The 1998-99 Season
The 1998-99 Season
 Hilarious Musical Farce October 29 - Nov 21,1998 |
 Agatha Christie Mystery April 29 - May 15, 1999 |
 American Drama February 25 - March 13, 1999 |
 Romantic Comedy July 15 - 31, 1999 |
 |
October 29 - November 21, 1998
Probably the funniest musical ever written, which is what you would expect from that comic master of musical hilarity - Stephen Sondheim. Based on the Roman comedies of Plautus, Forum is virtually a master's thesis on two thousand years of comedy, a mixture of vaudeville, musical comedy, farce and burlesque. In the midst of this madness is the cunning slave Pseudolus who tries to arrange his master's romance with the girl next door. There's "something familiar, something peculiar, something for everyone" including rolled eyes, dropped pants, crossed spears and curtains that fall down when they're supposed to go up. Sondheim's score (the first for which he wrote both music and lyrics) serves as a respite from the laugh-till-it-hurts comedy but nonetheless contains a few jokes of its own.
Read more about this and other Sonndheim musicals on the
Stephen Sondheim Stage web page.
February 25 - March 13, 1999
Oleanna is a seething investigation of "political correctness"
in a time when the nation's morality has been tested by increased incidents
of sexual harassment. A college student, Carol, drops by her professor's
office in an effort to gain his help to do better in class. As they discuss
the nature of understanding and judgment in society, it seems a bond has
been made. But Carol files a sexual harassment charge against the professor,
backing it up with a convincing reinterpretation of the words and nuances
from their first meeting. The professor's attempts to persuade Carol to retract
her accusation escalate to a more dangerous level which leaves both players
physically and emotionally devastated.
April 29 - May 15, 1999
An unhappy game of romantic entanglements explodes into murder.
The Hollow, Sir Henry Angkatell's house built on a wooded hillside
eighteen miles outside of London, is surrounded by shrubs and dense underbrush
in which you could play hide-and-seek for hours. The weekend guests (who
all seem to be involved in intersecting romantic triangles), have plenty
of ways to hide and be discovered. And plenty of potential murder weapons
and opportunities, thanks to Sir Henry's gun collection and a pistol target
range in the mansion's former bowling alley.
"There are no alibis in this case." - Inspector Colquhoun
"Oh dear, I knew this weekend was going to be awkward." Lady Angkatell
"one of Agatha Christie's ten best plays..." Brad Walters
Cast List
Direct from Iceland, visit the
Agatha Christie web page.
By Philip Barry Directed by Jennifer Howard July 15 - 31, 1999 |
 Karen Binder and Robert DeVivo Photo by Elizabeth Tustian |
Set in the Philadelphia "Main Line" suburbs, The Philadelphia Story is a high society tale of divorce, remarriage, revenge and deception, which ultimately reveals a warming, romantic comedy. Katharine Hepburn originated the role of Tracy Lord, a divorced socialite preparing for her second wedding, having kicked out her playboy first husband Dexter Haven two years earlier. But on the day before the ceremony, Dexter arrives at the Lord family mansion along with cynical tabloid reporter Mike Conner determined to spoil things. Amidst a gathering of family and friends who have always cast Tracy as a "bronze goddess", the two men expose the human soul that Tracy has never revealed.