American Repertory Theater Holiday Shows
Best of Both Worlds Through Jan.3
By: Charles Giuliano - Nov 13, 2009
Best of Both Worlds is written by Randy Weiner, music by Diedre Murray, and directed by A.R.T. Artistic Director Diane Paulus. Bursting with the sounds of R&B and gospel, Best of Both Worlds is a soulful re-envisioning of The Winter's Tale, Shakespeare's timeless story of heartbreak and redemption. Clap your hands, jump out of your seat, and feel the power of love with this holiday treat for all ages. Best of Both Worlds takes us on a journey through the rich musical tapestry of R&B, rediscovering Shakespeare's characters with smooth sounds and funky beats. When jealousy rips apart love and friendship, only the revelatory power of gospel can restore the enduring bonds of faith, family, and forgiveness.The production will feature a rotating roster of Greater Boston's most celebrated gospel choirs, including community, university, and church choirs.
Gatz, by Elevator Repair Service and directed by John Collins, is a brilliant stage adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby. One morning in the low-rent office of a mysterious small business, an employee finds a copy of The Great Gatsby in the clutter of his desk. He starts to read it out loud, and doesn't stop. At first his co-workers hardly notice. But after a series of strange coincidences, it's no longer clear whether he's reading the book or the book is doing something to him and his colleagues. An audacious theatrical tour de force performed in two parts, Gatz is not a stage adaptation of Fitzgerald's novel, but a reading of the entire book — brilliantly brought to life by one of New York's most exciting and acclaimed theater companies,
Elevator Repair Service.
Paradise Lost, written by one of the greatest twentieth-century playwrights, Clifford Odets, is directed by Daniel Fish. As the Great Depression takes hold, the American economy is on the edge of catastrophe and futures are at risk. The Gordon family, losing all they have worked for, strive to preserve their trust in each other and in the promise of their nation. Paradise Lost is a poetic, humane, and distinctly American drama that examines the impact of money and greed on family, business, and love. Odets considered Paradise Lost to be the favorite of his plays. Three-quarters of a century later, Americans are still wrestling the demons of nihilism and idealism, charity and greed, self-interest and compassion. Visionary director Daniel Fish creates a bold new production of this powerful play that grabs hold of the American dream and asks if our optimism is a force for good or merely a delusion, a means of survival or one of escape.
For more information about the A.R.T. 2009-10 Season and the One Day Sale, call the A.R.T.
Box office, or visit American Repertory Theater
Best of Both Worlds
WHAT: The American Repertory Theater (A.R.T.) is pleased to present Best of Both Worlds, a new musical for the whole family. Bursting with the sounds of R&B and gospel, Best of Both Worlds features book and lyrics by Randy Weiner, music by multiple Obie-winner Diedre Murray, and is directed by Tony nominated Diane Paulus (Director of HAIR – Tony Winner: Best Musical Revival 2009).
The Company of Best of Both Worlds includes Gregg Baker (Lawrence Olivier Award and Grammy nominee), Jeannette Bayardelle (NAACP Theater Award Winner, Best Lead Actress in a Musical for the Role of Celie in The Color Purple), Mary Bond Davis (original Motormouth Maybelle in Hairspray on Broadway), Darius de Haas (Obie Winner, Running Man), Nikkieli DeMone (Joseph Jefferson Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Musical for his portrayals of Jake in Sideshow and John in Miss Saigon), Cleavant Derricks (Tony, Drama Desk and LA Drama Circle Award winner for Dreamgirls and Tony nominee for Brooklyn the Musical), Brianna Horne (Winner of CBS Early Show Contest "My Broadway Debut), Lawrence Stallings (Passing Strange On- and Off-Broadway), and the 8-year old Hingham native Sebastien Lucien as Mamillius.
In addition, Best of Both Worlds will feature a rotating roster of Greater Boston's most celebrated gospel choirs, including community, university, and church choirs.
WHEN: November 21, 2009 — January 3, 2010
WHERE: Loeb Drama Center, 64 Brattle Street, Cambridge
TICKETS: $25 - $75. Student rush $20. Seniors $10 off ticket price.
Group Rates available. Can be purchased online at American Repertory Theater by phone at 617-547-8300, or in person at the A.R.T. box office.
CRITICAL ACCLAIM:
"Musical numbers that leave the audience whooping."— New York Times
"Thrilling for Shakespeare enthusiasts, essential for gospel devotees, and an exciting new work for fans of the American musical . . .moving and meaningful, an allegory for the Holiday Season." TheaterMania
RATING: All ages.
Cambridge, MA — The American Repertory Theater (A.R.T.) is pleased to present Best of Both Worlds, a holiday musical for the whole family. Bursting with the sounds of R&B and gospel, Best of Both Worlds features book and lyrics by Randy Weiner, music by multiple Obie-winner Diedre Murray, and is directed by the Tony nominated Diane Paulus (Director of HAIR – Tony Winner: Best Musical Revival 2009).
Best of Both Worlds is a soulful re-envisioning of The Winter's Tale, Shakespeare's timeless story of heartbreak and redemption. Clap your hands, jump out of your seat, and feel the power of love with this holiday treat. Best of Both Worlds takes us on a journey through the rich musical tapestry of R&B, rediscovering Shakespeare's characters with smooth sounds and funky beats. When jealousy rips apart love and friendship, only the revelatory power of gospel can restore the enduring bonds of faith, family, and forgiveness.
CREATIVE TEAM
The creative team also includes set designer and longtime A.R.T. collaborator Riccardo Hernandez, costume designer Emilio Sosa, lighting designer Aaron Black, and sound designer Brett Jarvis. Movement is by Tracy Jack, Music Director is Michael Mitchell, and the Associate Music Director and Choir Coordinator is David Freeman Coleman.
THE CAST
The Company of Best of Both Worlds includes Gregg Baker as Ezekiel, Jeannette Bayardelle as Serena, Mary Bond Davis as Violetta, Darius de Haas as Maurice, Nikkieli DeMone as Camillo, Cleavant Derricks as Sweet Daddy, Brianna Horne as Rain, Sebastien Lucien as Mamillius, and Lawrence Stallings as Tariq. The musicians are James Peterson, Guitar; Wesley Wirth, Bass, and Yoron Israel, Drums.
PARTICIPATING CHOIRS include
Boston Community Choir (New Year's Eve performance)
Kingdom Sanctuary Choir
Harvard University Kuumba Singers
Tufts University Gospel Choir
ABOUT THE PRINCIPAL CAST MEMBERS
Gregg Baker (Ezekiel) achieved international acclaim for his interpretation of Crown in Porgy and Bess at the Metropolitan Opera, the Glyndebourne Festival, Berlin Opera, and the Savolinna Festival. He has sung many roles at the MET in Aida, Carmen, Il Trovatore, and Das Rheingold and appeared in the great opera houses in Europe including Arena di Verona, Vienna State Opera, and throughout the United States. He also has sung in concert with many major American and European orchestras.
Mary Bond Davis (Violetta) created the role of Motormouth Maybelle in Hairspray on Broadway and also appeared in The Women, Jerry's Last Jam, Marie Christine, Bring in 'Da Noise..., Show Boat, Mail, and Grease. She was seen on film in The Preacher's Wife, Romance and Cigarettes, New York Minute, Hook, Jeffrey, The Art of Dying, and JoJo Dancer . . . Television credits include Twin Peaks, The Bing Crosby Christmas (with Fred Astaire), and Gimme a Break.
Jeannette Bayardelle (Serena) originated her role in the New York production of Best of Both Worlds. She starred in The Color Purple on Broadway and on the first national tour, receiving an NAACP Award for Best Lead Actress in a Musical, and in the international tours of The Color Purple, Big River, Rent, and Sister Act. She voiced the Disney films The Princess and The Frog and Little Mermaid III. Other credits include Rent, Big River, Sister Act, Best of Both Worlds, Elegies, and Zinzi.
THE CREATORS:
Randy Weiner (book and lyrics) Writing credits include Archbishop Supreme Tartuffe, Caligula, both with Alfred Preisser, Classical Theatre of Harlem; Swimming With Watermelons, Music-Theatre Group and Vineyard Theatre; Best Of Both Worlds, Music Theatre Group and Women's Project; Turandot: Rumble For The Ring, Bay Street Theatre; Stairway To Hell, BASE Entertainment; The Donkey Show, The Karaoke Show, Frankenweiner, and many others, Project 400 Theater Group; Death And The Powers to be presented in Fall 2010 in Monte Carlo. Recent projects include The Most Interesting Show in the World, sponsored by Heineken, currently touring 16 cities around the US, and Purgatorio, a Halloween extravaganza presented by CBS Radio in Times Square.
Diedre Murray (composer) is a Pulitzer Prize Finalist, two-time Obie Winner and master musician. She is an innovative composer, cellist, producer and curator. In the 1970s and 1980s, she pioneered the use of the cello as a jazz and new world music instrument. Since the 1990s she has turned her attention to composing for extended musical works and the theatre. Credits include Unending Pain, co-presented by the Performance Garage and the Whitney Museum of American Art, toured to the Studio Museum of Harlem and Productions Traquen'Arts Cello Festival in Montreal; Lets Go Down to the River, for the Willasau Jazz Festival in Switzerland; The Eves of Nhor, for National Dutch Radio and De Effenaar Festival in Eindhoven Holland; Kamerados, for mixed ensemble at The Women's Improviser Festival in New York; Five Minute Tango, for the inaugural concert at the Danny Kaye/Sylvia Fine Playhouse entitled, performed by the Manhattan Brass Quintet; The Conversation for the Seattle-based New Performance Group at the Walker Arts Center in Minnesota; You Don't Miss the Water, a music-theatre piece, in collaboration with noted poet Cornelius Eady, produced by the Music Theatre Group (MTG); Women In The Dunes, a dance piece created by Blondel Cummings for the Japan Society; the jazz-opera Running Man, for which she wrote the original story and score, and book with Cornelius Eady (two Obie Awards, finalist for the 1999 Pulitzer Prize for Drama); music arrangements for Eli's Coming (Obie Award); The Blackamour Angel; an adaptation by Diane Paulus of James Baldwin's Another Country; an adaptation of The Voice Within with Marcus Gardley, Harlem Stage and the Apollo Theatre. Current projects include a new musical, Sweet Billy and the Zooloo's, with writer Lynn Nottage, for Colored Girl's Productions, scheduled for 2009; and Spoleto, a series of rags for solo piano in 2009. She received a B.S. degree from Hunter College in Ethnomusicology and has numerous recordings.
Diane Paulus (director) was recently appointed Artistic Director of the A.R.T. last year, and this is her first season She is the creator and director of The Donkey Show, which ran for six years Off-Broadway, toured internationally to London, Edinburgh, Madrid, and Evian, France, and is currently at the A.R.T. Recent theater work includes the Tony Award-winning revival of HAIR on Broadway; Kiss Me Kate at Glimmerglass Opera; Lost Highway, based on the David Lynch film, an ENO co-production with the Young Vic in London; Another Country by James Baldwin at Riverside Church; Turandot: Rumble for the Ring at the Bay Street Theatre; The Golden Mickey's for Disney Creative Entertainment; Best of Both Worlds, a gospel/R&B adaptation of A Winter's Tale produced by Music-Theatre Group and The Women's Project; and The Karaoke Show, an adaptation of "Comedy of Errors" set in a karaoke bar, produced by Jordan Roth Productions. Also for Music-Theatre Group, she directed the Obie award-winning and Pulitzer Prize finalist Running Man by jazz composer Diedre Murray and poet Cornelius Eady; and Swimming with Watermelons, created in association with Project 400, the theater company she co-founded with her husband Randy Weiner. Other work Off-Broadway: Brutal Imagination, and the Obie-award winning Eli's Coming, featuring the music and lyrics of Laura Nyro. Opera credits include Don Giovanni, Le nozze di Figaro, Turn Of The Screw, Cosi fan tutte; and Il ritorno d'Ulisse in patria, L'incoronazione di Poppea, and Orfeo at the Chicago Opera Theater. She is a frequent collaborator with British conductor Jane Glover; in 2002, their critically acclaimed production of Orfeo was presented as part of The Monteverdi Cycle at the Brooklyn Academy of Music in New York City. Upcoming works include Il mondo della luna at the Hayden Planetarium in New York and Red Sox Nation at the A.R.T.
The A.R.T., located at the Loeb Drama Center at 64 Brattle Street, and at its second space, the theater-club OBERON, at 2 Arrow Street, (corner of Arrow Street and Massachusetts Avenue), Harvard Square, Cambridge, is accessible to persons with special needs and to those requiring wheelchair seating or first-floor restrooms. Deaf and hard-of-hearing patrons can also reach the Theater by calling the toll-free N.E. Telephone Relay Center at 1-800-439-2370.
CALENDAR AND RELATED EVENTS AT A GLANCE
WHAT:
BEST OF BOTH WORLDS
Book and Lyrics by Randy Weiner
Music by Diedre Murray
Directed by Diane Paulus
Set Design by Riccardo Hernandez
Costume Design by Emilio Sosa
Lighting Design by Aaron Black
Sound Design by Brett Jarvis
Movement by Tracy Jack
Musical Director Michael Mitchell
Associate Music Director/
Choir Coordinator David Freeman Coleman
CAST:
Ezekiel Gregg Baker*
Serena Jeanette Bayardelle*
Violetta Mary Bond Davis*
Maurice Darius de Haas*
Camillo Nikkieli DeMone*
Sweet Daddy Cleavant Derricks*
Rain Brianna Horne*
Tariq Lawrence Stallings*
Mamillius ` Sebastien Lucien
MUSICIANS:
Guitar James Peterson
Bass Wesley Wirth
Drums Yoron Israel
WHEN:
Sa Nov 21 8:00pm
Su Nov 22 2:00 pm & 7:30pm
Tu Nov 24 7:30pm
Fr Nov 27 8:00pm
Sa Nov 28 2:00pm
Sa Nov 28 8:00pm
Su Nov 29 2:00pm
Tu Dec 1 7:30pm
We Dec 2 7:30pm (PRESS OPENING)
Th Dec 3 7:30pm
Fr Dec 4 8:00pm
Sa Dec 5 2:00pm & 8:00pm
Su Dec 6 2:00pm & 7:30pm
Tu Dec 8 7:30pm
We Dec 9 7:30pm
Th Dec 10 7:30pm
Fr Dec 11 8:00pm
Sa Dec 12 2:00pm & 8:00pm
Su Dec 13 2:00pm & 7:30pm
Tu Dec 15 7:30pm
We Dec 16 7:30pm
Th Dec 17 7:30pm
Fr Dec 18 8:00pm
Sa Dec 19 2:00pm & 8:00pm
Su Dec 20 2:00pm & 7:30pm
Tu Dec 22 7:30pm
We Dec 23 7:30pm
Sa Dec 26 2:00pm & 8:00pm
Su Dec 27 2:00pm & 7:30pm
Tu Dec 29 7:30pm
We Dec 30 7:30pm
Th Dec 31 2:00pm & 7:30pm
Fr Jan 1 8:00pm
Sa Jan 2 2:00pm & 8:00pm
Su Jan 3 2:00pm
WHERE: Loeb Drama Center, 64 Brattle Street, Cambridge, MA
TICKETS: $25 - $75
Tickets may be charged to American Express, Visa or Master Card
Group rates are available
Box Office Phone and A.R.T. InfoLine: (617) 547-8300, tickets also available online at American Repertory Theater