The Intiman Theatre's 25th anniversary season will highlight the world premiere of Ellen McLaughlin's Tongue of a Bird. Two West Coast premieres, John Henry Redwood's The Old Settler and Anthony Clarvoe's Ambition Facing West, also will be featured on the Intiman's 1997-98 roster.
This season's lineup includes:
* The Taming Of the Shrew, May 20 - June 15, previews begin May 15.
* The Turn Of the Screw, July 9 - Aug. 2, previews begin July 4.
* Ambition Facing West, Aug. 13 - Sept. 6, previews begin Aug. 8. * Tongue of a Bird, Sept. 17 - Oct. 1, previews begin Sept. 13.
* The Old Settler, Oct. 29 - Nov. 22, previews begin Oct. 24.
* Private Lives Dec. 3 - Dec. 28, previews begin Nov. 28.
Artistic Director Warner Shook announced that Taming of The Shrew will be updated to the 1960s. Costumes and sets will all be from that period while the Elizabethan English will remain, giving the old production a new twist.
Next is Jeffrey Hatcher's adaptation of Henry James' The Turn of the Screw. This production will feature just two actors: a woman who plays the Governess trying to save her two wards and a man who plays all other roles.
Clarvoe's Ambition Facing West follows three generations of a Croatian family as they migrate around the world. The three characters must make decisions to help them find a better life, in turn forcing them to confront questions of heritage and identity. Kandis Chappell will play the ambitious daughter Alma. Michael McGuire, a Broadway veteran, will play the older Stefan.
The main character in McLaughlin's Tongue of a Bird is a search and-rescue pilot looking for an abducted child. The search rekindles her interest in the mysterious death of her mother. Feelings of helplessness and sorrow are shared between Maxine, her grandmother, and the mother of the abducted child. The author, McLaughlin, is best known for her role in the original Broadway production of Angels in America.
Redwood's The Old Settler takes place in Harlem during the 1940s and focuses on two sisters who take in a male boarder who is searching for his lost love.
The season ends with a special anniversary revival of Noel Coward's Private Lives. As in its previous Intiman revival, it will be directed by Warner Shook and Barbara Dickinson will play Amanda.
-- By Honey Freilich
