Lewis and Witt Preview Baltimore's Center Stage Season

Tuesday night, May 9, Center Stage offered free wine and cheese and a preview of their new and exciting season. (Washington's Arena Stage did a similar event on May 1.)

 

Artistic Director, Irene Lewis, along with Dramaturg, Gavin Witt, were center stage for the one hour preview of the new season. A large crowd filled the Pearlstone Theater and were treated to a surprise right from the beginning. The final preview of "Crumbs from the Table of Joy" was about to begin in the upstairs Head Theater yet rushing into the theater was Director David Schweizer who took the time and answered questions about the musical he will be directing next season from Dec. 8 to Jan. 14, the Rodgers and Hart classic "The Boys from Syracuse".

 

            Schweizer, who was born in Baltimore, has also directed three other plays at Center Stage, "And God Created Whales", "The Miser", and last season's "Permanent Collection". He commented he had suggested to Lewis years ago to do "Syracuse" and is thrilled to direct it. Opening on Broadway in 1938 in an era when pop songs were songs from musical theater, the show is filled with familiar tunes. Remember Baltimore's Mamma Cass' big hit "Sing for Your Supper"? Yes, from "Syracuse". How about "This Must Be Love" or "Falling in Love with Love". The show is like Prego…it's all in there.

 

According to Schweizer, this is the first musical adaptation of a Shakespeare play ("The Comedy Of Errors") and he used terms like "elegant, beautiful…yet also goofy, like a vaudeville show." When asked to comment on the difference between Rodgers working with Hart vs. Hammerstein, Schweizer made it plain and simple. "With Hart the shows "like 'Syracuse' and 'Pal Joey' have an insouciance quality about them while with Hammerstein, they were much deeper like 'Carousel' and 'South Pacific'." There will be a large cast of 17 and Schweizer can't wait to start rehearsals. For the last two years I have spent New Year's Eve at Center Stage. May make it three years in a row.

 

After Schweizer left, the stage was left to Lewis and Witt to talk about the four other scheduled plays.

 

Anton Chekhov's "Three Sisters" is the only Chekhov play Lewis has not done. She spoke about what a humanitarian Chekhov was. Not only a playwright, he was a physician who would treat peasants with free medical treatment. This will start the season on Sept. 15 in the Head Theater.  Lewis was asked how she decides which theater will be utilized. She replied it's a complicated process and next season, only the first and last plays will be in the Head.

 

"Death and the Maiden" by Ariel Dorfman opens Oct. 26. I saw this terrific psychological thriller on Broadway in 1992 directed by Mike Nichols and starred Glenn Close, Richard Dreyfuss, and Gene Hackman.  It was also made into a film in 1994 directed by Roman Polanski starring Ben Kingsley and Sigourney Weaver.  Lewis admitted she was unfamiliar with the work but read it in one sitting. She found the subject matter incredibly pertinent to today and hopes to invite Dorfman.

 

Alice Childress' "Trouble in Mind", also directed by Lewis, will open Feb. 2.

This 1955 play, written before "Raisin in the Sun" was scheduled to move from Off-Broadway to Broadway but Childress refused to bend to changes requested by the producers and therefore, no revisions were made and thus no Broadway production occurred. She was the first woman playwright to ever win an "Obie" Award. Lewis credited long-time Dramaturg Jim Magruder "who kept after me" for suggesting the play. She mentioned the time period is the same for the Supreme Court decision of "Brown v. Board of Education" and the topic  concerns race and progress in  America.

 

            Eugene O'Neil's only comedy, "Ah, Wilderness" begins March 16. Written in 1933 and set in 1906, Lewis said it was about "women, life, sex, and painfully funny".

 

            The final spot (April 27 to June 10) is being saved for a new work.

 

            One attendee made the comment that when she attends a "Meet the Actors" performance; she is always impressed that the actors rave about their experiences on

Calvert Street

.  Lewis commented about how proud she is of the entire staff of Center Stage (about 80) and credits their unwavering commitment to the theater and their talent which is appreciated by all who perform there.

 

For subscription information, call 410-332-0033 or www.centerstage.org.

 

To post a comment, you must register and login.