Theatre on Fire Closes 9th Season with BLACKADDER GOES FORTH: LIVE!, Now thru 5/11
Theatre on Fire closes its ninth season at the Charlestown Working Theater with something never before seen on a U.S. Stage: Blackadder Goes Forth: Live! The entire final season of the classic BBC TV series - by Richard Curtis and Ben Elton - will be directed by Artistic Director Darren Evans.
Theatre on Fire will adapt the classic British TV comedy for the stage in celebration of the 25th anniversary of the show's fourth and final season broadcast. First aired in 1989, this season brings us to the trenches of WWI, where our hero Blackadder once again is devising cunning plans to avoid being killed, this time by the Germans and the incompetence of his superior officers. Hilarious, snarky, occasionally poignant, and with a dash of cross-dressing thrown in, the show brings the return of all your favorites: Baldrick, Melchett, George, Flash, a girl called Bob, and more.
"It's been three years since our enormously popular staging of Blackadder II: Live, and people have been clamoring for another episode the entire time. I felt the time was finally right to revisit these iconic characters." says Artistic Director Darren Evans. "This final season has all the things we love about the series - the great quips, insults and one-liners along with the hilarious stupidity of many of the characters - but there is also a surprising bite to its anti-war message as well as a subtle and beautifully poignant ending. After all the laughter, it may just bring a tear to your eye."
Blackadder Goes Forth: Live! reunites much of cast of Blackadder II: Live, including Craig Houk as Blackadder, Chris Wagner as Baldrick, Michael Steven Costello as Melchett, Chelsea Schmidt as Bob, John Geoffrion as Darling, Terrence Haddad as Baron Richtoven, and Jason Beals as Flashheart. The cast also includes newcomers Christopher Sherwood Davis as George and Terry Torres as Brigadier Smith and several other characters.
The design team features Theatre on Fire veterans Eric Jacobsen (Lighting Design), Luke Sutherland (Scenic Design), Lynn Wilcott (Hair and Make-up Design) and Eric Propp (Costume Design).
Along with the Blackadder series, Richard Curtis has written The Vicar of Dibley, Mr. Bean and bits of Not the Nine O'Clock News, among other series. He has also written a string of incredibly successful films, including Four Weddings and a Funeral, Notting Hill and Bridget Jones' Diary. He's been to a lot of weddings.
Ben Elton has written The Young Ones, The Man from Auntie, and The Thin Blue Line, as well as his own series The Ben Elton Show. Elton has also written for the stage, including Gasping, Silly Cow and Popcorn, and the musicals We Will Rock You and The Beautiful Game. He used to own a shiny suit.
The writers of the series do not take royalties for the staging of this work, but rather have the royalties paid to Comic Relief, a charity organization founded in 1985 to help support some of the poorest and most disadvantaged people in the UK and Africa. Theatre on Fire is delighted to contribute to Comic Relief as part of this production.
Blackadder Goes Forth: Live! will be presented in two part repertory format. Part One will feature the episodes "Captain Cook," "Corporal Punishment," and "Major Star." Part Two will feature the episodes "Private Plane," "General Hospital," and "Goodbyeee." Tickets can be purchased for one part only or for both parts. Audience members who buy tickets to both parts receive a 20% discount. The parts do not need to be seen in order to be fully enjoyed.
Performances of Blackadder Goes Forth: Live! will be presented from today, April 26th - May 11th at Charlestown Working Theater. To purchase tickets: www.theatreonfire.org or call 866-811-4111.
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