Computer-generated rendering of the soon-to-be-completed Kweskin Theatre
Where would you expect to find Mrs. Robinson, Dolly Gallagher Levi and Daisy Wertham? On the silver screen of course. Usually. But those three ladies of fiction will be joined by several other notable screen characters when Curtain Call launches its 2009-2010 season of live theatrical productions - “A Salute to the Silver Screen” - at Sterling Farms in Stamford.
“Some of the best-known works of literature have been adapted to various media over the years, so it’s no wonder that many such works have had both successful stage and screen versions,” said Lou Ursone, Curtain Call’s executive director and producer. “When the season started to take shape it became obvious that we could do a full year of plays with great film versions,” Ursone noted.
While Curtain Call’s larger venue, The Kweskin Theatre, is undergoing a major renovation, the first four shows of the year will be presented in The Dressing Room Theatre. All shows in The Dressing Room Theatre are presented cabaret-style with a bring- your-own-everything picnic format. The first show on tap is one of the greatest courtroom (jury room) dramas of all time, Twelve Angry Men, which will play September 11 through October 4. “We’ve wanted to do this play for quite some time and our audiences have consistently requested it, so we’re thrilled to finally have the opportunity to bring it to life with director Peter Barbieri, Jr. at the helm. The last time Barbieri directed this play was with inmates at Sing Sing Correctional Facility as part of the Rehabilitation Through The Arts Program.
Immediately following Twelve Angry Men is another American classic, Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women, playing October 16 through November 1. Directed by Carin Zakes, this timeless masterpiece is great for all ages and is certainly great for family viewing.
Fans of Stamford’s most-produced romantic comedy, Mulberry Street, will be in for a real treat when Curtain Call presents A Merry Mulberry Street Musical - a brand new musical featuring the same families that have become as much a part of Stamford history as Boyle Stadium. With a book written by Ursone, lyrics by William Squier and music by Jeffrey Lodin, this is sure to entertain young and old alike during the holiday season. Running November 20 through December 20 this new musical will “delight those who’ve seen Mulberry Street many times over the years as well as those who are coming to these characters for the first time,” Ursone noted. A Merry Mulberry Street Musical will be directed by Brian J. Bianco and feature many of the actors who’ve appeared in these roles before.
The New Year kicks off with the great satirical masterpiece Catch-22, directed by Debra Lee Failla, playing January 8 through 24 and will be followed by the grand re-opening of The Kweskin Theatre with the recent Broadway hit musical, The Full Monty, playing February 12 through 27, directed by Matt Schicker. (This play is a co-production with Playhouse on the Green in Bridgeport where it will play from March 12 to 28.) “When the Kweskin reopens it will feature dressing rooms, a larger lobby, a rehearsal studio, a wardrobe facility and greatly enhanced restrooms,” Ursone said.
March winds will take us to the Deep South with the warm and charming Driving Miss Daisy, directed by Lester Colodny, playing March 12 through 28 in The Dressing Room Theatre. April will bring one of the best-loved and most-awarded musicals in Broadway history, Hello, Dolly, directed by Ben Frimmer, playing April 2 through May 1 in the Kweskin Theatre. Running concurrently (April 16 through May 2) in The Dressing Room Theatre is the play of somewhat more mature themes, The Graduate, directed by Rich Mancini.
The final full-scale production of the season is another charming tale of immigrant life in America, I Remember Mama, directed by Karen Randazzo and playing in The Dressing Room Theatre June 4 through 27.
Ursone noted that there are also several special event nights scheduled throughout the season. Two of them feature artists who are making return engagements after previous sell-out crowds. Cabaret and recording artist Maydie Myles will play in The Dressing Room Theatre for two nights – February 19 and 20. Broadway veteran Frank Mastrone will return to The Kweskin Theatre stage for one night only on March 14 with his Music of Broadway concert.
Curtain Call’s Musical Mondays series also will return with three installments, one of which was written by Stamford resident and Broadway veteran Bill Nabel. His show, Take Me America, a finalist for last year’s American Harmony Prize, will be presented as a concert reading on April 19 in The Kweskin Theatre. The winner of the 2010 American Harmony Prize will be presented in a concert reading on February 22. A retrospective of previously presented new works will take place on December 7 and will feature updates on how those shows have progressed.
More information is available at www.curtaincallinc.com or by calling 203-329-8207. Curtain Call is the non-profit community-based theatre company in residence at The Sterling Farms Theatre Complex, 1349 Newfield Avenue in Stamford. Year-round productions and workshops are presented by and for area residents in The Kweskin Theatre and The Dressing Room Theatre. It was voted Fairfield County’s BEST LOCAL THEATRE GROUP 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009 in the Annual Readers’ Poll of The Fairfield County Weekly and BEST LIVE THEATRE by the readers of StamfordPlus magazine for 2008 and 2009.
