Arena Stage has embarked on one of the most exciting projects in our history—the construction of the Mead Center for American Theater. To celebrate this monumental occasion, Arena Stage will once again make history in the 2008/09 season by launching a massive two-year festival celebrating the rich mosaic of our nation’s voices. The Arena Restaged Festival will offer a remarkable exploration of American work featuring American giants (Edward Albee and Tennessee Williams), exciting contemporary voices (Daniel Beaty and Karen Zacarías) and the quintessential American art form—the musical (Next to Normal and Irving Berlin’s I Love a Piano).
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world premiere drama
by Daniel Beaty
music by Daniel Bernard Roumain
directed by Oz Scott
a co-production with Hartford Stage
August 29 through October 5, 2008
in Crystal City
In a unique blend of music, poetry, and dance, Daniel Beaty > brings us six show-stopping characters—from Eric, a budding child scientist, to The Bishop, the leader of a mega church, to his son Isaac, a corporate executive. The stories of these African American men collide one evening in an unforgettable look at identity, relationships and, above all, our human connections. The author of Emergence-SEE!, Daniel Beaty won the 2007 OBIE Award for Outstanding Writing and Performance and dazzled Arena audiences last summer with a sold-out run of the show. He returns to Arena with a talented cast of six actors, as well as Oz Scott, who originally directed For Colored Girls... on Broadway, and Daniel Bernard Roumain, a Haitian-American composer who fuses classical violin with a variety of unlikely soundscapes. Don’t miss this chance to be exhilarated by a new voice in the American Theater—one whose writing is extolled by The New York Times as “compassionate and precise.”
“Every now and then you see a performance that jolts the senses to attention…By the end, I was on my feet shouting like someone in church.” —Ruby Dee on Emergence-SEE!
“Roumain…is a rising star of the new music scene, writing for major orchestras and performing regularly with his own nine-piece band, DBR and the Mission.” —Stephen Brookes, The Washington Post
outrageous memoir
created and performed by Carrie Fisher
directed by Tony Taccone
a Jonathan Reinis Production
in association with Berkeley Repertory Theatre
September 5 through 28, 2008
at the Lincoln Theatre
Carrie Fisher is the life of the party in this uproarious and sobering look at her Hollywood hangover. The daughter of Eddie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds, Carrie Fisher became a cultural icon when she starred as Princess Leia in the first Star Wars trilogy at 19 years old. Forever changed, Carrie’s life did not stay picture perfect. A demanding career and single motherhood followed, as well as her struggle with addiction. It’s an incredible tale filled with self-deprecating humor about having Elizabeth Taylor as a stepmother, marrying (and divorcing) Paul Simon, and losing her daughter’s father to another man. Fisher tells a true and intoxicating story with the strong, wry wit that she poured into bestsellers like Postcards from the Edge. Get “Carried” away with this hilarious insider’s look at life in Hollywood.
Carrie Fisher Promo from the run of Wishful Drinking at Berkeley Rep >
Interview with Carrie Fisher about Wishful Drinking on NPR >
Please note: Wishful Drinking premiered at Berkeley Repertory Theater, and the multimedia files referenced above are from that production.
“drolly hysterical” —Entertainment Weekly
“Beverly Hills yard sale of juicy anecdotes” —The Los Angeles Times
“a Hollywood survivor and, as ever, a witty chronicler of its many pitfalls” —The New York Times
New York musical sensation
music by Tom Kitt
book & lyrics by Brian Yorkey
directed by Michael Greif
November 21, 2008 through January 18, 2009
in Crystal City
How does an almost average family navigate today’s over-stimulated and over-medicated world? In this darkly funny and haunting new musical, one suburban household confronts its past and its future. With provocative lyrics and an electrifying score, Next to Normal explores how far two parents will go to keep themselves sane and their world intact. Straight from its wildly successful run at New York’s Second Stage Theatre, Next to Normal is directed by Michael Greif (Broadway’s Rent, Grey Gardens).
Video & Interviews from the New York Production at Second Stage >
Photos, Music and Interviews from the New York Production at Second Stage >
Please note: Brian D'Arcy James will not be available for the Arena Stage production of NEXT TO NORMAL. The multimedia files referenced above come from the New York Production at Second Stage, Spring 2008.
"Next to Normal is of real value to anyone who cares about the direction and possibilities of the American musical. The show throbs with emotional intensity." —Ben Brantley, The New York Times
"Audacious and Original. The score is lively, moving and boasts some of the best songs I've heard in the past year. Impressively staged by Michael Greif, this gleaming production looks stunning." —Joe Dziemianowicz, New York Daily News
“Inspired and soaring, Next to Normal rocks the theater.” —Robert Feldberg, The Record
toe-tapping musical
music and lyrics by Irving Berlin
conceived and written by Ray Roderick and Michael Berkeley
directed and choreographed by Ray Roderick
January 29 through February 15, 2009
at the Lincoln Theatre
I Love a Piano is an enchanting musical journey spanning seven decades of American history as seen through the perceptive and hopeful eyes of Irving Berlin. Using 64 of Berlin’s enduring and popular favorites, I Love a Piano captures the spirit of America from the Ragtime rhythms of the early 20th century through the swinging sophistication of the 1920s and ’30s, from the sentimental songs that inspired a nation during two World Wars to the optimism of the 1950s. Timeless classics such as “White Christmas,” “God Bless America,” “Puttin’ on the Ritz” and “There’s No Business like Show Business” do more than define the music of a generation: they define the music of our country.
Video From I Love A Piano >
"Irving Berlin has no place in American music. He is American Music!" —Jerome Kern
“The strutting, cajoling, embracing songs are newly revealed”—Variety
“I knew 15 minutes in that I was thoroughly enjoying I Love a Piano—by the ending, I was in love.” —David C. Nichols, Los Angeles Times
searing modern drama
by Edward Albee
directed by Pam MacKinnon
February 6 through March 15, 2009
in Crystal City
Meet Agnes and Tobias, a retired married couple living in a suburban neighborhood with Claire, Agnes’s alcoholic sister. When the couple’s adult daughter comes home after her fourth failed marriage and two friends move in unexpectedly, the “delicate balance” of their family life begins to topple. As bitter family rivalries play out over two evenings’ cocktails, Albee’s sharp and witty dialogue cuts straight to the heart. Agnes and Tobias are challenged to the core in this moving, caustically funny masterpiece hailed as “an evening of theatrical fireworks” by The New York Times. Winner of the 1967 Pulitzer Prize, A Delicate Balance further established Albee as a giant of the American Theater. A trio of extraordinary actresses, Kathleen Chalfant > (Broadway’s Wit, Angels in America), Jayne Houdyshell >(Broadway’s Well, The Receptionist) and Ellen McLaughlin > (Broadway’s Angels in America), will star in this seminal work filled with intelligent social commentary from one of our greatest living playwrights.
“one of America's finest family dramas” —Curtain Up
“as ferocious and funny as—and far more humane than—Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" —Vincent Canby, The New York Times
hit musical returns
by Regina Taylor
adapted from the book by Michael Cunningham and Craig Marberry
March 27 through April 26, 2009
at the Lincoln Theatre
Hold onto your hat—one of our most popular musicals returns with a new production of Crowns. Come see the crowns worn by the “hat queens” of the South—women whose storied lives are woven into the straw, silk, wool and lace that adorn their heads. With soulful, spiritual and joyful music, they celebrate family and faith, love and loss, seeking (and finding) one’s true identity. Based on the acclaimed book by photographer Michael Cunningham and journalist Craig Marberry, Crowns captures the thrill of self-expression with an intimate look at six women’s lives. Winner of four Helen Hayes Awards, including Best Resident Musical, Crowns is a series of musical portraits that delighted Washington audiences. See it again—or for the first time—but be prepared for the “hattitudes” that will make you laugh and the music that will let your spirit soar.
“Run—hatless, if you must—to get a ticket!” —The Washington Post
“The gospel music gets in your bones.” —Variety
“Exuberant, soulful!” —The Washington Times
world premiere drama
by Karen Zacarías
directed by Molly Smith
May 8 through June 14, 2009
in Crystal City
D.C. playwright Karen Zacarías (The Book Club Play, Mariela in the Desert) teams up with Arena’s own Artistic Director Molly Smith for this time-bending tale of discovery—both scientific and maternal. Enter the world of Emilie du Châtelet, an 18th century physicist in love with–but unfaithful to–the renowned writer and philosopher Voltaire. Jump forward to the present day world of Olivia, also a physicist, enjoying a satisfying marriage and career but feeling an astonishing pull toward motherhood. Their stories relate in surprising ways; both women fear that their choices will cost them their dreams of scientific immortality. A riveting drama with unexpected twists, this Arena-commissioned play brings a new voice to our stages—one that speaks with great eloquence on two women’s quest for knowledge and love.
classic American drama
by Tennessee Williams
directed by Tazewell Thompson
May 29 through June 28, 2009
at the Lincoln Theatre
You know Blanche and Stanley, Maggie and Brick, but have you met Alexandra del Lago and Chance Wayne? These indelible characters, from the mind of master playwright Tennessee Williams, take the stage in a steamy and suspenseful tale of lost youth and heartbreak. Chance brings the glamorous yet faded actress Alexandra to his Gulf Coast hometown, hoping that the power of her celebrity, however diminished, might ignite his failed acting career and reunite him with a wronged childhood flame. He has no idea of the dangers that lie in wait for him at the Royal Palms Hotel. Tazewell Thompson (Arena’s M. Butterfly) directs this classic drama, infused with the haunting lyricism so distinctive to Williams and a character that the playwright based on his very own life. Explore the onstage world of Tennessee Williams and see how he changed the landscape of American Theater.
''I was Alexandra del Lago from start to finish. I've probably made every speech she made. And I meant them twice as much.'' —Tennessee Williams
“Williams' insights into the nature of human longing once again seem timely, even timeless.” — TheaterMania
one-man sensation
The Jonathan Reinis Production of
written & performed by Josh Kornbluth
in collaboration with director David Dower
October 9 through 26, 2008
in Crystal City
Troubled by the election in 2004 and the health of American democracy, Josh Kornbluth (author of Red Diaper Baby) came to the conclusion that perhaps voting is just not enough. As a result of his distress, Kornbluth created this smart and funny exploration of active citizen participation. Just in time for election season, Citizen Josh weaves a web of entertaining and moving autobiographical tales into a personal quest to examine and engage the fundamentals of democracy. Kornbluth last produced Love & Taxes at Arena and continues his long-time association with our own Producing Artistic Associate, David Dower. So before you cast your ballot on November 4th, consider one last perspective from an irreverent, side-splitting and powerful citizen.
“Beautifully staged…It’s smart. It’s very funny. It’s another highly entertaining evening with Kornbluth.” —San Francisco Chronicle
“Kornbluth is a writer with great originality and depth and a spell-binding performer. What more can you expect from an evening at the theater?” —New York Daily News
a powerful musical evening
co-conceived and written by Maureen McGovern and Philip Himberg
directed by Philip Himberg
musical direction by Jeffrey D. Harris
a co-production with the Huntington Theatre Company
March 31 through April 12, 2009
in Crystal City
A Long and Winding Road is an entertaining and introspective look at the songs that inspired Maureen McGovern > before her Academy Award-winning hit song “The Morning After.” A nostalgic tribute to Maureen’s roots as a folk singer, this show-stopping concert celebrates her love affair with the early works of Jimmy Webb, Carole King, Bob Dylan, Randy Newman and other groundbreaking singer-songwriters from her youth. The repertoire includes an eclectic selection of iconoclastic singer-songwriter material including "The Circle Game," "Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow?" "The Moon's a Harsh Mistress," "Imagine," "Fire and Rain" and many others. The songs, as The New York Times has called them, have become "the second half of the Great American Songbook." They're classic, timeless and evoke all kinds of memories.
Music from Maureen McGovern >
"A captivating musical scrapbook from the 1960's to the early '70's. Ms. McGovern is blessed with a vocal technique second to none." —The New York Times
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1800 S. Bell Street
Arlington, VA 22202
To allow for a timely and cost-effective renovation of our permanent home, Arena Stage moved its operations from Southwest D.C. to Crystal City in December 2007. While the new Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater is under construction, the company is performing in the former Crystal Forum, which underwent a substantial renovation in preparation for our audiences. A five-minute drive from Arena Stage’s previous location at 6tth and Maine in Southwest D.C., Arena Stage in Crystal City is close to Reagan National Airport and one block from the Crystal City Metro station, which is serviced by both the Blue and Yellow Metro lines. The Crystal City area boasts many well-known restaurants (Bebo Trattoria, Jaleo, McCormick and Schmick’s) and has abundant free evening and weekend parking within walking distance to the theater. The theater is roughly the same size as the Kreeger, and hosted four productions in the 2007/08 season: Ella, Death of a Salesman, A View from the Bridge and The Mystery of Irma Vep. |
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1215 U Street, NW
Washington, DC 20009
Located in the heart of the recently revitalized U Street Corridor, the Lincoln Theatre is arguably the most beautiful historic theater in the metropolitan area. Opened in 1922 as a first-run movie and vaudeville house, the Lincoln was the anchor of Washington’s historic Black Broadway, featuring artists such as Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald and Billie Holiday. Elegantly restored to its original grandeur, the historic landmark echoes the spirit and life that pervaded the U Street Corridor in the first half of the 20th century. The 1920’s jewel is the perfect marriage of old-world elegance and current-day comforts. With a Metro station right across U Street, street and valet parking available for purchase, and some of the District’s best eateries just steps away (Al Crostino, Busboys & Poets, Cakelove, Crème Cafe), Arena Stage at the Lincoln Theatre is the perfect complement to our intimate performance space in Crystal City. |
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