Park Square to Present 33 VARIATIONS

Park Square continues its 2014-2015 season next month with Moisés Kaufman's 33 VARIATIONS. The acclaimed author of Gross Indecency: The Three Trials of Oscar Wilde and The Laramie Project explores genius, obsession and the ability to connect against all odds. Edwin Strout and Karen Landry* play Ludwig van Beethoven and Dr. Katherine Brandt, separated by a continent and a century, but little else. Entertainment Weekly hailed 33 VARIATIONS as "a convincing case for the genius of emotional variation in each of us, whether we're Beethoven or not."

"The play delves into our human desire for an orderly existence within the ever changing course of nature," says director James Rocco**. "It casts a spell while remaining completely truthful and compelling. I'm mesmerized by its beauty and sweet depth. I can't wait to see this remarkable cast in this show."

In defiance of her recent diagnosis with ALS, world-renowned musicologist Katherine Brandt scours Beethoven's manuscripts to unlock the secret of his obsession with the Diabelli Variations. As she works to solve the mystery, we see Beethoven two hundred years earlier, struggling to compose while losing his hearing. Separated by two centuries, the obsessions that guide these two passionate geniuses might, for a moment, make time stand still-and bring healing to their lives.

On stage, present-day New York and nineteenth-century Austria co-exist, brilliantly bridged by memory, tenacity and live music. Katherine and Beethoven deny love and friendships, even as they suffer debilitating ailments. But as they strive for perfection, they might share just enough to make time (and our hearts) stand still.

In 1819, the Viennese composer Anton Diabelli had an idea to publish a volume of variations built around a simple waltz he had composed, and he invited the most famous composers of the day to contribute. It should have been a quick and easy task for Beethoven, who was already regarded as a master composer in the ranks of Mozart and Haydn. But even as he was going completely deaf, Beethoven couldn't stop, transforming the waltz into a fugue, a minuet, a sonata. The resulting "33 Variations on a Waltz by Diabelli" is now considered to be among the greatest of its kind. This odd chapter in music history captivates the musicologist Katherine Brandt, who puts her life, family and health on hold to take off for Vienna, where both she and Ludwig get more than they have ever bargained for.

Jennifer Maren (Clara Brandt), Nathan Cheeseman (Mike Clark), Peter Simmons (Anton Diabelli), Michelle Meyers* (Dr. Gertrude Ladenburger) and Robert-Bruce Brake* (Anton Schindler) round out the top-notch cast.

The 33 VARIATIONS production team includes Andrea M. Gross (Costume Designer), Rob Jensen (Set Designer) Sadie Ward (Properties Designer), and Mike P. Kittel (Lighting Designer); Anita Kelling (Sound Designer). Charles Fraser* is stage manager and Laura Topham, assistant stage manager.

Later this month, Park Square will inaugurate the brand new Andy Boss Thrust Stage with Amy Ludwig's adaptation of The House on Mango Street (October 24 - November 9), Sandra Cisneros's adored novella that brings to life the trials, tribulations and joys of growing up in the Chicago barrio.

Performance Schedule: Previews begin Friday, October 10 and run through October 16. October 17 is Opening Night, and the run continues through November 2. Performance times are 7:30 p.m. except for Sunday performances, which begin at 2 p.m. All performances are in the company's 348-seat proscenium stage in Saint Paul's historic Hamm Building, 20 W. Seventh Place.

Ticket prices: Previews: $25 and $35. Regular Run: $38 and $58. A $2 facility fee will be added to each ticket to help maintain Park Square's two stages. Discounts are available for seniors, those under age 30, and groups. Tickets are on sale at the Park Square box office, 20 W. Seventh Place, or by phone: 651.291.7005, (12 noon to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday), or online at www.parksquaretheatre.org.

*Member, Actors Equity Association

**Member, Stage Directors and Choreographers Society

To post a comment, you must register and login.