Irene Crist News

As barbecue fests, music venues, and baseball elbow their way into spring and summer in Memphis, there is still reason for theatregoers to be excited about the arrival of several stagings either taking place or about to take place in the area.

There's a moment in the first act of Nicky Silver's THE LYONS when dying patriarch 'Ben' is asked whether he is in pain; his response, a monosyllabic 'Yes,' hardly ranks with any of the brilliantly barbed lines scattered throughout the play, but as intoned by veteran actor Ron Gephart, it acquires a startling variety of shades. As uttered by this gifted performer, a number of insights can be gained into the unfortunate Ben's character: Frustration, resignation, intolerance. If Mr. Gephart can manage that by simply saying 'Yes,' imagine what he is able to do with the dialogues and monologs that follow.

In this dark comedy, Rita Lyons is the matriarch of a family facing major crossroads. Her husband Ben is dying, her adult children are wrestling with their own secrets, and what's worse - she can't decide how to redecorate her living room! As they gather in Ben's hospital room to say goodbye, these four very isolated people, who are as afraid of closeness as they are of solitude, attempt human connection with hysterical results. 'A terrific gem. You can't stop laughing.' - The Associated Press

In this dark comedy, Rita Lyons is the matriarch of a family facing major crossroads. Her husband Ben is dying, her adult children are wrestling with their own secrets, and what's worse - she can't decide how to redecorate her living room! As they gather in Ben's hospital room to say goodbye, these four very isolated people, who are as afraid of closeness as they are of solitude, attempt human connection with hysterical results. 'A terrific gem. You can't stop laughing.' - The Associated Press

During World War II, the gifted young Jewish girl chronicles her rapidly changing life as she and 7 others hide in an attic to avoid the terrors of Nazi rule. This transcendently powerful adaptation by Wendy Kesselman tells a deeper story by incorporating Holocaust survivor accounts and newly discovered writings from Anne Frank's diary.

During World War II, the gifted young Jewish girl chronicles her rapidly changing life as she and 7 others hide in an attic to avoid the terrors of Nazi rule. This transcendently powerful adaptation by Wendy Kesselman tells a deeper story by incorporating Holocaust survivor accounts and newly discovered writings from Anne Frank's diary.

Tolstoy wrote that, 'Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.' Playwright Jon Robin Baitz extrapolated on that theory in his drama, Other Desert Cities, a 2012 Tony Award nominee for Best Play. It's an intricate script and the regional premiere at The Circuit Playhouse does it justice.

In this funny and searing family drama, Brooke Wyeth, a once promising novelist, returns home after a six-year absence to celebrate Christmas in Palm Springs with her parents, former Reagan inner circle, her brother, and her aunt. When Brooke announces she is about to publish a memoir focusing on an explosive chapter in the family's history, the holiday reunion is thrown into turmoil as the Wyeths struggle to come to terms with their past. A 2012 Tony Award nominee for Best Play.

In this funny and searing family drama, Brooke Wyeth, a once promising novelist, returns home after a six-year absence to celebrate Christmas in Palm Springs with her parents, former Reagan inner circle, her brother, and her aunt. When Brooke announces she is about to publish a memoir focusing on an explosive chapter in the family's history, the holiday reunion is thrown into turmoil as the Wyeths struggle to come to terms with their past. A 2012 Tony Award nominee for Best Play.

Deathtrap by Ira Levin will run tonight, June 7 - June 30, 2013 at The Circuit Playhouse.

Deathtrap by Ira Levin will run June 7 - June 30, 2013 at The Circuit Playhouse.

Brighton Beach Memoirs opens at Theatre Memphis on the Lohrey Stage today, April 26, 2013 with Irene Crist returning to direct the Neil Simon coming of age comedy. BroadwayWorld has a first look at the cast in action below!

Brighton Beach Memoirs opens at Theatre Memphis on the Lohrey Stage April 26, 2013 with Irene Crist returning to direct the Neil Simon coming of age comedy. BroadwayWorld has a first look at the cast in action below!

Brighton Beach Memoirs opens at Theatre Memphis on the Lohrey Stage April 26, 2013 with Irene Crist returning to direct the Neil Simon coming of age comedy. The plot focuses on a semi-autobiographical story featuring Eugene Morris Jerome, a Polish-Jewish American teenager, who experiences the turmoil of his family dynamics, his sexual awakening and his search for his identity. Having to deal with his older brother and female cousins who move into his home, the family situations prove to be material that is tender and funny. The original Broadway production was the winner of the New Drama Critics' Circle Award for Best Play.

"Annie" is a spunky Depression-era orphan determined to find the parents who abandoned her years ago on the doorstep of a New York City orphanage run by the cruel, embittered Miss Hannigan. In adventure after fun-filled adventure, Annie foils Miss Hannigan's evil machinations, befriends President Roosevelt, and finds a new family and home in billionaire Oliver Warbucks.

From the Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright of Rabbit Hole comes 'a humorous and poignant look at what it really means to be down on your luck. Margie Walsh is a single mother living in South Boston. Having lost her job and facing eviction, she's scrambling to catch a break. So when an old flame from the neighborhood who is now very successful moves back to town, Margie hopes he can help turn her life around. Their reunion unlocks decades of memories and resentments that neither has been able to truly put to rest.'

The Circle Playhouse will present Noel Coward's PRESENT LAUGHTER from April 20th through May 13th, directed by Robert Hetherington.

A playground scuffle between two boys brings their parents together for a friendly meeting to deal with the incident. The evening begins with all on their best behavior but tensions mount, the liquor flows, and fuses blow as the couples pick apart each other's marriages, and their own, with enough name-calling and chaos to suggest they have more in common with their children than they might suspect. 2009 Tony Award Winner for Best Play.

The Circle Playhouse will present Noel Coward's PRESENT LAUGHTER from April 20th through May 13th, directed by Robert Hetherington.

A playground scuffle between two boys brings their parents together for a friendly meeting to deal with the incident. The evening begins with all on their best behavior but tensions mount, the liquor flows, and fuses blow as the couples pick apart each other's marriages, and their own, with enough name-calling and chaos to suggest they have more in common with their children than they might suspect. 2009 Tony Award Winner for Best Play.