News Stories
Press Comments on Theater Studies' 2005 Season
from the News and Observer Top Ten Plays of 2005:
Angels in America I: Millennium Approaches (Duke University Department of Theater Studies, Durham). Tony Kushner's Pulitzer Prize-winning drama about AIDS and politics packed the intimate Sheafer Theater for a cruelly short run. Director Jeff Storer drew brave, unforgettable performances from this mostly student cast. And Jan Chambers' inventive set ably painted Kushner's ever-changing locations and underscored the "magic" in "magical realism."The Trojan Women (Duke Department of Theater Studies, Durham). It's hard not to picture this skin-tingling production every time the military refers to a war site as a "theater." Director Ellen Hemphill took the phrase literally, setting Euripides' ancient tale in a circus, with sadistic masters and tormented clowns. Set and costume designer Jan Chambers made a nightmarish big top of the small Sheafer Theater. And Allison Leyton-Brown and Stephen Tomac laced the torment with chilling original songs.
Press Comments on On the March to the Sea
Jim Wise of The News & Observer : "The only set is 10 black chairs and four music stands, and the stage directions are read aloud by an actor. But the 'staged theatrical concert reading' of Gore Vidal's On the March to the Sea is satisfying in measures that whizbang extravaganzas with heavy-metal amplfiication, video-game special effects and back-shop gimmickry can't come close to reaching. In short, it's really good - entertaining, thought-provoking and a textbook case of writer's craft....In the playbill, director Warner Shook writes that here, 'the power of the spoken word is front and center.' In the performance, he shows that's where it belongs."
Scott Ross of Robert's Reviews: "On the March to the Sea abounds with wit, metaphor, keenly human observation -- even poetry. To sit in a theater and let this sort of erudition and FEELING wash over you is to experience one of the great joys available in life."
Susan Farrington of The Sanford Herald: "Casting for On the March to the Sea was brilliant. Without being present, it is impossible to grasp the fact that a staged reading with no props could pack such a punch. But it does, with a mighty wallop. [Michael] Learning and [Isabel] Keating give equally vibrant preformances, and [Chris] Noth's sinister portrayal of the disillusioned, mocking Colonel Thayer is absolutely riveting."
Press Comments on Little Women - The Musical
Orla Swift of The News & Observer : "Foster is a gem. It takes mere moments to fall in love with her Jo, a delightful blend of gawkiness, candor and charisma. Her voice is pure and strong. Her acting feels genuine and focused. And her physicality is brilliant in comedic and sober moments alike. John Hickok is also well cast as Jo's mentor and eventual romantic interest, Professor Bhaer. Even in the early scenes, when the professor is stern and exasperated with the tireless Jo, Hickok gives us glimpses of the vulnerability we will later see. Danny Gurwin is charming as Jo's lovelorn pal Laurie, as are Jenny Powers and Jim Weitzer as her sister Meg and the neighbor's tutor John Brooke, who marry."
Byron Woods of The Independent Weekly : "This production convinces as it shows a vivid young woman negotiating the precarious passages from adolescence to adulthood, while miraculously hanging on to her dreams of literature--and independence. That, in itself, is little less than astonishing."
Jamie Stamm of the Sanford Herald: “ Little Women - The Musical is the real deal. It features award-worthy acting, and a harmonious mix of show-stopping musical numbers and moving ballads performed to near perfection. Add in Allan Knee’s terrific adaptation of some pretty strong source material, Louisa May Alcott’s classic 1867 novel “Little Women,” and this musical is bound to be a hit when it opens at Broadway’s Virginia Theater later this year. For now, this superb production is playing at R.J. Reynolds Theater at Duke University, and it is a show that is not to be missed.... Little Women - The Musical will make you laugh. It will make you cry. It will make you tap your toes and, at times, wish that you could sing along. But most of all, this magnificent musical will make you loathe yourself if you don’t catch it at Duke before it heads north."
Robert McDowell of Robert's Reviews: " Little Women - The Musical ... is a must-see musical, a rare opportunity for Triangle theatergoers to see the out-of-town tryout of a musical headed for Broadway. If it takes home a whole shelf of 2005 Tony Awards, please remember that yours truly told you it would."
Little Women Gearing Up For Fall Debut, Begins Ticket Sales
Tickets for Little Women: The Musical are on sale now either on the Web (see link below) or through the Box Office. You may call 919 684.4444 or stop by the Box Office in the Bryan Center of Duke University to purchase tickets for the show.
Little Women: The Musical by Allan Knee, Mindi Dickstein and Jason Howland tells the story of the beloved March sisters during the Civil war-era. Tony Award-winner Sutton Foster and uber-talented Maureen McGovern lead the cast that will bring Little Women to Duke prior to a Broadway debut in early 2005.
"This is an opportunity for our community of theater-goers to enjoy a Broadway production before it hits Broadway" says Producing Director and Director of Theater Previews At Duke, Zannie Voss.
Duke has enjoyed great performances from popular stars in the past, including Tom Selleck, Jason Alexander, Kevin Spacey and Mikhail Baryshnikov. Sutton Foster, who recently departed from her leading role in Broadway's Thoroughly Modern Millie will continue Theater Previews at Duke's tradition of bringing high-calibre performers to Duke's mainstage.
To order tickets, go to www.tickets.duke.edu.
Kudzu: A Southern Musical Cast CD is Now Available
The long awaited KUDZU: A Southern Musical Cast Album CD, from the stage adaptation of Pulitzer-prize winner Doug marlette's Kudzu comic strip, featuring the Tony Award-winning, Broadway veteran Red Clay Ramblers, is now available. CDs are on sale at local bookstores: Quail Ridge, The Regulator, Brick Alley, et al, or may be ordered for $15.95 at dougmarlette.com, redclayramblers.com or Bypass Productions, PO Box 998 hillsborough, NC 27278.
The delighful score is a collaboration between Marlette and Ramblers Jack Herrick and Bland Simpson. The show, which sold out performances at Duke University's Broadway Previews Series at Reynolds Theater and enjoyed an extended run at historic Ford's Theatre in Washington, D.C., has been called
"Engaging...bouyant...goofy...nostalgic..." - The Washington Post
"A joyous musical score and delicious satire..." - Boston Globe
"Deliriously funny" - Raleigh News & Observer
a "musical treat" - Washington Times
Pick up your copy today!
Playwright Romuls Linney Reading in Sheafer
Playwright Romulus Linney, winner of two Obie Awards, gave a reading of his work in Sheafer Theater on Saturday, February 14, 2004 at 3:00pm. FREE to the public, Romulus Linney, presented from his collection of great works.
If you missed this wonderful opportunity to hear from one of the country's leading playwrights, you truly missed a treat. Stay informed of others coming to Duke by visiting this site regularly.
sponsored by the Department of Theater Studies and the Institute of the Arts
Tony Award-winner Emanuel Azenberg Interviews with Playbill.com
"I ripped off covers of all the plays and I said, 'Give me a visceral response that's not a bull---- response.' By the end of the semester they were afraid..." To read the full interview, click here.
