L.A.'s Rubicon Theatre Company Sets Full '07/'08 Season

Rubicon Theatre Company Founders Karyl Lynn Burns and James O'Neil have just announced plans for the company's 10th Anniversary Season, at a press conference at Rubicon's home in Ventura.  The 2007-2008 Season will feature five festivals, eight mainstage productions and several special events.

Rubicon Theatre Company's 10th Anniversary Season follows:

HolidayFest

You Can't Take It With You: Pulitzer Prize-winner written by George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart, directed by Rubicon Artistic Associate Jenny Sullivan, November 15 – December 23, 2007. Starring Karyl Lynn Burns, Winslow Corbett, Joseph Fuqua, Robin Gammell, Harold Gould, Dan Gunther, Amanda McBroom, John Bennett, Perry, Robin Pearson Rose and Bruce Weitz.

"Getting to the altar has never been funnier than in this 1930's screwball comedy.  Alice Sycamore invites her fiancee's parents home to meet her family.  The Kirby's are stuffy, self-important and wealthy, while the Sycamore's are good-hearted lunatics with little visible means of support.  Lifestyles and philosophies collide – with hilarious results.  Perfect for the holidays, this charming play adds some spice to the season," state press notes.

Winter Wonders Festival

R. Buckminster Fuller: The History (and Mystery) of the Universe, written and directed by D.W. Jacobs, from the life, work and writings of R. Buckminster Fuller, January 17 – February 10, 2008, performed by Joe Spano

"R. Buckminster Fuller has been called a crank, America's first engineering saint, the Leonardo da Vinci of the 20th century, and the PR Man to the Universe.  This tour-de-force performance explores Bucky's life and work through a blend of testimony, lecture, autobiography, poetry, comic antics and video imagery.  The play spirals and spins through ideas and experiences as L.A. Drama Critics' Circle and Emmy Award-winning actor Joe Spano escorts you on this unforgettable journey."

Bus Stop, Tony Award-winner, written by William Inge, directed by Rubicon Associate Producer Brian McDonald, February 21 – March 16, 2008, starring John Bennett Perry

"Bo can rope a steer and ride a bronco better'n anyone.  But when he goes to the big city with his friend Vern to ride in the rodeo, he gets his heart hogtied by a chanteuse name Cherie (Marilyn Monroe in the film version).  He decides to haul her off to his ranch in Montana to get hitched.  But she'll have none of it.  When the two find themselves stranded with fellow bus travelers at a diner during a Kansas snowstorm, Cherie gains the sympathy of the town sheriff and tires to escape.  Set in the 1950s, this American classic is a tenderhearted exploration of longing, loss and love."

April in Paris

Picasso at Lapin Agile, Obie Award winner, written by Steve Martin, directed by William Keeler, April 3 – 27, 2008, starring Joseph Fuqua, Nancy Nufer and Paul Provenza

"From the merry madcap mind of comedian, actor and writer Steve Martin comes an imaginary meeting between painter Pablo Picasso and scientist Albert Einstein at a bar in Paris in the early 1900s.  On the verge of major breakthroughs, the two talents share a rarefied sense of beauty and debate the nature of genius. They are then joined by a mysterious visitor from the future who shakes, rattles and rolls in his blue suede shoes!  Paul Provenza returns to Rubicon's stage, reprising the role he made famous off-Broadway."

New Works Festival

My Antonia, Southern California Premiere, adapted and directed by Scott Schwartz, based on the novel by Willa Cather, music by Stephen Schwartz, May 8 – June 1, 2008, starring Kevin Kilner and Shiva Rose

"This poetic drama, with musical underscoring by Academy Award-winner and Grammy Award –winner Stephen Schwartz, follows the journey of a spirited young immigrant girl and her family as they struggle to make a living and a life on the Nebraska plains in the late 1800s.  The story is told through a series of flashbacks as recalled by Antonia's childhood friend Jim Burden.  My Antonia is a soulful portrait of a simple yet heroic woman, celebrating the strength, passion and triumphant vitality of America's early pioneers." 

It's Only Life, West Coast Premiere, music and lyrics by John Bucchino, directed by Daisy Prince, June 19 – July 12, 2008

"This joyous musical revue features the talents of recent Broadway discovery John Bucchino, a songwriting sensation whose music and lyrics have been recorded by Art Garfunkel, Michael Feinstein, Judy Collins and Patti LuPone.  Each song is a revelation – a moment in which we discover something essential, something elemental, about life."

The Spin Cycle, World Premiere, written by David Rambo, directed by Rubicon Artistic Director James O'Neil, July 31 – August 24, 2008, starring Eric Lange and Michael Learned

"As it turns out, you can go home again.  And you can even bring your laundry! A baby boomer returns to her childhood home to deal with her mother's fading health.  In the process, she dredges up old insecurities, squabbles with her sibling rival (a brother who can't hold a job or a conversation), makes weak attempts to revise her own history, and finally begins to confront her own limits and her mother's mortality.  Can it possibly all come out in the wash?"

Fall in Love Festival

She Loves Me, 5 Tony Nominations, book by Joe Masteroff, music by Jerry Bock; lyrics by Sheldon Harnick, based on a play by Miklos Laszlo, September 4 – 28, 2008, starring Roger Befeler and Kim Huber

"Set in Budapest in the 1930s, this charming and romantic musical comedy is a love letter form Broadway's Golden Age – a funny, intelligent, and sentimental story about two intensely competitive co-workers who unwittingly become pen pals through a 'Lonely Hearts' column.  Written by the creators of Fiddler on the Roof, the musical numbers include 'Vanilla Ice Cream,' 'Dear Friend,' and the title song."  
 
To received a free season brochure, or to order tickets, please call Rubicon Theatre Company's box office at (805) 667-2900 or visit www.rubicontheatre.org.

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