscar-winning song "Baby, It's Cold Outside." In 1948 Mr. Loesser was approached by fledgling Broadway producers Cy Feuer and Ernest Martin to write music and lyrics to George Abbott's libretto for an adaptation of the classic BranDon Thomas play Charley's Aunt. The new musical, which starred Ray Bolger, was called Where's Charley? and was a hit. This led to Mr. Loesser's next show, the hugely influential and successful Guys and Dolls in 1950, also produced by Mr. Feuer and MR. Martin, with a script by Abe Burrows and Jo Swerling. In 1956 Mr. Loesser wrote the libretto, music, and lyrics for his next show, The Most Happy Fella, adapted from Sidney Howard's play They Knew What They Wanted. This impressive score contains over 30 musical numbers and makes extensive use of operatic techniques and forms, including recitative, arias, duets, trios, and choral numbers. In 1960 he provided the score and was co-librettist for Greenwillow. In 1961, Mr. Loesser wrote the score for the Pulitzer Prize-winning How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying. His last show, Pleasures and Palaces, closed in 1965 during out-of-town tryouts. For more information on Frank Loesser, please visit frankloesser.com.
Abe Burrows (Book) studied to be a doctor and an accountant and had a career in sales before becoming a successful radio script writer and writer/performer of musical parody numbers. His first Broadway libretto was Guys and Dolls, co-written with Jo Swerling, with a score by Frank Loesser. Among the musicals for which Mr. Burrows provided librettos are Make a Wish; Can-Can and Silk Stockings, both with scores by Cole Porter; Say, Darling; and How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, which he also directed, with a score by Frank Loesser. Mr. Burrows's non-musical plays include Cactus Flower, which he wrote and directed, and Forty Carats, which he directed.
Jo Swerling (Book), born in Russia in 1897, was a playwright, screenwriter, and vaudeville sketch writer. Mr. Swerling's long career began as a reporter and feature writer in New York and Chicago.
Josh Rhodes (Director and Choreographer) most recently directed the Globe production of Ken Ludwig's Baskerville: A Sherlock Holmes Mystery, following his work as choreographer on the highly acclaimed Bright Star (also Broadway, 2016 Astaire and Outer Critics Circle Award nominations for Outstanding Choreographer) and Working (also at Broadway Playhouse in Chicago, Drama Desk Award-winning production at Prospect Theater Company in New York). He recently directed Spamalot (The 5th Avenue Theatre, Gregory Award nomination), Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (Casa Mañana), and Broadway Bares XX and XXI. As a choreographer, his other Broadway credits include Rodgers + Hammerstein's Cinderella (Outer Critic Circle, Astaire, and Drama Desk Award nominations), It Shoulda Been You, and First Date. On stage and screen Mr. Rhodes choreographed Company starring Neil Patrick Harris (PBS/Screenvision) and the Emmy Award-winning productions of Sweeney Todd and Sondheim! The Birthday Concert (New York Philharmonic/PBS). He also choreographed Zorba! (City Center Encores!), Broadway: Three Generations (The Kennedy Center), and A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (Shakespeare Theatre Company, Helen Hayes Award nomination). His other stage credits include John Kander's The Landing (Vineyard Theatre), On the Town (Los Angeles Philharmonic), Annie Get Your Gun starring Patti LuPone (Ravinia Festival), Barnum (Asolo Repertory Theatre, Sarasota Magazine Theater Award), They're Playing Our Song starring Jason Alexander (Reprise Theatre Company in L.A.), Stars of David (Philadelphia Theatre Company), Academy (Maltz Jupiter Theatre), 1776 (Paper Mill Playhouse), Chess and Dreamgirls (North Carolina Theatre), Beautiful Girls (Manhattan School of Music), All Singing! All Dancing!, Legends!, and Broadway by the Year: The Broadway Musicals of 1954 (The Town Hall).
Damon Runyon, born in New York City in 1880, was an American short-story writer, journalist, and humorist. He was the archetype of the tough, hardnosed street reporter who fraternized socially with gangsters and hoodlums. He began in the newspaper business as a child and went on to cover news, sports, politics, and crime during his time in the business. He also published verses and short stories in national publications such as Harper's Weekly and McClure's. He wrote his first book in 1911, a collection of poems entitled The Tents, and began covering World War I the following year. By the 1920s, Mr. Runyon had developed his own distinct style as a prolific author, and beginning in the late 1930s, he also began writing and producing movies in Hollywood. Mr. Runyon's works served as the basis for 29 feature films, including Little Miss Marker starring Shirley Temple (1934), Lady for a Day directed by Frank Capra (1933), The Lemon Drop Kid starring Bob Hope (1951), and Pocket Full of Miracles with Bette Davis (1961). In all, Mr. Runyon's literary legacy includes over 700 stories, novellas, plays, articles, essays, and poems. Among his best-known works is Guys and Dolls, which was adapted to the stage as a musical on Broadway in 1950, where it ran for 1,200 performances. It was then brought to film in 1955 starring Frank Sinatra, Marlon Brando, Vivian Blaine, and Jean Simmons. The musical has been staged in over 25 countries and is performed over 3,000 times annually in high schools, universities, community and regional theatres, making it one of the most produced musicals of all time.
Now in its 58th season, Asolo Repertory Theatre is recognized as one of the premier professional theatres in America and one of the largest in the Southeastern United States. One of the few select theatres in the nation that performs in true rotating repertory, Asolo Rep's highly skilled Acting Company and extensive craftsmanship bring to life this unique performance method that gives audiences the opportunity to see multiple productions in the span of a few days. Asolo Rep presents up to 15 productions each season including contemporary and classic works and provocative musical theatre experiences. A theatre district in and of itself, Asolo Rep is committed to expanding its reach into the community, furthering its collaboration with the best theatre artists working in the industry today and cultivating new artists through its affiliation with the FSU/Asolo Conservatory for Actor Training. Under the leadership of Producing Artistic Director Michael Donald Edwards and Managing Director Linda DiGabriele, Asolo Rep's ambitious theatrical offerings and ground-breaking education and outreach programming engage audiences and ensure its lasting legacy for future generations.
World Premiere of a Globe-commissioned new comedy!
Sheryl and Harvey White Theatre, Conrad Prebys Theatre Center
July 22 - August 27, 2017, with Opening Night on Sunday, July 30
Ken Ludwig's Robin Hood!
Written by Ken Ludwig
Director will be announced at a future date.
Inventive comic genius Ken Ludwig, whose Baskerville brought Sherlock Holmes to the Globe, is back with a brand-new Globe-commissioned world premiere comedy about another icon: Robin Hood! Packed with thrills, romance, laughs, and great characters like Little John, Friar Tuck, and Maid Marian, Robin Hood! tells the timeless story of a hero of the people who takes on the powers that be. So get ready to duck a quarterstaff or two-you won't want to miss a moment of the swashbuckling fun!
Ken Ludwig (Playwright) has had six shows on Broadway and seven in London's West End, and his plays and musicals have been performed in more than 30 countries in over 20 languages. His first play on Broadway, Lend Me a Tenor, which The Washington Post called "one of the classic comedies of the 20th century," won two Tony Awards and was nominated for seven. He has also won two Laurence Olivier Awards, the Charles MacArthur Award, two Helen Hayes Awards, the Edgar Award for Best Play, and the Edwin Forrest Award for contributions to the American theatre. His plays have been commissioned by the Royal Shakespeare Company and the Bristol Old Vic. His 24 plays and musicals include Crazy for You (five years on Broadway and the West End, Tony and Olivier Award winner for Best Musical), Moon Over Buffalo (Broadway and West End, starring Carol Burnett), The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (Broadway), Treasure Island (West End), Twentieth Century (Broadway, starring Alec Baldwin), Baskerville: A Sherlock Holmes Mystery, Leading Ladies, Shakespeare in Hollywood, The Fox on the Fairway, and A Comedy of Tenors. His adaptation of Agatha Christie's Murder on the Orient Express will premiere in March at McCarter Theatre Center in Princeton. His book How to Teach Your Children Shakespeare won the Falstaff Award for Best Book, Publication, or Recording of 2014 and is published by Random House. He is on the Board of Governors of the Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington, DC, and he holds degrees from Harvard University, where he studied music with Leonard Bernstein, Haverford College, and Cambridge University. For more information, please visit kenludwig.com.
The Old Globe 2016 SHAKESPEARE FESTIVAL
Lowell Davies Festival Theatre
June 11 - July 15, 2017, with Opening Night on Sunday, June 18
Richard II
Directed by Erica Schmidt
Robert Sean Leonard in the title role
"For God's sake, let us sit upon the ground
And tell sad stories of the death of kings."
Robert Sean Leonard (TV's "House," The Old Globe's Pygmalion) returns to the Globe in the title role of one of the greatest of Shakespeare's towering cycle of history plays. Convinced of his divine right to rule, King Richard acts recklessly and provides the canny Henry Bolingbroke an opening to seize the crown. Filled with magnificent verse and Shakespeare's characteristic wisdom and insight, Richard II is a deeply moving and insightful portrait of how the forces of history collide and combust to shape a nation's political landscape. It's a perfect play to begin the Globe's 2017 Festival.
Erica Schmidt (Director) has directed Ivan Turgenev's A Month in the Country with Peter Dinklage and Taylor Schilling (Classic Stage Company); Dennis Kelly's Taking Care of Baby (Manhattan Theatre Club); Jonas Hassen Khemiri's I Call My Brothers and the Obie Award-winning Invasion! as well as Gary Mitchell's Trust (Joe A. Callaway Award nomination) (The Play Company); Humor Abuse, which won Lucille Lortel, Outer Critics Circle, Drama Desk, and Obie Awards (co-creator and writer with performer Lorenzo Pisoni; Manhattan Theatre Club, Philadelphia Theatre Company, American Conservatory Theater, Seattle Repertory Theatre, and Mark Taper Forum); Rent (Tokyo); Molière's The Imaginary Invalid, Anton Chekhov's Uncle Vanya, Gilbert and Sullivan's The Sorcerer, and Aaron Copland's The Tender Land (Bard SummerScape); Carnival (Paper Mill Playhouse); Quincy Long's People Be Heard (Playwrights Horizons); As You Like It (The Public Theater/New York Shakespeare Festival and chashama; New York International Fringe Festival Award for Directing); Debbie Does Dallas (also adaptor; Off Broadway for The Araca Group); and Spanish Girl (Second Stage Theater's 2ST Uptown). Ms. Schmidt's college and university work include Love's Labour's Lost, Macbeth, Topdog/Underdog, Shakespeare's R&J, and Buried Child (The Juilliard School); Fair Ladies at a Game of Poem Cards (McCarter Theatre Center's Berlind Theatre/Princeton University); Titus Andronicus and The Desire Project (Vassar College); and Top Girls (Fordham University). She received a Princess Grace Award in 2001.
Robert Sean Leonard most recently appeared on stage as King Arthur in Camelot at Westport Country Playhouse in Connecticut. He has performed in the Broadway productions of The Invention of Love (Tony Award), Long Day's Journey Into Night (Tony nomination); Born Yesterday; The Violet Hour; The Music Man; The Iceman Cometh; Arcadia; Candida (Tony nomination); Philadelphia, Here I Come!; The Speed of Darkness; Breaking the Code; and Brighton Beach Memoirs. His Off Broadway credits include Prodigal Son, Fifth of July, Sally's Gone, She Left Her Name, The Beach House, You Never Can Tell, and When She Danced. He also appeared in the West End revival of Our Town with Alan Alda at London's Shaftesbury Theatre and, as Atticus Finch, in To Kill a Mockingbird at London's Barbican Theatre. His regional credits include Pygmalion and King Lear (The Old Globe), Long Day's Journey Into Night (Huntington Theatre Company), Dead End (Williamstown Theatre Festival), and The Glass Menagerie (Center Stage). Born in New Jersey, Mr. Leonard began acting at age 14 at The Public Theater in New York. At 19, he made his film debut in the acclaimed Dead Poets Society. His film credits include Much Ado About Nothing, The Age of Innocence, Mr. & Mrs. Bridge, Swing Kids, Tape, Chelsea Walls, and Whit Stillman's The Last Days of Disco. He appeared for eight seasons on the Fox medical drama "House."
August 6 - September 10, with Opening Night on Saturday, August 12
Hamlet
Directed by Barry Edelstein
"To be or not to be, that is the question."
Revenge thriller, ghost story, psychological drama, political epic, family saga. Packed with unforgettable characters, theatrical masterstrokes, and world-famous lines, Hamlet is one of the greatest plays ever written. The Prince of Denmark comes home from college to find his father dead, his mother remarried to his uncle, and a spine-chilling apparition roaming the palace grounds. Barry Edelstein returns to the outdoor stage, with a cast featuring some of the nation's finest classical actors, to bring Shakespeare's exhilarating tragedy to life under the San Diego stars.
Barry Edelstein (Director, Erna Finci Viterbi Artistic Director) is a stage director, producer, author, and educator. Widely recognized as one of the leading American authorities on the works of Shakespeare, he has directed nearly half of the Bard's plays. His Globe directing credits include The Winter's Tale; Othello; the West Coast premiere of novelist Nathan Englander's play The Twenty-seventh Man; and the world premiere of Michael John LaChiusa and Sybille Pearson's musical Rain. He also directed All's Well That Ends Well as the inaugural production of Globe for All, which tours the works of Shakespeare to diverse communities throughout San Diego County. As Director of the Shakespeare Initiative at The Public Theater (2008-2012), Edelstein oversaw all of the company's Shakespearean productions, as well as its extensive educational, community outreach, and artist-training programs. At The Public, he staged the world premiere of The Twenty-seventh Man, Julius Caesar, The Merchant of Venice, Timon of Athens,and Steve Martin's WASP and Other Plays. He was also Associate Producer of The Public's Broadway production of The Merchant of Venice starring Al Pacino. From 1998-2003 he was Artistic Director of Classic Stage Company. Edelstein's other Shakespearean directorial credits include The Winter's Tale at Classic Stage Company; As You Like It starring Gwyneth Paltrow; and Richard III starring John Turturro. Additional credits include the Lucille Lortel Award-winning revival of Arthur Miller's All My Sons; the world premiere of Steve Martin's The Underpants, which he commissioned; and Molière's The Misanthrope starring Uma Thurman in her stage debut. Edelstein has taught Shakespearean acting at The Juilliard School, NYU's Graduate Acting Program, and the University of Southern California. His book Thinking Shakespeare is the standard text on American Shakespearean acting. He is also the author of Bardisms: Shakespeare for All Occasions.
The Tony Award-winning Old Globe is one of the country's leading professional regional theatres and has stood as San Diego's flagship arts institution for over 80 years. Under the leadership of Erna Finci Viterbi Artistic Director Barry Edelstein, The Old Globe produces a year-round season of 15 productions of classic, contemporary, and new works on its three Balboa Park stages: the Donald and Darlene Shiley Stage in the 600-seat Old Globe Theatre and the 250-seat Sheryl and Harvey White Theatre, both part of The Old Globe's Conrad Prebys Theatre Center, and the 605-seat outdoor Lowell Davies Festival Theatre, home of its internationally renowned Shakespeare Festival. More than 250,000 people attend Globe productions annually and participate in the theatre's education and community programs. Numerous world premieres such as the 2014 Tony Award winner for Best Musical, A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder, Bright Star, Allegiance, The Full Monty, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, and the annual holiday musical Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas! have been developed at The Old Globe and have gone on to enjoy highly successful runs on Broadway and at regional theatres across the country.
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