A Noise Within (ANW), the acclaimed classical repertory theatre company, extends both of its productions of William Shakespeare's Julius Caesar and Bertolt Brecht and Kurt Weill's groundbreaking The Threepenny Opera in Michael Feingold's translation through May 24.
The two plays can also be seen as a double-header on April 12, April 25 and May 2 as a daylong REVOLUTIONRep. Both plays were created by a single design team, headed by artistic directors Julia Rodriguez-Elliott and
Geoff Elliott as directors. While the plays can be enjoyed singly, they can also be seen back-to-back to become a larger theatrical experience as their themes resonate and intertwine. Patrons on those dates can also participate in immersive directing or acting workshops, have a chance to meet the cast and crew, and enjoy dinner and lively social interaction with other theater goers between the two performances.
"We have always crafted overarching themes for our repertory seasons," says
Geoff Elliott, "but none has presented itself as organically and viscerally as this year's." Julia Rodriguez-Elliott reinforces this notion, adding, "In many ways, the idea of REVOLUTION had entered our collective consciousness in ways that all but dared us not to embrace it. As a director, I am especially energized by the concept of 'disorderly conduct'-both because it appears as a theme in every one of these plays, especially The Threepenny Opera and Julius Caesar, and because wherever we look, all around the world, it is rearing its head in the forms of civic, social, and political unrest. We take our cue from Brecht himself, who said, 'Art is not a mirror held up to reality, but a hammer with which to shape it.'"
This is the first time in its history that A Noise Within has designed plays so that the scenic changeover can occur seamlessly between a matinee and an evening performance, thus providing for a panoramic view of the theatrical process. And while new in format, REVOLUTIONRep brings to high relief the repertory platform that has made A Noise Within one of the country's premier presenters of classical plays.
Julia Rodriguez-Elliott says, "REVOLUTIONRep promises a completely new theatrical experience, one where we forge alliances among our patrons, company, and cast. Together the two plays speak to events surrounding power - Victoria's coronation in Threepenny and Julius Caesar's rise to power - and how the characters of each play respond to these powers-that-be."
BroadwayWorld said, "Directors Rodriguez-Elliott and Elliott have turned Shakespeare's thought-provoking political drama into a powerful exposé on the less noble actions of men, anchored by two terrific performances and a commanding industrial design." The Los Angeles Times said that Julius Caesar is an "ambitious. . . entertaining production."
BroadwayWorld said The Threepenny Opera "cast is excellent (and) leaves a lasting impression. See it!" "A spirited rendition of the timeless Threepenny Opera," wrote the Huffington Post. StageSceneLA.com proclaimed, "Sensationally performed. Couldn't be better."
Julius Caesar, a tragedy by
William Shakespeare, is believed to have been written in 1599 and is one of several plays by Shakespeare including Coriolanus and Antony and Cleopatra that are based on true events from Roman history. The central psychological drama of the work is Brutus' struggle between the conflicting demands of his honor, patriotism and friendship. The main source of the play is Thomas North's translation of Plutarch's Lives. It is thought that the play reflects the general anxiety of Elizabethan England over the succession of leadership, anticipating the death of Elizabeth I.
A play of shifting civic tides, paranoia, and betrayal, Julius Caesar (last produced by the company in 2005) is a tense thriller steeped in civil war and the unending quest for power. Brutus, in concert with a cabal of senators fearing for the future of the Republic, slays its one true threat, Julius Caesar, but underestimates his power as emperor. The assassination throws the Republic into chaos and leads to the first Triumvirate. This play demands that its viewers consider just how far revolution can be taken. Though in Julius Caesar it is taken to the ultimate degree -- assassination.
The Threepenny Opera debuted in Berlin in 1928. Threepenny is nothing short of a groundbreaking work of what is now termed Brechtian Theatre, in which the full use of theatricality is on display and the fourth wall is broken; the audience is aware they are watching a play, a reaction to a previous, more naturalistic approaches to stage works. When first produced, the musical challenged the audience's notions of how songs could be used to tell a story, and the characters' ostensible amorality was thought unworthy of expression in song. A Noise Within last produced The Threepenny Opera in 1997.
An adaptation of The Beggar's Opera by
John Gay, Threepenny is a forerunner of modern musical theatre that follows the exploits of Macheath, Victorian London's most notorious criminal, surrounded by a stage full of rogues, foisting a radical new brand of theatre with music (in America Show Boat would have just premiered, and Oklahoma! would still be 15 years away) on audiences. Threepenny was not just rebellious in form, but also in content highlighting the failure of capitalism and celebrating socialism.
Single ticket prices for Julius Caesar and The Threepenny Opera start at $40. Contact the A Noise Within box office in person, via phone at 626-356-3100, or online at
www.ANoiseWithin.org for updated pricing and seat availability. A Noise Within is located on the corner of Foothill Boulevard and Sierra Madre Villa Avenue at 3352 East Foothill Blvd., Pasadena, CA 91107.
The engagement of Julius Caesar includes post-performance conversations with the artists on Friday April 17 at 8pm, Sunday May 3 at 2pm, and Friday, May 8 at 8pm. The engagement of The Threepenny Opera includes a
post-performance conversation with the artists on Friday April 24 at 8pm.
The Good Person of Szechwan by
Bertolt Brecht, translated by
Tony Kushner and directed by Stephen Rockwell, will be read as part of the A Noise Within Words Within Resident Artists' Play Reading Series on Wednesday, May 6 at 7pm.
A Noise Within, founded in 1991 and named "one of the nation's premier classical repertory companies" by The Huffington Post, is the leading presenter of these plays in Southern California. The company's mission is to produce world-class performances of the great works of drama in rotating repertory with a resident company; to educate and inspire the public through programs that foster an understanding and appreciation of history's great plays and playwrights; and to train the next generation of classical theatre artists.
Originally based in a former Masonic Temple in Glendale, the company moved to its present home-a building of architectural distinction designed by Edward Durrell Stone of Kennedy Center fame-in 2011. Helmed by
Producing Artistic Directors
Geoff Elliott and Julia Rodriguez-Elliott, who hold MFAs from San Francisco's American Conservatory Theatre, A Noise Within delivers a seven-show repertory season and a wide range of educational programs to diverse audiences from Los Angeles County and well beyond. Voted "Best Theatre" by readers of Time Out Los Angeles and Reader Recommended by Pasadena Weekly, A Noise Within is indeed "California's Home for the Classics."
Photos by Craig Schwartz
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