Carlson-Goodman And Wendt Appear In Reading Of THE MADWOMAN OF CHAILLOT 7/27

Broadway stars and Brooklyn ballerinas read a classic play about financial collapse! Briana Carlson-Goodman of the cast of the Broadway revival of "Hair" appears along with ballet dancer and Brooklyn resident Adele Wendt (making her professional theatre debut) in THE MADWOMAN OF CHAILLOT. One Night Only, Monday, July 27 at 7:00 p.m.

Part of the Reader's Ensemble Company 2009 Summer Festival at The University of the Streets, 130 East 7th Street, New York City. $8 All Seats (check the website for discounts). www.readersensemblecompany.org for reservation or further information.

J. Michaels directs a cast of two-dozen in Jean Giraudoux's surreal post World War II dark comedy, The Madwoman of Chaillot. Utilizing the translation by Maurice Valency, this "Chaillot" becomes a section of Manhattan - like the Financial District, Midtown, or Murray Hill - eyed by a band of unscrupulous bankers, financiers, and realtors, (led by Nick Fondulis, M. Alan Haley, John Stillwaggon, and Paul Sadlik) looking to evict the artists, tradesmen, and "locals," and turn it into another business center. They didn't bank on the presence of the area's most colorful local figure, The Madwoman (played by classical actress, Sheila Mart) who shows no fear of corporate czars and their minions ... she plans to beat them at their own game ... and drive the prices - or the pricers - down.

Briana Carlson-Goodman is using her night off to join the cast of REC's staged reading of the classic surreal comedy, The Madwoman of Chaillot. Ms. Carlson-Goodman is a native Brooklynite who makes her Broadway debut in "Hair" and is thrilled to be part of that tribe as well as the 24-person "tribe" that is the cast of Madwoman of Chaillot.

The youngest member of that 24-person tribe is Adele Wendt of Bay Ridge Brooklyn. Adele is a student of J's New Dance Center on 74th Street and Fifth Avenue in Bay Ridge. She was invited to play "the deaf mute" in this surreal play. Instead of the character miming the role as it is traditionally done, this new production will have the mute dance the story. "It's very exciting to have a Broadway professional on one end of the stage and a young artist making her debut on the other" said Mr. Michaels.

This "Chaillot" resembles the East Village as it is populated with vendors (Kristin O. Blessin, Sara Minisquero, Jessica Real-Mohr, Tracy Lipson), city workers (Josh Silverman, John Payne, Robert Saunders), eccentrics (Lorenzo Valoy, Marana Leevson, Carla Kelly, Joyce Beck), and a couple of lovers trapped in the middle (Jim deProphetis and Briana Carlson Goodman).

In much the same way Encores! breathes life into forgotten musicals, REC plans to spotlight plays on The Edge of obscurity and make them again worthy of production and discussion. A Q & A follows each performance.

Photo Credit: Ben Strothmann