The two-actor revue-like show, now subtitled Songs From a Marriage, mixes well-known and brand-new songs by lyricist Richard Maltby Jr. and (Buffalo native) composer David Shire to create an intimate portrait of a marriage, from dating to divorce papers. It was recently added to Studio Arena's 2006-07 season, replacing Pump Boys and Dinettes.
Joel Silberman will direct Brian Sutherland and Lois Robbins, who recently starred in the world premiere of the show in Ventura, CA. (The actors were also part of a developmental run in Westchester County, NY, in 2004. The piece has since taken on new songs and new shape, feeling more like an original musical than a song-cycle career retrospective with each new step).
The musical director in Buffalo will be Dean Mora.
"The name 'Richard Maltby' sends shivers of excitement through Western New Yorkers," stated Kathleen Gaffney, Studio Arena's CEO & artistic director. "His production of Ring of Fire was so popular here, and I am thrilled to be able to bring another one of his projects to the Buffalo community. We are also very excited about Maltby's collaboration with Buffalo-native David Shire. The two have produced wonderful pieces together in the past and we are looking forward to welcoming them back to Buffalo."
A Time for Love is billed as "a poignant, sweetly comic, and charmingly romantic musical of two people who meet, fall in love, marry and eventually grow apart." *
A Time for Love, then billed as a "song cycle," got its world premiere Feb. 1-25, by Rubicon Theatre Company in Ventura, CA.
Maltby and Shire gave us Closer Than Ever, Big, Baby and Starting Here, Starting Now.
Robbins is a film, TV and stage actress. Sutherland toured as Sky Masterson in the 50th anniversary Arena Stage production of Guys and Dolls, and recently played the songless American husband in the national tour of The Light in the Piazza. He also took over the patriarch role created by Scott Bakula in Ford's Theater's Shenandoah. His Broadway credits include Steel Pier, 1776, Dance a Little Closer, Cats and Victor/Victoria. He played the title role in Pittsburgh Public Theater's Man of La Mancha.
Maltby has had his hands full recently with book and lyric contributions to Broadway's The Pirate Queen.
A Time for Love came out of a conversation between actress Robbins and lyricist-director Maltby.
Among songs in A Time for Love in 2004 were "The Word Is Love," "The Story Goes On," "One of the Good Guys," "Life Story," "Stop Time," "And What If We Had Loved Like That," "I've Been Here Before"/"It's Never That Easy," "Another Wedding Song," "There" and more.
For more information, visit www.studioarena.org.
