Professional Theater News from Around Town:
Mason Street Warehouse announces third show of 2006 season
SAUGATUCK – Mason Street Warehouse, an uptown theater in downtown Saugatuck, is pleased to announce the third show in its 2006 season. The MSW tradition of presenting outstanding plays and musicals continues with "Cabaret," sponsored in part by Perrigo Company, Macatawa Bank, Amsterdam and Restaurant Toulouse.
This Kander and Ebb classic takes us to the seedy glamour of the legendary Kit Kat Klub, as an English singer romances an American writer. Set against the background of a crumbling Berlin at the rise of the Third Reich, "Cabaret," with its brilliant score, incredible dance numbers and socially poignant story, brings to life an era when being yourself was not always acceptable.
Director/Choreographer Kurt Stamm explained this is the largest cast the theater has assembled. "What's so exciting about this production is to have this cast perform a show with such fantastic writing and music. It's very rewarding from a creative standpoint."
The show's Equity cast includes: Sol Baird, Tim Ewing, Erin Maguire, Perry Ojeda (all from New York), and Mary Robin Roth (Chicago). Local cast members include Lisa Catrett, Billy Konsoer, Aubry Talbott, Michelle Urbane and interns Lindsay Foreman, Katie Kerrins, Wyndham Mead, Patrick Newton, Dana Maria Piccoli, Caitlin Sams and Prescott Seymour.
Mason Street Warehouse was founded in 2002 in Saugatuck, a town that USA Today described as "the art coast of Michigan". A longstanding artist's colony and a prime summer tourist destination on the coast of Lake Michigan, Saugatuck already boasted a rich cultural heritage, making it a perfect home for professional live theater.
Mason Street Warehouse is a professional, Equity, non-profit 501(c)3 theatre.
Performances are selling out, so patrons are encouraged to order tickets early by calling (269) 857-4898 or visiting the MSW box office.
Tickets to all 2006 Mason Street Warehouse productions are: $33 for Friday and Saturday night shows ($30 for seniors and students); $29.50 for performances on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday evenings ($26.50 for seniors and students); $22 for Sunday Bargain Matinees ($20 for seniors and students). Group rates are also available.
For more information, call the theater at (269) 857-4898 or visit http://www.masonstreetwarehouse.org.
Mosaic promises downright fun with summer musical
DETROIT – Picture it: Early 1900's, the ol' South. More specifically, a modest Georgia town owned and run with an iron hand by a cold-hearted plantation owner and former slaveholder set on demolishing a church that is the crown jewel and the very heart of its community. Enter Purlie Victorious. What's a dynamic young man fed up with the oppression of his fellow townspeople to do?
With Mosaic Youth Theatre's spectacular presentation of the award-winning musical, "Purlie" – based on the late theater and film legend Ossie Davis' watershed play, "Purlie Victorious" – Metro Detroit is about to find out.
Davis originally wrote the play in the hopes that segregation would ultimately be "laughed out of existence." Mosaic invites all to join in as we continue to laugh, learn and advance into a most victorious future.
The spirited story opens at the Detroit Film Theatre at the Detroit Institute of Arts on Aug. 18, with additional performances on Aug. 19- 20 and 25-27. Evening performances begin at 8 p.m. and Sunday matinees are at 4 p.m.
To purchase tickets, call (313) 833-4005 or visit http://www.mosaicdetroit.org.
Lansing area's newest theater presents 'On Golden Pond'
GRAND LEDGE – The Ledges Playhouse, the Lansing area's newest theatre company, presents "On Golden Pond" by Ernest Thompson. Featuring local favorites Bob Gras and Addiann Hinds as Norman and Ethel Thayer, "On Golden Pond" offers a postcard from a summer cabin on the lake filled with beautiful sunsets, warm memories and the scent of chocolate chip cookies in the oven. Things become a little less idyllic when wayward daughter Chelsea, played by Tanya Canaday-Burnham, drops off a surprise guest, played by Jonathan Turkis.
Taking their own vacation "On Golden Pond" are Icarus Falling ensemble members Doug Alchin, Marianne Bacon, Jeff Croff, Robin Harris and Daryl Thompson. Croff is directing the show, while Harris and Thompson trade off playing the affable, but goofy mailman Charlie. Alchin delivers Bill Ray, a dentist truly out of his element, while Bacon once again makes sure that things stay on track as stage manager.
The production runs through August 13. Show times are 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday nights and 2 p.m. Sundays. Evening performances are $15 ($12 for seniors), while matinees are $13 ($10 for seniors)
To reserve tickets, call (517) 694-3978 or visit http://www.ledgesplayhouse.com.
Single tickets for 2006/2007 opera and dance seasons on sale August 14
DETROIT – Single tickets for Michigan Opera Theatre's 2006/2007 fall and spring opera seasons, as well as the Detroit Opera House's 2006/2007 DaimlerChrysler Dance Series, will become available to the general public in a special online-only pre-sale, Monday August 14. Patrons taking advantage of this online-only pre-sale at http://www.MichiganOpera.org will find a secure, user-friendly site, available 24 hours a day. Patrons can even see the view from individual seats, as well as pre-pay for parking in the new Detroit Opera House Parking Center, conveniently located next to the venue.
Single tickets will become available at the Detroit Opera House ticket office (1526 Broadway, Detroit, 48226), by phone, (313) 237-SING, and at all TicketMaster outlets Monday, Aug. 28.
Michigan Opera Theatre donors, contributing $35 or more to the company prior to August 7, are eligible for a special donor pre-sale, beginning on that date. Donors may also receive additional benefits, based on contribution levels. For more information, or to become a Michigan Opera Theatre donor, patrons are encouraged to call Kathi Kucharski at (313) 237-3433.
Subscription packages became available in April, and will continue to be available through the season. For the first time, subscriptions are available online, along with single tickets. Subscribers receive many benefits, including priority seating, ticket exchange privileges and advance purchase opportunities for special events.
Michigan Opera Theatre's 2006 Fall Opera Season, made possible by the Ford Motor Company, opens on Saturday, October 21, with George Gershwin's quintessential American opera, "Porgy and Bess." The company's second fall production, Gioacchino Rossini's comic masterpiece "The Barber of Seville," will open Nov. 11.
Single tickets for all 2006/2007 opera productions will range in price from $28-$120.
Michigan Opera Theatre's 2007 Spring Opera Season, sponsored by Cadillac, will open April 21 with Puccini's final opera, the magnificent "Turandot." The season will continue with a production new to Michigan Opera Theatre's repertoire, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's "The Abduction From the Seraglio," opening May 12. The season will come to a dramatic, romantic close with Charles Gounod's "Romeo and Juliet," June 2-9.
Now in its tenth season, the Detroit Opera House's DaimlerChrysler Dance Series will open with the Royal Winnipeg Ballet, dancing Mark Godden's "Dracula," based on the classic novel by Bram Stoker, Sept. 28-Oct. 1. Tickets for "Dracula" range from $28-$100. The acclaimed Joffrey Ballet returns to the Detroit Opera House for a holiday tradition like no other, "The Nutcracker," Nov. 30 to Dec. 3. Tickets for "The Nutcracker' range in price from $28-$75.
The series continues in 2007, with a very special return appearance by the Dayton Contemporary Dance Company, presenting "Color-ography," based on works by American painter Jacob Lawrence, Feb. 10 and 11. Tickets for "Color-ography" range in price from $25-$75. March 15-18, the Detroit Opera House will welcome the American Ballet Theatre and their spectacular production of "Swan Lake." Tickets for "Swan Lake" range in price from $28-$100. The 2006/2007 dance series will conclude with a special children's ballet, "Where The Wild Things Are," based on Maurice Sendak's classic children's book, and featuring sets and costumes designed by the author/illustrator. "Where The Wild Things Are" features music by Randall Woolf , choreography by Septime Webre and will be danced by the Grand Rapids Ballet Company, Michigan's only professional ballet troupe. All tickets for this final engagement will be just $20.
For further information, log on to http://www.michiganopera.org
Wharton Centers 2006-2007 season on sale to E-Club members
EAST LANSING – Single tickets to Wharton Center's entire 2006-2007 season, with the exception of the Broadway blockbuster "Wicked," are now on sale to the Center's E-Club members. This is an exclusive advance online purchase opportunity for E- Club members only. Membership to Wharton Center's E-Club is free and available all times online at http://www.whartoncenter.com.
Tickets to MSU Federal Credit Union Broadway at Wharton Center productions typically go on sale six to eight weeks before the show arrives. The free E-Club allows patrons the opportunity to purchase individual tickets to these shows (with the exception of "Wicked") in addition to the season's other attractions early. This special E-club pre-sale continues until August 29 when tickets to most attractions go on sale to the general public.
A selection of Wharton Center subscription packages is also available. Subscription packages start at three or more shows, and as a subscriber you can purchase tickets to any show including "Wicked!"
Registration to the Wharton Center E-Club is free and easy. Just log onto Wharton Center's web site at http://www.whartoncenter.com, click on the E-Club icon and enter your name and e-mail address. It's that simple! You will be instantly added to the list of exclusive members. Member privacy is protected and the information collected is used only for Wharton Center promotions.
Kent Love, director of communications at Wharton Center says, "If you are not a Wharton Center subscriber, then the E-Club is the absolute best way to purchase tickets to any Wharton Center attraction. It's free, convenient and is the only opportunity at this time to purchase tickets to the entire season, except 'Wicked.' It is also the best way to avoid the crowds on box office opening day."
The MSU Federal Credit Union Broadway at Wharton Center production of "Wicked" is expected to go on sale in May 2007.
Theater for Young Audiences:
Thomas the Tank Engine chugs into Flint
FLINT – Thomas the Tank Engine is set to roll into Flint for the "Day Out With Thomas(TM) 2006: Come Ride the Rails Tour." The 11th annual U.S. tour visits Flint as part of a 10-month ride on the rails that steams into heritage railroads in over 40 U.S. cities. Over 1 million passengers are expected to ride with Thomas the Tank Engine, the classic storybook engine, at these events in 2006. This fun-filled family festival offers preschoolers and their families the opportunity to take a 40-minute ride (8 miles) with Thomas the Tank Engine and is sure to engineer miles of smiles for every guest.
The event, which takes place August 18, 19, 20, 25, 26 and 27, will be hosted by Crossroads Village & Huckleberry Railroad, at 6140 Bray Road in Flint.
The tour provides a unique, interactive family experience at every station, offering a variety of entertaining activities that reflect the local flavor of each stop.
The 40-minute train rides with Thomas the Tank Engine will depart on the hour, rain or shine, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. daily. Village hours for "Day Out With Thomas" are 8 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.
This event is expected to sell out, so advance purchase is recommended to ensure a choice of dates and times. Tickets for the "Day Out With Thomas(TM) 2006: Come Ride the Rails Tour" are $16 for ages two and up.
Tickets are on sale now and are available by calling toll-free (866) 468-7630 or logging onto http://www.ticketweb.com
For more information and directions, contact the Genesee County Parks & Recreation Commission at (800) 648-PARK or visit http://www.GeneseeCountyParks.org
Stratford Festival News:
Don Juan begins previews at the Stratford Festival
STRATFORD, ONT. – The Stratford Festival of Canada's production of Moliere's satirical prose comedy "Don Juan," with Colm Feore in the title role, began previews Tuesday, August 1, at the Avon Theatre. "Don Juan" recounts the legend of the notorious seducer who, after abandoning his latest conquest, Dona Elvira, persists in pursuing every woman who catches his eye, much to the despair of his long-suffering servant, Sganarelle. But with Elvira's brothers hot on his trail, Don Juan little expects his ultimate nemesis: a dinner guest from beyond the grave.
The Festival's production of "Don Juan" is directed by Lorraine Pintal, with sets designed by Daniele Levesque and costumes designed by Francois St-Aubin. The lighting designer is Axel Morgenthaler. Robert Normandeau is the composer, John Stead is the fight director and Donna Feore is the choreographer.
Don Juan, which began preview performances on August 1, opens August 11 and plays in repertory until Oct. 10.
Tickets are available at (800) 567-1600 or through http://www.stratfordfestival.ca
