WUTHERING HEIGHTS, A ROMANTIC MUSICAL Plays The Mint Theatre 6/11-27

Emily Bronte's gothic novel, "Wuthering Heights," adapted to a romantic musical by Paul Dick, will be presented June 11 to 27, 2010 by Passajj Productions at The Mint Theatre, 311 West 43rd Street, Manhattan, directed by Matt Gutschick. The show, titled "Wuthering Heights, a Romantic Musical," is a signature piece, of sorts, for author/composer Paul Dick, who has penned over 15 Off-off Broadway tuners between the 60's and now.

Bronte's novel tells of an obsessive, ardent and doomed love between Heathcliff and Catherine Earnshaw, and how their terrifying passion eventually demolishes these two and many others. The classic tale has inspired many adaptations in all the arts, notably the 1939 film with Laurence Olivier and Merle Oberon directed by William Wyler. Some recent adaptations, in both theater and film, have been radically innovative, but Paul Dick's adaptation is remarkable in its faithfulness to the original story. When it was presented in 1999 and again in 2006 at the Mint Theater, it was deemed "an impressive achievement" and "one of the best musical bargains in town" by Elyse Sommer, writing in "Curtain Up!," who added that the show "effectively and melodiously moves the narrative through sixteen scenes of smoothly integrated dialogue and songs. It all adds up to a work that holds its own as a musical drama without trying to upstage or improve upon the story."

Paul Dick subtitled his adaptation "a romantic musical." It succeeds by selecting literally yet judiciously from the book (how can you beat lines like Catherine's "I am Heathcliff!"?) while crafting songs that are a keyhole into the characters' unspoken thoughts. The piece is scored mostly with arias (there is almost no recitative) that are warm and inviting, but which gird the play with tension. This kind of construction actually strengthens the strong roles of the story.

Director Matt Gutchick explains, "The music doesn't take us through the story, but we let it guide us." He adds, "Musically, the melodies of the arias don't quite go where your ear tells you they are leading. Sometimes, they resolve on unfinished chords; other times, there are rhythmic changes in mid-song that point to growing tension between two characters." It's perfect for the small stage of the Mint Theatre.

There are fourteen roles altogether, of which two are childen (young Heathcliff and young Catherine). The three main locations of the story--the house (Wuthering Heights), The Moors and The Grange--will be created for the Mint's compact playing area in a circular structure framed by sliding panels. Catherine's "ghost" will be rendered with stand-ins behind the famous window. As the story darkens, so will the environment; warm colors in costumes and lights will become noticeable by their scarcity.

Accompaniment throughout will be by musical director Michael Sheetz on a single piano, which suits the period of the play. There is occasional vocal augmentation from offstage in some of the choruses, but seldom is the entire ensemble seen together onstage.

Paul Dick is author of over 15 musicals; many are based on classic sources, including "Madame Bovary" (directed by Elizabeth Falk, 2007), "A for Adultery" (based on The Scarlet Letter), "I Knock at the Door" (based on the Sean O'Casey novel) and "Once/Twice" (the first half based on "A Sunny Morning" by the Quintero brothers; the second half was based on Chekhov's "The Bear"). Others are based on more contemporary sources, such as "Tania" (based on newspaper accounts of the Patty Hearst affair, presented by NY Theatre Workshop), "White Widow" (based on the play "Mafia" by Mario Fratti) and "Anytime, Anywhere" (a story of gay soldiers in Vietnam). Mr. Dick is an Off-off Broadway original; his earliest works were presented by the WPA Theater when it was located on 333 Bowery. He participated in Lehman Engel's BMI Workshop and his musicals were championed by Alan Schneider. He currently resides in Long Valley, NJ.

Mr. Dick's body of work represents an unusual abundance of shows and reflects an unusual variety of creative interests. "Quiet Cry: A Musical Murder Mystery" (2005) was about babies born to drug-addicted mothers. "Soar Like an Eagle" was about the Berlin Airlift. "Cybele, a Love Story" was based on the Academy Award-winning French film, "Sundays and Cybele." Some were referred to as "piano operas." At least three are still unproduced. One of these, "Inferno," is about the founding of a labor union. They are mostly antithetical to the dissonance of modern operas and straightforward compared to the thumb-in-the-eye alternative theater that has often surrounded them in "Downtown" theaters. "Wuthering Heights" is perhaps Dick's most successful work, which is probably why it is now being produced for the third time at the Mint Theatre.

Director Matthew Gutschick is currently pursuing an MFA at Yale School of Drama. He has been director of seventeen plays, most notably "Awakening," an exploration of grand illusion and theatrical narrative, which toured the Southeastern United States. His follow up, "Rubber Doves," won the New Horizons Playwriting Competition and was subsequently performed as part of Magic Chicago at the City Lit Theatre. A graduate of Wake Forest University, he studied acting as part of the School at Steppenwolf in Chicago. He was the youngest Artistic Director of an Equity roadhouse when he assumed that role for the Childrens Theatre of Winston-Salem. His work with his own company, MagicMouth, earned a Kauffman Fellowship in 2006 and was featured in Entrepreneur Magazine. Other directing credits include "Enchanted Lands," "The Mouse that Roared," "Get Smart" and "Jekyll &Hyde" at Twin City Stage. He will attend the Lincoln Center Director's Lab later this summer.

Musical Director Michael Sheetz is a recent graduate of the Manhattan School of Music. He will soon serve as a staff accompanist at the La Lingua Della Lirica festival in Novafeltria, Italy. His past apprenticeships have included positions with the Aspen Opera Theatre Center, the College Light Opera, and the Chautauqua Institution. In the fall of 2006, Mr. Sheetz made his conducting debut with Stephen Sondheim's "Into the Woods." He is equally at home in musical theatre and classical styles. At 17, he won the Atlantic Wind Symphony Concerto Competition, and subsequently made his debut with Gershwin's "Rhapsody in Blue."

Catherine Earnshaw is played by Erin Wegner Brooks. Heathcliff is played by Jonathan Grunert.. Nellie is played by Dawn Timm. Lockwood/Mr. Linton is played by Scott Ramsey. Joseph is played by John Weigand. Mr. Earnshaw/Robert is played by Bill Newhall. Hindley Earnshaw is played by Weston Wells Olson. Edgar Linton is played by Eric Van Tielen. Isabella Linton is played by Mollie Vogt-Welch. Mrs. Linton is played by Deena Eddy.

Set design is by Tim McMath. Lighting design is by Scott Needham. Costume design is by Nicole Pezzola. Stage Manager is Michael Palmer.

Tickets $18 general admission; $10 students with ID
Box office Ticket Central 212-279-4200 /www.ticketcentral.com
Wednesdays through Fridays at 8:00 pm; Saturdays at 3:00 and 8:00 pm; Sundays at 3:00 pm