Lincoln Center Festival '06 Features Synge Marathon and Taymor's Opera Grendel

The Lincoln Center Festival 2006, running from July 10th through 30th, will boast a number of high-profile theatrical events, including a 9-hour marathon of plays by John Millington Synge and a production of the opera Grendel, co-written and directed by Tony Award-winner Julie Taymor.

DruidSynge will be directed by Garry Hynes, who won a Tony Award for directing The Beauty Queen of Leenane. It will also feature that show's Tony Award-winning star Marie Mullen among its cast of 19 actors. Comprising Riders to the Sea, The Playboy of the Western World, Deirdre of the Sorrows, The Shadow of the Glen, The Well of the Saints, and The Tinker's Wedding, the Synge marathon will last nearly nine hours including a dinner break; they will be performed at the Gerald W. Lynch Theatre at John Jay College.

Grendel will feature a libretto by Taymor (The Lion King) and poet J.D. McClatchy (using both English and Old English), as well as music by Elliot Goldenthal--an Oscar-winner for Frida and Taymor's husband. Based on John Gardner's epoymous novel--itself inspired by the epic poem Beowulf--the show takes the point of view of the monstrous Grendel. "The material is more relevant than ever, since in these times, we all should examine what it means to be human from the outside; to think like the enemy," stated Taymor of the piece.

Angelin Preljocaj will choreograph the opera, which will first be seen in May at the Los Angeles Opera; the production will also feature The New York City Opera Orchestra. Opera star Denyce Graves will sing the role of The Dragon, while Desmond Richardson (Fosse, Movin' Out) will dance as Beowulf. Opera singer Eric Owen will be featured in the title role of Grendel. George Tsypin (sets), Constance Hoffman (costumes), Donald Holder (lighting), and Michael Curry (puppet design) will comprise the design team.

The Lincoln Center Festival will feature productions and performances by artists from eight countries--including Thailand and Israel. Other highlights of the festival will include the New York premieres of Bill T. Jones dance piece Blind Date, and Mark Morris' Sylvia, danced by the San Francisco Ballet, as well as Heiner Goebbels' Eararitjaritjaka (based on the works of Elias Canetti) and Ong Keng Sen's Geisha, narrated by Karen Kandel.

For moe information, visit www.lincolncenter.org.