Arthur Miller's gripping drama Death of a Salesman kicks off the Guthrie Theater's Mainstage season, Aug. 14-Sept. 19. Joe Dowling will direct the Pulitzer Prize-winning play about the decline of salesman Willy Loman. George Bernard Shaw's Pygmalion will follow Salesman onto the Mainstage. Directed by Casey Stangl, Pygmalion will play Oct. 2 Nov. 7. Director Stangl recently helmed the Guthrie productions of Top Girls (in 2003) and Blue/Orange (2004).
From Nov. 20-Dec. 26, the classic holiday favorite, A Christmas Carol, will play the Guthrie Mainstage for the 30th time. Inspired by Charles Dickens' immortal tale, this version was adapted for the stage by Barbara Fields and will feature direction by Gary Gisselman.
Ellen McLaughlin's adaptation of Sophocles' Oedipus the King will follow, playing Jan. 15-Feb. 13, 2005. Lisa Peterson will direct the story of Oedipus, Laius, Tiresias and Jocasta.
William Shakespeare's As You Like It will play the Guthrie Mainstage March 12-April 17, 2005. Guthrie Artistic Director Joe Dowling will helm the production.
The final Mainstage offering of the season is the classic musical She Loves Me. Based on Miklos Laszlo's Parfumerie, the musical features a book by Joe Masteroff, lyrics by Sheldon Harnick and music by Jerry Bock. John Miller-Stephany will direct the musical, which plays May 7 June 12. Theatregoers will hear such tunes as "Will He Like Me?," "Tonight at Eight," "Dear Friend," "Vanilla Ice Cream" and "She Loves Me." The Guthrie Lab season begins with Lady with a Lapdog, Sept. 18-Oct. 10. Based on a short story by Anton Chekhov, the play features an English translation by Ryan McKittrick and Julia Smeliansky. Kama Ginkas adapted this version and will direct the Guthrie run.
The Royal Court Theatre's production of Sarah Kane's 4.48 Psychosis will play the Lab Oct. 13-17. Directed by James Mcdonald, the play is described as "an extraordinary, poetic rendering of the complex thoughts and emotions that characterize the throes of suicidal depression."
Julie Marie Mayatt's The Sex Habits of American Women will follow, playing Oct. 30-Nov. 21. Directed by Michael Bigelow Dixon, the play concerns a psychoanalyst who is trying to write a book that will elucidate the "sexual elements of a women's psyche."
Two Shakespeare productions head to the Lab in winter 2005. Joel Sass will direct Pericles, Feb. 12-March 6, 2005, and Joe Dowling will helm As You Like It, March 12-April 17.
The De Onderneming Theatre's productions of The Notebook and The Proof — two short, intense shows — will play the Guthrie Lab March 22-April 3. Based on the novels by Agota Kristof, the plays have toured Europe for three years.
The final production to be seen at the Guthrie Lab in 2005 will be the world premiere of Lee Blessing's A Body of Water. Directed by Ethan McSweeny, A Body of Water will run June 11-July 3, 2005. According to production notes, the play concerns "Moss (the man) and Avis (the woman), each about fifty years old, [who] have lost their long-term memory. In three different scenes, a young woman named Wren fills in their biographies. Each time she does, however, the scenarios of their lives change radically."
The Guthrie Theater is located at 725 Vineland Place in Minneapolis, MN. Visit www.guthrietheater.org for more information.
