Billy The Kid probably had a lot to account for at the end of his short life. Dallas Theatre Center's latest play, by Michael Ondaatje, catches Billy reminiscing about his gang, the men he's killed and the women he's loved - just before his fatal showdown with Pat Garrett.
The Collected Works Of Billy The Kid, directed by Dallas Theatre Center artistic director Richard Hamburger, started previews Oct. 22 and opened Oct. 28 for a run through Nov. 16 at the Kalita Humphreys Theatre, 3636 Turtle Creek Boulevard. Said Hamburger, "Dallas is the perfect city for this wild exploration of the American West."
Ondaatje's novel, The English Patient, won the 1992 Booker Prize and was adapted into an Oscar-winning 1996 film. Born in Sri Lanka, Ondaatje moved to Canada and first penned The Collected Works of Billy The Kid as a novel in 1970.
Starring in the piece are Rocco Sisto (Quills at NY Theatre Workshop), Jesse Sinclair Lenat, Richard Ziman, Sally Nystuen Vahle, Lorca Simons, Sean Arbuckle and Dolores Godinez.
Designing Billy will be Michael Yeargan (set), Katherine Roth (costumes), Curtis Craig (sound) and Howell Binkley (lighting). Steve Bargonetti will serve as music director, David Doersch as fight director. For tickets ($16-$49) ormation on The Collected Works Of Billy The Kid call (214) 522-TIXX.
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The Dallas Theatre Center launched its 1997-98 season with Alan Ayckbourn's Intimate Exchanges. The rest of the 1997-1998 season looks like this:
* A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens, adapted by Gerald Freedman, Nov. 29 - Dec. 28. For the 14th year the holiday classic will play at the Dallas Theatre Company, bringing festive dancing, beautiful carols, and "spectacular special effects" to the stage.
* An Ideal Husband by Oscar Wilde, Jan. 14-Feb. 8, 1998. An Ideal Husband, follows Sir Robert Chiltern's rise to statesman and his being blackmailed. Chiltern's wife must become the perfect political wife to help Chiltern remain the "ideal husband" saving their marriage and her husband's career.
* Long Day's Journey Into Night by Eugene O'Neill, Feb. 25 - Mar. 22. The Pulitzer Prize-winning Long Day's Journey is O'Neill's autobiographical drama of one day in the lives of the Tyrone family. In that one day old grievances resurface and the bonds of family are tested.
* Having Our Say by Emily Mann, April 1-26, 1998. Having Our Say shows two African American sisters who take the audience on an opinionated tour through the 100 years of their lives.
--By David Lefkowitz and Honey Freilich
