A SONG AT TWILIGHT by Noël Coward is in its final week, presented by The Pasadena Playhouse, closes April 13, 2014. The production stars Bruce Davison, Sharon Lawrence and Roxanne Hart and is directed by Art Manke.
Following last season's smash-hit production of Coward's comedy, Fallen Angels, director Art Manke - recognized as the region's current leading director of Coward -- returns to The Playhouse to direct this rarely produced and final play of Coward's illustrious career. In A Song At Twilight, first produced in 1966, an elderly closeted writer hesitantly accepts a visit from his former mistress, leading to a confrontation of past secrets, forbidden affections and surprising confessions. At the time, the same as now, Song was greeted with rapturous reviews, and provided a triumphant end to Coward's long and remarkable career.
Charles McNulty said in The Los Angeles Times, "A stunning production directed by
Art Manke ... a reminder that there's more to Coward than Champagne bubbles and intoxicating quips. Manke's sumptuously designed and supremely well-acted production makes a case for this being an overlooked gem in the Coward canon."
Don Grigware in Broadwayworld.com said, "Witty like all Coward plays, 'A Song at Twilight' offers much more than meets the eye. It entertains as it engages and insists that you leave the theatre thoroughly moved and still thinking about what you have just seen. A great and unforgettable evening of theatre!"
Sheldon Epps, Artistic Director of The
Pasadena Playhouse, said, "In 1966, when A Song at Twilight premiered, England was a year away from decriminalizing homosexuality. Coward, who was reticent about this topic through most of his career, also played the part Hugo Latymer, and earned critical and audience praise. Now, almost fifty years later, with the landmark U.S. Supreme Court rulings this past year overturning the Defense of Marriage Act and California's Proposition 8, this is a perfect time to revisit the play which dates from the beginning of the gay rights movement."
Manke said, "We have assembled a first-rate cast led by the incomparable
Bruce Davison, whose heartbreaking humanity - on display in so much of his work - will bring emotional nuance and great wit to the role of Sir Hugo Latymer.
Sharon Lawrence could not be more
suited to the glamorous, seductive Carlotta, and
Roxanne Hart's warmth and clear-eyed intelligence is a perfect fit for Hilde."
The set designer is
Tom Buderwitz; costumes by
David K. Mickelsen; lighting by
Peter Maradudin; and sound by Steven Cahill.
About A Song at Twilight: In A Song at Twilight, celebrated author Hugo Latymer has reached the autumn of his days with everything a man could wish for: wealth, success, fantastic friends, and a life filled with laughter, luxury and travel. A profound fear of intimacy and public scandal, however, kept him from embracing the one true love in his life, and now he wonders if he would trade the success for a chance to do it all again.
"Songwriters and poets have taught us that greatest joy of life is to love and be loved in return," said director Manke. "In A Song at Twilight, celebrated author Hugo Latymer didn't heed that lesson, choosing instead to live a life bound by societal expectations and fear. Now he wonders how his life might have been different had he made room for love."
"Despite several decades of audiences roaring with laughter at his plays, Noel Coward was often the target of critics who found his work to be thin, at best. With his final play, A Song at Twilight, he had the last laugh and proved that in addition to the usual sparklingly witty dialogue, he could craft characters of great depth and pathos."
Art Manke (director) With A Song at Twilight as the seventh of Noel Coward's plays on his resume - including the American premiere of Star Quality -
Art Manke has earned the moniker, "L.A.'s Coward specialist" from the Los Angeles Times. His recent hit revival of Coward's Fallen Angels broke box office records at the
Pasadena Playhouse, and transferred for an extended run at
Laguna Playhouse.
A SONG AT TWILIGHT will play through Sunday, April 13. The
Pasadena Playhouse is located at 39 South El Molino Avenue, Pasadena, CA 91101. The performance schedule is Tuesday through Friday at 8:00 p.m.; Saturday at 4:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m.; and Sunday at 2:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. Tickets, priced from $30 to $72, are available by calling The
Pasadena Playhouse at 626-356-7529 or by visiting The
Pasadena Playhouse Box Office, Tuesday - Sunday from 1:00 p.m. until 6:00 p.m. during non-performance dates. On performance dates the Box Office is open Tuesday - Saturday from 1:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. and 1:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. on Sunday. For more information, visit
www.PasadenaPlayhouse.org.
Pictured: Sharon Lawrence and Roxanne Hart. Photo by Michael Lamont.
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