KISS ME KATE & Mark St. Germain's DANCING LESSONS Set for Barrington Stage's 2014 Season
By: Tyler Peterson
Barrington Stage Company, under the leadership of Julianne Boyd, Artistic Director, and TriStan Wilson, Managing Director, has announced two productions for the theater's 20th Anniversary Season - Kiss Me, Kate the musical comedy masterpiece by composer Cole Porter and authors Sam and Bella Spewack and the world premiere romantic comedy Dancing Lessons by Mark St. Germain.
Kiss Me, Kate will be presented June 11 through July 12, 2014 at the Boyd-Quinson Mainstage. Production dates and venue for Dancing Lessons are TBA. "Breathing new life into classic Broadway musicals and producing new work that deals with social issues are integral parts of Barrington Stage's mission, so it is with great pleasure we announce the first two productions of our 20th Anniversary Season," said Artistic Director Julianne Boyd. Taking its inspiration from Shakespeare, Kiss Me, Kate recounts the backstage and onstage antics of two feuding couples during a touring production of The Taming of the Shrew. Sparkling with 18 classic Cole Porter songs Kiss Me, Kate includes "Another Op'nin', Another Show," "So in Love," "Always True to You in My Fashion," "Too Darn Hot," and "Brush Up Your Shakespeare". Cole Porter's most successful musical, the original production of Kiss Me, Kate opened on Broadway at the New Century Theatre on December 30, 1948 and ran for 1,077 performances. Starring AlfrEd Drake and Patricia Morrison, Kiss Me, Kate was the first musical to win the Tony Award for Best Musical. The production received its first Broadway revival in 1999 - starring Brian Stokes Mitchell and Marin Mazzie - winning 5 Tony Awards including Best Musical Revival. Kiss Me, Kate has a Berkshires connection to composer/lyricist Cole Porter, who in 1940 purchased "Buxton Hill" with his wife Linda in Williamstown.Mark St. Germain's Dancing Lessons centers on a young man with high-functioning autism (Asperger's syndrome) as he tries to navigate a relationship with a Broadway dancer, now sidelined with injuries. Dancing Lessons marks the ninth play by Associate Artist Mark St. Germain that BSC will produce, and the eighth world premiere of his work. Dancing Lessons was commissioned through the generosity of Judith Goldsmith and is part of BSC's New Works Initiative. Barrington Stage presented a staged reading of Dancing Lessons on September 1, 2013. For the 2014 Season, Barrington Stage is introducing an 8-Show Combo Pass which includes 8 shows for the price of 6 - a savings of up to 30% or more off the 2014 single ticket prices. 8-Show Combo passes include front orchestra section A seating at all three summer shows and the fall show at the Boyd-Quinson Mainstage plus tickets to all four St. Germain Stage shows. Flexible 7-Show Combo Passes and Mainstage Passes are also on sale now and start at just $60. Passes for the St. Germain Stage Season alone are not available at this time, but may be available at a later date. Patrons who order a 2014 pass by October 31, 2013 will get early access to the best seats beginning January 2, 2014, and the $5 per pass handling fee will be waived. For more information on 2014 season passes or to order today, call 413-236-8888, visit the Box Office at 30 Union Street or go online to www.barringtonstageco.org.