Stratford-Inspired Orpheus Descending Resurfaces in Winnipeg
By Kenneth Jones
22 Nov 2006
 |
 |
Seana McKenna as Lady Torrance
|
| photo by David Hou | The 2005 Stratford Festival production of Tennessee Williams' Orpheus Descending resurfaces Nov. 22 at Manitoba Theatre Centre in Winnipeg, in a co-production with Mirvish Productions.
Miles Potter directs Seana McKenna and Jonathan Goad in the revival of the 1957 play about Val, a sexy drifter who lands a job in the heart of the American South. The production is "based on" the acclaimed 2005 Stratford staging in Stratford, Ontario.
"Although he has sworn off his wild ways, the women in town are captivated by his animal magnetism," according to production notes. McKenna plays Lady Torrance, "a small-town wife who is drawn to Val and the freedom he represents. As Val tries to help Lady break the chains of a suffocating marriage, we witness the awakening of passion, love and life, as well as its tragic consequences."
The production will play engagements in Winnipeg (Nov. 22-Dec. 16 at Manitoba Theatre Centre) and Toronto (Jan. 3-Feb. 11, 2007 at The Royal Alexandra Theatre). The co-producers are Mirvish Productions and Manitoba Theatre Centre.
The cast also includes Joyce Campion, Ron Kennell, Catherine Fitch, David Francis, Dana Green, Keith James, Jennifer Mawhinney, Michelle Fisk, Thom Marriott, Rod Campbell, Valerie Hawkins, Jason Jazrawy, Terry Tweed, David Ferry, Walter Borden, Brigit Wilson. J Alexander Campbell, Jeffrey Wetsch and Valerie Buhagiar.
The creative team for Orpheus Descending includes Marc Desormeaux (composer and musician), Peter Hartwell (set and costume design), Peter McBoyle (sound designer), Robert Borges (fight director), Kevin Fraser (lighting designer), Anne Murphy (stage manager) and Angela Marshall (assistant stage manager).
For more information, visit www.mtc.mb.ca or www.mirvish.com.
*
The Broadway production starred Cliff Robertson and Maureen Stapleton. Director Peter Hall and Vanessa Redgrave made headlines in the 1980s with a revival that played London and Broadway (1989) and was later committed to film for a cable TV broadcast. The play was made into a 1959 film, "The Fugitive Kind," starring Marlon Brando and Anna Magnani, and directed by Sidney Lumet.
Contact Us | Advertise | Privacy Policy
Send questions and comments to the Webmaster
Copyright © 2009 Playbill, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
|