Irene Crist News

The Pulitzer Prize-Winning drama Disgraced opens August 19th at The Circuit Playhouse. Amir Kapoor, a Muslim-American lawyer, and his wife, Emily, an artist influenced by Islamic imagery, enjoy their comfortable life on New York's Upper East Side. When a co-worker and her husband come to dinner, what begins as polite table conversation explodes, leaving everyone's relationships and beliefs about race and identity irrevocably damaged. Disgraced challenges the audience to think about the purpose of faith, relationships between white and non-white races in contemporary America, and about the process and responsibilities of creating art.

?The final musical in the Playhouse on the Square 2015 - 2016 season is Sister Act! When disco diva Deloris Van Cartier witnesses a murder, she is put into protective custody in a convent! The New York Times cries "when the wimples start quivering, the pinched mouths break into sunbeam smiles, and the nuns start rocking to raise the gothic rafters, all's right in the kingdom of musical comedy." Based on the hit 1992 film of the same name, Sister Act is filled with powerful gospel music, outrageous dancing, and a truly moving story.

In THE COUNTRY HOUSE, what The New York Times calls 'a valentine to the artists of the stage,' a group of famous and would-be-famous creative artists have come to their summer home during the Williamstown Theatre Festival. The weekend takes an unexpected turn, and everyone is forced to come to terms with the roles they play in each other's lives. Scroll down for a first look at The Circuit Playhouse's production below!

?In what The New York Times calls "a valentine to the artists of the stage," a group of famous and would-be-famous creative artists have come to their summer home during the Williamstown Theatre Festival. The weekend takes an unexpected turn, and everyone is forced to come to terms with the roles they play in each other's lives.

'I am in blood stepped in so far that should I wade no more, / Returning were as tedious as go o'er,' says Macbeth in William Shakespeare's tragedy of the same name. I have always felt that these lines could have described President Lyndon Johnson as he doggedly followed his disastrous course in Vietnam. Now, certainly, Johnson was no villain as such; however, to countless Americans, his term in office will be forever marred by his hubristic determination to succeed. For some families touched by tragedy, his very name will be forever reviled. However, in recent years, many historians (such as Doris Kearns Goodwin) have tried to see 'the forest' beyond 'the trees' and have lauded Johnson for effecting legislation that culminated in the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and in voting rights for Blacks. Playhouse on the Square's current production of Robert Schenkkan's ALL THE WAY (recalling LBJ's campaign slogan 'All the way with LBJ') focuses on Johnson's political maneuvers in that arena -- especially as they factor in his desire to be elected as something more than an 'accidental President.'

Playhouse on the Square presents the regional premiere of Robert Schenkkan's political drama All The Way. The winner of the 2014 Tony Award for Best Play, All The Way takes us to November 1963. An assassin's bullet has just catapulted Lyndon Baines Johnson into the presidency. A man with a towering ambition and appetite, LBJ finds himself embroiled in passing the Civil Rights Act as he campaigns for re-election, and searches for the recognition he so desperately wants.

Let's see now -- older married man with mistress, seething ex-wife, resentful and mistrustful offspring -- where was Dr. Phil? Alas, nowhere in sight in Chinon during the Christmas of 1183, as the powerful English king Henry II has released his imprisoned wife (and sparring partner) Eleanor of Aquitaine and allowed her admittance to a family gathering (along with his mistress Alais). Is it for personal or political reasons? Perhaps a bit of both? Henry, great in stature and accomplishments, has to decide which of his sons (none of whom will historically 'measure up') will become the future King of England. It's a Lear-like choice, and poor Henry has 'slim pickings.' With the oldest son dead, the three remaining are a snarling, disgruntled lot -- in one corner (Eleanor's), there's the pillage-prone Richard (later Richard the Lionhearted, who will spend most of his time abroad); in the other (Henry's), there's the pimply, unwashed, and feckless John (later, a famously unpopular king who will be forced to capitulate to baronial pressure and sign a little document known as the Magna Carta). Oh, yes, and then there's the ignored, Machiavellian Geoffrey, mistrusted by both parents and willing to play anyone on the human chessboard.

The Lion in Winter by James Goldman reigns over the Lohrey Stage at Theatre Memphis January 22 - February 7, 2016. As historical fiction this modern classic pits Queen Eleanor of Aquitaine (after a decade of imprisonment for her part in a rebellion) against her husband King Henry II of England,  Eleanor arrives at court during a Christmas furlough and proceeds to scheme to challenge the King's authority and his choice of heir to the throne. The fray engulfs their three sons and French royalty who all lay claim to rule.

Interestingly, Playhouse on the Square has opted to produce Thornton Wilder's THE MATCHMAKER rather than HELLO, DOLLY, the legendary musical that it spawned - and therein lies both the blessing and the curse: There are so many lines here that served as song cues that the specter of Jerry Herman's 'ear-candied' score keeps hovering over the play. To add to the dilemma, the ever-arranging 'matchmaker' herself is none other than that talented musical performer Ann Sharp (surprisingly making her theatre debut at Playhouse): Because she doesn't have the opportunity to use that particular talent, and because those darned Herman songs keep popping up in the mind, THE MATCHMAKER might prove frustrating for those familiar with its melodic offspring. That's too bad, as Herman's score is rather like some pushy first grader who breaks in line; without it, the audience is left with . . . a fine romantic comedy, filled with mistaken identities and matches and mismatches - and more than just a touch of Wilder's warm , incisive writing.

Playhouse on the Square is proud to present the classic American comedy, TheMatchmaker. The Matchmaker follows the exploits of Dolly Levi, a widow who arranges marriages for New Yorkers at the turn of the 20th century. Hired by a local merchant to find a wife, Dolly sets her sights on the eligible bachelor herself! Slapstick, mistaken identity, and secret rendezvous ensue in this uproarious comedy from the Pulitzer-prize winning playwright, Thornton Wilder. 

Playhouse on the Square is proud to present the classic American comedy, The Matchmaker. The Matchmaker follows the exploits of Dolly Levi, a widow who arranges marriages for New Yorkers at the turn of the 20th century. Hired by a local merchant to find a wife, Dolly sets her sights on the eligible bachelor herself! Slapstick, mistaken identity, and secret rendezvous ensue in this uproarious comedy from the Pulitzer-prize winning playwright, Thornton Wilder. 

It's hard to reconcile the name of the title character in MOUNTAIN VIEW with that of its author. 'Jocate' seems a variation on Dolly Parton's 'Jolene' (when will Appalachian characters have names like 'Sue' or 'Nancy'?), while author 'Teri Feigelson' suggests a world entirely alien to cabins and mountain ledges. Yet, everything seems to come together in Playhouse on the Square's production of the winner of the 2013 NewWorks Playwriting Competition, currently being staged at TheatreWorks. In fact, with its gentle, wistful tone and incorporation of original, tonally related songs, MOUNTAIN VIEW evokes a film from some years ago, the little-seen but much-lauded SONGCATCHER, with turn-of-the-century musicologist Janet McTeer finding substance and artistry in Appalachian music (along with a romantic interlude with a hirsute Aidan Quinn in one of his last leading man roles). It even reminded me of (now nearly forgotten) Bobbie Gentry's concept album DELTA SWEETE, with the artist's songs depicting the characters and area she knew as a girl.

When her father leaves unexpectedly, Jokate must take care of her younger brother while navigating the minefield of her mother's grief. Both independent and fiercely loyal, she tells the story of her kinfolk and her survival in the mountains of Appalachia. Mountain View is a world premier production and a winner of the 2013 Playhouse on the Square NewWorks@TheWorks playwriting competition and is written by local Memphian, Teri Feigelson.

When her father leaves unexpectedly, Jokate must take care of her younger brother while navigating the minefield of her mother's grief. Both independent and fiercely loyal, she tells the story of her kinfolk and her survival in the mountains of Appalachia. Mountain View is a world premier production and a winner of the 2013 Playhouse on the Square NewWorks@TheWorks playwriting competition and is written by local Memphian, Teri Feigelson.

When her father leaves unexpectedly, Jokate must take care of her younger brother while navigating the minefield of her mother's grief. Both independent and fiercely loyal, she tells the story of her kinfolk and her survival in the mountains of Appalachia. Mountain View is a world premier production and a winner of the 2013 Playhouse on the Square NewWorks@TheWorks playwriting competition and is written by local Memphian, Teri Feigelson.

There's something intrinsically dramatic about a formidable artist/instructor who, because of whatever circumstances, finds that he or she has to step down a rung on the ladder of fame in order not to slip from that ladder altogether. It isn't necessarily a new theme that Theresa Rebeck tackles in the acid-etched comedy SEMINAR, directed by Irene Crist and currently running at Circuit Playhouse. While watching it, I was reminded of other works dealing with artists who, out of necessity, must share their genius (and sharpen their verbal talons) on eager, ambitious upstarts. Not too long ago, there was a production of John Logan's RED, about the artist Mark Rothko and his fictional assistant. Nor should we forget Terrence McNally's MASTER CLASS, with diva Maria Callas holding a voice master class with students trembling under her aura. Other, similar (if fictional) titles leap to mind: Consider that holy terror from THE PAPER CHASE, 'Professor Kingsfield' (John Houseman), intimidating Timothy Bottoms' frustrated law student. To these master instructors we can now add the imperious 'Leonard' (deliciously played by Michael Detroit, who, as a real-life instructor, has an innate understanding of the interplay between teacher and student), a famous novelist who has been to the well of inspiration once too often and is now (for $5000 per student) reluctantly willing to train his weary eyes on material that more often than not elicits blistering barbs of criticism; and a varied and pretentious lot they are - the affluent 'Kate' (whose spacious and expensive apartment furnishes the setting for the seminar meetings, and whose six-year struggle with a story is rather like a plane that bumps along a runway and can't quite take flight); the name-dropping 'Douglas,' who has written something fit for THE NEW YORKER (ordinarily an impressive feat - except when Leonard derides its 'detached intelligence'); the opportunistic 'Izzy,' who isn't beyond parlaying her particular affinity for sex into a form of self-promotion; and, finally, the disproving 'Martin,' whose intellectual probity causes him to roll his eyes at the pretentiousness of people like Douglas.

Now that Memphis in May has finally bid adieu to the Sunset Symphony, crowned the winners of the barbecue contest,and trod well the welcome mat to the magnficent new Bass Pro Shop, Memphians can look to its theatres, old and new, for diversions of a histrionic nature.

Four aspiring young novelists sign up for private writing lessons with Leonard, a once celebrated literary figure. Under his recklessly brilliant and unorthodox instruction, some thrive and others flounder, alliances are made and broken, sex is used as a weapon, and hearts are unmoored. The wordplay is not the only thing that turns vicious, as innocence collides with experience in this sharp comedy.

Four aspiring young novelists sign up for private writing lessons with Leonard, a once celebrated literary figure. Under his recklessly brilliant and unorthodox instruction, some thrive and others flounder, alliances are made and broken, sex is used as a weapon, and hearts are unmoored. The wordplay is not the only thing that turns vicious, as innocence collides with experience in this sharp comedy.

David Morgan's detailed set design for Circuit Playhouse's production of Nina Raine's TRIBES 'speaks volumes' (no pun intended) for the noisy, ego-driven family the audience is about to meet: Piano, stage left; 'intellectual' clutter scattered about; books everywhere; and - oh, yes - a liquor bottle on the table. The members almost immediately begin to descend on stage, chattering away with the kind of overlapping, hyper-intense dialogue that would make the late Robert Altman smile and put fingers in both of his ears. Nothing seems in harmony hear -- everything is a cacophonous, confused kind of roar. At the center, as a kind of eye to this verbal hurricane, is 'Billy,' sweetly casting his gaze from one pair of lips to another, as that is the only way he can absorb the conversations that are colliding about him.