Tipping Point Theatre to Host Michigan Premiere of GENE & GILDA in April

Tipping Point Theatre will host the Michigan Premiere of Gene & Gilda, by Cary Gitter.  The play, which follows the private world of one of Hollywood's most beloved pairings, Gene Wilder and Gilda Radner, will begin previews on Wednesday, Apr. 8, with standard performances following from Apr. 11 through May 3. Through playful turns both comedic and bittersweet, Gene & Gilda is an examination of the importance and unconditional love that defined their relationship, and the lives they led beyond the laughter.

Playwright Cary Gitter says, "Gene & Gilda is a tribute to two iconic entertainers and a portrait of creative people in love, and I am so thrilled that the play is finally coming to Gilda's hometown area. I'm grateful to the incredible team at Tipping Point Theatre, and I can't wait for Metro Detroit audiences to see the show and experience this story."

Tasked with taking Gitter's words off the page and onto the stage is director Brian Sage, whose vision for the production is shaped by the script's imaginative nature and balance of fantasy and reality.

"For me, the disembodied voice of the interviewer, Gilda's almost spirit-like first appearance, the quick shifts in time and place, and Cary's playful moments where we witness the real-life Gene and Gilda morph with their famous on screen personas feel fantastical and whimsical. These moments contrast so beautifully with the grounded, and, for lack of a better word 'real' moments such that this juxtaposition, this polarity, allows us to better understand the two people and their deep need for each other at such a crucial moment in each of their lives. The stylistic contrast also brilliantly mirrors Gene and Gilda, the distinct difference in their personalities and how they each approach relationships. It makes the quote from Gene's memoir Kiss Me Like a Stranger resonate even more deeply: 'We didn't get along well, and that's a fact. We just loved each other, and that's a fact.'"

The stars tasked with bringing the Hollywood duo back to life are no strangers to Michigan's theatre scene: Kevin O'Callaghan (AEA) will be starring as Gene Wilder and Kristin Shields (AEA) as Gilda Radner.

"Kristin and Kevin are both fantastic actors and comedians. It's far more important to me that they discover and work with the essences of who Gene and Gilda are rather than to try and impersonate them," says Sage, "Like any play, we need to investigate the character's needs, actions, and obstacles first - really get to the root of what these two people need from each other and how they go about getting it - and as we get on our feet and in our bodies explore how the real life physical and verbal attributes of Gene and Gilda might inform or expand on what we're discovering about these people and the play. I think it will be a constant layering and stripping away until we reveal our own versions of these two legends that not only serves the strengths of Kristin and Kevin, but also Cary's interpretation of Gene and Gilda."

As for what audiences can expect to walk away with, is an insight into what made this Hollywood couple's relationship so special, and how their partnership changed them in ways neither of them could have anticipated.

Sage adds, "Gene and Gilda is a love letter to two brilliant Hollywood legends and their whirlwind romance. It's filled with the laughter you would expect from Gene Wilder and Gilda Radner and the tragedy that we know waits for us at the end. Near the end of the play Gene admits to the interviewer, to the audience, and to himself that 'Gilda cracked me open.' It's one of my favorite lines in the play because he finally acknowledges that at that point in his life, he was his biggest obstacle. I like to think that perhaps Gene is offering us a bit of a life lesson through this acknowledgement - be open, be available, you never know when someone or something might crack you open and change your life forever."

ABOUT GENE & GILDA:

It's Hollywood in the late 1980's and Gene Wilder is giving his first interview after the death of his beloved Gilda Radner. Although he states any discussion of Gilda is off limits, Gilda has other ideas and crashes the interview. The famous couple come to vivid life as we follow them from their first meeting through their personal and professional ups and downs, all the way to their poignant farewell. We celebrate an intimate portrait of two comic legends in love, and the lives they led beyond the laughter.

Showings of Gene & Gilda begin at Tipping Point Theatre on Apr. 8 and run through May 3. Previews are Apr. 8 - 10, for $25/ticket and feature a post-show talkback with director Brian Sage following each performance. Regular showtimes begin on Apr. 11 and tickets are available for $47 each.

GENE & GILDA CAST

Gene Wilder - Kevin O'Callaghan*

Gilda Radner - Kristin Shields*

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