Hartford Stage Announces Fräulein Maria for SummerStage 2011

Hartford Stage will launch its 2011 SummerStage season next June with Doug Elkins' & Friends' Fräulein Maria, the innovative and award-winning dance piece performed to the soundtrack to Rodgers & Hammerstein's movie classic, The Sound of Music. Fräulein Maria has a cast of 14 talented dancers and was conceived and choreographed by Doug Elkins; the production is directed by Barbara Karger and Michael Preston. Presented in cooperation with The Rodgers & Hammerstein Organization. Tickets for Fräulein Maria are on sale now to subscribers and go on sale to the general public December 10. The production will run at Hartford Stage June 15 - 26, 2011.

Fräulein Maria is Rodgers and Hammerstein's The Sound of Music as re-imagined by the playful spirit of acclaimed choreographer Doug Elkins. Fräulein Maria began as a love letter to Elkins' children and is now a bona fide family tradition as well as a gender bending, tour-de-force comedy. Set to the 1965 movie soundtrack, Elkins' affectionate humor shines through his idiomatic tips of the hat to such dance legends as Martha Graham, Paul Taylor and Merce Cunningham. He seamlessly merges modern and popular dance forms including hip-hop and "vogueing," reinventing this beloved classic into an edgy and fun cabaret romp. The New York Times calls Fräulein Maria "A mini-masterpiece, melding every kind of dance technique you can think of. Makes breakdancing and ballet look like obvious bedfellows." The New Yorker raves, "Each dance is a jewel of choreographic invention and comic subtlety."

Tickets for Fräulein Maria range from $25 - $50. To purchase tickets, call the Hartford Stage Box Office at 860-527-5151, or visit our website at www.hartfordstage.org. Groups of ten or more may receive discounts; call the box office for further information.

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