New Harmony Theatre, the Tri-State’s only professional Equity theatre, will stage a season of classics of the American stage in 2009. The season, which opens runs June 12 – August 16, 2009 at New Harmony’s Murphy Auditorium, features a company of seasoned performers with credits including Broadway, major regional theatre, film, and television. According to Lenny Leibowitz, artistic director, the season “celebrates the American dreamer in all of her grace, fragility, and oddball exuberance. These plays – ‘A Streetcar Named Desire,’ ‘Harvey,’ and ‘Guys and Dolls’ – capture the limitless vitality of our nation’s spirit. When audiences first encountered these plays, they were finding their footing after a generation of war and upheaval. These three pinnacles of post-war American theatre ask us – now as they did then – to reflect on and re-chart our course. Their leading players - Blanche, Elwood, and Sky – are inveterate dreamers who hold fast to their aspirations and ideals, resisting the inexorable drumbeat of conformity. They embolden us all to dream with ardor and panache.”
The season opens on June 12, 2009, with
Tennessee Williams’ Pulitzer Prize-winning masterpiece, “A Streetcar Named Desire.” The play debuted on Broadway in 1947 to tremendous acclaim and was made into a wildly popular film starring
Marlon Brando and Vivian Leigh in 1953. Set in New Orleans’ French Quarter during the restless years following World War II, Leibowitz called the play “lyrical and primal, brutish and sensual.” Blanche is a fragile hothouse flower whose allure is intense but fading. Running from her crumbling dreams and the demons of her past, she seeks shelter with her sister, Stella. Blanche quickly finds her most lethal adversary in Stanley, Stella’s crude, carnal husband. According to Leibowitz, “the clash between these two titanic personalities unleashes fire and poetry and brings into sharp relief the eternal struggle between idealism and cynicism, compassion and cruelty.” “A Streetcar Named Desire” runs through June 28, 2009.
The season continues with “Harvey,” Mary C. Chase’s Pulitzer Prize-winning comedy, running July 10 – 26, 2009. It opened on Broadway in November, 1944, and ran for more than four years. Amy Estes, managing director of New Harmony Theatre, said, “’Harvey’ is a play that we need now. It seems to have been forgotten by regional theatres around the country, and we are thrilled to bring it to our audiences. It shimmers with madcap humor and genuine charm.” Elwood P. Dowd is a lovable lush whose best friend is Harvey, a six-foot rabbit invisible to everyone but Elwood. Veta, Elwood’s high-strung sister, is at wit’s end with Elwood’s shenanigans and the havoc Harvey has wreaked on her social life. When Veta decides to have Elwood committed, Harvey – a mischievous but benevolent prankster – intercedes. Leibowitz said, “’Harvey’ celebrates the oddball eccentrics who inspire us to pursue our most high-flying dreams with ardor and imagination.”
The season concludes with “Guys and Dolls,” July 31 – August 16, 2009. This beloved American musical is currently being revived on Broadway. Inspired by characters and stories created by
Damon Runyon, Leibowitz called “Guys and Dolls” “brash and brassy, sizzling and snazzy,” and said it “vibrates with can-do optimism and the thrill of making that impossible bet.” Sky Masterson, an inveterate gambler, is rolling the dice, but this time the stakes are much higher than money – his very heart is on the line. The show-stopping numbers from “Guys and Dolls” include “Luck Be A Lady,” “Sit Down, You’re Rockin’ the Boat,” “Adelaide’s Lament,” and “I’ll Know.”
All plays in the summer mainstage season are performed at Murphy Auditorium at 419 Tavern Street in New Harmony. Show times are on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. Subscriptions and single tickets for the summer mainstage productions are on sale now. Subscriptions are $55 for adults and $50 for seniors (60 and over). Single tickets for “A Streetcar Named Desire” and “Harvey” are $22 for adults, $20 for seniors, and $10 for anyone 25 or younger. Single tickets for “Guys and Dolls” are $29 for adults, $27 for seniors, and $12 for anyone 25 or younger.
In addition to the mainstage productions, New Harmony Theatre’s series of play readings in Mallette
Studio Theatre on the campus of University of Southern Indiana will continue for a third year in 2009 with a collection of master works from the world theatrical literature including Chekhov’s “Uncle Vanya” on Wednesday, June 17; Ibsen’s “The Master Builder” on Wednesday, July 15; and Shakespeare’s “Hamlet” on Wednesday, August 5. All of the readings begin at 7:30 p.m. According to Estes, only 75 tickets will be sold for each reading and seating will be on a “first come, first served” basis. Tickets for the readings are $10 each.
For more information about New Harmony Theatre’s 2009 season or to purchase tickets, contact the box office at 812/682-3115 or toll free at 1-877-NHT-SHOW (648-7469), or visit the theatre’s new web site at
www.newharmonytheatre.com.
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