The New Haven, CT, company announced its 2007-2008 season, which will also include Lydia Diamond's The Bluest Eye, Langston Hughes' Black Nativity, David Sedaris' The Santaland Diaries and the Mermaid Theatre of Nova Scotia's The Very Hungry Caterpillar and Other Eric Carle Favorites.
The Lucas premiere is presented in association with Seattle's Intiman Theatre. Smith pens and performs her work under the direction of Moises Kaufman (The Laramie Project). Hartford Stage co-produces The Bluest Eye, and the Long Wharf teams with the Court Theatre (Man of La Mancha) to "re-imagine the classic American musical Carousel."
The 2007-2008 season (subject to change) follows:
Bartlett Sher directs the work set "in the heart of America, [where] a family strives to come together despite the secrets that each one of them holds in their hearts."
Gordon Edelstein directs the story of two "estranged brothers [who] reunite after 16 years to divide their recently deceased father's estate."
The Joe Mantello stage adaptation returns in time for the holidays. The work centers around "a thirty-three year old starving artist turned Macy's Santaland elf, as he struggles to maintain his sanity amidst the absurdity of the Christmas season at the world's biggest department store."
Sarah Peterson directs (with musical direction by Jonathan Q. Berryman) the retelling of "the birth of Jesus through rousing Gospel music and the inspiring poetry of celebrated African-American writer Langston Hughes." The production will feature a choir of singers from the all over the Greater New Haven area.
Moises Kaufman directs the newest one-woman show "inspired by interviews conducted as a visiting professor at the Yale University School of Medicine [that] explores the resiliency and vulnerability of the human body."
Eric Ting directs the work based on Toni Morrison's novel, which "tells the haunting and tragic story of Pecola Breedlove, a young black girl coming of age in the racially turbulent 1940s. Ridiculed by peers and family, Pecola prays for her eyes to turn blue so that she will be as beautiful and beloved as all the blond, blue-eyed children in America."
Charles Newell directs (with music direction by Doug Peck) the re-imagined story of "carnival barker Billy Bigelow. [The] intimate, acoustic production integrates choreography into the storytelling, enhancing a deeply resonant score." Randy Duncan choreographs.
The Mermaid Theatre of Nova Scotia present the work that "using several unique styles of fanciful puppetry, [brings] the vibrant world of famed children's author Eric Carle to life." Tickets to shows at Long Wharf Theatre, 222 Sargent Drive in New Haven, CT, are available by calling (203) 787-4282 or by visiting the theatre's website at www.longwharf.org.
