NewsPHOTO CALL: Williamstown Kicks Off With Animal Crackers, Starring Joey Slotnick, Mara Davi, Adam Chanler-Berat and Renée Elise GoldsberryThe Williamstown Theatre Festival mainstage season opened with the slapstick musical comedy Animal Crackers, starring Brad Aldous, Joey Slotnick and Jonathan Brody, which ran June 26 to July 13.
Here's how it's billed: "Hooray for Captain Spaulding! The intrepid African explorer, inveterate womanizer, and interminable jokester hobnobs with high society as the guest of honor at a swanky soiree. But when a priceless painting is pilfered, he and the guests are swept up in a screwball search for the thief."
Slotnick (The Big Knife) starred as Groucho, the role he performed to critical acclaim in The Goodman Theatre's 2009 production, with Brody, who performed alongside Slotnick in the Goodman production, as Chico and Aldous ("Boardwalk Empire") as Harpo. The cast also included Joey Sorge (Nice Work if You Can Get It), Adam Chanler-Berat (Peter and the Starcatcher), Mara Davi (A Chorus Line), Renée Elise Goldsberry (The Color Purple), Ellen Harvey (How to Succeed...) and Jacob Ming-Trent (Hands on a Hardbody).
The creative team included John Carrafa (choreography), Paul Kalina (physical comedy direction), Robin Vest (scene design), Matthew Richards (lighting design), Jenny Mannis (costume design), Erin Kennedy Lunsford (hair and wig design), Drew Levy (sound design) and Kris Kukul (musical direction).