Conceived by composer Wolfson and director Kreith, the show plays a scattered schedule to Aug. 5 at the Workshop Mainstage Theatre on West 36th Street.
Previously presented at The York Theatre's developmental reading series in 2004, Dreamhouse "takes the innovative poetry of Barbara DeCesare and puts it to song, charting an emotionally thrilling voyage through a woman's psyche," according to the creators. "The experiences of every woman are observed and recorded in song by five performers who vary in age and embody different sides of a common character. Both individually and together they illuminate the intricate path of a woman's physical, spiritual and emotional development, examining sexuality, falling in love, motherhood, loss and search for meaning, among other key aspects of a woman's life. Dreamhouse offers a one of a kind theatrical journey comparable only to Jacques Brel… in its unique use of an emotional through-line rather than a traditional plot. The music expresses a wide range of pop and jazz styles set to 27 of DeCesare's most provocative poems."
The poems of Barbara DeCesare have been published in more than 45 journals nationwide including Poetry Magazine, the Evansville Review, Styx, and Gargoyle.
Composer David Wolfson wrote the music for Story Salad, a series of stage revues produced by Maximillion Productions which toured nationally for 14 years. He created incidental music for numerous plays including the Actor/Playwright Lab's premiere of Richard Nash's The Loss of D Natural. Wolfson is a recipient of the Darius Milhaud award and a grant from the music program of the National Endowment for the Arts for Wichern/Wolfson Dance and Music, a company he served as co-artistic director for alongside choreographer Lynn Wichern.
Director Ari Laura Kreith recently directed the premiere of the legal drama Contracts. She also directed Memory Play: A Fragment starring Eli Wallach at the Women's Project, the award winning solo show Trip at the Provincetown Playhouse and the European premiere of Adam Guettel's Myths and Hymns at the Edinburgh International Fringe Festival. The Dreamhouse cast features Suzan Postel (Broadway's The Mystery of Edwin Drood, The Three Musketeers), Maree Johnson (Wilma Theater's Passion), Jennie Eisenhower (York Theatre's Suburb), Amy Hutchins (The Tempest by Pearl Theatre Company) and Gayla Morgan.
The Workshop Mainstage is at 312 W. 36th Street, Fourth Floor. Performances continue 11 AM July 23, 5 PM July 28, 1 PM July 31, 7 PM August 1, 5 PM Aug. 5.
Tickets are $15. For reservations call Smartix at (212) 868-4444. For more information, visit www.dreamhousemusical.com or www.midtownfestival.org.
