The Old Globe Announces 2020 Summer Season
By: Chloe Rabinowitz Dec. 06, 2019
The Old Globe's 2020 Summer Season brings to Balboa Park an extraordinarily talented group of artists who will delight audiences with their unique takes on four great works of theatre. The season includes a classic American musical, a new adaptation of a 20th century thriller, and two of Shakespeare's masterworks on our outdoor stage.
"The Globe's 2020 summer lineup has something for everyone," said Erna Finci Viterbi Artistic Director Barry Edelstein. "Passionate and vivid, Hair has one of the great scores in the modern musical theatre, and tells a universal story of young people dreaming of a better world and daring to bring it to life. James Vásquez brings his special wit and energy to a bold new look at the show. Thrillers are one of my favorite genres in the theatre, and it's been a while since the Globe has done one. Dial M for Murder is a masterpiece of the form, and in Jeffrey Hatcher's new version, it makes for an exhilarating, white-knuckle night at the theatre. Shana Cooper has made the best The Taming of the Shrew I've ever seen: funny, smart, and surprising, and with a beguiling modern take that opens up the play in remarkable ways. And Daniel Sullivan, an American master who is arguably the most important Shakespeare director in our country, returns to the Globe to stage a play that is heart-poundingly exciting. Henry V is Shakespeare at his most electrifying. This is a season of shows that captures what makes theatre so unique and so much fun, and what makes the Globe the major American institution it is. Great stories about big ideas told by great artists: this is theatre that matters. I am thrilled to share it all with our audiences."The Old Globe 2020 SHAKESPEARE FESTIVAL
Lowell Davies Festival Theatre
June 14 - July 19, 2020, with opening night on Sunday, June 21, 2020
The Taming of the Shrew
By William Shakespeare
Directed by Shana Cooper
Can anyone "tame" the brash and headstrong Katherine? The dashing adventurer Petruchio thinks he's the man for the job. Two of the sexiest spirits in all of world theatre set off sparks in a clash of wills that is as hilarious as it is outrageous. Shakespeare's masterful comedic take on the battle of the sexes turns everything we think about love, marriage, and gender on its head. Director Shana Cooper brings to the Globe her daring and contemporary staging, which The New York Times praised as "an exhilarating new way to look at the comedy through modern eyes," and The Wall Street Journal's theatre critic called "the best Shrew I've ever reviewed."
An earlier version of this production of The Taming of the Shrew premiered at Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival (Davis McCallum, Artistic Director; Kate Liberman, Managing Director) in June 2018.
Shana Cooper (Director, The Taming of the Shrew) is an assistant professor in Northwestern University's Directing M.F.A. program and is a company member at Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company in Washington DC. Her directing credits include Off-Broadway's Julius Caesar at Theatre for a New Audience and Barbara Hammond's Terra Firma at The COOP, and regional productions at American Conservatory Theater, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Yale Repertory Theatre, Woolly Mammoth, Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival, Studio Theatre, Seattle Repertory Theatre, California Shakespeare Theater, and PlayMakers Repertory Company. Ms. Cooper has served as Associate Artistic Director of Cal Shakes (2000 to 2004) and Co-Founder of New Theater House (2008 to present). She received a 2014 Leadership U Grant, funded by The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and administered by Theatre Communications Group; a 2010 Princess Grace Award; a Julian Milton Kaufman Memorial Prize from Yale School of Drama; and a Drama League Directing Fellowship. Ms. Cooper received her M.F.A. from Yale School of Drama. Her upcoming projects include Lady from the Sea at Court Theatre in Chicago. shanacooper.com.
Lowell Davies Festival Theatre
August 11 - September 13, 2020, with opening night on Sunday, August 16, 2020
Henry V
By William Shakespeare
Directed by Daniel Sullivan
Tony Award winner Daniel Sullivan, one of the most important Shakespeare directors working today, returns to the Globe to take on the Bard's thrilling history play. The year is 1415, and the young and reckless Prince Hal has left his wild partying days behind and matured into sober and thoughtful kingship. He defies the insults of the French royals and rallies a ragtag group of English soldiers to sail across the English Channel on a long-shot invasion of the mighty kingdom of France. Full of action and the electrifying language that marks Shakespeare at his height, Henry V is an unflinching look at warfare and power, and a rousing portrait of courage against all odds. Daniel Sullivan (Director, Henry V) has directed The Public Theater's Shakespeare in the Park productions of Coriolanus, Troilus and Cressida, Cymbeline, King Lear, The Comedy of Errors, As You Like It, All's Well That Ends Well, The Merchant of Venice, Twelfth Night, A Midsummer Night's Dream, and The Merry Wives of Windsor. Among his Broadway credits are The Nap; John Lithgow: Stories by Heart; Saint Joan; Sylvia; The Country House; The Snow Geese; Orphans; Glengarry Glen Ross; The Columnist; Good People; Time Stands Still; Accent on Youth; The Homecoming; Prelude to a Kiss; Rabbit Hole; After the Night and the Music; Julius Caesar; Brooklyn Boy; Sight Unseen; I'm Not Rappaport; Morning's at Seven; Proof; the 2000 production of A Moon for the Misbegotten; Ah, Wilderness!; The Sisters Rosensweig; Conversations with My Father; and The Heidi Chronicles. He also directed Henry IV at The Shakespeare Center of Los Angeles. Among Mr. Sullivan's Off Broadway credits are If I Forget, The Night Watcher, Intimate Apparel, Far East, Spinning into Butter, Stuff Happens, Dinner with Friends, and The Substance of Fire. From 1981 to 1997, he served as Artistic Director of Seattle Repertory Theatre. He is a Swanlund Professor in the College of Fine & Applied Arts at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
The Old Globe 2020 SUMMER SEASON
Donald and Darlene Shiley Stage
Old Globe Theatre
Conrad Prebys Theatre Center
July 2 - August 9, 2020, with opening night on Friday, July 10
Hair
The American Tribal Love-Rock Musical
Book and lyrics by Gerome Ragni and James Rado
Music by Galt MacDermot
Directed by James Vásquez
Choreography by Rickey Tripp
The Age of Aquarius dawns again! It's the Summer of Love, and a group of young Americans are looking to change the world! Directed by James Vásquez (The Old Globe's American Mariachi and Tiny Beautiful Things), this legendary rock musical bursts onto the Globe stage with its Grammy Award-winning score featuring iconic hits such as "Let the Sunshine In," "Good Morning Starshine," and the exuberant title song. Make love, not war!-and celebrate "harmony and understanding" with Broadway's first great rock musical. For mature audiences.
Gerome Ragni (Book and Lyrics, Hair), 1935-1991, from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, was the youngest of a large family with six sisters and two brothers. After four years as a medic in the United States Air Force, he began acting and was recognized by winning the Barter Theatre Award as Outstanding Young Actor. He appeared on Broadway in John Gielgud's Hamlet featuring Richard Burton, and he starred Off Broadway in The Knack. Mr. Ragni was involved with The Open Theater (which he named), studying experimental theatre techniques with Nola Chilton and Joseph Chaikin. With James Rado, he co-created the American tribal love-rock musical Hair, and their lyrics were set to music by Galt MacDermot. A dynamic stage and life presence, Mr. Ragni originated the role of Berger in Hair. On his own, he authored the Broadway musical Dude, with score by Mr. MacDermot. He teamed up with another composer, Steve Margoshes, who wrote the music for the opus Jack Sound and His Dog Star Blowing His Final Trumpet on the Day of Doom. Soon thereafter, he and Mr. Rado rejoined forces to collaborate on a new musical they called Sun. A gifted actor and prolific writer and painter, Mr. Ragni originated "paper-napkin art," and he wrote a volume of dynamic poetry under the pen name Virginia Miller. His son, Erick Ragni, is an innovative architect.
James Rado (Book and Lyrics, Hair) is an actor, songwriter, and co-creator of the characters, story, dialogue, and lyrics of Hair. His daydream since being a teenager was to write a Broadway musical. He taught himself how to write lyrics from intense study of Rodgers and Hammerstein, Rodgers and Hart, and Cole Porter, as well as pop music from the 1930s, '40s, '50s, and '60s. In college, he wrote the music and lyrics for two shows: Interlude at University of Maryland and Cross Your Fingers at The Catholic University of America. After a two-year gig in the United States Navy, in 1956 he moved to New York to be an actor. Five years later he got his first Broadway break when the famed director and teacher Lee Strasberg plucked him from an acting class for a small part in June Havoc's Marathon '33 starring Julie Harris. This led to a string of acting roles in Luther, Generation, The Knack, and, in 1964, Hang Down Your Head and Die, where he met fellow actor Gerome Ragni. He told Mr. Ragni about his daydream of creating a Broadway musical and proposed that they team up to write a show about the hippies and the anti-war movement that was happening all around them. Mr. Ragni came aboard with some of his exciting experimental poetry. In 1966, in the midst of writing Hair, Mr. Rado got a leading role as Richard the Lionhearted in the James Goldman play The Lion in Winter starring Robert Preston, Rosemary Harris, and Christopher Walken. By 1967, Mr. Rado and Mr. Ragni had a script of Hair and handed it to the producer Joseph Papp. Mr. Papp liked what he read and decided Hair would be the inaugural production of his newly founded New York Shakespeare Festival, The Public Theater on New York City's Lower East Side. The rest is theatrical history. Hair opened on Broadway in the spring of 1968 and starred Mr. Rado and Mr. Ragni in the lead roles. Over the intervening years, Mr. Rado has been working on two other pieces: American Rainbow and Sun. Galt MacDermot (Music, Hair), 1928-2018, a two-time Grammy Award-winning and Tony Award-nominated composer, is best known for the music he wrote for the Broadway scores of Hair and Two Gentlemen of Verona. He garnered his first Grammy for the song "African Waltz" in 1960. His work spans the gamut of performing arts: musicals, ballet scores, film scores, chamber music, the Anglican liturgy, orchestral works, poetry, drama accompaniments, band repertory, and opera. His work encompasses a wealth of musical genres, crossing the boundaries of jazz, folk, funk, gospel, reggae, and classical styles. The son of a Canadian diplomat, Mr. MacDermot was born and raised in Montreal. He received a bachelor of music from University of Cape Town in South Africa. Based on his traditional training, he wrote his own arrangements. He moved to New York in 1964 and three years later wrote the music for the landmark Broadway production Hair, which he later adapted for the screen. He formed the New Pulse Jazz Band in 1979, which featured his original music played by some of the world's greatest musicians, including Bernard Purdie and Wilbur Bascomb. Mr. MacDermot's music is consistently sampled by hip-hop and rap artists who find his rhythms perfect for setting their lyrics to, as in Run-DMC's Grammy Award-winning Down with the King, and Billboard's chart-buster "Woo-Hah!! Got You All in Check" by Busta Rhymes. Mr. MacDermot wrote more than 3,000 songs over his lifetime. His music is listened to and enjoyed in 122 countries worldwide, and Hair has been performed constantly in over 40 countries worldwide since its inception. James Vásquez (Director, Hair) is happy to return to The Old Globe. Previously with the Globe, he directed the West Coast premiere of Tiny Beautiful Things, the world premiere of American Mariachi, Dr. Seuss's How the Grinch Stole Christmas!, Rich Girl, and Richard O'Brien's The Rocky Horror Show, and he provided musical staging for The Comedy of Errors, Boeing-Boeing, and A Midsummer Night's Dream, among others. He will also direct the West Coast premiere of Hurricane Diane in February. With The Old Globe and University of San Diego Shiley Graduate Theatre Program, he has directed Clybourne Park, Stupid F***ing Bird, and the world premiere of Acquainted with the Night. He received the Craig Noel Award for Outstanding Direction of a Musical in 2018 for In the Heights (Moonlight Stage Productions) and in 2010 for Sweeney Todd (Cygnet Theatre Company). His other recent directing/choreography credits include In the Heights (Dallas Theater Center), American Mariachi (Denver Center for the Performing Arts Theatre Company), Dr. Seuss's The Lorax (as associate director; Children's Theatre Company), The Addams Family and Chicago (Moonlight Stage Productions), West Side Story and Cats (San Diego Musical Theatre), the West Coast premiere of [title of show], Pippin, and Next Fall (Diversionary Theatre), and Hedwig and the Angry Inch and Pageant (Cygnet Theatre Company), as well as developmental workshops at La Jolla Playhouse and Goodspeed Musicals. Mr. Vásquez is an amateur gardener, lover of dogs, and graduate of The Juilliard School. Rickey Tripp (Choreography, Hair) is a dance educator and certified Zena Rommett Floor-Barre Mentor. He received a B.A. in Dance from San Jose State University. He served as director and choreographer for The Temptations Tribute and choreographer for In the Heights, Hairspray, and Dreamgirls (Dallas Theater Center; Irma P. Hall Black Theater Award for Best Choreography) and In the Heights (Music Circus). His television and film credits include Disney, Encore!, and It's Quiet Uptown. Mr. Tripp was the associate choreographer for Once on This Island (national tour/NETworks), Much Ado About Nothing (Shakespeare in the Park), Toni Stone (Roundabout Theatre Company), the world premiere and Tony Award nominee for Best Choreography Choir Boy (Manhattan Theatre Club, Broadway), the 2018 Emmy Award winner for Outstanding Variety Special (Live) Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert (NBC), the 2018 Tony Award winner for Best Revival of a Musical Once on This Island (Broadway), Cabin in the Sky (City Center Encores!), Victoria's Secret internet commercial, and Broadway Boys. He was also the assistant choreographer for Dreamgirls (North Shore Music Theatre), the world premiere of Fly (Dallas Theater Center), The Winters' Tale (Shakespeare Theatre Company), and The Fortress of Solitude (Dallas Theater Center/The Public Theater). Mr. Tripp provided additional choreography on productions of In the Heights, 9 to 5, The Wiz, Bring It On, and "Smash." As a performer, he appeared on Broadway in Hamilton, Motown The Musical, and the original cast of the Tony Award-winning In the Heights, and Off Broadway in In the Heights (Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Ensemble Performance). His television and film credits include In the Heights, "The Tony Awards," and "Smash." His other theatre credits include the world premiere of Stagger Lee (Dallas Theater Center), Aida (national tour), Radio City Christmas Spectacular Starring the Radio City Rockettes, plus work with Mark Stuart Dance Theatre. He has taught master classes and set choreography for various dance studios across the world, including the prestigious New York University theatre department. As a teacher, he has over 20 years of experience and is currently on faculty at Broadway Dance Center in New York.Sheryl and Harvey White Theatre
Conrad Prebys Theatre Center
July 25 - August 23, 2020, with opening night on Thursday, July 30, 2020
Globe-Commissioned World-Premiere Adaptation
Dial M for Murder
By Frederick Knott
Adapted by Jeffrey Hatcher
Directed by Stafford Arima
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