Long Wharf Stages A New Adaptation Of A DOLL'S HOUSE 4/28/2010-5/23/2010

Long Wharf Theatre will stage a new, contemporary adaptation of Henrik Ibsen's classic work A Doll's House as the final play of its 2009-10 season.

Artistic Director Gordon Edelstein will both adapt and direct the play, which is scheduled to be performed April 28-May 23, 2010 on Mainstage.

After years of facing financial challenges a suburban family is finally solvent again. Dad has an important new job at an investment bank, the kids are doing well and Mom, at last, is able to make a home befitting her dreams. Unfortunately their financial resurrection is built on an illusion. Dad's rise, unbeknownst to him, has been in large part illegally engineered by his wife. This world premiere adaptation casts Ibsen's beloved, visceral drama in a contemporary light.

A Doll's House continues Edelstein's exploration of the classics, carefully re-examining the plays to search for what is vibrant and current about them, a process done to great critical acclaim in his recent productions of The Glass Menagerie (which is moving to New York in the spring), The Price and Uncle Vanya, among others.

"This is one of the most famous plays of the past 200 years. What I'm going to endeavor to do is rid the play of all of its expected baggage ... This play has a lot of interesting people behaving in desperate ways. I think it is interesting to explore what drives these people. I am really going to take a look at what is contemporary about the play," Edelstein said. "This play is a lot funnier than people realize, and a lot sexier. It should be very alive and vivid. This will not be A Doll's House as you've seen it before."

For more information about purchasing subscriptions, call 203-787-4282, or visit the Long Wharf Theatre box office at 222 Sargent Drive, New Haven, CT.

LONG WHARF THEATRE: 2009-10 SEASON

The Fantasticks

Book and Lyrics by Tom Jones

Music by Harvey Schmidt

Directed by Amanda Denhart

October 7-November 1, Mainstage

This hit musical with book and lyrics by Tom Jones and music by Harvey Schmidt, the longest running Off-Broadway musical in history, tells the story of Luisa and Matt, a pair entering the bloom of their youth. Their fathers, scheming to encourage their budding love, hire the trickster El Gallo to "thwart" their romance. By moonlight, Matt and Luisa fall hard for each other. However, can their romance survive the sunlight?

Have You Seen Us?

A World Premiere by Athol Fugard

Directed by Gordon Edelstein

November 24- December 20, Mainstage

Christmas Eve. A diner in a Southern California strip mall. Henry Parsons, a professor and South African transplant comes in for his usual-a turkey sandwich and insulting banter with Adela, the Mexican-American waitress. The two creep towards a fragile understanding until Solly and Rachael, an eastern European Jewish couple sit down to eat. The couple's entrance forces Henry to a reckoning with the demons in his heart and, for a moment, unites four lost souls. Athol Fugard returns to Long Wharf Theatre, unrelenting in his search for our common humanity.

Lil's 90th

A World Premiere by Darci Picoult

Directed by Jo Bonney

January 6-February 7, Stage II

As Lillian nears a milestone birthday, she and her family put the finishing touches on the much-anticipated party at which she'll make her singing debut. There's a speech to be written, a band to rehearse and, of course, an outfit to choose. But then Lil's husband Charlie's secret gets out-the birthday surprise that he hoped would make her day may instead tear their lives apart. In Darci Picoult's playful and poignant new play, when reason fails, it is the power of love that stands the test of aging.
Sylvia

By A. R. Gurney

Directed by Eric Ting

February 17-March 14, Mainstage

Sylvia, a lovable dog, would do anything for Greg. A constant companion, she loves him unconditionally and hangs on his every word. Greg would do anything for Sylvia, even staying home from work to spend time with her. Greg's wife Kate, on the other hand, isn't thrilled that Sylvia's made herself so at home, let alone that she's sleeping on Kate's precious couch. Add the fact that Sylvia is played by a vivacious young woman and you view the relationship between a man and his best friend in a whole new way. A.R. Gurney, author of The Dining Room and The Cocktail Hour, charms with his comedy, which has been a hit in the United States and internationally.

No Child...
written and performed by Nilaja Sun
directed by Hal Brooks

March 17-April 18, Stage II

In her revelatory solo show, writer/performer Nilaja Sun draws from firsthand experience as a teaching artist in New York City's public schools, portraying 16 characters in 70 minutes to illuminate the trials and triumphs within America's education system. No one-teacher, student, janitor, principal or security guard-is left behind by Sun's hilarious and heartbreaking expose, which has been a smash hit off Broadway and across the nation.
A Doll's House

By Henrik Ibsen, Adapted by Gordon Edelstein

Directed by Gordon Edelstein

April 28-May 23, Mainstage

After years of facing financial challenges a suburban family is finally on their feet again. Dad has an important new job at an investment bank, the kids are doing well and Mom, at last, is able to make a home befitting her dreams. Unfortunately their financial resurrection is built on an illusion. Dad's rise, unbeknownst to him, has been in large part illegally engineered by his wife Nora and the chickens are about to come home to roost. This world premiere adaptation casts Ibsen's beloved, visceral drama in a contemporary light. A classic drama and a thrilling new work for 2010.

 

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