Life ain't easy for an elfin witch boy. Imagine trying to bring him home to the folks. Well, that's the gist of the Howard Richardson and William Berney show, Dark of the Moon, performing at Minneapolis' Theatre in the Round until Nov. 12. The production opened Oct. 20.
Based on an old folk ballad, Dark introduces an independent Smoky Mountain villager named Barbara Allen. She falls in love with a witch boy who was turned human for as long as she stays true to him. Joel Sass directs the production.
For tickets to shows at Theatre in the Round, 235 Cedar Avenue, Minneapolis at (612) 333-3010. For more information about the Theatre in the Round Players, visit their website at www.theatreintheround.org.
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Now in their 49th year, the Theatre in the Round Players continue their 2000-2001 season, which boasts five area premieres. The season started with the area premieres of Impossible Marriageby Pulitzer Prize-winner Beth Henley, Shivaree by William Mastrosimone and Martin McDonagh's The Cripple of Inishmaan. Richardson and Berney's Dark of the Moon plays through Nov. 12. Then, director Scott Rubsam takes on Absurd Person Singular by Alan Ayckbourn (Taking Steps and How The Other Half Loves, both previously mounted by TRP) Nov. 24 - Dec. 17 at the TRP. Absurd is Ayckbourn's most popular comedy and is about three couples' three different Christmas party disasters.
Perhaps the most provocative of the season is 2 by Romulus Linney. The area premiere set in 1945 Germany at the onset of the Nuremberg Trials will occupy the theatre Jan. 5-28, 2001. Focusing on Hermann Goering, Hitler's No. '2', who helped build the Third Reich. Directed by G. J. Clayburn.
Peter Shaffer (Amadeus and Equus) penned Lettice and Lovage about a British tour guide who embellishes so much that she gets fired, but because of her romantic world view befriends the woman who fired her. Directed by Linda Paulsen, the comedy runs Feb. 9 - Mar. 4, 2001.
Shakespeare's shipwreck saga is marooned at TRP from Mar. 16 - Apr. 15, 2001. The Tempest, about the usurped Duke of Milan, Prospero and his daughter Miranda is presented under the direction of Craig Johnson.
The final area premiere of the season comes with Off the Map Apr. 27 - May 20, 2001. The play by Joan Ackermann centers on a New Mexican native who as a young girl lived off the land and hoped for a miracle. Her answer comes in the form of a displaced IRS agent. Directed by Lynn Musgrave.
Closing the millennial season will be the George Bernard Shaw classic Candida. The comedy about a Victorian love triangle between a reverend, his wife, and a poet, runs from June 1 -24, 2001.
Theatre in the Round Players was founded in 1952, with three other theatres in the Twin Cities: The Old Log in Excelsior and, the Edythe Bush and the Group Theatre in St. Paul. Today, the Minnesota area has over 150 theatre groups, and some major theaters including the Guthrie, the Childrens Theatre, and TRP. Next year will be their 50th season.
The play-by-play lineup for the TRP is as follows:
Dark of the Moon by Richardson & Berney Oct. 20 - Nov. 12
Absurd Person Singular by Ayckbourn Nov. 24 - Dec. 17
2 by Linney January 5 - 28, 2001
Lettice and Lovage by Shaffer Feb. 9 - Mar. 4, 2001
The Tempest by Shakespeare Mar. 16 - Apr. 15, 2001
Off the Map by J. Ackermann Apr. 27 - May 20, 2001
Candida by Shaw June 1 -24, 2001
-- by Ernio Hernandez
